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Last pict recovered from the auto-transmissions of Vigilator Doratian Grekis of the Legion: Ultramarines >++INCOMING TRANSMISSION++ >How? How did they get to the surface? And in such numbers? Consul, respond! Large [audio >corrupted] force sighted in the eastern hills. Come in? Anyone? Is anyone..... >++SIGNAL LOST++ >... >+ATTEMPTING TO RE-ESTABLISH CONNECTION++ >... >... >++SIGNAL RETREIVED++ >incoming data packet... >receiving... >++ERROR 40004...data corrupted. >Begin auto purge... >Audio log deleted >Pict log deleted >All logs deleted >END.

So, this is my first thread here on the B&C and for it I'll be documenting progress on my latest army, the Alpha Legion (30k) So here goes nothing: First up my Praetor Now the autocannons: Thanks for taking the time to look, C&C welcome Apologies for poor quality, only camera I have is my phone

A few questions for alpha legion warlord traits and stratagems. 1) I am Alpharius; can you give this warlord trait to a character that already has a warlord trait? 2) I am Alpharius; It says if the mission gains victory points for killing your warlord they must kill all alpha legion characters. (Does this still count even if i have We are Alpharius on one of my characters meaning that he can not take I am Alpharius since he has a warlord trait already). 3) Master of Diversion; If i put units in deepstrike can i re-deploy them onto the field with this warlord trait? as it is still in the deployment phase. (Also can you use Forward Operatives when you re-deploy or only the first time they are deployed?) 4) Scrambled Coordinates; This i know only works on 1 unit, but when it comes to the space marine drop-pod which has units inside that disembark immediately, does the stratagem work on the unit that is getting out from the drop-pod or only the drop-pod itself? This is just a few i can think of now that im wondering about.

I've been perusing the new rules, trying to make heads & tails of the changes and it's not getting me very far. I'm kind of a hands-on learner and I haven't even bothered to go look at the rumored/leaked points changes that are out there in the aether. So, fellow Harrowmasters, what are your initial impressions on how the Alpha Legion will operate in 9th Edition? Any nifty combos with our F&F stuff that you've come up that have altered how they worked in 8th? The only stratagem change that has jumped out at me is that since Command Reroll can no longer be used on vehicle explosion rolls, our sabotage strat got more reliable.

:::::::::Attempted Data-Recovery:::::::::Accessing File AXXR-29748:::::::::Please stand by::::::::: :::::::::Access denied as per the Sigillites request:::::::::Termination Protocol engaged::::::::: :::::::::Inquisitorial Override, Access Level Charon:::::::::Please stand by::::::::: :::::::::Greetings Inquisitor Yannik:::::::::Unspooling Data-crystals::::::::: :::::::::Access granted::::::::: :::::::::Thought for the day: Where dark reigns, light must fall::::::::: The Incident at Station Euripides Date: 013.m31 - Segmentum: Solar - System: Sol - Planet: Europa, orbiting Jupiter - Function: Mechanicum research facility - Assigned Overseer: Genetor-Supreme Kykeron Ancient Pict-Reconstruction of Pre-Imperial Europa; date unknown, probably m3/m4 Europa, like many of the solar moons, has been utilized as a secretive research facility for some of the Mechanicum-covens that were closest to the Imperial throne. Deimos and Phobos of Mars were the twin-seat of the Pradaean synode; archwrights of some of the more destructive base-technologies supplied to the Crusade (>>>>Cross-reference DEIMOS-PATTERN-RHINO///>>>>Cross-reference PHOBOS PATTERN BOLTER). Luna as the shadowed empire of the Sororitas Silentium and the lunar Geno-cults. Similarly, Europa was home to the Ansilean Circle, a branch of of the Adeptus Genetoris concerned with -REDACTED- and thus imbued with all the neccessary ranks and privileges as by the Emperor's own decree. Due to the high-priority technologies developed and improved upon, in which incidentally both Lord Guillaume and the traitor-primarch Alpharius have taken high interest, the station has long been obscured from regular imperial authorities and been declared perditas due to remnant xenos infestation. This, of course, was a farce. Access could only be granted by a select few individuals; the primarchs, the fabricator-general of Mars, the Emperor and Malcador to only name a few. During the closing stages of the Horus Heresy, assaults conducted by the Alpha Legion on the Solar system had increased massively and many harrowing strikes were lead against both the various mechanicum outposts as well as the Imperial Fist garrisons scattered throughout the system. Somewhen during the thirteenth year of m31, all contact from Terra to Europa broke off and an investigative force of Imperial Fists had been sent out by Lord Dorn to secure the technology still present in the Ansilean vaults. It is to be noted that Lord Dorn was at first unwilling to send out any of his men due to the impending Siege of Terra, but both Lord Malcador and the Emperor's personal genewrights could convince him otherwise. The investigative force would quickly discover that a strike force of the Alpha Legion, supported by traitor units of the Solar Auxilia, had disabled all communication in the facility and begun off-loading the present technology. It appears that the stationed Mechanicum force had been seeded with operatives for decades, if not longer, and had thus turned to the cause of the archtraitor. This is the documentation of the Euripides-incident. :::::::::Unspooling fragmentary audio-data recorded by Legionnarie Karst of the Imperial Fists::::::::: :::::::::Data is heavily damaged:::::::::Please stand by::::::::: :::::::::Data partially recovered:::::::::Open the record: Y/N?::::::::: :::::::::Input: Y::::::::: "We are Alpharius" :::::::::Close the file: Y/N?::::::::: :::::::::Input N::::::::: :::::::::Fareth well, Inquisitor Yannik::::::::: :::::::::The Emperor protects::::::::: [Written by The Observer]

Dear reader, this thread will contain the story and lore behind Serpent's Harrow. If you think you find some motifs familiar or too cheesy or Mary Sueish, you're probably right. While my aspiration is to write quality stories, I am certain those stories sound far better in my head, imagining those glorious characters than my skill of putting them to the paper gives them justice. ~ DRAMATIS PERSONAE ~ Adeptus Astartes Cassander Kyros, Harrowmaster of the Serpent's Harrow, XX Legion Thias, Leader of Assymetrical cell, Serpent's Harrow, XX Legion Zyphos Maiev, Master of Ordnance of Omicron-Theta, Serpent’s Harrow, XX Legion; Kyros‘ 2nd in command Dynat „Steelgasp“, Techmarine, Serpent’s Harrow, XX Legion Spaze Omegon, Quartermaster and temporary Master of Signal, Serpent’s Harrow, XX Legion Others Gaellan Copernicus, Helmsmaster of Omicron-Theta, agent of the Serpent’s Harrow Fowl Cherubiam, High-Serpent of the Thrice-Cursed Serpentae, cultist, agent of the Serpent’s Harrow

Hey all, Need a little help with a small Zone Mortalis list im making, as part of a campaign coming up in a few months. The ZM list needs to contain a non-named character HQ that is also present in the other games (3k pts, 1500 pts etc. of the same campaign) so i need to have one eye on survivability of those games too. Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated! Rite of War - Pride of the Legion - HQ Praetor w. AA, Iron Halo, Paragon Blade, Melta Bombs, Digi lasers, power dagger (175)- Troops 6 Tartaros Terminators ( w. 4x Combi bolters, 1x Heavy Flamer, 2 x PW (axe?), 2 x Power Fist, 1 x Chainfist. Serg w. Combi Melta, chainfist, power dagger, venom sphere hareness (267)9 Vet Tacs w. Vexilla, plas gun. Serg w. AA, Power fist, dower dagger (203)(Sniper) 8 Vet Tacs w. Vexilla, plas gun. Serg w. AA, Power fist, dower dagger (191)(Sniper) - Elites Cortus Contemptor - Kheres Assault Cannon, close comabt weapon w. Heavy Flamer (160)-Total = 996 pts Not sure whether i need to hit the 1000pts mark to unlock the Praetor? Get the feeling im missing something or could improve/tweak something to make it more interesting, but not sure.

What follows is a somewhat lengthy post detailing a perhaps surprising pattern in the influences of the Crusade/Heresy era XXth Legion which I noticed awhile back. Namely ... that they're very heavily /Germanic/ inflected .. despite all the pseudo-Greek stylings and aesthetic. It was originally posted in one of my project-log threads on another forum; however, following the pretty positive reception which it [and uh .. a few other lengthy thoughts I was having in the same thread] received, I figured that it might also be of interest/use to the Age of Darkness frater of B&C. I haven't altered it from its original form, except in the form of the post-script addendum covering Hengist in England. ------------ Now as applies the XXth Legion ... You may be familiar with a certain Alpha Legion character by the name of Armillius Dynat. His namesake appears to be a German chieftain by the name of Arminius [funny that] who lead the Germanic tribes to a massacre victory over Augustus' legions at Teutoburg Forest [this basically causes Augustus to have a bit of a mental breakdown and start wandering his palace screaming "VARUS - GIVE ME BACK MY LEGIONS!!!"] [cunning chap's subtly changed his name to "Armillius" to reference a certain figure from Jewish myth to throw us off the scent (wile also getting across an additional layer of connotation)! In true Alpha Legion fashion!] Now how this relates to our friendly Alphas ... is that the chap in question attained his stunning success against the Romans not simply through ambush ... but his application of the knowledge he'd picked up /while training as a Roman military commander/ in Imperial service. Or, in other words, while hie mgiht not have "infiltrated" in the conventional sense .. he still nevertheless managed to join Roman society, work his way up [being given citizenshp and Equestrian caste rank] ... and then "betray" his former side in a bloody manner by turning their own knowledge against them. It is *particularly* Alpha that the way in which Arminius was able to lure three entire legions into the forest in question through the production of a *fake* report suggesting a rebellion which required urgent putting down by Roman forces in order to lure Varrus into the trap. Now, the etymology of "Arminius" is itself rather intriguing for these purposes - the standard approach links it to the Her , the "warriors" .. so would simply be a "Her Man", a Fighting Man. However, as it's unlikley to have been his *actual* name amongst his own people, but rather one adopted for the purposes of his operation in Roman society at his citizenship ... i suppose you could look upon it as a Nom-De-Guerre in at least two senses of the term http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/18.png [there's also, iirc, an "ermena" root in Proto-Germanic which owrks out as "universal" ... which while not directly relevant, amuses me because of the implication "I am everywhere!"] Although that's not the "intriguing" bit. Instead, I suspect that a linkage to the "Irmin" may also be in evidence - although this is my own theorizing rather than anything I'vve picked up from academic sources. Which, apart from being part of a cluster of words in Germanic that i've briefly mentioned above , relating to "great" or "large" [or, potentially, "Arya(n)"] , *also* turns up in connectoin to Germanic [particularly Saxon/Continental-Germanic more so htan Nordic, so much] figure connected to "Odin". More on that in a moment; as it's just re-entered my memory that the same root , in the form of "Jormunn" is the first half of the name "Jormungandr" [which uh ... well, it's a kenning - "Great Staff" , for .. well, you know] - which again has some rather interesting implications as applies the Alpha Legion. ANyway. Irmin is linked to Odin, like I said earlier. Which ... is often misinterpreted/misremembered in modern culture fo a number of reasons. Work we have done [and which, to be proper, has also beend one by a number of other academics over the decades, however it's fallen by the wayside a lot these days for a number of reasons] links Odin/Wotan and such ... to Vata [also known in Vedic Sanskrit as "Vayu" ] , with the Indo-European linguistics involved hinging around a "Va-" particle that works out as Wind. Why does this matter? Weeeelll .. the "winnowing wind" is a pretty apt descriptor for the Alpha Legion, imo - particularly in light of a quotation by a Scythian [there I go again...] leader during the course of a Persian invasion of his lands, taunting the latter that they were the wind .. and good luck attempting to catch the wind! Wind wanders, and as anybody who's spent awhile in an older house of wood or wicker will note .. it's interminably hard to keep out the wind... Further, and going back to Odin ... we see quite some emphasis upon Odin adopting various disguises, running under assumed names, cyphers, riddles - taking quite a delight in such, in fact [and we see in the i think third Black Book the Alpha Legion doing exacty this in rather amusing fashion to the Sons of Horus following Paramar V or whatever it was [thanks /tg/ for tracking down where the quote came from as well as its salience http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/18.png ] . Literally a defining feature of the deity in question. It gets additionally intriguing when we consider how the Interpretatio Romanum attempted to account for Odin [i uh ... I won't go into a discursion around Greco-Roman religions being the Odd People Out as applies a conflation of Dumezilian 1st and 2nd function deities and hte folding of Sky Father into Storm Lord , in contrast to both Nordic and Vedic systems of belief ... but you get the idea] - by connecting Odin to Mercury/Hermes. After all, what's the Staff of Hermes look like http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/2.png [and c.f also what I said earlir about "Jormungandr" - a great staff, a staff being of potenetially magical import [as well as the whole 'staff of office' angle, ] .. a serpent-staff .. , although this is me being "poetic" so to speak" ... and leads me off in another direction with the Baltic/Slavic "Veles" ...] In addition ot the connotations of the possessoin of secret knowledge, the liminal, and psychopomp[ous] roles ands uch. [relating to Armin .. making a note to potentially incorporate an "Ariobarzanes" .. but again, side-issue] But anyway, lest I be accused of making far too much out of a single name and letting my imagination run wild [spoiler: I am http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/18.png ] ... there are other points of coterminity which must be considered also. For a start, consider the Alpha Legion's use of the term "Harrow". This is, once again, a Germanic-origin term. And you can see a similar derivation in English in the term "harry" [also, potentially, "Harass" .. see where i'm going with this?]. Both have their partial origins in the word "Her" I've mentioned earlier [see, for example, th same word turning up in "Einherjar" - variously translated by scholars as "One Man Army" or a sort of army of one (purpose) from many, or possibly a force meant for a single purpose/time/combat .. but I digress] [antoher more modern example being the German word "Heer", that'll be familiar to our WWII-aware types]; but it goes bigger and deeper than that in terms of connotation. Specifically, the way in which it came to mean to "plunder", or to "overrun" - to subjugate, in other words, with overwhelming force or via other means, to the point that they'd be in ur supply-linez raidin ur stuffz. Hence the various mentions about the time [a thousand years ago or more] wherein you see mention of the Germanic peoples "harrying" as raiders and such http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/18.png - finding weak-points, turning up, plundering, etc. then withdrawing before strong resistance could be organized. As a point of interest, "Herzog", today a German (sur)name, and in the Heresy the surname of at least one Alpha Legionnaire ... welllll, it originates from a Proto-Germanic "Harjatugo: which translates as "Harrow-Master" Now, [forgot what i was putting here] But back to Odin ... There is a figure by the name of Herla; again, with etymology tied up with "Her" , in the sense of "Warrior" or "host" - and if i recall, linking closelywith a Theonym of Odin as the "Lord of the Host" [Harjan] , as well as "Hari". I mention him for two reasons - first up, this is speculated t obe an etymological origin-point for "Harlequin" [yes, *those* Harlequins .. by way of Hellequin]. Or, phrased another way ... 'trickster' types .. wearing masks [or half-masks, in some tellings - potentially, and potentially also etymologically linking to "Hel" in the Germanic senses] .. who may be diabolic emissaries , actors [and in a dramatic context, often 'self-aware', dancing atop fourth wall, and with an intriguing linkage to "politics"]; but also, second, due to the suggestion that the figure in question may mythically speaking have been the Devil or Odin. [ther's also a few historical figures of the Hellequin and related names who may further be of use]. "Devil" and "Odin", well, you can see how that's relevant to the XXth. Particularly given, iirc, the connection to a certain "off-greenish colour" of this Hellequin figure. [although interestingly, in at least one of hte old Herle myths, it's *this* figure that is the victim of subterfuge and trickery rather htan other way around...] [as a brief side-note, there's a related set of Germanic terms which work out more as "Elf-King" and such .. and connect to, well, "Elf" spirits, which may or may not also be trickster, kidnapper, hidden, illusion-weaving etc. .. but I digress. It's Alpha Legion relevant but also Eldar relevant - just as Harlequins, i guess, should be. Hmm, i should probably look into "Alb" etc - the idea of Elves in Nordic myth being .. actually, i'll get on to that later. ONWARD!] Probably also worth noting the potential connection with the Wild Hunt - you know, ghostly apparitions in the sky sweeping with the force of the wind and supernatural import. But where I was *actually* going with the above was with the "Harii" talked about in Tacitus. Why? Well, take a look at how they're described in said work. We'll leave aside the fact they're literally described as [using] "black shields" , but n.b how they deliberately work to obscure their appearance by painting htemselves all-over in black - the better to avail their night-attacks and subterfuge [the better to facilitate their precision-strikes of significant force and such] .. quoth Tacitus - "in every battle, the eyes are the first to be conquered". But where it gets *particularly* intriguing is the description, also in Tacitus, of these guys as a "ghost army" [partially, iirc, in reference to their use of terror and the sowing of panic as weapons themselves and sudden apparitions and hte like from outta nowhere, to quot the meme]. Although I should probably mention at this juncture, an associate's pointing out that it's rather unlikely there was actually a Germanic tribe called the "Harii". Instead, what is possible to have happened is that Tacitus or some other Roman got the wrong end of the stick about some German he was talking to; and so we have this relic of a group of people who may very well have self-identified hwen asked as "warriors" [Herii] , being instead described as a tribe of the same name. [The uh .. the mind boggles as applies the Bastarnae acquiring *that* as an ethonym] Or, in true Alpha Legion style, it's a false-name deliberately given, perhaps because identifying *your entire people* as being warriors is an intimidation-factor. Particularly if they're, you know, GHOST-WARRIORS apparently. I would also note that in, i think it's in the Lay of Rig [Rigsthula] there's an attestation for Jarl having "eyes like a serpent shon" - the idea being both that he's in possession of much knowledge [consider dragons in, like Tolkien etc. ] and cunning. There is additionally, now that I look through my notes on the subject, an ancient Nordic kenning-ish "joke" which uh ... let me put it this way - it involves the strike of a serpent, and something like the modern ENglish idioms of being "caught with one's pants down" or "bite us in the arse". This connects with the Icelandic "Hoggormr" - a "serpent['s] strike", which iirc is a proscribed conduct in hte law-code in question as undignified, ungentlemanly etc. Oh, another side-note - the Ursinus character ... again, Germanic, despite Latinization. Both in terms of its use as a Germanic name in the (Post-)Medieval period; and its name relating to "Bears". Now, Bear-warriors, of course .. again, Ber-Serkers - Bear-Skinned [i wonder if the idea of Alpha Legion adopting the "skins" of others may be relevant ... ] . [although the Echion surname - well, take a quick google. Another few very apt connotations and connections http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/7.png ] Also, a *bit* of a loose one ... Autilon Skorr - weeell, you might have heard of one Otto Skorzeny http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/18.png not least due to this chap's various conduct both during and after WWII that was straight-up XXth Legion. I mean, hwere to begin. Not just hte commando raids and stuff like Operation Longjump [the attempt to assassinate the Big Three Allied leaders all at once], the daring rescue of Mussolini or Operation Panzerfaust [the abduction of a Hungarian VIP to attempt to assert political leverage on the regime in question], the stuff around Operation Greif [skorzeny et co - comprised of volunteers capable of speaking excelleng [indeed, American-Idiomatic] English and wearing captured Allied uniforms, driving vehicles ['Panzer Brigade 150'] that had been "disguised' as American etc. hardware [somewhat .. haphazardly, admittedly] .... BUT ALSO , the post-War incident wherein he wound up working for Mossad, assassinating German targets in Egyptian etc. employ by using his reputation and familiarity with the high-value individuals in questiion t oget close and 'betray' [from their perspective] them in Israeli service. There's also, now that I think upon it, been a number of mentions in recent scholarship of Viking and other Germanic peoples making quite a point of employing "unconventional" for hte time military approaches, including outright deception or betrayal [of non-Germanics] as necessary. I'm trying to remember the Anglo-Saxon incidence of this which first got me thinking about "Harrow" in the first place. Will maybe write it up if/when I do. Oh, and finally ... what is a "German" - well, there are a number of etymologies .. but one which is rather directly relevant here is the implication of them being a "man of the spear" ['Ger' as 'Spear'] ... now what's Alpharius armed with http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/18.png Anyway, there are no doubt more connections that could be made; and while I'm not for a moment claiming that the Alpha Legion are *exclusively* Germanic in origin ... I do think that there's quite some Germanic influence going on with them that gets a bit 'lost' under all the Classical/Greek aesthetic, the mythical serpents, and the Greco-Roman naming bits and pieces. I should probably tidy all this up and write it as a proper article rather than "here's a rant I penned in the last hour for some reason about a Crusade/Heresy era thing in the Unification Wars thread" http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/18.png If you've made it this far, thanks for bearing with me. ---------------------------- Addendum: I went back and asked our research institute's resident Germanic expert about the Anglo-Saxon incident briefly mentioned above. His reply: "Hengist employed the original "Night of the Long Knives" in his conquering of Britain. The nutshell version is that he feigned peace with his enemies, married his daughter to the rival general and had his warriors sit around the campfire and feast with the soldiers. Except his daughter was in on it, promptly slit her new husbands throat and opened the gates to the complex, where the germanic feasters employed the use of the Sax Knives to kill their erstwhile allies."

T he world before me is a barren orb of ash, blood, and mud. It is the fifth of it’s kind we have encountered. Lord Guilliman has tasked us with border security, and the 129th obeys. We departed Macragge four years prior, resupplied by her forges, and reinforced by her scholams. One thousand warriors, bearing the double hammers of Tallassar. Four years since we encountered another warrior of our legion. Four years since any news of Terra has reached us. Six years since the Betrayal. Our connection with Macragge has failed us, the technology used to command us, gone. Lord Fidelitas has split the company, assigning my sub-company to follow up on distress beacons set off by our worlds. It is a thankless job, and we have been chasing shadows, having last fired a bolter in anger over six months ago. Mostly, we find a dead world, arcane sigils etched into the dirt. These we raze, I will not have the shame of them blighting the honor of Ultramar. We find some survivors, but they are rare, and often do not survive more than a week, no matter how much we try. The rest are…broken. The warp has twisted their minds in such a way that we often are forced to put them down. There is no war here. Only death and despair. “Ruminations on Betrayal” Sebastus Ixion -Sub-Tribune, 129th Co. XIII, Legio Astartes The 129th company, following rearmament on Macragge, would be assigned by Roboute Guilliman with hunting down and countering the ongoing Shadow Crusade led by Lorgar and Angron. Captain Fidelitas would opt to persecute this mission by pursuing the Chapter of the Ruined King, led by Lord Allant. This blood feud would last the length of the Heresy, and would conclude over a millennia later, with many of the parties involved remembering little, if any of the reason for the initial vendetta. However, that is a story for another time. This chronicle is instead focused on the exploits of Sub-Tribune Ixion and his veteran elite. Ixion would lead a force of about 100 separate form the rest of the company, dealing with various traitor incursions that might threaten the flanks of the company. This action would see them battle various forces under the banner of Horus, including the Warmaster’s own. Referred to as Strike Force Alpha, the warriors under Ixion were some of the 129th’s best void and terminator warriors, renowned for their first strike capacity and armored assaults on the ground. As such, it was something of a shock when the task force was reassigned to Ixion. What to say of Sebastus Ixion? ‘Lion of Tallassar’, ‘Lord of the Void Born’, he was a decorated, if somewhat unremarkable captain of the Thirteenth. Part of the 129th that had been in orbit during the Betrayal, he repelled three waves of Word Bearer assault forces attempting to take the company’s flagship, earning an Iron Halo he wore with pride until his demise. Soft of voice, Ixion was respected, if not particularly well liked by his fellow officers in the 129th, though this had little to do with his abilities, and instead reflected upon the cult of personality Luciel Fidelitas had built around himself prior to his elevation as Senior Captain. Some murmured that Ixion had rankled at the young man being promoted above him, but closed logs from the deciding vote made it clear that Ixion had nothing but respect for the young man who would go on to lead the company into the Scouring and beyond. This account will pick up immediately prior to traitor incursions into the Hadrius System, and will end immediately following the start of the Scouring. It will include multiple interludes, as well as Character profiles depicting important figures from the campaign. This author will not pretend that this account is unbiased. It is written by a survivor of said campaign, and includes various interview profiles taken from Astartes, mortal, and Mechanicum perspectives. More information is available upon request. +++PICT CAPTURE//XIII.CXXIX.FABIAN+++ +++Note: Many XIII Legio companies had began to move towards alternative heraldry as legion forces dispersed throughout Ultramar. This particular scheme is believed to have referred to themselves as the 'Shattered Suns'. Origin is unclear, though possibly a reference to the death of the Veridian star.+++ +++Laurel and Gladius insignia represents void specialist, not surprising considering armament.+++

Part 2 of the ongoing Saga of the Lord Emperor League campaign, a 1K Point League at my FLGS. Previous games I've played in the series, and other information about the Campaign, can be found here: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/341428-angry-goats-iron-hands-battle-reports-1k-league/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Secure communication station in sector 14S UA.” That single sentence was the entirety of the orders the task force had received, but it was all that was needed. With a thought, Chaplain Valdosta accessed multiple data banks and cross-referenced a plethora of images and intelligence reports on the area. It seems that enemy forces had been using the equipment there to both disrupt Imperial communications and to also spread heretical propaganda. Some reports even hinted that members of the Alpha Legion had been seen in the area. The thought of bringing the Emperor’s Justice to these heretics stirred the blood in Valdosta’s broken body. Within the cold confines of the Venerable Dreadnought, his righteous fury began to build. Scout Squad Kiko ranged far ahead of the rest of Task Force Valdosta in a recon patrol. When they reached the site of the communications facility, there was little to indicate an active enemy presence of any kind. At first. But through the broken ruins and field of dead bodies, one thing did stand out: a massive Maulerfiend with the tendrils on his back lashing about at random. Seeming to be the only thing in the area unconcerned with concealment, the massive beast stamped around the base of the communications tower like an unruly guard dog. With the threat identified, Squad Kiko took an elevated firing position and called in the rest of Task Force Valdosta. The ancient war machines of the Angry Goats chapter marched forward towards their objective. Well aware of the Alpha Legion’s reputation for treachery, the 5 venerated Dreadnoughts maintained a defensive posture as they approached. And while stealth wasn’t their strong suit, their targeting sensors certainly were. As they neared the communication tower, firing solutions began to light up on their respective displays. A hulking Helbrute, a handful of Alpha Legionaries, and the Maulerfiend were identified and assigned firing priorities. This handful of opponents would hardly be a match for Task Force Valdosta. But as the Dreadnoughts neared their optimum engagement range, something proved to be drastically wrong. What had originally registered as a field of the dead, was now moving. Venerable Dreadnought Repartida was the first to notice that something was off. From the field of the dead, 40 Cultists broke from cover and surged towards the Dreadnoughts. But such ancient warriors were not to be intimidated by such a motley horde. Repartida’s well-practiced targeting systems were quick to analyze the situation and reprioritize targets. With a blurt of machine code, he passed his new targeting algorithms to the rest of the Task Force. Contemptor Saanen adjusted his formation to form a firing line with Chaplain Valdosta and Contemptor Pyrenean. In a veritable wall of death, the 3 Dreadnoughts opened up with their Assault Cannons and Bolters. The first two ranks of the Cultists were cut down almost simultaneously, joining the field of the dead once more. Seeing their fellows mutilated so quickly proved too much for the majority of the remaining cultists and they nearly all retreated with curses flowing freely. Only the Cultist Champion and his 3 greatest sycophants seemed dedicated (or crazy) enough to continue the charge. The second volley proved their spurt of courage to be unfounded. Not to be outdone, Venerable Orobica and Venerable Repartida charged up their Lascannons and Autocannons. The combined firepower of their first volley struck the raging Maulerfiend with deadly accuracy. The massive beast barely had time to let out an infuriated roar before his power core overloaded and sent his body parts out in rain of plasma, shrapnel, and blood. Three of the Alpha Legion Havocs, who were already lifting their Heavy Bolters to return fire, were consumed in the blast. But before Task Force Valdosta could press their advantage, the scent of warp-tainted ozone saturated the air. Amidst the sound of disembodied screaming, a Chaos Sorcerer and a trio of thrice-damned Obliterators appeared among their compatriots. The Alpha Legion reinforcements had come. Immediately upon arrival, the Sorcerer began to chant in a language so foul that only the blasphemous Obliterators seemed to be emboldened by it. But emboldened they were, and immediately unleashed a hellish volley at the Dreadnoughts. The first shots flew towards Chaplain Valdosta with a nightmarish fury. But the Dreadnought’s armor was some of the most ancient and venerated in the Angry Goats Chapter and would not be easily marred. Most of the shots, that should have torn gaping holes in his torso, instead seemed to glance off the relic armor and left only superficial damage behind. Still guided by the Sorcerer’s chanting, the second volley flew into Ancient Saanen with equal ferocity. Though the damage he received did prove to be more severe, the automatic shield deflected the worst of the shots, and he remained quite functional. With an unnatural speed the Helbrute burst from the ruins and charged forward, all the while screaming praises to Papa Nurgle. His wildly firing Multi-melta scorched the walls near Valdosta, but did nothing to impede the Chaplain. And though he was goaded on by the Sorcerer, the Helbrute was not destined to sake his bloodlust. Seeing the Helbrute dart forward triggered a subroutine in the Venerable Dreadnoughts, and they both immediately turned to fire. Before the massive fiend could get to grips with his prey, he was intercepted by a hail of Autocannon and Lascannon fire. Though the Helbrute’s meaty legs continued to stride forward for a few more steps, it was of little use as its entire upper half was missing. The torturous existence of this affront to the Machine God had been ended. With their front-line units expended, the Chaos Lord and Sorcerer began to fall back under the cover of the Havocs and Obliterators unyielding fire. Seeing this retreat, all elements of Task Force Valdosta began to press forward. But in the heat of battle, mistakes can be costly. Scout Squad Kiko and Contemptor Pyrenean broke from cover a fraction of a second early and they paid for it dearly. Several members of Squad Kiko were given the opportunity to pass on their gene-seed to the next generation by the Havoc’s Heavy Bolter fire. Meanwhile, Ancient Pyrenean suffered the ire of the Obliterators, and was severely damaged and knocked out of the fight. But despite their losses, the advance pressed on. In a hail of fire, Venerable Repartida and Orobica destroyed two of the Obliterators and injured the third while the combined fire of Valdosta and Saanen punched through the ruins and saw one of the havocs dead. Techmarine Surati, amidst a mixture of curses, machine code, and complains about “repair queues” lifted his bolter. With a righteous hatred for the Obliterators, that had so badly damaged Ancient Pyrenean, guiding his aim he placed a bolter round directly through the eye of the last Obliterator. Its blasphemous existence was ended. With the way clear, Saanen and Valdosta charged forward into the remnants of the Alpha Legion force. Contemptor Saanen caught up with the Sorcerer first and their exchange was short but vicious. The Sorcerer proved to be no slouch in close range combat, and unleashed a torrent of ethereal energies at the Dreadnought. Though Saanen’s shielding proved to be ineffective against the blasts, his momentum was not slowed. After several dodged swings of his massive fist, he finally managed to catch the Sorcerer. With the sound of straining servos, the ancient corrupted Terminator Armor around the Sorcerer buckled and crushed him inside. Chaplain Valdosta reached the Chaos Lord and the remaining Havoc Marine at the same time. With an almost casual sweep of the Dreadnought’s fist, the Havoc was pulverized against his firing port. The Chaos Lord, however, proved a far deadlier foe. His shimmering, oversized Chainsword seemed to be in 3 places at once and Valdosta was forced back with every swing. Great rends were being carved into the Dreadnought’s normally resilient armor. But instead of pressing the attack against the now-smoking Chaplain Dreadnought, the uninjured Lord stepped back and simply stated “Enjoy your … ‘Victory’ … while you can …” Then, before Valdosta could move to react, the Lord vanished. With the Alpha Legion forces all destroyed or in retreat, the communications tower was secure. As Chaplain Valdosta moved to establish a perimeter, he checked the incoming damage reports. Though Contemptor Pyrenean had been the most badly hit, his damage was all fully repairable. Techmarine Surati estimated that they would all be back to full combat capabilities before night fall. But despite this good news, and even through the thrill of victory, Valdosta was still bothered by the Lord’s departing words. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he and his forces had been lured into this area, and that this ‘victory’ was only the beginning of something far larger.

Hello friends, I decided to gather all my 30k related work in a single thread for easier viewing and whatnot. I'm gonna try to give a better idea of my thought proccess when making my models. - Alpha Legion - After reading the awesome Praetorian of Dorn by John French I knew I had to put together a small Cell of operatives. http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w194/darkman1111/P1240815.jpg Alpha Legion Sergeant. Basing : The harrowing is taking place somewhere in the Sol System, Alpha Legion vs Imperial Fists, firefights in an urban setting. I gave GW's sector imperialis bases a try and I was pleasently surprised, the details are copied from the SE Realm of Battle but are also flattened, marines stand on them nicely because of this. Modeling / Painting : The arms were cut and pinned to get the pose I aimed for, then greenstuff the gaps. Simple and effective. Gave him a tabard inspired by the art of HH books, observed on warriors of all ranks. Even tho I dont know the meaning of this, I sculpted this hairy item next to the cloth. These things also appear on the AL contemptor... Hmmm... For the armor I used mainly metallics and tamiya paints, following Kizzdougs' recipe as a starter and taking it from there. C & C welcome.

Having finally got my hands on Inferno and reading the Space Wolves section there is mention of the Trefoil of legions which were formed in greater secrecy than the rest. Those being the aforementioned Wolves, as well as the Salamanders and Alpha Legion. The need for secrecy with the Wolves seems plainly obvious, they were the executioners, designed and trained to kill/destroy whoever the Emperor decrees, even if that is other legions or members of humanity. The Alpha Legion are a legion all about secrecy so why should their creation be any different? Although I question what about their founding required an extra level of secrecy. Based on the Wolves secrecy it is likely because it was some sort of end game requirement that the Emperor needed the Alpha Legion for that other legions couldn't know about. So the only thing I can think of is that they were maybe to be designed as a secret police either for the purpose of infiltrating the other legions and keep the Emperor abridged of any dissent or problems that could need addressing by the "Executioners". Or they were to be the secret police across the galaxy, using their ability to recruit human operatives to keep the human populace in line. So two of the three make some arguable sense for their secrecy, but what was the Salamanders legion job that required that extra level over the others? Can understand if Vulkan needed extra secrecy what with his Perpetual nature and all. But that trait doesn't seem to have exactly transferred to his sons. So what about the legions foundation required them to be kept secret from the others? Does anyone have any opinions to the idea? Or other opinions on the Alpha Legion?

Exciting times for the Glacial Geek! Just started my Patreon Campaign and I finally get to film my first Battle Report in Georgia today! But excitement besides, it is Monday which means a brand new Glacial Geek Battle Report coming at you! https://youtu.be/wpBsQIwgolly geeM This time my Dark Angels take on the insidious Alpha Legion and Heretics and Renegades (oh my!). The call went out seeking aide. The planet was being overwhelmed by a rebellion led by a Chaos cult. The Heretics, joined by renegades from the local Planetary Defense Force, had risen up to over throw the local Planetary Governor. The Dark Angels answered the call and arrived on planet in force. When they landed, they soon realized that the Chaos rabble were being bolstered by Traitor Marines. More specifically, by members of the Alpha Legion. Will the Ruinous Powers claim yet another Imperial planet, or will the Unforgiven be able to quash this uprising by followers of the Dark Gods? Watch and find out! And of course a reminder that if you want to see the videos early, I post them to my Patreon for Patrons before making them public! https://www.patreon.com/TheGlacialGeek

I guess the first thing to establish is what Tallarn is. Per the Black Library website, the contents of Horus Heresy Book 45 are the novella Tallarn: Executioner, the novel Tallarn: Ironclad, and the short stories “Tallarn: Siren” and “Tallarn: Witness”. “Siren” and “Witness” are, by virtue of their size, the easiest to render a verdict to. “Witness” was a poignant e-short, and despite providing a look at the aftermath of the battle for Tallarn, it serves well as an introduction to the anthology. Most readers familiar with the old lore concerning this battle know the broad details - to include the outcome - but French captures well the cost of the victory. Tallarn: Executioner, the novella that follows, features, in my humble opinion, some of French’s best writing. There are bits that I thought were a bit too telegraphed - stock characters and military tropes, if you will - early on in the story, but as a whole Executioner is a solid bit of immersion into the kind of hell fighting on the deadly surface of Tallarn had to be. I dislike classifications like “Best Warhammer Universe Tank Combat Story” because they strike me as specific to the point of uselessness (just because the tank parts are great doesn’t mean everything else might not be awful), but in this case I really can’t recall someone nailing that kind of action and atmosphere in a while. “Siren” is the third tale told in the anthology. Like the novella it precedes, it gives a perspective on the conflict on Tallarn that is limited... but all the more powerful for it. That sense of isolation - of not knowing what is happening throughout the planet, of where friend or foe are, of what can be done, if anything at all - is something French strove for, and “Siren” does a great job of maintaining that after Executioner. Beyond that, though, “Siren” is just a very good story. The objective is clear, the characters are both apropos to the setting and likeable, and there are some powerful scenes - not the least of which are the closing scenes and the ending itself. The suspense during the former is palpable; when the message makes it to Imperial forces throughout the galaxy, it feels like a real payoff moment. Tallarn: Ironclad, on the other hand, does not succeed. A short story, and even novellas (in some cases) can get away without full character work, but Ironclad’s cast just appears from thin air. Some insight is eventually given into the backgrounds of Hrend - the eponymous protagonist, Iaeo, and Kord, but for the most part they, and Argonis, are virtually blank slates that arrive with little more than their assigned task. Of those four, only Horus’s emissary feels like something approaching a full-fleshed character. Making matters worse, there’s a lack of insight as to what everyone in Ironclad is doing. We know Hrend’s been given a task by Perturabo, but not what. We know Iaeo’s after the Alpha Legion operatives, but I’ll be damned if I remember just how it is that she got there. We know Kord has stumbled on to the notion that the Iron Warriors are searching for something, but we get little more than vague allusions as to how he did so. They, and Argonis, get roughly equal time under the spotlight, but there’s no real clue as to what it is Perturabo has his Iron Warriors looking for until the objective is actually revealed. Absent that, Hrend and Kord’s scenes feel repetitive and wasted, while Argonis’s and Iaeo’s scenes - though well-written - feel oddly disconnected. Sadly, there is no real payoff at the end. The Horus Heresy series has often been guilty of keeping the primarchs and their motivations away from the reader. In this instance, I can’t be sure if the story suffers or benefits from it. French understandably tries to give Perturabo a deeper purpose than just turning all life on Tallarn’s into slime... but he does so is in the aftermath of the IVth Legion turning all life on Tallarn’s surface into slime. Now, I will be the first to acknowledge the context within these characters operate, and how that involves brutal, uncompromising wars to unify the species by killing anyone who refuses. Perturabo’s motives and actions nonetheless feel jarring when put next to each other; it would make for an improvement for a primarch to acknowledge this disconnect. And besides, does anyone feel they know how exactly the MacGuffin that French introduces was meant to do? Where the action is concerned, Ironclad is a mixed bag. French does an excellent job showing Argonis and Iaeo in combat, and admirably ties in the latter’s cognitive abilities. The Assassins of the Clade Vanus didn’t get the best representation in Nemesis, but this infocyte shows what a killer whose true weapon is data could accomplish. Meanwhile, Argonis’s escape aboard his Storm Eagle late on feels vivid and real. The action featuring Hrend, on the other hand, is... interesting. The Ironclad Contemptor’s combat scenes are most interesting when they incorporate the disjointed, surreal existence the Iron Warrior leads, but they also feel rather stock and generic after a while. Where French does fail is in showing a macro view of the war for Tallarn. Fleet actions and the climactic battle that Black Library (unfairly and incorrectly) billed as the attraction for these tales, however, feel like an afterthought - at best. Even if the Horus Heresy (or Warhammer 40k) isn’t hard military science fiction (not that it should it be), it’s a shame that its large-scale actions are written almost to the lowest common denominator. It’s understood that Tallarn’s fate will be decided on its surface, but it feels like so many of the strategic decisions made to get to that point are hardly the product of even a semi-competent commander, much less those of a primarch. This is particularly the case when basic concepts of this universe are ignored, such as Mandeville Points being left unguarded or city-sized warships that are supposedly capable of breaking open continents having no part to play when hundreds of thousands of tanks decide to enter a geographic bullseye. On that note, perhaps the worst moment of Ironclad can be found when the loyalists decide to take to the surface. More specifically, it’s their motivations that make me question how seriously French was taking this story at this point. The Loyalists essentially roll the dice and assume Perturabo will come meet them in open battle because they’re showing their hand. Why would he, though? Why wouldn’t he just bomb their massive armies from orbit? And what about the Loyalists’ own motivations? If they can pass word of this attack, why are they fighting without a plan? Why can’t a ranking commander be determined? Why can’t coordination take place between their forces? When the Germans and the Russians fought the Battle of Kursk - the largest tank battle in human history, and one French references in his afterwords - it wasn’t just because. It certainly wasn’t because Stalin wanted to dare Hitler to meet him in the open, or vice-versa. The Russians were trying to exploit a 100-200 mile gap that had emerged between the fronts of two different German Army Groups. The Germans wanted to recapture Kursk as part of an effort to close that gap. The importance of that gap, and the scale of their armies, is what drove thousands of tanks and artillery pieces to have at each other there. Even in the dystopian 31st Millennium, where unimaginable technology and personal combat cross paths, battles aren’t fought just because. It would be one thing if the Loyalists sought to destroy the Sightless Warren and capturing the Khedive was the most important piece of that equation, but by the time we get to Chapter 14 that battle just feels like something French is obligated to deliver. For better or for worse, the paragraphs that preface Chapter 14 of Ironclad, which describe - in very broad terms - the battle of the Khedive, also serve as a perfect representation of the novel itself: they lack the intimate intensity of Executioner and “Siren’s” action, while also failing to do justice to the scale of the conflict itself. In the end, the first third of this anthology feels like almost mandatory Heresy reading. It is very engaging stuff, with well-written characters and riveting action. The meat of it, however, feels like an incomplete novel divided into unequal parts, which don’t deliver on the promise of the earlier installments.

I am lacking in the lore pertaining to the truth of the Alpha Legion. But I want to know as of yet what is it we know? Who are the Alpha truly aligned with? Where is Alpharius and Omegon? What have they and the Alpha Legion done as a whole in the present setting in 40k? If you guys could kindly fill me in, that would be awesome. I know you lore guys are out there!

I fielded a 3500pts variant of this army a few nights ago for an Extermination (Mission 6) game and it worked really well as an alpha strike list. Ideally, you need to go first – the aim is to swamp your opponent with infiltration. Alpha Legion 3000pts – Coils of the Hydra HQ Armillus Dynat - [200] Troops 10x Legion Tactical Marines – Bolt Pistol/Chainswords – Sergeant Power Fist - [165] Rhino - Infiltrate – [35] 10x Legion Tactical Marines – Bolt Pistol/Chainswords – Sergeant Power Fist - [165] Rhino - Infiltrate – [35] 10x Legion Tactical Marines – Bolt Pistol/Chainswords – Sergeant Power Fist - [165] Rhino - Infiltrate – [35] 5x Support Squad – Meltaguns - (Armillus Dynat) - [175] Drop Pod – Deep Strike - [35] Elites 10x Cataphractii Terminators – 5x Chain Fists – 5x Power Fists – Deep Strike – 2x Reaper Auto Cannons - [430] 10x Dark Fury Assault Squad - Infiltrate – [325] 3x Laser Destroyer Rapier - Infiltrate or Outflank – [165] 3x Laser Destroyer Rapier - Infiltrate or Outflank – [165] Fast Attack Xiphon Pattern Interceptor – Chaff Launchers – [210] Primaris Lightning Fighter- 4x Kraken- Ground Attack Auguries - [195] Heavy Support 1x Land Raider Proteus – Explorator Augury Web – Armoured Ceramite – [270] Legion Whirlwind Scorpius – 115 Legion Whirlwind Scorpius – 115 Start turn 1 by · Drop pod Support Team + Armillus straight into enemy deployment to deal with heavy support. · Rhino’s flat out towards enemy deployment (Who cares if they die… it’s more about bringing the fight straight into their deployment - if your playing objectives you may want to do this differently). · Infiltrating all of your Laser Destroyer Rapiers in range of anything you wish to remove. · Infiltrate Dark Fury’s so they can hold middle board or start covering ground for a turn 2-3 charge. Follow this up in turn 2 with · Either disrupt enemy reserves so they suffer a total of -2 to reserve rolls or give yourself the bonus using the Proteus. · Attempt to Deep Strike your deathstar of Terminators - (Armillus provides re-rollable Deep Strike to a single squad) by turn 3 this will eat anything… · Hopefully get your flyers in – (Xiphon for Anti-Air/Primaris for Anti-Lord-of-Wars). · Disembarking the troops if they still have their Rhino’s. Finish up around turn 3 by · Declaring every charge you possibly can – Dark Fury’s, Termies, Legion Tacticals… Detaching Armillus from the support squad can be useful for separate charges. · Mop up with your remaining Whirlwinds, Proteus sponsons, flyers and Rapiers. Would love any suggestions or further ideas – I originally ran Armillus inside the Proteus and he took care of any enemy drops on the back-board heavy support. I figured the Cognis bonus on the support squad + more chaos in their deployment would come in handy. If you don’t get first turn it would be a good idea to outflank the Rapiers and Dark Fury squad.

This is more than just a Diu Ad Belli WIP Thread; this is going to be the home of my Alpha Legion army. More than just a painting thread, each squad, each entry, will be accompanied by the fluff for the unit and together it is my hope that eventually I'll finish the entirety of my warband and have a fully painted and fully fluffed army as a result. At first, of course, I'm going to focus on the painting event units but as soon as they are complete, I'll start filling in the rest of the gaps. So let us begin. +++PLEASE ENTER VERIFICATION CODE+++ ******** . . . . . . ACCESS GRANTED. FILE BEGINS: The Heretic Astartes warband known as "Omicron Company" has operated at large within the Imperium under the same identifying signature since at least the Scouring, and some records indicate its provenance may extend as far back as the Great Crusade. This band's insignia is a simple green band on a blue field. Some variations have appeared, the most common being that of a serpent eating its tail, which has often resulted in the miss-identification of the band as belonging to the XV Legionnes Astartes, whose members quite often display such insignia in gold on blue. However, the rest of the band's iconography -- including variations of snakes and draconic beasts, most prominently the three-headed hydra -- soundly signals the band's loyalty to the XX Legionnes Astartes, commonly known as the Alpha Legion. The spare few Crusade-era records that reference the Alpha Legion usually make no mention of specific companies or commanders, as that particular Legion was well known for the veil of secrecy that they cast over almost every action they took. However, two such documents provide some collaboration as to the provenance of Omicron Company. The first is an after-action report filed by the 112th Atrean Rifles Regiment regarding the compliance action on Yeverin IV stating that the regimental commander met with and was aided during the campaign by an Alpha Legion element dubbed "Force 15" and commanded by one Captain Occam Pytheon. This is collaborated by an astrotelepathic record gleaned from a Mechanicus archive on Mars itself stating that the 15th Company, XX Legion, commanding officer Captain Occam, conducted a re-supply mission at the forge of Lukas Chrom (a recorded heretic) less than six months sidereal before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy in the Isstvan System, and that the vessel that took on the war materiel from Chrom's forge was the Alpha Legion ship Omicron. Omicron being the fifteenth letter of the Old Hellenic alphabet makes the connection clear, if perhaps more subtle than the casual observer would realize. While the strength and disposition of this warband since the Heresy obviously remains unknown, they have been linked to numerous acts of sabotage and espionage within the Imperium during the ensuing millennia, as well as several open assaults on Imperial worlds and other assets. Vigorous research and comparison of vox, tri-vid, and pict captures of various Heretic Astartes attacks has allowed the Inquisition to identify with 90% accuracy that many of this band's personnel also conducts attacks under false colors; the most commonly impersonated force is the VIII Legionnes Astartes, although some elements are known to also disguise themselves as Imperial Space Marines in order to gain access to Imperial (and in particular, Inquisitorial) facilities (ref: Holding Facility TIB322-81). As an element of the Alpha Legion, Omicron Company conforms to the broad range of tactics traditionally associated with that force, to include a combination of covert intelligence gathering, subversion/replacement of Imperial officials, forward infiltration of combat elements, and teleport attack. If Omicron elements are encountered, or suspected to have been encountered, in the field, display extreme caution. Recommended course of action is to withdraw from current operations and summon multiple redundant militant forces in order to ensure that an entire conventional force has not been compromised before committing to action. Known and suspected Omicron Company actions can be further researched in the following files: - ref: Holding Facility TIB322-81 - ref: Fall of Watch Station Urvein - ref: Siege of Ghorstangrad - ref: Tiburon Campaign - ref: Colloredo Titan Wars +++END FILE/NOTHING FOLLOWS+++

I figure it's high time I stop my lurking activities and finally start posting something as well. After a long absence from 40k and GW games in general I've lately been getting back in and finally got started on a new force, Alpha Legion. I've played tons of Fantasy and 40k in the late 90s and early 00s as a youth as well as the odd dabble in other GW games like Epic and Blood Bowl. I had massive Guard army as well as Death Guard in 40k and various Chaos and Undead armies in Fantasy, but when I got absolutely fed up with the tournament scene and my casual gaming buddies started to stop playing I ended quitting gaming as well. Plus booze and girls somehow started to be far more interesting during high school. Sadly nearly all my minis from that time have been sold. Fast forward some years and during my University studies I ended up buying a few boxes of Perry Napoleonics to have something to paint and suddenly I was back gaming and painting stuff. Mostly historicals with especially my Flames of War collection growing to unhealthy sizes. But even though I'm mainly interested in historicals I've always loved the 40k fluff and have read the occasional novel every now and then as well as playing the computer games quite actively. My commitment back into 40k started pretty slowly with me wanting to kitbash some minis to pass the time when I didn't feel like painting at home. Luckily even though I sold nearly all my minis back when I quit gaming I did keep my bits collection so getting started was easy. Before I knew it I had a few slightly more chaotic looking guardsmen put together as well as the starts of a few Marines. With my appetite suitably whetted I figured maybe building a larger force wouldn't be such a bad idea. The minis I'd put together were quite a haphazard bunch so I wanted to decide on a force with a suitable theme which I should build the minis around so that they'd at least be a bit more organized looking. I've always been a keen follower of Chaos so that was already decided straight away, but which god should I dedicate myself to and which Legion should I pick. Death Guard had been done before and on the Fantasy side I've had a few Nurgle armies so I decided against that. I don't find Khorne that interesting so ruled those out. I was thinking about Slaanesh or Tzeentch, but luckily ended up borrowing the 'Legion' novel from a friend and immediately thought that Alpha Legion was the way to go. Being such a mysterious force it gave me enough leeway to take the force anywhere I wanted and being Chaos Undivided no need to fuss about which god to choose. So next up I needed to put together a few guidelines for building my minis. I'm not too keen on the "Add spikes for chaos" style of design that especially some of the older minis follow and I wanted to make my force look like a warband that operated far out of the Eye of Terror within Imperial Space in co-operation with some unwitting planetary governors etc. so slightly less corrupt looking gear was needed. I also like the new 30k kits so wanted to incorporate parts from there to show that the force had been fighting for millenia on end and had a rag-tag assortment of gear from different sources and eras. No spikes (or at least to a minimum) Every model must contain parts from multiple kits Every model must have some Chaotic parts to distinguish from loyalists Mix of parts from different eras when possible (30k & 40k) Regular backpacks instead of the chaos ones. My Cultists do deviate from those a bit as I mostly used the Dark Vengeance ones with only some minor conversions like head and weapon swaps. But in the future they will be replaced by suitable Planetary Defence Forces models. The Marines were the first full unit I put together with the guidelines in mind and I'm quite happy with how they turned out. Tons of different kits used to add variety. I also like the look that they have. There's still that chaotic vibe, but it's a bit more toned down so suitable for a legion that relies on subterfuge. The long term plan is to grow this into a core Alpha Legion force with a larger PDF force around them using the R&H list. I figured starting with the Chaos Marines would be a smoother way to get back in as I can get a playable force done faster instead of painting a few hundred Renegades. Perhaps some Dark Mechanicus styled forces to be added later on as I do like the looks of the plastics. Fluff wise it would fit in quite nicely with the warband controlling a suitable Imperial world or manufactorum from behind the scenes through corrupt officials. And with most Imperial citizens living their lives without ever seeing a Space Marine, just hearing legends about them, I'd expect most of them wouldn't know a Chaos Marine from a loyalist one. Paint scheme wise I ended up going for something similar to the 'official' one and to the scheme seen in some older codexes I have lying around (3rd Edition I think). So blue highlighted with light green and with steel trim. The base colours have been airbrushed and edge highlighting and details painted by brush before applying pin washes with Tamiya Panel Line Wash. In the future I'll probably switch the wash to the enamels I normally use as I wasn't 100% happy with the results. Especially the older plastic has detail that is sometimes too soft so the Panel Line Wash starts flowing everywhere instead of staying in creases etc. Work fine on the newer 30k models though. I'll be adding new models every now and then. Probably not in a very fast pace as this isn't my main hobby project, but rather a way to let off steam when I've been painting too many identical uniforms for a Napoleonic or WW2 army. Right now I've got the units Rhino in the pipeline with quite a lot of resin detail added to spice things up. It's been quite a wall of text so I guess it's high time I throw in some pics! Any ideas, feedback etc. are greatly appreciated!

_________________________________ For Hatred's Sake _________________ ‘...has been slain. I repeat...’ ‘...all Thirteenth Legion forces in the vicinity are to evacuate immediately, contingency Ultio in effect -’ ‘...belay that, the Primarch still lives! Reroute emergency landers to my position – ‘ ‘...say again, my lord, say again – we’re getting interference across all vox channels – ‘ ‘ – have disengaged, I repeat, XII and XVII Legion forces appear to be disengaging. What in the Throne’s name is happening in the heavens? Talon and Victrix flights report atmospheric disturbance like nothing they’ve seen before – ‘ -vox-chatter fragments c. Second Battle of Nuceria, XIII Legion archival log _________________ The destruction unleashed by the advent of Lorgar’s Ruinstorm was without precedent during the apocalyptic wars of the Horus Heresy. Until the war reached the shores of Sol, no other event inflicted as much sheer chaos or systemic disruption across the Imperium. Whole systems were lost to Imperial records, never to be heard from again, and on hundreds of worlds the skies split apart as the nightmarish denizens of the Immaterium poured forth from the roiling, seething tides of unreality now isolating the eastern domains of the Imperium. For those who populated the Five Hundred Worlds, the nascent empire-within-an-empire carved by honoured Guilliman and the XIII Legion, the infamy and treachery of the Word Bearers and World Eaters Legions was all too clear; in this darkest hour the state of the Imperium-that-Was – and the fate of the Throneworld itself – was unclear. Many in the highest echelons of the Five Hundred Worlds and its protectors believed the Imperium to have been irrevocably sundered. During the fateful first weeks of the Ruinstorm’s creation, the XIII Legion counterattack across the Five Hundred Worlds foundered and ground to a halt. Those planets not flensed of life by Angron’s hounds or sacrificed to malevolent powers were where the XIII Legion focussed their efforts of reconquista. Celerax Magna, a densely populated garden world on the western edge of the Five Hundred Worlds, became the stage for a brief but particularly brutal war in the weeks following the advent of the Ruinstorm. Before the Heresy, Celerax Magna had been a navigatory terminus for Imperial fleets and frequently housed members of the Navis Nobilite. Left relatively untouched by the Traitor advance, the survivors of the Navigator houses fleeing the carnage wracking the Five Hundred Worlds sequestered themselves in Celerax Magna’s teeming utopian cities, hoping to avoid the worst of the wars tearing apart Guilliman’s empire. Such a peaceful dream was as naive as it was false. As the Ruinstorm worsened, XIII Legion reserves drawn from censuria companies and VII Legion survivors of the Phall debacle spearheaded a Loyalist force from several Legions intended to secure the terminus, liberate any Navigators that could be located and with their aid forge a safe passage through the Ruinstorm, if one could be found. It was not to be so. The Traitor Legions arrived in force mere hours after the Loyalist vanguard arrived on Celerax Magna, alerted to the presence of the Navigators by powers dark and nefarious. Knowing that they could not count on reinforcement, and that to fail now would be to doom Imperial efforts to escape the Ruinstorm, the vengeful Loyalists readied themselves for a conflict that would be utterly without respite or quarter. The resulting war lasted for seven days without pause and saw the deaths of more than twelve billion souls. _________________________________ For Hatred’s Sake is a narrative doubles event made for the Age of Darkness supplement for the Warhammer 40,000 (7th edition) ruleset, with myself (BrotherCaptainArkhan) as author. In this event, players form teams of two to take on opposing teams battling for the fate of Celerax Magna. During the chaos and confusion of the Ruinstorm, the members of many Legions from both Loyalist and Traitor allegiances arrived in the domain of the Five Hundred Worlds, some by chance, some by darker design. Teams will face off across three themed scenarios, attempting to decapitate rival forces, capture valuable information that will enable them to locate the Navigator survivors who may be critical to the war effort, and finally enact their escape. This log will document the weekly buildup to the event itself, with army pictures, lore, force dispositions, themed scenarios and finally battle reports detailing the final hours of the garden world Celerax Magna, and the fate of the warriors fighting over it. _________________________________ Belligerents Loyalist force disposition VI Legion Pale Hunters VII Legion Mountainfire Company XI Legion Task Force Cornelius XIII Legion The Black One Hundred [Legion identifier missing] Strike Force Black Mamba [Legion identifier missing] First Sphere _________________ Traitor force disposition III Legion Third Company Elite VIII Legion Pythius Strike Force VIII Legion The Painted Exiles XIV Legion Death Guard XVI Legion Sons of Horus V Legion White Scars _________________ Next update: Event Rules

So I'm attempting to recreate the "Legion" color scheme, as shown here: The scheme that I had in mind was as follows: Primer of Vallejo Black. Base of Xereus Purple layer paint. Shade with Druchii Violet. Highlight with 1:1 Pallid Wych Flesh and Xereus Purple. Thoughts?

Hi Everyone, Question is in the title really, what does everyone think is the best unit for AL rewards of treason special rule? For those who don't know this rule, it allows an Alpha Legion army to take another legion's unique units in an elites slot when using the coils of the hydra rite of war. I ask because I'm getting to 3000 points and I'm thinking of some more interesting units I could add once I finish the main bulk of my army, I'm currently in the process of doing some justaerin but I think I'll do at least one more. I was interested in people's opinions from a few different perspectives: Rules wise what are the alpha legion not very good at that a specific unit could fix? In terms of fluff is there any legions the alphas wouldn't steal units from? Either because they couldn't infiltrate them or had no interest to. Models wise which units would look best in a mkIV heavy army? I plan on taking all of the previous parent legions markings off of any models, are there any units this would be easier on? I'm really interested to see what other people think, I have a couple more options in my mind. I think shotgun armed mor deythan with 3 multi meltas would be interesting because they'd have the kit to deal with armour and infantry and are very much an alpha legion style unit.

So, I've decided to do two separate threads for my Alpha Legion and auxiliary forces, as the Alpha Legion contingent has such a different aesthetic in 40k and 30k. Bear in mind that a lot of the names aren't decided, so they're just Z or A etc. So, without further ado, here are... http://i.imgur.com/xW3AUUa.png The Starfall Princes is an Alpha Legion Warband descended from the 126th Harrow of the Alpha Legion, also known as the Starfall Princes during the Great Crusade. Regularly heeding the call of other Alpha Legionnaires, they have incorporated Thousand Sons and Fallen Angels in their Warband, and often ally with the Red Corsairs, in addition to human auxilia. Warband Homeworld The warband has no particular homeworld, but a large amount of its space marines do come from the Feral World of Z. It is not unlikely this is where their cannibalistic rituals originated. However, many newer initiates are from A. Warband Recruitment The Heretical Inquisitor Kravin stated at the Ikrilla Conclave that the Alpha Legion have bases of recruitment inside the Imperium. The Starfall Princes have set up a recruitment facility, in addition to several minor and decoy facilities, on the planet A. This is due to increased radiation from their sun and residual radiation from the nuclear war that engulfed it during the Horus Heresy subtly mutated the people of A to make them resistant to mutation. Notable Starfall Princes and Units Claudius [Lacking model]– Eventually rising from Primus Medicae during the Heresy to the de facto leader of the Starfall Princes, Claudius steers his warband with expert skill in the grim darkness of the far future. Vendra'hael – Vendra'hael is unique in that as a space marine, he carries the Navigator gene, and now serves Claudius as his chief navigator and sorcerer. How a Navigator came to become a Space Marine is entirely unknown, but the resources expended and genetic knowledge required for the implantation, were likely incredibly, and may have been a vanity project. His sorcerous powers grow with each passing day, making Claudius increasingly uneasy with his favoured weapon. Kranhar – One of Claudius’ bespoke creations, Kranhar is chimaeric space marine, being made up of both Imperial Fist and Alpha Legion geneseed. A member of Claudius’ sentte, he usually goes into battle brandishing his power fist. Fallen Angel Librarian - [No fluff yet] Trevas - A Librarian during the Great Crusade, he continued to use his psychic ability even after the Edict of Nikaea. 6th Fang – A squad of Chaos Space Marines whom often serve alongside the Physaliidae as close-ranged anti-tank, firing their two melta guns while the the rest of the squad support their brothers with bolter fire and krak grenades. The entire squad is unusually tough to kill, often exultant in the wounds they take in the name of the Dark Prince they serve. The Aspiring Champion carries a wicked power sword, though he has also been observed using a power fist [May be changed to having an Apothecary Counts-As MoS instead]. The Physaliidae - A squadron consisting of a trio of Predator Annihilators; Everloyal, Purgator of Traitors, and Purifier of Sin. They are believed "salvaged" from the Iron Warriors, whom salvaged them in turn from an unknown Chapter. http://i.imgur.com/ZpJJDo9l.jpg http://i.imgur.com/iprwMCwl.jpg 6th Fang. http://i.imgur.com/O8yTr0Ul.jpg Vendra'hael http://i.imgur.com/FeWaZ02l.jpg Kranhar http://i.imgur.com/rwUf6rpl.jpg Trevas, Sorcerer http://i.imgur.com/65siU13l.jpg Fallen Angel Librarian http://i.imgur.com/WfDKTS0l.jpg The Physaliidae The paint scheme is Vallejo Grey Primer, followed by Vallejo Silver (exact name escapes me, the lighter one), a thin layer of 1:3 mix of Tamiya Green: Tamiya Blue, another thin layer of pure Tamiya Blue, and finally washed 2-4 time with Guilliman Glaze. Everything up until the Glaze is airbrushed and the Tamiya paints are mixed 1:1 with Tamiya airbrush thinner. It's pretty much the FW recipe.

Hey y'all, figured I'd post the AL army I'm in the midst of collecting for the sake of getting your input on it. Generally speaking, I'd like to see what I could do better, as far as list-building goes. That said, let's get into the meat of this. + HQ + Autilon Skorr [125pts] + Elites + Contemptor-Cortus Class Dreadnought Talon [150pts] . Cortus Dreadnought: Kheres Pattern Assault Cannon . . Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon: Twin-linked Bolter Rapier Weapons Battery [165pts] . Rapier Weapons Battery: Laser Destroyer Array . Rapier Weapons Battery: Laser Destroyer Array . Rapier Weapons Battery: Laser Destroyer Array The Rewards of Treason [300pts] . Khenetai Blade Occult Cabal: 8x Khenetai Blades . . Khenetai Blademaster . . . Artificer Armour . . . Melta Bombs + Troops + Assault Squad [250pts]: 9x Assault Space Marines . Additional Wargear: Melta Bombs . Assault Sergeant: Artificer Armour, Power Fist Tactical Squad [160pts]: 9x Tactical Space Marines . Additional Wargear: Bolters, Nuncio-vox . Tactical Sergeant: Artificer Armour, Power Fist Tactical Squad [160pts]: 9x Tactical Space Marines . Additional Wargear: Bolters, Nuncio-vox . Tactical Sergeant: Artificer Armour, Power Fist + Fast Attack + Anvillus Pattern Dreadclaw Drop Pod [115pts]: Frag Assault Launchers Seeker Squad [240pts]: Rhino, 4x Seeker Space Marines . Additional Wargear . . Combi-plasma . . Combi-plasma . . Combi-plasma . . Combi-plasma . Strike Leader, Legion . . Power Sword + Heavy Support + Sicaran Arcus Strike Tank [220pts]: Twin Arcus launcher: Skyspear Warheads Whirlwind Scorpius [115pts]: Scorpius Multi-Launcher The intent here is to give Skorr the Master of Ambush WT, to give himself, the Khenetai (who will be put in the Dreadclaw along with Skorr), and the 2 Tactical Squads Infiltrate. This frees up my Mutable Tactic selection, allowing me to take something more beneficial to other situations, such as Counter-Attack or Tank Hunter. I'll be rolling on Biomancy for the Khenetai, hoping for either Iron Arm or Warp Speed, and throwing them at any 3+ unit I want gone. Meanwhile, the Seekers will be dedicated to targeting any 2+ unit I can set my sights on, who will also be Marked for Death by the Seekers. With that all said and done, thoughts on the force?

Well i took me quite some time to post some pics of my minis in these hallowed halls. I started my Word Bearers several years ago (around the time of the 4th edition Codex) and they have been a project that has developed since then. I have a nasty habit of allowing myself to be far too easily distracted. As a result many of my marines are in a kind of 'painting limbo'. Almost finished but not quite. This is the main reason i have decided to start this thread in the WIP forum. Hopefully it will give me the motivation i need to continue building on my WBs and their allies. Thanks These Possessed are actually the first minis i painted for the army. Sorry about the poor photo quality. http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0170.jpg?t=1308475920 My Berzerkers were the second squad i painted. As soon i got my hands on the Berzerkers kit i knew i had to fix the old and out of date arms and weapons. For this i used a combination of CSM and marauder arms with the newer CSM weapons. http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0109.jpg Flamer havocs. http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0178.jpg http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0179.jpg?t=1308473468 My Dark Apostle 'true scale' attempt. http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/P1010316.jpg?t=1308473795 I intended to give the Apostle a terminator body guard...but got side tracked by A D-B's Blood Reaver...and so i have just made a start at a 'true scale' NL. http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l522/kizzdougs/DSCN0144.jpg Anyway thanks for looking

http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag78/chud395/AL_Vet_Tact._Legionary_zpsaeredy1d.jpg Our name is Legion Our name is our own Our name is power Power giveth strength Strength belongs to the deserving You deserve not our name To give you our name is death You are not us We are apart from you For we are Legion We are Death Axiom of Ruinam or "The Downfall" ​The Unification Wars Greetings one and all. Since inspiration for my Night Lords is completely dead and with A Tale of 18 Hobbyists kicking off/News on Shattered Legions/Plastic tactical marines I've decided to plough ahead with my next project. Originally I was going to shoot for the Alpha Legion but with the bits and pieces of rumour concerning the forthcoming Vol VI containing a Shattered Legon list I've increased my scope - I want to model/paint/write about more than one Legion and I like the idea of a Shattered Legion outside of the usual Iron Hands/Salamanders/Raven Guard theme. And after doing Night Lords loyalists were the order of the day for me. So here I shall log my struggles to do more painting/modelling than actual writing and bring my ideas forth. I want to say at the start that Hyaenidae and BCK's Unification Wars/Early Great Crusade stuff has inspired most of the ideas for this. And apologies in advance to the Princess of Crows Flint. As my usual sounding board she's going to be listening to a lot of from me. OK to business. As I'm still awaiting my FW order first up is some fluff, what I'm looking to do is shed some light on our varied protagonists and just why they'd consider something as drastic as following a Harrowmaster of the least trustworthy Legion. Enjoy. Triton, Satellite of Neptune – Sol System – 1043 Days after the Istvaan V Dropsite Massacre Ishamael Julvar had consigned himself to a lonely death. He had seen nor heard anyone for the past seventeen days. Even by the standards of his cell that was an uncommonly long period of time where none of his jailors had seen fit to check if he still lived. He had made a point of counting how long they were wont to abandon him previously, and that had never extended beyond five days. The VII Legion were nothing if not meticulous in their duty. But this long silence obviously meant that events were afoot. Over two standard Terran weeks was bordering on dereliction of duty in any other case. The riveted bands of silver around his bare wrists and ankles prevented him from simply pushing his sixth sense out into the prison complex. Indeed he was no longer sure his powers would manifest at his behest, he had never gone so long without calling upon them in some way though he had heard tell in his gutted Legion that psychic powers were known to atrophy quickly. Julvar supressed a sigh of regret. The XV Legion were dead, the third Legion to have their names and deeds burnt from Imperial history, the crimes of the Crimson King against his father the Emperor, too great for simple censure. The abrupt clacking of the door seals retracting snapped his attention back to the present. He lacked the strength to stand and face his captors so was forced to settle slumped against the wall opposed the entrance, his feet almost reaching the metal in the confined space. Three Astartes stood outside, the rich yellow of their armour identifying them immediately. One held a dataslate in his fist, the others merely kept their bolters held at ease across their chests. Interestingly, none had anything to denote rank. The warrior with the dataslate stepped to the threshold of the cell and glanced at the device once before speaking. “Ishamael Julvar. By order of Rogal Dorn, Lord of the VII Legion and Praetorian of the Imperium, you are to be transferred from this facility to Terra immediately” He motioned for the two warriors accompanying him to lift the stricken Thousand Son from the cell. As both entered, Ishamael caught the distinctive scent of oil and hot ceramite tinged with the unmistakable aroma of fycelene – smoke from the propellant in bolt shells. As he gained his feet he looked straight at the Astartes who had addressed him. “My bindings cousin,” he said, raising his arms to show his wrists. The Imperial Fist didn’t hesitate; “Of course kinsman” and he simply ripped away the silver in his gauntlets. Ishamael felt the Warp trickle back into him but ignored it to focus on his deliverer. “You are not of the VII Legion.” It was less than a question. Again no hesitation, “No cousin we are not.” “Then who are you! You are in a prison posing as members of Dorn’s Legion and he-“ The false Imperial Fist’s laughter stopped Ishamael short. Of everything, laughter was the last thing he expected. “Cousin. Dorn has had you locked here for four years. Given the other things on his mind you are a very minor detail.” “There is no such thing as a minor detail.” Again, laughter. “No doubt Gulliman would agree with you. He however is not here, we are. And you are coming with us.” Still Ishamael hesitated. If he were being smuggled from the prison, why? And by whom? Were his brothers being freed too? The questions ceased running through his mind as he looked down the corridor and saw another Astartes start down the cramped space. This one wore ornate warplate, it’s surfaces chased with scales, silver serpents and undecipherable text written in a score of languages, most of them dead. Alpha Legion. It could be no other, which would explain the false Fists and the gun smoke. He decided to try one more time. “I’m grateful cousins, truly. Now who are you? And what of Dorn?” The Alpha Legionnaire stopped forty paces shy of him, his helm, surprisingly was wrought in such a way that the faceplate represented the unfurled pinions of the Imperial Eagle. He’d never have expected to see such a thing. “Cousin,” he said, making the Aquila before his chest. “We must see you safely from here. In approximately thirteen minutes every alarm in this rock will sound and the guns of a hundred brothers will be pointed directly at us. Haste is essential. And as for Dorn, Bane told you truly. He has far greater concerns on his mind at present. Like trying to reign in the aggressive impulses of the Wolf King and co-ordinate the invasion of Paramar V. Ishamael’s head spun with these revelations. Paramar V invaded? Leman Russ on Terra? Who was fighting who? Had the Warmaster lost all control over the Legions? “Who are you? And why is all of this taking place? My Legion’s sins I can at least bear witness to but Paramar is the domain of the Mechanicum and has Russ slipped beyond the Warmaster’s-“ “Enough brother. Answers will come with time. Time and distance between us and Triton. We cannot bide. And the Warmaster is why we have come. Your services are needed.” “Yes, yes, yes I will come. But for the final time kinsman, your name.” The eagle helm could have been boring a hole through his skull or been utterly lost in contemplation for all the movement and expression it presented. Finally, completely without emotion or inflection, a single word emerged from the vox-grill “Ruin”