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Hello Fraters! Having lurked and occasionally posted over the last few months I have decided to create a WIP log to document my re-entry to the hobby. This was going to be a Raven Guard-based log as I have a Strikeforce to build but I have already paused that plan, bought Kill Team Octarius and started some terrain painting. This is very much WIP as I test out washes and contrast paints and basically learn to paint. I only painted a few minis when I was at school, I think it must have been around 1989/1990. Edit: title updated to reflect that I have now bought two KT boxes and have been painting Genestealers to refresh my v.1 Space Hulk game.

I was on the hunt for eggs this morning at Tesco when a copy of White Dwarf caught my eye. I haven’t bought one of them since I was about 15 (a while ago) and then my eyes fell upon Combat Patrol. Now I’m not entirely sure how good these are usually but I just snagged 2 Deafkoptas (minus bases) for £10 so I think I’m going to keep my eye out for them, at least the next few which seem Orky. As Orks for an important part of my Luna Wolves’ company’s history it is appropriate that I have a little detachment of Orks to squash. I replaced the front wing bits to male them a bit bigger and give space for this laser looking weapon (it’s from the genestealer cult quadbike) and I hooked up a weird looking gantry for a machine gun using a bent bit of sprue for the other. Turns out I can’t just build models, I have to convert something somewhere. anyway this is my offering and if anyone has any good advice on the magazine please let me know!

I've decided to build an Ork Army. My self imposed rulez The Army will be built using second hand modelz The Army size Approx 2000 points plus characters The Army will be a balanced army, so should be a medium level of competitiveness for a number of editionz. Once the Army passed 2000 points (excluding characters) +/- 10% the army will be finished So far I have bought - Updated 25/04/25 Running total spent £535.69 : RRP Total £977.50 Running Pointz 2575 (Excluding Characters 1880) For £37 posted 20 Boyz Built/unpainted (new style) and 1 Trukk BNIB For £55 Posted 5 Stormboyz (built unpainted) 1x Battlewagon Undercoated For £20 Posted 10 beast Snaggaz (built unpainted) For £20 Posted Warboss in Mega Armour (undercoated) 10 Grots and Runt Herder (Built unpainted) for £16 Posted OoP Warboss with Choppa and Shoota (built) For £20 Posted 1 Ork Trukk - (Built unpainted) For £15 posted 1 Beastboss - Built undercoated For £60 Posted Combat Patrol BNIB 20 Beast Snaggas 4 Squighog boyz 1 Beast Boss For £19.69 (lolz)Posted All Built and Undercoated 1 Warboss with Power Claw (Assault and black reach) 4 Loots with DeffGunz and 1 Spanner with Kustom Mega Blaster 1 Bunner boy (IDK) For £50 Posted 6 Mega Nobz (Built Unpainted) 1 Big Mek in Mega Armour (Built Unpainted) For £30 Posted Warboss Grukk NOS 5 Nobz Built/Unpainted 5 Nobz BNIB For £25 Posted 5 Flash Gitz (BNIB) Codex £22 posted Vanity Herd Squigs £17 posted For £45 posted 10 Flash Gitz Part assembled. For £70 Posted 1 Trukk (Built Unpainted) 5 Stromboyz (Built Unpainted) 10 Kommandos (Built Unpainted) 2x Sets of Transfers For £20 Posted BeastBoss on Squigosaur (Built Undercoated) Watch this space....

Greetings, brothers. I intend two threads to cover the 3rd edition campaign I am doing with my two sons -- this thread, to cover the hobby/WIP/painting aspect, and then I will do a separate thread for battle reports and related "fluff" (i.e. storyline for the batreps). Battle reports most likely won't begin until at least the summer as we have to build up our forces. I expect my oldest son to create an account here at B&C soon so that he can contribute as well. The forces that will be involved in the campaign are: Inquisition (Codex: Witch Hunters, 2003) - run my myself Dark Blades - DA successor chapter (Codex: Dark Angels, 1999 and Codex: Spacemarines 1998) - oldest son, "Primus" (16 yrs old) Deathskulls Orks (Codex: Orks, 1999) - youngest son, "Secundus" (12 yrs old) "The Fallen" (Chaos marine rules from the main rule book) - NPC faction to be used according to special mission house rule, communally painted Chaos cultists ("Adversaries of the Witch Hunter" list from Codex: Witch Hunters) - NPC faction, communally painted Phœladar PDF (Codex: Imperial Guard, 1999) - run by Secundus, but using my DKoK models When we're ready to start posting battle reports, I will share with you the storyline that we have come up with for this campaign. Today, I will begin sharing some of the initial WIP and completions. The Witch Hunter force is led by none other than Lord Inquisitor Soulis, well-known from my blog about his force. I've started the base colours for his Throne of Redemption: While I'm working on this centrepiece for my army, Secundus is preparing a looted Leman Russ Battle Tank using the bottom half of a Russ I found in my bitz box (don's ask why we only had the lower half because I don't know) and various bitz and plasticard: Primus is starting off with a squad of sniper scouts, and a squad of bolter/shotgun/BP&CCW scouts for the Dark Blades: And finally, some cultists/traitors that were recently completed (Secundus did the base coat and wash, I did quick highlights to finish them up): There won't be a full Fallen force, just a few cultists and marines running around in certain missions/maps.

CRUSADE GAME 3 - TAU VS GROTS Fearful symmetry. After a wait, we've now had our second game day for our new Crusade. After a strong start, this was a rough one for the Recon Cadre, but hey, it happens. Regressing to the mean of my gaming by losing horrendously. Game 3 was against Kieran's Waaaagh! Grot-Snicker (or was that Grot-Snikah? Unclear) and a veritable horde of big robots and constructions. Killa Kans built from battlesuits, Grot Tanks built from who knows what, and a warboss built from... Well, a warboss. Messily. It's a fetching little army, and heavily converted, which I always love to see. They fly now. Anyway, this was a total blowout. Kieran stomped me into the dirt, taking minimal casualties. I believe I ended up taking down... 2 Killa Kans. And some grots. Not my proudest showing. Not much else to say, either. This was just a drubbing.

Aeldari vanguard try to retake relics stolen by Orks. I lost 1-2 in a nail biter. Had I made one more save on that last turn, I'd have pulled it out. Can't ask for much better. Thanks for looking.

Hi Folks, Still progressing on my Plodding, with this time the Mekboy Workshop done. Barricades and piles of scrap were already painted in January, and I lately completed the workshop itself. It might be an offense to Mork (or to Gork, I dunno), but I wanted to get rid of some orkiness, so I focussed on a limited colour pallet and did not stressed on too much on icons and mess. I also decided not to install the Ork totem on the bridge so that the model can insert smoothly in a more "imperial outpost" environment. And here it is: Its a set that cover some serious area on the table. 10th Ed rules make piles of scrap less useful, but, anyway, it is a good space filler. Some close ups of the workshop, heads and tails: And some other "larger" views shots: While I am tipping these words, Brass scorpion is drying on my last Ryza Pattern hab bunker (from the Moroch set). I will then pass to the antena and shrine. I also still have to finish gantries from the Bheta Decima set. But these are in a stop status: I do not like painting Gantries. BUt I already comented this a couple of time already. See you once stuff will be progressing.

I recently wrote about selling my pile of shame and how it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Then I went on eBay and picked up two more Ork box sets in addition to the Combat Patrol I already had. It's not the same though, this isn't a pile of shame. It's a pile of potential. Let me explain. First and foremost, they were excellent deals. The Beast Snagga army set was £100 and the Imperium Premium Kit was £35. That's value you simply cannot turn down. Secondly, I have a plan. Instead of having everything sat in the boxes for months on end, I'm going to build them ASAP. It's all part of my new model-building system based on an incredibly complicated excel spreadsheet. I'm going to build all of these models, then prime them, then drybrush them, then paint them, then base them and then actually play a game with them. I swear, that's what I'm actually doing. I've already built 5 models! When this process is done I'll have well over 1000 points of Orks to take to the table. My old method of spending 10+ hours painting each mini was too slow so I'm going to try the slapchop method with the 2.0 speed paints from the army painter. A friend does the same technique for their 'nids and they always turn out pretty awesome - so with a little extra detailing I'm confident I'll have an army that I can be proud of. The hardest part is staying away from eBay and Facebook marketplace. It hurts me to know there's probably some great deals out there that I'm missing out on. Maybe if I check every now and again it won't hurt anyone... right?

I got back into 40K 10th edition after a break during 8th and 9th. Life happened - you know how it is! When I came back, it's safe to say I got a bit too excited buying new models. I had over 3000 points of Primaris Space Marines in a nice, juicy pile ready and waiting. I had such good intentions - I really was going to paint and play with them all, however as time went on and my rate of painting stayed at it's traditional slow pace, those models started to feel like a burden. Towards the end of 2023 I was thinking about New Year's resolutions and wanting to clear my conscience, so I'd originally planned on painting like a madman and getting through a huge chunk of my unbuilt models. Then the first week of 2024 came and went without me so much as looking at the models and I knew I had to make a change. We've all heard this advice before - "don't buy any new models until you've painted what you already have!" If I had any hope of actually painting all my models and playing a game of 40K in 10th edition, I knew I'd have to do something drastic. After sleeping on it, I decided to put all my Space Marines on eBay (see the attached image) and pick up an Ork Combat Patrol instead. I got rid of all my Orks during 7th (again, life happened) and I missed my green bois... although I don't miss their twerking models. So far I've been able to resist trawling eBay and Facebook marketplace for deals on Ork models. Once the Combat Patrol arrives and I've actually got something to be getting on with, I may well turn it into a challenge - perhaps a hobby streak? Anything to avoid me creating a new pile of shame and having to go through another hard reset!

To avoid burying the lede, the TL;DR is that I'm switching to Necrons. ----- Every game of 10th that I have played has been with Orks. I've managed to track every game since my third in the (excellent) Tabletop Battles app. You can see my stats below: As you can see, I've now played thirty games of 10th. And while I have a lot of thoughts about the edition in general, this post is about my experiences playing Orks, and my plans for the foreseeable future. Evolution of a List A quick rundown of how to win a game using the Leviathan mission deck: Ok, so scoring points and winning games with tactical secondaries is about putting units on objectives, surviving on those objectives until you can score, having units that can be in the right place at the right time and, of course, killing the enemy as needed. While you don't have to score the full 90 to win every time (just have to have more than your opponent, afterall), it's generally safer to have a plan on how to get the max. You can win the game by tabling the enemy, but you can also lose after tabling the enemy. You cannot lose by scoring the max number of points (though you can tie, hilariously enough), and you can max score without killing a single enemy unit (though that is so incredibly unlikely to occur). Over time, I learned these facts. I started early with Mozrog, pound-for-pound the best beatstick in the index, but I quickly grew so enamored with him that I had to add another Squigboss. I bought, assembled, and (barely) painted a unit of Flash Gitz, and converted a counts-as Kaptin Badrukk, after I played another Ork and saw how deadly that unit's shooting was (especially their overwatch, a tool I otherwise don't think Orks can make use of). I went from three trukks to four, then five, and eventually six, and I think if there wasn't a limit, I would have kept going. They are the right combination of fast, durable and cheap, and they consistently score me secondary objectives. And I've expanded my Squighog Boys unit from being mobile objective doers to being the primary hammer of my list. Some things haven't worked for me: Beastsnagga Boyz and the Beastboss. I've used this unit in the vast majority of my games, but I just can't help but feel like it doesn't do enough. Often, the best thing about it was the OC, which I can get cheaper from regular Boyz. The Beastboss has been especially disappointing, as he is so reliant on generating Devastating Wounds in order to do any damage, and even against vehicles, it's pretty easy to have a bad turn and not get enough 4+s. At least the Squigbosses are durable enough that when they whiff, they can be expected to stick around and get another shot at it. This is a recent drop for me, but I can't imagine I'll miss them. Nobz and the Warboss. I've gone back and forth on these guys, from running a full 10-man, to having none, to having two 5-mans (each with a warboss), and most recently, back to a full 10-man. The truth is, they are the best source Orks have for a large quantity of AP-2 attacks, something we sorely need. But they suffer from being too easy to kill; -1 to-be-wounded is nice and all, but 2W and no innate invulnerable save just make them too soft, and we can also slap a -1 to-be-wounded on any non-vehicle unit. This is a high-finesse unit and one I've been really trying to use well. Anything that shoots other than Flash Gitz. We just don't have enough support, our weapons are good enough, and we can't field enough of it to matter. In the end, this meant I've found the most success by making lists that focus on staying power over offensive burst; a few units can lay down the hurt, but the vast majority of the list isn't interested in killing the enemy as much as it's just trying to find points to score. And even those best, most deadly units, the Squigbosses and Squighog Boyz, are really about being ultra-durable and forcing the opponent to over-invest in killing them, lest they let my stuff get to them. That means it's very viable for me to keep my units on objectives but out of Line-of-Sight and force the enemy to over-commit to clear the objective. It's simple, it's effective, and frankly, it's a lot of fun. But, there's a problem. The Problem Sitting back on objectives and forgoing charging into the enemy isn't very Orky. There's room for kunnin' and I'm a Blood Axe at heart, but still, it will never feel right to go "my Squighog Boys are not going to move to charge that Dreadnought" and instead just score points by sitting there. But, that's what I'm often doing! And, again, I like it! Playing the game tactically and for the win is an enjoyable experience. It's just not what I signed up for when I selected the greenskins. There's a couple more: I cannot paint Orks fast enough to react to changing metas and my own preferences. I paint every detail on my Orks and use a lot of colors, and it just takes me forever, which isn't ideal when you want to quickly swap and add units. I hate the movement rules in the Charge and Fight phases. I just don't find it fun to do, and those phases being so key to my army's (meager) offensive output actively saps my enjoyment. So, what's the solution? The Solution Enter the Necrons. They have it all: Primarily a shooting army, so no need to perform charge/fight phase movement a dozen times per game. A quick paint scheme that I can bang out fast when my list needs to change. Similar overall strategy of holding objectives and just surviving the onslaught to score points. But most importantly; They play competitively like they are in the fluff. Currently, competitive Necrons are all about using "bricks" of either Warriors or Lychguard (or even one of each!), getting them on objectives in No Man's Land and just outlasting everything. They get killed and then just get back up, an implacable force that laughs at the puny weapons of the younger species of the galaxy. Their esoteric and arcane technologies allow them to make the laws of physics into tools for acts akin to magic, such as the teleportation of troops. And so on and on, fluff reflected on the tabletop in a manner that isn't just faithful, but is also good. It's for these reasons that I'll be switching to Necrons, a faction I didn't even consider at the beginning of the edition, as the name of this blog implies. In fact, other than painting the Indomitus set three years ago, and another five Immortals as a palette cleanser some time later, I never seriously thought about collecting the army, let alone playing them as my main faction. But then again, 10th is my edition of trying new things, so I should be less surprised. But for now, the Kharezt dynasty awakens, and marches to war.

As a whole, I am not satisfied with the rules for 10th edition. I still don't want to go into a rant about why, but the TL;DR is that I'm less interested in this edition of the game I've been playing for 20 years then I have at any other edition launch. But I am still interested in putting my painted models on a table and rolling dice. So instead of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, I figure that the healthiest thing to do is to approach my hobby from a different point of view. So, I'm thinking, why not go all in on Competitive 40k? The way I see it is that the streamlining efforts they've made this edition might have removed the theme and character of the wargame I enjoyed so much but maybe to the benefit of the actual gameplay. If I can be less invested into fielding the army I want to play, and instead focus on enjoying the game I get to play, maybe I'll be able to find a similar level of enjoyment. This is a long way of saying that instead of attending tournaments just to play, I'm going to try and win the games. Not that I didn't play to win before, but I've never been focused on achieving that result. Now I'm going to practice, tinker, optimize, and improve. I've never won a tournament, so that'll be a easy-to-define goal: win an RTT. But it also means attending more tournaments, including more GTs and Majors than I ever have. I also see some hobby benefits to this: I'm going to have to add new units to my collection at a greater rate, to keep up with shifting metas I'm going to have to paint faster, to get those new units on the table in a meaningful amount of time. I'm going to meet more people, play more armies, attend more events, and just be involved in the community more I'll be starting with my Orks. Not only is that collection bigger and more robust, but I just like their rules more than Sororitas, who seem a little disjointed. But as the edition goes on, I'll be open to switching factions, should codices/updates/metas dictate that I'd be better with the Sisters. Or even Necrons. I don't plan to FotM faction-hop, as I'm still a painter first, but I'll be open to other options. So, the current list I'm thinking of opening with is: Comp v1.1 (1995 points) Orks Strike Force (2000 points) Waaagh! Tribe CHARACTER Beastboss (80 points) • 1x Beast Snagga klaw 1x Beastchoppa 1x Shoota Beastboss on Squigosaur (185 points) • 1x Beastchoppa 1x Slugga 1x Squigosaur’s jaws • Enhancement: Headwoppa’s Killchoppa Mozrog Skragbad (195 points) • Warlord • 1x Big Chompa’s jaws 1x Gutrippa 1x Thump gun Warboss (95 points) • 1x Attack squig 1x Kombi-weapon 1x Power klaw 1x Twin slugga • Enhancement: Follow Me Ladz BATTLELINE Beast Snagga Boyz (105 points) • 1x Beast Snagga Nob • 1x Power snappa 1x Slugga • 9x Beast Snagga Boy • 9x Choppa 9x Slugga Beast Snagga Boyz (105 points) • 1x Beast Snagga Nob • 1x Power snappa 1x Slugga • 9x Beast Snagga Boy • 9x Choppa 9x Slugga Boyz (85 points) • 1x Boss Nob • 1x Power klaw 1x Slugga • 9x Boy • 8x Choppa 1x Close combat weapon 1x Rokkit launcha 8x Slugga DEDICATED TRANSPORT Trukk (50 points) • 1x Big shoota 1x Spiked wheels 1x Wreckin’ ball Trukk (50 points) • 1x Big shoota 1x Spiked wheels 1x Wreckin’ ball Trukk (50 points) • 1x Big shoota 1x Spiked wheels 1x Wreckin’ ball Trukk (50 points) • 1x Big shoota 1x Spiked wheels 1x Wreckin’ ball OTHER DATASHEETS Deffkoptas (115 points) • 3x Kopta rokkits 3x Slugga 3x Spinnin’ blades Deffkoptas (115 points) • 3x Kopta rokkits 3x Slugga 3x Spinnin’ blades Gretchin (45 points) • 1x Runtherd • 1x Grot-smacka 1x Slugga • 10x Gretchin • 10x Close combat weapon 10x Grot blasta Gretchin (45 points) • 1x Runtherd • 1x Grot-smacka 1x Slugga • 10x Gretchin • 10x Close combat weapon 10x Grot blasta Gretchin (45 points) • 1x Runtherd • 1x Grot-smacka 1x Slugga • 10x Gretchin • 10x Close combat weapon 10x Grot blasta Nobz (230 points) • 1x Boss Nob • 1x Power klaw 1x Slugga • 9x Nob • 9x Power klaw 9x Slugga Squighog Boyz (110 points) • 3x Saddlegit weapons 3x Squighog jaws and saddlegits 3x Stikka Squighog Boyz (110 points) • 3x Saddlegit weapons 3x Squighog jaws and saddlegits 3x Stikka Stormboyz (65 points) • 1x Boss Nob • 1x Power klaw 1x Slugga • 4x Stormboy • 4x Choppa 4x Slugga Stormboyz (65 points) • 1x Boss Nob • 1x Power klaw 1x Slugga • 4x Stormboy • 4x Choppa 4x Slugga The list largely focuses on scoring points over battering the opponent. The two beastbosees, Mozrog, and the Warboss with Nobz are certainly deadly units, but it'll mostly be about bullying the opponent off the primary for the first several turns and then trying to outlast them to the end. I've got a few games already lined up this week to start practicing the list with, with my first "event" being the local summer league starting in a couple of weeks. So expect lots of updates about this journey. Maybe I won't enjoy it, getting burned out on the relentless pursuit of improvement. But I have a feeling this is going to be huge for me, something I'll genuinely enjoy.

Was part of a 3 vs 3 game yesterday. I fought mostly against Orks and Space Wolves. While the score has my team down 1, I'd say I still won with meeting new people and having a close game. Here's the list And the game pics. Thanks for looking.

It's Blog and Beginnings. Get it? ----- To avoid burying the lede, this blog will act as both a replacement for my two discussion threads (Order of the Penitent Saint: A Project Thread and toaae presents: WAAAAGH! Tortoof), as well as a general blog for my hobby thoughts. I was a big fan and user of the B&C's blogs the last time they were around, and with my hobby mojo reinvigorated by a new edition, it felt like the right time to get this rolling. But I had to have something to actually put some thought out for. And other than gross sentences like that (I very much blog in a "stream of consciousness" method), I didn't have anything that I thought was worth blogging about. Until now. bum-dum-DUM Nah, I'm just playin'. I played my first game of 10th this past weekend (a Fathers' Day miracle), and remembered to take some pictures! So, BOOM, we've got content. This game was at the excellent Gamers Guild in Tempe, Arizona. If you're ever in the Sonoran Desert, try to swing by and check out this excellent store. I have no stake, I just love the place and the people. Anyways, I arranged a game via the store discord, and got to play against World Eaters and Angron for the first time since the angry primarch stomped out of the Cicatrix Maledictum. 2,000 points, the Only War mission from the core rules. My list was: Ghazghkull Thraka (warlord) Warboss (power klaw, attack squig, ENHANCEMENT: Head Woppa's Killchoppa) Warboss (power klaw, ENHANCEMENT: Follow Me Ladz) Weirdboy Nob with WAAAGH! Banner Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun Mozrog Skragbad Deffkilla Wartrike (ENHANCEMENT: Supa-Cybork Body) Boyz (20 models, Power Klaw, 2x Big Shootas, 9x Slugga/Choppa, 8x Shoota) Boyz (20 models, Power Klaw, 2x Big Shootas, 9x Slugga/Choppa, 8x Shoota) Gretchin (11 models) Gretchin (11 models) Meganobz (6 models, 6x Kombi-weapon/Power Klaw) Killa Kans (3 models, 3x Skorcha) Megatrakk Scrapjet Mek Gunz (3 models, 3x Bubblechukka) Warbikers (3 models, Power Klaw, 2x Choppa) This list was basically "what stuff did I want to try?", 2k points. I wasn't trying to make a good list, per se, but just stick the units that most excited me from the index into a game. I know some people don't like that Ghazghkull is now an INFANTRY model, with only T6; in contrast, I'm so excited he's now able to join a unit. I've always been a big fan of Warbikers, and I really like my Deffkilla Wartrike, so I had to slam them in. I hope the SAG can have a solid role in fire-support, and I had to give the new Bubblechukka a swing. And on and on, with every unit I selected. Really, the only thing I didn't really want to include was the Gretchin, but I wanted more Command Points, and I get ansy whenever my Ork lists have less than 100 models (only got to 87, even with the grots). My opponents list was constructed much the same way, I think: Angron Lord Invocatus 2x6 Exalted Eightbound 10 Bloodletters some character (lord of executions?) Lord of Skulls Now I didn't take enough pictures to post a full battle-report, but here's what I did manage to collect. My deployment: My opponent's deployment: My opponent got the first turn, and between his World Eater rolls and scout moves, he was immediately into my lines: (a note, we realized the rules for FLY are different in this edition, and Angron was moved back) The Killa Kans were murdered, though they lasted longer than they probably should have in no small part to this roll: But otherwise, with the Lord of Skulls off-table and Angry Ron unable to make a charge, my boys were able to absorb some casualties before hitting back. In my turn, Ghaz stomped up to Angron and punched the Red Angel to death. The Prophet might be less tough, but he still punches like a true monster. In all, I got to kill Angron three times, with Ghaz personally taking his head twice. The daemon-primarch got him in the end, though Makari saved ol' Ghazghkull's life after Angron massacred all six meganobz in one round. Mozrog got the final kill. The Lord of Skulls was ineffective, though I did let it kill my Deffkilla, just cause I wanted to see how well that thing punched: In the end, it was a complete tabling, but who cares? Winning wasn't really the goal for either player. The things I took away were: Ghaz is still a heavy hitter, and the 435 points for the full Meganobz support may not be as high as I thought; giving the Prophet 18 ablative wounds seems worthwhile, without even talking about what they get from him (+1 to-hit and to-wound). Mozrog may be a solid staple in my lists, and there may also be space for the Beastboss on Squigosaur. Mozrog eats vehicles, is incredibly tanky, and despite not having Lone Operative, being a single model means he can hide fairly easily, but still has the movement speed to get out and pounce on the enemy. The Beastboss is less of a monster, but I don't hate his profile, cost, or abilities. I've long sat on a second box; I may have to get that guy up soon. I think the Big Mek and Mek Gunz may be something. Not necessarily the Bubblechukka, but also not-not the Bubblechukka. The random profile is hard to plan around, sure, but the fact that you get to determine the profile before selecting targets is a big boon. Warbosses are good, I think. At least satisfying. Next up, I plan to try my Gorkanaut and Morkanaut, meganobz with a big mek, and units in trukks. ----- "So you're excited about 10th?" I'm excited about a new edition. I'm super bummed by the switch to Power Level, which is what this is in all but name. They've changed the granularity of Power Level, but it's otherwise the same. This deserves its own post, but suffice to say, the rules themselves interest me less than the fact that a new edition is always a great start. I played a ton of 8th edition, and I miss those days of attending monthly tournaments, organizing narrative games, and just meeting tons of new people. 9th's launch during the pandemic, me moving back to Arizona (but a part I didn't know any of the stores in) and my complete dislike of the Ork codex meant I didn't play a fraction as much. I'm really hoping that despite my misgivings with 10th's ruleset so far, I'll be able to roll a bunch of dice and have a good time.

Within the big closet cleaning, some Gorkers (or are they Morkers) reappeared a while ago. I finally painted them after all these year with them waiting for a little bit of love (the other way to call a base coat of Ork Flesh Green). The WIP was covered in various post here...: ... or there: So, here there is the Gang, all together: Led by Skool (and its gang): I do not play Orks but it has been a good training for the huge amount of greenskins from WFB Oldhammer that are also taking space in my closet. But this is another story that does not necessarily belongs to B&C Blogs... Now the loop is closed and they will come back into their proper shoebox, until I decide for selling and exchanging them...

+++ INTRODUCTION +++ The Defence of Dakota Minor was a series of conflicts in 884M41, that saw the Imperium defending the Matteus Subsector’s primary food provider against invaders. With only a token battlefleet and planetary defence force to protect it, Dakota Minor was expected to fall to the invaders in less than three months. Fortunately, intervention by local Astra Militarum regiments and the Adeptus Astartes saw the invasion quelled and the planet secured for the Imperium. The first theatre of conflict was the defence of the city Dakota Primus, which saw the arrival of the Salamanders Space Marine Chapter amidst the Ork siege. The Anvilbreakers (2nd Company 2nd Tactical Squad) charge the greenskins, engulfing them in burning promethium +++ DESCENT OF ANGELS +++ Salamanders Captain Ikarus R’Keth could not ignore the astropathic plea for assistance for the nearby world. Additionally, their Chaplain Kessus Numastus expressed concern for the lacking faith amongst their battle-brethren after the failure of the Yttrius Crusade. Both saw an opportunity to find atonement and redemption in the defence of Dakota Minor. Meanwhile, the beleaguered DMDC forces were being overwhelmed at every turn. Even the Ork servant races were proving to be superior to the underequipped and poorly trained PDF soldiers. DMDC troopers engage a gretchin horde and one of their many scrap-vehicles. The Salamanders Arrive: Day 14 With their drop pod pool depleted from their previous campaign, the Astartes mobilised to the surface via Thunderhawks and Stormravens. This delayed their efforts to bolster the local defences, taking eighteen hours to fully deploy from orbit. Their first target of priority was the Orks moving towards the hive centre along St Celestine's Highway. A strike force of Astartes skimmers, bike squadrons and aircraft engage the Ork flyers that had persisted in guerrilla strikes throughout the conflict. Though the Salamanders rack up an impressive kill tally, they exhaust their ammunition quickly. They are forced to withdraw for resupply and are ultimately unable to stop the flow of innumerable Orks through the outer hive districts. Salamanders Bike Squadron "Quicksliver" (5th Company 9th Assault Squad) engage enemy units along St Celestine's Highway. The remaining Salamanders units would deploy deeper within the Imperial battlelines. The action is not a tactical one but an inspirational one; to restore the morale of the panicking DMDC forces, who had come to believe they were forsaken by the God-Emperor. +++ WITHDRAWAL INTO THE CITY +++ We must turn about this disaster you have set for yourselves. The greenskins are flowing like hot slag through the city. We can slow them down here, until their momentum breaks. - Captain R’Keth, directing the Dakota Minor command staff on the chokepoint strategy. Captain R'Keth met with the DMDC command staff, and together they devise a strategy to create a series of strategic chokepoints within the city to delay the Ork advances. The Chokepoints: Day 18 to 45The majority of the chokepoints were positioned on arterial roadways leading from St Celestine's and St Arabella's Highways. Each were designed to funnel the greenskins into Imperial kill-zones. In addition, numerous narrow passages, bridges and tunnels were closed to redirect or delay the Ork advances. In many cases, these access ways were demolished by the DMDC with explosives. Tactical map of Dakota Primus, displaying Ork and Imperial movements after the implementation of the chokepoint strategem. With the Salamanders now distributed amongst the local defences, the Imperial forces prepared for prolonged defensive actions. As the Orks confidently marched through the narrow road sections, they are savaged by fusillades of Imperial lascannons and missile launchers. The resulting wreckage formed their own roadblocks against the xenos advance, though it was a double-edged sword: the Imperials were also blocking themselves in. All chokepoints would hold for twenty-five days. The frustrated Orks eventually make a concerted push on foot, abandoning their mechanised assault. The rush of greenskins through the hab blocks, sewer pipes and structures, saw many Imperial chokepoints overrun on the forty-third day. Many Astartes and DMDC armour had depleted their fuel and ammunition, and their crews were forced to abandon their vehicles. As a result, Captain R’Keth ordered a fighting withdrawal towards the city’s centre. Meanwhile, Imperial air forces were persistent in intercepting Ork flyers, to maintain air superiority over the hive. By the forty-fifth day, they are successful in securing the airspace, but are of limited assistance within the depths and narrow passages of Dakota Primus. Salamanders Stormhawk Interceptor "Ember One" executes a strafing run on Ork infantry formations Reinforcing The Bastion: Day 50 to 54 For the next five days, the Imperial forces rallied at the “Bastion”, the central Administratum hub at the heart of the Dakota Primus. Lord-Governor Hastings Freeman convened with the Salamanders Captain and the DMDC command staff, to prepare a last stand. Meanwhile, the greenskins continued to march unto the Bastion on foot… +++ ARTICLE CONTINUES IN PART III +++

With the unveiling of Lady Malys I wanted to upload my wyches drafts in a blog entry.. and then noticed I skipped some blog entries I wanted to do before.. and ofcourse now I cant do the wyches before that.. Next attempt to really keep this going commencing. Many of my blog entries will focus on drafts over my more finished work like the Dark eldar Graea character of the last entry. One reason for this is because drafts will otherwise stay on my computer doing nothing.. another is that I mostly only finish commission artwork, drafts are often just to get an idea out of my system. The first of my random gathering; Karanak, the Eightheaded daemon hound. Recently with the Karanak shenanigans I dug this one up again in support of a theory of his ( apparently not ) leaving. Karanak is my favorite khorne character, but it has for a long time bugged me that he walks around with 3 heads, not 8. ( if anyone knows the biblebook revelations thoroughly, Im raised in a relgious households with illustrated children books featuring the beast rising from the seas and well before knowing Karanak that image had a strong imprint on me.) When drawing the concept I visualised a much bigger daemon ( more slaughterbrute in size than fleshhound ) with besides the essential ties to fleshhounds also a wink towards juggernauts. I didnt pull through my initial plan to have some of the heads be juggernaut ( or metallic fleshhound ) heads, and the result might be too simple.. reflected in a bare juggernaut hindleg. Keeping with Chaos Lets get one thing out there.. In contrary to probably a large majority I prefer gravtanks for 40k.. the brick shape of 40k tanks combined with grav tanks for me evokes better the intention of their look. Even more so with chaos... Even though I was having a break from 40k back then when I saw Firefly the Reavers vehicles evoked a very strong chaos feeling for me. When a conversation came along for chaos tanks I made the following draft ( I actually have a wip extended more detailed version wich might some day feature this blog.) but I think I never posted it. While they shouldnt have legs or mouths, I imagined chaos tanks as possessed entities and one way to evoke this was have their pilot whipping the vehicle in submission. An idea I extended to a digital conversion ( for wich Im probably more known on the forums.) : ( I find it hard to believe Marines, especially Chaos marines would want to have vehicle babysit duties.. hence the chaff doing that job.) Another one of these thought experiments some time was that 40k really lacks on Trolls, Trolls are iconic for Warhammer, but their comical nature a difficult fit. Many of my ideas start as the following, a bunch of heads. For some reason just drawing the head is enough for me to grasp back the original idea I had with it.. its my doctors scribling I guess. The easiest way to do 40k trolls is to do them like any 40k greenskin... cyborg them up (1). Though for me it didnt evoke the feeling enough of the Troll as an unique auxillery to greenskin rather than an extension of the greenskin genealogy. Besides a little sidestep to nurgle (3) as nurgle can keep comical and cute and still make it dark, another step was going the "Trolls.. but they are actually aliens" thing. Both of (2) Represented giving trolls over to the Genestealer cults heritage, either a common creature on mining world that can get infected, or a side product of the generations, the top one represents A Troll as an extension of dreadjawz, but I get back to that below. (4) is an out of the box approach, Trolls as a Tau auxellery race and one of the many blind auxelery races I have drafted, for an unexplainable reason I feel a blind species adds a symbolic element to the Greater good, perhaps one of the races I read about has been described as blind and its as simple as that sticking in my brain. Weeks after abandoning this thought project I suddenly came onto (5) and no, its not simple a Cyborg troll again ( though it brings them back to the greenskin family.) my mind was busy with returning Tinboyz for Space Orks/Gretchin and I realised this too would be an interesting take on a 40k Troll. A robotic one. However, it would be a double up on Killa khans and Deff dreads, and it would miss an important organic element that gives the true troll vibe. The key of the face is that its mimicking a flawed green skin face, but in reality its an organic fungal like lifeform, that grows symbiotically in massess of scrap.. internally the fungus troggothus will connect to pieces of scrap brooding in Space orks vast Scrapyards, as they growingly observe ( or.. more terrifyingly.. absorb ) lost grotz working the scrapyards, the heap will start to mimic their behavior more and more, and to a certain point grow a limited form of sentience, at wich points some of the internal fungal mass will grow outwards to mimic a face. Over time this can lead to large Scraptroll outbreaks that offer the orks a good fight, but not rarely they follow the Orks into their waaghs while other times a daring gretchin or a cunning gruntherd will domesticate a scraptroll for their own needs. Its definitely among a long list of drafts I want to expand on eventually. But first, lets go back to Dreadjawz.. DreadJawz ? This one too originates from the same place my previous 2 blog entries came.. the idea to draw more triumvirates beyond the 3 Gathering storm offered. And like those they had to be faction mixes. Whereas the Tau joined the Necron, Orks went with the Tyranids, though eventually it a concept that stuck for me, and has more drafts somewhere. With Dreadjawz the idea was a return of RT/2nd edition GSC Ork hybrids. Though instead of a GSC investation that happens over generation, and doesnt really fit the lore anymore, it was based on one sentence about the orktarius war ( and yes, this draft is old, predating the 8th edition return to and completion of the orktarius war.) It was described that the war was so intense that even on a microbiologic level the two forces where at war.. ork spores fighting tyranid genes. And that whoever wins.. its the galaxy that suffers. I imagined the end product to be monstrous orks, capable of assimilating not only mechanical technology but also biotechnology and growing by violence and the consumption of mass. Even the esotheric getting merged they have a Waaaghmind that has the capability to control both orks, especially lesser ones, and function as a synapse for lesser tyranids. Basically, the ork/tyranid version of Ynnari, without a doomed mcguffin quest. I recently even returned them in a digital conversion as one of the imho 5 potential future Ork kill tems ( in order : Freebooterz, (Revolutionary ) Grots , Madboyz, Ork hybrids and Burna boyz ( the likeliest of them all.. sadly.) though here they are more starved outcasts of ork society. I shall end this with a Gue'vesa digital conversion, made for the same purpose ( a visual speculation on kill teams potential future.. to be continued... perhaps.)

+++ INTRODUCTION +++ The Defence of Dakota Minor was a series of conflicts in 884M41, that saw the Imperium defending the Matteus Subsector’s primary food provider against invaders. With only a token battlefleet and planetary defence force to protect it, Dakota Minor was expected to fall to the invaders in less than three months. Fortunately, intervention by local Astra Militarum regiments and the Adeptus Astartes saw the invasion quelled and the planet secured for the Imperium. The first theatre of conflict was the defence of the city Dakota Primus, culminating with the last stand in the city's centre known as the Bastion. The "Forge Brethren" (Salamanders 5th Company, 5th Tactical Squad) hold ground against an Ork onslaught, as the DMDC soldiers continue their withdrawal. +++ THE LAST STAND AT THE BASTION +++ Despite the assistance of the Salamanders, the Imperials could not stop the numerous Orks' advance through the city. What had worked against the Orks was the narrowing of passages and blockage of easy-access routes toward the city centre, preventing their vehicles from going further. Driven by impatience and the chase of the good fight, the greenskins contently abandoned their vehicles and proceeded on foot. Ork invaders proceed on foot through the narrowed passages towards the Bastion, leaving their scrap-vehicles behind. The Bastion - Day 54 to 63 The Imperial forces rallied at the Bastion, the heart of Dakota Primus. They prepared for what would be the Ork's final assault, knowing that defeat would ensure Ork control of the city. Imperial elements were positioned at key points in or around the Bastion: defending infrastructure, guarding cilivian shelters or establishing kill-zones in alleyways. The Salamanders continued to distribute their forces amongst the Imperial forces, sometimes only one per DMDC platoon or at most a non-contiguous combat squad. Salamanders and DMDC forces defend the entrance to civilian shelter "N5". The first few days saw numerous skirmishes and probing attacks against the Imperial defences. Slowly but surely the defenders were wittled down, either slain at their posts or forced to withdraw in a staggered manner. Even the Adeptus Astartes were overwhelmed by the onslaught; their genetic enhancements were no matter for the Ork's weight of numbers. As such, they too joined the DMDC soldiers in their withdrawal. Little did the Imperials know that the Orks had in fact exhausted the bulk of their own forces attempting to penetrate the city. Realising that they had overextended themselves, the Warboss fled the city with his deffkopta fleet to rearm and rally the remaining Orks at their Rok landing site. Thousands of overly excited Orks and gretchin were left behind, with nowhere left to go but forward. The Final Stand - Day 64 The Emperor and His Angels are watching. Let none of us be found wanting! For Dakota Minor! For the Emperor! - Lord-Governor Hastings Freeman addressing the DMDC soldiers on the Bastion’s paraphets. By the sixty-fourth day, the Imperial defenders were pushed to the base of the Bastion's centre spire. The Salamanders had lost few of their own, but the DMDC's casualties were significant and few remained to defend the spire. To make up the shortfall, Lord-Governor Freeman ordered the various labour guilds and unions to be pressed into service. Thousand of Imperial citizens who had spend their entire life as farmers, labourers and fertiliser producers took up lasguns in defence of their world. Able men and women of the Agri-Labour League (left, centre) and the AmSul Cooks (right), needed to take up arms against the final Ork push. With gleeful abandon, the Orks launched their assault knowing it would be their last great fight. The Salamanders were conditioned for the assault, but with boltguns and flamers running empty they struggled to hold the enemy back. The DMDC soldiers and citizen militia fought back with lasgun and bayonet, but man-to-Ork they were still inferior fighters. In short time, the Imperials were engulfed by greenskins; even the Lord-Goveror and the DMDC command staff were surrounded. Captain R'Keth and Lord-Governor Freeman, along with the remaining Imperial defenders, make their last stand at the Bastion. It was then that intervention of another kind arrived on Dakota Minor. On the same day, reinforcements hailing from the Asokan Rifles and Sartorian Rangers had arrived in orbit. Tens of thousands of soldiers grav-chuted into the city to support the beleaguered defenders of Dakota Primus. The jubilant Orks were undeterred, but still were bested by the superior and freshly supplied firepower. With the battle now tilted in the other direction, the Imperials began coordinated efforts to push the Orks out of the city centre, and continue on to sweep the outer hive districts and destroy any remaining Ork presence. It would take another one-hundred-and-thirty days before the city was declared "Ork-free". +++ AFTERMATH AND LEGACY +++ The reprieve provided by the Sartorian Rangers and Asokan Rifles allowed the remaining defenders to rally and push the Orks out of the city and back into the Adatok Wastelands. Captain R'Keth convened with the human leadership and emphasised the need to maintain momentum to ensure the Orks' total defeat. With their combined might, the Imperial forces began their counter-attack to destroy the xenos invaders and stop the invasion. By the end of the war, it was estimated that thirty-seven percent of the city was destroyed or damaged; it would take six decades until it was rebuild to its original state. The battle of Dakota Primus would become a integral part of the city's culture. The Imperial victory imbued a newfound pride and confidence in the local populace, and created many tales of heroism, defiance and His Angels' interventions. Most notably, pict-recordings of Lord-Governor Freeman combating the Orks would be used for propaganda profusely for decades to come. One of many propaganda posters featuring Lord-Governor Freeman during the battle for Dakota Primus. +++ ARTICLE CONTINUES IN PART IV +++

+++ INTRODUCTION +++ The Defence of Dakota Minor was a series of conflicts in 884M41, that saw the Imperium defending the Matteus Subsector’s primary food provider against invaders. With only a token battlefleet and planetary defence force to protect it, Dakota Minor was expected to fall to the invaders in less than three months. Fortunately, intervention by local Astra Militarum regiments and the Adeptus Astartes saw the invasion quelled and the planet secured for the Imperium. The first theatre of conflict was the defence of the city Dakota Primus, against the opportunistic and nimble Ork Waaagh! ChoppaTide. Imperial forces counter-assault a rabble of Orks after they breached the outer defences of Dakota Primus. +++ ORK INVASION OF DAKOTA MINOR +++ It is unknown why Waaagh! ChoppaTide showed such interest in the fecund world of Dakota Minor. As a minor civilised world with significant foodstuff production (albeit far lower than a true Agri-World), it is suspected they were simply enthusiastic about the food supplies on the planet, as well as seeing a good opportunity to engage in the “sport” of war. An Ork Stormboy charges head-on into a squad of DMDC guardsmen. The Warning: Day minus 13 Local astropathic choirs intercepted the Ork psychic missives detailing an intent to “pillage a food-stuffed world”. The planet's Lord-Governor, Hastings Freeman, was convinced of the threat and ordered a Sector-wide astropathic alarm calling for assistance. The Navis Imperialis forces were the first to arrive in orbit ten days later. The Matteus Delta Battlegroup (a detachment of Battlefleet Agripinna) formed a defensive perimeter in anticipation of Ork arrivals from the expected Mandeville points. Meanwhile, the Asokan Rifles and Sartorian Rangers regiments of the Astra Militarum declared their intent to aid in the defence, but would take several weeks to arrive. For now, the only surface defenders were the Dakota Minor Defence Corps (DMDC). The Incursion: Day Zero The Ork scrap-fleet of Waaagh! ChoppaTide approached Dakota Minor from the blind side of the parent gas giant, triggering the planet’s orbital alarms. The Matteus Delta Battlegroup were forced to quickly redeploy their battleships in attempt to intercept the Ork fleet. Physical map of Dakota Primus and surrounding regions, with force deployments and movements in the first few days of the Ork invasion (884M41). The Orks seized the advantage and charged past the meagre Imperial defences, making planetfall via their Roks. Landing in the Adatok Wastelands, they assembled their tribes and scrap columns, and advanced on the human settlements. A small contingent of Orks marched north-east towards the hydroponic hive 2-Xi, but would be promptly interdicted by the stationed DMDC regiments. The bulk of the Ork Waaagh! headed south towards Dakota Primus. The remaining Ork kroozers and gunboats continued to engage the Imperials in orbit. Despite preparing for a head-on engagement, the Imperial fleet were instead drawn into a series of hit-and-run maneouvres that lasted eighty days before a victor was determined. The Amassing: Day 2 to 8 The bulk of the Orks rallied for eight days in the Adatok Wastelands, just at the outskirts of Dakota Primus. Their leader, Warboss Gruzka Koptadrilla, was intent on building their strength before committing to an all-out assault on the hive. Imperial forces, equally unconfident, prepared their defences in anticipation of an assault. Many skirmishes, artillery barrages and air raids occured between the armies in the interim, but were inconsequential. An Ork fighter-bomber begins a strafing run on the outer defences of Dakota Primus It was on the eighth day that the Lord-Governor’s astropathic pleas were responded to by an unexpected ally: the Salamanders chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. The DMDC high command were excited by this development, and could not help but spread the word: the Emperor's Angels were coming. +++ SIEGE OF DAKOTA PRIMUS BEGINS +++ Lookie there at all da grub deez ‘umies have for us! Mount up, lads! Da mighty feast awaits us! - Warboss Gruzka Koptadrilla, addressing his tribes before setting out to Dakota Primus. Aboard his "kustom deff-kopta", Warboss Gruzka Koptadrilla warcry marked the start of the Dakota Primus siege. Squadrons of rotorcraft, scrap-vehicles, and jetpack-equipped warriors hurled themselves at the scrambling Imperial defences. Siege of the North Wall: Day 9 to 12 The Ork assault began on the north defensive wall of Dakota Primus. As Ork artillery pummeled the wall sections and emplacements, a combination of hit-and-run attacks by skimmers and foot-slogging warriors wittled away at the defenders. The DMDC forces did their best to hold them off for three days, but were eventually overwhelmed. The lack of experience and armaments made it impossible for the Imperials to hold back the tenacious invaders. The North Wall Breached: Day 12 to 15 The northern gate was breached on the twelfth day, giving the Orks free access to the city centre via St Celestine's Highway. Having exposed the weakness in the Imperial’s defences, Warboss Koptadrilla convoyed his forces through the highway and deeper into the hive. The invading forces of Waaagh! ChoppaTide charge forward into the hive of Dakota Primus along St Celestine’s Highway With the promise of "His Angels' intervention" yet to come to fruition, morale amongst the DMDC was shattered. Commanders struggle to rally their forces, resulting in disordered fighting withdrawals deeper into the hive. Strategic estimates were re-evaluated to five days until Dakota Primus fell to the Orks. Unbeknownst to the people of Dakota Minor, divine intervention was not far away… +++ ARTICLE CONTINUES IN PART II +++

Hit the throttle on the Wreckas last week. I've been painting pretty slowly this year all things considered, decided to change that with this project. Finished up free-hand on a few items, got the squigs painted up, did the bases and oil washes last week resulting in a final project I'm pretty happy with! I dug out some of the leftover terrain bits I had from the sector imperialis/Chalnath terrain. I put a fine terrain paste around those bits and then put in some sand to act as larger rocks/rubble. I was moving pretty quickly with these and might have done things differently in retrospect, but I'm happy enough with the final result. Oil wash on the armor knocked down some brightness and added a ton of depth. If I was going to spend more time on it I would have done a few other washes on various parts, to build up the volume in the skin and leather, but the clock was ticking and I'm happy with the final look I'm happy to have a new team to play regularly, and these boyz are a fun one. I broke my normal "rule" about only painting finished models and brought them to my weekly KT night while they were still a WiP. Unlike my last team (ratlings) this one is WAYYYY more my style to play. They have a ton of problems at the top-competitive level, but they get to roll tons of dice and blasting rockets left and right before charging in to knock some heads feels perfectly orky.

So here we go..... I wanted to do another Custodes test. I've used them a few times now and did batrep one of those games before the squad got sold. If you're curious and haven't seen it, the first Batrep with my GK army is here: LINK NOTE: Please excuse the large number of unpainted models. I sold the unit of Custodes and am working on my new squad. Sold a lot of DW so am now rebuilding them from scratch. Sorry for the unpainted stuff... I hate it too. The GAME: Maelstrom: Contact Lost (draw 1 Maelstrom card in T1, but you may only draw additional cards for every Objective you Control! ouch) The Armies (just the basics): Orks: This is a basic Wazdakka dual Bikstar list. Essentially we're talking two max sized Bike squads that become ObSec, both have Fists on multi characters, and both have Apothecary type save guys. The Wazdakka squad gets Skilled Rider as well. It's really a potent list and can do well at some tournaments. Especially if you haven't faced it before. He also had Mega Armoured Nobs in a trukk which is underrated, and annoying as heck. He had the 4+ save boyz in trucks, and 2 squads of Tank Bustas full of rocket launchers. Lots of junk to go with his bikers and armoured nobs, totaling something like 72 models I think.... Deathwatch: Here I take my basic BSSF + CAD. I am proxying an Imperial Bunker with Improved Comms to see if I can correct the horrible delays my army has had in recent games. I also have the Culexus, and a 5 man Squad of Custodes to go with my DW CAD Chaplain. (The idea being RAW that I can use the Terminator Captain's Beacon Angelis to teleport the Chaplain (attached to Custodes on the ground) to my location T1 if necessary.) The Custodes are Experiment number 1. Experiment number 2 comes from forcing myself to use a different load out for a Black Shield! Yes I have not been a fan of them, but I haven't tried one with an Axe and a CC weapon. So I plopped him with my Captain in a pod. NOTE: Until FAQ I'm still not using all Shotguns also have Bolter ruling. DEPLOYMENT + OPENING SALVO! + Orks win first turn deployment and opt for Night fight, and get it! (Not fun considering Jink + Night + Skilled Rider = 2+ cover saves on ObSec troops!) + I deploy my Bunker safely within my Zone and I put 5 Stalker Bolter guys in the bunker to secure it, and I plop that thing 3" away from a Marker to ensure (?) I get a card going forward.... My Culexus has no real target, so in this game he will play the wild card trouble maker. I deploy him near my bunker for now, beside an Assault Cannon Dreadnought. + I fail to steal the initiative. His first turn is fairly basic....he turbo's up everything. I kept the Custodes with the DW Chaplain and hold on for the firepower, but only 2 shots wound my Custodes and they laugh it off..... The good news is I don't give up First Blood. The bad news is he has total board control and outnumbers me more than 2-1 and he has blobs of ObSec all over the markers making it almost impossible for me to get cards in the future. +++ The Deathwatch wait patiently. The motive of the Beast is as obvious has his body odor. The Custodes lie in wait. Their time will come..... +++ + The massive wall of bikers and trukks all zoom full forward. (I can't fit it all in the picture. In some situations terrain forces some of his trukks to slow down.) + I draw a card that requires me to get an Objective in his backfield! A big challenge since it will definitely leave the Deathwatch on their own, unsupported but I need points. + I deployed my entire force on the table because of the army I ended up playing against... except for 2 pods. One was empty, one had my Termie Captain, and an Aquila including the Black Shield. I decide to go after the Objective in my T1 with this unit.... +++ It's a dire situation. I need to distract the horde and grab this objective. The Captain makes the call and the Pod is left unsupported, deep in the Ork back lines. +++ + The picture above paints a bleak picture. I did have the option of Beaconing over my Custodes and Chaplain but elected to do something else with the Custodes. The Captain's squad has no ObSec so I must blow away this Trukk full of Tank Bustas. Now they hurt Power Armour pretty badly so I elect to start with the Frag Cannons and Template them over and over, roasting the contents until the trukk is a burning pit of rotten green skin. Now the really bad part, because hey, it's Watch Master Prot, and things can never go off cleanly! The I still need to get one hullpoint off the trukk, he keeps making these stupid 6+ Nightfight saves. So I reluctantly fire off the Assault Cannon on the termie and I get my first 6! The explosion radius is also a 6! D'oh.... In the explosion I lose the front 3 guys.... the Frag Cannon included, and my Shotguns (I rolled 1,1,2 for saves.) .... and now I face an angry, smelly green horde... with no templates now. lol. + The Custodes decide to make things happen.... a massive cloud of bikes and trukks advance the ruins, and Storm Bolters fire them up and somehow kill 2 bikes! (Custodes mean business) +++ The Custodes use Hatred to full advantage. The Warlord Wazdakka bellows in disgust as he watches the Custodes hack down his entire Bike squad +++ + The Custodes perform way above my expectation. Even with FnP the bikes go down hard, and the Hatred re-rolls are quite punishing. The Shield Captain in particular is brutal, severing a Nob's bike in half, and lopping his head off with a backhand. He eyes Wazdakka up for the next round.... + I get one point for the objective, but I know a world of hurt is coming my way. Above the Bikes are dead, but now two full squads of Nobs rush my Custodes to get revenge.... The Custodes take wounds, but hold their ground. Things are slower now but the butchery is decidedly in the Custodes favour. Ork blood stains the ground, Wazdakka is destroyed. + Without breaking pace the Custodes continue to butcher the green horde to the degree I've never seen before.... Nob Fists do hit home this time, but at T5, and Eternal Warrior I make sure they only lose one model, and the rest hold on for dear life. Some are now wounded, but fight on with the Emperor's Will. + North of this butchery the scene is much more grim for Deathwatch.... +++ The Captain is alone. The vehicle explosion and 20 bike shots (snap firing) manage to take down another Deathwatch and a Terminator. The Ork Nobs run in, but the Black Shield exposes an ancient blade of hate, and attempts to protect the Captain.... +++ + I did try to thin the secondary biker unit, but I stood further away with my back line, and did not want to get overwhelmed so soon, I fired 12" shots, and he jinked, only losing a few bikes. The Dreadnought tried to help but the Jinks were really good, compounded with Feel No Pain. + The Bikers turn their attention to the Captain. The cowards see an easy kill... but after shooting down the Terminator the Mega Armoured Nobs figure this is an 'easy' job and bark at the bikes to turn around and face the Deathwatch front lines..... + The 3 Nobs rush into the captain, brandishing clunky fists that look like crude toasters mounted to forearms. The Captain steps up with his relic blade, and using his unique Warlord Trait (I have never rolled this one before) he ends up with Five Re-rolls. I use them all as this might be his swan song.... The Relic blade hits all, and wounds all with the assistance of Aquila rules.... BUT the crude looking Mega Armour passes all on a 2+. Going at the same time as the Nobs, the Black Shield thumbs the activator on his power Axe, and with 5 attacks he needs to use only one of the Warlord Trait dice, to get 5 hits! The Axe only wounds 3 times though, but this is enough to send two of the Nobs to their graves. (One Nob had a wound from over watch oddly enough.) But now all Nobs strike back, the first wound is taken by the Black Shield who instantly dies, the next 5 are taken by the Captain.... he fails his first Halo save and is killed outright. The Mega Armoured Nobs claim Warlord Kill, but as useless as the Captain was, the Black Shield took them down to one model.... + The Orks draw several cards, and are now clearly in the lead with on card coming up to kill a Bunker! We normally have a House rule: Any incompletable card from the start of the game, is a free discard, but since I actually has the bunker he had to keep it. Also the marker in front of the bunker was being contested by my ObSec Stalker Bolter crew.... speaking of which.... +++ Meanwhile on the Eastern Deathwatch front lines, all hell breaks lose. The Culexus breaks from the shadows as all other forces fail miserably. Can he hold the beast back long enough? +++ + The objective in front of the bunker is hotly contested and means points for both of us, but I haven't' been able to draw a single card for 2 turns! He is up 4 points to my 2 points and he is drawing up to his max of 6 cards a turn by just parking ObSec trukks on markers all over the table. + In this eastern line, I have an Aquila fail to do anything to the trukk in front of them. Now the desperate actions of the Stalker Bolter team in the bunker try and Fail as well to glance the AV10 trukk. + In pure desperation I force my Dreadnought to fire into the trukk with Assault Cannon and gets ONE glance that takes the Trukk down to a wreck. Wow. I couldn't believe how many 1's + 2's I rolled that entire turn. + Desperation reaches a new high as I must assault the Nob squad as they passed the pin check.... so my 2 Bikers (above) ignore terrain and we calculate I needed a 3 to assault the Nobs... Snake eyes! So I look at the Dread... he needs an 8, rolls a 7. Now I'm worried, I can't leave the bunker, so I throw the Culexus in... he makes it... + The Culexus goes first, and the Orks fail the fear test and are hitting on 5's anyway.... he hits about 8 times!!! The Culexus only hits 1 time, and fails to kill anything. The Culexus takes 5 wounds, fails all saves, dies outright. Wow. Thanks Assasinorium! Maybe send a guy with a smaller head next time so it doesn't get hit so easily!!! +++ The dire news of the state of the attack reaches the Custodes and the Chaplain. Instead of folding, they dig deeper and push even harder in the Ork lines. The Custodes' Guardian Spears effortlessly block 2 attacks adding insult to injury as they dice up another squad. +++ + The situation is very bleak. I draw my first card since Turn 1 (having even limited ObSec really blows) I am behind 5-2 but I can now grab an objective with my empty "ObSec" pod. I take the chance, and get a bullseye. + A remnant squad of Orks is running, along with a solo Nob Biker with FnP. He hopes to rally the Boyz with the Nob Biker and give them all Feel No Pain, but the Deathwatch Chaplain knows the beast all too well, and Pain will be Felt! He steers the Custodes into a multi assault, blowing up a Truk, while the Custodes dice up the rest of the Trukk Boyz and Nob Biker. + He still wants the objective #6 and my bunker. He gets his remaining squad of Tank Bustas up on a tower building and with S8 he needs to hit on 5's and then roll 6's on my bunker to glance.... he glances the bunker 3 times!!!! Wow. I have one hullpoint on it. I want to get the Stalker Bolters OUT of the Bunker but if I do (it's a back door) I lose the 3" I need to stop him from scoring a point he's been trying to get forever..... I stay inside, and fire all Stalkers at yet another ObSec Truck he has parked in front of the Bunker. I glance it to death. +I take an Aquila out of the ruins with a solo Cyclone Termie and mince this squad up which had wanted to assault me: +++ Split by indecision and typical faulty Xenos leadership, the thick headed Beast is ripped to shreds by the Deathwatch, but the Orks have another plan... +++ + The Orks are shot up badly above, even with Jink they are down to 3 Bikes, and all are Independent Characters. He drew a card needing 3 units in my zone, he splits these bikes up and rushes deep er in my zone to score 2 points.... Orks are now in a strong lead of 7-3. + Deathwatch forces are depleted, but I get to finally pull 3 cards. One for Objective 6 (in front of my bunker), one Primus DW card for killing characters, and one for shooting a unit to death. + The Orks are spread out. Their leadership is gone, but the Deathwatch are too slow. Both bikers are dead, and the Stalker Bolters have under performed immensely. The Custodes have 10 pounds of dried Ork entrails on their blades and seem to move slowly as a result, but in their travels the Chaplain points out an objective marker and orders the Custodes to chase down the loan Mega Armoured Nob who fatally wounded the Watch Captain. They destroy him without thought, and recover the Watch Captain's body. + The Independent Characters the Orks drove deep into the Deathwatch zone are mutilated by Dreadnought assault cannons, Terminator fire, and Frag Cannon shots. + Looking around the field all Orks are somehow dead... debris everywhere, smoking antiquated trukks litter the battlefield... in the distance only a squad of Ork Tank Bustas remain. They cling to their abandoned tower for refuge. The Deathwatch Captain runs as hard as his power armour will let him, and reaches the Ork zone, but well short of the last squad on the table..... + I score a few points. Orks are winning 7-6. We are in Turn 5, he rolls to end the game. I need one more turn... one more, but the game ends. We tally the score and realized my Chaplain had secured his zone for Line Breaker making the game 7-7. Incredible. Somehow a tie is eked out. Conclusion: - My opponent couldn't believe the Custodes. I couldn't either. They'd been good, but this was a very good match up for them. No AP2 shooting makes a massive difference. My Opponent estimates he threw 30 guys at the Custodes and Chaplain, and that includes his Warlord, and FnP saves in there, as well as about 4-5 power fists. They stalled the green flood, and bought the Deathwatch time to position and fire. They were definitely the best aspect of my army. - The captain held the beacon, but as usual did little else. The Beacon did not get used in this game, but rarely am I seeing such a fast army that wants to assault. The Black Shield did very good.... it's too bad I couldn't have kept him alive somehow but without a competent tank HQ it puts a lot of stress on the squad. - The Culexus... he was a total throw away, non-factor in this game. I wanted to keep using him in more games because not everyone has a broken pskyer formation to defend against and it turns out this was a good test for him. I kept him back with defense in mind, and he just whiffed and died. Even his special gun only killed an Ork. Thanks for reading this. Hope you found it entertaining.

So I promised I would try to batrep more of my games. And even though I said I didn't like to play or batrep armies I haven't painted, most people said they didn't care and would be okay with it. Nonetheless I've skipped some pictures due to too many 'black figs' just melting into the background making for ugly pictures. That being said I did take some pictures of this blood bath against the horrid Ork Horde. Prot Batrep: 1850 points. Maelstrom (The Infernus Bolter Experiment Game) The Ork Biker List: Zardsnark (?) the guy with skilled rider that unlocks bikes as troops. Warboss with a bike/fist in the secondary biker squad. 2 very large biker squads with Nobs with Fists, and FnP guys. 2 trucks with 12 boyz (they have 4+ saves) 1 truck with Mega Armoured Nobs (always a threat in my games) 1 truck with Tankbustas (lots of AP3 here.) Prot's Deathwatch: Blackspear o' Green Death! Watch master (Beacon Angelis) Kill Team: Basic squad in a rhino with 2 Infernus Bolters Watch Company: Captain Artemis, 3 x Aquila Teams (1 Pod in squad with Librarian with Tome of Ectoclades), 1 x Malleus Team (Artemis here in POD) (2 hammer requirement, 1 Vanguard with Heavy Hammer) Corvus Blackstar, Infernum Halo. (Watch Master joins the Aquila team with the Libby in a pod) We played a basic Maelstrom. The long board edge deployment and 3 Maelstrom Cards per turn. Early Game: - I win the roll off for First turn/Deployment. Some stalker bolter dudes take cover with a Cyclone Termie out front in ruins. I plop down a Rhino with 2 Infernus Hvy Bolters in it. - He deploys a gob of bikes on his back line, and spreads it the length of the table edge. With the Trucks, etc, I am feeling ridiculously outnumbered. - He fails to seize the initiative. - My first turn involves a heavy alpha strike: Pod 1 comes down with Watch Master, Termie w/Assault cannon+melta Fist, 3 Frag Cannons, and the Termie Libby (rolled on Librarius... this is huge... I got re-roll all saves). The Alpha hits mega hard. 6 Flames (no 3+ jink) and a few rends make for 24 Wounds in total.) Even with FnP all bikes but 2 are dead after all is said and done. His Warlord, Zarsnark or whatever, is one of the two remaining bikes. They fail Moral, and run off the table. + The Emperor's Wrath knows no fear. The Alpha Strike hits very hard. + - I tell him to keep his Warlord on the table because he feels so defeated at this point I feel bad, and I know he can still come back as all my games have shown me; the Deathwatch fade very fast. - His return action is to sand bag my squad with a Truck Load of 4+ save boyz, but the Overwatch (re-roll ones) including all the FragCannons is strong... only 9 Boyz make it in. With all my Re-roll saves, I lose nothing and kill the squad. - His turn involves a TON of bikes turboing up, and we both score points. His mega Armoured Nobs are a big concern though. They always cause me trouble because of lack of AP2 and they're tough buggers to get rid off. Mid Game: - We are slogging it out. My HQ Watch Master Aquila is only missing 2 marines because of Librarius re-rolls. I perils 2 times. But save one of them... - Unfortunately my Rhino Squad lets the bike squad take two heavy flamers from the truck, but with FnP he saves most. The Rhino is inevitably destroyed, the Kill Team rolls out and prepares for the Xenos charge. The overwatch from the 2 heavy flamers kills a bike outright. He rolls too short to make the charge, however he gets to re roll one of those dice and makes the charge. + The Rhino is blown, and the contents (below picture frame) are about to be charged by a ton of bikes. + The Kill Team just won't die though. Two guys stay there, so I can't shoot him on my turn! - The Corvus comes in and blows a truck up. The contents spill out and my Stalker/Inefrnum Hvy Bolter/Cyclone Team kill the entire contents (got pretty lucky). - An empty truck blocks my Watchmaster/Libbie/Aquila squad and they take FOREVER to get anywhere. - Due to having my Corvus in reserve at start of turn, I get in all my reserves, including Artemis and Malleus squad. They come down with combi Melta's and look to stall the Mega Armoured Nobs. The Truck blows up, but the contents aren't pinned... Artemis prepares for the charge! - Three Mega Armoured Nobs charge Artemis. The Malleus team is ready though. A Termie with Hammer/Shield is deflecting Fist Blows left and right, but he dies as his shield does not hold long enough.... Artemis takes a challenge from a Nob with Fist (normally I would not do this but I wanted to test...) THE BOMB! I choose the bomb, re-rolling 1's to hit as per my Mission Tactics. Artemis Rolls a HIT! But the result is a 1D wound, which the Nob happily accepts with a bloody mouth, and fists Artemis to the ground in one blow. The Vanguard with Heavy Hammer watches this unfold, and with unleashed hatred smites the remaining 2 Nobs into dust with the Heavy Hammer. The Malleus squad is hurt, but still able to bite back. End Game: - Finally my Rhino squad dies, but in my turn, so the Ork Bikers now turn their attention to the Stalker/Termie squad in my backfield. They die a horrible death unable to handle the mutlitude of fists, and FnP. - The Corvus spins around in Hover mode and picks up an objective marker, anticpating the use of the Angelis Beacon. I wanted to use the Corvus to grab the Watch Master Aquila because they've been out of the game so long (held back by trucks, then another squad). BUT one bloody Stalker Marine would NOT die! So I had to burn the Angelis to get the Marine out of CC with his Warboss Bike unit so I could actually shoot at the buggers! So the marine is out of close combat. The 2 remaining Frag Cannons shoot at the Warboss biker squad, I only manage to kill one bike (I'm 2 feet away) and FnP saves the rest of the severely depleted biker squad. - So the Corvus is now angled to take shots. The remaining Missiles don't do anything (biker jinks 3+) and all I have is the Assault Cannon on it. I pump 4 shots into the bikers, with twin linking all hit, and then I roll to wound..... + This is the Corvus "to wound" rolls. This is me crying. This is me wishing the Corvus got to re-roll 1's on "to wound". + - The war goes on. His 4 bikes are free. My Malleus Kill Team is missing Artemis and the Termie but a Shotgunner, 2 combi weapon guys, and the Heavy Hammer Vanguard remain. I need a challenge this turn to get an Objective point. We are within 2 points of each other. For the first time all game, I get to charge him. Team Malleus challenges.... but all members die before the Vanguard swings. D'oh. - In the next turn the remainder of that ork squad is wiped by my Corvus shooting. But I lose another squad in the process. - All I have left is 2 pods, the Watch Master Aquila squad, and the Corvus. All he has left is 3 bikers, including his Warboss and FnP dude. He has drawn his cards and it comes down to this: + The Filthy Xenos MUST defeat the Watch Master (my Warlord) to win the game by points. However it's all they have left, and the planet around this battle is burning with the stench of dead Orks.... and Artemis, let's not forget Artemis. + - In my turn something critical does happen leading to this moment.... in the Psychic phase the Librarian fails his roll for "Force" which I wanted to deny FnP. So the Ork player, greedily hordes his psychic denial dice in anticipation of my next power..... Librarius re-rolls on all saves... I pass it with only 2 dice... a pair of 6's causing me to take another perils wound, and LOSE the power for the rest of the game! D'oh. The Ork player rolls 5 dice, and also gets 2 6's denying my power! WOW did that ever suck. - His cards and his losing by 2 points means he must kill my Warlord. I and win the Close Combat. He charges, and challenges. Now I know to get a guaranteed win all I have do is send a Sargeant in for the Challenge. It's guaranteed. But instead I send in the Watch Master to the challenge. Stupid? Perhaps, but this is Deathwatch. - The fight ensues and he loses the bikers giving him FnP. All that's left is our challenge. The Watch Master only does one wound to the T6 Biker! The Warboss in turn hits multiple times with his fist! WAIT I yell... let roll a Block from the Custodes Spear.... and the Watch Maser Fails to block, fails a few 4+ invulns and dies!!!! - The Warboss is celebrating... beating his chest in victory. My Warlord is dead and he's fist pumping in the air, just as my Librarian with Axe cuts his head off in the middle of his goading. The Orks are dead... completely wiped. So in the end, even though he needed two points, he got one, but lost combat, and of course even so he was wiped to a man giving the Deathwatch a narrow victory. In other news Artemis was found burried to his neckline in the earth still breathing. it turns out the fist blow deflected off his shoulder plate and drove him into the ground alive. Better yet, Artemis found his grenade. So he'll get another shot with it. Thanks for reading this batrep!

My second game of 8th edition. Deathwing vs Orks. We're both still learning the rules so mistakes were made (like forgetting to use CP's) We played 1500 pts because it's better to start lower. One funny thing: Altough both lists were 1500 pts (ish), the ork list had 20+ power level difference. My List: Battalion detachment Belial Chaplain in TDA: Crozius and SB Apothecary Ancient 2x 5 DW terminators with AC 1x 5 DW Knights 3x5 scouts with sniper rifles Ork list The mission was the relic. I deployed Scouts, Apothecary and Standard bearer, kept rest in reserve. I managed to steal the Initiative, so I moved only the terminator characters. The DWK appered close to the relic, with the Characters close by. The game was shakey in the beggining because the DWK took the brunt of the fighting. They managed to survive with the relic, always retreating and with the rest of the DW making a wall between them and the relic. I managed to face the mobs one at a time with Terminator shooting, Belial CC prowess and re-rolls and Ancient extra attack. Overview Scouts. Those pesky Sniper rifles took out both HQ's, a couple of storm boyz and some wounds in Trukk, Warbikes and other boyz. Thanks to Belial re-rolls the accuracy was kept high.. Apothecary: He healed single wounds and revived 3 dead terminators. He is definately a keeper in this sort of army because every model count. Ancient. Not only he was a force to be reckoned with in CC, giving the extra attack to the rest of the Terminators. DW terminators: AC was ace and at 12" those 4 SB shots made dents, paired with re-rolls from Belial. In CC they were no slouches . Belial: Buffed the army and everything he touched in CC, melted. Chaplain: Gave re-rolls to Belial and other squads and pulled his weight in CC. DW knights. They only soaked fire. I missed them not having firepower. I see no reason to have them instead of normal terminators at this moment. Maybe because they had to keep relic safe and I didn't want to risk them, but in such a small army, the Firepower of another DW squad would have helped much more. Having 2 wounds per terminators makes them more resilient but stuff like missile launchers have to be cleared from the table because they'll make short work of multi-wounds. All in all a fun game to learn 8th Ed. Thanks for reading.