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So, I'm in the middle of my next wave of Wolves - one Wolf Lord with Jump Pack, ten Grey Hunters and a Rune Priest in Phobos. This'll bring me up to around 1k in Wolves - good for running with my 1k of Custodes, and especially good because I have a friend who runs Thousand Sons. Gonna burn Prospero all over again. But I'm hedging on what color to make my Rune Priest's robes. I've seen them done in black, grey, white... I'm unsure what to do, so I've decided to ask the forum.

(apologies if this should be in Tactica, but I felt that this would be more relevant in the general Adeptus Astartes section of the board because it's only about Marines) So, this came to me while I was in the shower this morning (I know, shower thoughts are best thoughts ), but I realized that Shadowspear gives Space Marine players the ability to deny the ENTIRE BOARD to enemy deep-striking. And it only involves three data-sheets. Those being: Primaris Captain in Phobos Armour Primaris Infiltrators Relic Land Raider Proteus (equipped Explorator Augury Web) Each unit has an ability that stops enemy deepstriking within 12" of it. You could take a patrol with just those, splitting the Infiltrators into two squads, and if you set them up in a straight line with no overlaps (which as you'll see is difficult) means that just between three (technically 4 if you combat-squad) you've got a 24"x120" area of no deepstriking due the wording of the abilities. And that's only 654 points to deny a MASSIVE area of the board to your opponent. Add more of those units to the front and back of the 'line' and the area denial gets even larger. Obviously, not getting any overlap would only work on Apocalypse boards, but even with overlap, it makes a massive zone of board control just by those units being there. So if you're in a meta where people like to deep strike a lot of units....

Thanks to a friend, I was able to get a Shadowspear box. I'm in the process of assembling the Chaos side, and I'm working on the CSM squad now. I'm curious as to its makeup. It seems odd to me. Is there any in-game benefit for having a mix of Bolter Marines and Close-combat Marines in the unit? If CSM could Combat squad, I could see having the 4 Close-combat Marines and the Champion break off for their own squad, leaving the rest as firesupport. Sadly, they cant. I'm thinking of getting one of the new CSM kits and with the Shadowspear unit, making one unit with Bolters, and then the other close-combat. And no, I wont ever run MSU... 10+ man units or nothing at all. I detest MSU with a passion, thanks to 3.5-4e...

The Suppressor models in Shadowspear have drawn a rather mixed response instead of aesthetics. I think we need a thread for thoughts on reworking their bases for easier use and their aesthetics. The pros described for them have been that they're a nice mid-point between bulky Inceptors and the regular Tacticus marines. They provide a model for Primaris jump troops that are not heavyweight and they have finally given loyalists an autocannon variant (with an unusual role, to boot!) I don't think there's any denying that with some balance tweaks, Suppressors will be a very useful force owing to their mobility, heavy weaponry and special rules. Primaris jump troops with their own role, at fewer points than Inceptors is definitely welcome. They do however have a few things stacked against them. 1. Some players (myself included) are left wondering how those few tiny jet nozzles can lift the Astarte into the air at all, much less the long, bounding jumps promised by their unit description. 2. The models are quite busy, with a variety of extra stick-out bits to form grav-chute arrays, micro jump packs, ammunition belt feeds and a very, very long main weapon. This throws the models' proportions off and makes them appear cartoonish. This is not helped by the general soft curves and roundness of Primaris armour (in contrast to things like Iron armour). 3. Like the Inceptors models, the Suppressors seem posed without purpose. The sergeant appears to be hovering in mid-air despite their description calling for long leaps. The regular troops in the squad are posed as though they're being flung backwards due to their weapon recoil. 4. My biggest gripe with them are their bases and flying stems. They use the same base and flying stem system as Inceptors and I maintain that they are awful. My reasons are as follows: 4.1. The curved, transparent flying stems come in different lengths, making uniformity among models impossible. 4.2. The flying stems are designed to be glued onto the model (haphazardly). They do not insert into the model like flying vehicles. If you follow GW's instructions on their stands, you will end up with a bulky, double-height infantry model that does not break down into a smaller size for transportation. This is actually a step backwards from flying stems that can simply be inserted into a model and removed at will. This is especially difficult for transporting models because a stand system that breaks down consists of transporting a regular-sized infantry model, a thin stand and a flat base. An Inceptor or Suppressor built according to instructions stands twice the height of an infantry model and half of that height is a curved flight stand taking up space. 4.3. The great length of these stems makes them more prone to breaking or damage. The fact that they are curved by default introduces a slight structural weakness into the curve - the application of pressure on them will damage them more easily than shorter, straight stems. I will now follow with some suggestions and implementations of addressing the flying stand problem. 1. Some players have opted to stick their models onto scenery to give them the appearance of touching down or leaping off scenery. This helps with their posing problems and gives them a sturdier base. The models can also be magnetised to the terrain so that the implementation can be broken down for transport. 2. Some players simply stick their models to the base and skip the flying stand entirely. The main upside of this is you are now dealing with a simple, ground infantry unit for transport purposes. The downsides are that posing can still be awkward as the models were designed to have legs extended in the air. Also expect accusations of modelling for advantage, due to the shortness of this solution. Since Inceptors are Gravis based models, it is possible to do a lot of cutting and graft Inceptor bodies to Aggressor legs as well, if you can deal with the cost. 3. This creative solution for suppressors involves slicing a suppressor off at the waist and gluing it to an Aggressor body. Again, you might be accused of modelling for advantage and it's very expensive, but hey. The Photoshop mockup below also has a shortened autocannon barrel. Some people shorten the autocannon barrel to make the model appear more visually balanced and to make it easier to transport. Personally, I'm a fan of long-barrel autocannons so I'm happy to keep mine. 4. A variant of the above is chopping them off at the waist and sticking them on Phobos-pattern legs from say, a Reiver or Infiltrator kit. This would give you a leaner look than bulky Gravis and might be cheaper, since you can get away with using Easy-to-Build Reiver legs cheaply, compared to much pricier Gravis kits you'd be pretty much destroying. 5. My last solution is one I've used for my Inceptors. I don't have pictures, but it works as follows: 5.1. Very carefully drill a hole into the tip of the stem with a 0.5mm drill bit. 5.2. Fit a paperclip into the hole with super glue and leave part of it protruding as a pin. 5.3. Very carefully drill a 0.5mm hole into the model where the stem would normally attach. 5.4. Pin the model to the stem when in use. This system disassembles for transport and holds itself together without glue because gravity keeps the model impaled on the pin. If you want it to be permanent, you can simply use it as a conventional pin with superglue to strengthen the joint where the stem meets the model.