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Because before the Imperium could exist, someone needed to pave the way. And that was the Thunder Warriors: Towering, powerful, augmented soldiers. Often, one must wonder what their stats might look like, compared to modern Adeptus Astartes, or other transhumans, like Primaris and Custodes. Well, the stats I wrote were very much inspired by a lot of other notable examples. In terms of strength, toughness, size, attacks, and all that jazz, they are about as strong as Ogryns in every way. But in terms of leadership and speed, they are more comparable to SM Terminators, and they have even better weapon skill. In terms of size, they rank slighly smaller than custodes, but they have just as much wounds. But with all of that, they are basically worse custodes, right? Their armor is worse, they can't move as fast, they have less ballistic skill, and their leadership is noticeably worse. Well, what makes them as good as -- if not better -- than their replacements is thus: That they are really f*cking good at utterly tanking damage. Two times out of three, they will straight up no-sell damage against them. They feel no pain. They can lose an arm, or have their guts leaking out, and they will not care. Their toughness and save might be less than a custodian, but they can equip shields too (at the cost of some weapons, but hey, humans only have so many arms.) And it helps that some of their weapons are very solid archaeotech designs, like adrathic rifles, disintegrator rifles, and some classic meltas. Even their primitive kinetic weapons like rotor cannons are fueled by electric power and are more powerful the more time they have to be aimed. Not to mention the fact that they are absolutely beastly in melee combat with their swords, flails, and hammers, and they can close the distance fairly reliably. I would say they are all around very solid, but it is a notable trade-off compared to other units like custodes. I was inspired by this mini by major minis: (It's a "Lightning Captain") THUNDER WARRIORS (Document, 9th Edition)

Yes, you read that right. Umbral and I are actually going to do a segment of the Unification Wars in [broadly] 28mm scale. And this isn't just a pipe-dream or a "we're planning on doing X wouldn't it be cool" ... we've actually already got half a dozen miniatures made, and another several already finely WIP; plus some reasonable setting-details to make it all make sense in. In terms of a bit of backstory for just *why* we're attempting to luridly illustrate one of the most exotically unknown parts of the 40k timeline ... some of you might have caught our various other Vox Stellarum logs either here or over on Ammobunker. The idea with these has always been to bring together the three things we love most about 40k [i.e. uniquely converted miniatures, well-crafted stories of narrative resonance and 4-dimensionality, and the fluff and setting we get to play with both in] as a sort of living novel or something. We have yet to play a game, despite spending almost a year on these projects thus far ... but with all of the incredible detail of characterization, background, and lovely LOVELY figures that we've racked up [cheers Umbral], it almost doesn't matter. It started out with an intent to run an Inq28/Inquisimunda campaign set somewhere proximate to the 'contemporary' 41st Millennium. That's still on-track. Then I said "wouldn't it be cool if..." [famous words of inspiration no doubt responsible for all manner of leaps both forward and backward apace in human history] "...we did Inq28 style gaming in the Horus Heresy - there's all SORTS of smaller-scale 'narrative' actions and plotlines we could explore in amidst the big battles!" - and so we started doing that as well [also still on-track, and progressing very nicely, if I do say so myself!]. And we briefly batted around a few ideas about Unification Wars stuff [because ever since reading Outcast Dead, and some part of Prospero Burns, as well as elements of the Black Books fluff, ti's been seriously prominent in my brain for some reason], although it always seemed a bit of an idyl day-dream reather than a serious miniatures project. Particularly with all the other stuff we get up to hobby-wise [we haven't even done a project-log for our other 'closer-to-40k' setting yet...]. But Umbral, bless him, had an idea one day and mocked up a few figures [which you'll be seeing shortly] using some Bretonnian Men A Arms I had sitting around mixed with some Cadian parts, and it instantly became apparent that he'd just made WW1 British Soldiers in a Lower-Tech Science Fiction Setting. "They're Albian Ironsides", he declared. And so they were, too! This naturally lead to two follow-up question: first up, what sort of setting could we plug them into ... and second, what would I be doing to go with them? The answer to the first, well you'll see a few elements of what we've come up with in due course. And as for the second ... THUNDER WARRIORS. I absolutely HAD to have Thunder Warriors. They're quite iconic for the Unification era obviously - but the concepts put together by most people thus far just don't quite 'do' it for us. Most of them are too small, or too 'clean' or too overtly "Marine-like". And fair enough. IT's an ill-fleshsed out area of fluff depiction [with even the otherwise wonderful Blanche illusrations basically having them in Mk.V Power Armour for some inexplicable reason], an dmost poeple can't be bothered to do truly 'original' things when playing around with a concept - so you get slightly converted plastic marines with Cadian HEavey Weapons Team sunglasses heads and plumes. We were wondering about usng some of th elarger Khorn Bloodbound heroes from Age of Sigmar, but were still umming and ahhing. Until in one of those totally 'meant to be' feats of serendipity, somebody screwed up a seriously bulk order we'd just done [which was supposed to include Horus Lupercal for an experiment in making a truescale Space Wolf Terminator for our Horus Heresy game ... but instead wound up with us getting most of a Leman Russ for some reason], thus leaading to Umbral having parts on his hands and a sudden flash of inspiration... You'll see the result of that particular happy 'accident' a little later. But the basic result was, we wound up realizing that the Primarch figures by Forge World were probably our best bet at doing Thunder Warriors - particularly as we already do everything else truescaled anyway, and they had lovely 'unique' armour-sets to them that quite clearly weren't ordianry Marine armour, and came handily with a lot of 'lower tech' elements [for example, Mortarion has what apppears to be CHAINMAIL in the gaps in his plate]. Now, some might disagree with our take on Thunder Warriors. THat's OK. It's your hobby after all. But after taking a look at their representation in The Outcast Dead, it became readily apparent that these guys were BIG. Bigger than Marines, in fact. Fully capable of taking on several of them at once AND WINNING [as proven by the incident related in the World Eaters/Warhounds fluff-piece from th relevant Black Book]. So with this in mind, we set out to create what I can only describe as table-top Demigods. Not the ordered, somewhat more 'predictable' and 'sanctified' Avataras or Aspects of the Emperor which the Primarchs are - but the sort of folk whom Babu Dhakal evokes in one's mind when one reads his bits in The Outcast Dead. Except in their PRIME rather than once they're cancer-ridden husks of their former selves once hte wars of Unification have already been won. Oh, and we also decided to give our Primarch-based Thunder Warriors an array of 'twists' based around the idea that they're not simple 'line' Thunder Warriors, but perhaps bespoke crafted [rather than 'off the rack'] creations for more 'particular' purposes. Kinda like forerunners to the actual Marine legions perhaps. Anyway, I'm rambling. On with the show!

Ok gang, so I'm finalising what will be my next army, which is going to be the Army of Dark Compliance Chimerae Blackshields, which I'll be running as Thunder Warriors. Heaps of fluff to come (shock horror!) but currently just finalising the list. I found my ACT Dark Mech list was certainly on the more rough side and I want to avoid that, while still keeping in theme for the Air Cav. So going to rattle off the list with what it is, what it will be modelled as etc and would love all y'all input to make sure it isn't too filth/terrible :P. So this will be 3k AOD, big dick boi and obviously get winnowed down for 2k/cent etc. All Marines will be Chimerae Gene Bulked The Petchvork Boyar Will be the lead Thunder Warrior, fluff to come, but essentially his face has had so many skin grafts, tumours cut out etc, that its like a quilt of :cussed up flesh. Wanted the 3++ to I can model a bit ornate Storm Shield, that is why he is in arty armour instead of cataphractii. Black Shield Reaver Lord all the kit, like all of it! Articifer Armour Cyber Familiar Digi Lasers Iron Halo Master Crafted Thunder Hammer Rad Grenades Xenos Deathlock/Lightning Claw (if I really want that extra attack) The Vivisector So this will be the funky Thunder Warrior that has kept the rest going, highly trained gene-wright sort of bro, but in a nut shell he is a fabius-tier TW apothecary Primus Medicae in Cataphractii Armour w/ Thunder Hammer Zealot-Alpha So this is just a Militia Force Commander there to unlock Survivors of the Dark Age and Alchem Jackers. He will be in an infantry blob modelled as arco-flagellants Alchem Jackers Survivors Elites The Last Cohort So these will be a squad of Thunder Warriors that are still in pretty good shape, given that the vivisector has managed to stop them cancering apart too badly. I went with them as nullificators as in pre-valdor fluff the TW where quite resilient to warp-:cussery, hence the nullificators. That and the Aether Mauls and Toxiferrum flamers allow a pretty nice, open book on cool modelling opportunities! 5x Nullificators, 5x Flamers, 4 Mauls, 1 Thunder Hammer The Lost So these are going to be modelled as some Thunder Warriors that have moved past the Vivisectors ability to stop them cancering out. They still be clad mainly in the TW armour same as the last cohort, but will have sizable chunks ripped off to make room for the bodies eating themselves etc. They'll be using the ogryn brute rules to also show their combat ability, while still rawly formidable, isn't as refined as their less-stuffed brothers. The SOTDA gives them 3+ saves so keeping in line with similar armour as the other TW, but is obviously degraded a bit. Medicae Detachment. This will be modelled in a variety of ways to match attached squads of Militia Troops Drop Squad Alpha (place holder name as its terrible) but these guys are going to be using the Mortian Drop Troops which have a delightful cross between like elysians and WW1 fighter pilots!! 10 Grenadiers w/ Laslocks + advanced Weapons, 1 Melta Gun Bro and attached Medicae. Riding in an Arvus Lighter w/ Either TL Autocannons or twin Hellfire Missiles Drop Squad Beta (exact same as above) Zone Clearance Squad So these will be militia weapon teams with heavy flamers. They'll be modelled as a drop troop controlled with a yet to be sourced flamer drone/automata that they'll be controlling. 5x Weapon Teams w/ Heavy Flamers (an attached medicae here also) Flagellant Coven Alpha (name/fluff to come) Essentially this is a slight fluff conceding to game mechanics, as we need some :cuss on the board that isn't going to (hopefully) get shot off turn 1. These guys will be modelled as arco-flagellants. I imagine these guys are seeded via some form of pod to ideally scour a dropsite clean of any small enemy collections. 20 man infantry Squad w/Frenzon Dispensers, CCW + Pistol, Attached Medicae + Force Commander Recon Squad Alpha (fluff/name to come) Super simple 5 man Milita squad w/snipers + camo cloaks. I imagine these bros go down even before the podded flagellants to find out where the ideal drop site is Recon Squad Beta (as above) Fast Attack Drop Ship Alpha (you guessed it, fluff to come) This will be using storm eagle rules, using a converted Marauder as the basis for it. Will be equipped with a variety of weapons but most probably some missiles, multi Melta, armoured ceramite etc. The two drop ships will be housing either the Nullificators and Medicae, or the not-ogryns w/ blackshield lord Drop Shipl Beta (as above) Arvus Lighter w/TL autocannon/Missiles. This will be used for the Zone Clearance Squad Fortification Aegies Line w/ Comms Relay. Need to bring that :cuss on turn 2 ideally!!! This will be modelled as destroyed bits of the arco pods. LoW Sub Orbital Wing Thunder Bolt heavy Fighter w/ All the upgrades + kinetic piercer rounds. Just love the flying tank look of the thunder bolt, is a great model! May be modelled into a similar look as its larger marauder based cousins. So that is it in a nutshell, while flier heavy, it doesn't have a whole heap of ground power and won't be doing much work until turn 3 anyway. As far as I can see, pretty 'eh' army, with the only caveat being there is a lot of flying :cuss. Some ideas floating around in my head is to drop a recon squad and make a TW recon squad instead, modelled and fluffed appropriately, but would atleast allow me to get a nuncio vox in there for some accurate DSing arvus lighters! Anyway would love some of the communities thoughts!