The Neurode Crusade - Updates and Fixes to HQs and Elites

[Brother Christopher]

The last picture is interesting. Its your Marshal with his best Sword Brethren against the mighty Chapter Master of the Raven Guard and his Lieutenant.

 

That was quite the brawl. Shrike took out my Marshall, who however managed to repay the Raven Guard Chapter Master in kind thanks to the Only in Death Does Duty End stratagem - the Teeth of Terra have proven to be enough to bring him down. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to test ToT on regular infantry (those abominable Primaris!) and I imagine that this is where the relic truly shines.

 

I also felt pretty sorry for his Inceptors; after the first round of combat 2 remained. I also had two terminators remaining - one fought with a RG Lieutenant, the other attacked the Inceptors. Thanks to the Emperor's guidance (and extremely lucky rolls!), the TDA Sword Brother landed two hits (out of two), which both wounded and both got 3D on the damage roll, thus bringing down the Inceptors.

 

The Raven Guard must've been consorting with heretics, and worthy of being put to the sword. Nice pics! Did you use 9th ed points costs for the 2nd game too? How did the Centurions fare? And what was good about the Terminators? 

 

They did and had a Witch with them, too! That's more than enough for a reason to dispose of them!

 

We've used the 8th edition points; when we played using 9th ed. rules, there were not 'official' points yet; for the second game, my opponent wanted to try his list out for a tournament using 8th ed. rules and point costs. Also, I wanted to use cheaper Centurions - this was my first (and second time) I managed to see them on the battlefield!

 

Speaking of Centurions, they were rather meh/underwhelming. In the first game, I were foolish enough to place them in the front (a rookie mistake against RG!) and they got charged by the RG Invictor; one Centurion died due to shooting and melee, the other was injured... And then died to mortal wounds caused by the exploding Invictor which was torn to pieces by my Marshall with the Burning Blade. MW caused by explosions are probably one of the most annoying things in the game - I find them very anticlimactic; after all, a Storm Shield is able to protect against Lascannon shots and plasma, but not shrapnel from an explosion. Duuh.

 

In the second game, I were that smarter and screened the squad of Centurions so that they've actually managed to do some shooting (and they produce A LOT of shots!). However, I'd expect them doing more damage. In total, over the entire game they probably managed to kill of 8 Phobos troops (it's hard to tell them apart!), one squad of Eliminators and a single Suppressor. I suppose that the RG tactic had something to do with this, though.

 

The Terminators were just overall great - they've deep-striked in or close to the opponent's deployment zone, providing more than sufficient distraction. They were able to adsorb ridiculous amounts of firepower. The RG secured positions in a ruined building, there were 2 squads of Phobos troops, 2 squads of Eliminators backed up by a Librarian and its magic.

 

 

A squad of 5 Terminators managed to survive shooting from the structure (1 died), reduce the number of occupants of the structure by half in the subsequent shooting phase and tie the remaining RG units in combat (if the game were to continue, no RG would survive!). I read on the forum that Terminators aren't that great so my expectations weren't very high - I just wanted to have a unit that's able to deep-strike and shoot some bolters, but I got way more than that - my opponent was just unable to shift them and lost a huge chunk of his army.

Edited July 15, 2020 by Brother Cristopher

[Brother Kraskor]

Nice! How are the Centurions armed? Looks like grav cannon and hurricane bolters from the photo. I get the feeling they are just too overpriced for what they do.

 

Meanwhile Terminators seem to be enjoying something of a resurgence. I think because they just offer the complete package and can operate independently. Did you run them as classic or Tartaros/Cataphractii? 

[Brother Christopher]

Nice! How are the Centurions armed? Looks like grav cannon and hurricane bolters from the photo. I get the feeling they are just too overpriced for what they do.

 

Meanwhile Terminators seem to be enjoying something of a resurgence. I think because they just offer the complete package and can operate independently. Did you run them as classic or Tartaros/Cataphractii? 

Sorry, I've missed your post!

 

I've used grav + bolter centurions and classic terminators - fists and stormbolters.

 

In the meantime I played another game; I ran an experimental list to try some things out and failed miserably. I played against the same RG player a proper 9th edition game, with 9th edition rules, mission and point costs. My list was utterly rubbish (filled with models I painted and wanted to see on the table) - a Marshal and Castellan, 2x 5-man Tactical Squads (plasma + grav cannon), 1x 5-man Scout Squad, 5-man Vanguard Vets Squad (using Sword Brethren models - these guys actually rocked - they've killed 5 Inceptors, 6 Eliminators, 3 Suppressors and tied a squad of Inceptors!), 9-man Vanguard Vets Squad (1TH, 3PF, 1 Relic Blade) in a Rhino (who were underwhelming due to their 1 W and me being confused with the rules - my brain utterly melted when it came to disembarkation and they ended up in a sub-optimal position for the charge; later, when it came to allocating attacks, I forgot that Shrike has a +4 invul., so they failed to kill him off... duh, I messed that u badly!), an Ironclad Dreadnought (that I got killed by charging an Invictor - that thing has too many wounds!; again, mistake on my part - not knowing the rules can hurt you), a Squad of Company Veterans with a variety of weapons (that I positioned awkwardly because I needed to secure an objective) and a Stormraven (which was a huge point sink at 1500, which I feared and which proved to be true).

 

I were a terrible commander - I planned a game of 8th edition when creating the list, wanting to go for the throat in close combat; a couple of hours before the game I learnt about the objectives system in 9th and didn't feel like adjusting my list, which was a mistake because I didn't have enough mobility or staying power with my 1W classic marines; the entire match was a debacle - I've been at a loss during the fist 1.5 turns failing to grasp the system, forgetting about my objectives and sometimes struggling with the new rules (this was the second game, so that's that; plus, this was the first time I used transports and flyers since 5th ed); however, when I got up to speed it was too late to turn the tide of battle. I could've conceded then, but I didn't want to spoil the evening for my mate. We played 4 turns, after which I called it a day. The score was 38 to 77 for my opponent. I can't say that the game was as fun as my previous 40k experiences; not because of the outcome, but because of the sheer number of rules and bookkeeping involved - the game was mentally draining. I felt... old and inadequate, forgetting about rules (assault weapons let you advance and shoot, not advance and charge!) and stratagems (because every unit appears to have 2-3 of them), struggling to remember the secondary objectives I chose etc. But maybe I had a bad day (the game was a after a long day of mental work). Still, I'm looking forward to the next game.

 

Progress report on the Thunderhawk project:

Rear engine nozzle

I'll be adding more detail here and there; as you can see, this is a completely custom design - inspired with the design solution from the Xiphon; however, I went with an asymmetrical layout of details; also, I messed this up a lot, so I had to fix the cracks with green stuff. That's what you get when you want to get it over with quickly after a couple of glasses of wine, without a proper design to follow, I guess. It also seems to be a bit asymmetrical (in the bad sense of the word, i.e. I didn't put it together well enough). All in all, it looks decent and any mistakes I made in the assembly process should get lost when the bit gets attached to the model.

More details on the wings - flaps

Vertical stabiliser - WIP

 

********

 

And for something completely different, I'm trying to decide on rules to use for my crusade. The BT rules, I'm not a fan of. I'm considering using a custom Chapter Tactic and rules of a successor chapter of the Ravenguard (because of the movement shenaningans allowing the units to get into better charge positions more quickly), White Scars (advancing and charging and mobility seem fun) or Imperial Fists. Any recommendations?

[Medjugorje]

wait unitl new codex will arrive. I think our army is very fast now. Charge after advancing. Reroll advancing, strategic reserves and reroll charges. Disembark after driven with Impulsors. +1 to advance and charge rolls with Helbrecht...!!

[Brother Christopher]

How can you disembark after moving Impulsors (does this apply to other transports? can units charge?)?

[Medjugorje]

Special rule by Impulsor. Thats why Devot push is so strong. We can move 14" + disembark 3" + move and Advance +6+d6" and pile in 3"

[Marshal Arthur]

Couple that with a unit of Outriders and our advance and charge stratagem and we can threaten several event units in turn one melee. And toss a judiciar in the impulsor and the blade guard get to swing first. I’m excited to try out all these new things.

[Brother Christopher]

Okay, so the last couple of weeks have been very busy. And difficult with regard to the hobby. With my self-imposed embargo on GW's products, the release of the new Primaris Box was extremely difficult. Watching people in this forum work on Black Templar Primaris that also happen to look pretty cool out-of-the-box was frustrating. However, despite this mental struggle, I keep true to my vow not to buy new stuff from GW till I'm done with my backlog and till they sort the game and the internal balance of Codex: Space Marine out.

 

Speaking of buying stuff, I also have to confess that I broken my purchase-free streak. The last thing I had bought was in 2017: it really felt great - three years sober. Not any more, though!

 

For less than current cheaper Primaris HQs, I got this guy and his little sidekick:

 

 

This is a Games Day 2008 captain; I suppose, that the model must be fairly rare. Because of the price, I would never have bought him in the "old days", when I purchased most of my collection. However, when I took a look at the current price for plastic HQs, I didn't hesitate one moment. And since the metal scout was the price of a beer, so I got him too. As you can see in the photo, I already stripped paint of them and can't wait to paint the TH Marshal - it's a pretty characterful model.

 

But as you know, painting is postponed. Indefinitely. With ever more limited hobby time, I devote every free moment to progressing the Thunderhawk project. And progress there is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Way more photos, maybe more than a mentally heathy person would care to take and upload, are in my Plastic Thunderhawk threat in the WIP section; follow the link, if you want to see more than this summary.

[Sword Brother Adelard]

I have that Marshal. He looks good with a jump pack.

[Majkhel]

Oooooh, nice catch with that Captain! 
And good to see the proper hull taking shape. Keep it up! :)

[Brother Christopher]

I have that Marshal. He looks good with a jump pack.

 

I'm planning to magnetise a backpack/jump pack and use the model in both roles. And you're absolutely right, the model fits the dynamic aesthetics for jump pack troops extremely well.

 

Oooooh, nice catch with that Captain! 

And good to see the proper hull taking shape. Keep it up!

 

Thanks! There also was a metal Terminator Chaplain available, but I gave it a pass. It's a great model, one that I always wanted, but well - how many chaplains can a Crusade have? (The answer is many, I guess!)

 

I think I'll introduce some changes to my hobby routine in September; I plan to split my hobby time 50:50 between building the Thunderhawk and painting my Crusaders; I feel that I really, really want to make progress with painting my army up this year.

 

[Brother Christopher]

I've got an update on the Thunderhawk project. Progress was slower because of real life matters; being a self-employed freelancer can be tough: I felt I needed to work a bit more in advance to account for my holiday; in result, I had a lot of work and, consequently, way less time for hobby-related matters. Still, I'm on track and slowly working towards completing the project. At this pace, I'm expecting to finish assembly around late October or November.

 

 

Let me know what you think. The model diverges from the original more and more (the template, I've discovered, cut some corners here and there), but at this stage I don't feel like recreating it as faithfully as I once wanted; after all, the alterations I've already knowingly introduced are quite significant. I'll be rolling with what I have and I'll do my best to make it work and look cool!

[Sword Brother Adelard]

If you don't mind, is your job close to this kind of work? Because the quality and attention to detail of this project is frankly mind boggling.

[Majkhel]

This is indeed looking great! The barrel of the canon is dream coming true ;)

[Brother Christopher]

If you don't mind, is your job close to this kind of work? Because the quality and attention to detail of this project is frankly mind boggling.

Not at all - I'm a freelance translator, so nothing to do with model making (well, apart from sitting long hours!). In fact, I'm a self-taught modeller; I don't even recall watching tutorial videos, which in retrospect might've been a mistake - I probably could have improved my skills way quicker, not by trial and error.

 

Initially, the main driving force behind me making plasticard models were money - I couldn't see myself paying the full and often premium price for certain models. Right now, it's a fully-fledged hobby that gives me enormous pleasure. I must say: I always wanted my models to be as close to the originals as possible and cared for the quality - I wanted them to be as on par with original kits as possible; then, I found satisfaction in building custom-pattern vehicles (I figured that I could experiment with the creative liberty I have with building something from scratch). However, right now I surprise myself with the quality - sure, it doesn't compare with machine-made parts, but components like the most recent ones (the gun housing and the barrel) - ones which have a high density of detail per centimetre -  are something else. And I imagine that once painted, they'll look even better. Sorry for sounding braggy, though!

[Brother Carpenter]

I believe you have every right to bragg about you modelling skills.

I take off my hat and give a deep bow to those skills

Edited September 9, 2020 by Brother Carpenter

[Marshal Arthur]

It's only "braggy" if you can't back it up. You, on the other hand, have some real skill.

[Brother Christopher]

I just want to let you know that I'm changing my approach to my ever limited hobby time. I am still focusing on assembly of the Thunderhawk; however, with as little time I have and also need to see results to keep me going; after all, in 30 minutes I am not able to build anything meaningful and right now I need more immediate hobby gratification. That's why I intend to split my hobby time between building the mighty Thunderhawk (whenever I have more time to devote to the hobby) and finishing my almost-painted models. I have many models that are pretty much finished, but need some final touches - refining highlights, varnishing and doing bases is on the agenda. After all, in 30 minutes I should be able to finish a model or two and those bases have to be done at some point.

 

Because of this, I hope to post regular updates of models that some of you might've already seen. I started retouching some models today; I'm very happy that the spray-on varnish brought all models to a similar finish. Before that, I had been worried since blacks on all three models I chose for the 'test' were slightly different - one appeared to be dark-greyish (don't know why, maybe after drybrushing), the second had a matte finish and the last one was pretty glossy after I tested a brush-on satin varnish on him. I also experienced something completely new - I enjoyed highlighting the models. I plan to put this experience to good use and incorporate it into my painting routine.

[Medjugorje]

the crusade is eternal. 

[Brother Carpenter]

Wow a model or two in 30 mins.

You're not starting to speed paint are you?

I'm still on a model once a year at the moment

[Brother Christopher]

the crusade is eternal. 

 

Yes, it is! Hopefully, it'll be fully loaded (i.e. painted) soon ;)

 

Wow a model or two in 30 mins.

You're not starting to speed paint are you?

I'm still on a model once a year at the moment

 

I must have failed to make myself clear. By "finishing", I meant doing minor improvements and touch-ups - refining a highlight here and there, painting a cross onto a shoulder pad. Minor work on an already almost-painted / battle-ready, to use the current nomenclature, model. Despite my best efforts to lower my standards and improve my workflow and what-not, I can't seem to paint a model faster than in 1.5-2 hours. On the upside, I suppose that there's improvement made in that the quality of the models painted in that time appears to be improving.

 

And it seems that I'm still at a similar pace as you are, though I'm improving - not it's a squad per year ;)

 

[Brother Christopher]

So, here's what happened: I played a game today! I put together a list which consisted entirely of models that I felt I want to use and see on the battlefield. It was a 1200 points game against my regular Raven Guard opponent. I fielded:

 

A Marshal with the Burning Blade and a Storm Shield

A Chaplain

 

5 count-as Intercessors (sgt. with power fist)

5 count-as Intercessors (sgt. with power fist)

5 count-as veteran Intercessors (sgt. with thunder hammer)

 

5 Tactical Terminators

 

5 Devastators (2 Lascannons, 2 Grav cannons)

5 Devastators (2 Missile Launchers, 2 Grav cannons)

 

3 Assault Centurions (before they get expensive in the new Codex)

 

1 Land Speeder (just for fun, with one Heavy Bolter; I were left with ~60 points and I figured I haven't used these since 5th edition)

 

The game was fun, but brutal; after 4 rounds I were left with a pretty much wrecked Land Speeder (1 wound remaining) and 5 count-as Intercessor, whereas my opponent had 1 Lieutenant and 2 Incursors (Infiltrators? I can't tell the difference). He'd had 3 Inceptors, but  they died to unlucky rolls and my opponent's determination to take down my Land Speeder (which manage to evade most of their firepower thanks to the 4++ stratagem, which was very fun). The Black Templars won 7 (or 8 - we didn't care much for points) to 3 thanks to securing the right objectives in the right time; however, if the game were to take another round, I suppose that I'd be tabled, but would still be able to pull of a win.

 

Regular Marines are extremely fragile; it really pained me to see my Devastators basically evaporate after being shot at by Stubbers and Heavy Bolters. The Land Speeder did what I hoped for it to do - it was such a silly little thing that the enemy didn't bother to shoot it down, while it roamed around, securing objectives. Assault Centurions were a bit of a let down - they suffered greatly from the mission-specific condition (-1 to movement and advance), but were able to do some damage in shooting and the sergeant managed to take on an Invictor on his own. And to me, someone with no (count-as) Primaris experience, Intercessors are absolutely brutal; they were able to weather so much of the firepower directed at them, that it was astonishing. They only succumbed to plasma fire from 2 3-man Inceptor squads.

 

I'm also slowly getting the hang on the dynamics and mechanics of the new edition. Also, I can't wait for what the new Codex brings, especially for the regular/classic marines.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Brother Cristopher

[Sword Brother Adelard]

As a tiny bit of advice, I would swap your devastators around so all the grav is together. Then you can get the most benefit out of the stratagem to re-roll wounds and damage. It's...devastating...

[Brother Christopher]

That's a great piece of advice! My rationale behind mixing the weapons was that the heavy weapons were my only sources of anti-vehicle weaponry and I knew that I my opponent would bring 2 Invictors, which were a priority. I were worried (and rightly so!) that Devastators won't survive long enough to deal with the walkers; grav-cannons were there just-in-case Devastators survived till the time his plasma Inceptors arrive, which they didn't. In retrospect, that's why what you suggested was the better option - they'd deal more damage on turn one, when they were full strength.

 

You see, this is what I'm still struggling to wrap my head around - there are so many levels of mechanics and planning involved in the game, that I struggle to make the best out of my models. This probably is equally due to me not taking the proper time to prepare for the games (at this stage of life I have to juggle between work, 40k and other pastimes) and me having way too many models to choose from. It would've been much easier if I had a starter set to build up from, not a collection of basically all classic Marines' units available. Still, I do hope that the more I play the game, the better I'll grasp its mechanics and unwritten 'principles' behind list building.

[Sword Brother Adelard]

I'm really looking forward to them gaining an extra wound each. It will make a huge difference.

The other advantage of swapping them around is that your las/missile Devs will have 48" range, so can stand back and stay out of trouble. Grav Devs have to be in the fray, which has led to the odd situation where mine have almost twice as many melee kills this edition as shooting. I always kill the sword brother last, because he has a power fist, and when his lads die, he goes full Templar!