Which warband for the new codex

[Uprising]

Hello my chaotic brothers and sisters

 

I am back from a very long 40k break, no small part from the new dark vengeance box set. I am also now a poor college student but have successfully found a gaming group here. My main goal is to have a war band with traitor guard elements (I have some guardsmen in need of enlightenment/conversion) and maybe some daemons. What I really want is what ADB depict in his night lord trilogy, a war band fight for survival against a behemoth of a foe, but they still fight the eternal war making million of cuts until the imperium bleeds out. I want to write a story about their struggles and victory and then represent them on the tabletop and vice versa. I have some of the model assemble and found a wonderful urban rubble tutorial. There are also imperial guard/space marine bits on the bases.

 

I currently have the following

40 csm(In different stages)

8 bezerkers(bits for csm squad)

1 Rhino

5 possessed (bits for champs)

1 dreadnought

1 soul grinder (defiler)

7 terminators

1 terminator lord

Dark vengeance box (1 hellbrute, 20 cultist, 6 chosen, 1 lord(sorc))

I am also thinking about picking up a set box set, such lovely models.

 

The problem is which war band I have two ideas currently.

 

Crypt keeper(Death guard warband)

This warband is dedicated to nurgle and wish to spend the plague of unbelief (plague zombies) to the emperor’s dogs. Their color scheme is rotting flesh with rusting metal trim. Their armor have blood seeping out of their slots (eyes, vents etc). They aren't the fat plague marine but instead are gaunt marines with a disease that cause the urge of constants hunger (like the effects of black death/rabies/parasitic worms/zombie virus). Since they surrender themselves to nurgle, they don`t feel this hunger but still wish to spend nurgles gifts. The Crypt Keeper also have nurgle personality and are a marry bunch. Their low number is bolster by cultist/zombie, nurgle daemons. One of the major themes of this force is to depict a nurgle army like a virus; spreads quickly and cannot be contain. I hate the slow, bloated impending death that everyone does for there burgle army.

 

Conversion

Nothing special, I will be use vampire counts bits to get the undead theme across(My warhammer army)

 

Pros

Nurgle my favorite god and i love his daemon models. I also love anything that involves zombies and i get to use my realistic blood technique. The color scheme is simple and I know how to duplicate it nicely (Plan to use same painting technique as my zombies).

 

Con

By choosing one god, I feel like I am limiting my self too much. This is a major problem for me. Also how would cultist fit in? Wouldn`t they just be zombies? I was thinking if they surrender to nurgle then they would be spare zombieish. Thoughts? The dark vengeance box sent isn`t exactly nugrlely and major conversions are require. I really do not want to mess up those beautiful models.

 

Night lords

One of my personal favorite legion, I love their depict in Soul hunter and Blood Reaver. I want to do something a little different. They’re all about cause fear and mayhem. They use fear gas (think scarecrow from batman) and other technique of terror/fear/torture (inspire by vlad the impairer, etc) They have cultist/traitor guard support and strong ties with dark eldar (slaves for training/tech) They do use daemons but mostly as a tool to finish the job. They are mostly a raiding force and sells out their service if the odds look good. Their goal is to destroy the imperium with a million small cuts and let it bleed out.

 

Conversion

Nothing special, I will be use vampire counts bits to get the gothic/terror feel (My warhammer army)

 

Pros

I am a huge fan of the gothic/Halloween/terror feel. I have try out the night lord scheme and it came out decent. In addition to use my blood effects, I also can paint helmet art and lighting bolts. (Sucker for details) For me they are an army of individuals instead of regiments feel (reason I like chaos). This force can be anything I want and I can take anything I want. One god does not restrict me. Also all the models from dark vengeance works wonderfully except for the hell brute (going for pure night lords) I even have some models model as night lords.

 

Con

I can`t really use daemon as allies (what to do with the soul grinder?), thus I can`t use the nurgle models (doesn`t fit the theme). Also It seems everyone use night lord, their so popular. Finally with so many choices, making an army list would be difficult.

 

Currently I would like the community input. I know I should wait for the new codex but I would like to plan ahead a little. Thanks for reading; I know it’s a lot to digest.

 

I will post some pics of my current wip to help the input process. :D

[Kol Saresk]

Radical idea, combine the two. Make some Night Lords who were betrayed by one of their Tzeentchi employers to a swarm of Nurglites who infected them with several diseases and in an effort to survive they swore loyalty to Nurgle, although they do a pretty sorry job of upholding their bargains. Or something like that.

[Ifrit446]

Both of those ideas sound phenomenal. The Nurgle Marines almost sound like the current warband The Cleaved, with the oozing armor and whatnot. Although I'm not too much of a Nurgle fan, a warband like the Cleaved would be awesome and using cultists as zombies would make it even more intense of a theme :P

 

As for the Night Lords, I do enjoy your ideas to add on to them and make them your own, but I myself would go for something abit more out of the box since SOOOOO MANY people are going to play Night Lords when the new codex hits. I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, but Im just saying it might be nice to pick an army that not everyone knows. Unless you go far above and beyond to make yours unique.

[minigun762]

I'd lean towards the Nurgle warband. You give the impression that thats what you really want to play.

 

As far as the night lord aspects you like, why not incorporate them into your Nurgle army? Few things are as terrifying as a plague or disease, especially one in which your best friend, spouse or the guy squatting next to you in a trench can rise up and eat your face. Here the disease would plague the body, while the fear would plague the mind.

 

For the Halloween touch, a bit of theatrics would be appropriate for your (twistedly) happy Nurgle marines and serve as a way keep them apart from the mortal followers and daemons.

 

As far as the cultists go, instead of treating them like zombies, treat them like a medical support staff. Think corrupted nurses, doctors and technicians, all aiding in spreading the plague.

[Feste]

Why can't you use daemon's with the Night Lords? They use any tool which causes terror, which tends to attract daemons and in turn creates more terror. Sure, it's not a traditional Night Lord army but who cares about tradition? If you want to use it who's to stop you?

 

Similarly, regarding the Hellbrute remember that in Blood Reaver the warband has a revered dreadnought. Lightning war is just one aspect of the legion.

 

That said, I've got to go on the combine them both fence. It sounds like a main Nurgle force backed up by some very individual Night Lords would work very well. Painting a squad or two of elite Night Lords might get the desire to paint them out of your system, and they could still be the basis for a more complete Night Lord warband.

[Vesper]

Crypt Keepers ?

Go for it !

[Uprising]

ok sorry for the late reply, first semester in college and adjusting to a new environment is not easy. Luckily I was able to write out my ideas while doing my laundry. :D I have created two custom War bands ideas, that i like. One Death Guard war band (Crypt Keeper), the other a Night Lord War band (Scarecrows). My grand plan is to have a CSM army with daemonic engine heavy with elements of traitor guard/cultist. Which every army/allies, i will have a 24 x 24 inch display board. The traitor guard will be in a war torn city defending a warp portal. The marines display board will be a war torn city as well but more destroy vehicles and carnage everywhere. Depending on war band i will also have a third display board for daemons, which show them on the other side of the portal. Please enjoy my two ideas.

 

Crypt Keepers

 

Alliance: Nurgle

 

Tactic: Biological Warfare/raids/close quarter and ship to ship combat. They Besiege a planet with plague of unbelief to make up for their low numbers. increase in plagues convert population to become cultist. Cultist uprising and daemonic summoning increase and attack besiege forces more. The marines conduct surgical strikes on high priory targets and raid equipment. Then quickly flee before retaliation and Repeat on another world. In the void boarding pods are full of plague zombies are sent into the first wave, follow by the marines.

 

Short back story(wip): The Crypt keeper used to be know as the Vault keepers, a chapter task with safe guarding a sector with vital secret. The sector then was visited by a plague hulk which crash land on their home world. The planet was place under with 200 marines trapped. The rest of the chapter return and broke through the inquisition blockade, wishing to aid their brothers. The true event on the surface was never truly understood. Contact was lost within fifteen mins of planet fall. Twenty eight days later, the whole vault keeper pounded into the blockade. The Vault keepers lost all their ships except for the chapter battle barge; with 300 marines to the imperial fleet, two space marine chapters and the inquisition fleet. The planet was purge with exterminus and the event was forgotten. Seventy seven years later the battle barde return. The force besiege the sector and stole the item they where safe guarding. Their finale sighting in the sector was at their own home world. The remaining marines Led by the terminator lord name pending(typhus, logan, abbadon count as) said "We used to be the keeper of this sector and its secrets, now we are the keepers of a dead sector, a crypt. We are the crypt keepers now." Now they Crypt Keeper appear out of the warp to raid and spread decay and plagues to the imperium that betrayed them.

 

Scarecrows

 

The scarecrow are my answer for using night lord fluff, tactics, and conversions while being unique. They are inspire by the batman villain; the scarecrow

 

 

Alliance:Themselves, the highest payer and finally the Night Lords legion.

 

Tactic: psychologic and chemical warfare/raids/hit and run. They use similar tactics to their legion to wage warfare. They like to spread terror and confusion among a helpless world by inflammation and sabotage. Cultist uprising follow in their wake cause by fear and terror of their new masters. They favor the use of fear gas and neotoxins to disable their prey. once the objective/martial is obtain, the war bands flee before reinforcements arrive. The planet in engulf in a gas bomb that cause the population into mass panic and hallenctions. They always avoid a fair fight and try to piece meal the enemy to avoid lost.

 

Short back story(wip): The scarecrows are led by the sadistic but sane former night lord Apothecary "" After being capture and enslaved by the dark elder, apoc"" fought his way out of slavery and eventually out of the web way. He sold his service to a renegade war band that recover him once he was in the real space. He quickly took command of the war band and now is the warlord. He then convert the remaining marines and convert their belief and psych to the teaching of the night haunter. The war band is now the called the scarecrow due to their nature. The forces deploy massive Varity of experiments subjectives and gadgets, all created by what Apoc learn from the dark elder. They now sell their services out to the highest bidder, only if loss are low enough.

 

Fluff wise I like the Crypt keeper better but paint scheme wise the Scarecrows are winning. The crypt Keeper scheme is missing something and scarecrow story is lacking. Making a choice is hard :(

 

Thoughts?

 

Kol_Saresk,minigun762 and Feste: I really don`t want to play a combine force, I just want a single pure war band/legion. Also nurgle night lords just don`t fit into my vision, i have try writing something up but with no luck.

 

Vesper: Glad you like the name

 

Feste: I just can`t see daemons and daemonic engines with night lords. I just don`t know why.

 

Ifrit446: Glad you like the idea, I decide to make a night lord spin off warband to keep the imagery i like from them but also being unique as well.

 

minigun762: medical cultist, i LOVE this idea, i am currently in college for medical school, so its fit. But i don`t understand what you mean by this "For the Halloween touch, a bit of theatrics would be appropriate for your (twistedly) happy Nurgle marines and serve as a way keep them apart from the mortal followers and daemons"? Explain please.

 

I will try some test models once i get some time, college takes a lot of out of hobby time.

[minigun762]

Kol_Saresk,minigun762 and Feste: I really don`t want to play a combine force, I just want a single pure war band/legion. Also nurgle night lords just don`t fit into my vision, i have try writing something up but with no luck.

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. I was suggesting a pure Nurgle force but one that incorporates some of the fear elements from your Night Lords. Basically scary Nurgle marines.

 

 

minigun762: medical cultist, i LOVE this idea, i am currently in college for medical school, so its fit. But i don`t understand what you mean by this "For the Halloween touch, a bit of theatrics would be appropriate for your (twistedly) happy Nurgle marines and serve as a way keep them apart from the mortal followers and daemons"? Explain please.

 

Can do. When I think about Halloween, I think about pumpkins and masks. You could be very blunt about it and give your marines orange helms with dark grills and eyes, or maybe just do it on the squad champions in the same way some loyalist chapters let their squad leaders paint their helms differently.

 

The other choice would be giving your champions monstrous helms or masks, maybe from the possessed marine kits, so they appear more like monsters.

[Iron Sage]

I absolutely concur with minigun. You can easilly run a Nurgle aligned warband with their own personality, their own favoured tactics etc. Why would they not lend favoured methodology from other non-Nurglish warbands? Of course they can!

Masters of chemical and biological warfare, employing terror tactics (I too liked the Scarecrows paint better, though why cant that be Nurgle colours?). Dont see the problem :)

 

Also, Nurgle has millions of mortal followers. Cultists is not an issue there. One idea is that the believers live through the plague while the unbelivers turn into zombies etc. The reason why anyone would actually turn to Nurgle in the first place, is usually dramatic and involving disease and famine etc.

[Feste]

Uprising: Fair enough, I can understand why you wouldn't want a combined force. Sleek, scary Night Lords running alongside the corruption of the Crypt Keepers might look a little odd.

 

It's sounds like you've got a really strong idea for the Crypt Keepers, I like it. What do you think's lacking from the paint scheme for them? I can understand that the base armour might be a little understated, but that gives you options for rust, boils and horrible mutations. The fun in painting them will be in the exposed entrails and the swollen sore skin, as a med student I'm sure you've got some textbooks to get this stuff really accurate ^_^

 

Also, Nurgle has millions of mortal followers. Cultists is not an issue there. One idea is that the believers live through the plague while the unbelivers turn into zombies etc. The reason why anyone would actually turn to Nurgle in the first place, is usually dramatic and involving disease and famine etc.

Well, one of the current rumours that has persisted is that Typhus will turn cultists into zombies. FNP, Fearless zombies.

 

Lastly. Am I the only who's unnerved that Uprising is a med student playing around with the forces of chaos? I worry that it's going Fabulous Bill all over again. ^_^

[Kol Saresk]

No, not really considering how many current/former soldiers, physicists, computer techs, and vehicle mechanics/technicians that "dabble" in the Forces of Chaos, what's one more med student?

[Uprising]

It has been a while since i lasted post anything on my idea but i think the whole chaos forum has gone insane with the the new models and codex being unveiled. So i decide to hang back a little. Anyway with the release of the new models/codex, I have made my choice. I have decide to go with the Crypt Keepers. In the end i love nurgle fluff, the idea behind my war band/scheme, and I love the plastic nurgle models(just bought 2x plaguebearers and nurgling box today.). I also plan to buy some of the new kits for my force. I think 1 codex, 1 forgefiend and a raptor box is a good start(heldrake will come later). I have been working on my dark vengeance box and only need the lord and hell brute to finish/convert. I do plan on picture being post tomorrow but sadly their only conversion nothing got painted this week.

 

I do need some help with modeling ideas. The original idea for the keepers are basically marine with zombie virus. I am trying to avoid fat plague marines but i need some ideas to make them seem more undead. I am also constituting adding some Dead Space looks but i am concern with that interfering with the classic zombie feel. Thoughts and ideas welcome?

 

Then their also the issue of the tabletop performance. I know its a little early but any ideas for a good nurgle build with my current miniatures? How are allied nurgle daemons. I have a soul grinder(count as defiler aswell), and just bought just bought 2x plaguebearers and nurgling box today because i like the models.

 

minigun762/iron sage- thanks for the ideas. I will see how i can incorporate them into my force.

Feste- i plan to make this force bloody and grizzly. Good thing i check out some medical/disease/epidemic book this week. Also we get Plague zombies? Finally :P

 

Thanks for reading

[Verythrax Draconis]

I'm considering doing a "black crusade" army - using Black Legion or a Khorne warband as a base, with chosen and berzerkers, and then adding daemon engines and a warpsmith in IW colors, and then plaguemarines and maybe some nurgle CSMs in a rusty rhino.

 

Maybe that can suit you well - do some raptors and the base of the army as NLs, and them add the plague marines and other nurgle elements as well.

[Uprising]

I'm considering doing a "black crusade" army - using Black Legion or a Khorne warband as a base, with chosen and berzerkers, and then adding daemon engines and a warpsmith in IW colors, and then plaguemarines and maybe some nurgle CSMs in a rusty rhino.

 

Maybe that can suit you well - do some raptors and the base of the army as NLs, and them add the plague marines and other nurgle elements as well.

 

I did consider that, but I decide on just one war band to start with.(at the moment :) ) Does anyone have any ideas for my zombie war band? Any input is greatly appreciated. Also i am sorry for no pictures yet, my camera has disappear this weekend, I blame the new nurgling I bought. :)