Vash's AM pLog, battle report p.12

[Vash]

Been working on some extras. 

This will be my stand ins for Enginseer and servitors. 

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/Mobile%20Uploads/image.jpg

 

 

I'll get some better pictures later on. 

The servitor to the right has some "major" amputations. Left leg and arm are biconical. 

 

As it is, its a team of mechanics. The huge saw guy is responsible for cutting of limbs and what not on the vehicles/walkers. Clearing a path for the team and so on. 

The Engineseer, with the servo arm on his back is responsible for lifting heavy parts into place, cutting smaller pieces with his handsaw. 

And finally the last servitor, mr. Blowtorch. He also helps with lifting heavy parts to support the enginseer. 

[scatmandoo]

They look great and are full of character.

[Vash]

Thanks. 

Picture is pretty bad (taken with a cellphone), as it doesn't show every detail of each character. But I'll look into that once they are done :)

[CoffeeGrunt]

Hmmm, given me some food for thought on how too do my own Enginseer counts-as. I was aiming for something like you, a more traditional Engineer look. They'll be escorted by Tau Technical Drones to count as the Servitors, though! :)

 

Keep up the great kitbash work. Looking forward to seeing these guys painted!

[Vash]

I'll see what I can do on the painting department :) X-mas is closing in and my spare time is scarce. But I want them painted so  I can use them the day I decide to field them. 

[WarriorFish]

Great work, I love the blowtorch! Yet more excellent kit bashing :)

[Vash]

Great work, I love the blowtorch! Yet more excellent kit bashing

Thanks mate.

Using what I got left now. Sure I have a lot, but not many interesting parts. I have now ran out of Scion legs and Cadian Torsos (well I do have 2 more torsos that are glued to test models...).

Thankfully I have all the models assembled now that I need for my first two army samples.

Question to you all. I am going to start basing my flyer bases soon. I need some inspiration. I have always used my pre made rubble mould for this purpose. But with the flyer stick on the base it won't fit. Looking at my infantry bases, I have very little on them. Some tufts and cracked earth.

I am no fan of adding enemy models on the base. So thats out of the question.

Large buildings or obstacles that break line of sight for the infantry is nothing I am to keen on either (it interrupts the game play to much, and since I have very limited time to play these days I can't afford things like that :( )

Now with those restrictions, I am not looking for a totally flat base :D Have a look at my Imperial Knight. It has a pile of rubble on his base

[WarriorFish]

What about a water feature? It doesn't obstruct LoS but is very different, plus you can decorate it with bits of rubble and stuff sticking out, you'd be able to do a fairly large bit of water too on a flyer base as it's a big one :)

[Vash]

THANKS!

I bought a water effect set years ago for a friend who wanted some water effects on his bases. He never pulled through with his commission for me so it was left standing in my shelf. 

Gonna give it a try on a base right away and see how I can work with it. 

[WarriorFish]

I've been using it for my DE quite a lot, it works very nicely and gives you lots of options :D

[Vash]

I've been using it for my DE quite a lot, it works very nicely and gives you lots of options

What did you use as water effect? Some specialist materials or PVA glue? Got any pictures to show? :)

[WarriorFish]

I used GW's water effect, it works well. If you want a reasonable layer of it you need to give it a few goes though as it dries relatively thin. You need to be careful with drying as it takes some time to set. It's simple to do I just paint the base a colour and blob the water on top which gives a good dirty water look using a darker brown (Scorched Brown). Posting xenos is prohibited of course but I did use the same method for Argun's HWT for Semper's Heroes.

Unfortunately the pictures aren't too good and you can't see the blood in the water I did very well:

Due to the transparent nature of it you can't really see it very well, and I should have made it a bit thicker but you can see the light reflecting around the arm. For the future I'm thinking of hollowing a base out and building up a recess so I can really go to town with filling it up. That way I can have something in the water being more visible, but this would require a larger base to make it viable.

[Vash]

Thanks, that looks good

I'll see what I can do. Need to get around finishing the bases on those huge things...

Oh and I finished some of my models:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Astra%20Militarum/engineseerandservitors.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Astra%20Militarum/Strakenandmedic.jpg

[WarriorFish]

Cool, I like the addition of the green on them - speedy work again! I've managed to resist opening my Scions but that might be a tall order with all this... maybe I should tell myself they can be a treat for when I've done my other stuff?

[Vash]

Gratitudes. 

I had to find a color that would differ them from other units. So from now on green are my mechanics and engineers. 

Well I take it that you got a bunch of stuff to paint, so resisting might be futile ;)

 

I can't remember who wrote it, but he wrote that he didn't see a single mould lines on my models for the speed I produced them. 

Well I am "happy" to show you that I have one now. The medics right foot. And here is a perfect example on why it is important to clean your models. If that mould line wasn't there the shade I use would flow freely of the whole foot. 

 

Cleaning the models is one of the most important steps for speed painting with shades and dry brushing techniques. 

[WarriorFish]

Resistance likely is futile yes, but I'll try and be good and do boxes in the order I got them. Green is a great colour also. Not that I'm biased or anything.

 

We'll forgive you for this one error Vash, but see that it doesn't happen again ;)

[Kierdale]

Beautiful work, as always, Vash.

[Pigshead]

I really like the counts as Straken. It puts me in mind of something from Borderlands for some reason.

[Vash]

Thanks guys. Just a few more and I am done.

The Straken guy is more of a comical thing and I am happy that he reminds you of borderland. Great game.

 

Going to try to finish up the last guys this weekend.

[lionofjudah]

I step away for a few days and BOOM you drop so much goodness on us:)! Looking great and I really dig your servitors!

[Vash]

I have been away for a few days my self. Playing some computer games mostly tough... And yah, starting the x-mas decoration with the kids. 

[Vash]

Sooo... had a game versus a friend. He plays chaos, and usually heavy on the psychic powers. I also allowed him to use his Imperial Knight, as he has told me he rarely gets to use it :(

So I told him to go for, and I don't mind that there are restrictions on deployment for including one. I was after an epic battle between the two. 

 

He took a picture of his army, and sent to me on Facebook (yes I use that dreaded site... but good for match makings). So I felt that I should be fair and send him my list. He saw that I fielded the Culexus, as part of the assassins formation. He then changed his list :) I am not against that really. But I think he put to much fear for Culexus than needed. 

 

Anyhow. Highlights of the game. 

 

TURN 1 ASTRA MILITARUM

I did absolutely nothing. Well if I did... it was minor damage. The Culexus scored one wound on his psyker, Eversor move out from cover and killed two, TWO cultists. Callidus next to him took out a massive one cultist with her flamer... 

 

TURN 1 CHAOS

His voice marines who infiltrated with Houron shot down 9 members of my veteran squad with plasma... so much for the camo gear... 

His defiler dropped a battle cannon grenade onto on Culexus and I failed my save... SLAT!

Cultists rapid fired on Eversor and took him out... Best 50 pts he ever spent... 

The Callidus got charged by a Hellbrute... He missed though and she survived and jumped out of combat. 

 

This was a devastating turn for me. Losing two assassins, basically a whole unit of veterans and losing first blood. 

 

TURN 2 ASTRA MILITARUM

I have an officer o the fleet, so I should get tons of reserves now. Out of 5 reservs I got 3. Tad disappointed. But the meltagun scions dopped perfectly, and so did the plasma scion unit next to a Obliterator unit on the flank. 

My Avenger also came in from the far right flank. 

 

So... my melta scions accomplished nothing... His Mauler fiend (the one with plasma cannons x3) made his saves with improved IV saves by psychic power. 

Basically he saved 7 pens from various parts from my army... Only took an immobilised result. 

 

The Plasma unit only succeed in taking down one of two obliterators. 

 

Callidus made her way into the cultists and took out 5 of them. 

 

Nothing else of note happened, even though I shot with eveything I had. But his saves were just to good. 

On another note, I did get lots of objective points from the objective mission cards. So I was in the lead, but barely. 

 

 

TURN 2 CHAOS

His hell drake didn't arrive... hard on a 6. 

But he killed 4 of 5 plasma scions with his obliterator. His defiler killed the melta scions, His Imperial Knight killed my Tempestus command. All in all he had a good turn. 

My callidus continued to kill some few cultists. 

 

 

TURN 3 ASTRA MILITARUM

My remaining two reservs came in. I deep striked my meltas to the sameposition, but scattered... but in a good direction, I was still in range of his defiler. The Valkyrie well... not sure what his purpose was. Nothing inside it, and the cultists were taken care of by the Callidus. He made som potshots at the nice marines. Took out 3. 

 

The Melta scions didn't dissapoint this time, and the defilers save failed him, so the defiler bit the dust. Funny thing was... it took its final two hull points from a krak grenade and a bolt pistol! Now that sergeant is up for a promotion!!!

 

Callidus continued to chop through all his cultists. 

 

The Imperial Knight tried to his best on the Mauler fiend but failed to kill it. Then tried to charge the voice marines but didn't reach them... 

Vindicare... well through out the game he never really did anything. He took some hull points here and there and destroyed weapons on vehicles. 

 

My lone plasma scion had the lone obiberator infront of him, but decided to walk pass him and run towards an objective in the shooting phase. Looked really silly. "hello just passing through here". But he did score an objective point thanks to that move. 

 

TURN 3 CHAOS

His lone Obliberator couldn't decide on who to shoot. The 5 clustered melta scions with a plasma cannon or the lone plasma scion right next to him. He went for the "massacre kill" as he called it. He targeted my melta scions and scattered way off. :)

 

Huron charged my Imperial Knight, and scored 5 hull points! But in turn I took him down and the armless hell brute who charged in too. 

 

Oh, and his Sorcerer manifested a psychic power and suffered perils of the warp for the second time, and died. But he did succeed on summoning of 10 deamonettes. 

 

His imperial knight ran around in my deployment zone scaring off my company command squad. 

 

 

TURN 4 ASTRA MILITARUM

Callidus together with the grenade launcher veterans took out all the deamonettes. Callidus had now taken out more than I expected. And was atm the most useful assassin of the four. 

 

From here I pretty much took out the remaining chaos units. His noise marines died to the imperial Knight, the obliterator to the scions. And I also started to grab way to many mission objectives for him to be able to catch up. 

 

 

TURN 4 CHAOS

His Imperial Knight tried to charge my Knight, and failed. His hell drake arrived and took out my Avenger strike fighter and burnt some veterans. 

 

 

TURN 5 ASTRA MILITARUM

My Imperial Knight charged his Knight. With my warlord trait I re-roll misses on the charge. In this epic battle we both went down. In the mids of the explosions, my command squad took a huge casualty toll. Only the officer of the fleet and a wounded officer survived. 

 

After this, only the Helldrake was alive, and it was about to leave the table unless it went into hover mode. He forfeited and he was satisfied with the game. I didn't have much left, and neither did he. We were fighting all over the place, and no one was hiding in a corner. 

 

What I had left was:

2 members of the command squad

Callidus

Vindicare

Valkyrie

3 Veterans

5 scions (melta)

1 Scion (plasma)

 

So I can't say I was superior in survivors. 

 

 

With this game I learned a lot. First game with pure Astra Militarum with the new codex. And I gotta say... I am not used to losing my units so easy :) Weak mere humans with inferior armour. 

But it was fun. I enjoyed this game more than my Farsight Enclave army. I lost so much that it felt uncertain and exciting all the time. 

 

 

The sad thing is that I didn't have time to take any pictures this time :( 

But I felt like reporting in. 

[scatmandoo]

Glad you had fun and enjoyed the game. Would you change anything for next time?

[Kierdale]

Sounds like a very enjoyable game!

I love that the two Knights took each other out, and I can picture that lone plasma scion getting commed and ordered to grab an objective, sprinting right past the Obliterator.

That man deserves a medal.

[WarriorFish]

I think statistically two Knights duking it out will probably end that way, but it's fitting as epic models deserve epic showdowns! Sounds like it was a pretty good game once the bad luck faded, but it's not cool to change a list like that. Hopefully next time your luck is better and we get some glorious pictures too ;)