Officia Monstrosa – Iron Warriors

[apologist]

'Ecce Paries.' The speaker paused and leaned on the lectern, which creaked under the strain of supporting post-human flesh and grave-cold ceramite. Most of the assembled Olympians nodded to themselves, the slight affirmation a ghost of their extinct culture. The concept was as familiar to them as stripping a boltgun or the proper maintenance of armour. Behold the wall. The term was rhetorical, sophistic.

 

Each of the assembled Iron Warriors completed the phrase internally, its silent recitation part of their cold secular litany. Behold the wall, and remove it from your path through the precise application of force. The concept was applied to everything, and sat rooted at the iron core of the Legion. Some of the Terran veterans mocked its pretension – cautiously, privately – but most amongst the legion accepted it at face value: a way of exploring a problem; probing it. It was a curiously universal principle which served well to weld together recruits drawn from myriad cultures and disparate ways of thinking. Identify; degrade. Behold; force.

 

In the case of the heavy assault forces on Terra, Ecce Paries had a practical and immediate relevance. Forget the details of the defence and attack. Forget the goal. Instead, behold the Imperial Fists lines preventing the Warmaster's advance, and force through by reducing them to ash and memories through the application of firepower.

 

As was the speciality of the IVth Legion, that application was to become obscene, indiscriminate and total: Extinction Warfare.

 

+++

How many bunkers can a bunker-buster bust?

First up to flush out the Imperial Fists; the initial members of a multi melta-armed Heavy Support Squad:

 

Really liking these Blood Angels helmets for the Iron Warriors. The sinister eye-slits fit my vision of them perfectly. Thanks to Lucifer216 for his kind donation to the cause!

Edited February 29, 2016 by Apologist

[apologist]

For every 5 dudes you can take one Charger in a squad of Veteran Tacticals.

Oh, and great work by the way.

 

Ta! That's excellent news :) 

 

Wow, they all look fantastic especially the Lord of iron.

Choom is alway... always a necessary option, also how did you get the pyramid spikes on the shoulderpad?

 

The pads are from Master-Crafted Miniatures – say I sent you! :)

 

Always a delight to receive an email saying you've updated this thread. Lovely stuff! As you might have seen, the deathwatch news has infused my work and it is cool to see you continuing too. I sent you an email recently, by the way!

 

Cheers; and apologies for not yet replying. We're moving house so I'm not sure how much time/cash will be spare by then... I'll try and let you know, though. Thanks for the invite!

 

Volkite death ray goodness

 

Apologist playing with choom? Fantastic news!

 

Yeah, might be a little interested in this guy/squad. Those pads really look brilliant!

 

IRON WITHIN ! CHOOM WITHOUT !

More! More I say!

 

A second Basilikos joins the squad (right), along with a marine whose purpose is vague at the moment. Perhaps a Centurion – Warsmith, Master of Signal, Siege Breaker – or more simple a sergeant or rapier gunner. What do you think he looks like?

 

Finally, a masterclass in the importance of checking mouldlines (particularly on backpacks from the 90s):

Two further legionaries armed with boltguns and a bad attitude.

[Commissar Molotov]

Awesome stuff - good to see some heavy weapons taking to the field. Very cool indeed!
 

Did you see the Garro email I sent you as well? 

[Olis]

'Ecce Paries.' The speaker paused and leaned on the lectern, which creaked under the strain of supporting post-human flesh and grave-cold ceramite. Most of the assembled Olympians nodded to themselves, the slight affirmation a ghost of their extinct culture. The concept was as familiar to them as stripping a boltgun or the proper maintenance of armour. Behold the wall. The term was rhetorical, sophistic.

 

Each of the assembled Iron Warriors completed the phrase internally, its silent recitation part of their cold secular litany. Behold the wall, and remove it from your path through the precise application of force. The concept was applied to everything, and sat rooted at the iron core of the Legion. Some of the Terran veterans mocked its pretension – cautiously, privately – but most amongst the legion accepted it at face value: a way of exploring a problem; probing it. It was a curiously universal principle which served well to weld together recruits drawn from myriad cultures and disparate ways of thinking. Identify; degrade. Behold; force.

 

In the case of the heavy assault forces on Terra, Ecce Paries had a practical and immediate relevance. Forget the details of the defence and attack. Forget the goal. Instead, behold the Imperial Fists lines preventing the Warmaster's advance, and force through by reducing them to ash and memories through the application of firepower.

 

As was the speciality of the IVth Legion, that application was to become obscene, indiscriminate and total: Extinction Warfare.

 

That was... fantastic. A window into the psychology of the Legion. I applaud you penning such a piece.

 

A second Basilikos joins the squad (right), along with a marine whose purpose is vague at the moment. Perhaps a Centurion – Warsmith, Master of Signal, Siege Breaker – or more simple a sergeant or rapier gunner. What do you think he looks like?

 

I think... he looks like a Rapier gunner to me.

[Calas Typhon]

 

More! More I say!

 

A second Basilikos joins the squad (right), along with a marine whose purpose is vague at the moment. Perhaps a Centurion – Warsmith, Master of Signal, Siege Breaker – or more simple a sergeant or rapier gunner. What do you think he looks like?

 

Finally, a masterclass in the importance of checking mouldlines (particularly on backpacks from the 90s):

Two further legionaries armed with boltguns and a bad attitude.

 

 Pretty glorious fella!

[Luna707]

Beautiful as always! Your Iron Warriors are really coming into their own, similar in style yet distinct in character from your Ultras

[apologist]

Thanks; much appreciated. I'll be taking them up to Warhammer World for a PCRC event in May, so it's all ahead full. I'm aiming to have a 1500pt army fully painted, with any on top of that a bonus. Really hoping for the Iron Circle to be released... Who doesn't love giant robots?

 

Molotov, afraid I didn't see the Garro email... Fancy resending it or sending a PM?

 

No Iron Warriors updates today, but I can share a pic of a commission piece (build only) I made:

 

 

 

Came out nicely, I think. Still can't quite decide what sort of HQ my Iron Warriors should be led by. Any thoughts?

Edited March 1, 2016 by Apologist

[Marshal Rohr]

Apologist, do you mind sharing where that cape on the commission piece is from? I can't place it.

 

As for the HQ, I'm smitten with the idea of Masters of Signal as Platoon LTs. Their lack of options isn't a problem for representing low level commanders, and in game the boost to BS works well actually representing a line officer directing fire. The Bombardment Rule and Augury Scanner benefits, as well as the Nuncio-Vox directing barrage weapons out of line of sight all really adds to the feel he's actually doing something more than just waiting to fight someone in close combat.

 

I'm not up to date on how USRs are shared, but he's also got night vision, which if it can be shared with his squad is nifty.

[Commissar Molotov]

Rohr: It is the cape from the Deathwing.

 

Apologist: I like your commission piece. Very noble and heroic, with quite a bit of motion considering how large he is. I can see he might not fit with your Iron Warriors, but he is cool. How are you finding the mastercrafted pads versus your shapeways ones?

[Marshal Rohr]

Rohr: It is the cape from the Deathwing.

 

Apologist: I like your commission piece. Very noble and heroic, with quite a bit of motion considering how large he is. I can see he might not fit with your Iron Warriors, but he is cool. How are you finding the mastercrafted pads versus your shapeways ones?

Thanks, Mol! :D

[Luna707]

Is there any chance you will be running terminators? I would love to see your interpretation of cataphractii

[apologist]

Apologist, do you mind sharing where that cape on the commission piece is from? I can't place it.

As for the HQ, I'm smitten with the idea of Masters of Signal as Platoon LTs. [...].

 

As Mol says, it's from the new plastic Deathwing kit.

I like the idea of Masters of Signal for Iron Warriors – a shooty/commanding officer seems quite fitting for the stand-off nature of the Legion.

 

Apologist: I like your commission piece. Very noble and heroic, with quite a bit of motion considering how large he is. I can see he might not fit with your Iron Warriors, but he is cool. How are you finding the mastercrafted pads versus your shapeways ones?

The new pads are a godsend. Much cheaper and easier to work with than the 3D prints.

 

Is there any chance you will be running terminators? I would love to see your interpretation of cataphractii

I have a set of Terminators built to scale with my marines for my Ultramarines army, and EdT kindly gave me Revenebo, his enlarged Mark I Terminator (the 'peahead' type) , which I am currently bringing back on-line (cheers dude).

 

However, I am sorely, sorely tempted to give Cataphract armour a try, and I can think of no better place than the Iron Warriors. The main thing holding me back at the moment is finding a cheap finecast Obliterator that I can chop up!

 

+++

Hobby stuff yesterday was restricted to spraying the primed marines with an undercoat of black. I rarely prime black, preferring to prime grey then use black paint to lay in the undercoat. Those with functional occulobes might spy an additional new multi melta-armed marine making an appearance here, too.

 

Edited March 2, 2016 by Apologist

[Xin Ceithan]

True scale Iron Warrior Cataphracti would certainly be rad.

 

The BA helmets are incredibly atmospheric IMO

 

HQ wise, a Siegebreaker seems like an obvious choice. From a modeller's view, I 'd like to see your IW take on a less obvious one... Librarian? Vigilator?

[apologist]

One of my aims with the Officia Monstrosa project was to create an example of a Legion force that did move away from the common tropes (e.g. jetbike White Scars, Blood Angels assault marines etc.), so picking a Consul that is less obviously iconic of the Iron Warriors would be a good way to do that. 

 

Since the forces' aim is to subdue and capture Dorn, there's a lot of narrative space. A Vigilator, Librarian or perhaps one of hte new Consul types would certainly offer some food for thought. 

[Dantay VI]

The n I think I would go Vigilator!! They have wicked cool rules. You need to do an IW seeker team :)

[Monstra Sumus]

Vigilator, definitely. Him and his Seeker Marines stalk the battlefield for Dorn so they can pummel him to death with adamantium tipped bolt rounds! 

[Dantay VI]

The vigilator can work well with veteran marines too, give them sniper :)

But yes seekers would be cooler. Get them in close with some combi-melta's or combi-plasma's to obliterate their chosen target. Seekers are not allowed close combat weapons, so they shoot their way clear while the tacticals and tactical veterans work in concert. 

First to harry the foe towards the waiting seekers and then to provide support, to the returning seekers.

 

Thus allowing the seekers to confirm their kill to high command before being immediately returned to the field, having been re-assigned a new priority target.

 

Such is the attritional way of warfare exercised by the indomitable Iron Warriors. 

[Doctor Perils]

If ever you need a fluffy way to integrate a Vigilator in a Grand Battalion, in my Iron Warriors force, I have (in the fluff), a small contingent of recon/seekers/vigilator, who not only act as reconnaissance on the battlefield but also as their Warsmith's secret police (they spy on their own forces and allies to stop any possible coups): that way they can also symbolise the Legion's paranoia.

[Soldier of Dorn]

Hyaenidae, too, when he originally did his TO&E for XIV Dragoon had Seekers listed as the Command unit.

[Bob Hunk]

 

Since the forces' aim is to subdue and capture Dorn, there's a lot of narrative space.

 

 

aim is to subdue and capture Dorn

 

 

subdue and capture Dorn

 

 

*Listens quietly on other end of nuncio-vox*

 

......good luck.

 

*Ends transmission*

 

[Xin Ceithan]

 

Since the forces' aim is to subdue and capture Dorn, there's a lot of narrative space.

 

 

aim is to subdue and capture Dorn

 

 

 

subdue and capture Dorn

 

 

*Listens quietly on other end of nuncio-vox*

 

......good luck.

 

*Ends transmission*

 

;)

\cough/ Iron Cage \cough/

 

;)

[lokkorex]

Those multi-melta armed astartes are kick-ass!

[apologist]

+ Edict Terminal +

+ Verdict Eisodos +

+ Legiones IV: CCXLII +

 

A long time since my last update; I've been moving house. However, the PCRC have an event coming up for the first time in years, and I'm keen to field the Iron Warriors as well as take the Lamb's Worlders out of mothballs:

+ The Imperial Army, reporting in +

 

... and so the next couple of weeks will hopefully see a few more timely updates as we build to a fight between Team Fisto, led by the inimitable grahamgilchrist and Bob_Hunk, and the Footsore 242nd of Officia Monstrosa. We'll be having a go at the assault on the Contrador as well as an open field game.

 

This'll involve quite a bit of painting on my part, but in the interests of having something new to show, here's a vox-operator for Team Monstro.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Apologist

[Luna707]

:) yay you're back! I hope the move went smoothly

[Commissar Molotov]

Always a pleasure to see more from you. I look forward to your reports- it's always fun to read what you guys are up to. Adding in the Imperial Army helps to show the scale (in every sense; pun intended!) of the conflict.