Vox Stellarum: InquisiNecronMunda

[Ryltar Thamior]

This may seem something of a diversion from the Horus Heresy narrative wargaming project I'm presently working on; but in truth, rather than being a dire manifestation of Hobby ADHD, it's actually a return to something that's been bubbling away at the back of my head since somewhen late in 2012/early 2013. 

InquisiNecronMunda. 

A basic fluff rundown for this is that after reading Fall of Orpheus (IA:12 - which did the wonderful job of putting the almost lovecraftian Terror back into Necrons following the ... controversial rework they got with the second 'Newcron' codex) , I had the idea for exploring a similar event from a vastly different perspective. Instead of witnessing an entire Imperial Sector falling to massed armed force, this narrative would follow a pair of rival inquisitors (one Ordo Xenos, one Ordo Hereticus) as one of them attempted to first piece together the pattern of dark events engulfing the region ... while the other became steadily more and more convinced that the first was some sort of dangerous, dire radical in need of a swift purging. 



The miniature pictured above (with a guardsman and a truescaled Astartes for scale comparison) is my Ordo Xenos Inquisitor (my associate's running the Hereticus). Planned additions to the warband include the usual stock characters (sanctioned psyker; grizzled Imperial Guard veteran; lexmechanic; xenoarchaeologist ... that sort of thing) ... as well as some perhaps less well-worn numbers (Kroot warrior sanctioned xenos; an Eldar guide - either a Ranger or a Warlock; and other dramatis personae that would swiftly raise eyebrows (followed by bolters/handflamers) in more Orthodox circles). But we'll go into those later http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/2.png

As you can see, the base-miniature for this character is the rather excellent plastic Fantasy Chaos Lord figure, with all the obvious chaos iconography filed off. I seriously liked the roaring ram-daemon shoulderpad, so that stayed; as did some of the armour-detailing. The rationale behind this was that I wanted an Inquisitor in some form of powered armour (or potentially even terminator armour) - but without going for the 'lazy' approach of simply using regular Astartes power armour. The Chaos Lord seemed to have the requisite imposing bulk and baroqueness to suit a well-equipped inquisitor (albeit in a much more 'dark ages'/medieval flavouring than, say, the Renaissance-inflected Inquisitor Tyrus [the visual concept of which I absolutely love]).

The head's drawn from the superlatively useful Empire Flagellant kit - I felt it was the most 'dignified' yet 'stern' cranium in the kit, and radiated a sense of both zealous piety, as well as steadfast determination. It's the sort of head which one could easily see silhouetted against blood-red boiling skies such as those we saw on the classic 3rd ed Daemonhunters codex. 

Possibly because Shouty. And with a definite level of "worried". But also, "powerful". And with a strong sense of aged wisdom conveyed by the beard (remembering one of the classic 'inversions' from the original Inquisitor game being the tendency of *older* Inquisitors to be more radical than young orthodox puritans). 



Now as for the armament ... that gave me pause for thought. I did initially toy around with the idea of keeping somewhat converted versions of the model's original weaponry. There's a multitude of potential staff-based weapons one could conceive for an Imperial servant; and the left gauntlet poised upon the pommel of a rather massive sword looked pretty intimidating. It would, no doubt, have looked even MORE intimidating if I went with my initial inclination and added a vambrace-mounted plasma-pistol to the top of it. 

But something just didn't feel quite right. So we kept playing around with the contents of the almighty bits-box ... until some unused arms from Forgeworld's excellent Hector Rex model stumbled into view.



I was initially a bit lukewarm about this outfitting - not least because I was still struggling to see how to work in a ranged weapon (because in a game with the occasional rampaging inhuman monstrosity, it's always seemed a bit of an OSH violation for an old man - even one in power armour - to get up close and personal with the gribblies); however after thinking about it some more, and with some chopping to reposition the sword-arm, it just seemed to *click*. There's something delightfully barbaric about the image of a trusted agent of the Emperor clad in somewhat primitive-looking (powered) plate-mail, and armed with a great hacky sword and shield. 

I did contemplate adding a pistol-sized weapon (or potentially one of the old 2nd edition metal Legion of the Damned bolters I have lying around - we've decided these are perhaps more 'carbine' weapons than the much larger modern Astartes bolters) hung on his belt ... but this would probably have just overcomplicated the miniature. 

Besides, parrt of the background I'd worked out ofr him was that he's a psyker of some ability - so perhaps mortal-material ranged weapons are unnecessary due to the Inquisitor's demonstrable facility with MIND BULLETS. 

About the only thing that's still niggling me about him (other than the fact that the sword's broken in two twice now) is the back of the miniature. I felt that he might require some obvious up-techenning in order to more properly bring the miniature into the 41st millennium, in the form of a power-back for his armour ... but nothing seemed to visually work. I tried a 2nd ed metal Legion of the Damned backpack for that baroque skull-look, an older plastic Chaos marine backpack, a Kasrkin's powerpack - and even the backpack from an Eversor Assassin. All of it distorted the silhouette and just looked 'tacked on'. 

So eventually, he was just left as-is. Fluffwise, I rationalized the lack of an overt power-pack by looking at the back of the Hector Rex model - which, Terminator armour style, appears to have an internal reactor. 


 

[Ryltar Thamior]

So the rest of my 40k Inq28 characters are presently either awaiting assembly or additional stages of painting. But in order to keep things ticking over, I'd like to present to B&C the various miniatures & fluff my associate's worked up for his own side of our narrative wargaming expeditions. 

First Umbral Inload being his truescale (not necessarily loyalist) Marines:
























Now as for the fluff he's written up for them...

 

 

Ok so first there’s my Grey Phantoms, founded in 991.M36, The Cursed Founding. Maid out from Alpha Legion Gene Seed, but officially an Ultramarine’s successor chapter. Fleet based. They are actually Alpha sleeper agents, their programming kicks in when ever they are in proximity to ancient technology or other such things, causing them to abandon their original mission in favour of more unclear objectives. However this behaviour did not go unnoticed and the Minotaur’s chapter was sent to eradicate them in the last century of M40. Only the 3^rd company was able to escape. They have spent the time since covertly recruiting. Due to their history they have a deep sympathy for the oppressed and dispossessed, and have intervened in multiple fronts, usually for the benefit of Imperial citizens, which sometimes comes at the cost of other marine chapters that have ignored the cries for help from unmodified humans. After the events of the Necron event in 873.M41, they once again disappear from Imperial contact. During this time they came across a space hulk containing the remains of an Astartes Battle Barge dating back to the early Great Crusade. Inside they found the long dead remains of a detachment of the XIVth Legion Dusk Raiders, as well as their last testament to both their own and the Emperors deeds. Greatly moved by the Dusk Raiders tome they took their war gear, MKIII power armour and Volkite weapons, but kept the Dusk Raider Heraldry in order to honour these long forgotten heroes of the Imperium. Also having learned of the Emperors true ideals they realised that it is not enough to merely preserve the Imperium as it was never truly completed. This has also had an effect on their sleeper programming, there has been less occasions where they have gone of script since, though this may be due to the fact that their programming and their new ideology is very similar in nature. There has been an increase in Grey Phantom sightings in the Imperium since 987.M41, they have intervened in multiple conflicts, many of which have been between Loyalist Astartes, conflicts that bear much in common with the conflict that almost wiped them out in M40. Usually in these situations the chapters that have been marked for eradication disappear afterwards along with the Grey Phantoms. The Grey Phantoms have been setting up an alliance with their fellow Loyalist outcasts, with the goal of defending the Imperium not just from the outside, but also those threats that lie within, particularly against the more intolerant Chapters. They believe that the High Lords of Terra are incompetent and are just as much of a threat, if not more, than any Xeno or Traitor.

 

[Ryltar Thamior]

Alongside these, he's also worked up a fairly excellent warband of Chaos marines, who'll be doing dual duty as both Black Legion for the 40k-era gaming and Blackshields/Word Bearers for the Horus Heresy-era game. 

Umbral Pict-Inload II:






And as for the fluff he's worked up for them...

 

 

 

Next we have my Black Legion. Mister Lightening claws is a Sorcerer, during the HH he was a subordinate of Maloghurst The Twisted, though after the failure at Terra he departed his Legion and spent many centuries with Word Bearers, studying their heretical arts and devoting himself to Tzeentch, eventually returning to the Black Legion in order to support the new Warmaster, Mister Chainsword, dedicated to Khorn, doesn’t talk much. Plasma Gun, Originally and Iron Warrior, who grew tired of his own legions “politics” finding the Black Legion to be a far more welcoming and rewarding environment. Plague marine from the Death Guard, has found that the Black Legion to offer more situations for spreading the gifts of the Grandfather. Heavy bolter, originally an Ultramarine, turned by Mr Lightening Claws, they have a close intimate relationship, dedicated to the Prince, he has dubbed his Heavy Bolter the Tuning Fork of the Gods, as the Bayonet rings with discordant wails when the weapon is fired. Finally the Chaos Lord, "He Who Bleeds" A company captain during the Heresy and a true Son of Horus. after the Warmaster's death he tore out his own lower jaw with his bare hands in grief, later a vox augmetic was installed in his face, though it appear that the wound has never truly healed and continues to bleed to this day. Softly spoken and more patient than any Traitor Marine has any right to be. He is also privatly critical of Abaddon, though he keeps this to himself and his inner circle as he doubts any other in the traitor ranks has what it take to replace him. has inherited his Primarchs gift for diplomacy and as such commands absolute loyalty from both his Chosen and their cultist ranks.

[Ryltar Thamior]

Now on top of these, my associate has also whipped up an Inquisitorial retinue









Here's the fluff he worked up for them: 

 

 

Inquisitor and Party. Inquisitor Harlon Pryce of the Ordo Hereticus, 43 standard years old, Alpha Class Psyker. A Monodominant Puritan, he has little to no mercy or patience for those he believes are lacking. a complete Hypocrite, when it come to both his Psychic powers and Xeno tech. highly Intelligent. Sociopathic. Sergeant Grinn, discreet but powerful augmetics, Null, well humoured and as close to a friend as Inquisitor Pryce is ever going to find. Penal Legion Sniper, crack shot, substance abuse problems that he trys to keep hidden from the Inquisitor, fantasies about shooting the Inquisitor in the back of the head at least 4 time a day. Commissar Maltar, Commissar from the 246th Death Korps of Krieg. Inquisitor Pryce has a soft spot for the soldiers of Krieg as the they are some of the only humans that live up to his unreasonable standards, and always makes sure to have a detachment of Grenadiers on hand, the reassigning of Maltar to the party has ensured that there will always bee a steady stream of reinforcements from Krieg should the need arise. Stoic and disciplined Maltar thinks Pryce is a necessary evil that is required for the continued survival of the Imperium

[deathspectersgt7]

Very COOL !! 

[Doghouse]

Very nice stuff! :tu:

 

I really like what you are doing with the truescale guys.

[Ryltar Thamior]

Very nice stuff!

 

I really like what you are doing with the truescale guys.

 

Cheers for the positive feedback, Doghouse! It's especially welcome given your own prior trackrecord in this area. 

 

You may also be interested in the Heresy-era Truescaling/Inq28 log we're running over in the Age of Darkness forum, featuring my Iron Warriors and the beginnings of a Vlka Fenryka Watch-Pack as well as my associate's Dusk Raiders. 

[Ryltar Thamior]

Have been mostly focusing on our 30k endeavours; but after mulling over some concepts in a thread brainstorming some Agents of the Sigillite for same ... an idea for how to do Stormtroopers/Guard Veterans for the 40k project came to mind.

I'm a great fan of the old Kasrkin models. They're fairly much the pinnacle of what a sci-fi soldier should look like - combining obvious and sensible armour choices, with visual elements (particularly in the helmets) which call back some prominent pop-culture imagery that's relevant to the concept (I'm thinking here, particularly, of Halo's Mjolnir armour - which, inarguably, has become iconic). 

But the trouble with the Kasrkin is that while they're identifiably 'Cadian', with the slight exceptions of a few skulls here and there, they don't really have any obviously identifying "40k-ness" to them. Certainly not exactly enough for an Inquisition warband - which, to my mind, ought to be operating up in the relative rafters of the baroque and gothic nature of the Imperium.

I could have gone with some Scions, I suppose - but those are everywhere, and my associate's already made some quite solid uses of parts from that kit for his warband. There are also design elements on there which seemed a little close to the Greatsword/Guard mashups which I've been using for a variety of purposes elsewhere. 

But when chucking around a few pieces and ideas for the 30k game, something suddenly stood out: 

What if the Kasrkin I had sitting around were given more 'personality' and gothicness via strategic additions of Empire heads - specifically the classic Sallet helm'd Greatsword with burly (but well-manicured) facial hair ... and the "oh dear, my overabundance of hair-product's caught a stray spark" Flagellant brazier-head. 

In both cases, the beards add a pleasing element of veterancy to the miniatures, while I'd also go so far as to say that they each appear (for various reasons) a 'cut above' even the special and elite distinctiveness of 'regular' Storm Troopers. 

I might try out a few more in the near future - but for the moment, I'm quite happy with these two additions to the warband :D 

Even if there's an obvious OSH risk from having one's *ahem* inflammatory hairstyle perched so precariously proximate to the back-mounted promethium-tanks on the flamer operator :D 

[Ryltar Thamior]

Some painting-in-progress pix of the two Storm Troopers. At present, I'm wondering where to go colour-scheme wise. I quite like the black-and-gold for an 'elite' feel; although had also wondered about maybe a dark slate grey, bleached (ushabti) bone, or other alternatives. Perhaps the simplest path will be to highlight in a light grey or edge in gold and largely call it a day - although that looks relatively unfinished :/

[Ryltar Thamior]

Decided to rework the paint-scheme on the Inquisitor model. Initially, I had him painted up in leadbelcher armour with a gold trim - which looked alright, but somehow underwhelming. Possibly because it bore too close a resemblance to the customary paint-job on the original Chaos Lord figure he's based off. And while 40k is, loosely, a game of medieval knights In Space, dragging the resemblance *too* close together doesn't help anybody - even with his rather handsome Inquisitorial shield. 

So after a flash of late-night inspiration, I decided to repaint his armour Ushabti Bone (again, with gold trim - and followed up, in this instance, by a Nuln Oil wash). 

I think he's definitely looking rather more 'characterful' already :D 





The next step will be repainting his Storm Trooper escort to match. 

[Ryltar Thamior]

First pass of Ushabti Bone on the Stormtroopers as part of their redone colour-scheme to match the Inquisitor:

[Ryltar Thamior]

That Red-And-Bone scheme is really growing on me :D I'd been wondering for some weeks what to do with the Sanctioned Psyker which comes with Hector Rex, and had made very little headway. But as soon as I started applying the warband's new scheme, it just seemed to click :D

[Umbral]

 

First of the Deathwatch for Ryltar's Inquisitor. (I got painting rights on this one cause I built the bloody hammer in the pauldron) A Hammer of Dorn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ryltar Thamior]

So to flesh out the concept with regard to the inclusion of a Deathwatch squad in what's supposed to be a 'narrative' game ...

A lot of folk have a certain degree of reservation about including or incorporating Astartes into Inquisitor or Inquisimunda style games (particularly when they come in groups as opposed to individually). This is partially explicable as the result of power-differentials: there's just such a gulf of difference between a Marine and even an elite human soldier that direct engagements between the two tend to be over rather swiftly (not least because - as somebody once pointed out - a Marine *throwing* a laspistol at somebody probably does at least as much damage as a guardsman firing it, and probably with a reasonable sight more accuracy, too). But it's also come about because Astartes are often characterized as being too 'boring' in many respects to be made a functional part of a storyline as characters. They're thought of as Steel Raining from the skies as a sort of deus ex machina closer to a narrative, or turning up and charging the enemy while singlemindedly screaming "FOR THE EMPEROR!" rather than actually engaging in the conversational interplay (or diversity of motivations and views) which make for a truly interesting, engaging narrative. 

In other words, from my perspective, they're often treated as plot devices rather than people. 

But what if we didn't do that? What if the Marines in question actually had characterization, diversity, motivations and other aspects & elements of narrative texturization? What if, instead of simply seeing them turning up in a drop-pod (or some other sudden form of introduction) and massacring their way through all in their path at some Inquisitor's behest ... we instead got a look in at their personalities and interplay as they made their decisions (potentially not always in harmonious accord with each other - or their Inquisitorial conjuror)? Would they still be so 'boring' then?

We don't think so. And that's part of the reason why this Kill-Team is being allowed to take to the field of our narrative campaign.

The "power differential" point is mitigated by the intent that these chaps turn up somewhere in the 'mid-' to 'late-' game stage of the story (where suddenly, the basic 'mooks' are no longer mere humans, but instead enhanced cultists and maybe even necron warriors - while the 'boss'-level adversaries and opponents might be things like Immortals and lower-level Lords - to say nothing of the escalating power-levels of our own Inquisitors et al). 

And the "all the flatness of a brick" personality-(diversity-)dearth problem is handily rectified by the fact that this is a *Deathwatch* squad, which thus includes five to ten battle-brothers drawn from a whole host of different Chapters - with their attendant different outlooks, backstories, and all the rest. Many of whom will, with additional characterization (some of which may be a bit of a subversion of their Chapter-Stereotypes) be quite strikingly different from one another (occasionally semi-literally). 

In other words - every member of the squad is very much an 'individual' (which will, obviously, be capaciously reflected in their individual miniature and backstory); with some degree of 'character arc' and interplay planned out for most of them (as well as, importantly, capacious opportunities for non-combat and non-boltery interaction with others).

We hope that in this way, we'll avoid the inclusion of Astartes becoming yet another re-run of the tired formula of "situation's desperate; power armoured death turns up; victory ensues".

The fact that the characterizations we've started to establish also provide a certain level of opportunity for what you might almost call 'comic relief' (a decidedly underexplored facet of Astartes, to be sure), is definitely a plus as well. 

[Ryltar Thamior]

Now in practical terms, what we're actually looking at for the initial composition of the Kill-Team is the following:

You've already met the Hammer of Dorn, acting in the role of the squad's "heavy" close combat specialist. The characterization for this chap is breathtaking, inflexible arrogance - in keeping with how we read the background fluff for his chapter of origin. If you're unaware, the Hammers of Dorn - despite being an Imperial Fists successor chapter - take the Codex Astartes very, very seriously. So much so, that they pointedly believe they're actually *better* at living by and implementing its precepts than even the Ultramarines (whose Primarch wrote the dang thing) - a fact they're often quite keen to point out to the latter. They thus might be thought of as attempting to out-'Spiritual Liege' even the mighty Spiritual Lieges themselves. 

In terms of the squad's overall characterization, then, the Hammer of Dorn will form something of an internal antagonist. His 'stickler for discipline/Codex-compliance'-ness will bring him into conflict with the more pragmatic and 'reasonable' members of the Kill-Team (and particularly those who come from demonstrably less-enthused-about-the-Codex chapters); while his arrogance and pride combined with his inflexibility will annoy just about everybody. As an example of this - with his ocular augmetics etc, he's actually theoretically kitted out for ranged combat (in-line with the Hammers of Dorn's own emphasis upon devastators and ranged firepower) ... but, as a matter of honour, he's absolutely INSISTED upon taking the hammer-wielding close combat squad-role (at least somewhat because there's a bloody great hammer involved - and because he believes such a position is the best place to 'prove' himself and the strict adherence to the Codex which he strives for to be superior to the rest of the squad).

Basically, when we came up with this guy, we sort of thought to ourselves about how we could incorporate the overall feel of Matt Ward's 5th Ed Space Marines Codex Ultramarines ... except in a perhaps less 'mary-sue'ish way and for actual narrative purpose and effect.

The idea is that he'll conflict most markedly with one of the squad's ranged/heavy weapons specialists - an Ultramarine. At every opportunity, the Hammer of Dorn will be quite eager to show him up, seize upon any (alleged) infractions of the Codex Astartes, etc. [the Ultramarine may well have himself been a close combat specialist prior to his Secondment to the Deathwatch; but has let the Hammer of Dorn take the role in order to avoid pointless conflict (and as a subtle demonstration that Ultramarines are, in fact, equally good at */everything/* ... including adhering to the Codex's thoughts about setting aside pride in favour of results)]. For this specialist, we're thinking a heavy bolter as a SAW type thing. An overall eyerolling demeanor towards the Hammer, which occasionallly boils over into taking his bait. 

The third member of the squad tied thematically to this Codex skirmishing is the Space Wolf. The inspiration for this came as the result of a vignette we'd been talking about wherein the Hammer of Dorn and the Ultramarine are having a heated dispute about some doctrinal point covered in the Codex Astartes. They're getting quite vitriolic about it, and neither side is making any especial headway. At which point, the Wolf calmly & casually leans in and proffers his own, inarguably correct and properly cited/quoted rendering of the matter at hand. Both parties (as well as bystanders) look at the Wolf stunned. He reacts semi-surprised/nonchalantly, with something like "What ... just because I don't consider the Codex to be good guidance for my actions, doesn't mean I haven't read it". 

This provided a springboard for deeper discussion about the Wolf's characterization - and what we came up with  was a (surprisingly?) well-read Marine who bellies his insightfulness with a sarcastic demeanor about the occasionally-less-than-admirable antics of his squadmates. He'll be modelled with either a gourd or a full-on beer keg (from the Bretonnian Peasants kit) ... and the frequent rejoinder "this is why I drink". The Wolf may find himself operating away from the rest of the squad from time to time, as befits his temperament. 

We're as-yet undecided as to what weapon-loadout and squad role to give him. Obvious possibilities include a special weapon operator, or one of the Wolves' more traditional overt assault specializations.

Another character who's been long part of the musings on this subject is the Black Templar. The initial idea for him is a sort of Patrick Stewart-esque figure - calm, rational, even 'reasonable'. And thus rather severely at-odds with what is conventionally connotated by 'Black Templar'. He'll be several centuries old (perhaps enough time for him to have started to develop the above aforementioned character traits) - and someone who's basically been put into voluntary exile by the Templars due to the fact that he's insufficiently OTT zealous, but also too senior (in terms of years, exploits and overall veterancy) to simply ignore. So he's now on a fairly permanent Deathwatch secondment - where his relative 'openmindedness' may potentially be turned into something other than a jarring liability. The Wolf and he share an amicable relationship (albeit with occasional overtones of a friendly sort of rivalry), not least because amongst the squaddies, the Wolf is one of hte few to take him fully seriously (coz insightful). 

Squadwise, he'll provide the group's 'lightning speedster' finesse-fighter close combat role, equipped with two powerswords for dual-duel-wielding. This will also offer room for an additional subversion - in that observers may talk him down due to his obvious age, only to react with shock when it turns out that he's preternaturally quick when smoothly sliding into hand-to-hand mode, with all the speed and hackiness of a filleting-blender (blurred blades etc.).

Characterwise, he'll fit into an 'elder guidance' role - he's been offered the command of kill teams before, and turned it down because he's quite happy doing what he's doing without being encumbered with the 'chains of command' while still being listened to as a respected and knowledgeable elder. His 'reasonability' will also avail him given the nature of my Inquisitorial warband that he'll be working with (which, after all, involves a rather pronounced psyker and Sanctioned Xenos) and the campaign at large. It's also an invocation of a classic 40k inversion originally cited in the Inquisitor design notes - that of certain Imperial servants starting off dogmatic and hidebound, and steadily becoming more open-minded with age. 

Now, for squad leader at this stage we've penciled in a Raptor. The idea is to have one of the canon Reasonable Marines in charge because i) this suggests a Deathwatch squad that's actually operating in the manner of a proper Special Forces unit with appropriate tactical acumen; and ii) because we therefore wind up with a squad-leader personality who can be appropriately face-palming as to the antics of some of his squad. Then, because he's a half-decent commander, actually employing htem in a manner which plays ot hteir respective strengths in pursuit of getting the job done (so, for instance, using the rather impressively hammered Hammer of Dorn as a Distraction Carnifex while other parts of the squad engage in flanking maneuvers etc.). Because that's the iii) Reasonable thing to do.

Overall, he's a pragmatist ('combat pragmatist'?) - but rather than just be bemused by the assortment of 

In terms of outfitting and equipment, the two options which immediately suggested themselves were either i) the classic Stalker-pattern boltgun for a sniper-role (Which would most definitely fit with the Raptors' habitual modus operandi - and would allow for a more 'hang-back' commander role at the potential cost of performing two slightly contradictory roles simultaneously in terms of the rquirements of battlefield positioning); or ii) a more traditional 'squad leader' outfitting of a pistol of some description and a more deadly close combat weapon. 

That brings us up to the initial complement of five. (and, incidentally, well beyond our dwindling stock of Tarteros terminator legs til the next order comes in :S )

But, being the inveterate enthusiastic folk that we are ... a few more possibilities almost immediately began to suggest themselves. 

The most fleshed out of these at this stage is probably a Marine Malevolent. The characterization on these guys as a chapter .. well .. they're not very nice. Where other chapters like the Salamanders or the Space Wolves seem to have an actively overt 'humanitarianism' to much of what they do, while other chapters exercise a *bit* of an indifference to concepts like 'collateral damage' or 'civilian casualties' in pursuit of hte overall greater good ... the Marines Malevolent are, instead, almost Internet-Nietzscheans in terms of their callous disregard for (or active inimicability towards) 'mere' humans and other 'lesser' considerations. They also have quite a bit of an "ourselves first" attitude towards things like battlefield salvage and other areas where a certain entitlement can shine through. As a result of which, they're roundly disliked by a surprising depth and breadth of the Imperium's armed forces (think Imperial Guard straight-up refusing to fight alongside them [probably a healthy decision long-term], outright stealing from the Adeptus Mechanicus and winding up with the latter refusing to resupply them ... and even the famously all-around chill, calm good-guy Tu'Shan of the Salamanders striking one of their captains about the head after they decided to bombard an Imperial refugee camp with Whirlwinds during the Third War for Armageddon). 

So naturally, one of their number will fit well into this squad's rank of misfits :D 

In terms of interrelationships with others, he'll pretty much be offside with everyone except the Hammer of Dorn. Both the Wolf and the Templar are too beneficient of personality to have any tolerance for the Marine Malevolent's posturing-ubermensch-misanthropy outbursts; while the Ultramarine and the Raptor aren't exactly enamoured of his gung-ho attitude of shooting a large-caliber weapon first and shouting insults later. The Hammer of Dorn, due to a certain compatibility of temperament (and the fact everybody else isn't exactly wild about him either), will form the "brains" [relatively speaking] of their two-man tag-team; and there may be a general idea of deploying the pair of them far away from sensitiive areas so they can cause havoc and/or bumble their way to a potentially useful contribution *without* getting in the way of the rest of the squad.

Now in terms of outfitting ... considering the Marines Malevolent's famous disregard for both bystanders and collateral damage, something big and blasty was called for. Preferably with lots of shrapnel potential, and the probability that it shouldn't be used in a confined space. Something like the frag-cannon, perhaps :D 
It can make a loud noise, be completely unsubtle, and provides the setup for a joke along hte lines of "You shouldn't fire that in an enclosed environment or where you might harm civilians" .. "Don't worry - after I fire it, this won't *be* an enclosed environment ... and there won't be any civilians to worry about". 

Also, given the fact taht the Marines Malevolent appear to be chronically undersupplied, and almost rather insecure about this (to the point of engaging in Blood Ravens-like kleptomania), we thought it might be an interesting idea to have this particular Marine rather chronically *over-equipped* - both to represent the fact he's been arguably pilfering from the local Deathwatch Armoury (as an almost subconscious habit ... being used to operating with so little, the fact he now has so much to choose from means he's taking *much* of it), as well as to exercise his insecurity about usually being underequipped in his prior-service. So, additional weapons and the like are probably a good idea. 

Now, other Chapters which we might include aren't exactly set in stone yet. There's still quite a variety of shoulderpads on the Deathwatch frame we haven't touched, and much background to pour over. 

An obvious narrative include would be a Salamander, whom the Marine Malevolent has decided he's going to have a feud with. This would also offer another opportunity for a 'humane'/reasonable character capable of interrelating with the actual-humans who may be running around. Potential equipment there might include one of the Heresy-era thunder hammers I have sitting around (which look rather artificer, if you ask me); or the standard 'hot' weapon of a (heavy) flamer or (multi-)melta.

Another concept we (briefly) discussed, was suggestion of a Raven Guard as something of a narrative foil for the Raptor - being aggrieved that a Marine from a Second Founding chapter is in charge, rather than the First Founding equivalent in himself. 

Thumbing through the 40k Wiki, the Star Phantoms also caught my eye - particularly their longrunning emnity with the Eldar (who are, of course, rather significant to both my Inquisitor's warband and the overarching campaign), and morose disposition. 

The idea of an Iron Hand (potentially equipped with the Necron Phase Blade) additionally sprang to mind - except with the notion of having him as a potential 'traitor' down the track, due to the whispers of his sword (who says Necron weapons can't work in a manner similar to Daemon weapons for the rihgt ears :P ... or maybe he's just crazy) and the exultant doctrine of "THE FLESH IS WEAK" ringing in his ears as he confronts the machine-man Necron threat. Could be interesting. 

A White Scar (not on a bike) would provide a potential vector for a very different background, as well as visually distinct stylings of weaponry (scimitars versus straight-swords etc.); while also perhaps continuing the Eldar-emnity. 

There's also, it occurs, a number of spaces in the additional four slots left for a ten-man kill-team for specialists beyond the simple rubrics of 'close combat' versus 'ranged' and 'light', 'medium', or 'heavy'. 

We could, for instance, assemble a Techmarine (which might be quite handy given all the Xenos tech that's going to be turning up due to hte campaign adversaries and the radical nature of my Ordo Xenos Inquisitor); or an Apothecary (perhaps a Red Scorpion who's scorning and disdainful as to the (alleged im)purity of everybody else's geneseed in his erstwhile squad); maybe even a Librarian. 

Lots of choices! Not nearly enough Tarteroi Legs! 

Let us know what you think in the comments :D 

[Ryltar Thamior]

Two miniatures for my Inquisitor's forces, today. First up, we have a truescale Deathwatch marine hailing from the Black Templars chapter. The outline for this Astartes' characterization can be found in the post above. We basically wanted to invert to a certain extent what it means to be a Templar - and so came up with the concept of a Patrick Stewart-esque Marine who's thoughtful, calm, and surprisingly reasonable in temperament (also, whereas most Black Templars are veritably festooned with reliquaries etc. - this one's rather spartan, having come to the remarkably sane realization that, Buddhist style, why would he need ostentatious accouterments of faith if he himself represents the realized embodiment of said virtues). The idea is that he's effectively been placed on semi-permanent exile-secondment from the Templars due to his personal incompatibilities with his ethos - which have worsened as he's gotten older (and, at the same time, rendered, due to his veterancy status, it more difficult for his chapter of origin to simply ignore it while he was amidst their number) [the service studs in his forehead nicely also reinforce his age; while his expression seems almost more quizzical than outright disdaindful/loathing.] 



In terms of combat style and armament, a duelist's power-swords seemed appropriate. The idea is that even despite his advanced age, he's capable of moving with surprising speed, dexterity and agility when engaged in melee. 







As you can see, he's also equipped with a holstered pistol - a Forgeworld one, I think it's a Phobos? In any case, the idea is that it's one of those older-is-better antiques (much like the marine himself) in contrast to the newer models you'd presumably find with the rest of a Deathwatch formation. 



He'll make for a fine narrative change of pace Sons of Dorn wise from the somewhat asinine Hammer of Dorn we displayed earlier :D 

Now the next miniature's an Interrogator for my Inquisitor's warband - an apprentice/acolyte sort of fellow to take to the board in the absence of the Inquisitor himself (helpful, because at present the blade of my Inquisitor's been snapped and probably lost forever after an altercation with gravity precipitated by an encounter with my cat). 



I've always liked this particular Ordo Malleus model, except even though it looks exceptionally characterful, I've never been entirely sold on the fact his left hand's positioned holding open a book (presumably a Grimoire Of True Names or the like). So one quick hand-swap later, and he's now dual-wielding bolt-weapons (I'm no sure wehther the weapon in his right is a bolter or a bolt-pistol; although the one in his left is another phobos ). A good looking mid-action pose if you ask me :D 

[Lemainus]

These are great models and a really interesting setup to tell a story. I'm eagerly awaiting some more!

[Umbral]

If there's one thing an Inquisitor game needs it's a Rogue Trader. Introducing Larry The Red.

 

 

 

 

 

[Ryltar Thamior]

I've had this chap percolating around in my head for months, now - but lacked the other sunfury plasma pistol for a matched pair. This has, as you can see, since been rectified.


It was a bit of a toss-up as to whether he got included in one of my 30k warbands, or the 40k Inquisitorial retinue ... but in the end, that fine eagle detail across his chest seemed to rather firmly suggest the 40k-era Imperium. 

This shot reminds me of a certain Simpsons quote...



 

[Umbral]

So here is Larry the Red in all his, uh, glory

 

Im rather pleased with the posing and expression, he's clearly shooting at something larger than himself, and looks rather terrified imo.

 

 

Edited November 9, 2016 by Umbral

[Ryltar Thamior]

painting-in-progress of the Duelist 

[Vairocanum]

The true scale marines look great, I really like the dual sword guy. 

[Doghouse]

The marine with the two swords looks really good :tu:

[Ryltar Thamior]

Quick update on the Inquisitorial Retinue: 

First shot's the finalized pyro Storm Trooper. I wasn't up to doing flamework, so I got Umbral to take a crack at it! I think he did a pretty excellent job!



Second shot's a redone/repaired Inquisitor. There's nothing seriously different about him from his previous iteration - but the sword broke ... then it broke again ... then I somehow managed to lose the blade .. so we wound up with a re-rub once an entirely new Hector Rex turned up (which I justified, somewhat spuriously, on the basis that the fine-as Inquisitorial Shield would probably be good for something, and that we could find various miscellaneous uses for his *own* retinue-figures) 



Here's a group-shot:



from left to right: Stormtrooper Veteran; The Duelist; Inquisitor; Stormtrooper Veteran Pyro; Bound/Sanctioned Psyker.

It's a pretty decen start, all things considered. There are some other elements I'm interested in adding - some form of techpriest, perhaps; I've also just received the base-figure I'm going to use for my Xeno-Archaeologist, so that should be coming along shortly http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/7.png In addition to this, I've long had a plan to construct a sort of Astronomer figure using parts from the Imperial Wizard kit [particularly the astrolabe staff-top]

Oh, and there's a Valkyrie I picked up on sale about a year ago that I should probably assemble so they've got a ride/strategic objective http://b1.ifrm.com/static/emo/7.png 
[the other option was grabbing a Corvus Blackstar or something so they had a more obviously void-capable transport, although iirc Valkyries are anyway, in a limited capacity]

[DaBoiKyknos]

Cool conversions! Newer colour-scheme works good.

The flamer guy and the duelist are probably my favourites. :)