Hydra-Themed IG Army

[TheShredder]

A while back, I had the idea of making an IG army themed around Hydra (from Captain America, the First Avenger). It didn't get very far, nt least because I didn't enjoy how guard played in 7th.
 
However, with the addition of regiments, stratagems and such, as well as IG being pretty strong right now (so I'm not going to be penalised for taking fluffy options), it seems like a great time to pick up the idea again. 
 
So, I'm looking for advice on a few things:
 
1) Which regiment do you think I should use? I was wondering about Valhalla, though more for their Send in the Next Wave than anything else ('If they cut off one head, two more shall take its place.'). But this seems largely nonfunctional unless it's FAQd to not use reinforcement points. Or maybe Vostroyan to reflect Teserract-enhanced weapons? Possibly Tallarn.
 
Any thoughts?
 
 
2) Naturally, my warlord is The Red Skull:

 

 

Anyway, I'm planning to give him a Plasma Pistol (representing his Tesseract-pistol), Power Fist (representing super-soldier strength), and Death mask of Ollanius (refluffed a bit, but meant to represent him being a bit more resilient - and also seems appropriate for a guy with a skull for a face  ). 

I'm thinking he'll probably be a Lord Commissar - as this would give him slightly better stats, will set him apart from and 'regular' Company Commanders I include, and also because of this scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG2f8QaksjY

My question is what Warlord Trait do you think would best suit him? And any thoughts on my build in general?

 

 

3) I'd like to also include Arnim Zola and the Winter Soldier, but I'm less sure what to use for them. Maybe have the Winter Soldier as one of the assassins? Or a Tempestor Prime? Zola could possibly be a refluffed Primaris Psyker (using Tesseract stuff) or one of the advisors like a Master of Ordnance.

Suggestions for these two would be most welcome.

 

 

4) Can you think of any other characters I could put in (and how to best represent them)? I'll take options from both comics and movies. Perhaps Baron Zemo and Strucker? I'd like to try and have most/all my officers be named characters.  

Also, if it helps, I'm more than happy to spend CPs to have 3 Relics in my army (in case its useful for differentiating characters or representing unique abilities).

 

5) Any ideas regarding general army composition? I'd like to go more infantry-heavy if possible (maybe backed up by some Leman Russ). I'm thinking mostly plasma and flamers for special weapons (with the former again representing the Teserract-powered guns they used). Any thoughts or suggestions on this?

 

 

6) Finally, any other thoughts or suggestions on this concept in general?

[Harrowmaster]

1. AFAIK the Valhallan stratagem doesn't use reinforcement points. Have you considered Steel Legion? 18" rapid fire and more resilient vehicles would suit their theme I think.

 

2. I would say probably Draconian Disciplinarian.

 

3. Winter soldier would do well as an assassin, possibly the Vindicare. What about using Zola as a techpriest?

 

4.If you want another relic, the laurels of command seems to be a good choice for the theme. As for other characters I'm not too sure, Zemo and Strucker could be company commanders for orders I suppose.

 

5. Conscripts would be fluffy. If you want plenty of plasma, special weapons squads are a good choice, a squad or two of stormtroopers wouldn't go amiss either and would fit the narrative. An executioner would be a good idea for a Russ too.

 

6. Good luck with this it's an interesting idea.   

[TheShredder]

1. AFAIK the Valhallan stratagem doesn't use reinforcement points. Have you considered Steel Legion? 18" rapid fire and more resilient vehicles would suit their theme I think.

 

Unless its FAQd, the Valhallan stratagem does use Reinforcement Points. Hopefully that's not intentional though.

 

And yeah, Steel Legion is another good contender.

 

 

 

2. I would say probably Draconian Disciplinarian.

 

That could work. 

 

 

3. Winter soldier would do well as an assassin, possibly the Vindicare. What about using Zola as a techpriest?

 

Regarding the Winter Soldier, I know he's good with guns but I'd like him to have some melee ability as well (so perhaps not the Vindicare).

 

Zola as a techpriest could be interesting. Are you thinking of the comic version wherein he's in a robot-suit? I might have a go at making something like that out of spare bits.

 

 

4.If you want another relic, the laurels of command seems to be a good choice for the theme. As for other characters I'm not too sure, Zemo and Strucker could be company commanders for orders I suppose.

 

How about this:

 

Company Commander Zemo - Power Sword (which will be upgraded to the Blade of Conquest), Bolt Pistol

 

Company Commander Strucker - Power Fist, Bolter, Laurels of Command

 

(I'm dipping into their comic versions a little - since Zemo is supposed to be a great swordsman and Strucker has a powerful mechanical arm).

 

 

5. Conscripts would be fluffy. If you want plenty of plasma, special weapons squads are a good choice, a squad or two of stormtroopers wouldn't go amiss either and would fit the narrative. An executioner would be a good idea for a Russ too.

 

Sounds good. I'm getting the codex tomorrow, so I'll probably have a go at writing up a list over the weekend.

 

 

6. Good luck with this it's an interesting idea.   

 

Thanks.

 

 

One other idea I had - if my Warlord is killed or if I lose a couple of games in a row, I'll demote him and make one of my other HQs my Warlord (whichever one survived and did best).

 

I could even use different regiments and builds, depending on which one is leading, to try and bring across their different styles of leadership. 

 

 

Anyway, thanks for replying. 

[Harrowmaster]

The best assassin for shooting and combat balance is either the Eversor or the Culexus.

[Guardsman Bob]

TheShredder your Tallaran mention isn’t so bad either. Hydra always has a way of showing up unexpectedly. Their movement and the dagger relic both reflect that.

 

Use Bullgryns and call them partially successful super-soldier experiments.

[TheShredder]

The best assassin for shooting and combat balance is either the Eversor or the Culexus.

 

Hmm, I'm leaning towards the Eversor for the Neuro-gauntlet (to represent the Soldier's bionic arm), and also the amount of equipment he has.

 

 

TheShredder your Tallaran mention isn’t so bad either. Hydra always has a way of showing up unexpectedly. Their movement and the dagger relic both reflect that.

 

Use Bullgryns and call them partially successful super-soldier experiments.

 

 

I like the super-soldier idea. Could also be fun to make the Bullgryns much more mutant-looking (I'm thinking along the lines of the DE Grotesques).

 

Regarding Tallaran, one of the things that made me think of it was the fact that Hydra seems to use very few (if any) heavy weapons on Infantry. Certainly nothing resembling Heavy Weapon Teams. As you say, they also seem pretty mobile in general.

 

And, yeah, the Dagger could be quite thematic for allowing a Hydra character and his men to stage an ambush. 

 

 

Something else I'm looking for help with is modelling the various characters. Red Skull is done and I've found a model that's perfect for Baron Strucker. However, I'm unsure of what to use for Baron Zemo:

 

http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/baron-helmut-zemo.jpg

 

 

 

https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/c/c7/Captain_America_Vol_1_608_Textless.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160510191938

 

If I go for one of the first two, then the body should be easy enough to find. However, I really have no idea what to use for his weird mask. Any ideas?

[Harrowmaster]

One of these maybe?

 

http://anvilindustry.co.uk/Regiments/private-military-contractor-pmc-militia-modern/balaclava-heads

[TheShredder]

One of these maybe?

 

http://anvilindustry.co.uk/Regiments/private-military-contractor-pmc-militia-modern/balaclava-heads

 

The last two have the right sort of texture but the features are too pronounced/exaggerated for my tastes. 

 

Thanks anyway though.

Edited October 15, 2017 by TheShredder