Odyssian Void Grenadiers WIP

[librisrouge]

I've finally gotten around to starting my Solar Auxilia as IG army, switching from one model range to the the other so that I only have to paint one army. I'm lazy that way (remember this when I don't upday very often.)

 

This weekend, in between pumpkin pie, I started converting some velentaris models into sergeants, since the SA range has few CCW/Pistol guys in it. Mostly its a bunch of hand swaps but I did a few things different. First, some have grenades and chainswords instead of pistols. This is half intentional, because it allows me to upgrade them to plasma or bolt pistol without having it 100% modeled. Secondly, a few of the models had arms in weird places that didn't really accommodate a laspistol without poking their own eyes out. Either way, I like they way it worked out.

 

 

I'm calling them the Odyssian Void Rangers for now but I'm considering Odyssian Void Grenadier. I'll post some fluff sometime too.

 

Any feedback is very appreciated.

Edited November 27, 2017 by librisrouge

[duz_]

Awesome! Can't wait for more models and some painting :D

 

Hrmm Rangers vs Grenadiers... I'd probably go the latter as they were quite heavily armoured vs the standard guardsmen 

[WarriorFish]

Good to see you're off the starting block :tu: Nice progress already you should have plenty of sergeants so can concentrate on the troopers which should be less hassle, keep us updated on your progress! :D Also +1 for Grenadiers because it's cooler :P

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

I love love love the Solar Auxilia models so I’m really happy to see a WIP featuring them! Good work so far on the conversions.

 

I also vote for grenadiers, same reasons as duz_.

 

Can’t wait to see more!

[librisrouge]

Nothing to so, model wise, but I did participate in a small local tourni this weekend, so I figured I'd give a simple breakdown.

 

My army (using the Catachan traits):

Commander w/ Fist

Commander

4 Infantry Squads - plasmaguns

4 Chimeras - Multilaser and heavy flamer

Hellhound - Heavy Flamer

Harker

 

Tank Commander - Battle cannon and lascannon

Tank Commander - Demolisher cannon and heavy bolter

Tank Commander - Demolisher cannon and heavy bolter

Baneblade - 1 sponson set (bolters)

 

Game 1 - versus Black Legion

He had an assortment of things you'd be expecting with Black Legion: Abaddon, some marines, cultists, a fire raptor, decimator, MAGNUS THE RED!!!, and a bunch of brimestone horrors...totes Black Legion.

 

We only got two turns in but they were fairly conclusive turns. Turn 1 was dedicated to knocking Magnus around and I got him to something like 3 wounds while picking at other things with elements that couldn't see Magnus. I counter attacked but couldn't get at my baneblade; so he contented himself with knocking around the demolishers. The next turn the baneblade swatted the fire raptor from the air, Magnus was finished by a cannon round to the face, and the decimator was exploded when it foolishly put an on fire claw into the petrol tank of a hellhound (that thing is magic.)

 

After this he had a family emergency and had to go, but I'm fairly certain I was mostly at the mop-up stage by then.

 

Game 2 - versus Aliatoc Eldar

He had exactly what you'd expect from tournament eldar at this stage: Obligators rangers for DS disruption, min. guardians to help secure more CPs, ALL THE DARK REAPERS! (these things  ), two undead flyers, 7 undead with magic flamers, and an assortment of characters for psyker magic and auras.

 

I didn't think it'd go this bad but, between a healthy measure of bad dice, negatives to hit, and going second, I was totally demolished! Baneblade didn't get to shoot once, everything else basically missed the first turn. The hellhound killed a whopping two rangers. By the end of the game, I think I'd killed one of the flyers...and that's about it. Everything just bounced. I'd love to face a similar list again, but I think Eldar, at least Aliatoc, is primed to be a top tier tournament crasher.

 

Game 3 - versus Imperium of Man (clearly, traitors)

He had Celestine, some custodes in a venerable land raider, a smattering of sisters, 30 guardsmen with a few officers, some scions, a tank commander punisher, oh...and a SHADOWSWORD!!! 

 

He was Tallarn, so he infiltrated his super heavy in case a got 1st turn. Good thing, because I seized on him. Now, I had two amazing strokes of luck this game. The first happened on turn 1, when, after my tank commanders took out his venerable land raider, he rolled 3 1s for his custodes and the squad came onto the table nuked. He even rerolled one...into another 1. I genuinely felt bad at this point. Probably didn't matter too much though, because my baneblade easily killed the remaining custodes. My hellhound also fried all but one guy in an infantry squad and presented himself front and center as a distraction carnifex (morale finished the squad off.) On his turn, Celestine marched forward at her blindingly fast pace and all his reinforcements came in, setting up to take my objective or putting themselves in position to kill me hellhound or baneblade. Here was my second stroke of luck; the shadowsword only dealt five wounds to my baneblade, leaving it well in good health. Also, after some decent firepower but not much (besides some plasma from scions) meant to crack tanks, my hellhound lived on with one wound. Knowing it was still a very valid threat, he charged it with celestine. She'd been knocked around a bit last turn, and then took the hellhound's overwatch. Finally, she learned the perils of shoving a flaming sword into promethium tanks when it blew up (post-reroll) and finished her off. She got back up (post-reroll) and moved to harash my home objective with the guardsmen that showed up there.

 

My turn was basically my whole army turning on his shadowsword. I got lucky once (twice, I guess) and wasn't about to let it take another swing. I even moved up to use Crush Them! and finish it in melee, if I needed to.

 

After this, it was basically mopping up and killing Celestine and the few guardsmen who accompanied her. It was a bit harder than it sounds because the terrain blocked entrance and line of sight, so it was basically 20 guardsmen and two chimeras versus a living saint. In the end, she died and that ended the game.

 

Things I learned:

• Hellhounds are great (already knew this but yay!) Seriously, the best. Most best. The greatest. Just ask anybody.
• Superheavies are not that hard to kill so they need to be protected and focus on accomplishing something fast.
• Tank commanders are actually worth it if you're still saturating the ground with armor.
• Mechanized infantry frustrates people. All of my opponents took The Reaper for a secondary objective (kill units with 10+ models) so my guys basically stayed in their rides and denied points, to the frustration of the enemy.
• Catachan is a very strong trait for mechanized. Even my chimeras suddenly felt worth it once they got respectable heavy flamer hits. Not sure if I want two heavy flamers though.

All said and done, even with my terrible defeat game 2, I took 4th of 8 or 10 (we had some weird attendance issues.)

[WarriorFish]

Well done on the wins, good reads :tu: I've always liked Hellhounds but they're very nice in 8th so can comfortably earn their place in lists :)

[librisrouge]

My stuff sold rather well, so I've placed a couple of orders. My plan is to field the following army:

 

Catachan Brigade-

3x Commander - Powerfist

Sargeant Harker

Astropath

Ministorum Priest - Chainsword and Laspistol

9x Infantry Squad - Plasmagun and Chainsword/Lapistol on the sarge

3x Hellhound - Heavy Flamers

3x Armaggedon Basilisk (Solar Auxilia Sol-Pattern model)

2x Manticore

 

Catachan Battalion-

2x Commander - Power Axe and Plasma Pistol

6x Infantry Squad - Plasmagun and Chainsword/Lapistol on the sarge

 

Basically, its an infantry rush supported by artillery and flamer tanks. Between the models I had, and what I just ordered, I can, just barely, make this list. I look forward to seeing it in line.

 

I know it isn't the best of updates, but the next will have a photo or two (assembly or painting.)

[duz_]

Where's Marbo??

[librisrouge]

Where's Marbo??

Lurking.

 

I’m waiting for his full rules, with points, before I consider his rules. I’m also looking for a suitably sci-fi looking spy model to represent him. An agent of sorts.

[librisrouge]

I did promise that there'd be more substance to my next post, and here it is. Since hellhounds, in my opinion, need painted as they're assembled, because of the storage area. It moved to the front of the que to get worked on. Here it is, next to my older one. Soon it will be joined by another (probably the next model painted, for the same reason) letting me live that great Imperial Guard dream....3 hellhounds. So....much....fire!

[Spyboy]

Those hellhounds look really good. I like the bit of green you added, makes them really sharp.

[librisrouge]

Got some painting in this weekend. Specifically, I got a ministorum priest and my third hellhound finished. Time to find a game and burn my enemies! Muhahahahahahaha!

In unrelated news, I decided to do something foolish and took my wife's Harlequins to a tournament this last weekend. I'm trying to limit myself to only painted minis on the table and decided that I'd try something new rather than taking knights or all tank IG. I learned a few important things. First, the Emperor is my light and i'll never turn from him again. Secondly, new things are dumb and should never be trusted.

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

The Hellhounds look solid after the weathering. Love the old school priest, too. Nice work.

 

I want to see some of those grenadiers with paint on them though!

 

P.S. Glad to see you have learned from your brief lapse into heresy and you'll be sticking with the non-blasphemous tabletop choices henceforth ;) 

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Odyssian as in Telemachus and all that guff, or as in the Black Sea port?

 

From the spelling I'm guessing the former. So why Odyssian?

[librisrouge]

Odyssian as in Telemachus and all that guff, or as in the Black Sea port?

 

From the spelling I'm guessing the former. So why Odyssian?

I’m an English teacher and a history nut so I dug the idea of a regiment that called an asteroid their home being named after so cool a book. It’s also fitting since the regimental tours will have them voyaging a lot.

 

Basically, I dig the book, I suppose.

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Coolbeans.

 

I know the desire to nod to history; my troopers come from the 'Kronstaat' System.

[MrZakalwe]

Mechanized infantry frustrates people. All of my opponents took The Reaper for a secondary objective (kill units with 10+ models) so my guys basically stayed in their rides and denied points, to the frustration of the enemy.

Imperial Guard heavy weapon squads do a better job of that IMO.

 

Remember that they are one model rather than 2 so an IG squad with a HVT is a 9 man unit

[librisrouge]

Somebody to take the reigns of leadership. The chainsword guy will occasionally double as an NCO as well.

Now to get some actual squads worked on.

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Been playing a lot of Fallout?

[librisrouge]

Been playing a lot of Fallout?

I wish. No, though I won't say that Fallout hasn't played at least some role in my love of the entire Solar Auxilia line of models. The Brotherhood power armor is cool and I think the Solar Auxilia void armor certainly borrows from the same aesthetic. Ultimately, I'd love to be able to field these guys as Elysians or pure MT, but I don't have FA stuff for Elysians and pure MT is...crap. 18" range on the main gun is too much of a handicap. I'd already be right there if they were 24".

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job.

[Boomslang]

I do like your concept of 'void' based troops and the Solar Auxilia certainly lend well to that with their heavy armour!

 

I look forward to seeing your army progress.

[librisrouge]

Ok, so two squads are finished and ready to see the front lines. I'm actually very happy with how they turned out so if you have some great advice on how to improve them, keep it to yourself

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Again, good job.

[librisrouge]

Again, good job.

Thanks. It’s silly but seeing that helps myself, and no doubt other painters, to struggle through. Painting has the weirdest combination of tediousness and reward and it’s nice when the reward outweighs the tedious.