Black Templars tournament army build

[The_Stray_Idea]

Lovely to see it all coming together so quickly. I’m envious of how quickly your getting through these and to the quality as well. Always good to see what you have been up to.

 

As for the devistator squad. Good choice on the FW kit the heavy weapons do look fantastic and are worth the struggle that’s getting them to pair properly with the back pack.

 

Looking forward to the aggressors.

 

Stray

[Recoil889]

Got another practice game in last night. This time against a mixed Grey Knight/Scions list. ITC Champions mission #4; ‘What’s yours is mine.’

 

Happy to report the boys in black pulled out another win. 28-12.

 

[Recoil889]

Aggressors are done. Enjoy!

 

 

 

P.S. primaris marines are miserable to paint.

[Recoil889]

[Armament81]

Nice, I want to get one of those too.

[Recoil889]

Well, with the Wetcoast GT in Vancouver, B.C. checked off the list, my first event of the 2018 ITC season is in the bag. There were 66 players in total for the 40k tournament which qualified the event to be scored as a major (the largest event category in the ITC format). More on this later.

http://image.ibb.co/kQRPO7/meme.jpg

 

The ITC format requires all models to have at least three colors and be fully based in order to compete. Although I couldn’t get everything done in time (real life and all that), I was able to get everything I wanted to take at least to three colors. Here's what my army looked like over the weekend.

 

http://preview.ibb.co/kD6fwS/Wet_Coast_Army.jpg

 

_________________________

 

Game 1

Opponent: Scions/Imperium.

Result: Loss; 27-16.

 

My opponent's army consisted of three Stormhawk Interceptors, a Shadowsword, and a battalion of Scions with a couple of Taurox Primes. He deployed his Shadowsword in the open and in range of my Lascannon devastators. I was able to counter-deploy him strongly and win the roll to go first. .... then he seized the initiative, flew the three Stormhawks over to my backlines and obliterated most of my army. It was all downhill from there. At the bottom of turn 4, he was up 17-16. I was doing my best to keep my remaining models out of harm’s way to drag the game all 6 turns. At the top of turn 5, he tabled me and was able to grab 10 more points on the final score. He was a nice guy and a joy to play, but after a 4-hour drive across the border, it was a tough way to start the weekend.

 

http://preview.ibb.co/g5PYGS/Scions.jpg

 

Game 2

Opponent: Worldeaters/Khorne

Result: Win; 26-18

 

Game two was against a beautiful Khorne army with a Brass Scorpion. I got a favorable deployment and set up a buffing castle deep into my deployment zone. The Brass Scorpion is so large that he was not able to keep it hidden. As luck would have it, it was my turn to seize the initiative this game. I had a strong Alpha strike and was able to knock the Brass Scorpion out by the end of turn 2. The rest of the game had him pushing across the board while I moved my crusaders up the board to eat the charges from his Berserkers and slow him down while I shot at him with the Assbacks. There were times where I wasn’t sure if I’d kill the blob of Berserkers heading towards my line in time, but in reality, I was never really on the back foot this game. Overall it was a solid win and prevented me from having a losing streak.

 

http://preview.ibb.co/jX7LwS/Khorne.jpg

 

Game 3

Opponent: Tyranids

Result: Win; 27-18

 

Nothing makes you pucker like a giant wall of space bugs advancing across the board at you. The Tyranid player got first turn, and that’s exactly what he did. Ultimately, he stretched himself too thin at the end of his first turn and gave me too many opportunities to shoot down his units. Crucially, he left his Biovores unattended in his backfield. I was able to bring my inceptors down on turn one and kill them. That softened up his killing firepower considerably. This was the last game of day 1. It felt good to end the day on a win streak with a solid win.

 

http://preview.ibb.co/mTwPO7/Tyranids.jpg

 

Game 4

Opponent: Grey Knights

Result: Win; 33-5

 

This is the only game I wanted to avoid playing all weekend. It was against the friend that I drove up with. We play each other regularly, so we generally trade off on wins. I’ve had a bit of a streak going against him lately, and I was looking to capitalize on that luck. Now, we had been out most of the night prior at the bar with some of the rowdier Canadians at the event. It’s fair to say I had the “less hung-over advantage” for this game. This game was effectively over the moment I rolled to get turn one. I had a strong enough Alpha strike to nearly table him (two models remaining) in my first shooting phase. By the end of turn 3 the game was over. This win put me in 11th place. Out of 66 players, I was pleased to be doing so well. I definitely did not expect it walking into the first event of the year.

 

http://preview.ibb.co/cusyi7/Grey_Knights.jpg

 

Game 5

Opponent: Khorne Demons

Result; Loss; 20-8

 

After the round 5 pairings went live, I saw this army list and felt pretty confident about my chances. He had a Lord of Skulls and a few “Bloodletter bombs.” I was familiar with how this style army plays and knew that I needed to screen out the Bloodletters and keep my Assbacks shooting in order to beat it. Winning this game would have put me somewhere into the top 10 to finish the event. This is important because top 10 finishes have a bonus modifier that increase the points you carry through the ITC season. For that reason, this was an important win.

 

Obviously, as you can read, I didn’t win this game. Throughout the event, this was the only game that I was unhappy with. My opponent took a very leisurely pace in deploying and set up, and was incredibly inefficient with his time management during his turns. We only got through turn 3 during a 2.5 hour round. In the ITC format, playing all 6 rounds is critically important for your scoring. Most players make a conscious effort to be efficient with their time. I work hard to make sure I can do my entire turn in 15 minutes or less. This is something that all serious players take into account when they list build. My opponent did not do that. After a certain point in the game, he was even asking me to move his Bloodletters into certain combats for him because he didn’t want to move to the other side of the table. It really threw me off my game. He had some loose interpretations of the rules (read; he was wrong) and pushed those issues to his advantage. He was the only opponent I even considered calling a judge over for and marking as unsportsmanlike at the end of the round. This type of conduct was certainly not representative of a player who is pushing for a top 10 finish, and I suspect he played his 4 previous rounds similarly.

 

http://preview.ibb.co/fyC9qn/khorne_demons.jpg

 

Losing game 5 pushed me from 11th place to 20th. I was disappointed to fall so far from the top 10 after getting that close. It felt especially disheartening with how my last game played out. On the bright side, I was able to hang onto the top 20% score modifier. The modifier for the event being a major was good, too. I won’t get to many majors over the season, so it’s good to get into one early. I left the event happy with my performance. I met some cool people over the weekend, saw some beautiful armies, drank too much and, most importantly, I learned some things that will be helpful at future events.

 

My next event is not until April. I’m looking forward to relaxing the pace of painting a little bit and getting prepared for the next one!

Edited February 13, 2018 by Recoil889

[Hawklynn]

Three out five is great and starting off in the top third is awesome. Good luck on your next round.

[Recoil889]

Three out five is great and starting off in the top third is awesome. Good luck on your next round.

You’re right. I’m not unhappy with it on the whole. Thanks!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Congratulations on your victories.

[Recoil889]

Not a ton going on right now. I did get started on the arduous task of prepping the sicaran. The good news is nothing is terribly warped or pitted. As with most Forgeworld stuff, sanding, drilling and pinning, and greenstuff will be required to get this thing ready for paint.

 

 

Along with the rhino chassis stuff (which I’m stripping at some point) I want to get some serious airbrush practice in before I take a stab at getting this painted entirely.

 

Hopefully back to a more regular posting schedule soon!

Edited February 21, 2018 by Recoil889

[Hawklynn]

Take your time, Brother. One cannot rush perfection. Looking forward to seeing this thing put together.

[Recoil889]

I’ve got a crazy idea..

 

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Stay tuned...

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Is the "bell tower" atop the turret a protective cover for sensors/sights comparable to an M1A2 Abrams tank commander's independent thermal sight? You might as well shoehorn an autocannon atop it to defend the turret from enemy flyers/skimmers (see the T14 Armata's remote weapon station for reference).

[Sword Brother Adelard]

Loving this thread Recoil, it's nice to see BTs doing well at a tournament, (even if it takes Primaris to do it.)

 

But I can't help but feel like you're crusading out in the cold with your Crusade thread hidden away in the army lists, join your brothers in the Black Templars section and claim your place in the Eternal Crisade!

 

(I feel like I need Brother Honda to post something stirring in red and bold right about now.)

[Recoil889]

Loving this thread Recoil, it's nice to see BTs doing well at a tournament, (even if it takes Primaris to do it.)

 

But I can't help but feel like you're crusading out in the cold with your Crusade thread hidden away in the army lists, join your brothers in the Black Templars section and claim your place in the Eternal Crisade!

 

(I feel like I need Brother Honda to post something stirring in red and bold right about now.)

Thanks!

 

I thought the WIP section was the best place for this thread since I am modeling and painting the army as I go.

[Sword Brother Adelard]

Ask for a transfer?

 

One of us. One of us. One of us...

[Recoil889]

Ask for a transfer?

 

One of us. One of us. One of us...

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but unless a mod feels the need to move my thread because it violates a rule or something, I’m happy for it to remain here.

_____________________________

 

In other news, here’s a quick family photo of everything that’s finished so far:

 

 

Up next is to finish converting the Aquila Strongpoint and then paint 16 more scouts (ugh).

[Recoil889]

It’s been a little while!

 

I’ve been working on some tapestries that I’m planning to hang off of the Aquila Strongpoint. I’m sort of treating the fortification as something along the lines of a chapter keep in order to keep the Black Templar theme going as convincingly as possible.

 

I’m trying to make these sort of rudimentary like the medieval ones we’ve all seen while still being clear about what they represent. All the tapestries illustrate important events in Black Templar history. This photo should give you an idea of how I work through the ideas. First I make big rough sketches, then recreate them in the right scale and roughly block in some color to give me a guide. Finally I transfer the drawing to the final banner (made from very thin plasticard) and rough it up with a hobby knife. Next I affix the mounting points, and, finally paint (which I’ll do all at once).

 

I’m planning to have four or five of these. They’ll be detachable for transportation.

[Hawklynn]

I love this idea. Kind of makes me want to buy the strong point myself. *looks in wallet* However, I will currently live vicariously through you.

[Recoil889]

I love this idea. Kind of makes me want to buy the strong point myself. *looks in wallet* However, I will currently live vicariously through you.

Thanks! I came across a great deal at my LGS where it was marked at 30% off. Otherwise I’d have passed on it as well.

[Recoil889]

Two more banners sketched out and ready for paint. I’m looking to do two more.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for notable campaigns or events in Black Templar history?

 

[Trixie]

Can't help with 40k fluff but the battle of Arsuf and the battle of Montgisard were decisive victories in real world history, victories in which the Templars were key elements. Might be worth checking them out and maybe convert them into something more grimdark and suitable.

 

Also I just noticed that the beakie in your banner is actually pecking that orc with the beak. That is most excellent and I think has made my day even though its not even 6am here.

Edited March 21, 2018 by Trixie

[Sword Brother Adelard]

Lastrati and Vinculus Crusades?