Making Vespid Great For The First Time

[Skaorn]

I figured I'd start this thread to avoid it hijacking the Tau Gue'vesa thread. I personally find the Vespid background to be dull as dishwater because there is nothing there and find their models ugly. Still I can understand why people would want to see them developed into their own codex rather than yet another human army. What we have to go on though is what I've seen describe in some places as one of the worst units in 40k.

 

So what we have to work with:

The Vespid are technologically advanced.

They often control their technology through their wings. Lexarcanum also suggested that their wings are actually technological but I don't have a codex to confirm that.

Females can grow large enough to mine crystals in the lower atmosphere.

The Vespid technology relies on those crystals.

 

Possible Problems:

An army that is largely flying might cause some outrage.

 

So how would one go about making an army for Vespid?

[Panzer]

Vespid used to be one of the worst units. Ever since 8th edition and the index they became quite useful shock units tho.

A unit of 10 costs 150p (140p with the Codex) and brings 20 S5 AP-2 shots hitting on 4+ (plus eventual Markerlight benefits). That's almost on Breacher level of damage when they're using their best profile except that they are easier to deliver (deep strike + 18" gun), more durable with T4, have FLY and are way more mobile with M14. They are even infantry so they easily benefit from Cover.

 

I've converted some Firewarrior with the Rotor Wings from Puppetswars (I think) to use as Vespid and the only issue I had with them was that I didn't have enough. They worked really well even with the Index rules and I plan to keep using at least one unit.

The only thing that's hurting them currently (apart from the fugly models) is that they don't benefit from Sept Tenets or else Vior'la would be sick on them (40 shots on the drop lmao).

 

How technological advanced are Vespid? Afaik the guns and the communication/control helmet is T'au technology and aside from that we haven't seen any kind of Vespid related technology. Afaik they didn't even have achieved space flight when the T'au found them. The interesting part about them is that they use technology based on crystals but that's it, really.

 

The T'au army is already largly Flying and Blood Angels can easily build such an army as well. I don't see it causing much of an outrage just based on that.

 

 

About making a Vespid army ... of course creating a whole Codex here is too much but a few things.

• A mix of the AMs command mechanic and the Tyranids synapse mechanic representing the simple drones being controlled by the leader/the queen sounds good as an army wide "thing" to me.
• Vespid Stingwings as basic Troops obviously but maybe not with Neutron Blaster (that's mostly T'au tech after all) so maybe with melee weapons and shorter ranged and less powerfull crystal based shooting.
• Slightly bulkier male Vespids who live in the lower atmosphere. Lower movement, more toughness, heavier hitting ranged weapons.
• Even bigger females with an aura effect, no ranged but heavy hitting melee.
• A swarm unit representing young ones. No idea about specific rules for them
• Last but not least a queen. Bigger than the rest, once per army, potentially LoW.

[Skaorn]

According to Lexicanum they were "fairly technologically adept" when the Tau showed up. My guess would be that they are more advanced than we are now but not at the point of interstellar travel. I'm basing that off of having tech that relies on magic space rocks with control mechanisms influenced by their wing vibrations but reliant on mining the crystals on their home world rather than growing them artificially. I figure if they had spread out into the galaxy on their own they would have had to have solved that. That's just my interpretation though.

 

I was thinking they might have ornithopter like vehicles that would be a fun design aesthetic. As for their own weapons for basic troops, how about calling them masers? If Necrons can have gauss weapons that shoot lightning, why not let Vespids microwave people lol. Plus the guns will keep excellent time.

 

I'm wondering if a queen/hive hierarchy is the way to go though. It's already used by Tyrranids. All we really know so far is the bit about the sexual dimorphism. It also kind of implies multiple females and no mention of a gender less class kind of lean away from the hive in my mind.

[Panzer]

Isn't microwaving people basically Volkite tho? :D

 

Just because it's used by Tyranids doesn't mean Vespid can't have it. Not doing anything with their insectoid queen hierarchy thing wouldn't be true to their fluff. It's even represented in the basic Vespid Stingwing with the low LD of regular models and the high LD of the leader model.

[Skaorn]

I haven't read the AdMech codex, I was figuring they'd get better guns than the Tau and I'd be surly.

 

I've been reading several articles on world building lately and just going for the bee people troupe seems kind of lazy. I really don't see anything saying that they have a Hive hierarchy in the fluff. The Tau give the helmets to leaders who can rely them to those in charge. If that guy dies then your left with a bunch of Vespid cut off from the battle plan, thus the low leadership. That's what I got out of this article:

 

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Vespid

[Panzer]

You say lazy, I say fitting.

Imo if you don't do that you could just take any other auxilliary race and build up their fluff instead.

[MithrilForge]

i never liked the models of the Vespid ...  

but.... the new Khinerai lifetakers (daughters of Khaine AoS) with their wings .... now if i put some puppets war or anvil industries helms on em and some spare tau weapons...

paint those girls Blue...and Voi'la (or Vior'la ) yeah baby!! ... Vespid Stingwings that don't look naff 

 

Mithril

 

 

...the sound of me running off to the shops..... 

Edited March 12, 2018 by mithrilforge