Mandragola’s Legio Astorum (and Mortis and stuff)

[Mandragola]

Thanks all. Glad you like my stuff.

 

Next on the calendar is the warhammer world event in Feb. I need 1k, 1.5k and 2k battlegroups for that. I’m thinking that Ferrox (or maybe venator), Regia and Fortis might be the way to go in terms of maniples for the three levels. I could potentially run a full Myrmidon maniple at 2k instead though.

[Gore Crow]

Great engines - well deserved trophy!

[Dosjetka]

Fantastic-looking force. Very inspiring stuff. :tu:

[Chaeron]

Continues to look brilliant - excellent work!

 

I really like the concept of the splash - I'd probably want to gloss that further (as well as the puddles), but appreciate the inherent challenge there. Appreciate pushing that too far makes it look less realistic - so I think you've struck a good balance in any case!

[Mandragola]

Thanks for that. I’m not sure the splash is quite right yet. I think I could probably make it a bit bigger, or add some water going further in places. It kind of looks like a moment very early in the splash at the moment.

 

For now it’s had a layer of gloss varnish. I should probably get some proper water effect stuff. That would be good for Lucy’s base now, which has no puddles so far.

[Mandragola]

Advice needed: should I start a new legio or continue to expand my Astorum?

 

I’ve been doing a stock-take of what I currently own and have painted. I’ve got the following:

 

3 painted warlords with assorted weapons (everything but carapace turbo lasers)

4 reavers (none really finished) including Lucius Praetorian.

2 finished warhounds and 2 that I’ve made a start on.

Unbuilt: 1 warlord, 1 reaver and 2 warhounds.

 

That’s a total of 15 titans. It gives me two options. I could paint up all of them as Astorum, as a Regia, Fortis and Forrex maniple. These are the maniples I’m most likely to use. With 4 warlords, 5 reavers and 6 warhounds I’d be able to field any maniple that I wanted. However, I’d have more titans than I’d ever be likely to field together. 4 warlords really is a lot!

 

So the alternative would be to take my unbuilt warlord, reaver and hounds, plus maybe one of the half-done hounds, to make a new force. I’d probably need to get a new reaver for this. I’d then be able to build a Mortis 1750 force comprising a warlord (likely Penumbral Reaper), two reavers and three warhounds. I’d probably field them as a Forrex and Axiom maniple to have two Princeps Seniores.

 

One really stupid justification for this is the warhound kit. It comes with two sets of thigh armour, one of which looks a bit heretical, and you have to use them on loyalist titans. By making half my warhounds heretics I’d avoid this niggling issue.

 

What do you think I should do? There is of course the option of painting these guys as Astorum and getting more titans in future. I’m currently leaning towards this option, perhaps just working up three warhounds for now with all-loyalist bits, to be used in Regia or Ferrox maniples as needed.

[Fajita Fan]

You need a traitor legio.

[Mandragola]

Well, that could be true. I'm really undecided on the issue. It would be fun to try some new techniques, I suppose.

[Gore Crow]

I'm in a similar position with two warlords, four reavers and four warhounds. If I add more engines to my Vulturum it'll just be for the option to max out a myrmidon, corsair or lupercal maniple rather than because I really need them. Whereas if I can resist that temptation it'd be nice to do something different with a new legio. Unfortunately traitors have the best schemes

 

That said, what can I do with another, smaller force that I can't do with even more gore crows?

Edited November 20, 2019 by Gore Crow

[Mandragola]

That said, what can I do with another, smaller force that I can't do with even more gore crows?

There’s the rub. I already like how my Astorum guys look and play. I’m not sure what I’d actually do with another army that my Astorum can’t. I’m relatively sure that my Ferrox plan is just better as Astorum than as Mortis with the War March strat.

 

But it would make a change, which might be fun.

[Gore Crow]

Yeah I'd love to paint up some big red Ignatum but having a loyalist and traitor force isn't as attractive as it is in 30k for example. Legios do play different and have a different personality, but not sure if it's different enough really.

[Fajita Fan]

I couldn’t imagine being a one army guy, I almost always start two.

 

Make up your own traitor legio using the WD rules and come up with your own scheme! It’s fun. Maybe a smaller legio that relies on knight support and go crazy with some conversions.

[Captain Idaho]

Starting 2 means you can play with a friend who hasn't gotten into the game ;)

[Mandragola]

Not going to use the WD rules. They’re too good.

 

I’m examining my motivations here a bit. It seems that I’m basing this hypothetical traitor force around Penumbral Reaper for some reason. I don’t know why I’m doing that, as I don’t even particularly like how it looks. I’d also have to buy the terminals, which I don’t have.

 

There’s a vague case for another loyalist Legio, so I could use the two together if I wanted. I’ve got the terminal for Bellator Magno, so some Gryphonicus guys might be fun. They’d play legitimately differently to my Astorum guys. It’s a bit annoying that Gryphonicus got a special character warlord and Astorum got a reaver. It should arguably be the other way round, and as much as I like Lucius Praetorian I’d be a lot happier with Bellator Magno! I probably shouldn’t be allowed to have Magno though, and a friend might start Gryphonicus, so I can give him the terminal.

 

A combined knight and titan force is interesting. I do have a bunch of knights though. One option there might be to have a small Fortidas maniple with Taranis support. But it would make sense to do their bases up as Mars, which I’m not doing because then they wouldn’t work with my Astorum people.

 

A good option would be a “something completely different” legio. My Astorum force tends to feature lots of warlords, so it might be fun to do a warhound-based army. The best approach might therefore be to just wait a bit for the Calth book to see what’s in there.

 

Solaria are a possible option. I need to have a look in the book to see if I can swap all the reavers in a maniple with warhounds, or just one of them. If I can do them all then I could possibly have a Fortis maniple with a warlord and two warhounds, and a venator of a reaver and two more hounds. That would leave me enough points to stick cameleoline on some of the hounds. I’ve had good results so far from having hounds shelter in a warlord’s shields (using a Regia maniple) so that could be a good thing to do with Solaria.

 

What’s really clear is this: I should work on my Crimson Fists for the 40k GT finals in January, and my Astorum guys for February. I should stop thinking about another legio and leave my spare titans on their sprues, for now. That also lets me see what’s in the Calth book (if it even happens) and decide with more information.

[Fajita Fan]

If you want to play with Warhounds why not make an Ember Wolves list? They’re all Warhounds and you could use the flamethrower rules to represent the harpoon they’re all armed with.

[Sherrypie]

Solaria can swap all mandatory engines for Hounds, if I recall correctly off the top of my head. Flying Circus Corsair is a definite possibility with them :D

[Fajita Fan]

This goes for anyone interested in Warhounds, it was a good albeit *very* short story.

 

https://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/hh-at-the-ember-wolves-eboo.html

[Mandragola]

Solaria can swap all mandatory engines for Hounds, if I recall correctly off the top of my head. Flying Circus Corsair is a definite possibility with them

 

Ahh yes, I remember. So yeah I could do the Fortis maniple with a Warlord and two warhounds.

 

I don't think Audax are the way to go. For a start, I'd like to use some other titans - not exclusively hounds. And if I did do them I'd wait for the claws to come out. To be honest I've never particularly liked them either.

[Reyner]

I want to start a Traitor Legion aswell but I am waiting for the new book - as it's Calth we are bound to get Sutorvora but they may expand it to be the Shadow Crusade then we can get Audax and some other traitors. The way I am going to pick a Traitor Legion is to have them be the polar opposite of my Defensor in colour and play style, which at the minute points to Fureans but I can't be arsed with all the yellow and Fureans seem pretty common with the guys I play with. 

[Fajita Fan]

I would love to see Mandragols give painting Fureans a shot.

[Mandragola]

Fureans are certainly very interesting. I don’t know if I want two legios with flames on though. I think I’ve kind of done that now with the Astorum, and they’re quite a lot of work. Doing even more of them for Fureans doesn’t particularly appeal.

 

Instead I’d be interested in some other sort of technique. Maybe something like mottling, heavy weathering and rust, marble, and so on.

 

I quite like the idea of a Solaria force. The Fortis maniple with warhounds is actually a vaguely useful combo. I can put together a list of the Fortis maniple with a warlord and two hounds and a venator of a reaver and two more hounds. I’d have enough points left over to stick cameleoline on two of the hounds but I’m not sure which ones. Probably the Fortis guys, to make them even harder to get rid of. And I might run the two from the Venator in a squadron so they can at least merge their shields.

 

Here’s a possible list that comes to 1745:

 

Fortis maniple

 

Warlord                            475

              Bellicosa Volcano Cannon          

              Quake Cannon 

              Apocalypse Missile Launchers   

                            

Warhound                      

              Turbo Laser Destructor 

              Turbo Laser Destructor 

              Cameleoline     

                            

Warhound                      

              Plasma Blastgun             

              Plasma Blastgun             

              Cameleoline     

                            

Venator Maniple                          

                            

Reaver                320

              Melta   

              Laser Blaster     

              Apocalypse Missile Launcher     

                            

Warhound                       220

              Plasma Blastgun             

              Vulcan Mega Bolter       

                            

Warhound                       200

              Vulcan Mega Bolter       

              Vulcan Mega Bolter       

 

Instead of the Venator maniple I could go with Forrex. I'd give the reaver a chainfist and turbo lasers, which would make the list hit 1750 exactly. I'm not sure Forrex really fits for Solaria, but it's a fun maniple to play.

[Fajita Fan]

Saw this looking up WW1 naval camo schemes and thought of you. Instead of flames what about dazzle camo that’s meant to make tracking through visual rangefinders hard?

 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/gt7sp-prod/livery/96/00/66/4611779546334660096_23.jpg

[Doctor Perils]

Saw this looking up WW1 naval camo schemes and thought of you. Instead of flames what about dazzle camo that’s meant to make tracking through visual rangefinders hard?

 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/gt7sp-prod/livery/96/00/66/4611779546334660096_23.jpg

Oi! That's my thing :P

You're welcome to do your own version though of course :)

[Fajita Fan]

 

Saw this looking up WW1 naval camo schemes and thought of you. Instead of flames what about dazzle camo that’s meant to make tracking through visual rangefinders hard?

 

https://s3.amazonaws.com/gt7sp-prod/livery/96/00/66/4611779546334660096_23.jpg

Oi! That's my thing

You're welcome to do your own version though of course

 

Oh that image was just for the yellow black scheme but for the curves of Walords and Reavers I was thinking more swooping curves than straight jagged lines like this Mclaren. 

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/cv3SDcK4jBbEHJLp6

 

Actually what really made me think of it was seeing an audiobook at work about dazzle camo during the war. Who listens to 45 minute audiobook about a very visual topic? Anyway there’s a new Mclaren coming and I adored that camo scheme on the P1 (actually those little squiggles are the paths of racetracks, they’re not random) and thought a bunch of rounded swoops and curves would look cool on Warlord armor. He’s got the hand for it, I certainly don’t! 

Edited December 9, 2019 by Fajita Fan

[Mandragola]

Hmm, those do look quite good.

 

But camouflage? Heavens, no! The Legio Astorum will proudly display its heraldry, not grovel in the mud like cowards.

 

Let the traitors see death’s march toward them. They will not escape our wrath.

 

Sorry, got a bit carried away there. But seriously, camo is not going to be a feature of this plog!