What makes a Dreadnought look like a Ven Dread?

[HighMarshalAmp]

When looking across the table, what makes you recognize a kitbashed Ven Dread as venerable?

[The Unseen]

My opponent telling me it's venerable mostly.

 

It's appreciated if the venerable one has a more ornate paint job if you have regular dreads in the same list, or similar.

But model wise the difference between the official gw kits is just some inscribed letters onto the front armor plates.

Silhouette they're identical

[bolvar]

More bling ofc!

[Gederas]

More bling ofc!

Literally this. The 'Official' Venerable Dreadnought built from the Dreadnought kit has more bling and also a different Power Fist.

 

So basically: Make it blinged out compared to the other ones

[FlamingDeth]

Official ven dread kit also has an exposed head for some reason.

[Marshal Vespasian]

Just like what differentiates Veterans fromnormal dudes. Vast amounts of bling. (also whats written in your army list, but striving for nice conversions is always good)

[Marshal Reinhard]

It's purely a matter of bling. The "exposed head" is the dread being mk IV Castra Ferrum as opposed to mk V which has the open slit instead. Suggests age, which also correlates to greater chance of having earned bling, hence venerable status.

[Ciler]

As an illustration, here's the same dread as regular/venerable by virtue of the magic of magnets. This is an old WIP pic, so the paint job isn't quite my best as well as being unfinished.

[Rik Lightstar]

Also, consistency. All Venerable Dreadnoughts should have a consistent way to identify them from any standard Dreadnoughts.

 

If all your Dreadnoughts are of 1 type, it should be fine to just tell your opponent.

 

Rik

[Marshal Vespasian]

Also, consistency. All Venerable Dreadnoughts should have a consistent way to identify them from any standard Dreadnoughts.

 

If all your Dreadnoughts are of 1 type, it should be fine to just tell your opponent.

 

Rik

 

I'm kind of iffy about this with marines in general and veterans and venerable units in the special.

 

If you are not playing a chapter that embraces more of the "SepcOps" Aspect of SM e.g. Raptors, I feel like the more elite (e.g. venerated forefather from ancient times kept alive by the emperors loving technomagic embrace) a unit gets the more personalized your sci fi warrior monk should / can become. I am kind of glad, that out of my 3 Ven Dreds two are FW models and I usually only field two and gave the two identical ones very different paintjobs, because I feel they are monuments to fallen heroes as much as they are machines of war and so should have their own charakter. But then again play your dudes becaus I'm just some internet weirdo spouting nonsense about fictional plastic guys with powerfists.

[Disruptor_fe404]

My dreads (like my marines) get more bling as they get older.

 

However, I've made it a convention for my dreads to make sure that any Venerable dread has a banner (I use the infantry backpack toppers as banners, due to how I dislike them on infantry).

[Marshal Reinhard]

Also, consistency. All Venerable Dreadnoughts should have a consistent way to identify them from any standard Dreadnoughts.

 

If all your Dreadnoughts are of 1 type, it should be fine to just tell your opponent.

 

Rik

 

A lot of chapters signify veteran status by helmet color, or different colour pads and such. Crux terminatus is typically also a dead give away.

 

But no such distinction exists for dreads so its pretty much only a matter of distinguishing them by bling and ornamentation. There's no set in stone to WYSIWYG a venerable dread through modeling or painting, no particular symbol or icon you can slap onto it thats an official venerable dread marker.

 

The only dread variant to have a "venerable" version is the castra ferrum right? Aka old  boxnaught?

[Claws and Effect]

The only dread variant to have a "venerable" version is the castra ferrum right? Aka old boxnaught?

Contemptor dreads have normal and Relic variations.

 

Generally easy to tell the difference. If it is a Legion specific Contemptor it is most likely a Relic. The normal one is more generic looking and only has 2 options for guns.

 

Fluff-wise, no one but First and Second Founding Chapters should even have a Relic Contemptor. Since those date from the Heresy.

[Gederas]

The only dread variant to have a "venerable" version is the castra ferrum right? Aka old boxnaught?

Contemptor dreads have normal and Relic variations.

 

Generally easy to tell the difference. If it is a Legion specific Contemptor it is most likely a Relic. The normal one is more generic looking and only has 2 options for guns.

 

Fluff-wise, no one but First and Second Founding Chapters should even have a Relic Contemptor. Since those date from the Heresy.

And the Minotaurs. And the Red Scorpions. And.... :lol:

 

Contemptors aren't actually super uncommon. Apparently some uninhabited ones have been found by some chapters inside Space Hulks as well :lol:

[shandwen]

Four exhaust pipes rather than two.

[Kua]

Dreadnoughts had, similar to power armour, several types.

The closed sarcophagus dreadbox is, IIRC, mk V and the design with a visible helmet is mk IV.

This is the explanation for GW using the helmet thing for the ven dread - it is usually older.

But this is not a strict rule. The machines are being reused in case of the death of their... pilots? inhabitants? you know what I mean.

 

The pilots themselves are all veterans already, so they won't have different tactical markings. The dreads with the 2+ profile are just even older and more experienced.

So at the end, it is all about the bling.

I'd consider a mk V dread with more bling a quite credible venerable one.

 

There are real world history reasons, too:

The first (metal) dreadboxes had their design partly dictated by production possibilities.

But they don't matter in the end: The design is fluff-wise newer, the Contemptor (an old Epic design, btw., that was supposed to resemble the rogue trader ugly robots but was re-interpreted by FW) is from the heresy age, and the Mk IV from somewhen in between.

[mertbl]

Anyone actually take something other than venerable dreads?

[HighMarshalAmp]

Mortis Dreads!

I just took a fancy to those and am not quite sure if they're gonna remain Mortis or if I'm gonna make them Vens.

So apart from the left arm, the models gotta pass as both.

 

Edit: Of course, with there being nothing like a Venerable Mortis Dread (Why isn't there something like a Venerable Mortis Dread?) I can tart the Mortis up something fierce and it still can't be anything but a Mortis... But I'd like to keep this particular army as sombre and bling-less as possible...

 

Also yes, there's Contemptors, but I'm going for Boxnoughts this time.

[shandwen]

Anyone actually take something other than venerable dreads?

Way back early in this edition I tried out regular dreads bra venerables, the difference in outcome meant that the handful of extra points meant less than nothing.

[Disruptor_fe404]

I take Ironclads. Toughness 8 is pretty magical. And getting Toughness 9 with Might of Heroes is quite the experience.

[Exilyth]

Dreadnought:

• 2 smokestacks
• plain in appearance and paint scheme

Venerable dreadnought:

• 4 smokestacks
• highly ornamental armour/weapons with intricate paint job
• loads of purity seals, scrolls and other ornaments

 

The only time people around here take normal dreads is when 3 ven dreads are not enough - but the other dread variants tend to get used instead before considering the 'normal' dread.

[Brother Cambrius]

Way back when, around 12 years ago(!?) when I started the hobby and my DIY SM Chapter, I really wanted to have a Venerable Dread, but couldn't afford the metallic monster form the days of yore.

I was inspired by the Venerable Dread kitbash someone did in the GW Ultramarines army of a standard Mk V Dreadnought chassis, but with added ornamentation, notably a shield on the left side of the body and scrollwork/purity seals and lots of white edging to indicate 1st Company. So I tried to mimic it as best I could with a Storm Shield, banner atop the chassis and lots of purity seals, plus painting the edge of the sarcophagus.

Pardon the poor paint job, I was young and impatient. :sweat:

So when it comes to Ven Dreads that aren't the usual Mark IV chassis we see, I look out for the following:

• Painting Detail + elements to indicate 1st Company
• Banners and other decorative elements
• Ornately painted weapons/unique kitbash
• The opposing player telling me what it is prior to starting a game.

And that's my 2 imperial credits. :)

Cambrius

[HighMarshalAmp]

Way back when, around 12 years ago(!?) when I started the hobby and my DIY SM Chapter, I really wanted to have a Venerable Dread, but couldn't afford the metallic monster form the days of yore.

I was inspired by the Venerable Dread kitbash someone did in the GW Ultramarines army of a standard Mk V Dreadnought chassis, but with added ornamentation, notably a shield on the left side of the body and scrollwork/purity seals and lots of white edging to indicate 1st Company. So I tried to mimic it as best I could with a Storm Shield, banner atop the chassis and lots of purity seals, plus painting the edge of the sarcophagus.

Pardon the poor paint job, I was young and impatient.

So when it comes to Ven Dreads that aren't the usual Mark IV chassis we see, I look out for the following:

• Painting Detail + elements to indicate 1st Company
• Banners and other decorative elements
• Ornately painted weapons/unique kitbash
• The opposing player telling me what it is prior to starting a game.

And that's my 2 imperial credits.

Cambrius

Please tell me you actually still field that one! It'd be so cool!

[Brother Cambrius]

*snip!*

Please tell me you actually still field that one! It'd be so cool!

It's been a good long while since Aedon walked upon the battlefield, being a Venerable Dreadnought and all ( ;) ) but if I need a Dreadnought he is called upon alongside Axon or Dion, my other Sons of Doom Dreads. I rarely play much these days simply due to time and an overwhelming amount of cheese scaring me off playing on the edge of nowhere in Pembs.

Axon is actually another good way of making a Ven Dread appearance to mimic the Mark IVs, which I did with my Assault on Black Reach Dread, using a Termie helmet, chest and large Storm Shield:

Trick is, no white markings as per 1st Company/Veteran status or any extra adornments, he looks less important that Aedon does. ;)

Cambrius