The Ardent Vigil Crusade

[Marshal Buchs]

Hi everyone! Long time lurker first time poster, wanted to start a thread to help with motivation for my new crusade. It's a combination of new purchases in the last year and an old firstborn force I tried my hand and I'm now rescuing, from 8 years ago when I was 16 and didn't pay attention to mold lines! 

 

Forged in the fires of the Imperium Nihilus comes The Ardent Vigil Crusade. A combination of Armageddon firstborn veterans and fresh primaris recruits now wrestling for control with chaos forces in a sector containing several Imperial Shrine worlds at High Marshal Helbretch's behest. I might write up some proper lore later but the rough idea I have is they are wary allies will a big culture conflict, the new primaris recruits not adhering to the chapter's tradition. 

 

For now here is the painted group, as well as Templars we've got assassin allies as well as the local guard infantry that I usually speed paint with drybushing and washes to blow off steam. 

 

 

 

And finally my conversion triumvirate, left to right is a jump captain, jump chaplain and the Helsreach legend himself. 

 

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Your models are well-painted. The Ancient's standard looks great!

[Brother Kraskor]

Lovely clean style! The gold looks especially realistic to me. Beautiful banner and cool conversions, can't wait to see them finished.

[Marshal Reinhard]

Welcome to the Eternal Crusade, brother!

[painting.for.my.sanity]

Welcome to the Crusade. Nice work on that Primaldus conversion - he's going to end up looking very similar to mine - I also based mine on Lt Zakariah.

[Medjugorje]

cant wait to see the conversions completely build and painted.

[Marshal Buchs]

Thanks for the warm welcome and great feedback everyone! 

 

 

Welcome to the Crusade. Nice work on that Primaldus conversion - he's going to end up looking very similar to mine - I also based mine on Lt Zakariah.

 You are very right as I used your Primaldus conversion for lots of reference, think using Lt Zakariah was a really good idea. I think the only major difference is I managed to snag the Hvarl Redblade scenic base. 

[painting.for.my.sanity]

Thanks for the warm welcome and great feedback everyone!

 

 

 

Welcome to the Crusade. Nice work on that Primaldus conversion - he's going to end up looking very similar to mine - I also based mine on Lt Zakariah.

You are very right as I used your Primaldus conversion for lots of reference, think using Lt Zakariah was a really good idea. I think the only major difference is I managed to snag the Hvarl Redblade scenic base.

I'm honoured, thank you :)

[Marshal Buchs]

Just a small update, my own primaldus is assembled (mostly) and now starting to block out colours, lots of staring at various art pieces of Grimaldus and figuring out what to keep and what to change!

 

 

[Marshal Buchs]

Grimaldus himself is finally painted! Need to get the base done ASAP since I've got a game booked in with an ork friend who leaves the country soon and we've got one last game planned, and Grimaldus will meet Ghaz on the field! Overall really happy with the result though. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Marshal Reinhard]

lovely reds

[Medjugorje]

I love your colorscheme.

[Urkh]

The chains on the plasma pistol are lovely.

[Marshal Buchs]

lovely reds

 

 

I love your colorscheme.

 

 

The chains on the plasma pistol are lovely.

 

Thanks everyone, really appreciate it! The hvarl red-blade base is currently soaking in soapy water so hopefully get that done soon.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Grimaldus is well-painted. How will you decorate his base?

[Marshal Buchs]

Grimaldus is well-painted. How will you decorate his base?

Thank you! He is now pinned (without glue) into the hvarl red-blade base but I've got a few gaps so a bit more basing then I'll paint up some nice snowy ruins.

[Marshal Buchs]

No hobby progress to report since I've moved back in with my parents for a few months since I took a new job back in their area, moving has taken most my time and most things have gone into storage. That being said I've managed to squeeze in a 1500 point game against a close friend. You'll have to excuse the poorhammer table as we had to work with what we had. Battle report below!

 

 

Trying new 9th edition rules, we rolled up and got the All Out War mission to control 6 points across the map with a small no mans land and in depoyment zones, although my opponent made it clear Orks don't hold objects and he would be coming in for a big krumpin', and he took only kill oreintated secondaries. I took thin their ranks, first blood and slay the warlord as I've been fighting my opponent's Ghazgkull for years and always struggle to deal with him but today would be different!

My list consisted of my new Grimaldus, 3 aggressors, 10 veteran intercessors w/ assault bolters, 1 ven dreadnought w/ lascannon, 2x5 squads of incursors, 5 tacticals w/ missile launcher, 1 tri las predator and a drop pod with Helbretch (Warlord), 4 company vets and 5 grav devastors.

 

The ork forces were Ghazgkull, Makarai, Warboss w/ big choppa, 10 nobs w/ big choppas, 5 nob bikers, 90 'ard boys and 20 shoota boys.

 

 

 

 

Turn 1 felt good for Templars, we advanced slowly trying to stay out of the Ork's charge range which was big with Ghaz's advance and charge aura. Ghaz took the full 4 wounds we could deal from the predator and a few boys went down to shooting on the right flank. Most firepower went into a 30 boy squad closet to our lines. The orks advanced on their turn and the closet squad made a charge into the aggressors. We lost 1 aggressor but I devout pushed my intercessors to join the fray which worked out brilliantly, and they consoliated the full 6 inches towards orks after.
 

Turn 2 was charge time so lots of moving up, followed by bringing down the drop pod. The original idea was to land in the back lines but small board size and orks still almost in their deployment zone meant I was screened out and dropped it in my mid-field which did help me better in the long run. The intercessors shot as many boys as they could before charging into to as a speedbump to seperate the Ork forces. The grav devastors did poorly even with Helbretch and the grav amp stratgem, so most shooting was poured into Ghaz to take out those 4 wounds again. On the flank the incursors and dreadnaught ambushed the bikers and boys, bikers interrupted and cleared my incursors before they could swing, 2D big choppas are nothing to sniff at! But the dreadnaught hit back hard clearing them in turn. We tried a 11 inch charge on Ghaz with the vets but failed and 2 died to overwatch!

 

On the orks turn they were mostly tied up in combats by that point, with the exception of Ghaz himself who advanced towards my mid-field castle alongside Makari and the barebones Warboss ready to bring the pain. A small bit of shooting put Grimaldus down a wound to 3. Ghaz charged in deep on Helbretch, followed by Makarai. The warboss charged the vets and Grimaldus was just lucky enough to heroically intervene to join the fray.

 

 

Ghaz swung first, I had to pop transhuman physiology but Helbretch still took 2 wounds, totalling 8 damage! A CP reroll brought that down to 1 wound, still 4 damage, putting Helbretch on 2 wounds remaining! I interrupted with him, using the last of my CP and he managed to 3 wounds to Ghaz, putting him on 1 wound remaining! Makarai managed a wound on Helbretch with his mortal wound shiv, leaving both warlords on 1 wound locked in combat.

 

After Grimaldus activated, rocked up with exploding 6's and managed to do exactly 1 wound, finishing of Ghazgkull and getting us the Warlord kill!

 

This was a big turning point for Templars and on turn 3 we pushed with the momentum. With Helbretch now on the field his aura really charged up the devastors and aggressors. The intercessors fell back from combat and the left flank was mostly cleared by shooting from the midfield castle.

 

 

On the right flank by this point the dreadnaught had been holding its own well against the boys but losing wounds, and the second incursor squad joined combat and was cleared completely again. Suprised they didn't have more staying power with 2 wounds!

 

 

Next turn we played out mainly to see if Makarai could deal 1 final wound to Helbretch, but the High Marshal held firm, so after some more shooting and cleanup we called it. No exact numbers but Templars were ahead on points and we had most the table locked down.

 

 

Massive GG to to my Ork friend, and very chuffed to get my first Ghaz kill in a long time and even more so with my newly painted Grimaldus! Think things could have swung very differently if Orks got first turn or if Ghaz had just accepted the loss of 4 wounds a turn and did a max move per turn, but a great game regardless.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Congratulations on your victory.

[Marshal Mattias]

A victory AND Grimaldus slew the Beast? Jolly good show!