Iron Warriors Iron is only as strong as the flesh that wields it - The Arkifane

[TrawlingCleaner]

Thank you both! I definitely got a bit weird with the conversions, as it should be with Chaos in my opinion!

 

I got the big guy finished up, I added the top hatch gun, flail and some ancilary bits to help tie it together a bit more

 

When sprayed it definitely helps make the model look way less ad-hoc and coherent:

 

I built it to be a Defiler and the model has it's weapons represented; the Battle Cannon, Twin Linked weapon on top, Melta in the mouth, front left leg is the Defiler Claw and the dangling flail is the Defiler Scourge. As with the first Defiler, the Twin Linked weapons are non-descript enough that I can use whichever of the 3 options I want.

 

The Onion boy is mostly done, I just need to finish of the vials on his back and then the base. I added 2 more smaller arms underneath, one of which helps keep him sturdy too!

 

So I'll be running this as a VenomCrawler, similar to the Defiler, it has all it's weapons as it should; Excruciator Cannons and Tendrils and Claws

 

I'm full steam ahead on these two as I wind up for some practice games!

[Prot]

That is some wild stuff! Great job on the conversion... I bet it was expensive. (Bile called, he wants his assistant back!)

[TrawlingCleaner]

Thank you Prot! I got some more work done on them last night but didn't take a photo of them unfortunately

They would be reasonably expensive if I had bought all the kits specifically for this conversion! The Death Guard Plague furnaces were gifted to me by a friend when the kit released and Bile's assistant was left over from a Plague Surgeon conversion I did a couple of years ago. Everything else is spare parts from other kits as I like to recycle/upcycle bits. As I've been in the hobby a long while and I never get rid of bits, my Vehicle bits box is massive!

Edited January 10, 2023 by TrawlingCleaner

[TrawlingCleaner]

"Often referred to as a 'Forge Imp', a jovial Daemon (as much as a being of purest despair and depravity can be) that possesses smaller parts of the Forge itself rather than the Warpsmith crafted vessels they should and provokes larger daemons to follow suit"

Project Onionboy Venomcrawler is complete:

 

As I mentioned before, he's actually quite large with the chimney sitting a couple of inches taller than the normal Venomcrawler

 

I also got basecoats and washes down on the big guy. The more colour he gets, the more cohesive it looks thankfully! Still loads to do

[TrawlingCleaner]

The Slow Inexorable advance of progress continues. The big guy is still WiP but I'm getting there, plenty of Forge-like heat

 

I've also been tooling around with Legionnaires and getting some more put together to make use of that sweet free equipment!

So far I'm thinking of making a couple of Chaincannons, a powerfist or  two, maybe some proper banner style icons (I'm not a fan of the new back banner style over the old bannerpole). I'm also trying to figure out a Iron Warriors esque Heavy Chainaxe too

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by TrawlingCleaner

[TrawlingCleaner]

I've got a Tempest of War 1k tournament on Sunday at my FLGS. The list I currently have is:

 

Lord Disco, Flames of Spite, Gorget of Eternal Hate, MoT

Warpsmith, Hatred Eternal, Techno-Venomous Mechatrendrils

 

10 Cultists

 

5 Terminators, Black Rune

 

Defiler, Scourge, Heavy Bolter and Combi Melta

Defiler, Scourge, Heavy Bolter and Combi Melta

Maulerfiend

 

My last list before the points changes had one less Defiler, no MoT on the Disco and a Leviathan instead. The Leviathan is good but I don't think it's 220pts + 1CP good. I can largely do the same thing with a Defiler with a bit more shooting and a bit more combat for 45pts difference. I'm also thinking of swapping out one of the Heavy Bolters for Lascannons to have one of the defilers sat as a mid/back board holder and to have a tad more ranged AT in the list. This also gives me a prime target for Methodical Annihilation with the Double models for Blast and also reroll 1 dmg roll.

 

The Maulerfiends always perform how I want them to without a doubt. They're either entirely ignored and allowed to rampage through enemy lines or are targetted to be brought down. At 1k points and on the smaller board (2 KT boards), it has no problems crossing the board and getting stuck in. It's fast enough to keep up with the Disco and also keep him safe.

 

The Terminators are becoming harder to justify at 180 points, especially as 10 Marines, 7 Chosen and 6 Possesed are the same cost. They do however stick around and will hold my mid-field with absolutely no problems. I would like to try and swap them out for Chosen but their 3+ save and no invuln makes me feel like they're not likely to hold things particularly well without having 10 models. At a higher points level, Chosen will definitely be my go-to but at 1k points, the Terminators are a real pain to deal with.

 

The Lord Disco has gotten some improvements since the last time I took him. I didn't have the MoT on and also had Chaos Undivided Daemon Weapon instead of the Gorget. The main problem I had previously wasn't that the Lord Disco couldn't kill, it was that he didn't really stick around when being targetted. The Gorget in particular should help here as it gives him a 1+ save and a 4+ invuln. This means with IW mini-AoC, He will have a 2+ armour save against AP -1 and -2 and then a 4+ Invuln against anything higher. Plus MoT ignores the first lot of damage. Pretty nice!

 

The warpsmith is such a great addition and did so much work in previous games. Either always keeping my Vehicles top bracket by healing, handing out +1 BS and then also obliterating whatever tried to come and mess with my mid-field. With Full re-rolls to hit, he should be landing about 7-8 MW a combat phase, all for 80pts!

 

We'll see how I go with this list, the Levi had a lot of DMG3 attacks that are fantastic in what is sure to become a SM Terminator/TEQ meta

[TrawlingCleaner]

"Often classified as Defilers, Forgedrakes are the product of particularly difficult Daemons possessing a Warpsmith's forge, much to their dismay. Although their production may anger their makers, the destruction and fear they sow, only causes elation"

 

So I got the big lad done in time for the 1k tourney on Sunday:

 

 

As for the Tournament itself, in the 4 rounds I played against: Space Wolves, Votann, Sisters, Votann (same player). I won both games against Votann and lost the other two. I scored high in each and came 3rd overall and voted best Sport!

 

I think the Forgedrake had the worst run in those 4 games of any model I've ever owned! He whiffed 75% or more of his shots, failed to kill much and exploded in every single game. I was baffled! Hopefully I've rubbed all the Freshly painted model syndrome off!

 

The Warpsmith worked insanely well these games, with one game having him do 15 MW (only to a unit of of Hearthkin but it was a killer roll), I explained what he does to opponents and they all sort of nodded and said that they would look out for him etc but only when the Warpsmith hit their lines did they entirely recoil from it.

 

The Lord Discordant having MoT and the Gorget really made a huge difference. My opponents had trouble shifting the Maulerfiend/Defiler that was protecting him and then had a massive issue removing him too. As he has a 2+ save against all AP -1 and -2 attacks, he really sponged most of the Votann's army with no issues.

 

I would say that the Terminators were getting too expensive but to be honest, they did exactly what I needed them to and more. If I need them to just be a Warpsmith bodyguard or an objective holder they do it, if I need them to clear objectives they do it. It's only very large tanks like a Landfortress that they struggled punching into.

 

The Cultists were such a big help in all the games too. Every game they held my back point and got me Primary points. The last game VS Votann they got me 2 pts on a secondary with only 1 left alive to win me the game by 1 pt. They paid their points back easily everytime!

 

With the full 2k tournament coming up in less than a month's time I've got some bits to get done.  Green is completed, red is to be built, orange is to be completed. My list is:

 

Lord Disco, Balefalmer, Flames of Spite, Gorget of Eternal Hate, MoT

Master of Possession

Warpsmith, Techno-venomous tendrils

 

5 Legionnaires, 1x Chaincannon, Powerfist, Icon

5 Legionnaires, 1x Chaincannon, Daemon blade, Icon

 

5 Possessed

10 Chosen, 1 Powerfist, Icon, MoS

 

VenomCrawler

 

Landraider

Defiler, Scourge + twin HB

Defiler, Scourge + twin HB

Forgefiend, 3x Ecto

Maulerfiend, Lashertendrils

 

I am however considering switching some bits up. Part of me wants to lean more into the Legionnaires and drop the Possessed. The Possessed are great for a tough roaming unit that can take an objective, I won't lose out on shooting if they do actions and they mesh well with the Master of Possession. However, I am quite thin on the ground in terms of Obsec. I have the killing power with Chosen in a Landraider being able to get where they need to, Engines out the wazzoo and characters, my scoring potential may be lacking.

Additionally, I'm unsure whether 2 Chaincannons is needed and whether, 1 Chaincannon and 1 Missile Laucher is a better shout. With the Missile launcher I have the flexibility of firing frag and hordes, krak at big things and then also use the Skyfire missile strat for those pesky flyers that may still be hanging around in this meta.

 

Lots to think about!

 

 

 

[TrawlingCleaner]

Work continues on the list, now that Legionnaires get free equipment, it's about time they get some extra toys. Currently, all of my Champions are modelled illegally due to either having a combi-weapon or having a boltgun. I've also been musing on which weapons to give the squads, so have built a couple of guys with chaincannons, a couple with meltas. I already have 2 Plasma gunners and 2 Missile Launchers too so with these I have a lot of choice.

 

I've also built a Heavy chainaxe wielder using an autocannon with a GSC Saw instead of the barrels but haven't taken a photo of them yet.

 

I'm also currently working on a cheat sheet for the army list. This will include all the strats I can use and ignore all the ones I can't, it'll also include the rules that I always forget about (Lord disco's Corrupt vehicle and +1D vs Vehicles are prime examples):

 

I've gotten good at remembering everything in normal games but I think it'll be good to have a reminder next to me if I get stuck

 

[TrawlingCleaner]

Cheatsheet complete:

Spoiler

 A lot of it is short hand but it makes sense when reading it, if I need details I'll take a look at the stratagem cards for wording. I'd ideally like to look at the Codex as little a possible and be confident in how units work, their profiles and which stratagems apply to which units as it just adds extra time to the game

 

I got some colours blocked in for the Legionaries, still loads to go:

 

Also, here's the Heavy chainaxe conversion, just an autocannon with the barrels swapped for the GSC buzzsaw:

 

I've also started on the "Possessed". They're not finished yet but I'm going for a Mutilator type vibe for these guys, an early stage infection of the Obliterator virus that they currently can't control fully. They create melee weapons as they're easier to control/they just prefer melee combat:

 

They've still got some more sculpting to do as many of their edges are a little rough but their shape is there. The bodies are Tortuga bay MK3.5 so they're a decent bit taller than normal Legionaries

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Those possessed are awesome - great way to do them for Ironwarriors.  Are you going to clean up some of your more bulbous putty work, or are you using that to represent the early stages of the flesh growth one sees on the obliterator models?

 

Like the way you've done the heavy chain axe in your legionary squad.

[Prot]

So much good stuff going on here. Where to start?…

 

first off I’m pleasantly surprised you did so well vs Votann and when I played them my Termies simply melted. They just turned my fists into -1 damage, and I couldn’t rerolls wounds or take my invulns. It was so easy for him to put two grudge tokens on the Termies the battle round they arrived that it nullified my Tran:cuss:man. 
 

good for you. But as a Wolves player ,self I, surprised you had a loss there. Was he using a lot of Wulfen/Thunder Wolves?

 

your funky Defiler continues to impress me and I love the little flavour fluff piece you wrote.  I just can’t get mine to work. While I’m at it,  can’t keep my plasma Forgefoe d in the list, is it really doin well for you?

 

Termies are debatable now for sure , but I really have trouble getting into chosen over our newly discounted Legionnaires. I’m curious what you experience with these guys. 

[TrawlingCleaner]

13 hours ago, Dr_Ruminahui said:

Those possessed are awesome - great way to do them for Ironwarriors.  Are you going to clean up some of your more bulbous putty work, or are you using that to represent the early stages of the flesh growth one sees on the obliterator models?

 

Like the way you've done the heavy chain axe in your legionary squad.

 

Thank you Dr!

I tidied up some of the fleshy bits and made it as rounded as possible, as to try and match Obliterators etc. To be honest, my sculpting leaves a lot to be desired but I think it helps fit the look I'm going for, as you mentioned. They're almost like the early stages of the Venom symbiote infecting someone; they've still got a lot to figure out and control, they still need to absorb more weapons to figure out how to create them etc. Similar to how Obliterators, Possessed and Death Guard have their mutations, I figured they'd have areas where flesh is starting spill out a little bit 

 

6 hours ago, Prot said:

So much good stuff going on here. Where to start?…

 

first off I’m pleasantly surprised you did so well vs Votann and when I played them my Termies simply melted. They just turned my fists into -1 damage, and I couldn’t rerolls wounds or take my invulns. It was so easy for him to put two grudge tokens on the Termies the battle round they arrived that it nullified my Tran:cuss:man. 
 

good for you. But as a Wolves player ,self I, surprised you had a loss there. Was he using a lot of Wulfen/Thunder Wolves?

 

your funky Defiler continues to impress me and I love the little flavour fluff piece you wrote.  I just can’t get mine to work. While I’m at it,  can’t keep my plasma Forgefoe d in the list, is it really doin well for you?

 

Termies are debatable now for sure , but I really have trouble getting into chosen over our newly discounted Legionnaires. I’m curious what you experience with these guys. 

 

Cheers Prot!

I think where the Votann list fell down was that they didn't take Railguns/ignore invulns. I had the enough Invuln saves around + mini-AoC to sponge most of their shooting as most of it was -2AP. I only take Terminators as barebones units, so the Dmg1 doesn't get affected and Votann hate -3AP . My terminators start on the board, recieve little to no buffs and just trudge onto objectives. The benefit fo having so many Daemon Engines is that, generally, there are bigger fish to fry than a 5 man terminator squad.

 

The Wolf game was quite surprising to me too. I definitely saw the error of my ways here though, I pinned myself in early which was exploited and pinned in further by my opponent. A Bike Chaplain and Wolf Guard with combi-melta, power fists and jumppacks managed to drop a defiler T1 and keep me pinned long enough to keep me off centre objectives for a turn. I wiped everything but lost by 2 pts, I would've won had I had 1 more turn on the center. A learning experience for sure!

 

To be frank, Defilers are not going to change the meta, they don't carry my list, they have turns where they do absolutely nothing... Wait, why do I love them again?

They work great for me as a Jack of all trades. I can blast targets from range, hold the mid board and charge when needed. They also keep characters safe, keep the heat off other units and can be surprisingly tough to shift, 14W at T7 with the 5++(sometimes 4++) isn't anything to sniff at! They also love this SM meta we're about to be in, all the weapons I give them are at least D2, and the battlecannon loves Terminators

Forgefiends are great TEQ killers. I have enough Anti-tank, Anti-monster in many different forms throughout the army so the Forgefiend is really here for the tough infantry. With the Methodical annhilation strat (2x models for purposes of blast), it's getting it's max 9 shots when shooting in to anything that has 3 or more models like Eradicators, Terminators, Destroyers, Votann bikes and Terminators etc. It's surprsingly nasty and is a prime target for either the Warpsmith or the Daemon forged Strat.

 

I haven't used Chosen at all yet, it's just a hunch that they may do well. 10 in a Landraider with the Black Rune should hopefully stick around for a while, although I'm not 100% sure

To be frank (again), I'm not wholly sure the list works at all but it's a list that I enjoy playing and know how to use quite well. It's potentially a bit skewed enough to do me well as I think I have many tools to do the work I need to. I think my biggest weakness is getting the "I know this one paper" to translate into the game (and also not be too hard on myself too)

 

 

I got quite a lot of work done on the Possessed last night, just blocking in colours but they've now gotten past the "I've entirely these models up" stage, it's always nerve wrackign to get past that bit

 

 

The Legionaires are continuing too:

Edited January 24, 2023 by TrawlingCleaner

[Prot]

Very nice. Getting to the 'fun parts' on the models now.

 

Yea my Votann game his Termies just Rick Rolled me. I had no invuln, and the damage output from his far exceeded mine and like I said those 2 'free' tokens are ridiculous combined with re-roll all to hits (Basically circumvents any toughness factor or defensive buff we have access to). Come to think of it the whole grudge thing can be thrown in the dumpster as far as I'm concerned. I could never play that army personally. Great looking models though and one of my buddies loves the aesthetic so I'll be playing them a lot more.

 

I definitely appreciate you are using models that just fit your mood. I feel like my IW lean too heavily on protecting my Landraider (which I finally painted) and the Oblits. Probably better ways to spend my points/buffs but I just love those units. :)

 

 

 

[TrawlingCleaner]

 

...Or basically any unit I chose when making a list

I've struggled with list paralysis for the last week or so. Have I got enough ObSec, have I got enough firepower, can I deal with hordes, can I score secondaries etc. The list varied from the original to Legionary hordes, 10 man Terminator blobs, even less troops, lot of Oblits,  Dreadnought'o'rama (the list has gone through some many interations, I think I got up to 8-9 on Battlescribe).

In the end, I've settled on a very similar list to the original but with some tweaks:

Spoiler

 

++ Arks of Omen Detachment (Chaos - Chaos Space Marines) [111 PL, 1CP, 2,000pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Arks of Omen Compulsory Type: Heavy Support

 

Legion: Iron Warriors

 

+ HQ +

 

Lord Discordant on Helstalker [10 PL, -2CP, 190pts]: 1. Flames of Spite, Baleflamer, Gorget of Eternal Hate, Mark of Tzeentch, Stratagem: Relic, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Techno-virus injector, Warlord

 

Master of Possession [6 PL, 105pts]: Chaos Undivided

 

Warpsmith [5 PL, -2CP, 80pts]: 3. Hatred Incarnate, Aspiring Lord, Chaos Undivided, Exalted power axe, Gifts of Chaos, Techno-venomous Mechatendrils

 

 

+ Troops +

 

Cultists Mob [2 PL, 50pts]

9x Chaos Cultist w/ cultist firearm: 9x Cultist firearm, 9x Frag & Krak grenades

Cultist Champion

: Cultist firearm

 

Legionaries [6 PL, 90pts]: Chaos Icon, Chaos Undivided

Aspiring Champion: Daemonblade, Bolt pistol

2x Legionary w/ astartes chainsword: 2x Astartes chainsword, 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades

Legionary w/ heavy chainaxe

Legionary w/ special weapon: Meltagun

 

Legionaries [6 PL, 90pts]: Chaos Icon, Chaos Undivided

Aspiring Champion: Plasma pistol, Power fist

3x Legionary w/ boltgun: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Boltgun, 4x Frag & Krak grenades

Legionary w/ Reaper Chaincannon

 

+ Elites +

 

Chosen [14 PL, -1CP, 230pts]: Chaos Icon, Chaos Undivided

Chosen: Accursed weapon, Bolt pistol

 

6x Chosen: Bolt pistol, Boltgun

Chosen Champion: Black Rune of Damnation, Bolt pistol, Boltgun, Trophies of the Long War

Chosen w/ power fist: Bolt pistol

 

Possessed [7 PL, 140pts]: Possessed Champion

4x Possessed: 4x Hideous mutations

 

+ Fast Attack +

 

Venomcrawler [6 PL, 105pts]

 

 

+ Heavy Support +

 

Chaos Land Raider [14 PL, 265pts]: Combi-melta, Havoc launcher

 

Defiler [10 PL, 175pts]: Combi-melta, Defiler scourge, Twin heavy bolter

 

Defiler [10 PL, 175pts]: Combi-melta, Defiler scourge, Twin heavy bolter

 

Forgefiend [8 PL, 155pts]: 2x Ectoplasma cannons, Ectoplasma cannon

 

Maulerfiend [7 PL, 150pts]: Lasher tendrils

 

++ Total: [111 PL, 1CP, 2,000pts] ++

 

 

What's changed?

I dropped Mark of Slaanesh on the Chosen and one Chosen Marine and gained a unit of 10 Cultists. My reasoning being that the Chosen won't get much use out of the MoS strat and  Chosen can get the Wrath of the Chosen strat (+1WS or BS). They lose always fight first but my plan with them is to try to get them in a position they can charge, kill and not be counter charged next turn. Will it work? I have no idea but at least having a plan is better than nothing. 10 cultists will only be there for objectives and actions. If all they do is score 2-3 turns of primary points, I'm over the moon which I think should be a fair trade for the loss to Chosen.

 

All of that continually rebuilding my lists stress and I came crawling back to the original one

Onto finishing the Possessed and Legionnaries now!

[Prot]

That's hilarious... not in a bad way... I just say this because I do it myself all the time.

 

What I love about your list is it's so different from what I'm finding works right now. Aside from not using Termies, our lists are quite different. 

 

Even with Black Legion my Legionaries have grown to love the marks + free icon.  The thing I am doing right now, that I don't see anyone using is MoT. I love it on Legionaries.

 

Chosen though. Wow. I know you only have 7 but I can't get mine working in my meta. Every game I just started replacing them with Legionaries and haven't looked back.. which kind of stinks because they're a fun idea.

 

But your Heavy slots... very cool. And the HQ's are great and fit right in with the Heavy slots. I think you Forgefiend/Deflier use is something I haven't been able to get working, but I admire that you do. They are very iconic, cool units.

[TrawlingCleaner]

Legionaries to replace the Chosen was definitely something I considered. For 10 marines with MoK, Icon, Heavy Chainaxe, Daemon blade and Plasma pistol, it's 195 pts to the Chosen's 230 for 9 models (it looks like 7 but that's just battlescribe formatting ), powerfist, icon.

My thinking is that Chosen are already S5 base, AP-3 have an extra wound, have boltguns, access to the Wrath of the Chosen strat and if they get a kill are counted as being in all Wantons for the rest of the game.

For 35 points, you definitely lose utility with weapons options and Obsec but you gain melee killing power and a bit more staying power. At the end of the day they are just beefier Legionaries

 

I'm going to give heavy Legionary lists a go after the tournament, go heavy on the infantry and leave some of the Daemon Engines at home

 

So the first Possessed is basically done, just some tidy ups to do:

 

 

 

I need to finish this guy off, do 4 more Possessed and 6 marines by next weekend. Easy right?

[Prot]

Looks good. I've used that claw so many times in the past. I'm surprised it doesn't tip that marine over. lol (j/k)

 

Good choice on the face too, from the Legionarie Kill Team box?  

 

Good luck on the rest, that's no small task!

[Khornestar]

I loooooove drillhands.

[TrawlingCleaner]

19 hours ago, Prot said:

Looks good. I've used that claw so many times in the past. I'm surprised it doesn't tip that marine over. lol (j/k)

 

Good choice on the face too, from the Legionarie Kill Team box?  

 

Good luck on the rest, that's no small task!

I was worried he'd be very one side heavy and tend to topple over but with his wide stance and 40mm base, he's surprisingly very stable!

The head is from the Legionary kill team, it's not really fit all that well with my Red Corsairs or the majority of my Iron Warriors. It does fit very nicely with the Obliterator/Mutilator-lites that the Possessed will be. I love the grinning face, he's just having a blast!

 

6 hours ago, Khornestar said:

I loooooove drillhands.

Drillhands is definitely my secret favourite, just ahead of BigClaw. If you've ever played Killing Floor, he was quite heavily inspired by the Fleshpounds:

 

 

I've gotten all the Red done on the 10 models left. It's the most tedious bit so is nice to get it all done is one go. They've still got absolutely loads left to do:

 

 

[TrawlingCleaner]

The Possessed are now done bar the bases, these guys came out extremely well too!

 

 

I need to get 6 more marines done beofre Friday as I'm travelling up then, ideally I'd like to get transfers on these guys and the new marines too. The TO also asked me to either rebae the Defilers or put them on top of bigger bases (160mm round bases). This is mainly down to Defilers not usually having a base (they agreed that Defilers definitely should have bases and are a pain rules wise). TheSoulgrinders are supposed to use 160mm bases for AoS so I picked up a couple to use here which I want to get fully based and ready to go too.

 

I've also gotten my first round pairing, which is Goff Orks:

 

Ghaz

Makari

Boss Zagstruk

Warboss on Warbike

 

10 Ork boyz

10 Trukk Boyz

2x 10 Grots

 

10 Nobz

4 Meganobz

10 Kommandos

 

2x 5 Stormboyz

3x Scrapjets

 

2x Battlewagons

1 Trukk

 

My list has some disadvantages against this: Speed and Board control. That's a lot of bodies that will get across the board quickly and want to get close and personal as much as Chaos does. Ghaz, Scrapjets and the Nobz of all shades are the big things to worry about here, everything else is reasonable to deal with. Whilst squads of Ork boyz and normal Nobz will be a problem for my infantry if I don't get the charge off, my Daemon Engines should be able to whether the storm. The Defilers with their scourges should come in handy here with body clearance and their battlecannons negate the Ramshackle on vehicles. The Forgefiend and the Battlecannons on Defilers will be key to take down the particularly pointy Meganobz.

I can deal with Ghaz, if I can take his Battlewagon away and get him slogging across the board.

It's definitely not a done deal of a game but I'm relatively confident that I can weather the storm and hold objectives. We'll see!

[TrawlingCleaner]

The finish line is in sight now, the 6 marines are basically done they just need their bases finished and transfers done:

 

 

On the final stretch now!

 

[Brother Nathan]

some nice and interesting conversions there. possessed have certainly given me ideas! kudos. 

[INKS]

all the models look awesome. IW jealous. haven't been able to come up with a list I love. tough times. keep the content coming

[TrawlingCleaner]

On 2/8/2023 at 2:00 PM, Brother nathan said:

some nice and interesting conversions there. possessed have certainly given me ideas! kudos. 

Thank you Brother! There's no such thing as stealing ideas in this hobby, just taking inspiration from! I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the idea

 

4 hours ago, INKS said:

all the models look awesome. IW jealous. haven't been able to come up with a list I love. tough times. keep the content coming

Thanks INKS! I just like cramming all the units I love the look of/how they play in a list and see if I can make a few sensible tweaks. It sometimes goes well, sometimes doesn't but it's all learning experiences

 

I got everything finished, basing done, transfers on except for the two 160mm bases I need for the Defiler so I'll have some washing and drybrushing to do when I get to my hotel tonight. Nothing like a bit of last minute work! I'll of course get some photos of the army together, action shots and will do a write-up.

 

The Gatebreakers march to war!

[TrawlingCleaner]

Alrighty then, I'm back from the tournament and the extra couple of days I took off to let my voice, feet and back rest (they're still sore FYI).

I had an absolute blast, everyone there was lovely and welcoming and all of my opponents were fantastic. If you're UK based and are able to make it to Sanctury near Nottingham, I heartily recommend Hellstormwargaming's Events.

 

How did I do? My end score was: LLLLWW with 382 points total and placed 39th overall. My first win was a Bye-Round which I technically lost to the Ringer I played, so I won one game. My goal was to win at least one game so I succeded there!. Overall, I was very impressed with my list's performance and I think with some practice I would have done much better!

 

Game 1 was VS Orks as I mentioned above, the list was:

Spoiler

Hq1:Warboss on warbike ,bigboss -1cp big boss <brutal but kunning> -1cp extra gubbins< da killa claw>(115pts;6pl)
HQ2: Zagstruck=110
Hq3:ghaz =300
Hq4: Makari =50
Elite1:10 nobs(170) 8 big choppas, 2 claws (10)=(180)
Elite2:10 kommadoes nob with claw(5)=115
Elite3:4 mega nobs =120
Troops1:10 chopper boys with nob = (80)
Troops210 grots (40pts;2pl) troops3:10 grots (40pts;2pl)
troops4:10 grots (40pts;2pl)
Troops5:10 chopper boys with nob <truck boys>=(80)
Fast attack 1: 5 stormboys with nob(0)(50pts) Fast attack 2: 5 stormboys with nob(0) (50pts) Fast attack 3: 5 stormboys with nob(0) (50pts)
Fast attack 4:scrapjet =(100)
Fast attack 5:scrapjet =(100)
Fast attack 6:scrapjet =(100)
Transport1: Truck (70pts;4pl)
HVY1:battlewagon [105] (105pts)
HVY2: battlewagon [105] (105pts)
2000 pts

 

This game was actually livestreamed which is a first for me (I can't watch this back as I despise the sound of my own voice), this was also my first 2K game in 9th ed and my first Arks of Omen game. Courtney is also a primo Orks player, he knows exactly what he's doing and how everything plays. The deepend is long gone, we're nearing the Marianna trench right about now

My secondaries were Long War, Assassination and Raise the banners. I had some good swings in this game and the LAndraider did it's job by holdign Ghaz still for a couple of turns but ultimately the Orks had the speed and the positioning to beat me out here. I made mistakes in deployment in hindsight and should have placed all my Daemon engines much more aggressively. The Orks had such little long range firepower, I could've taken what little was on the board and mushed a lot hard, a lot quicker. Losing the Lord Disco without him being able to do anything was a big mistake and likely cost the game. Mistakes happen and this was a good learning moment for me.

A Fantastic game and opponent!

 

Game 2 VS Iron Hands:

Spoiler

+ HQ +

Lieutenant in Reiver Armour [4 PL, 65pts]

Primaris Chaplain [5 PL, 75pts]: 2. Catechism of Fire, Litany of Hate

Primaris Techmarine [5 PL, 85pts, -2CP]: Chapter Command: Master of the Forge, Rites of War, Stratagem: Relic, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, The Tempered Helm, Warlord

+ Troops +

Infiltrator Squad [6 PL, 100pts]: Helix gauntlet
. 4x Infiltrator: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Marksman bolt carbine
. Infiltrator Sergeant

Infiltrator Squad [6 PL, 100pts]: Helix gauntlet
. 4x Infiltrator: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Marksman bolt carbine
. Infiltrator Sergeant

+ Elites +

Bladeguard Veteran Squad [10 PL, 175pts]
. 4x Bladeguard Veteran: 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Heavy Bolt Pistol, 4x Master-crafted power sword, 4x Storm Shield
. Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant: Neo-volkite pistol

Primaris Apothecary [5 PL, 100pts]: Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary

Redemptor Dreadnought [10 PL, 185pts]: 2x Storm Bolters, Icarus Rocket Pod, Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon

Redemptor Dreadnought [10 PL, 185pts]: 2x Storm Bolters, Icarus Rocket Pod, Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon

Relic Contemptor Dreadnought [8 PL, 170pts, -3CP]: Merciless Logic, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter, Stratagem: March of the Ancients, 2x Twin volkite culverin

+ Fast Attack +

Storm Speeder Hammerstrike [8 PL, 125pts]

Storm Speeder Hammerstrike [8 PL, 125pts]

+ Heavy Support +

Centurion Devastator Squad [11 PL, 210pts]
. Centurion: Centurion missile launcher, Two Lascannons
. Centurion: Centurion missile launcher, Two Lascannons
. Centurion Sergeant: Centurion missile launcher, Two Lascannons

Gladiator Reaper [10 PL, 150pts]: Auto Launchers, Icarus Rocket Pod, Ironhail Heavy Stubber

Gladiator Reaper [10 PL, 150pts]: Auto Launchers, Icarus Rocket Pod, Ironhail Heavy Stubber

++ Total: [116 PL, 1CP, 2,000pts] ++

 

Dakka, lots and lots of Dakka. This is was a great game and a great opponent but Iron Hands are a tough nut to crack when they are able to just wait for me to push up and shoot every turn. My secondaries were Long War, Assassination and Raise the banners. The Warpsmith continues to really make a name for himself, destroying a Storm speeder, character Contemptor and a wounded Gladiator to end up as one of the last remaining units I have. Game ends 100-53 to my opponent. Ouch!

 

Game 3 Vs Custodes:

Spoiler

+ HQ +

Trajann Valoris [8 PL, 200pts]: 1. Master of Martial Strategy, 2. Champion of the Imperium, Stratagem: Warlord Trait

+ Troops +

Sagittarum Custodians [13 PL, 200pts]
. 4x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 4x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 4x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

Sagittarum Custodians [7 PL, 150pts]
. 3x Sagittarum w/ Misericordia: 3x Adrastus Bolt Caliver, 3x Misericordia

+ Elites +

Allarus Custodians [3 PL, 60pts]
. Allarus w/ Castellan Axe & Misericordia

Allarus Custodians [3 PL, 60pts]
. Allarus w/ Castellan Axe & Misericordia

Vexilus Praetor [6 PL, -2CP, 105pts]: (Emissaries Imperatus): Voice of the Emperor, Castellan Axe, Fulminaris Aggressor, Misericordia, Stratagem: Relic, Stratagem: The Emperor's Heroes, Vexilla Defensor

++ Total: [96 PL, 4CP, 1,975pts] ++

 

Yeah, that's a lot of Sagittarum

I deployed badly in this game and should have been way more aggressive. My opponent picked up on this and speed bumped my daemon engines to stop me from moving out of my deployment but aslo stop me getting to objectives. If I'd have deployed more aggressively and psuhed onto objectives early, I would have had this game. MY secondaries were Long War, No Prisoners and Raise the banners. The Forgefiend was the standout here and picked up a Unit of Sagittarum a turn. Trajann one shot the Landraider and in turn was dealt 14 MW for the audacity of touching the Warpsmith's creations. A much closer: 85-61

 

Day 1 was done and I was definitely close to being at the bottom of the players. I didn't mind this at all as whilst I'm not bad by any stretch, I'm most definitely not good either. Day 1 was an absolute blast but a very long day, 3 3hr games back to back absolutely killed my feet, back, voice and brain.

 

Day 2 started with another Ork fight, this one was more rough than the last one as every model had ObSec. This really highlights the weakness of my list!

Spoiler

Clan Kultur: Deathskulls

Detachment Command Cost

Game Type: 5. Chapter Approved: Arks of Omen

+ Stratagems +

Stratagem: Heroic Support: Warboss [-1CP]

+ HQ +

Beastboss on Squigosaur [9 PL, -2CP, 160pts]: 3. 'Ard as Nails, Beasthide Mantle, Stratagem: Relic, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord

Big Mek in Mega Armour [6 PL, -1CP, 95pts]: Da Krushin' Armour, Kustom Mega-Blasta, Stratagem: Extra Gubbinz, Tellyport Blasta

Warboss in Mega Armour [6 PL, -1CP, 115pts]: Stratagem: Extra Gubbinz, Super Cybork Body

+ Troops +

Beast Snagga Boyz [5 PL, 100pts]
. 9x Beast Snagga Boy: 9x Choppa, 9x Slugga
. Beast Snagga Nob

Gretchin [2 PL, 40pts]
. 10x Gretchin: 10x Grot Blaster

+ Elites +

Burna Boyz [3 PL, 50pts]
. 4x Burna Boy: 4x Burna, 4x Stikkbombs
. Spanner: Big Shoota

Kommandos [4 PL, 55pts]
. Boss Nob: Choppa
. 4x Kommando: 4x Choppa, 4x Slugga, 4x Stikkbombs

Meganobz [18 PL, 300pts]
. Boss Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw

Meganobz [18 PL, 300pts]
. Boss Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw

Meganobz [6 PL, 90pts]
. Boss Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
. Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw

+ Fast Attack +

Squighog Boyz [4 PL, 75pts]
. 3x Squighog Boy: 3x Saddlegit Weapons, 3x Squighog Jaws, 3x Stikka

Squighog Boyz [4 PL, 75pts]
. 3x Squighog Boy: 3x Saddlegit Weapons, 3x Squighog Jaws, 3x Stikka

Stormboyz [3 PL, 50pts]
. Boss Nob: Choppa
. 4x Stormboy: 4x Choppa, 4x Slugga, 4x Stikkbombs

+ Heavy Support +

Battlewagon [8 PL, 105pts]

Flash Gitz [14 PL, 200pts]: Kaptin
. 9x Flash Git: 9x Snazzgun, 9x Stikkbombs

Kill Rig [11 PL, 190pts]: 1. Roar of Mork, 4. Spirit of Gork

++ Total: [121 PL, 2CP, 2,000pts] ++

 

Their army was absolutely gorgeous and rightly won Beat painted!

 

I had first turn and with the opening salvo of the Forgefiend killed 7 Meganobz! It all went downhill from there as the Orks held me off of points quite easily with army wide Obsec. Only having 20 models (10 of which are cultists) with ObSec really showed in this game. My secondaries were Long War, No Prisoners and Raise the banners. Highlights include the Lord Disco one shotting the Killrig and killing the Boss on Squigosaur after being charged by it and the Chosen holding their own against 8 Meganobz and 10 Flashgitz in combat! The game ended 71-50 to my opponent, he would have scored higher but I managed to deny him points in a couple of turns with some lucky charge rolls.

 

Game 5 Vs Knights (Bye-Round)

Spoiler

4 big knights

1 Helverin

 

As I played the Ringer (the person to fill in for Bye-Rounds, this is so that the Bye-Round people have someone to play and a chance to bump their score), I'm not 100% sure what their list was but it was relatively simple. My secondaries were Engage on all fronts, Bring it down and Raise the banners. I managed to pick up one knight in Turn 1 (mostly to the Chosen's bolters, Tank Hunters is ace) and heavily damage the Warlord Knight heavily. The Maulerfiend was picked up and lobbed into the Venomcrawler weakening it ready for the Warlord Knight to fall back and charge into it. I picked up the Warlord knight and another big knight in Turn 2. Turn 3 the last big knight and Helverin destroyed the Forgefiend, possessed and a couple of Legionaries. I whiffed a lot of shooting back at the big knight and left it on 3 wounds. Turn 4 the big knight destroyed a Defiler which promptly exploded and killed the other Defiler. This broke the back of the game for me I think. The Landraider chipped 2 more wounds off the Big knight before being charged and destroyed. The Warpsmith charged in Turn 5 and destroyed the big knight.

Game ended 75-63 to the Knights but I was  awarded the win for it being a Bye-Round. A great game and another fantastic opponent!

 

Game 6 Vs Black Legion

Spoiler

Legion: Black Legion

+ HQ +

Dark Apostle [6 PL, -2CP, 110pts]: 1. Veteran Raider, Cloak of Conquest, Gifts of Chaos, Illusory Supplication, Mark of Tzeentch, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord
. 2x Dark Disciple: 2x Close combat weapon

Master of Possession [7 PL, 120pts]: Mark of Tzeentch, Mutated Invigoration, Pact of Flesh

Sorcerer [6 PL, -1CP, 110pts]: Death Hex, Eye of Tzeentch, Gifts of Chaos, Mark of Tzeentch, Warptime

+ Troops +

Cultists Mob [2 PL, 50pts]
. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ cultist firearm: 9x Cultist firearm, 9x Frag & Krak grenades
. Cultist Champion
. . Autopistol and brutal assault weapon

Cultists Mob [2 PL, 50pts]
. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ autopistol and brutal assault weapon: 9x Autopistol, 9x Brutal assault weapon, 9x Frag & Krak grenades
. Cultist Champion
. . Autopistol and brutal assault weapon

Legionaries [6 PL, 90pts]: Chaos Icon, Chaos Undivided
. Aspiring Champion: Daemon blade, Plasma pistol
. 2x Legionary w/ astartes chainsword: 2x Astartes chainsword, 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades
. Legionary w/ heavy chainaxe
. Legionary w/ special weapon: Meltagun

Legionaries [6 PL, 90pts]: Chaos Icon, Chaos Undivided
. Aspiring Champion: Daemon blade, Plasma pistol
. 2x Legionary w/ astartes chainsword: 2x Astartes chainsword, 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades
. Legionary w/ heavy chainaxe
. Legionary w/ special weapon: Meltagun

+ Elites +

Chaos Terminator Squad [10 PL, 195pts]: Mark of Tzeentch
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Terminator Champion: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter

Chosen [8 PL, 160pts]: Chaos Icon, Mark of Slaanesh
. Chosen: Bolt pistol, Combi-melta
. Chosen: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. Chosen: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. Chosen Champion: Accursed weapon, Bolt pistol
. Chosen w/ power fist: Bolt pistol

Chosen [8 PL, 160pts]: Chaos Icon, Mark of Slaanesh
. Chosen: Bolt pistol, Combi-melta
. Chosen: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. Chosen: Bolt pistol, Boltgun
. Chosen Champion: Accursed weapon, Bolt pistol
. Chosen w/ power fist: Bolt pistol

+ Fast Attack +

Chaos Bikers [11 PL, 175pts]: Chaos Icon, Mark of Tzeentch
. Biker Champion: Power sword
. 4x Chaos Biker w/ astartes chainsword: 4x Astartes chainsword, 4x Combi-bolter, 4x Frag & Krak grenades

Chaos Bikers [11 PL, 175pts]: Chaos Icon, Mark of Tzeentch
. Biker Champion: Power sword
. 4x Chaos Biker w/ astartes chainsword: 4x Astartes chainsword, 4x Combi-bolter, 4x Frag & Krak grenades

Chaos Spawn [5 PL, 125pts]
. 5x Chaos Spawn: 5x Hideous mutations

Chaos Spawn [5 PL, 125pts]
. 5x Chaos Spawn: 5x Hideous mutations

Venomcrawler [6 PL, 105pts]

+ Dedicated Transport +

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 80pts]: Combi-melta, Havoc launcher

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 80pts]: Combi-melta, Havoc launcher

++ Total: [107 PL, 3CP, 2,000pts] ++

 

This was a fight for the Wooden Spoon (last place). The Black Legions' speed took my opponent far in points early here but once I got my guns to bear and got my hard hitters into the centre, the marine bodies fell apart. This was also where it was pointed out to me that Maulerfiends always get 6 additional with the scourge and the Lord Disco fires 2D3 not D6 shots with the Baleflamer. D'oh! Both of these would have made such a huge difference in all of my games, the amount of 1s I rolled for the Lord Disco's flamer will haunt me forever. My secondaries were No Prisoners, Engage on all Fronts and Raise the banners. The Maulerfiend made combat in the centre with Termies and Bikes and slowly (4 combat turns) make his way through the units in front of him. He managed to hold the centre up whilst everything else moved up and take objectives off the Black Legion. This game ended 86-67 to me

 

Closing thoughts:

I had an absolute blast at this event and it's defintiely got me wanting to do more. It definitely exposed problems with the list and my gap in experience. I played clean games of 40k and knew most of my rules back to front (with a few exceptions) but I was definitely lacking in which secondaries to take. I took Long War for a lot of games because I didn't really know what else to take. Most other armies are faster than mine so would be on no-mans land objectives before me was my thought. It scored me well in the first game and 4th game but otherwise struggled.

All the units I took performed when I needed them to, the Defilers took me by surprise and put work in every game. The combination of theit battle cannons and heavy bolters always had targets and never failed to pump some damage out. The downside of them is that they only move 8" and have a giant footprint. I had a couple of games where I caused my own traffice jams trying to get them into Line of sight of something and nearly every game I had to stick one in Strategic reserves purely because their bases were too big to fit in deployment.

The Warpsmith was such a great backline defender. I explained what it did every game and every time they were surprised!

The list had the damage output, it had the staying power, it just didn't have the ObSec or speed. I think the Bastion Warlord trait has some legs in this list with the ability to stick it on the Chosen or Possessed and sit on an objective but I also think just more Obsec and bodies wouldn't hurt at all.

 

 

I also won one of the new Daemon Princes in the Raffle too which was very cool!

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by TrawlingCleaner