Tale of 40k Gamers -Glen #5 Word Bearers - Initial pledge complete

Here is the final unit of my initial 400 point pledge.  The Contemptor Dreadnought from the Betrayal at Calth set.

I painted it using the same methods I employed on the Marines but on a larger scale.  I added a lot of chipping using the sponge technique, along with freehand and some transfers it breaks up the flat red panels.

As it was a nice large model to paint I made up a simple custom base.  Just a GW building floor section, textured paint, slate and a skull.   I painted the floor panels in a turquoise blue tone to match the eye lenses on all the suits of armour then washed and weathered it to tone it down.

Now it's time to motivate a couple of the other guys to catch up a bit before moving to the next segment.  In the meantime there is always plenty to paint.  I may even do another initial 400 point pledge using the FW Heretic list.  They will go nicely alongside the Word Bearers.

...and here is the full starting group complete.  I have quite a collection of unpainted Chaos miniatures but if anyone has any suggestions for additions to the Defilers of Calth please share.

Tale of 40k Gamers - Glen #4 Word Bearers

I have completed my first full 10 man squad of Word Bearers.  Like the previous miniatures they are all taken from the Betrayal at Calth set.  In the second five I added the ever versatile missile launcher, it should do the trick vs other forces in the group project.

Now all of the squad have not only freehand geometric  symbols and scripture, but all Legion markings with transfers.  I don't usually use transfers but the ones included look pretty good.  Two coats of varnish should keep theme in good order.

Next up on the painting table will be the final part of my initial pledge, the Contemptor Dreadnought and also a Deathwing Land Raider for a friend.

Tale of 40K Gamers - Glen #3 Word Bearers

I am steadily moving through my initial 400 points having completed 4 Tactical marines.  These join the sergeant shown previously as half of my first Word Bearer Tactical/Chaos Marine squad.

Like the Chaplain and Sergeant I have made freehand designs on the armour and added runic script and sigils.  I will attempt to use the provided transfers for Legion markings but I may end up doing them freehand as well.

5 more to go including a missile launcher and the Contemptor Dreadnought.

Tale of 40K Gamers - Glen #2 Word Bearer Sergeant

I have been working through the Word Bearers from Betrayal at Calth.  All are assembled and base coated with the old airbrush.

To fill out my initial 400 points I'll use a squad of 10 Word Bearers with plasma gun and missile launcher, the Chaplain as a Dark Apostle and as a Contemptor is a bit high points wise I'll use the Dreadnought as a Hellbrute.

Here is the finished sergeant for the squad.  I added a book from the Skaven Plague Monk set and the backpack icon and a bolt pistol from a Chaos Marine set.  I have painted the runes again on the armour, careful linework giving a sense of etching on the armour.

Tale of 40k Gamers - Wrythhold edition

Over the past few weeks there has been discussion amongst our gaming group about new projects for the year.  These coincided with GW releasing the new Army Starter boxes.

We normally look at making armies for competitive play but we all enjoy campaign and narrative play more.  Looking at the new box sets they all clock in around 400 points so it seems a good place to start.

We have around 8 people participating so far with a good spread of army choices.  The guidelines are to make a new Army from new products or for me, use things from my vast unused collection and turn them into a painted army.

Stage 1
Make and paint a 400 point force with the following restrictions.
1 HQ
1 Troop
1-2 choices from Troop, Elite, Fast or Heavy.

Ryan has put together an excellent document with suggestions and guidelines covering all these things.

Once participants have their core forces ready we will arrange a gaming day of narrative battles. Following additions to the armies will then be arranged.

I have chosen Heretics from Imperial Armour 13 and Word Bearers using the Betrayal at Calth miniatures.  This will encourage me to get real work done with the Heretic forces I have toyed around with from the Forge World of Wrakinos, a setting I have used for the Rogue Trader rpg and small 40k games with Alex.  The Chaplain/Dark Apostle is the first miniature from the Calth set I have worked on so far.

Painting - WoC Tzeentch Daemon Prince

Last night before allowing myself to finish Bioshock Infinite - awesome ending btw! I finished Cody's Daemon Prince for his first Warhammer Fantasy army.

The colour palette contains all the colours which will be used in the army. You can see by the turquoise armour plates what the Chaos Warriors will look like eventually - I have done a test one and it looks good. May do a little more work on the sword though.

The plan is to magentise the Daemon Prince's feet so when Cody decides on a set of bases the DP can be swapped between Fantasy and 40k easily.

Must say I did enjoy painting this model. The colours are nice and bright and a change to what I normally use. The new/current GW paint range really has some superb shades throughout the greens and blues and I want to incorporate them more into some future projects.

This chap will be making his event debut at Runefang next weekend so watch out - I'm not looking forward to dealing with the build it has.

Now time to load up the new Tomb Raider.

Playing both sides - GM'ing the Campaign

This weekend I will be hosting some players for a variety of gaming. These will include the start of my narrative 40k campaign, some D&D(my regular players can use their Monday night characters) and NZTC practice with Warhammer Fantasy.

Joel and Conan have been kind enough to send in their backgrounds and Initial lists for the campaign so as GM I'd better point out what I'll be using. Now as GM I plan on using forces for both sides and filling in where needed.

"This is Henry Mackryn for the Chyrossian News Network, reporting from outside the Governor's Palace on Chyross Prime.

Chyrossian Governer Marcus Towerson has relayed his official apologies to Imperial institutions in the Sector, in regards to a decline in productivity on the IDCC/the Hub. His office has informed the numerous clients and dependants as to the investigation and ongoing performance management of high ranking staff running the IDCC. This aims to determine where the breakdown between the indentured population and the administration has occured. He has assured that the manufactorum facilities of the Adeptus Mechanicus will be unimpeeded by any delays in components or materials handled and distributed through the 'Hub'.

Governor Towerson has authorised the deployment of additional Defense Forces to the habitation blocks of the Hub and assures the public that the rumoured reports of Xenos and Astartes sightings are the ramblings of obscura addled vagrants. Our sources have been very specific in their descriptions of Astartes sightings. Red armoured marines in the sub manufactorum districts, engaging in street level firefights with criminals in green gang colours and tribal markings and the leak of pict captures showing a small strike craft of the Ashen Angels chapter docking in the PDF bays on the main Orbital defence array, portray Governor Towerson's comments as simple words to placate the affluant Chyrossian citizens on the Prime world.

This reporter thinks that a conflict on the Hub was inevitable. With a historical decline in housing and services for the working population and a massive increase in interstellar trade and the stresses in must be putting on the security systems and protocols something was bound to give in the bustling heart of our sector.

Back to you in the studio Jansah."

Since I bought Dark Vengeance as soon as it was released I thought I would use both forces included to form the basis of my campaign forces.

For the Dark Angels I will label them as the Ashen Angels, then I can nicely use the various Blood Angel models and parts with the Dark Angels and any new additions that may come out in the new year. For now I will use the Space Marine codex for simplicity.

5 man Terminator Squad inc Serg with Power Sword, Assault Cannon and Chainfist

10 man Tactical Squad inc Serg with Plasma pistol, Plasma gun and Plasma Cannon

10 Imperial Guard inc Grenade Launcher and Autocannon

This will nicely represent an Astartes Strike Force allying with the resident defence force. I can combat squad the Tactical squad for flexibilty and the Terminator Sergeant will be the functioning Warlord until I include a real HQ choice.

For the Chaos side I came up with the following

Chaos Lord, Khorne, Plasma pistol, Axe(Sword)of Blind Fury, Sigil of Corruption, Vet of long war

5 Chosen inc Champ with Lightning Claws, Power axe, Power Fist, Vets of long war

10 Cultists inc Flamer
10 Cultists

Obliterator

Much more aggresive build with the Lord and Axe in there but they're Chaos and they're on the Hub to cause some serious trouble! Represents one of the Chaos Warlords who has infiltrated the Hub's Industrial levels and herded out some cultists to cause mayhem.

Chaos Marine FAQ

Nice quickly released and extremely small FAQ.

Good to see we can in fact have 35 plague zombies in a unit and even cheaper Hellbrutes. Not like I dont have enough zombies for my VC, I'm sure they can make an appearance on 40k tables for fun games too.

Get it here

I really like the balance of thr CSM codex so this small FAQ hopefully reflects some good playtesting it may have had.