Scenery in 40K - why are we fighting in Sherwood again?

Ok, look at those two pics (concept art for Avatar) - just looking at them evokes the feeling of another world - the colours, the strange shape of the plants - similar but not quite right, the lighting. Instantly it transports you to another world.
You can see that this is an area of dense jungle, ancient in age (by the size of the trees), and is unspoiled by man.


This one, also from Avatar, gives pause - is it a strange natural formation? Some relic of a lost culture? A temple, a forum, a prison even?



This is just plain cool.


And here are the guard, waging war on... Colorado maybe? Meanwhile the dastardly Tyranids have invaded...


Louisianna bayou? Cairns? Lots of bugs there.

Now the purpose of this isn't simply to bash GW's scenery range but ask what we, as gamers and modellers, are doing to fix the lack of interesting scenery.
I don't mean things like an awesome objective marker or a detailed ruin, I mean thematic tables that evoke the alien worlds that exist in the 41st millenium.

Most tables I've seen can be divided into a few simple categories:
1. Scattered bits of trees and scrub, a few hills and a couple of random ruined buildings.
2. Barren moonscape of craters and boulders.
3. Aquarium plant jungle.

These all offend my sensabilities on different levels:
1. Ok, why are there the random remains of large buildings in the woods/jungle? Where's the remains of the roads? Shouldn't the buildings be overgrown with plant life?
2. Almost always red or grey.
3. Always green.

People take great pains to ensure a cohesive look to their army, it's one of the basic tenents of painting a large tabletop force really. But when it comes to th eboard all to often people neglect scenery as a chore, or just throw together a board with whatever is lying around.


What causes this? I have mentioned GW's fairly uninspiring terrain already, but I don't think it is to blame. For instance GW will only show the stuff it makes (now it makes it), and only carries a limited range as there are companies dedicated to making scenery so it would be fruitless to compete.
Similarly if they were to make unusual scenery it would just mean I'd add category 4 to the list above - default alien world made of nothing but ten lots of GW's alien scenery kit.

So why do people always resort to the generic woodland/jungle board? Personally I think it has a lot to do with ease of construction. Model train stores are one of the biggest suppliers for the wargaming industry, and as most model train layouts are based on Earth (plus a few in Wales) the materials are all very much like western Europre from the German brands and the London / east coast area for the UK suppliers (LNER being the most popular area). North American suppliers offer desert and winter supplies more readily, but it's all very terestrial.

So what to do with what we've got?


Looks like Earth, but the rather distincitve building makes it seem very far from here. Add a few more butresses and a millon skulls and it could be a 40k building.


Similarly the architecture here is not like that seen on Earth, with the impossibly suspended pillar and its style. Creating unusual or distinctive buildings is a simple way to make a battlefield out of the norm (and no, I don't mean assembling your Manufactorum and Bassilica kits as not-ruins).
The idea is to create a whole table theme rather than a table made of isolated pockets of terrain.


This may be due to my preference for narrative gaming than randomly rolling scenario. But even then having a table that... looks like something is preferable. Picture a table like my point #1 above - a buliding in each corner, a few knots of trees, a low hill slightly off centre... we've all seen them.

Now picture a table with a single building to one side with a series of low walls around it making a series of pens. Further afield are piles of machinery and large tractor wheels. Nearby is a water tower. The rest of the board is scrub and bits of farming equipment.

Battle over an abandoned (or is it? maybe that's why the defenders are defending!) farmhouse or a battle over... D3+2 objectives? I know which I'd prefer. Same mission but giving the table a theme makes the battle have meaning and a story without really trying.


It doesn't have to be as dramatic as a massive, detailed building - thematic terrain is pretty simple to make:


Behold the desert terrain of my super cheap creation. None of it is finished yet, but it gets the point across. The building is pretty standard, as is the water tower - but it gives the sense of people actually living there. The two plant pases on the far left and right are simply air drying clay stuck with pipe cleaners. The big racist head at the back cost me 20 cents.
The stuff in the middle is air drying clay and sculpted in an afternoon. In the pinkish clay there's a skull and eye (made by my girlfriend) and some mesa like rocks. The darker brown has the faded remains of an ancient civilisation - a worn statue and obelisk, and a sunken statue (with a seperate piece to show its hand energing from the sand.

The most expensive part of this is the building, which cost $16 from MiniatureScenery.com, though I bought the sets so it was even cheaper.

Not all alien scenery has to be so totally removed from the norm:


Standard green world, but the giant, twisting tree is very sci-fi. It could easily be made using a few small branches from the garden.


They do come in other colours people! Another idea is to try some different lighting - replace the bulbs in a couple of lamps with blue or green ones to give the battlefield an otherworldly tinge.

Also don't be afraid to try and replecate some crazy idea you've seen:


Floating rocks held down by chains? No problem!



There will be a third chain on the opposite side from the others. This is made from coathangers, chains from dollar store novelty necklaces, air drying clay, foam spheres from a sewing store, pollyfiller and a bit of trial and error.

It looks impressive, but game wise doesn't provide a game winning strongpoint or anything:


So even if you do create a green board don't be afraid to jazz it up - throw in some weird statues or some funky looking plants. And when setting out a board don't be afraid to sacrifice fairness by making an asymetrical layout that makes it look like your guys are fighting over more than randomly generated points - it's what I try to do and it makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable.

Cradle of Despair: Contents page

Here's a peek at the roughly layed out contents page for the Cradle of Despair campaign:


So yeah, going to be longer than the Guard Codex... it may end up being longer depending on how the epilogues (all 14 of them) turn out and the hobby stuff. Also the mission spacing may end up different with the intro stories and the extra filler pages (Marine profiles, xenos biology notes, short stories etc).

But hey, 21 missions eh!

Yet More De-Blood Angeled Terminators + Hybrids

Finally finished another pair of Terminators, so now I only have three left from the Space Hulk box.

Trooper Veteran Vinko "Vulture" Bodan. Her armour is partly black due to being a member of the Field Police.


Here you can see the Field Police badge on the back of the power fist. Field Police come under the control of the Chaplainry, and Chaplains are drawn from their ranks. They enforce discipline off duty, and in the field function as shock troops to secure landing zones and co-ordinate transports.


Trooper Veteran Thu "T.V." Vukasan. Converted from the thunder hammer Sergeant from the box, with a helmet from the normal terminator kit. I also moved his arm into a more action-packed striking pose. The script on his chest (ferox) means 'defiant'.


Detail of his shield. Arcus is latin for rainbow. The Crux is covering where a large blood drop used to be.


The whole gang all painted up, with a few extras.


Still waiting to be painted. You can see here that I have added helmets to the two Librarians and the power sword Sergeant (who is going to be a Captain).


I also recieved my Genestealer hybrids the other day, and they need painting up. It will be a bit of a shame as the Magus and the hybrid on his left are very nicely done. But the colour scheme doesn't match my genestealers, and their bases are not very inside a spaceship-y. The hybrids of course need arms...


Fortunately my brother used to collect guard, so we have huge quantaties of RT era guard arm sprues and weapons. Not pictured is the tons of 2nd ed pistol sprue and close combat sprue weapons. The Brood Brothers were normally shown with the Ork/Chaos weapons, but I don't have those and there work just as well. Pictures to come!

Angels of Light - Pt 6

Tired limbs creaked and groaned as dim streaks of sunlight filtered through the window. Jula looked up through bleary eyes and saw it was a beautiful stained glass mosaic. It portrayed a Spectral Knight standing atop a pile of green bodies. They looked like the Oruks from her picture books, but... wrong.
Sitting up with a start a realisation came over her; these weren’t wrong, the books were wrong. She felt her stomach drop at the thought of what other things she could have been mislead about. Sending the thought from her mind with a shake of her head she stood up, cracking out the stiffness in her back. Walking over to Marco she nudged him with her foot. He groaned and rolled over, but didn’t wake. She nudged him again.
“You awake?”
“I am now,” he grumbled into his bedroll. Looking up at her he squinted.
“What’s wrong?”
She crouched down, looking around at the others before leaning in.
“I’ve been thinking...”
“Uh oh.”
“This is serious” she hissed, punching him in the arm.
“Ow! Ok, ok...”
“Is this all strange to you?”
“Well yes, of course it is.”
“But, I mean look at the windows. The Oruks don’t look like we were told they did. And the Knights... they look so different to how I imagined.”
“I guess,” Marco pushed himself up onto his elbows, “but it’s not like many people ever see the knights, not anyone who comes to the Vales at least.”
Looking back at the window Jula felt a chill run down her spine at the massive unknown she was facing.
“I wish I had your confidence in this.”
Marco smiled at his friend. “Are you trying to tell me you’re not confident? All your life all you’ve talked about is becoming a Knight, and now it’s happening.” Sitting up he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be ok, we’ll get through this and we’ll know what’s what soon.”
She smiled half heartedly, “I guess I’ve just built it up so much in my head to be like the stories, I couldn’t see any different.”
“It is indeed nothing like the stories, Miss West.”
The voice sounded like thunder in the silence. The shock caused Marco to lose his balance and fall onto his back. Jula froze, slowly turning as the other adolescents roused themselves.

Russo was standing no more than a cana and a half away, his massive form filling the doorway. How long had he been there, why hadn’t she heard him? He was clad in his armour, midnight blue with white bracers and greaves. His left shoulder guard was a deep crimson and embellished with the intertwined snakes in yellow. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his. They were hard, looking down on her impassively.
Her mouth worked, but her voice failed her and she gaped like a fish for a few moments.
“A-a-apothecary Russo I...”
As she spoke the emotionless mask was broken by a wide grin, leading to a jovial laugh.
“I must apologise, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.”
A nervous smile crossed her lips, her brain still trying to process the shock.
“No, things are not as in the stories,” he was addressing them all now. “If we told you everything it would seem so unbelievable, you would not have believed it.”
Jula saw Marco raise an eyebrow at the Apothecary’s turn of phrase.
“No, not the best speech I’ve ever given, Master Angosten. But it made my point. Today you will travel farther than any of you have ever travelled, in a way you never thought possible. Today you will see things beyond your wildest childhood tales. Today you begin the path of service to the Emperor.”
A reverent gasp came from each of them at hearing the Emperor’s name spoken by a Spectral Knight. Russo continued, gesturing to a small chest behind him.
“In there is a pack for each of you, it contains your new uniform. You may only take with you what is in that pack, everything else must be left behind. Your old lives must be left behind, you will be born anew.”

-

The cubicle was small. Small if you were a Knight that is. There were three buttons set into the wall at her eye level, but no markings of any kind on them to explain which she should push. She shivered, this time purely from cold, and gripped the soap and cloth tight in her hands. Taking a guess she stabbed a finger at the leftmost button and a torrent of icy water poured from the ceiling.

Russo turned at the sound of the shriek and bellowed down the corridor.
“Push the middle one!”
Captain Tarrak smiled almost imperceptibly.
“I don’t know how you can do this every time, Russo.”
The apothecary shrugged, his armour having difficulty matching the motion.
“Somebody must watch over the cadets, we wouldn’t be much use without them.”
The Captain made a noise that could either have been a grunt of annoyance or his attempt at a laugh.
“The Thunderhawk will be here in 30 standard minutes to take you back to the Storm. Comms just got a signal.”
“Aye Captain, Noboro and I will have the cadets at the landing bay shortly.”
“I also have a first company recon team to go back, I trust there will be no problem taking them?”
“Not at all, Captain.” Russo touched his headset and muttered and acknowledgement. “I must go and get these Cadets ready, Captain, until next year.”
The other Marine nodded and left the Apothecary alone. When Russo was sure the Captain had gone he walked down the narrow corridor banging on each of the tightly spaced doors.
“Let’s get going! You have exactly one minute to be out here and fully dressed.”
He smiled to himself, this bit was always funny.

-

Wrestling with the strange garment Jula eventually got all her arms and legs in the right place and figured out the strange fastening mechanism. Two rows of small metal teeth joined by a moving toggle. She had no idea how it worked, only that she had to get moving. Pulling on the hard black boots she threw open the cubicle door and dashed outside, still buckling her belt. Her hair was still sopping wet and dripping water down her back, she was rumpled, crumpled and flustered. But she was in uniform, she was dressed as a Spectral Knight. On her left arm there was a blue patch marked with a vertical line and a circle in white, though she could only guess what it meant.
On her right arm, however, was the sacred winged lightning bolt. She had never felt happier than when she had looked down and seen the badge there.

The others were staggering out, Marco had his belt between his teeth as he wrestled the fastening into place, Vitor was damp all over, but done. Nadia was hopping on one foot as she struggled to force a hard leather boot on. It was the same for the rest, all emerging in various states of confusion and disarray, but all proud. They saw Russo standing with his helmet now placed over his head, the rainbow gloriously bright as its crest.
Russo turned and waved them after him towards a large metal door. It slid open noiselessly as he approached, the world beyond made of a black metal. He passed through the doorway and turned to face the youths.
“Pass through here and you will no longer be who you were, you will become eternal servants of the Emperor.”
Turning again he continued into the darkness, the rainbow on his helm acting like a beacon in the darkness. Hesitantly at first the gaggle of recruits shuffled forward, none willing to venture out of the safety of the crowd.
“Is this how you take your first steps? Timid and afraid?” the apothecary laughed. “I would have hoped for more.”
Though he was far away in the gloom Jula felt his eyes burning into her, like his words were meant only for her. Swallowing hard she stood up straight and, after checking her footing, defiantly strode forward. She could feel the others doing the same, and they passed through the portal into their new lives.

The corridor continued for some length, the walls decorated with etchings of skulls, eagles and other arcane symbols. There were few lights and an almost imperceptible hum filled the air. Russo took them to the end of the path where a large square room waited. He ushered them into the centre of the chamber, easily big enough for three times their number, and touched his hand to his helmet.
With a sudden lurch the floor started to descend into the ground with the sound of squealing metal on metal. Letting out a yelp of alarm Jula grabbed hold of the nearest person who, luckily, was Nadia. The girls clung onto each other as the floor rattled and hummed, trails of lights flitting past on the walls and upwards. Craning her head she saw they had already gone down at least twelve canas, but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

The shaft had opened out into a vast cavern, big enough to fit the whole village in it seemed. A metal ribcage criss-crossed the roof hung with loops of thick chain and narrow walkways. But most amazing was the far end of the hall, it was open to the outside and revealed a stunning vista of the mountain peaks. A cold wind whipped into them as they descended, flecks of snow dotting the air. All eyes were drawn from the beauty of the mountains to the ground below where in the centre stood a massive... something?
It was at least ten canas high and twice as wide. Clad in the midnight blue of the Knights it radiated majesty and power, its hunched form looked ready to spring into life. On its wings were marked the winged lightning bolt, and the same line and circle design as the youths all now wore.
Around the great beast Jula could see swarms of men and women working. Most were clad in light grey uniforms not unlike her own. Amidst them stood a small number, perhaps only three or four, much taller figures in blue with red armbands directing the activity.

With a sharp thud the platform stopped, now level with the ground of the massive chamber. The machine seemed even more gigantic as it loomed high, dwarfing even the knights in its shadow. Ushering his charges forward Russo urged them to hurry. Jula broke into a light jog to keep pace with his massive strides, though he was just walking. Still she gazed about at the seemingly unreal scale of the world around her and the strange machines employed by the workers.
Carts with no sign of what moved them, metal limbs with crab like pincers bigger than a full grown man rising out of the floor, harsh shouts and commands in the strange tongue of the Knights.
One of the un-armoured knights watched the group as they passed and looking at him Jula recoiled in shock. In place of his right eye was a metal box fixed with a red glass lens. She could tell instantly that it was bound into his flesh, never to be removed. Turning away she gasped again. Through a large archway, big enough to fit a house under its span, she saw that beyond this chamber was another equally large, with two of the metal beasts hunched within. She could only see one clearly, but it was the same as the one towering above her save it bore the sacred rainbow colours on its flanks.
Tearing her gaze away Jula continued, and rounded to what she guessed was the front of the machine. A huge mouth yawned open before her and beyond lay a room, easily bigger than the town hall’s meeting room from what she could see.
Russo turned to them, and looked at them for a moment. Jula tried to hide the anxiousness on her face, but she could feel it wasn’t working very well. All the others, even the haughty Southrons, looked unsure despite their best efforts.
“Watch your step as you climb the slope, it can be quite slippery.” Russo commanded before walking up the ramp with ease. Jula followed in the middle of the group and carefully found her way up. The hard sole of her boots did little to aid her climb, but she made it without slipping. There was no time to catch her breath from the exertion as she found herself confronted by a dozen knights in full armour. Russo was in front of her, next to a strange figure.
She had dark skin, something Jula had heard the people of the far north had, but had never seen. She wore no helm, instead a high crown rose above her head from her collar. Her hair was long and worn loose save a intricate braid at each temple. Where Russo’s armour was white hers was yellow, and she had a horned golden skull embossed on her shoulder. But most entrancing were her eyes, dark brown but filled with a beautiful inner light that spoke of greatness.
The other knights were less ornate, but none the less just as intriguing to Jula. Instead of blue they were clad in swatches of green, brown and grey, and the rainbow on their helms was rendered in muted earth shades rather than the brilliant colours she had seen so far.
They were standing to each side of the room, five to a side and backs to the wall, but their black visors were fixed on the newcomers. Each knight was subtly different from the next; a studded shoulder instead of plain, rounded armour in place of squared off, a long aquiline beak in place of the fierce grill.
As one the assembled knights brought their hands together, palms inwards and fingers out, and locked their thumbs into an imitation of the sacred two headed eagle.
Through the haze of slack-jawed awe Jula saw Russo nod, and awkwardly copied the sign. She held it out to them as a meagre offering of kinship, a sign of understanding even though she didn’t really comprehend its meaning. The knights seemed satisfied as the others returned the sign, and nodded in approval and returned their hands to their sides.
The female knight spoke, her voice deep and heavily accented.
“I am Lore Keeper Nothara, and today we will travel far from this place you have called home and begin anew in the Emperor’s service.”
Jula noticed a very similar theme to all the speeches they were getting. She also noticed she still had her hands up and hurriedly dropped them away.
“Look at the Astartes besides you. You may find it impossible to believe that you can be remade in their likeness, but it will be done.”
What had she called them?
“But it will be dangerous, and not all of you will make it, some of you may not survive.”
Not me, I’ll make it, Jula thought.
“Now come, we must prepare for the journey.”

On the topic of the Shadowsword variants

The Shadowsword kit comes with six possible variations (datasheets on the GW site here). Each has various sponson options, mostly lascannons and heavy bolters, but a few have some specialist kit (noted ineach entry). I'm not discussing points as there is very little difference with upgrades, at least at an Apocalypse level. Here are my thoughts on them individually (in alphabetical order):


Banehammer

This beasty is one of the two that can carry 25 dudes (ten of whom can fire) but still has a nice big gun. The gun on the Banehammer has a good 60" range, Str8, AP3 and a 7" blast, so good for annihilating enemy infantry. It is also Ordnance so can be used against armour with some reliability.
It also features the nifty earthshock ability, where a 4D6 "size" (it isn't clear on diameter or radius, but most measurements seem to be diameter) area becomes difficult terrain, with one less dice for the test. It is also dangerous terrain for vehicles.

Quite useful as a mid line support vehicle - use the cannon to tie up enemy units and load the boot with heavy weapons or other support assets.

Rating: 7/10



Banesword

The artillery version of the Shadowsword, the Banesword features the Quake Cannon as its primary gun. This beast fires a barrage 24-180" away. That's a Str9 AP 3 10" ordnance barrage. It's a 10" blast so even the guard can hit something, and if you feel insane you can still fire at things directly under 24".

Depending on the table layout you use the Banesword can be very, very good or very, very, mediocre. If it is a nice big table and you have some cover you can park this sucker behind some nice big cover and blow up scads of infantry and light vehicles with it - you're still hitting with a Str5 hit with the main blast, and get to re-roll the armour penetration dice don't forget.
If it's a long thin table or not much cover the long minimum range will hurt, as the main benefit of the Quake Cannon is its indirect fire ability.

Rating: 8/10 or 6/10 depending on the table.



Doomhammer

The Doomhammer instantly wins point for being able to bring dooooom to your foes. Also, it has liquid hot mag-ma.

The other 25 body transport, the Doomhammer is a hybrid Shadowsword/minibus. The Magma Cannon fires 60", with Str10, AP1 and a 5" (large) blast. Again it is Ordnance, so the primary duty here is anti-armour - Land Raiders, other SHs, GCs etc.
However it bears the Imperial Guard's wonderful BS of 3. With the smaller blast it will be harder to hit a target at all let alone with the centre, unless you're firing at something big.

The Doomhammer has a few good parts, but suffers for trying to do too much without doing anything particularly well. Which is a shame as it has the greatest comedy potential.

Rating: 6/10.



Shadowsword

The grand-daddy of them all, the original superheavy that isn't the Baneblade, the Shadowsword exists purely to kill armour, and big armour at that.

The Shadowsword's Volcano Cannon is the smallest of the guns to bear that name. It has a massive range (120"), but that generally doen't come into play. Its main drawcard is StrD - the only pure Guard vehicles to have it I believe. Compared to titan VCs, the Shadowsword has the smallest blast at 5" (large blast). Coupled with the IGs middling BS, it is a bit more risky than the Titan mounted weapon systems to score a hit.

The Shadowsword does have the advantage that it comes with integral void-shield busting lascannons, but the BS3 firing them strikes again. Basically only take a Shadowsword if you know there will be other SH vehicles to kill, otherwise there are things that kill tanks better for cheaper.

Rating: 8/10 or 4/10 if they don't have superheavies.



Stormlord

"It has All Power to the Weapons!! It has 30 shots!!!"

But, the cynic replies, it has Str6 and BS3. I have ranted against the VMB before, and this does not change when it fires more with a lower BS. The damage output is lowered by the BS to counter the high rate of fire so there is no significant change in kills.

Also, when firing 30 times you can't move. So the mighty assault vehicle can't move anywhere, and even if it does it only moves 6" a turn. You can assault out of it, but it's not likely to get anywhere anytime soon.

There is a popular idea of cramming 20 or so heavy weapons teams in the back. This often falls down as few people have 20 weapons teams, or if they do they need them for their squads. If you want to do something that stupid you'd better have the models to back it up.

Suffers similarly to the Doomhammer - an assault vehicle that moves slower than infantry (no run move), and a massive gun that's not very good at killing things. The best use anyone can come up with is a mobile pillbox. When the best use for a superheavy is as a bunker for other things that can actually kill things, it's time to go back to the drawing board.

Rating: 3/10 - yes, I have actually used one in a game. It's great as a tank or movable building, but as a superheavy it fails miserably.



Stormsword

One of the oldest variants on the Shadowsword hull, the Stormsword carries no troops, just a giant assault gun.

The gun has a short range (36"), but a massive Str10, 10" ordnance blast balances that out. It also ignores cover so you can kill anything nearby with impunity. Good against all infantry and a large number of vehicles, the cannon only suffers that you need to get in close.
In that regard it is the inverse of the Banesword - if you play on massive boards you will need to flank march to get the best out of it, but on a close in board it will murder your opponents.
Downside is that the 10" blast doesn't care who it hits, so friendly infantry need to be wary of standing too close.

The default sponson loadout is a bit odd, with heavy flamers in place of lascannons, due to the Forge World version coming with them by default. You have to pay points to upgrage to lascannons, and to upgrade the hull heavy bolter to twin linked. However I'm not so sure that's a necessity (maybe the hull bolters) as the Stormsword is designed to be in the thick of it killing the bejeezus out of the enemy - the goal of any superheavy.

Rating: 9/10, or 4/10 on a sparse map.

Rainbow Warriors - Battle Companies

Overview

Companies 2-9 of the Chapter are Battle Companies, with no 'reserve' companies. Each is a fully independant fighting force, with its own armour, support and recon assets. This stems from the unique founding of the Chapter, where the remnants that survived the crash landing on Prism gained the mindset that all their eggs in one basket was a bad idea.

The Companies are also spread out in their deployment, with only five companies based on Prism itself. The others keep strongholds on Hope Springs.

2nd Co - Heart of Iron, southern Prism - Hawkeyes
3rd Co - Heart of Ice, northern Prism - Stormbringers
4th Co - Storm of Wonder, equatorial Prism - Dragon's Hunt
5th Co - Heart of Tears, Hope Springs - Night Wolves
6th Co - Storm of Wonder, equatorial Prism - Wild Tigers
7th Co - Heart of Fire, Hope Springs - Spitting Pythons
8th Co - Storm of Wonder, equatorial Prism - Dawn Shadows
9th Co - Heart of Vengeance, Hope Springs - Oceanborn

Prism, world view

Each Company has its own strike cruiser, and the Chapter maintains four Battle Barges for use in larger operations and assaults.
Normally each company is given a mission or patrol route by the Chapter Captain, and they attend to that on their own, returning to their stronghold to repair and re-arm afterwards. It is usual for the Company to spend a few weeks of downtime between deployments to allow for re-equipping, roster changes, disciplinery matters and such to be attended to.
However only six of the eight battle companies are ever deployed on normal duties at one time. The other two stay in their strongholds on standby as a rapid response force should an emergency arise or another company need re-enforcing. This duty is known as 'the twilight watch', and rotates amongst the companies so one company will only go on watch after all the others have had their shift.

Prism, orbital view

On Patrol

Being located on the Eastern Fringe, one of the Chapter's main duties is patroling space lanes and the many outlying Imperial Worlds. Each company is issued with a patrol route and tours the regions of space, looking for any signs of alien incursion and checking that all Imperial worlds are free from heresey and other malign influences. The routes are never the same so a planetary governor could go years without recieving a visit, or get two in the space of months. This system is designed so that there is no predictable hole in the Chapter's protective umbralla.
Should a problem (such as an uprising, alien raiders etc) come about the Company will deal with it as the Captain sees fit. The most common course is to attack head on, but should more forces such as the Guard or Fleet be needed, the patrol will withdraw until re-enforcements arrive.


Strike

Often, however, the Companies are called upon to take a more direct course of action. Should a request for aid come, or a patrol detects a problem that needs more resources than they have available a strike will be organised.
The Chapter Commander will choose a mission Commander, set the main objectives and assign any additional resources (such as a battle barge) before initiating an attack.


Manpower & Roster

Companies are often on patrol for many years, so take a large number of the 10th Company's scout troopers with them. This not only gives the Company an additional recon force (and training to the scouts), but a quick way to replace battlefield losses without waiting for them to arrive from Prism.

Hope Springs, orbital view

Each Company on its own has roughly 170 troopers at its disposal, including command staff and drivers. Below is the current roster for the 5th Company:


Each unit is numbered by Company, then unit number, then subset of that unit. For example squad 5-3-2 is 5th Company's third squad, second section (combat squad). Units from other Companies list their Company first, then the Company they are attached to, then the subset number.
Additionally each squad has a designation:

COM - Command
TAC - Tactical, general battle
ASLT - Assault, fast moving attack units
SPT - Support, artillery and such
REC - Recon, scouting and harrasser units
ARM - Armour, battle tanks


Command

-Captain West
-Lieutenant Edelsbacher
-Chaplain Cho
-Chaplain Nazir
-Forgemaster Bayonne
-Lore Keeper Faulkes
-Lore Keeper Davvis

5-0-1 (COM)-Lieutenant Smalls
Comp Sgt Sztaba
Apoth. Varela
Vt. Sgt McGarret
Vet Trp Meril

5-0-5 (SPT)-Tk Sgt Irek
Tk Trp Ames
Tk Trp Henreid


Assault
5-1-1 (ASLT)- Mst Sgt Bootes
5-1-2- Vet Trp Hecht

5-2-1 (ASLT)- Vet Sgt Bootes
5-2-2- Vet Trp Gagnon


Tactical - each has a Rhino APC

5-3-1 (TAC)- Vet Sgt Wesemael
5-3-2- Vet Trp Nystrom
5-3-3- Sgt Varol -Rhino

5-4-1 (TAC)-Vet Sgt Sonkkila
5-4-2-Vet Trp Horti
5-4-3-Trp Godiz

5-5-1 (TAC)- Sgt Sauveaux
5-5-2- Vet Trp Halucha
5-5-3- Sgt Teng

5-6-1 (TAC)- Vet Sgt Nils
5-6-2- Vet Trp Guerrier
5-6-3- Trp Gien

5-7-1 (TAC)- Sgt Lee
5-7-2- Vet Trp Pidot
5-7-2- Trp Yuradkul

5-8-1 (TAC)- Sgt Brzakovic
5-8-2- Vet Trp Heo
5-8-3- Vet Trp Roth


Devestator - each has two Razorback AFVs

5-9-1 (DEV)- Sgt Yazar
5-9-2- Vet Trp Cashman
5-9-3- Trp Schrader
5-9-4- Trp Klustic

5-10-1 (DEV)- Sgt Varma
5-10-2- Sgt Lestocq
5-10-3- Trp Enerdal
5-10-4- Vet Trp Misortca


Armoury

5-11-1 (SPT)- Vet Sgt Cenni -Land Speeder Typhoon
5-11-2- Sgt Hazinzez -Land Speeder Typhoon
5-11-3- Sgt Park -Land Speeder Tornado

5-12-1 (SPT)- Vet Sgt Kun-Whirlwind
5-12-2- Sgt Marstein-Whirlwind

5-13 (SPT)- Sgt van der Vennet -Vindicator

5-14-1 (ARM)- Mst Sgt Gray -Predator Destructor
5-14-2- Vet Sgt Roma -Predator Annihilator
5-14-3- Vet Sgt Almuro -Predator Destructor

5-15-1 (SPT)- Tk Sgt Naish -Thunderfire cannon
5-15-2 (SPT)- Tk Trp Marc -Thunderfire cannon
5-15-3 (SPT)- Tk Trp Soong -Thunderfire cannon

5-16-1 (REC)- Sgt Zamperla -3 x heavy bolter attack bikes
5-16-2 (REC)- Sgt Foss -2 x multi-melta attack bikes

5-0-2 (ARM)- Arm Sgt Gossow -Land Raider “Light of Judgement”
5-0-3 (ARM)- Mst Sgt Raju -Land Raider “Cleansing Dawn”
5-0-4 (ARM)- Mst Sgt Core -Land Raider “Angel’s Torch”


Venerable Troopers (Dreadnoughts)

- Ven Trp Urich
- Ven Trp Baer
- Ven Chap Jarvis
- Ven Trp Viitaa

5th company at full strength with support elements (170 troopers)



The company also has attached support elements from the 1st and 10th Companies:

1st company teleport assault unit, 'Gatekeepers'

1-5-1 (ASLT)- Lieutenant Moon
1-5-2 (ASLT)- Vet Sgt Pankart


1st company heavy assault unit (6 trooper armoured recon with Razorback AFV)

1-5-3 (REC)- Mst Sgt Tang
1-5-5 (REC)- Vet Trp Mehta


10th company recon section – 2 infantry sections, biker squadron and airmobile unit\

10-5-1 (REC)- Mst Sgt Hope
10-5-2 (REC)- Vet Sgt Fernandez
10-5-3 (REC)- Vet Sgt Haldar
10-5-4 (REC)- Vet Sgt D’Heu
10-5-5 (REC)- Vet Trp Karina


Additionally there is an attached squad of Field Police, under the control of the Chaplains. They are not counted officially in the Company's strength as they are seperate in nature and not officially a line combat unit. In practice howver they act as combat controllers, directing Thunderhawk and Stormbird landings, and on bikes as harrassment and scout units.

For more information about ranks and command structure see the articl about that topic here.

Angels of Light - pt 5

She shivered, from fear as much as the cold. Everything about the situation was so utterly strange and unknown to her that she couldn’t help but be afraid, despite knowing where she was. The room was brightly lit, a strange steady light emanating from holes in the roof. All the walls were painted white and made of a strange stone rendered smoother than Jula thought possible. Every surface was perfectly straight and in line, the precision unnerving.
Strange objects and symbols covered the walls, diagrams of bodies opened up, skeletons, weird multicoloured spirals surrounded by strange writing. Worst was the large icon on the far wall; two green reptilian things (though they had no legs) intertwined with each other, their fangs bared at the winged lightning bolt between their heads. Aside from the strangeness of the pictures was the array of polished steel equipment that she could imagine no good use for.

As soon as they had passed through the doors they had been confronted by a pair of giants. They wore midnight blue armour trimmed in gold, winged skulls on their chests. Their faces were covered by fierce grill mouthed helms, the sacred rainbow as their crests. She thought to herself how they matched the sky above them, the colours shining in the dark sky.
The pair stood motionless on the grey stone floor, lit only by the flaming torches set into the walls. They heard the doors start to close, but none had dared to turn to see who was closing them. When the gate shut with a resounding boom one of the giant warriors spoke.
“Welcome to the Hall of Victors young ones.”
His voice was loud and thunderous, measured but not without a hint of joy. They had all taken an involuntary step back, the power of the figures in front of them overpowering them.
But that had seemed like an age ago, in the strange sterile world she found herself in time seemed to lose meaning. She knew it was late, or perhaps early, and she was so very tired. They had taken most of her things away, she now just wore her tunic and breeches, and put her in this room, alone. The others had likewise been separated and isolated. At first she had paced, but after becoming increasingly unnerved by her surroundings sat in a corner next to a bench, knees pulled up to her shin.

The silence was broken suddenly by the sound of voices at the door. Moments later it opened and a man stepped through. He was a Knight no doubt, he towered above her and was broad and solid. He wore a dark blue tunic and breeches, with shiny black boots. His uniform was covered in many small heraldic badges; skulls, crosses, blood drops and others she didn’t know. On his left arm he wore a white band with the intertwined reptile symbol. In his hand was a black slate like the council assessors carried, though his was glossy and smooth. He looked up from it as he entered and a flash of confusion crossed his face before his eyes darted around the room and fixed on her.
His eyes were a blue, though where hers were bright his were dark, almost black but were warm and friendly. He smiled to her and extended his hand. He wasn’t old, but not young. His face was full of life and energy, but lined like a man in his middle years. Similarly his hair was cropped short like a youth, but its sandy brown was peppered with grey.
“I think you’ll be more comfortable sitting up here.” He spoke in her own language, not the strange one the Knights used amongst themselves, and without the strange accent the first Knights they had met had borne.

She slowly reached out her trembling hand to his and he took it, lifting her to her feet and ushering her to a padded bench. His hands were surprisingly soft and gentle and reminded her of her father’s. Sitting up on the bench she watched him. He was tapping his fingers on the slate, which seemed to have no paper on it. Stopping he put the slate down and put his hands behind his back. He smiled again,
“My name is Apothecary Russo, and you are?”
“Jula West, sir” she said timidly, awestruck to be talking with a Knight.
“You can call me Apothecary or Russo” he laughed. “Does talking with me make you nervous?”
She nodded, suddenly embarrassed.
“Well that’s one thing you’ll have to get out of you very quickly. Training you will be very hard if you start blushing every time a trooper talks to you.”
Jula felt her face turn red in an instant, but fought it back.
“Trooper, sir? Apoth.. Russo?” she stammered.
“Ah yes, it’s what we call each other...” he waved his hand in the air. “But that’s for later, right now I’m here to give you a check up.” He leaned in and put his massive hand on her chin, tilting her head to the side. “And it looks like you need one.”
Her heart sank, already marked for failure she thought.
“Nil desperandum, Miss West. Everyone gets one, and trust me, we’ve had others come through here looking sorrier than you do.”
“Really?”
“Oh yes.” He worked while he talked, waving some of the strange tools around her and tapping on his slate, which flashed with strange lights when his fingers toughed it. “Like that fellow Saral, broken nose... but you wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”
He smiled conspiratorially and held out both her hands, her grazed knuckles showing.
“He said I’d never be a Spectral Knight, that I was only good enough to be a serving maid.”
“So you broke his nose?”
“And threw him down a hill.” She felt slightly silly telling this to a man who had travelled to other stars and fought monsters and devils.
Russo chuckled and crouched down. He stared into her eyes, his face firm. “From now on, no fighting.” The sternness melted back to the faint smile. “Unless someone attacks you of course.”
“Is everyone being told this, Russo?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“So nobody will be attacking me then.”
He stood up and grabbed his slate, tapping on it further. “Very smart, young Miss West. Well thought out.”
She beamed to be complimented by a Spectral Knight.
“Now don’t go getting a swelled head, time to go see the others for a good night’s sleep.”

--

The three marines stood in the shadows and watched. Thirteen sleeping forms lay in the hall, curled up under thin blankets. The first turned and walked out of the darkened room into the corridor outside, and into the light.
“Apothecary Russo, anything to note?” said the first, his voice deep and gravelly.
“Nothing out of the ordinary in any of them, Captain. It looks like the pre-screening was accurate in all cases.”
“And their potential?”
“I have my reservations on a couple of them, but The Storm should work that out of them. A couple of the kids from the Vales got into a tussle on the way here, so that could be an issue if they don’t work it out.”
“Which two?” said the third, curiosity in her voice.
“West and Saral. It seems West broke the other’s nose when he said she’d be a serving maid.”
“Really?” laughed the third.
“And threw him down a hill. Though he didn’t tell me that, or the reason why it happened.”
“Will it continue?” rumbled the first, the smiles vanishing from the other two.
“I do not think so, Captain. West has an ego on her, but is pretty devoted to the idea of being a Spectral Knight so I warned her off fighting and she took it well.”
The Captain looked at the Apothecary sensing there was more.
“And?”
“When I warned her off I told her she could defend herself, but she realised that if everyone got the warning there’d be nobody fighting at all.”
“No prompting?” asked the third.
“None, she has a healthy respect so she won’t be starting anything.”
“And Saral?”
“He’s pretty embarrassed by the incident, so hopefully he’ll think before he speaks next time. His nose will heal up ok too.”
If the Captain had noticed the humour it didn’t move him. He stopped by a doorway and turned to the third. Torchlight glinted from her medals, particularly the golden horned skull she wore on a chain around her neck.
“Any possibilities, Lore Master?”
“Just one, Captain” she said.

Heroquest & good times

So my friends and I are still going through Heroquest - we're about halfway through Kellar's Keep now.

"The Dwarvern Forge". Sharon the Barbarian goes for loot, while Balrog the Dwarf takes on the orcs. The Elf With No Name covers the rear, while Shana II (the puny wizard) lags behind.


The Dwarf has a great lust for loot and gold, searching at every opportunity. I take great evil pleasure in using the evil dominate evil spell to the evil end of evilly controlling the players and using up their hard earned potions (to evil ends, of evil).


Mr Vash (the puny wizard) hides behind a cookie, while Matt (the elf) ponders the next adventure (or if he should eat more chocolate truffles [the answer is yes, they were delicious]).



The puny wizard ponders the chocolate truffle monster, wondering how many defence dice it gets.

I'm using Black Orcs for Fimir, and Grave Guard as mummys. Using the new plastics, even not fully painted, makes the game look a whole lot nicer and makes the badguys much more menacing. It would be very, very cool to have a '3d' map with textured tiles and the like, but honestly I don't think there's the replay value to justify the construction (when I win lotto though).

De-Blood Angel'd Space Hulk Terminators pt 3

Or part 4. Or whatever, look at the pics ;)


1st Lieutenant Aubin "Outlaw" Hawkins:


Company Sgt Gunnvarr "Gunner" Yadiz:

(I need to repaint the genestealer as it doesn't match how I ended up doing them)


Trooper Vet Jürgen "Curly" Ratna (1st Co Standard Bearer):


Trooper Vet Coeus "Eggs" Hellad:


Trooper Ver Teng "Target" Takis:


Technical Troopers Allison "Stone Cold" McKenzie and Ayden "High Voltage" Cass:


Chaplain Ilsa "Sky Pilot" DeSilva:

(I got rid of the skull head as I didn't like it)

Shoulder detail:
(the shoulder was badly cast and missing the Crux Terminatus)


The Marines are all undercoated black, basecoated Regal Blue, inked black, highlighted Space Wolf Grey. The stripe colours are Skull White, Golden Yellow, Blazing Orange, Red Gore, Goblin Green and occasionally Regal Blue and Hormagaunt Purple.
In addition to the helmet stripes the marines have the stripes on the back of their power fists. Additionaly the Lt and Sgt have personalised heraldry on thier shoulder guards (the Lt on his power fist also).

I've still got 16 more Terminators to paint...

Angels of Light - pt 4

That night they sat around a fire. Or more precisely two fires. Jula sat with her back to Cable’s group, a piece of dried meat roasting in the flames. Tilting her head to the side she used her meal dish as a mirror, eying the bruise spreading along her jaw. Her lip was split and swollen, the purple tinge turning black in the fire’s orange glow.
Earlier Nadia had checked her ribs and none seemed broken or fractured, but a large greenish black blemish marked where the blow had hit. The stiffness was going out of her body somewhat, but the pain still stabbed at her when she moved certain ways.

Turning the dish she looked back at Cable and the other two. They were just a few canas away, hunched in silhouette. She felt Vitor looking at her and slowly shifted her gaze to him.
“Cable always was a jerk.”
She shrugged, pulling her meal out of the fire.
“He got what was coming to him.”
“He’s just sore that a girl got chosen at the same time as him” Marco added.
“He’s just sore ‘cause Jula broke his nose!” Vitor laughed at his own joke, spilling food from his mouth. Jula couldn’t help but chuckle, which made her wince. Putting her hands on the ground she arched her back, pulling her shoulders together as she creaked the ache out of her side. Opening her eyes she caught a glimpse of Vitor staring at her chest before he noticed her eyes on him. He hurriedly averted his gaze and continued to shovel food into his mouth as his face went bright red.
He was, if anything, too fast and started to choke. Nadia was on her feet in an instant, slapping him on the back to dislodge the obstruction. After a moment he caught his breath, still coughing, still scarlet, though from breathlessness or embarrassment Jula couldn’t tell.
“I’m ok. I just... just ate a bit too fast.”
“Trying to kill all the competition before we get there?” Marco muttered in her ear. She simply gave him a sidelong glare and continued eating. When Vitor had regained his composure Jula caught his eye and winked at him, his cheeks flushing in an instant. She smiled mischievously to herself and sighed.
“Deary, deary me...”

-

They started out early the next day, the rising sun filtering through the trees early on the mountain slopes. The walk had become more of a trudge now, the forest eventually thinning and giving out to a sparse, scrubby terrain. It was near midday when they saw the first sign, their hearts jumping in excitement that they were finally drawing close.
It was a large rune stone, three canas in height engraved with a strange writing. The one thing that they all recognised was a carving of the Emperor’s sacred eagle above the winged lightning bolt. When they passed that stone they would enter the domain of the Spectral Knights and never come back.
The whole group stood together at the threshold of their destiny, Jula savouring the moment before she took the next step.
“So this is it” said Petr with a sense of grim finality.
“Well you can always turn back,” replied Marco. “We haven’t crossed the line.”
“Nobody ever returns once they leave.”
Jula looked at Nadia, the strange girl’s eyes had a haunted look about them. She had wondered why Nadia had come (or had even been selected); she was tall and reedy, disinclined to rough play or conflict – certainly not the person you would expect to be fighting the enemies of humanity.
“Well I’m not going back,” Jula stated firmly. “If you lot are coming get a move on.”
She strode forward defiantly, head held high, determined to show her mettle should any of the Knights be watching. It would have been great if she hadn’t slipped on the loose ground and tumbled face first into the rocky path.
She quickly pulled herself up and continued, ignoring the laughter of those behind her and the stinging pain in her hands and face. She didn’t see that her fall had broken the air of tension and that the rest had followed behind her.

Rapid footsteps came alongside her and she heard Vitor’s voice, though she kept her gaze fixed firmly ahead.
“You’re bleeding, you should wash your face.”
She simply grumbled incoherently and continued on indignantly, leaving her friend in her wake.

-

After several hours they came to a mountain stream and their second interesting sight of the day. Next to the stream was a small campsite, the fire pit not long abandoned. Jula paid it little heed, more intent in washing her hands and face in the cool, clear waters.
Looking at her reflection and sighed, her shoulders slumping. A line of small grazes ran up the right side of her face and covered her hands and forearms. Most of the left side of her jaw was covered in an ugly bruise, and her lip was still swollen and blackened. Not the best first impression.
“I’ve never known you to think of giving up” said a voice behind her. Jula turned to see Nadia, who crouched down to fill her water flask and smiled at Jula.
“I’m not, I’m just a total mess. Not how I was expecting to meet the Knights.” Jula replied, shocked by her sudden candour.
“I don’t think this is quite what any of us really expected.”
There was a pause before Jula spoke again, “why did you come?”
The blonde girl turned back to the stream. “An interesting question.”
“I don’t mean to be rude it’s just...”
“This isn’t really my sort of thing?”
Jula felt her ears redden at her thoughts being spoken. “Uh, yeah.”
“You are very obvious, Jula” Nadia laughed. “I know this is not me. But the Spectral Knights think otherwise, and I want to know why.”
“Huh, never thought of that.”
“Too busy thinking of getting to grips with the boys no doubt.” She smiled slyly.
Completely missing the point Jula shot a quick glare to where Cable and Petr were examining the fire pit. Cable’s nose was horribly swollen and a dark shade of purple covered his face and under his eyes. “Well at least he looks worse than me.”

-

The third, and most unanticipated sight, came into view less than an hour later. They had entered the snowline and followed the path by way of a series of way markers, though the markers were unnecessary as the group that was before them had left a trail in the snow. They were all tired and cold, muscles aching from lack of proper food and sleep. Stopping they fought to catch their breath, it seemed harder to breathe up in the peaks, and a vague sense of light-headedness permeated their every move.
Jula bent over, head down, hands on her thighs, and fought off her exhaustion. She focussed her thoughts on the destination, on reaching the Hall of Victors, ready to be judged worthy of serving the Emperor. She looked up at the cloudless sky and what she saw really did take her breath away.
A ribbon of colour danced above her in the deep blue evening sky. It shone with an eerie otherworldly light, moving at random but seeming to follow some unseen pattern.
“Light of the Emperor” she whispered, spellbound.
The others looked up and were instantly entranced. They had heard tales that if you travelled high enough or far enough south you would see a wondrous sign of the Emperor’s glory. But they had never imagined it would be this glorious.
“The Rainbow Bridge to the Golden Hall where He lies dreaming.”
Jula wanted to rebuke Marco for saying something so obvious, they all knew the story. But it wasn’t a story, they were here. Soon they would enter the company of the Spectral Knights and learn how to travel the Rainbow Bridge to the distant stars. She looked at her friends, the same awestruck smile on all their faces.

Filled with a new energy they reluctantly tore their gaze away and continued their journey. Cresting a hill they saw what at first appeared to be a large spire of grey rock, but they quickly realised was a great fortress carved from the peak of an ancient mountain; the Hall of Victors, and it was in their sight.
Night was falling and the white snow was dancing in the multicoloured light above them. They were all still smiling, although they disappeared when they saw the other group who’s path they had followed.

There were five of them; two girls and three boys. All were clad in thick furs and wore plaid cloaks over one shoulder. The cloaks concealed the weapons they no doubt carried, and kept their sword arms free.
They came from the Southrons, a wild collection of clans that lived on the far side of the mountains. They were vicious and prone to blood feuds amongst themselves as much as another clan. They were rumoured to be skull takers and worse.
These five stood before the Hall’s great wooden gates in a rough semi-circle and were dwarfed by its size. Each door was easily four canas high, and two wide. They bore intricate knot designs and scrollwork on the dark wood surface, but had no sign of a way to open them.

As Jula and her group approached one of the Southron boys said something she could not hear, and the others grinned.
“They are surprised to have been waiting here for us.” Nadia spoke in a low, wary voice. They stopped some distance from the strangers, and arrayed themselves in two lines.
“What’s that mean?” asked Vitor.
“Maybe we have to fight them.” Cable sounded very strange when he spoke, his nose clearly still blocked up. “To prove our strength.”
“We don’t have to fight them.”
“Always the peacemaker Marco,” replied Jula. “Although I agree this time.”
“Really?” He was speaking softly, so she couldn’t be sure if he was being serious or sarcastic.
“Seven of us against five of them? Hardly a way to prove our might.”
Cable scoffed, though it sounded rather more horrible than mocking. “They’re savages and brutes, why would they be here?”
“They’re brutal, savage and renowned for their skill at arms,” Jula raised an eyebrow at him, “wouldn’t you call them to your army?” Before he could reply she started forward, leaving him fuming. Marco laughed and Vitor shrugged in a very unsympathetic manner before following.

Before they had a chance to exchange greetings the beep roll of a horn echoed from behind the battlements, and the great doors slowly swung inwards.