Warhammer 40,000 7th Edition

Like many Warhammer 40,000 fans, this past weekend I got to explore the new edition of the game.  Seeing as I only played about five games of 6th edition, I don't really feel qualified to evaluate the new rules set.  Nevertheless, I will reflect on some changes I like.  First off, I will say that I like the slimmer rule book, the fact that everything is compact in one spot, and the reduced pressure on my back when I have to hump it around.  The other two books I flipped through briefly and probably will never look at again.  Don't get me wrong, they have nice pictures, and the fluff is interesting, but when you have been at it for so long, the basic info doesn't really change much from edition to edition.

While many in the tournament scene are lamenting and possibly crowing over the new army formation options, I do like the intent.  The ability to create themed armies that do not require a special codex or special characters is pretty cool.  People need to remember that this game, like any other is a social contract.  We agree to abide by the rules in the rule books, but we also agree to abide by event organizer's rules or even the between friends.  That caveat aside, 40k is now apocalypse without the stratagems and formations.  We can take anything, though there are limitations put on it.  I look forward to trying out a full Scout company or a full terminator company.  Heck, even one of the Tactical companies would be interesting to field on their own.

The alteration to the allies matrix is also interesting, the drive to encourage people to field anything they want is inherent in it, as now even Tyranids can ally with the "Come the Apocalypse" element having rules too.  So while your Hive Tyrant can be on the same table as your Guardsmen, they still have to keep their distance to be usable, but Genestealer cults and traitor guard are now completely possible.  This weekend I should have a chance to try out a game finally, if it happens, that will be my next report.

Sentinels of Terra

I recently acquired Sentinels of Terra, and found it to be an interesting read.  This was the second of the supplements I have read.  I find the background information to be interesting and while it centers around the career of Lysander, still valuable. The changes to the Space Marine codex force organization are interesting, and with the new edition upcoming, will make being battle forged different, yet are still pretty minor.  That being said, it did inspire me enough to add to my lone Imperial Fist model (the limited edition one from a couple ears ago) and look at adding a small detatchment from the book.  This allied force will represent Sergeant Garadon's third company at its decimated state of roughly thirty marines after the battle of Taladorn.

The plan for these allies then, is to have two tactical squads, the one depicted here as Sergeant Garadon's first squad.  Garadon is in the middle there, and the squad also has a missile launcher and a graviton gun.  A second tactical squad, an assault squad and a devestator squad.  

I built this squad with the new tactical squad kit and wanted to try out some of the new bitz that I hadn't seen before.  For one thing, I did my best to match up the marks of armor, to create a more uniform look on each model.  I also kept the purity seals to a minimum, wanting the pieces to speak for themselves.  Then, I used a set of Finecast shoulder pads so I wouldn't have to free hand the Imperial Fist icon.

I used a bunch of layers to achieve the yellow above, started with XV-88, then Balor Brown, Golden Yellow and and edge highlight of Flash Git Yellow.  I did free hand the tactical icons and squad numbers with Abaddon Black and Ceramite White.  The only thing I might change in the future is a layer of P3 Sulfuric yellow to smooth out the colors a bit better.  Overall, I like the effect.

Tourney At Last

So I finally was able to get out to Your Hobby Place (YHP) in Martinsburg WV, and play in a tourney.  Just in time I guess too, as 7th edition 40k is right around the corner.  I got play three games, one against the store ringer army (marines), one against Space Wolves and the last against Blood Angels. 

At my friend's urging, I brought out the Reaver for this tourney, mainly as he said the folks who play at YHP had never seen one.  Above is my minimal army, the tourney being 2250 Escalation.  Despite what plans I had, I never ended up using things in the manner I intended.  Telion was not to effective firing the Icarus Lascannon.  Below are the armies  at the tourney:

The pictures below are from the start of each of my games.  Each one was a lot of fun, and proved to me that with nothing to really answer a Reaver, it will win every game for you.  Money well spent?  Maybe.  AT any rate, I won every game, though each was more difficult than the last.  AT the end, I had to Laser Blaster both Dante and Mephiston to secure a win.  Sadly, that wasn't enough to win the whole shebang.  But now I know where the bonus points come in and am prepared for next time.

Not a Tourney But a Commission

So, unfortunately, my friend who I was going to play in an RTT with had an accident, fell down his stairs and was unable to stand for prolonged periods of time.  Hence, no report on my RTT games.  Instead, he was sitting on a commission to paint a Necron army that he hadn't started yet and was pretty much unable to get to any time soon.  Instead, he offered me the opportunity to complete it for him, with carte blanche on builds and paint scheme.

I had this Doomscythe from back when the Necron codex was first released, and was pondering putting it up on Ebay.  Instead, it has become the template for this Necron commission that I am now working on.  The scheme is based on the Thokt Dynasty picutre in the Necron codex, extrapolated out to an entire army.

The model started out with a base of black spray primer.  I then based all of the silver areas with Leadbelcher.  I then applied a layer od Argax Earthshade followed by a layer of Ironbreaker.  Next I painted the blue areas with successive layers of Kantor Blue, Caledor Sky, Teclis Blue and Lothern Blue.

Finally, the black is painted with Abaddon Black and a highlight of P3 Coal black.  The model was then sprayed with testors Dullcote.  For the base, paint the whole base first, this will prevent fogging on your flying stand.  I used Stirland Mud as a base coat, then Mournfang Brown followed by XV-88.  Then I sealed the base just like the model.  Once dry, I used canopy glue to glue on the flying stand.  Canopy glue bonds best when allowed to sit over night, so don't use this method if you are rushing to play in a tourney or something.

More pics to come as the commission is finished, it is fairly substantial, so expect it to take up a bit of blog time, mostly around the build choices I guess, as the paint scheme above wil be repeated throughout.