http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M50_Ontos
Lovely little thing.
Speaking of such things, my Imperial Guard army will have something special. Tankettes. They are basically 1-2 man tanks, roughly the size of a car. They were pretty much abandoned after WW1, but the German army still has two or three variants still in active duty. I think they are perfect for the Guard; you airdrop about 6 of them around a chimera and you have yourself a mobile field base.
I've already started building one with an LRM 18 (technically its two pods of LRM 9's) but in game I suppose I could use them as objectives, sentinels, whatever. I just need to figure out how I'm going to make the main body of the vehicle instead of just their weapon systems.
I started making something special for my next update, but my computer is being slow, so I might have to do it over by hand.. That said, if all goes as planned, in a day or two, you guys should have a treat.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
From the ground up (part two)
Three posts in one day? Clearly I intend to stick to this blogging idea. And then I'll forget it exists tomorrow probably.
So, having gone over the codex roughly earlier, I've decided on the basic framework of my army.
HQ 1: Platoon command, with vox, and 4 flamers. The full support staff (astropath, fleet officer, master of ordinance, 2 bodyguards) and carapace armour for all. The concept is straightforeward enough, blast something with the ordinance, then get close and crispy with the flamers.
HQ 2: Commisar lord with carapace armour. He won't really be for combat, so I didn't deck him out with anything special. The only reason I'm bothering with him is the sphere of influence he's got. Shove a commisar lord into the middle of a ratling squad and they won't budge because they are using his leadership. Naturally, that makes him a target, so he gets carapace armour. While the points can probably be put to better use elsewhere, I think that the commisars are getting the short end of the stick in this codex.
Fast Attack 1: 3 armoured sentinels; an autocannon, a lazcannon and a multilazer. If I had the parts, I'd have probably had two autocannons instead, but a multilazer was all I had left, which is fine. The lazcannon opens a transport, the autocannon will if the lazcannon doesn't, then the multilazer cuts open the squad inside. Hunter killer missiles for all.
Fast Attack 2: 3 armoured sentinels. I don't have them yet, but I'm tempted to make it be an anti armour squad with all lazcannons. HKs here too.
Fast Attack 3: Currently Rough Riders, but if I were to get a Vendetta or three I'd change it to those. RR's are hero killers, but I can't see them being used in game anytime soon.
Elites 1: Ratlings. 10 of them. I'll have them get into some cover and basically let them take out what they can.
Elites 2: 10 Stormtroopers with flamers. They'll be part of the speartip of the army.
Elites 3: 10 Stormtroopers with a plasmagun, a meltagun, and I haven't built the rest yet, so I haven't decided what other weapons they'll have.
Heavy Support 1: 3 Punishers. Hunter killer missiles, hull heavy bolters, sponson heavy bolters, pintle heavy stubbers.
Heavy Support 2: 3 Punishers. Hunter killer missiles, hull heavy bolters, sponson heavy bolters, pintle heavy stubbers.
Heavy Support 3: 3 Punishers. Hunter killer missiles, hull heavy bolters, sponson heavy bolters, pintle heavy stubbers.
Troops 1: Infantry Platoon. Command squad with vox and 4 flamers. 5 infantry squads each with a grenade launcher and vox. 5 heavy weapons squads, one with 3 mortars, one with 3 autocannons, the rest undecided. 2 special weapons squads with 3 grenade launchers each. I haven't decided if my army will have conscripts or not yet.
The other troops choices I haven't bothered listing, because even though I'll probably have those before I have my heavy support, writing it all out takes a long time, even in my synopsis version.
I didn't mention it yet, but my IG army is going to be based off of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. By the time I update this next, Captain Blue's squad should be done, so you'll get to see the first squad of this army just as the paint is drying.
So, having gone over the codex roughly earlier, I've decided on the basic framework of my army.
HQ 1: Platoon command, with vox, and 4 flamers. The full support staff (astropath, fleet officer, master of ordinance, 2 bodyguards) and carapace armour for all. The concept is straightforeward enough, blast something with the ordinance, then get close and crispy with the flamers.
HQ 2: Commisar lord with carapace armour. He won't really be for combat, so I didn't deck him out with anything special. The only reason I'm bothering with him is the sphere of influence he's got. Shove a commisar lord into the middle of a ratling squad and they won't budge because they are using his leadership. Naturally, that makes him a target, so he gets carapace armour. While the points can probably be put to better use elsewhere, I think that the commisars are getting the short end of the stick in this codex.
Fast Attack 1: 3 armoured sentinels; an autocannon, a lazcannon and a multilazer. If I had the parts, I'd have probably had two autocannons instead, but a multilazer was all I had left, which is fine. The lazcannon opens a transport, the autocannon will if the lazcannon doesn't, then the multilazer cuts open the squad inside. Hunter killer missiles for all.
Fast Attack 2: 3 armoured sentinels. I don't have them yet, but I'm tempted to make it be an anti armour squad with all lazcannons. HKs here too.
Fast Attack 3: Currently Rough Riders, but if I were to get a Vendetta or three I'd change it to those. RR's are hero killers, but I can't see them being used in game anytime soon.
Elites 1: Ratlings. 10 of them. I'll have them get into some cover and basically let them take out what they can.
Elites 2: 10 Stormtroopers with flamers. They'll be part of the speartip of the army.
Elites 3: 10 Stormtroopers with a plasmagun, a meltagun, and I haven't built the rest yet, so I haven't decided what other weapons they'll have.
Heavy Support 1: 3 Punishers. Hunter killer missiles, hull heavy bolters, sponson heavy bolters, pintle heavy stubbers.
Heavy Support 2: 3 Punishers. Hunter killer missiles, hull heavy bolters, sponson heavy bolters, pintle heavy stubbers.
Heavy Support 3: 3 Punishers. Hunter killer missiles, hull heavy bolters, sponson heavy bolters, pintle heavy stubbers.
Troops 1: Infantry Platoon. Command squad with vox and 4 flamers. 5 infantry squads each with a grenade launcher and vox. 5 heavy weapons squads, one with 3 mortars, one with 3 autocannons, the rest undecided. 2 special weapons squads with 3 grenade launchers each. I haven't decided if my army will have conscripts or not yet.
The other troops choices I haven't bothered listing, because even though I'll probably have those before I have my heavy support, writing it all out takes a long time, even in my synopsis version.
I didn't mention it yet, but my IG army is going to be based off of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. By the time I update this next, Captain Blue's squad should be done, so you'll get to see the first squad of this army just as the paint is drying.
From the ground up (part one)
My Imperial Guard army, though I've had it the second longest, I've never actually properly started.
Indeed, the only reason I have one at all was that about three years ago I was offered a Catcachan heavy weapons squad on a discount because the box was damaged (the models themselves were fine) While I didn't particularly care for the Catcachan look (seriously, no armour?) I did like the idea of having my Ultramarines backed up by Imperial Guard, since the Ultramarines would be doing most of the hard work up close.
The Cadians are awesome looking models, and the Death Korp of Krieg even moreso, but as the latter are prohibitively expensive, I got some Cadians and thought I'd have a proper go at it.
Having briefly read through the new IG codex before being distracted by the pictures, I've figured out three things:
1. The 'orders' system is completely foreign to me.
2. The Imperial Guard have a whole mess of troops, so if I actually make a usable army I'll need a wheelbarrow to transport them.
3. Parts of the codex are written very poorly.
That said, here's my overview of what I think I'll do with the army as a whole..
HQ: These are the basic hammering units of every army. Make a commander, point it at anything non-vehicle and watch the body count rise. The Imperial Guard are comparatively fragile, so I imagine that it's going to really be more of a convoy for the special weapons guys. I'm thinking flamers, so that I can deal out the most damage per turn possible. The other HQ choices are also good, but I'd say the Platoon Command squad is going to be the favourite.
Troops: Infantry Platoons really do seem to be the only choice worth taking. I mean, sure, Veterans are closer in short ranged combat, and the Penal Legion can be outright devastating in the right circumstances, but neither of them give you the sheer numbers that an Infantry Platoon does.
Fast Attack: Sentinels are a favourite of mine, but I imagine most people will see these as a points sink. Sure you can pay more to make them armoured, but is it worth it? I think so, but most people use them to stand and shoot, which can be done better and cheaper by heavy weapons squads. Valkyries/Vendettas are going to be a favourite, less for their troop transport ability, but more for their hit and run lazcannons. Rough riders are still fragile, but are a solid one hit weapon, if I didn't already have five models, I wouldn't consider them viable at all. They would be useful to pair up with a Platoon Command squad for maximum impact damage. The Hellhound and it's variants are still mostly the same as before, so they'll still be a crowd pleaser. The new variant, the Banewolf, would be perfect for a Krieg army. I don't know how viable each of them are in combat, but I can't see the melta-toting one being as popular as the others.
Elites: Ogryns seem to be weaker than they used to be. While they could probably deal out some decent damage in close combat, I think I'd take a rough riders squad first, because they'd at least have a shot at surviving the counterattack. Why can't you give Ogryns carapace armour? Ratlings are as good as they always were, but there isn't much to say about them. You want stuff dead at long range? They can do it fine, but most people would rather take a Basilisk. The psyker squad seems to be a points sink unit, and I can't see it dealing out enough damage to be useful. I'm sure more skilled commanders could get their money's worth from them, but I like the more basic tactic of blowing things into tiny bits. My money is on the Stormtroopers. They've got the Imperial Guard's best gear, supposedly the best training, and are basically the equivalent of ODST's from Halo. They are there to nail the objectives while your army is getting into place. Lastly, Marbo.. Everyone seems to be rushing to make a model for him, and I just can't see why. I mean, sure, he's the IG version of Tellion, but he's still a guardsman. Your paying 65 points for one very fragile guy, when you could spend 55 and get an armoured sentinel, that would probably deal more damage in one turn than Marbo can in a whole game..
Heavy Support: You say those words around an IG veteran, and they'll smile. Rightly so, as the IG have the best guns. The most guns. Guns guns. There are some good ones, and some bad ones, there are no great ones though, because it always comes back to one major point: The IG can't shoot as good as the other armies. Thankfully, with the introduction of the Hydra and the Punisher, you don't really need to worry much about aiming. I love the Hydra, it's so perfect, when I first saw the model I started converting one from an Army Men tank. That said, I honestly think the Punisher is better. I'd love to have 9 of those in my army, but for now, I think we'll see if I can scratchbuild one. I imagine that project won't start for some time though. Heavy support is nice, but it can wait.
Tune in next time as I start conceptually putting the pieces into place. Same bat time, same bat channel!
Indeed, the only reason I have one at all was that about three years ago I was offered a Catcachan heavy weapons squad on a discount because the box was damaged (the models themselves were fine) While I didn't particularly care for the Catcachan look (seriously, no armour?) I did like the idea of having my Ultramarines backed up by Imperial Guard, since the Ultramarines would be doing most of the hard work up close.
The Cadians are awesome looking models, and the Death Korp of Krieg even moreso, but as the latter are prohibitively expensive, I got some Cadians and thought I'd have a proper go at it.
Having briefly read through the new IG codex before being distracted by the pictures, I've figured out three things:
1. The 'orders' system is completely foreign to me.
2. The Imperial Guard have a whole mess of troops, so if I actually make a usable army I'll need a wheelbarrow to transport them.
3. Parts of the codex are written very poorly.
That said, here's my overview of what I think I'll do with the army as a whole..
HQ: These are the basic hammering units of every army. Make a commander, point it at anything non-vehicle and watch the body count rise. The Imperial Guard are comparatively fragile, so I imagine that it's going to really be more of a convoy for the special weapons guys. I'm thinking flamers, so that I can deal out the most damage per turn possible. The other HQ choices are also good, but I'd say the Platoon Command squad is going to be the favourite.
Troops: Infantry Platoons really do seem to be the only choice worth taking. I mean, sure, Veterans are closer in short ranged combat, and the Penal Legion can be outright devastating in the right circumstances, but neither of them give you the sheer numbers that an Infantry Platoon does.
Fast Attack: Sentinels are a favourite of mine, but I imagine most people will see these as a points sink. Sure you can pay more to make them armoured, but is it worth it? I think so, but most people use them to stand and shoot, which can be done better and cheaper by heavy weapons squads. Valkyries/Vendettas are going to be a favourite, less for their troop transport ability, but more for their hit and run lazcannons. Rough riders are still fragile, but are a solid one hit weapon, if I didn't already have five models, I wouldn't consider them viable at all. They would be useful to pair up with a Platoon Command squad for maximum impact damage. The Hellhound and it's variants are still mostly the same as before, so they'll still be a crowd pleaser. The new variant, the Banewolf, would be perfect for a Krieg army. I don't know how viable each of them are in combat, but I can't see the melta-toting one being as popular as the others.
Elites: Ogryns seem to be weaker than they used to be. While they could probably deal out some decent damage in close combat, I think I'd take a rough riders squad first, because they'd at least have a shot at surviving the counterattack. Why can't you give Ogryns carapace armour? Ratlings are as good as they always were, but there isn't much to say about them. You want stuff dead at long range? They can do it fine, but most people would rather take a Basilisk. The psyker squad seems to be a points sink unit, and I can't see it dealing out enough damage to be useful. I'm sure more skilled commanders could get their money's worth from them, but I like the more basic tactic of blowing things into tiny bits. My money is on the Stormtroopers. They've got the Imperial Guard's best gear, supposedly the best training, and are basically the equivalent of ODST's from Halo. They are there to nail the objectives while your army is getting into place. Lastly, Marbo.. Everyone seems to be rushing to make a model for him, and I just can't see why. I mean, sure, he's the IG version of Tellion, but he's still a guardsman. Your paying 65 points for one very fragile guy, when you could spend 55 and get an armoured sentinel, that would probably deal more damage in one turn than Marbo can in a whole game..
Heavy Support: You say those words around an IG veteran, and they'll smile. Rightly so, as the IG have the best guns. The most guns. Guns guns. There are some good ones, and some bad ones, there are no great ones though, because it always comes back to one major point: The IG can't shoot as good as the other armies. Thankfully, with the introduction of the Hydra and the Punisher, you don't really need to worry much about aiming. I love the Hydra, it's so perfect, when I first saw the model I started converting one from an Army Men tank. That said, I honestly think the Punisher is better. I'd love to have 9 of those in my army, but for now, I think we'll see if I can scratchbuild one. I imagine that project won't start for some time though. Heavy support is nice, but it can wait.
Tune in next time as I start conceptually putting the pieces into place. Same bat time, same bat channel!
Introductus
So, after following about a dozen or two people on here unofficially, I figured I might as well start one of my own.
The goal here is to finally finish my armies, because frankly, I am utterly addicted to 40k, and have yet to properly finish an army.
I have four armies that will eventually be shown on here:
Ultramarines
Imperial Guard
Lamenters
The Enclave
You will probably see the Imperial Guard and the Enclave the most, the Lamenters and Ultramarines I generally consider to be complete, so they might make an appearance or two, but it'll be less frequent.
So, if you'd like to come along for the ride, hopefully there will be some neat stuff on here soon.
The goal here is to finally finish my armies, because frankly, I am utterly addicted to 40k, and have yet to properly finish an army.
I have four armies that will eventually be shown on here:
Ultramarines
Imperial Guard
Lamenters
The Enclave
You will probably see the Imperial Guard and the Enclave the most, the Lamenters and Ultramarines I generally consider to be complete, so they might make an appearance or two, but it'll be less frequent.
So, if you'd like to come along for the ride, hopefully there will be some neat stuff on here soon.
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