A big part of this blog, for me, is creating the type of 40k content I enjoy reading, and one of the things I enjoy is hobby and gaming updates. So, as a dual way of generating content for this blog and rambling at length about my gaming and hobby journey, I present the first of my hobby updates! I’m not going to make any commitments about how often these will materialise: it may be monthly, it may be quarterly, it may be when I have something worth sharing. Only time will tell.
Christmas Carnage
This is technically from before 2024, but was such a cool project and game it needs to be shared. My hobby journey started when I was eleven when Jason brought the third edition 40k rulebook to school and Greg, Elton and I all gathered around at recess to gaze reverently at it. Though Greg, Jason, and I all returned to the hobby in life, Elton never took the plunge of starting an army.
So like good friends/persistent drug dealers, we took the plunge for him and painted up an army for Christmas.
The army in question was 1,000 points of Tyranids, specifically the Leviathan contents with a second Screamer Killer. To celebrate and surprise Elton, we organised a four-way game and sprung the present on him. I think he was quite pleased.
For the uninitiated, Carnage is a classic scenario from 3rd edition where each player deploys in a corner and a single objective is placed in the centre. Whoever controls it at the end of the game wins: no progressive scoring, no secondaries, winner takes all.
The game was a bloodbath, with lots of close assaults and a Hammerhead reaching across the table to annihilate dangerous targets. It was also beautiful, played on Jason’s gorgeous jungle table and all four armies fully painted. In the end, Elton triggered Shadow in the Warp on the final turn, knocking Jason’s unit on the objective to OC 0, but failing the charge to put his own bugs on the objective. Game ended in a four-way tie: arguably the perfect outcome!
One take away I will mention is we rolled for turn order every battle round. I wouldn’t recommend this: it was rather wonky and had a few feel bad moments when I got to attack Greg twice in a row. It didn’t ruin the game, but I wouldn’t suggest it again.
Gathering the XVIIIth
I started acquiring models last year to build a Horus Heresy Salamanders army and this month have received the final pieces to complete the list (thanks Jeff and Zach!). With 45 models to build (ranging in size and complexity from Tactical Marine to Spartan), my goal was to build one model a day to complete the project by mid-February and stay on my rough schedule for 2024 hobby goals (which is already being amended, Emperor help me…). Halfway through January, I had a free weekend and was able to get a huge chunk of it done towards my 2,500 point list. This was built from the Age of Darkness starter set, Cataphractii terminators I already had, some resin miniatures, and a few repurposed firstborn marines I never got round to painting.
First off, the line troops: two ten marine strong Tactical Squads with chain bayonets. Both sergeants I upgraded with lightning claws and various Mk 3 bits to make their loadouts work. I loved the Mk 6 kit, but my only complaint was the weird loadout for the sergeant. You must give them a plasma pistol and melee weapon OR bolter: there’s no bolt pistol in the kit.
Next, even more straightforward than the Tactical Marines, was the flamer squad: ten support troopers with the extra good Salamander flamers (Strength 5!) will add even more anti infantry to the list.
After the troops came the Spartan. I spruced it up with some 3D printed Land Raider doors (one had a slight misprint which became battle damage: perfect to match my dirty, grim paint scheme and Istvaan sands basing) and threw a magnet into the hull weapon slot, though I suspect it will usually run lascannons.
Resin came next: two Apothecaries (the old Mks 3 and 4), just stock built, and the Terminator Praetor. The Praetor is converted from the Gabriel Angelos chapter master that I fortunately picked up before it went out of print. I cut back the various spikes, scraped off the Blood Ravens icons, and filed down the hair to make him bald. Not quite finished, the plan is to throw on a greenstuff Salamander cloak (made using the Greenstuff World serpent scale mold) and a 3D printed shield chained to his back with 1mm jewelery chain. He’ll be a Praetor with master-crafted thunder hammer, dragonscale storm shield, and mantle of the elder drake: tough as nails and hits like a truck (hopefully: at the time of writing, I haven’t played the army yet).
After the resin characters came the Contemptor Dreadnought, complete with resin chest. I went with the classic multimelta and fist combo (with heavy flamer, naturally). 75% of the way through I realised I should magnetise this beast, followed by a realisation I shouldn’t have glued the weapons together, followed by a realisation that I don’t have the right sized magnets.
Finally, the last unit to tackle were the Veterans: 10-strong Mk 6 unit with two heavy flamers and hand flamers and power swords for the rest, plus a spruced up sergeant. These would be my bullies: putting out ten S 4 or 6 templates before charging in and wiping out any power armoured survivors. Sure, they’ll fold to Terminators, but that’s my Cataphractii’s problem not theirs.
And that’s where I currently stand: waiting for the chain and magnets to arrive so I can finish the Praetor and Contemptor. There’s a lot of projects on the docket before this army gets painted, but if I can get the green primer down at some point this year I’ll be happy.
The God-Engines Walk
I was lucky enough to get in two games of Titanicus in January, one against Jeff’s custom legio and another versus Zach’s Legio Krytos. Both games used the Open War cards, though against Zach we ignored the random effects and didn’t use stratagems as he’s still very new to the game (not to mention I’d call myself more of a Titanicus enthusiast rather than an expert).
As there had been a snowstorm the night before, I chose Arctic World for the planetary effect in my game against Jeff, and we drew Vox Screech for the battlefield effect. The former made our reactors easier to cool (but critical damage harder to repair) and the latter made all Awakened Machine spirit rolls happen without failing a command check.
That came up. A lot.
Jeff’s luck was absolutely horrific, while my dice were complete fire. We both used fairly standard Axiom maniples (one Warlord each, with some Reavers, Warhounds and Knights to taste), and I tried a double melee Reaver that just ran towards Jeff’s engines full tilt. This, plus my flanking units, did a good job of boxing Jeff’s forces into his corner, and after a devastating turn of fire from my Warlord that annihilated his Reaver in one round the rest of my forces were able to flank Jeff’s remaining titans and wipe him out. Victory for loyal Crucius!
Jeff and I got in a second game, this time 40k, where his Krieg held off my Storm Guard while we each searched for tunnel entrances. This was a great back and forth, with each of us feeling like we were on the back foot, but in the end Jeff racked up way more points than I did and pulled out a solid victory.
Against Zach, we had to each destroy objectives in the other’s deployment zone. My secondary was to keep my Princeps Senoris alive (aka my Warlord), which didn’t go well as my luck turned. We had similar forces – again, each with an Axiom, though Zach had a Warbringer instead of a second Warhound. I also swapped out wargear, trying the power claw on my Warlord for the first time.
I can’t really pinpoint what went so wrong this game, but Zach was able to keep me at range the whole game and pummell my forces into dust. There was a great moment when my close ranged Reaver shot point blank with its fusion gun and then followed up with a power fist to core Zach’s Reaver, but that was my only engine kill. Meanwhile, my titans went down one by one, with Zach eventually outflanking and surrounding my deadly Reaver. Nevertheless, Titanicus is almost as much fun when your engines are blowing up spectacularly and the game was a (reactor) blast.
Take away from this game is if I’m going to run the Warlord power claw again, I need to have stratagem support to make it work. I essentially was down a weapon on my Warlord the whole game and it didn’t have the effect I wanted to. Lessons learned for next time.
Next time
Going into February I’m starting on some Space Marine characters, hoping to finish them in time for a campaign kick-off event. I came out of the Titanicus games really wanting to paint my Psi-Titan, but as I already have a 1,750 point list fully painted it took a back burner to campaign forces. Terrain is also looming large for an event later this year, so that will have to start happening. Tune in next time to see if my progress is tanked by Sons of the Forest.
Photos of Crucius vs Krytos battle by Zach. Other photos by Ian.