I've been thinking about trying some slightly new things in my army lists since attending the tournament a few weeks ago. I usually take at least two S10 blasts in the form of Demolisher's, Manticores or Medusa's, but the success of the direct fire techniques we used at the tournament has persuaded me to try something else. The army list is at the end of this post but the point is, i realised i needed some more men with grenade launchers. Therefore with my massive (£10) prize money i went and bought a Catachan infantry box set and set about building a complete squad of veterans with three grenade launchers and an autocannon. The photos show the results, and I'd love to know what you think.
This is the first five. from the front and the back. I have used mainly Catachan parts but with a large selection of stuff from my bits box. Most notably, none of the weapons are standard lasguns. There are shotguns, autoguns, and even an Eldar lasgun in there. additionally, the shoulder pads were taken from Cadian arms. I just cut them up and filed out the middles before gluing them on.
And the second half of the squad. I know the autocannon is smaller than most of you are used to seeing, but in the good old days (and a lot of current fluff), autocannons really were man-portable weapons, and all my models reflect this. Even so, I actually need to give him or his loader a bipod to carry, as there is no way he could fire that thing on the move.
Finally, here are some of my older models, complete with paint (Sorry about the colouration on the second one, not sure what happened there). I am not a great painter, but i hope i am a decent army painter. These guys are supposed to look striking when viewed as whole squads, yet different enough to stand out as individuals.
As for the army idea i mentioned, here it is.
Primaris Psyker
Primaris Psyker
Stormtroopers - 2 melta, chimera
Stormtroopers - 2 melta, chimera
Veteran Squad - 3 melta, chimera
Veteran Squad - 3 melta, chimera
Veteran Squad - 3 grenade launcher, autocannon, chimera
Veteran Squad - 3 grenade launcher, autocannon, chimera
Vendetta - heavy bolters
Vendetta - heavy bolters
Hydra
Hydra
dead on 1500
I would put a psyker in each ST chimera and scout them, or in the GL vets and outflank the stormies. combined with putting the vets in the vendettas i have awesome alpha strike potential there.
I just don't know if either the stormies or the psykers are worth their points.
let me know what you guys think.
Scout is a USR that is lost through the attachment of an IC without the rule...if you attach your psykers in the ST units, they won't be able to Scout...
ReplyDeleteWhy not use the ST's chimera as rides for the Psykers on their own, firing their 2D6 S6 out the top whilst the ST's deep strike to drop melta targets using their special operations for a reliable drop?
Fantastic work.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of grenade launchers, so it's great to see someone else showing them some love.
I also have issues with the unwieldy bulk of IG support weapons, so that autocannon is superb: I think I may just have a play with copying that at some point...
Thanks for sharing!
Funnily enough, I often put a psyker into a chimera with my grenade launcher-toting veterans, and occasionally give them an autocannon too.
ReplyDeleteStationary, with the psyker, 3 gren and an autocannon they can pump out 2d6+3 Str6 shots, 2 Str7 shots and whatever the chimera's armed with (at least 3 Str6 shots, albeit only at BS3).
Even on the move, that's upto 18 Str6 shots upto 24" away; most of which are at BS4 too!
Its definately an excellent way of spamming S6...The Gren/Auto/MLaser combo is great as it is...add 2D6 as well...sweet.
ReplyDeleteBUT...is it worth these guys over the CCS? Staying with the same principle, I've been trying out 4 GL CCS..with rerolls its not bad at all...
Do you ever catch any flak for non WYSIWYG models (considering some have shotguns, lasguns, autoguns, etc.)? Do you use them as "counts as" shotguns (since those are the most plentiful?
ReplyDelete@Warhammer39999: Wow - they'd have to be a pretty petty opponent to cry 'WYSIWYG' on so minor a detail. I'm not a competitive player, but that really has got to be a piece of pedantry too far!
ReplyDeleteI'd be overjoyed to face veterans that look like veterans armed with an array of (counts-as) weapons!
I'd hope for your sake you've never had to play anyone who would challenge models like these...!?
@ Venerable. actually, the unit (in this case ST's) confers the scout ability on its transport. a vehicle with scout is allowed to transport units without scout when it makes its scout move (case in point, the vendetta). therefore it is logical that the independant character that joins the squad and is transported in their transport can also scout. am i going to far? it seems logical to me...
ReplyDelete@ Drax thanks for the comments, both about my vets and list. feel free to copy my autocannons. i'll try and show some others at some point. i should point out that i magnetise both the heavy weapon and their loader so that they attach to a larger base. when it loses a wound i just take off the loader. this helps with transportation too ;)
@Warhammer39999 no-one has complained yet. it actually gets a lot worse as many of my men were converted to have the 'warrior weapons' doctrine in the previous IG codex and are armed with axes, flails, swords and shields, etc. in most cases i feel it is only fair to count any model not armed with a heavy or special weapon, or clearly designated as a sergeant, as having a lasgun.
No, no-one in my local gaming group would be that anal--but I'm sure they exist. Especially since one of those really is a lasgun: I could forsee running into someone who called foul.
ReplyDeleteNot that I care at all--I'll play against an army of eldar "counts as" necrons, just so long as you explain what's what. I can just see someone throwing a fit over something this petty.
@Atreides - sorry bro, faulty logic. The Vendetta itself has the Scout USR, therefore does not care what it transports. But the Chimera is only granted Scout through the conference from ST's.
ReplyDeleteThe IC must join the unit before embarking on the transports as, per page 66 (right pg ref I think - Ded. Transports)only one unit plus attached characters can be in a transport...which of course you'd do at deployment, declaring that the unit is in there with the psyker...
when this happens, the ST immediately lose the USR 'Scout' as we are told on page 56. This is because Scout is asterisked... when an IC joins the unit it loses scout.
When the boys & psyker get in their transport it does not have the rule to confer...
Hope that makes sense... ;)
absolutely. i thought it might be too good to be true :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, shame. But I like the idea of the psyker pumping shots out the top of the chimera as the ST drop in with special operations and melta the crap out of something...
ReplyDeleteyeah me too. i'll try and fit in an Astropath if i intend to do that though. that way i can outflank reliably as well. not getting much chance to game at the moment but i'll try the list out next thursday.
ReplyDeleteArteides - Damo here matey, said I'd post, I'll refrain from the abuse though.
ReplyDeleteI like the throwback to the old school Autocannon, plucks a string in my old school hear that I have to say.
Need to get some more pictures up of your tank conversions as well, and that bird :P.