perjantai 29. toukokuuta 2020

Commissar training squad

One of the cooled things in Rogue Trader era WH40k are commissar training squads. Fanatic young men looking forward to becoming real commissars. The rules for collecting points on the battle field and field promotios are just something you don´t see today.

This has been a longish project as the commissar models are pretty hard to get for reasonable price. The last model to be finished is a banner bearer, a small conversion done by clipping of his chanin sword, repositioning his left hand and modifying a plastic arm so that the model can hold the flagpole.

The nine cadets all have blue details in their uniforms. Leader or trainer wears black cap and
armor. The standard bearer has distinquished himself in the battle and has the honor of carrying
the training squad´s flag. 

For cadets I chose models that carry a las gun and have no decorations on their great coat.
The leader was chosen on the basis of that skull bearing breast plate that appears in
the black and white above.



Immunity to all psychology effects - that´s a good prop.

keskiviikko 20. toukokuuta 2020

More cult beastmen

I wasn´t planning on making another beastman band for upcoming Geneatealer cult army. And then I ended up having two extra beastmen both of which are such nice sculpts that I just had to include them. Which means it´s off to ebay again to get me four more to have another group of six. As the Brood Brothers are carrying the the Cults banner I felt that the Beastmen need a flag of their own.

Fish faced banner bearer and single horned goat face. Paited mostly with contrasts.

Yes, that banner is a bit profane but they are old school Slaaneshian you know.

torstai 14. toukokuuta 2020

First purestrain and another hybrid

Slaanesh alligned Cult army growns with a single purestrain genestealer and a 2nd generation hybrid. I´m planning on having a grand total of perhaps three purestrains and half a dozen hybrids all together. So trying to keep this project from growing too big for me.

 The hybrid I like, the purestrain not that much. I might have to repaint him. Or some parts of him at least. I don´t think the yellowish claws work out as I wanted them to do. And that skin could be a bit more pale I think.

As I lack proper hybrid arms this guy was thrown together with what parts I could find.
I have no idea where that sword arm is originally from. 

The old IG plastic arms work well enough for these hybrids too.

lauantai 9. toukokuuta 2020

"Bravo" Company, 114th Salihanian Infantry Regiment



This is the Bravo company of 114th Salihanian Infantry Regiment originating from Salihani IV that is the only inhabited planet of Salihani system. Rediscovered and pacified a few centuries ago Salihani IV has been used to raise regiments to Imperial Guard for nearly two hundred years now. For first few decades it was a regiment every second or third year but now a days Salihani IV produces a full regiment annually.

Inhabitants of Salihani IV are mostly farmers and nomads who live in large family groups that form clans and tribes led by local chiefs/warlords. Hostilities between clans or tribes are common. As long as the large scale balance in the area is not jeopardized the Imperium lets the tribes do their small scale warring. In case some warlord gets too powerful and starts to threaten the Imperial rule the response is quick and violent. Normally the Imperial troops and administration is present only in the few larger cities and the area outside cities is controlled by the tribes.

Salihani IV is relatively underdeveloped compared to many better known Imperial worlds. Firearms have mostly replaced the traditional bows, spears and swords but the guns are usually simple stubguns or even muskets. Poor maintenance of weapons and other equipment is common among the tribes. In combat tribal warriors are usually indiciplined and confrontations are rarely desicive. Only when one side hugely outnumbers the other will something else than wild firefight with small casualties happen.

When rediscovered the salihanian worshipped the Moon God and some local minor deities. After the pacification campaing the comissariat had a relatively easy task of integrating the worship of Moon God as a part of the Imperial Cult. Almost all salihanians now bow to the Moon emperor who is presented as a harsh deity demanding unconditional obedience. And to whom one can best show his obedience by showing courage in the field of battle.

Regiments raised from Salihani usually have members of a single tribe in a company. This is to reduce tensions in unit but it also allows for the officers to promote competitons between the companies. Officers and almost all NCOs come from other Imperial systems. Tribal salihanians are very rarely promoted beyond the rank of a lance corporal. Discipline in the salihanian regiments is really harsh and a self-willed guarsman will very quickly found himself transferred to a penal batallion.

Because of the technical underdevelopment most salihanian regiments are infantry heavy. The simple las gun is the common trooper´s tool as it requires very little skill to use and is almost maintenance free. The more advanced systems and the rare vehicles are used by adeptus mechanicus personnel or specialist guardsmen from other systems. Abhumans are quite commonly used to boost combat value of salihanian units.

The guardsmen of "Bravo" company belong to Shamalii tribe that lives in the northern plains of Salihani. Shamaliis are nomad that move with herds in wide areas. Harsh desert environment has hardened these men to endure in such conditions where most would hard it hard to survive. Despite the large area inhabited by the Shamalii they are infact one of the smallest tribes of Salihani. As it happens "Bravo" is the only Shamalii unit in the 112th. Because of their nomad background, "Bravo" is often used for reconnaisance and patrolling duties.

112th is at the moment on Nitram II, a desert planed that was hit by a serious Ork invasion. Ork were able to take hold of two mines producing metals for Imperium´s weapon industry. Local Planetary Defence Force was unable to to contain the invasion and as it seemed that the whole planet might fall IG regiments were sent in.  At Nitam II "Bravo" company distinguished itself in the Battle of Adzira crater where it´s tenacious defence prevented the greenskin reinforcement to join the orsk surrounded in the crater area.

After the Battle of Adzira crater "Bravo" is roughly at 2/3 of it´s original strenght. The originally three squad strong tactical platoons noth have just two squads and the assault platoon whose brave action prevented the greenskin breakthrough is down to single squad and command section. With no manpower to replace the losses "Bravo" has been reinforced with abhumans and admech components to keep uo it´s combat value. Though battered "Bravo" is in a lot better shape than regiment´s Janubii tribe companies Charlie, Delta and Echo that were almost wiped out in the final bloody assault to Adzira.

Now located at Brander area with the rest of the regiment "Bravo" is tasked once again with patrolling. They are to find the surviving Ork units that were able to retreat from Adzira after the battle.
The same picture but in color. This is roughly one third of the models I have painted for this company. There was no way I could fit them all in on photo. Front from left to right: ogryns, company commander and head commissar on bikes, company banner and 2nd in command, rhino, ratlings and adeptus mechanicus detachment.
In the middle 2nd tactival (green) platoon, tarantula and sentinel.
Back: Parts of 1st tactical paltoon (blue), robots, parts of assault platoon (red), land speeder.

keskiviikko 6. toukokuuta 2020

Late generation hybdrids

After getting the Cult´s cannon fodder done it was time to work on the leaders. First coven members are the magus and two third generation hybrids. Both hybrids are pretty human like with two hands and no claws. But they do have their differences.

From left to right: a 3rd generation hybrid with missile launcher, magus with a staff 
and a 3rd generation hybrid with auto pistol. And no, they won´t be riding that rhino. That´s just a background for the pic.

The big boy on the left provides the Cult with some long range fire power. He is a drone with no ovipositor or psychic powers. His skin bears a slight pinkish hue that shows his ancestry. The hybrid on the right has a big cranium and I think he is a psyker. For that reason he is armed with just a auto pistol as he tends to stay out of harms way and use his abilities from afar.

I´ve tried to keep the same color scheme I used for Brood Brothers. Purple clothes, yellow armor, metal weapons and equipment plus black boots, pouches etc.

Now I need to get myself a patriarch, a couple of purestrains and some limos. 

lauantai 2. toukokuuta 2020

Mission Report: Yaluk III


"To Inquisitor Baranovksy

I must regretfully bring to your knowledge that my mission to terminate colonel Conrad was unsuccesful. After teleporting to Yaluk III surface from Imperial Cruiser Bristol City I was able to locate colonel´s camp guarded by troops loyal to him. I neutralized most of the troopers and took their leading sergent prisoner for futher investigation as xeno influence on colonel Conrad was suspected. Briefly interrogated the sergeant revealed colonel Conrad´s whereabouts to be in a small subterranean compound, entrance to which was located in the camp the sergeant and his men were guarding. Sedated and tightly bound I left the sergeant to wait for my return as I intended to take him with me to be released in the custody of the Inquisition.

Having then found the entrance I used the anti-grav elevetor to take me into a small room underground. From that location I was able to see colonel Conrad, his ogryn bodyguard and a xeno of species unknown to me. In the small corridor leading to colonel I had to engage the ogryn as there was no room to get past him. Taking down that brute took too long and both the xeno and colonel were able to teleport away. Their present locality is unknown.

Terminate colonel Conrad: Failed
Investigate xeno influence: Confirmed, the interrogation of captured sergeant may reveal more
Enemy casualties: 3 guards and 1 ogryn bodyguard removed


Hail Emperor
Tiberius Cimber"

 Imperial assassin Tiberius Cimber

His target: rogue coloner Conrad

The game area. Tiberius entered from north. Yellow blib near one of the columns is
a small energy source as scanned with energy scanner.

Moving through jungle-like vegatation Tiberius closes in to that energy source.

 It´s a sentry with a las gun. Tiberius tries to take him out quietly with a needler
but an alarm is raised. Sentry is disposed of in close combat.

Two more senties come in sight, these armed with autoguns. Their fire is
inaccurate and Tiberius crushes the nearer one with his power glove. 

An ugly sergeant leading the sentires arrives. 

Seeing the opportunity to get valuable information Tiberius takes out
the sergeant with a knock-out grenade. 

 The last sentry has no chance in close combat and is reduced to bloody pulp.
From inside the tent the entrance to subterranean compound is found.

 Tiberius could see the colonel, his ogryn and the xeno that was working on that 
machine in the other room.

The xeno was able to teleport away pretty quickly. 

Managing to wound the ogryn with his plasma pistol, Tiberius was eventually
forced to defeat the brute in hand to hand combat. 

But that took too long and colonel himself teleported to safety. 

The unidentified xeno


A quick report on a Rogue Trader game I was invited by LM. This one was to test Discord as a media for this kind of socially distanced gaming. And I think it worked fine. LM had created several channels like #general, # cast-of-characters, # mission-information, # player1-moves, # player1-board etc. to administer the game.

The game followed normal RT turn sequence and rules. LM acting as GM posted the mission information and the scenario initial situation. On #player1-moves channel I told what I was doing and LM posted the results of my actions there too. During each turn several pictures of the situation were posted on #player1-board channel.

So a very small scale game but very much in RT spirit and as mentioned playing it on Discord worked just fine. LM had the board set up in his place. I just had to roll a character for me. Really hoping to see more of this kind. And I know LM is concidering making a scenario for more than one player.