Flesh over Steel - Blessings of Biomancy

When surveying the different psychic power tables I'll admit I wasn't at first impressed by what Biomancy had to offer. This is partly due to the dribble-inducing potential of the Divination table, sadly unavailable to regular Marines, but also beacause of the stat-buffing nature of some of the powers and the poor Primaris option. The stat-buffing of Librarians has a poor precedent in the Space Marine codex as neither Quickening nor Might of the Ancients made the psyker the close combat monster it so desperately wanted to be. However, I quickly woke up and realised that both Warp Speed and Iron Arm are both so much better than their precursors. Smite is still a bit meh, but at least its AP2 is a bit more desirable now 2+ Armour saves are harder to bypass with AP3 Power Weapons. So let's review the other six powers and see if Biomancy is a good choice to roll on:

Allies: Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love Thunderwolf Cavalry

One of the more dramatic changes in 6th edition has been the inclusion of Allies as legitimate additions to your army. While my knee-jerk reaction to this was a fear of seeing Imperial Guard gunlines supplemented with Long Fangs and Rune Priests and whatnot, I then settled down a bit and considered how I could use these rules to get more dinosaurs on the table.

Personal and Miniature Update

Sometimes real life just can't stop hitting you in the face with lead buckets filled with bricks. After a rather turbulent year during which I occasionally spent a few hours on hobby-related activities I've thrown myself back into this pastime with confidence. 6th edition has given a lot of my miniatures a new lease of life. More on that in a later post. First, I'll show off what I've managed to paint in the last 18 months.

Assault Terminators



These guys really are the stars of the 5th edition Space Marine codex. Like the Land Raider they are inexorably associated with, they have built up an infamous reputation for assault power, cost efficiency, and above all a massive durability. Still, even these guys are not invincible, and using them correctly will often mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Coming up...

Well it's the new year, a good time to look ahead and draft some plans for the future.

Space Marine HQs - Librarian

Following up my previous post on Kor'sarro Khan, today I'll take a look at the other Space Marine HQ choice I use regularly, the Librarian.

Theming your army - 4: Additional Material

So to close off this multi-post, here are a few extra ways of incorporating a theme into your army.

Theming your army - 3: Theming Vehicles

Below I've given a brief overview of the vehicles in my army and how I added some small bits and bobs to fit them into my army's theme.

Theming your army - 2: Theming Infantry

 Following up on last post about theming your army, here I'll show how minimal work on infantry models can help show off the theme clearly, without having to splatter every model with Green Stuff.

 

Theming your army - 1: Ideas

Let's talk some 40k. Today's theme is: themes. I'll draw on my modest hobby experience here to provide some insight in theming your army.

Dinosaurs are dead...

...but this blog isn't.

Posting will resume from this point on!

Index Astartes - Storm Dragons

I discovered my humble blog received some attention on another blog, warhammer39999. I'm very grateful for the mention, and it made me realise I have yet to post some background material on my army. So for all you fluff-buffs, here is some history on the chapter!

In the ancient Librarium vaults of Terra, beneath adamantium walls a hundred feet thick, sealed with hexagrammic wards and atomic blast doors, lie those records whose content would drive the common man insane and shake the foundations of the Imperium should they be known to others than the most faithful of men.
Among the heretical works of the Ruinous Powers, arcane tomes of forbidden sorcery and blasphemous xenos texts fortelling the destruction of mankind are stored documents written by the Administratum itself in recent times, documenting the most atrocious crime known to man: treachery among the Emperors' space marines.


The last time the vaults were opened, one new file was added to the mountains of unholy knowledge stored therein, detailing the betrayal and destruction of the Storm Dragons chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.

Spotlight: Storm Dragon

This is currently my pride and joy, the Ultraforge dragon. In my opinion one of the best dragon models out there. As you may notice it's far from finished at the moment, the paintjob needs some cleaning up, it'll get a rider for it, and it needs a base.

Spotlight: Thunderfire Cannon

This model is my counts-as Thunderfire Cannon. It's based on the old metal Lizardmen Stegadon model, with the horns replaced by brain-implants. The turret consists of a regular, round 25mm base (with those weird hooks from the vehicle accessory sprue stuck on the side) topped with a Rhino driver's hatch. The gun itself is a cut-down twin-linked lascannon with the covering plate of the Vindicator's robot-arm (the one that holds the shell) stuck on top.

Battle Report: Tau versus Storm Dragons

Niek and I had another game pitting his Tau Cadre against my Marines. This time we played 1700 points (the standard 40k points level here in the Netherlands). 

Mission: Seize Ground (5 objectives)

Deployment: Pitched Battle

                                                   

 (Picture by Deviantart's Slipgatecentral)

Spotlight: Dragon Rider

Rawr!!

This model was the first actual dinosaur added to the army way back in 2008 and is still my favorite model in my collection.

He was made using the Lizardmen Carnosaur (quite obviously!), some bits from the Command Squad kit (legs, shoulder pads), a cut up Terminator torso (saddle), and a combat shield and WFB Slaaneshi Lord halberd, as well as some assorted Space Marine bits and bobs.

Battle Report - Word Bearers versus Storm Dragons

Drop pods rained down on Cephian IV, braving the storm-wrecked skies as the powers of the Warp enveloped the planet in its diabolical embrace. They sped towards the surface, landing among the ruined spires of Hive Ulliter. The black capsules crashed into the earth at the foot of the Cathedral of Paean, erected in honour of the Chaos Gods, the lives of tens of thousands of the enslaved populace expended in its construction. Thousands more had been sacrificed on its altars by the 47th Word Bearers host, and millions would follow.

The pod doors slammed open, and the Storm Dragons 2nd Company lined up before the ruined hab-blocks surrounding the Cathedral. As an orbital lance strike briefly swallowed all darkness in a sea of white flame, the unholy church vanished in a beam of pure energy. The shock wave shook the very foundations of the city, but the Storm Dragons stood resolute in its pummeling force. With grim resolution, the Storm Dragons advanced into the hab-blocks, intent on rooting out all traitors still lying in wait among Ulliter's remains.

Reinforcements: Scout Bikers on Cold Ones

I've painted up three of my Scout Bikers recently so I can use them in my games:

Battle Report - Tau versus Storm Dragons

Points: 1,000

Mission: Capture & Control

Deployment: Spearhead

Space Marine HQs - Kor'sarro Khan

Just a little food for thought based on my first experiences with Kor'sarro Khan and why I think he is an excellent addition to a mechanised Space Marine army.

Chapter Tactics
No doubt the most obvious reason to take Khan, your army exchanges Combat Tactics for Outflank. Most people take advantage of this by outflanking their Bike Squads or Assault Squads to get to grips with the enemy faster and without having to slog across the table. Outflank in general is seen mostly as a means to get your assault units in close range more reliably. However, if your opponent castles up in the centre, or deploys in a refused flank, you risk your units arriving piece meal with no further benefit, or on the wrong side of the table, respectively.