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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.