Christmas Battle: 'The Razing of Welkrop IV'

To celebrate the festive period and to make good use of the time off from work(!), Duncs and I will be playing out a 3,500pt battle at Warhammer World between his Dark Mechanicum forces and my VI Legion Space Wolves. To frame our battle, I have knocked up a quick bit of background and a simple mission for us to play.

THE RAZING OF WELKROP IV

DATELINE: Welkrop IV, in the year 007.M31

In the dark months that followed the great deception at Isstvan, traitorous elements throughout the Imperium revealed themselves and openly pledged allegiance to Horus' war against the Emperor of Mankind. 

On the Forge World LMII-Gamma on Welkrop IV in the Engell system, the chief Magos swore the fealty of his facilities to the Warmaster, in exchange for the freedoms afforded by his new Lord to combine dark magicks and the unbridled powers of the warp with the greatest technological marvels of the Mechanicum. 

With the shackles of the Emperor that restricted such diabolical research removed, the Warp-Magos delved deep into the Immaterium, striking deals for unlimited power with the Ruinous Powers in exchange for an unrestricted route into real space for the Daemonic hordes of Chaos. 

Word of the Dark Mechanicum's defection soon reached Terra. Quickly, the VI Legion were dispatched to Welkrop IV to search out and expunge the traitorous elements there, and to neutralise their research facilities in order to prevent their warp-mutated war-engines from bolstering the Traitor forces. 

GAME SET UP:

Pitched Battle deployment is used. 

Prior to the deployment of his forces, the Dark Mechanicum player places 5 buildings / ruins in his half of the board to represent the R&D Manufactorums of the Warp-Magos. These are impassable terrain for both players. Each has an Armour Value of 13 and has 4 Hull Points each. Replace these buildings / ruins with a crater or rubble etc if destroyed. 

MAIN OBJECTIVE: 

Kill Points:

- 1pt per pt of enemy unit completely destroyed

- 1/2pt per pt of enemy unit completely depleted to less than 50% of its starting number of Wounds / Hull Points

SECONDARY MISSION - DARK MECHANICUM

3pts per Manufactorum that survives the game with at least 1 Hull Point. 

SECONDARY MISSION - LOYALISTS

3pts per Manufactorum that Destroyed at the end of the game.

2 Year Hobby Challenge - One Year In

So, back on the 24th November last year I set myself a challenge to build up the following over a two year period:

- build a 2500pt VI Legion (Space Wolves) unification wars veterans army

- build a Squat Land Train

- build 3 x Squat Iron Eagle Gyrocopters

- build a Squat Leviathan super heavy

- build a Khorne Daemon allied force to complement my existing pre-Heresy World Eaters army

So, after nearly a year, where am I? 

I have completed the biggest part of it - the VI Legion unification wars veterans army: 

I have also made a good start on the Land Train, with only the detailing left to do: 

 

The Daemons are also well in hand: 

So, what is left to do? I need to convert three Valkyries into Iron Eagle Gyrocopters, and to build the Leviathan. Watch this space for progress! 

 

  

Revealed - Codex: Genestealer Cults

Announced today, and available (preorder or to buy?) on 24th September..... CODEX: GENESTEALER CULTS! 

Another blast from the past and a welcome re-introduction to the game, I'm glad GW are re-exploring some of the weirder, darker corners of the galaxy. 40k doesn't have to just be about mighty warriors clashing on the battlefield, it can also be about the countless smaller skirmishes and confrontations on the myriad planets and hives throughout the Imperium. 

Two Minutes to Midnight?

For as long as I have played 40k (and I started back in the Rogue Trader era, so that's s LOOOONG time), the clock has been set at two minutes to midnight, figuratively speaking. The story has not advanced at all. The Old Man is still sat on his throne, the tendrils of the Tyranid Hive Fleets are still a marauding threat at the edges of Humanity's borders and the other alien races are still pottering about. Chaos is... there, but not really a dynamic threat. Sure, the story has been fluffed out over the years with various stories and backgrounds in the codices, but most of these have been carefully constructed cul-de-sacs where nothing actually changes the course of the story.

So, what's changed? Well, the build-up to the Death Masque box set hinted toward an update in our favourite grim-dark storyline, and then today - BAM! - this image appeared on GW's own Facebook page, telling us in no uncertain terms that the storyline will be advancing toward 40k's very own version of the End Times, and personally I am cautiously very excited! 

For over twenty-five years I have stoically stayed loyal to 40k, never straying to any other sci-fi or fantasy setting. True, I tried Flames of War for a short while, but that was really more an extension of my interest in military history (and personal history, given my grandparents' direct involvement). I have also recently gotten heavily into 30k, which I really see as 40k's 'creation myth' if you will (a bit like the Silmarillion' is for the Lord of the Rings books). 

So part of me is a little scared that the bedrock of my favourite Sci-fi game is changing. Who will be killed off? Who will return? Will the game I love still be the game I love after all the upheaval? 

Probably, yes. Things are rarely as radical as your mind imagines. So, whilst I nervously await the changes, I'm also massively excited to see how our story progresses! 

30k Space Wolves

Just a quick post to say that the Claws & Fists blog hasn't completely disappeared!

Recently I have been playing a lot of 30k, with this Space Wolves army: 

'Codex: Squat Strongholds' Is Here!

Finally, my meisterwork is complete! After six years, I have finally finished work on my fandex for 30k and 40k Squats. You'll find it here:  

Codex: Squat Strongholds

Please feel free to download it, read through it and even play a few games with it! So far, the units, rules and points values have had no playtesting, so once you have played some games, please let me know your experiences.

 

Have fun!

 

Graham.

Tunnelling Machines & Steampunk Tanks

Now, these are cool. Ironclad Miniatures (http://www.ironcladminiatures.co.uk/ourshop/cat_302101-Steam-Tanks.html) in Wales make some awesome resin steampunk models, including the tunnelling machines I've pictured below. Obviously these would be perfect as Termites and Moles for any old-school Squat players out there.

Obviously I bought some!