Space Wolves for the new Kill Team

Space Wolf team converted from the Space Marine heroes line, with custom Wolf Scout.

In the spirit of what I did with Special Operations Killzone for Kill Team 5^th ed I am tinkering with the current much improved version of Kill Team. I want to push the more narrative aspect of the game to a higher level. 

I am currently working on House Rules for a generic gear and weapons list that all teams can access as well as faction specific ones. I am also working on additional entries to most of the factions to make things more lore centric.

The first thing I have done is made a proper Space Wolves list for the new Kill Team. This list completely replaces the Tactical Marine and Scout entries for Grey Hunters, Wolf Scouts and a single Long Fang entry. This new list gives you a flavorful lore centric Space Wolves list that any Wolf Lord could be proud of.

Narrative Kill Team Space Wolves

I reimagined both the Tactical and Scout squad entries to match the options available to their Space Wolf cousins in the Grey Hunters and Wolf Scouts. This gave me a conundrum of how to handle the Grey Hunters melee weapons upgrades, as it is very common for a Hunter to carry a Chainsword or Combat Blade in addition to his Boltgun and Bolt pistol. Since having melee weapons like this gives them a clear advantage over tactical marines, I decided that Grey Hunters can all take a Chainsword or Combat Blade for the additional cost of one point, this way you can choose to take it or not. 

Since Grey Hunters don’t carry Heavy Weapons I chose to add the option to take a single Long Fang for that duty. I also limited the Grey Hunters to a single special weapon to off set this; even Heretic Astartes cannot take two special weapons they are limited to one plus a heavy weapon.

Feel free to share your thoughts and comment below. 

Praise the Allfather and pass the ammunition, until next time,

Big Jim

Fenris Hjolda!

Fenris endures and so does the blog, even though I have been quiet here in the last couple of years, my hobby mojo has become stronger than ever. 

After Deepstrike Radio ended I needed a break from 40k, I played other sci-fi games like Warzone and went to work for a brief period in the game industry. Well my game industry job has ended and I have more time for hobby posting again.

I have a No more 40k vow until GW give us a good Chaos Marine codex that makes basic Chaos Marines worthwhile to put on the table for their points. That vow so far will remain intact, however the Horus Heresy is 30k not 40k and the Rout are coming to the tabletop from Forgeworld by years end.

So I will be getting ready to rain down Sanction on the Thousand Sons and bring war to the crystal city!

I have taken the starts of my Long Fang conversions for 40k and made them 30K compliant they all now have missile launchers.

This is where the conversions originated from, they started off as the 2^nd ed Long Fangs or Devastator Marines. I did this because I love the reinforced leg armor. 

Now here they are in their converted glory, 2 of them we completed before starting this project and have the 40k missile launchers which I decided to keep for variety sake. I still have a bit of green stuff work on the squad leader, but the rest are ready for priming.

Until next time Praise Russ and pass the ammunition!

Wolf Theory Mk II: Revelations

So I had a post on this topic back in May 2009 I have decided to revisit it now. As I gear up to start working on the reboot of my Wolves, now that I am in the final stages of the Soul Reapers rebuild getting ready to unveil the first 2k on the blog.

I talked about how I plan to build an entire Great Company of Space Wolves this time around, but there are a couple of common issues.

How many Space Wolves are there in the Chapter? What makes up a Great Company?

Here is an important estimate from that post:

I estimated that a full strength Great Company was around 200 Space Wolves; with the Chapter probably maxing out around 2500 Space Wolves if it included all the priests and their initiates.

Now that we have a number of Astartes to work from in print via the Black Library novel Battle of the Fang, I fully believe those numbers to be extremely close to accurate. At the end of the novel there is one Great Company Depleted to 23 Astartes (the 12th GC who had been decimated defending the Fang), the other 11 Great Companies are present just returned from campaigning but still numbering a staggering 2000 Astartes of the Vlka Fenryka.

The new information really jells with the information from my previous post and I will be running with it. 

So here is what I plan to shoot for:

1 Wolf Lord

2 Rune Priests

2 Wolf Priests

2 Iron Priests
20 Wolf Guard
12 Grey Hunter packs (total of up to 110 Astartes)

2 Blood Claw packs (total of up to 30 Astartes)

4 Long Fang packs (total of up to 20 Astartes)

2 Wolf Scout pack (total of up to 20 Astartes)

I will vary the number of models in the Grey Hunter packs to show combat losses.  The Claws will be broken into the 3 types with 12 of them being foot born Blood Claws. The scouts will be built as 10 strong packs as well as with the options to be split into 4 packs of 5.

So that is my theory and plan.

Rules from the Man-cave: Proper Wolf Priests

One of my biggest gripes about the Codex Space Wolves is the Wolf Priest entry. They have lost the Apothecary wargear and abilities. This peeves me to no end.

After all Wolf Priests take the roles of the Chaplain and Apothecary within the Space Wolf chapter, being responsible for both the spiritual and physical well-being of their fellow Wolves.

So here in the Man-cave, my depraved mind has come up with the following addition to the Wolf Priest entry.

Wolf Priest 125 points

Same stats and options as the Space Wolf codex with the addition of a Narthecium to his standard Wargear.

The Narthecium allows the Wolf priest and any model in any squad that he has joint to benefit from the Feel No Pain USR from the main 40k rules book.

Notes: to figure the cost of the Narthecium I examined the Codex Space Marine Command Squad entry. It was determined that the Narthecium cost 15 points, but I was placing it on an Independent Character so I bumped the cost up by 10 points.

It was a fairly easy fix to what I saw as a glaring problem in the Codex.

Big Jim's to do list.

I have finally gotten back around to finishing up my Defiler. I should have finished pics up within the next 48 hours.

I need to finish converting and photograph the other 4 Chosen Chaos Marines.

I must go have a gallon of paint mixed up for the base color of the Realm of Battle board.

Gotta go pick up some greenstuff to finish some Space Wolf conversions for a hobby update on the Space Wolves blog, this week.

I also must go through the Soul Reapers mini-dex 5.1 email feedback that has come in. Some really varied views of my little project. So expect a post with excerpts from those emails later in the week. If anyone else has any feedback feel free to send it to me.

galaxynflamesblog@gmail.com

I also have 4 more Chaos Predators that need building for the Soul Reapers Armory. Two if these will be Mauler pattern Predator conversions.

Finally I need to work on enhancing the bases of the early Soul Reapers with cork rocks. This looks to be quite intensive, but at least it's only about a third of the miniatures that need the treatment.

Cheers,
Jim

Wolf Guard Ranulf the Strong: Homebrew rules

Here is the third and final of the Space Wolves Heroes of Antiquity special characters. He is by far one of my favorite 40k Characters of all time.

Ranulf is fabled to be the largest warrior that the Space Wolves have ever had. He is said to rival Leman Russ in his height and strength of arm. His massive Terminator armor now stands in the Hall of Heroes looming like a beast over all that look upon it.

The Saga of Ranulf’s death is told at great length and greatly revered by Space Wolves of any status. The Space Wolves were retreating through a narrow mountain pass, following a rare defeat by a Warhost of Orks. Ranulf and a handful of Wolf Guard stayed behind to face the Orks and facilitate the escape of the rest of the Space Wolves forces.

They made a gallant stand against the whole of the Ork host, Ranulf chose his ground wisely. This part of the pass was so narrow that the Orks could bring no more than a dozen warriors into combat at any one time against the Wolf Guard. The battle raged for many hours, the bodies of the Orks were piled as high as a wall. One by one the Wolf Guard fell, until only Ranulf was left standing alone. Though the Orks brought down the mighty Ranulf in the end, they could not bring themselves to desecrate his body.

When the Space Wolves finally retook the pass they found Ranulf and his dead companions seated in a hastily constructed shrine surrounded by an immense pile of Ork wargear. To the Space Wolves Ranulf was a great champion, but to his foes he became nothing less than a god.

Wolf Guard Ranulf

Points Value
210

WS-5, BS-5, S-5, T-4, W-3, I-5, A-3, LD-9

Type
Unique

Wargear
Terminator Armor
Storm Bolter
Power Fist
Wolf tooth Necklace

Special Rules
ATSKNF
Acute Senses
Counter Attack
Independent Character
Eternal Warrior
Might of Russ
Great Strength

Might of Russ: If Ranulf loses his last wound do not remove him, but instead place him on his side At the start of the next Space Wolf turn roll a D6 on the roll of a 3+ Ranulf staggers back to his feet with a single wound. If Ranulf would be placed in base contact with an enemy, place him so that he is more than an inch from any enemy models. On the roll of a 1 or a 2 Ranulf is removed as a casualty.

Great Strength: Ranulf is incredibly strong even for a Space Wolf. All of Ranulf’s Power Fist attacks have the same effect as a Thunder Hammer.

Leader of the Wolf Guard: Ranulf is the leader of his Great Companies Wolf Guard. There must be at least one unit of Wolf Guard in the army to field Ranulf.

I'd like to give special thanks to Bradimus Prime from the Space Wolves blog for helping me figure out what to do with Ranulf. Thanks again Bradimus!

Wolf Guard Durfast of Mordak: Homebrew rules

Here is the second of the Heroes from Antiquity for the Space Wolves.

Mordak is now a dead world; eons ago it supported an advanced civilization. When it was discovered by the explorers of the Adeptus Terra, the Techno-magi quickly recognized the importance of the technology found on Mordak. The Space Wolves of Hurgarl Stormbrow’s Great Company had been assigned to protect the world. Mordak lay deep within Ork-dominated space and it was not long before a large force of Orks arrived. A desperate war against time began in which the Space Wolves held the scattered excavation sites from the ever expanding force of Orks.

It was during this fighting that Durfast was to earn his place in the Sagas. Durfast lead the remnants of Hurgarls Great Company into the catacombs of Betan to kill the Ork Warboss. It was savage close quarter fighting in almost total darkness. Many Space Wolves died, but in the end the Warboss was killed. Leaderless the Orks were finally driven off. Thanks to Durfast the surviving Space Wolves made it back to the surface, evacuated the complex before destroying it with its own self-destruct systems.

One of the artifacts recovered on Mordak still resides within the Fang; the Iron Priests placed the artifact in a Space Wolf helmet. It has become known as the Helm of Durfast, the artifact utilizes temporal technology to endow the wearer with an uncanny awareness of the immediate past, present and future. This enables the bearer to anticipate the actions of his opponents.



Wolf Guard Durfast of Mordak

Points Value
165

WS-5, BS-5, S-4, T-4, W-2, I-5, A-3, LD-9

Type
Unique

Wargear
Power Armor
Bolter
Bolt Pistol
Frost Blade
Frag and Krak grenades
Helm of Durfast
Wolf tooth Necklace
Wolf Tail talisman

Special Rules
ATSKNF
Acute Senses
Counter Attack
Independent Character

Helm of Durfast: This artifact gives Durfast the ability to anticipate the actions of his foes; this ability has made him a formidable warrior.

The bearers save becomes Invulnerable. He may also re-roll any failed to hit dice in both the shooting and assault phases.

Wolf Lord Kyrl Grimblood ‘Savior of Fenris’: Homebrew rules

Grimblood was a special character in the second edition Space Wolf codex. His story always inspired me to build his Great Company. Since I am rebuilding my Space Wolves to represent his Great Company, I figure I should make a homebrew set of stats for him. This will be the first of three homebrew characters for the Space Wolves that have been forgotten to hallowed antiquity.

Kyrl Grimblood became a Wolf Lord during the age of Apostacy. During this time many false prophets came to power, but none as powerful as the Apostate Cardinal Bucharis. His rampage into the heart of the Imperium was halted on Fenris. For three years the forces of Bucharis lay siege to the Fang. The Space Wolves could do nothing to break the siege. Although they tried many time to breach the attackes’ lines. Eventually it was Kyrl Grimblood who saved the Fang.

Grimblood’s Great Company had departed the Fang five years earlier, on a mission into the Eye of Terror. Now he returned as the besieging forces of Bucharis mustered for the final attack. Grimblood’s Great Company smashed into the flanks and rear of the enemy army, scattering tens of thousands into the forests of Asaheim. To finally seal their fate, the besieged Space Wolves broke out, and the battle was won. Of those that escaped the Space Wolves none would survive the wolves of Asaheim.

Grimblood had saved the day and possibly Earth itself. It was not the end of Bucharis, whose armies were as numerous as the stars in the sky, but it was a setback. Other heroes would defeat the Apostacy on other battlefields, yet the victory of Kyrl Grimblood would herald the rebirth of a unified and powerful Imperium.


Wolf Lord Kyrl Grimblood

Points Value
240

WS-6, BS-5, S-4, T-4, W-3, I-5, A-4, LD-10

Type
Unique

Wargear
Power Armor
Bolt Pistol
Frost Axe
Frag and Krak grenades
Belt of Russ
Wolf tooth Necklace
Wolf Tail talisman
Saga of Majesty

Special Rules
ATSKNF
Acute Senses
Counter Attack
Independent Character
Providence of Russ

Providence of Russ: Kyrl has a knack for amassing his forces in the right place at the right time, granting him the ability to destroy his foes by catching them off guard. Some would say that is comes from his tactical genius, but he believes it comes from Russ himself.

Any Space Wolves army that includes Kyrl Grimblood may use the Outflank rule on any unit placed in reserve. Additionally the army adds +1 to its reserve dice rolls to determine which units arrive every turn.

GiF update and things to come

Hey guys, I've been busy with real life issues, sorry it's been a little slow round here.

I am getting ready to post a quick update on Monday for the the Soul Reapers Mini-dex. Nothing major just couple of tweaks.

I will post finished pictures of Xusia the Sorcerer on Sunday afternoon.

I have a few more Homebrew articles to finish and post in the next few weeks also.

I posted my planned Space Wolves list for the upcoming Ragnarok GT in San Fransisco over on the SW blog. While preparing for the event things will slow down here on GiF a little bit. As I need to convert and paint a bunch of miniatures for the tourney.

Playtesting of the Soul Reapers is going strong and will continue while I work on my Wolves. So all in all lots of good stuff from me coming you way soon. I will keep you guys informed on what I am doing between the two blogs every Friday in an update post like this.

Cheers,
Jim

Soul Reapers lists for the 2010 Tourney scene 1 Chaos & 1 'Counts As' goodness

As the 2010 Tournament season is almost upon me, I need to make a decision on what Codex I will be using for the Soul Reapers to do battle.

First up I have a 2000 point list from the Chaos Space Marine Codex.

HQ 250
Xusia (counts as Ahriman)
250

Elites 185
4 Terminators with 3 combi-melta, Reaper AC, 1 Chainfist, Icon of chaos glory
185

Troops 894
10 Chaos Space Marines with 2 meltaguns and icon of chaos glory
Aspiring Champion with power fist
Rhino, extra armor
270

10 Chaos Space Marines with 2 meltaguns and icon of chaos glory
Aspiring Champion with power fist
Rhino, extra armor
270

9 Chaos Space Marines with 1 Plasma gun and icon of chaos glory
Aspiring Champion with power weapon and combi-plasma
Rhino, extra armor
250

8 Lesser Daemons
104

Fast attack 268
6 Chaos Bikers with 2 meltaguns and icon of chaos glory
Aspiring Champion with power fist
268


Heavy Support 395
2 obliterators
150

Predator
LC sponsons
130

Dakka Predator
HB sponsons, Havoc Launcher
115

For 1850 Drop the Dakka Pred and one Combi Terminator.


Here is a 2000 point list of Counts as Space Wolves. I'm considering this for a few reasons. The main one being I want my new Wolf army to be my painting showcase army and that is gonna take a long time to complete.

HQ 405
Xusia (counts as Njal)
245

Sorcerer (counts as RP)
Master of runes, Tempest, Living Lighting, Chooser
160

Elites 212
4 Wolf Guard
3 Combi-Melta, 3 Power Fists, 1 Frost Blade
162

Lone Wolf
Frost Blade, Melta bombs
50

Troops 775
5 Grey Hunters
Power weapon, Melta gun
Razorback TLAC, extra armor
185

5 Grey Hunters
Power weapon, Melta gun
Razorback TLAC, extra armor
185

8 Grey Hunters
1 Plasma gun, Power weapon
Rhino, extra armor
205

8 Grey Hunters
1 Melta gun, Power weapon
Rhino, extra armor
200

Fast Attack 292
8 Fenrisian Wolves
Cyberwolf
72

3 Soul Crushers (counts as Thunderwolves)
Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, 2 Melta bombs
220

Heavy Support 310
6 Long Fangs
5 Missile Launchers
140

Dakka Predator
HB sponsons
85

Dakka Predator
HB sponsons
85


For 1850 drop the Sorcerer/RP and add a Hunter to the Melta Rhino Pack.