New Year’s Day Game: Warhammer 40k 5th Ed - Sisters of Battle vs Red Star Orks

So in accordance with ancient tradition, I hosted a game on New Year's Day. We've had some really fun ones in the (fifteen or more?) years I've hosted them, but the best ones were those that my late wife Pam helped organize. While I'd plan the game, she would plan a menu appropriate to the setting. Operation Sea Lion? British pub food and the best pork-and-apple pie I've ever tasted. Winter War? Finnish cuisine, but delicious meatballs and such, not disgusting herrings kept in a jar under the stairs for a year. Chicago gangster skirmish? Why deep-dish pizza of course. And there were many more. The meals were always awesome and it was so much fun to have the boys' spouses come by after the game to visit and enjoy the food. Now it's typically pizza, which is great, but working together with Pam on planning the game and food is just another one of the innumerable things I miss.

Anyway... this year I wanted to have a 5th Ed Warhammer 40K game. I've written here before that for me, 5th Ed is the best edition of 40K. We played a lot of it back in the day and the rules come back to mind pretty quickly. Also there's no mind-numbing Command Points, Strategems, or other mind-bending complications apparently lifted from competitive card gaming. Just pretty straightforward miniatures gaming. Yes there's some special rules, and we always forget some in the course of the afternoon, but nothing too taxing on the noggin. Plus it lets me get out the old metal models from my favourite period of 40K history.

I also wanted to inaugurate the Cathedral shown in the picture above... so it made the most sense to have a game where a couple units of Sisters were holding out against an Ork horde while both sides' reinforcements came on from Reserve. The scenario was based on one in the Bolt Action 3rd Ed rulebook that we've played before. It was a pretty big game too - just about 10 points shy of 2,000 points a side.

Half of the Orks came on in the first turn and the rest were in Reserve. Conscripts Mike and Hugh ran the Ork side while Dave and Chris played the Sisters. They chose a squad of Battle Sisters and a Retributor (heavy weapons) squad to start in the Cathedral while the rest would come on later. The Orks sent two Battlewagons (one carrying the Mega-Nobz, Warboss Ugrod Neksnappa and Big Mek Tarik Gutsmirk, and the other with a mob of 15 Boyz), another mob of Boyz, the Stormboyz, and a Deff Dread straight towards the Cathedral. You can see them in the first picture at the top of the post.

 

The Orks got to deploy their Kommando squad as Infiltrators and Scouts which was fun. They started on the far side of the Cathedral.

Eventually more Sisters arrived, followed by an Ork Deff Dread that appeared uncomfortably close to the Exorcist. Unfortunately for the Orks it was only able to immobilize the vehicle.

A buggy squadron also came on from Reserve on the same short table edge!

Meanwhile the Seraphim dropped in from Deep Strike to take on the Ork Stormboyz.

Back on the south side of the table the Penitent Engines charged the Deff Dread... while we all expected the Dread to be annihilated it actually took out one of the Engines!

The Seraphim were overwhelmed by the Mega-nobz with some help from the Kommandos.

 

Meanwhile north of the Cathedral things were going little better for the Sisters as a squad was charged and wiped out by a 15-strong mob of Boyz...

On the second-last turn of the game, though, Uriah Jacobus and nine Arco-Flagellants arrived and they were looking to get stuck in...

On the last turn the ideal opportunity presented itself with a mob of 15 'Ard Boyz just on the other side of the Blasted Terrace. The Arcos just needed a decent charge roll to get into close combat.

Back up north the Tankbusta Mob disembarked from their looted Rhino and started blasting away, while the Sisters who'd come in behind them set up a gunline.

You can see the charge roll for difficult terrain at the top of the photo... four inches was enough to get the Arco-Flagellants stuck in.

It wasn't even a contest. With Uriah Jacobus' Banner of Sanctity and the charge the nine Arcos added two more attacks to the four already on their profile... so that's 54 WS5 S4 attacks, plus four more from Uriah himself. Even with 'eavy armour giving them a 4+ save, the 'Ard Boyz were never gonna stand up to that.

Here's some more pictures of the battlefield at the end of the game:

Each side scored one VP for each enemy unit completely destroyed. As always happens in that kind of game there's always a couple units that are just barely hanging on with a couple of models left alive... but those don't count for any VPs. The final score was Orks 5VP, Sisters 3VP.

Although Conscript John visited before the game and Conscript Hugh had to leave near the end, we had a good visit and a fun game. Above (L to R) you can see me, Chris, Dave and Mike.

I love hosting the New Year's Day game and it was unfortunate that some of the guys were sick and couldn't make it. But I have resolved to try and host more games this year so we'll see how that goes.

Happy New Year and all the best in 2026!

Ancient Germans and Sisters Repentia!

Now how about that for a random combo? First up here's the first models in the "opfor" that'll be facing my Early Imperial Romans... they're ancient Germans from Wargames Foundry.

Great models, these. Ancient Germans rarely wore shirts apparently and one of these guys is an early adherent of the... ahem... "naturist" lifestyle.

Painting was pretty easy once I figured out an easy flesh technique. The Romans I did with a really drastic "Dallimore" style of Cadian Flesh over Doombull Brown, but I wanted to do something quicker for the Germans. So I started with Doombull, then used a heavy drybrush of Doombull mixed with Cadian, Mixed with Kislev Flesh, up to straight Kislev Flesh, all in gradual steps. Pretty quick and looks OK I think. The axe handle is Mournfang Brown highlighted with Vallejo New Wood.

Here they are with one of the Foundry legionaries. More to come on this one!

Next up here's a couple more Sisters Repentia for the Sisters of Battle. I wanted to get these done before New Year's Day and the annual game - this year it's 40K fifth ed. with Sisters vs. Tyranids. These two were also done before the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge but never fear, today I finished seven more that were started before 21 December, so they'll go on the Challenge blog.

Super fun figures - not my favourites ever to paint, but they look cool when they're done.  
 

Ecclesiarchy Battle Conclave

I PROMISE this will be the last post with new painted Sisters of Battle models for some time. But these guys just arrived in a trade and I wanted to get them done. Thanks PW from Facebook!

First up in the group is its leader, a Missionary with Chainsword. What a lovely model eh? The pose, equipment, and everything else about it are just great. Super easy to paint too. I used some decals on the book pages.

He's got plenty of gear, that's for sure.

I also got two Death Cult Assassins. These models are pretty neat too. While I think they may still even be available in resin, these are old-school metal models. I like 'em. 

Kick up yer heels!

Lastly here are six more (a whole box worth of) arco-flagellants. I've painted six of these already for the army and they've acquitted themselves decently on the table so far.

There was one missing an arm, but my trading partner had done a clever conversion which I am OK with.

So that's basically it for the Sisters, for now. I might get 'em all out for a group shot but I'm gonna start back on painting some other stuff. The new Horus Heresy Legiones Astartes Battle Group box just arrived, after all!

Sisters 2, Traitors and Heretics 0!

In the last two weeks I've had the Sisters out for two battles. The first one was against my own traitor Guardsmen, commanded by Conscripts Greg and Hugh, and the second was against Conscript Mike's Gun Schwarm / Steel Legion. I'll start with the battle against my traitors.

 

We used 40K 5th edition (the best edition IMHO) for the games, I'd made an 1100 point list from the Renegades and Heretics list in the Forge World book. It had a couple Leman Russes, a Chimera, a bunch of weirdo Guardsmen, a 20-man Mutant Rabble, and some bonus Plague Marines and a Champion. For the Sisters there were two squads in Rhinos, the Canoness and command squad in an Immolator, Uriah Jacobus and some arco-flagellants in a Rhino, a ten-girl Seraphim squad, and an Exorcist.

                                           

We played a three-objective game. Conscript Dave V. assisted me in handling the Sisters - more on that later. The middle objective were the Sisters' crypts in the ruined chapel at centre. You can see the eastern objective at right - the Confessional/Immolation booth.

                                           

Here's the mutant rabble rushing forth.

                                           

Exorcist in the Sisters backfield. We allowed it to indirect fire in the game but corrected that error in game 2.

                                          

Here's the eastern objective overrun by traitor Guard and Mutant Rabble.

 

                                            

A Sisters squad tries to protect the crypt objective.

                                            

Uriah Jacobus and the surviving arco-flagellants rush away from their wrecked Rhino, just out of frame to the left.

                                            

Plague Marines overwhelm the Sisters squad on the centre objective.

                                            

Uriah stares down the Chimera!

                                            

Seraphim pop in to clear out the crypts.

                                            

Meanwhile the western objective is strongly held by the Sisters.

                                            

Seraphim clean off the traitor Troops from the objective. Plague Marines are Elites in that list. You get an idea of where this is going...

The Unfair Advantage for the Sisters in this game was the tactical nous of Conscript Dave. He came up with the plan to use the Seraphim to shoot the Guard Troops off the middle objective and use an unoccupied Rhino to tank-shock the Rabble off the eastern one - in 5th ed only Troop choices can hold objectives. This ploy succeeded admirably and the final tally was one objective held by the Sisters, and two contested. Sisters win.

                                                                                                                     

For the second game Conscript Mike brought over his ex-Greg Guard with many additions of his own, including these excellent tanks from Models and Minis, a German purveyor of resin. The game was Kill Points, each side scored one KP for each enemy unit totally destroyed, unit transports don't count but everything else does.

                                            

Pretty nice eh??

                                            
Dave and I made Mike deploy in the wide-open table quarter while the Sisters took the one with all the terrain. Clever move as will be seen later.

The lists were 1,750 points; I brought three Sisters squads in Rhinos, Canoness and command squad in an Immolator, Uriah and loonies in an Inquisition Rhino, two Penitent Engines, a Retributor squad with heavy flamers and multi-melta, and a Seraphim squad in Reserve. The idea was to bum rush the show.

Sisters advance. I remembered to pop smoke with the Rhinos which helped. Note Retributors and a Sisters squad lining up the Guardsmen in the woods at centre left.

Uh-oh Ogryns!! These guys were pretty tough and took care of "most" of a Sisters squad. 

Heavy flamers and boltguns make quick work of Guardsmen, even when they're dug in. Scratch one squad... I made sure to replace the green woods with charred trunks.

Unfortunately for Mike, he was a bit too aggressive with his deep-striking Kasrkin and they ended up on top of a Sisters Rhino. He rolled "reposition" on the Mishap table so I placed them as far from the action as possible!

Sisters move through the woods and the Seraphim appear at its edge. Dangerous terrain so one Sister perished but they did nought else in the game but be a target for battle cannon templates. Fortunately some survived.

Uriah and loonies lived up to expectations by shredding a Guard platoon command squad. These guys are really good in close combat, especially when led by Uriah or a missionary-type.

Here's the Sisters force... anyway I can sum up the game by saying that the Sisters prevailed, 6 KP to one. Mike was unlucky in that he couldn't seem to totally wipe out the Sisters units despite reducing more than one to a single model... but that's the game, no points unless the unit is totally destroyed.

Another fun outing for the Sisters and it reinforced my love for 5th edition. Very fast moving rules, we played a lot of it back in the day and it all came right back. No "command points", "strategems" or any of that other BS that clogs your brain, just straightforward battle. I've even tracked down a 5th ed Tyranid codex so look out Sisters...!