40K Kill Team - Kroot Farstalker Kinband

 This week I decided I should really assemble all the 40K Kill Teams I have and prep them for painting and, y'know, maybe PAINT some of them!? And I did that. Well, I started. I assembled and painted the Kroot Farstalker Kinband from Kill Team: Into the Dark - the first of the Gallowdark series of Kill Team boxes. 

Gallowdark is a Space Hulk - a bunch of derelict voidships that have been smashed together to form a gigantic mass the size of a moon, floating through space. It is also the setting for the latest series of Kill Team boxes - and include boards and terrain to make up rooms and corridors of the interior of a space hulk. 

Embarrassingly, this is the first Kill Team I've actually COMPLETED of all the boxes I've bought from the new edition!? (And I've bought a LOT of them!?) I did assemble and prime and partly painted three of the others (The Death Korps of Krieg Veteran Guard and Ork Kommandos from Octarius, and the Tau Pathfinders from Chalnath).

(and I've painted NONE of the terrain that came with any of the boxes!?)

(Heck, I STILL haven't painted ALL of the Kill Teams and terrain from the PREVIOUS edition!?) 

(and yet, I STILL want to get the next one they just announced!? I mean, Squats Leagues of Votann and Beastmen!? How can I NOT!?) 

It is a bit ridiculous... 

Kroot Farstalker Kinband Kill Team 

Not the most pretty figures I've even painted... but they're DONE! (and they're not for me, anyway - they're Finnegans!) I knocked these out very quickly with contrast paints. I don't LOVE the way they look. And... they are a bit quicker to paint... but not THAT much quicker... I largely did them this way so they'd match the OTHER KROOT I previously painted for Finnegan a few years ago (except for, y'know, the bases!?). 

Ahahkkhe Gabt - Kroot Kill Broker - the leader of the Kinband

Tahra'grakh Drr'rr and Ahocda Pre'lek, the Stalker and Cut-skin

Doakh'ka Prok, Draak Ghoko, and Bakor'ab Garoch. 

Doakh'ka and Bakor'ab are warriors, Draak is a Cold-Blood

Byahk Chorka and Krrob'yo Yrr'dk, Bow Hunder and Pistolier

Khor'tcha Cho'yar and Ghorek Rrok, Longsight and Heavy Gunner (with Dvorgite Skinner)

(I think...) 

The goodest hounds in the universe: Tcho and Cheh - Oh yes they are! Oh yes they are! Who wants a treat!? 

Finnegan is wrapping up his first year of university in a few weeks, I'm hoping over the summer break I can convince him to play a few games of Kill Team with his new Kinband... which I am hoping will motivate me to paint MORE Kill Teams (and some of this space ship interior terrain!?) 

40 Days of 40K - Part Five

Here are a few more of the 40K inspired drawings I'd done over the last few days. 

#21 - Terminator

The prompt was just "Terminator", so I chose to do a CHAOS Terminator of the Emperor's Children chapter. 

I meant to add a few more spikes... but forgot ... 

#22  - Grey Knight

Brother Patrick - Grey Knight Purgator with Psilencer.

Based on this miniature from my own small force of Grey Knights.

You can see the rest of them here:

Grey Knight Force 

 #23 - Crisis Suit

I was originally going to do a Crisis Suit when the T'au prompt came up a week or so ago, but then looked ahead and realized it showed up as a prompt of its own. 

This one is based somewhat on the Tau Commander I painted for Finnegan. 

Well... the colour scheme at least... I think there are a few more crisis suits that will have a similar scheme... 

...

At this point I started jumping around a bit. No one said they had to be done IN ORDER?! So I started doing the ones that matched the actual day of the month, and figured I'd just catch up with the ones I'd skipped by when I could.. 

Day 27 - Dreadnaught

Remember when these were called "Eldar Dreadnoughts"...? I do, so.... 

Wraithlord Melynaearian

Again, based on a miniature of my own...

Eldar Dreadnoughts (Wraithlords) 

....

and then I just decided to do something else entirely... 

Watch the Corners - 28x35.5cm (11x14) - Ink on Paper

The other day I was feeling like I needed to do something different. All the drawings for this, and the other challenge I've been working on have been in these little 8"x8" watercolour sketchbooks, which are fun... but I don't LOVE working that small.. and I needed to do something different. 

I prepared a handful of watercolour sheets, taping them down to boards a few weeks (months!?) back, so they'd be ready for any moment I felt the urge to use them...That urge struck the other night while watching RuPaul's Drag Race with Amanda. 

Still 40K inspired, but not really following any of the prompts from the 40 Days of 40K Challenge. I'm not even sure what I was thinking...? Is this a ganger in the underhive? Is it a member of a Rogue Trader's crew preparing for boarding action?! I don't know. Just a dude with a bolter and a chainsword (and his faithful servo skull companion) ready for action. 

.....

I'm probably going to slow down on these going forward. I had planned on doing a critter on a bicycle AND one of the 40K drawing prompts each day until I'd filled BOTH of the sketchbooks I've been using for these challenges - which would be around the end of November. I'm thinking now I'll do a few more Critters on Bicycles to finish off the month (and then I'll have done one of those EVERY DAY, ALL MONTH! On November, to keep the momentum going, I'm going to try and still do a drawing a day, but, like just ONE - alternating between the Critters on Bicycles and the 40K drawings... and try to get back to painting some MINIATURES and PLAYING SOME GAMES!!! 

40 Days of 40K - Part Two

The next batch of drawings from the 40 Days of 40K. I haven't gotten one done EVERY day... No one said it had to be forty CONSECUTIVE days!?

This is Lt. Anwar Al’Saphira  - Commander - First Platoon, 5th Company, 382nd Tallarn (Desert Raider) Regiment. depicted here at the beginning of the deployment to Xoxigar Secondus, a vital forge world in the Imperium Nihilus.  

(you can find the miniature it's based on here: Tallarn Desert Raiders Page)

Drukhari

Wych Cult Succubus checking messages after a match in the fighting pits of Commorragh... or maybe during a real space raid... I wonder if Drukhari communicators get good signal in real space... Probably depends on how far they stray from the Webway... 

Probably should have added some blood splatter... Ah, well... 

T'au Pathfinder

Adeptus Mechanicus - Sicarian Ruststalker Princeps

Sister of Battle

A Battle Sister of the Adepta Sororitas

Yikes! I might have gone a little overboard on the shading... moving on though.

If you want to keep up with the (almost) daily drawings as they are done, I'm posting them... 

on my Art Blog: artgeekbrown.blogspot.com

on Instagram: instagram.com/tim.in.saskatoon

on Twitter: twitter.com/timinsaskatoon

on Tumblr: www.tumblr.com/timinsaskatoon

T'au Rocket Launcher

 I've been painting a few T'au for Finnegan, on and off, and not really getting around to FINISHING anything. 

Well, I did finish ONE thing... this little rocket pod thingie... I have no idea how it works in the game or if it's useable in Kill Team - I think they're attached to Fire Warriors...? 

T'au Rocket Pod thingie. 

Maybe I should focus on things I KNOW will be useable in Kill Team! 

Or stuff for games we might actually PLAY!? 

Painting Again!

 With both kids suggesting they'd like to play some 40K/Kill Team this summer, I am painting again! 

Starting with some T'au - hoping to get a Kill Team or two ready and finish building it up to a Patrol Detachment. 

Keiran already has loads of Harlequins... 

I have no shortage of Kill Teams available. 

The plan is to run a little narrative campaign for their respective Kill Teams - Me, being like a Game Master in a role-playing game, will come up with scenarios and opponents. Somehow I'll have to weave it together that the two of them are after some similar goals and keep bumping into each other, from time to time. Maybe even have a few games of 40K where they end up on the same side fighting a greater opponent - each of them fielding a Patrol Detachment in an Incursion Level game...?

We shall see... 

Genestealer Cultist, Kroot Shaper, Inquisition Stormtroopers

An assortment of items rolling off the workbench this week...

(In addition to the Nugley-Death-Guard I posted yesterday!)



A Genestealer Cult Sanctus - a cult assassin that comes with Bio-Blade or Sniper Rifle options (I went with Sniper Rifle... but kind of wish I went with the blade...). The sanctus is one of the many new non-HQ-Elite Characters the Genestealer cult Can field. Finished this one up for use in our two Narrative Campaigns we got going on.



Kroot Shaper.

 I got him for Finnegan to kind of use as a leader for his Kroot. Technically he still needs a T'au to least them (like his T'au Commander! or an Etherial...) because the Sheer is a non-HQ character model. He just buffs nearby Kroot.



Inquisition Stormtrooper Kill Team.

I had a few spare Stormtroopers that didn't fit into a full squad of five, so I thought I could field them as "acolytes" in an Inquisition Detachment. These would be part of Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Lady Marlaena du Shard's retinue. All in black, ready to strike out of the darkness and whisk their quarry away to the Black Ships in the middle of the night...

The new inquisition rules in Psychic Awakening: Pariah look pretty cool... although they aren't THAT much different from what they put in the White Dwarf last year... which wasn't THAT much different than what was in the Index when 8th edition came out... I mean, ALL of the Inquisitors followers are flavourless "Acolytes". Gone are the days of the varied Henchmen - The Sage, The Warrior, the Familiar, The Penitent, the Chirugeon, and the Acolyte... each with their own abilities and flavour...

I suppose I could just take a bunch of single Acolyte figures and give each of them bonus abilities (like those from Chapter Approved 2018 - like we're doing in our current narrative campaigns...).


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming blog:

Should be a game report later this evening or tomorrow - Game Three of the Rise Up! Campaign.

T'au Commander

Well every force needs a commander and so, to give Finnegan's T'au force a bit of a jumpstart, I thought I'd kick it off with a commander. I'm not sure what else they have for HQ units...? Etherials...? I don't know about 40K, but they were absolutely USELESS in Shadow War: Armageddon, so I wasn't super stoked to do one of them to start... thought I'd give hims something that might blow holes in tanks... or mow down infantry... or... SOMETHING...



T'au Commander in XV-86 Coldstar Battlesuit



Another angle.



the T'au force... so far...

This is a patrol detachment (in 8th edition!)

HQ (1-2)
Commander in XV86 Coldstar Battlesuit - 8PL

Troops (1-3) 
Kroot Carnivores (16) - 5PL
Fire Warrior Strike Team (4) - 2PL

Elites (0-2)
Krootox Riders (1)  - 2 PL

Fast Attack (0-2)
Kroot Hounds - 1Pl

Total Power Level: 18

Technically that power level for the Kroot Carnivores is for 20 (you get 10 for 3, and 20 for 5) but the boxes come with 16...? Likewise, the Fire Warriors are supposed to be in groups of five....

I guess I should finish up one more Fire Warrior to finish off that squad (and then another 5 to make a squad of 10 for - or two of 5 - 2 more Power Level)!

He has a few smaller battle suit warriors to do as well (Crisis Suits?) I think they are Elites (12 Power Level). Maybe some Stealth Suits...? which are also Elites (another 6 Power Level).

With what he had, it could eventually be fielded as a Vanguard detachment or, possibly, a Battalion Detachment (if the Fire Warriors were fielded as two small squads of five) of about 40 Power Level (once a few drones are added it!)


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Still working on a report for the Lair of the Beast - the exciting conclusion of The Dreaded Ambull Quest... and some Necromunda stuff... and... some... y'know... OTHER stuff...!?

Kroot Mercenaries

Another batch of figures for Finnegan...

I started these ages ago. I actually did a handful of them to completion - test figures - and then had planned to sit down WITH Finnegan and show him how I did it and teach him how to use Contrast® Paints... We did the green, but never got around to finishing them off....



Newly finished Kroot Warriors



With the others, he has a pretty sizeable force! More than enough for a Kill Team - with lots of options!

Only thing he doesn't really have is a Kroot Shaper... Hmmmm....

I assembled his T'au Commander in a XV-86 Coldstar Battlesuit yesterday. Probably have that done in a day or two. It has a lot of detail, but it's nice that it's basically TWO COLOURS - so there isn't a lot of thinking about "What colour is this bit going to be...? What colour is THAT bit going to be... ?" It's just Purple... Highlight Purple... Black... Highlight Black... DONE!

He has a set of three T'au Crisis suits and three in Stealth Suits.... and an Etherial and the squad of Fire warriors to finish up... I might knock the whole force off for him over the next week or so, just for giggles - so we have a few more forces to play with when #New40K arrives - with it's new-fangled scenarios scaled for smaller games!

I wonder how those battlesuits will do against some Tallarn Armour!


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

There will probably be the T'au Commander in a XV-86 Coldstar Battlesuit really soon... but also I'm halfway through a Blackstone Fortress game report - from the game Amanda and I played Tuesday and Wednesday.

Krootox Rider (and another Gretchin!)

Things are flying off the workbench fast and furious these days! Too bad none of it is my own Necromunda stuff I've been wanting to work on!? I started the Gretchin at the same time as the last two and just finished it up last night, and he Krootox Rider... well... It was primed along with the remaining 12 Kroot Warriors that I was going to show Finnegan how I painted them and let HIM go at it... and it was just sitting there... and looked really cool... and looked really easy to paint... so I went ahead and painted it!?



The Krootox Rider - giving Finnegan's Kroot force a bit of fire support. All painted with contrast colours - except the dread-spines on the head (which was painted with regular black paint and highlighted with grey) and the metal parts of the gun (painted metal and washed in Nuln Oil).



The Gretchin. This is an older metal Gretchin - not sure where he came from...? Looks like a Mechboy's assistant? As with the others - all painted with Contrast paints - except the scrap metal on the tray.


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

When we finish up the Kroot (hopefully in the next few days) I'll post pick of that entire force.

Also I've been meaning to talk a couple pictures of Keira's Eldar and post those - as it's grown to quiet a collection.

Seriously, ONE of these days I'll get back to working on the Necromunda stuff. I have a whole gang of Cawdor stuff sitting on the workbench only needed a few details to finish them up1?

Guardian Defenders, T'au, Kroot, Cawdor Juves and a Really Big Rat...

A bit of an odd assortment of 40K related things rolling off the workbench today. A lot of this is actually for the kids. I've been experimenting with... well... other ways of painting. Not for me, I like the black undercoating and leaving that hard black line between things for contrast and deep shadow. When I got the kids painting I tried to teach them the same, but I've come to realize it requires a bit of finesse and attention to detail to pull it off and without that... well... it doesn't look good... So I thought I'd experiment with other things to see if I could help them find a different painting style that suits their needs and/or speeds up their production so they can get things DONE!

Some of these were started a couple weeks ago, but were then put on the back burner as I needed to push to finish the last often Drukhari that we needed for the Strange Bedfellows Team Tournament. Some are ones I tried spraying with coloured primer (purple) and then washed with either Nuln Oil or Druchii Violet (or sometimes both) then highlighted and/or dry brushed... and added some details...

Some of the more recent ones I actually tried out the fancy new Contrast® paints on. I was a little skeptical about these when they were announced, but seeing some of the stuff other people were pulling off with them, I thought I'd give it a try... and I have to say, it's a pretty slick system. I'm not going to change the way I paint overnight and incorporate them. But I think for the kids - and anyone else starting out - it might help get things started and doesn't look terrible. Honestly, if it means I get to play against more painted armies and less bare plastic at tournaments, then I'm ALL FOR IT!!!



Ten Asuryani Guardian Defenders for Keira's Thaestalyrdaes Craftworld force.

These models were from the Big Batch o'Eldar Keira and I bought and split back in May. There were, like, almost 90 of these plastic Guardians that neither of us really wanted. I picked out 30 of the best ones to use for myself - to put together a Battalion Detachment of Ulthwé Black Guardians to go with   the Eldrad Ulthran model I also got out of the lot. After that there were about two more squads worth of decent ones (not broken or missing the do-dads on the backpacks or whatever) that I set aside for Keira, the rest I gave or traded away to Other Tim or this other fellow from the Hunters of the Warp league (for some Fire dragons for Keira - which she was pretty excited about!)

These ones I originally sprayed with a purple basecoat/primer... Then I think I washed them with both Nuln Oil and Druchii Violet... I think I did two test ones one with each wash, and the Druchii Violet wasn't dark enough, so I did Nuln Oil, then Druchii Violet on the rest and then decided that was all too dark and ended up brushing the whole mess with the colour Keira was painting all her other Guardians with (Vallejo Blue Violet?)... and then we got the contrast paints and I wanted to try those, so I painted their Shuriken catapults and pants with white (or bone?) and used contrast paints on those... then did the same with their helmet face plates... and then, because they were all still looking rather plain, I did dots of white on a bunch of the bumps on the armour and did little bits of different contrast paints on top of those hoping it would look like gems or sprit stones...

I wasn't really concerned if they turned out crap, because we'd more or less gotten all these for free and Keira didn't really even care if she got any of them... but I think they turned out not TOO bad. I could have done some edge highlights to make them pop a bit... but I couldn't be bothered...

I also took five that she had assembled and sprayed them white and tried painting the two different purple Contrast® paints we'd picked up on those... the Magos Purple was WAAAAAY too light... and the Shyish Purple was just way too dark... so, more experimentation is needed. I'm going to try thinning the Shyish Purple to see how that works... otherwise, I could just do the straight Shyish Purple and then drybrish with the Blue Violet that she likes....?



Five T'au Fire Warriors for Finnegan.

These were also sprayed Purple to start. I did one sample a few weeks ago - I think I may have washed trying only to get the cracks and and then edge highlighted... the rest, when I got to them earlier this week, I did an all over wash with the Druchii and decided that was too dark and then did a heavy dry brush with the Blue Violet and then decided that was too light and did s second all-over wash with the Druchii... and then said "eff-it" and called it quits... the black was the same for all of them - I just blacked out everything that wasn't armour and picked out some detail with a dark grey and presto they were done.

I'm going to get him to assemble the rest of the T'au in the coming weeks and see if we can't knock off this force over the summer. I think I'll stick with spraying purple, try to just get some wash in the cracks (either Druchii or nun) I'll probably do the edge highlights for him, get him to do the black. Should basically work for everything... and should be quick!



Four Kroot Warriors - I had him assemble these around the same time as the fire warriors. I'd sprayed one purple along with the first five fire warriors (with no intention of painting it purple - just wanted a quick primer). I think this was the darker guy, second from the left... I'd painted it all over with a light green and then washed with Agrax Earthshade... and then picked out their "webbing" with Vallejo Khaki Grey and then washed THAT with Agrax Earthshade as well... then painted the gun black and picked out details with metal and washed that with Nuln Oil and then some brown for the rear stock and more Khaki Grey for the leather wrapping on the barrel and washed that all with Agrax Earthshade... a bit of a process to figure out... In the future I'd probably do all the green and khaki grey and brown at once and THEN wash the whole mess with Agrax Earthshade... then pick out the metal bits and call it done. But I probably won't suggest he do them that way...

The remaining three I sprayed with white primer and washed with some Contrast® paints (Militarum Green?). They were a bit on the light side, so I tried washing one with Agrax Earthshade, but wasn't happy with that, and left the other two as they were. the Khaki and rifle I used the same process as above - which could be streamlined a bit... I got him to start assembling the rest, because these didn't take long at all - and I was figuring things out as I went. now that I have it sorted, the rest should be a snap - and then he'd have enough for a straight Kroot Kill Team - which would be cool. I mean, they could be working for the T'au... or.. ANYONE! I mean, the Kroot are mercenaries, right?



Kroot Hounds.

I basically used the same process as the warriors above (one was sprayed purple, painted green and washed, the rest white and sloshed with Contrast®, etc, etc...) the darkest one, up front, was one I did with Contrast® paint and decided it was too like and did a second coat of contrast... and then it was a bit dark, so left the other two with one coat.

This is all the Kroot he had, so these are DONE!



Finnegan's entire T'au force, so far (all painted by me!?). Probably enough for a mixed T'au Empire Kill Team.

We should be able to expand this into a small 40K force over the summer. He has another five Fire Warriors and twelve Kroot to finish up. then there are some battlesuit warriors three XV-25 Stealth Suits, three Crisis Suits and a Commander in... some kind of battle suit... Then a small swarm of drones and an Etherial. I think it's about 35-38 Power Level (or 700-750 points) - enough for a decent sized skirmish!

I DID get some Necromunda stuff painted!!

 Two Cawdor Juves!

I have another pile of Cawdor in the works... should be done soonish.



The gang so far...

The leader came with his gun cut off, so I'd replaced it with an inferno pistol I had in the pits box, thinking it would be rad (y'know, BEFORE I was actually thinking I'd use them for Necromunda)... but Inferno pistols aren't really an option, so I think I will call it a "hand flamer"...

I have another Champion/leader with chainsword and "auto pistol" (I guess that's what I'll call it... it's a submachine gun like an Uzi or a Mac-10... but there aren't really rules for those... just "stub pistols" - which is what I'm calling the revolver, and "Autopistols" which I'm calling all other single-handed projectile-throwing devices...

There's also a Heavy (Champion) with a Heavy Stubber, and half dozen regular gangers with a mix of Autoguns and Lasguns... none of the fancy pole-arm combo-weapons the NEW Cawdor gangers come with... but whatevs... Oh, and a couple more Juves...



My friend John picked up a box of Mantic Ver-Myn (Space Rats) for me to assemble and paint for him to use as "Chaos Cultists" in Kill Team... as Chaos Cultists can also be used in Necromunda, they'll also see use there, no doubt. I also happened to have this old Citadel Rat Over having about so I cut off his front fist and replaced it with an orc fist grasping a slugga and figured it could be used as an Cultist Champion with an auto pistol and "Brutal Assault Weapon". that's a 40mm base he (she?) is on... hard to tell without a reference point...



Here it is with the Juves. S/he's a Big 'un....

I'm almost done assembling the rest of the space rat cultists... I've ended up using a lot of Ork weapons (as I think the weapons the Vermyn come with look silly...)


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Necromunda!

(and probably a few more Eldar and T'au as I help the kids sort out a quicker way to paint their own minis!)

I should also post a picture of Keira's complete Eldar force - she's got quite a few now - including a Wraithknight!!! I should do battle with that beastie - throw some Russ' up against it and watch them get cleaved by the Gigantic Freaking Wraithblade!!

Maybe some Shadespire stuff as well - I have more of those back on my workbench for John (Rats and Dwarves) and they seem like they should be easy to knock off and then he has two more complete factions to use in the game...

Tau XV-25 Stealth Armour - and a KILL TEAM!

I found a pack of the old metal Tau XV-25 Stealth Armour troops at my FLGS recently and picked them up as Tau Kill Teams are allowed to field them now as a permanent part of the Kill Team - along with Pathfinders, Fire Warriors, breachers, and Drones (unlike Shadow War: Armageddon - which only allowed Pathfinders and Drones). The older metal models look quite different from the newer plastic ones, but I thought these would go nicely with my older metal Pathfinders....



Two older XV-25 Stealth Armoured Tau from Games Workshop.



This is my entire force of Tau, so far...

I do have a TY7 Devilfish armoured transport model to assemble and paint. I've had it since before I even had any other Tau models. I'd picked it up cheap off eBay thinking I'd use it as a cool looking generic sci-fi grav lander/transport... I SHOULD get it painted up sooner rather than later as I could use it as terrain on a kill team board - perhaps for a "Get to da choppa!" type scenario...


Tau Kill Team Shars'uvad

So this if the first Kill Team I've put together - Oh, I have LOADS of models I could bodge together into kill teams - I could field Astra Militarum Kill Teams from FOUR different regiments... but I happen to put these together first, as I happen to have painted up something new for them...





Kill Team Shars'uvad

Kill Team Share-uvad is built around it's rail-gunners, they are an elite sniper team, whose pinpoint shots can bring down any foe. Their mission is to seize vital intel; T'su High Command requires intelligence regarding the enemy's strategic disposition and intentions - this kill team has been tasked with raiding the opposition's rear areas and acquiring this data. They are students of Kauyon, careful and cunning, the warriors of this kill team embody the way of the Patient Hunter.

The Kill Team would look a little like this:

Els'im - Pathfinder Shas'ui - Leader - pulse carbine, markerlight, photon grenades - 7 points
Sul'an - Pathfinder Gunner - Sniper Specialist - rail rifle, photon grenades - 12 points
D'tano - Pathfinder Gunner - rail rifle, photon grenades - 12 points
Ju'yem - Pathfinder Gunner - ion rifle, photon grenades - 10 points
U'so - XV25 Stealth Shas'vre - Veteran Specialist - burst cannon, target lock - 21 points
Murakan - XV25 Stealth Shas'ui - burst cannon - 20 points
Nomura - Pathfinder - Scout Specialist - pulse carbine, markerlight, photon grenades - 6 points
Tash'lot - Pathfinder - pulse carbine, markerlight, photon grenades - 6 points
Or'os - Pathfinder - pulse carbine, markerlight, photon grenades - 6 points

Total Points: 100



Els'im - Pathfinder Shas'ui - Kill Team Leader

Els'im is a Farsight sympathizer. The legendary commander has been labelled traitor by the Etherials, but there are still those within the Fire Caste who venerate his legacy. Els'im is one of them.

 

(Left to right) Sul'an, Ju'yem, and D'tano - Pathfinder Gunners.

Sul'an leads this fire team and is recognized as the best shot among then group. She is a perceptive, sharp-eyed warrior, that is constantly on the lookout for incoming threats and is almost impossible to catch off guard.



Shas'vre U'so and Shas'ui Murakan - XV25 Stealth team

Though Shas'vre U'so technically outranks Shas'ui Els'im, U'so defers to Els'im and recognizes she is the leader of this team of Pathfinder to which U'so is attached. A veteran of scores of conflicts, U'so is  unflappable. Even under the most intense pressure, U'so maintains a cool head and a steady aim.



Nomura, Tash'lot,  and Or'os - Pathfinders

Nomura is this fire teams leader. She is the Kill Teams scout specialist. She is utterly Pragmatic. She recognizes that sometimes difficult choices and unpalatable actions must be made in service of the Greater Good.

There it is. All the background, mission, philosophy and demeanours were rolled for randomly on tables in Kill Team Core Manual. I have NO IDEA if this team is going to do well... but with the two stealth armour warriors, lugging Assault 4, Strength 5 burst cannons around, they can't possibly suck as hard as they did when Amanda played them in Shadow War: Armageddon.


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Space Hulk? More Kill Teams? Kill Team Terrain? Maybe an actual GAME of Kill Team? Hard to say what's going down this weekend...?

Shadow War: Brind's World Weekend Campaign (Part Two)

Saturday Morning we gathered together again to play some more Shadow War: Armageddon Brind's World. If you haven't checked out Part One (it has all the background details) you can find it here:

Shadow War: Brind's World Weekend Campaign (Part One) 

John and Christian couldn't make it in the morning so Paul, Amanda, Finnegan, Other Tim, The Girl, and myself carried on...

SATURDAY MORNING - ROUND THREE

My first game was against The Girl and her so-far-undefeated Harlequins. As I played them earlier in the week, I knew I had very little chance against them... Then we rolled for scenarios...

We rolled up a Hit and Run Scenario... with ME being the attacker! Oh and I only got to play with FIVE of my guys... Oh, and my special mission...? Yeah, that was to assassinate the Troupe Master... Fun times... AT least I rolled "Quiet" for my subplot - The Girl rolled "Indomitable", because, like she needed any help with her leadership!?

The Harlequins started with two on the table (Nasty Lady and Purple Cloak - neither were my objective!) and the rest would test to come on each turn.

I got the first turn...

ROUND ONE - Astra Militarum Turn

Word came down from on high that there were Xenos scum occupying one of the lower levels of the cavern. Eldar, it seemed. Harlequins. Sgt. Kassab was tasked to select four of his best to go down into those caverns and take out their leader. He was told it would be easy. The Harlequins are just musicians and dancers, not fighters, they said. They wear fancy bright clothes, they'll be easy to find and easier to shoot, they said. Their leader will be the most brightly dressed of all of them - and not even a dancer... more like a choreographer... a dancer that had seen his day and was old and feeble, they said... If Sergeant Kassab had learned anything in his years of soldiering, it was not to believe one damned thing that "THEY" said... 



Kassab selected Muktar, Zakariya, Hamid and Wajdi. He knew this could very well be a suicide mission so he left and the special weapon operators behind -that they may better serve the emperor in a mission where they had SOME measure of success...

Delving deep into the caverns the team swiftly moved forward. Regardless of their chances of success, they had a job to do and would try their best to achieve it. Surprise might be their only hope. 

ROUND ONE - Harlequins



Stabpants and Misty Cloud arrive!



Nasty Lady and Purple Cloak move to intercept the Astra Militarum intruders.


ROUND TWO - Astra Militarum Turn

As the team moved forward, a flash of shimmering light danced across the passage ahead of them. They all started shooting! Then there were two of the dancing lights. More shooting! the things just seemed to dance away from their shots with the greatest of ease! 

I actually scored two hits - which actually wounded!! Both saved.

ROUND TWO - Harlequins.



...and then the Troupe Master arrived..



A frightful apparition of the malevolence arose behind them and Cut down Hamid before he had a chance to run. Wajdi let out a shrill scream as he broke and ran - past his squad, and past the shimmering lights before them! 



Turning to see what was there, Kassab saw a vision of absolute horror! It was as he always imagined a daemon from the void would appear and he lost all control of his faculties. His base animal instinct for self preservation kicked in and he turned an sprinted past what was left of the team and followed Wajdi past the other apparitions! 



The shimmering apparitions were not content to let them just pass though. With blinding swiftness they were upon the fleeing - crashing into them and throwing them both against the wall with incredible violence. The pair slumped to the floor like sacks of mukaali dung. 

ROUND THREE -  Astra Militarum

The others threw down their arms and vainly pleaded for mercy to an enemy from whom they should have expected none... but they stopped. The terrifying apparitions simple stood and watched as they collected their wounded and dragged them off back the way they entered this blackest cavern of  horrors.... 

POST GAME

Yeah, I voluntarily bottled at that point... that last harlequin turn the Troupe master charged Hamid and Wajdi - both failed fear checks - Hamid was cut down with his free hack for leaving close combat and was knocked Out of Action. The Sergeant failed a break test - for Hamid going down within 2". The other two Harlequins charged the Sergeant and Wajdi - as they were already broken, they didn't take fear tests, but fought with WS 1. So both scored SEVEN HITS against Wajdi and Kassab - taking Wajdi out of action and the Sergeant was downed (5 down results, 2 Flesh Wounds!)

The Sergeant luckily wasn't put our of action at the end of the game. Wajdi recovered from his wounds, but Hamid suffered a serious head wound and would take longer to recover (and gained the Frenzy ability).

Somehow the Squad found a cache of Archaeotech on the way out - the Harlequins found THREE in their search of the caverns.

The Sergeant gained the Step Aside skill (giving him 4+ invulnerable save in close combat). Purple Cloak gained the Evade skill - making her even HARDER to hit (-1 at long range, -2 at short range!)

Another replacement carrying a lasgun arrived from the depot to fill out Kassab's squad - Private Hassan.

Elsewhere on Brind's World during Round Three...



Amanda's Tau met Paul's Grey Knights in the deserted desert city...



Having some experience Fighting In Build Up Areas - Amanda deployed her team a bit more spread out this time... I didn't even make note of what scenario they played... probably Kill Team Fight or Scavengers.. The Grey Knights won.




The Orks finally had it out to determine who was Da Biggest uv da Biggest... That was apparently Other Tim's MOAR Orks...


SATURDAY MORNING - ROUND FOUR

My next game was against Finnegan and his Orks. We played ANOTHER Kill Team Fight scenario!?



The 5th Company was rotated out of the caverns and tasked with securing a deserted city in the desert that scouts had discovered and the regiment planned to occupy for it's new base of operations. The company moved in and began their sweep. It turned out the city was not as deserted as the initial scout reports had indicated. Instead it was found to be infested with Orks! The City was broken down into section and cleared out block-by-block. Second Platoon was tasked with securing section 43B and Kassab's squad was to sweep the blocks on the right flank. 

Auspex readings indicated there was much movement ahead o their position. It seemed the Orks knew of their approach and were assembling for a counter attack. There was a burst of transmissions over the vox - the other squads were meeting stiff resistance and may have been overrun. There was concern that the Orks had gotten into around to the platoons rear. Chaos and confusion reined supreme. 

(I rolled "Fear and Confusion" for my subplot - +1 to all leadership rolled for break tests and fear tests).

ROUND ONE - Astra Militarum.

 

As they approached their assigned block, Kassab split his men and flanked right with Hassan, Yakub, Daoud, and Zakariya. Corporal Talal flanked left with Nazim, Wajdi, and Muktar. 
 

Yakub and Zakariya climbed into a ruined building hoping to find a firing position where they could cover the squads advance with Yakub's grenade launcher. The Sergeant ran forward with Hassan and Daoud. 



The street was clear so Kassab, Hassan and Daoud ran out through the archway and made a dash for the building across the way. Yakub and Zakariya scrambled through the rubble of the ruined building. 


ROUND ONE - ORKS



The Orks had to be nearby... They could hear their terrible grunts and shouts as they approached.


ROUND TWO - Astra Militarum.



Cpl. Talal sent Nazim, with his Plasma gun, and Wajdi to the corner of a building and told them to watch the street ahead for the advancing Orks. The Corporal then scrambled down the alley with Muktar to take up a firing position at the opposite corner of the building.  



Yakub took up a firing position at a window in the ruined building. There was too much rubble for Zakariya to take up a position there as well, so he climbed out the window and took up a position behind a brick well. As he ran for cover there, he could see the Orks pouring though a doorway at the far end of the street. 

Kassab and the others reached the building opposite and stacked at the corner. Kassab had a look around and saw the same Orks Zakariya was observing. 

ROUND TWO - Orks



The Orks surged down the street - one group charged with reckless abandon, while others held back and moved to fire upon Zakariya! Some of their shots were low and shattered brick on one side of the well, but most went high, whizzing over Zakariya's head. 



Another mob of Orks poured through gateway at the end of the street Corporal Talal's men were observing! The horrid noises they made almost sounded like cheers and... were they... singing!? If it were song, it was of a sort that only a base beast such as the Ork could possibly enjoy. 


ROUND THREE - Astra Militarum



Kassab quickly gave orders to the other two and then charged out towards the Orks - blasting at them with his bolt pistol and then taking cover behind a heap of musty old carpets. Following their orders Hassan sprinted to cover behind the well with Zakariya. Daoud moved up to the corner and fired a blast with his meltagun at the orks but only managed to set some of the carpets on fire. Zakariya gave covering fire as these movements took place - forcing the great Orks with the larger support weapon to dive fore cover. Yakub fired a grenade down the street and sent other Orks diving for cover. 



Nazim super-charged his plasmagun and unleashed a gush of superheated particles at the Orks, unfortunately his shot went wide and blasted a hole in the building next to him. Wajdi and Muktar laid down some fire with their lasguns sending a few dashing for cover. Talal threw a grenade into the middle often hoard, which knocks a few to the ground. 

(lots of hits... and pins... NO WOUNDS... damn I hate Toughness 4)

ROUND THREE - Orks



The Orks charged around the burning carpets, two of the massive beasts attacked the Sergeant from either side, a third barrelled down on Daoud at the corner. The one charging Daoud caught the trooper in the side of the head with his massive fist - throwing Daoud's limp body against the wall like a rag doll. They Sergeant dodged one of his assailants attacks, but was cut down by the other. 



Under the withering fire from Talal's team, the orks at the end of the street crawled back through the doorway to regroup...

ROUND FOUR - Astra Militarum

Hassan and Zakariya poured lasgun fire down on the advancing orks that had overrun the Sergeant and Daoud. They scored hits that would kill any normal man, but the Orks just kept coming. Yakub fired more grenades, but his shots went too high and burst on buildings further down the street.

Nazim supercharged his plasmagun again and incinerated one of the few Orks left, the only other in the street broke and ran for cover through the doorway. The others continued to pour lasgun fire down at the street hoping to at least keep the Orks pinned. 


ROUND FOUR - Orks



The Orks stormed forward, oblivious to the fire Hassan and Zakariya laid down on them. 



They swarmed Hassan and Zakariya and beat the two savagely and shot them repeatedly with their crude but menacing pistols. 



The other works regained their nerve and came pouring out through the doorway again! 

ROUND FIVE - Astra Militarum

The remaining members of the squad panicked and ran hoping to link up with other elements of their platoon or company. The Orks followed, leaving the Sergeant and the others bleeding in the street. Another company was committed to clearing the city and reinforcements were finally brought up. The sergeant and a couple of the others had holed up in one of the buildings for a few days - totally surrounded by Orks. One night, under the cover of darkness, they slipped out and made their way back to friendly lines. Hassan had bled out and they'd left him behind, his body was never recovered. 

POST GAME

Totally bottled...

The Sergeant turned out to be okay. Hassan died. Daoud and Zakariya were grievously injured and would take a long time to heal from their painful injuries (gaining a special hatred for that great Ork that just couldn't seem to die - he had two wounds...)

Somehow in all this we still managed to collect another cache...? I didn't take note of how many the Orks recovered or what happened to their injured.

Private Nassar was send up from the depot to replace Hassan. Corporal Talal gained the Fast Shot skill (his lasgun basically now had sustained fire - could take up to d3 shots per turn!)


Elsewhere on Brind's World during Round Three...



Other Tim's Orks faced the might of Paul's Grey Knights.



They played the Ambush scenario in the jungle ruins



I forget who this guy was exactly, but I'm pretty sure a promethium cache was expended to bring him out for a game...



Not sure who was ambushing who here...? The Grey Knights ultimately won, though...



Amanda's Tau took on The Girl's Harlequins in the Caverns.



The played the Scavengers scenario.



Took them quite a while - lots of shooting back and forth at each other in cover. No one able to claim a majority of the loot markers.



In the end I think the Tau bottled...




Standings at the end of Round Four:

The Girl - Harlequins - 9 Caches - 4-0
Other Tim - Moar Orks - 9 Caches - 2-2
Finnegan - Orks - 5 Caches - 1-2
Myself - Tallarn - 4 Caches - 1-2
Paul - Grey Knights - 4 Caches - 3-1
Amanda - 4 Caches - 1-3
John - Skitarii - 3 Caches - 0-2
Christian - eldar - 1 Cache - 0-1

As we were playing to 10 caches it seemed pretty clear that we'd get in two more rounds. Other Tim and The Girl would each get at minimum one cache and then play each other in a sixth and final "Championship" Round. There was no one else even close - other than Finnegan. If he hadn't had to start his Kill Team over again after the first round...

So with those wrapped up we all went for a late lunch at Park Cafe - where we met Christian and John. On the walk back to our place I spotted a couple guys playing 40K at the Mana Bar, and I popped into King Me Boardgamery and picked up a copy of Castles of Mad King Ludwig off their 50% off table...


Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog: 

Shadow War: Brind's World Weekend Campaign (Part THREE) - wrapping up the report of the weekend campaign.

Flowing that should be a report of the game of The Pikeman's Lament that Paul and I got to play on Sunday.