Krisken's art stuff, previously all 40k miniatures

[Frank]

That's horrible. I am ecstatic with the Finecast model I got (Tyhpus), though i admit it's the only one I've ever bought.

I think it may have a lot to do with how thin all the Necron finecast HQs are.

 

[Krisken]

I think it may have a lot to do with how thin all the Necron finecast HQs are.

I can see that. Also, as this is a Typhus model, there could be a couple bubbles here and there that I just might not have noticed as unintended.

 

[Zappit]

There's a boondoggle on the Typhus zombies right now. Typhus says you can take up to 25, but the zombie rules say ten per unit maximum. It's contradicting itself, so that should get FAQ'ed soon.

Overall, love the variety, but loathe the fact the legions don't have any real character anymore. I liked that IW could get extra heavy support. I wish Night Lords had special night fighting rules or could take raptors as troops. Alpha Legion had tons of cult love back in the day. Word Bearers would have been the toughest to adapt, but could have been given fearless to reflect their zeal.

 

[Bowielee]

For the record, I'm really glad to see you posting again Krisken.

 

[Krisken]

There's a boondoggle on the Typhus zombies right now. Typhus says you can take up to 25, but the zombie rules say ten per unit maximum. It's contradicting itself, so that should get FAQ'ed soon.

Overall, love the variety, but loathe the fact the legions don't have any real character anymore. I liked that IW could get extra heavy support. I wish Night Lords had special night fighting rules or could take raptors as troops. Alpha Legion had tons of cult love back in the day. Word Bearers would have been the toughest to adapt, but could have been given fearless to reflect their zeal.

That's close, but not quite how it goes. The Cultist entry states under Options you can include an additional 25 cultists at 4 points a model. Under the Typhus entry it says you can turn any unit of cultists into zombies but can't take any options. So the argument (and yes, there is an argument) is basically whether including more models is intended to be excluded or whether it was just meant to keep zombies from carrying guns. Hopefully this will be something GW gets on right away as they've gotten better at clarifying rules as intended quickly with FAQ's.

For the record, I'm really glad to see you posting again Krisken.

Thanks a lot Bowielee! I have a lot more time on my hands and thought it would be fun to share with you awesome peeps what I've been up to Thank you for the warm welcome back, and it's good to see you too!

 

[Zappit]

God, the new Raptors are beautiful models. The Warp Talon bits are also great, and might go into making some more Chosen to go with my Dark Vengeance models. Wish Lightning claws for them were cheaper, but meh. Those heads are perfect for it.

 

[Krisken]

I've been impressed with almost all of the new Chaos models. I really wish I had the cash to shell out for them!

New Typhus model I got on Wednesday. Lots to do yet but here's what I have-

 

[Frank]

Damn chief, you're on blast with how quick you get stuff done. I have tons of down time and I still find it takes me forever to get around to doing up models. I was gonna wait for my cheap Reaper paint sets but apparently all Kickstarter paints are going to be shipped in March now instead of now. Real bummer.

 

[Krisken]

Believe it or not, I'm actually stalling. I'm deciding what I want to do for a miniature base, and I'm struggling with what I want. What I want to do is create some swampland style bases, but they can be super tricky to get right. I know there are a couple really nice ones out there, but where would the fun in that be?

I have a pile of zombies to work on (though they are super cheap ones), and I've been debating whether I want to use the zombies at all. I've been contemplating picking up the 80 Mutant Chronicles models for $40 (that's with shipping) to use as cultists. We'll see yet.

 

[Zappit]

Damn that Typhus looks great.

If swamp is too much of a challenge, try dying vegetation, rotting around the figure but a little more alive towards the edges of the base, creating the effect that these guys are so virulent that anything too close just dies.

 

[Krisken]

My biggest concern is coming up with what style I want to use for my swamp bases. I think getting it just right will take some practice, and I'll have to paint up a couple different styles to get it exactly how I want. I do like the dying vegetation near the models, though i think it will be hard to properly pull off!

 

[Krisken]

Ok, went with a really simple base, starting with a stone, painted some green around it to look like swamp water, and rolled up a lot of vegetation with some PVC glue. I really like how it looks, and there really is only a little I can do to improve it so far.

 

[Zappit]

Really, really nice. Maybe a corpse, or part of one?

 

[Krisken]

I think I could throw a hand or something in there

 

[Zappit]

Go for it. I'm currently trying to remold a base to make it appear as if the ground is warping into a liquid, bringing down a Terminator , whose power fist desperately holds on to the tiny bit of solid ground remaining.

 

[Krisken]

Go for it. I'm currently trying to remold a base to make it appear as if the ground is warping into a liquid, bringing down a Terminator , whose power fist desperately holds on to the tiny bit of solid ground remaining.

Heh, I don't think I did anything that cool, but I did add the arm. That really does sound fantastic and I can't wait to see it!

Think it's almost done. I am a picky bugger though, so who knows?

 

[Zappit]

It's a nice touch, man. The little things add up.

 

[Krisken]

Thanks Zappit. I'm not sure if it is done, but I think it is close. I'll have to take a closer look today to finish it up for the blog post tonight.

 

[Krisken]

Ok, I think it's done except for the water effects I plan to add (probably pick it up tomorrow).

 

[Krisken]

Been working on bases for the schlubs I'll be painting. I'm absolutely stoked with the results.

This is the first 10, but I should have 25 by the end of the week.

 

[Frank]

They look absolutely disgusting.

Excellent work.

 

[Krisken]

Thanks I'm going to need to find some models to slaughter in order to get body parts in the bases. I think a face staring out of the water would be a fantastic addition to some of the bases, along with arms and legs.

 

[KCWM]

Krisken, thanks for the plug for our juvenile podcast. For those of you who aren't aware, I'm a co-host of the Hitting On 3s podcast. We just finished and posted our 9th episode, but so far, we have some pretty good numbers. As Krisken pointed out, we definitely field the juvenile, sophmoric, and crass humor rampant in the gaming community, for better or for worse. We're just four (sometimes five) guys sitting around, drinking beer, and talking 40k.

If you check out hittingon3s.com you'll find some articles that I've been writing regarding the Chaos Codex. I've hit the basics (marks and icons) and the two troop choices, the special characters, and an article on Plague Zombies in light of the small FAQ we got this past weekend.

I'm going to post some thoughts on the Chaos post like Krisken did. Give me a sec.

 

[Frank]

As long as you can promise me you'll be less irritating than the 11th Company guys, I will giver a listen.

 

[KCWM]

Some initial impressions for the new codex.

The four Legions - Alpha, Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, and Night Lords have no special rules to make them unique, not even for the purpose of flavor. They're just another paint job.

That is annoying, though to be fair you do unlock the elites and can take them as troops when the lord has the appropriate mark.

I find it interesting that there's enough fluff to justify the different legions, but there's nothing out there to set them apart, outside of the aforementioned paint job. I'd love to see GW come out with codex supplements for traitor legions, Ork clans, etc. They'd likely sell pretty well within the community.

Infantry is good. Cheap. You need a lord in order to access cultists, but you can get massive mobs cheap as hell.

Yes, fantastic. Cultists are great, cheap Chaos Space Marines are great as well. Definitely a numbers game here.

Cultists are definitely good, especially if you stick them with an IC with the Fearless USR. Not very survivable without cover. Auto guns are Rapid Fire, so you can't shoot them and assault...though they suck at it. However, with MoK and a full unit of 35, you start out with the potential of 139 attacks on the charge (close combat weapon, +1 for auto pistol, +2 for Rage given by MoK) or 108 if you are charged and make your counter-attack roll (CCW + 1 for pistol + 1 for counter-attack). Add an IC model and make the chaos champ make or accept challenges. Then the IC gets to lay waste to groups.

As Krisken said...a numbers game.

The demon engines have ballistic and weapon skills of 3. They can regenerate HPs and have an invulnerable save. The Maulerfiend can move 12 and ignores difficult terrain. It really is anti-armor though, because it's basically a Dreanought.

I'm not big on the demon engines, but I can udnerstand why others like them. I see them potentially good, just not sure it will work in 6th.

I got to help some newbies out in a game at a local gaming store. One of them was fielding the Maulerfiend. The only thing the other guy had that could hurt it was a plasma gun that was getting 1 shot a turn, glancing on a 5, and penetrating on a 6, both of which could be nullified by the 5+ invuln save of the Maulerfiend. I was impressed, especially with the lower point cost. Start out at 12", move 12", and charge with Fleet. Threatens a lot of space within two turns, or 1 if you're really lucky with placement and rolls.

The Forgefiend seems nice as well, with the range and firepower. Having a AV12 isn't comforting, but with the ability to regain HPs, and put out some nasty firepower, it'd take focus fire to bring it down and, statistically, it will take 4 glances because you'll save 1 with your invuln.

The Heldrake has the Baleflamer and Vector Strike special rules. If you play your game right, you won't have to roll BS for it. D3+1 hits at S7 against the side armor of a vehicle is pretty nice. It's not an automatic hit, but nice nonetheless. Since those attacks are at AP3, the Heldrake with a baleflamer is a great MEQ flyer and adequate against most of the flyers. I need to pick up another head to put the Hades Autocannon in.

Tzeentch is not so good. Slannesh is meh. Nurgle is good. Kohen e is solid.

I thought Tzeentch was ok though horribly expensive, Slaanesh is actually quite good as they have the best psychic power chart. Nurgle is fantastic. I'm not impressed with Khorn, but time will tell.

I like Tzeentch, especially for the extra +1 to invuln. For example, you can take +1 invuln or +1T on an Oblit or Terminator. Yes, the +1 toughness lets you not get doubled out, but the +1 invuln gives you a 50% shot at avoiding the wound altogether. When it comes to weapons that can't double you out, most of the things people will be firing at you will wound you on a 2+ anyway (lascannon, plasma, melta, krak missile), regardless of your 5 toughness. I'd much rather have the extra 17% chance on my Invuln save on a 1 wound model like a Terminator. On the oblit, I can see the value of +1 toughness since you get two wounds.

Slaanesh is great in the right situation, especially with the increase to Initiative. In a fight between your baseline CSM unit and a Tactical squad (close equivalents), I'd rather have the chance to land my wounds first. Add Veterans of the Long War and you have rerolls in the first round of close combat to land those hits.

The chaos boon table is nuts, with tons of good bonuses. Any character, even named ones, have a slim chance of turning into a Chaos Spawn. Or a Demon Prince.

Indeed

Demon Princes are no longer worth it. No save at all unless you buy it. Upgrades are expensive, so a serviceable one eats up a ton of points. Too many.

Yeah, they are teh suck. If you want a daemon prince, take one in your ally slot.

Yeah, Daemon Princes got screwed in this edition of the codex. They are very expensive. Though, making it a Daemon Prince of Nurgle gives it a 3+ save when Diving because of the Shrouded USR. That's pretty nice. For the cost? That I don't know. They are almost as expensive as Abaddon and less survivable. I'd have preferred to see a lower base cost, though not the 130 points for a Winged Daemon prince with a 3+/5++ in the last codex. That was insanely low.

Vector Strike, as mentioned, can be really nice as well, even if it's at the unmodified strength. I have two DP and they are only being kept around for Chaos Boon rolls.

Raptors, bikes, and Obliterators got better. Oblits are nuts now. Warp Talons have great weapons, can blind enemies coming in, and have jump packs. They lack assault grenades. Facepalm. I plan on expanding my bike squad and building some Raptors to create a massive assault spear to run with my Maulerfiend.

Bikes and Oblits are fantastic. Taking a mark of Nurgle on the Oblits for just 6 more points is fantastic. Don't overlook Havocs either, I say. the Warp Talons are potentially good but good god, 6"? Really? Who the heck is going to deepstrike that close to a unit?

Bikes are indeed fantastic. Once you add MoN, against anything with less than S8, your survivability goes up quite nicely and you get an automatic cover save due to Jink. 4+ when going flat out and getting across the board is amazing. Add in Hammer of Wrath and they are great in close combat.

I've always been a fan of Oblits and now I see a reason to run a full squad of 9. I think I have 9. If not, I need to get more! Having to switch weapons can be a bummer, but if you Deepstrike with them, you might not need to worry about it, as the addition of the Assault cannon is nice.

Terminators are slightly cheaper, with decent options.

Terminators are great again, of course.

We went over this in our recent episode. Chaos Terminators are the cheapest in the game for a set of five. They clock in at 157 for 5 with the stock combi-bolters and power weapons. Add in Power Fists for the 4 terminators and a power weapon for the champ (the equivalent of their loyalist counterparts) and you're looking at 185 points. That leaves points for Marks. Given them MoT and walk around with a 2+/4++ save.

The codex was FAQ'd so that they can upgrade both their melee and ranged weapons.

The armory lacks artificer armor or invulnerable save items. Large squads accompanying characters are a must. The rule that forces characters to issue and accept challenges can add to survivability.

I find the rule to force characters to issue and accept challenges as a huge negative for the army. No one else will accept when it doesn't suit them, and will accept when it helps them best. Lets just say your cultist hero is the most stupidly brave character in the game.

Edit -Aura of Darkness gives a 5+ invulnerable save.

Sigil of Corruption can be bought by some units for a 4+ Invuln and the aforementioned Aura of Darkness can be purchased by some as well as combining it with the MoT to get down to a 4+ Invuln that way.

Chosen have a load of options. Some pricier than others, but they look great to me.

In the game I saw the Maulerfiend in, the guy also ran Chosen. While they lost the default rule of infiltrate, they are quite nice and not much more than CSM if you upgrade them to match the stats of the Chosen. VotLW will give them a 10 in leadership and they can take 4 special weapons per squad. I believe an Autocannon is one of those, and those are quite nice.

There's a boatload of options here, with a seeming emphasis on either Black Legion or an original warband. Allies can make it even more interesting, but I'm going pure Chaos.

Pure chaos is good, but might I suggest a couple Daemon units? Take one HQ, a troop, and then fill in with a large Screamer unit and a large Flamer unit. Those units are just fantastic.

Hellbrutes are Dreads that can rage, and ignore crew shaken and stunned if they've already taken a hit. It's a dice roll to determine that, but they can be resilient buggers.

More information to follow.

Don't overlook the Havocs. They can take a unit of 4 autocannons for 115 points. That's 8 48" S7 shots (2 per guy). Army Builder includes Flakk in every army that takes missile launchers, but CSM are the only army that legally take the upgrade on their Havocs. All of the other mentions of missile launchers in the codex are clear that it's just frag and krak missiles. Taking Flakk missiles jumps the price, but ultimately, with that upgrade, it's only an increase of 5 points over the previous codex, when the missile launcher upgrade was 20 points for just frag and krak.

I plan to run two groups of Havocs with 4 autocannons in one and 4 missile launchers in the other. With havocs, you can also take extra bolter guys to serve as ablative wounds for 15 points each. Survivability. That leaves me a heavy slot to take some oblits, a dakka Predator, or one of the other heavy units.

My thoughts in blue...

 

[KCWM]

As long as you can promise me you'll be less irritating than the 11th Company guys, I will giver a listen.

I think we're pretty funny. Definitely crass and offensive to the PC crowd. When I was talking to a guy at a local gaming store, he said that he stopped listening because of the inside jokes and another piped up and said he liked that because it was like regular guys talking about 40k instead of getting into the super minute details.

 

[Krisken]

Currently working on a group of bases and explaining how I did them. Lots of work, let me tell ya!

I'd say the Hitting on 3's podcast is like the Independent Characters, but as Evil Ed said, they could make them blush.

 

[KCWM]

If you ever want to us to carry any tutorial you write, Krisken, let me know and we can have your profile on our site upgraded to contributor. I know you carry it on SB40k, but more exposure is a good thing.

Interestingly enough, according to our stats, we send the most traffic to your site out of the sites we have linked.

I'd say the Hitting on 3's podcast is like the Independent Characters, but as Evil Ed said, they could make them blush.

Thanks pretty kind, man! I appreciate it. We're working on toning it down a little bit, but we're pretty vulgar outside of the podcast, so it carries over. I do think that having Shaun on the last couple of episodes has been interesting. It's a change of pace to Shane...not better, but different. We're actually trying to get both of them on on a regular basis.

 

[Krisken]

That would be pretty cool! Right now I'm writing up my step-by-step for Sunday's post on the swamp bases. You'd be surprised at just how easy they are to make.

And I do appreciate all the traffic you guys have sent my way

 

[Krisken]

Ok, after much poo-pooing and going back and forth, I think I finally have a list I plan to use for the army.

Daemons- main force
Blue Scribes
5 Plaguebearers
5 Plaguebearers
7 Flamers of Tzeentch
6 Flamers of Tzeentch
6 Flamers of Tzeentch
9 Screamers of Tzeentch
9 Screamers of Tzeentch
1 Squad of 2 Blight Drones

CSM- allies
Typhus
35 Cultists
35 Zombies

Total- 1997 points. This should be a very diverse army and pack a mean punch. I'll just have to find a way to avoid fliers whenever i get the chance, though I think by harassing troops and keeping the ground troops busy I can at least pull a draw.

 

[Zappit]

No Havocs with Autocannons? They're cheap, and probably your best shot outside of a Helldrake at shooting down fliers.

 

[Krisken]

No Havocs with Autocannons? They're cheap, and probably your best shot outside of a Helldrake at shooting down fliers.

Right now it's a question of what I have and what I am testing with. The Daemons are already made and ready to go while the CSM units are on the way or painted. What may end up happening is I'll drop either the Cultists or Zombies (after testing which I like best) and possibly switch them over to some Havocs with Autocannons. We'll just have to see yet

 

[KCWM]

Cultists with an HQ that has fearless is pretty nice. They go down easily, but they don't run. If you can provide them with cover, even just a 5+ in area terrain, it definitely helps. I had a 2v2 game where mine were granted cover by some Ork unit I was partnered with. Ended the game with 18 out of the 32 I started with.

 

[Krisken]

You mean like putting Typhus in the unit and putting it behind an Aegis Defense line?

 

[Krisken]

I got my 'cultists' in the mail. Wow, these Warzone models aren't bad. For $30 I got 80 models, which is an insanely good price. I also picked up the Mantic ghoul/zombie/imperial force deal, so I will have the pieces to make 80 Imperial Zombies if I wish, all for $70. Life is good