Tactical Sergeants and Tactical Squad Retouch and Decals

The last of the Tactical Squad Sergeants are finished!

Additionally, another Tactical Squad has been retouched and given fresh Decals!

Next: Five more Assault Intercessors, a Company Ancient, and then a special surprise!

Azure Flames vs. White Scars 2000 Surround and Destroy

Thanks to the Grand Tournament Pack which has everything you need from the main rulebook and more, I was able to play one of the polished and balanced new missions with Tyler at AFK! Let’s Batrep!

Azure Flames (Bozeman)

• Battalion
  • Captain Edgard of the 3rd Company, Warlord, Power Fist, Combi-Melta, The Salamander Mantle, Forge Master, Miraculous Constitution (Exemplar of the Promethean Creed, -1CP)
  • Lieutenant, Combi-Melta, Power Fist
  • Apothecary
  • Chapter Ancient, Relic Banner (-1CP)
  • Tactical Squad x5, Power Fist, Combi-Flamer, Flamer
  • Tactical Squad x5, Power Fist, Combi-Flamer, Flamer
  • Tactical Squad x5, Chainsword, Storm Bolter, Heavy Bolter
  • Sternguard x10, Power Fist, 10x Combi-Melta
  • Sternguard x10, Power Fist, 10x Combi-Grav
  • Devastator Squad x5, Chainsword, 4x Grav-Cannon, Armourium Cherub
  • Bikes x3, Power Fist, 2x Flamer
  • Attack Bike, Multi-Melta
  • Thunderfire Cannon
  • Whirlwind, Vengeance Launcher
  • Rhino
  • Drop Pod
  • Drop Pod
  • Drop Pod

White Scars (Tyler)

• Battalion
  • Indominus Captain, Warlord, The Burning Blade
  • Indominus Lieutenant
  • Primaris Lieutenant, Power Sword, Bolt Pistol
  • Bladeguard Ancient
  • Bladeguard x3
  • Repulsor
  • Redemptor Dreadnought, Macro-Plasma Incinerator, Storm Bolters
  • Eradicators x3, Melta Rifles
  • Assault Intercessors x5
  • Assault Intercessors x5
  • Intercessors x5, Auto Bolt Rifles
  • Hellblasters x5, Plasma Incinerators
  • Hellblasters x5, Plasma Incinerators
  • Inceptor x3, Assault Bolters
  • Inceptor x3, Assault Bolters

Mission: Surround and Destroy (6 objectives, 2 in each deployment zone and 2 near the middle, long board edges)

Primary Objective: Take and Hold – Score 5 VP for, 1 objective, 2 objectives, and holding more than your opponent (max 15/turn)

Setup (not pictured): I put Bikes, Attack Bike, and Whirlwind to my left, while the Thunderfire, Heavy Bolter squad, and Rhino with 2x Flamer squads were on my right. Tyler put a Repulsor with characters and Bladeguard in the center, as well as the Dreadnought and Eradicators. Hellblasters went in a building to my left, and Intercessors and Assault Intercessors were in another to my right.

All of the rest of my army was packed into three Drop Pods. Tyler held Inceptors and one Assault Intercessor in reserve.

Turn 1 – Azure Flames

Bikes move up and hide behind the crates. Attack Bike wipes two Eradicators in the far building. Drop Pods come down, and wipe out the Repulsor and the Dreadnought, and 2/3 of the Bladeguard. Rhino moves up and spends 1CP to pop smoke. Whirlwind and Thunderfire bust up the Intercessors high in the right hand building.

Turn 1 – White Scars

Captain, Lieutenants, Ancient, and Bladeguard charge.  Assault Intercessors fail to charge.  Overwatch kills the Bladeguard, and Born Protector Overwatch puts 4 wounds on the Lieutenant with the bolt pistol.  The Grav Sternguard wrap around as they heroically intervene, and Edgard also intervenes!  Huge fight in the middle kills the wounded Lieutenant, the Melta Sternguard, and puts a few other wounds here and there.  Eradicators move up and waste two bikes (bad roll).  Inceptors arrive and charge the Techmarine.  He weathers their assualt and kills two of them!  One consolidates into the Tactical Squad.  Two Hellblasters move up.

Turn 2 – Azure Flames

Bike Sergeant charges and kills the two remaining Hellblasters. AMAZING bolt pistol shots and decent Melee kill all White Scars characters in the central scrum. The Techmarine kills two more Inceptors, but he’s down to one wound! Flamer units pile out, fire on the Intercessors, and then assault the Assault Intercessors with their Rhino!

Turn 2 – White Scars

Eradicators kill the Bike Sergeant and take an objective.  Fight with the Assault Intercessors continues, leaving one alive.  The reserved Assault Intercessors arrive and charge the Techmarine, killing him!  I spend 2 CP for Rise from the Ashes trying to revive him but to no avail!

Turn 3 – Azure Flames

Various shooting removes some units, game ceded.

Results:

Azure Flames: 28

White Scars: 4

Discussion

I rolled EXCEEDINGLY WELL for this game. I made saves when I needed to and shot very well on turn 1, especially with pistols in close combat. I also had a very nasty Alpha Strike list. However, I may need to modify it, as the Grav Drop no longer has the stratagem that allows Grav Cannons to wipe entire units of Terminators in one go!

Combine that with the Thunderfire Techmarine getting a TWO WOUND BUMP so that he’s a real boy now! That saved me on the right flank!

Inceptors are not fantastic against Marines with the Assault Bolters. Plasma would have been more effective, or possibly some more Assault Intercessors to pour on damage. Tyler should also have hidden behind buildings or put out screening units such as Infiltrators to stop Drop Pod shenanigans.

Next: The last of the Tactical Sergeants and some wicked conversions!

Indominus Assault Intercessors part 1, and 1st Squad 3rd Company Tactical retouch and decal

I chose to split the Assault Intercessors in two. The first half, including a custom Thunder Hammer conversion is complete!

Following that, I went back to the very first Tactical Squad I ever painted to do some quick touch ups and add decals.

They were a mess.

I’ve touched up squads, especially for Big Games, but never this one. This had a 19 year old paint job. Details were ignored, mould lines were still around, and paint was a bit cakey.

I did what I could. They look much better now, especially with the new decals.

Long time Fourstrands veterans will recognize Brother Jonathan as the lone Tactical marine who stood against a heavily armed Guard commander and Commisar for THREE ROUNDS of close combat, holding up their army and turning a loss into a win. He was the first Marine I named.

He used to be in 4th company, but this squad is now clearly part of the 3rd.

Well… the 4th Company is going to have something bad happen to it. You’ll see in future updates to the Big Game VI storyline.

Next: The final two Tactical Sergeants and another Tactical squad update! Hopefully this one will be less… intense.

9th Edition Debut! 1000 Azure Flames vs. Deathwatch – Ransack

AFK Games is now doing game night with limited tables! Masks and social distancing are required, so fear not all three readers, because I am playing it safe.

This game was played on 10/9/20, which prevented me from using the newest Marine codex. Therefore my list was drawn from the old 8th Edition codex. However, my opponent Thomas and I agreed to use the stats for models and weapons released in FAQs so we were sort of close to a 9th edition game! Sadly my list would have been illegal due to using Scouts as troops (they are now Elites) and Double Heavy Flamers on Land Speeders (not an option anymore, even in Legends!)

Despite the inconveniences, Thomas and I made do. Here’s the Batrep!

Bozeman – Azure Flames (counts as Salamanders using 8th ed rules with modifications to copy leaked 9th ed rules) 1000 points

• Battalion Detachment
  • Captain Khalil on Bike, Warlord, Miraculous Constitution, Forge Master (Exemplar of the Promethean Creed), Drake-Smiter (Thunder Hammer), Storm Shield
  • Lieutenant, Jump Pack, Power Axe, Combi-Melta
  • Intercessors x 5, Bolt Rifles, Thunder Hammer
  • Scouts x 10, Bolters, Missile Launcher
  • Tactical Squad x 5, Storm Bolter, Lascannon
  • Land Speeders x 3, 2 x Heavy Flamers
  • Thunderfire Cannon

Thomas – Deathwatch (using 8th ed rules with bolter-crippling FAQ)

• Patrol Detachment
  • Watch Captain in Terminator Armor, Combi-Melta, Chainfist, Warlord
  • Deathwatch Kill Team x 5, 5 x Combi-Melta
  • Deathwatch Kill Team x 5, 4 x Heavy Bolter
  • Corvus Blackstar
• Vanguard Detachment
  • Venerable Dreadnought, Twin Lascannon, Missile Launcher
  • Venerable Dreadnought, Power Fist, Storm Bolter, Assault Cannon
  • Contemptor Dreadnought, Multi-Melta, Assault Cannon
    • (Note: I believe this detachment had an HQ but it got forgotten during setup)

Mission – Ransack

6 objectives. +5VP for controlling 2 objectives, 3 objectives, or more objectives than your opponent (cumulative) at the end of your Command Phase.

Setup:

Turn 1 – Azure Flames

Khalil roars ahead, and charges the Lascannon/Missile Dreadnought, killing it in one combat! The Land Speeders accompanied by the Jump Pack Lieutenant wipe out the Heavy Bolter squad.

Turn 1 – Deathwatch

The Corvus Blackstar flies all the way across the board and kills 4/5 of the Intercessor Squad. Fire from the Corvus and a well placed punch from the Dreadnought kills one Land Speeder and wounds another.

Turn 2 – Azure Flames

Land Speeders fall back and the Dreadnought is killed by the Lieutenants Combi-Melta. Khalil charges and damages the Contemptor Dreadnought.

Turn 2 – Deathwatch

The Corvus drops off the Watch Captain and Melta Squad. Poor rolls leave one Land Speeder alive, but remove the last Intercessor. The Watch Captain bakes the Techmarine. Poor rolls by Khalil damage the Contemptor further.

Turn 3 – Azure Flames

Land Speeder kills one of the Melta squad while the Lieutenant meltas and then CHARGES the Corvus Blackstar, causing medium damage! Khalil slays the Contemptor.

Turn 3 – Deathwatch

Fire from the Melta squad reduces the Lieutenant to 1 wound.  Corvus Blackstar’s weapons bounce off of Khalil’s Storm Shield.

Turn 4 – Azure Flames

Khalil turbo boosts to an objective. The Lieutenant charges the Melta Squad, kills one, and is slain! For the 4th time this game, the Tactical Squad Lascannon misses! The Scout Missile Launcher reduces the Corvus Blackstar to one wound, and then Bolters finish it! Turn not pictured. Game ceded.

Results:

Azure Flames: 54 VP
Deathwatch: 10 VP

Breakdown:

9th edition is going to play a lot differently! It’s now about scoring LOTS of points in LOTS of ways! Choosing good Secondary Objectives is key. For example, I chose the mission-specific secondary Ransack, which didn’t score me any points at all because I didn’t hold objectives on the opposing board edge enough!

I rolled very well except for the Lascannon shots from the Tactical Squad. Thomas had quite a bad night, with Las-Talons on the Corvus missing more often than they hit! Thomas also had too few boots on the ground to take advantage of mission objectives.

All in all, I think 9th is going to be good. However, we played on a board much bigger than the new minimum. Games may be played in much smaller spaces! This will give assault armies a leg up, but also prevent hiding and require a lot of terrain.

Bonus, a new player, Ben, showed off his sweet Indominus Necrons! Check ’em out!

Next: Assault Intercessors and more batreps!

Indominus Primaris Lieutenant Sandeep, leader of the Lightguard, and Shotgun Scout touchups with decals

My Primaris lieutenant is complete! Formerly Sergeant Sandeep of the Lightguard, now Lieutenant of the 4th Company, seconded to Captain Antonius.

In addition, I spent a while fixing up my old shotgun scouts! I used them all the time in 3rd where they were the superior choice to Bolter scouts. Indeed, in Antonius’ backstory, he used a Shotgun as a scout, meaning these august and weary models represented him and his squad!

These were some of the first models I painted and it shows. Almost two decades of wear made them a challenge to touch up. In addition, some of their faces made them look like they had just seen the Ark of the Covenant open. Why didn’t they get a touch up until now? Guess I just didn’t think about it.

Now, however, they have a nice touch up and snazzy decals! Next: Sniper Scout Sergeants!

Scout Sergeants and Close Combat Scout Touchups with Decals

First, five new Scout Sergeants to round out the weapons options for Scout Squads. As I use Scouts a lot, these will be a way to maximize a squad’s effectiveness and possibly spend 5 extra points. These were kitbashed from plastic scouts and bits from the Vanguard and Sternguard veteran sets. I normally hate the Vanguard bare heads, but they’re perfect for scout sergeants! They look so 2nd ed!

…that was the easy part. The hard part was updating my old pewter close combat scouts. Earlier, when I touched up the Sniper Scouts, I barely had to do anything because I had already stripped and re-painted them for Big Game V. As such, their paint was much closer to my current standards.

I haven’t touched these close combat models in 19 years.

Their paint jobs were not only riddled with mistakes, missed details, and irregular colors, but were also severely damaged. All had at least some pewter showing thanks to chips.

But no more! They’re ready to rumble, complete with new decals!

The close combat scouts have 5 poses. Two of them have the pistol up, obscuring the right shoulder pad. I had to trim the decal for effect, which worked well thanks to Micro Set/Sol.

Next: the Indominus Lieutennant, the last of the reborn Lightguard!

Indominus Bladeguard as Lightguard Reborn, and Sniper Scout Decals

The next part of my Indominus project is complete! The Lightguard are reborn as Bladeguard Veterans!

Formerly the Honor Guard of Chapter Master Perseus, the Lightguard sought permission to cross the Rubicon Primaris en route to the besieged world of Altea, where Captain Antonius, Scion of Atrus, held with the remaining Primaris recruits from the Indominus Crusade. Arriving just in time to save Antonius, the Lightguard pledged loyalty to him, and officially joined the 4th Company (shoehorned into the 20th squad slot).

Also, as part of the ongoing decal project, I added decals to my old pewter sniper scouts. They required almost no touch ups! I’ve been using them pretty regularly for all of 8th, so they’ve really toughed it out!

Note that the kneeling version of this model has its right shoulder covered, and didn’t need decals.

Next: a bevy of Scout Sergeants to round out Scout Sergeant weapon options, and some close combat scouts get some TLC and decals!

Firstborn Lieutenant, Tactical Sergeant, and Bolter Scout Overhaul

Two more models from the gray pile to the done pile!

In addition, I broke out my old pewter Bolter scouts. They were in rough shape, lots of paint chips and many details left un-detailed. I fixed them up, added detail, and replaced the hand-painted squad designation with a decal.

I actually had a bit of trouble this time! One of the decals mysteriously vanished. I had to use another. Luckily I had a few spares, but not many.

Next: The Lightguard return as Bladeguard Veterans, plus some more decal action! I’m keeping to my promise of one decal upgrade per finished new paint job.

Bladeguard Ancient – Return of the Lightguard! Freehand Banner and Conversion

I’ve been hinting at the return of some old friends. Long ago I ordered some Forge World Mk V armor to make a custom Honor Guard for Chapter Master Perseus: The Lightguard.

I never got to use them. They were too expensive. Now, honor guard seem to be an Ultramarines thing. Boo.

But they’re not gone. In fact, they’ve crossed the Rubicon! Behold, my Indominus Bladeguard Ancient, the first of the Lightguard Reborn!

What’s this? That’s not the Bladeguard Ancient from the Indominus box! Where’s his creepy skeleton banner and useless bone hand?

They’ve been removed. I drilled into the helmet, removed the skeleton hand, and carved the fingers so he can hold the helmet instead. I’ve replaced the head with a Sternguard Veteran head. I chopped off the skeleton banner and replaced it with the regular banner from the old Command Squad box set (I had a spare). Finally, a Black Ark Corsair cloak was green-stuffed onto his back, under the backpack.

Because the previous Lightguard had my first freehand banner, I could do no less for this venerable gentleman. The only part that is not freehand is the “IV” decal. I added the Lightguard Chasma Spica Constellation logo to both the banner and the heraldry shield on the chest. These stars represent the 11 star systems in the Azure Flame’s home sector, fought over in BG V.

The cloak had each scale highlighted on both top and bottom for a nice 3D effect. The flame up top was started with Enchanted Blue and coated with contrast paint, then highlighted all the way to white.

Next: a squad gets their decals, and some Tactical Sergeants get finished!

Firstborn Tactical Sergeants and Intercessor Decals

These Sergeants have been in and out of my lists for the entirety of 8th ed, but it’s only now I’m getting them painted up.

For efficiency, I also added decals to my Intercessor squad, so I could varnish them all at once. It went well, so instead of making each decal squad a project, I’m going to do a squad worth of decals for each paint job I do from now on.

Next: back to Indominus! No more cookie cutter by-the-book models, it’s time to bring back some old friends and make the Indominus sculpts fit the Azure Flames more closely!