This week our book review returns to the world of Warhammer 40k and the cutting edge of the ongoing story – the Fall of Cadia! This is the second book in the series, and whilst the first tried for an all-spanning global conflict this one is much more about the hero – Minka Lesk.
For ten thousand years, Cadia stood as a bastion against the daemonic tide spewing forth from the Eye of Terror. But now the Fortress World lies in ruins, its armies decimated in the wake of Abaddon the Despoiler and his Thirteenth Black Crusade. Those who survived, though haunted by the loss of their beloved homeworld, remain bloodied and unbarred, fighting ruthlessly in the Emperor’s name.
Amongst them is the indomitable Sergeant Minka Lesk. Sent to the capital world of Potence, Lesk and the Cadian 101st company soon discover that a rot runs through the very heart of the seemingly peaceful world. Lesk knows she must excise this taint of Chaos, for it is not only her life and those of her company at stake, but also the honour of Cadia itself.
The story of Cadia’s soldiers continues despite the destruction of Cadia. Cadian Honour follows Minka Lesk and the world of Potence.
This is more of the same from the Warhammer 40k universe, but there’s is nothing wrong in knowing that the story is mostly the same as it’s like a new coat in the same design as the old one!
What makes this stand out is having a female lead for the story – which is great – and many of the Cadian Astra Militarum being females as well. It does look like Black Library is trying to get a broader range of characters (as opposed to white male) into their books and this is a good example of it working.
Minka Lesk is a believable hero and I found myself engaged in her story to survive and possibly lead the Cadian troops to some sort of victory – even in the Galaxy spanning war. Games Workshop & Black Library do seem to be bringing us more female leads and this can only be a good thing – more of the same please!
One of the benefits of this book is you don’t have to have read Cadia Stands either – my advice, just dive straight in here!
Some time ago, I spent a considerable amount of time playing with impact. For those who don’t know Impact allows you to digitally paint models to test colour schemes for projects.
As such I ended up recreating and creating tonnes of Space Marine liveries for both cannon chapters and non-cannon chapters. This process eventually allowed me to create my own home brew Space Marine Chapter the Void Dragons.
But, I thought rather than deleting all that hard work or just leaving it on Pinterest where it won’t be used, why not share them with you. That way, you can view the colour schemes I’ve already made and pick one for your own Chapter should you wish….. Enjoy!
So in response to the horror that is my backlog, I’ve decided to start a little challenge for myself.
I’ve created a spreadsheet with all of my backlog of miniatures listed inside, there’s a simple formula which will then choose a unit that is yet to be completed at random. My task is to paint that unit before moving on to anything else.
This will be to go side by side with my current projects of getting the Kruleboyz tournament ready and painting the oldhammer I have.
The first challenge according to the spreadsheet is……..
So, I’ll paint the smallest sized unit allowed in Warhammer Fantasy which is a unit of 10. When that’s done we’ll see what I have to paint next…..
Following the success of the first two articles in this series on the Sisters of Battle and the Blood Angels, I decided to write another, this time on everyone’s favourite xenos, the Orks. So like the last two lists our only rule is that we have to start with the Combat Patrol box and then build this up to 1,000 points that will hopefully prove to be a fun introduction to what I think is the most characterful of xenos armies.
The combat patrol box is packed with goodies and like the other factions they’re a fantastic way to start a new army as they often give you a wide range of units.
This will cost you an additional £168, alongside the cost of the Codex (£30) the entire army will set you back £283!
However! If you sign up for SCN Hobbies mailing list you’ll receive 25% off Games Workshops recommended retail price and 15% off web only miniatures. Meaning including postage the army and codex would cost £220! That’s a saving of just over £60!
To sign up to the SCN Hobbies mailing list, email Sarah on scnhobbyworld@outlook.com.
This combat patrol can be used as a basis for virtually any of the Ork klans, so today we’re just going to make a generic list that should be suitable for anyone (though Evil Sunz and Deathskullz are likely to gain more out of it).
The list above brings us with upgrades to 1,000 points and the list will be as follows;
HQ ———-
Warboss in Mega Armour (Warlord) – 115 pts – ‘Uge Choppa & Big Shoota – Command Trait: Big Gob – Trukkboyz
Weirdboy – 70 pts – Power of the Waaagh!: Da Krunch & Da Jump
TROOPS ———-
Boyz – 95 pts – 9x Boyz: Slugga & Choppa – Boss Nob: Big Choppa & Slugga – Trukkboyz Mob
Boyz – 95 pts – 9x Boyz: Slugga & Choppa – Boss Nob: Big Choppa & Slugga
ELITES ———-
Meganobz – 105 pts – 2x Meganobz: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw – Boss Meganob: Kustom Shoota, Power Klaw
FAST ATTACK ———-
Deffkoptas – 150 pts – 3x Deffkoptas
Warbikers – 130 pts – 4x Warbiker: Dakkaguns and Choppa – Boss Nob: Big Choppa
This chap is truly a beast! 5 attacks in melee, hitting on 2+ at strength 9, this dude can hit marines on 2+ and then wound them on 2+ giving them only a 6+ chance to save. Flat two damage means he’ll likely kill at least three marines in combat.
On top of that if you make sure your boyz are within 6″ of him, when in combat they’ll benefit from a +1 on their hit rolls in combat.
Give him the Trukkboyz Specialist mob rule, it’ll mean he can disembark even if the Trukk makes a normal move and it’ll add +1 to his ranged attacks hit roll while shooting from the trukk.
With Tellyporta, you also have the option of setting him up in reserve and bringing him on later…. But perhaps consider saving this for a unit we’ll look at later.
WEIRDBOY
While not bad in combat himself, this guys true power comes from his Waaagh Powers. Equip him with Da Jump and you’ll be able to move any of your core units such as your Boyz anywhere on the battlefield 9″ away from the enemy, and considering we’ve gone for a fast list which should be charging up to the enemy as quickly as possible, this power ties in perfectly with that.
Your second power could be Da Krunch which if any enemy units stray to close to the Weirdboy he’ll be able to roll a D6 for each model causing mortals on 6’s.
BOYZ
Your common Ork is a CC specialist and in our army where speed and being in the enemies grill is top priority these boyz will do you proud. With two attacks base increasing to three due to their Choppas a single unit of 10 can push out 31 attacks in close combat which hit on 3’s (or 2’s if near your Warboss). If you choose to run your army as Goffs then these boyz will score additional hits on unmodified hit rolls of 5+ instead of 6+ if you use the Unbridled Carnage stratagem for 2CP.
Either place them in your Trukk and give them the Trukkboyz specialist mob rule, and then bomb them up the field or have them sit with your Weirdboy who can Da Jump them near to their target.
MEGANOBZ
This unit with their Power Klaws mean they can chew through a lot of the enemies heavy armour. With Strength 10 in combat and AP-3 with flat 2 damage throw them against tanks and watch them krump.
You can increase this damage to three with the stratagem Hit ‘Em Harder, which if you take averages into account means you should be causing 9 wounds to things like Space Marine Rhinos and the like.
Again, because their Core, if they’re within 6″ of the Warboss they’ll gain a +1 on their to hit roll in combat meaning that you negate the -1 to hit for having power klaws.
You can equip these with a Tellyporta as well should you wish, allowing you to deploy them anywhere 9″ away from the enemy,
DEFF KOPTAS
These boyz are fast with a movement of 14″ they close towards enemy tanks fire their rockets and cause some serious damage early in the game. Their rockets are 24″ range with 2D3 shots, strength 8 and AP-2, doing D3 damage per hit. Great for taking out heavier infantry from further away and staying out of range of the enemies small arms fire. Also can be used to quickly claim any objectives should the need arise. lend themselves perfectly to our fast moving army, giving it some punch from further away.
If they do get caught in combat, each Kopta will be able make 6 attacks thanks to its Spinnin’ blades. However, they’re only hitting on 3’s and hit at strength 5, -1AP and doing 1 damage each. Try and avoid combat with them unless you feel confident you can win.
With Swoopin’ Down these boys can also be set up off the table before the game begins coming down in a movement phase at least 9″ away from the enemy. Good for dropping in and using the rockets to blast away at a valuable target.
If you choose Speed Freaks then there’s various options of stratagems for these as well with possibly the best being Attack Out O’ Da Sun, allowing them to be removed at the end of the turn for 2CP and placed anywhere on the battlefield 9″ away from the enemy in your next movement phase. This also effectively removes the chance for the enemy to shoot and target them for a turn.
WARBIKERS
Warbikers are a great all round unit for shooting and combat. With each bike having two Dakkaguns they have the potential to kick out 25 shots for the five bikes if they’re within 9″ of the enemy. Even if they’re not they’ll still be able to shoot 15 times! Great for taking out lightly armed units such as Guard.
In combat the Warbikers will make two attacks each (three attacks each if they have Choppas)though don’t expect them to cause too much damage unless you have taken them as Speed Freaks.
This unit is ideal for harassing the enemy and taking wounds off here and there.
DEFF DREAD
This guy can really be turned into a CC beast, and you’ve got two of them to play with! Give them both four Dread Klaws and they’ll generate seven attacks each in melee. These are at Strength 10, -3 AP and doing 3 damage each. They’ll chew through most things the enemy can put up against them.
They’re tough as well with toughness 7, 8 wounds each and a 3+ save, the enemy will need to pour some time and effort into getting rid of these, meaning they’re not shooting at your boyz or meganobz……
when you do charge with these make sure to use Ramming Speed for 2CP as it’ll give 3D6 for your charge roll and on a 2+ cause D3 mortal wounds to an enemy within engagement range.
To get them up the field really quick, keep the deff dreads in reserve and then use the Tellyporta stratagem that we discussed earlier and all they’ll be able to deploy 9″ away from an enemy in the movement phase. That’ll terrify most players.
TRUKK
The trusty Ork Trukk, place one of your units of boyz in here and they’ll be able to shoot from it as its open topped. It’ll be able to take 12 infantry models or one unit of ten boyz and your Warboss…. just to get them up the field quicker.
Remember that the Trukk is Ramshackle as well meaning anything up to strength 7 that targets it will have to subtract one from its damage characteristic.
OTHER POINTS
If you like close combat, then this army list is for you. It’s ideally suited to get up the table quickly and charging as soon as possible. Be as aggressive as possible with this list and you should have a lot of fun.
WHERE NEXT?
The sky’s the limit. Which Kultur do you want to go with, Evil Sunz? Get more vehicles. Goffs? Get more boyz. Deathskulls? Get some lootas.
I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know in the comments below how you would build a 1,000 point list from the Combat Patrol Box and why not also let me know what you think to my list. There may well be aspects of the codex or units that I have not included that you think should be, so why not let us know in the comments below.
This week our book review returns to the world of Warhammer 40k and the cutting edge of the ongoing story – the Fall of Cadia!
Does it though?
The problem with Galaxy defining novels, which include a major change in the story, is that they are difficult to write. There are so many characters to include, so many people who are very likely to die, and a bad guy – Abaddon – throwing a space station at a planet…
Hill makes a good stab at bringing together the story of the Fall of Cadia and the attack of Abaddon, but it is too much for one book… starting on the planet with Cadian regiments returning, it takes the reader through the initial attacks, the orbital fights, the invasion of the Black Legion, the fall of Cadia, the flight and start of New Cadia… phew.
A good attempt, but ultimately the scope was just too grand, I struggled to follow the story (and I’ve read the crib-notes from other Warhammer 40k publications), and I’m a fan of the setting. Definitely not one that casual readers will be wanting to pick up.
So the diorama for Marneus is starting to come together. All that’s left to do is perhaps tidying the bear up a little and finishing the marine Guard.
On top of this I’ve ordered from Etsy some mini banners for the 1st and 2nd companies as well as the chapter banner which I’ll hand on the wall behind Marneus.
The chapter bannerThe 2nd Company bannerThe first company banner
Once these arrive and are placed the model will finally be finished!
Bullgryns are essentially the only reliable close combat option when it comes to the armies of the Astra Militarum. These units come as groups of three, but you can and probably should pay for more. You have the option to have units of up to nine of these bad boys running round.
With simple equipment options of either a maul or gauntlet in one hand and a slab shield or brute shield in the other.
The gauntlet isn’t anything to write home about, with an average of three shots per bullgryn, only half of which is likely to hit the target due to their ballistic skill. Plus with strength four in a new world where there are some armies with toughness 5 it means you could be wounding on 5’s against creatures such as Orks. Far better to be taking the maul in my opinion and leave the shooting to your regular infantry.
Use these guys as intended and counter punch. Each Bullgryn with a maul will have three attacks (four in any turns in which they charge due to Avalanche of Muscle) hitting at strength 7. Okay the AP isn’t great but these guys are good for taking out infantry units and light armour. You could also run them with a cheap 40pt priest nearby to give them another +1 attack through their War Hymns.
The slab shield and brute shield both have their uses with the former giving the model a 2+ save and the latter a 4+ invulnerable save. If you do choose a larger unit if these then choose to have an almost 50/50 split between brute and slab shields, as one will allow you to save against high ap weaponry while the other will be good for small arms fire. This makes this unit very survivable and able to trudge up the field under heavy fire to smash face.
As well as this, if you use the Stratagem Take Cover! You can add a further +1 to their saving throw, which if already in cover can mean you’re almost always saving on 2+.
Their drawback is the inability to use transports, but they more than make up for this with their survivability. With three wounds each and toughness 5 most enemy players will need 5’s to wound you most of the time, and with your choice of either 2+ saves if they choose small arms or 4+ invulnerable if they choose something heavier you have an answer for most things.
I’d even be tempted to run two units of nine, but that can be expensive with a single model running at 35pts.
9x Bullgryns – 315 points – 4x Bullgryns with Slab Shield and Maul – 4x Bullgryns with Brute Shield and Maul – Bullgryn Bone ‘ead with Brute Shield and Maul
So I’ve spent some considerable time digging around my room to find what’s in my pile of sh… potential. This list is still missing a lot of non-Warhammer miniatures, but that aside this is complete. The remainder will be filled out once I get the time to look through my last remaining boxes.
As mentioned I have already posted about my Age of Sigmar collection. But here is the list in its entirety.
So what am I going to do with this? Well for a start I need to stop buying so much! Then I need to consistently paint stuff from start to finish, too many times have I painted a model to 80% completion then left it to do something else.
Therefore, this year my focus on painting will be the following:
Get the Kruleboyz Tournament Army ready for March 26th
Paint the Rogue Trader collection as and when they are received and don’t buy any more until complete
Finish the many, many models that are 50-80% complete and start clearing the semi-painted backlog
Get Cursed City painted ready to play with my family and friends.
Once that’s done it’ll be choosing units at random to paint to completion.
Following the success of the first article in this series on the Sisters of Battle, I decided to dip my foot in and attempt another. This time on my own favourite army the Blood Angels. So like last time we’re going to start with the Combat Patrol box and then build this up to 1,000 points that will hopefully prove to be a fun introduction to what I think is the most characterful of Space Marine armies.
The combat patrol box is packed with goodies and like the other factions they’re a fantastic way to start a new army as they often give you a wide range of units.
Space Marine Captain (Free!) – you can kitbash one from the upgrade sprue and Sanguinary Guard.
This will cost you an additional £60, alongside the cost of the Codex (£30) and Blood Angel Supplement (£17.50) the entire army will set you back £192.50!
However! If you sign up for SCN Hobbies mailing list you’ll receive 25% off Games Workshops recommended retail price and 15% off web only miniatures. Meaning including postage the army and codex would cost £152! That’s a saving of just over £40!
To sign up to the SCN Hobbies mailing list, email Sarah on scnhobbyworld@outlook.com.
The list above brings us with upgrades to 1,000 points and the list will be as follows;
Vanguard Detachment (3CP) Adeptus Astartes: Blood Angels
HQ ———-
Captain (Warlord) -140 pts – Angel Exemplar (-1cp) – Jump Pack – Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield – Relic: Gleaming Pinions – Warlord Traits: Speed of the Primarch, Gift of Foresight
With your Captain you can kitbash this model from parts of the Sanguinary Guard (using the legs, body, backpack and head) plus the upgrade sprue – replacing the chainsword for a Thunder Hammer (ask a friend if you don’t have one of these, same for the storm shield).
Make this chap your Warlord and give him the relic Gleaming Pinions which will allow the captain to withdraw from combat and then charge again, as well as giving him the ability to re-roll fail charges. This guy will be an absolute beast for you. He’ll have five attacks on the charge with the Shock Assault rule (six if your in Assault Doctrine thanks to Savage Echoes) hitting on 3’s and wounding anything up to strength 7 on 2’s thanks to The Red Thirst.
With flat three damage which also has -2 AP, this guy can bring the pain. Plus if you give him Speed of the Primarch he’ll always fight first in the fight phase. By giving him Angel Exemplar for 1cp you’ll be able have an additional Warlord Trait as well, so why not give him Gift of Foresight to allow him to re-roll one hit roll, wound roll and save roll each turn?
Make sure you keep him within 6″ of your Sanguinary Guard and Ancient as they’ll benefit from a plus 1 to their attack hit roll. Perhaps consider keeping all three units in reserve and deploying them later to counter punch against the enemy.
This guy also has a 2+ save thanks to the Storm shield along with a 4+ invulnerable save, so he’ll be hard to shift without your enemy focusing on him.
PRIMARIS LIBRARIAN
Primaris Librarian
This fellow comes inside the Combat Patrol box, and is our second HQ unit. You can make him tasty in combat by giving him the psychic power Quickening which will allow him to re-roll advance and charge rolls as well as adding D3 attacks to his attacks characteristic giving him the potential to dish out up to nine attacks on the charge thanks to Shock Assault and Savage Echoes. Plus with The Red Thirst you’ll be adding one to your wound rolls.
The draw back is his speed, he won’t be able to keep up with your Sanguinary Guard or Captain, but he can move up the field fairly quickly with the re-rolling of advance rolls. Your opponents will be surprised by his melee capability, hitting on 3’s with a strength five weapon that also provides -3 AP and D3 damage.
The Incursor Squads are great and fit into the Blood Angel theme perfectly. Equip these guys with a Haywire Mine which will cause D3 mortal wounds to an enemy within engagement range on a 2+ (flat 3 wounds if the target is a vehicle).
These guys have Concealed Positions allowing them to deploy anywhere on the battlefield more than 9″ away from the enemy deployment zone or enemy units.
They also benefit from the Occulus Bolt Carbine which removes cover benefits for enemy targets.
Plus as with all Blood Angel units they’re tasty in hand to hand as well, with two attack each (three for the sergeant), and an additional one on the charge courtesy of Shock Assault, they can push out 3 attacks each (four if in Assault Doctrine, again thanks to Savage Echoes).
Buy another box of these when looking to expand your force in the future!
INTERCESSORS
Intercessors
Again, a solid unit and although only five man initially they still benefit from some solid gains though the Blood Angels special rules in the same way that the Incursors do.
Plus if you use the space marine stratagem Rapid Fire for 2cp you’ll be able to fire these boys for a second time at the end of the shooting phase. Rapid firing them on both occasions gets the most out of them. If you give them Auto-Bolt Rifles as well and use Rapid Fire then they could kick out 30 shots in a turn.
AGGRESSORS
Aggressors
These chaps are slow with only a 5″ movement, meaning they’ll be outpaced by the vast majority of units in the game. That being said with D6 shots from their flamestorm gauntlets once they close to within 12″ these guys will each kick out a serious number of hits which are great against large units such as Orks or Astra Militarum conscripts.
With three attacks (four for the sergeant) base these guys will also smash face in the fight phase, remember to charge and you’ll be kicking out 16 attacks for the unit with Shock Assault and Savage Echoes. Remember that Red Thirst will give you +1 to your wound rolls as well meaning they’re wounding most things on either 2’s or 3’s if it’s toughness 8 or above.
Also remember that you can use the Space Marine codex stratagem Unyielding in the Faceof the Foe which, for 1 cp allows them to add +1 to their armour saves against weapons with damage 1.
SANGUINARY ANCIENT
A Sanguinary Ancient with Sanguinary Guard
The Sanguinary Ancient and the Sanguinary Guard will be your close combat specialists in the army, and that’s saying something for the Blood Angels when as we’ve seen even librarians can dish out up to nine attacks.
Keep this guy within 6″ of both the Guard and your Captain so that they gain +1 to their attack roll for being near the captain and +1 to their roll for having the Chapter banner nearby. This plus if any Sanguinary Guard or the Ancient are destroyed by an enemy model on a 4+ they’ll be able to make a final attack (shooting or melee) before being removed.
With Angelic Visage the enemy also suffer a -1 to hit roll on their attacks in the fight phase.
SANGUINARY GUARD
Sanguinary Guard
Much of what was mentioned for the Ancient applies to the Guard as well. Keep them within 6″ of the Captain and the Ancient and you’ll have one big scary melee ball of pain.
Each model is able to dish out three attacks base, and like all of the other units the Guard will benefit from Savage Echoes, The Red Thirst and Shock Assault. All this means is that each one will make four attacks on the charge (five when in assault doctrine). You can increase the potential by +1 on your attack roll if you use the Stratagem Descent of Angels on the turn which they arrived from reserve.
Plus with the Stratagem Upon Wings of Fire, once they’ve mulched their target in the next movement phase you can place them back into reserve and do it all over again.
Thanks to the Ancient and the Captain means they’ll always be hitting on 2’s and with the encarmine blade giving them +1 strength they’ll be able to wound anything up to T4 on 2’s and T5 targets (looking at you greenskins) on 3’s. With AP -3 and flat 2 damage these guys are great against any infantry opponent, and if you equip a couple with power fists they’ll take on tanks as well.
IMPULSOR
Penitent Engines
Ideally it would be nice to equip this with the Bellicatus Missile Array (allowing you to fire S8 missiles) as without this you’re just relying on the Heavy Stubber and Bolters. But, that being said it can still be useful for transporting your Intercessors and Librarian around the field at a quicker pace.
OTHER POINTS
With Blood Angels, it’s remembering your special rules when you charge and are in combat. The opponent won’t always remind you that you have Savage Echoes, The Red Thirst, Black Rage and Shock Assault so try and get into the habit of learning these if you are going to collect the Blood Angels.
The other thing to remember is that the Blood Angels are a close combat army and so you want to be getting up the field quickly and in the opponents faces as much as possible, but pick your fights well. Don’t throw away your units without possibly whittling down the enemy a little with your boltguns on the Intercessors. Target priority is always key with any army you play, look at your opponents army before your begin, work out the biggest threats and how you can use your units to counter them. Would it involved dropping the Guard, Ancient and Captain nine inches from the horribly big tank? Or perhaps you should kick out those 30 shots that the Intercessors can give on that Ork horde that’s approaching before charging with two or three of your close combat units?
If you like close combat, then these are the Marines for you. Plus who doesn’t love sculpted nips and abs on armour?
WHERE NEXT?
As I mentioned earlier I would probably look to be including more Incursors in the larger builds of this list alongside some of the other more well known Blood Angel units for flavour such as Mephiston and Death Company.
I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know in the comments below how you would build a 1,000 point list from the Combat Patrol Box and why not also let me know what you think to my list. There may well be aspects of the codex or units that I have not included that you think should be, so why not let us know in the comments below.
