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March 2007 ISSUE 03
www.warseer.com/firebasemag
The Head Monkey: Adam Smith PR Monkey: Brandon Valee
Assistant Subbing Gibbon: Adam Parkhouse Specialist Monkey: Simon Fisher
Design Monkey: Steve Gagne Cover Art: Izzy Davis
Art Monkeys: Logan Lee, Robert Friis, Jonathan Ho, Loopz, Seth Bennett,Milan Dubnicky
Writing Chimps: Luke Bardwell, Jason Chastain, Marc Cook, Ashley Curtis, Simon Fisher, Michael Glaesar, Sascha Glaesar, Johan Hansson, Alan Herbert, James Le Grys, Yves Marie, Stephane Montabert, Bob Ortwin, Gerard Pitt, Joel Pitt, Dan Quirk, Adam Smith, Simon Smith, Bob Syko and Brandon Valee. FIREBASE is published every three months in association with Warseer.com. All text and layout remains the copyright of FIREBASE. FIREBASE is a fully independent publication and its views are not the views of any company mentioned herein. All characters and artwork shown in this magazine remain the © and trademark of their respective owners. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express permission of the Editor or Deputy Editor. FIREBASE can accept no responsibility for inaccuracies or complaints arising from editorial or advertising within this magazine. All letters and emails received will be considered for publication, but we cannot always provide personal replies.
This fanzine is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. FIREBASE is a non-profit making fanzine with the aim of promoting Games Workshop games, products and hobby.
Firebase
Editorial
Crank up the metal, don your spiky leather and shake your long 80s hair as FIREBASE is consumed by chaos to roaring
guitars and thumping drums -Issue 3 is here!
A lot of people play stirring music when playing their games and my mob of bloodthirsty gamers are no exception. There’s nothing quite like charging your Khorne bezerkers across the field to a bit of Man O’ War or playing Primal Fear when your fire warriors take aim to fell the foe! Gerard played a little Daft Punk when fielding his Eldar for the first time and even that went down well.
So if you’re still listening to the same old rubbish on the radio, or even (gasp!) playing in silence, get yourself over to a cheap online retailer and order a couple of cheesy power metal CDs. Marc’s become quite the convert
and can now be seen racing to work with Blind
Guardian blaring as he leads the
commuters charge with a plastic sword
held aloft from his noble petrol fuelled chariot of steel!
Contents
Editorial. . . . . 2
lEtit snow!
What Mike got up to over Christmas with his terrain boards. . . . . 4
BackinBlack
A Space Crusade chaos army that’s a real blast from the past. . . . . 7
lEgEndary lunchtimEs
How to cram a great game into just sixty minutes. . . . . 12
timEto diE
The perilous world of customized dice. . . . . 17
an inquisitor’s JoBis nEvEr donE
Get the most from your Inquisitors and their retinues. . . . . 18
noBody ExpEctsthE inquisition!
The Daemonhunters are ambushed by a Necron raiding party. . . . . 22
rEal spacE marinEs!
Tim shows off his real life space marine suits. . . . . 38
an ork’s talE Final chaptEr
The Ard Knucklz go to war!. . . . . 41
all liFE Forms grEatand small
The Epic armies of Stephane Montabert and Yves Marie .. . . . . 54
thE harlEm shuttlE
A great shuttle kit for your games. . . . . 60
a littlE lEss convErsation a littlE morE action
Role playing in the 40k universe. . . . . 62
i’ll BE damnEd!
Bob Ortwin’s Legion of the Damned army. . . . . 81
aBsolutE chaos
The gods of chaos collide. . . . . 84
thank youand goodnight
modelling
Let It Snow!
A
s winter’s rain falls to the ground, many battles
take place on grassy plains surrounded by trees in
their full green colors. Yes, in the grim darkness of the far
future there is only summer! By the end of this article,
your miniatures will be marching through snow covered
battlefields trying to assault the enemy over dead trees
and frozen waterways. I’m sure your troops will love you
for it.
The first order of business is the table top itself. I assume most of you reading this have some sort of a playing surface, be it the dinner table or an actual game table. If not, go to your nearest home improvement store and buy yourself a 6x4 ft. polystyrene panel. You know…that pink/blue/white insulation stuff. Now that you have your selected surface in place, we can begin.
To limit your trips to the craft store, here’s a list of generic supplies that you will need:
- Snow mat/roll: These rolls are usually made from some type of stretchable fiber cloth and sometimes have the dreaded glitter to make them extra sparkly. Remember to get enough to cover your entire table.
- Snow scatter: The range on this varies. From GamesWorkshop and Woodland Scenics flock, to small shredded plastic fluff, you’re bound to find something to your liking.
- Winter trees: Again the range on this varies. If you have your own “summer” trees, you can simply throw snow scatter over them.
- Small Styrofoam balls: For the trees which I’ll talk about later.
- Transparency paper: You probably have to go to an office supplies store for this stuff. It’s the “see through” paper used on overhead projectors.
1. Prep your game table. Take a vacuum and clean off all the extra sand, chips of paint, etc to prevent them from getting stuck to your snow roll. Remove all moveable scenery as well.
Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
2. Cover your entire table with the snow mat/roll. If you want to add hills, simply slide a few magazines or some cut polystyrene underneath. To secure the roll to your table, you can either tape or tack it to the surface.
3. Cut some oval-esque shapes out of the transparency paper to form frozen ponds, lakes etc. By cutting and combining several sheets of paper, you can even create a frozen river running through the entire table! Once you lay your frozen water on the surface, apply some snow scatter to the “banks” in order to break up the outline.
4. Apply the snow scatter over the entire surface to add texture. It is perfectly alright to sing some holiday/winter songs while doing so too. You can easily create snow banks by adding more and more scatter to certain areas. Word of advice: keep it away from the edges of the table so that a) it doesn’t fall on the floor and b) it doesn’t get on your clothes.
Flock with troops and vehicles:
5. Once you have the flock down, you can add your trees. Sometimes trees will come with a flat base so that they can stand upright. Others just have a metal wire at the bottom to be “pinned”. This is where the Styrofoam balls come in. Cut one in half, stick a tree through it and you’re done! Instant flat base that matches the surroundings!
6. If there’s anything else you’d like to add in, do it now. I actually bought a small light up Christmas tree to use as an objective.
7. And you’re done! That was easy wasn’t it? You now have a new gaming surface which was relatively cheap to make and is completely removable.
7
Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
interview
BACK
IN
BLACK
A
shley Curtis interviews Adam Smith and Adam
Parkhouse over an amazing space crusade era chaos
marine army. Old skool is definitely still very cool.
FB: So Mr Smith, what started you on this course of chaos induced madness?
Smith: It all began when I picked up space crusade on eBay. I opened her up and felt all jiggly inside like I had done when I was a wee nipper (about 7) and was suddenly blown away by the quality of the chaos marines and the old dreadnought. Unlike the blobby
space marines they were as awesome as I remembered and that sparked the idea for an entire army.
FB: Hence the whole army is based on some real classic models. What did you pick up after that?
Smith: Next came the nightmarish task of getting all the old chaos stuff. Over the course of 6 months I lost count of how much money I spent bidding on eBay for individual models, whole squads, dreadnoughts and sometimes complete sets to get everything I wanted. After numerous ravaged Space Crusade boxes and a whole lot of bidding I got the army together.
FB: I suppose its testament to just what you can pick up on eBay. What was the inspiration for the HQ of your force?
Smith: This is where the old skool element comes in. Way back in 2nd edition there were no chaos lord models apart from the special characters. I fondly remember everyone converting existing space
marine characters. I knew I wanted someone with a kai gun and that’s where Tycho came in. He had a big gun, so that did the trick.
FB: Did the models come first when putting the army together, or was it a list then seeing what fitted?
Smith: I came up with the list first, but it was restricted to what models came in Space Crusade. Namely dreadnoughts, small dreadnoughts, chaos marines and chaos androids.
FB: How do your represent all these weird and wonderful models on the battlefield?
Smith: The big dreadnoughts are chaos dreadnoughts with twin-linked lascannon and missile launcher while the little dreadnoughts represent obliterators. The chaos marines are obviously chaos marines, while the chaos androids I’m using as a chosen squad with 3 autocannons and the tank hunter skill. They can always become havocs as the army expands.
FB: How effective have you found the army?
Parkhouse: Have you even played with it?
Smith: Umm…I must confess that I haven’t tried it out yet, but it’s packing enough low AP and anti tank weaponry to give my mate’s dark angels army a damn good kicking! Not that I’d ever tailor my army, no sir.
FB: It certainly sounds like a firepower force to be reckoned with! What were the decisions made regarding the painting of the force?
Smith: After painting a handful of chaos cultists a few months back I liked their colour scheme so much that I applied it to my army. Purple, black and gold just looks great together and I fell in love with wooden stocks on my guns. I guess they’re black legion or something. But best of all, I only had to paint one of them before handing the army over to Mr Parkhouse here.
FB: I was just about to ask where Mr Parkhouse fitted in to this. How did you feel taking the project over from Adam?
Parkhouse: Nice model it was by the way.
Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
Parkhouse: Well, originally, it all came about through me trying to start some sort of painting service online. After a couple of emails, exchanging photos and such, I felt it would be a fun challenge. At first though, I’ll admit, I thought I was getting paid....
Smith: That sounds so negative!
Parkhouse: At first, it was about the money, being a student and all, but then I started to get stuck into the painting, and was keen to get cracking. I think Adam was a bit shocked at the speed I got painting after receiving the models.
Smith: The man’s a painting machine! But even his enthusiasm didn’t stop him demanding payment.
Parkhouse: A man’s gotta eat...
Smith: I ended up bartering my lovely red necron army (see issue 1!) for his services. Yummy green transparent plastic for you!
FB: You have both helped put together an immensely cool army. Do you usually find yourselves turning to the more classic style of 40k from previous eras than the current incarnation?
Smith: You first dude.
Parkhouse: Cheers! In terms of eras of 40k, I’m not so sure. I always get lost in what I actually want to get done. So it helps to be given a nice frame to work in. The scheme was fun, although after 50 models or so you can get bored of painting bone and purple. The balance is finding a scheme that is both easy to do and varied enough to not get fed up with I guess.
FB: I can sympathise with that statement. Smith?
Smith: Now I love the old skool stuff and go all misty eyed whenever I see even a brand new model painted in a classic scheme. There’s something special about the old models and paint schemes. I guess it’s all the mental associations with playing my first few games of space hulk and 2nd edition 40K. I sort of prefer how chaos used to be very organic and Giger-esque rather than the archaic gothic
spikiness we have today. Parkhouse: One thing I will add t h o u g h , is that I think my detachment from 40k ( p r i m a r i l y
playing fantasy), means that I can appreciate things without the hindrance of fluff. So I can approach things from a visual point of view in painting terms, and not be held back by worrying if this chaos star is on the right backpack vent or whatever!
FB: Thanks guys. Where does this army lead you to next?
Smith: Well, the army is being expanded. I’ve decided to go a little chaos crazy with more squads, tanks and stuff. All in the old skool style of course. This means beastmen, cultists, leman russes, original space marine predators, converted defilers and more squads of chaos marines. It should be very impressive when it’s all done and guess who gets to paint it? *Big grin*
FB: What’s your next project Mr Parkhouse? -After the huge list that Mr Smith has in store by the sounds of it!
Parkhouse: I know, it’s stopping me from sleeping some nights! Next on the list? Where to begin? Hopefully (awaiting the arrival of the models) I’ll be doing a large praetorian imperial guard army and all manner of blood bowl teams. Hopefully I’ll be getting back to my ork army and my own khorne army for 40k, which is serious need of some TLC, or should that be blood, sweat, and tears? Whatever khorne prefers I guess!
11
Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
FB: It certainly looks like there will be plenty to go round! Thanks for the interview guys. On a final note, with a lot of talk recently about what people would like to see in the 4th Edition chaos codex, what would be the number one thing on the top of your list?
Smith: *Scratches chin in contemplation*
Parkhouse: *looks over at Adam*A re-release of the older models?
Smith: It won’t happen, but I’d love to see chaos androids again. That’s purely selfish though because androids are long dead in the background.
Parkhouse: Are you bracing yourself for a barrage of kids asking you why you have necrons in your army?
Smith: I don’t play with kids, so I’m not worried about being asked about my necron chaos droid thingies.
Smith: Back to the question! -I’m not really fussed about new models, but I’d appreciate if all the chaos rules for absolutely everything were thrown into one massive pulsating book of daemonic doom like in
2nd edition. I still have my chaos codex from back then and how I love it so! It’s my...precioussssssssss.
what should i put here mr. smith?
Legendary
Lunchtimes
A
dam Smith gets all blurry eyed as we travel back
in time to the old school days and the lunchtime
wargames club where you had just 1 hour to get in your
vital dose of daily carnage.
Pimples, dice and badly painted miniatures. I’m sure we all remember playing with an assortment of half painted models that look like they were dunked in paint. We hadn’t even heard of drybrushing back then, apart from the one kid with stunning miniatures and that’s because his dad had painted them for him. I often wonder just how we managed to cram a whole game into one lunchtime and that was back in second edition when things took twice as long.
I’ll never forget the great race we had where we lined all our tanks along the starting line and made a track by moving all the school desks around in a figure of eight pattern. Of course, no one actually made it to the first corner. We’d blown each other up by then, apart from the one Ravenwing land speeder that no one could ever seem to hit which zoomed off out of range early on.
The biggest lunchtime success was the royal rumble tank battle. This had been organised by one of the older lads and had all the elements that everybody loved –tanks and killing! Everyone had a time limit to play their turn. Run out of time and it’s on to the next player. I believe it went a little something like this…
LAST TA NK STA NDING
Get a large playing area, preferably 6x4 feet, assemble your players and divide 60 minutes equally over 6 turns. So if you have 10 players, to accommodate 6 turns each (it could happen) you’ll have to allocate 1 minute per turn. Get that stop clock at the ready. This will keep the action fast and furious. If a player runs out of time mid roll, or they’re about to penetrate a tank, it’s tough luck and on to the next player.
There never used to be any terrain, what with playing on a couple of school desks, but how much terrain you have is entirely up to you. It does slow down playing speed though.
Setting up can get a little bit tricky too. Get everyone round the table. They have 1 minute to place their tank anywhere they like and they do it all at the same time! Once a tank has touched the tabletop, that’s it, it has to go there, facing that direction. If they run out of time, that’s it, they’re not playing.
If you’ve got the time (and you probably won’t) you can let the players with the lowest front armour value go first, but if you don’t, simply get everyone to roll a D6. Highest roller goes first, followed by everyone to their right.
The game runs for 6 turns. If there is no winner at the end, the finalists fight it out between themselves another game. The last vehicle standing is the winner. Give that player a Mars bar or other culinary delight -They earned it.
AR E YOU R EADY TO RUMBLE?
We swept the terrain from our rather rocky looking gaming boards and hastily plonked down six vehicles for six players. Let the carnage commence!
13
Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
M
E ET
T h E
C
ON T E N DER S
1: D
ARKA
NGELSL
ANDR
AIDERTwin linked lascannon sponsons, twin linked heavy bolter in the hull, smoke launchers, extra armour and power of the machine spirit.
James: With armour 14 all round I wouldn’t have to worry about any side or rear armour shots, but at the same time, this makes me an inviting target for everyone on the table because I have the most anti tank guns and the most armour.
2: T
hOUSANDS
ONSC
hAOSP
REDATORTwin linked lascannon turret, heavy bolter sponsons, smoke launchers and extra armour.
Phil: I wasn’t hugely confident about this one. Normally I’m able to hide my side armour while maximising the front armour 13. I’ve got a twin lascannon for the big things and heavy bolters for softer side and rear armour. Hopefully more shots will do the trick.
3: B
LACKL
EGIONC
hAOSD
READNOUGhTTwin linked lascannon, missile launcher, smoke launchers and daemonic possession.
Adam: Time to take my new shiny dreadnought out for its first dose of slaughter. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea, because everyone will want to blow him off the board because he’s my ‘new toy’. I’ve got him tooled up for long range shooting, so all I have to do is sit tight, look vaguely non threatening and pray for ‘fire frenzy’.
4: I
MPERIALG
UARDS
ENTINELLascannon, hunter killer missile, smoke launchers and extra armour
Luke: A little walker in a world of big tanks. With a measly armour value of 10 all round, even a slight breeze could send my walker bursting into flames. But then again, as puny and non-threatening as the sentinel may be, a lucky hit could send even the land raider into oblivion. Time to cross my fingers, hide, and pray that I’m ignored long enough to grab a last minute win.
5: T
AUh
AMMERhEADRailgun, smart missile system, targeting array, multitracker, target lock, decoy launchers
Simon: With the biggest gun in the game all will fear me! The only downside is that they’re more likely to send my hi-tech craft crashing to the ground. I’ll just have to keep moving at full speed and try my best to keep my front armour of 13 facing all threats.
6: I
MPERIALG
UARDD
EMOLIShERDemolisher cannon in the hull, two plasma cannon sponsons, lascannon turret, extra armour and smoke launchers.
Joel: Land raider, I’m looking at you! Everyone knows that the guard can’t hit to save their lives (and that’s why they die in droves), but if I can get in range, sit still, fire the big strength 10 demolisher cannon and land it on the big vehicles on the board, then I could win this through sheer brutality. We’ve got the guns, we’ve got the armour, let’s go get em!
SET UP
In a mad scramble all the tanks were quickly set up, oddly equidistant around the board.
The land raider took bottom right, the chaos dreadnought bottom left, the sentinel bravely wound up in the centre left side opposite the chaos predator, while the demolisher took the top left corner with the hammerhead opposite, obscured by a generous helping of cliff.
Everyone rolls a D6 to see who goes first!
TURN 1
The chaos dreadnought wins the roll and opens fire on the land raider opposite, but the guns bounce off its mighty 14 armour.
Next it’s the land raiders turn and we all know what James is going to shoot at -Adam’s pretty new chaos dreadnought! After moving forward, the land raider hits nothing but air.
1
Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
Phil turns his chaos predator away from the sentinel, hammerhead and demolisher to take a shot at the land raider, which bounces off harmlessly. At least the hammerhead should go for the demolisher and that sentinel is too puny to do much…hopefully.
Simon grins, seeing an opportune moment for multi-kill! The hammerhead swoops out from behind the rocks to hit the chaos predator in the rear armour with its smart missile system, penetrating it twice and destroying it in a fiery explosion. It then turns it rail gun on that poor helpless sentinel, but thankfully misses.
The demolisher rumbles forward 12” and fires its smoke launchers,
then patiently waits for the next turn.The sentinel moves away from the demolisher, down the board while letting loose with everything it’s got at the hammerhead and misses pathetically. That’s imperial guard shooting for you!
TURN 2
Adam rolls for his chaos dreadnought being crazy and it promptly stomps screaming torwards the sentinel. That wasn’t the best thing it could have done…
The land raider targets the out of control chaos dreadnought, blowing it apart and
sending it back to the hell from whence it came!
The hammerhead inevitably targets the demolisher and punches right through its front armour and rolls a 6 on the glancing hit table, destroying it. Nobody can argue with the godlike firepower of the Tau Empire!
It’s over to the sentinel which targets the land raider. “Time for some glory!” cries Luke, but to his disgust, the one eyed pilot misses again.
TURN 3
The land raider moves around the wreckage of the chaos predator to target the hammerhead, but the shot deflects off
the pathetic 12 side armour! Looks like the batteries need recharging.
Simon performs the coup de gras by cruising into the middle of the board and opening fire on the sentinel with its smart missile system, while targeting the land raider with its rail gun. Once the dust clears, two smoking wrecks remain, leaving the hammerhead victor of the battle.
Adam: “How long did that take?” James: “About ten minutes.”
17
Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
gaming
TIME TO DIE
S
ome might argue that this takes geekyness to
horrifying new heights. I mean, what’s worse than
colouring your dice to match your army scheme? But then
I came across a player who changed all of that.
It was my first opponent in a tournament setting and while I mopped the floor with him, he suggested that I throw a variety of coloured dice at the same time to speed up the game and spend more time in the bar. I liked the sound of this!
So when my six man strong Deathwing terminator squad opened up on his plague marines (who seemed to die like imperial guardsmen), I had 4 red dice for the assault cannon, 10 white dice for the storm bolters and a single black dice for the cyclone launcher’s krak missile. Resolving what would have been three separate sets of rolling in just one session really cut down on playing time and that was when
I bought my first set of coloured dice from a role playing shop round the corner (up the highroad and then some). My little box of special ‘Deathwing Dice’ came with me to every game and oh how they served me well…when they rolled high of course.
Then another fellow decided to take his dice to the next level -the ultimate level! He gave Chessex, renowned dice makers, an email and asked about how much a set of fully customised dice would cost him. For such a small order
Chessex, like any company, were ready to charge the pants off him, but that’s when David had an idea. He chose to approach all the other Deathwing players he knew and offered them in on the dice deal, thereby saving his pants and sharing his novelty dice design with everyone.
I’m now the proud owner of 10 rather fetching novelty dice that replaced the gold dice I’d been using for my storm bolter shots before. I’ve also managed to cram in a couple of small blue dice to use when my Librarian casts his psychic powers.
Customising your playing dice can go a long way to improving your game and speeding up the action, so the next time you’re walking past your local hobby shop, take a step inside and see what kind of dice they have on offer. You’ll be amazed when you cut your playing time in half, leaving you plenty of opportunities for that swift half down the pub.
tactica
An
Inquisitor’s
Job
is
Never
Done
I
t’s a dirty job being an Inquisitor, but someone’s gotta
do it.
It was many moons ago when I found myself idly searching through the science fiction and fantasy section of my local library, only to come across a most familiar word. As an impressionable youth I wasn’t expecting to find the name of my hobby with toy soldiers on the spine of a proper book of ‘high culture’. I was looking at a hardbound edition of Harlequin by Ian Watson and there, proudly displayed, not just on the spine of the book but in big font on the cover were the words Warhammer 40,000. This being in the days before the Black Library imprint, I didn’t know any ‘real’ books had been written about our rich universe. So quickly I ferreted it down to the issues desk and hurried home to indulge myself in a world of background material I had barely been exposed to. It may be because it was the first real piece of 40K writing that I read, my love of intrigue and conspiracies, or it may be Watson’s masterful writing, but I fell in love with the concept of the Inquisition. At the time it didn’t matter to me that Harlequin was the second book in a trilogy. The lack of complete knowledge of the whole story only helped to build the mystery behind this most august of institutions. Warhammer 40,000 is an interactive universe and every time you make an army list and name a character you are adding to that universe and the conspiracy theories really exemplify this interactivity. Conspiracy and intrigue is at the heart of the 40K universe, and the Inquisition is at the heart of the conspiracies.
I knew right away that I wanted my very own Inquisitor. Thus was born Inquisitor Corai. He started life as a character in a roleplaying game with a system born of a hybrid between Traveler and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Corai was a secretive Inquisitor, who disguised himself as a guardsman to spy on the rest of the
group. This was as far as his background went and sadly was all that was necessary for our youthful, hack n’ slash approach to role-playing. There Corai stayed for a few years, appearing as a doodle in the margin of my notebook and eventually becoming my internet handle until Games Workshop released the game I thought I’d been waiting for ‘Inquisitor’. I knew the models were breath taking and immediately saw my chance to play with Corai in a miniature wargame. Much as I love to role-play, playing with toy soldiers will always be my first love. Suddenly Corai was no longer a loner. To work in an Inquisitor Campaign he was going to need allies -a whole warband. The gears in my head started turning in a vain attempt to create a warband that was anything more than a facsimile of Jaq Draco’s followers. Thankfully, by the time the models were released, I’d refined the ideas a little.
Inquisitor Corai was starting to become a real force in the background of my 40K armies as well. I’d even gone so far as to make a model of the Inquisitor, using the basic rules from the 3rd edition rulebook to field him in my games. Finally, Codex: Daemonhunters was released, giving me the kick start to build a new inquisitor model and render all his 54mm allies in 28mm form. Now, a few years on, thanks to the Daemonhunters allies rules, it’s rare that I play a game of 40K without fielding Inquisitor Corai (and when I don’t, it’s usually because I’m fielding one of his nefarious enemies!)
So why would you want to include an Inquisitor in your games? Their stats aren’t bad, but besides allowing you to field Assassins or used in the infamous ‘fire-team’ pattern, your average space marine player would argue there’s not a lot to offer there. But I disagree. Aside from the frankly scary amount of psycannon and heavy bolter fire they can bring to bear, the best thing about the Inquisitor character in games of Warhammer 40’000 is a way for you to include your own, home made special character in your games. Whatever your opinion of special character rules may be, who can deny the sense of gravitas their presence gives games. For this sense of character to come across, I find you need to start with the fluff and work outwards. Sure, you can use clever background to justify why the psycannon toting inquisitor is accompanied by three walking heavy bolters at all times, but I like to find models and rules for characters I have created, not the other way around. For the purposes of demonstration, I will use Inquisitor Corai as
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Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
an example in my guide to creating a characterful inquisitor for including in your games of Warhammer 40’000.
S
T EP
1: T
h E
C
ONCEP T
The first and most important step is to work out the background and history of your inquisitor. What Ordo does he belong to? Which belief system does he subscribe to? Is he a Thorian? A Monodominant? Is he fanatical or pragmatic? Maybe he’s a fully fledged radical! How does he like to undertake an investigation? Does he roll in throwing his weight around or slip in under the radar, only revealing his true identity when an investigation comes to a close? How old are they? Where did they grow up? All these things can greatly influence the character.
Inquisitor Corai knows very little about his past. Although he appears to be little older than 40 standard, various rejuvinat treatments mask his true age even from himself. He knows for sure that at some point in his early career within the Inquisition he was mind wiped and re-educated, becoming the man he is today. His earliest memories are of being assigned to the staff of Inquisitor Ezekiel Guntz. Already a member of the Ordo Malleus, Corai was acting undercover, at the behest of his masters, to discover whether the veteran Inquisitor Guntz had become unsound. Sure enough, Corai discovered that Guntz had been treading a fine line in his crusade against chaos, not least amongst which was a daemonhost within his employ. Rather than reporting Guntz, Corai was won over to his pragmatic way of thinking. He revealed himself to Guntz and filled a false report
with the Inqusition. Since then he has continued Ezekiel Guntz’s pragmatic ideals and subterfuge in his own work, although his failure to produce the damming evidence his superiors wanted has left him often out of favour with the Ordo Malleus.
S
T EP
2: E
qU IP
YOU R
I NqU ISITOR
What equipment is your inquisitor likely to carry on them? Do they like to be a walking arsenal, or would they rather let their followers do the fighting? Are they psykers? If not, do they sympathize with psykers or abhor the witches? There’s no need to delineate equipping a character usefully and characterfully. After all, if your Inquisitor plays no role in a battle, you won’t remember his actions. I’m not suggesting you deliberately give your beloved character bad wargear, just that he gets appropriate and characterful wargear. Treat your Inquisitor like the special character he is. We’d all love to see Eldrad Ulthran or Commisar Yarrick striding across the battlefield in terminator armour, but it’s just not very fitting for them!
Inquisitor Corai favors stealth and subterfuge over face to face confrontation. That being said, when the time comes, he is not above taking the fight the enemies of the Imperium. Corai is a spectacularly gifted marksman, but often substitutes the range of a rifle with the concealability of a pistol. Overall, Corai would describe himself as primarily a detective, not a soldier. Obviously, games of Warhammer 40,000 are representing battles, not investigations. So when Corai marches to war with one of my armies, he will take the necessary equipment. For example, whilst any form of armour bulkier than a body glove may be bad for an undercover investigation, he is not above donning protection when acting as part of a battle.
Inquisitor Corai is represented in the game using the following: an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Lord with Emperors Tarot; master crafted bolt pistol with psycannon bolts and a null rod.
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It is a lonely Inquisitor indeed who exists in isolation. Even some of the most solitary inquisitors will surround themselves with someone they can trust. If not by choice, then at the behest of the Inquisition in the form of an Interrogator in need of training. What are the stories of these characters? Does your inquisitor trust them? What is his or her relationship with them? How did they meet them? With each follower you are creating another character as dense as your inquisitor, making you care about every model in his retinue.
Of the many accomplices Inquisitor Corai has had through his career, there are four individuals which stand out. It is rare that you will find him working a case without at least one of these men by his side, if not all of them.
C
APTAINF
ERRENT
RAULTzCorai first met Ferren Traultz when he was investigating Ezekiel Guntz. Guntz had employed Traultz for a few years at this point. Hailing from a non-descript world on the edge of the Segmentum Solar, Ferren Traultz is a gifted pilot and it is in this capacity that he was hired by Inquisitor Guntz. When Corai revealed his true identity and left the warband of Guntz, Capatin Traultz followed him, a bond of friendship having been nurtured when he thought of them as equals. Having stuck by his side through all tribulations, Captain Traultz remains Corai’s personal pilot, even going so far as to undergo a mind
impulse unit link up with the Inqusitor’s starship ‘The Sword of Angar’. Ferren is now an elderly man, but still insists on being on the front line of investigations, often taking the role of wealthy merchant, with Corai masquerading as his aide or bodyguard. When on a planet’s surface, Ferren’s most useful ability is his remote link with the ship, allowing direct access to long range sensors and communication equipment. In game, Ferren Traultz is represented using the following: Henchman sage. In games where Daemonhunters are the main army, Ferren will also be represented as a lance strike, representing his remote link to the Sword of Angar.
I
NTERROGATORD
ANTEF
ROST:
Dante Frost is dangerous. He first came to Corai’s attention as a junior Interrogator, apprenticed to Inquisitor Rosencrantz, a one time ally of Corai. Rosencrantz and his entire staff came to an unfortunate end whilst on assignment deep undercover. Frost was the only survivor. Frost was terrified of psychic interrogation by the Inquisition, believing he would be set up as a scapegoat to take the fall for his master’s death. To try and counter this, he took an overdose of the narcotic Spook. Already a sigma level psyker, the drug boosted his skills above his ability to handle. The physical effects were temporary but the mental ones were far more scarring. Frost developed an addiction to the drug, and the psychic boost it brought. Corai took the Interrogator under his wing and attempted to help him combat his addiction. Frost never truly learned to battle the addiction, it slowly eroding his sanity. Unwilling to dispose of such a valuable psychic resource, Corai hid Dante’s power and still employs his psychic might when necessary. A decision he questions every day. Now, Dante is seen walking hunched, a null rod clasped in his hands, limiting his psychic power until the time when Corai needs him at his most powerful. With a word, the null rod is deactivated, the stimm injector on his arm discharges a dose of Spook and Dante Frost’s mind sails free of his husk like form. In game, Dante Frost is represented using the following: Daemonhost. Dante takes little part in the battle until his powers are unleashed, represented by the deep strike ability. The relative unpredictability and shear psychic might of the empowered Dante is adequately represented by the Damemonhost, as is the grey knights’ refusal to work with him.
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Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
C
OLONELA
LBREChTC
ASSIUSLike many of the wayward souls who have crossed paths with Inquisitor Corai, Cassius’ story is one of loss and tragedy. As a Colonel of the Cyronian VII Wraiths, Cassius’ drop troop platoon was seconded to Corai when an investigation on a border world uncovered a military strength Chaos cult. At the height of the battle, the cult succeeded in summoning a daemon who cut a bloody swathe through the guardsmen. Cassius was the only survivor. Knowing the Ordo Malleus could never allow the guardsman to continue with the knowledge he had gained that day, Corai saw only execution in Cassius’ future. A lowly guardsman was not worth the considerable expenditure of mind wiping and re-training. It was easier just to sweep him under the rug. Officially there were no survivors from the Cryonnian Wraiths that day, and Cassius has continued to act as Corai’s eyes and ears on many an investigation. Colonel Cassius is represented using the following: Warrior Henchman with plasma gun.
Phalanx Traultz
Like his father before him, Phalanx Traultz has a gift for machinery. This gift was identified at an early age and Phalanx was taken away from Ferren to be raised by the Adeptus Mechanicus, recognizing the blessing of the Omnissiah within the child. It would be many years before father and son crossed paths again, but an investigation of Corai’s did lead his team to the feral world of Archipell VI where Phalanx was working with a team of adepts to recover some lost archeotech. At the close of the case, Corai requested Magus Traultz be allowed to accompany him as part of his staff. The Machine Cult quickly accepted, believing that it would give them a valuable spy on the Inquisition. Despite Ferren’s assurances, Corai finds himself constantly worrying about Phalanx Traultz’s divided
loyalties. Magus Phalanx Trault is represented in game using the following: Acolyte Henchman with refractor field.
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MODE L
In a game where characters are represented by miniature soldiers, it’s no use having a fully developed narrative Inquisitor and warband if he doesn’t make the occasional appearance in a game! Step 2 dealt with how to equip an Inquisitor character fully, but all this needs to be translated into a model. The best thing to remember when making an inquisitor model, is that they often look like normal imperial citizens (albeit fabulously wealthy ones!) Removing the necessity to model something in power armour, or carapace armour opens up a huge range of possibilities. The Inquisitor models, as well as John Blanche’s concept work are a great place to look for inspiration. Removing those armour restrictions opens up the hundreds of human models Games Workshop has produced over the years.
I hope you can see the benefit of including Inquisitors in your games of Warhammer 40,000. I can’t guarantee they’ll be game winners, but their characterful, narrative addition can really make a game. Trust me, you’ll never forget the time your opponent’s Deamon prince/Autarch/Chaplain falls to some well placed psycannon shots or a clap round the ear with an anointed weapon. When your inquisitor’s star pupil takes a shot for him and falls, you’ll be aching for revenge come the next game.
Now go forth and purge in the name of the Emperor!
battle report
NOBODY EXPECTS
THE
INQUISITION!
T
he dark, dusty fog hanging low over the ruins of
Kasr Tannenberg was suddenly pierced by lights so
bright that one could swear it was the sacred Astronomican
itself. With a metallic growl, the rhino APC burst through
the dense clouds and continued its hurried, yet cautious
advance. Behind it emerged another rhino, and following
that, another. A gradually louder rumble began to echo
off the ruined city walls as something bigger approached
within the fog. A looming black outline began to
manifest itself, becoming more defined every meter that it
approached. Massive squeaking treads reduced pieces of
ruins to dust and the huge frontal assault ramp battered all
aside. Four dark arrows emerged from the side of the beast,
rotating around as if hunting some unseen foe. With the
Godwynn pattern lascannons in view, the armoured form
of the ancient land raider Fiat Lux made its way into the
clearing. The inquisitorial armoured column continued
its vigilant pace as it neared the bridgehead.
Lord Inquisitor Pravus was at odds with himself. Inside the armored hull of the Fiat Lux, he poured over every data slate and papyrus in his possession, searching for proof of an answer he himself can’t explain. Pravus and his strike force of elite inquisitorial stormtroopers had just crushed one of the last known chaos
covens within Tannenberg. Chaos runs where angels dare to tread and Pravus made sure that every single heretic’s soul would be devoured by the uncaring denizens of the warp. Resistance was light, but it was not that which concerned him. When he found the cultists, they were cluttered around a dark obelisk, bowed down in blasphemous prayer. Were they attempting to appease the dark Gods of chaos? The lights within the land raider flickered for a moment as Pravus’ eyes darted back and forth for an explanation and finding none. Once again occupying himself with his dataslates, he reviewed the symbols etched in the perfectly cut, almost marble like surface. They consisted mostly of circles, but were connected and intersected by a series of straight lines. It was a language he had never seen before, not even while studying known heretic scriptures as a young malleus inquisitor. What he did know was that the symbols bore similarities to that of adeptus mechanicus and their binary language…the code of the machine. A loud report of what sounded like a hellgun interrupted Pravus from his thoughts and the sudden halt of the land raider sent him flying to the ground. Cursing as he rose, he demanded the assault door be opened so he could execute those responsible for the delay. Upon seeing the event unfolding outside, he suddenly wished the door was bolted shut.
The ruins of Tannenberg were alive with fire. Men yelled and ducked for cover, shooting blindly into the darkness. The streets were filled with smoking hulls of rhino APCs and the ground was littered with bodies. Pravus noticed with disgust that the corpses weren’t even whole…they were…flayed. To confirm his worst suspicion, one of the darkest secrets the Imperium kept emerged from the fog. The green humming energy from the strange xenos weapon outlined a skeletal figure as it walked directly towards Pravus. Behind it emerged even more and they were met overhead by larger flying constructs. Out of the corner of his eye, the inquisitor saw ghost like beings materializing in and out of buildings, hunting with an eternity of hatred.
Signaling for his retinue to follow, Pravus ran with the remainder of his force into the bombed out ruins and alleyways on the far side of the grand avenue. Through the rubble, he caught a glimpse of his fellow inquisitor Octavius Barak barking out defensive orders to the men around him. And defend they would. They are the inquisition! They are malleus! But in his mind, Pravus couldn’t help but wonder: How do you kill that which does not live?
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Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
hIS DEVOUT INqUISITION
Mike: Well this is interesting. My mechanized inquisitorial storm trooper army has found itself ambushed in a city and without their trusty rhinos. What’s even worse, the attacking army is a hoard of soulless Necrons bent on taking over the universe! They definitely weren’t expecting that!
The mission we are playing is “Grand Assault” from the Cities of Death Codex. After the initial ambush, my troopers abandoned their transports for the ruins around them. The necrons are now trying to root them out building by building. The inquisition, having no choice, must defend at all costs. Pretty straight-forward right?
After you’ve read my army list you are probably ready to hit me over the head: “Throne on earth! A Daemonhunters army with no inducted guard, allies or Grey Knights!?” Yes I admit it…there is nothing of the sorts in my theme army. My force centres around a “cell” of inquisitors who are off to purge all in the name of the
Emperor. They are only accompanied by a small detachment of the 666th Inquisitorial Stormtrooper Regiment. With that in mind, I made my selections:
1) An Inquisitor Lord with mastercrafted lightning claws for those important re-rolls to wound against foes with a superior toughness. 3 combat servitors will help deal and absorb damage.
2) A psycannon inquisitor with a retinue including 3 heavy bolter servitors for suppressing fire.
3) Another inquisitor with a thunder hammer and incinerator to tie up enemy units
4) 6 squads of 8+ stormtroopers with all the weapon combos you’d need
Daemonhunter Army List
Inquisitorial Strike Force Pravus
HQ:
Inquisitor Lord Luthor Pravus
Master crafted lightning claws, artificer armor,
icon of the just
3 combat servitors, 2 familiars
Landraider Fiat Lux
Extra armor, smoke launchers
Elites:
Inquisitor D’mar Seth
Psycannon, artificer armor
3 gun servitors with heavy bolters, 2 sages, 1 hierophant
Inquisitor Barac Gravus
Thunder Hammer, incinerator, artificer armor,
icon of the just
Daemonhosts Neerozeus and Hexaus
Troops:
Stormtroopers Squad Argentus
Vet. Sgt. Dane with thunder hammer,
2 flamers, frag grenades (x10)
Stormtroopers Squad Caeruleus
Vet. Sgt. Kott with thunder hammer,
2 flamers, frag grenades (x10)
Stormtroopers Squad Fuscus
2 plasma guns, frag grenades (x8)
Stormtroopers Squad Ruber
2 plasma guns, frag grenades (x8)
Stormtroopers Squad Viridus
5) Yes there is a landraider. Why? Because inquisitors travel in style and it goes along with the storyline. The ‘raider does make for a good mobile bunker and is probably worth more as a road block to cut off the necron advance.
Desperate times lead to desperate measures. With my remaining points, I decided to take two daemonhosts. Sure people scoff at them for being too random, but they are perfect for holding up large units of necrons…particularly when they roll reknit host wounds. Keeping the necrons busy is all I need to do and to be honest, I’d rather be excommunitcate traetoris than dead. For the Emperor!
ThE SILENCE
Sascha: Who dares to defend themselves against the machine and the ages of time! With the flayer and scythe do we wander forth, ready to strip life from the galaxy. The Eldar will play their eventual part in the slaughter, but for now it is the human cattle that shall be removed…
Being the attacker in the “Grand Assault” mission places me at a disadvantage. I need to be constantly aware of my objectives and cannot get caught up in any unnecessary dealings. Despite usually having all eternity on my side, this random game length scares me. As a necron player, I am also forced to pick a large amount of warriors to prevent the phase out rule from taking effect. Going with the storyline, I picked units that would be at the head of an ambushing force. So C’tan, pariahs, monoliths and tomb spiders will stay at home. The core of the army is, of course, the necron warriors, 30 to be exact. Thanks to the new turbo boost rule allowing all models moving as jetbikes to speed 24” ahead, I will have some hard hitting flankers. These will be scarabs, 5 destroyers and 3 wraiths. A lord with a veil of darkness and another with a destroyer body will allow me to get units into close quarters fast.
Overall, I will rely on my toughness, superior saves and flanking units to get up close and personal. I will need to keep a sharp eye out for those power weapon wielding inquisitors and even those stormtroopers are never to be underestimated. Trust me, I know.
My opponent may be able to hide, but he can’t run far. Let the harvest begin.
D
EPLOY M E N T
M
IKE:
The “Grand Assault” scenario allows me to deploy my entire army after my opponent. What is even better, I get first turn! That never happens…not even with the Emperor’s Tarot. I shall make the best of it then.
I deployed my Inquisitor with psycannon and his heavy bolter squad on top of the highest building on the table: the hab-bloc. This building also happens to hold my power generator stratagem
Necron Army List
00101101011110010001010110 HQ:
Necron Lord
Staff of light, resurrection orb, veil of darkness Elites: Immortals (x4) Troops: Warriors (x10) Warriors (x10) Warriors (x10)
2
which will allow me to re-roll failed to wounds. Being this high up allows me to avoid close combat and see further across the table than my ground dwelling units. I deployed an 8 man plasma squad for fire support in the same building as well. I guess you can say that the hab-bloc is my firebase.
I have another plasma squad in a fortified building: the arbites bunker. Next to them I have the venerable land raider Fiat Lux with Inquisitor Pravus inside and a melta squad. My opponent will be forced to pick which target he wants to attack, leaving the other two ready to fight back.
The rest of my force occupies all the buildings in my deployment zone. At the same time, they are close enough to support one another should a position come under attack.
N
ECRONSWell, knowing that my opponent gets first turn, I deployed my force with caution. My wraiths and scarabs can bypass terrain
when moving so they are hidden away for now. With a 6 inch deployment from the edge, I really didn’t have much of a choice in the placement of my models. Just imagine a long line of metal monsters with green glowing weapons. I do have one ace up my sleeve –the sewer rat stratagem. I placed three of my four markers at the corners and table edge of my opponent’s deployment zone. The other one I placed in the manufactorum as a fallback plan in case the others were covered. I then left 10 warriors in reserve that will hopefully act as a fire magnet when they arrive behind enemy lines.
N
otesThe mission calls for a preliminary bombardment and dusk and dawn. We both decided to leave them out in order to keep things simple and focus on the main objective: utter annihilation. Oh yeah, we’re playing 6 turns too. On with the show!
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Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
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M
IKEWith the first turn, I decided to get my squads into better positions. The first flamer squad, under orders from Vet Sgt. Kott, advanced along the sewer trench and took cover behind the bridge and out of the immortals line of sight. My firebase remained within the hab-bloc to provide that all important covering fire. Inquisitor Seth gave the psychic command to open fire and the three heavy bolter servitors attuned to his mind obeyed. Unleashing nine shots with the help of the sages, four found their mark on the skulking immortals. A cheer went up as one of the metal daemons shattered, but the celebration was cut short as the immortal pieced itself back together. In anger, the inquisitor lashed out with his psycannon, but to no avail.
Ok, no problem…maybe my right flank will have better luck. Showing the typical bravado and insane courage of a monodominant, Inquisitor Barac strode out from the relative safety of the ruins and into the abandoned street. Fiat Lux, having
remained unscathed during the initial necron ambush, rumbled down the street to block off the advancing destroyers. The tank’s lascannons pierced the thick dust clouds, illuminating their target: the necron destroyer lord. The first shot was just absorbed by the lord, defying all logic that the techpriests knew so well. The second lascannon missed, but, to quote a certain landraider crewman: “Ha! Twin linked fool!” The shot found its mark and wounded the lord. Encouraged by the result, Inquisitor Lord Pravus and his retinue emerged from the armored hull of the landraider alongside the advancing melta squad. As Pravus scanned his surroundings, he couldn’t help but notice the dust clouds taking on a green glow…
S
ASChAWell, that went better than expected. Only one wound on the lord and no other casualties. It’s time to change that…for my opponent,
Deamonhunters - Turn 2
that is. Deeming the wound non-threatening, the destroyer lord took to the sky along with five other immortal/skimmer hybrids and landed near the Fiat Lux. Unleashing a hail of dark energies, the destroyers managed to glance the thick adamantine armor of the landraider and detonate its reactor. The explosion lit up the city block as the Fiat Lux ironically lived up to its name. With the threat of the landraider dealt with, the wraiths materialized outside of the HQ building just a short distance away from Lord Pravus. It was then that an eerie silence fell over the battlefield, leaving only one sound to break the monotony.
A scuttling buzz of metallic limbs grew louder and louder as a huge swarm of scarabs burst through the windows and doors of the former HQ building and out into the street. Not wanting to be left out, the immortals advanced along their end of the sewer canal towards the bridge. The stormtroopers, from their high vantage point in the hab-bloc, could see the dust clouds around the manufactorum vanish under an ethereal wind. In a bright flash, the necron warriors they had been tracking vanished and, to their horror, reappeared in the street under them. The second necron lord raised his head and pointed a metal talon in the direction of a flamer squad hiding by the bridge. Green light engulfed the stormtroopers and four fell to the gauss flayers. The squad held their ground, too shocked to move.
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Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
Deamonhunters - Turn 2
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M
IKEMy landraider is gone…what a surprise. Actually, when it’s not fighting an army where every model can destroy it, it does quite well. Was I right about the roadblock or what?
Seeing the new threat materialize in front of them, the second flamer squad moved out of the ruins towards the necron warriors and unleashed hell. After the promethium from the two flamers dissipated, two necrons lay scorched in the rubble. The remnants of sgt. Dane’s squad marched forward and doused with necrons with even more promethium. With the combined fire of the plasma squad in the hab-block, they managed to take down four warriors. Once again the dark, ancient technologies brought three of the necrons back to life, much to the inquisition’s dismay. Inquisitor Seth surveyed the carnage bellow and had his servitor retinue open fire. With the help of the power generator stratagem, four necrons were wounded, but all withstood the damage with my opponent rolling four 6’s to save. Furious at his servitors’ incompetence, Seth
lashed out with his psycannon, completely atomizing a straggling warrior. Beyond the bridge, Inquisitor Barac brought his incinerator to bear and destroyed two scarab swarms and wounded another thanks to the weapon’s “ignore invulnerable saves”. The plasma squad in the arbites bunker shot at the scarabs as well, which resulted in one kill…that being a plasma gunner. Medic! Lord Pravus decides that retreat may be the better part of valor and moves away from the advancing destroyers. With a prayer on their lips, the melta squad charges forward into the cathedrals courtyard, right in front of the advancing destroyers. A melta disintegrates the carriage of a destroyer, yet it miraculously pieced itself back together. Wanting to lend support, Pravus gives in and reveals his deepest secret. Lightning arched across the skyline as a shadowy figure drifted down to earth. Inquisitor Barac could only look on in horror, realizing that his master has summoned a daemonhost to battle. Necrons be damned, Barac had a new enemy that he would deal with…
The daemonhost, referred to as Hexaus, landed behind the destroyers and pulsed with dark energies (rolled warpstrength). With the enemy closing in, sgt. Dane orders his remaining men to charge, but they become entangled in the terrain. Inquisitor Barac stood dumbfounded at his Lord’s betrayal and failed to assault the scarabs hiding behind the sandbag bunker.
S
ASChAThat pathetic inquisitor lord shall face the reaper in due time. For now, the inquisition’s entire flank by the cathedral is beginning to fall apart. If I can sweep the remnants away, I will control half of my opponent’s buildings.
The immortals continue their march forward near the sewer trench while another warrior squad comes into view from behind the factory. Observing plasma fire from the third story of the hab-bloc, the immortals sent gauss blaster fire into the destroyed windows and were rewarded with the screams of three men. Sensing a new threat on the battlefield, the destroyer lord and the destroyers turn to face the newly arrived daemonhost. Green lightning arched across the street and into Hexaus. Even the powers of the warp could not help the entity as it blew apart. The three wraiths emerged from the shadows of the HQ building and
assaulted the melta squad in the cathedral courtyard. Suffering no wounds themselves, the wraiths lashed out with their talon like fingers and sliced five troopers apart. Their will broken, the remaining troopers fell back just beyond the reach of the shimmering daemons. The scarabs, burnt but unbroken, float past inquisitor Barac and assault Lord Pravus. Struggling to keep them off his armour, Pravus only wounds one swarm. Around him, the scarabs engulf his two familiars and two servitors. The remaining close combat machine fought back, but the scarabs were too fast for his sensors. On the other side of the table, my other lord and squad held firm. Once again they opened fire on the flamer squad and killed four. Seeing a stormtrooper with a large hammer running straight at him, the lord leveled his staff and annihilated Dane and the last member of the squad.
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Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
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M
IKEMy stormtroopers are dropping fast! Its time to show the might of the inquisition! Seeing the fate of their comrades, the second flamer squad broke cover and unleashed hell on the Lord and his warriors. The combined might of the flamers and hellguns took down four warriors with only one strong enough to reknit its form. The remaining four stormtroopers in the hab-bloc added more suppressive fire, killing
the last warrior and bringing the lord down to one wound. Sensing the enemy has been sufficiently weakened, Inquisitor Seth summoned all his malice into his psycannon and unleashed a screaming blast of energy that tore the lord apart. As Inquisitor Barak strode over ruins towards the scarabs, he heard a faint “Huzzah!” coming from
the last known position of his fellow inquisitor. By the sound of it, they were having better luck than him.
Seeing the necron destroyers flying over the destroyed landraider, the plasma squad in the arbites bunker decided to retreat further into their cover to avoid the deadly gauss weaponry. Lord Pravus could now sense his own desperation as he swung his lightning claws back and forth, killing seemingly endless amounts of scarabs. His entire retinue lay dead and stripped bare. Vowing not to see himself end that way, he lashed out again and again. Inquisitor Barak charged in with his hammer and the combined might of both heroes destroyed three swarms, taking no wounds themselves.
S
ASChA:
The Inquisition is starting to break…I can feel it. All I need is a killing blow and it came in the form of my sewer rats. As the
smell of ozone filled the air, a bright green light heralded the arrival of a fresh squad of necrons. They were deployed at the sewer entrance, right in between the enemy’s battle line. Wasting no time, they swung their gauss flayers around and killed three stormtroopers that were foolish enough to be too close to the bunker walls. The immortals advanced and targeted the enemy plasma squad that helped reduce their lord to ashes, but to no avail.
Seeing no targets in
the immediate vicinity, the wraiths moved to occupy the second hab-bloc. With that building taken, they are now ready to roll up
Deamonhunters - Turn 3
the flank. Satisfied with his wraiths, the destroyer lord turned his menacing gaze towards two figures that were immersed in a rapidly thinning sheet of scarabs. Along with his destroyer escort, he took to the sky and landed near the combat (turbo boost) only to watch his remaining scarabs torn apart by the fury of the two inquisitors. With the scarabs dead, the two men turned to see the lord’s hatred staring back at them.
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M
IKEOooh, looks like its showdown time between the HQs! Watching my army doing its (usual) disappearing act before my eyes, I wouldn’t mind gaining a significant moral victory if my lord can beat the necron lord. But before any close combat happens, I have some more shooting to do.
Once more dark lightning flashed across the skyline. Having just finished off the scarabs, Inquisitor Barak turned towards the commotion only to see another dark figure lower itself from the hellish clouds. Daemonhost Neerozeus stopped short of the ground and pulsed with warp energies while Barak could do nothing but stare at the monstrosity. The inquisitor then turned to find Pravus assaulting the necron lord and with a curse, charged as well.
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Firebase • issue 3 • March 2007
Deamonhunters - Turn 4
Sgt. Kott ordered his flamer squad to take cover behind the hab-bloc’s buttresses, just as the inquisitor a few stories above him opened fire. Heavy bolter and psycannon shots rained down on the immortals and destroyed one utterly. The four man strong plasma squad kept their wits and fired upon the immortals as well, killing two, but leaving only one truly lifeless. Across the bridge, the second plasma squad moved within the arbites bunker to get away from the advancing destroyers. They failed to notice a fresh necron squad directly behind them and wandered into rapid fire range. Realizing their folly, the squad opened up and fell three warriors only to see each one stand back up. (Note: Sascha must have made a pact with the dark gods. The dice rolls he makes are unbelievable! I think I will have the Grey Knights “question” him sometime…)Lightning claws blazing, Lord Pravus lashed out at the destroyer lord and left him with one wound remaining. The necron leader whipped his scythe around and caught Barak in the
chest, sending him into a building wall. His battle was over. With the more dangerous one out of the way, the lord turned his deathly gaze upon Pravus.
S
ASChAJust what everybody likes, an HQ fight. With the thunder hammer inquisitor out of the way, I’ll be able to focus on the lord. The reason I attacked the other first is because a hammer wounds me on a 4+ while the lightning claws (although they allow rerolls to wound) only hurt me on a 6. With me down to one wound, the next combat will be crucial.
The sewer rat warrior squad crept into the waterworks building while the
wraiths used their unnatural movement abilities to occupy the arbites bunker. The destroyers moved around the close combat only to find themselves confronted by the daemonhost Neerozeus. With no regards to their own safety and the dark entity in front of them, the destroyers determined the plasma stormtroopers contesting the bunker to be of a greater threat. A solid wave of gauss fire flayed the remaining five troopers down to their atoms leaving the wraiths in full control of the bunker.
The warriors by the factory continued their methodical advance and watched the remaining two immortals wade through the sewer trench and emerge at the other side. The immortals once again targeted the squad in the hab-bloc, but two stormtroopers managed to find cover just in time.
