Taking SK-57 (Narrative Battle Report from the Ghoul Stars)

On Tuesday, I got to play my first Zone Mortalis game. And it... was... awesome! I cannot recommend ZM enough. With some really great terrain (thanks, Greg!), it makes for an awesome setting with a very grimdark 40k feel to it. This particular battle was the Raven Guard and Death Watch against Necrons and Orks for control of SK-57, a mysterious space station in Warzone Giza. While the White Raven's forces did take heavy casualties, nothing was permanently lost from my Order of Battle. Boosted by this victory, the Raven Guard are traveling via Storm Honda to Sacramento this weekend to hang out with Farseer Joel and Arch Magos Scott. Make sure to check out the Facebook page for pictures and hobby related updates. Also don't forget to check out Dredging the Grimdark, a series I've been writing for House of Paincakes.

For now, enjoy #flufffriday with a narrative battle report and some pictures from this weeks game. Until next time!

Shadow's Claw

A wall of crude promethium welcomed the Raven Guard. Walking though the fire, they would have seemed liked gods to any mortal man. But, to the vile greenskins, Krios and his men were just another fight. Their horde seemed endless, numberless amongst the corridors of the old space station. An overwhelming "WAAAAAGGGHHH" erupted from the Orks as they charged towards them. "Hold!", shouted Krios over the rising tide. Shadow's Claw, his custom chainglaive, came to life as he braced for impact. "Hold!", Krios commanded as the Raven Guard aimed their bolters. When the Orks reached ten meters from their position, he gave the order. "Now!".

A storm of fire cut down the front line of the assault, forcing the horde to jump and crawl over the bodies of their dead. Krios ran out into the enemy. He spotted the largest Ork he could find and swung his chainglave with incredible force. It caught the Nob in the neck, and Krios quickly pulled it toward the floor. The Ork was split in two, both halves falling with a thud. Shadow's Claw seemed to dance in the air, spraying warm blood on the commander's face and armor. Every strike was as quick as lighting. The weapon's adamantium teeth ripping and tearing into the green tide. Soon, a pile of dead Orks surrounded the White Raven. The clamor of battle became quieter and quieter. Then, silence.

Krios observed the corridor with disgust. A sick ichor of blood and green flesh covered everything. He grabbed a piece of tatter cloth from one of the dead Orks and cleaned his face. He has lost brothers today. By Corax, they would be avenged. Krios spotted a dying greenskin crawling towards the end of the hall. He slowly walked over to the beast and placed his ceramite boot on the it's leg. The Ork turned to see what was holding it back, and was met by the thud of Shadow's Claw slamming into it's forehead. The greenskin was terrified, yellow eyes starting up at the weapon. "For the Emperpor", Krios muttered as the chainglaive's teeth came to life.

Ghoul Stars Campaign Day Photos

This has been a crazy week at work for me (managing company moves has got to be right up there with fighting daemons for a living) so this will be a bit of a photo dump. The first day of the Ghoul Stars campaign was a couple weekends ago, and it was awesome. The mezzanine at Endgame was packed, and the two games I had were both really fun. I promise I will actually write up a narrative battle report, but for now here are some pictures from the day. Big thanks to Mike and Adan for running an awesome event.

On an unrelated note, make sure to check out Gav Thorpe's latest blog post on world building. Some very cool tips for when you write your next narrative campaign or battle reports. Head over to Corsair Radio's Facebook Page for the link. And, while you there, like our page so you can see more cool links and pictures from the wild and weird world of 40k!

Until next time!

Raven Guard are extra camouflaged in black and white photos.

Hide, hide, hide!!!

Hipster Space Wolves with Meltaguns

Emperor's Children MC

He came THIS close to dying

Multi-Melta Dreadnought would be a great metal band name

Space Marines, Assemble!!!

My Converted Stormraven (Now 55% More Aerodynamic!!!)

 I really love the Stormraven, but I am not a huge fan of the model. So, I decided to make some small conversions to the kit in order to create a more streamlined, stealthy flyer for my Raven Guard. For this model, all I did was move the guns down to the side of the body, and place an older tank hatch over the hole from the missing gun turret. Quick and easy, and I am really happy with the results. I was planning on using this over the Ghoul Stars campaign day, but ended up playing with my 800pt list twice. Expect a full, narrative recap on the day soon (Spoiler: it didn't go well for the Raven Guard). For now, enjoy a couple more shots of Commander Krios's personal gunship.

Until next time!

 

The Raven Guard Hit Warzone Giza!!

Tomorrow is the first day of Endgame's Ghoul Stars campaign, and I am SO EXCITED!!! Being a Gamer Dad means most of my hobby time is spent either painting or writing, so getting to play two narrative games in the same day is something I really look forward to. As you all know, I've been working on my Raven Guard 30k/40k list for some time now, and I'll be able to put about 1300 points of painted Sons of Corax on the table tomorrow. I am just finishing up a Stormraven (pics later, I promise), and all that is left is a squad of Terminators and a Chaplain. This is pretty close to the list I'll be taking to the BAO this July. I think for that I am going to add some Centurion Devestators (if I can get my grubby hands on them). Anyway, tomorrow we'll be fighting over Warzone Giza. Here's my list:

Ghoul Stars Strike Force

Led by Kanir Krios, The White Raven

 

Krios, The White Raven 180  

- Chapter Master (130)

- Relic Blade (25)

- Artificer Armor (20)

- Melta Bombs (5)

Chaplain 100

- Digital Weapons

Tactical Marines x9 161

- Vet Srgt w/ Power Fist

- Melta Gun

Tactical Marines x10 215

- Vet Srgt w/ Power Fist

- Melta Gun, Missile Launcher

- Rhino w/ Dozer Blade

Venerable Dread 150

- TL Lascannon

Venerable Dread 175

- Drop Pod w/ Deathstorm Missile Launcher

Terminators 220

- Assault Cannon

Devestator Squad x5 140

- Srgt w/ Combi-Melta

- Missile Launcher x4

Stormraven Gunship 236

- TL Multi-Melta

- TL Assault Cannon

- Side-Sponson Hurricane Bolters

- Searchlight

- Extra Armor

Total 1577 (Not including 20pts for some campaign benefits Krios has)

I really like this list. Krios has the Master of Ambush warlord trait, so I have a lot of flexibility in how I deploy this force. I'll be using the Raptors Chapter Tactics from Forge World, so I am really looking to shoot first and ask questions later. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of running Krios, the Chaplain, and the nine man unit of Tactical Marines in the Stormraven. They can help grab objectives late game, and should be able to dish out some decent damage in close combat. As always, expect a battle report sometime next week. If you want to follow the action live (because who wouldn't) make sure to like Corsair Radio on Facebook, as I'll be posting pictures from the event.

Hope you all have a great weekend full of friends and 6s. Until next time!

 

The Raven Guard are BAO Bound!!!

Good news everyone! After missing out on the first go around, I was able to buy a ticket for the 40k event at the Bay Area Open this year. Big shout out to the 1s Happen Facebook group for making dreams come true. I'll be bringing my Raven Guard, but I am still bouncing around list ideas. With rumors of the new codex coming out soon, I'm wondering how many D weapons I'll get to play with. My outside bet is that grav weapons get some type of "D" ability. Or, they just give all marines +1 wound for an additional 10pts per model. No, too fluffy.

Non-40k related, but I just finished listening to Dan Carlin's Blueprint for Armageddon (link to the first episode here). It masterfully tells the story of World War I using the voices of the people in the trenches, and really drives home how horrible that war was. I highly recommend you check it out on your commute or during your hobby time. It is especially relevant with Memorial Day coming up this weekend. Make sure to say thanks to any members of the Armed Services you see over the weekend. American history is full of brave men and women who gave their lives so that I can sit in my living room with my wife and kids reading about Orks and Chaos Gods. Thank you for your service.

As for this weekend, I'll be brewing a double IPA thanks to my kick-ass brother-in-law. He writes about all things homebrewing over at Brulosophy. I'm still thinking of a name for the beer, so let me know your suggestions. So far, the frontrunner is Russ's Piss IPA. Anyway, roll high and have a great weekend!

The White Raven's Strike Force (The Ghoul Stars Campaign Order of Battle)

 Finally! Making this Order of Battle for Endgame's Ghoul Stars Campaign has been a real labor of love. Essentially, I have been picking and choosing what units I want to use over the rest of the entire year. So, like all things 40k, I tried to get into character. What units would a Raven Guard commander choose? What tools would I bring on a campaign so I could handle any foe? This exercise really made me appreciate how excellent the Space Marine codex is. If you look hard enough, you can find a unit or vehicle to counter just about anything in the game. I would really suggest trying something like this when you have the time. Even if it is just for a friendly mini-campaign, it will really put you in the mood for some narrative gaming.

The order of battle and profile for Commander Krios (some background info here) are below. I've also added in some Sisters of Battle for allies (more on that later). I can't change the list now, but I'd love some help planning my strategy for the first gaming day on May 30th. As they say, behind every great commander are even better commanders telling him what to do! I hope everyone has a great weekend full of games and libations. And, be on the look-out for some big news for Corsair Radio next week!

Until next time!

Ghoul Stars Strike Force

Order of Battle (3995 points)

Shadow Commander Kanir Krios (200 pts)

Chapter Master (130)

• Relic Blade (25)
• Artificer Armor (20)
• Melta Bombs (5)
• Starting Advance (20)

Warlord Trait: Master of Ambush (Strategic Traits)

Starting Advance: Quick Reaction (Melee)

 Codex: Space Marines (Raptors Chapter Tactics): 3420 pts

Codex: Adepta Sororitas: 575 pts

Total Roster Cost: 3,995

Raven Guard (3420 pts)

HQ 255

Chaplain (190)

• Command Squad

Librarian (65)

Elite 920

Venerable Dreadnought (160)

• Drop Pod

Venerable Dreadnought (160)

• Drop Pod

Terminator Squad (200)

Terminator Squad (200)

Terminator Squad (200)

Troops 985

Tactical Squad x9 (175)

• Sergeant
• Drop Pod

Tactical Squad x9 (175)

• Sergeant
• Drop Pod

Tactical Squad x9 (175)

• Sergeant
• Drop Pod

Tactical Squad x9 (175)

• Sergeant
• Rhino

Tactical Squad x9 (175)

• Sergeant
• Rhino

Scout Squad x4 (55)

• Sergeant

Scout Squad x4 (55)

• Sergeant

Fast Attack 320

Assault Squad x9 (170)

• Sergeant

Landspeeder Squadron x3 (150)

Heavy Support 940

Devastator Squad x9 (175)

• Sergeant
• Rhino

Devastator Squad x9 (140)

• Sergeant
• Rhino

Devastator Centurions x2 (190)

• Sergeant

Stormraven (200)

Stormraven (200)

Order of the Endless Night (575 pts)

HQ 130

Canoness (65)

Canoness (65)

Troops 320

Battle Sisters x9 (160)

• Sister Superior
• Rhino

Battle Sisters x9 (160)

• Sister Superior
• Rhino

Heavy Support 125

Exorcist (125)

Krios, The White Raven

It's always such a good feeling to get paint on your warlord. But, I'd argue it feels even better to get in a couple paragraphs of background fluff! 

If you haven't noticed yet, I am a narrative gamer. So, having a story to tell win or lose (more like just lose) is really important. So, here is my background for Shadow Commander Kanir Krios of the Raven Guard. I'll be using him for the Ghoul Stars campaign, so keep on the lookout for more on the White Raven. Hope you enjoy the story, and that you have a great weekend. Just watch out for those scatter laser jetbikes!

Until next time! 

The White Raven

Shadow Commander Kanir Krios was always destined for glory. Baptized in the blood of orks on Kastorel-Novum, legend has it that he killed over a hundred of the green tide using only his bolter and a make-shift chainglaive (it's handle fastened to a length of pipe). The battle was lost, but Brother Krios left that world a hero. He stood taller, fought more bravely, and commanded more respect. For his honor to the chapter, he was promoted to the rank of Veteran Sergeant and gifted Shadow's Claw, a chainglaive of great strength and beauty. By personal request, Krios's relic blade was left bare metal so that he may keep his weapon hidden until it was ready to reap the Primarch's vengeance.

On an exploratory mission to the planet of Orask, Veteran Sergeant Krios and his unit were ambushed by a group of chaos renegades. Swarms of cultists were cut down by the Raven Guard as they made a slow retreat into the caves of the planet's great mountain range. Inside one of the caves, Krios encounter the end of the sickening ritual birth of a greater daemon. The Veteran Sergeant challenged the warp spawn, chasing it through the blighted subterranean tunnels below Orask's surface. Krios's men waited three days for their commander to return. He walked out of the cave on the morning of the fourth day, his black ceramite caked in white dust from head to toe. He held Shadow's Claw in his left hand, and the head of the daemon in his right.

When the White Raven returned to Deliverance he was honored with the title of Shadow Commander, and given the vital mission of joining High Marshall Helbrecht and the Black Templars in their mission to cleanse the Ghoul Stars. A perilous mission, but one of great importance to the Raven Guard and the Imperium. And, one the remembrancers would be sure to capture in the great history of the Sons of Corax.

Shadow Commander Kanir Krios (New Warlord for the Ghoul Stars Campaign)

 

I love converting models, and I find that I am not doing it enough lately. One of the few drawbacks of 30k is my own personal desire to create a "historically" accurate fighting force to represent the Post-Isstvan Raven Guard. Because of this, I've been focusing more on painting accuracy and less on modelling creativity. But, thanks to the Ghoul Stars campaign, I was inspired me to build a new warlord. Enter Kanir Krios, Shadow Commander of the Ghoul Stars Expeditionary Force.

This guy is a real bits box king. A mix of standard MK VIII, MK VI, a Space Wolf frost axe and chainsword, as well as a Dark Angels backpack and Forge World shoulder pads. I love his pose, and who doesn't want their warlord swinging a gigantic chainsword. He'll be leading the Sons of Corax into the Ghoul Stars come late May. And, I feel like it isn't a huge stretch to use him as a praetor in my 30k army, which is always nice. I'll be writing up some background on him soon, so stay tuned!

As for this weekend, I'll be up to my ears in Microset applying decals to my Tactical Squads. Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated! Then, on Sunday, I'm hoping to sneak out and get some reinforcements at Games of Berkeley. Have a great weekend, and roll high!

Until next time.

Veterans for the Long War: Building an Army for the Ghoul Stars campaign

The Ghoul Stars has long been a wild and untamed area of space on the northern edge of the Ultima
Segmentum. In M34, this formerly human region was lost to a "star spawned plague and nightmare engines that swept across entire sectors." A powerful force of eleven Space Marine Chapters was sent to deal with the menace of the Cythor Fiends, but only the Novamarines ever returned...

With the native inhabitants of the Ghoul Stars in turmoil, and the Necrons not yet fully consolidated, the High Lords of Terra mandated that a reconquest be launched once again. Given their long involvement with the region, the Black Templars, under the leadership of High Marshal Helbrecht, were chosen to lead the Crusade.
 
The call was answered from all across the Imperium. Huge expeditionary forces began to assemble along the Ultima Segmentum border. The systems along the Ghoul Stars frontier began to pulse with Space Marine Chapters, Imperial Guard Regiments, Knight Households and Rogue Trader fleets.
 
This time their goal is nothing less than the complete cleansing of the Ghoul Stars!

Starting next month, Endgame and the 40k Fight Club will be running a new campaign based out of the Ghoul Stars. As most of my regulars know, I love the events at Endgame. Mike and Adan put a lot of effort into the background and scenarios of their campaigns, and it shows. Based on everything I've seen and read so far for the Ghoul Stars, this should be the best one yet. The only thing I've been hung up on is what type of forces I want to muster. Enter the Order of Battle.

Before the campaign begins, we need to send the organizers an Order of Battle (OoB). This represents the host of forces available to your warlord during their expedition into the Ghoul Stars. Here are the rules for building your OoB from the campaign packet.

You have 4,000 points to build your Order of Battle. If you are using Allies, no more than 1,000 points of your OoB may be Allies. Buy the basic units (including dedicated transports) with NO wargear or upgrades AT ALL. For example, a 10 man Space Marine Tactical Squad and Rhino, with no special/heavy weapons, no Veteran Sergeant, etc, is 175 points.

I have decided to join the Imperium faction for this go, so I'll be bringing my Raven Guard kicking and screaming 10,000 years into the future ("Where's my damn Sicarian!"). I am still in the process of finalizing my Order of Battle, and trying to decide if I should add in some allies (maybe some Death Spectres?). I'm gonna be working on it it pretty heavily this weekend, and I would love some input on what a proper Raven Guard Strike Force should include. I'll have an OoB to share sometime next week.

If you live in the Bay Area, make sure to check this campaign out. You can find more information about it here if you are interested.

Until next time!

Robots vs. Birds!!! Raven Guard [30k] v. Necrons [40k]

30k, I can't quit you! This Tuesday I was able to get in a game against Alex from Modeling for Advantage, the official blog of the Left Coast Corsairs. Alex reached out to me a couple weeks back after I posted about my first 30k/40k matchup. We met up at my beloved Endgame, where the Corsairs practice, and threw down at 1000 pts on a 4' x 4' board.

Endgame has some incredible terrain, so we were able to set up a a really cool Bridge Too Far game. In this scenario the main bridge in the middle of the map was worth 3 VP, the two smaller bridges on the side got you 1 VP, and the standard secondary objectives were each worth 1 VP (Slay the Warlord [random thought: wouldn't that be an awesome band name?], First Blood, and Line Breaker). Here's the battlefield.

Alex's Necrons rose on up following a Destroyer Lord with three units of Destroyers, a Cryptek with some Warriors, Immortals, and fifteen Flayed Ones. The Raven Guard made planetfall with a Praetor (Ravens Talons FTW), a Vigilator, two squads of nine Vets from Planet Melta (combi-melta and melta gun) with one in a Rhino, a lascannon Dread, and a Deathstorm Drop Pod. Alex was on the left, I was on the right and went first. Spread it on!!!

The game was really, really fun. The 4' x 4' board, coupled with the focus on the bridges, really made this one a blood bath. My vet squads took both bridges first, only to be met with heavy resistance from the Necrons. My Praetor ended up eating through the squad of Warriors, but eventually met his demise in an epic challenge against the Destroyer Lord and a gang of Flayed Ones. At one point my fearless leader tanked through twelve wounds, making every single 2+ save. At the top of turn five my Dread was able to kill two Destroyers and take the central bridge. With five Veterans and a Vigilator holding one of the secondary bridges, things were looking up. Then they Flayed Ones charged.

Just when you thought Wraiths were good, here come the Flayed Ones. These maniacal robots had sixty five shred and preferred enemy attacks on the charge. Insane. The first thirty did seventeen wounds, and that was all she wrote. The game ended with Alex holding both secondary objectives and three VP for Slay the Warlord, First Blood, and an additional VP per the Pride of the Legion Right of War. My Dreadnought stood proudly on the central bridge, a river of blood and oil running underneath him, but it was all for naught. Alex took this one 5-3.

Games like this are why I love Warhammer (30k and 40k). A close, down to the wire match against a really fun opponent (make sure to check out Alex's blog here).When the game ended, I think we informally decided that we would start a Great Crusades campaign. Exciting! I really love building this Raven Guard army. Forge World has so deftly captured the nature of the XIXth legion, and I look forward to continuing to master their playstyle in the games to come. I'm also looking forward to adding some reinforcements soon. Can you say Darkwing Storm Eagle anyone? In the meantime, more pictures!

Until next time!

Out now!!! Raptor (a new audio drama from Black Library)

If you haven't listened to any of the audio dramas that Black Library has done recently, you are really missing out. These hour to hour and a half modern takes on the classic radio show are excellent. They lift these stories off the pages and breathe life into the Warhammer universe. Everything, from the music to the voice acting, feels intense and exciting. We may not be getting a 30k/40k feature film anytime soon, but at least we have these. Here is a teaser for the latest audio drama, Raptor by Gav Thorpe:

After the decimation of his Legion on the killing fields of Isstvan V, the primarch Corax sanctioned an accelerated implantation process to create new Raven Guard - a process subverted in secret by his enemies. But in spite of their horrendous mutations, the warriors of the Raptors still stand ready to do their prim arch's bidding. When a watch-pack of Space Wolves legionaries arrives unannounced, it falls to Lieutenant Navar Hef to greet their warlike kinsmen and decide whether or not they might be hiding flaws of their own... 

Raven Guard and Space Wolves! I just downloaded it, and I look forward to hearing more about Navar Hef and his mutated brothers. I'll make sure to write up a review when I'm done. Download it and give it a listen while you're finishing up those hobby progress challenge models. Thor wills it!

Until next time!

Killer Robots of Death!!! (My First Foray into 30k v. 40k Gaming)

This past Sunday, I went over to Games of Berkeley for a couple pick up games. As a veteran of the long war, aka Gamer Dad, I only ever find myself playing at home or on specific campaign days at Endgame. Lucky for me, GoB's Facebook group is really great. I put something up that morning and got everything set an hour or so later. The store has an awesome variety of minis, and the playing space was really fun. Beautiful tables, great terrain, and a fun atmosphere made for an A+ gaming experience. Wargame Days are Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons. If you are ever in Downtown Berkeley, make sure to check it out.

Games of Berkeley - Check it out!

I played against Sage and his new Necrons. Man, those guys are nasty! How many armies have troop choices that can kill a Land Raider in one turn of shooting? But, the unit that really makes these robots sing are the wraiths. Ho-lee-crap are they good! Just imagine these death robots snaking through the air, flickering in and out of reality above the desert sands. Then, at the perfect moment, whipping their tails and jamming razor-sharp claws into their prey. Great fluff, great rules, and great models. These guys are the trifecta.

We played maelstrom on a 4x4 board at 750 points. The Raven Guard infiltrated into a forward position (big mistake) as the Necron's moved on en mass from the corner. The wraiths got into combat right way, and we stayed locked in until about turn four or so. Sage won the game thanks to the wraiths, but in the end it came down to my praetor getting shot to death by twenty some warriors. Using infiltrating forces can be a challenge, but it's games like this that help you learn. Overall, it was a really fun game against a great opponent.

Fluff-wise, 30k and 40k mesh really well. It does take some mental gymnastics, but as a narrative gamer I find myself doing that in standard games just as often (Why do I always end up assaulting Tau Riptide factories!). I see a lot of really cool opportunities to get in some fights against other xenos forces, and I'm thinking about reaching out to some local players to start a small Great Crusades campaign. If you're in the Bay Area and play Orks, Eldar, 'Nids, or Necrons let me know!

As for rules balance, it's not bad but I wouldn't say it was perfect. The standard Space Marine stat line helps, but losing And They Shall Know No Fear does make things more tenuous. That being said, I will continue to play 40k armies for now because our 30k scene is still growing. As for competitive events, I don't really see myself bringing a Horus Heresy list a large ITC event, but I do see a lot of 30k v. 40k games in the future! ::womp womp womp woooommmmppp::

Until next time!