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!

Dredging the Grimdark: Ordo Chronos

This post was featured on House of Paincakes. It is a really awesome site, with a lot of great writers and a lot of really cool topics and ideas on gaming. Make sure to check it out, you'll be glad you did!

 This article is a part of a series called "Dredging the Grimdark" that reviews how you can use old, out of production (OOP) Citadel models or odd fluff armies in your games of 7th Edition Warhammer 40k. In this edition, we will be looking into how you can represent the Ordo Chronos on the table top. Have a favorite mini or fluff concept you'd like to play with on the table? Let me know and it could be the focus of a post down the line.

There are no Bad Wolves on Fenris

 By far, the best part of my hobby life (painting, playing, reading, and writing erotic fan ficiton) is that it all happens in the 40k universe. The Warhammer cannon is so revered and beloved that even one sentence can spark the imagination. That is a lot of responsibility for those select few who curate and create the future of our beloved game. And, how do you keep your ego in check with so much at stake?

 You get the feeling that there is this eternal battle at GW Headquarters between the fluff police and the trolls who want to throw stuff into new books to make us all lose our minds. In my head, it must look exactly like the fight scene between Gandalf and Balrog, except with British guys and not inside a mountain. I mean, imagine how it feels to control the destiny of an entire fictional universe. Then, imagine being in a room with ten other people who feel the exact same way. These dudes killed Sly Marbo. Nothing is safe.

The design meeting for the new Eldar codex were INTENSE

So, back in 2013 the Inquisition codex came out. And, in this book was a one page snippet about the Ordo Chronos. If you've never head of them, here is a quick review from Lexicanum:

The Ordo was established to study the anomalous passage of time during interstellar travel through the warp. This is because of the fact that time works differently within the empyrean; in rare circumstances, vessels can arrive at their destination much later than intended ... Tales of such dreadful fates are common knowledge amongst void travelers and accepted as one of the risks of warp travel. In extremely rare circumstances vessels may even arrive back into real space at a time before they actually set out.

Ok, so I'm reading this and I start to get all hot and bothered about my new army of Time Lords. Quickly flipping through the pages on my iPad, I come to the rules for three types of Inquisitors (Ordo Malleus, Hereticus, and Xenos). Wait, where are the rules for the Ordo Chronos? What... the... HELL! That was a tease. I ended up giving up on it, and the whole idea got thrown on the back-burner (right next to that Genestealer army I'm going to start one day).

Fast forward to a couple months ago. I ran across this excellent blog post written by Andy Hoare, who is credited with creating the Ordo Chronos in a Dark Heresy supplement. The whole thing is worth a read, but this snippet in particular piqued my interest:

To return to the discussions I was reading about the Ordo Chronos, some people did seem to view them as one-dimensional, 40k Time Lords. That's not the case at all, as after all, existing to combat the effects of the time distortion doesn't mean they bring it about. However, as Inquisitors they would be just as subject to factionalism as their peers. Perhaps Puritan Ordo Chronos Inquisitors ('Time Hunters'?) ruthlessly hunt down anyone who has fallen prey of a mistimed warp jump, just in case anything happens to alter the Imperium's fate. Equally, perhaps Radical Time Hunters seek to utilise heretical technologies, and consider changing the course of history a valid way of keeping the Imperium alive? Just imagine the wars that these two factions could be fighting without the rest of the Imperium ever even knowing about it!

I really love this concept. Puritan and Radical Ordo Chronos forces fighting these secret wars over the fate of time itself! Scenarios like this have to be played out on the table. I mean, what's the point of even rolling dice if you can't fight out shadow wars between rival Ordo Chronos inquisitors? How cool would it be to get six buddies together and have two playing in the "past", two in the "present" and then have the Ordo Chronos bouncing between the tables in order to dictate their own vision of the future. So cool! Now, all we need are rules. How can we represent the Ordo Chronos, while still keeping with the rules and current codexes of 7th Edition Warhammer 40,000? Here are some of my ideas.

Time Lord 2.0

 The Rules

Option One: The Inquisition Codex

Ok, so this one is by far the most obvious to me. I would use an Ordo Xenos inquisitor due to the cool alien weapons and build up a retinue however you see fit. The real fun in this would be the modeling (more on that later). The largest advantage of this rule set being that you don't really need to explain all that much to your opponent. Overall, a nice plug and play option if you care less about the rules and more about the narrative.

Option Two: The Craftworld Eldar Codex

Ok, a bit of a stretch, but hear me out. Battle Focus feels very Ordo Chronos to me. It is really literal (actually bouncing around in space-time), but would also give a lot of character to an Inquisitorial list. I would limit your unit choices to Farseers, Autarchs, Guardians, Dire Avengers, and Warp Spiders as all of these have rules that represent the ability to time-shift or replay scenarios. You could incorporate other parts of the codex, but I don't see the Ordo Chronos representing more than 500 to 750pts in a list.

Option Three: Militarum Tempestus Scions Codex

Deep-striking out of the Warp is not just for Daemons and Dark Eldar anymore! Take a bunch of Scions, throw in an Ordo Chronos in Terminator armor (actually Ordo Malleus, but who's checking), and viola! You have your time-shifting Time Lords! Honestly, I think this one is the best choice. It hits all the marks (enhanced stats but still human toughness, Imperial, and fairly easy to explain to almost any opponent). The real fun with this list will be the converting, and I do fear that the tactics would eventually become a bit stale. But, that's just my poor deep-strike rolling skills talking.

The Models

There should be a lot of freedom in a project like this. Following the fluff, you could imagine an Ordo Chronos Inquisitor collecting equipment and people from a wide variety of places and time periods. And, the more radical your warlord, the more radical his or her force should be! Due to my love of OOP models, I'd throw in some of the older Storm Trooper models (hey, you're making an Ordo Chronos army, that just screams OOP to me). But, don't let you imagination stop you there. Do your research and some eBay searches and you'll find a treasure trove of pewter in need of some serious TLC.


Until next time!

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.