Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 or simply Warhammer 40K is a miniature-based tabletop game. It involves building and painting your own miniature army and pit them against others' on a dioramic 6x4 or 4x4 feet table using a standardized set of game rules. Miniature armies come in various factions, from Imperial commandos to space-faring orks, each with its own background stories (what 40K players call "fluff") and combat units.

My army, a sub-faction of the Adeptus Astartes or the Space Marines, is of the so-called Dark Angels Chapter - one of thousands of regiments of bio-enhanced supersoldiers created by the Emperor of Man to impose his will throughout the grim universe of the 41st millennium.


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Dark Angels of the Adeptus Astartes
The Dark Angels Chapter is first among legions of Space Marines bred by the Emperor from his own genetic imprints. Enhanced physiologically for combat operations, they are literally Angels of Death in the battlefield, sowing fear to anyone who dared oppose their mandate. Their homeworld, Caliban - now reduced to a barren asteroid after an epic battle against their traitorous Brothers - holds the Chapter's mobile fortress-monastery called the Tower of Angels. Here, deep within the labyrinthine pathways to the underground caverns, lies the key to their monastic nature. The Dark Angels hides a millenia-long secret that compromised their honor. It is with this reason that they and their Successor Chapters are called the Unforgiven.


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The Interrogator-Chaplain's Wargaming Sanctum

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Pit Shop Weekend

I had two games for the Pit Shop 40K Tourney last Saturday. Here's a rundown:

Opponent: Timberwolf
Army: Spacewolves Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes (grudge enemy ng Dark Angels! Hehe…)
Table: 6” x 4”
Mission: Seek and Destroy - Gamma

Ok... I was winning for the first four turns, destroying his Venerable Dreadnought and Vindicator and thinning down a squad of wolvies (led by his Rune Priest) on the flank. I wanted to mop up the game by shaking off the squads inside two Rhinos with my Chaplain led Assault Squad. Bearing four plasma pistols (two from Assault Marines, another from their Veteran Sergeant, and lastly from the Interrogator Chaplain), I confidently shot the side armor (YES... a mere 11-strong Side Armor!) of the first Rhino AND dig this... MISSED all of them! I hit with all 4 shots and I only need a 4 to at least glance! Antigas ng walastik na tanke!

So , with no love lost, I knew I still have the assault phase to rely on. I have a power fisted Veteran Sergeant with four attacks on a charge AND a master crafted re-roll. And so I charged, and hit with 2... one of them courtesy of the re-roll... the next roll was the most disgusting roll I've had in my 40K career! Two 1’s!! Evil eye!! Damnation, why hath thou left us, oh Emperor!!

The next turns were pathetic. The tide totally turned against me, when the two Rhinos (did not move for the turn) spewed out two full squads of wolvies then charged me on the same turn with power weapons at hand. On my right flank, on the other hand, the Rune Priest – mustering all the prayers he got – was able to finish my 10-man Dev Squad. Talking about bad rolls.

I lose, in short.


Opponent: Mang (Mangsky)
Army: Necrons
Table: 6” x 4”
Mission: Secure and Control – Alpha

I know how to play against Necron armies WITHOUT a Monolith… but I don’t know how to play against one that HAS it. I don’t even know how Monoliths work. Thanks to Mang, I learned all about Monoliths… and I learned it the HARD way!

The game was a 40K version of hide-and-seek. I literally mobilized my army to engage it in combat – one of the weaknesses of Necron armies, hunting primary targets while they skitter away from me as possible. I was able to tie up his Heavy Destroyer Squads and annihilate more with my Vindicator on the starting turns.

However, the tied up squads proved to be worth their Strength 5 as they lasted up to the last turn enganged in combat! The Monolith did most of the work, disabling my Hellfire Dreadnought and a Landspeeder Tornado, and thinning my tactical squads. One of his skeleton squads was able to secure one of the objective markers far from action on the right flank, while the central objective was rendered uncontestable when the Destroyer squads downed another one of my Landspeeder Tornado defending the area.

The game was decided during the last turn when his Monolith zoomed in at the center objective and teleported the skeleton squad led by the Necron Lord to safety and out of melee with my Assault Squad, to prep for the next round of deadly gauze rapid fire!

Mang was shouting out loud all the time and unbelievably my dice heeded his every prayer. Pfft. If the dice gods were that obedient then why not try that technique the next time I play… with orcish precision! Hehe.

I lose again, in short.

*****

Next, Emp and Mang played a game of Warmachine. Emp got his Cryx army composed of several turkies, a carnifex-looking jack, and another jack from the original Cryx starter box. Warcaster Denegrah is getting sexier everytime I look at her. Hehe… talking about tastes. Anyway, Mang has his out-of-the-starter-box Cygnar army with the cool-version of Commander Coleman Stryker. I need that one for my army too.

Emp’s the one who played offensive as he charged his minions to Mang’s corner of the 4” x 4” table as the latter shot galore with his range-weaponed warjack. With Emp’s turkies thinning down, he mustered every spell available from Denegrah’s arsenal. With a Withering Grasp cast on Warcaster Stryker, he gambled by fleeing one of his jacks from combat – giving Mang’s warjack a free hit to the escaping enemy. The free hit failed to disable Emp’s jack and using one of its arm’s special ability, he was able to assassinate poor Coleman Stryker.

Game ends, the Cryxian battleforce emerging as victor.

*****

Jacob arrived with Arvin, then the former pitted his unassembled Khador/Eldar (hehe…) battleforce against Emp’s Cryxians.

I did not paid that much attention with the game as I soaked myself up reading Prime – the Warmachine rulebook. I just know that they played a version of 40K’s Take and Hold mission, and that Emp’s Cryxian turkies won again. Gobble, gobble, gobble!

*****

I’m nearing to complete painting my Deathwing Sergeant. His power sword arm was now coated to its final color and what remained to color on the sword itself is its blade. I attached it to the finished Terminator body already.

Its storm bolter arm, on the other “hand” (pun intended… hehe), was also colored Bleached Bone already. The storm bolter primed black. That arm was not yet attached though, and the shield plate too for the sword arm.

*****

That night, I bought a Cygnar Stormclad. After arriving at home, I cleaned the oxidizing fig free of flashes… it was not that much cleaning compared to GW metal minis, then soaked em up for a water-and-soap bath.

Tonight, I bought paints from Neutral Grounds… our oh so beloved distributor. Regal Blue, Ultramarines Blue, and Brazen Brass. This will compose the primary color of my Stormclad. I will try Arvin’s advice to putty up the torso to angle the elite warjack’s body up a bit. I agree with him that the model doesn’t look good with his stoop.

This afternoon, I was able to attach the leg part to its base – the left foot stepping over a slate that I rummaged from our backyard. iL try to base it up with white sand as my next project, before the putty work for its torso.

Tis the start of my themed Warmachine battleforce. Yeba!

Pera! Pera! Pera!

=)

Inscribed by Interrogator-Chaplain Randel on 1:23 AM              

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Never forgive! Never forget!