Salamanders Predator and Vindicator
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The Vindicator Anvil of Prometheus and Predator Nocturne are frequently deployed in support of the the 4th Company, and have been used by Vulkan He'Stan's expeditionary forces on a number of engagements.
Anvil of Prometheus has been lovingly maintained by its crew for generations, and the magma-and-salamander emblem on its siege shield is meticulously repainted after every battle.
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Nocturne is the preferred chariot of Honored Forge-Brother Kro'Nes, the 4th Company's chief techmarine. Not content to sit on the sidelines, Kro'Nes is famous for leading his tank column directly into the heart of battle. Nocturne is a sort of legend among the Salamanders, having been crippled on the battlefield a score of times, and each time revived by Kro'Nes and his techmarines. Kro'Nes is also notorious for leaping from his stricken vehicle to engage enemy forces hand-to-hand rather than allow them to further ruin his beloved Predator. Despite the amount of firepower it has absorbed, Nocturne is rebuilt and repainted, returning like a phoenix again and again.
Blastimus Maximus pattern Predicator
Click to see bigger cheese
Some of you may have noticed that I've joined two new blog networks - International House of Paincakes and Badab Bloggers (in addition to ::coughshamelessplug:: The Hobby Core network). Paincakes has some good member promotion going on, and my Salamanders Vindicator post was featured in the #2 slot on their Weekly Top X. In the feature was a request for an Apocalypse datasheet for the dreamy "Ultimate" version. Well, I'm not one to back down from such a blatant challenge, so here it is:
The Blastimus Maximus pattern Predicator
Type: Tank (Ridiculous)
250 PointsBS F S R
4 13 11 10Wargear:
Demolisher Cannon
Two sponson-mounted Lascannons
Pintle-mounted Multi-melta
Siege Shield
Extra Armour
Smoke Launchers
SearchlightSpecial Rules:
Death Blossom - The Blastimus Maximus may choose to fire all available weapons in a single turn (Demolisher cannon and all others), and each at a different target. However, if it choses to do this, all shooting is resolved at BS 2, and it suffers a "Crew Shaken" hit, making it ineligible to fire on the next round. If all shots miss and/or scatter completely off of their intended target, the Blastimus Maximus has suffered a catastrophic failure and it suffers a single penatrating hit. If the result of this hit is "Crew Shaken" or "Crew Stunned," the result is treated as "Crew Stunned" regardless of the vehicle's Extra Armour, as the crew sits around for a turn trying to figure out exactly what went wrong.Options:
May take any of the following:
- a Storm Bolter - 10 points
- a Hunter-Killer Missile - 10 points
I expect to see battle reports and conversions!
Salamanders 4th Company, 2nd Tactical Squad Su’Ryn
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Honored Veteran Sergeant Su'Ryn has commanded the 4th Company's 2nd Tactical Squad since the time thatVulkan He'Stan was the company's captain. The 2nd squad distinguished itself on Armageddon during the Third War, earning a number of honors and commendations, the most prominent being the Imperial Aquila for its heroism in defense of Imperial citizens.
Su'Ryn, like most of the company's veteran sergeants, is equipped with a combi-melta and a powerfist. He is joined by two other veterans, Kelan and Paz'Uth, who wield a flamer and a multi-melta, respectively. Honored Brother Kel'an, bears the Imperial Aquila award for the squad. Both Kelan and Paz'Uth serve as squad corporals, with Paz'Uth frequently leading a static support fire team when the squad splits.
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Su'Ryn and Kelan typically ride with the forward squad in the Razorback Drake's Fury, commanded by Tech-Brother Ka'Ros. Drake's Fury bears the rare lascannon-and-plasmagun pattern and has been in the service of the 4th company for over 1,200 years.
Salamanders Vindicator
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I'm pretty satisfied with the way that the freehand turned out on this one. The most difficult part was putting the dirt on the bottom after all that detail work. The armor panels on the side are magnetized, and the siege shield isn't glued in place. I don't like the idea of the extra armor panels on the Vindicator, because it's still AV11 on the sides. I'll put them on if I actually give it the Extra Armour upgrade
I've had this Vindicator for a while, and I'm not actually sure why I decided it should get painted up in Salamanders livery. In fact, I've only ever used it for my Blood Angels (it seems that the Salamanders loaned a lot of mech to the Blood Angels). To rectify this, I've made a 2000 point Salamanders list that uses the Vindicator:
HQ
Vulkan He'StanTroops
Tac Squad x10, Sergeant with Power Fist and Combi-melta, Flamer, Multi-melta.
Razorback with Lascannon and Twin-linked Plasmagun, Extra ArmourTac Squad x10, Sergeant with Power Fist and Combi-melta, Flamer, Missile Launcher.
Razorback with Twin-linked Heavy Bolter, Storm Bolter, Extra ArmourTac Squad x5, Sergeant with Power Weapon and Combi-flamer
Elites
Assault Terminator Squad x7, Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields
Land Raider Crusader with Multi-melta, Extra ArmourHeavy Support
Land Raider GodhammerPredator with Lascannon Sponsons
Brother-Sergeant ChronusVindicator with Siege Shield, Extra Armour
Both 10-man tac squads split up with the Sergeant and Flamer riding in the Razorbacks, which slowly move up the field laying down fire. The 5-man tac squad hangs out in the Godhammer, which stays back and snipes at targets along with the Predator. Vulkan rides with the Termies in the Crusader, which presents itself as a juicy fire magnet. Meanwhile, the Vindi grabs any cover it can as far up as possible, and drops pie plates. This provides a lot of different threats that all demand to be dealt with.
Now, if only I had the points for this:
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Army Lists
It's been a while since I posted a list, so here's a 2000 point list from each army:
Blood Angels
HQ
Librarian w/Shield of Sanguinius and Unleash Rage
Librarian w/Shield of Sanguinius and Unleash RageTroops
10-man Assault Squad with Power Fist, Flamer and Meltagun
Land Raider Crusader with Extra Armour and Multi-melta10-man Assault Squad with Thunder Hammer, Flamer and Meltagun
Land Raider Crusader with Extra Armour and Multi-melta10-man Assault Squad with Jump Packs, Power Weapon, Meltabombs, Flamer and Meltagun
Elites
Sanguinary Priest with Power Weapon
Sanguinary Priest with Power Weapon
Furioso Dreadnought with Blood TalonsFast Attack
Baal Predator with Twin-linked Assault Cannon
Baal Predator with Flamestorm CannonHeavy Support
Vindicator with Siege Shield
This is the list from the last post that went 3-0 (with all of the associated caveats). The Land Raider squads are joined by a librarian and priest each. For the most part, I kept everything tight in to the Raiders and the Shield bubble, with the jump squad hanging out behind to take full advantage of cover. Once I was in assault range, the Raider squads would boil out and get crazy in front. Anything that they failed to clean up would get pounced on by the jump squad on the next turn, ensuring I'd get two charges in a row.
The Vindicator was fun, but largely ineffective (some of that was due to dice). I'm considering adding them to my Blood Angels, as I was proxying in my Salamanders Vindi, but I think they're best used in groups. I've got plenty of troops to work with now, I think the next Blood Angels expansion is going to be tank-oriented.
Anyway, on to the Salamanders:
HQ
Vulkan He'StanTroops
10-man Tactical Squad with Combi-melta, Powerfist, Flamer and Lascannon
Rhino with Dozer Blade and Extra Armour6-man Scout Squad with Telion, four Sniper Rifles and a Missile Launcher
6-man Scout Squad with five Sniper Rifles, Missile Launcher and Camo Cloaks
Elites
8-man Assault Terminator Squad with Thunder Hammers10-man Sternguard Squad with four Combi-Flamers, four Combi-meltas and two Heavy Flamers
Drop PodFast Attack
Land Speeder Typhoon with Multi-melta and Heavy FlamerHeavy Support
Land Raider Crusader with Extra Armour and Multi-melta
Land Raider Godhammer with Extra Armour and Multi-melta
I was playing around with a list that doesn't repeat a single unit, and with only two troops choices in the vanilla codex, that's a bit difficult. Yes, I've got two 6-man scout squads, but one has Telion Tel'Yan. Other than that, no repeated units. Vulkan rides with the Sternguard, who can divide up or not depending on the situation. If there are troops and tanks available, they split along the flamer/melta line and pick their targets. If there's one or the other, they can stick together or split for maximum effectiveness. The only thing I have to watch out for is turn 1 against a completely reserve list. I've had my Sternguard dragged down screaming without firing a shot because of that.
The Termies obviously ride in the Crusader, gunning straight up the middle to soak up fire and mete out punishment. Scouts start in position to pick off juicy targets, and the Tac squad stays back in the Rhino next to the Godhammer using the lascannon to snipe tanks. If it's an objectives mission, the Sarge breaks off with the flamer and sits in the Godhammer on top of a local objective. meanwhile, the Land Speeder acts as a harrasser, picking off tanks or roasting troops as need be.
Salamanders update (with pictures!)
I've been consistently building and painting, and I swear it never seems like I'm making progress. There's a lot more green marines, though.
I haven't played a lot, but when I have, it's been better than the beatings I'd been receiving. With a few exceptions, though, my opponents weren't very good. One of my FLGS (Comics & More) attracts a... younger... crowd. I seriously don't know where 8-15 year-olds get the money for this hobby, but they do. Playing them is one part teaching and one part vengeance for all the time I had my backside handed to me by 12-year-olds at Magic: The Gathering (which I said good riddance to in order to finance my Crimson Fists). If nothing else, it's good practice.
My best match came with my Salamanders against Nids, played by a quite worthy opponent (who usually plays Chaos). We were both surprised when I wiped him out on turn 4 - Apparently, bugs burn and are squished by thunder hammers.
My Blood Angels trounced another Nid player and two Space Marine players (Sicarius/Tigirus and Lysander armies, respectively).
But, you're tired of text from me. This time... I have pictures!
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This is Honoured Sergeant Tel'Yan, 6th Company Detachment. See what I did there with the name? I am soooo original. This model was fun (and is obviously not finished). I wanted the elongated barrel, stock and strap, so I cut one of the spare sniper rifles up and heated some plasticard. The camo pattern is straight out of my camo tutorial, using desert tones (Graveyard Earth, Kommando Khaki and Bleached Bone with an Ogryn Flesh wash and dotting with Chadronite Granite).
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Land Raider 1 of 2 (2 is still in the box), "We Are His Righteous Hammer," is currently built out as a Crusader pattern. After my first Blood Angels Land Raider where I magnetized all of the weapons, I realized that I wasn't very happy with the hurricane bolters. I had an extra set of sponson mounts (without the weapons) laying around, so I used the Godhammer sponsons specifically for the Hurricane bolters. The Flamestorm cannons and lascannons will share a separate set, which I have yet to build (all of my current lists use Crusaders, so I'm not in a rush).
The freehanding on the top uses an non-metallic metal technique. I didn't use it on the rest, because I actually like the multi-angle shine that metallics give you. I went with it on the freehand, because I wanted it to look like it was actually painted on by the chapter.
Lastly, the Rhino chassis I spoke about in my last post:
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I messed up when I was magnetizing the Predator sponsons, and the only fix was to make them permanently Lascannons (which is about all I use anyway). Other than that, this has nearly every option I could think of (except for HK missiles and an extra Storm Bolter, that is). Not show are the Heavy Bolter turret, which needs to be primed, and the Dozer Blade that I forgot to put into the picture. I built it in such a way that I can clip it to any Rhino chassis. I've even got the lascannon/plasmagun combo in there. Next project for this will be a heavy flamer turret.
Here's what it turns into:
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Now, I've got to go make a not-cheezy list for the next tournament. Because against these kids, I can't justify 14 Thunder Hammer terminators, Vulkan, and two Land Raiders. It's just not sporting.
Maybe I'll get those Sternguard primed and ready.
Whoa, I have a blog here!
Apparently I haven't updated in a while, which sucks a bunch because I've been doing a lot of work (mainly on my Salamanders) and haven't bothered to take pictures. I really should rectify that, because here's what I've been up to:
1) A squad of 10 Sternguard complete with combi-weapons (flamers and meltas). I started with a tac squad box and tossed in Terminator Honour shoulder pads, and then converted the weapons. They look pretty awesome! Two of them even have heavy flamers, which are also conversions.
2) A Rhino chassis with a bunch of upgrades. Initially it was intended to be the Sterguard's chariot (which it will still likely be at some point). I used a Vindicator box for the chassis and extra armour (I still need to build the rest of the Vindi), and grabbed a spare Heavy Bolter turret to give it a Razorback option. I'm pretty happy with the paint job, and there's some freehanding on the back.
4) Assault marines! I've got a 5-man squad of them built and primed, and another waiting to come out of the box. The sarge has a Thunder Hammer that I made using the power axe they come with and the head of one of the hammer from the Death Company box.
5) Scouts! One squad built, primed and basecoated, and another squad half built. Did a custom conversion on the sarge to allow him to count as Telion - even used some plasticard and green stuff!
6) Land Raider - completely built and ready to prime. Well, completely built as a Crusader. The Redeemer/Godhammer sponson is still in process. With this one and the Rhino, I decided to just seal them up. I could have spent the time to paint the interior, but (like a Drop Pod) the door actually gets in the way when playing, and I have built two Land Raiders already with the moving door, and I can't get it right. It always winds up off-kilter, and for that money, I wanted a really good looking tank.
7) On the Blood Angels front, I've actually worked on painting an assault squad! I've also got another Land Raider in the box, and the Adeptus Mechanus says it's going to them.
And then there were two…
The Crimson Fists are heading to Deutschland! I was a bit surprised that a 3000 point Space Marine army took three times as long to sell as a 4000 point Eldar army, but out the door it goes.
the proceeds from both of these sales are going to bolster my Salamanders and Blood Angels. Here's what I'm considering:
Salamanders
I'm thinking about mech-ing this list up in order to be able to field two distinct concepts. That would mean 2 Land Raider Crusader/Redeemers for transporting the terminators and three Rhinos for the tactical squads. I've also considered converting a tactical squad into Sternguard (I've got a lot of bitz to do so), and picking up a Thunderfire Cannon. I've also tossed around the idea of adding another squad of shooty terminators for Deep Striking. DSing with a bunch of assault termies and a chaplain doesn't really offer the same amount of punch on the turn they arrive. A bunch of Storm Bolters and a twin-linked Heavy Flamer would certainly drop a hurting on the turn they arrived.
Obviously I'm not going to do all of that, but those are my thoughts on it.
Blood Angels
I've actually got a lot of stuff for my Blood Angels already, so there's not really that much left to purchase. I am definitely another Land Raider Crusader/Redeemer, though, and at least one more Rhino chassis (probably another Predator). I'm considering a squad of Terminators for some 1st company flair, but I haven't playtested them at all. If I did, I'd be getting Forge World pauldrons for them. I'd likely go with assault terminators there with a mix of lightning claws and thunder hammers. Finally, I'd like to experiment with a Furioso. I'm not going for the metal monstrosity, so it'd probably be an Ironclad with these sexy bits for the Blood Talons. Significantly cheaper than the Forgeworld variety.
Other
I'm strongly considering ditching the ArmyTransport case I've had for only a few months and going with a BattleFoam case. I'm also considering some buildings for the game table in my basement.
So, we'll see what happens. In other news, there's a battle report on the horizon!
It’s a win and I’ll take it!
The Alternate Universes anniversary "Rouge Trader" tournament had a heck of a turnout. 23 players, of which there were:
5 Codex Marines (2 basic, 2 Salamanders, 1 White Scars)
4 Chaos Marines (3 Undivided, 1 Thousand Sons)
3 Imperial Guard
3 Orks
2 Tyranids
2 Space Wolves
2 Eldar
1 Blood Angels
1 Chaos Daemons
My Salamanders nabbed second place painted and 6th overall in the tournament going 1-1-1!
The third mission produced a ridiculous amount of draws. In terms of overall points, Tyranids placed 1 and 3. The Blood Angels player grabbed Best General after going 3-0.
Here's the list I ran:
HQ
Vulkan He'Stan
Chaplain with Terminator Armour, Combi-Melta, Digital WeaponsTroops
Tactical Squad 2 with Power Fist, Combi-melta, Flamer, Multi-melta
in Drop Pod with Locator Beacon
Tactical Squad 3 with Power Fist, Combi-melta, Flamer, Multi-melta
in Drop Pod with Locator Beacon
Tactical Squad 6 with Power Fist, Combi-melta, Flamer, Missile Launcher
in Drop Pod with Locator BeaconElites
Assault Terminator Squad 1 with 6 Terminators, Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields
Assault Terminator Squad 2 with 6 Terminators, Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields
Ironclad Dreadnought with Chainfist, Heavy Flamer, Meltagun, Ironclad Assault Launchers
in Drop Pod with Locator BeaconFast Attack
Land Speeder with Multi-melta and Heavy Flamer
Round 1: Win. The mission was the same from my Blood Angels vs. Necrons battle report, but this time I was the defender. His list featured two Land Raiders (one of which was a Terminus Ultra that no one noticed wasn't tournament legal - he switched it to a Godhammer for rounds 2 and 3. We're a friendly bunch). He moved on from his side while I set all the Terminators, Vulcan and the Chaplain off in a corner and behind a building. He took first turn and actually managed to kill two Terminators with sniper fire, which didn't bode well. On my turn, I started plunking Drop Pods down in front of him. My Ironclad torched some Tac Marines while my first Tac Squad roasted those pesky snipers. I managed to bog him down on his side for the first four turns, taking out both of his Tac squads and breaking the last remaining sniper, who sat on the very edge of the board for most of the game eating Storm Bolter fire like candy. On turn 5, after I'd blown up the largely ineffective Terminus and disabled the Crusader, he managed to have Tigirius teleport Calgar and some Sternguards over to where Vulkan had just finished eating his Vanguards, who had managed some Heroic Intervention right onto Vulkan's relic blade. I tossed all of my Termies at Calgar while Vulkan ran screaming into the building. After Calgar mowed down all of the Termies, the game ended on Turn 7 with an epic standoff on top of the building with Vulkan and Calgar glaring at each other. Very Highlander-esque.
Round 2: Crushing defeat. I faced the Chaos player who came in 2nd overall, and it was a slaughter. The mission was kill points with a twist - each army nominated 1 squad to be the Suicide squad. If it died, the owner received 2 KPs while the attacker received 1. If it lived to the end, the owner lost 2 KPs. I tried the same tactics that had served me so well in round 1, but they were for naught. My suicide squad dropped in and completely whiffed on popping a Predator from rear armour, succeeding only in immobilizing it. They were then eaten by a Daemon Prince and some Raptors. At least I got two KPs! My efforts to tie him up just resulted in a lot of Marine corpses, and his suicide squad of Khorne Berzerkers tore through Vulkan and his Terminators, while my Chaplain and his Terminators managed to kill the Daemon Prince before becoming target practice for the hordes of Chaos. When the battle was over on turn 6, I had one weaponless, immobile Land Speeder left, and I'd killed a Predator and a Daemon Prince - 10-4 Kill Points only because of the Suicide Squads. Would have been 12-2. The highlight of the game was my immobilized Land Speeder blowing up an immobilized Predator with a Heavy Flamer that happened to be pointed directly at rear armour.
Round 3: Epic Draw. This mission featured 6 objectives, which needed to be inspected to determine which one was the real one. My opponent was playing Eldar with three Wave Serpents, two Wraithlords, 2 squads of Fire Dragons and a squad of Dire Avengers, a 10-man Wraithguard squad with a Warlock, a Farseer, and an Avatar. On turn one, I reserved everything and gave him the initiative. On my turn, I dropped in on one objective that turned out to be a dud, dropped the Dread next to his Wraithguard and tried vainly to scorch them. On turn 2, he inspected Dud #2, and then proceeded to Wraithcannon the Dread into the Warp. I dropped a Tac squad on my side near three objectives and ran toward the closest one. A squad of Termies came in and my Chaplain took a shot at one of the Wraithlords, while the Speeder came in and immobilized one of the Wave Serpents, and the Storm Bolter on the Pod scored two wounds on the Farseer.
On turn 3, I dropped the other pod in on my side and found the objective. The Termie squad got into epic combat with the Wraithlords, and spent the entire game tying them and the Avatar up. The Drop Pod's Storm Bolter finished off the Farseer, and then he started making a beeline toward the objective. Turns 5 and 6 saw him tank-shocking my marines off the objective twice, loosing two wave serpents in the process. Unfortunately, the game ended on Turn 6 with a squad of pinned Dire Avengers sitting on the objective with 15 Tactical marines, Vulkan and two power fists ready to mop them up. Had Turn 7 happened, it would have been a solid win, but that's the way the game goes, and it certainly was a hell of a lot of fun.
Next month's tournament is on my anniversary, so it's just pick-up games for me! I'm strongly considering selling off my Crimson Fists and Eldar to finance expansions of my Salamanders and Blood Angels. Three Land Raiders and 4 Rhinos would make these armies far more dynamic. I did the math, and I've got (retail) $750 and 2750 points worth of Fists and $900 and 3300 points worth of Eldar. If completed auctions on eBay are any indication, I should be able to score around $150 for the Eldar and another $250-300 for the Fists.
EDIT: Holy crap, I did the math last night, and with upgrades, I've got 4750 points worth of Eldar worth close to $1000 retail, and around 3000 points of Fists worth $900 retail.
Green vs. Green – Who Will Win?
Sorry this took so long! Here's Battle Report 3, another 2000 point throwdown with Lee's Orks, this time with my Salamanders.
Or Salamandurrs, as the case may be. Lost a drop pod to the table edge, and then halfway through the game, we apparently forgot which one of us was supposed to take a turn. Herp de derp! Not my finest moment, but even playing with a 250 point handicap, I managed to hang in until the bitter end.
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