Wall of Martyrs

I finished most of these up a couple of weeks ago for one of the Rise Up! games. I picked up all of the Wall of Martyrs defence line bits from Kill Team Kill Zone boxes (and maybe one of the Kill Team Starters...?) I painted a few of then almost two years ago when I first got them (Trench Bits - Bunker) and the rest languished, partly painted since then. I thought I'd make a push and get them done for the aforementioned scenario - and then I'd have them for any future games played on 40K Kill Zones. 

All of the Wall of Martyrs bits. 

I can't remember which bits came in which sets. I think they're normally sold separately as a bunker, a weapons emplacement, and a pair of trench lines. 

This is the Weapons Emplacement. It's newly painted. 

The trench lines. ONE of these is newly painted. 

They're quite modular and can be combines and put together in a number of different ways

They can even be fashioned into a small forward listening post! 

There are tabs and slots on the ends of each to help hold them in place. I carved the tabs off two of the trench end bits so that they could be lines up flush with the bunker - which does NOT have the tabs and slots, but DOES have doors on either side that seems like they were MEANT to exit into trench lines... (of course I forgot to get a detail photo of this... and I'm too lazy to dig everything out and take new pics... You'll just have to look for them in the game reports! 

While the fronts are littered with the desiccated remains of guard soldiers and discarded weapons, the backs of the trenches are piled up with all manner of ammo crates and fuel tanks. 

I also happened to paint up a few Sector Imperialis Ruins bitz. I thought, maybe, if I had time, I'd get a few of these done for the game... but didn't, in the end, and just used the STC Ryza Pattern ruins.

These were a couple of the smallest pieces, that I did more or less as test pieces to see if I liked the colours. I am relatively satisfied with them, so when I get to doing the rest of the ruins, I'll likely paint them mostly these colours. 

Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Ummm.... 

I don't actually know... 

Things are feeling... rather uncertain, at the moment. 

Probably more of the usual - at some point: more toys, more games. 

Hang in there. 

July Games

It started off feeling Like we would not be playing as many games this month, certainly not as many as we were in the first month of isolation... (look back at March and April!), but the Wrath and Glory game is still going and we've actually expanded our isolation bubble to play a few games in person with a few friends we haven't seen in ages.

The plan is to keep this going through August - Saturday Wrath & Glory, a 40K Crusade campaign with Finnegan (and maybe entice other family members to join in), another campaign with Da Boyz, and a few Family game nights and maybe a few games with just Amanda! 

Here's what we got up to this month:


Wednesday, 1 July 2020

Canada Day!



Finnegan actually ran his Wednesday D&D game in the afternoon. I'm so glad that he has such a dedicated crew that they show up for a game on a stat like this... though, I guess with all the social distancing still going on, there might not have been as much other options as there would normally be on Canada Day...

He ran games of D&D every Wednesday and Saturday all month and MOST of the players showed up MOST of the time! 



We'd originally talked about all four of us sitting down to play - as this was our 30th play! well... MY 30th play! Amanda's probably played it a few more times than I have, as she's played a few times at ToonCon and, I'm pretty sure, played every time I have, so... it was MY 30th play, and probably no one else's... So, in the end, it was just the two of us again. We played with Elysium board with just Prelude again. This time, rather than taking 3-4 random ones and selecting from that, I suggested we each pick something we'd LIKE to play. I HAD been thinking "play something you haven't played before" but never said it out loud, so Amanda ended up picking Robinson Industries - which I know she's played before... she also took the Early Settlement and Dome Farming Prelude cards.


I  tried Saturn Systems with Galilean Mining and Orbital Construction - thought I'd go with a SPACE theme... I like themes. The problem with that took Legend Milestone and Industrialist and Estate Dealer Awards



I think this is the most I've EVER gotten for points on cards... of course, Amanda still had almost TWICE as many as I did!?



Amanda  took Generalist AND Specialist milestones and Celebrity Award and just left me in the dust - points-wise... I was less disappointed with he loss than I was with my theme not working out - I just wanted to see some SPACE STUFF HAPPEN - Amanda had all the really cool space cards... and discarded them all - which seems tragic, but it would have been WORSE if she'd bought them and put them all into play while Saturn Systems sat there twiddling their thumbs!



We played 15 turns! Mars was pretty much covered when we were done!


Thursday, 2 July 2020



This month I started TWO separate narrative 40K Campaigns. The first I was just playing with Finnegan. Finnegan is playing his Genestealer Cultists and I'm playing a mess of Imperial Guard Scouts and Necromundan Imperial Guard.

You can read the Background to the campaign here:

The Signal - a Short Narrative Campaign for Warhammer 40K

You can read about the first scenario (that we played on the 2nd) - and see loads more pictures - here:

The Signal - Scenario One - A Chance Encounter


Friday, 3 July 2020

Normally Friday is Family game night. This Friday it didn't happen... I can't remember what the deal was. I was a little worried that that might be it, Keira was done with it... but that was not the case!


Saturday, 4 July 2020



The gang finished up the first adventure/investigation in our Wrath & Glory Game.


Monday, 6 July 2020



Monday I started the SECOND narrative 40K campaign I've been running through July. In this one I'm playing assorted Imperial forces and each of the boys are playing a Genestelaer cult character with an accompanying squad of acolytes.

You can read the background to the campaign here:

Rise Up! ANOTHER Short Narrative Campaign for Warhammer 40K

You can read the game report and see all the pictures for the first scenario here:

Rise Up! Scenario One: The Ambush!


Tuesday, 7 July 2020



On Tuesday, Finnegan and I played Game Two of The Signal campaign. Again, you can read more and see more pics elsewhere on this blog:

The Signal - Scenario Two - Breaking In


Thursday, 8 July 2020



And then on Thursday we played ANOTHER game of the Rise Up! Campaign!?

Rise Up! Scenario Two: Sabotage!

Originally I'd planned to play another scenario of the campaign with Finnegan on Friday... but three games and three game reports was a bit much. I'd also originally planned to play two games a week of BOTH campaigns, but after this week had to tell everyone that we'd only be doing ONE of each, every week...


Friday, 9 July 2020



Family Game Night was BACK ON! We played Abyss!

That's Amanda gloating over kicking our butts. Again.

(Okay she wasn't really gloating)

(much)



My court at the end of it... I felt like the game had barely started and it was over. Amanda played a speed game of GET ALL THE COUNCILLORS AS FAST AS YOU CAN!



And... it kind of worked for her!


Saturday, 11 July 2020



Wrath & glory - We didn't end up playing a game, per se... mostly just working on developing characters backgrounds. Which was really fun...


Monday, 13 July 2020



On Monday, the lads were over again to play Game Three of the Rise Up! Campaign.

Rise Up! Scenario Three: Infiltrate!

I'd planned to play Game Three of The Signal on Thursday... but we got busy with other things and it just didn't happen...


Friday, 17 July 2020



Family Game Night! We played Monarch - where we play princesses, who are sisters, trying to build the most fabulous court... or... something like that...



However it turned out, I had the most fabulous collection of dresses and gowns!



Our Realm at the end of the game.


Saturday, 18 July 2020



Christian and Woody couldn't make it, so Jon, CVT, and I ended up just hanging out and chatting... which was actually really nice...'


Sunday, 19 July 2020



On Sunday evening, while waiting for some supper to cook, Amanda and I played a quick game of Century: Golem Edition. This was out 40th game! Amanda played an amazing game and just left me in the dust! Sparkly Gem Dust!


Monday, 20 July 2020 



Monday, Finnegan and I finally got around to playing Game Three of The Signal Campaign... it ended up being the FINAL game... at least with THIS group of Imperial forces! You can read all about it (and see all the pictures) here:

The Signal - Scenario Three - Getting Down


Tuesday, 21 July 2020 



Finnegan's been working his way through all the TV on DVDs that we have, and, having Finished up Buffy and Angel, Finnegan's moved on to Star Trek: The Next Generation. The previous week he'd mentioned he'd like to maybe start playing some board games and suggested he might like to try out Star Trek: Five Year Mission - the the ST:TNG side of the cards! We've only even played with The Original Series characters and ship, as it was the only shows the kids had seen.

Finnegan played Captain Picard, I played Lt. Commander La Forge, Amanda played Dr. Crusher, and Keira played Commander Riker. We played on Ensign Level - the easiest - and totally lost... We had nine victory point when we failed our fifth mission (I could have easily finished off one more on my turn, if I hadn't drawn one that cascaded and caused us to fail one...)

I don't LOVE pure dice games... but this was fun enough. I can't remember when ALL FOUR of us actually sat down to play a game together. It's been months!


Wednesday, 22 July 2020

No games... but I did FINALLY get out for a nice ride.



I put a new rear handlebar on the tandem - that met with the approval of both stokers and Stoker #2 and I went out for a ride up and down the river.



It was actually a bit warm. I guess it's a nice change from all the rain - but a bit too warm for me!



Keira WOULD have been in Girls Rock Camp this week, but it was cancelled due to Covid... It's a real shame as she absolutely loved it last year.


Thursday, 23 July 2020



Thursday Da Boyz were back for Game Four of the Rise Up! Campaign.



You can read about it here:

Rise Up! Scenario Four: Break Out!


Friday, 24 July 2020



I got out for another longer ride - took my Karate Monkey up and down the trails along the river - but mostly hitting the dirt trails this time. It was nice to be in the shade for a lot of it.



It was clear and very warm. Not a lot of people out?



Later in the afternoon, Finnegan and I decided to get in a game of 40K before the official release of 9th Edition on Saturday.



WE just played a one-off game involving his Orks and my Chaos Space Marines. You can read about it here:

Last of the 8th

Friday evening was supposed to be Family Game Night - Keira wanted to play Dogs again before she forgot how to play... But the 40K game went a little longer than originally anticipated and Amanda and Keira got watching Supernatural and then supper took a bit longer and by the time they were done with Supernatural Amanda decided she was too tired for playing a board game.


Saturday, 25 July 2020

Free RPG Day - New 40K Day!



The kids and I rode over to our FLGS - Dragon's Den Games - for both Free RPG Day AND New40K Day!



I picked up the new Core Rulebook, Chapter Approved 2020, and the new Battlesone Manufactorum Battlefield - for a few more battlefield options!

The Chapter Approved and Munitorum Field Manual came as a set. They're smaller than the previous Chapter Approved - but where previous Chapter Approved books have been additional, usually optional, rules to add to the game or try out, these are quite different. The Munitorum Field Manual is an update of all point levels for every model across the 40K line - including forge world items - and a few that aren't even available, but are still listed in the most recent Codex because they were available at the time of the printing of the codex in question. The Mission Pack is actually just the Incursion and Strike Force sized missions from the core rulebook and the core rules and matched play rules themselves reprinted in a smaller (takes up less space on the table), coil bound (lays FLAT on the table) book. SUPER convenient for Matched Play/Tournament players... Somehow I thought it would have more or different missions...? I was initially a bit disappointed by this, thinking I'd probably not end up using it much... but having a MUCH SMALLER condensed rulebook will still probably come in REALLY handy... handy enough to warrant the additional $50CAD...? Well, that remains to be seen... I have my doubts, but I have it now, so I'm sure I'll make use of it.

Of the Free RPG selections, I, of course, grabbed the Wrath & Glory selection! if felt considerably lighter than the previous Free RPG Day Wrath & Glory offering - Blessings Unheralded - which was published by Ulysses Spiele. Indeed when I had a closer look at home, I was, again, a little disappointed. The US version had a full - if pared down - playable set of the rules with full regenerated characters and a complete adventure - that you could play with the full set of rules (if you owned them) and characters you made yourself (again, assuming you had the full core rulebook with all the character creation stuff)... But this... it's a bit of fluff and rules pared down to the point of being barely recognizable - there are no character sheets. The only stats are basically the derived stats needed for combat - and a couple of scenes to walk players through with stuff like so-and-so can roll this many dice needed X successes to see if they can do this or notice that!?

My disappointment, however, is really based on expectations. I was expecting a full adventure I could drop my characters into. IF you have NO EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER of the 40K universe and/or role-playing games in general, this would actually be a wonderful little guide to getting started...

Wish I'd picked up one of the other things... (Note: I did contact Dragon's Den to see if they had any extra left-overs and I also picked up the Junior Braves Survival Guide from Renegade Game Studios)

Keira bought herself the full version of Kids on Brooms (rather than picking up the Free RPG Day version) and grabbed the free Root RPG Quickstart guide (because CUTE ANIMALS!). The Free RPG day version of Kids on Brooms (and the  Junior Braves Survival Guide, also from Renegade Game Studios - both of which are based on Kids on Bikes) are pretty much full versions of the game! Basically the look like players guides with all the basic rules - the Full Version, which Keira bought just has extra stuff for the GM!? So they looked like pretty sweet deals. But as Keira was actually interested in the world building and adventure detailing stuff in the GM sections, she just went straight for that!

Finnegan bought three Middle Earth books for D&D5E and two other 5E books from Wizards... all D&D all the time... He didn't even take a Free RPG Day thing (which I didn't realize until I got home,  otherwise I'd have asked him to pick up an additional one for me!)



Saturday Night I ran another game of Wrath and Glory. Investigations continued. Leads Followed. Heretics executed.


Monday, 27 July 2020



With the new edition of 40K in hand, Finnegan and I decided to try out a proper game with he full rules and kick off a Crusade Campaign! 



You can read the full report of the game and all of the pictures here:

Fighting on the Forge World


Thursday, 30 July 2020



Game Five of the Rise Up! Campaign - the Finale!



More pictures and a report here:

Rise Up! Scenario Five: Defend the Hive!

I am planning to run ANOTHER campaign with these guys through August. I'd done this one because both Ian and Finnegan have Genestealer Cultist forces - but I made it clear from the get-go that it wold be short in duration and afterwards we'd be playing something involving CHAOS forces - As that is what Oliver has, and I didn't want him to feel like he was being left out!


Friday, 31 July 2020 

We'd originally planned to play a board game this afternoon. But as I ended up being a little sick on Wednesday and didn't get some of the work done in the basement that we'd originally planned for, so we'll be spending the day doing that and we're done playing games for the month... 

Amanda's gone an booked plumbing and heating guys and an electrician and a general contractor for the ceiling stuff - so we now have DEADLINES by which the never-ending basement tidy-up and renovation prep will need to be completed by! It is both exciting and terrifying!!

Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I have some terrain that I finished up a week or so ago, that I meant to take pictures of and post (that have already shown up in a game report) that I might get around to!? 

Need to do some organizing of things at the painting desk - there will probably be some disruption in the painting over the next month as we play musical rooms - moving everything from one room to another to do work in the first  room then moving everything back and shifting another... All the while I have SO MANY THINGS that all want paint on them NOW!? 

I've started a new Crusade Campaign with Finnegan and hope to get in a few more games over the coming weeks - mostly involving miniatures already painted. There is also the Daemonworld Challenge - ANOTHER campaign coming up in August, which I've been meaning to write a post about....

 

Rise Up! Scenario Five: Defend the Hive!

The Imperial Oppressors tighten the noose. With the latest batch of reinforcements to the Gehardog Fol have come and Inquisitor of the Ordos Xenos and a Death Watch Strike force. They have penetrated the outer defences of the hive and none are left to defend the patriarch, save our Heroes! 

4.583.020.M42

SCENARIO

The Inquisitor and her Death Watch Kill Team are here to take out the Patriarch. The Genestealer Cult must hold them back until reinforcements can arrive. In that time, if the Genestealer Cult can prevent the Inquisitor and the Death Wathc Kill Team from taking out the Patriarch they win. If the Patriarch is taken out of action, the Imperial forces win!

I'd briefly thought of using the Assassinate! Scenario from the Core Rulebook, But it's played over only five turns and points are given per turn that damage is done  to the Warlord (10 points per turn) and if the warlord is done at the end (bonus 40) and the defenders get points if the warlord survives (50 points) and if the Warlord kills ANY models in a given turn (10 points per turn). Given the terrain we were using, however, it would have been INSANELY easy for them to turtle in the corner and plug the bottlenecks with hordes of crap troops and deny any ability to GET to the Warlord... 

So I didn't put a limit to the number of turns, but made the Power Levels pretty close... 

FORCES

Imperial Forces
Inquisition Strike Force - Combat Patrol - Cost: 2CP - Command Benefit +2CP

HQ
Lord Inquisitor Drusilla Kyros PR4
Death Watch Captain PR5


Troops
Death Watch Kill Team (7) PR14

TEmpestus Scions (5) PR3

Elites

Eversor Assassin PR5

Vindicare Assassin PR5

Acolytes (6) PR6 (using the ability to add ONE Agents of the Imperium to any Imperial Detachment without taking up a slot) 

Total Power Level: 42


Genestealer Cult Forces
Battalion-Detachment-ish - Cost: 3CP - Command Benefit +3CP

Finnegan:
Ehxmuhnxd Ebonyviper II - HQ - Primus - PR4 - 6AP
Abilities: Stealthy, Camouflaged, Inspirational Leader

Troops -Neophyte Hybrids (10) -  PR4 - 6XP - Blooded
Elites - Sanctus - PR3 - 6XP - Blooded
Elites - Kellermorph - PR3 - 0XP - Green

Ian:
Idunt Noe - HQ - PR4 - 1AP
Abilities: Psychic Might, Master of Lore
Psychic Powers: Smite, Psionic Blast, Might From Beyond, Psychic Stimulus

Troops -Neophyte Hybrids (10) -  PR4 - 8XP - Blooded
Battle Honours: SharpShooters


Oliver:
Phi Lip - HQ - Primus - PR4 - 1AP
Abilities: Impervious, Toughened Armour

Troops -Brood Brothers Infantry (10) -  PR4 - 6XP - Blooded
Battle Honours: SharpShooters

Extras:

Patriarch - HQ - PR7

Purestrain Genestealers - Elites - PR4

Total Power Level:

THE GAME

how it went

The lads setting up their Cult Ambush markers. This was the first game that it really made sense to do so! 

ROUND ONE - IMPERIUM

Imperial Forces lead by Lord Inquisitor Drusilla Kyros enter the extensive networks of caverns below Gehardog Fol - determined to erradicate the Genestealer in gestation! 

Deathwatch Kill Team lead by a Deathwath Terminator - originally from the Salamanders Space Marine Chapter. 

Lord Inquisitor Kyros and a few of her loyal Acolytes. 

(Originally I'd planned to use the Tempestus Scions as Acolytes, but then realized Acolytes only have a save of 5+! Scions have carapace armour that gives them a 4+! So I just used some preachers as Acolytes and brought in a full Squad of Tempestus Scions) 

Inquisition Stormtroopers (Temestus Scions) lead by a commissar (used as a Tempestor) 

An assassin from the Eversor Temple, skulking around in the Caverns around the flanks... 

All Advanced... which meant there wasn't a lot else they could do this turn... 

ROUND ONE - Genestealer Cult

Deciding who goes where... 

Genestealer Cultists pop out from their ambush locations 

(Actually this was done after the Imperial forces movement phase, and the Scions got off one shot from a Grenade Launcher - an Assault weapon - which took two neophytes out of action) 

Neophytes pour fire down on the approaching Scions - all were taken out of action with one round of fire! 

The Purestrain Genestealers charged the Deathwatch Kill Team. They were utterly wiped out before they even got to the Kill Team... I should have let one live to get into combat... so I could have piled in - moving forward! - and then consolidated a bit further! 

The Kellermorph got in a few lucky shots at the Eversor and caused FOUR WOUNDS from shooting... then it charged (mistake). The Eversor Assassin handed the poor Kelermorph his own ass.

ROUND TWO - Imperial Forces

Deathwatch Captain and Vindicare assassin moved up - the Vindicare got a show off at Phi Lip - one of the Cult Primuses...? Primi...? Whatever... hit and wounded, but one of the nearby Brood Brothers jumped in and took the hit! 

The Deathwatch Kill Team moved up and blasted one of the squads of Neophytes to bits with fire (Ian's). 

Then they charged what remained.... and killed the rest of them...

 And consolidated in the main chamber - within striking distance of the Primarch. 

The Acolytes moved up to the position where the Scions had been taken out and blasted away at the Neophyte Cultists. 

They too charged what remained of them, slaughtering the lot of them!  

They too consolidated into the main chamber!

(Acolytes are BRUTAL against their Quarry!) 

ROUND TWO - Genestealer Cult

The Genestealer cult used Smites and Psychic blasts against the Deathwatch Kill Team - taking out two of them. A squad of Brood Brothers unloaded everything they had at them... and did NOTHING... The Brood Brothers then charged, and were utterly wiped out by the Overwatch Fire. 

Then the Patriarch charged! It took out FOUR of them! The remaining Deathwatch Marine actually PASSED his morale check! 

Phi Lip Charged the Acolytes and took one of them out of action. They dealt a wound or two back to him (actually I think they did five, but he actually saved four!?) 

ROUND THREE - Imperial Forces 

The Acolytes fell back from their combat with the Primus and Lord Inquisitor Kyros stepped in... Between shooting and smiting, the Primus was taken out! 

The Vindicate relocated again! Though he had to advance to get into a position where he could target anything... would any still be there on his next turn?

The end of Round Four for the Imperium... not a lot left on the table! Patriarch, Primus and Magos on the Genestealer Cult side. 

ROUND THREE - Genestealer Cult 

The Patriarch moved up to charge the Watch Captain of the Deathwatch. ON his way by, he smited the lone remaining battle brother... The Patriarch charged the Watch Captain and dealt him some grievous blows, the Watch Captain did his best to fight back 

The Magus took out two of the Acolytes with Psychic Powers, and Ebonyviper took out the remaining one with his pistol!

ROUND FOUR - Imperial Forces

The Vindicate Assassin shot and wounded Ebonyviper II, the Eversor Assassin then charged in and finished him off... Not quite close enough to catch that wily Magos... 

The Inquisitor joined the melee with the Patriarch, dealing it some serious hurt... It continued to hammer on the Watch Captain, but failed to take him out. The Watch Caption fought back and injured the Patriarch further! 

ROUND FOUR - Genestealer Cult

The Magos retreated away from the Eversor Assassin, blasting it with psychic energy, reducing it to one wound... 

The Patriarch finished off the Watch Captain with a Smite... but the Watch Captain use Only in Death Does Duty End - a stratagem that allows a Deathwatch Character the ability to fight, as though it was the Fight Phase, if it is taken out of action - and with his dying breath, he slew the Patriarch! 

Ah, well... if he didn't the Inquisitor would have totally taken it out... 

END GAME

We didn't track any experience as this was the end of this little narrative - though I suggested to Finnegan that maybe we could could Ebonyviper II's games for experience if he were to build a Genestelaer Cult Crusade force - and count this as the first game for his Inquisition/Deathwatch Crusade Force (though I'd need to finish up the rest of his Deathwatch - and he'd likely need ONE MORE unit - probably a Kill Team - or maybe a Dreadnought)! 

Limiting Overwatch is HUGE. That Deathwatch Kill Team could deal out some CrAzY amounts of overwatch fire! I think that may have been the first time I saw a unit actually be WIPED OUT with Overwatch Fire - which normally would have meant it would be able to do so again if another unit charged it - like the Patriarch did... and it would have laid down some SERIOUS hurt on that Patriarch! 

Psykers seem like they could be a little overpowering in smaller games throwing all those Smites about... especially if their opponent has none (or few) to deny psychic abilities. 

Coming Soon to Tim's Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Tomorrow I'll be posting a wrap up of all the games we played in July. We got off to a slow start, but ended up playing quite a few over the month! Especially 40K - with all the campaigning we've been doing! 

Coming up in August - we're planning a second narrative campaign of sorts with the lads - Daemon Prince Garfongdong has invited four champions of Chaos - four Warlords from four different legions, representing the four different gods - to battle for supremacy over a Daemonworld. We'll be using the new Crusade Campaign rules - with a few modifications/limitations.