The Penitent Plog

[ThePenitentOne]

Okay, the time has come. Stuff has been posted in other threads else where, but this is the real workhorse right here.

 

So Saint Katherine's Aegis (SKA) starts with Kill Teams. The new design of Kill Team is that most teams include multiple Fire Teams to allow mixing and matching. This fits, because SKA starts smal, so single Fire Team vs. single Fire Team is where I will be. Within the context of SKA, what do I need to achieve this?

 

Minimally, for a KT SKA game, I need: 1 Fireteam of 5 Purestrains, 1 Fire Team of Threshers (Count as Guard) and enough terrain to reasonably deck out the playing surface in the KT box. This is an easy order, and that's where I'm going to start.

 

I have four Purestrains painted:

 

 

Four Purestrains is not enough for a Fire Team, and I wasn't particularly happy with these. So I'm painting up five new ones, and I want them done before the end of January. I'm going to try and do a better job on the new batch, and if I figure out something that works, I can go back and get the first four to that standard. The first set painted up quickly, and I presume the next batch of five will as well.

 

I also have four Threshers painted and based:

 

 

I'm quite happy with these, but a Thresher (Count as Guard) Fire Team requires seven models. Fortunately, I have four more on deck who just need to be based:

 

 

I can finish the basing on these guys in a night.

 

That just leaves terrain. I have the big KT box with all the Ork terrain, which is enough to fill the board; it doesn't match the SKA setting, but the purpose here is to play a few games to get comfortable with the system BEFORE we reboot SKA proper. I want to film a lot of SKA battles and write decent batreps for them. You've gotta get comfortable with the system to do that.

 

These are the goals for February 1st.

 

 

[Triszin]

Aww yaa gsc!

[space wolf]

very nice!

[ThePenitentOne]

Okay, so here's the first update:

 

Today, I decided to try to finish a single Purestrain by midnight tomorrow so I can get my 12 Months of Hobby Challenge for January 2022. I posted this pic in that thread already, but here it is again to make sure that my Plog record is complete:

 

 

Now Originally, when I started this Plog, I had planned to paint a full fire team of Purestrains. Well obviously, I've procrastinated too long and that isn't going to happen... But if I get this guy done, he will complete my first fire team.

 

As for those Threshers, the rebasing process has begun- I've pulled them out of their slotta-bases and welded down some nylon mesh screen with contact cement. I've realized they need touch-up as well as basing; I didn't actually paint these myself; I ran a gaming club at a local youth center back in 2011-13, and these models were painted by two of the members. Here is another close up of the disassembled models:

 

 

This is a terrible photo- the flash didn't do the models any favours. The Delque Juve on the right was painted by Shelby- it was the first model she ever painted, and she really took her time. My touch-ups here will be minimal. The other three were painted by Stephen; they were his first as well, and his style was more quantity over quality. These guys will need a little more love than Shelby's juve, but I still want to try and preserve Stephen's work. I don't want to radically alter his colour choices.

 

Once these are done, adding three of them to the other four will complete the first Thresher team as well. They should be done by Friday at the latest.

 

Last update, and perhaps the most exciting:

 

After reading the Goonhammer review of the GSC Wyrmblade in WD 472, it became clear that it would not serve my purpose in telling the story of the growth of my cult from a single brood of Purestrains. So I started writing the rules for my own specialized GSC Kill Team. I've dubbed them the Primogenitor Cult. So far, I've created all of the fire teams that make up the Kill Team. You get to pick two from the following list: Purestrains, Brood Brothers, Acolytes, Neophytes and Metamorphs. I have also created all the special Abilities- these are really different from all the rules for custom Kill Teams that GW has released so far, because they aren't abilities that augment how the Cult performs in battle; instead, they are rules about how the Cult grows.

 

I'm actually pretty proud of this- I was wondering how I was going to incorporate these rules into the Kill Team description without deviating too far from GW's standard layout for custom Kill Teams. It all fits on a single page, just like the Abilities of the Veteran Guard team from Octarius. The next section would be the profiles; I'm going to skip over this for the time being, because I really want to write about the Assets for improving the Cult's Base of Operations. Some of these improvements interact with the Abilities.

 

The gist of it is this:

 

Purestrains add a Brood Brother to your Dataslate every time they perform the Implant Tac Op. But because this KT is composed of fire teams, you can't add Brood Brothers to your KT until you have enough to field a full fire team, which means 7 models because they are "Count as Guard."

 

However if a Brood Brother sits out for a game, it can Gestate and Acolyte. If it sits out for a second game, it can Nuture that Acolyte to maturity, allowing it to be added to the Dataslate. Like Brood Brothers, you can't field Acolytes until you have a full fire team, and like Brood Brothers, they can Gestate and Nuture Neophytes. And so on.

 

So the upgrade for the Base of operations support this in several ways. The Additional Safe House upgrade effectively adds a second Dataslate. This helps in two ways: first, it allows you to have 40 models to choose from instead of 20. But it also breaks the Cult into two separate units, so that if one is discovered, the other is still hidden. The Secured Facility upgrade allows you to nurture Second Generation Neophytes into Special Characters. These cannot be used by the Primogenitor Cult directly, but the Additional Safehouse upgrade can be designated as a safehouse for either a Primogentor Cult, a Standard Cult or a Wyrmblade Cult. The final upgrade, Temple of War, allows you to move models to it from any safe house... But here's the kicker: any models moved are removed from Kill Team and added to a 40K Crusade roster. Their battle honours are replaced with Crusade battle honours, and they are never allowed to return to Kill Team safe houses.

 

Now the real beauty of this is that the Chronicle of Saint Katherines Aegis is a map-based campaign... So your original Base of Operations and every additional upgrade are actually linked with physical territories. This piece of the rule set will not appear in the Kill Team rules- the territories are specific to the Saint Katherine's Aegis Campaign  handbook.

 

There is far more to it than this, but I will upload the Priomgenitor Cult rules to B&C once the first draft is done. I'm hoping some of my fellow Fraters will help me proof read and improve this draft once it's ready, and if anyone wants to play test, I'd love to hear about it. I'm aiming for March 1- the first two weeks of February are going to be pretty heavy at work, so I'm not sure I'll be able to really dig in until the middle of the month.

 

[ThePenitentOne]

Okay- succeeded at the January challenge.

 

Here's the Stealer:  

 

 

And here he is with his Brothers- a complete 5 model fire team!

 

 

The new guy is the best job of the batch, and this photo exercise revealed some touch-ups that are necessary on the other models... And of course I'll want them on 40K bases.

 

So that leaves the Thresher updates to finish- they aren't worthy of the February challenge given how close they are to completion. It should be easy to get them based and touched up by Friday, which would finish the Thresher fire team. My pledge for February will be a second fire team of Purestrains... And if I can finish fast enough, I might pledge a third team. I like Purestrains because they paint up quickly.

 

Which brings up the next part of the plan:

 

Last year, I wrote up the custom Space Hulk scenario and played it out; it is how I selected the Purestrains to be painted. Only four made it out of the Hulk, which would not have been enough to field a full fire team. I want to redesign the Space Hulk mission so that either 5 or 10 Purestrains escape. This way, the Kill Team Missions will start with either a single Purestrain fire team, or a full Kill Team of Purestrains. This means the whole mission needs to be rebuilt... Though I DO want to keep the same Hulk.

 

Another thing about redesigning the mission: it was always an oddball in terms of the fluff. I was never quite satisfied with the notion of Purestrains using escape pods... Even if they were automated. It also seemed like a bit of a Deus Ex Machina that a Rift-born warp storm threw a Blood Angels ship to the other side of the Galaxy. And if I have to rewrite the scenario, I might as well rewrite the fluff.

 

And finally, by the time the mission and the fluff are done, I'll have a minimum of 10 Purestrains painted... Which means I'm considering trying to paint all of the minis that will be a part of that Space Hulk game... We'll see how that goes.

 

If you haven't checked out the Space Hulk scenario, and you're curious to see what it is that I'm trying to reboot, here is the link:

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/368942-faction-cult-of-the-living-thresher-gsc/

 

[ThePenitentOne]

Small update:

 

I've glued down the nylon mesh and reglued all the Threshers into the bases. I've been stalling, so I had to get something done to build up some momentum. I won't bother posting pics until the touch-ups are done. But it was nice to set them up beside the finished four. I'm close to having two opposing fire teams done, which is enough to play Micro Kill Team.

 

I haven't touched the second fireteam of Purestrains yet though, and they are my actual challenge for February.

 

My Threshers need time to dry, but my hope is that I can have them all ready by Friday, which means I could put down some work on the Purestrains over the weekend. I'm still sort of hoping I can get two challenges in this month.

 

Last but not least: I haven't written any more rules for the Progenitor Cult.

 

Hopefully this little bit of work tonight will get me out of my slump.

[ThePenitentOne]

Okay, still no pics for you... But last night's "get back in the ring" moment has born fruit. Today I finished touching up Shelby's Delaque Juve- I started with this model because it was the one that needed the least work. The only thing that remains is drybrushing the mesh on the base and then painting the ring around the base.

 

After that, I moved on to Stephen's Escher- she's the one who need the most work. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to save the model. But she's almost done! I would have kept going and finished her, but my magnifying ring light lost its charge.

 

I'm not likely to get any painting in tomorrow- it's D&D night. But Friday night, this fire team will be done. Then I can work on my actual February challenge (the five Purestrains) on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

 

The weekend of the 19th is a long weekend for me (Family Day). My partner and I might actually get to play our first Kill Team game! With painted minis!

 

Note: It'll just be a test game; as I mentioned earlier in the thread, I will want to revise the Space Hulk mission and fight it again before really kicking off the campaign... But man we're getting close. 

[ThePenitentOne]

Pics at last! On schedule!

 

 

So here are the three touch-up jobs that I was planning to have finished tonight. These three complete my first Thresher House fire team. And speaking of...

 

 

Here is the full fire team.

 

 

This is the next Thresher House fire team that I need to finish.  As you can see, it includes the fourth touch-up job... And I haven't actually started touching him up yet. Obviously, the other six are starting from a plain white base. It's very unlikely that I will be working on these guys in February- from here, it's on to my second Purestrain fire team, which is my actual 12 months of hobby challenge for February. I expect them to go fast- hoping to have them done by the 19th at the latest.

[ThePenitentOne]

One of the five Purestains is done and all others have had at least some work. I will post pics tonight.

 

But I also picked up my Mephiston Red Base spray yesterday, so the Space Hulk Terminators are on deck as soon as my finnicky Canadian weather becomes suitable for outdoor basecoating...

 

But then the Anger and Arrogance challenged dropped, and I'm sitting on a unit of Dire Avengers, a unit of Banshees and an entire DE army, so I'm thinking of doing up a unit for that challenge too. I figure if I get the Purestrain unit done by Sunday, I can start an Eldar unit for A&A , and have part of February to gain ground so that I can still get a 12 Months challenge for March without being cheesy and double dipping.

 

Last year, in the entire year, I ony did 9 infantry models from basecoat to finish (4 purestrains, 4 Threshers and a Jokaero). This year, I'm not counting the three Threshers I based and touched up, so I've just got the one Purestrain from January and the five I'm working on now. Purestrains paint up fast, and I suspect the Terminators will too. If I can knock out 5 Dire Avengers by the end of the second week in March, I can get either 5 more purestrains or 5 terminators done for my 12 Month challenge in March. If I did this, it would put me at 16 minis for the year (plus my three touch-ups).

 

I also need to think about the second fire team of Threshers- if both Fire Teams of Genestealers manage to escape the Hulk, they're going to need two fire teams of Threshers to fight.

 

So many models to paint... Such a slow painter!

Edited February 17, 2022 by ThePenitentOne

[ThePenitentOne]

Okay, so here are the Stealers from the February Challenge for 12 Months of Hobby:

 

 

And here they are with the first fire team... So this could be a full kill team:

 

 

So next, I need to figure out what to pledge for March. I think I'm going to do five more Stealers... Might as well get the whole Space Hulk collection done... One Fire Team at a time. But I also want to post a squad of Wyches for Anger and Arrogance. This won't be the same team I started last year... I finished one of the models, so if I did the rest of that team, it wouldn't be a full unit. But that fire Team of Wyches will need another team to compete against...

 

So pictures of the models to be painted should go up tomorrow.

 

[ThePenitentOne]

Okay everyone, it's been an exciting day!

 

While reviewing the 12 Months of Hobby thread today, I found out about this year's special Challenge +. Because I was already working on the special rules for my custom GSC Primogenitor Cult, I felt like this had the potential to satisfy the Q1 "What if?" challenge. In order to satisfy that challenge, I have to post the unique unit by the end of Q1. In this case, I would want a Fire Team of Purestrains and a Fire Team of Brood Brothers, as these are the two datacards I'm adding to the GSC roster from the KT Compendium to create my specialized Primogenitor Team.

 

I've posted the Thresher team above, but in that picture I include one model that was partially painted. Because I want to be legit, I swapped out the partially painted model so I could challenge myself to finish a full Fire Team from primer to table-ready. So here is the pic- this is my March Challenge for 12 Months:

 

 

This also means that the Primogenitor Kill Team Rules need to be finished by the end of March.

 

In addition to that, I also finally made my pledge for Anger and Arrogance- a five strong Druhkari Wych Cult:

 

 

So what you'll notice is that this unit is just basic Wyches- no Wych weapons and no Hekatrix. This is because the unit has to fight to earn Wych weapons and a Hekatrix. The plan was to paint two teams of five and have them fight in the arena as part of the narrative. As it happens, Druhkari Fire Teams are also 5 strong, so this collection of models would allow me to play Kill Team for the arena fight.

 

Last March, I had pledged a five strong team of Wyches themed around the faceless-man concept. I failed to finish those Wyches, and that ended my participation in the 2021 12 Months of Hobby event. For that team, I created a colour scheme, and I wasn't terribly confident with it at the time. I got one model to the almost finished stage and abandonned the project. I've looked at it since, and I think I'm going to follow through with it... But my pledge is the other team- the one the Faceless Men will be competing against. I went that route because again, I want to be legit and do a whole Fire Team from Primer to Table-Ready.

 

So this is the most ambitious painting goal I've set for myself since my the days of my painting prime back in 2007-08. It is a tall order, and to achieve it, I will need to paint almost every day. The Anger and Arrogance models aren't due until May 16, but I really want to put the hammer down, because I have other challenges planned for April for both 12 Month and Anger and Arrogance.

 

Tomorrow, just for the heck of it, I will post last year's Faceless man so you can see the colour scheme.

 

[ThePenitentOne]

Okay, this is my week 1 check in:

 

 

This is the rough cut- 5/7 are reasonably complete- still a fair amount of detail work, but the basics are covered. The sixth model needs more than the other five. The final model hasn't been touched beyond flesh tones and hair.

 

This is pretty significant output for me- I'm on track to have this fire team done by the end of the weekend, which should leave me plenty of time to finish the five wyches I pledged for Anger and Arrogance. If I can maintain this pace, I can really get playing. I'll pledge more Purestrains- probably  for April's 12 Month's Challenge and Dire Avengers for Anger and Arrogance.

 

If I can kick out a single fireteam for each of two factions every month, I can really amass a collection that gets a lot of wildly varied games being played.

[ThePenitentOne]

Update time: I finished my March challenge for 12 Months of Hobby. Here it is:

 

 

I'm pretty proud of these guys. The photo isn't great, but the models are probably the best paint jobs I've ever done.

 

Just a heads up: all of these classic metals were painted once before, then stripped to be painted again. Previously, they were played in the first edition of Necromunda. The Escher Leader front and center is Littlewing; the Escher to the right is Krosstown Traffic. The Delaque Leader to the left is Doctor Tarr. 

 

And here is the full Cult as of today:

 

 

I've organized them into their respective Fire Teams- picking any two of these four groups will give you a full Primogenitor Kill Team. Sometime soon, a Spacehulk mission will determine whether the Cult starts with one Purestrain Fire Team or two; they will have to fight against an equal number of Thresher Fire Teams, hoping to bestow the curse on as many Threshers as possible. Any Threshers taken out by a Purestrain will become Brood Brother members of the Cult for subsequent games, but the Cult can't field any Brood Brothers until it manages to recruit a full Fire Team of 7 models.

 

My original plan was to blaze on with my Spacehulk models for my April challenge- I've got 12 more Purestrains to paint, and 12 Blood Angel Terminators... I've decided I want ALL the Spacehulk models painted before I play that game, so it would have made sense.... But then Anger and Arrogance happened, so I've got Eldar on deck now.

 

I've already pleadged 5 Wyches- enough for a legal 40k unit, and a full Fire Team. That' for A&A.

But they need someone to fight... So for my April 12 Month Challenge, I'm painting a rival Wych Cult. One of those dudes is mostly painted already, so technically my April challenge is really only 4.2 models rather than 5.

 

Once those are done, we'll see whether I return to the Spacehulk agenda, or whether I go deeper down the Eldar rabbithole- there's a CWE badge up for grabs in addition to the DE badge I'll be earning with my wyches. I've got 5 Dire Avengers and 5 Banshees waiting in the wings too, so we'll have to see how it plays out.

[ThePenitentOne]

Okay, and now it's time for something completely different!

 

I've been using pieces from my scratch-built Wych Cult Arena for photos for some time now, but I've never posted the full arena for everyone to see. Before I post the first pick, I want to address a few things: this kit was meant to be a fast and dirty prototype. I needed something fast and cheap; within those constraints, I wanted it to be as versatile and easy to use as possible.

 

The story is that my Archon Ascendant's splinter realm was attacked by Daemons after Yvraine's apotheosis in the fighting pits of Commorragh. Like the rest of the dark city, his realm was severely damaged, and while most of the Daemons have been purged, there are still pockets of activity, and his holdings and his fighting forces have been severely depleted. He has begun the process of reclaiming territory by securing one of the Arenas; he knows that if he can feed a Kabal with the spectacle of the well executed kill, he can rebuild his army.

 

This particular arena consists of hexagonal pillars that can be raised or lowered to different heights to create a challenge for the gladiators of the Wych Cults. The Archon has ensured that the mechanisms of the arena are functional, but he has not yet restored it to its former splendor.

 

Now that the background is out of the way, here is a pic of the full Arena Kit:

 

 

What you are seeing here is 19 tiles representing pillars at ground level and 8 tiles representing pillars at the first level of rise. By stacking these, I can create pillars that are taller, but with only 8 of these, I don't have enough yet to create many Level 2 structures, and even a single Level 3 structure can leave the rest of the Arena floor looking pretty flat.

 

Here is one of the standard Arena configurations:

 

 

This is a pretty basic battlefield, but it is ideal for King of the Mountain missions:

 

 

Here is an alternate configuration that uses two structures consisting of 4 raised hexes each:

 

 

Rules: Obviously, Kill Team is the best game system for this piece of terrain; sure you CAN play 40k on it, and there might end up being a few 25PL royal rumbles as the Cults grow, but generally, you'll want fewer models so the audience can see each of the kills in all its glory. There are custom Missions to reflect the nature of the competition- I have a lot of cool scenarios planned, but not yet written.

 

There are also some basic fundamental rules that govern the use of the terrain itself which should apply in every mission:

 

1) A Wych can vault up ONE level at a time, measuring upward distance against their movement. Getting on top of a Level 2 Pillar would require getting on top of a Level 1 Pillar first.

 

2) A Wych can choose not to count downward distance against their movement when descending a single level, but if they do, they must roll a D6: on a one, they take a critical hit, and must end their movement where they land. One a two, they take a normal wound and must end their movement where they land. On a three, they take no wounds, but must end their movement where they land. On any other roll, they may continue their move after they land. They can use reflex saves to mitigate any wounds.

 

Recently, I created a custom hex with a removable ceiling and a working door for the Sump Heap Challenge. I have posted it in that thread rather than here. If you want to check it out, here is the Link. 

 

 

 

 

[ThePenitentOne]

Uploaded my April Challenge pic for 12 Months. Going to put it here too:

 

 

This is a different fire team from my Anger and Arrogance pledge. Obviously, my April Challenge should be the priority- its deadline is closer, plus two models have a head start. I should at the very least get these guys done over the long weekend... But I'd like to try for both teams by the end of the weekend. If I do that, I've got an arena battle- 5 on 5.  But it will also give me the wiggle room to build and pledge Dire Avengers so I can pick up another Anger and Arrogance badge.

[ThePenitentOne]

Alright, first five wyches done.

 

 

This Cult includes a disproportionate number of male wyches- all of whom wear the faceplate helms. The center model in the middle has the faceplate from the Reaver kit so he stands out as a leader model. This is a barebones Wych Cult fire team. They can grow if they win in the arena. It's looking like I'll be running a game of Kill Team in the Arena before the Space Hulk game goes down. I have pledged another fire team of wyches for Anger and Arrogance, and once they're done the battle is pretty much ready to go.

 

There are a handful of things that would make that arena game better- having my Archon and a small Kabalite bodyguard would be good- plus some visitors to the games- the Haemonculus, the Lhamaean and her gift of warp beasts. It would be nice to have a unit of Corsairs, but the finances just didn't allow it. 

 

The edge highlights on these guys are rough, but I think it has a lot of charm. Now that I've done one unit, I think the next will go faster.

[ThePenitentOne]

Yesterday, I was able to complete my Anger and Arrogance Drukhari pledge.

 

 

And here they are with the team they will be dueling against:

 

 

When I set out on this journey, I had expected that I would grow this new Cult in conventional colours: the faceless men where essentially NPCs. But having completed a unit of each now, I might like the Faceless Men better- their edge highlights contrast more sharply than those of the other cult, and they have a schtick. 

 

I pledged my Ascendant Lord for May's 12 Month challenge. 

 

 

So the Drukhari burst is getting close to done. I have enough wyches to duel, but I need more models painted to tell the story. My Archon MUST be in the audience on the night of that duel. He should meet the Haemonculus and the Lhymaean that night in order to set some plot threads in motion. Ideally, the Lhymaean will bring him a gift: 4 warp beast pups, which should also be painted. These pup s would be used in the second round of the Arena fight.

 

Additional, I think the Archon needs a 5 strong bodyguard of Kabalites to accompany him to the event.

 

Finally, the arena needs a bit more work too. I need to kit the hex platforms up with some glyphs and give them some dry brushing and edge highlighting. I should build some arena accessories, like stairs in various designs- maybe a walkway. Most importantly, I need to finish painting the gated hex I built for the Sumpheap Scrap and build two more of these to conceal wych weapons and warp beast pups for the Arena Fight.

 

 

[ThePenitentOne]

I finished the May Challenge last night:

 

 

My Dark Eldar are shaping up; I've got the Archon and two minimal Wych Cults now. A Bug's Life is back, and I'm totally pledging 12 Purestrains and the Patriarch from the Space Hulk box. The rules explicitly state that I can Pledge the same unit for Multiple challenges... But I think I want to push myself and pledge a separate unit for June, and I'd like to continue the momentum on my Drukhari.

 

The most logical choices are the Haemonculus and/ or the Lhamaean. The reason they make sense is that as single models, they're less challenging than a squad when I will be splitting time between challenges. It's the same strategy I used in May; the priority there was a unit for Anger and Arrogance. Once I finished that, I had enough time to make a pledge for 12 months, but I went with a single model (the Archon above) due to time constraints. 

 

Having said that, a Fire Team of Kabalites would be a very strong choice. Unlike the Wyches, who were built with only basic options, these Kabalites would be packing as much heat as possible. I will equip them as a Kill Team, not a 40k squad- not sure there's a difference. 

 

The third option is a unit of 5 classic Warp Beast which will serve as kymerae pups. I've posted about these guys before- I thought I lost one, but it has since been found. 

 

The final option is to paint one Reaver Jetbike for each of my two wych cults so they can race.

 

Purestrains are pretty basic- I remember knocking off 5 over the course of two evenings. That would open me up to achieve multiple options from my DE list of possible challenges.

 

Either way, I won't be able to pledge until Saturday at the earliest- I'm on vacation and I didn't bring models or paints. I am going to visit the local FLGS tomorrow; I'd like to buy something as a vacation souvenir. Not sure what they'll have, but in 2010, 2011 they were the place were I bought the majority of my metal sisters. I'm hoping for a unit of Wracks- right now the only coven units I have are the Haemonculus and a Talos.

[ThePenitentOne]

So I have returned to the game store that was my source in 2009/2010: Sir Games A Lot in Barrie Ontario. I like visiting FLGS because you sometimes get a chance to buy stuff that is OOP and wouldn't appear on shelves in a GW stores. It's always a long shot, but you never know. And sure enough, in the window is the Execution Force game. This gives me hope about what else might be in the in store. 

 

I'm on foot, hiking around town to see the sights, so I'm super early- store doesn't open for another half hour. Wish me luck.

[ThePenitentOne]

And the winner is.... House Escher Death Maidens.

 

They did have some OOP stuff- they still had Eldritch Omens and the the Custodes vs GSC box. They had the Necromunda Ogryn Gang... as opposed to the box of two Ogryns that is still available from the GW website. A ton of stuff, really.

 

Seeing the Ash Wastes stuff rolling out, I start to get nervous about Necromunda "Range Rotation" and there's always been a little fear that the death maidens would disappear. I'm glad to have them; they serve an important purpose in my campaign: one of them will by used to represent The Grain Maiden. Orison's Wake, the planet where the campaign takes place, is an Agri-world. At an annual spring festival, one of the women from the Thresher Houses is chosen to become The Grain Maiden- a symbol of fertility to foster a healthy crop in a ritual celebration.

 

The Imperial church has assimilated the custom of The Grain Maiden into the faith of Orison's Wake. Avalina Kronar, the first Grain Maiden, was responsible for bringing an end to three consecutive seasons of low crop yields, and has been declared an Imperial Saint.

 

The Grain Maiden is a campaign wild card; she has the potential to impact the Sororitas, as the Kronar Thresher House is still the most closely tied to the Ecclesiarchy. But given its origin in pre-Imperial ritual practice, it is also a vector for Chaos corruption. I am very happy to have the models. I also think the beast-mistresses and archers fit nicely with in ash wastes theme- I could see them up against bug riders.

 

Yet another option for my June Challenge. My grey pile of shame is so huge I'm literally spoiled for choice.

[ThePenitentOne]

I haven't posted a June Challenge, but I did take pics and I have been working on them. The 12 Month Challenges have a 2 day extension, and I have been working on a unit of 2nd ed warp beasts. I think I'm going to finish them in the appropriate window. I don't want to pledge them and fail, so I might wait til the unit is done.

The beasts have cavalry bases, and the putty job to cover the slots was pretty weak- I had limited putty options to work with, but figured I could get it done. While I was on vacation, I fetched a big cup of Wasaga Beach sand. I think it'll cover up the putty work nicely.

I also have a pledge for Bug's life to post as well. I'll post pics here either way. Something should go up by the end of the night.

[ThePenitentOne]

My pace has been slowed- most recently due to Covid- I first noticed symptoms on Tuesday, and today is the first day I've been well enough to even think about painting. I might be able to do some good work tomorrow since I'm shut in anyways. I wanted to get a few posts up before getting back in the game.

Okay, some pics at last. First up, these are the Warp Beasts I'm using to represent Khymerae Pups:

This is the original pledge pic I never posted- they aren't even primed in this photo. You can see the messy putty in the bases that I'm hoping will be concealed by my Wasaga Beach sand. I should have had these done for June, and I let it slide. Right now, one of the models is complete except for the basing, and two others just need the blue vein detail work. The final two need the body-teeth and warp mouths painted and some muscle-tone highlights. My intent is to finish them this weekend- maybe even tomorrow.

Next we have my Bug's Life Pledges.

Here you see BOTH units of six. I am only pledging the lower unit to start- I really want the Bug's Life Badge, so I'm hedging my bets by breaking the total workload down into more easily attainable sub goals. That strategy has been the key to my output so far this year. If I had been trying to complete 10-model units, I would have been overwhelmed. In the past, Stealers have been quick to paint, and if I can get them done before next weekend, I will pledge a bonus model for July's 12 Month Challenge in order to made up for missing my June 12 Month.

 

[ThePenitentOne]

Well, the Warp beasts are done. My magnified ring light stopped working yesterday, so this was a rough finish, and not having the ring light is a real barrier for me. Finances aren't right for getting a replacement until payday, but that's two weeks away. I think I'm going to have to put one on credit- I don't want to mis my bugs life pledge.

Anyway, are the Khymerae Pups:

 

 

[ThePenitentOne]

Alright, well no pics this post, so I guess it's kind of a cheater. First, to update from where we left off:

 

I never did succeed at Bug's Life, and it should have been so easy. I acquired a bunch of DE Resin... A Lhameaen, a Medusa, two Sslyth, a Beast Master, 4x Kymerae, a Clawed Fiend and a box of Mandrakes. I replaced my dead painting light, and I've got a new set of glasses. I've been building little bits here and there, trying to get back into the groove. In September, I started 10 Kabalites, but unlike my wyches, I am painting them in subassemblies, because they have a lot of cross-body rifle poses that will compromise my ability to hit the torso. As it turns out, painting in sub assemblies is demotivational to me and I've been stalling. In October, I built the Lhamaean, figuring I could at least get one model painted to get another 12 Month Challenge entry, but I stalled there too. 

 

But in the last two weeks, I've tried to get my mojo back, and I think I'm on the way. I built the Sslyth and the Medusa to go with the Lhamaean for a 5 PL unit. Combined with my Archon (4PL), who is already painted, and the 10 Kabalites on deck (6PL), that's 15PL and I can get a pick-up game at the store with that. It will be my first time playing in a public environment since 2009.

 

I'll try and finish both units in March. There's a cool story going on: the Court of the Archon in this case hasn't yet decided that the Archon is worthy of their support; it is controlled by the Lhamaean, who owns a few Poison Distilleries that are coveted by the Archon. I might have posted about it in the Drukhari forum, so I won't go into too much detail here... Certainly not without Pics.

 

But before I wrap up this post, I want to lay out a few goals for the year:

 

Obviously, the two units above are my first priority.

Then I head to the Wych Cult Arena- first to put finishing touches on the Arena in preparation for my first Bat Rep.

The results of that contest will see both of the Wych cults grow from basic 5-strong units to full, legal units of 10. It will also lead to the maturation of one of the Khymerae pups. So those 11 models will for sure end up being the next priority.

I'll need to Paint my Haemonculus and build my Wracks, but they will only need to be painted one at a time as Wyches are killed in the arena.

 

But that's where it gets interesting, because beyond that, I don't have any plans. I could continue to grow my Drukhari force, but I might want to switch gears a bit.

 

So there's the two units of Stealers I pledged to Bug's Life, but never finished, and they should be easy. That also completes the box of Space Hulk Stealers. I want to replay the Space Hulk game that launches the GSC over again... And I'd like to do it right, which will mean painting marines of all things. It might be five terminators, it might be ten. Heck, I might even do all twelve. And I might replace some shoulder pads to Deathwatch up some of them... Because I do have Deathwatch Models too, and transitioning into that project would be fun too.

 

Once the Space Hulk is done, then the Kill Team Bat Reps for the Saint Katherine's Aegis campaign can finally happen. This will mean finishing my rules for GSC Primogenitor Kill Teams... These are actually really close to being done. This should lead to painting the GSC- first Newcromunda Brood Brothers made up of Escher and Orlock models as the metal Classic 'Munda models get infected by Purestrains, and then Acolytes as the Brood Brothers beget the third generation. One of the Purestrains will also evolve into a Patriarch.

 

I think by the end of the year I'll get to the place where I can field a full unit/ Kill Team of Brood Brothers, and if I'm really, really luck, I'll get a full unit of Acolytes ready for battle. Because of the way Primogenitor rosters grow, their may be on or two Neophytes, but it's unlikely that I'll have enough to actually field a full unit.

 

And if I can do all of that in a year, I'll be incredibly proud. I hope people will still like my Bat Reps, because by the time some of the GSC ones are played, we might be into 10th, and it isn't likely that I'll be going along for that ride.

[ThePenitentOne]

Alright it's pic time.

 

I just made my March pledge for the Twelve Month Challenge:

 

 

These guys represent the survivors of the Daemonic Incursion that Yvraine brought to Commorragh. Many of Archon Krull's soldiers were killed during the incursion into his splinter realm, and still others deserted when the tide turned against them. These soldiers represent members of various units; I haven't worked out the details yet, but I expect it to come as the models near completion. The nature of painting in subassemblies means that I may actually try to bring the models to completion one at a time starting with the specialist builds.

 

These 10 are Krull's entire army at the moment- he has a 5 strong wych cult that he is sponsoring, but they aren't loyal to him and he hasn't vowed to do anything for them beyond their first event at his recently reclaimed Arena. But these kabalites will be his most loyal and powerful assets. I just picked up a box of Soul Shackle today, so I will be adding specialists to from the KT to this unit as the story progresses.

 

On that note:

 

 

 

This is my Lhamaean and her Court. She is the heiress to a dynasty of poison distilleries, and holds the Title Shasalyth. She has not yet decided whether the Archon Jayliss Krull is worthy of her support and assistance, and until she does, the Sslyth function as HER bodyguards, not his. As for the Sslyth, a Corsair pirate traded her for a poison so malignant that a single vial contaminated the water supply for an entire hive city on Jaraxus III in the western fringe of the Pacificus Sector.

 

The Shasalyth has three poison distillery territories at her disposal, and she has the resources to build one in Krull's splinter realm with his support. She is sponsoring a five-strong wych cult of her own, who will provide opponents for Krull's Cult in the first battle at his recently reclaimed Arena. The Shasalyth also has a personal Venom transport, and active contract with a local Incubi shrine and contacts with Corsairs from all over realspace.

 

An alliance with her is critical to Krull's return to his former glory.

 

It is my hope to finish the ten kabalites above that I have enough time left in March to offer up these for models as a second pledge. I do have plans to grow this unit, which brings us to:

 

 

 

These Urghuls are currently property of a Corsair Pirate, and they will not enter the campaign until Archon Krull or the Shasalyth are able to offer the Corsair something worthy in exchange. Because Urghuls seem easy to paint, there's an outside chance that I could crank them out in March too, but it'll be a long, long time before they can join the story, as I haven't even purchased the Corsairs who will bring them in yet. Today's purchase of Soulshackle means that I won't be buying more models for at least a few months.

 

SO it's too late to do any actual painting tonight, but I've got my pics up, and I've laid out my goals.

 

For the next few days, I need to stay off the forums and paint. I want the based colour on all seven of the untouched Kabalites, and hopefully the torsos 100% ready to be completed one at a time by the end of the week end at the absolute latest. Once the torsos are ready, I am to complete a minimum of one model per night until the unit is done. Aiming to have the whole unit done by March 15.... My 50th B-day.

Edited March 2, 2023 by ThePenitentOne