+ inload: Infantry and specialists +

+ Lamb's World infantry +

+ I still think of this as a 'new army', but the Lamb's World 117th is getting on a bit now. The models are essentially Elysians with head swaps (mostly the FW Cadian Respirator heads, but some from other sources including the short Specialist Games run of Necromunda Van Saar) and the rebreather on the torsos removed. +

+ I've always like the image of well-trained but regular soldiers, and so as with my other armies, the army was built with that in mind – the troops as the standard, middle-of-the-road option; determinedly non-elite, non-specialist. +

+ I've found this handy. First off, it means the army is largely future-proofed. Like space marine tactical squads or ork boyz, Imperial Guard infantry are always going to be the basic choice in the army list. I've seen other Guard armies change from being 'Veterans' to 'Conscripts' and back, but the Lamb's Worlders have always been (and likely will always be) plain old guard infantry. This makes writing lists from one edition to the next relatively painless. +

+ Despite the age of the army, I'm pleased with the paintjob on them. Camouflage and a little clean painting to contrast with it goes a long way to cover up flaws, and earthy colours are amongst the easiest to paint. I am glad I went with a semi-desert scheme, as it's versatile and works on most gameboards. +

+ Looking back over the army is a good way to see how my hobby has changed. These were definitely painted with an event in mind; and tackled en masse rather than individually. Still, I think they hold up if you inspect them – they're all done to the largely the same standard, even the characters. I've never been good at painting models more or less carefully in relation to their battlefield importance or role. +

+ The number of mortars in the army – nine or so – is a good symbol of contrariness. At the time the army was built, mortars were the cheap, rubbish option. You never saw them on the table; and I thought that was a shame – I've always liked things being a bit different. Perhaps they'll prove their worth in 8th edition? +

+ Having said there are no elites and that the army was all done at once, the grenadiers here belie that. These models are from Heresy Miniatures, and wer added after the campaign weekend I took the army to. I think they've only seen the field once – where they and their Valkyrie transport were shot down in short order! +

+ Finally today, a platoon commnder. Nothing much to say here except that the torso of the model is from the FW tank commander kit, I think. +

+++

+ Gaming with the army +

The list for tomorrow looks like this:

Lamb’s World 117^th – Arcturus theatre

[50 power]

Battle-forged: 3 Command Points

Battalion Detachment: +3 Command Points – required choices in bold.

HQ [7]

• Caef Burton Gogh – Company commander [3]
• Commissar Salem-Czet – Lord Commissar [4]

Troops [23]

• Blood Angels Squad Raphael – 5 Intercessors [5]
• Imperial Guard Infantry squad – 10 men [3]
• Imperial Guard Infantry squad – 10 men [3]
• Imperial Guard Infantry squad – 10 men [3]
• Imperial Guard Infantry squad – 10 men [3]
• Stormtroopers – 10 men, flamer [6]

Elites [14]

• Lief Moorwing – Platoon commander [2]
• Ratlings [2]
• Special Weapons Squad [3]
• Command Squad [3]
• Command Squad [3]
• Astropath [1]

Fast Attack [3]

• Rough Riders [3]

Heavy Support [3]

• Heavy weapons squad [3]

+ inload: The Alien Wars – Arcturus and the Lamb's World 117th +

+ The Alien Wars: The Arcturus Theatre and the first Lamb's World 117th +

+ Lamb's World [+noospheric inloadlink embedded+]. Of the planet itself, little is said; for it represents just one amongst hundreds of thousands that make up the Imperium. A backwater rainworld, loosly civilised, it sends its sons and daughters out to fight the Emperor's wars, and has done so for many millennia. +

Typical Lamb's World guardsmen - pugnacious, grimy and resolute.

+ Numerous regiments from the planet have served in the Imperium's armies; most more dutifully than remarkably. The 27th 'Copper Hornets' fought in the Damocles Gulf campaign; the 55th saw service in the Dolor Debacle; and a later raising of the 117th – the so-called 'Black Hands' – were deployed to Shale. +

+ The 117th regiment seems to have a cursed history. Owing to the peculiar recruitment habits of Lamb's World, there have been at least three 117th regiments, all of which have met dismal ends. The infamous Shale campaign [ca.M41], left but one survivor [cross ref. Terentius Dresden] or the resurrected 'Black Hands' regiment, while another was all but wiped out during the Fourth Scallop Star purges. +

+ The first recorded 117th served during the Alien Wars, far from the sector of their birth. Deployed to shore up the ongoing war on Arcturus in 191.M35, the regiment quickly found itself embattled against tough, resourceful ork invaders, who had established numerous beachheads and looked set to overrun the world in short order. +

Few Lamb's World regiments are specialised; the culture of the planet favours adaptable generalists. The 117th shows a preference for relatively low-tech and reliable equipment. The gunners complain about the 'back-breakers', but heavy bolter operators enjoy a certain cache in the mess.

+ The equatorial regions of Lamb's World has, since time immemorial, been plagued by an infestation of orks; which require the Imperial Commander to operate eternal vigilance – and his forces to perform regular sweep-and-clear missions. As a result, nearly every soldier who leaves Lamb's World will have fought against the greenskin, and become accustomed to their typical tactics. This proved not only useful, but life-saving, on the world of Arcturus. +

+++

+ The Arcturan War and Imperial Politics +

+ Many Arcturans muttered privately that the lack of support in their war with the invading orks was a sign that the Imperium itself was withholding its armies as a sign of disfavour. This was, after all, a dark period in the Imperium's history, with the Imperium itself sundered in two. Most planets beyond the immediate influence of the competing galactic capitals had studiedly remained neutral at the secession of the distant Segmentum Pacficus, but privately, most favoured the claim either of Terra's status quo, or Nova Terra's claims of greater adherence to the Emperor's vision. +

+ Of particular note during this period in history is the general inaction of the Astartes. If the worlds of the Imperium were become increasingly withdrawn in the political and religious forment of the time, the Chapters Astartes were doubly so. The Ecclesiarchical Bull of the Emperor's Deificiation – issued within living memory for those with access to juvenat treatments – officially stated the Emperor to be a god. In its wake, the increasingly influential Ecclesiarchy was clamping down on 'heretic' faiths – which included most Chapter cults. +

+ While few in the Church were unwise enough to declare against a local Chapter, they privately petitioned against the Imperium's armed forces requesting any aid from the Astartes – citing numerous reasons; from the importance of humanity defending itself, to the Emperor's Angels literally ascending to dwell with the God-Emperor in some other realm. Thus the Church and its Angels sat in an uneasy and unspoken truce; one refusing to request their help, the other warily dwelling in their fastnesses. +

+ During this period, few Chapters looked beyond their immediate fiefs, in order to avoid appearing to favour one side or the other in the temporal or spiritual debates of the time. Of those that remained actively campaigning, most deployed to wilderness space, where they could continue their duties without inadvertently sparking an intersectorial war. +

+ The result of this was that, to many, the fabled Space Marines became just that – fairy tales. +

+++

+ Arcturus, located deep in wilderness space in Segmentum Ultima, was far from the hub of Imperial politics, but Lord Governor Finchley-Gossamer, the otherwise shrewd Imperial Commander of Arcturus, had publicly spoken out and campaigned in favour of supporting Nova Terra against what he saw as an increasingly oppressive bureaucracy. +

+ The Historia Imperium, a common scholam primer on Arcturus today, makes it clear that it was vanishingly unlikely that the orks were in any way influenced by Imperial politics, but as the alien armada approached, many muttered darkly that the greenskins had been paid – though by Terran or Nova Terran agents was never clear. +

+ With the benefit of historical hindsight, it is more likely that the orks simply took advantage of thinning extra-solar defences as the players of Imperial politics gathered their forces closer to them, rather than contribute to cooperative efforts – but the dark cloud this suspicion cast over the defenders of Arcturus had a real effect on the war; retarding recruitment, slowing the building of defences, and leading to intermittent fighting and resentment between competing factions even as the orks reached the system pickets. +

+++

+ Caef Burton-Gogh and the Arcturan War +

Caef Burton-Gogh and his command team at the height of the war.

+ The orks that invaded Arcturus were typical of the greenskins only in that they were utterly unpredictable. The unidentified leader was possessed of obvious skill and cunning; using unconventional strategies to wage war on land, air and - critically - sea. It was the latter that caused the Imperial defenders such hardship, as their navies - mostly hastily refitted merchants - proved woefully inadequate to operate against the precociously advanced field technology of the orks. As a result, the orks quickly established superiority here, making mutual support between the Arcturans city-states difficult. Even as the Arcturans desperately sought to defend major ports across the world, the orks gathered to destroy one after another via sea. +

+ Caef (a rank in Lamb's World Gothic dialect, roughly equating to Colonel) Primus Burton-Gogh was like a bolt from the blue. Capable, dashing and charming, the experienced soldier proved a key to the defence of Arcturus. He split the 117th down into two parts; a core that retained two-thirds of deployment strength, and numerous subsidary companies that proved vital in shoring up both the physical defences of the Arcturan planetary defence force and their morale. +

+ Having a platoon of the veteran off-worlders deployed alongside them proved vital to reinvigorating the Arcturan companies defending their planet. The natives quickly warmed to the cheery and vigorous Lamb's Worlders; and came to see the extra-planetary aid as a symbol of the Emperor's continued favour. +

+ The larger part of the Lamb's World army then began a fight-back, rallying the Arcturans and reclaiming two of the lost coastal cities in swift-striking assaults – though only at crippling losses. Even as the Lamb's Worlders adn their Arcturan allies prepared their third assault, it was clear that the regiment was going to be unable to continue active duty for much longer. +

+++

+ The Blood Angels +

+ However reassuring the Arcturans found the deployment of the Lamb's World regiment, they were but men. While the tide of defeats slowed, the orks were still pressing their advantage across the coastal regions and moving inland. It was two long months after the reclamation of Porth Caul that a signal came that brought fresh hope to the fighters – the Angels of Death were rumoured to be coming... +

+ While the rumours were not denied, few in the High Command believed it. Indeed, a number of them denied the existence of the Astartes completely; though consented to a propaganda campaign being launched. + 

+ However, it was during the assault on Drevi Falls, the third coastal city-state that the 117th had set their eyes upon, that such rumours proved true... +

The Blood Angels 3rd Host in battle alongside the Lamb's World 117th.

+ inload: The Dolor Liberation Crusade +

+ A return to Dolor +

+ The Dolor campaign was fought back in the misty days of 2003(ish); it was the first organised campaign we played as a group; prior to the formation of the PCRC [+noospheric link embedded+]. It coincided with Codex: Cityfight being released, and we ended up playing out the fate of a dismal little planet called Dolor [+noospheric link embedded+]; scrapping over the wintry streets of the capital city, Dismay. +

+ Whatever the end result of the campaign, the world fell under the influence of the Tau's Brightsword Protectorate, the blueskin's domain in our group's shared sector. We've since played a number of campaigns, and the Tau seem to have got a bit big for their boots. Ten years has passed in the real world, and in the dark future, it appears the Imperium has decided to reclaim the world...+ 

+ Strike from Starfire +

+ The Imperial force pushed in from the Starfire Sector; bypassing a great deal of the Tau's defensive lines with a sudden strike. After a decade of uneasy rule by the Protectorate, the peoples of Tau'lor now peered nervously from windows as the Imperial warmachine began to march through their cities; loudhailers announcing liberation. +

+ Armoured vehicles, whose like had not been seen in years, drove up thoroughfares still broken from the original conflict. +

+ The Lamb's Worlders has returned – the 117th determined to make up for the failures of the regiments involved in the earlier war. +

+ Jealous alien eyes marked their arrival; and moved to retaliate; keen to defend the lands and peoples who had joined their federation. +

+ High-tech xenos artifice met human mettle and courage. +

+...with (sadly for the Imperium) less than romantic results. +

+ Imperial foot troops made their way through broken rubble, keen to meet the Tau in combat. +

+ Sharp-eyed snipers traded fire with pathfinders. +

+ Alien armoured might +

+ Dutiful Fire Warriors took up position... +

+ ... and then took aim. +

+ Trading withering firepower, both sides were whittled down in storms of red las and blue pulse shots. +

+ Armoured vehicles worked in close support. +

+ Both sides' special forces made their presence felt. +

+ Auxiliaries played their role; though humans loyal to the Protectorate were kept from the front line. +

...

+ Addendum +

+ Dolor became part of the Antona Australis Sector [+noospheric link embedded+], which grahamgilchrist later built up into a rather fetching map – go and have a little explore through the link when you have a few minutes: there's loads of cool little story hooks for you to use. +

+ inload: Flight One +

+ inload: Flight One +

+ An even worse pun than usual in the title today, as it's referring both to a completed model and to a skirmish level concept I'd like to start sketching out. On the plus side, at least I'm not subjecting readers to the inevitable 'Flight of the Valkyries/Apocalypse Now' puns* that accompany images of Imperial Guard Valkyrie transports.

 + I'm in two minds about the Valkyrie model. On the one hand, it's a nice chunky model that goes together very nicely. It's got some cool options and some lovely subtle touches. On the other hand, it's massive, something that is only emphasised by the huge oval base and ugly plastic flying stand.+

+ In terms of realism, it's probably a fairly reasonable size for a flying personnel carrier, but in 40k terms it really dominates the table, to a much greater extent than most tanks (which I'm led to believe are much smaller than their real world equivalents). This scale problem doesn't bother me particularly, but it was the first model I've built that made me really feel 6 x 4ft tables were too small.

+ As it's (in background terms) part of the Guard deployment, rather than an attached Imperial Navy craft, I've used the same scheme as my tanks. It painted up very nicely and quite quickly, too.+

+ Walt and Iax, pilots. Note the kill markings by Walt's nameplate and the personalised helmets. The freehand was rather sketchily done – I never get as enthused over vehicles as infantry, and unfortunately I think it shows!

+++++

+Concept inload+

+ Flight One – Isstvan aftermath +

+ I've been reading up about the Salamander Legion recently, and have an itching to build a couple. I thought I might scratch the itch for them and some Iron Hands by building an ad-hoc squad of survivors from the Isstvan Dropsite Massacre; with a view to using them in skirmishy games, but mainly for display. Here's a list of the characters I have loosely in mind, with apologies to TV Tropes and Kurosawa!

• The Hero – A Salamander trooper
• The Lancer – Raven Guard marine
• The Big guy – Salamander heavy weapon operative
• The Smart Guy – Alpha Legionnaire
• The Old Guy – Iron Hand
• The Young Guy – Salamander
• The Funny Guy – Salamander

* Bugger.

+ inload: Roots +

+inload: Roots+

+ For many of those reading this blog (well, the dozen or so that know about Death of a Rubricist!), a large part of the appeal of the miniature hobby is the background that underpins the gaming. The Warhammer 40,000 universe is particularly developed, having built up over twenty-five years to encompass pretty much any theme for which you could wish, from Lovecraftian horrors beyond space and time to the Kafkasesque absurdity of filing millennia-old petitions for people – even populations – long dead.

+ These only scratch the surface of the sheer amount of material that has been generated to populate and deepen the shared world. Providing the driving force behind this are the commercial pressures of the various games produced in the setting. For every Imerial Guard regiment produced in plastic, metal or resin – and Imperial Guard enthusiasts have been very well-served over the years on that front – there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, mentioned in passing.

+ The sheer scale of the universe puts insurmountable pressure on the ability of a company to produce everything, and this has meant that some things have long been put to one side, such as Rough Riders.

+ The Imperial Guard have changed a lot since Rogue Trader, where Rough Riders were introduced. While the basic premise of 'regular human soldiers fighting against terrifying foes' has remained constant, the range became increasingly focussed upon real-world armies, with the sidelining of the more esoteric elements like ogryns, ratling snipers and beastmen.

+ It's fairly undeniable that a big part of the appeal of the army is its relatability – brave humans are easily recognisable and admirable in a way that biological horrors and alien species are not. I'd also hazard a guess that many Imperial Guard collectors are interested in the real world military, either academically or as a member of the armed forces. Its very understandable to want to use that information to personalise your army and combine interests – something I think is admirable and well worth people's time.

+ However, in concentrating on the more realistic side, the Imperial Guard has lost some of the feeling of sheer horror and absurdity of the setting. Men are shovelled up and sent to far-off planets to die under alien suns for wars that signify nothing. In this context, the sheer variety of guard regiments, from starched Napoleonic-theme troops to flesh-eating criminals really helps to capture this idea. By the stroke of a distant scribe's pen, highly-trained special forces are sent to man a muddy trench in grinding static warfare; painted savages are deployed to man artillery batteries; desert-dwellers are deployed to capture an ocean world... all madness; all perfectly in theme.

+ Rough Riders, which I think were probably developed in true early GW style of reusing bits, are basically Guardsmen on horses. Modern cavalry warfare is largely dormant, if not dead (though I believe mounted warfare is still used in some militaries), and many Guard players dismiss the idea of using the troops as absurd. 

+ I think that's a shame. Not every battle is a gunfight against laser-wielding troops. The Imperial Guard are just as likely – perhaps more so – to face armies that they outclass technologically, and cavalry have historically been very important. Even if you are from a high-tech world, having horses, camels or the equivalent who are able to forage and remain operational without industrial infrastructure is valuable when invading a feral world, for example. 

+ Leaving realism and trying to justify them on a logical level behind – after all, I've just argued that that's missing the point! – Rough Riders have great imagery. Horse warfare might be largely defunct, but it has a huge cultural weight behind it in Europe and beyond. Mounted men bring connotations of danger, of excitement, nobility, aristocracy. They represent speed and rapidity – all elements that are fantastic to explore in miniature form.

+ Painting-wise, Rough Riders offer a great opportunity to look at horses. They're beautiful animals that have many different appearances. These offer some exciting opportunities to painters.

+ In pulp terms, Rough Riders bring to mind actions like the charge of the Light Brigade, of cowboys, mongols and conflicts from antiquity to the American civil war; of Conan and knights in shining armour. All of these are great and common inspiration for our hobby – and as I mentioned earlier, I think it's great to combine interests and add little nods here and there to spark conversations and discussion.

+ The Rough Riders shown here are from my Lamb's World 117th regiment. They're based on Games Workshop Wood Elf horses with Empire pistolier legs (metal ones from the good old days of bits orders). The rest of the models are Forgeworld Elysians, with various bits sprinkled from the plastic Imperial Guard ranges. I deliberately wanted to steer clear of any very distinctive image, and create troopers that combined imagery of modern warfare with the romantic aspects of historical cavalry warfare. To me, the Imperial Guard are the Good Guys, in a way that my Ultramarines (for example) are not. Space Marines are distilled war; with no possibility for existence beyond battle, and as such are peculiarly outside of ethics. In contrast, the Imperial Guard are men and women like us, with all the potential for heroism and villainy, cowardice and courage, that we have.+

All that stands between humanity and the dark is the courage – or insanity – of another human being.

+++

+inload addendum: Astartes+

+ Speaking of Ultramarines, I got cracking on building more last night. Here's the work-in-progress:

Number 1

+ Number 1: Pleased with this chap – the pose is not super-dynamic, but sufficiently open to interpretation to provide interest. Is he reaching for a door handle, or tenatively signalling for his squad to hold?

Number 2

+ Number 2: Hmm, least successful so far. The smaller Mk IV shoulder pads rob him of some presence, and the shield confuses the angle of movement. I'm tempted to strip these shoulder pads and go to the usual Mk II ones I had printed. He will likely receive a combat blade or similar weapon in his right hand – or have his arms replaced entirely with arms aiming his boltgun.

Number 3

Another angle on number 3, showing the
discarded magazine in the background.

+Number 3: Definite potential here. The reloading/reaching for a new magazine pose is working fairly well. He needs a pouch (obviously!) and I'll probably tilt the head differently – he's staring off into space at the moment, which robs the piece of immediacy.

+ Where possible, I'm trying to add distinctiveness and interest through minor variations from the basic set of armour. It's a delicate balance between making the model interesting and keeping it looking uniform. Number 1 has a Praetor pattern helm, an Umbra(?) boltgun and a different powerpack, but is otherwise standard. Note that number 2 sticks out the most due to the absence of the big Mk II shoulderpads, a very distinctive part of my vision of marines. Aside from this change, he is the most standard, which shows what an effect changing iconic/focal points can have. In contrast, number 3 has non-standard legs, non-standard torso, but still looks more like the basic marine pattern of this army.+

+ inload: Lamb's World 117th +

+ Lamb’s World 117th Regiment of Foot Disposition +

+ Cognomen +

The Black Hands

+ Motto +

Maluam Est Qui Cogitat Malum

+ Commanding Officer +

Caef-Martial Johann Tacitus Springsen [KIA – Shale Polar front]; Caef-Maior Yrion Ap Irison [KIA – Shale Polar front]; Caef-Martial (bt.) Terentius Dresden

+ Second-in Command +

Caef-Maior (bt.) Fastidius Umberary

+ Formative fighting strength +

Twelve companies (144,000 men)

+ Nominative fighting strength – Shale Campaign +

Twelve companies (142,800 men) plus abhuman auxiliaries.

+ Current fighting strength +

Unknown

+++

A rainworld, whose main export is liquid water, the inhabitants of [Lamb's World] have altered over recent centuries from nomadic tribes to forming permanent dwellings. Three large cities are the Lamb's Worlder's happiest boast – the capital Myrffn, cosmopolitan Pant-y-Gyrdl and Little Haven. The planet harbours a strong feral ork presence in and around the equatorial mountains and deserts; and the Imperium conducts regular firesweeps to control the swelling and dangerous population. Recent Imperial development means that the booming planetary infrastructure is making this considerably more achievable, and some projections see the ork tribes wiped from the planet within fifty years.

An extract from Perigrinations through the Lamba System, the Marquesa Zuzen Barabar's celebrated travel documentary; Ca.M38 

+++

Lamb's World troops and armour receive orders outside a shanty town.

+ Lamb's World regiments are traditionally drawn from PDF regiments that have served in the ongoing Equatorial Culls; a campaign that has continued intermittently against the stubborn Feral Orks of the region since records began. Never numerous and hemmed in by the rocky terrain, the ork tribes pose little true threat beyond the equatorial belt. The Culls, while dangerous, ensure the orks never reach critical mass. That said, they have proven intractable; popping up years or even decades after at least four Imperial Commanders have declared final victory and the extinction of the tribes.The Marquesa's closing comments on the backwater agriworld were not entirely accurate, and while an extermination campaign saw some success in the closing years of M38, the orks have proved intractable and have seen resurgences over the intervening years as experienced PDF Regiments are sent to do their duty elsewhere in the sector; most notably in M40.333, when Little Haven was sacked. +

Rifleman of Company Command

+ Nevertheless, the agri-world's tithe is paid in water and blood – Lamb's World continues to provide stolid, if unremarkable, regiments to the Guard. The planet itself has developed since the Marquesa's journal, and while the principal cities still stand, many more have sprung up. The various ethnic groups of the inhabitants still bear hallmarks of their cultural histories, but their traditional nomadic ways have largely been subsumed into settled, urban living. Trade developments mean that the equipment and materiel used by the regiments seconded to the Guard are visually very different to regiments from the Marquesa's era. +

Rip-sergeant; Special Weapons Squad

+ Of course, these differences are more than cosmetic; but such is the monolithic nature of the Imperium's technological distribution, that the operation of the different patterns of flak armour and lasrifles issued to the current Lamb's World regiments are quickly assimilated by the obedient troops. +

+++