Death Guard and...?

Don't worry, this isn't me second guessing my army selection for Konor. Since starting to paint the Death Guard I've found them to be both user friendly and rather interesting to work with. Rather, this is about expanding the army beyond the contents of Dark Imperium and the odds and ends I had lying around (like the Helbrute).

For one thing, of course, there's the new tank that's been doing the rounds on the rumours sites, the Plagueburst Crawler.

courtesy Mini Wars

To the look of it, its essentially a Bombard with what looks like the same guns as the Feotid Bloat-Drone as sponson weapons. It fits very well with the idea of the Death Guard as footslogging attrition specialists in a way I don't feel the Predator does. And I don't just say this because I hate the Predator and the way its sponsons snap off if you so much as brush your hand against them reaching for a dice.  

Of course, we live in the world of Keywords now so there are so many posibilities for expansion in the future, probably after Konor since I already have more than a 75 power army on hand in various states of half-painted. So, the candidates:

Daemons of Nurgle

I have never used Daemons. I don't particularly like them as their own army and my previous Chaos armies have been focussed more on mortal characters.

The big benefit of having them as a small addition to the larger army is I can get pretty much everything I want for them out of the Start Collecting set. The set includes a Herald, ten Plaguebearers, three bases of Nurglings (so cute...) and three Plague Drones. That 19 power levels, which is more than enough to be getting on with though I might get another little box of Nurglings because a) adorable af, and b) I used to have a massive ten base unit of “Gibbering Hordes” aka Nurglings in my Lost and the Damned back in the day and nostalgia is a powerful motivator.

Green Vanilla Chaos Marines

As it happens, I already have one unit from the Heretic Astartes list as Death Guard don't have the option for Terminators at this time. That'll probably change when their Codex comes out but until then that's where we are. There are also numerous Daemon Engines I like the look of, which are horrible and mutated enough that it won't matter that they're not strictly Death Guard.

There are other units in the Heretic Astartes, though, that don't fit the Death Guard theme as well as Terminators. Things like Raptors, who just aren't something they ever had, the Death Guard Legion not maintaining dedicated assault squads. I also have a Terminator Lord because I got the Lord and Terminators box set before I knew the Lord of Contagion existed.

My solution, should I go this route, would be to paint the more vanilla Chaos Marine units as The Purge. The Purge have a colour scheme that is both similar enough to the Death Guard to not clash and different enough that they'll be easily distinguishable. I also like the idea of having some random, post-Heresy Space Marine hanging around who absolutely worship the Death Guard as Nurgle's chosen whilst the Death Guard themselves think of them as cannon fodder, unworthy of particular attention.

The Lost and the Damned

My beloved Renegades & Heretics list is dead, sadly, but if I didn't have infinite hope for the future I wouldn't still be a Lost and the Damned player, would I? Regardless, the Astra Militarum list remains as a dependable back-up. I likely won't be painting them as Nurglesques, simply because I have a longstanding LatD force I've been meaning to revisit for a long time. Happily, their colour scheme is black fatigues with flak armour drybrushed to look like polished bone, which is more than morbid enough to fit the theme.

I painted a few test models a while back using the Forge World Chaos Renegades upgrade torsos and they came out rather well.

Not something I could use in store but for friendly games at home amongst the group they'll be fine. We've already come to the agreement that I (and Matt, who also has a Traitor Guard force) will simply count all Imperium keywords and Chaos keywords. On the plus side, when I can use them they give me tons of boots on the ground as well as a choice of tanks that both look better than Rhino variants and don't have crappy, snappy sponsons.

*****

Those are my thoughts for the moment and hopefully the next time I talk about the Death Guard I will have some finished models to show off. 

The Fate pf Konor I: The Dark Muster begins

My initial plan, of course, was to enter the local store's Fate Of Konor league with my Flesh Tearers. However, standing there with my sign-up slip in front of a wall filled with names attached to Primaris Marine armies, I changed my mind. Death Guard it is, which I'm glad of because the Dark Imperium models and Grave Wardens are proving so much fun to paint.

I also just enjoy being the villain, if I'm honest. Villains are just so much fun to write, I love developing background for them. My Lord of Contagion, Scrofulous Bezoar, will be leading his Vectorum into Ultramar come the end of the month.

So, what do I have? Finished: nothing. Aside from a couple of models I'm reconditioning (some old Plague Marines and a Helbrute), this army started with Dark Imperium.

So, at various stages of just started I have the Dark Imperium set; those old Plague Marines and Helbrute; a unit of Grave Wardens; and, a unit of Terminators built with old Forge World Plague Terminator torsos. Unbuilt I have twenty more Poxwalkers and a second Bloat Drone straight from eBay. Meanwhile, in the post I have the parts necessary to make both a unit of Fallen and a unit of Possessed (the latter hybridising MkIII armour and the actual Possessed kit).

All together that's well on its way to the “standard” 75 power level the local GW is treating as the new average size game, probably beyond it but I can't be bothered with mathematics right now. Most of the models I've started have their main colours done and it won't take me long to get the extra Drone and Poxwalkers built and up to the same stage.

Now, to get painting...

The Fate Of Konor: Flesh Tearers 75 power list

On July 27^th the Fate Of Konor campaign begins in earnest and I need an army up and ready for the date. I am determined to have a fully painted force to put down on the table. According to our local GW manager, the “average” size game will be 75 power (I absolutely love the power system, so much better than points) and so my aim, over the next twenty six days, is to finish the following;

Captain in power armour (5 power)

Librarian in power armour (6 power)

5 Death Company (9 power)

Death Company Dreadnought (11 power)

10-man Tactical Squad (9 power)

5-man Scout Squad with bolters (6 power)

5-man Vanguard Veteran Squad with jump packs (8 power)

Land Speeder with multi-melta (6 power)

Baal Predator (8 power)

Vindicator (8 power)

Total: 76 power

Of this, the Librarian, Tactical Squad and Death Company Dreadnought are painted already. The Death Company and Vanguard are half-painted. The Predator and Vindicator need building, which shouldn't take long and I'll probably get it done this evening. I might also paint up a Chaplain to give me some character variety (and because their buffs are awesome if you stand them next to your Death Company).

It seems more than doable, since there are only 9 models I have to start painting from scratch (albeit that three of them are rather large). 

The Fate of Konor and the Wrath of Cretacia

So, global campaigns. I've never taken part in one before and if nothing else its a good excuse to get to know some people down the local store club. I don't know if you have to register online with a particular army (I recall you had to in some other campaigns) but if I do I'll break the habit of a lifetime and volunteer to be on the good(ish) guy side with my Flesh Tearers.

The local store manager is talking about 75 power levels as roughly equivalent to 1500 points in the old money (I am rather a fan of power levels, I must admit). I've been having a lot of fun with the Flesh Tearers, though I haven't had as large a game as 75 power and I'm rubbing my hands together in glee at all the cool Blood Angels-y things I can try out in a larger game.

I actually think I might experiment with the Spearhead Detachment with its six Fast Attack slots. It seems very fitting for the Flesh Tearers, especially as it also restricts my Troops and Elites choices which is a nice reflection of how beaten down and undermanned the chapter is.

Also, I want to have lots of Land Speeders because so far my one multi-melta Land Speeder has proven itself a magnificent character sniper. It has a weapon capable of doling out massive amounts of hurt and the speed to whip round the flanks of the enemy to get into a nice position where their general is the closet target.

I also don't terribly favour tanks and heavy weapons so probably the army will remain rather speed-based with perhaps a Devastator Squad or two at the rear for fire support.

Now, just to work out a basic 75 power level list and get it painted up.