Termagants and their uses

As I'm spending so many hours painting them I thought I'd indulge in a post about the uses of the humble Termagant.  That said this isn't a codex review or full review of the unit and their options (there are many fine ones about such as here) but rather a discussion piece on how I use them and their role in my force.

Termagants are cheap, at 5 points a model a sizeable unit can weigh in at around 100pts.  That said they are also one of the worst units in the game (in their basic form).  No real armour, a stat line that defines the average (in an imperial guard barracks anyway) and a bolt pistol.  Thrown in their lacklustre leadership and special rule that means they'll sit and drool unless watched over by a synapse and they really aren't anything to write home about.

The key there though is 'watched over by a synapse'.  Once within 12" they gain fearless and their main role in my force comes out.  They are an excellent charge blocker, able to soak up a good 8 wounds before having to worry and sure they aren't likely to cause much damage back (more on this later) but they'll stick around and hold the opponent in close combat for a devastating counter charge.  As units locked in close combat don't gain benefits of cover when subsequently assaulted this can be a useful way of shielding a valuable unit and then 'revealing it' as the termagants start to die ready for a counter charge.

But who says termagants can't cause damage?  The real strength of the termagants is their ability to allow a tervigon to slip into the troop choice.  Suddenly all of a termagants drawbacks melt away whilst this MC sits within 6".  With counterattack and toxin sacs the termagant can suddenly hope to not only tar pit but cause some damage to an assaulting unit, just make sure its within 6" AFTER combat moves.

To guarantee this deploy the termagant blob (about 12-15 models) where you want them.  Then form a conga coherency line back and even behind the tervigon.  If the unit is assaulted and pulled forward 6" then the rear elements of the line should still be within the crucial 6" to confer the goodies to the tervigon.  Looks like the tervigon might go down this shooting phase?  If possible remove the conga line and cut the 6" link to save some models for when it finally bites it.

Able to generate troops choices and sit happily outside of combat feeding I5, Str4 poisoned termagants into an ongoing fight makes the termagant/tervigon relationship one of the standout features of the current Nids dex.  It won't suit every force and due to the points cost will define a great deal about how the army will function but for the commander after a scuttling swarm Nids army, its perfect. 

That said a danger is relying too heavily on the trick.  Termagants and tervigons are ways of turning a poor unit into a mediocre unit but one highly dependent on a model that can be brought down in a single turn of focused fire.  More of a good thing is not necessarily better.  100 rubbish troops on the field isn't going to get you much further than 60 rubbish troops and their role as a delay and block doesn't work if you have nothing hard hitting to take advantage of the gap.

Termagants - the never ending

Haven't posted in a while so going to ease back in gently with a vague update of what I'm up to at the moment.  It can pretty much be summed up in one word, Termagants.  Anyone who has ever collected (and actually tried to paint) a swarm force will recognise the sense of for boding and weary inevitability the idea of painting core troops brings. 

I've always loved the idea of a scuttling swarm taking up most of the tabletop, with individual units outnumbering some armies.  Without Number in the previous edition didn't quite cut it as the swarm generally arrived in dribs and drabs and only when some other element of the swarm had been wholly eliminated.  With tervigons (but still no tervigon models GW) the Tyranid player can finally get the feeling of unleashing an endless tide onto the opponent (until they role a double at least). 

the problem with unleashing the endless tide though means you first have to unleash it onto your painting table and that means many long hours painting virtually identical models. 

Progress has been good as you can see from the picture.  I'm aiming for 80ish termagants (40 taken as troops the rest possible tervigon reinforcements) and have lined them up in rows of 8 so you get a better idea of percentage progress.

Tricks and tips for painting massed termagants?  I've found a production line approach is a bit dissatisfying.  you get the payoff of completing 12 termagants in one go but have to wait a few days to reach that point.  and when you paint the same feature (a tongue say) for the 12th time its inevitably going to be sloppy.  I've found basing, washing and doing the block colours in batches of 10, then block highlights in batches of 5 before doing all the fine details and highlights on just one until its finished much better.  you get the instant payoff as you finish a full model and don't get bored of painting the same thing 12 times in a row.

Beyond that there isn't much else to it.  BBC iplayer (especially the radio plays) are amazing and can be found here if you can access them http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/radio/categories/drama/horror_and_supernatural.

At about 40% of the way through I think it'll be late Feb before the termagants are ready for the tabletop but that at least gives plenty of time for ToS.  Lists and thoughts to follow in next few days (whenever I'm sick off the sight of termagants!)

Tervigon

As promised, more pics of the Tervigon with a quick description of how I modeled it.

Main body is a carnifex with the spine banks carapace option.  The fore limbs are the large cything talons from the monstrous creature frame.  These go straight into the arm slots and just need to be trimmed so they can angle downwards.  I aimed to have the tervigon supported by about 2 of these fore limbs and proped it up on dice as the limbs dried in place.

The rear limbs were a little harder.  As there isn't a slot for them I used green stuff to build up a small lump around the middle leg.  Then pushed the smaller of the monstrous creature talons into the green stuff (I used the talons on the wrong side they appear to face backwards).  I then withdrew the talon and let it all dry.  A good tip with green stuff is giving it about 30 minute from when you first mix to when you start sculpting and using as much water as possible on your modeling tool.  then when set I glued the talon into the ocket and added a tiny amount more green stuff to smoth the join.

The underside was green stuff again applied thickly.  I kept it below the ribcage but actually when I do this again I might fill the whole lower half.  Pay especial attention where the tail meets the body as this is a good site to build up and add bulk.  Then I just pressed some cut up rippers into the stuff and added a small wodden bead as an egg.  When it had dried another thin layer created strands the rippers are fighting through and layers resembling sacs.

I knew I wanted the model to be imposing and a centre piece so I elected to use a large oval base.  There isn't an official miniature yet so this is probably fine but if unsure run it by the events team at your competition first.  A few cut up termagants and another ripper completed the base (as well as static grass, my new obsession).

I've explained my painting before in a previous post if interested.  Only other thing was to place on the base, I had a talon coming off to give it a sense of menace as it advances and cut some of the talons 1) to create a stronger join to the base and 2) so it appears to be sinking into the ground (I'd love to see this thing walk through mud).  When flocking the base its a good oportunity to add extra strength to the joins.  its a big model for just 3 or 4 points of contact so build up PVA or hobby tack around the limb to add a little extra strength.

Hope you enjoy and this has given you some ideas!

Tervigon and Nids

A few pics of new additions to my Nids collection.

A Tervigon assembled from a carnifex repositioned onto the larger MC scything talons and an additional set replacing the legs.  The underside has been built up with green stuff and bits to show the nascent Termagants.

Termagants also new additions (all my old ones have spine fists.

The carapace is done by stipling mecrite red then gore red then blood red.  stipple a small amount of black then back to blood red.  edges are built up by drybrushing deneb stone then washing with kommando khaki.  finally skull white to highlight.  on the termagants the skin is just black but on the fex its codex grey with succesive washes of black before highlighting fortress grey.

Termagants are painted to be fast with the carapace ardcoated to give it the shine.  Seen individually they aren't great but as a mass they blend together nicely whilst being slightly unique each due to the patterning of the shell.

Let me know what you think.

Good old gribblies

Quick but it shows

en-mass not too bad

Terrain - Industry

After completing the first stage of a fairly mammoth project (which I will get around to writing about one day) I decided to take a bit of a break and focus on something else for a while.  I really enjoy making terrain and with the cost of the hobby find it a cheap way to indulge my desire to model and paint that results in something useful that I can always put on the table.

A while back I made some industrial terrain and I generally feel that themed tables offer the greatest aid to an evocative game as it gives a visual context for the battle to take place in.  Modern way after all is rarely fought in a featureless landscape but instead around vital objectives, roads, manufacturing plants and power stations etc.  I recently attended the WH40k doubles tournament at Warhammer World, a great venue and somewhere that has often felt like the centre of the hobby to me.  I have in the past enjoyed wandering around the tables not looking at the armies but the tables themselves marvelling at the evocative landscapes and depth of creativity in capturing the look and feel of the 40k universe in pieces of scenery and whole battlescapes.

My recent trip was a bit of a disappointment in that as the terrain was perfectly serviceable but was ultimately bland and uniform.  This is often essential at a tournament but it doesn't serve to really create an atmosphere or a mood for the game to be played which to me is like having an action movie without the sound on.

As one piece of terrain is almost identical to another piece in the current rules (the only exceptions being how much space does it take up and does it block line of sight) it seems strange that there can't be a wider variety of pieces in a place with such available creativity and talent.

The terrain I built is from an old Bisto tube and several feet of pluming pipe with a few connectors and that’s pretty much it.  The grate of the drain is from hobby craft (the jewellery section) with notices and the slime modelled from green stuff.  The slime is just plain green stuff stretched and pushed into the pipe to give the appearance of flowing before being gloss varnished.  The green flock is to match the realm of battle I own but for a more 40k look could go for gravel burnt out and charred around the site.  I've covered rust in a previous post (way back in March) and had to check myself the best way to get the effect right.

A long low piece of terrain it’s useful as a piece that doesn't block line of sight.  An example of such an additional rule could be - any shot blocked by the terrain can attempt to penetrate against AV12.  If successful roll a dice 1-2 the terrain becomes dangerous as toxic chemicals pour out, lasts till end of game. 3-6 places the large blast template anywhere in the terrain, models at least partially covered must take a toughness test or suffer 1 wound (armour saves may be taken as normal) as clouds of noxious gas are released, no further effect.

These are made up on the spot and no doubt need some more work but what they do is cause the models to interact with the terrain.  When playing computer games we all know its a pretty bad idea to shelter behind a fuel drum, by doing this the game makes us assess the situation more carefully and interact with the battlefield a bit more.  Introduced into tabletop games this has the potential to slow the game (or discourage cover forcing units even deeped inside transports, and I'd have to appologise now to Tyranid players) but also the potential to make more vivid battlefields and encourage imagination in the scenery presented.

Kommander Starkhov

Its been a while since my last post and I'd love to say I've been busy in the inbetween.  Actually I have been busy and with a good amount of wargamming and regular work, I've been to Throne of Skulls (ToS) at Warhammer World and played on average a game a week here and there.  Mostly its been Warhammer 40k but my painting and modeling has strayed far and wide.

A major project I've worked on has been a scenary project (more on this another time) but smaller paintaing and miniature Mondays have been one offs for some other game systems I like the models for.  Firestorm Armada, Warmachine and Infinity are all in the works mainly with disperate models that have just caught my eye but will eventually lead to forces as I find people to play with.  This could well build into a open letter to Games Workshop and no doubt will in a future post but for now I'll stick to the paintaing side and Kommander Starkhov.

From Warmachine Khador a great model with a good pose.  As with 99% of the Privateer Press metals I've worked with the model does have some problems with flash and sculpt lines as well as the detail not quite looking crisp.  The overall quality though is not bad and the model itself scultped with a lot of character and dynamism.

Painting wise kept to a fairly simple pallet of greys and browns for the armour using faction colours as spot colours to hold the whole thing together.  One issue which is esspecially true with metals is chips.  I made the mistake of using an old pot of citadel  Matt varnish when done.  This has turned out to be a dirty lie as the model is now covered with a perpetual sheen.  Purity seal would have been better but not a strong so I'll be looking for another model protector.

Only other thoughs is that the models details lend themselves far better to watering paints down (especially if using citadel, it then becomes essential).  This has worked well on the coat and leather but lost slightly beneath the varnish.  applying directly can be seen on the metal of the gas mask, not great as it comes across splotchy.

On the whole great fun to paint and not too time consuming.  Great knowing that on top the war jack I've already done I've only one other model to paint before a first game with a fully painted force (more fuel for the open letter).

Looking forward to playing warmachine but also looking forward to trying a different style of minitaure as well.  Next up, Firestorm Armada.

Marines

To prove I have other forces my Crimson Fists took to the field against Orks tonight with a 2/1 loss on objectives.  Still like the force and think differences in how I used them could have made a difference, but fun to play as at least with lots of options and maneuverability.

HQ - Kantor
Troops - 2 x 10 man tac squads with razorbacks, melta and missile + sarge with power fist
Elites - sternguard squad in a razorback acting as Pedro's squad
6 man terminator assault squad with thunder hammers and storm shields (might swap a couple to lightning claws)
1 dread with assault and missile launcher
Fast - 10 man assault squad with power fist
2 x landspeeders with multimeltas and heavy flamers.

Fast force with no long range hitting power but lots up close.  Kantor turns even standard marines into a close combat choice by giving everyone within 12 an additional attack so assault terminators, sternguard and assault marines are pretty hard hitting with his motivational presence.  The land speeders run interference and snipe targets whilst the terminators advance on the largest threat and soak fire.  Seems to work OK though some weaknesses and gaps, still nice fast force that can deliver fire where its needed and assault when it isn't enough (even took a few Orks out in assault phase).

Biggest weakness?  'bunker' squads designed to soak wounds can really stall this army as aside from the hammers there isn't anything to reliably overcome feel no pain and multiple wounds but at least it has the speed to avoid these if needed.  And with a loss to the army's record how can anyone doubt their efficiency?