Termies: Then and Now

Inspired by some reddit posts earlier this month, I decided to create a few collages of the terminators just to see my progress in the past year or so.  It was quite surprising actually to see how much I have improved.  It's funny too, because at the time I did the first set I thought I was doing a great job, and I'm still proud of them, but really they don't look so great next to the new ones.

But its great to see how the vast majority of 40k hobbyists on reddit encourage each other and help everyone improve, because a painted army is way more fun to play against than an unpainted one.

I also can tell I got a bit better at taking and editing the pictures with the phone.  It does seem the latest ones are a bit washed out though.

Sigmatus is Saved!

Kill Team Battle Report
Mission: Extraction

Ultramarines: Kill Team Rubrum
Librarian Isaac Theodesius - (Psyker Specialism) (VIP) - Stoic
Brother Sgt Tourbillion - (Leader Specialism) - Phlegmatic
Brother Veridian, Assault Cannon - (Heavy Specialism) - Stolid
Brother "Blaze" Ezekiel, Heavy Flamer - (Demolitions Specialism) - Choleric
Brother "Clown" Curry - (Comms Specialism) - Jovial
Brother "Billy" Williams - Equanimous

Death Guard Kill Team: The Corrosive Regiment
Plague Champion - Grossicus Bloatoci - Plasma Pistol (Leader)
Plague Marine Gunner - Crustus the Foul - Blight Launcher (Demolitions)
Plague Marine Gunner - Torgut Stenchspreader - Bolter
Plague Marine Fighter - Dr. Spew - Flail of Corruption
Plague Marine Fighter - Dorium Pusscleaver - Great Plague Cleaver
Poxwalker - Hatchet
Poxwalker - Fetliox
Poxwalker - Billy Poxpicker

Play-by-Play

Battle Round 1:
Theodesius's Tactical Planner roll only yielded +1 CP
Death Guard's Grandfather's Blessing is successful and buffs Crustus the Foul
Death Guard took +6 CP for points difference

Death Guard win initiative

Movement Phase:
Death Guard moving in.  Librarian Theodesius advanced (via tactic) down ladder and got into LOS blocking cover while Clown and Veridian got into position to support and lay down suppressing fire.  Sgt. Tourbillion and Blaze went up from the right and Billy up from the left to cover the advancing enemies from across the catwalk.

Psyker Phase:
Failed to manifest Null Zone
Manifested Veil of Time on Billy

Shoot Phase:
Crustus the Foul scored regular wound on Veridian
Sgt. Tourbillion scored one flesh wound on lead poxwalker "Hatchet"

Morale Phase:
Death Guard passed all nerve tests

--
Battle Round 2:

Ultramarines win initiative

Movement Phase:
2 Plague Marine Fighters running in from the left, 2  Plauge Marine Gunners into cover on the right.  1 poxwalker "Hatchet" charged while 2 more and leader got almost across the catwalk.  Theodesius advanced back up the ladder behind Sgt Tourbillion as Blaze moved forward to cleanse the platform.  Clown readied and Veridian tucked in closer to stay in cover.

Psyker Phase:
Null Zone failed again
Psybolt smites poxwalker Fetliox!

Shoot Phase:
Blaze flames Billy Poxpicker and wounds him
Tourbillion finishes off Billy Poxpicker with withering Stormbolter fire
Grossicus Bloatoci  scores a flesh wound on Tourbillion via overcharged plasma
Veridian fills Torgut Stenchspreader with thousands of rounds from his righteous Assault Cannon (insta out of action)
Crustus the Foul's blight launcher blows up Blaze! (No doubt the Grandfather's blessing helped)

Morale Phase:
Ultramarines pass nerve tests (come on they're Ultramarines)

---
Battle Round 3:

Ultramarines win initiative

Movement Phase:
Clown kills Dr. Spew via lucky overwatch Stormbolter to the face!

Tourbillion charges Grossicus
Veridian moves up ladder

Psyker Phase:
Null Zone - failed
Psybolted poxwalker to smite him!

Fight phase:
Tourbillion scores a flesh wound on the leader
Tourbillion's terminator armor saves a punishing attack

---
Battle Round 4:

Death Guard win Initiative

Movement:
Dorium charges Clown from behind a wall (we decide he doesn't get a reaction because he couldn't see him)
Theodesius moves down catwalk to the left, Billy moves to cover the ladder, Veridian moves to look down on the right side of the platform to shoot at Blight Launcher.

Psyker Phase:
Psybolt resisted by leader
Veil of Time is manifested on Tourbillion

Shoot phase:
Veridian misses the buffed Crustus the Foul but takes a flesh wound in return

Fight phase:
Clown dodges a big axe (twice, after a 1 and another 1 on re-roll!)

Tourbillion and Grossicus dance around

Variable Battle length ends on roll of 2!

Ulramarines win as Theodesius manifests a giant Null Zone to abate the warpstorms!

MVP of the match: Crustus the Foul!

---

Analysis:
Jack's list was quite a few points less than mine which he elected to take 6 CPs for.  Also, having the free VIP commander helped out a lot - while the VIP starts injured in the mission, it didn't affect his psyker powers.  Even though Terminators get a bad rap for being over-costed nowadays, it seems they still edged out a bit vs Jack's non-elite troops.  Wining initiative for battle-rounds 2 and 3 gave me another edge, and just in general I got some lucky rolls during those rounds that allowed me to get a numbers advantage.  If the rolls had gone the other way I could have been overwhelmed just enough where he could have snared Theodesius into melee and gotten him.  Finally, we weren't sure about charge rules up ladders (turns out you can) so we decided that it would be weird and disallowed it.  This allowed me to play a few shenanigans running away up and down the ladder that probably helped.  Still, if we had gotten that right, I still had good odds with the ability to retreat from a charge.  Next time we'll get it right.

Before the match I listed out all of the tactics available to me from the 3 rule books (approximately 20) which helped a lot.  I had focused on the re-roll, the mission VIP advance/charge, and the Look Out Sir! but turned out I was lucky enough to only need to re-roll.  I also think I'm getting a bit faster, Kill Team is definitely a good way to build up familiarity with the weapons and roll details before going back to a larger 40k game.

++++Transmission: Adeptus Astartes Ultra++++

WARP THREAT ALLEVIATED IN SIGMATUS

Date: 6554019.M42

Location: Agro World Horrdeum

Sub Sector: Sigmatus

ATT: Primus Leo Exevio Faustus

I am pleased to inform you commander that I have successfully manifested a class 3 Null Zone in the vicinity of the foci of the empyrean disturbance in the Sigmatus sector.  This has had the effect of reducing the turbulence and has closed the local dimensional tear. 

Kill Team Rubrum came to my aid and performed admirably while I was in a weakened state from the long-distance teleportation.  Brother Ezekiel was injured with severe burns but should make a recovery. 

The guard regiment will clean up the remains and the Ordo Malleus and Ordo Hereticus have arrived to evaluate the local populations and investigate.  We will be leaving within the hour. 

I will discuss my further findings with you upon my arrival.

Regards,

Isaac Theodeius

REF: 88Z/04593-79857-865GF3939012

THOUGHT: The most deviant mind is often concealed in an unblemished body.  BBB 5th 112

 ++++Transmission End++++

Terminator Librarian Complete! Isaac Theodesius

Presenting Epistolary Prior Isaac Theodesius!

Only took twenty-five years.  The 1991 Citadel catalog lists him as "Librarian RTB/6".  My skills are finally worthy to give him a decent coat of paint.  Been really looking forward to finishing him -psyker powers, especially from Rogue Trader, were always really cool.

I paint in the old style, and also I wanted to have a combination of dramatic lighting effects and effects that made his armor look very ancient.  Thus, especially around the feet I didn't fill in all of the shades of color to leave things looking shadowy and also covered with sooty grime in the corners of the armor.  If you've ever visited old churches in Europe where they don't dust, I was going for the same thing.  The gothic style and veneration of battle artifacts would probably mean they also don't clean anything they don't have to.

As I had posted with an earlier preview while WIP, I took a heraldic quartering pattern that worked great.  I layered on the whites starting from a dark gray and slowly built up.  And like wise with the blue.

Layering on the gold and other bits was a lot of fun now that I've had a lot of experience from the prior tactical marines and lieutenant.

Termie Librarian

Filling in more HQ I have my terminator librarian - again Rogue Trader-ish era and purchased originally by me in probably early 90s.

I am going with a heraldic paint job with quartering alternating between white and blue.  I think it will look great when done, especially with all of the extra bits in terminator armor.  Furthermore, this is a throwback to a librarian in standard power armor that I purchased painted a long time ago to serve as a guide.  I'll post a picture of that later when I finish this one.