The Dragons' Demise

This is a post formalizing my abandonment of the Copper Dragons Space Marine chapter. I'm keeping the Dreadnought, the five man Shooty-nator squad with a Heavy Flamer, My Vulkan conversion, and the Black Reach Captain as mementos, but everything else is getting stripped and repainted in a new, somewhat generic color scheme (Black Primary, Gold Trim, and Purple Secondary). I may name the chapter, maybe not.

Last Game of 5th Ed. (Probably)

Out with the Old...

I played my last game of 5th Edition 40k Saturday, which happened to also be 

the last game at the Battle Barn. I'm sad to see it go, but I understand why it had to. Plus, now I don't have to feel disloyal for going to one of the many gaming stores that just opened up in the area. It was a fun game, with me playing Copper Dragons (Salamanders+Blood Angels) and my opponent (Eric) fielding a Wildrider Host (Eldar Jetbike Horde). I really didn't think I had a chance with that matchup, but I ended up not doing too badly, over all. I did realize, with the help of Jeff (the guy who owns the Barn), that I'm not very good at making tactical decisions on the fly... I'm pretty sure it is a flaw in my ability to prioritize targets appropriately.

Escape from Tarsis Ultra

*UPDATE* One of the other guys who participated in this game wrote a post on his blog including more pictures. Here's the link: http://thewildriderhost.blogspot.com/2012/06/super-mega-team-battle-go.html

*END UPDATE*

This was the board setup... disregard the inches marks... they're supposed to be feet.

So... I played one of the most awesome games of 40k I've ever played tonight. The mission was... unique, to say the least...

The game went like this:

Background:
Farseer Madiyas of the Saim Hann craftworld after casting the runes saw a swirling vortex that would cost thousands of Eldar lives if not quelled swiftly. At the heart of this maelstrom was a human dignitary from the planet the mon-keigh call Tarsis Ultra. The planet is currently acting as a staging point for several chapters of Space Marines a well as a regiment of Imperial Guard. Knowing that his craftworld lacked the military might necessary to face such an assemblage of forces he and his council of seers decided upon a desperate plan. They would lure a host of their dark kin from the webways and a splinter of hive fleet Leviathan to the planet. Tarsis Ultra would be utterly destroyed by such a force, but the concern of the Eldar is that the machinations of Chaos are stopped, no matter the cost.

Mission Summary:
With Hive Fleet Leviathan bearing down on Tarsis Ultra the forces of order must fight a desperate delaying action to ensure that the remaining planetary dignitaries are evacuated.
Points:
6000pts per side divided among all players on the team
for example if the FoO have 4 players then each player brings 1500 list following normal force org
Board Size 4' x 12'

Forces of Order deploy first anywhere on the table or in reserve
Forces of Disorder go first and can either be in reserve or come in on first turn like dawn of war

Objectives:

Forces of Order
Defend the evacuation craft 
Forces of Disorder
Destroy the evacuation craft before they are able depart the planet
Evacuation Craft

Starting on turn 2 roll a d6. On a 4 up the next evacuation craft arrives. Roll a d3 to determine the number of game turns the craft remains on the planet loading passengers
While landed the evacuation craft have 4+ cover saver from enemy shooting but count as stationary for assault purposes. The evacuation craft can fire their weapons normally during the FoO turn.
After the number of turns have elapsed the evacuation craft depart the battlefield at their max speed toward the defenders board edge.

Evacuation Craft  (Stormraven Gunships)

FA 12 SA 12 RA 12
Fast Skimmer
TL-Multi Melta - Nose
TL-Lascannon - Turret
Ceramite Plating
Power of the Machine Spirit

End of Game

Game ends when either the last craft is destroyed or is safely off the table.
Winning
The side that either defends/destroys the most evacuation craft wins.

Meet the twins!

I finally finished both the Paper Landspeeders... and I'm willing to bet most people won't be able to tell unless they picked it up. In any case here's some pictures after paint + random bits I couldn't reliably replicate in paper (the heavy flamers are from the Baal predator kit, and the Marine pilots are the gunners from Rhino kits. I also added the little exhaust fans from the underside of the Drop Pod for engines.)

Pics after the jump.

Paper Speeder Pt. 1

Well, I jumped into the kiddy pool of paper tanks by starting with a Space Marine Land Speeder model (I need two for my Copper Dragons list I want to bring to the 750 pt local tourny this month...) Logic dictates that smaller model = less work, or so I thought. The parts are much more fiddly that anything I've dealt with before, but the model is definitely coming together, and after I get the hang of what goes where the next one(s) should go quicker.

Here's some pictures of the progress so far...

Odd week.

Well, the gaming has been slow the last couple weeks, and it probably won't get any better until after Adepticon at least, maybe as much as next month (assuming everyone will probably want to have a break afterwards...) Shoutout to Eric who is one of many Battle Barn vets going to Adepticon this year. Good luck, and have fun.

All that aside, I've been looking into a Descent of Angels build for the Copper Dragons using the aforementioned wings as Jump Pack replacements. The two big questions I've been pondering are:
1.) What is the optimal squad size for DoA jumper units?
2.) What non-jumper units fit in well with the theme of the army, which complement and support the rest of the army?

Any other advice for Blood Angels in general and Descent of Angels lists specifically would be greatly appreciated.

Pics or it didn't happen!

This is just a random post of the pictures Eric took of my army during the Tournament last month. Which were shamlessly stolen from: http://thewildriderhost.blogspot.com/2012/03/tournament-pics.html

Strikeforce Flarebrass, reporting for duty!

So... here it is, in all its glory! My painting desk! Bah-bah-bah-bum!

I kid, this is the army I'm bringing to the tournament tomorrow (I literally just got done painting the Devastators 1/2 hour ago.)

The list is as follows:


190 Vulkan He'stan
100 Librarian, with Null Zone and Gate of Infinity
215 10 man Tactical Squad, Multimelta, Combimelta, Flamer, Rhino
215 10 man Tactical Squad, Multimelta, Combimelta, Flamer, Rhino
195 5 man Sternguard Squad, Heavy Flamer x2, Combimelta x3, Rhino
195 5 man Sternguard Squad, Heavy Flamer x2, Combimelta x3, Rhino
135 5 man Devastator Squad, Missile Launcher x3
135 5 man Devastator Squad, Missile Launcher x3
120 5 man Devastator Squad, Missile Launcher x2

Out of this whole list, only one Tactical squad was previously painted... so I painted & converted... ~1300 points of models in the last two weeks or so... not bad if I do say so myself. Also, Vulkan strikes an epic pose, smiles at the camera, and then goes on to utterly destroy anyone who opposes him! Bwahahahahaha!

Battle Barn 02-17-12

I went to the Barn last night, and decided to play with the Coppers a little bit. I started the Coppers as more of an exercise in painting (with the side benefit of dabbling in another codex) but I'm starting to appreciate the difference in play compared to my Space Wolves. I've made the unfortunate (and major) mistake throughout my early days playing Coppers: They don't play anything like the Space Wolves, but that didn't stop me from trying.

Anyway...

The Dragons United Pt. 1

This is the first group shot of my paint progress thus far.

Also, epic shot of my box-o-bits.

My ever expanding army, hopefully they'll get a whole bookcase to themselves one day...

Pay no attention to the Shadowsword lurking on the bottom shelf...

The reality of the situation is that I just want to show them off...

Vaya con Dios,
Timothy

Captain Avitus of the Drake Wing

I finally (re)started painting my Copper Dragons since the big move... I'm slowly working and already finished the Sargent of my Assault Squad (they have wings, freak out, I know... I don't rightly care, honestly. They look freaking cool.) I even made a fancy little hybrid flying stem+25mm base...

Now for some fluff:

Captain Avitus is the leader of the Copper Dragons 7th Company also known as the Drake Wing, which consists entirely of Assault Marines that bear the Copper Dragon's most outstanding mutation: fully functional dragon wings. Copper Dragons that bear this mutation have an instinctual ability to use the wings to great effect, especially in combat. Furthermore the wings are made of what superficially looks like copper though they are much more flexible, impossibly hard, and immune to intense heat.

As for the Captain himself, he distinguished himself early on in his service to the Emperor as both a fierce combatant and an outstanding tactician, even by Marine standards. He, unlike others of his rank, feels most comfortable leading the battle from the front, and will always lead a hand picked squad of Marines as a Sargent. His weapon of choice is a pair of Lightning Claws he made during his training.

Furthermore, I need a better camera...

Vaya Con Dios,
Timothy

Battle Barn 01-06-12

In Defense of Interria II

An unlikely coalition occurred tonight. The Blood Angels set aside their hatred for the Copper Dragons for a time in an attempt to defend a Blood Angels vassal world of Interria II. The battle was, unfortunately for the defenders, won before it had begun. Already besieged by the Tau, and numbers dwindling, the defenders of Interria were utterly crushed at the arrival of the Eldar. Seizing the opportunity of mutual advantage, they vastly overpowered the beleaguered defenders, wiping them out completely.

Why the Eldar joined the fray, only they will ever know, but forever more will the world of Interria be known as a gravesite for the Copper Dragons.

Angels and Dragons

Throughout the long history of the Blood Angels chapter, they have been the only known possessors of an artifact recovered during the Great Crusades, the Standard Template Construct for the Predator variant known as the "Baal" pattern. Because of the exclusivity of their ownership, the Blood Angels guard their tanks and even the smoldering wreckage of their tanks very fiercely, lest it fall into the hands of someone who could reverse engineer it.

Terminator Squad Prometheus

Captain Surtr

Einherjar the Firebrand

Tiamat, the Predator Annihilator

A Dragon is Born

Today I started working on painting models for my Copper Dragons. A while back I bought a Predator Annihilator (Tri-Lascannon pattern) from the Mercenary Market (a bi-monthly flea market for warhammer models at my FLGS.) So I've decided to make it the first Copper Dragon vehicle I shall paint, well, there was that Dreadnought, but I don't consider them very vehicle-y. Also, I have a 5 man scout squad (4 Bolt Guns, 1 Heavy Bolter) that I got in the Space Wolf Battle Force that I decided to reallocate to the Dragons, mostly because I was given the upper torso bits for a sniper scout that I modeled to look like he was hiding in a bush, which I then wanted to see if the Dragons color scheme would look good on it and I was particularly impressed. I also jacked the Black Reach tactical squad and Captain that I had formerly painted in my Space Wolf colors, and I am planning to repaint them to be Coppers. I'll also be digging through my bitzbox to see what else I can slap together. I think I may be able to get a melta gunner and a multi-melta trooper if I do it right. I also have some random metal terminators lying around, I just need to make enough with a legal weapon loadout for a squad and I'm set.

Vaya con Dios,

Timothy

A Little Backstory

Well, local time claims to be 2:22 a.m. and I'm still very much awake. So I figured I'd write up some fluffy fluff for my Copper Dragons. From the outset I'm going to make it clear that even though this is a Salamanders Successor Chapter, I will more than likely go the "Counts As" route, and base the army around the current Blood Angels Codex, what with their varieties of capability of flamy destruction. Pretty straightforward, right?