Killzone update for Christmas: Simply Glorious!

Galaxy in Flames and A Gentleman's Ones proudly present Our Christmas present to the 40k community. We have worked long and hard on this update, incorporating changes from the playtest feedback that has been received.

A big shout out to Jabberjabber from the Warpstone Flux blog for the proofreading, thanks a million Bro! Thanks again to all the guys on the rules council that allowed Killzone to get on its feet.

So follow the links below to download the updated version of Killzone.

Killzone Rules

Killzone Errata

Killzone Missions

Don't forget to stop by at Adepticon 2011 and say hello if you are not already participating in the sold out Killzone Events!

Cheers from B.smoove and myself we hope you enjoy this new and updated version of Killzone!

Have a Glorious holiday,
Big Jim

I've relit the fires over on the Well of Souls, Soul Reapers background blog

Since I am in the final phases of the Soul Reapers Fandex I need to finish fleshing out the background. I started posting on the Soul Reapers fluff blog: Ehdan the Well of Souls today, outlining a few ideas to integrate the loss of my army/miniatures into the background of the Warband.

I am hoping that some of you will jump on over and give me your thoughts on the ideas I have listed. If you have another direction to take the story that is cool too, by all means share it there.

Check out the post.

Thanks in advance!

Jim

Friday, friday, friday! Killzone updates coming!

The long awaited Killzone rules updates will be up on Friday. It will be a Christmas treat presented by Galaxy in Flames and A Gentleman's Ones!

Sorry these have been delayed there have been a lot of behind the scenes problems, real life has a way of getting in the way of our little hobby!

B.smoove has done a bang up job on the new PDF's they are looking fantastic.

In this update we finally release the Secondary mission and Fate cards. We have also revamped the skills chart to bring back a bit more balance to the choices. The new Dark Eldar errata is included as well as the final 6 missions, bringing the total up to 18 Killzone missions to choose from.

So make sure to check back Friday Evening for your does of Killzone Goodness!

Hobby Gamers part 2: Event ideas

Following up on my previous post I will try to layout a few examples and ideas for running really cool hobby events. The main goal here is cinematic theme and making these games fit into a story line of some sort.

As I mentioned before the guys at the Astronomi-con do a great job running events like these. Another great resource for themed events is the campaign weekends that the guys from Tempus Fugitives run at Warhammer World in the UK.

There are some great download-able resources on the Tempus Fugitives website. They have run campaign events set in the Age of the Emperor/Horus Heresy, this next year they are doing a Badab War event called into the Maelstrom. They also have many fan made codecies covering things like the Ad Mech and Dark Mechanicus forces.

Both of these groups run very successful events that the participants rave about. This to me just shows the success of the event model that they have chosen.

Now for the basic ideas that I think would make for a great Hobby Event.

First up is a strong narrative; a great story setting the stage for why the combatants are involved in the fight. I think this is one of the most important aspects for a hobby event, a well thought out story will lead to a much more cinematic event.

Second choosing the right platform for the event. You'll need to decide if you are running a single day campaign styled event, a campaign weekend, themed missions determined by the tables or a combination of these choices.

Thirdly you should determine how teams will be chosen and if there will be bonuses given for teams winning each round.

Those are my basic ideas for what should go into the initial planning for a Hobby Event.

Next time I will go in-depth into each of the categories outlining the different routes you can go with each. Including the benefits and possible down sides that may be involved.

GiF news and updates

Sorry I have not been around much lately I have been battling some illness and family issues. I am starting to feel better, but it may be a little while until things get completely back to normal.

Killzone

I promise the Update is coming we had to scramble around and find a new way of editing the documents as our editor is down and out with real life issues for the moment. It will include the Dark Eldar Errata for the new codex.

B.Smoove and I have complied all the data and he is making new documents as I post this. The update will be upon us very soon, so please bare with us.

Soul Reapers army rebuild

I have received all but three lots of the replacement miniatures and the rebuild is underway. I am about halfway done with the first Legionary Squad and have started the first Cataphract Squad. Progress is just starting back up as I am feeling better.

I should be able to post a picture update on Wednesday.

Thanks for your time.
Jim

Hobby Gamers need to stand up and be counted: part one

More and more lately around the Interwebz I keep reading about how the tourney scene needs to start catering to the really competitive gamers. (which is not a slam or a bad thing) They lament about how the current way most tournaments are run is not truly competitive. They call most of the tournaments out there “hobby” tournaments, because they don’t view them as being truly competitive. I get what they are saying; I really do, because I used to be heavily into the tourney scene.

With that said, where the heck are the events meant to cater to the majority of 40k gamers? You know the ones the tourney guys label as ‘Casual’ gamers. (I hate that label by the way) I prefer the term Hobby gamer, you know the type of guys who focus on every aspect of the hobby, including the creative guys who think outside of the box.

A lot if these guys care more about the background of the game and representing that in game, over building a finely tuned list focused on winning.

These types of events would focus on creating a fun flavorful atmosphere to spend a day or two playing games in.

A shining example of a hobby event is the Astronomi-con conventions. This group of Canadian tournament organizers that create special scenarios for each table, allow a lot of out of date armies like the Kroot Mercenaries list and allow pre-submitted approved VDR for custom vehicles. Which is a great start, but I think that we need to organize more events with a similar mindset and format as these.

I have some ideas, for an event I’d like to put together next year, but I will cover that in part two

Deepstrike Radio inbound!

I have found another great new Podcast for y'all to check out!

Deepstrike Radio approaches most topics from a fluff first aspect, which I find incredibly interesting and refreshing!

The interaction on the show is fantastic with the hosts hailing from Australia and the US. It makes for some wonderful banter between the guys!

So check them out at Deepstrike Radio and let them know what you think of the show!

They also have their own forums called the Custodes, it's free for now so check that out too!

Oh and before I forget, Long live the Squats! :-P

Soul Reapers Fandex Design notes part 1

I figure since I just posted the final playtest PDF I should give a little insight into the ideas behind the choices I made along the way.

This project was entered from a how to make Chaos Marines feel unique from a background perspective; while keeping them realistically playable on the tabletop.

I am not a fan of the Cult troops are the only way to make a viable army aspect of the current Chaos Space Marine Codex. In fact it bores me to tears.

With every new Marine codex that is released the Chaos Marine codex feels more and more out of date. From the current design standpoint the units are overpriced and stagnant. The worst hit units in the codex are the non-Cult ones.

This was always meant to be a supplement to the C:CSM, but it has gone from a simple mini-dex just used to enhance and supplement a few things in the Codex Chaos Marines; it is now a complex full blown fandex drawing very little from the Codex Chaos Marines. It will always have to draw some things from the C:CSM as I do not want GW IP violations to kill the project.

Through the project I have rewritten all of the non-Cult squad entries, in an attempt to:

A) Bring them more inline with the 5th ed design style

B) Create unique units befitting their status as veterans of thousands of years of endless conflict.

I fully understand that most of the community will not agree with some or all of the choices I have made, and I am fine with that. After all I don’t see the need to have a hard core tournament scene for playing with toy soldiers, since I play for recreation, and I am sure the competitive crowd don’t mind that I don’t care for tourneys. To each his own I say.

The first change I would like to look at is the Fear is for the Weak special rule for the Soul Reapers.

I knew that the basic Chaos marine types needed a special rule to really have value at their points costs. The last thing I wanted to do was falling into the oft touted give 'em Fearless you hear all over the interwebz. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am not a huge fan of fearless. Funny thing is as much as I tried to avoid it, I kinda ended up creating a poor version of it with out the perks, then in the end abandoned it completely.

This is the 4th and final version of the rule; it has been shoved through the meat grinder during playtesting. The initial version was really close the SM ATSKNF, but I quickly got outta that trap. The second version oddly enough is essentially the same as the final version, but it was removed at the time because I was still using the icon of Chaos Glory out of the C:CSM, and re-rolls on Stubborn is just overpowered.

Then I came up with the complicated version which was a slight combination of Fearless and Stubborn. This version of Fear is for the Weak lasted for 9 months, but was extremely brutal on the army due to the no retreat wounds. It also failed once I replaced the Icon of Chaos Glory. So not only were the Reapers taking extra wounds they were routing on top of it.

So after a lot of thought I brought back the Stubborn version of the rule and it has been smooth sailing ever since. I also kept the ability to always be able to regroup right down to the last Marine, since a single Marine is a viable threat from a background perspective.

Next time I will go into some of the unit changes that I made and explain some of why I did what I did.

Upward and onward.
Jim

Soul Reapers Chaos Marine supplement Fandex is released: final Playtest version

I got my Secret Weapon Miniatures bases in, they are looking Slick!

The long awaited final update to the Playtest PDF is here. Over the past 19 months this project has grown into a living beast. Going from a simple mini-dex just used to enhance and supplement a few things in the Codex Chaos Marines; it is now a complex full blown fandex drawing very little from the Codex Chaos Marines.

I really do value and appreciate all the feedback and support that the readership of Galaxy in Flames have provided along the way.

As I've stated many times this is a playtest version of the Fandex. This means that it is not the finished product. (Please keep this in mind!)

In order to finalize the project, I need the help of the 40k community.

I would ask for any of you willing to take the Soul Reapers Fandex for a spin on the tabletop and playtest it yourself taking notes on improvements, comments and constructive criticism. So I can use the feedback to create the final release and put the project to rest. This is by far the most important version of the Fandex yet as I am entering the final shakedown of the Soul Reapers.

The creative side of things are done for the rules; any changes that come along now will be tweaks made from your playtesting feedback. So I am for the most part moving into the fleshing out the background phase for the Soul Reapers.

You may send your feedback to me directly at galaxynflamesblog(at)gmail(.com) or put them in the comments section of this post.

Soul Reapers Fandex Download

updated the PDF 11PM PST 11/17/10

Warp Wraith: final Soul Reapers unit entry

This is a tank that the Soul Reapers used in my gaming groups Sarmation Sector campaign a few years back. I've been corresponding with my buddy Sean who has been recovering from a close call with an RPG in Afghanistan; he suggested to add this into the min-dex as it was a fun option during the campaign.

The Warp Wraith tank is built on the refitted chassis of the seventeenths old Whirlwinds. While they are still viable saturation weapons their actual use is to create confusion and panic in the ranks of the enemy.

The Warheads contain a powerful Hallucinogen that causes the most horrific visions imaginable; pulled straight from the nightmares of its target.

Warp Wraith 105 Points

BS-4 FA-11 SA-11 RA-10

Unit Composition:
• 1 Warp Wraith

Unit Type:
• Vehicle (Tank)

Wargear:
• Wraith Launchers
• Smoke launchers
• Searchlight
Options
• May take any of the following:
• Dozer blade…………………….5pts
• Extra armor…………………15pts
• Daemonic possession…..…20pts
• Dirge caster……………….……5pts

• May take one of the following:
• Pintle heavy bolter……...........10pts
• Pintle twin linked bolter………..5pts

Wraith Launcher: The dual mounted Launchers mounted on the Warp Wraith fire a fusillade of explosive cluster missiles that contain toxins that will drive their targets temporarily insane with fear.

Range: 12-48 Strength: 5 AP: 5 Type: Barrage 4, Small Blast, No Pinning, Ignores cover, Hallucinogen

Due to the latent effects if the Hallucinogens any unit hit by the Wraith Launchers will become subject to the night fighting rules on its next turn, so will only be able to spot and fire at targets 2D6x3 inches away. In addition they must pass a leadership test at -2 or roll on the following chart:

Wraith Launcher Hallucinogen Chart

1 Over There: the unit must immediately fall back.
2-3 Dazed and Confused: the unit may make no actions in their next turn.
4-5 It’s Inside of Me: D3 models must make armor saves or be removed as casualties.
6 Get ‘Em: the unit must shoot at the nearest friendly unit in their next shooting phase.

Editorial: 40k rewrite part I: what would you like to see

To celebrate my 300th post here on GiF, I thought I would tackle something controversial and unique.

Since I am constantly presenting my gaming out side the box rules I figured what better topic than addressing a complete rewrite of Warhammer 40k. This will be the first post in a series on what I would do to change the landscape of the game.

A really good friend of mine keeps telling me that he thinks "the future of 40k should be in the hands of the fans." I do think he is right in many ways.

Before anyone sweeps in and bashes me for the idea of questioning the designers who are paid to write the rules, let me just tell you to step off. Just because someone is paid to do something does not mean that they should or are any good at it.

I'll be the first to admit that I am an amateur games designer doing this stuff in my free time. I have become quite good at this sort of thing with more than 25 years of experience creating rules.

With all that out of the way.

What would you do if you were the lead designer on sixth edition 40k and were allowed a blank page to create the game system?

Would you keep the "I go, you go" game turn mechanics?

What changes would you make to the movement phase?

What changes would you make to the shooting phase?

What changes would you make to the Assault phase?

What changes would you make to Vehicles?

What changes would you make to the Missions?

What changes would you make to the points system? Would you bring back a quantifiable system for costing models and units; or would you keep the arbitrary this feels right system of the current codices?

I look forward to your thoughts on this topic.

Rules from the Man-cave: Rending Bolters

I have not done a Rules from the Man-cave post in a good while because I have been so busy with Killzone. I tried this gem of a rule out last night and it was great fun! First a little background into why I tried it.

Neil from the 11th Company podcast on one of the episodes had joked that Bolter Marines would be worth taking if their weapons were Rending.

This kinda made sense to me as according to fluff Bolters are firing mini missiles that explode upon impact/penetration. I know fluff and the actual game rarely survive contact, but in this case I say "why the heck not?"

We gave all Bolters, Bolt Pistols and Heavy Bolters Rending. We wanted to make sure this change was not overpowered or game breaking, so we decided to only allow the bolters to rend against non-vehicle soft targets.

My buddy Greg and I both fielded Marine armies, it was Imperial Fists verses Chaos Soul Reapers. We used these armies to see the maximum effect of the rending Bolters.

The game was glorious fun, with Marines hugging cover to avoid rending death. It added a new tactical element to the game, which in my opinion is a good thing! It also made combat squads very dangerous to utilize, as it did not take much to make them combat ineffective.

Over the course of six turns there were a combined total of 34 rending wounds from bolters. 20 of them were mine, it was glorious!

It really made standard marines shine more than usual, and made for a really dynamic marine on marine game!

You should definitely try it out if you get the opportunity.

Disclaimer: I don't usually post house rules that I have not extensively used/playtested, but these were so darned fun I wanted to share them now rather than later. This way I can make an update and give more thoughts after a few more games.

It had also been suggested that Eldar Shuriken weapons should probably have these special rending rules. I am not opposed to this, but it needs some table time.

Soul Reapers Revival: the plan

I decided that since I am starting from scratch I need to plan out how I am going to build and paint the new army.

First off thank you to everyone that has sent their donated models I have received about a third of the miniatures so far. Just in as I am typing this, thanks to Dave Taylor for the donation of two Rhinos, I appreciate the included note too!

So back to the Plan. I figure it is best to have a general idea for a list when doing this. So here is the first 2000 points of the new army.

HQ (220pts)
Xusia 220

Elites (265pts)
5 Cataphract Terminators Squad 265
2 combi-melta’s, Reaper AC, Warp Ammo, chainfist
Centurion with Icon of Perpetual War

Troops (927pts)
8 Soul Reaper Legionary Squad 248pts
2 melta guns, 1 power weapon, Icon of Perpetual War
Centurion with power fist
Rhino dozer blade

8 Soul Reaper Legionary Squad 248pts
2 plasma guns, 1 power weapon, Icon of Perpetual War
Centurion with power weapon
Rhino dozer blade

8 Reaver Marines 281pts
1 melta gun, 1 heavy flamer, 1 power weapon, Icon of Perpetual War
Centurion with power fist
Testudo Rhino

6 Gore Daemons 150pts

Fast Attack (286pts)
6 Soul Reaper Bikers 286pts
2 melta guns, power weapon, Icon of Perpetual War, Infernal Assault Bike
Centurion with power fist

Heavy Support (300pts)
2 Obliterators 150pts

2 Obliterators 150pts

I am currently working on the Cataphract Terminator and the Melta Legionary squads.

I also have started converting the FW Lord Zhufor into Warlord Krüg the Beheader. I have done the greenstuff work on the lower body and will be working on the torso and arms tonight. The only gaming bugbear with Krüg is that he is really only field-able at 2500+ points due to the his cost combined with the obligatory Usurper Bodyguard. That is until I amass enough Terminators to do a Reaper-Wing!

Upward and onward!

Spreading the word: Lords of Night blog

Quietviper's nifty looking Bike squad

I don't do this very often, but every once in a while a new blog comes along that I feel compelled to spread the word about. If you have not seen Quietviper's Lords of Night blog, I ask you to check it out this new blog!

He's got a fantastic looking Night Lords army! The psiting is very well executed and is really slick. He's a self proclaimed "Beer and Pretzels" gamer, so you are not going to get that ultra maximized list talk there. I can totally understand where he is coming from!

So again please go check out Lords of Night.

Soul Reapers Cataphract Terminators entry: Mini-dex replacement unit entry

Here is my take on Chaos Terminators. This entry is done in the same spirit as what I did with the Praetorian and Vulture unit entries.

I have put a lot effort in to make these viscous warriors stand out as a unique unit worthy of their Elite status. Cataphract Terminators are the hammer of the Soul Reapers.

Cataphract Terminator Squad………………109 points

Same stats as the Chaos Terminator entry in the Chaos Space Marine codex.

Composition:
• 2 Cataphract Terminators
• 1 Centurion

Unit Type:
• Infantry

Wargear:
• Terminator Armor
• Twin-linked Bolter
• Power Weapon

Special Rules:
• Fear is for the Weak
• No Matter the Odds
• Counter Attack

Dedicated Transport:
• If the squad numbers 5 or less models they may select a Land Raider as a dedicated transport.

Options:
• May include up to 7 additional Cataphract Terminators: +33 points per model.
• One model may take an Icon:
• Personal Icon………………….5pts
• Icon of Perpetual War……….15pts
• Any model may replace their twin-linked bolter with the following:
• Combi-weapon…………..5pts
• Any model may replace their power weapon with one of the following:
• Single lightning claw……..5pts
• Power Fist……………….10pts
• Chainfist………………….15pts
• Any model may replace their twin-linked bolter and power weapon for a pair of Lightning Claws for 10pts per model.
• The squad may upgrade their bolt weapons to use Warp Infused Ammunition for 10 points per model. (If this option is chosen then all models with twin-linked bolters and combi-weapons must purchase the upgrade.)
• One may replace their twin-linked bolter with one of the following: (If there are 8 or more models in the squad they may take a second weapon from the list.)
• Heavy Flamer………….....5pts
• Reaper Autocannon…….20pts
• The Centurion may replace his power weapon with the following:
• Chaos Rune Weapon…………...5pts


No Matter the Odds: Cataphracts automatically pass all tests to regroup. Usually squads that regroup cannot move and count as moving, but these restrictions do not apply to units with this rule. If a sweeping advance catches any Cataphract unit they are not destroyed and will continue to fight as normal. If this happens the unit is subject to the No Retreat rule.

Warp infused Ammunition: These bolter rounds have been charged with pure warp energies, which make them dangerous to use, but their ability to penetrate armor outweighs any risk. These rounds are only effective within Rapid Fire range, any shots over 12 inches use their normal AP value. The AP value of the bolt weapons is 2 instead of the normal 5; in addition any 6’s scored on the “to wound” roll will negate any Invulnerable saves that the target may have. All shooting from a weapon with this ammo is subject to the "Gets Hot" except these rounds are extremely volatile and suffer damage on a roll of a 1 or a 2.

First painted mini for the Soul Reapers Revival: Cataphract Terminator

Here is the inaugural miniature for the new army. He is 90 percent finished, I noticed during the photo editing that I forgot to paint the bolts on the Bolter casing and the bolts on the back of the torso. I also need to freehand the crossed scythes on his right pauldron.

Overall I am pleased with the miniature. I have decided to go with green lightning on all the power weapons in the new army, it just fits the color scheme better. As you can see I tested it out on the power blade attachment on the TL-bolter.

I cannot wait until I get him on a Secret Weapons Minis resin base. That is gonna look Schweet!






In the morning I will be posting the unit entry for the Cataphract Terminators.

Galaxy in Flames news and updates

More Soul Reapers reserves have arrived.

Drop pod from Kiyle in Georgia.
Rhino, 2 Chaos Bikes, and a Chaos Marine squad from Jason in South Carolina, I think this is Papa JJ.

Thanks again guys!

B.smoove and I are working hard on the November Killzone update. It'll contain lots of little updates and clarifications.

The Soul Reapers Mini-dex update is also plugging along at a good clip. This week I will be posting the final replacement unit entry for the project; the Cataphract Terminators.

The podcast tour continues; Last week I was on Episode 40 of the 11th company and this week I am on episode 19 of the Gamers Lounge. Both interviews give a short update on Killzone and the Soul Reapers Revival.

Soul Reapers Vulture Assault Squad: mini-dex Raptor replacement

Hunting Vulture for the new army.

Here is my take on Chaos Raptors; I have thought long and hard about ways of making assault marines a better choice in general.

Done in the same spirit as what I did with the Praetorian unit entry, I have done the same thing with the Vultures creating a unique unit entry.

In my opinion all jump pack equipped units should come with the Hit and Run USR standard. These units are not meant for protracted combats, they should be making lightning strikes hitting hard, then move along to their next target.

For added character I created the Hunting Vulture rule allowing these assault troops an extra dimension to their tabletop use.

Vulture Assault Squad………………125 Points

Stat line is the same as the Raptor entry in the Codex Chaos Space Marine.

Composition:
• 4 Vultures
• 1 Centurion

Unit Type:
• Jump Infantry

Wargear:
• Power Armor
• Jump Pack
• Bolt Pistol
• Close Combat Weapon
• Frag and Krak grenades

Special Rules:
• Fear is for the Weak
• Hit and Run

Options:
May include up to five additional Vultures: +22 points per model.

One model may take an Icon:
Personal Icon………………….5pts
Icon of Perpetual War……….15pts

Up to 2 models may take one of the following:
flamer………………………….5pts
melta gun…………………….10pts

Up to 2 models may replace their close combat weapon with one of the following:
power weapon…………………15pts
power fist………………………25pts

One model may replace their bolt pistol and close combat weapon with the following:
lightning claws…………………25pts

Any model may replace his bolt pistol with the following:
plasma pistol...………………….10pts

The Centurion may replace his bolt pistol with the following:
hand flamer………………………6pts
plasma pistol……………………10pts

The Centurion may replace his bolt pistol and close combat weapon with the following:
pair of lightning claws………….25pts

The Centurion may replace his close combat weapon with one of the following:
power weapon…………………15pts
power fist……………………….25pts

The entire Squad may take melta bombs for 30pts

Upgrade to Hunting Vultures for 20 points.

Hunting Vultures: Some Vulture squads are used to rapidly redeploy across the battlefield. They do this by attaching glide wings to their jump packs, some are even gifted by Chaos with living wings; either way these wings serve the same purpose for Hunting Raptors. Getting them where they need to be, hitting the enemy where they are weakest.

Once per game a squad of Hunting Vultures may be moved anywhere on the battlefield. When making this redeployment move the squad follows the rules for deepstriking found in the 40k rulebook.

Soul Reapers Praetorian Squad: mini-dex Chosen sqd replacement entry

I decided since I am reevaluating the mini-dex entries, I might as well take another look at the units that are used out of the Chaos Space Marine codex.

I then compared the Chosen entry to the other Space Marine elite squads. Units like Sternguard Vets, Vanguard Vets, Sang Guard and Wolf Guard. I really think comparatively speaking the Chosen are total chumps. All they really get is the option to take 5 specialized weapons and Infiltrate. Whoopadidoo! Not really impressive compared to the flair of the other Marine elite.

So after looking at the current 5th ed Marine elite squads, this is what I came up with as a first draft. It is a melding of many of the cool concepts from the other books, with little Reaper spin added. I wanted them to be a completely mutable elite unit, with options to fill a shooting or assault role.

Soul Reapers Praetorian Squad.....105pts

Stats are the same as the current Chosen with +1 attack added.

Composition:
• 4 Soul Reaper Praetorians
• 1 Centurion

Unit Type:
• Infantry

Wargear:
• Power Armor
• Bolter
• Bolt Pistol
• Close Combat Weapon
• Frag and Krak grenades

Special Rules:
• Fear is for the Weak
• No Matter the Odds
• Veterans of Ten Millennia of War

Dedicated Transport:
• May select a Chaos Rhino, Testudo Rhino or Chaos Drop Pod if using the Planetary Assault special rule. In addition one Praetorian squad in the army may take a Land Raider as a dedicated transport.

Options:
May include up to five additional Soul Reaper Praetorians: +19 points per model.

One model may take an Icon:
Personal Icon………………….5pts
Icon of Perpetual War……….15pts

Up to 3 models may replace their bolter with one of the following:
flamer………………………….5pts
melta gun…………………….10pts
plasma gun………………….15pts

Up to 3 models may replace their close combat weapon with one of the following:
power weapon…………………10pts
power Fist………………………20pts

Any model may replace his bolter and/or Bolt Pistol with one of the following:
twin-linked bolter………………...5pts
combi-weapon………………….10pts
plasma pistol...………………….10pts

The Centurion may replace his bolter and/or bolt pistol with the following:
twin linked bolter………………..5pts
combi-weapon………………….10pts
hand flamer………………………6pts
plasma pistol……………………10pts

The Centurion may replace his close combat weapon with one of the following:
power weapon…………………10pts
chaos rune weapon…………...15pts
power fist……………………….20pts

The entire Squad may take melta bombs for 30pts

The squad may take jump packs for 10pts per model.

Veterans of Ten Millennia of War

The Praetorian squad must take one skill from the following:
Scouts…………………………5pts
Preferred Enemy……………10pts
Hit and Run…..………………15pts
Furious Charge………………20pts


No Matter the Odds: Praetorians automatically pass all tests to regroup. Usually squads that regroup cannot move and count as moving, but these restrictions do not apply to units with this rule. If a sweeping advance catches any Praetorian unit they are not destroyed and will continue to fight as normal. If this happens the unit is subject to the No Retreat rule.


Veterans of Ten Millennia of War: The Praetorians have been waging war since the Great Crusade; they have become living avatars of War. Praetorian squads must chose a veteran skill from the selections listed in their unit entry.

Games Workshop shares the background for the New Dark Eldar Codex Part 2

As a real nutter for the 40k background, I must build a Dark Eldar army!

These guys are just wicked Kool!

Soul Reapers mini-dex update coming soon

I'd like to start off by saying a big thank you to the Disciples of Fire (my followers) for all the support for this project over the eighteen months.

Since I lost my army last week I have been taking a fresh look at the Soul Reapers Mini-dex. I have played a few games against some really competitive players and lists recently, and have found the Soul Reapers a little underpowered. Not devastatingly so, but underpowered none the less. They are really struggling against the Space Wolves and Blood Angels.

Magilla pointed out that since they are a fragment of the World Eaters they should be more Killy. I agree, but not in a frothing madman way. I am thinking a balance between the Space Wolves and Blood Angels is where I want them to fall.

So although I had decided that the last update was the final one before the finished product, I have changed my mind.

I have used this opportunity to tweak things just a little.

Soul Reapers mini-dex tweaks

Here are initial changes to the min-dex.



1) Fear is for the Weak now reads: Soul Reapers are subject to the Stubborn USR found on page 76 of the MRB. Additionally they may also attempt to regroup even if the squad has been reduced less than half strength through casualties. (The FiftW rule while nifty in its previous form gave a slight boost to remaining in combat but had the negatives of being Fearless without the perks. I at no time ever want to make the Reapers Fearless, so I went back to my original idea of using Stubborn. Since there is no Icon of Chaos Glory giving rerolls of LD tests, it should work fine now, which is why I ditched the idea originally.)



2) Icon of Perpetual War now reads: Any unit that bears this Icon may re-roll any result of one on the “to wound” dice in the assault phase. It has also been lowered to 15 points.



3) The Harbinger of Malice has had his Alchemical Injectors enhancing abilities changed to: grant the bearer and any squad he has joined with +1 Initiative, Feel no Pain and Preferred Enemy USR’s. He has also had a 5 point increase in his base cost.


4) The Apostle of Malevolence moves to the elite section. He loses a wound and a few other stat changes, plus has his base cost lowed to 75 points. (I know this is a bit controversial, but this fits in with the theme of the Soul Reapers better, because other than Xusia, Apostles do not lead warbands into battle.)


5) Soul Reapers Biker Squads now have the Skilled Rider USR at no points change.


6) The Infernal Assault Bikes make their return to a stand alone unit as well as remaining an upgrade to the Bike Squad.


7) The Mauler Predator entry has been changed to give Sponson options and has had a slight points increase. (This brings it in line with all other Pred variants in that they once had a total set up including sponsons and now are basically a turret with optional sponsons.)



8) Gore Daemons gain the option for 25 points to take the Icon of Salmora: this icon channels the power of the once great Daemon Prince Salmora. Roll a D6 for the banner at the beginning of every turn that it is on the table and consult the following chart.


1 All daemon models in reserve arrive immediately with in 6 inches of the Icon.

2 All daemon models within 6 inches gain +1 Toughness this turn.

3-4 All daemon models within 6 inches may re-roll any failed saves.

5 All daemon models within 6 inches gain +1 Initiative this turn.

6 All daemon models within the unit bearing the icon count all their attacks as Poisoned 3+.

I am still looking at a few other things, so this will not be the end of the tweaks.

Games Workshop shares the background for the New Dark Eldar Codex

Interesting stuff, from Phil, Jess and Adam.

I cannot wait til this codex hits!

Farewell Dice Like Thunder

It saddens me to say goodbye after listening to the Dice Like Thunder guys for well over 80 episodes. The show as it is now must end due to circumstances out of the current casts hands.

The good new is they cast will still be podcasting under a new name. The Eternal Warriors will be the name of their new show. The first episode should be posted up within the first week of November.

I look forward to seeing the guys get a fresh start on show that will be completely created by them for the listeners.

Good luck guys, I will be listening! Upward and Onward!

The Soul Reapers Revival begins: Reserves have started to arrive

So over the last three days I have started to get the generously donated models.

So far I have received:

a Drop pod from Inquisitor 17

Chaos Bike from Daniel in Alabama

Lord Zhufor from Mike

FW dread and some 3rd hand Chaos Bikes from Sons of Taurus

Thanks to everyone for the help getting the Soul Reapers back on their feet. Every little bit helps.

Secret Weapon Minis comes to the aid of the Soul Reapers

Misterjustin of Secret Weapon miniatures has offered to aid in the Soul Reapers Revival project and outfit the entire army with free bases. I have chosen to get the the recently release beveled edge Flagstone bases.

So that is just one more thing I don't need to worry about; no more agonizing over building themed bases!

Thank you Justin your help is very appreciated!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone again for the donations of miniatures and all the comments of support through this affair.

Upward and onward!

-Jim

Huge props to the 40k Blog and podcast communities

You guys are Awesome! I really appreciate the outpouring of support in this dark time for me. I am very touched by all the well wishes and offers to help with replacement, you have rekindled my faith in the gaming community.

Ya'll have helped me through this bleak day and gave me many chuckles to lighten my mood!

An additional big thank you to my buddy Magilla Gurilla from Tabletop War and his efforts to coordinate the replacement for the lost minis. He immediately jumped into action taking my story to our friends in the Podcast community posting a call for help on the Independent Characters and 11th Company forums. I have also gotten the support of my friends at the Gamers Lounge and Dice Like Thunder podcasts.

Looks like I will be able to recoup most of my losses in plastic through your generosity.

Again I am extremely grateful for the support.

Lucky for me I decided not to rebase the Sorcerer Xusia or the DP Titus the Butcher, so at least I am rebooting the project with two fully painted and converted leaders!

Fear not the Soul Reapers will return and sally forth from the Storm of Souls to wreak havoc on the tabletops once again! I have put too much blood, sweat and tears into the army and mini-dex to let this sort of thing derail me. I am a wargamer and that will never change.

Sometime tomorrow I will put up my plan for rebuilding the Soul Reapers.

Edit: Thanks to Menzies the artist behind the Soul Reapers for this great missing poster, that gave me a good giggle with my morning coffee!

Tragedy strikes: the Soul Reapers have been stolen!

I spent this weekend over at my buddies house building transports and finishing up the rebasing efforts on the Soul Reapers. I built and painted 55 bases and remounted all my painted models; the army was looking schweet. I was feeling very satisfied and was looking forward to a fun photo shoot to show the Soul Reapers in all the ruined temple based glory.

I had to work the graveyard shift last night, so I packed up the Reapers and headed to work. I parked as usual in the security patrolled, gated parking lot, right next to the office door and went in for my shift. We had two operators out last night so I spent the night moving pallets instead of in the office as usual.

The crew and I headed out for breakfast/lunch at the Denny's down the road round 4AM. My van and models were intact at the time, I know this cause I shuttled 6 of us.

We ate and headed back to work around 5AM. A few of us went outside for a smoke break around 8AM only to find 6 smashed windows, including the rear window of my van. My heart sunk as I stood there in the rain dreading the inevitable result.

I lost 3 just built unpainted Rhinos, 2 converted Chaos Drop Pods, 35 Basic CSM, 10 Terminators, 6 bikes, two converted Oblits and two Dreads including my FW one. The one model lost that really kills me is the finalized conversion of Warlord Krüg from the FW lord Zufor mini. Dear lord that was a lot of hours lost for a mini I will never get to paint.

I am just at a total loss, I feel sick to my stomach. I certainly did not want to start the Soul Reapers from the ground floor again. I will rebuild it, it just won't have the same feel to the army. I already have about half of the models to replace what was lost, but it will take me a while to repurchase the rest, I just don't have the disposable income I used too.

I may take a few days off from the internet, so if you don't here from me after today for a bit don't worry I will be back.

Thanks for your time,
Jim

Full frontal Space Shark: the redo

I redid Sgt Quints eyes and created a bottom row of teeth. He is still not perfect, but it is much better than the crazy eyes from the original pics.

You can see the 360 shots in the proceeding post!

Space Sharks Spec Ops Team Megalodon: Veteran Brother Sgt Quint

Just when you thought is was safe to go back into space! Sgt Quint shows up to exact the Emperors will, here he is in all his finished glory!

Overall I am quite happy with the mini, there are a few things that could have been done better. Like his eyes and the iron cross on his right shoulder pauldron. I will revisit both at a later date.

I went old school on the power sword going with colored metallics for the blade; it is the way I did them up until the mid ninety's. I think it turned out nifty, although this is the one thing I figured might get grief over.

I am very pleased with his skin tone, I had over highlighted it and thought I was done-fore. As a gamble I gave it a watered down sepia wash, then Bam, success!

I went with red for the stamps on the purity seals to give the rather drab scheme a splash of color. I left the red stripe off of the helmet, I thought it might be a bit much and detract from the camo's effect.

Team Megalodon Camo sneak peek

I decided to change main color a bit and the bramble camo from black to green. I think it has turned out pretty nice.



Here is the original from the Badab War article back in Rogue Trader days.

2nd Killzone Blitz update

This comment by Syko really hit home for me, as I have friends deployed in Afghanistan.

Syko said...

Just so you know, KillZone has been getting a ton of play here at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan. On Saturday we had 4 tables going with games in the campaign I'm running. Great times with a great game.

I am truly honored and happy that you guys are enjoying Killzone! It is awesome to give you guys a game that you can enjoy in your down time. I pray that you all make it home safe.

Ron is giving Killzone a permanent link on From the Warp under FTW Member projects

JabberJabber posted a fun little battle report on Warpstone Flux

Counterfett posted his Chaos Marine team on All things Fett

Papa JJ shows off his outstanding Rogue Trader themed team on Dice Rolla

Elburn talks about making a Death Watch Killteam for Killzone over on the Painting Sanctuary

Finally, my buddies over on Dice Like Thunder mention the Blitz on Episode 104

Killzone Special Operations Group: Red Water

I've decided to combine Killzone with the Badab War stroyline.

Here is the list and ideas behind the Space Sharks SOG Red Water: Team Megalodon.



This whole group will be decked out in Badab War Camo, with a slight revision to the scheme.

Here is the 250 point list for team Megalodon:

Team Leader
Sternguard Vet Sgt Brother Quint
Bolter, Power Weapon, close combat accessory, Refractor field.

Sternguard Vet Brother Hooper
close combat accessory, Medipack

Sternguard Vet Brother Taylor
close combat accessory

Tactical Marine Sgt Brother Brody
Bolt pistol, Power Weapon,

Tactical Marine Brother Vaughn
Heavy Bolter, suspensors, shooting Rending

Tactical Marine Brother Riley
Plasma Gun, master crafted

Tactical Marine Brother Blane
Bolter, close combat accessory


Here is the model for Vet Brother Sgt Quint.

The first Blitz update!

Killzone around the interwebs:

A Gentleman's Ones introduces his Ork Special Operations Group.

Sons of Taurus talks team ideas

All things Fett talks Killzone and promises more updates!

Warpstoneflux is going to do a battle report.

World of Wonder says Everyone needs to start somewhere!

Brent on Strictly Average shows us his Chaos Marine Spec ops Group.

Blood of Kittens interviews me about Killzone.

Bell of Lost Souls Killzone coverage.

I'll be back around 3PM PST with the plans for Spec Ops Group: Red Water; Team Megalodon. So check back then!

Welcome to the beginning of the Killzone Blitz!

I decided to make today 10/10/10 the beginning of a Revolution. It has already begun, it will happen in small increments. The goal is to slowly shift the paradigm and create a golden age for homebrew rules and content on the 40k gaming tables around the globe.

The creative gamers in the 40k community deserve representation at the major events just as much as the competitive guys do. Thankfully Adepticon is all about the community at large and have given Killzone a platform to preform at. We will have Three events over the weekend, which is pretty stellar!

It is time for us to have a voice. I wish that someday we have the similar problems as the competitive guys do; like the whole Comp, no Comp debate. These mainstream players have no idea how nice they have it.

I want to thank the Guys at Dice like Thunder and Bell of Lost Souls for keeping the homebrew mindset alive.

So today is the Beginning of Killzone Week here on Galaxy in Flames. I will be posting lots of kool stuff in the coming hours and days, so keep an eye out!

I'll be back in a couple of hours to post some more Killzone content!

Ultramarines trailer 2

We finally know who they are fighting, Chaos Marines FTW! I shall rejoice with every blue armored death!

I don't care what the naysayers are griping about, I think the movie looks fantastic! I cannot wait until November!

Soul Reapers new basing theme

I have been debating what theme I have wanted to have for the bases of the Soul Reapers. I new I wanted some ancient ruins in the theme, but I also like the idea of a rocky mountainous theme too. So it has been a struggle. I did order a smattering of Dragonforge bases, and they are fantastic. I just took a major hit to my disposable income with my new job and it will just cost more than I am willing to spend on bases to outfit 2/3rds of the force with them.

So I have decided to make my own custom bases combining both themes, using plasticard and cork for rocks. (I was already using some cork on my bases.)

The over arcing theme of the bases will be fighting over some lost city hidden in a forgotten mountain rage somewhere on the Eastern Fringe. Which fits the search for the Artifacts of Salmora background of the Warband.

Here are the unpainted Gore Daemons on the first examples of the new basing. I think they will work great, they are just a little labor intensive to build.




One of the Gore Daemons carries the Icon of Salmora a powerful artifact that will be added to the next update of the mini-dex.

Only two more days until the Killzone Revolution 10/10/10 is almost here!

We cannot resist the rare opportunity that comes along once a century with out doing something special. We will be spreading the word about Killzone.

We invite you to celebrate Spec Ops Killzone with us on

10/10/2010

We will be Blitzing the Internet with Killzone Content. From Blogs to forums the fans of Killzone will be there sharing their experiences from everything involved with Killzone.

Covering list building, modeling, painting, battle reports and maybe even a few videos.

Feel free to join in yourself, email me you posts and I will highlight them in bi-hourly updates all day on the 10th. I will actually be starting coverage on Saturday here in the US as plenty of our friends around the world beat us to the 10th!

So if you put up Killzone content on Sunday please Email me through my profile and I will add your content to the updates throughout the day!

Also don't forget to mention that Killzone is now up to 3 events being run at Adepticon 2011! This is huge and definitely worth mentioning in everyone's posts.

See y'all on Sunday!

Talking Killzone on the Seanhammer podcast and other GiF news

I had a great time recording the latest episode of Seanhammer yesterday. This podcast is a one man show featuring Sean and his adventures in the Wargaming hobby. I've really grown to enjoy his show after AJ from the Imperial Truth introduced it to me.

We discussed my time spent in 40k over the years, lots of Killzone including the 10/10/10 Blitz on Sunday. There is even talk about upcoming projects for 40k and WFB.

Please check it out and let us know what you think.

In other news, Mags got the video battle report of our challenge game up on his blog Tabletop War. Go check it out!

Tweaks to the Soul Reapers mini-dex have begun with preliminary changes being sent off to a chosen few supporters. Expect a blog update very soon detailing these changes. There is nothing too over the top in the way of changes, I promise.

Until the next,
-Jim

Soul Reapers Challenge game results

Mags and I threw down on Friday night, it was a total slobber knocker! The game was Dawn of War Annihilation. I had changed up my list to include Eris the Seeker, to allow me to Outflank with my transports in an attempt to survive the Alpha Strike of Mags' Razor-Angels. I appologize in advance for the unpainted minis, I am in the process of remounting 90% of my army on custom bases, plus my airbrush died and I started a new job this week. I do champion fully painted gaming, but did not want to proxy for this challenge game. (if I had sure they would have been painted but they would have also been a mishmash of cult troops) BTW, the crow tastes ok with a little salt. ;)


Table and Deployment, I chose to outflank with the Troops in the Rhinos.


Bottom of turn one. We both jockey for position.


Top of turn two, I got both the troops squads in on outflank and the Terminators made a good Deepstike. The bikers nuked the Baal Pred, Terminators killed a Razorback, both the Landspeeder and regular Reaper squad wiffed their shooting. The six turn Predator Duel begins on the right flank.


Bottom of two, I lost both Rhinos to shooting and lost the MM on the Speeder. During the Assault phase I lost the Terminators and the Reavers were almost annihilated too. Those damn Assault Terms are brutal.


Top of three, the dakka Pred kills the Baal Pred on the right flank. The Bikers kill the normal Pred on the left flank. Xusia Rocks two of the Razorbacks with Chain Lightning, Immobilizing one and dual weapon destroyed on the second causing it to also be immobilized. The Defiler Kills a Razorback and finally the Speeder flames some Marines for no effect. The Reaver champ goes down in the assault phase.


Bottom of three, Mags fires a crapton of shots at the speeder but fails to kill the darned thing. (he must of gotten at least 20 hits and almost that many ones.) He shoots at the Defiler and fails to harm it. The Speeder finally goes down. The Pred dual continues, but I cannot shoot next turn. The Assault Terminators annihilate the Bike squad and Eris.



Top of four, I finally get the Oblits and Lesser Daemons from reserve. The Oblits mishap and Mags decides to put them in terrain almost out of the battle. They both survive the landing. The Oblits shoot and wiff against the last Angels Pred. The Defiler shoots the battlecannon at the last gun toting Razorback doing nothing. The last Soul Reaper marines squad, Xusia and the lesser daemons assault the Terminators; the combat is a draw.


The bottom of four, has uneventful shooting, but sees the end of the Assault terminators, the Angles do win the combat due to the assault squad the charged in with furious charge who killed 5 of the Daemons. Xusia and the Soul Reapers squad lose combat and are forced to fall back on a result of boxcars on the dice.


Top of five, Xusia and crew fall back 4 inches, dang! During shooting they kill 3 of the assault marines that are escorting them off the table. The defiler kills 4 Marines with the battle cannon. The Pred dual continues. The Oblits move forward and take ineffective shots at the Land Raider.

Bottom of five sees the Land Raider move to keep Xusia and co. falling back.

Game goes to turn six and it sees the end of the deifiler on the bottom of the turn.

I must admit I got totally mauled by the Assault Terminators. They are ridiculously brutal with the attached Libby and Sang Priest. They ate three of my squads and if it weren't for Xusia they would have eaten a 4th.

The game was very close right up to the very end; we went 6 turns. In the end I lost by 2 kill points.

Congrats on the win Mags, well played!

Thanks for the great game!

Mags and I sat down and discussed the power level of the Soul Reapers after the game. Being as this was the first time I have taken the Reapers against a really competitive list, there is definitely a lack of competitive power.

While almost nobody fairs well against Assault Terminators, we both feel that in the assault the Reapers need some better force multipliers added by the Apostles and Harbingers. I had already been looking at revamping the Harbingers now that the BA's have been out for a few months.

So you can expect to see some tweaks to the Soul Reapers Mini-dex in the near future.