Rolling long odds to a single VP

So I got in a game this Saturday versus Bob's Dark Angels.  The lists were at 1750 and the Relic mission with long table edge deployment.  I've not played Bob before now though we've had a few conversations.  It was an enjoyable game where both of us had some very wonky and streaky dice rolls.

Dark Angels assembled

Dark Angels
Unknown HQ (didn't step out of hiding until last game turn so never did anything)
6 man Terminator squad w/ 2 chain fists and a plasma cannon
6 man Terminator squad w/ Assault Cannon
5 Knights
6 Bikes with Multimelta Attack Bike
3 full Tactical Squads w/ plasma gun and plasma cannon

Dark Angels deployed

Lions on the prowl

Lions of HarlechCaptain w/ artificer, relic blade, storm shield
3 ten man Tactical Squads w/ melta, missile launcher, and combi-melta
5 TH/SS Assault Terminators in a Landraider w/ pintle Multimelta
Ironclad w/ melta and heavy flamer in a Drop Pod
10 Sternguard in a Drop Pod
5 man Devastator Squad w/ 4 missile launchers

Lions of Harlech Deployed

Turn OneI had won the roll and choose to go first.  I started with a general push by the three tactical squads and the land raider towards the Relic in the middle.  The Ironclad drop pod landed right in front of the bike squad where I hoped to kill a few of them.  As it turns out, that was a forlorn hope.  The Ironclad failed to hit with the meltagun and failed to wound with the heavy flamer.  My Dev squad and the landraider combined to kill 5 guys out of central DA tactical squad.

The DA turn at least had his bikes bottled up in the corner between the Ironclad and the Drop Pod.  However the Attack Bike made quick work of the Dreadnought which couldn't even be bothered to kill someone with it's explosion.  His other shooting took a marine out of one Tac Squad and two out of another one.

Don't worry, I won't be here long

Turn Two
My Sternguard failed to show up this turn and I continued my general push forward.  This put my central squad just shy of gaining the relic this turn.  I continued to shoot the central enemy squad since they were perched to shoot down on the Relic.  My landraider and some long range Tactical bolter shots killed another 4 of them which left just the Sgt.  My Dev squad killed a long marine out of a second squad.  His dice just didn't want that center squad to live as he failed just about every save be it armor or cover.

They're HEEEEERE

He started his turn with the Deathwing Assault.  I was lucky here in that since my drop pod and Ironclad had boxed in his bikers, they weren't midfield with that teleport homer.  His Multimelta bike struck again, this time killing the Drop Pod which took a DA tac marine with it in the explosion.  The terminators shooting took out half the tactical squad with my Captain and then I lost a couple marines off my flanking tactical squad.

Why won't those Deathwing just die?

Turn Three
My Sternguard once again failed to arrive and I turn almost my entire army on the terminators in the center of my deployment zone.  I figured if I could kill those or at least all but one or two, I could then assault the Knights with my Thundernators.  Well best laid plans and all that jazz, because after 3 combi-melta shots, 2 lascannons, 2 missile launchers, 2 melta guns, 3 assault cannon shots, a multimelta, and roughly 20 bolter worth of wounds later .... one Terminator was dead.  These were obviously Fallen Dark Angels in league with the Dark Powers because they just wouldn't fail a 5+ invul save.  My dev squad killed a few guys out of a tactical squad and I then assaulted the terminators with my Thunderhammers and hoped to deal with the Knights later. I lost 1 Terminator and killed 3 of his so that worked out alright.

His turn three saw him get a glance on my landraider with his attack bike and a few various marines were killed from random shots.  The sole survivor started charging across to try and get to the relic.  The 2/3rds squad on his right flank also started across the open ground for the Relic as well.  His Knights then charged into my terminators.  He charged up the maces and inflicted an even 10 wounds, which the Emperor protected from as I made 9 out of 10 saves.  The thunderhammers struck back killing the lone regular terminator left and and killed a Knight as well.

Turn 4
Alright, so the Sternguard now auto arrive and land just in front of his bikers and close enough to the building that the Dark Angels using the balcony really can't see more than a couple of them.  My mostly intact central squad grabbed the Relic and moved back some with it while the two survivors of the squad by the slid into a sacrificial blocking position or at least to provide some cover.  The landraider killed a couple marines in his right flank squad and the Dev squad got a couple more.  I tried to use the machine spirit to multimelta the lone sgt but failed to wound so he got to be killed by a couple bolters instead.  Sternguard made up for arriving late and killed 2 bikers and the attack bike.  In the attack phase the maces got one terminator due to a failed save and the thunderhammers killed a Knight for a tied combat.

During his turn he concentrated on shooting at the Relic squad or advancing toward it but I only lost a couple marines.  His bikes charged into my Sternguard and we both lost one for a tied combat.  Knights didn't kill anyone and the Thunderhammers did the same. He charged my landraider with his last terminator squad and he failed to pin with two chainfist hits and no glances from the 5 powerfist hits.  Definitely got lucky there as you don't see a 3 rolled on 2d6 for chainfists very often much less on two rolls in a row.

Turn 5
I moved back a bit more with the Relic and kept my blocking pair in position.  I killed all but 2 marines from his right flank squad and then it was on to combat where the Sternguard and bikers did nothing to each other due to saves and bad rolling by us both.  I charged my Captain in to assist the terminators where he killed one, the terminators killed one and the Knights did nothing, but they're fearless so there we stood.

So much death

His turn six saw his shooting everything he could at the squad with the Relic and this brought out his HQ finally.  He managed to kill half the remaining squad which put the Relic four inches away from the closest survivor and thus unclaimed.  I finally remembered that sternguard had krak grenades and for the loss of one Sternguard to the bikers, finished the bikers off.  The battle of storm shields and 2+ armor saves saw no one dead.

We rolled to see if there was another turn and lo it was over.  Relic unclaimed, both warlords alive, no line breaker, and Bob with First Blood.  I think if this had gone one more turn I could have pulled out the win as I think the Relic would have remained unclaimed but my Sternguard were ready to put 16 shots into his Warlord as well as grab linebreaker.  But as it stood, it was a 1-0 win for him on secondaries.  It was a good fun close game, and I'm looking forward to getting another game in against him.  We both had some abysmal saving rolls at times and then each had one major saving roll where stuff just wouldn't die at all which made it quite interesting at times while we both tried to adjust to what should have happened but didn't.

Next up for the blog will most likely be a post highlighting some of the Lions of Harlech's vehicle armory.

Chapter Beliefs and Traditions

Ok, this is another part of the chapter fluff that I had a lot of fun coming up with.  This part is largely inspired by Dan Abnett's Brothers of the Snake which is hands down one of my top three Black Library novels of all time.  (For those curious, Mechanicum by Graham McNeill and Deathwatch by Steve Parker are the other two in my top three.  Abnett's Know No Fear also gets an honorable mention, because who doesn't want to see Baneblades raining down on the snooty Ultramarines?)  There is also some inspiration by the Doom Eagles chapter which I've always enjoyed the fluff of, but just never liked their color scheme (plus I'd go nuts playing a chapter with an already written fluff but that's just one of my idiosyncrasies).



Chapter Beliefs and Traditions
Heated Omens
    With the Cymru system being such a cold, ice covered landscape, it is believed by the chapter that it is a bad omen for a newly inducted battle brother's first deployment to be on a desert or some other hot climate, dooming the marine to an ill fated life of service and some fell end in his future.

The Long Cold Night
    On the eve of anniversary of their Chapter's reconnection with the Imperium, the oldest veteran and the youngest initiate stand watch together out upon the Lyr Glacier from the setting sun until the following sunrise in remembrance of their long tenure apart from the Emperor's guidance and light.

 Snow Raven's Lament
    One of the native species of the ice moon Braelich is the Snow Raven.  These reclusive and rare animals are rarely seen and are viewed as omens and harbringers of great wisdom and knowledge.  When one is found dead, it is seen as a great loss and leads to a week of fasting and introspective studies.

The Hunt
    When an intiate is deemed ready to ascend to the rank of battle brother, he is sent out upon the Lyr Glacier and the frozen wilds beyond to hunt one of the ice lions of Cymru.  If he survives a month out upon the ice, he is recieved back among his brothers as one of them when he returns with his kill.  If it takes the intiate less than a week, he is seen as truely marked for greatness.

The Order of Harlech's Grellon
    This is a special order within the Chapter consisting of a dozen veterans not within the normal command rank who act as both guardians for the Chapter Master and special advisors for him.  These veterans are picked by an assembly of the chapter's company commanders, the Chapter Master, and other select leaders of the chapter.  Only those who've shown the highest level of honor in their service, words, and deeds will be considered for admission to the Grellon.

The Shrine of Lady de Winter
    A small shrine honoring a local Cymru saint, Saint Kath'rine Rhias who led the faithful of the system through several lean years of failed hydroponic crops, exists on a small moon orbiting Cymru II.  Those slated to lead a command out on a mission for the Chapter spend an evening alone in the shrine for the guidance and blessings of the Emperor before setting out.  A small number of priests sworn to silence tend and maintain the shrine.

The Circle of Honor
    This is a special tournament held every five years in which each chapter company sends it's champion to represent it.  The winning champion is given the chapter banner Lion's Honor to safekeep until the next tournament as well as being granted the title "Defender of Honor".  2nd Company's Champion Petyr Harisal has won this event the past three times it has been held and is the current Defender of Honor.

Ice Burial
    When the remains of a fallen battle brother are returned to Cymru, they are cremated and the urn is buried into the Lyr Glacier for an eternal standing of watch over the chapter.  If a battle brother's remains are not able to be recovered, an empty urn is buried instead so that all those who have served will take their place of honor.

The Big Boys

So I thought it was time to show off my big boys which are in various degrees of completion.

First up is the Kingfisher which is a Warhound Titan under the command of Princeps Kristoff Harrington from the Legio Praetor.

I'm hunting you down ....

Second up is the quartet of Super Heavy Tanks from the 1st Cymric Heavy Guards Regiment under the command of General Albrecht Rabenstein.  There are 2 Baneblades, 1 Shadowsword, and 1 Stormlord.  All of these are how I got them off eBay and the total spent on them is just under $250 so I'm quite pleased with the result from what was spent on them.  All but one of them I found posted in the wrong part of eBay ( I mean yeah it's a model kit but would you look for them in the plastic model section and not under games?).  These are all how I got them so I probably need to one day see about getting the primed Baneblade and the Stormlord to match the other two.

slow rolling thunder is coming

And last of all is the one that I picked up at this past Games Day at the Forge World booth but haven't worked on yet.  It's an imposing pile of resin and it can be a bit daunting.  So I give you the Spartan also know as the Land Raider On Steroids.

THIS ... IS ... SPARTAN!

So, that's my heavier than needed for regular 40K collection so far.  I'd like to add a few other pieces in the future (I'm looking at you Cestus and you Reaver Titan) but probably won't be in the near or foreseeable future anyway.

2nd Company

Up for this blog post is my Second Company.  Again, the vehicles listed in the company organization are fluff only, not owned though this is the company that I come closest with.  I'm only going to do transports in the different company pictures and do a separate post on the Dreadnoughts.  I've always loved Dreadnoughts so am planning to do a post with all of them together.  This company picture has about half my Rhino complement and all of my razorbacks.

2nd Company Assembled

2nd Company, Battle Company "Guardians of Honor"
Captain Aithne Cystennin, Master of the Watch
    Company Champion Petyr Harisal, Defender of Honor
    Company Standard Bearer Owyn Ghiscari
    6 Tactical Squads
    2 Assault Squads
    2 Devastator Squads
    5 Dreadnoughts
    9 Rhinos
    4 Razorbacks

Command Squad

My Command Squads are made up of the models I use for Sternguard as well as the Apothecaries and extra special weapons models for the Tactical Squads.

And as a little correction of errors, it seems that some guys went on deployment and missed out on the memo on when company pictures were going to be taken.  A dozen scouts and six terminators ended up in a box on a shelf separated from the rest of my 40K models and didn't make the appropriate blog posts.  So here are their belated appearance.

We really do exist.

Chapter Relics

Ok, this post is going to be on the different and varied Chapter Relics that I've contrived and borrowed inspiration for.  This is the part of the fluff where it really doesn't relate to the table top but that I feel one can have a lot of fun creating depth, history, and character for a Chapter.

Brawdwr Llys
    This is a ancient ebon power blade with silver gilded hilt that is used for the execution of high ranking or honorable prisoners condemned.  The Captains and other leaders of the Chapter must unanimously agree that the doomed soul is deserving of meeting his or her fate from this fabled blade of judgement.  It is believed that if the dying has truely repented and been forgiven by the Emperor, that the death is quick and painless while the forever forsaken suffers a painful lingering death to remind them of their loss of the Emperor's light.

Honor of Victory
    This tome was written by Chapter Master Hemry Coatesworth, first Chapter Master of the Lions of Harlech.  It lays down his tactical and strategic ideas and foundations as well as his belief in the need for honor and devotion to be shown in word and deed by his warriors.  The tome espouses his belief that means of combat should be every bit as honorable as the goals of the combat.

Armor of the Harbringer
    This is an ancient suit of artificer armor gilt and decorated in silver and gold, supposedly crafted by order of the Primarch Dorn for one of his origional captains.  This suit was recovered from a space hulk during the chapter's crusade along the galactic edge and now is carefully maintained in stasis within the chapter's reclusium.

Gauntlet of Dorn
    A mastercrafted power fist exquisitely engraved and covered with a silver and gold imperial eagle that is carefully maintained and preserved.  This is an ancient weapon of lost origin and is unable to be reproduced.  It is believed to be once used by the Primarch Dorn himself during the Great Crusade.

The Imperious Profile
    This is an ancient marble bust of the Primarch Rogal Dorn that was created during the Great Crusade.  The piece of art was done by the Remembrancer Aleksei Moirin just prior to Dorn's return to Terra with his legion to defend the Imperial Palace.  This bust was found and recovered from the lost shrine world of Gelter IV.  Determined to not let such a work of art be lost or forgotten, the Lions took the bust into their safekeeping.

Gnomusy
    An ancient Welsh tune from Terra itself that was taken as the Chapter's anthem by Owain Talbot, the third Master of the Chapter.  It is a somber, deep ballad about birth, renewal, and a reinvention of one's self.  It is said that when he heard it, Owain was visible moved and fought with an inspired vigor with the tune fresh upon his mind.

Tome of Phaedre's Tears
    A book of prophecies and predictions written by a seer on the Shrine World of Glaistig.  Phaedre saw many dire portents and calamities for the Imperium in her visions.  She recorded these down, staining the pages with her tears for mankind's fate as she wrote.  This tome came into the chapter's possession when Glaistig was invaded by a force of Thousand Son's chaos marines.  This book and several other relics were removed from the world for safe keeping.

Oracle of the Seelie Court
    An ancient artifact of unknown origion, the Oracle was found in the Sidhe System.  The Oracle is a truth shower, a displayer of events that might have been or are yet to be.  But too much knowledge of the truth can be a dangerous thing and thus the Oracle is securely locked away in a stasis vault.

Shroud of Velnius
    A tapestry from the shrine world of Velnius that was used as a banner by the local defense force as they held against an major orc incursion.  This improvised banner imbued all those around it with implacable faith while causing the attacking orcs to waiver.  When the siege was broken by the Lions of Harlech, the banner was passed to them by the greatful defenders as a holy relic.

Banner of Draegen's Ridge
    This banner was created in remembrance of two squads from the Third Company who died to a man defending a ridgeline overlooking the hive city of Draegen on the world Cottbus.  These two squads repelled numerous assaults by chaos cultists lead by members of the Death Guard.  They managed to hold for nearly five full days while reinforcements were gathered and organized into a counterattack.  On the fifth day, just as the last of the defenders fell, the forces of choas finally topped the ridge only to be hurled back for good by the advancing forces coming up the reverse side of the ridge.

The Herotius Papers
    These are the collected works of the Scribe Herotius.  He chronicled the exploits of the chapter from the time they began to crusade in 401.M34 until his death in 579.M35.  These records are held by the Chapter as a sign of their purity of purpose as well as remembrance of their past.




So, that's all the major relics and feel free to give some feedback if you think there is a twist or an idea for a relic that I've overlooked or missed.  I'm always looking for a good idea to expand this type of fluff for my Chapter.

10th Company

So since we've already covered the 1st Company which is the veteran past of the Chapter, I thought that this week I'd cover the 10th Company which is the future of the Chapter.  With Cheef's love of scout marines, I figure this was the post he's been looking forward to.

10th Company assembled

10th Company, Scout Company
Captain Edric Corbray, Master of Recruits
    24 Scout Squads

Even my scouts got a banner

The marine codexes never state how many squads are in a 10th Company, and I'm imaging that it'd be more than the normal ten in order to keep plenty of recruits in the pipeline to replenish losses as well as fulfill the roles that scouts play.  Again, what's listed for my fluff is 24 squads but I currently have just a bit over 9 full squads.  4 of those are Sniper Rifle equipped with the rest a mix of bolts, bolt pistols, and a few heavy weapons.  I've got 4 of the squads fully painted with the rest needing painted or repainted as the case may be.


So the future for this group includes not only some more squads at some point but also some Landspeeder Storms and some Scout Bikes but neither of those are on the near horizon.

I've got a banner

So the other day Neverness and I were swapping a few messages about my collection and upcoming posts to be done, and I mentioned that I had a Chapter Banner.  Not just a small one on a miniature, but a real actual life size Chapter Banner.  When I looked into this several years ago, I thought it would be a cool conversation piece as well as an interesting collectable to help bring my marine collection together.

Yes, raise the standard high

The banner was done by Jawaballs of BoLS fame.  He's a creator of a number of banners for various people, stores, and such via his website.  When I discussed the design I had in mind for it, there was a Crimson Fist banner in the 5th edition marine codex that formed the basis of the banner.  The central fist was replaced with a lion's head and then of course the text replaced with a "Lions of Harlech" on a banner strip.  Then a bit of other tweaking such as the honors at the bottom and the star field.  All in all, I'm very pleased with the final product I received.

Now for the really cool part.  For a little bit more, Jawaballs also did a small matching banner that I can use for my army.  I've yet to get a standard bearer done up that I liked enough to carry it, but it's ready for when I do.

It's Mini Banner Me

So, that's my Chapter Banner which in addition to giving me +1 Attack or to Combat resolution, also gives a +3 to Leadership to friendly units due to the size and intimidation factor.