Yearly Chaos Incursion: Target Identified - S. Clause

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Begin Transmission

Repetition of General Directive 264-A-XCIV

To: Distribution, Sectorium Primus

From: Office of The Grand Inquisitor, Ebineezar Grinchanius

Re: Yearly Chaos Incursion

This purpose of this notice is to remind the forgetful of the annual visitation by the minion of Chaos known to the unworthy as Santa Claus.

+++ The Emperor's Light Banishes the Shadows of Heresy +++

As the diligent will recall, the incursion occurs regularly every 8742 to

8766 Terran hours, roughly corresponding to a Terran year. This trespass has

occurred with disturbing regularity since at least the Horus Heresy, and

perhaps longer, as many records were misplaced.

+++ Love and Obey the Emperor +++

The faithful will recognize the target on sight, as his garb and gear mark

him immediately as an agent of the abominations.

Santa Claus is a corpulent, bloated creature approximating the human form.

It wears a crimson tunic the color of fresh blood, marking him as a possible

follower of Khorne. It is bearded, mocking the honorable Squats, and its

hair is a sallow shade of gray, betraying its unnatural age. Be advised that

despite the creatures fearsome name, no claws have been observed, and the

former is likely a ruse.

The target has been observed in the company of smaller creatures having the

appearance of thin (less than 30 kg, approx.), stunted (1.5 meters)

humanoids with pointed ears. Their appearance suggests the involvement of

the decadent panzee, and although that race denies involvement (*reference

the Rudolphian Campaign [index 4111-BGE-MMXCII-Primus], specifically the

Battle of Yukon Coneliaus IV [ibid., index 6]*), agents are advised to be

prepared for their involvement, as the panzee are known for their deceitful

ways.

Santa Claus is conveyed by means of a grav-sled powered by unnatural

livestock as detailed below.

The target's vehicle is a grav-sled. It has superfluous runners which are

used only on landing and take-off. Despite the appearance, no frozen water

is necessary for its operation (another ruse). The vehicle's resemblance to

the foul Palanquin of Nurgle should not be discounted, even though the

colors continue to be reminiscent of Khorne.

The device is powered by the unholy ministrations of eight or nine

quadrupeds. Ordo Malleus scholars have identified these creatures as warped

versions of an extinct species of Terran mammal known as a Moose (reference

900002-ER-CIV). These beings single-mindedly pull the target's vehicle

during its yearly invasion. They are outfitted with belled harnesses which

are apparently imbued with the ability of flight. These beasts have been

likened to the Fiends of Slaanesh, and such a comparison should not be

dismissed too lightly, as the creatures shed a luminous substance as

effluent as they move. Inquisitors should take care to avoid exposure.

Perhaps more disturbing is the variable number of the minion-creatures. On

occasion, a ninth Moose has been observed, placed before the other Mooses.

This creature radiates a sickly reddish glow from its snout, as a psychic

beacon to other followers of the Vile Ones. This Chaotic device has allowed

the target to navigate despite our best efforts to jam its navigation

systems.

+++ Blessed is the Virtue of Blind Faith +++

Santa Claus gains entry to the domiciles of loyal Imperial Citizens (see

below) and leaves small Chaos Rewards to tempt the faithful.

Inquisitors are reminded to confiscate and incinerate these items before any

lasting damage is done. As a localized temporal distortion field is in

effect around the target, these items are secreted in the habitations of the

Imperium at exactly 2400 hours in every location defiled by the creature. It

is therefore possible to gain entry to the citizens' quarters and remove the

items (often cunningly hidden in footwear) before the citizens are aware of

the heresy that has been committed upon them.

In other cases, removal of the items after the citizens have discovered them

is possible. In such situations, small children are occasionally loath to

surrender the items, as the tainting of the juveniles has already begun.

Executions of the above are to be handled in the most expedient manner

possible.

Often, juveniles that are well within the Emperor's Grace are given small

blocks of graphite ore rather than the more tempting gifts visited upon the

less faithful. The identity of these individuals are to be recorded, as

future recruitment into the Inquisition or Adeptus Terra is possible [Note:

Inquisitors or other agents who do *not* receive the graphite stones should

be watched carefully].

Santa Claus enters the domiciles be way of heating ducts and waste vents.

The size of the opening is not a factor, as the creature can adjust its mass

and displacement by means of psychic manipulation. Mining these openings

with frag, krak and other demolitions has proven unsuccessful.

The creature egresses by the same means, after ritually caressing his

nostrils. No mucus has ever been recovered.

+++ The Death of Emperor's Enemies is the Only Gift We Can Give +++

Although all previous attempts at the destruction of Santa Claus have

failed, Inquisitors are urged to make such an attempt whenever possible.

However, of more importance is the suppression of cultist activity

associated with the yearly incursion. The Tainted have been known to erect

shrines in their homes in the form of shrubbery adorned with baubles and

lights [Note: the shrubbery is often highly inflammable, and offers a

discrete method of executing the offending heretics without calling undue

attention to the operation].

Other warning signs include:

Hallucinations involving sugared candies during slumber;

Excessive singing;

References to "a magical time of year" (note the influence of Tzeentch);

The construction of effigies made of snow; and

The performance of Slaanishi rituals while underneath plant clippings of the

genus Phoradendron flavescens.

Once again, executions should be handled in an expedient manner.

+++The Emperor Protects+++

End Transmission

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

In defense of the Battle Journal!

   Ok, my first post in a while that is not a video, but it still may become one...   I'm here today to defend a product.  A Games Workshop product.  Yes, we all know that I am the #1 defender of GW stuff, and that I may be slightly biased, but I'm serious.  And no, this is not a teary-eyed plea to "leave them alone".

  It is however, a plea to some in the community of 40k and AoS to step back and think about these books.  Most of the criticism I hear about these books is coming from folks who are good at the game they play.  If you're one of those, think about how you got good in the first place...

  I will venture to say that you did something along these lines...  You played a lot, you are (or were) young enough to have a good mind and memory for these games  You learned from your games and figured out how to not make mistakes with deployment, movement, positioning etc.  You also probably have a knack for this sort of thing.

  Now, put yourself into my shoes, or some newbies shoes.  Some of us don't have time to play 5 games a week, let alone 5 games a month. 

  For us mere mortals, having a record of what happened, what we did wrong (or maybe right) is huge boon to our gaming.  Some of us are learning new armies and are just starting to make new mistakes.  Having a place to record all these things is a huge help.  I'm trying to juggle my reasonably active work schedule, a podcast, occasional videos, NEO work etc.  I am also OLD and cannot remember what I had for lunch, let alone what I did wrong in game one of the Slobberknocker GT.  Having these books to jot down my notes and my mistakes is a huge help.

  I have often mentioned to James that what makes him so much better than me at AoS is that he never makes the same mistake twice.  I tend to do the same dumb things several times until I remember not to do it again.  Writing down my notes is helping me become a better player and a better opponent to the folks I see at tournaments. 

  So, all you good players out there, when you see me writing in my journal, trying to become a little bit better at the game, don't make fun of me.  (well, actually, go ahead, I don't mind.).  Just understand that this product is not aimed at you, it's aimed at me, the casual guy who wants to give you a better game one of these days.

  Oh yeah, and if you ever forget what turn it is, or who went first, expect me to call you out and laugh at you and make fun of you!!!  Because I wrote it down and I KNOW what turn it is ;)

Warhammer 40k, First Strike set - First look

Unboxing video and unboxing of the new first strike set from Games Workshop.  Very good box for the absolute beginner and it has a thing or two for the veteran gamer too.

Enjoy!

Markers for (new) 40k games, Round 1

  Hello, folks.  I cranked out a set of markers for the new 40k, thought I would share here (as always).  Not nearly as many as previous editions, which is actually a good thing.

Here is a link to the PDF on Google Drive
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1knhAQbqthfYVpmMWYzMWsyWjQ

and here is a screenshot, so I can explain;

The fall back markers are just that.  Mark units that fell back from combat.  Remember, flyers can still shoot.

Advance - yep, mark units that advanced.

Gone to ground - If you do a narrative mission that has a pre-game bombardment, mark units that went to ground to save some wounds.  They don't get their first turn.

Combat Round Complete - mark units when you're done with them in the combat phase

Declared Charge / Charge Target markers - These may seem odd, but they may help you with multi-charges.  Mark the unit that charges multiple enemies with the declared charge marker, then the targets with the corresponding lettered Charge Target markers.  It helps because you may get into it with units that you charged and others that you are just locking down.  The markers make it easier to see who can be attacked in close combat.

Transport / Embarked - When I set up I sometimes forget who is in which transport, these will help with that.

Definitely, download the PDF version, the image file is large and some printers/software will scale them incorrectly.  The PDF version is 1" rounds.  If you need to know how to assemble them, here is the blog post and video that shows the system.

Making Markers for cheap!

Super cheap and look really nice.  So, there they are, hopefully, you will find some use for them.   Enjoy!

Warhammer 40 Limited Edition Box set - the Weigh in!

Well, 40k 8th edition is here, and it's here to kill 7th (thank the gods!).  But, like any good title fight, there has to be a weigh in first.  So, I do just that.  To help justify in my mind the cost of the new limited edition, I weigh it against all my 7th Ed stuff...

Enjoy, let me know what you think!

New Video series! - The Crucible Chaotica

Hey guys,  Just sharing a video from the new series where I will cover anything and everything hobby related.

Warzone Damocles LE - Video unboxing

Latest unboxing video is up...

Warzone Damocles this time.  I got the Limited Edition, and it seems like a pretty good deal, overall.

Enjoy!

Betrayal at Calth - Video unboxing and Review

It's up on youtube...

Enjoy!

And to any of my readers/viewers from France, we all stand with you!

Pens? with a 40k twist...

  Hey guys,  Kind of way off topic here, but I just finished turning another 40k themed Pen for a friend.  Pen turning is another hobby of mine and I enjoy it.  When I saw the skull pen kits come out, I knew right away these would have a tie in to 40k.  So anyhow, for your viewing pleasure...

  On the left is the latest, a pen for the Dark Angels.  Center, Blood Angels of course...  On the right, well, who knows?  I had a fantastic piece of stabilized burl that I thought would just look really nice.  

  So, like I said, short post, just to be all narcissistic...  :)  See ya tomorrow, with my new Dropzone Commander markers...

Markers for 40k games - Easy as cake

  Hey guys!  Just wanted to share a quick piece of work I did the last couple of weeks, markers for my 40k game.  Now, the reason for these is simple, I forget everything, good and bad.  I forget if I moved with jump packs in the movement phase, I forget ever-living etc. I would forget my dice if I didn't have a huge game tote to bring everything in.

 So, enter the fine folk at Objective Secured who made fantastic markers for Infinity.  So, I stole the idea and used it for 40k (and soon for Dropzone Commander as well.)

  Turns out, these are dead easy to make!  All you need is your favorite art program, some bottle cap inserts from amazon and patience.

I made three sheets so far, but I will be making more as time goes on.  I just played a game of dropzone commander and I saw a huge need for these in that game as well.   Here are the sheets made in the YouTube video...  Download links are after the jump break.

Instructions and more photos after the jump break... 

Did 6th Drive a wedge between Wh40k Gamers?

   I wonder sometimes if 6th edition's major problem was that it drove a wedge  between the 2 groups of W40k players and that is why we have a new release so close, in GW years, between editions.

  On the one hand, you have the competitive gamers, or the tournament scene.  6th edition was hard on them.  The death of assault, the downplay of vehicles, wonky wound allocation and all the other changes brought the tournament folks fits.  It was hard to leverage the 6th edition into the tournament scene, and the constant flood of codex's and data-slates did nothing to help.  Now, I'm not a tourney player, I play for fun, but I empathize with the Tourney circuit guys.  This is how they have fun and enjoy the hobby, and if the constant turmoil of the system keeps them from enjoying it, that is bad for everyone.

  Even though I am not a tourney guy, you have to admit that the tournament players are the ones who usually drive the game forward and make good changes to the system, whether adopted by GW or not.  They are interested in a fair, balanced game that provides everyone with a chance to win.  They are the guys who find the flaws, see the weaknesses and identify the absolutely garbage rules.  I have never been a tourney-guy hater, although I do hate the WaaCers.  But I do NOT lump them into the same category at all.  WaaCers are just dicks, the tournament guys are serious, committed gamers and hobbyists who help the hobby in more ways then even they perhaps know.

  On the gripping hand, though, I think 6th edition was a real boon for the narrative and 'play for fun' crowd.  Many old and new codex's became fun to play around with again, and the rules, albeit wonky in places, made for a good narrative game with some fun pieces.  Even the supplements, compendiums, data-slates and expansions all brought fun, new ways to play, while confounding the Tournament guys.

  It strikes me that, although some (perhaps most) would doubt, GW may have looked at 6th and realized that they swung the hammer to far to the other side of the anvil.  In embracing narrative play, they had really dealt a killing blow to the tourney folks.  And let's face it, the tourney guys spend ALOT of money on the hobby, and that talks straight to GWs heart.  I think they saw, from behind the invisible fortress walls, that there were issues, and they knew something had to be done.

  I do not feel, as many others do, that GW has turned hard and cruel toward the gamer community, nor do I think that they embrace the community like they once did.  But being a big company (with shareholders, I might add) is not too easy these days.  If you have an on-line presence, you are setting yourself up for all the haters and providing them a forum to kill you from.  If you pull back your on-line presence, you are labeled a 'hate filled bunch of corporate ass hats'.  So what do you do?  I know I would choose the same road GW did.  Don't give your detractors a free and easy method to kill you.  Suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune from behind your high walls.

  We have all seen the previews of 7th edition.  I, for one, like the look of it.  I'll hold off any real judgment until giving the rules a good read, but I think they have done some things to lessen the division between the Narrative crowd and the Tourney crowd.  The mission changes, wound allocation, vehicle, assault changes... all of these things will make for a better game for everyone, I hope.

  So, on the eve of the release of 7th edition, I say to you all, bons champs, mes amis (from the French - Good fields, my friends).  I hope to see you all enjoying 7th edition soon, and I hope you all find what you are looking for!!

Thoughts on Escalation and Stronghold Assault

  Just some quick thoughts on the Escalation and Stronghold Assault books.  Picked these up this weekend from the FLGS.

Escalation

  I was kind of incredulous at first, since I started with Escalation.  For those who don't know, this is the expansion that allows you to bring "Lords of War" into the normal 40k games.  Lords of war are nothing more than Apocalypse models that are normally held only within the bounds of Apoc games. Not every super-heavy from Apoc is here, but most of the signature models are here.  I have to imagine ForgeWorld will be adding A LOT to this as time goes on.

  First, You have to remember that allowing Lords of War (LoW) into the normal game is strictly optional and needs to be agreed upon by both players.  (EDIT: I should point out, there is nothing that says, in the book, that these are optional rules, the community consensus is that these rules are now standard, I say optional since nobody can force me to play a game I don't want to play, nor should you!!) That being said, these are still big time game changers. I do not see these rules being the norm for many games.  A single Apoc type model is going to seriously change a game.  There are D weapons on those things.  D weapons are such super-heavy weapons that they kill everything on a good hit, no save, no invul saves, no cover saves, no reanimation, just DIE.  Luckily, to have this huge effect, D weapons have to roll on a separate chart to determine the severity of their impact.  At the lower end of the scale, they just cause A LOT of wounds and carnage.

  There is a lot of talk going on some of the boards, that I have seen, that these are going to ruin the game.  I don't think so.  First, you have to agree to use them.  Second, they are not unkillable by normal units.  Most of them have between 9 and 12 hull points, so they are not beyond the scope of most armies to kill.  Of course, they do not roll on the normal vehicle kill table (no 6 to explode a Thunderhawk gunship).  Lastly, they cost a BUTT load of points to put on your list.  Oh, one more thing, there is a Warlord trait table in here for the person who does NOT take a LoW unit.  This is a MASSIVE table that you WILL use if you play against a LoW player, they are warlord traits that will even up the game immensely.

The Rules - Digital Edition - Quick Review

  Hmmmm, another $40 gone and all I got was a whole crap-ton of electrons that exist only on my iPad.  But are those electrons worth it?

  In my humble opinion, GW should be giving the rules to 40k out for free.  Like any good pusher knows, get 'em hooked and you have a customer for life.  This product ought to be handed out at every convention and game store like candy.  "hey little kid, want a rule-book?".  The problem is, we all know this is not the GW way.  Instead, I got to pay $40 for the honour of having the rules on my iPad.  Yay me!

Back to the question - is it worth it.  Yes.  overall, an emphatic yes.  Why?

1 - Current.  The rules are current with the latest FAQ and changes, so that means a bunch to me.  No more searching the rules and the printed out FAQ pages, or going to the GW site to look for rule changes.  That is too cool.

2 - Portable.  Hmm, huge unwieldy rulebook vs slim, trim iPad.  Well, you decide.  It is a matter of personal choice anyhow.  Some folks are saying that iPads are too easy to carry off (i.e. steal) at Cons and such.  I guess that might be an issue, but only if you're a five year old.

3 - iBooks functionality.  Highlighting, notes, book marking, hot linking and all the other iBooks format tools make it super easy find.  There is also a great glossary section and everything is linked and cross linked so you can find what your looking for very easily.  Just being able to highlight sections and takes notes is handy enough, but the fact that you can actually just sit there in review mode and see all your notes and what-not makes it very handy.

  As far as I can see, the rules are the same as the book, albeit with updates and FAQ changes.  There are some changes to the reference section, but these are obvious changes that you would expect after a year of being out there in the wild (6th edition).  There is no more need for the reference section statlines and info for the factions, as just about everyone has the codex(es) that they need.

  Drawbacks?  Hmmm, I'm trying to think of some.  I know some folks balk at taking the iPad to games for fear of loss/breakage, but I say... be careful.  That's all, just know where you are and what you're doing, man up.  I did hear an argument that the total cost (iPad+Codex+rules) was just too high.  <sigh> my only possible answer to that is STFU.  It's a product, not a requirement.  If you have the tools and money, go for it, if not, there are a myriad of other options. 

  So, for $40, you get all the meat, none of the fluff, in an easy to use format.  No more books for me, I have my iPad and I am ready to game.  Rules, check... Codex, check...  Dice... there's an app for that.

  Now, if only Army Builder would get the damn iPad version out... LOL

Review: Let's Paint Black Templars

  Call me crazy, if you like, but I like painting tutorial videos.  I seem to be able to pick up something from every one I watch, no matter how bad they might be.  This 2 DVD set from AGProductions is not bad, in fact it's the best I have seen to date, save for the GW "How to Paint..." DVD.

  The DVD I bought was, oddly enough, Let's Paint Black Templars.  I wondered when I clicked "buy it now" how the producer could possible spend 4 hours (2 DVDs) on BTs.  I mean, really, slap on the black, pick out some white and metallics and bammo, you're done.

  Not so fast.  Christopher Davidson starts off with the very basics, how to build the marine in a way that makes it crazy easier to paint.  I had always left the bolter off the fig, but Christopher has a way better take on how to do things, and the one Marine I have painted so far shows the effect of this improvement.  (No, I'm not going to divulge all his tips in the review, buy one of his videos for that :)

  Christopher then goes on to talk about all the normal stuff, but he uses an approach you don't normally see on youtube vids, and I think it works darn well.  Especially his take on edging, which I have never seen done anywhere before and is great for someone like me (old, with brush control issues :).

  Just for those alone, the $15 price tag is justified, but wait... there's more.  Seriously, at $15 these are some of the least expensive DVDs I have seen and you get 4-ish hours of instruction.  The production value of the DVDs is great.  The steps he uses are clear and in focus, most of the time.  Every now and then he may drift the area being painted out of the camera, but he corrects it right away.  You're not going to find yourself annoyed by this, but it happens once or twice.  He has a very moderated voice that does not grate on your nerves over the duration of the video.  His words are well thought out and it does not seem scripted at all.

  And best of all??  There is NO FREAKING BACKGROUND MUSIC.  DVD producers take note, background music SUX!  I don't care how much you really love that loop from your favorite (crappy) band, hearing it loop 500 times while you tell me how to paint is FREAKING LAME.  STOP IT.  For the love of god, at least turn it down.  Some videos I own (see this review, not mentioning names) have music so annoyingly loud that you cannot hear the speaker, and it's not like it's good music either.  It's crappy loops, you see them on YouTube all the time.  Why people?  WHY????

  If the DVD has any weak spots, it's the menu/navigation again.  I know what a pain it is to author DVDs with menus that work in every machine and computer, so I don't harp on this too much.  I have 6 computers here and 2 different DVD players that I use frequently, and as usual, the menus work great with the mouse and keyboards on the computers, but less so on the dedicated DVD players.

  All in all, this video gets an A grade, or 90 out of 100 on the DVD coolness scale.  It is not for general use painting, it is very Black Templar specific, but the techniques are usable anywhere.  Production and sound quality are GREAT.  Content is top-notch.  Alongside the Hot Lead DVD's and the GW How To Paint Citadel Miniatures, this video stands up very well.  Kudos to the author!!

Ciao for now...

Desks and Buildings and Battlescapes... oh my

Delphia, all broke... a sad panda

A while back, there was a night.  A very hellish night.  Lots of things happened, but the end result was this.  My computer desk's glass top exploded into a gozillion pieces and Delphia took a nose dive.  (Delphia is my 27" iMac
with the i7 processor, 16GB RAM and all the bells and whistles).  This was a bad night.  Not only did I spend bowling league night cleaning up broken glass, but I had to sweat out whether or not the Apple guys could fix her again.  Long story short, I got wayyyy lucky.  It was only the glass, and they had one left (yes, 1, uno, singular... the last one) in stock. The great guys at the Apple store in ABQ uptown got it replaced lickety-split and I was off back home in short order.

The Templars Mordain - My own Space Marine chapter

Well, it's been a while since my last post, and I do apologize.  In the next few days I will explain why.  Work has been crazy, the holidays have come and gone and travels have abounded.

I have had a couple of major projects  come up that took all my hobby time, but they were worth it.  There was also a small disaster that had to be recovered from, but more on that later, in another post.

I did however, solidify the new Chapter Banner and decided on the back-story for my made-up chapter of Space Marines.  I wonder if anyone can tell that they are an off-shoot of the Black Templars?  Am I that obvious?  LOL.  Designing that chapter banner took WAY longer than I would have ever imagined.  It is not very artistic, but rather highly stylized.  All the imagery on the banner has a meaning.  (I will make a post later to explain all the elements of the banner.)  My Templars Mordain are a rather plain jane chapter, but I did not want to create a chapter that stretched reality or bent/broke rules.  They have no special abilities and are in fact, Codex Marines.  The one thing this allows me, is Librarians, unlike the Black Templars.

The backstory is kind of simple, add 1 part angry Helbrecht, 1 part rebellious crusade Marshall and two parts very angry Adeptus Terra and you have the idea.

Winsor-Newton Series 7 vs. Rafael 8404 Brushes - A non golden demon winner's Review

Winsor-Newton series 7 and Rafael 8404 series Brushes

Just like I started my airbrush review, let me tell you that I am not a great painter.  At best, I am an average to decent painter.  I can usually make my armies look decent, but they will not see the final table of any judging.  I think that is what is going to make my review of these brushes appealing.  I have no mad skillz.  I'm just an average painter.

A while back, I was painting my Necrons with the brushes I got from citadel in the various Paint sets and the 'eavy metal set I had.  I have to say, I thought I was doing ok, until I started listening to the podcasts.  All of them, Screaming Heretic, Independent Characters you name it, I listen.  Whenever they talked about painting, they all stressed getting good brushes and taking care of them.  Well, I thought I had good brushes but then I heard and read an article on the Winsor-Newton Series 7 (WNS7) brushes.  I went to Dick Blick's and ordered a set of 4.  I have to say, there was an immediate improvement in my painting.  I also learned from the podcasts and articles not to paint with the tips, but the sides of the brushes.  Nifty trick there.

6th Edition - renewed energy

Well, it's time to try to get back to it again.  Been doing some hobbying lately, but not as much as I would have liked.  I lost a great friend of 20+ years to Cancer last week and that sort of puts things into perspective.  I'm not saying I'm living for the moment, but I think I am appreciating them more as they go by.

Space Marine Paint Scheme v15.1. Basic Black, Sotek Green and Caledor Sky

Anyhow, I have been bitten HARD by the Space Marine bug (again...) and it's time to work them boys into shape.  15 different color schemes came and went, but I think I have settled on a good one this time.  It's basic black, with Sotek Green Pauldrons and Greaves andCaledor Sky highlights here and there...   Here is the first crack at it.  None of the details are done yet.

It works pretty well for me, I think.  My biggest thought was how it would look on a vehicle.

The Chapter Name is temporarily the "Stigmata Martyrs"  (A compliment to Abney Park), but that may also change.  I'll be using the crosses from the Black Templars and it may affect the name as well.

Doomsday Ark - Hawtness

So, I had some time tonight after my toothache turned into an extraction because the tooth broke below the gum-line.  Wonderful USAF dentistry the culprit here, it rotted from the inside out...  Anyhow, I got to finish the assembly of my Necron Doomsday Ark that I started on Sunday.  This is the first model that I actually built in small stages and painted the sub-assemblies as I went.  Very hand y way to do it.  I'm kinda bummed that I didn't clean up the model more, there are mold lines that stick out like sore digital-metallic appendages.

Here are some shots... enjoy...


Still some edge highlighting and touch-ups to do, but mostly done...

These are also on my Flickr Page if you like that better...

BattleMarkers - Great stuff!!

So, every now and then you come across a great product that fills a great need.  Battlemarkers is just that deal.  Imagine all the markers you would ever need for your 40k game, without hassles and without breaking the bank.

Imagine, if you will, That these markers are just like buttons without the pin in the back.  They are metal, excellently printed and clear coated to that they will last a long time.  That's what these markers are, and they ROCK.  They are great looking, and durable as hell.  These are not going to wipe off or fade out on you.

I needed these for my Necron army, but they also have a ton more.  In fact, I got a great deal on a Necron Package that had just about every marker you could think of for a necron force to use.  They also have a ton of markers for other armies and for the game system as well.  For $6 for a single set of markers, you cannot go wrong.  My Necron Package was $20, and it had 4 sets, so that saves you $4 over and above.  The guys shipped them out so fast I had them before I knew it.

Definitely use the link above to check out all they have to offer.  They sell through ETSY, so you know you're not getting hosed and they have to maintain a standard there.

Seriously, Run, don't walk, to this store and grab these markers, you're game will be improved.