The Battle for Planet Ontelaunee

by The Sword Saint

Location: Planet Ontelaunee; ruins on outskirts of Winco, Sub-block 12 Foxtrot

Recon Force Coyle: Adept Coyle, Squad Sledge 1st Company, Squad Green 2nd Company, Squad Remington 10th Company, Patrol Speeder 101, Assault Speeder 102(Librarian, 5 man THammer Termies, 10 man tactical with Melta and MMelta, 10 man shotgun scouts, normal speeder with HB, Toirnado speeder

Foe:
Mixed daemoinic force consisting of Herald of Tzeetch, Flamers, Pink Horrors, Soul Grinder, Nurglings.

Battle started with Force spread out to counter any incursions into our assembly area. Sledge deployed forward to hunt down any Class 3 or better target. Remington and Fire Team Bravo of Squad Green deployed to cover right flank and Fire Team Alpha Squad Green deployed left flank.

Speeder elements deployed low and on left flank in position to surge.

Early portion of engagement had SG landing central within No Man's Land to our fore and the Herald taking a flank near FT Bravo Green. Bravo Green sustained one casualty.SG fired at Squad Remington and incapacitated five brothers.

Return fire from Bravo Green inflicted some damage upon the Herald while Assault Speeder opened fire on the SG with its assault cannon, immobilizing it for Sledge.

Further infestation appeared, with unit of flamers cropping up next to Fire Team Alpha Green as horrors appeared near Team Bravo. SG incapacitated several more brothers from Remington as the Horrors dragged down another member of Bravo Green with shooting. Unit of Nurgling scattered back towards SG.

Sledge advanced on SG and proceeded to destroy it with Thunderhammers, pounding it into scrap. Adept Colye used Null Zone prior to engaging Flamers in Close Assault. remnants of Squad Remington moved to engage Herald, opening fire with shotguns prior to assault. results of assault render Herald destroyed.

Horrors move to support Flamers and assault into flamer/Adept battle. Adept Coyle destroys several daemons in assault and takes wound. Group Sledge engaged by Nuglings.

Adept Coyle Gates out of assault to landing where Bravo Green has assembled. Order given to all available units: "Open fire". Pink horrors gunned down to a pair pof models. Remington, having moved into position, assault Horrors and destroy them in combat.

Flamers move out attempting to get to Adept Coyle and Brovo Green to roast them in daemonic flames. Destroyed by Remington in shooting following turn.
Sledge falls, Nurglings advance.

Coyle orders all remaining units fire at will after null-zoning once again.

Further weapon fire reduces Nurgling count to 1 intact and one wounded stand at End Of Battle.

****
Coyle looked at Remington's Sergeant. "Sergeant... ensure the coordinates are locked into the IVIS."

"Yes adept."

Coyle turned his bloody form to face the pilot of 101. "Warrant Vought, contact the Fidelity.... Inform them to notify Inquisitor Rhodes his services may be required."

A quiet nod from the pilot and he set to work contacting the orbiting Strike Cruiser.

Coyle looked out again over the field of battle and shook his head.

"Daemons... why does it have to be daemons..."
*****

The Tale of the Travelling Assault Cannon

by Inquisitor Lord Aki

On September 15th I ordered an assault cannon and some other bits from The War Store. Not wanting to pay the $5.99 shipping on a couple of pieces of plastic, I selected the $2.99 First Class Mail shipping option.

And wow, that shipping was really First Class.

The War Store is 216 miles away from Reading, PA. It takes a bit more than four hours to drive there. By September 22nd I was wondering what had happened to my bits, so I looked at the tracking information that The War Store sent.

The package was received on the 15th (Neil is really quick at shipping when he has the stuff available). The guns were received at 10:32 AM on the 16th at Southold, NY.

From New York, they took two days to travel to Elk Grove, Illinois, where they partied for a couple of hours before heading to Chicago.

They must have gotten really drunk in Chicago because it took three days to get to Pittsburgh, PA. At least now it was headed in the right direction.

Pennsylvania is a big state, so it took an additional two days to get to “Southeastern, PA”. When I looked up the ZIP code, I saw that this is actually just outside of West Chester, which is only 43 miles from my home.

Realizing they were too close, the plastic bits detoured east and wound up in Philadelphia. It took more than 38 hours for my little bits to travel from West Chester to Philadelphia, which is only 20 miles away.

Seeing that they were late for another party, the bits raced up to the Reading post office (63 miles) in only 15 hours!

Looking at the distances using Google Maps, I see that my assault cannon travelled 1,758 miles in 11 days and flew over my house twice just to get to a destination that was 216 miles away. All for the great price of $2.99.

In the mean time, another model I ordered from the War Store was shipped on September 22nd and received on September 24th for $5.99.

My conclusion is that if you want your bits to get their money’s worth on their travel plans, select First Class postage. You can’t beat travelling half way across the country for less than 0.0017 cents per mile.

Planet Strike - Tyrannic Vets vs The Jokers

by Inquisitor Lord Aki

The Hambali 501st Regiment faced off against the 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets in a 2000 point Planet Strike game in the War for False Hope Campaign. Four systems were being wagered on this game. If the Tyrannic Vets lost, they would have been wiped out. If they won, however, then their standing in the campaign would have risen to the point where they may win.

We had decided on five objectives and we had the models for that many bastions. Being Guard, it only made sense that I was the defender.

One of my bastions had four Lascannons and four heavy bolters, which made Erik search frantically through the Planet Strike rules to see if it was legal (it is legal). The other bastions were of various heights and shapes.

My plan was to put the bastions in a corner, put a squad of troops in each one, plant my tanks, Basilisk, and Manticore on one table edge to prevent him from selecting that as his drop zone, and bring the Hellhound, Banewolf, and a couple of Chimelta veteran squads in reserve to jump onto the table and destroy any armor he has.

For one stratagem I chose the Battle Cannon. Can't go wrong with a battle cannon sitting on top of a bastion. My second stratagem was Drop Zone Denial. I had one table edge blocked, another with so much terrain nobody in their right mind would chose it, one that opened my flank wide, and the other that would focus everything through a narrow opening in my defense walls. These two stratagems cost me my full five points.

As it turned out, the drop zone denial was useless as he brought Terminators and everything else in drop pods. Three stratagem points wasted.

One of Erik's stratagems was Scorched Skies that boosted his Firestorm attack. The Firestorm is the planetary bombardment that occurs before the attack begins. It is a S9 AP3 Ordinance Barrage and the attacker gets 1D6 plus the number of objectives. His stratagem allowed him to roll 2D6 and it gave him 16 attacks!

The Firestorm attacks were surprisingly ineffective. Some of the defense walls were destroyed and one bastion was shaken, but that was all. This is the trade-off in Planet Strike. If my bastions were closer together the Firestorm would have been more effective as the scatter would have eventually his something. However, with my bastions spread out as they were, the teleporting terminators had no problem landing.

Six squads of terminators dropped into the midst of my bastions. Only one had a mishap and was delayed. The two interceptor quad-guns and two interceptor lascannons opened up, but were ineffective against the terminator armor.

The terminators made short work of the bastion with the battle cannon, eliminating the other two stratagem point before I even got a chance to shoot it. Two of the lascannons on my heavily armed bastion were destroyed and an interceptor gun was also attacked and destroyed.

A veteran squad in a Chimera that was hiding behind a bastion was attacked and blew up, taking two terminators in the explosion.

Another stratagem Erik chose was Darken the Skies, which forced the night fighting rules for the first turn. This was devastating to the Jokers since they can't roll anything above a two on a six-sided dice.

My tanks, Basilisk, and Manticore were useless as they couldn't see anything. Marbo, however, took out three terminators as he also came in on the first turn.

On the second turn, everybody else came into play. Three dreadnoughts dropped into the fray and the interceptor quad-gun immobilized one of them. Two bastions were destroyed and the explosion from one of my tanks killed one terminator that attacked it. The Basilisk was also wrecked before it even fired a single shot.

My Banewolf, Hellhound and a Chimelta squad all came in on what was supposed to be Erik's drop-zone and raced toward the battle. The Hellhound reached out and killed one terminator. Marbo shot his ripper pistol at a terminator squad, killing one. He managed to kill one more before falling in close combat. A tank managed to destroy one terminator before getting smacked into being stunned.

Another stratagem Erik took was Teleport Barrage, which kills anyone in a bastion who MAKES their armor save. This is where my low-rolling really helped as I only made one armor saves!

The rules state that if the attacker is in base contact with an objective (or the ruins of an objective), then the objective is theirs. It was quite obvious that Erik had won as he had terminators on EVERY objective.

In retrospect, I should have chosen different stratagems and grouped the bastions closer together. Even if the bastions were destroyed during the Firestorm, the craters with units in them would have forced the teleporting terminators to have accidents.

It was a great game and a great change to the normal scenarios. I absolutely recommend Planet Strike to all players.

Campaign Update - 9/24/2009

Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Battle for Sarosh
The 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets attacked the planet of Sarosh and destroyed the garrison of the Hambali 501st Regiment. The Ultramarines routed the Jokers from Pion, Orion Prime, and Chorithia III.

The Battle for the Shroud of Hatred
The Salamanders 2nd Company boarded the Shroud of Hatred and all but wiped out a contingent of battle sisters from Gabriel's Archangels. The Salamanders went on to take the shipyards of Hell's Deep and Linush.

The campaign ends on September 30th!

Click here for pictures of campaign games played.

Armies registered for the campaign:
1st Company Tyrannic War Vets
Gabriel's Archangels
Gallen's Chaos
Hambali 501st Regiment
Hive Fleet Leviathan
Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia
Lunar Fangs
Pack of the Blademaster
Pestilence of Despair
Salamanders 2nd Company
Sword Angels

Follow the links above to see each army. The army pages will be updated with each battle.

To see an overview of each army (wins, loses, ties), follow this link:
http://berkswarhammer40k.webs.com/Army%20Status.htm

To see the status of all the systems in the Lost Hope sector, follow this link:
http://berkswarhammer40k.webs.com/World%20Status.htm

REMEMBER: Register your games by sending an email to berkswarhammer40k@hotmail.com. If you don't register the game, it will not count towards the campaign.

If you need to download the rules, click here:

Previous Battles
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Battle for Gunron
The Hambali 501st Regiment attacked the Salamanders in the Gunron system. The Jokers destroyed the garrison and wounded Captain Pandemon.

Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Battle for Lycos
In a 15,000 point Apocalypse game, the following armies won:
1st Company Tyrannic War VetsInquisitorial Expedition Force ArrakiaPestilence of DespairLunar FangsAnd the following armies lost:Hambali 501st RegimentHive Fleet LeviathanPack of the BlademasterSalamanders 2nd CompanySword AngelsClick here to see pictures of the battle.

Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Hunt for Ghan
The Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia ambushed the former inquisitor Siabolst Ghan and the Hambali 501st Regiment, but were beaten back by the onslaught of armor. Force Arrakia lost the Werins wilderness world and the Entrilles Prime shipyard in the battle.

The Battle for Theesh
It is in Chaos' nature to fight against itself, and on the lost world of Theesh this was no exception. Gallen's Chaos punished the Plague Marines for The Pestilence of Despair and now rule the world.

The Battle for Kara Tekka
Invigorated by their win on Theesh, Gallen's Chaos attacked the Kara Tekka system, routing the Sword Angels Space Marines that were garrisoned there.

The Battle for Linush
In the chaos that ensued from the evacuation of Kara Tekka, the Sword Angels were caught off-guard and fell to the firepower of Gabriel's Archangels, losing the Linush shipyard in the process.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Second Battle for Orion Prime
The combined Hambali 501st forces from Jarata and Orritus Prime attacked the Plague Marines of Pestilence of Despair from Orion Prime and Demur III. After a brutal battle the Plague Marines were routed from the systems.

Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Second Battle for Solus Grimm
The combined Hambali 501st forces from Werins and Entrilles Prime attack the Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia on Solus Grimm. The Deamonhunters destroyed the Guard forces, then captured the undefended systems.

Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Battle for Uthendia
The 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets were defeated as the Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia raided and took control of the Uthendia system.

Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Battle for Jarata
After being routed from Uthendia, the 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets were reinforced by veterans from the Entrilles Prime system attacked the Hambali 501st Regiment in the Jarata system. The Jokers repelled the attack, then went on to occupy the Entrilles system.

Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Battle for Pershing II
After taking control of the Uthendia system, the Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia attacked and defeated the Lunar Fangs at Pershing II.

Thursday, June 4, 2009
The Battle for Asoria
The Lunar Fangs defeated the Sword Angels in the Asoria system.

Wednesday, May 27th
The Battle for Lyseria
The Hambali 501st Regiment attacked Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia in the Lyseria system. After the Deamonhunters beat the Guard regiment, they took the opportunity to claim the unoccupied Sebastion's Strait.

Saturday, May 23rd
The Battle for Sebastion's Strait
The Pestilence of Depsair attacked the Hambali 501st Regiment in the Sebastion's Strait system. Both sides took heavy losses before the Plague Marines withdrew from the battlefield.

Saturday, May 23rd
The Battle for Havaria
It wasn't known that there were Tyranids in the False Hope sector until Hive Fleet Leviathan attacked the 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets in the Havarian system. The Space Marines were caught off-foot and the Tyranids took the system.

Friday, May 22nd
The Battle for Solus Grimm
The 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets attacked the Grey Knights from the Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia in the system Solus Grimm. After a fierce fight, the battle was a tie and the Tyrannic War Vets made a tactical withdrawal.

The Jokers vs Krogg's Karnage

by Inquisitor Lord Aki

Looking at the horde

So now I know.

I can’t tell you how many times I said that during the game.

It was the first battle for the King of the Hill Ladder Campaign. It was the first time I’ve ever played against Orks. It was the first time I’ve played against Mike B. It was the first time I’ve ever play Annihilation. It was a lot of firsts. Even the dice kept coming up with 1s.

The Hambali 501st Regiment, The Jokers, faced off against Krogg’s Karnage in a 1500 point game. We rolled an Annihilation game with Pitched Battle deployment and I won first turn.

I had four veteran squads in Chimera (two melta squads, one flamer, one with a heavy bolter), two standard Leman Russ Battle Tanks, a Manticore, a Banewolf, a Hellhound, a Primaris Psyker, and, of course, Marbo. Can’t leave home without Marbo.

I saved money with Geico!

He had a huge Boss, a Mekboy with a Shokk gun and a bunch of runts, a bunch of Stormboyz, a couple of 30 Ork mobz, too many Gretchins to count, a bunch of Orks in a truck, a Dread and a squad of Kans.

Alotta green

I deployed in a line across the board with the (wrong) assumption I could shoot everything as he marched across the board. He deployed… well… everywhere. There wasn’t much left on his side of the board that wasn’t covered in green. His Mek was peeking out of a building and the boss was shadowing the Dread.

I jumped the Banewolf and Hellhound forward. The Banewolf has a multi-melta and I was attempting to take out the Trukk. But, true to form, the Jokers missed. The Hellhound did managed a couple of kills against the runts around the Mek. I also managed to stun two of the three cans with my battle cannons.

And everyone else missed. My usual games start out with a lot of misses, so I wasn’t quite concerned at this point. I was a bit discouraged, by that’s why I named them The Jokers.

Check out the Ork that fell out of the trukk!

His Trukk jumped forward and dumped twelve Orks in front of my Hellhound, quickly destroying it.

Now I know. Orks can takes out vehicles as easy as they can take out troops. A single power-fist is all that was needed against the back armor.

I took out the trukk with the Banewolf’s multi-melta and also took some orks out with the Chem Cannon. This is my cheese-move. I aim at the vehicle with the cannon, even though it is a S1 (poison 2+) weapon. As long as the template touches the vehicle I shot the melta at, it’s fair game. Everything (and everyone) under the template "got in the way".

The cheese attack!

I shot at the Kans again, but everything scattered. One of my multi-lasers was able to take a weapon off one Kan, but no other damage was done.

Marbo came in and took out five Orks, but was quickly shot down in the next turn.

Marbo trying to hold back the tide

The Manticore that I had in the corner kept shooting, but my constant rolls of 1s ensure that he only got one template per turn. He took out patches of green in the Stormboyz squad that was advancing WAY too quickly toward my first squad. But there were just too many of them to make much of a difference.

Manticore in the woods

I knew there was no way to take out the 30 model squads for the points, so I concentrated everything on the Kans, HQs, and smaller squad from the truckk which had already eaten my Hellhound and Banewolf for breakfast.

Don't let those wrecked vehicles get in your way!

My battle cannon took out some more of the Stormboyz who had just jumped forward 17 inches. First squad unleashed a multilaser, pintle-mounted stubber, a heavy bolter, four lasgun, and a couple of the psyker's Lightening Arcs at the boyz and only hit and killed one. I've never missed so many shots in my life.

The Stormboyz landed on first squad's Chimera with a vengence. After 36 hits they finally manage to immobilize it.

Knocking on the Chimera's door

Third squad jumped forward hoping to see some action. Three veterans with flamers shooting out of the top as well as the hull mounted heavy flamer makes this unit a short range Hellhound. But, as fate would have it, all of the templates couldn't quite reach the green wave.

Then the WAAAGH! occurred. Two squads fought among themselves, but the wave continued. If any were killed during the in-fighting, I couldn't tell because there were so many of them.

A couple of shots from the Kans made third squad's Chimera explode. The explosion took out five grots, two Orks, and eight guardsmen.

Anyone got a light?

The Big Mekk shot, but blew himself and a couple of his runts back into the warp. It was my second kill point.

First squad's Chimera exploded and most of the squad survived. My low rolling ensured they weren't pinned and they killed five Orks. Second squad took out the rest of the Stormboyz.

First squad makes a stand

The Dread was finally shaken and a battle cannon blast took out all but two of the remaining Orks that were jumping over the remains of the Banewolf and Hellhound.

Second squad's Chimera was wrecked from the squad of Kans and the remains of third squad were quickly killed in the onslaught.

Even though it was the end of turn four, I had to call the game because of time restrictions. The score was seven to two and I had absolutely no way to gain enough points. The Manticore had shot all of its missiles and my tanks were in assault range of the mobs. Even if fate had turned in my favor, the best I could have done is killed the Dread, the boss, and the remains of the trukk boyz. That would have still left me three points shy of a tie.

So now I know.

That's how I rolled the ENTIRE game!

The first mistake I made was setting up a line across the board. My thought in doing this was to ensure the Orks could not perform multiple assaults in a single turn against a couple of Chimeras or tanks. My theory now is to "castle" everyone in a corner and ensure nobody gets close enough to assault or start spreading out when they get into assault range.

The second mistake I made was not bringing enough tanks. So everyone in the group can now thank Mike B for the amount of Russ' I'll be fielding in the future.

The third mistake I made was fielding an army based on other people's ideas. I have four squads of veterans tucked into Chimeras. Each squad has three special weapons. Two squads have meltas, one has flamers, and one has plasma (although in this game they had an autocannon to shave some points).

Being able to shoot five models from the top hatch of a Chimera is great. The "Chimelta" squads are the hottest thing right now. However, it doesn't work with my playing style and it really doesn't work against hordes.

To use Chimelta squads you need to get them up close and personal so they are in range. Since I normally play objective-based scenarios, these squads are hidden behind my tanks to ensure they survive the "objective-denial" playing style. This means that for most of the game they are stationary and out of range to use the meltas. If someone gets close they are great and they clean up very good, but otherwise they are sitting on the meltas with nothing to do.

Guard platoons have the ability to mob multiple infantry squads together into a single unit (aka: 1 giant kill point in Annihilation games). However, veterans do not have this ability.

If I change my list to include an infantry platoon instead of veteran squads (still mounted, of course) and give them all missile launchers, then I can combine them during Annihilation games. The combined squad would be deployed away from the main mass of armor and will remain stationary. The empty Chimeras would be used to funnel and/or push the horde toward the tank fire-zones.

This would provide a much better "all-comers" list and will allow for much greater template-style fire-power against hordes.

We will replay this game again someday. This is the rut I usually get into when I lose a game. I tend to replay it over and over again until I finally win.

And I will win.

More pictures of the battle can be found here.

The Battle for The Shroud of Hatred

+++begin transmission+++

Subject: Shroud of Hatred strike cruiser
Rating: Omega Epsilon (re-established communication)
Cross ref: False Hope sub-sector, warp storms

Lord Aki,

It is with great regret that I report the loss of the entire contingent of Gabriel's Archangels which was stationed in the False Hope sector. The Sisters of Battle were confined to the cruiser Shroud of Hatred following fighting in False Hope and were outbound from the region when the 2nd company of Salamanders under my command boarded the cruiser with the intent of also leaving the region. Shots were exchanged and the fighting quickly turned bloody. Both my boarding party and the Sisters fought for several objectives on the ship itself. Our weapons and tactics were superior but the Sisters refused to yield.

We faced them in the main atrium of the cruiser. In that dimly-lit chamber, two tactical squads of Astartes and the remnants of my command squad clashed with a Sisters of Battle squad, a squad of Seraphim, and the Canoness herself with her honor guard. The Sisters honorably annihilated both tactical squads of my Astartes and it was left to myself and Company Champion Nik'lea to face them down. The Canoness fell to my blade after wounding me badly, but Brother Nik'lea single-handedly opposed the remaining honor guard and tactical squad and drove them from the atrium.

The surviving Sisters have been returned to their order with honor. For ourselves, the surviving members of the company make for Prometheus. We have been unable to locate the body of our blessed primarch, but the scars earned and glory won in the False Hope sector will never fade. Two systems under Gabriel's Archangels have been turned over to the aegis of the Salamanders as a result of this engagement.

Unto the anvil of war,
Pan'demon, Capt 2nd Company

Thought for the day: Despair is the architect of obedience.

+++end transmission+++

Club Meeting - 9/19/2009

by Inquisitor Lord Aki

Another great turnout this week. Erik and I played out first Planet Strike game and he totally conquered me. I'll try to get a battle report posted within the next couple of days.

King of the Hill Ladder Campaign
Get registered! If you need to register, click here for the rules and instructions.

Hobbytown Model Contest
The model contest will be at Hobbytown USA on October 10th. Click here for more information.

Mechanicon 2009 Grand Tournament
The Mechanicon 2009 40K Grand Tournament in West Chester will be on November 6 - 9. Many players from our group plan on going, but I don't know how many will actually be playing in the tournament. November 7th is our normal meeting and open gaming day, so there probably won't be a meeting (but, as always, there will be open gaming).

Click here for more information about the tournament.

The War for False Hope Campaign
The War for False Hope Campaign will officially end on Sunday, October 27th. The winner will be determined by the number of systems they have times the number of games they played. So for the next two week - PLAY! Anything can happen. For example, I just lost four systems to Erik in a Planet Strike game and that puts him ahead of me in the campaign. Just four weeks ago he was so far behind that nobody thought he'd every come back! So is the nature of warfare in the 41st millennium!

Commissar Yarrick

by Inquisitor Lord Aki

Here are some pics of Commissar Yarrick, another commission job. Now it's time to start painting my army!

King of the Hill Update - 9/17/2009

Click for current status

Krogg's Karnage beat the Hambali 501st Regiment in a 1500 point Annihilation game. On a side note, a new Games Workshop Warhammer 40K FAQ was just released explaining the "Feel A Lot of Pain" special rule.

Now that the first game of the King of the Hill campaign has been played, let's explain how this will work.

Krogg's Karnage has moved to the first level (level 4) of the pyramid. Krogg cannot advance to level 3 until he beats another army at the same level. Because there are three empty spots on level 4, if someone from the riff-raff level challenges AND BEATS Krogg, Krogg will not be removed from level 4.

An army can only be bumped from a level only when ALL of the spots on that level are full.

So start playing!

On the left side of the page you will see the pyramid. This image is updated every time an army advances (click on it to see a larger image).

If you are not registered - then what are you waiting for?!?!?!

MicroSET and MicroSOL

by Inquisitor Lord Aki

In a previous post by Brother Captain Angelus I read about using Microsol for decals. Microsol is a clear liquid that softens decals. You "paint" it onto the decal after it has dried. It will usually get rid of the clear edge of the decal that you can see after it has dried. See the "501" decal in the picture below.

Now Microsol isn't magic. I found that if you apply it after you have already sprayed a matt protective finish on the model it won't help one bit. I also found it to be marginally helpful in removing the clear edge of the decal.

I looked online and found that Microsol is actually part of a two-part set. MicroSET is the first part.

Microset is also a decal softener, but it also improves adhesion. When used together, Microset and Microsol essentially make the transfer no different than paint. When used as I describe below, I actually was able to apply a wash over the decal without losing any detail or having the decal move. This is important since usually the bright colors of the decals are a stark contrast to the darker colors of my models.

The first step is to completely paint your model, applying any washes, etc. You can dry-brush before or after the decal application. I usually dry-brush after so the brushing effects can be seen on the decals, too.

The next step takes some tweezers, a paint brush, both hands, and some coordination. You need to paint the Microset onto your model then put the decal on it. The problem is that the decal takes 30 - 40 seconds to moisten in the water and the Microset dries in about 20 seconds.

Open the Microset and get your paintbrush in one hand and soak the decal in water with the other. After soaking the decal for about 20 seconds, dip the paintbrush into the Mircoset and apply it to the area on the model where the decal is going. Then apply the decal.

Be careful with the decal as the Microset is actually softening it. Try not to have so much water and Microset that the decal flows off, but just enough to keep it moist. After the decal is positioned where you want it, use the brush to gently remove the air bubbles and smooth the edges down. Gently is the key word here. The Microset will soften the decal to the point where it will conform to the shape of the model. This is perfect for shoulder pads.

Let the Microset dry for at least five minutes, then apply another coat. You don't need to use a lot, just enough to moisten the decal.

Wait another five to ten minutes, then apply the MicroSOL solution. Again, you are not trying to drown your model. You need just enough to moisten the decal.

When it is completely try (at least 30 minutes), you are free to do whatever you want. The decal is now no different than the paint. You can use washes or more paint over the decal or even apply a wash to tone it down a bit.

Here are some picture of this method:


A Google search will provide you with a list of places to get Microset and Microsol. It usually sells for less than $4 for one ounce (which will last you forever).

Inquisitorial Stormtroopers

By Inquisitor Lord Aki

Stormtrooper Squad

I painted this squad on commission and realized I don't like doing commission work. First, I have enough of my own stuff I really want to paint. Second, I am having issues with painting something then giving it back. I want to keep them!

This was the first time I have used Microset AND Microsol for the decals. I'll post another article about that tomorrow.

Here are the pics:

Sgt. Stormtrooper

Look into my -I-

Meltagunners!

Trooper Redshirt

Trooper Redshirt

HobbyTown USA Model Contest

SATURDAY OCTOBER 10, 2009
Enter the Fall National Model Contest for your chance to win!

The National Best of Show winner will receive a $250 HobbyTown USA gift card sponsored by HobbyTown USA.

The National Best of Show Junior Division winner will receive a $100 HobbyTown USA gift card sponsored by HobbyTown USA.

The National Osprey Award winner will receive a $250 HobbyTown USA gift card sponsored by Osprey Publishing. To be eligible, you must use an Osprey Publication for reference when building your model.

The National Best Paint winner will receive a $250 HobbyTown USA gift card sponsored by HobbyTown USA.

Located at:
Cross Keys Center
12-F Wingco Lane
Reading, PA
http://www.hobbytownofreading.com/

MECHANICON 2009 - LOCAL TOURNAMENT!

Featured Event:
The MechaniCon-Warhammer 40,000 Grand Tournament
2 day event—5 games, 1850 points

Side Events:
-The Friday Night Fight—a one day 40K event , Friday 11/6
-Battlefleet Gothic Tournament—by LXG club, Friday 11/6
-Chris Bledsoe Memorial Charity Auction—Saturday 11/7
-Blood Bowl Tournament, details on the way
-Flames of War, Privateer Press and more coming soon
-Other hobby and gaming activities will be announced as they are finalized. Please check our website for listings as they are confirmed.

Other Details:
-Venue is in West Chester, PA - about 30 minutes from the Philadelphia Airport, 30 minutes from Wilmington, DE
-Brand new tables and scenery that are designed for 5th edition 40K
-Tons of great prizes, cool swag, loads of trophies in 7 categories for the main event and more!


Click here for more details.

I'll Never Play Space Marines - Maybe

by Inquisitor Lord Aki

I told myself long ago that I would never play Space Marines. It's not that I don't like these eight-foot tall power-armored freaks. They're great. The problem I have is that EVERYBODY plays Space Marines. Three quarters of Black Library's books are about Space Marines. GW is even pushing board games about - you guessed it - Space Marines.

So I am quite happy building my tanks and will eventually have a couple mobs of conscripts being chased by commissars.

Then the Salamander player in the group asked about using the list from the Armageddon codex for our King of the Hill campaign. The question was should he still use the fourth edition Space Marine codex with the Armageddon army list.

With the release of the fifth edition Space Marine codex, the point changes, chapter traits, and organization basically nixed the older codex and Armageddon list. So my answer was if he was going to use the Armageddon army list he would need to use the fourth edition Space Marine codex with it.

Then the rest of my response questioned why he would do that. Here was my response:

Personally, I'd play 5th edition and always bring Vulkan. Just look at the advantages:

- You're going to get your multi-melta and flamer for free in 10 man squads (and you should be fielding 10 man squads)

- You won't lose your 4 initiative, which you will lose in the Armageddon army list

- Vulkan gives you twin linked multi-meltas (which you got for free when you field full squads). The Armageddon army list makes you pay 10 points for each one.

- OK, the vehicle upgrades in Armageddon are cool, but if you're pushing your free multi-meltas then a melta-gun shouldn't be getting in range.

- You will keep the combat squad ability (did I mention - you should be fielding full squads!)

- Vulkan is kick-a$$!

- You can still field whatever the heck you want and won't be limited by the Armageddon restrictions.

I'm telling you - a Termie assault squad with thunder hammers (that are master-crafted thanks to Vulkan) assaulting out of a Land Raider will be the game winner. You will be killing anything you assault with them and the LR won't be touched. You can even pull a multiple assault on mech armies (like mine) and knock out two tanks in a single turn!

In my opinion, 5th just brings too many advantages not to use. But that's just my opinion. It was designed to take advantage of the 5th edition game rules. People complain that the new IG codex is broken, but forget that 5th edition SM codex was the first codex released after the new rules. The SM codex is the original broken codex with it's cheap transports and free weapon choices.

Then, I found this picture of Vulkan:

I am so close to breaking my rule about never playing a Space Marine army! Fortunately - my love for tanks and mass no-names still outweighs my love for power armor and individual characters!

The Battle for Gunron

By Inquisitor Lord Aki

Corporal Joshun sat up in the turret basket of Bad Humor, the Leman Russ he finally earned command of. He peered though the scope at a detachment of Space Marines. He had heard they were the second company of the Salamanders, but that meant little to him. Not many Tread-heads knew the names of Space Marine chapters. In fact, not many Tread-heads had ever fought with, or even against, loyal Space Marines.

These were strange days indeed.

The 501st Regiment, otherwise known as The Jokers, were loosely organized. Colonel Ciath ensured that different parts of the regiment could work independently. As Joshun looked down the line he saw Sgt. Rheen's tank, Wise Crack, and four veteran squads in Chimeras. He knew the Holy Light was somewhere. He has seen the old Hellhound in the cargo hold of the transport.

But what really caught his eye was The Wolf, a newly refurbished Banewolf variant. It was kept in a different hold of the ship due to the volatile nature of the chemicals it held in its tanks. He had never seen a chem-cannon in action and wondered if it would have any effect on the Space Marines.

He then saw Siabolst Ghan stand up on the back of first squad's Chimera. Ghan scared Joshun. Hell, he scared everyone in the regiment. The old psyker spoke to people without using words and nobody ever saw him sleep. Rumors ranged from him being an inquisitor to a warp-spawned deamon.

Joshun couldn't decide which was worse.

Ghan had a simple plan to draw the Salamanders out. He had sent enough false communication traffic to make them believe that one of the chapter's lost artifacts was found by the regiment. This drew the Marines out onto a desolated continent on Gunron Prime.

The Salamanders were there to grab two beacons left by Ghan. Ghan's plan was to simply beat them back and take the planet. Gunron was a world that traded a lot with other systems and had long range teleport systems that Col. Ciath wanted.

The Jokers advanced to the main road of what was once the Administratum area of an old city. Second, third, and fourth squads advanced toward the Ghan's decoy beacons. Joshun watched as The Wolf jumped forward and shot a multi-melta at a dreadnought. The shot glanced the beast and only stunned it.

Joshun ordered his gunner to take out a Predator that was flanked by a squad of troops and another squad with jump packs. The gunner yelled "Brace!" and Joshun closed his eyes and tensed his muscles. The Humor's Battle Cannon roared and the insides instantly smelled of smoke and burnt powder. The shot went wide and the explosion took out a couple of the jump troops.

The Predator answered with a volley of Lascannon shots. One hit the front armor and shook the tank as if it were a child's toy. Joshun heard a smack beside him and saw his blood coming from his gunner's head where it had just hit a stow box. The gunner looked like he was going to pass out.

A squad of Marines ran toward a small ruined wall and hid behind it for cover and the remaining jump troops and another squad advanced. The Marine's command Rhino also started racing toward the infantry squads.

The Wolf and Holy Light raced toward the squad of Marines behind cover and unleashed a torrent of flame and chemicals. The Marines that were not cooked by the flames saw their armor dissolve. Two of the Marines survived the attack.

Sniper shots rained down on the Wolf, but the chemical tanks weren't ruptured. The Salamander dreadnought reached the first beacon, the howled in anger as he realized it was a decoy.

Joshun smacked his gunner in an attempt to get him to focus and it seemed to do the trick. The loader had already put an armor piercing round in the gun breech. The gunner yelled "Brace!" again and stomped on the foot trigger. When Joshun peered through the scope he saw a smoldering hold in the front of the Predator where the driver would have been recently sitting.

The Wise Crack shot at the dreadnought and missed, but the multilaser on second squad's Chimera barked beams of light and the old warrior stumbled back a couple of steps, stunned but not wounded. The Wolf belched it's lethal chemicals again and destroyed the two remaining Marines that were trying to hide in the ruins.

The Rhino lurched forward and the command squad disembarked. Captain Pandemon of the Salamanders, seeing what the Wolf did to his men, ordered his melta-gunner to unleashed fury into the Banewolf. The melta blast only glanced the armor, so the captain drew his plasma pistol and shot the turret clear off the top of the vehicle.

A squad of Marine snipers hiding on the roof of a building shot at the Holy Light and a perfectly aimed round entered the driver's vision block. The round ricocheted around the inside of the Hellhound until the entire crew was killed and all of the internal mechanics destroyed. The tank rolled to a stop.

Third squad, which had been guarding one of the beacons, heard an electric sound crackling and felt their hairs stand on end. Only the veteran sergeant knew what was coming: a squad teleporting onto the battlefield. A bright light appear directly over the Chimera's hull and the sound grew louder. Then, as quickly as it started, it ended. The sergeant peeked his head out of the hatch and saw, to his surprise, the bright flash of the teleport a couple of hundred meters away. A group of Terminators looked around, confused at first, but then clearly angered by the mishap.

Hidden in the rubble, waiting for the perfect time, Sergeant Barnes revealed himself only meters from Captain Pandemon. His command squad, focused on the Banewolf, didn't notice Barnes until the sachel full of demolitions was thrown into their midst. Every Marine was killed and Captain Pandemon was thrown against the side of his Rhino. His body automatically shut down into a coma-like state as it tried to repair itself.

The dreadnought, seeing what had just occurred, blasted Barnes with his heavy flamer. Wounded, Barnes tried to run for cover, but the dreadnought's lascannon arm was quicker. The blast blew him from his feet and he laid unconscious, hoping for death.

Another blast shook Bad Humor and Joshun's gunner was knocked unconscious. Joshun pushed the gunner from his seat and shot at the only available target he saw, the command Rhino, but missed. The Wise Crack shot at the squad that had fired the missile into Bad Humor and everyone except the Marine with the launcher perished.

Seeing the dreadnought's back turn toward him, Ghan stood tall on the back of the Chimera and whips of lightening whirled around him as he harnessed the power of the warp. The sound of a great storm dulled everyone's hearing and Ghan shouted a curse toward the dreadnought and... nothing happened. The sound died off quickly and the lightening was gone. Ghan cursed as he threw his staff down and kicked the Chimera's turret. The multilaser fired three shots and destroyed the dreadnought.

Joshun commanded his driver to back up and the gunner to load a high explosive round into the breach. He fired at an assault Marine and point blank range, sending him into oblivion.

The Wise Crack fired a shot into the building the Marine with the missile launcher was hiding behind. The blast destroyed the Marine as well as three snipers that were on the roof. The other two snipers disappeared from view and withdrew.

As the Jokers were regrouping, a small shuttle dropped from the sky and landed behind a building. A small squad ran out to collect the wounded Marines and Captain Pandemon. Joshun ordered an armor piercing round be loaded and took aim at the shuttle through an opening in the ruins. He was about to step on the foot-trigger when he heard a voice in his head say Let them go. We achieved what we had come here for.

The voiced sounded like his own, but he knew it was Ghan's. He didn't realize his eyes were closed until he forced them open. That was when he saw frost on the metal edges of his basket and noticed how cold the inside of his tank had become. He shuddered, but couldn't shake the coldness of the warp.

The shuttle lifted off and disappeared into the clouds. With the Salamander garrison on Gunron gone, the Hambali 501st took control of the planet. The Salamanders also withdrew from the Chorithia system to regroup their forces, so Colonel Ciath ordered a detachment there, too.

Joshun lay awake at night for a long time afterwards, wondering what this universe had come to. Servants of the Emperor fighting servants of the Emperor? While he would never question orders, the thought disturbed him as much as the realization that he actually enjoyed the challenge.

Campaign Update - 9/5/2009

Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Battle for Gunron
The Hambali 501st Regiment attacked the Salamanders in the Gunron system. The Jokers destroyed the garrison and wounded Captain Pandemon.

The campaign ends on September 30th!

Click here for pictures of campaign games played.

Armies registered for the campaign:
1st Company Tyrannic War Vets
Gabriel's Archangels
Gallen's Chaos
Hambali 501st Regiment
Hive Fleet Leviathan
Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia
Lunar Fangs
Pack of the Blademaster
Pestilence of Despair
Salamanders 2nd Company
Sword Angels

Follow the links above to see each army. The army pages will be updated with each battle.

To see an overview of each army (wins, loses, ties), follow this link:
http://berkswarhammer40k.webs.com/Army%20Status.htm

To see the status of all the systems in the Lost Hope sector, follow this link:
http://berkswarhammer40k.webs.com/World%20Status.htm

REMEMBER: Register your games by sending an email to berkswarhammer40k@hotmail.com. If you don't register the game, it will not count towards the campaign.

If you need to download the rules, click here:

Previous Battles
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Battle for Lycos
In a 15,000 point Apocalypse game, the following armies won:
1st Company Tyrannic War VetsInquisitorial Expedition Force ArrakiaPestilence of DespairLunar FangsAnd the following armies lost:Hambali 501st RegimentHive Fleet LeviathanPack of the BlademasterSalamanders 2nd CompanySword AngelsClick here to see pictures of the battle.

Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Hunt for Ghan
The Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia ambushed the former inquisitor Siabolst Ghan and the Hambali 501st Regiment, but were beaten back by the onslaught of armor. Force Arrakia lost the Werins wilderness world and the Entrilles Prime shipyard in the battle.

The Battle for Theesh
It is in Chaos' nature to fight against itself, and on the lost world of Theesh this was no exception. Gallen's Chaos punished the Plague Marines for The Pestilence of Despair and now rule the world.

The Battle for Kara Tekka
Invigorated by their win on Theesh, Gallen's Chaos attacked the Kara Tekka system, routing the Sword Angels Space Marines that were garrisoned there.

The Battle for Linush
In the chaos that ensued from the evacuation of Kara Tekka, the Sword Angels were caught off-guard and fell to the firepower of Gabriel's Archangels, losing the Linush shipyard in the process.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Second Battle for Orion Prime
The combined Hambali 501st forces from Jarata and Orritus Prime attacked the Plague Marines of Pestilence of Despair from Orion Prime and Demur III. After a brutal battle the Plague Marines were routed from the systems.

Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Second Battle for Solus Grimm
The combined Hambali 501st forces from Werins and Entrilles Prime attack the Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia on Solus Grimm. The Deamonhunters destroyed the Guard forces, then captured the undefended systems.

Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Battle for Uthendia
The 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets were defeated as the Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia raided and took control of the Uthendia system.

Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Battle for Jarata
After being routed from Uthendia, the 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets were reinforced by veterans from the Entrilles Prime system attacked the Hambali 501st Regiment in the Jarata system. The Jokers repelled the attack, then went on to occupy the Entrilles system.

Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Battle for Pershing II
After taking control of the Uthendia system, the Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia attacked and defeated the Lunar Fangs at Pershing II.

Thursday, June 4, 2009
The Battle for Asoria
The Lunar Fangs defeated the Sword Angels in the Asoria system.

Wednesday, May 27th
The Battle for Lyseria
The Hambali 501st Regiment attacked Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia in the Lyseria system. After the Deamonhunters beat the Guard regiment, they took the opportunity to claim the unoccupied Sebastion's Strait.

Saturday, May 23rd
The Battle for Sebastion's Strait
The Pestilence of Depsair attacked the Hambali 501st Regiment in the Sebastion's Strait system. Both sides took heavy losses before the Plague Marines withdrew from the battlefield.

Saturday, May 23rd
The Battle for Havaria
It wasn't known that there were Tyranids in the False Hope sector until Hive Fleet Leviathan attacked the 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets in the Havarian system. The Space Marines were caught off-foot and the Tyranids took the system.

Friday, May 22nd
The Battle for Solus Grimm
The 1st Company Tyrannic War Vets attacked the Grey Knights from the Inquisitorial Expedition Force Arrakia in the system Solus Grimm. After a fierce fight, the battle was a tie and the Tyrannic War Vets made a tactical withdrawal.