Crimson Templars Fellblade

Well, Aaron Lovejoy, a multiple Golden Daemon winner, and the guy who paints all my vehicles for my ever-growing Crimson Templars army, finished my Fellblade and here it is.  The kit is of course a Baneblade, converted with Tom McBride's Fellblade conversion parts.  I loved making this model as Tom's parts are amazing and fit perfectly.

Storming the Wall: A Video Battle Report

You got to love the passion this Video Battle Report was put together with.  These guys get top marks for the effort.

Tom McBride, model maker extraordinaire

Tom McBride is one of the growing group of elite resin casters who make after-market parts for miniature wargames.  As someone who has bought his accessories to make my own chapter's Fellblade, I can attest to the quality of what he makes. 

How did you get your start in the hobby?

It seems like millennia ago, shortly after the Earth cooled.  I was a sophomore in high school way back in 1994 and had just joined the local Gaming Club.  At our first event a bunch of guys came in and set up this huge board complete with terrain, tanks, and all these little painted figures.  I was like “Wow, what the heck is this and where do I get some?”  And so that is how it all got started, with a big 1st edition rulebook, a Rogue Trader box set of plastic Space Marines, and the old Mk1 Rhinos and Land Raiders.

What made you begin resin casting?

I had dabbled around with resinmy many years of gaming with my first big project being parts for my Imperial Leviathan.� �ϖ� �92-4008.Ĉ� �ᒏ  It was the quickest and easiest way to make all the giant tracks and road wheels I would need to complete this project but it was a real messy bit of trial and error.  However, it wasn’t until a few years after that where I really began treading on the path I am on today.

That all started about two and a half years ago when a friend told me he had built a couple of Plague Towers and sold them for a nice chunk of change.  I realized this could be a fun way to earn a little extra cash and we agreed on a venture where I would design, build, and cast a number of parts and he would assemble and paint the model.  It turned out very successful and I ended up branching out on my own first with a modular kit for a Doomblaster and Tower of Skulls before finally began catering to a niche market of tank builders by providing them a source for tank treads, road wheels, bogies, turrets, and weapons.

What kind of resin do you use?  Any special silicone for the mold?

At first I started with a beginner’s casting set from a general hobby supplier but as I began casting more I had to find a source that I could buy from in bulk.  That is when I found Smooth-On, a company that specializes in making mold and casting supplies of all types.

For the resins I’ve always used their urethane plastic Smoothcast 300 Series, either the 305 or the 310 depending on the curing time.  For the silicone molds I first started out with their OOMOO 30 Series, which is a relatively inexpensive mold making material that has an easy 1 to 1 mixing ratio and cures with no special procedures involved (I highly recommended starting with this material if you’re a beginner or only have a few things to cast).  However, the OOMOO isn’t particularly durable when you’re casting in quantity so I upgraded to their Mold Max 30.  This is a little bit trickier to use as it has a 10 to 1 mixing ratio and can produce air bubbles during the curing process.  But if you cure it in a pressure vessel or a vacuum chamber this usually takes care of that issue.

Your "Fellblade" kits are amazing.  How did this tank get your attention?  What made you decide to build this customization pieces?

I believe I was first introduced to the Fellblade when Bell of Lost Souls (BoLS) published their Lords of Battle supplement and I loved the idea of Space Marines having their own super-heavy.  Like most people that play Warhammer 40K I have a fascination with big tanks, and the bigger the better.  But what really started this whole project was a night of insomnia I had last year.

While lying in bed I was thinking of ways to promote my newly opened eBay store Blood & Skulls Industry and also a cool new project to work on.  I thought the best way to do this was to build something epic that I could auction off on the site and gain some attention.  That’s when I remembered the Fellblade and thought: Why not do a series for all the loyal Legions?

However, what I wanted to avoid doing was just painting a Baneblade in Space Marine colors as that just didn’t look right to me.  I wanted something that came across as a 1st generation Space Marine vehicle that had been modified over the millennia to better serve the Chapter.  After reviewing the art work from Vision of Heresy and what was available online I began to form an image in my head.  It needed to be something that looked big and heavy but without the cumbersome look of the Imperial Guard or the clean, spartan look of the current Rhino or Land Raider.  Most of all it had to be unique.

For the resin parts I decided I would need a new design for the treads, turrets, fuel tanks, and engine.  Luckily I already had the treads finished and in production so that part was easy.  The turret would be a multifaceted dome reminiscent of the old Predator design and what was pictured in Visions of Heresy while at the same time would have the sharp angles and rivets that matched the Baneblade chassis.  The fuel tanks were made to look more integral to the tank as they are in more modern tanks.  Lastly the engines were completely redesigned and given a Space Marine-y look that would be something reminiscent of a Dreadnought or Land Raider.  

I built my first "Fellblade" with your parts and was AMAZED how well the parts fit.  Your mold lines are clean, your flash comes off easily.  What is your secret?

Well it took a lot of practice and trial and error to get to that point.  My first molds were far from successful but eventually you learn a few tricks.  First when designing the master part you need to keep in mind how you will cast it.  Make sure the undercuts are at a minimum and there are no areas that could catch air bubbles and ruin the cast.

Next when designing the mold make sure you have a good pour channel that will allow you to pour the resin in quickly but won’t be difficult to remove from the finished piece.  Also make sure you have enough mold material around the piece to be cast that it won’t distort when clamped together.  Using nylon plates made from cutting boards are a great way to distribute the clamp load across the mold sides and keep things straight.

Most importantly make sure there is a second channel for the air, and later the air bubbles, to escape.  This should be at the highest point in the mold.  It’s also good to angle the piece so that all the air bubbles can float easily up and out of the mold.

Finally to get the best casts you need to let the resin cure in a pressure vessel or vacuum chamber (I use the former).  The additional pressure will cause the air bubbles to dissolve into the resin while the vacuum will pull them out.  Either way will give you a clean, professional looking cast in the end.
  

Tom's resin accessories on a Games Workshop Baneblade

With the lawsuit against Chapterhouse studios, there is a lot of chatter about the GW aftermarket.  Many of us who are attorneys think Chapterhouse was doing it the wrong way and asking for a lawsuit, while others like you, seem to be very smart not to use any GW IP in your advertising or sales.  What are your thoughts on being part of the GW aftermarket and staying out of GW's expansive legal sights?

That is a very good question given what is going on with Chapterhouse Studios.  First I want to wish them the best of luck and hope that they will continue their casting business after all this is over.  But to be honest I was surprised it took Games Workshop this long to go after them.  Given that Gamers Workshop is very protective of their IP, and rightfully so, those of us that supply the aftermarket have to walk a fine line in a very gray zone.

Of course Games Workshop weren’t the inventors of elite soldiers in powered armor nor were they the originators of huge tanks fighting in planet wide wars or the concept of a God-Emperor ruling over mankind.  But they now have a very particular look and style to what they have created over the years that is very well established, and we have to be respectful of that.  Now that shouldn’t preclude us from coming up with our own incarnations of these ideas but we cannot simply copy someone else’s IP and call it our own.  As such I try to position my products such that they’re usable in say the Warhammer 40K universe but not exclusive to it.  For example the large turret I make can be used to build a Fellblade but here’s nothing on it that say “This is a WH40K piece”, it’s just a generic turret.  As such, I believe it’s best to position ourselves and our products as accessories to 25-30mm scaled war games as oppose to a WH40K aftermarket supplier.
  

What are your best selling parts?

It’s been interesting seeing what changes in popularity over time.  The turrets, engines, and other parts that I used to build my version of the Fellblade have been extremely popular.  But I’ve also had parts that have had lack luster sales suddenly sell out because someone found a cool way to used them and after posting their creation online everyone else wanted to build their own too.  The best part of this work has been seeing what other people can come up with using the parts I supply as many of them are much more imaginative then me.


What can we expect next from you?

Well I plan to continue adding accessories to what I already have on the market while adding new products when I can.  Some immediate plans are to continue adding more weapon options for the turrets such as giant flame throwers, laser cannons, and some kind of big plasma gun.  I also have some side projects for things like light tanks and/or tankettes, jet bikes, and artillery cannons.  Also I get request or suggestions for all sorts of cool stuff that gets added to the list.  So keep your eyes peeled, even I don’t know for sure what is coming next!

To buy Tom's model parts, go to:  Tom's eBay Store

Tom sells parts either individually or in kits

The Big Game - HobbyTown USA, Dallas, TX

Ten players rostered over 16,000 points (including a total of five gargantuan creatures and two superheavy vehicles) in the HobbytownUSA Dallas portion of the worldwide Imperium vs Xenos Apocalypse 40K megabattle January 22, 2011. The Dallas portion of the battlefield took place amidst a wintry city ruin, with the two forces clashing across a dried-up and decaying canal bed. The Imperial forces were led by a Puritan Daemonhunter Inquisitor with retinue and a contingent of Grey Knights in the center, Soul Drinkers space marines to the right flank and Howling Griffons terminators led by Librarian Ulysses to the left, with the entire battle line buttressed by the guns of almost 4000 points of Imperial Guard; facing them were tendrils of Tyranid hive fleets Tiamat and Cerberus, and a small contingent of Necrons awakened by the conflict. The battle was escalated by the unexpected arrival of Khornate Reaver Titan Angrones Irae...for Khorne cares not whence the blood flows.

The Xenos seized the initiative and threw their dominance in monstrous and gargantuan creatures across the crumbling spillway at the Imperial host, taking an early first turn advantage in held objectives 3-1 which humanity could never quite make up. At the top of the third turn, the Imperium adopted a Stalingradian approach to the battle, eventually using their firepower advantage to destroy *every* objective on the field save for the three they either had control of, or felt they could contest; consensus was the strategy would have worked if initiated a single turn sooner, but at battle's end the Xenos held a 5-4 advantage in objectives held for at least one turn, and held one of the three remaining objectives and contested the other two.

Apocalypse, however, is less about the outcome than the moments of high drama getting there, and this battle featured them aplenty. Without question the hero of the day was Howling Griffons Terminator Librarian Ulysses: aided by the most effective deployment of the archeotech Asset Vortex Grenade seen in some time, the space marine psyker dispatched a Tyranid Heirophant, most of the Necron infantry and combined with orbital strikes from his battle barge and the guns of his faction's Baneblade to see off the interloper Chaos Titan (inflicting damage with both his psychic powers and in hand-to-hand combat!).

Thanks to all the players who came out and made the day an outstanding hobby event, HobbytownUSA Dallas and Adeptus North Texas for sponsoring, hosting and moderating participation in the Worldwide Apocalypse megabattle, and to http://www.apocalypse40k.com for organizing the entire enormous undertaking!

The Reaver crushes a.....small blast template!

The Big Game - Apoc-Eclipse, Apex, NC

Matt Plonski is the man behind Apoc-Eclipse, one of the founding apocalypse clubs of the Apocalypse40k.com forum.  This is his battle report of the game that happened at All Fun & Games in Apex, NC.


There was 96,850 points on the table.  64 Chaos/Xenos structure and 53 Imperial.

We used the objective rules for the world-wide Apocalypse game.  This called for 10 objectives and for us to tally them at every half turn starting in turn 2.  Here's how it went:

               2a    2b    3a   3b   4a   4b  total
IMP          4     4     1     3     1     3    16
XENOS    6     3     3     0     6     3    21


So, it was Chaos over Imperial, 21 to 16.

We stopped afetr the fourth turn which gave us plenty of time to clean up.

The battlefield (at lunch time):

My side of the table was very titan-heavy as all of the Imperial structure points were either on that side of the table, the high-mounted Defense Laser, or off-table as two Thunderhawks.  Chaos had a good chunk of our structure points on the other side of the table in the form of Scott's three Plague Towers.  My plan was to use my titans to take out the smaller titans near the Emperor's left side, this way all of our Deep Striking and summoned forces in turn 2 would be safer.  It worked well as we took out the Warhound and nearest Reaver.

Some of my super-heavies (Warlord and Reaver were sure to be within 6" of Silver Tower for the 4+ save):

Facing down the Emperor Titan:

JSV's mighty Emperor Titan:

Return fire in turn 1 was nasty, but they almost ran out of time.  They poured fire into the Tzeentch Silver Tower and should have killed it three times over when it finally died.  After that, I lost 4 structure and both arm weapons on the Warlord and most of the shields on the other titans.

In turn 2 I had a clear plan on what to do vs. an Emperor Titan.  Abaddon, carrying a Vortex Grenade, deep-struck at its foot with a squad of Khorne Terminators, scattering into its feet and getting delayed until turn 4.  (He never did throw that grenade, so he'll have it next time!)  Magnus came out of the Warp Rift in turn 2, along with a Lord of Change, a Daemon Prince, and M'Kachan (special character LoC) and they all tripped over themselves to not destroy the titan for as long as possible.  A squad of Tzeentch Terminators landed in front of the titan and never really did much besides contest/claim/contest the objective.

My Fire Lord (Tzeentch Thunderhawk) was kept off of the table until turn 3 so the other units could come on.  It fire-bombed some scouts out of an objective and then dropped Ahiriman with two squads of Thousand Sons onto an objective.  3+/4+ is a nice thing to have on an Apocalypse battlefield!  The Fire Lord also served to hide a squad of Robert's Ultramarine Terminators from my view; Terminators that eventually destroyed the Warlord Titan!  Ahiriman was kicking himself for sure that day.

The Emperor Titan exploded in turn 4a with a 35" Destroyer shot.  The final structure point was removed by Magnus the Red, which made him feel better because he rolled a '1' and was unable to attack it at all during his first turn on the board.  The nice thing about assaulting it with a bunch of Tzeentch daemons and Terminators is that everyone had either a 4+ or 3+ invulnerable save.  This was the only way the Chaos side was able to claim the objective at the titan's feet, since the explosion happened in turn 4 and there were two Space Marine squads inside the titan.  I lost most of my Terminators but there were still enough Terminators and Screamers (yes, Screamers) to claim the objective.  Still, a Imperial Terminator squad, delayed until turn 4, deep-struck and contested the objective for the second half of turn 4.

I'm very glad that it exploded the way it did.  It made everything worth while.   :)

Leviathan confronting a Plague Tower (one of three):

Lictors going to work on the Defense Laser:

Fire Lord lands (note the Ultramarine Terminators being shielded behind the tail!):

Lots more images including videos and a slideshow here.

I was very glad that I decided to bring so few models.  It was very easy to run the army.  It was weird that I deployed five squads in turn 4 (Abaddon, Ahirman, Khorne Terminators, 2x Thousand Son squads) just to take them right off again.  12500 points was never so easy.

The man-of-the-match was the Silver Tower.  I only wish I would have had a chance to shoot with it!


Matt

Do AP 1 weapons get +1 on the Super Heavy Vehicle Damage Table?

So this question has come up recently on the Apocalypse40K.com forum.  Why is this a question?

Well, the Super-Heavy Damage Table in the Apocalypse Rulebook, page 93 doesn't say anything about AP 1 weapons, as it was published BEFORE 5th edition and the advent of the Vehicle Damage Table (p. 61 on the main 5th edition Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.)

The Super-Heavy Damage table only notes that you get + 1 from a Destroyer hit.  But, every group I know of house ruled that AP 1 weapons are +1 as the 5th edition Rulebook came out after Apocalypse and so it only made sense.  

Well, now Imperial Armor Apocalypse 2 comes along......

Many of us buy EVERYTHING that comes from Forgeworld, but most people don't.  I am actually amazed how many people don't have all the Apocalypse books.  So many of us didn't even notice this in the Addendum:

Well, that settles that!  So another outstanding issue has been settled.  I strongly urge all of you who haven't bought Imperial Armor Apocalypse 1 & 2 (let alone Apocalypse and Apocalypse Reloaded), you go do it.   If you want to play Apoc you need these books, lest you not know all the rules!

Now go spam those meltas and railguns!

Alec

The Big Game - Treefort Games, Fayetteville, SC

Gerald Wincek (psypath on the Apocalypse40K forums) organized The Big Game at Treefort Games.  Here is his battle report.

We had a massive 94,000 point game at Treefort Games in Fayetteville, GA.

Eldar agents are searching for some ancient artifact in halls of Fayetteville.  These same agents trick Imperial forces in the City to unknowingly rebel against the Imperium.  In his dying breath the cities’ astropath reports to the provincial governor.   Imperial force passing through, at nearby space port including Taskforce 152nd from the 265th Highland Rifles Imperial Regiment and a company of Blood Angels, are tasked to return the city to Imperial control.

An Eldar taskforce reinforces the city to buy time as Imperial forces mobilize.  Imperial forces deploy to attack both main gates.  The Blood Angels attack the front gate and the rear gate is attacked by the Imperial Guard.  Ork and chaos forces move to relieve the city.

• The front gate flank table was a big fight between 6K Marine and IG holding 9K of orks/dark eldar

• The front gate was assaulted by 15K of blood angels and 3K Marine

• The middle city and gates were held by 10K of traitor IG/Marines and 12K Eldar

• The rear gate was assaulted by 18.5 IG and 2.5 Marine

• The rear gate flank was fighting 4K of Marine vs 6K of chaos reserves

• 2K Tyranids were drived by Eldar magic to surface and attacked the forces attacking the rear gate.

Psypath's SIX scratch-built Thunderbolts!

The battle was a slugfest, with Imperial Air saving the day in many areas.  At the end of turn two the Eldar Farseer abandons the cities defenders and flees, having found what he was looking for.

Xeno Turn 3 was the big turning point against the Imperials.  Four Apoc explosions happened from the death of a Warhound, 2xbaneblade and the Leviathan. The Imperial suffered heavy causalities in the explosions.  

But then swings back to Imperial favor on Turn 4, as a blessed lone Imperial hydra fired on the Phantom titan that could not move and therefore could not use its holofield. The Hydra rolled one 6, after 6 to destroy the beast.

At the end of the day three Baneblades, a Stormsword, Phantom titan, three warhounds, an Eldar Knight and a Reaver titan all went down.  Three Warhounds and an Eldar scout Titan survived.

Score: Xeno 29 - Imperial 26, could have gone either way all day.

Psypath

The Big Game - Borderlands, SC

Six players gathered at Borderlands in Greenville, SC for The Big Game!

On a frigid plain on Corridian IV, forces of the Tau, Dark Angels, Black Templars, Witch Hunters and Warmakers Space Marines detect strange emanations from a refinery. The Dark Angels also suspect one of the Fallen masquerades in the other chapters. Their accusations propel brothers into war! The Dark Angels forge a temporary alliance with the Tau. Then disaster--a splinter force of Tyranids arrives on the planet. But mysteriously they direct their attacks only at the Templars and Warmakers. The stage is set for an apocalyptic battle!

I will give a general outline of how the battle went before showing the pictures with comments. We had two objectives which were scored at the top of the player turns. The Imperial objective (the one in Imperial territory) was in the "south central" of the board near No Man's Land. (The camera generally faces north.) The Xenos Objective was in the southwest by a building.

Imperial team:
Jim - Black Templars/Witch Hunters - 4000
Sam (me) - Warmakers Space Marines - 4000
Austin - Black Templars - 1800
Total 9800

Xenos team:
Jon - Dark Angels - 4000
Hunt - Tyranids - 4000
Chandler - Tau - 2500
Total 10500

The Xenos took first turn and deployed mostly Tau and DA, with a few Tyranids, along south-central of No Man's Land, with some Tau and DA in the NE. The Warmakers and Austin's BTs went in reserve entirely, while many of Jim's BTs deployed opposite the enemy in the NE corner. Jim and Hunt both used the Tunnels asset, however most entrances were guarded, so this didn't have a big effect on the game.

In the NE corner, Jim's Templars waged a back-and-forth battle with DA and Tau forces the entire game.

Around the Imperial objective was a flowing scrum involving virtually every force. The Imperials scored this objective on the first tally, the Xenos on the second, and then it was contested for the rest of the game.

The Xenos objective was held by DA bikers and later also by Tau Fire Warriors. Austin's BTs, particularly Terminators, attempted to contest the objective, coming in using Flank March. They were mainly stymied by gaunts coming from reserve behind them. The Thunderhawk did bomb the Tau Fire Warriors off the objective, but the DA Bikers were close enough to still hold it. Therefore the Xenos held their objective the entire game.

Final score: Xenos 7 - Imperials 1

The Xenos Battle Line

The Xenos advance into No Man's Land. The Imperial objective is the mini-nuclear plant (from ArmorCast).

Forces face off in the NE corner.

LR Terminus and Thunderfire Cannon! This looks like the endgame at the Imperial objective.

The Big Game - Norway!

Norway was the first foreign country that we got to join The Big Game.  I was at Warhammer World in November when they were holding their "Throne of Skulls" tournament and I started talking with another Yank.  His name was Kag Sawyer and he asked me if I played tournaments and I told him no, I only played Apocalypse.  He then asked me if I knew about the Apocalypse40K forums and I laughed and that was the start of a great friendship.  He and his friends and I hung out the whole weekend and we had a blast talking about Apocalypse and they decided they needed to be part of The Big Game.   So here is their report.

Imperial reinforcements, designated the 7th army group, had made a timely warp jump and were inbound with the righteous fury of the Emperor. The group consisted of Imperial Guard regiments from Catachan, Mithas and Dessaria. Furthermore, they had been joined by Astartes task forces of the Silver Skulls and Dark Angels chapters.

The 7th army group had been tasked with establishing a landing site on the southeast peninsula, and conducted the drop with efficiency an aggression. The intent of the strategy was to establish an Imperial force that would push opposition towards the larger group of allied forces fighting in the north. Initial opposition was far lighter than expected, but shortly after the drop representatives from the Silver Skulls chapter vehemently advised an offensive push beyond the ruined city Imperial forces were holding. New intelligence revealed an enemy plot that had to be averted at all costs. The commander of the Silver Skulls Astartes would not divulge where he had got this information from, but his plan was stoically (and surprisingly) supported by the Dark Angels commander.

Imperial lines formed their first wave of armor up on two honored Baneblades and began to push towards the ruined city's limits. Immediately upon reaching that limit, the enemy came into view. A daemon device, a chained cube seeming to barely contain its infernal energies, hovered just beyond the last of the tall ruins. Sorcerers in the livery of Alpha Legionnaires were spotted manipulating the hellish device, and the Silver Skulls commander ordered the attack. As soon the first guns opened across no man's land warp rifts appeared all across the battle lines, bathing the entire area in waves of unnatural darkness, unnerving the Emperor's lesser men and disrupting line of sight. Through these rifts daemons of the warp began to pour, their heretical laughter drowning out the roar of the many corrupted Rhinos racing forward with assault troopers from the Alpha Legion and World Eaters.

In the middle of the battlefield, there was a sound of doom as an extraordinary rift was torn by clawed hands each the size of an Astartes, through which An'ggrath, daemonic champion of Khorne, strode forth. The Imperial lines faltered for a moment, as two Greater Brass Scorpion of Khorne skittled forward to flank the figure of hate incarnate. A moment of doubt fled through the men of the Empire. Recognizing this pivotal moment, the commander of the Silver Skulls punched the release of his Land Raider's Assault Ramp and charged out towards An'ggrath. He had no chance to reach the daemon in time to carry the surprise and initiative, but the sight was not lost on the Imperial men. Inspired by the honored silver armor racing across the overgrown ruins, defiantly facing damnation, the Baneblades unleashed their own hell - and the Imperial men answered.

The close range firefight was joined by the eruption of landmines cleverly hidden by advance elements of Catachan regiment. Several ancient Rhino APCs of the renegade marines were left torn and battered, and the Brass Scorpions' advance was faltered by intense fire from the Baneblades' holy weaponry. The Silver Skulls commander and his honor guard tore into the gargantuan daemon, but An'ggrath stood ready along with a lieutenant, daemonic prince elevated from the Alpha Legion that was currently warband pushing up the western flank. One by one the honor guard fell as they fought against the fury given form. An'ggrath and his daemonic prince slew with roars of rage until only the commander stood against their terrible will. His doom was imminent, but definitely the commander stood his ground and struck An'ggrath a mighty blow. He would not fall. Not yet. The Imperial lines needed more time.

Behind the epic fight taking place, daemonic engines and insane dreadnoughts of Chaos appeared. They had been hidden by camouflage and sorcerous energies in the very ruins the Imperial tanks were grinding through, and at point blank range they ripped into and through the armored might of three Imperial Guard regiments. Heavy air support attempted to move in to assist, but was driven off course by the energies being unleashed by all the tears in the fabric of reality. The shadow that fell across the dying Imperial lines seemed to symbolize the fate of the Emperor's men, but again heroism would inspire the common soldiery and ensure that they held their ground.

Hearing the frantic chatter of Marauder Destroyer squadrons failing to make an attack run, Brother-Pilot Angelus called all Navy Valkyries to form on him as he set his Caestus Assault Ram on a course straight into the terrifying dark cloud of hell unleashed. Trusting in the Emperor and the Astartes pilot, each Valkyrie dropped into the battlezone at combat speed, and as guided by Emperor himself; each and everyone came in with pinpoint accuracy and deployed their passengers safely as they poured their fire into the rear of the advancing Brass Scorpions. The brave drop troops rallied around the commander of the Mithas regiments and pushed towards enemy forces, trying to create a gap around the daemonic doomsday device.

Brother-pilot Angelus made his peace with the Emperor, and continued to guide his Caestus Assault Ram true towards the primary objective. Even as his ship was torn apart by Alpha Legion Havocs, his veterans passengers followed the Dark Angels commander out into the heart of the enemy. Behind them, guardsmen died as they faced Terminators, Blood Crushers, Defilers and terrifying Soul Grinders - all responding to the Imperial intrusion. Their doom would have been sealed in an instant were in not for Guardsman Marbo, appearing out of a small, dark pool of marshwater; His demolition charge was aimed to slay the force of Chaos Terminators, but after the explosion three still remained. Understanding his duty, the lone guardsman charged.

In the ruined remains of the imperial battle lines, all seemed lost. Although some had fallen, Blood Slaughteres and Dreadnoughts still rampaged through Imperial lines, and a large formation of Chaos Terminators arrived by teleportation right into the heart of battle. The Silver Skulls commander stood his ground, but he stood alone. However, as An'ggrath and his prince finally struck him down the commander smiled, for he heard the engines of the second wave of Imperial armor. They had arrived, pushing through the wrecks of their brave comrades - guns, flamers and cannon alight. Along with that second wave, three Land Raiders rumbled directly towards the heretical Terminators. In response Uraka himself appeared through another rift, along with seemingly numberless masses of Bloodletters. On the eastern flank, men of Mithas sacrificed themselves to stop the rush of a couple crazed Bloodthirsters. The two fought their way through ruins and wrecks, casting aside the battered hulks of Imperial armor, but were rendered down into nothingness as imperial reinforcements rumbled into weapons' range.

Back on the western flank, Uraka's hate-screaming hordes were answered by the roaring battle call of Catachan jungle veterans. Having faded away after placing their traps earlier, they now re-appeared. Led by old Iron Hand himself, a whole platoon of deathworlders fearlessly charged into the daemonic formation. As a berserk missionary screamed his fiery oratory, Catachan guardsmen sacrificed themselves with faith and fury. There was no mistaking their doom, but nor was there any mistaking their intent. With cries to the Emperor they fought themselves into a wedge aimed straight at Uraka himself, and in devotion they tore him down even as Bloodletters feasted on their remains. The Missionary was the last to fall, impaling his staff, bearing the book of his faith; into the sizzling remains of the notorious daemon as hellblades hacked him to pieces.

Alpha Legionnaires fell upon Iron Hand and his command squad. Standing amidst a platoon of support weapons, the grim Colonel tried to rally his men but the elite enemies of mankind tore them apart mercilessly. Hearing his angry curses, however, a lone Marauder managed to triangulate and follow his rather unpleasant vox transmissions in. Auto and Assault Cannon fire strafed the Alpha Legion marines as the large bomber screamed by overhead, but their only thanks was a last "about Emperor-damned time, soft Navy sissies" as Iron Hand went down amongst the squads of blue and silver. The Chaos Terminators nearby assaulted the Land Raiders, and rendered blasphemous amounts of damage.

Massed Imperial fire was slowing and weakening An'ggrath and the Brass Scorpions, which in turn was holding up the advance of several squadrons of Khorne Berzerkers. However, the battle still hung in the balance. While the second wave was pouring massive amounts of fire into the enemy lines, it still seemed as if their break-through was imminent. The line must be held! At this, the Silver Skulls Epistolary committed to the field of battle along with a full squad of marines in Tactical Dreadnought Armor. The Terminators arrived via teleport right into the lines of battle amongst the ruins on the eastern flank, braving hellish amounts of fire from the 60 renegade guardsmen dug into the ruins alternating ranks of fire. One my one the Terminators fell as the thousands of shots finally began to find weak points in their armor, but they managed to protect the Librarian who strode on in the middle of the squad.

Although his protection began to falter, they had brought him to where the psyker needed to be. Calming his mind and calling upon his faith in the God-Emperor of mankind, his father's father, the librarian faced the charging Greater Brass Scorpion of Khorne and deployed his Vortex Grenade. Slowed by the pummeling of two Baneblades, pinned and disrupted by strafing fire of the single Marauder Destroyer than had found the battlefield, the daemonic engines was unable to avoid the lethal device as it open up a rift back into the warp which tore the immense engine apart.

Deeper behind the lines of battle, Marbo used all his craft to find weaknesses in his opponent's armor while avoiding fists of crackling power and roaring chains, and one by one managed to bring the last three terminators down. The victory emboldened the drop troops, who held their position against the terrors that tore them apart, giving the Dark Angel commander enough time to fight his way through massed enemy fire and assault the crackling doomsday device. In the heart of the enemy, the commander tore into the cursed device, ripping apart its chains with his might power fist, and unleashing the hellish energies contained within. With a wild scream of rage and torment whatever was contained within the heretical cube tore free, and a storm crashed across the battlefield. Unholy lighting struck across the field of death at random, the screech of their passing momentarily paralyzing men and marine alike. The Baneblades were too of targets to avoid the lightning, however; and suffered greatly from their empyrean energies. One even ground to a halt, barely intact and its main armament burned out from within. The crew of the other struggled to contain and control the damage, and keep their holy iron charge operational.

When the shock of the release passed, combat resumed. Mithas and Dessarian reinforcements rumbled forward and poured their fire into the dug-in renegade cultists, Catachan siege vehicles assisted those company's remaining tanks of the center, battering the Chaos Terminators that had in their fury broken so many Astartes tanks. The final push came down to the roaring World Eater Rhinos, finally free to surge forward where the Brass Scorpion had blocked their bath.

As the last Terminator fell, the Silver Skull Epistolary stood alone in the gap where the Berzerkers came, instinctively recognizing the weakest pot in the Imperial lines. The Doomsday Device had been destroyed, but all could still be lost if the forces of Chaos managed to overrun the Imperial lines. Guardsmen bravely rushed forward to support the lone Astartes, but they would not reach him in time. Their fire tore the Rhino apart, but that barely slowed the furious champions of Khorne. The Epistolary quietly said his prayers as the squad of red traitors bore down upon him, and calmly assumed his combat position just as the enemy reached him.

Dozens of Guardsmen watched in despair as the librarian vanished amongst a sea of blood red, vox-amplified roars of rage and screaming chainaxes all but drowning out their senses. Soldiers cried out in frustration as they lost sight of their silver hero, their grips on their guns slacking as dread seeped through their limbs, into their shaking fingers. However, with a sonic boom the Terminator re-appeared, a dozen yards closer, his silver armor splattered in blood, static of power still dancing across his armor after the psychic gate, but his stance still strong and determined. The Berzerkers rushed him again, but as they did the number of their dead left behind became apparent. The guardsmen took to their arms and rushed forward with a cheer, Chimeras rumbling beside them, and as they advanced they watched in admiration as the Epistolary faced his attackers with martial perfection, his force weapon cutting down traitor after traitor, his blessed armor fending off every swipe of their angry axes.

The librarian cut down the last of the Berzerker squad, and before the doomed traitors could be reinforced, brave soldiers of Mithas and Dessaria took up position to meet their charge. The Imperial line of defense was again complete, strong and determined.

An'ggrath was on his final wound, the second Brass Scorpion at its final structure point, it was late and the commanders were hungry. Turn five saw the game called and the final result was a Imperial victory by 1 point. There were even more situations of note, but I believe I have - in summary - given you the gist of the game. Of course, history is written by the victors - had that one point swung the other way the narrative might have been written in accordance with quite a different interpretation of events, but such is the way of war. Defeat allows no explanation, victory needs none.

Battle Report by Kag Sawyer.

Armies of The Big Game - The White Knights

One of the great armies that participated in The Big Game was the "White Knights" of Allen Teeuwen.  Known on the Apocalypse40K Forum as DaBigBomma, Allen is one of the best converters in Southern California.  His Ork army is amazing with tons of scratch builds.  But for The Big Game, he brought his White Knights!