Accessories sold separately

One of the fun thing about 40K is that you have weapon options for some of the figures/models. This allows you to optimise a force for a mission (which frankly, is what you expect a 'modern' force like the Space Marines to do), and is frankly fun from a modelling point of view. With the aid of rare-earth magnets, one can expand the number of options one can field without having to paint a separate figure for each option.

A Cyclone Missile-launcher made from a Sentinel Missile-launcher.

My Dreadnought fitted as a Hellfire-pattern Dreadnought with twin-linked lascannons and missile-launcher. The lascannon arm was made using the armature from the AT-43 Kolossus and the cannons from a Leman Russ bits and some plasticard. The missile-launcher is from a Stormraven.

The Dreadnought with (count-as) twin-linked autocannon and (count-as) twin-linked heavy-flamer.

Dux Britanniarum Game 1: Farm Raid

It's been a while in planning, but fg and I played the first game of our Dux Britanniarum campaign this evening.

We set our campaign in Middle Earth, sometime after the fall of Sauron, when bands of orcs still troubled the lands.

My Orc (Saxon) Warlord, by the name of Badzur the Tall, gathered about him a rag-tag band of orcs and goblins, along with a troll champion, and set about to raid the settlements of Gondor; unfortunately, young Lord Belegon and his trusted lieutenant Beren and Dwarven ally Thorgaut caught wind of his nefarious plan...

The orcs rush towards the farm, hoping to catch its inhabitants by surprise... but are surprised to find the soldiers of Gondor already there!

Still hoping to see off his challengers, Badzur ordered his men to form into lines of battle as Men and Dwarves formed a shieldwall atop a hill overlooking their approach.

The elite soldiers of Gondor take Badzur's orcs in the flank!

Men and Dwarves charge down the hill! The orcs flee after losing several killed.

We are quite sure we didn't get all the rules right, this being the first time we played them, but already I can tell they give a good narrative game.

In game terms, I was really rather unfortunate when it came to rolling for objective and entry - my objective (the farm) was far away from my starting point, and fg's troops entered the table on the same sector as the farm! Even though the orcs got a good head start, by the time they were close to the farm the allies have already formed up.

The terrain also funnelled my troops into a narrow frontage, which prevented me from getting all my troops engaged.

After a short sharp fight, the orcs were thrown back and Badzur decided to call it a day. Fortunately for him, the allies decided against pursuing them.

The losses suffered by the orcs were still considered "light" and Badzur will return to avenge his insult at the hands of Men and Dwarves the following month. Belegon was rewarded with treasures from his lord, and word of his victory draws new warriors to his banner.

I guess the way the scenarios are generated will give "unbalanced" scenarios once in a while, but then on a campaign time scale a player must know when to fight and when to cut his losses and leave the field, as Badzur did only too late this day.