Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Pictors Studio on December 08, 2020, 02:33:15 AM
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I like the idea of having a Legio Audax force because they allow for such good narrative scenarios. With only Warhound titans it is also relatively inexpensive to put a maniple of them on the table. Although some of the cost savings is offset by the cost of the Ursus Claws if you get them.
I started work on mine over the weekend but I was on-call so didn't get a lot done but I managed to finish the rest of it today.
(https://preview.redd.it/bww4neiuju361.jpg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b4ef8af0084deba64b9e0915ede686b2826a71d)
The mottled red-black of the armour was achieved by spraying the armour plates while still on the sprue with a red spray paint. I touched them up with GW's Khorne Red followed by a highlight of Evil Suns Scarlet. After that I just put the contrast black over them and let it dry.
(https://preview.redd.it/l0nch8guju361.jpg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=864b9a2ed4d1ae14d1769eadfa82284ad1877d35)
The overpass is made from Renedra bases with the sprue parts as the supports. I then finished the base with Astro Granite and put down some weathering powders.
(https://preview.redd.it/n6m7ouduju361.jpg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d189919f05034a1f45c4a23449dd10c43f75a6a6)
I'm looking forward to getting them on the table when I'm finished with the whole maniple. No danger of that any time real soon as I only have two of the Warhounds right now so I need to buy more of those and then need to get more of the Ursus claws as well. I'll probably order more of those when I get some of the new Forge World Knights that are going up for pre-order this weekend.
(https://preview.redd.it/x0st1y9uju361.jpg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0c0e6e861e4d69d5c5ec7b7e489d054c1debe02)
I got a pack of the Aeronautica Arvus Landers while I was ordering. I don't play Aeronautica but thought the Lifter would be a cool addition to our Titanicus games as either an objective or just a neat piece of scenery. It is a pretty complex kit for how big the piece ends up being. It is about the size of a 28mm Space Marine but has 9 parts. Still it goes together without much fuss and looks pretty cool.
There is still the other one to paint, but I might do that as a piece of wreckage. We'll see.
Arvus lander
(https://i.redd.it/k2xh2ju7is361.jpg)
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The red/black paint scheme worked out well. It is strange that the lander needed so many pieces for a cast that size - perhaps that allowed for better detail?
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Possibly, it is a very detailed model. The wings are separate from the back part of the engine and I would have thought that could have all been one piece.
I'm starting on the base for the next Warhound today.
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Nice work on the Warhound, great base as well.
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Thank you. As the Ember Wolves are relatively easy to paint for titans I've decided to go all out on the bases for them. I have the base for the next one done and have the titans legs done but want to wait to do the torso and arms until I have the ursus claw for that one.
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The second titan is finished except for the banner. I'm missing my lead foil roll at the moment or it would be done too. I spent about an hour looking for it yesterday with no luck.
This one is striding over a canal.
(https://preview.redd.it/okqf230dp2561.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=84c31f058c268489be2df2f4ed5853ded2e02d1d)
I have the Ursus claws now to do another 3 Warhounds, I just need to get the Warhounds. Hopefully the FLGS will have some more in soon or I'll have to buy the starter set they have.
(https://preview.redd.it/v8a7gw2dp2561.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=a0f283f98283820f9f2d29c26ac592dee36a3cce)
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A little break from the Ember Wolves while I wait for more Warhounds to come in. Here is a Legio Furreans Reaver. The En Sabah.
(https://preview.redd.it/g9nzpmo7ax661.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2606fa352897f3070b04edfe928f3f466f635a23)
This is my second Reaver for my Tiger Eyes. This one is designed to be much more up-close and personal with a melee weapon and a melta cannon.
(https://preview.redd.it/ifmw5br7ax661.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=7a1996b21107ad061af9dcb0b73b90df302edfd6)
(https://preview.redd.it/viaa75t7ax661.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=83aad7edf7f1103ac9f1fb74e97d2d5c338ddaeb)
The other Tiger Eyes have city themed bases but not as extensive as this one.
I also painted up a manufactorum:
(https://preview.redd.it/zi8wlbv7ax661.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=3e1438391b453c931c11217eb608e13bcc9d36ba)
Hopefully more Warhounds come into my FLGS soon so I can finish off the Ember Wolves. I've got three boxes of them on order.
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Some good looking titans there, are you going to model one kicking a rhino?
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I hadn't thought of it. I have a few plastic rhinos lying about so it wouldn't be tough to do, perhaps punting it into a building.
That might be one the next Audax guys. Two of my three boxes of Warhounds came into my FLGS today so I have four more Ember Wolves to work on.
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So no rhinos being punted but a bridge is about to be completely demolished on this one.
(https://preview.redd.it/rhl6zu6ma8861.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=4e8901fb9441cb5f40434f54c1737b65aa486003 :P)
This is Sicut Fenerator. He will probably be the leader of the first maniple that I'm building for the Ember Wolves.
Once again this Titan has an Ursus claw.
(https://preview.redd.it/sf9ciobma8861.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=50ad4e6dca9f279c0cde03730169b5c6e2f19357)
However I've given him a turbo laser destructor on the other arm instead of the plasma blasters that the other two have. I'm not sure it is a better weapon in any way. It has a slightly better ability to knock shields down but it costs heat, which is not something that these guys typically want to risk for only a -1 to the save.
(https://preview.redd.it/nn6ygffma8861.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2cc3cc1aad00fc8acf82f8264e4f2787fbeef7ef)
Still it is a weapon that can be used effectively without the draining characteristic and gets a couple of S8 shots which might come in handy. No worse than the plasma gun at the normal setting in that sense.
(https://preview.redd.it/admcg1jma8861.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2557721db02df1987a12e89f2053de57cdca36a3)
I did the banner here and you can see the first Legio Astorum titan I've painted too.
Here is the whole maniple so far:
(https://preview.redd.it/r7232nnma8861.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=1a2afa410ff32d5ade733b033f7a55946df2de05)
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The last two of the first maniple are done.
(https://preview.redd.it/j7fdx5j99g961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=846c2547b944d2b797dcd80ba9572ed45fc3df48)
(https://preview.redd.it/afjeun2a9g961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=63d1bdc5d6eaa9e44219a3ac321b553d2abcbcfe)
(https://preview.redd.it/ixkwzc6a9g961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=4a40bf5f0233eeaf7b514c12c405a8d71a99c44e)
I plan to have a total of 8 of the Titans for this Legio. There will be one maniple of 3 and one of 5. The maniple of 5 will all have Ursus claws. The other maniple will not have any.
(https://preview.redd.it/4alhcsp99g961.jpg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b148c070c529eafca46e234ae6a724490289d44)
Obviously the second guy here goes in the maniple of 3 in the long run, but tonight I'm running him with the other four as one maniple. I'm thinking they will go as two squadrons of 2 and a single. The plan is to use the guy with Megabolters to rip away void shields and do a coordinated strike with the claws on the smaller titans in the enemy force.
Then use the plasma guns to destroy any titans whose void shields are down.
Probably the threat of the titans will be limited by the fact that I have to run them as squadrons. That only gives me three maneuver elements of titans so I'll have to supplement that with two units of knights.
(https://preview.redd.it/cvnul8u99g961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f7b60ce3aa36f61dd1fbcfadb8495a71c363fe92)
With luck they will be able to lurk among the buildings moving in cover for the first turn and taking advantage of their special rule that improves their cover save. I'm also going to give them the extra armour for some added protections.
I expect my opponent will be fielding at least one Warlord with twin Volcano cannons. That is going to be the hardest thing to deal with as the Ursus claws will be useless against that the way I have my forces configured.
(https://preview.redd.it/1ekw1fga9g961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=c74cd6a65aa19aabe421e4e201d006da1d4fcb45)
I'm just going to have to concentrate on the rest of the force and then deal with the Warlord by being either out of line of sight of it or within range of its carapace weapons so its volcano cannons are mostly hitting void shields.
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It had been six weeks before that the tide had turned on Myrlene. The Ultramarines had been hard pressed by both the forces of the Word Bearers and the World Eaters. In a series of fanatical assaults the capitols of three of the four continents on the planet had fallen.
As the traitor forces had regrouped to launch their final assault on Carthur, the XIIIth Legion Captain Galidus had been in the main council chamber of the capital of Launcel waiting for two of his brother Captains to arrive.
"The situation is dire. Intelligence estimates that we have about 2,000 Word Bearers and at least a thousand World Eaters massing for an invasion of Carthur. We have approximately 440 Astartes left to repel this invasion."
The two Astartes entered the room.
"There is still time to withdraw our forces but that would leave the civilian population vulnerable," Galius said.
"Theoretical: If we withdraw the enemy will pursue us and leave Carthur alone," he said.
"Practical: . . .," he started.
One of the others cut him off.
"Practical: the enemy forces will move on Carthur and butcher the civilian population as they have done on the three other continents."
"Theoretical: the XII and XVII Legions are not here for military conquest but for the destruction of as many civilian lives as possible."
Galius stood and drew his bolt pistol.
"You're not Creon!"
Both marines raised their hands.
"I'm not. I did not know a better way to get your attention relatively safely. Creon and Albius are both alive and relatively unharmed. May I take off my helmet?"
"You may not move a single muscle or I empty this bolt pistol into both of you," Galius said, then activated his vox system, "Guards! Get in here."
Soon the room was full of blue armoured marines most of whom had their weapons aimed at two warriors near the entrance to the room.
"You may take your helmet off now."
The man who wore the armour of Captain Creon lowered his hands to his neck and undid the clasp that held his helmet in place, there was a small hiss of air. He pulled the helmet from his head revealing a shaved head and a serpent tattoo running along the side.
"I am Chaplain Kairos of the XXth Legion. I am here to surrender to you."
****************************************************************
The relationship between the two men was rocky at first. As intelligence provided by the Alpha Legion operative proved useful more trust was earned and soon all of the Alpha Legion warriors, 27 in all, that had come with Kairos were allowed limited access to the capitol building outside of their make-shift cells.
Over the next six weeks the Ultramarines were able to turn the tide of the war launching raids that destroyed columns of supplies forcing the Word Bearers to delay their assault on Carthur.
The World Eaters went anyway, as Kairos had predicted they would. Without the support they needed their invasion was repulsed relatively easily with great loss.
Four weeks after the surrender of Chaplain Kairos the Ultramarines took the offensive.
Both sides sent reinforcements to the relatively unimportant world of Myrlene including massive battle titans.
Eventually the information Kairos had about the Word Bearer and World Eater deployments was exhausted or too out-of-date to be of much use. Galius determined that he would be sent to Macragge to relay other information he had to the Ultramarine high command.
But that would entail getting him off of the planet first.
Legio Audax had mobilized several maniples of titans for a renewed offensive on Carthur. They emerged dripping and plowed their way through the beach defenses onto the main alluvial plain of the massive island continent.
In their wake followed a concentrated force of Word Bearers and World Eater assault craft.
The loyalist forces were meeting only token resistance on the other continents now and were quickly called back to Carthur to defend against this new threat.
Soon Launcel was the site of heavy fighting. Contrary to the previous rampaging attacks the traitor forces had left population centers alone as they headed to the capitol.
Creon looked at Albius as the fighting moved further into the city.
"Theoretical: They know about Kairos."
Ablius said "Practical: we must move him off planet now."
(https://preview.redd.it/somuwzclfm961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=20780d28a33dd0c767c9c7fa193b7ef10abde97a)
Soon the Alpha Legion warriors were bundled into the transports they had somehow got into the vicinity of the city. The 25 Alpha Legion warriors were accompanied by only five Ultramarines to keep the force to a minimum size to escape notice. They did not escape notice.
(https://preview.redd.it/2nomk2alfm961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=c5fa6fa3145c47440945adc8eb24aa9cba76d3b2)
As the loyalist XXth Legion column moved heavy motion was detected along the rapidly changing front. Soon five Legio Audax titans burst through the front lines in a concentrated push to cut the column off from the space port.
One of the few maniples of Astorum titans in Ultramar was the only force available to counter the traitor threat.
The Audax titans and the few Malinax knight that had been able to follow in their wake were not shy about starting the attack.
(https://preview.redd.it/s5qxytelfm961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=366ff7ee29af998be73694b42274319a6c0730ca)
Launcel was mostly intact in this area of the city, the fighting having been held back and only a few of the buildings that the traitor forces wound their way through or moved around had been damaged.
The Astorum force consisted of a maniple of three Reavers and a maniple of three warhounds. A small banner of Vornherr knights ran along side them.
(https://preview.redd.it/eih3itglfm961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=e215a5726cf4e7fe460c4ad76fdde68594518543)
As the two forces drew closer the column of Astartes slowed their advance. One of the Astorum warhounds moved ahead of the column overconfidently attempting to clear the way.
(https://preview.redd.it/dx3ae5jlfm961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=4222fa9774de388ab3e97eeec5d25aa0e8689cbc)
Soon two Ember Wolves titans were moving rapidly towards it, their Ursus claws discharged and caught into the Warp Runners carapace and the traitor titans quickly and nimbly changed directions. The Astorum titan skidded sideways, pistons and joints in the legs of the titan were smashed apart as it barely managed to remain standing.
The remaining Audax titans trained their fire on the approaching loyalist knights. The noble banner was ripped apart in a hail of bolter shells and plasma but emerged to try to drive back the traitors only to be assaulted by knight armours from House Malinax.
The latter outnumbering their foe 2:1 and catching them off guard quickly dispatched the loyalist knights and the traitors advanced en masse.
(https://preview.redd.it/1t54qyklfm961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ed7affc97bd439f4c49c07a36a57e24152b05163)
One Astorum Reaver was trying to get behind the traitor line and fired on a unit of Malinax laners as the drew level with them. The volcano cannon shot vaporized one of the knights but drew the ire of the other who ran at the engine more than twice its size.
Not able to match the agility of the smaller machined the Warp Runner tried to escape it to seek more viable targets but the machine spirit seized control of the machine driving it directly at the enemy.
This momentary loss of control was all the furious knight needed and it drove on the rear armour of the Warp Runner. Driving its lance again and again into the titanic engine, it lance driving deep gouges into the machine severing important power couplings and cables. The titan crashed to the ground and the knight sped over its broken form to rejoin the main part of the battle.
(https://preview.redd.it/r6ys23nlfm961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=fe6583876808789400405f82612a304eb8d16554)
As the knight moved through the buildings he could see the remains of the lead Warp Runner warhound down amidst some of the few wrecked buildings.
The two other loyalist warhounds had moved up to guard the convoy while a reaver was backing them up and the last reavers was moving to flank the Ember Wolves if they moved up the main roadway.
The leader Audax titan charged towards the column its megabolters blazing. With the Warp Runner titan standing so close the shells burst on its void shields and soon the Ember Wolf changed his target.
With his void shields down one of his weapons was ripped away in enfilading fire as he charged into the Warp Runner warhound.
With a savage kick the Audax engine shattered the knee of his opponent, cause it to suddenly fall forward. So close were the opponents that the fall cause the Warp Runner warhound to smash into the alread damaged head of the traitor titan causing the structure to give way under the weight of the falling titan. The crew were instantly crushed and both titans fell away from each other into heaps of ruined metal.
(https://preview.redd.it/h143baplfm961.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=369c839f5865320959eee1c255b09f5c5a9a8078)
The Audax titans tried their Ursus claws again, but this time the enemy reacted to their attempt to drag him and pulled them instead. After the engagement one of the Ember Wolves weapons hung limp and ruined at its side and both had sustained damage to their legs.
The Malinax knights leapt through the wreckage and attacked the Reaver in support of the line. They drove on it fiercely and it retreated before their nimble attacks, firing down at the knight armours at its feet.
With the Reaver near distracted and only one warhound left the two Warhounds that had tried to drag the Reaver down now attacked the column of Astartes, the last Astorum Warhound moved to stop them. With its void shields collapsed the burning rain of promethium that fell on the Ember Wolf damaged vital circuits and then the almost point blank fire of a heavy bolter tore through its structure.
The Warp Runners attempted defense of the column back fired as the Audax titan's plasma reactor melted down and it exploded. The sun-hot waves of energy instantly vaporized the even the hull of the land raider and washed over the Astorum titan that had inflicted the killing blow knocking it back and driving it into the asphalt. It did not rise.
Through the blazing rubble the Malinax lancer now emerged and ran straight for the Reaver deviled by his brother knights.
With an insane scream echoing from the amplifiers in its armour the Malinax lancer fell on the Reaver. It leapt at the last moment driving it's lance into the heart of the titan's body. The momentum of the charge carried the weapon to the core of the engine and it shut down, stumbling forward as it did so. The questoris knights were not quick enough to quite escape the random motion of the titan and one was crushed as it moved forward the other darting out of the way only to be crushed as the titan fell backward onto it.
The lancer, failing to withdraw its weapon so deep had it been thrust into the titan was carried with the titan and shaken to pieces with momentum of the machine's fall.
Where two of the remaining three Audax titans had been dueling with the last of the Warp Runner Reavers, the third Ember Wolf now joined the fray. As it's mega bolter stripped the shields from the larger warmachine the energy weaponry of the other two machines carved away weapons and armour alike.
Loyalist reinforcements were drawing near and the Ember Wolves, satisfied with completing their objective and destroying five enemy titans at a cost of only two of their own retreated. With its shields compromised and two of its three weapons disabled the remaining Warp Runner was content to watch them go.
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I've completed one more Ember Wolf. I have two more coming and I've been told that they have arrived at my FLGS so I'll get them either tomorrow or Thursday.
I have a few other project to work on before I get to those though so this will be my last one for a little bit I think.
(https://preview.redd.it/a5v4j5c5oec61.jpg?width=2992&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4eda052e471a89ef41582ed326fecfea39000e8f)
I gave this one double plasma guns. This one will be my larger titan killer. He is going to try to get close and into the rear of Warlords and up close anywhere on Reavers to let loose with those guns. If the others in his pack of three can knock the voidshields down that is great, if not then he will have to move inside of them and get right up close.
(https://preview.redd.it/u3k9nhf5oec61.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2a09dab80ff117cbdeea4c14e3e6a3983f882f33)
With the plasma guns getting S10 on max power and four shots between the two they should be able to do some damage even to a Warlord.
(https://preview.redd.it/pp06u5h5oec61.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=1cbfdeeeb0142ee354642711eee259902780f7a7)
As with the rest of the titans in this force I've done a lot more work on the base than on previous titans I've done. The base actually took more time between putting it together and painting it than the actual titan did, I think. It has parts from four different model kits on it plus Renedra bases. I also have some World Eater Terminators done and I was thinking of putting them on but I think they are going on the next base.
(https://preview.redd.it/e69ymzi5oec61.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=bf92c0e0d437f74bea0e11d1af4e06239f2c0229)
Here are a couple of pictures of the base before I painted it.
(https://preview.redd.it/2dxkuib9rxa61.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f41423d9b939b69dff4b8042f0bed8b642998016)
I put the bigger Renedra bases on the base itself and then cut around the base. Then I've also used them as floors for the building. The damage is just done with clippers and an x-acto.
The rubble is just Renaissance Ink acrylic gel with sand in it.
Here is the front:
(https://preview.redd.it/ff7xfkh9rxa61.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=e20a0c99089da934774520a48a9bbe815b32aa91)
The columns are just bits of sprue clipped from a plastic tank sprue. After I painted it I weathered it with some white weathering powder which gave the appearance of different sized rubble going from the big chunks I clipped to the acrylic gel to the powder.
So in a few more weeks I'll hopefully have another titan done and then that will be it for this Legio. It will come in at around 1800 pts I think and will have 8 Scout titans. There is a little room to grow with it if they ever release another scout titan variant as Audax are only allowed to use size 6 and smaller titans. So far that is only Warhounds.
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A really nice paint job. The base may be a lot of work but it really helps the figures to pop.
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I guess its been a little bit since I last finished a titan. Here is my latest.
(https://preview.redd.it/h5piqwlm2pk61.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=8de0d4d3d5a65fd447cf729bfb881a1929d9b121)
This is the second to last of my Ember Wolves. It is number 7. There will be 8 total, one maniple of 5 and one of 3.
I continued the city theme with the river or canal running through it for the basing, this one running through the middle of the canal with some World Eater terminators struggling to cross underfoot.
(https://preview.redd.it/qpm4gdxm2pk61.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2a522c7aad61f1ceda1ca191f11b132322862656)
This will also be the last one with an Ursus claw. The maniple of 5 all have Ursus claws and the maniple of three have none. They are a pretty tricky weapon to use and are, as far as I can tell, more harmful to the user than the target if the target is larger than scale 8. Still they look cool and are very characterful for Legio Audax so I figured I'd kit them out with a fair number of them.
(https://preview.redd.it/xwidkv7n2pk61.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2376f860124e68470e09108e6a9689e0f99a4803)
Without them this force, which is about 1400 pts right now, and will be 1600 with the addition of the last titan, would cost about $250 and could be played by itself, although with 400 pts of knights to be a 2000 pt force it would be a lot better equipped to take on the enemy.
In the couple of games I've played with them they have done well, but in both cases the enemy was pretty obliging with their force composition. I haven't faced a Warlord with them yet and I'd hate to see what an army with a Warmaster would do to this force.
When we start putting those on the table I'll probably have to field these guys as an Auxiliary force to either my Legio Mortis or Legio Furreans forces.
The Ursus claws would be almost worthless against a Warlord, I doubt they will be able to do anything at all to anything larger.
Still it has been a fun project so far and the force fights so much differently than my other Titanicus armies.
The next one is going to be tiptoeing out from behind a build it is using as cover I think. I just need to get another set of the buildings.
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So it proved impossible to get another set of the buildings before my game on Thursday. The last one got finished up crossing a canal.
(https://preview.redd.it/gfvrzxowu1n61.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=fe9dfad67eea13218a8689e6a2aa3b30ce10a272)
It is a relatively boring base compared to some of the others in the force.
Still they can't all stand out or none of them do, right?
(https://preview.redd.it/ymudlbswu1n61.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9816174e74dfff22bbcf0aafad637f5b56533b8d)
The force is going to face off against my normal opponent playing his Warp Runners on Thursday. It will be a truly titanic game with about 3500 pts on each side.
(https://preview.redd.it/tfbww9uwu1n61.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2208703fbd63ffdb7dcda23d5f425888ec2caa8d)
Here is the whole force. There are two maniples. The one on the left is made up of three titans and they have no ursus claws. The one on the right has 5 titans all armed with ursus claws.
(https://preview.redd.it/bdjbw9wwu1n61.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f679a182c3ce763925f7158ce583330062cee5a0)
I'm thinking I'll run the 5 titan maniple as one big squadron but I'm not sure yet. So far I've run them as a squad of 3 and a squad of 2. You need to use them as squadrons so that they can do coordinated attacks with the claws. The claws are pretty much useless against anything but warhounds otherwise and even there they are a dangerous proposition.
Here is a close up of Second Maniple
(https://preview.redd.it/xeff70zwu1n61.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=86867059cb1acfb93cf360178616d56f9b1849a1)
And here is one of First Maniple.
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Hiding his identity would only take him so far. The remnants of the Iron Hands were so scattered and few that each battle brother in each contingent knew each other. Their eidetic memories would know the gait of each of their fellow warriors, their augmetic enhancements, even the location of nicks and dents in their armour, probably even chips in the armour's paint.
The Legion had not gone to great lengths to conceal his identity, no parts were removed and replaced to fit in. A specific warrior was not known and could not be identified prior to the infiltration. The Warp Runners attack on the Tiger Eyes in the Yrevendi Desert had allowed the loyalists to intercede in the traitor thrust at Houlson. The massive walls of the capital city would have been difficult to breach without a demi-Legio of Astorum titans to protect it. With them there the attack would be a major battle and it was one that the traitor forces had neither the time nor the resources to conduct.
He hoped that the combined Audax and Furreans forces converging on the city would be enough to distract the Iron Hands for long enough. His walk was practiced unconcern as he moved towards Gate Bastion 17. The doors slid open to admit him and he stepped through. As expected the Iron Hands were all seeing to the various tasks that encompassed the garrison as the enemy came in. They were monitoring air defense artillery and coordinating a sally from the gate in case the battles should allow it.
The thunder of guns could be heard as the two forces engaged each other outside the wall.
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He moved quickly towards the cogitator bank recording and reporting the status of the city's void shields. Two mortals and four servitors were monitoring the situation and redirecting energy to sectors that were most under threat. The servitors dispassionately carried out their tasks while the two mortals frantically and repeatedly struck at buttons that would, when recharged, raise fallen void shields.
He was fifteen paces from them when he heard a name ring across the room.
"Callaxus! What are you doing here?"
He half turned at the sound, then remembered that Callaxus was the name of the Astarte whose armour he wore.
"Wait, you're not Callaxus!"
Pulling his bolt pistol he turned and fired at the Iron Hand walking into the Bastion room. The marine had almost no time to react, even still he managed to just shift his head enough that the bolt only caught the side of his helmet. It didn't save him, the bolt glanced off the helmet and detonated against the armour's power pack. The explosion tore off the back of the helmet ripping through the spine of the marine and sending shrapnel into the brain stem.
Almost drowned out by the report of the weapon and the sound of the explosion was what he had yelled as he fired.
"Hydra Dominatus!"
There were too many targets for him to engage them in any way that would make his mission an escapable success now. He spun around again firining a round into one of the mortals at the consol. The round entered the woman's back, just above her shoulder blades and went down through her fired as it was from someone much taller. It started to protrude from between her breasts when the round exploded sending meat and bone shrapnel into her colleague and blasting him from his feet. The blast was enough to cause a head injury from which he would not recover, his fall to the ground resulted in a second head injury that would have also been fatal.
The first bolt hit him behind his knee and blasted the knee pad from his armour with enough force that when it hit the servitor in front of him the creature stopped moving.
He started to turn around as the second round struck his power pack causing him to spin back in the other direction and blasting the equipment into junk.
His bolt pistol pushed another round out before a third bolt hit it blasting it apart. His round detonated against a targeting servitor.
A fourth round hit his left vambrace as he moved it in front of his face. His arm suddenly ended at the elbow.
Before he was unable to do so, he bit down hard on his upper left canine tooth . It sent a jolt of electricity to both his hearts that stopped their motion. When this happened that caused the device that had been implanted in him in place of his progenitor gland to arm.
A fifth bolt hit his chest plate but the shot was from the side and the detonation blasted him back into the cogitator behind him.
Two seconds later the device exploded and the gate bastion was consumed in a massive explosion that tore through power cables, damaged the gate and most importantly took the void shields in this sector down.
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The force of Tiger Eyes approaching their position was not going to be strong enough to even engage his forces on an equal footing, they didn't stand a chance against his forces and the walls of Houlson.
Princeps Quor Sorris looked with disdain at the approaching yellow-hued enemy. The flame patterns that had once been carefully and semetrically painted onto the armour of their titans now was thrown down in random flame patterns. The degeneration of their heraldry matched the degeneration of the crews' minds, Sorris thought. The counter attacks of the Furreans titan at Yrevendi had been uncoordinated at best, they could have been described as bestial.
The first salvo of missiles were being exchanged between the two forces now, soon they would be in range for their volcano cannons.
Then two things tore his mind away from the enemy opposite him. An explosion erupted from the city behind him.
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"What was that?"
Moderati Calinis replied, "An explosion ripped through Gate Bastion 17 of the wall, the void shields are down in that sector!"
At the same time a rune caught his eye on the display, one of their Warhounds was moving back towards the battleline at top speed.
Before he could call for a report, the Warhound Princeps announced over the Legio vox, "Audax titans approaching!"
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The loyalist fire concentrated on the Eunf Farah. The streaks of apocalypse missiles ended in a cataclysmic explosion that stripped the protective layer of void shields away from the Warlord titan.
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The forces of the Tiger Eyes advanced along the line but the Knights of House Durbach pushed ahead of the loyalist lines forcing the traitors to keep a respectful distance.
The Jalil Siad rushed forward to get to grips with the knight armours. As the Reaver advanced the loyalists targeted it inflicting horrific damage on the machine, but still it came on. Void shields were ripped away in the conflagration and even the armour of the titan was left in cooling pools of molten metal in its wake.
The charge of the titan was ferocious and it ripped into a pair of Acastus knights, along with two Cerastus lancers the Furreans titans destroyed the massive knight armours.
Eventually brought low, the titan staggered forward crashing into one of two Warp Runner Warhounds that were pushing up behind the House Durbach knights inflicting massive damage on the smaller titan.
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More fire power tore into Eunf Farah but the massive warmachine targeted an entire unit of Cerastus knight lancers and annihilated them as they emerged from cover in pursuit of the Tiger Eyes Warhounds.
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But just as the traitor attack stalled the Ember Wolves struck. Their first attacks were carried out at a distance and were largely desultory, but just the presence of two maniples of fresh titans into the battle was enough to pucker loyalist assholes.
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In their rush across the battlefield two of the Audax Warhounds lanced a reeling Warp Runner Reaver and dragged it from its feet.
The Tiger eyes were making for the section of the wall where the explosion had left the defenses in ruins. If they made it into the city the havoc that they could unleash would be devastating to the loyalist ability to hold the system.
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The Ember Wolves leapt on the left flank of the loyalist line finishing off the last of the House Durbach knights and turning their attention on larger targets.
Three of the scout titans ran down the Warlord holding the Warp Runners left flank. They rushed in danger close and concentrated their fire on the massive loyalist machine. Inside the void shields the Warlord only had its armour to protect it from the savaging it was about to receive.
It would not be enough to save it.
Two burning beams of plasma ripped through the armour, the molten material streamed down the titan like blood from a stuck pig. Then two lasers blasts tore the hole open even further. The final insult came as a hailstorm of bolter rounds ripped through the air, though they were not powerful the damage that had been done ensured that enough of an opportunity existed that even a small round could find some piece of critical machinery to destroy.
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The engine staggered backwards and fell, smashing into a section of the wall.
Both traitor Legios converged on the section of wall where the breach was.
It was too little, too late though.
The Iitlaq Alnnar pushed forward, resisting fire from all of the remaining loyalist titans. Shredded armour hung from its housing and rents appeared in the structure of the warmachine as it plodded forwards trying to reach the goal.
Two Warhound titans opposing it were shattered and it was only the Warlord that stood between the traitor reaver and its goal.
The Awqat Alnihaya poured shot after shot into the last of the Warp Runners' reaver titans and the machines engine overloaded. The explosion blinded titans and knights across the battlefield, it cause terrible damage to the loyalist Warbringer behind it.
Suddenly though a shimmer and snap in the air informed everyone that the necessary repairs had been effected and the void shields protecting the wall were starting to come back up.
The traitors reluctantly broke off their attack, pulling back they left devastation in their wake as the loyalist forces had only two badly damaged titans left to defend the wall against the next wave.