13th Malegaunt Regt. Company Kreed (Traitor Guard)

In honour of the forthcoming 6th edition of 40K, I've decided to begin collecting and playing with a new tournament army for 40K. This will mark my return to the 40K gaming stage as, in the last decade, I've played so few games of 40K that I missed out on 4th edition entirely and have so far played a grand total of just one 5th edition game. So why come back now? Well, I've always loved the 40K universe, ever since the Rogue Trader days when Marines were just normal humans in power armour. Even during my decade-long lapse in 40K gaming, I kept up with new developments in the 40K universe and devoured many of the better novels released by Black Library. Although I still hate GW's business model (and refuse to buy anything directly from them for my use, with the occasional exception of some paints) the glories of Ebay have allowed me to make a good start on my new Guard Army without leaving me feeling ripped-off with every single purchase. I've never been keen on starting a game half-way through an editions run, as it feels like playing catch-up. However, with the new 6th edition rules hopefully I'll be able to enter a levelled playing field. My goal is to start entering 40K tournaments on a regular basis. With the arrival of a new edition, I might even have a chance against the big-guns on the tournament circuit. Who knows?

So where's the inevitable fluff for my new army you may ask? Well, right here:

13th Malegaunt Regt. Company Kreed (Traitor Guard):

Raised on a world devastated by a Tyranid Bio-fleet, destroyed at great price to the eco-system of this Garden World, Malegaunt was forced into rebellion when a Munitorium clerical error classed the entire remaining population as combatants and issued a writ of conscription that would levy every man, woman and child on the planet into the guard. Long plagued by heretical sects, the Lord Governor was turned from the light of the Imperium by the impassioned pleas of Enunciator Septimus, a Chaos Agitator, who promised that though the Imperium had abandoned the world, Chaos would not.

So it was that when the Munitorium fleet arrived in orbit, Planetary Defence Force Veterans seized the ships and their valuable cargo of munitions. In the years since, the Imperial Cult has been expelled from the world. Now, the still-disciplined armies of Malegaunt pay homage to Khorne, whom they worship in his aspect as Lord of War rather than as a Power devoted to mindless slaughter. Medical professionals and farmers offer praises to Nurgle to spare their crops and patients. The planets entertainment industry features ever more licentious productions in the name of Slaanesh while the planets politicos and businessmen have turned to Tzeentch for guidance. The Fallen Humans of Maleguant know it is only a matter of time before the vile Imperium turns it's gaze upon them again. Yet the citizens of the world look forward to the arrival of Imperial Drop Pods with relish indeed.

Company Kreed:

In expectation of the eventual Imperial Crusade to cleanse or retake the former garden-world, Lord Governor Prax expanded the Planetary Defence Force (The Crimson Legion) with the conscription of every first born son on the planet old enough (and hale enough) to bear arms. While the majority of these newly zealous conscripts were recruited into existing formations, stiffened by the surviving veterans of the Tyrannic invasion, those who survived the particularly brutal accelerated training regime devised by men the likes of Enunciator (Commissar) Kreed have quickly become the equal of any in the Imperial Guard.

Command Structure:

Kreed formed his Company around a hard-bitten cadre of Veteran soldiers. Recognising his own limitations in a tactical sense, the Enunciator prefers to lead from the front, leaving control of the battle to his subordinate, Major Havok, and his command squad. Havok's calm, professional discipline is a successful counterbalance to Kreed's zeal and occasionally irrepressible blood-lust, making theirs one of the most successful Enunciator-Regular Officer partnerships in the 13th.

Lt. Savage. Company Kreed's Master of Ordnance

 Mechanized Veteran Squads:

While Company Kreeds conscripted "citizen-soldiers" are formed into platoons under the careful supervision of veteran sergeants and officers, the same can not be said of it's veterans. Fierce survivors of the Tyranid invasion, Kreed's veterans are more than capable of independent thought and action, without the requirement for junior officers of Enunciators to monitor their activites. Most now fight from the companies limited supply of Chimera's captured from the Munitorium supply ships seized in Malegaunt orbit. The continue to wear the old PDF uniform with pride, a badge of honour to mark their greater experience and prestige within the 13th.

Company Kreed Veterans

Infantry Platoons:
Kreed's conscripts have undergone an oft-times brutal training program in which the weak and the timid found themselves used as live practise targets by their former colleagues. After years of these uncompromising training style, the ranks of the "Unblooded" are filled with men and women every bit the equal of any regular Imperial Guard formation. However, they remain untried in combat, and therefore, unproven and untrusted. In consequence, no Unblooded infantry squad is allowed to venture far from the sight of their Platoon commander. To mark their reduced status, the Unblooded go into battle dressed in captured Imperial Guard Cadian pattern uniforms, re-stained in the Crimson and Drab of the Malegaunt Planetary Defence Force, the "Crimson Guard".

Vehicles:

Unlike Imperial Guard regiments, which deliberately contain only a single branch of the Imperial Guard (Infantry, Armour or Artillery) the 13th Malegaunt has integrated all three combat arms of the Crimson Guard into every regiment, right down to the Company level. It is widely assumed that the High Enunciator and the Lord Governor trust in the many (and often bloody) rivalries between individual Company and Regimental Officers to ensure that any attempted coup is doomed to failure. Company Kreed is fortunate in that it has managed to wrest away a number of additional vehicles from rival companies during these brief "training" skirmishes between formations. Company Kreed can therefore field an entire Recon squadron of Scout Sentinels, as well as several Mechanised Veteran Squads mounted in Chimeras. These mechanised elements are supported by heavy armour in the form of several Leman Russ and Leman Russ Demolisher battle tanks as well as by a single Hellhound flame tank.

Leman Russ 38 "Blood Cauldron". Company Kreed.

Scout Sentinel of Company Creed's Recon Squadron.

Lead Legion BloodBowl League Highlights

...are now available for your perusal at:

Lead Legion Miniature Painting Service

Please read and enjoy.

Thoughts on Blasters and Bulkheads

One of the things I like so much about Blasters and Bulkheads as a system is the ease with which it can be used for Star Wars wargaming. I've loved the Star Wars universe (as many of us have) since I was first exposed to it as a nipper. Unfortunately, while the D6 Star Wars role playing game was an absolute gem, D6 Star Wars Battles (the war games version) was a complete nightmare. True, it was compatible with the RPG, but just barely. How a professional team could turn such a simple and elegant set of mechanics such as the D6 system into the absolute garbled nightmare of Star Wars battles defies imagination.

Then we had the collectible miniatures game from WOTC. Yeah. The less said, the better.

Now we have Blasters and Bulkheads. Although NOT specifically designed for Star Wars gaming (though heavily influenced by the SW universe) this sci-fi space opera skirmish game has rules for Essence powers -which can be interpreted any way you like, whether used as rules for magic, bog-standard psionics, Mass Effect Biotics or even as rules for Star Wars' Force Powers. Better still, it uses a mechanic very similar to the old West End Games D6 system. All the more handy for Mecha Ace and I because Mecha is planning on running a D6 Star Wars campaign in the near-future.

Better still, we've managed to get quite a few of the regulars at our wargames club, Glasgow Gaming Group, thinking about making their own Blasters and Bulkheads forces. So far, we've had suggestions ranging from the obvious (Sith, Jedi, Imperials, Rebels, Clone Troopers, Serparatists, Droids, Smugglers, Gangsters and Bounty Hunters) to the less obvious (Mega-City One Judges, Jon Carter style Martians, Strontium Dogs, Mass Effect Spectre Teams, Asari Commandos and just about everything else you can think of).

Best of all, games only take about an hour and feature armies of at most 30 (and as few as 5) 15mm figures. So in a typical gaming night, multiple games are possible. Even if you play the same opponent three times in the one night, B&B forces are so damn cheap you could be playing with (and against) a different force in every game.

15mm converted Sith for Blasters and Bulkheads.

Take my Old Republic Sith force for example. As well as the three Sith Dark Essence users in the accompanying image, my Sith force contains three henchman squads of five Sith Troopers. Most B&B forces are built this way -a handful of character models and a few disposable henchmen squads. Total cost of my Sith force: less than a tenner.

Also pictured are two other B&B characters from my collection, an ageing human light-essence user and his young Padawan. The game is set up in such a way that I could easily add another three or four characters (perhaps a Starship Captain, his First Mate a Senator and some Droids) and then play through a number of scenarios, challenging a different Dark Essence User and some minions in each one before finally coming face to face with the main villain. In fact, the way the game is set out, with it's simple campaign rules and narrative suggestions, practically demands the creation of such mini-campaigns.

15mm converted Jedi and Padawan

The game rules even work well for solo gaming, with the exception that characters (good and bad) have a stock of Fate points they can use each turn to modify dice rolls and use Essence powers. In a solo campaign, the temptation might be to use these points in such a way as to favour one side over the other. It would be easy enough to counterbalance this situation however, with a simple house rule. Perhaps one that states that each turn a non-player character miniature will use half these points for attack and half for defence.

All in all, Blasters and Bulkheads is an excellent little system. Expect to see a few game reports and faction lists appearing on this blog in the very near future.

Lead Legion and Empire of the Dead at Carronade

In conjunction with Glasgow Gaming Group (G3), Lead Legion will be supporting the forthcoming release of the Victorian steampunk/gothic horror skirmish game, Empire of the Dead, from Westwind Productions. We'll be helping out with the Demo Game that G3 will be running at the convention. So, if you can attend the event, come along and see if you can help Holmes and Watson thwart the nefarious plans of the dastardly Ripper.

AE-WWII Finnish Jaeger and Jaeger Weapons Team Rules.

 Please note that these rules have not yet been play tested. Revisions are to be expected.

Jaegers (Regular, Infantry, Squad)

M    RC   CC   A   S   Dr   W
3      3+    3      3    2    4     1

Composition: 2 Finnish Jeagers

Equipment: KAR98k, Grenades

Special Abilities:

• So Few Remain: Finland has put almost every able-bodied man (and many of it's women) into uniform. Though brave and determined to defend their homeland, Finnish troops are all too aware that there are no more replacements  for those slain in battle. When a squad or individual with the "So Few Remain" special rule is eliminated or routed, all other surviving individuals or squads with this special ability lose two Drive points instead of one. Additionally, every casualty with this rule counts as two casualties for the purposes of calculating attrition.

Options:

• The squads training level can be increased to veteran. 
• Any member of the squad may exchange their KAR98 for a GEW43 or StG44.  

Finland's elite troops, Jaegers are the greatest marksmen in a country of hunters. Although highly motivated, their numbers are few. Each man knows that when he falls, there is no-one else left to replace him. As such, the Jaegers have learned to sell their lives dearly, but will not squander their lives when the tide of battle turns against them.

Jaeger Weapon's Team: (Regular, Support, Squad)

M    RC   CC   A   S   Dr   W
3      3+    3      3    2    4     1

Composition: 2 Finnish Jeagers

Equipment: Heavy Weapon (1 per team, see below)  KAR98k,Grenades

Special Abilities:

• So Few Remain: Finland has put almost every able-bodied man (and many of it's women) into uniform. Though brave and determined to defend their homeland, Finnish troops are all too aware that there are no more replacements for those slain in battle. When a squad or individual with the "So Few Remain" special rule is eliminated or routed, all other surviving individuals or squads with this special ability lose two Drive points instead of one. Additionally, every casualty with this rule counts as two casualties for the purposes of calculating attrition.

Options:

•  The squad may select one of the following weapons: Flammenwerfer 35, MG42, Panzerschrek, Grenatenwerfer 36 Mortar, ROKS-3 Flamethrower, DP-28 Light Machine Gun, or a 50-PM 40 Mortar. The soldier carrying the heavy weapon does not possess a KAR98k
• The squads training level can be increased to veteran.
• Any member of the squad may exchange their KAR98 for a GEW43 or StG44.

Finland has very little in the way of an armaments industry of it's own, save for a single rifle factory. Finnish troops must therefore look to a hodge-podge of heavy weapons looted from the Soviets or else purchased from from their allies.