To give me more punch in close combat with my Firstborn Marines, I recently bought ten Assault Marines cheaply and gave them a simple paint job. I also used a few other bits to build a second Sergeant in case I ever want to play two squads of 5. Quick 'n' dirty:
Last weekend, I played the first 40k games with my Sororitas. It was against a friend's Dark Angels and Grey Knights armies. And what can I say? We hadn't had so much fun playing 40k in a long time! We were using the 5th edition rules, so there were no problems with "rules-bloat" and the "mental load" was limited. There were also no Primaris. 😁
We managed to play two very exciting games in just under 5 hours with 1,500-point armies on each side.
In an old convent of the Adepta Sororitas on Ardentia Secundus, a Space Marine in dark armour has been hiding for days. He looks and speaks like one of the Astartes, but something inexplicable surrounds him.
Suddenly, the roar of engines breaks over the convent, and before the sisters can prepare themselves, they are surprised by a sudden attack from the Ravenwing. The Sororitas rush to the defence, their hearts filled with determination and faith. The battle is short but fierce. The Sisters of the Covenant fight with brave hearts and unwavering will, and although they suffer heavy losses, they manage to fend off the Ravenwing attack for the time being.
As the smoke of battle clears and the Sororitas tend to their wounded, they discover that the dark-armoured Astartes has disappeared...
In the days following the devastating attack by the Ravenwing, another threat looms over the battered planet. A new ship manifests from the turmoil of the Warp. The Grey Knights, the legendary warriors of the Ordo Malleus, sent to eradicate any trace of darkness that may have remained on the planet, descent.
A desperate battle breaks out once again outside the Covenant as the brave sisters of the Adepta Sororitas resolutely confront the mighty Grey Knights. Their hearts filled with unyielding faith and determination, they fight doggedly against the overwhelming might of their opponents.
The air fills with the sound of bolter shots and the metallic clash of blades as the sisters of the Covenant stand against the Grey Knights with courage and united will. Their faith in the Emperor gives them the strength to stand against the looming darkness, and their resolve is unwavering.
In a desperate battle that causes the walls to tremble, the sisters succeed in repelling the Grey Knights' attack. Their determination and faith in the God-Emperor prove too powerful. The Grey Knights realise their mistake. Respecting the sisters' unwavering will, the Grey Knights retreat in defeat, their mission unfinished.
It was fun to play with the Sororitas. MVPs were St Celestine and the Death Cult Assassins. The Acts of Faith were okay, but I need to familiarise myself with them more. I'll probably paint more Seraphim next. They were pretty good, just because they were so fast.
I want to show you how I built the individual panels that form the basis for Printheim:
To prevent the individual panels from warping and breaking, I reinforced them with wooden battens. The battens were glued and also nailed on.
Once the glue had dried, I glued a cork mat on top of the panels. These mats will serve as a base for everything that is coming later. And that´s it. Easy, cheap and straight forward.
I also had to familiarise myself with the print files first. The first house was printed quickly, but when positioning the first miniature, I realised that the house looked too small. After I scaled the files up by 20%, it looks fine.
The larger scale makes everything look "realistic" and the minis actually fit through the entrances. On the picture below, you can clearly see the print lines (0.2mm). I will try to soften these later during priming.
Ever since I was able to play Mordheim a few times on Goatmörser's fantastic gaming board a little over ten years ago, I've always been intrigued by the idea of creating my own gaming board that captures the dark atmosphere of the City of the Damned.
Such a project always seemed too intimidating and time-consuming. Many Mordheim projects drag on for years and then somehow never get finished. I can't rule out that not happening here, but I will take a few shortcuts.
That's why I decided to take a different approach and will be focussing on 3D printing (FDM). Hence the name for this project:
I hope to complete this project in the next three to four months.
The first step was the rough planning of my game board. To start with, I will build four individual boards measuring 60x60 cm. I roughly sketched out how I imagined the cityscape, with narrow alleyways, dilapidated ruins and dark corners inhabited by sinister characters. Then I started looking for suitable 3D print files. Fortunately, there are plenty of free and reasonable prices Mordheim terrain files online, such as these from MINIATURELAND.
I've completed a few larger terrain building projects like my Sororitas Shrine, Retro Orc Killteam board, Combat Arena Board or a Blitz Bowl Pitch. But that's precisely why I know what a huge task it can be to build a board like this. So kudos to all those who do it completely by hand!
To further enrich the gaming board, I will use prefabricated terrain such as from the "Terrain Crate" series from Mantic Games. The status of the first board currently looks like this:
As you can see, it will be a temple plus three ruined houses, some trees and a wall. While this first tile is still at ground level, I will also use platforms on the upcoming tiles to make the playing field a bit more interesting vertically. However, I won't be using cellars or bodies of water. They look great, but I don't see any real added value in terms of gameplay. For me, they are simply dead areas.
By the way, I won't be printing the platforms, but building them myself. They will be roughly in the style of my Blitz Bowl Pitch.
I'm looking forward to your suggestions/tips and hope that "Printheim" won't be boring despite the printed terrain. Hopefully the matching paint job will bring everything together nicely and make the terrain look unique.
In the dimly lit recesses of my hobby sanctum, I stand in quiet reverence before ten more Sisters of Battle, each a testament to the bygone era when metal was the medium through which our armies marched. These venerable warriors, wrought in the fires of nostalgia, have emerged anew, bearing the weight of decades of war on their grimdark shoulders.
The grimdark style, with its weathered armor and battle-worn details, whispered tales of war-torn worlds and unforgiving campaigns. The Sisters, clad in the tarnished vestiges of their sacred armor, bare the weight of countless battles in their haunted visages. The edges of their ceramite gleam with the sheen of dried blood, and their bolters, once polished and pristine, now speak of relentless firefights in the emperorforsaken corners of the galaxy.
Guided by the sacred tenets of the Ecclesiarchy, my brush danced upon the canvas of the Rhino's armored exterior, weaving tales of piety and righteousness through every stroke. Each layer of paint was not merely pigment; it was a layer of devotion, an offering to the Emperor.
The Rhino now stands as a beacon of purity, its hull adorned with the iconic iconography of the Adepta Sororitas. The Battle Sisters who will ride within its sanctified confines will be shielded by not just steel, but by the very essence of faith that courses through its armored frame. As I meticulously applied layer upon layer of paint, I felt a connection to the divine, a communion with the spirits of the Ecclesiarchy.
As the final brushstroke fell into place, I marveled at the
transformation before me. The Sororitas Rhino, once a blank canvas, now
stood as a testament to the unwavering faith of the Adepta Sororitas. 😂😂😂
