the first Foray...

Hey all,

So, for those of you who didn't catch the first general introductory post on the newbie thread part of the forum, My names Matt, and I'm living, working and modelling/painting/gaming in bedfordshire, UK.

I came across Deathsquads through the awesome work Maxxev showed on the ammobunker forums, joined up, had a look at the rules and decided to give it a go. Initially, I began converting models for use with Inq28 (that being the game of Inquisitor...just on the 40k scale), but while I began converting, I struggled to find fellow gamers to try my hand at playing. And so while I'm loving the modelling and painting, I'm aware they not getting much tabletop use. And so I decided to cast around for other game systems that might be easier to pick up, don't require two players AND a DM, and should be a laugh! So hopefully that should explain why at times theres an overlap...

So! Which squad? Honestly? I don't know. I'm torn at the moment between the Imperial Guard and the renegade imperial guard. I dont want to go solid regiments. Nor do I want to go down the world of mutations. at least, not at the moment. But I'm hooked on the idea that a rebellion doesn't always lead to Chaos. GW put out a while ago a book of short stories based in the sabbat world crusades. One of the stories surrounded a resistance cell based on a chaos occupied world. So thats where I'm heading at the moment. I'll probably use the Imperial Guard squad listing, but give my own names to the ranks, rather than attempt to find a way to adapt the renegades!

Right, onto the models. Apologies for the quality of the photos, but it's an iPhone special...I have a few converted, but only one painted. So I'll start with that and then move on...



This will be my captain. Originally, for Inq28, this was/is my Inquisitor. I was trying to go for something a little more evil/scheming. I used the body of the creed model, removed head and cigar arm, replaced the arm with a SM scout arm, the hand, staff and head from the empire soilders sprue, and the Inq icon is one of the SM termie icons altered.

Next, will be a lieutenant:



Base model is a cadian trooper. I've adapted the arms by chopping up a few SM scout arms and a cut-down SM scout sniper rifle. I've also, since this pic was taken, added a large blade strapped across his back, which I think was a space marine accessory. I also used the wonders of greenstuff to make his wait a little taller, so that the SM hands and weapon look like they belong to the model! I like the pose, but the proof will be in the painting.

Finally, more for character and my own entertainment then anything else, I converted up a drummer boy!



I don't know what use, if any, he'll be "in-game", but it was a fun few moments cannibalising the empire soldiers box!

Think that's all for now. Any comments and criticisms will be most welcome!

Matt

WOW! Love the concept... Renegades ON a Chaos Rules World! WOW! What a twist! I never though about that. WELL DONE, SIR!!!

The idea I got in my head is one of people who are tired of being oppressed by Chaos' Iron Fist, wanting to rebel. The Imperium is no help... so they go at it 'alone'. Not knowing better, they are no goody-two-shoes. These guys are mean and cruel, not because they are 'evil' but because they know better. Would they 'sell their souls' to anyone who offers them an upper hand... another Chaos force? Maybe they don't know is Chaos who is 'helping' them until is too late... and by them they are corrupted by power themselves! AGGGGHHHH!!! This is VERY cool!

Your conversions are sweet! The Captain looks imposing. The Drumer-Boy is very appropriate... for Xmas!


Keep us updated... this is a Squad I want to watch!

Glad you like the concept! Have to be honest though, I hadn't thought of your idea, of people rebelling against Chaos for the sake of rebelling, which is a really cool idea. I though was actually thinking more of an imperial resistance cell. Think the French resistance type of thing. Basically, a world which was under the imperial fold comes under occupation by forces of xeno or chaos origin. The population is kept as a work force, producing things to keep the war effort on the increase. The Imperial army, already stretched thin by the ongoing conflict, choose instead to dispatch a handful of Imperial troopers to the planet with a brief to organise the resistance, sabotage the efforts of the enemy and generally seek to create trouble. A local Imperial preacher, stranded on the planet, unwilling to leave his flock in times of conflict, helps to organise, hide and spiritually direct the resistance. A local man, angry at the death and destruction around him, seeks to lash out in any way he can. A young boy, never once held a lasgun, drawn by tales of patriotism and heroics, seeks to do his bit. A local gangster, seeking to use the resistance as a means of becoming more powerful. Add into this a healthy amount of tension and distrust, you've got a resistance cell that will play more like a renegade imperial guard squad.

It's an idea. As I've said, the proof will be in the modelling. Give me a bit more time, and I'll have a few more figures done. I've already had a go at adapting an Imperial Preacher:





So yeah! That's my idea. We'll see how it turns out.

And the drummer boy video...man, I didn't get the reference at first! but it made me laugh when I did

Matt

Hehehe... your idea is fantastic! Think about the possibilities... you 'rebels' will be fighting for the side of 'good' against overwhelming odds... they feel over-powered and out-gunned. In desperation they stumbled upon and then few resources. Some of them are morally ambiguous... a separate cell managed to kidnapped the little daughter of the Minister of Power, who had 'betrayed' the planet's government a decade ago (in exchange for wealth and social standing).

Would your rebels be tempted to bargain with the girl's life (and even torture her!) for resources or do the noble thing and return her? It is a THIN line between hero and villain!

I love how you want to give your own swing to the Imperial Guard list. That's what is all about: creating your own stories. Instead of us coming up with a list for each and every race and army out there, we instead aim to provide templates so you can CREATE your own. That's what you're doing! Awesome!

Cool looking conversions, looking forward to seeing more!

I agree with Arachas, you create your own stories.

Very cool conversions and the captain is spot on!

Laney:D

Thank you for the kind replies! They've been amazingly encouraging, and much appreciated. It's always slightly nerve racking when you offer up your efforts for others to see. So yeah, thank you.

In regards to the models, I've done a little more work, and want to get public opinion on a new conversion. Again, apologies for the photo quality - iPhone and dark evenings don't make for the best photo opportunities!

First, the Lieutenant:



The colour scheme is a little brash, I know. The yellow is currently a basecoat of Iyaden Darksun. I'll then, once highlighted, wash over it with a watered down coat of sunburst yellow. A combination that, I admit, seems to be too sharp a contrast and doesn't lend itself well to theories of camouflage...But it's a throwback to the colour scheme of my SM army. I like the idea of the chapter serfs who do all the menial tasks of a Space Marine Chapter army, everything from organisational duties to naval crews...but back to the lieutenant. My idea is of a lieutenant who is constantly standing to arms, serious in his duty, and with a desire to face the enemy head on. this brave, although some would say "foolhardy" means he often stands his ground in the face of overwhelming adversity rather than retreat. His high ideals means he often clashes with the captain, whose belief is that the ends often justify the means.

Next, the Preacher:



The preacher will either represent a sergeant or a lieutenant, depending on how I end up constructing the Captain's background (highly religious or seen too much to believe in a benevolent emperor?). His colour scheme will be a little more civilian in an attempt to contrast with the Lieutenant.

Finally, a conversion that I'm trying to figure out how to place within the squad:





Known simply (at the moment) as 'The Lady', she's armed with a sword and pistol (arms from an eldar harlequin, las pistol from cadian sprue, a trimmed down blade from the SM scouts). For her role in the , I'm not too sure whether or not to treat her as an Infantryman or a medic. She doesn't seem to me to be the type to heal, but rather one to confront. I'm also wrestling with the idea of her as an infantryman. Should she have a more prominent role? Or is she just a part of the background?

Also, I kinda need peoples opinions. Should I just adapt the Imperial squad list? Or would it be better served to go the extra mile and adapt the renegade imperial list? I like the idea of a less than uniform unit, but if I went down that route I'd want to do some work to create some "count-as" fluff to explain things. For example, the Renegade rule of "will not work for Chaos" would use the phrase "Where the hell did you get that from boy?" to represent their growing suspicion of another squad member who starts to gain additional equipment/bionics. Is he a collaborator? But if I do that, I'd have to come up with different names/explanations for the mutations list.

Decisions, decisions...

As usual, comments and criticisms would be most welcome!

Matt

I like the female conversion. I would use her as an officer. She will stand out from the crowd. Is that a LOTR model?

As for renegades, you don't have to take mutations. You could just avoid them altogether. I guess it is just whichever you think will fit better with the list you ultimately want to create. For a ragtag crew, I think the guard list has a bit more flexibility.

Sweet!
I like your fluff so far and the models/conversions look cool too!
More please!

You could adapt the IG rules to about anything really - she could also be a commisar!

If you need it, you could call one of the Lt's something else, whatever fits your fluff - I find that using the rules, and name them something else works fine for me, when fitting fluff.

I really look forward to seeing her painted up, and with the pictures you can improve imensly by having the right light, and holding the phone on the table, so you don't shake - I found that out, and its not hard to do =)

Apologies for the delay in replying - this time of year is insanely busy for me (I'm a minister), so updates will be slow for a while, both in painting and replying to comments. Bear with me!

@Narcissus - no, the base model isn't an LOTR model. I've always worked with the assumption that the LTR models were slightly smaller than the rest of GW's range? I've not held one though, so this is a guess. But I want to find out now - if they are of similar scale than theres some interesting conversion potential! The base model is a Dark Eldar Lhamaean (the link to which can be found here) Someone much more talented than I suggested that the dark eldar range were a good place to start for human females who weren't specifically civilians. All I did was remove the arms and take off details, which made me feel like I was defiling some priceless artefact!

@Stonetooth - Thanks I will get fluff and so forth organised soon. As for the models, I'm trying...

@Komfritten - Thanks for the advice for the pictures hopefully, with practice I'll get better! And that's a seriously good idea for her...now you've got the braincells working - A figurehead who inspires loyalty through effort, in much the same way that a commissar inspires duty through fear...

Right, that's all I've got at the moment! Thank you for the comments. Keep them coming! I'm hoping to have a full death squad fully assembled by the end of December, though whether they're painted is another matter. Now all I got to do is find someone to test them against...

Oh, one last thing. I picked up a stormraven gunship the other day from the local hobbycraft who were selling off the last one they had for £21. At that price, it was a wise buy! I'm just wondering if anyone knows off anyone whose done any conversions of said gunship? I don't want to use it ingame, but a civilian flyer/inquisition ship would make a great centrepiece for a game, so I'm searching for inspiration...any help would be appreciated!

Matt

Sorry I missed this...

Also, I kinda need peoples opinions. Should I just adapt the Imperial squad list? Or would it be better served to go the extra mile and adapt the renegade imperial list? I like the idea of a less than uniform unit, but if I went down that route I'd want to do some work to create some "count-as" fluff to explain things. For example, the Renegade rule of "will not work for Chaos" would use the phrase "Where the hell did you get that from boy?" to represent their growing suspicion of another squad member who starts to gain additional equipment/bionics. Is he a collaborator? But if I do that, I'd have to come up with different names/explanations for the mutations list.

I think you should play Imperial Renegades. Two reasons:

1. You are the story's Underdog!
Out of the ashes of the Imperial government, your men (and women) gather their strength to defeat the current regime... which happens to be allied with Chaos. But that does not really matters much. The IR gather money from sympathizers, but have limited gear... VERY fitting for your story. The Preacher is all about 'converting' the enemy to you cause... also very fitting.

2. Would YOU be tempted?
This is the interesting twist! If you start without mutations, you are just a 'poor' IG Squad. You don't have to worry about Will Not Work for Chaos... then, you may see yourself in a position that having a mutation could be beneficial. Will you disregard your principles and take in a Dark Gift? You could go with a Discrete Mutation... or not. How would this story unfold?

The Lady could be your Preacher! HA! You are a Minister... The Lady a Preacher! AGGGHHHH!!! How sweet the moral dilemma... good versus evil, with shades of grey!

just a quick update, as I'm bout to head to bed in the midst of a busy week! I've added some squad background, which can be found here. I've also started to put paint on the lady. I will update with pictures as soon as possible!

Matt

Hey All,

An update! I am a man of my word...or at least I try to be. I've completed one, made headway on another, got a new model to show and a recovery job which may be of interest, but probably not much use in game terms...

So, here we go.

First, I have completed the Enforcer! I'm pretty happy with him, and he's the best I can do with my painting skills (at the moment...give me time...and practice...)



The only drawbacks to taking pictures is that theres always something you missed. I've only just noticed the mould line on the boot, but I really can't bring myself to scrape it off. I also need to touch up on a few bits with the paints. The huge knife on his back, courtesy of the SM scout Sprue, is his combat knife - I wanted everything with this guy to be a little OTT. My idea is that while he's a credit on the battlefield, he doesn't really understand things like "hiding." Think General Melchett in Blackadder. Apologies to those who don't know Blackadder. And also my sympathies.

Next, the Lady.



I'm trying to go for something a little more startling. Like a noblewoman or a courtesan. Either way, this is her. Still a long way to go. Part of me thinks I've bit of way more than I can chew, but so far I'm happy. In game terms, she's going to be one of my renegade sarges.

And this is the other sarge:



Not the best picture, but I hope you get the idea. This is a plucky young man, fair haired and eager to enter combat. With his hammer (counted in as a two handed club), he's starting to gain fame. What no one knows (and thanks to Mordenheimer for this idea) is that he's actually demon possessed, so hopefully that will create an interesting story dynamic...

And finally, what can only be described as a "recovery job."



An Inquisitor. I used the base of the Inq. Corteaz (or however you spell it), and my ever favourite SM squad sprue. And I really wanted him to work. But the more I do, the more unhappy I become with the model. Why did I do his armour boltgun metal? At the moment, it looks like a three year old did it. However, I will carry on. If it doesn't work, I'll chalk it up to experiance. But hopefully...hopefully...

Anyway, hope people like. As always, comments and criticisms welcome and much needed.

right, time to chase the cats off the paint table...

Happy New Year!

Matt

Excellent job! The Enforcer is creepy enough to make me feel like I should work for him or be killed! HA! The Lady is my favorite model... very unique! Lil' Sarge is awesome... GREAT action pose! Thanks for sharing!

This is turning into a very original squad - love the 'Lady' - would not want to mess with her!

The officer class all look very unique and the shotgun on the Coteaz body is ace - I love that model (Is it in finecast for ease of conversion yet?)

Cheers Laney

Thanks for the kind words! I'm pretty happy with the enforcer, but like you lot, the Lady is turning out to be my favourite model so far. I haven't done much more recently, but I am getting on with it...

Laney wrote:

This is turning into a very original squad - love the 'Lady' - would not want to mess with her!

The officer class all look very unique and the shotgun on the Coteaz body is ace - I love that model (Is it in finecast for ease of conversion yet?)

Cheers Laney

And yep, the Coteaz model is now finecast. Which is such a relief, as resin is so much easier to convert. The Commander, for example, was a joy to work on - I literally spent a few days carving away at the resin with a hobby knife until I got to the desired point.

More work will appear soon. I'm going to be popping along to my local GW soon to pick up some more odds and ends...

I must not spend more than £25...I must not spend more than £25....

Matt

I may have to invest in some resin!

Quote :

More work will appear soon. I'm going to be popping along to my local GW soon to pick up some more odds and ends...

I must not spend more than £25...I must not spend more than £25....

I know that mantra! (never works - only time it did was when they undercharged me!)

Cheers Laney:D

This week has not gone well so far. Work has been incredibly busy, and I've not really been in the best of health. So as it stands I haven't managed to get to GW to get some new models (although, on the flip side, maybe this is the mantra working? As I've not spent £25?), and only a little progress has been made on the squad. But all of that PALES in comparison to the experience of heading into my study to do some painting, only to discover "The Lady" model broken in 4 different pieces due to an unhelpful foot (the jury is out as to WHO's foot it was, though I suspect my own...) Thankfully, I was able to do a recovery job on it. Good news! When finacast models get snapped, they snap cleanly, and superglue is your friend...but yeah. stressy.

On the good side of things, I've started my HW specialist - the Flamer. Would you like to see? I think you would. Be aware, its still very much WiP, but I'm loving it so far!



The body and head are the servitor taken from the stormraven kit. The Flamer and fuel cells are taken from the cadian sprue. the other arm, though not very clear, is from the empire soldiers sprue. The "crotch" is taken from a Chaos SM Khorne Berserker pair of legs, and the "Legs" are 4 chainswords from the same sprue, snipped slightly and reglued. I like it! I'm not too sure how it'll turn out, but it appeals to me. Reminds me of that walking tank the Chaos SM's can have in 40k.

As always, comments and criticisms welcome,

Matt

That is an awesome servitor. Very original. I haven't seen anything like it. I can't wait to see it painted up.

I like that plastic servitor torso. I might have to try and get that part from somewhere.

Indeed very cool! Keep it up! It's so great and inspirational to see people build, mod and paint =)

Nice Servitor! Remember that there are rules to have a Hired Gun Servitor... so you build it, you use it fine!!! Thanks for sharing this wonderful mechanical maniacal creation!!! AWESOME!

Been a while since my last update, and I'm (un)happy to report absolutely no progress has been made. I didn't count on life being so busy, nor coming under attack from what feels like the plague of death. Sigh.

But! I will post soon, with pictures and so forth, as I'm starting to feel better, starting to get some energy and space, and starting to find my creative juices flowing once more.

Right, onto responses:

@Narcissus - thanks man! I'll try and do it justice. At the moment, I still need to make a few tweeks. For one thing, the legs sit wider then the base. So either I cut the legs up once more, or I try to get creative with the base...The body, as already mentioned, is from the stormraven kit. And in my defence, the reason I had it was that Hobbycraft (a huge hobby store franchise in the uk) was selling them off at £20 each a couple of months ago. At the moment, the rest of the kits still in the box, waiting for inspiration to strike.

@Komfritten - Thank you! I'm glad my stuff doesn't just look good to me.

@Mordenheimer - Oh man, there are rules for a hired Gun Servitor? I need to read the rules better. Truth be told, I wasnt going to count him as a hired gun servitor, just your average HW specialist, who just happens to be a servitor...I can see I need to do some work on the fluff. Give me time man, give me time...

Anyway, pictures will be coming up soon...I hope.

Matt

WHAT?!? You received the of Nurgle and somehow you became less productive? You for sure jest! No wonder you are regaining your health, you ungrateful fool! I hope with all my heart that you get what you deserve... complete isolation from Nurgle. After you are abandoned by his Holy Touch, you sink in a misery so deep that you try, in a misguided but cute attempt, to regain that special something you felt while upon His embrace by building hundreds of awesome models models.


PS: HA! That was an inspired (but weird) "Get Well Soon" note!"

I really love the servitor and was thinking the same think for a HWS, but great minds think a like

Sparrow2z wrote:

@Mordenheimer - Oh man, there are rules for a hired Gun Servitor? I need to read the rules better. Truth be told, I wasnt going to count him as a hired gun servitor, just your average HW specialist, who just happens to be a servitor...I can see I need to do some work on the fluff. Give me time man, give me time...

Dont worry, Mordheimer cant remember the rules half the time himself

-Skavenslayer