Dark Heresy Log 3. Of Titans and Terror

ONCE AGAIN - WARNING CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS FOR THE DARK HERESY BOOK "The Black Sepulchre". READ AT YOUR OWN RISK....

So where were we? Oh yeah. 2 thirds of a key. We advanced into the final wing of the house in hope of finding the third. We entered a large ball room with several long banquet tables laid out. Each seat held a dead body, whom a medicae test showed had been poisoned, likely by the food. However, despite nobel dress, the people were all peasants, working class smucks in fancy clothes. Mordacai and Ruddy advanced up the tower with Jerichus, our guardsmen following behind.

By the time Jerichus reached the top....Mordacai and Ruddy were into their third course of a great banquet. Luckily, it healed all their wounds at the slight cost of a few corruption and insanity points. When Jerry refused to sit, a apparation flew out a painting and attacked. A semi auto shotgun and a righteous fury roll put that ghost down hard, releasing our 2 from their feasting. When the ghost was banished, the food rotted to mulch, causing our two the throw up....again. It also rewarded us with the final third of the key.

We proceeded to the Nave, repaired the key and prepared to open the door behind the clock. Upon unlocking it we were met with a large dark chasm, with a simple ladder leaving down. Drake dropped his glowglobe down the shaft....and it kept going for a while before it sunk into some fluid at the bottom.

Drake started to climb down...and failed his climb roll, and fell
I started to climb down...and failed my climb roll, and fell
Mordacai started to climb down...and failed his climb roll, and fell
Ruddy started to climb down...and failed his climb roll, and fell
Jerichus started to climb down...and failed his climb roll, and fell

Hudson and Khan decided to not try and stayed in the church while we searched underground. We quickly learned the secrets of the complex - The Cathedral was merely the upper levels of a partially buried Imperator Class Titan. We tried to activate minimal power to learn of the titans mission and intents from the Cogitator. However upon opening the generator to restart the power, 4 demons attacked.

I failed my Fear and passed out
Jerry managed a single shot, killed one, then jammed his gun and he was attacked and was pretty badly wounded
Drake failed his fear and collapsed.
Mordacai and Ruddy ran

It was not going well. Hudson and Drake rallied everyone and we killed them....but not before Khan perils on his psychic test. Gravity reversed and we all started flying the air...some of use were lucky enough to grab hold. But not our unconcious guardsmen. He hit the ground so hard his arm fell off. Bugger. We all rushed to the medical room to patch up our wounds. unfortunatly while we regrouped in the room and healed up our holes, a servitor came online and finished refuelling the titan....to full power. Before we could stop it, the titan stood to its full height, releasing the deamon he'd been sat on for 5000 years. Which promptly tried to kill us. The Titan on his side, helped us by informing us that the gun in the Nave that we'd seen on our way in was active. We rushed upstairs, battled a few furies and armed the gun. And fired it. 5000 years of corrosion turned the siege cannon into a gigantic shotgun. It also had the unfortunate side effect of exploding and nearly killed Ruddy. The demon fiercly wounded landed in the nave and did mortal combat with us. After a lot of wounds it finally fell. Just as it fell we determined where the Titan was heading. We had returned to the Gilded Cathedral. Before we could act the Plasma Blastgun opened up on the Holy Building, melting the gold   building and revelaing the Black Sepulchre, still intact.

Upon descending from the Titan we entered the Sepulchre and were treated to a one off video, that burned upon completion. It showed a great conspiracy within the Eclisearchy, going all the way up to the Arch Cardinal of the sector.

Our Inquisitor was not pleased, with the 10,000 civilians killed nor the destruction of the holy site. And as the vid had burned, we had no evidence to support our claims. But he luckily believed us and prepared to do some research. But for now we rest....another mission will turn up soon

New Eldar - Thoughts

So by now everyone who's interested has likely seen the plastic Farseer that's leaked. I'm not gonna repost it though. I'll say I like it in general from what I can tell of the pieces, but don't like the Head.

I'm instead going to talk about what I want from the new book. Anyone who reads my blog or knows me knows that my Eldar are in storage pending a new codex. I have a large collection but its very hard to use them for fun now. They're just so underpowered in the current game, I'd rather play my Tau or my Chaos right now.

But we've got a new book soon. So what do I want

- Please don't nerf Wraithlords. I love them and have so many. Please make them better or equivilent I'd almost accept a S and T decrease for a reduced cost and more attacks.
- Improve Wraithguard/New Wraith Construct. I would happily run a Wraith army again
- Points cuts across the board especially on heavy weapons. 40 points for a Lance is disgustingly expensive
- Farseers back where they should be AKA top of the pysker tree
- An Assault tank of some kind
- A flier might be cool, but the Nightwing is already pretty good
- Improve DA range. If not, make em cheaper.
- Make guardians worth taking. Multiple heavy weapon platforms
- Warlocks acting like the guys in SW. Buy as a unit and split em up

We'll know in a few weeks....

Dark Heresy - A Techpriests Log Part 2 - Of Raids and Religion

So the further adventures of Novus Xanthis continue. (Warning - If you are, or intend on playing the Rogue Trader book - The Black Sepulchre - this log contains spoilers)

Our party was summoned to the office our Inquisitor to be given our next mission. However upon arrival we found only his two underlings. Apparantly our esteemed Inquistor is attending a conference preparing for the emergence of the Tyrant Star.

Our mission was simple. Join a local PDF raid, one of 17 that night on the house of a noble suspected of posessing Heretical tech and artifacts. We were to secure the landing zone and find the hidden tech cache, and assist in capturing (alive) the Noble.

We made a hot combat drop, from a Valyrie straight into the warzone of the courtyard and made quick progress to the chapel to secure the grounds. By the order of the INquisition the house guards within surrendered to us and the combat servitor was destroyed by guardsman Jerichus' shotgun. Following a short interrogation (and subsequent execution) of the guards by our arbite, Hudson, we located the noble and co-ordinated with the local PDF to converge on his location and capture him.

However by the time we arrived, the PDF had been massacred. Not only did the Noble have a strange demonic gauntlet that allowed him to fire bone shards at people, but he was protected by 3 huge reptillian dogs. After putting down his pets we made to disarm (literally) and capture him. Hudson pinned him to the ground and my brother Techpriest, Drake, swung his flail hard against the prone arm. The demonic instrument showed no damage, but his arm within in fractured and tore. Despite our best medical attention, he dissolved, leaving nought but the arm and a pile of blackened sludge.

While waiting for the Inquisition to appropriate the heretical artifact, we continued to search the grounds, thankfully with no further resistance. Upon finding the cache of technology, amongst the Xenos weapons, heretical books and a fake block of mud from High Terra was a data slate chronicalling the demon hand. Although me and my brother techpriest failed to decode it (against Tech Use of 85), Ruddy (our scum) managed to open it with street knowledge (needing a tech roll of 12). It detailed that he had learnt of the artifact at "a temple of gold with a heart of coal". He also mentioned that the demon was speaking to him, and referenced "Hekates Warrior rising from the Brine".

Upon our debrief we learnt that the golden temple could only refer to the Gilded Cathedral on Barrowspine. Despite frustrations of the Nobles death, we gained more information than expected and the Rogue Trader we are based aboard set a course for BarrowSpine

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Upon arrival at the gilded cathedral we learnt of the "heart of coal". The Black Sepulchre, a mysterious and unexplained black object in the cathedral. After a long chat with the Abbot of the cathedral, myself and Hudson set about searching the library archive, while Drake and Khan, our pysker, investigated the Sepulchre and Ruddy and Mordacai, our sharpshooter, went into the market to learn things. However shortly after arriving at the library I found myself out of my depth. No computer system and no sense of any organisation meant I was lost the moment I entered. never the less I assisted Hudson in her search, and we found a list of Eclisearchal holding. One, the Hematite Cathedral, mentioned the name Hekate and was situated by the sea. This matched with our earlier clues so we established this to be our course of action

When we regrouped and arranged transport for the following morning, we learnt that Khan had sensed a physic barrier around the Sepulchre. And Ruddy had succesfully interrogated a Fruit Seller and learned....that she sold fruit.

The following morning as we left the Cathedral to our car we were assailed by a group of self flagelating pilgrims. They screamed a cryptic poem at us, as well as assaulting us with flails and physic powers. The powers rendered Ruddy unconcious and a well placed flail also knocked Khan out. However with the first shot of the engagement, Mordacai used his Longlas and blew the leaders chest open. After a swift kicking the enemy were put down and all wounds repatched. After a quick goodbye to the Abbot and an apology for the mess we departed on our 3 day drive to the Hematite Cathedral.

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The Hematite Cathedral was overgrown and clearly long abandoned. Upon entering the atrium we discovered long rows of pews facing a raised platform. Upon this platform sat a giant siege cannon, which upon inspection appears that it could be repaired and fired once more.

We also discovered a secret door hidden in the clock. It would not open, even to lascutters, and in a small recess was a space for a key, shaped like the ensignia of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

We set about searching the mansion. Uponing opening a large door, omniously marked Sanitorium, we discovered a row of prison cells, inhabited by small, gollum like creatures. After a unfortunate grenade scattering by me and a few shots from my compatriates they were all destroyed, but both Hudson and Ruddy were wounded (by my Grenade). Few med rolls later and every was back to normal. Our search in this area revealed little beyond information of a secret room in one of the towers and a supply of drugs, that Hudson destroyed. However during the bout Khan mishapped on one of his tests and grew a large set of black angel wings that promplty rotted into nothing. Needless to say, we're keeping a close eye on him in this place. Something in the air doesn't feel right. I feel like i'm being watched.

Searching the first tower releaved a scale model of the planetary system, and a desk with an Inferno Pistol within. Mordacai, thief first and Assassin second, helped himself to this valuable weapon despite having no ammo or training in its use. Search of the second tower uncovered a large library, where we swiftly found the hidden room mentioned. There were three large books chained to the wall. I opened the first, and found it contained writtings of one of the Hekates suggesting they were trying to cheat death so they could live long enough to see a once in 10,000 year solar event, they took as the coming of their Saint. It detailed the movements of the planets required for this

The other two books, Drake decided to open. The first melted in his hands, showed him images of the Imperium on fire and the end of all things before running up his arms and trying to throttle him. Shaking that off he decided to try and read the third....which send him made and he tried to shoot Ruddy. Luckily he missed and snapped out very swiftly. Something about this place is just making us edgy and not trust each other.

Returning to the first tower, we moved the planets in the model into the correct places and a ghost of one of the Hekates appeared to us. Recognising his staggering intellect from his writtings I attempted to talk to him to learn about the situation. He responded calmy and we began to speak, when the Barbarians of Khan and Hudson decided violence was the only answer and opened fire. I stormed out the room in a huff and left them to it. Upon the ghosts "death" a body appeared in the seats in the main room, that crumbled to dust upon our approach. Within the mess left was a third of the Adeptus Mechanicus Key required to open the hidden door.

Continuing our search of the Cathedral into the 2nd wing we discovered the Kitchen. Within the oven we found a secret hatch into a hidden room. Within was a twisted biology lab, were people were clearly killed. We found a hidden trapdoor in the floor, within which was a dark well full of rotten corpses. Yet when we looked, they looked back at us. Drake dropped a grenade down the hole and we moved on to the fake wall at the back. Hidden behind were a variety of constructs, humans sown together in twisted ways. The 2nd Hekate appeared behind us and attacked. Despite him punching his ghost hand straight through my stomach, he was defeated and I healed back to full health. Upon his death another body appeared, carrying the 2 third of the key.

Here we left off our adventure for the night, picking up again in a few days time. We still need to find a third of the key, and are missing one Hekate family member. We then need to open the secret door and discover what lies beyond. Something about this cathedral feels wrong to me...the Ad Mech logo and the giant gun are off in a cathedral.

This was a good fun session with some good combat and investigation sections. I did however go from 2 insanity points to 12 in one session. Not as much as Drake who went from 8 to 32....

Flaming Chariot and Tzeentch Herald

A friend is borrowing these for a competition this weekend (I'm going too) so had to get them done. Much brighter than most the stuff I paint. I suspect when I get round to doing some more deamons (after Tau and Eldar) I'll do more deamons in this bright way.

Both nice models, but took a while to finalise how to get the flames looking decent.

Enjoy! Next up....Tau!

22,000 points...and counting

So I decided ahead of the new Tau book to tally up all my models in an excel spreadsheet so I know what I've got and can write lists a bit easier

Tau is going to be interesting for me, as its the first time an army I've played that is being updated. It'll happen a 2nd time in a few months for Eldar's release.

After measuring up the Tau I kept going ....onto my Chaos. Then my Eldar. Then my Dark Eldar. The last two I managed to do from memory.

Tau - 2048
Chaos - 3239
Eldar - 10,578
Dark Eldar - 3968
Total - 19,833

All of these are as modelled details and include no options, like Runes, Powers, Marks, vehicle upgrades....(Physic Powers and Runes on my Eldar Seer Council are 700 points alone)

With a few sensible options on top and a few random models for Orks, Deamons and Loyalist Space Marines, I've probably totalled 22,000 in my armies.

Just in time to see my Tau army lose a few points in value (cos stuff will get cheaper) and add another 1000 points of shiny new to it :P.

Currently planning on getting a Riptide, another Hammerhead, Pathfinders and some more Crisis Suits, maybe including Farsight if his rules are good

Tomb Raider - A videogame review

Its been a while since I’ve done one of these, but reading some old posts yesterday got me in the mood. Video Game review time! This entry is on one of the most refreshing reboots I’ve played in a long time – Tomb Raider

Lara Croft is back. And she’s better than ever. Gone is the overly sexualised dual wielding pistol woman who smashes 10,000 year old ruins apart to get a single trinket and fights off T-Rexes for fun. Now shes a barely out of University archaeologist who’s probably never fired a gun before. On a boat searching for a lost civilisation, the shit hits the fan and she and her friends are stranded on a deserted island with an army of psychopathic pirates.

The game starts incredibly. You are surviving, sneaking round, armed with nothing except for a salvaged bow and arrow. The tension is palpable and you find yourself holding your breath a lot. After killing your first deer to survive Lara is overcome, and can barely stomach the situation. On killing her first human, in self defence she is devastated and inconsolable. It’s brilliantly immersing. The gameplay is amazing and the story writing (by Ms Pratchett of Diskworld fame) is equally matching.

And then the game progression kicks in. Before long the inexperienced woman is replaced by Arnie in a strappy top. The execution moves later on…Lara pins enemies down and shoves a shotgun under their chin before pulling the trigger. She’s grabbing them from behind and dragging her climbing axe across their neck. The game sacrifices the intense immersion and great story telling for its gameplay. The afore mentioned scene where Lara kills her first human. She’s broken up about it. She’s crying and in a bad way. She’s on the radio to her mentor (who is an amazing character BTW) who tells her to firm up and get out of dodge. In escaping the village…you kill at least another 5-10 people with your new pistol and bow. One second in experienced school girl. The next Rambo, with smaller boobs. The flow and immersion are just sacrificed for the game curve

Don’t get me wrong. It’s an incredible game. Simply astoundingly good. I’m going to give it a while and play it again. And I don’t do that very much. I just feel the survival aspect could have been expanded. More stealth, less run and gun would have worked well.

The other aspect that lets it down is the name. Tomb Raider. It is the character…and there are Tombs. But they’re optional, and insanely easy. I think there’s about 5 or 6 in the game. In total I can’t have spent more than 10 minutes total in them.  The puzzles are solvable by a 4 year old (it is an 18 rated game, but I think that’s because of the brutally realistic death sequences in the game) and it feels like they are an after thought. The weapons upgrade you find in them can be found in the world just by looting random enemies.

And that is my last criticism. The salvage upgrade system. I have no problem with its execution. It’s a good idea. But my the end of the game you’ve turned your WW2 shotgun or wooden bow into a SPAS12 that shoots flaming ammo or a Olympic Competition Bow that can shoot grenades, using only scrap salvage and upgrade components found on dead guys and in 5000 year old tombs. It’s a bit silly.

And I’m not going to comment on the Multiplayer. Haven’t played any, don’t want to. People need to stop crowbarring multiplayer into games just to sell some DLC map packs. It ain’t good.

Overall this game is incredible. Gorgeous, well written but with a few criticisms here and there. But I think everyone needs to play this game. Its got suprising length to it as well, especially if you go for full 100% collection - around 15 hours. Thank you Crystal Dynamics. Now go forth and make me a game as well written that features actual tombs and some raiding but with the same intense characterisation and you’ll win my favour forever.

Final Docs Rating. 9 out of 10.

Another Day, Another List with a Twist

So another comp has swung around. Taking place in March, its another 1 day 4 game affair.

But with a twist. You must field a 1250 and a 1750 point list. The 1750 must include the 1250 list completly unchanged. Theres also slightly tigher FoC restrictions on the small list (0-2 for Hvy,Elite and Fast etc).

Anyone in the Wilthsire area of the UK is free (well not free...there is a cost!) to come along and have some fun. And meeting me is always a bonus.

http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?363680-A-Small-Matter-of-Honour-TICKETS-ON-SALE-NOW

So i've looked at the 1250 i took to the last competition and did reasonably well with. Only problem is i had 3 FA. So it needs tweaking

So I drop the bikers. Use the points to buy a 3rd Obliterator and bulk up the cultists a bit. If my Maths is correct...this is my new 1250 list

HQ 1250 points
Dark Apostle -105pts
Troops
14 Cultists, 1 Heavy Stubber – 71pts
14 Cultists – 66pts
10 Chaos Space Marines, with Lascannon and Melta Gun – 170pts
Rhino – 35pts
Fast Attack
Heldrake, Baleflamer - 170pts
5 Spawn, Mark of Nurgle – 180pts
Heavy Support
3 Obliterators, Mark of Nurgle – 228pts
Maulerfiend – 125pts
Fortifications
Defence Line, Quad Gun – 100pts

The 1750 list then opens up to normal FoC, but must contain the above list in full. So additions (500pts exactly);
5 Havocs, 4 Autocannons - 115pts
4 Bikers, 2 Melta Guns and the MoN - 134
5 Terminators, Power Fist, Chain Fist, Combi Melta, Reaper Autocannon, MoT, VotLW, Gift of Mutation - 251pts

Hovocs provide Fire Power. An extra bikers increases survivability of the melta guns. The Terminators can increase my punching power, and do it well

5th! Not bad out of 40 people!

Yeah. 5th. Well joint 4th....but lost out on VP's (i have issues with the VP system - playing 2 killpoint games, and both of them for me against small armies really limited me. Especially since I tabled 3/4 of my opponents)

1250 points, 4 games. I won 3 out of my 4.

I was using;

Dark Apostle
11 Cultists
10 Cultists
10 Marines, Lascannon and Melta
5 Spawn, MoN
Dragonboy, Flamer
3 Bikers, 2 Melta
2 Oblits, MoN
Maulerfiend
Defence Line Quad Gun

So a pretty balanced list, especially compared to some that were fielded (like my game 4)

Game 1 - Chaos Marines. Flying DP with Black Mace, Dragon, 2 x2 Oblits, 2 Rhinos full of CCw Marines, unit of cultists
O boy. The dice were not on my opponents side. His Dp took 2 wounds from the Quad Gun, landed assaulted my unit of cultists. Round 1 of combat....Deamon Weapon rolled a 1. Took a wound. Killed 2 cultists  I lost NONE to the mace. Round 2....rolled another 1. Deamon prince killed himself for the sum of 2 cultists. Woot. His CCW marines all got out their rhinos and stood in nice tight groups to shoot my spawn....just before my dragon turned up. Between the flamer and subsequent vector strike he killed all 8 in one squad, 4 in the other. His dragon turns up late, fails to Vector strike my dragon then gets intercepted by the quad gun. And blown up. Immediately. I win with a tabling

Game 2 - Loyalist Marines. 2 Contemptors, 3 tac squads, attack bike, Loth and Honour Guard
My Loss. I had my opponents bad luck here. The Maulerfiend failed a 6" charge (with his fleet!). The Spawn failed a 4" charge....again with fleet. When the Maulerfiend hit home against the Contemptor...out of 7 total attacks, plus 3 melta attacks I got 2 pens. Both of which his 6++ saved. As it was 1 objective each and i lost First Blood, i lost. (Incidentally this was my friend, who i've only ever beaten once in 5 years...he came 16th overall after drawing the overall winner in his 3rd game - gunline marines do not like massed Flamers and Screamers)

Game 3. Eldar. Got seized on. His Warwalkers butchered a lot of spawn before i even moved. Maulerfiend made a 11" charge and smashed them apart in return, followed by a Wave Serpent before meeting the Fire Dragons. Obliterator with plasma rifles, rolled double 6 to pen a Prism, only to have a double six rolled for cover saves. Came down to last possible dice, with dragon burning his last 2 dire avengers out of existence  giving me a narrow win. Was an unpleasant close game, but as i got seized on and didn't have my choice of table ends....i consider it a win

Game 4. Chaos. The list i had wanted to avoid playing. 3 Dragons, 2 DP's and 2 units of cultists. Eeep. Started with just DPs on board (was Kill Points). My luck returned to me here. The Maulerfiend butchered one DP (ID for the Win), the spawn held the other for a long time (he made 17 out of 19 3+ saves...) before dying off, but he immediately caught the lascannon and rapid fire plasma guns of the marines and oblits. The cultists came on in the same place, at the same time, got burned by the dragon, failed both Ld tests and ran straight back off. His dragons....Lorgar was smiling on me! Came in one at a time, and one after another intercepted by the Quad gun and killed before doing anything. So I won, with a tabling but it could have gone very different and i felt a bit dirty by the end.

Overall was a great competition. Winners were Deamons, Deamons + Crons (with 4 fliers in 1250...). Urgh.

My next comp is a superheavy tournie down in Brighton, but after that is a 1500 comp. I like my list as it stands and so am just adding to it. The extra 250 points gives me;
- A Third Oblit for the Squad
- Havoc Squad with 4 Autocannons (yes its netlisty, but i run Maulerfiends and Spawn! It balances out)
- Make the 3 bikers up to 5. Adds a little more punch into my attack and makes sure those melta guns reach their target alive.

Until next time. May the light of Chaos guide your way

Dark Heresy - A Techpriests Log

So i've recently been lucky enough to get to play some Dark Heresy with some friends. And so far we are off to a flying start! Its my first real role play experience, bar a session or two of DeathWatch (which is a bit boring IMO).

Novus Xanthis, a tech priest from a Forgeworld is forging (no pun intended) into the Calixus sector, in the company of 2 assassins, a scum, a pysker, a guardsmen and an Arbite. We did have an Adept but he got throughly deadified at the hands of the end boss of our campaign (16 on the critical table....yeah hes dead), so not sure what new character hes drawing up.

I won't post too many plot points as that could ruin the experience for anyone playing the same campaign in the future (it is from one of the books), but some high points so far involve;

- A Sniper who fails every fear test and has spent more time throwing up than shooting
- The big boss catching a double barrell of a shotgun in his face and getting blown through the stained glass window of a church
- A shootout in a crowded marketplace. A bad roll from the guardsman means his shotgun misses and kills 6 innocents. 6 corruption points in 2 seconds....
- An impossible room with a hard fear test. 2 players fail epicly and get 10 insanity points each in one roll
- Being assulted in our beds. And only 1 member out of 7 actually waking up for the first few turns of combat, and then the rest of us fumbling round in the dark to kit up.

Very much enjoying the campaign. Might even get paid soon and buy my first mechandrite.