Steel Dragons

As previously mentioned, the Steel Dragons chapter is one that could be represented by Codex: Space Marines or Codex: Space Wolves. They each have their points going for them. Codex: Space Wolves covers a lot of things I'd like for the chapter: a Dreadnought HQ choice, cheap and versatile Devastator variants, Venerable Dreadnoughts in Elite, and Drop Pods all around.

Great, right?

They also have weird choices for troops where I'd prefer more standard Tactical Squads or Sniper Scouts. There's also the issue of Acute Senses and Counter Attack and many other extra bonuses that don't fit into my idea for the chapter. All in all, Codex: Space Wolves is a very characterful codex. . . . Too much of the wrong kind of character for this chapter. So we go with 'Nilla Marines.

After giving C:SM another more thorough look-through, I've come up with these choices as the most fitting for the army:

HQ:
Master of the Forge

Elite:
The 3 Dreadnought variants
Techmarines
Sternguard

Troops:
Scouts
Tactical Marines

Fast Attack:
Land Speeders

Heavy Support:
Devastators
Thunderfire Cannons
Predators
Whirlwinds
The 3 Dreadnought variants (if using MotF)

As you can see, I'm waffling a bit on the "no vehicles" concept. I've been moving closer to a "no transport" concept recently. The Steel Dragons pick their ground to stand on and stand fast.

I'd want to add some new units to add flavor to the army. In the HQ section I'd add the Imperator Dreadnought, Chapter Master of the Steel Dragons. It would be similar to the Space Wolves' Dreadnought HQ Bjorn the Fell Handed except some changes to make it more shooty. I'd also open up Devastators as Troop choices and give them Blood Angels pricing for heavy weapons.

Next, I'd add a new Heavy Support choice to replace Devastators moving to Troops. It would effectively be a Devastator Veteran Squad (Dragonguard Veteran Squad is my working title). Price them at 25 points a model and standard SM wargear and stat line. Increase BS to 5 and Ld to 9 (while keeping Attacks at 1--Sgt still gets 2). But give them all Relentless and the option for any model to replace their Boltgun as you can for Devastator squads at regular C:SM prices. So we'll put the base cost at 135 (the extra 10 is for the Sgt's extra attack) and just like any Vet Squad you can take another 5 up to a total of 10. Yes, that's a lot of mobile, accurate, and heavy-duty firepower, but at 40-60 points per heavy weapon it's also expensive. Maybe a little too expensive. Maybe.

But enough fandexing. I'll go work on some background fluff for the chapter.

No One Expects the Shiny Silver Inquisition!

Inspired by some trash talk at work, I've decided to start a blog covering my Warhammer 40,000 experience. I mostly have Sam to blame for this. I'm still relatively new to the game with only a half-dozen or so games under my belt. I have several armies in the works: Grey Knights, Sisters of Battle, some Inquisition elements for both, Blood Angels, and a custom Space Marines chapter.

My Grey Knights are what I've spent the most time and effort into painting. High cost-per-model means that painting up a full army is faster! Once I procure a camera, I will put up images. I'll mostly be running lists with 2 Land Raiders, a Dreadnought, 2-4 squads of Power Armor Grey Knights for troops, and a Grand Master with retinue as my HQ. Depending on the point-value of games I may add a couple squads of Grey Knight Terminators. I'm looking forward to the Grey Knights refresh rumored to be coming up early next year.

I actually started playing 40k collecting Sisters of Battle as my first army. It's a personalized order known as the Order of the Obsidian Rose. They have black power armor with deep purple robes. I'm still working on a winning strategy for them (it definitely involves a couple Exorcists!). I've got 4 ten-strong squads of Battle Sisters, a squad of Celestians, a squad of Dominions, and more Seraphim Sisters than I know what to do with (I love the Seraphim Sisters). I've also got plenty of Rhinos (every one with Forge World Sisters doors) and Immolators to move my Sisters around.

More recently, I decided to start an army of Blood Angels (my first attempt was with the Blood Sisters!). I haven't picked up too much for them beyond a captain, Sanguinary Priests, some Death Company models to use for Assault Marines. The plan is to run the army entirely by Jump Pack with some Tanks for fire support. I'm sure I'll get at least one Storm Raven once Games Workshop releases it. I grabbed a box of Sanguinary Guard (SG) for bits to customize my captain and Sanguinary Priests. I put together my Captain using the SG jump pack, legs, and arms. I used the regular captain torso with cape and took the banner off its backpack and glued it to the top of the SG Jump Pack. I've equipped him with a Power Fist and Infernus Pistol.

Finally, my custom Space Marine chapter is the Steel Dragons. The color scheme is predominately Boltgun Metal with Dwarf Bronze on their gauntlets, helmets, and and some other trim. Regal Blue is used on Backpacks and some trim as well. I'm still undecided on which codex to run them under. Ideally I'd run them as a regular Codex: Space Marines chapter, but with the theme I want to use, Space Wolves sound quite tempting. Here's the concept: the chapter has very little in the way of vehicles but have plenty of Dreadnoughts. They also have more Devastator Squads than usual. The primary tactic would be long range shooting; Assault Marines are rare in the chapter. Drop Pods would be the primary technique to deliver troops. More on them later.

On occasion I'll be posting the viewpoint of Lord-Inquisitor Gabriel Ashe of the Ordo Malleus. This will be mostly for battle reports or when I decide to write some fluff for my armies. Expect to hear from him in the coming weeks before my Grey Knights' first battle! Those traitor marines posing as White Scars are going to get a fight. . . .