Tag: necrons

The Mines of Vertigus II

In the entrance hall of Warhammer World is a large diorama of Ultramarines defending an Imperial facility against an overwhelming Necron force, entitled the Mines of Vertigus II.

The Mines of Vertigus II

White Dwarf #456 has six pages on how the diorama was put together.

What interested me was the railway, and this is what the article said about the railway.

The railway is made from the tracks that come on the Tectonic Fragdrill. We used a lot of them! The carts are Munitorum Armoured Containers with their roofs cut off. They were then mounted on the wheels from the Galvanic Servohaulers kit. 

Alas due to the glass cabinet and lighting I was only able to make this shot.

More photographs from Warhammer World.

The Necrons are flying in

So announced today for pre-order next week (from Forge World) are some nice new Necron flyers for Aeronautica Imperialis.

Each set contains two planes buildable as either Night Shroud bombers or Doom Scythe fighters. The former possess speed and manoeuvrability akin to the fighters of lesser races, dropping deadly doom spheres with unerring accuracy, while the latter shred rival interceptors with a powerful death ray.

The kit allows you to either model. The Night Shroud is akin to the fighters of other forces.

The Doom Scythe is a heavier aircraft armed with a powerful death ray.

Though I like the look of the models, I think this is a purchase I will probably either leave to a later date, or not make at all.

Also announced is the Aeronautica Imperialis Companion.

The perfect addition to your games of airborne combat in the 41st Millennium is here in the form of Aeronautica Imperialis – Companion. This expansion collects new rules, aircraft, and factions, along with existing content previously found within White Dwarf magazine, allowing you to field squadrons from the Necrons, Asuryani, and Adeptus Astartes. Experience a deeper dogfighting experience with detailed expanded damage rules, new Ace abilities, and the challenges of limited ammunition. Novice and experienced commanders alike can use these rules to revolutionise their Aeronautica Imperialis games across a suite of new matched play scenarios.

Bringing in rules from across various sources and White Dwarf along with new rules, means this is a book I probably will buy.

 

 

Necron Monoliths at Warhammer World

At Warhammer World there were a few Necron Monolith models on display. These photographs were taken in January 2020 before the lockdown and before the new model was released.

There is something very different and menacing about the Monolith and I do applaud Games Workshop for coming up with a very alien vehicle and not producing a stereotypical Terminator’esque tank.

A Monolith is a massive mobile fortress used by the Necrons as their primary planetary assault craft. A Monolith combines the properties of a transport craft, armoured destroyer and icon of undying Necron power. Its ponderous form can float across a battlefield upon its anti-gravitic engines, whilst its crystal core pulses with sickly energy that can be manipulated into powerful beams of Gauss lightning which whip out from its weapon mounts.

When its massive silhouette looms over a battlefield, it will lay waste to entire armies with strobing torrents of gauss fire and the deafening crack of its particle whip.Few armies can stand long before the immense firepower of a Monolith. Living troops are reduced to their component atoms by its punishing gauss flux arcs, while tanks rupture and explode in showers of molten steel as it focuses its energies upon them.

Necron Monolith Miniatures Gallery

Canoptek Spyder

This Canoptek Spyder was on display at Warhammer World.

Canoptek Spyder

Unlike their Necron masters, Canoptek Spyders never sleep, but while away the aeons servicing the structures of their Tomb World. Though the Canoptek Spyder is essentially an automated drone, it is still a formidable foe when the situation demands. Any enemy foolish enough to stray within reach of the Canoptek Spyder will have flesh scoured from bone by an array of mechanical tools and pincers. If a triad of Canoptek Spyders operate together, one takes overall command, harnessing the processing capacity of the others to create a supermind far greater than the sum of its parts. This hyper-efficiency is passed on to all Canoptek Wraiths and Canoptek Scarabs in the immediate vicinity, allowing a co-ordinated and precise response to any threat – and ensuring the safety of their slumbering masters.

Necron Doom Scythe

What with all the hype with the new edition of Warhammer 40000, there is a renewed interest in the Necrons.

The Necrons are a race of mechanical warriors, created from the Necrontyr. They have lain dormant in their stasis-tombs for sixty million years. They are ancient beyond reckoning, pre-dating even the Eldar. At long last, however, they are beginning to awaken, seeking to reestablish the supremacy of the Necron Dynasties over the Galaxy once more.

There have been some nice models for the Necrons including flyers, such as the Doom Scythe, this one was on display at Warhammer World.

Doom Scythes are heralds of terror, supersonic fighter craft that range far ahead of a Necron invasion. Thanks to the precision of his android brain, the pilot can simulate billions of strategies in nanoseconds.

Doom Scythe
Necron Doom Scythe at Warhammer World.

The crescent-shaped Necron Doom Scythe is an impressive model. It’s numerous, elegant panels are covered in Necron iconography, and there are numerous orbs and grills located around the model, and a spine-like engine. As well as a Necron pilot tucked away in the centre of the model, the weapons on the flyer include a twin-linked tesla destructor and a death ray set within a claw-like vice.

I have a few galleries of Necron models:

I did wonder about starting a Necron army, mainly as it looked like an easy army to paint…. In the end I decided I had too much to paint on my workbench and I should get that lot finished first. This is the same reason why I didn’t purchase the new Indomitus boxed set as well.

Eighth time lucky?

I was around and did buy the first edition of Warhammer 40000 way back in 1987. I went with Orks mainly as I had an Orc army in Warhammer (the fantasy version) and since then they have been the mainstay of my 40K gaming.

The last edition of 40K I bought was the fifth edition back in 2008 and for many reasons I stopped playing 40K and moved onto other systems and games. That is quite normal for me, I think I bought the fourth and fifth editions, but didn’t bother with the second or third editions of 40K.

At the weekend, Simon came over for a game and we tried out the eighth edition rules.

Warhammer 40K Eighth Edition Game

For a change and I think the first time I had actually used them on the tabletop I got my Cadian Kasrkin out and played with them.

The Kasrkin are elite troops of the Imperial Guard and are dedicated to the security of the Fortress World of Cadia from which they hail. Because they are elite special forces troops drawn from the same world as the existing Cadian Shock Troops Regiments of the Imperial Guard, the Kasrkin are officially classified by the Departmento Munitorum as the type of Storm Troopers known as Grenadiers because of their heavy weapons and elite tactical training. Their name comes from the title of the fortress cities of Cadia, which are called “Kasrs” in the native Cadian dialect of Low Gothic.

Cadian Kasrkin

I have ten of them, including a commander, a trooper with a Flamer and one with a Grenade Launcher.

Cadian Kasrkin

For the game we treated them as Militarum Tempestus Scions, as the new Indexes (Indices) have conveniently forgotten the Kasrkin.

As for who they would be fighting, Simon came along with his new Necrons!

Necrons

The game is very familiar to those who’ve played before. The main differences for me were the replacement of grids with a simpler table and the lack of templates. I like the abstract nature now of template weapons, it doesn’t change the impact of such lethal weaponry, but removes the fiddly placing of templates and potential cheesiness of moving figures around.

It’s a bit of an assumption that complicated rules means that the game is more “realistic”, as though las guns and robots are in anyway “realistic”.

Overall I really like this new version of the rules, they were simple enough to remember easily, and allowed for faster play, but also they provided for a fun game.

And so it begins…

As was rumoured and eagerly anticipated, Games Workshop have announced (for pre-order) their new Apocalypse rules for Warhammer 40K.

Apocalypse

Apocalypse is a new way of playing games of Warhammer 40,000. Allowing you to field as many miniatures as you like, in any combination. There really are no limits to what you can do.

There are some new models and re-releases of older models (complete with corresponding price increase of course).

For Chaos there is the huge Khorne Lord of Skulls, which looks ridiculous, unless of course you are a Chaos player and like the bizarre and the weird.
For Necron there is the Tesseract Vault or Obelisk, which I do think is a really interesting and different concept. It’s not a tank or a flyer in the tradition sense, it’s something different.

For the Imperial Guard we have the BaneBlade, though I do think we’ve seen that before… 😉

In addition there are some scenery packs. Though I am not sure if these are new releases or re-releases.

Update yes there is new scenery.

As you might expect, slightly disappointed that there are no releases for the Orks, but you never know what might happen next month…

Digital Necrons

As well as the Ork digital books I mentioned earlier, Games Workshop have released Codex: Necrons in the iBookstore.

Codex: Necrons

Codex: Necrons is your guide to the armies of the Necrons, former rulers of the galaxy, and the brutal wars of subjugation they wage against the lesser life forms that now infest their realm. This volume details the terrible history and incredibly advanced wargear of the Necrons, and provides full rules for fielding an army of these deathless robotic warriors in the Warhammer 40,000 game. This expanded Codex includes interactive miniatures galleries, lavish colour artwork, and updated rules to match the latest edition of Warhammer 40,000.

Get Codex: Necrons in the iBookstore.

I do realise that some people may baulk at the price of £19.99. I am sure that part of this reaction is down to the fact that people are use to paying 99p for games on the iTunes App Store. I am also sure that in addition that some people confuse the medium with the content. When you buy the Codex: Necrons book for £20 from your local Games Workshop store, the price you pay isn’t just for the paper or the printing, but the time and effort that has gone into the content. Likewise when you buy the digital version, it isn’t the “bits” you are buying, but the  time and effort that has gone into the content. Yes there are (some) costs with printing a Codex, but there are also costs with digital distribution. The key really in my opinion is to remember that you are buying content, not a book or a digital book.

Also Games Workshop are giving you a choice, you can choose not to download the digital version and go out and buy the physical book. Personally I quite like the idea of having a library of gaming materials on my iPad that is quick and easy to access.

As well as the new Codex, you can also buy the painting guide to Necrons.

How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Necrons

Army painter Chris Peach has assembled a formidable force of Necrons from the Nihilakh Dynasty. Here he explains how to paint models from the Necron range in their distinctive turquoise and gold colours using the Citadel paint range.

Get How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Necrons in the iBookstore.