the Administratum

After much deliberation I finally decided on a new army to collect. I already own around 2,000 pts worth of Tyranids and a small force of Dark Eldar (1000 pts), the latter of which I intend to update once the new codex and miniatures arrive at the end of the year. Thanks to the magic that is discount online wargame shopping I have enough funds to buy myself around 1,000 pts of anything power armoured a month, so Space Marines were an obvious choice.

For a while I was planning to start up a Deathwing army, but ever since the Space Wolves have been able to field an all-Terminator army as well I find there is no point to giving in to the restrictions of playing Dark Angels. And I find the background and imagery of the Space Wolves too unoriginal (hey, look at us; we’re space Vikings!) to start up a Wolf Guard army either. Not to mention that the Logan Grimnar model that you have to field in order to use an all-Terminator army is really, really ugly compared to the new plastic Space Wolves Terminators. The only thing it has going for it is that it doesn’t look so freakishly small compared to other models in terminator armour, unlike the “old” (I know it was released about 10 years ago, but I can remember it being released) Terminator Captain.

So in the end I settled for a Blood Angels army, as I’ve completely fallen in love with the Sanguinary Guard models they brought out. Now I know I’m hardly the first one to say this and I certainly won’t be the last, but I just couldn’t pass up on a legal 1,500 pts army that has only 25 models in it! The few local players that can remember my old 3rd Edition Blood Angels army will know it suits my playing style just fine. Even one round of unmitigated carnage with power weapons flying left and right is totally worth giving up my chance at winning if you ask me.

The army I’ve jotted down consists of Commander Dante (big surprise there), 4 Sanguinary Priests with power weapons (1 for each squad) and 4 squads of Sanguinary Guard, each with an infernus pistol and a power fist (and with 1 carrying the chapter banner). As far as Sanguinary Guard armies go I’m not sure if it is the best set-up, but I can always buy some extra boxes next month to create extra options for the different squads.

Because I like modelling a lot more than I like painting (as a lot of us hobbyist do I think) I’ve decided to go for an all-plastic army, making everything using the Sanguinary Guard boxed set. Now you might say, ‘hey, but Sanguinary Priests don’t wear artificer armour,’ and you’re right. But to me the artificer in artificer armour isn’t so much in the design, but more in the material used to construct it. This means that Dante and the Sanguinary Guard will be gold (like in the codex), but my Sanguinary Priests will be mainly red with lots of white details, to set them apart from the rest. I don’t know if I’m breaking any WYSIWYG-rules with this, but I saw someone do it on Bolter & Chainsword and it looked really good.

I’m even planning on taking it a step further by converting a couple of Chaplains out of the Sanguinary Guard boxed set as well, using the tip of the chapter banner to make my own crozius arcani (I assume arcanum is supposed to be Latin, which makes the plural arcani and not arcanums). These will of course be painted black, but otherwise look a lot like the rest of the army. My logic being that if the Sanguinary Guard can form into an army by themselves they should have their own Chaplains as well.

Whilst the set contains so many different parts that with a bit of randomization you never need to have two models look alike, I do intend to tie different squads together by using the same shoulder pads. Not only that, but I am also reserving certain shoulder pads for use on my Sanguinary Priests as well as any possible Chaplains.

And as I’m sure even Sanguinary Guard end up in a position where they’re eligible for being interred in a Dreadnought, so I’ve been looking into possible models or conversions to serve as my Sanguinary Guard Dreadnoughts, as I still have 3 empty Heavy Support slots waiting to be filled. With a bit of luck I should be able to field 2,000 to 2,500 pts by the end of the year, which really isn’t saying much when basic troops cost 40 pts each.