Flames of War Objectives

In Flames of War, the majority of the battles are fought for the control of objectives. The exact nature of those objectives are left up to imaginations of the players. The only real rule applied to objectives simply states that they must measure 2 1/2 inches by 2 inches.

For my American Rifle Company (members of the 9th ID and Italian veterans) I imagined that one of the most important assets to the company would be their fraternal bond, forged over the hardships of many Gustav Line battles. With that in mind, I further supposed that such a tight-knit unit would do almost anything to extract one of their fallen.

Private Smith was new to the 9th. A replacement for one of the many men lost in Italy, Smith had been shipped to France to meet his new unit while they resupplied for the coming invasion. He didn't fit in well with the rest of Dog Company, being green and untested in battle. Many times he was left to himself. His squad would move out, like a well oiled machine, and he would just be expected to follow.

Normandy could be unpredictable. Smith found this out the hard way. Stopping to relieve himself in the bushes, Private Smith shouldered his weapon. The grove of trees cast a dark gloom ahead, and it unnerved him. Quickly finishing his business, he began to run to catch up when he heard a sound that made his heart stop. Listening carefully, he could make out voices speaking in hushed tones. Smith had spent enough time in France to realize that, though foreign, the voices were definitely not French...


It took a little while before Smith's squad realized his absence. Inquiries into other units reavealed there had just been an ambush to the rear, right where they had passed earlier, and the Krauts had taken POWs. Reporting this to their Captain, the men were surprised when he ordered the company to turn around. When asked about his decision, he simply stated "In Dog Company, we don't leave our own to the mercy of those Kraut...

My Wife is a German

Hello all, Foxphoenix here. In Flames of War, my wife picked a half-track riding Panzergrenadier company as the counterpart to play against my Americans. This is in large part to the inclusion of two StuG G assault guns in the Open Fire! boxed set. I helped her paint these, but the majority of the work was done by her. Not too shabby, eh? We both are building mechanized companies. We'll be basing our campaigns on northern Africa and Italy at first, and moving into later war periods later. Should be fun! Until next time, --FP135

Flames of War: the Do-Over

Sometimes you gotta do something else for a while.

For me, I picked up a Flames of War starter kit on clearance while in the hobby shop buying ballast to use for basing. Mini rulebook was missing, though, as I found out when I arrived home. Since Anchorage is a two-hour drive each way, I was less than thrilled. I called the store and got the manager, who said the box was a display model and thus the mini rulebook got forgotten in the store window. Crap.

To make it worth my while, he offered to give me the hardback copy of the rulebook in addition to the mini one if I could come pick them up...

Living in Alaska is awesome, but there are times it really sucks...

Here's to another four-hour round trip.

--Fp135

DK of Kremlin: First photo op!

First Veteran Squad... Enjoy!

Growing Pains

Yup, the blog is growing again.

Octo, one of our new authors, has spent the last week or so perfecting a new terrain supplement for friendly games of 40k. I will give him a prod and see if it's ready for posting!

The real reason of this post, however, is to announce that I am adding even more authors. I've asked my friends (and frequent adversaries) Brandon and John to become contributors to this blog. Both these guys really love the game, so hopefully they will complement my modeling posts with some good tactica!

Look for their posts in the future.

Until next time,
--Fp135

Progress Report: 12/15/2010

I finished the first of three Chimeras to tabletop standard, as well as the remaining troops in the Veteran squad. Total painting tally for the month to date: 1 Vendetta, 1 Chimera, 10 Infantry! That would be 30 points if using the old painting scoring system!

For this chimera, I was experimenting with rust effects. By my logic, I could always paint over it if I wasn't satisfied. To my surprise, however, I found it quite pleasing to the eye! It breaks up the monotony of the model quite well. Highlights would help a bit, but I didn't want my tanks being overly light in comparison to my Vendetta (which I blacklined with washes rather than highlighted).

So one squad down, 3 to go! Also, I have Penal Legionnaires to look forward to, as well as two Leman Russes and possibly a Basilisk.

Progress Report: 12/14/2010

I received a few of the tanks I traded for, two LRBTs and one of three Chimeras. I immediately began refurbishing them, starting by stripping the paint from the LRBTs, and did a quick repaint of the Chimera. I still have the details to pick out, but I just wanted to get a head start on the transport to take a break from painting infantry. On the plus side: painted infantry is up to 5 out of 30 veterans! I'd better finish the other five in that squad, so I can finish basing them.

Progress Report: 12/12/2010

I've been feeling a bit under the weather this weekend, but I didn't let that stop me from getting the lead out on these models! I assembled and based all three squads, and spent today fiddling with paint schemes. I finally settled on this one. Takes a little bit more work than I usually would deem acceptable for my rank-and-file troops, but it should be worth it!

Progress Report 12/10/2010

Yesterday, my PigIron heads finally arrived. I was eager to start popping them on the infantry, so I dug up a bottle of superglue and... nothing! Hard as a rock, that tube was. Argh!

So today I finally got more superglue. Started applying the new heads and they look awesome. That's as far as I got tonight. I'll have to finish up tomorrow. Once I'm done with the heads, I can get to the fun part: painting!

Need input: DK of Kremlin List Revised 1750

Ok, I am finally cobbling enough models together to form the semblance of an effective list. I've dropped a lot of the "static" models in favor of a more elite and highly maneuverable list that more closely reflects the fluff I wanted of a specialist "spetznaz" type regiment. What are some changes I should shoot for in the future? Give me your input!

HQ: Company Command Squad (6#, 150 pts)
4 Company Command Squad @ 150 pts (Camo Cloak; Carapace Armour; Sniper Rifle x4; Master of Ordnance)
1 General Vanivar aka Company Commander (Camo Cloak; Carapace Armour; Power Weapon)
1 Master of Ordnance (Camo Cloak; Carapace Armour)

HQ: Lord Commissar (1#, 95 pts)
1 Lord Commissar @ 95 pts (Carapace Armour; Power Fist)

Elite: Guardsman Marbo (1#, 65 pts)
1 Komrade Yuri @ 65 pts

Troops: Penal Legion Squad (10#, 80 pts)
9 Penal Legion Squad @ 80 pts
1 Penal Custodian

: Ministorum Priest (1#, 45 pts)
1 Ministorum Priest @ 45 pts

Troops: Veteran Squad (11#, 225 pts)
9 Veteran Squad @ 225 pts (Carapace Armour; Demolition Charge; Melta Bombs; Grenade Launcher x1; Meltagun x2; Demolitions; Grenadiers)
1 Veteran Sergeant (Carapace Armour; Melta Bombs)
1 Chimera (Extra Armor)

Troops: Veteran Squad (11#, 225 pts)
9 Veteran Squad @ 225 pts (Carapace Armour; Demolition Charge; Melta Bombs; Grenade Launcher x1; Meltagun x2; Demolitions; Grenadiers)
1 Veteran Sergeant (Carapace Armour; Melta Bombs)
1 Chimera (Extra Armor)

Troops: Veteran Squad (11#, 310 pts)
7 Veteran Squad @ 310 pts (Carapace Armour; Demolition Charge; Melta Bombs; Grenade Launcher x1; Plasmagun x2; Sergeant Bastonne; Demolitions; Grenadiers)
1 Veteran Heavy Weapon Team (Missile Launcher; Carapace Armour (Based on Squad); Carapace Armour (Based on Squad))
1 Sergeant Bastonne (Carapace Armour; Melta Bombs)
1 Chimera (Extra Armor)

Fast Attack: Vendetta Gunship Squadron (1#, 130 pts)
1 Vendetta Gunship Squadron @ 130 pts
1 Vendetta

Heavy Support: Ordnance Battery (1#, 125 pts)
1 Ordnance Battery @ 125 pts
1 Basilisk (Heavy Flamer)

Heavy Support: Leman Russ Squadron (1#, 150 pts)
1 Leman Russ Squadron @ 150 pts
1 Leman Russ Battle Tank

Heavy Support: Leman Russ Squadron (1#, 150 pts)
1 Leman Russ Squadron @ 150 pts
1 Leman Russ Battle Tank

Validation Report:
d-1. Formatting: Competition Output, for AB 3.2; c-1. File Version: 1.10a For Bug Reports/www.ab40k.org; 1. Guard Regiments: 5th Edition Codex; b-1. Roster Options: Special Characters; a-1. Scenario: Normal Mission
Roster satisfies all enforced validation rules

Total Roster Cost: 1750

Vendetta Recolor Pt 2

Finally done with all that Vendetta painting. I'm actually quite happy with my theme, as it looks very Soviet-esque. Tell me what you think!

Vendetta Recolor pt 1

I began work on recoloring my Vendetta in the DK of Kremlin colors. Got the basic colors done, working on highlighting now.

Some more progress on DK Kremlin

Finished recoloring an Officer today, started work on the Vendetta. It's gonna look awesome...

Marbo Repaint: Meet "Komrade Yuri", give me your input!

Here is my recent repainting of my original Marbo scratchbuild. He is one of the few models left from my sale of the Alascadian Guard, but I felt he needed a facelift to bring him in line with the planned scheme for my Death Korps of Kremlin.

Compare it to the original scheme and you'll see what I mean:




But I am still undecided as to whether I want to try and replicate some form of Russian camouflage, or keep the uniforms a plain olive drab. What do you guys think? Let's get your input.

If possible, give links to pictures of examples!

Until next time,
--FP135

Death Korps of Kremlin Order of Battle (1750)

Here is the first list I have created for normal games to use the Death Korps of Kremlin as a normal IG list. This has no units that would need "Opponent's Permission" aside from being non-GW models. I still plan to model them all WYSIWYG though, so everything should be hunky-dory. Ok, enough hemmin' and hawin', here's the (incredibly non-effective and fluffy) list I've drawn up:

- 5th Edition IG Roster - Death Korps of Kremlin 1750

HQ: Lord Commissar (1#, 95 pts)
1 "Lord-General Vanivar" @ 95 pts (Carapace Armour; Power Fist)

HQ: Company Command Squad (8#, 305 pts)
2 Company Command Squad @ 305 pts (Carapace Armour; Krak Grenades; Medi-pack; Vox Caster; Lord Castellan Creed; Astropath; Master of Ordnance; Officer of the Fleet)
1 Veteran Heavy Weapon Team (Missile Launcher; Carapace Armour (Based on Squad); Krak Grenades)
1 "Lt. General Borishkin" (Creed)
1 Astropath (Carapace Armour; Krak Grenades)
1 Master of Ordnance (Carapace Armour; Krak Grenades)
1 Officer of the Fleet (Carapace Armour; Krak Grenades)

: Techpriest Enginseer (3#, 135 pts)
1 Magos Biologis @ 135 pts (Servitor Unit)
2 "Cyclops" servitors (Multi-Melta x2)

: Ministorum Priest (1#, 45 pts)
1 Ministorum Priest @ 45 pts

Elite: Guardsman Marbo (1#, 65 pts)
1 Comrade Yuri @ 65 pts

Elite: Ratling Squad (3#, 30 pts)
3 Recon Snipers @ 30 pts

Elite: Storm Trooper Squad (5#, 85 pts)
4 Storm Trooper Squad @ 85 pts
1 Storm Trooper Sergeant

Troops: Veteran Squad (10#, 220 pts)
9 Veteran Squad @ 220 pts (Carapace Armour; Demolition Charge; Melta Bombs; Meltagun x3; Sergeant Bastonne; Demolitions; Grenadiers)
1 Sergeant "Boryenka" (Carapace Armour; Melta Bombs)

Troops: Infantry Platoon (49#, 495 pts)
1 Infantry Platoon @ 495 pts
4 Platoon Command Squad (Krak Grenades; Vox Caster; Flamer x3; Commander Chenkov)
1 Commander Chenkovski
9 Infantry Squad (Krak Grenades; Vox Caster; Grenade Launcher x1; Commissar)
1 Commissar (Krak Grenades)
1 Sergeant (Krak Grenades)
9 Infantry Squad (Krak Grenades; Grenade Launcher x1)
1 Sergeant (Krak Grenades)
3 Heavy Weapons Squad (Mortar x3; Krak Grenades)
20 Conscripts Squad (Send in the Next Wave)

Fast Attack: Vendetta Gunship Squadron (1#, 140 pts)
1 Vendetta Gunship Squadron @ 140 pts
1 "3-Year Gambit" (Heavy Bolter Sponsons x2)

Heavy Support: Ordnance Battery (1#, 135 pts)
1 Ordnance Battery @ 135 pts
1 Medusa (Heavy Flamer)

Total Roster Cost: 1750

Created with Army Builder® - Try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com






So... any opinions on this list? I do realize it is going to suck big time, but it should be fun and fluffy to use. I love the idea of putting Chenkov in charge of a bunch of conscripts, repeatedly breaking them upon enemy positions. True-to-form human wave strategies sounds exactly how I would imagine that the Kommunist Party wages war. Sgt. Bastonne with his squad of elite troopers should be fun... they'll probably ride in the Vendetta. It'll be a high priority target, so if I put them in it and turbo-boost for the enemy lines they should get close enough to melta tanks as they crash-land... sounds like a good time. The single Medusa is all the artillery I could manage to scratchbuild, as the basilisk-chassis weapon I'm making looks more like a direct-fire weapon than an Earthshaker.

I have TONS of opportunities for orders with this army, between Creed, Bastone, and Chenkov. Hopefully fusillades of "First rank fire, second rank fire" will work as well as I hope they will. I know, I know... more heavy weapons. I'll be adding those in when I increase my army to 2000 points, but for now this will have to work until I can come up with a way to get some of those heavy weapon squads.

Looks like a good fun time. Hopefully by posting this list I have not enabled some of my regular opponents to take advantage and list-tailor! If you guys are reading this, List Tailoring Sucks!!!

Until next time,
--FP135

End of an era...

'Tis true. I got my first warning from a forum mod on Dakka Dakka forums. I had been a resident of those forums for nearly two years now, and after 2700+ posts, I finally get the ominous warning about being polite.

Is this the end of my internet innocence? Or is it simply that as I get older, I don't give a damn about peoples feelings as much as I used to?

Side project: Basilisk Scratchbuild

I started a side project while I had the templates out: a Basilisk artillery piece. For the record, hot glue sucks! It is very hard to maintain control of. I'll have to fill in the gaps with putty or greenstuff and smoothe it out.

Also, I recolored my ghillie snipers to match my intended paint scheme.

A Brief History of the Death Korps of Kremlin

Planet: Kremlin

Population: approximately 3 billion

Average Temperature (equatorial): 25 C

Average Temperature (Polar Regions): 0.5 C

Geographical Features: Primarily forested with hardy evergreen trees. Low (but not excessively so) average temperatures coupled with abundant moisture indicate a lengthy winter season, which is perpetuated with snowfall. Arctic regions consist of plains of vegetation akin to tundra growth, with little arboreal growth.

Populace: The populace of the planet is divided into two major factions, called "Parties". The Kommunist party is a collection of impoverished citizens, working for a delegated share of the party's resources. To most citizens, it sounds like a utopia- where if you do your share you can live peacefully. In reality, it is quite the opposite. The Kommunist party's military gets special treatment, with most high-ranking officers reaping benefits and luxuries that common citizens can scarcely dream of. It is in this way the Kommunist party ensures that military enlistment remains high. In addition to this, the Kommunist party also utilizes conscription to gain large quantities of expendable troops, causing quite a wide range of aptitude and ability of its military personnel. The Universalist party has since been diminished since General Vanivar's campaign, but live in the Universalist party was much the same. Now the Universalists are adept guerrilla fighters, staging supply raids and disruptive attacks from their bases in Kremlin's polar regions.

Brief History:
The world Kremlin has been separated from the Imperium for the last two centuries, but the recent discovery of the Jericho Reach Warp Gate has led to it's re-induction into the Imperial fold. During it's isolation, a brutal civil war had begun between various factions vying for planetary control, called "Parties" by the locals. This war was still ongoing over two hundred years later, when the Crusade fleet arrived in-system. In the path of the Archeros Salient, the Crusading fleet made contact with the Kommunists Party Leader, Lord-General Alexi "The Butcher" Vanivar. In exchange for equipment and aid (and the promise of supreme and undisputed rule of the planet), General Vanivar agreed to the Imperial terms of surrender and brokered the deal. However, while negotiations were underway to install General Vanivar as the supreme planetary governor, a rebellious uprising from the Universalist Party (the primary opponent of the Kommunist Party) attempted to enact a bloody coup. Luckily, with the additional military presence of the Crusaders, this rebellion was quickly quelled. Seeing the Universalists as a threat to Imperial interests, the ambassadors declared the Universalist Party as Renegade and Heretical, calling for their immediate eradication. General Vanivar shrewdly volunteered his party's considerable military assets for the job, in exchange for the latest in imperial equipment and technology. With the full backing of the Adeptus Administratum, Lord-General Alexi Vanivar led his army to war. The opposing Party was quickly crushed. However, General Vanivar had many political adversaries... even within his own party. In the guise as a reward for his swift action and deft handling of the Heretical rebels, he was appointed to be the foremost Commanding Officer in one of the first tithe of soldiers for a new regiment, due in large part to the political maneuverings of his adversaries. Unable to refuse, he formed a Regiment comprised of his closest advisers and allies, vowing to one day return to the planet that was taken from him and claim his right to rule.

The 49th Death Korps of Kremlin Regiment "the 49th Spetznaz":
Lord-General Vanivar's regiment is the cream of the crop, the veterans of generations of civil war. Skilled in close-fighting tactics, the Death Korps of Kremlin 49th Regiment is known as the "49th Spetznaz" due to their skilled efficiency. Trench Warfare was common during the Polar Campaign, in which the Kommunist party eradicated the bulk of the Universalist party. Armed with their new equipment and weapons, the Kommunist Party utilized heavy artillery to pound the enemy entrenchments and positions before launching devastating assaults. Also, the Kommunist party being the wealthier of the two major parties, they developed experimental weaponry and methods of warfare. Most famously, a member of the Magos Biologis that had remained on the planet during its isolation had been working on genetic manipulation. His "servitors" are abhuman monstrosities, created from the POWs of the party and lobotomized into complete compliance. They incorporate a chemical beam weapon into their head, creating the illusion of a single massive cyclopean eye. Utilizing this chemical beam technology, he also developed a type of siege weapon similar to the Krieg's Hades Breaching Drill, making use of the intense heat generated by the beam to open holes in defensive positions. Unable to procure newer equipment due to the regiment being relatively new, the 49th has to make do with older-pattern war machines such as the Macharius. Transport options are still limited, regulating the bulk of the regiment to line duty en masse.

Making the Malcador, part 1

Today I started scratchbuilding something that wasn't initially on my list: a Malcador heavy tank for use with my Death Korps. Also, I decided that the Pig Iron heads I had on hand add more of a German look, so instead of using those I will be ordering the winter headgear equipped heads instead. Check out this link:

http://shar.es/XWarK

So I'll be posting updates on my heavy tank as I go along.

Until next time,
--FP135

A New Korps for the Motherland!

I had a new flash of inspiration the other day, while looking at a box of Shock Troopers I had originally purchased to supplement my Vor Neo-Soviet army. It occurred to me that I might be able to scratch-build myself the vehicles I need, as long as I could provide the infantry for the army. Digging around in my bits box, I found a large cache of Pig Iron Kolony Militia heads, and the sparks flew.

Reading about the Death Korps of Krieg, I decided to do a similar force. Wargames Factory's Shock Troopers look the part, but I wanted to add my own twist. The Death Korps of Kremlin will be arriving soon!

Coupled with my Neo-Soviet models from Vor, this will be a communist-soviet twist on the traditional DKoK army. I plan to hybrid the army between the Imperial Armor version and the standard IG codex, reserving the bulk of this army for Apocalypse gaming or opponent's permission games. But lets face it: I only get out for big Apoc games or opponent's permission games anyway.

I have a mountain of scratchbuilding to do though. I have barely 1500 points, and that's stretching it by loading the infantry with upgrades. So, I am making a list:

Scratchbuild List:
2 Hades Breaching Drills (I can make these work easily enough)
3 Medusa/Basilisk Guns on Carriages (whatever I can make work, I don't really care at this point)
3 Trojans to tow the Guns (I bet these will be the hardest)
3 Heavy Mortars (Shouldn't take too much work, I hope)
3 Centaurs to tow the Mortars (Might tie for hardest scratchbuild)
3 Bombard Mortars (Might require a bit of PVC pipe)

Maybe I'm being too ambitious. Or not ambitious ENOUGH.... *rubs chin*

That's it for me, be on the lookout for our newest blog author Robert! He has ran some ideas past me on his first post, which include spicing up your normal 40k games with added planetary effects!

So until next time,
--FP135