See you 2013. Looking forward to 2014!

Its been a while since I last posted. There are various (real life) reasons for this including, but not limited to, children, a high intensity job, Guildwars2, and most recently: changing jobs, and intercontinental movements!  

So 2013 saw the blog authorship expand to include the talented Eldrad Vect. He's been doing some terrific things with warhammer 40k armies that I don't personally play such as dark eldar, and most recently the Carcharodons Chapter than I cannot wait to see more of!

Warpstone Flux started out for me as a chaos (marines and daemons) dedicated blog. It has long since out-grown this remit! With articles spanning a full range of conversions, painting, battle reports in 40k and several other companies also featured, the time has come to revise the remit of this blog. Hence there is a new banner in place for next year with the tag line "A tabletop gaming & hobby blog". I feel this new tag line is much more appropriate to my own and Eldrad Vect's interests.  We're now covering a great deal more materials than we ever used to on this blog and despite my lull in posting in the second half of this year, we'll be picking it up again in 2014. 

I might even start to cover my roleplaying interests in a bit more detail...

But that's all from me for now.  Thanks for following Warpstone Flux in 2013 and Happy New Year to you all - whatever timezone you are in.

-Jabberjabber

Carcharodons - The First of Many

Hi everyone, Eldrad Vect here, crazy Christmas has passed and I thought it had been a tad too long since I last posted on the blog, anyhow I have been busy re-painting my Dark Eldar lately and to break up the monotony of painting thin glowing lines on segmented armour plates and pale flesh (well that one not so much) I began work on my Carcharodons Chapter.
It is by far one of my best paint jobs I've done, I'm not sure how it stacks up to other peoples works since I quite often think other peoples are way better but this is the standard I'm going to paint my Carcharodons from lowly Scouts to mighty Centurions.

The Carcharodon's iconography is by far one of my favourites as it incorporates my favourite animal in it, the shark, don't know what that says about my personality but all I can say is painting this free hand was extremely fun and very rewarding to see it play off. It also stands out, on the dark grey of the armour and black of the shoulder and knee pads it works well, catching the eye and adding a spark of brightness on an otherwise dark colour scheme.

I chose to use silver as the predominant metal colour on my Carcharodons, not sure if it is canon, but I always change colour schemes slightly to make my models a little different and stand out in their own unique way. I also used the Blood for the Blood God technical paint, it works so well and I think we can all agree, a blood spattered shield is pretty wicked looking.

I use glow effects quite a bit and on a dull scheme like this it was imperative that I have bursts of colour to break up the sea of grey. The eyes, wires and sensors on the model were done up with glow effects and came up quite well.

There are tribal markings on his knee pad as Carcharodons have shunned the Adeptus Astartes squad marking for their own, this also looks good when allied with my Space Wolves as they both use different squad markings. This is a first attempt so it does look a bit rough, I'm sure they will get better as I go. The Purity Seal is not blank because I'm lazy but left blank so that when this marine performs a heroic act or the likes of which, I will write it down, it adds more character to the model which I find is quite nice like naming models too. The base is done snowy, not only does it look cool but it contrasts the dark model on top making both the model and base stand out that little bit more. The snow effect (for anyone wanting to try it) was achieved by applying PVA glue to the base then adding Bi-Carb Soda to it, this also was a first attempt, so I did screw up a little and don't really know the exact way to pull of the technique, I'm still working on it, I apologise for that, but still it looks great and you just have to work out the best way for you to do it.

Once again, Blood for the Blood God works incredibly well and gives the Thunder Hammer that 'I've just pulverized so poor xeno/heretic' look. I usually paint weapons clean, as if ready for battle or hasn't yet reached the fray, but with the Carcharodons I wanted all their weapons to look worn out and blood soaked as if the were in the thick of it and hadn't bothered to clean their ancient (yet very effective) weapons.

Well that's it, my first fully painted Carcharodons Assault Terminator. Tell me what you think of it, I'm always open to some good constructive criticism.

The Inquisition: 5 Reasons Why it is Awesome

Hi Everyone, Eldrad Vect here, sorry I haven't posted a lot lately, its a busy time of year and as we get closer to Christmas, it's only going to get worse. Anyway, that's off topic, we are talking about the Inquisition here and how great it is. Personally, I love this codex... supplement... whatever it is, it's so good but this is just my opinion and is very much open to debate. So I've made a list of the five best things about the new Inquisition.

Number 1. Allies rules.
Firstly I love this solely because I can ally with every race a collect and play, but not only that, an Inquisition force can ally WITHOUT taking up your Allies Detachment slot, (good for you Chaos guys who have a Traitor Guard and want a Corrupt Inquisitor to join the party). I'll give you a quick run down of who they can ally with, IG, Space Marines (including Codex Chapters) and Adepta Sororitas are Battle Brothers, Eldar are AoC, Dark Eldar and Tau are Desperate Allies and everyone else can't ally.

2. A Converter's Dreamland.
I am pretty well known for my conversions and I love doing them, now the Inquisition has a lot of potential for converting already but I play Ordo Xenos which gives me so many possibilities it's crazy, I have already built a Deathwatch Carcharodon out of one of my useless Death Company Marine and spliced it up with some Grey Knight and Chaos Raptor bits to create an epic character or even my Ancient Eldar Tutelary (that counts as a Psyker and accompanies my Half-Eldar Psyker) made from a Dire Avenger and Wood Elf Glade Guard bits (which I will post up when they are finished). It's fun to muck around with bits and you can even build a whole Inquisition force out of spare bits if you like, don't have to pay a cent.

Number 3. FoC.
New, Funky, Fresh and you only have to take one HQ... that's all there is to that.

Quatro. Coteaz is a Boss.
In the Grey Knights Codex Inquisitor Coteaz was one of the greatest heroes anyone could choose, not only was he a cheap HQ in an otherwise expensive codex but he unlock Henchmen as troops making him widespread throughout the meta and well, pretty much everyone had him. In this Inquisition dex Coteaz is pretty much the same, except for one little thing, his rule that made Henchmen Squads troops, The Lord of Formosa, changed... now it states that Henchmen Squads count as Scoring NO MATTER WHAT DETACHMENT THEY ARE! This is huge, imagine the carnage and horror a list of Tau backed up by a squad of scoring Arco-Flagellants charging the enemies would be, this is just an example of course but truly, Coteaz is a boss.

Lastly. Flexibility.
The Inquisition is a flexible army allowing for both fun and competitive builds, full armies to a small warband, diverse and spammy, all these things are available within the dex and its really great to have something that can be so much fun to build and play.

Anyway, that's what I think of the new Inquisition, their are a few things I don't like (like no rules for Inquisitor Valeria) but nothing too major to complain about.

Space Marine Tactical Squad Points? Did we really get a large point reduction?

Hi All, Eldrad Vect here, the Space Marines codex has been out for a while now and even then the Dark Angels before them, but I have discovered something quite horrifying, most Marine players would have already figured this out too. When the Dark Angels came out everyone was in awe of the fact the humble Tactical marine was dropped from 17 points to 14! this was wonderful for Dark Angel players and something Marine players looked forward to seeing, but was it worth it.
I have put together a few examples of why the points drop have not been a great as we may have thought, I've dusted off my 5th edition Marine dex and started comparing...

First off, your typical Tactical squad setup:
Tactical Marines x10
Sergeant with Chainsword/Bolt Pistol
Missile Launcher
Flamer.
Now, in the 5th Ed codex this setup was 170 Points, due to the fact Flamers and Missile Launchers were free. This was a very common setup, due to its tactical flexibility as well as its practical use when combined with the Combat Squad special rule. Now however, Missile Launchers cost 15 points and Flamers cost 5, add this to the standard 140 points for 10 marines and this equals 160 points. So there is a point reduction here, but only 10 points! you almost can't do anything with that 10 points.

Anyway, onto the next setup, this is the primary Tactical squad that a friend of mine (Crimson Fist player) has used in his army since 5th Ed.
Tactical Marine x10
Sergeant with Power Fist/Plasma Pistol
Plasma Gun
Missile Launcher.
This squads used to cost an absolute fortune, with the sergeant spending way to much cash on the premium Power Fist and Limited Edition 'Dorn' pattern Plasma Pistol, not to mention the Plasma Gun, which would always get hot. This squad racked up a hefty 220 points, but how does it compare now? well, not much better, since the good ol' days Plasma Guns and Missile Launchers have taken a pretty big price hike, the price is 210 points, hmm... I think a pattern is emerging, once again 10 points less, here you are friend! 10 points, go buy yourself a Combi-Grav.

The third one is simply a personal favourite setup of mine, it isn't some ultra competitive tournament winning squad, I just like these weapons and think they
are cool.
Tactical Marines x10
Sergeant with Power Sword/Melta Bombs
Meltagun
Heavy Bolter.
So this was always 195 points, I loved this setup so much I memorized the points and still to this day, have never built this squad. Anyway what is the point difference now? quite simply its a 15 point difference, which is pretty alright, but still not amazing.

I guess in the long run, three squads with a 10 point reduction gives you 30 points all up, sadly though it isn't the huge drop in points most people think, unless you play all Bolter Imperial Fist Tactical squad or are like me and play CC Carcharodons (loving the new CT by the way), in which case you'll have huge 30 point savings per Tactical squad. Anyway, I thought it was an interesting thing to think about, it doesn't matter too much that there isn't a big point difference between additions, since Marines are still really awesome. 

Playing With Daemons - First Impressions

Hi All, Eldrad Vect here, I'm starting something new and I'm throwing all my armies under the bus here and focusing my posts heavily on the Ruinous Powers. This blog is first and foremost about Chaos and though I love all of my armies, none are Chaos and I think that all you loyal Chaos players that read the blog are are sick of my Sisters, Space Elves and IG. For a long time I've been slowly seduced by the powers of the Warp, I even dabbled in the realms of Traitor Marines, but now, they have drawn me further... here be Daemons...

Now, this doesn't mean I'm neglecting my other forces, far from it, I just wanted to start a new army that was fun and one that I had some amazing conversion ideas for.
Anyway, onto what I have come to so far, I wanted a themed army, none of this Undivided rubbish, but a pure force, but, which god to choose? Personally my favourites have always been Slaanesh and Khorne, so I had a hard choice to pick since I couldn't do both, as I would be sinking to much money into the Daemons. The choice all came down to the models themselves, I love Bloodletters, they look like the quintessential Daemon, red skin, horns, the works not to mention one of my favourite looking IC ever, Skulltaker. However, Khorne's elite units were not as impressive to me, the Skull Cannon, Bloodcrushers and Hounds just weren't as cool as the basic Bloodletter, which means I really wouldn't play them much and just be left with a Bloodletter horde.
Slaanesh is the opposite, I'm not a fan of Daemonettes but I love Seeker Chariots, Hellflayers and Seekers. Giant purple lawn mowers are awesome looking and also Slaanesh is the polar opposite to my other armies, being Eldar and Dark Eldar. So my choice had to be Slaanesh and with that I started writing up a list. This is a 1000 point adaptation of my original 2000 point list.

Chaos Daemons 1000 Points List.
HQ
1x Herald of Slaanesh. Exalted Seeker Chariot, Psyker Lvl.2, Greater Rewards, Lesser Rewards and Greater Locus of Swiftness
1x Herald of Slaanesh. Steed of Slaanesh, Psyker Lvl.1, Greater Rewards and Exalted Locus of Beguilement
 TROOPS
10x Daemonettes.
10x Daemonettes.
 FAST ATTACK
15x Seekers of Slaanesh. Heartseeker, Greater Rewards, Icon of Chaos, Rapturous Standard
HEAVY SUPPORT
Seeker Cavalcade. 3x Exalted Seeker Chariots

This is just a first list, I have yet to play it but would love to know what you think of it and what I should or shouldn't change.

Sisters of Battle Unit Review: Dedicated Transports

Sourced: hoxiaowei.deviantart.com

Hi All, Eldrad Vect here, when it comes to Dedicated Transports, Sisters of Battle don't have much different to their Space Marine allies, but still here is my review of the Sister's Dedicated Transports.
First off, the humble Rhino, nuff said...
On a serious note, unlike Space Marines, Sister of Battle rhinos are often used quite a bit, due to the fact that Sisters are a tad more fragile than Space Marines. Nothing is different though, still the same old Rhino, just with Sisters of Battle iconography.

The second option is the Immolator, whilst a little different is pretty much the same as a Space Marine Razorback, except it is only able to take Twin-Linked Heavy Flamers, Twin-Linked Multi-Meltas or Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters. However the Immolator has one little wargear buff to its Heavy Bolters, Inferno Bolts. No not those amazing AP3 things that Thousand Sons use, these Inferno Bolts simply allow re-rolls to wound, not a awesome as Thousands Sons, but still pretty good.

Now the one thing the they have going for them is that all Sisters of Battle tanks have Shield of Faith, thus they all have a 6+ Invuln. save which on a tank is quite handy. The other wargear upgrades they can take are ok, but nothing spectacular.
I personally don't use transports for my Sisters, I only ever use the Immolator and even then only to transport Dominion Squads. But thats just me, they are ok transports, but not great, but I mean Marines don't get any better, I know the new codex may change things but still, these have been serving Space Marines for years and they still win battles.