The Cult Rises

It has been a while since I dedicated any time to the Cult. With the coming of 8th Edition I had been focusing on re-painting my marine forces for the release. Since then the Canis Aureus have taken my spotlight and I have loved playing them in a dedicated way.

Today I managed to get these for a mere £30. It is a huge boost to my cult and even a great start for a guard army. Hopefully at some point I will get back to the brotherhood, but for now they plot in the darkness.

The rat ogres will be my cult ogrns.

New Blood for the Brood

Over the past two weeks I have gone a little ebay crazy snagging a few deals here and there, while also acquiring a few things through facebook or friends.  My girlfriend Mia, ditched her Tyranid army in favour of Tau.

This does mean less conflict with Tyranids but the Tau have now grown in number.

One purchase I did make was twenty Chaos cultists.  I needed more acolytes but I am now also playing chaos. One compliments the other well as it now means I have fodder for both armies.

I managed to paint 11 and one of my custom cultists (Back left) in one night and the rest will have to wait for another day.

My cult are not seeing as much action as the Canis Aureus because I simply haven't painted enough of them. They have had two large games against marines.  the first they performed handsomely alongside Eds tyranids, capturing objectives and wiping out vehicles. It was a proud day for the Brotherhood winning 11-7.

 In the second game they did a lot early on but then suffered horrible losses as their ork allies were slow to support.  Thankfully due to my Magus' summons I managed not to get tabled and pulled back some objectives ending with a loss of 9-8. The Orc warboss also pulled through taking on a rhino, followed by a dreadnought and then a the warlord.

Hopefully the brotherhood will see action soon, but more painting needs to be done first!

Battle Scribe!

Making army lists has always been time consuming.  For the year I have been playing chopping, changing and switching around points can be a total pain in the backside.  I love it but I also hate it.  Buying the official Space Wolf codex for my Aureus saved me a lot of time.  But the Force Requisition manager is not without fault and it often crashes or lags out when you need it most.


Battle Scribe fixes these issues.  While it isn't a codex it does posses all of the information and options for every army list, including supplements and data slates that have been released separately.  Meaning that now making a Chaos Space Marine, Genestealer Cult or Deathwatch army list has become far easier.

Once again a big thank you to Jack for getting me to buy the app on the iOS store.

Now making my lists for this weeks games is easy!

You can select units and then customise them fully, without complication or hassle and you can always see the running points total.  now there is no need to buy every hard copy of a codex that I own in digital format too.

But if 40k isn't your thing or you play other miniatures games as well, never fear as Battle Scribe supports most of those too.  For such a tiny price it is a must have to any tabletop war gamer.

Primus and Grenades

Last week I took a break from my cult to play a mighty game vs Ed and his crazy Tyranids, which you can read about here.

The pictures above are of my finished Primus.  I painted him some time back but forgot to upload a picture of him.  Below are also the two grenade launcher cultists that hit every shot against their overlords. I decided to make them special as they really stood out.

In the meantime I have also started work on my Order Exterminium.  My third and final army as it encompass so many forces and crosses over with both my Brotherhood of the Star Blessed and the Canis Aureus.  Daemons, Deathwatch, Inquisitors, Guard, Sisters of Battle and Assassins will all converge to try and bring an end to the forces of the Imperium.  

Having read up on the Sisters backstory and fluff, it seems they have been pretty shafted by GW's literature.  Being slain to coat the weapons of Grey Knights and blown up by the Imperium in fits of envy and rage, to name but two examples.  Therefore I do not think it is much of a stretch to consider that there would be a section of the Imperium in the uncharted regions of space that seek to undermine and destroy what they can.  Making deals with cultists, mercenaries and demons in order to create distraction and upset. Of course, such behaviour is very self destructive and short lived, but with a few planets converted and bases of operations hidden throughout the galaxy I am sure they will ruffle a few feathers.

The Dawn of the Star Blessed

The Brothers of the Star Blessed have expanded tenfold! thanks to a birthday and Christmas I now have a solid one-thousand points with a few different options. 

Already they have seen two 500 point games and three 1000 point games and won them all.  Salamanders, Tau and even Tyranids have fallen to the crazy and perhaps slightly overpowered cult ambushes. 

I have enjoyed playing them but victories of 13-2 are not as fun as closer games. 40k is a dice fest so sometimes luck does favour the opponent, but when victories are so landslide it makes me wonder whether the cult are perhaps too strong. 

In time I hope things balance out. Ed fared well against them with his Tyranids but even against the might of the Salamanders Forge World vehicles, the cult stood strong.

So far my army is mostly unpainted but I have managed to get a few things completed.  My Patriarch was sucked into the Warp on his first turn though, so I'm not entirely sure he deserved to be painted first.

During this painting session I also managed to finish my poor mans heavy weapons team. I constructed it from a las cannon that I found it in a bits box and two spare zombies from Zombicide. At first I didn't think they would cut it, but once I found a base and painted them up, I think it does the job.

The Dawn of the Star Blessed

Trembling internally, Janet ordered her unit to advance upon the behemoths before them. As the squad advanced, auto rifles emptying into the colossal beasts they considered their purpose. Moments after the arrival of their overlords, their Patriarch was taken from them. With a shriek he was dragged into a place beyond their understanding. He was damaged and infirm but, this was his chance to greet the chosen, to gain his reward. Yet he had been taken and the overlords had opened fire upon them. Were they not worthy? Were these false gods? The Brotherhood of the Star Blessed were workers not thinkers. While their minds told them to embrace death, their hearts ached for their father. They could not be sure of their purpose or if this was their time. Spreading out and advancing, they claimed most of the automated defence turrets. "I ain't ready to die boys! Take that big bastard down!" Roared Mustang, beads of sweat dripping down his face. Stubborn and proud, the veteran refused to let the incoming swarm claim him before his employment had even begun. At first he assumed it was the deal gone sour. That they had been sold out and left for dead. But the creepy bald workers under his command were clearly determined to take down the alien threat as much as he was. Concentrating his squads fire into the incoming Carnifex the unit made him proud. Grenades impacted into its carapace that cracked and erupted into vibrant green. Charging into the oncoming Goliath truck the monster slammed the vehicle onto its side and tore it in two. Out of the dust charged the hulking brutes from below. Gus swung his mighty hammer cracking it's hardy exterior like an egg shell. Beating his huge chest with his one free hand he roared in celebration. Opening up into a celebratory chant the workers continued onward. Across the battle field the Tyrant descended onto the hybrids. Slamming into the defence turret it swiftly ate its foes. Feeling a surge of satisfaction as it quenched its ever-lasting hunger it bounded on into the oncoming workers. Standing firm, Blazer directed the heavy weapons fire into the winged horror. Each swipe tearing a man apart. Out of the ground before them burst an even bigger assailant. As tall as a tower block it shot electricity down into the men below. Screeching in failure one of the women before Mustang burst as the bolt hit her. Feeling no remorse, he directed his units fire into the emerging termagants as the xenos weaponry ripped though more of his men. The concentrated fire from the orbital defence turrets had prevented any further reinforcements. Knowing their assault had ended in failure, the two remaining giants retreated. The tower tunnelled back from where it came as their leader took to the skies. Unable and unfit to pursue, the workers focused on the last remaining stragglers of the Tyranid scouting force. "We are all clear over at the mines," voxed in Hogarth. "They tried to get down into the facility but we cut them off." "Everything's clear up here too," patched in Commissar Harris. "You bastards did some fine work getting the defence turrets in action." "Thank you Sir," said Mustang as he congratulated his three remaining men. "I think we could all do with a drink... if you guys entertain that kind of thing." On the battlefield one of the Star Blessed lurched and screeched. Thrashing its head stretched and expanded as bolts of psychic energy tore up its adjacent brothers. Stopping in their celebrations the cult turned and kneeled. A new chosen one had been selected. What a glorious day it had been.

Two New Additions

One thing that is nice about the world of Warhammer 40,000 is the customisation. The fact that GW fully encourage and endorse people to kit-bash and create models is great. It was this that drew me back into the world after a decade and a half.  As an artist I like to create my own things, so I find it hard to stick to paint schemes and paint by numbers. If I see cool miniatures I like to find some way to include them in my force and make them fit with the rest of the army.

This leads me onto Blazer and Mustang. Two mercenary types that my dad ordered from a second hand miniatures dealer back in the mid 90's.  Cash was exchanged for miniatures in the car park of a Little Chef at the late hours of night.  Very exciting and also unnecessarily seedy.  I found them while clearing out a box of things and decided that I had to make them fit into my cult. Their range and sculptor is unknown but they are brilliant little figures.

They clearly are not cultists or even infected, which led me to wonder why they are in cahoots with the cult in the first place.  This led me to write the fluff below.

Blood Money

Gritting his teeth Blazer launched his fist forward at the creepy bald headed miner in front of him. He didn't take insults lightly, especially from such a lowly scum. Mustang placed his large coarse hand upon the veteran's shoulder. "Come now boy, chill. The Commissar needs this to go down well," said the rotund giant. Feeling his comrade relax, Mustang released his grip and pointed his stubby finger at the one remaining miner. "You see here little man, we've traveled a long way to meet with you lot and me and my pal here don't like to be talked down to. We've seen more wars than you've seen dark tunnels." Shaking, the pallid miner led the two mercenaries down the deep tunnel network. Gradually as they descended they learnt that their commissars assumptions had been right. This was no normal mining operation. It was an alien occupation. Entering the central chamber Blazer let out a cry of terror. On the balconies above them were a dozen horrors. Humanoid in form but with glimmering white flesh that possessed an extra set of menacing arms. He had heard stories of tyranids but even the orks he had fought didn't compare to the terrors above. "Sorry for my associates reaction friend, he isn't used to dealing with your kind," bellowed Mustang addressing at the most prominent figure in the balcony. "He is forgiven," spoke the robed bald figure down to the soldiers. "Now to more pressing matters. We have approached your superior to help aid us in our off world conflicts. Even in these uncharted systems outside the reach of the imperium, we have attracted unwanted attention. The Tau and even the Imperium's Astartes have been giving us trouble." "You said nothing about Astartes!" Choked out Blazer glaring at the monster before him. Beads of sweat running down his dark skin. "We feel the extra compensation will be adequate. For every Astartes you managed to silence you will be rewarded handsomely. We have a vast amount of men at your disposal, in order to rid our system of these less accepting forces." Before Blazer could continue with his disapproval, a hulking beast bound by chains entered the chamber. With two of its mighty arms it wheeled in a large crate. "Alright... we will take this as planned, but the Astartes are your problem!" Said the younger veteran before swiftly helping Mustang wheel out the container. Mustang had seen his fitter and more capable comrade take down a green skin with nothing but a knife. They both had fought against their own kind, been chased across system after system by the Imperium but he had never seen Blazer so terrified. He contemplated ordering a bombardment and making a run for it. Before he could carry on with his escape plan, there was a ping on his data slate. His eyes widened. Never before had he seen so many digits in his life. Maybe these freaks weren't so bad after all.

Recon Mission in a New World

The painted members of the cult so far.

The games of kill team continue.  The Brothers lost against a team of Squats but managed to kill their warlord and their specialists.  For a group of miners I think they have done pretty well for themselves.  The Tau I have beaten have been shades of purple, bronze and pink so I have given my new chaos cultists recruits the same shades of weaponry.  I am pretty sure the skin masks are the remains of the squats too.

3 of my new painted Cult and a kitbashed squat cultist.

I also finally finished painting Janet's model. She was going to be for my SoB army, but she looks kind of demented. She is now a magus for my cult as I don't have an actual model. The figure is from the latest Raging Heroes Kickstarter.  To go with her I also converted three of my daemonettes to be other cultist women.  When I get more spares I will change up their arms for more genestealery ones rather than chaos claws.  

Now I know female models are sometimes a bit of a taboo thing. I have read a few instances of people saying that women wouldn't battle in the cult, they would just be used as breeding machines. Well I don't entirely agree as they would convert anyone that could be of use.  What if women are infertile or simply were better put to use for other things.  Would a capable woman in the military suddenly be taken away from her duties. What about those in other important roles?  In truth it doesn't matter either way and I don't really care.  I understand orks and marines reasons for not having women, but I do hate the whole universe being mainly men.  Its all too big of a sausage-fest so I am throwing a few women into my cult, even if they are demented and scantily clad.

Below is a brief fluff from the cult. For now I am going to retire them to normal work for a while until I get enough models to play a bigger game.


From the logs of Foreman Hogarth Jones.

Today we woke up raring to go. The ones in the deep have started trying to harness the new Tau tech we acquired, and the golds already selling fast. We finally have a legitimate business that's actually creating revenue (It's only taken 4 generations!).

I'm pretty sure the Old One's on his way out. He is smelling awfully strange and his message is getting fainter. I told the boys not to worry. I'm sure it's all part of the great ones plans.

Janet informed us from the top of her tower that she had been having visions of compact humans in the world across the sector. Confused by her message but incredibly curious, I sent Gus and Big Troy out on a recon mission.

When the boys turned up they said a pack of Space Wolves had torn apart most of these strange, short, fat men.  I don't understand how wolves came from space but I guess anything is possible these days. Big Troy tore the head off of their leader and ran his trophy back home. Meanwhile Gus abducted two more leaving the remaining men for dead. He says that weakness doesn't belong in the cult. I don't think cowardice does either, but who is going to argue with a 10ft tall 800lbs giant?

Despite losing twelve men, we now have the cooperation of two new Squat allies and the blood of an ancient and curious warlord in the Patriarchs hands. It is strange how when people meet with the Patriarch they seem to just understand. I was born into the mine business and I am proud to be the foreman here. I have been recognised by the Old One. Maybe one day the Bright Great Ones will recognise me too.