First, I want to say a big "I told you so" regarding Traitor's Hand. I don't like saying I told you so (Wife? Why are you laughing at that? You know I NEVER say "I told you so"... that's you're department), but... it was pretty much what I predicted. I posted that blog BEFORE the leaks came out.
Sadly, I knew all too well that Traitor's Hand would not come close to helping Chaos Space Marines. It is, at best, a band-aid. A band-aid for a freshly amputated limb ("Tis just a scratch"). While there are some decent formations, it just isn't at the level of Space Marine formations (or, indeed some others). It is just a resounding "Meh". I even played a game against my friend Joe using some formations- his Dark Angels wiped the floor with me pretty much. It was hardly a contest. Joe said that when I take Mechanicus, he sweats, and even a win for him is closely fought. Against CSM, he wasn't too concerned, and he took a fairly conservative approach against them. So sad- the mighty Chaos are so low.
Now, there might be hope. Recent rumblings have proven true- Magnus the Red Daemon Primarch is being bandied about, as are new Thousand Sons. Now, while I don't have 1K Sons, anything that Chaos gets that's good will make me happy. If it is a 1K Son Codex (a la Khorne Daemonkin) I could get behind that- KDK is a fun book with some nifty special rules, and KDK is a solid army on the tabletop. If 1K Sons get the same treatment I'll be thrilled. Maybe Plague Marines could happen too?
Anyways, I have been working on some Deathwatch forces. First off, I have always loved the idea behind the Deathwatch- Space Marines from wildly different chapters working together under the auspices of the Ordos Xenos... great hook for storytelling, and I have enjoyed their Black Library stories. Particularly the current The Beast Arises story, which delved into the origins of the Deathwatch! (If you haven't read the series, you should. There are a few clunkers, but overall its been a great story).
From a modelling standpoint, the Deathwatch are nice too- they are Space Marines but with a bit more variety. The different shoulder pads add color and personality to the army. They are uniform, yet distinct. Visually, the Deathwatch are a lot of fun.
My wife had bought me the Deathwatch Overkill board game when it came out last spring. The models in that box are fantastic. I really was excited and put the entire box together very quickly. But, as often happens, I didn't get to paint them for a while. Other projects, real life, etc all got in the way. So they sat for a while.
When the Deathwatch codex was released at the end of the summer, I quickly scooped that up. Yes... I was sorely tempted. After all, I already have a good start with the Overkill box- what's one more squad? Or a Drop Pod? Or... Well, you know how that goes. I now have a new army.
However, I do TRULY intend on keeping it small, for two reasons. First, from a fluff perspective, they rarely go out as a full-blown army (unlike Grey Knights). They are usually smaller strike teams, using sneak attacks and guerilla warfare to hurt the enemy. Second, I plan to use them as allies to my Mechanicus. My Cult Mechanicus forces can use allies that have Drop Pods, Razorbacks, and air support from a Corvus Blackstar. I don't need a huge army. Just a couple of troops with fast delivery methods; by fast, I mean in a vehicle, which AdMech simply don't have access to for some strange reason (after all, don't the Tech-Priests repair and maintain these things? Seriously).
My plan is to have two squads of varying size. One squad will focus on close combat (Thunder hammers are nice). The other squad will have shooting with special weapons- the frag launcher in particular could be quite nasty- deploying from drop pod and shooting the rear of the enemy at close range... yeah, that's nice. My AdMech need that.
After reading the Codex, I'm not sure the Deathwatch are the most viable army. They are more costly than average Space Marines, and don't have access to key pieces of SM units and equipment. However, as an ally, they are a nice fit with the AdMech I think. I'll have to try it out at some point, once I have enough built and painted, that is.
So, that's my latest. Hope you enjoyed this look at my Deathwatch. I will certainly post more as I finish them. Now I must go... A squad of Deathwatch don't just paint themselves you know.
Until Next time!
You're a lucky lucky man Prof ... not every missus would buy his other half a W40K mini set. ^_^ I haven't seen those Inquisitor shields before (but then again I haven't looked at anything GW for a long time now) and you did a great job bringing the details out.
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