Welcome to Conflict Valorax, an open-ended narrative campaign for Warhammer 40,000 set deep within the Ultima Segmentum on the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy and close to the limit of mankind’s domain. The purpose of this campaign narrative is to richly detail the setting and history of the Valorax star system in order to bring a depth and storyline to ongoing games set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Games of Warhammer 40,000, Epic, Inquisitor, Aeronautica Imperialis, Space Crusade, Space Hulk and Battlefleet Gothic are all set within this greater context, each conflict adding detail to the ongoing plot.

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Claiming Back the Jungle - Part Three: Overwhelmed

Tyranids vs Jungle Fighters | Tim v Gill | 40k | 60 | 112.997.M41 

The Tyrands were everywhere, swarming through the undergrowth; rattling the boughs and leaves, screeching and grinding their teeth, pushing through the bushes and trees, voraciously devouring every living thing before them, sweeping out from the spawning chambers and brood nests, infecting Lapitar like a voracious plague.


But the tanks of the Valorax Guard were waiting for them.


Where squads of disciplined jungle fighters had failed, now lines of armoured might stood ready and at first sighting unleashed a rolling barrage into the thick of the advancing swarm. Infantry closed to maximum range and took up firing positions with their lasguns, sighting down their barrels at the oncoming hordes.

The Jungle Men of Lapitar engaged the terrifying aliens, using flamers and plasma weapons as they got closer, but Genestealers leapt onto them, hacking them down with scything arms as Ripper Swarms swept in behind them to pick the bones.

What had began as incisive guerrilla attacks on the expanding Tyranid menace had already become a withdrawing gunfight and threatened to become a complete rout. The jungle regions surrounding the Hive were being lost, acre by acre. So far, the loss for Lapitar as a whole was negligible but all attempts to slow it so far had failed. All indications said that the jungle realm and ultimately the entire planet were already effectively lost.


Hormagaunts leapt into the lines of guardsmen, hacking down the command squads providing stability to the defensive. The structure of the culling was faltering and was not far from a free fall.


The infantry withdrew in line with the tanks but the Tyranids kept coming, driving too close for the massive guns of the Lemen Russ and the Basilisks. The number of men left fighting was falling fast. Those with enough space to fire their weapons was close now to zero.


Ans then the monstrous creatures reached the tanks and all was lost. A bludgeoning Carnifex tore two Leman Russ Battle tanks apart with its crushing claws, even as they swung their turret guns round too late to blow it away.

In the ditches and dirt, dying men groaned as the vehicles cracked open, spewing flame into the darkening sky.


Soon only three Basilisks stood unharmed, levelling their guns on the approaching Carnifex but though their shells ripped the spines off its back, it tore into them, too close for them to retaliate, and coming on behind it were dozens more of the massive beasts: far far too many to possibly defeat.


Thursday 23 August 2012

Return of the Crimson Blades!


The Crimson Blades have returned!!!!

With a lovely new colour scheme...


For years my Space Marines have been a slightly amateurish bright red with gloss varnish and little shading. I have never been happy with them but have experimented with LOADS of different colours and never been happy either.


But on the other hand I wanted to keep the name and background of my home-grown Crimson Blades. How to remedy this was something I pondered for bloody years.

Until now.


This new look feels more realistic to me and certainly looks better. Also it uses proper shading techniques rather than the dodgy gloss varnish method of yesteryear.


I am very pleased overall and am really looking forward to their first game (which is going to be a majot turning point in my storyline).


Monday 20 August 2012

Army Showcase: Grey Knights!

I finally finished my Grey Knights army and what better way to celebrate than with an army showcase blog!

Let's start off the festivities with Brother Captain Stern.

Who I kind of hate.


Moving swiftly on we have a Grey Knight Strike Squad! These are mostly the old style Grey Knights but they still hold their own despite their somewhat limited poses.



My Purifiers are my favourite unit. I've outfitted them with Nemesis Falchions to maximise their attacks and with their psychic fire blast thingie, they should be able to tackle hordes fairly easily.



The Terminators form the last segment of my infantry. Just a bunch of nice models...



Avid readers will have seen this dude a couple of times before. He's big. He's got a big hammer. Not much more I can say.




And the Dread Knight. I'm really curious to see how this guy fares in the game. I've owned him for over a year and have be wondering very hard about that the whole time!



And last but not least, the centre piece.

The Stormraven.

I didn't like this model at first, but now I've painted my own I have to say I like it a lot. It passed the top test of miniature quality: whether I put it by my bed on the night I painted it.

I can report that I did.


This is going to ship my Purifiers and Dreadnought into the thick of the fighting then knock out a few enemy vehicles.



I have to paint 2 drop pods and 10 more Space Marines but when I'm done you'll be seeing this lovely force in action.

Stay tuned!