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.

Sunday 8 December 2013

Tutorial: How to Paint the Fortress of Redemption

So you want to paint the beautiful Fortress of Redemption the "me" way?

Well here's how!


1) Whine for months until your mum buys you a Fortress of Redemption for Christmas.

2) Leave fortress in its box for approximately one year.

3) Remove from box and build, making sure you leave each section of the fortress disconnected.

4) Spray black.


5) Make half-hearted attempt to paint it starting with a dark grey drybrush.


5.5) Listen to the audio book of Wilbur Smith's excellent novel, Gold Mine.

6) Place the incomplete fortress on the top of your shelving unit so that it's almost impossible to reach.


7) Leave for two more years.


8) Hear that new rules are coming out for buildings and suddenly get inspired to finish fortress off.

9) Realise dark grey colour scheme is a terrible idea.

10) Gaze speculatively at cream-coloured scenery pieces, wondering how you can do it even better.


11) Respray fortress black.


12) Wet-brush fortress dark brown.

13) Keep clippers to hand in case of cat-attack.


14) Watch some TV.

15) Drybrush the fortress light brown, leaving dark brown in the crevices.


16) Lay out Epic Eldar army ready for a game then realise it's never going to happen and put them away.

17) Read Forge World book instead.

18) Dryer-brush the fortress mustard with a lighter touch this time.


19) Lay out dirty kitchen towel squares nearby in case bandage needed after cat-attack.

20) Play Cityfight game of 40k with Tau versus Imperial Guard.

21) Continue painting fortress when its your opponent's go, really-dry-brushing cream, focusing mainly on the upper areas.

22) Ignore death-stares of opponent.

23) Grin inanely at opponent while continuing painting.

24) Use fortress section to provide impromptu cover for a Leman Russ Battle Tank.


25) Pick out detail on Lascannons (Tin Bitz with Dwarf Bronze highlight).

26) Paint other details metal then ink black and drybrush metal for highlight.

27) Pretend you don't notice Sentinel sneaking past.


28) Paint floors in metal.

29) Give black ink wash.

30) Use patented "swirly drybrush" method to highlight centre of each square with metal again.

31) Remark to anyone listening how ass-kickingly good you think it's going to look when finished.


32) Paint missiles dark then lighter red. Pick out tips in light grey and then white.

33) Try to think of witty simile for the way the missiles look.

34) Give up.


35) Do same metal, black ink, metal drybrush trick on other details and pick out skulls in cream and white.

35.5) Wonder why GW put skulls on every single scenery piece.

35.75) Wonder whose skulls they are.

35.8) Wonder if they want them back.


36) Lay out completed fortress.

37) Wonder if strange white shape in the background is headless man hunched over while trying to pick up a dry-roasted peanut that has fallen on the floor.



38) Flee from headless peanut-eating man while continuing to take pictures of fricking amazingly painted fortress.


39) Make deal with headless man that he can go back to looking for peanuts as long as he'll let you take photos of the damn fortress!


40) Realise you haven't actually finished after all because the Lascannon glowy bit hasn't been done.

41) Paint glowy bits turquoise and then light blue to simulate "glowiness."


42) Paint missile bay cover to match Crimson Blades insignia, always sticking to two or three tone painting method.

43) Realise it needs a bit more work.

44) Don't bother to do extra work.



45) Arrange tanks next to fortress in "cool" configuration.

46) Look smug.


47) Continue to look smug.


48) Write blog post, basically so that you can tell the world how smug you feel.

Monday 2 December 2013

The Trap: Part One - Incursion

Chaos vs Crimson Blades | Gill v Tim | 40k | 55 | 110.997.M41

In the dark centre of the Lapitar jungles, the second Pernicious Gate stood guarded by a ring of defensive bastions.

It was critical beyond measure that the Chaos Space Marines not break through and seize control of it for if they did, a second horde of daemons would fall under their dominion.

But the Chaos forces had been spying on the defences with their scrying tools and they perceived that a hammer blow against a narrow frontage would easily fold back the defensive perimeter - especially with Crimson Blade forces kept busy in multiple other warzones.

And so they came, swooping down in drop ships as dozens of slavering daemons of Khorne materialised and bounded forward.


The marines stationed at the perimeter let fly instantly with explosive bolter shells but it was immediately clear that Lord Morder had been correct in his strategic plan. There were simply too many Chaos troops to hold back.


But then the trap was sprung.

Knowing that a Chaos Incursion was imminent, Alarice Klein, Chapter Mistress, had purposely left the defences weaker in order to manipulate the dark forces to attack.

The second their approach was detected, the signal was given and the hidden forces of the Crimson Blades sprang into action, bikers powering out of the undergrowth and Terminators deep striking down from the Black Scabbard in orbit.


A Land Raider churned out from the jungle cover, disgorging Assault Terminators into the midst of the daemonic approach.


But the Chaos Space Marines had anticipated this and they sprang a trap of their own.

A Chaos Land Raider surged in, Night Lord Assault Marines leaping from it and charging into combat as more and more daemons materialised, closing in on their enemies.


It had meant to be an overwhelming defeat for Chaos but the Crimson Blades were being overrun! They fought back but they were losing men. It was obvious that their only choice was to pull back and form an inner perimeter.


As the mighty Bloodthirster tore through their ranks they realised that, in all likelihood, they had no chance of slowing the Chaos approach to the Pernicious Gate and all the power it contained therein.