The League of Extraordinary Misfits

So I've thrown together a tentative army list with options for several detachments.

Apologies if it appears a bit large, I don't have photoshop installed, and I couldn't be bothered to fanny about with it in MS paint.

If you've been following the 40k scene closely enough, then you'll know that 7th edition introduced some fairly radical changes to the way players can assemble an army list.  Not only can players now include as many detachments as they like, they can also opt to disregard the Force Organisation Chart entirely and take whatever they want.  

Players choosing to stick with the old system are rewarded for doing so with various 'Command Benefits'.  In the above example, my primary detachment uses a special Force Org chart that entitles those units to free Chemical Flamers, free Chemical Missile Launchers and a free upgrade to barrage weapons that leaves a more permanent effect on the battlefield.  I really love the idea of traitors digging up old stores of forbidden munitions with all the eagerness of kids unwrapping their presents on Christmas Day.  so it's hard to resist the lure of an army centered around this theme.  The list is intended to produce the maximum possible toxicity on the board, and leave the strategy for another day.  I'd buy that for a dollar!  

Nonetheless, I find myself in the awkward position of wanting to play with all my toys at the possible expense of a cohesive army theme.  At the moment, my list comes across as suffering from a severe crisis of identity or at the very least, a touch 'schizophrenic'.

Perhaps the most glaring example is the solitary Leman Russ which, being the only vehicle in the army, must feel like a mixologist at an AA meeting.  Then there's the daemons who manifest as more of a cosmic accident than an invasion force from Hell itself.  And let's not forget the Plague Marines in their uniquely antiquated 'Death Guard' configuration.  They're too cool for school, and certainly too oldskool to be hanging around with these upstart mortals.  All the models look great in their respective factions, but lose something when they're side-by-side.  

This is the problem with trying to cram everything you like into one project, it becomes very difficult to zero in on the primary unifying theme.  In fluff terms for instance, Chaos Marines prefer to herd their mortal subjects into the guns of the enemy, using them as living shields for their own advance. Having them in the thick of  the action while renegade artillery sits back and rains ordnance on them from afar seems completely out of character.  Likewise, daemons are unlikely to spill forth into the material realm in service of Big Guns Inc.

My other motivation for mixing it up is a model-count one.  I don't particularly relish the idea of painting endless hordes of expendable footsoldiers, especially if it means having to convert them first.  Even fifty models is a comparatively small number, these days.  I could turn this militia rabble into a smaller band of elite veterans, and I may well go down that route if I want to exclude the daemonic and post-human units.  If anyone has any suggestions for conversion bits I can use to achieve this, I'd love to hear from you!

The only units listed that I have yet to purchase are the Ogryns (killer models by Mark Bedford!), Quad Launchers, Plague Drones and Psyker Coven.  The plan was to convert some psykers, and have them accompany my renegades on foot.  Conventional wisdom dictates that these units of militia should be mounted in chimera transports, but having to paint and convert three or more such vehicles is likewise a massive pain in the neck.

I've considered a Drop-pod for the marines, but those things are freakin' huge (check out the size comparison photo and tell me that's not going to dwarf everything else in the army!) and nurglizing it would take forever.  I'm also very keen on the Hell Talon and Hell Blade models, which fall under the Fast Attack category, and therefore cannot be taken in my primary detachment but instead must be included as part of the chaos space marines detachment.  If I want to take these independently of the chaos marines, I'll have to ditch the chemical warfare doctrine.  Death Guard weren't exactly renowned for their use of air support, preferring instead to slug it out in trenches for protracted campaigns.  However, the Hell Talon can be loaded up with chemical munitions, and the idea that some enormous apex predator is circling overhead in search of prey is very sinister and a whole lot of fun.

I'm not  adverse to a bit of conversion work, within reason. I spent most of yesterday converting a Chaos Lord of Nurgle, breaking out the green stuff and styrene and really going to town on it.  I haven't converted anything in ages, because it's quite intimidating when you're carving up perfectly good plastic and resin kits, rending limb from limb and praying it's not for nought.  He'll be the focus of my next post, where I'll show you how I got on but for now, I'm just trying to unite the disparate elements of my model collection.  I will continue to beseech the Fell Powers for help, but any assistance or advice you heretics can offer would be much appreciated.

Until next time...