Subedai’s Sci-Fi Soldiery

Every Imperial Guard company in Epic 40k 2nd Edition can get a free Commissar detachment, which is highly advisable to field in order to maintain its command structure. Luckily I had five spare Chimeras so I could build and paint a Commissar stand and transport for each of the companies I am planning (Tactical, Heavy, Leman Russ, Baneblade, Shadowsword).

I’m working away on a 500 point infantry force of Catachan Jungle Fighters for Warhammer 40k and just put the finishing touches to a heavy weapons squad. Equipped with two heaver bolters and an autocannon, they should be able to shred through dense jungle foliage and everything hiding within it alike.

Left to do now are the commander of this combat patrol and a unit of three Ogryns that will be handy in a close quarter encounter and also share the Catachan dress sense. They should get along great.

Now that the Goff Clan has enough wheels it is time to give da boyz some two-legged mechanical support in the shape of Dreadnoughts and their larger cousins, the Stompaz.

Dreadnoughts seemed the perfect fit for the footsloggin’ Goffs and they just look dead good in black with red and white chequered markings. The Stompaz are also a fitting embodiment of the spirit of Gork and pack some serious punch. Ultimately I might attach them to a Warlord but now they are part of the clan itself and help to alleviate any command and control problems since they can operate independently of the Nobz.

I also painted up the plastic Imperial ruins that came with the last boxed edition of the game. Some drybrushing over black and a bit of Agrax Earthshade around the base was all it took to get them onto the table.

With the infantry horde done, the Goffs are getting armoured support to crush their enemies. Fitted with deathrollers and grabbing claws, these vehicles complement the Goffs’ close combat capabilities, while also adding some serious mid-range firepower.

I had two of the original Bonebreakas and a Gibletgrinda to hand, while the rest of the vehicles are built from the later plastic battlewagons that took all their design elements from those tanks.

After fighting half way through a battle against the Imperial Guard Tactical Company I built previously, it became clear that this was lacking stopping power against more heavily armoured opposition. Therefore I commandeered a Baneblade Super Heavy Tank and attached it to the company.

First into the fray for my Epic 40k Space Ork Waaagh! are the Goff Clan. The company consists of 8 stands of Nobz and 15 stands of Boyz. I think I have enough of 6mm infantry for a while now. I mixed a few Oddboyz, warlords and standard bearers with the standard Nobz figures, while for the Boyz I threw in the older plasma cannons and big shootas for variety.

For decoration, I used the standard black and white Goff chequers, teeth/flames and a few other geometric patterns while for backplates I went with a simple black dot on white background. I didn’t want too much red as that will be the main colour of the Evil Sunz of course. All the weapons are plain Leadbelcher with a Nuln Oil wash.

For support I will be adding tanks and walkers, making the Goff Clan a tough and flexible formation.

The Imperial Guard Tactical Company has received some support detachments in the shape of heavy weapon teams, Ogryns, Ratling snipers and Griffon mortar carriers (using Thudd Gun rules for them as there are no Griffons in 2nd Edition).

Other than the Capitol Imperialis which still needs painting (and new tracks), this is the first company for my Imperial Guard in Epic 40k done. Now I am painting a Goff Klan to face them, and will be switching back and forth between the 6 or so formations I plan for each. With some Space Marines thrown in here and there.

I have expanded my Imperial Guard for Epic 40k into a full blown Tactical Company under 2nd Edition rules, having decided to go back to this iteration. It was the game we played most back in the day as the rules were engaging, armies affordable, figures paintable in a reasonable amount of time and easy to transport.

While 3rd Edition was just awful and killed the system off, it did produce very nice (overpriced) models. Therefore my armies these days consist mostly of figures from that era. Taking closeup shots of 6mm figures is a horrifying experience but I have steeled myself well enough not to attempt to add any more detail or smoother highlighting.

There are also some abstractions to be made. For example, the missile launcher team comes as a single figure, but I didn’t like the look of having just four models on a base, so the squads effectively end up with eleven troops in them, counting heads. Secondly, there are two command stands for the company, where in 40k an HQ unit would only consist of five soldiers. I have given both a psyker and a commander figure to make them stand out and clearly designate them. Thirdly, instead of Rhino APCs I am using Chimeras. I much prefer the Imperial Guard having its own flavour here, though I am still going to use Rhino rules to keep the points balance of the formation.