The second mob of 35 Night Goblin spearmen is complete and joining the fray. As before, I have added netters and a Fanatic to the ranks for maximum mayhem.
A thicket of spears greets any attackers
I have more Fanatics to paint up that are not included in my starter army list. In battle, each mob will be lead by a Big Boss, turning it into a respectable fighting formation. A standard, full rank bonus, five extra spear attacks, a 5 in 6 chance of the attackers losing a point of strength – as long as they don’t have to take a leadership test, these guys are doing alright.
You don’t want to play catch with this ballThe battle line is drawn
It takes a lot of Night Goblins to make an army – 132 to be precise, according to my army list. There are three large blocks of infantry in the horde, two with spears and shields, the other with short bows. The whole army has base colours on already and the command groups are finished, but that still leaves a lot of rank and file to be completed.
I managed to get through the first mob, five figures at a time. The plan is to keep this up, while also working on other projects for variety. We’ll see how that goes.
A mob of Night Goblins marching to war
The fun (and most of the effectiveness) of a horde of Night Goblins lies in the whacky special weapons they can bring along. I’ve added netters to the regiment, which reduce the strength of attackers (if all goes well and they don’t entangle their own side).
The old snare and stab trick
In addition, there is a Fanatic hidden among their ranks, drugged up on mushroom brew and wielding a massive ball and chain, who will be shoved in the path of a charging enemy at the right moment.
Now he just needs to keep going the right way…
This is about a third of the army completed, leaving two more regiments and an assortment of squigs. I could also do with some more mountainous terrain, so I might give building foam hills a try.
When I expanded my Necron army with some larger constructs, a couple of commenters asked for an updated picture of them all together. With other projects out of the way, I therefore cleared the table and brought out my collected Necron forces, 1,500 points in total (for a full size image, open it in a new tab).
The Necrons march in force
Unfortunately, the recently assembled Catachan patrol was still in the area as the Necrons emerged. Woefully under strength against such opponents, the Imperial guardsmen dug in as best they could, hoping to hold out until reinforcements could arrive.
The Overlord orders his troops to attackDestroyers swoop in with withering fireNecron Warriors advance, supported by heavy weapons platformsNecron Immortals are all but unstoppable
With their communications scrambled and the merciless machines moving in, the Catachans poured fire into their enemies before fixing bayonets for the final assault. No trace of the platoon was ever found and a report of its mysterious disappearance was filed by Regimental HQ.
A firefight erupts at close quartersThe Catachan line is getting flankedWraiths materialise behind the Catachan defencesIn the final volley of fire, every shot must count
Not all the forces I am working on are intended to become solid core armies. Some factions lend themselves to be detachments for skirmishes, specific scenarios or reinforcements for other armies.
The first of these detachments I have just completed is a 500 points strong infantry platoon of the Catachan Jungle Fighters for Warhammer 40k 7th Edition. Often called upon to fight in the dense jungles of tropical death worlds, it is fitting for them to operate without vehicle support.
A Catachan platoon sets out into the depth of the hostile jungle
The commander uses the Lord Commissar rules, but is represented by a Captain. In the Catachan background, Commissars have a tendency to meet unfortunate accidents, and it is therefore likely that leaders from within their ranks fulfil the role of instilling discipline with an iron fist, and through their own heroics.
The Captain’s leadership style is unconventional but effective
The troops consist of a Platoon HQ with missile launcher and plasma gun plus two squads equipped with flamers and krak grenades.
The Platoon Command Squad packs extra punchThe troopers fearlessly engage the enemyThe jungle itself has to be fought back
Providing fire support are three weapons teams with heavy bolters and an autocannon to take down larger targets. A squad of Ogryns adds close combat capabilities to the platoon.
Heavy streams of bulls cut through the undergrowthThe Ogryns muscle their way into action
If I want to expand this force , I’ll probably go for an air mobile squad of veterans in a Valkyrie and a special weapons squad with flamers. A sniper and a trooper with a heavy flamer would also come in handy, so I can change the load out of some squads.
I’ve had these chunky metal Ogryns for Warhammer 40k half-painted for the longest time, since their unconventional style of uniform didn’t fit with any of the Imperial Guard regiments I was building. As soon as I decided to paint a detachment of Catachan Jungle Fighters however, they found their spiritual home.
The Bone ‘ead is the leader of his small fire teamRipper guns lay down heavy fire at short rangeWhat the bullets don’t fell, the bayonet will take care of
Now I am just missing the Captain for this 500 points Catachan infantry detachment. There’s going to be a rumble in the jungle soon, as they discover long abandoned ruins and reawaken forces that should better have been left in their eternal stasis…
Ogryns are usually found in the spearhead of an Imperial Guard assaultCutting a path through the dense jungle
