Click on the picture to go straight to the latest episode of Positively Autistic Fun and Games on the Spectrum.

In this episode

*Endings: How to wrap up a protracted game or series of linked games well.

*Board Games: The Impact of Board Games on the Gaming Community and society at large

*Miniatures: Making little models and painting them.

How utterly humiliating...

He detached a gauntlet from his armour and ran his bared hand over the Runes of Opening. With a somewhat unpleasant buzz the crate slowly split open to reveal its contents. He smiled at the sight of his old Command Teleporter Pack, a reminder of his somewhat foolish younger days in the Battle for Typhon. The second item however, was not so pleasing to him. The Bile Spitter had been taken from the corpse of a Death Guard during the fall of Meridian. It's seemingly endless corrosive gout of toxic effluence was as abhorrent as it was effective. Though the Architect had as much hate for Ulkair and his master as Ebenezer did he guessed, as always, the ends justified the means as he mounted the foul Weapon onto his left vambrace.

In an act of very in Character overconfidence I decided to try and storm Will's Psyker eating Space Bears with my Thousand Sons. The result, a massacre of epic proportions that nonetheless managed to net me some more juicy points and a completely pointless injury (broken leg on a slow and purposeful model, hilarious!)

What I learned from this battle was that if I was going to stick with this small elite army idea I had to do it properly with good points investment. Hence Ebenezer getting a Jump Pack and the Burning Brand of Skalathrax (which I renamed the Bile Spewer to keep in theme.)

Also joining the fray will be an old friend in a new form...

Elite: Tacitus the Ever Living- Hellbrute

Killed in the first battle the Magpies had on their return from the Eye, Tacitus was a promising Aspiring Sorcerer, leading the squad now under the command of Suetonius. Though his psychic abilities did not survive the traumatic revival process, in the ancient shell of a Hellbrute he is a considerable strategic asset to Ebenezer.

Hellbrutes give you all the awesome of Dreadnoughts with the advantage that if they survive being Glanced and Penetrated THEY GO CRAZY! I'll probably have him in a central location on the battle line. Though anti-tank weaponry will cause him serious problems it is rarely deployed in the centre ground. This allows Ebenezer and Aristophanes to go zipping round the flanks squashing things with the Black Mace.

I think I'll pick my next target more carefully though in the intense warzone the Magpies have ended up in this may well be a problem!

Ebenezer smiled as he offered up the soul of the beaten puppy of Russ to the Changer of Ways. After a somewhat tense pause he was struck by infernal and twisted coruscating energy beams. He grimaced in pain as his flesh and bone twisted and warped around his bionic eye. As the gift took shape and the energy faded he found his sight clearer and more vivid than ever before

So for my first game with this Campaign Force I bundled into a bunch of Ben's Space Wolves. The result? A pretty decisive victory due to a combination of Thousand Sons Resilience, The Black Mace... being the Black Mace and a fearsome set of Psychic Powers that is only going to get bigger thanks to my lovely little Scrolls of Magnus.

Of course Ben wasn't exactly ready for Magnus' Prodigal Offspring and their near indestructible automatons but hey this is a Campaign, nobody is tailoring their lists unless they're very lucky on their Fate and Fortune Rolls.

Speaking of Fate and Fortune with 4 Advances and 1 Calamity I was pretty chuffed with myself.

Unfortunately that one Calamity, taken as an Injury, killed Sergeant Tacitus forcing me to spend a fair few points on replacing his inconsiderate arse. His replacement Brother Sergeant Suetonius rolled up a Doombolt and I decided to forgo the Gift of Mutation so I had enough points for a nice little Raptor Squad.

Fast Attack: Aristophanes' Trailblazers- 5 Chaos Raptors

A brash young Assault Squad Sergeant with a somewhat acidic wit and sickeningly sarcastic manner, Aristophanes commands the last of the Magpies’ Assault Marines. He is considered a mild irritant by Ebenezer who keeps him and his men around for his not inconsiderable skill at tearing fragging great holes in the enemy army before jumping back a safe distance with their customised Personal Teleporter Packs. Considering Aristophanes was doing this for gang bosses on Meridian long before he passed the Blood Trials it suits him to a tee.

YAY! More kitbashing! The Blood Ravens have been known to use Personal Teleporter Packs and its not too much of a stretch to imagine a squad full of them. Combined with the necessary weapon arms and weapons from the Tactical Marines box I used for Loch's Devastators they make a fearsome little squad that, while not as resilient as the Son's or as overwhelmingly shooty as the Havocs, have the manoeuvrability that Tzeench themed Chaos Marine armies are often lacking.

So onwards and upwards. Whoever is next in our path is likely to have quite a fight on their hands.

Commander Ebenezer was a man of few words and those few times he did address his Battle Brothers were often long remembered even if the speech itself was somewhat lacklustre. This speech however, would be anything but...

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, GUARD IT WELL!"

So rather than make my beginners game force my official second force I decided to do something different, VERY different.

I was really impressed with Codex: Chaos Space Marines and have been toying with the idea of creating Blood Raven Traitors after far too many play-throughs of Chaos Rising I thought I'd build a small force themed around Loyalist Thousand Sons gone Renegade... if that makes any sense...

Anyhow let's take a look...

Warlord: Commander Enoch Ebenezer- Chaos Lord

Ebenezer’s small detachment was one of many Blood Ravens armies that sided with Gabriel Angelos to confront the Black Legion however they were also amongst those who felt betrayed at Angelos’ cracking down on the more radical elements of the Chapter.

Now Ebenezer, though he’s loath to admit it, serves a new master. The Changer of Ways has granted him great fortune and potent resources that he shall use to take his devious vengeance and topple the False Emperor.

Ebenezer is quite under equipped for a Chaos Lord: Despite his ridiculous Black Mace and Plasma Pistol he's still wearing Power Armour. There are 2 reasons for this

1) Simple to Transport: I like properly sized infantry models you don't have to hack up your nice case to fit in.

2) Why Bother?: With the Mark of Tzeench and a Sigil of Corruption he has a 3+ Invulnerable Save anyway. Why add to the cheese with a 2+ Armour Save and Relentless?

Anyway he's there to storm through enemy lines killing everything he can. With the 3+ Invulnerable Save it will be very hard to put him down even if you do survive the Mace.

The model is a massive kitbash including bits from the Force Commander and Grey Knights sets with a Mechanical Raven Familiar topping his Black Mace.

HQ: Librarian Moriarty Methuselah- Chaos Sorcerer

An accomplished if somewhat mistrusted Librarian; Methuselah was assigned to Enoch’s command in the dying days of the campaign against the Black Legion. It was hoped he would be a moderating influence on the young upstart but really he was anything but. He had long suspected that the unknown Primarch was Magnus the Red and the crusade to the Eye saw him confirm it. Now with decades of sorcerous study behind him Methuselah is a dangerous mastermind in his own right and may well take command of the Magpies should something “unfortunate” happen to Ebenezer.

The sorcerer is actually more expensive in points than the Chaos Lord with all the Psychic Mastery Levels, a Spell Familiar and of course the Scrolls of Magnus that can generate a new random Psychic Power each turn in exchange for a Strength 3 AP1 hit. With another 3+ Invulnerable Save this isn't really much of a risk!

His primary use is unleashing psychic madness on the enemy though he also enables Thousand Sons Units as Troops Choices.

The model is a Finecast Power Armoured Librarian with Book and Staff with the addition of the infamous "succubus" familiar as the head of the staff.

Troops: Tacitus's Marines-5 Thousand Sons

A devotee of the Codex Astartes this ancient and stoic Tactical Sergeant was perhaps the one shining beacon of loyalty in the dark sea of corruption of the strike force that would become the Magpies. This however did not slow the force’s fall but made it all the more dramatic for when put to the test Tacitus’ only true loyalty was to his men. As the Raven gene-seed got exposed to the Warp he watched in despair as his brothers began to mutate. Much as their predecessors had done 10 Millennia before the Magpies searched for a solution and were tricked into casting the Rubric. Tacitus’ lack of a reaction to this horrific turn of events has made Methuselah suspicious and rightly so as he is biding his time and mustering his power in the hope of someday ousting his “incompetent” superior.
Marines with 4+ Invulnerable Saves, AP:3 Bolters and a Psychic Mastery 1 Champion? Sign me up!

Tacitus' unit are very tacitally flexible with low strength but deadly AP Inferno Bolts and the might of Tzeench's Firestorm to supplement this with. They can also hold their own in assault and with Slow and Purposeful Rapid Fire before Assaulting.

Scared? YOU SHOULD BE!

The models are Forge World's beautiful Iron Armour Suits with Tacitus himself taking pieces from the Grey Knights and Force Commander box sets.

Troops: Sigmund's Marines-5 Thousand Sons

A contemporary of Ebenezer, Sigmund has remained a Tactical Sergeant for far longer than many, including him, think was warranted. His fall was one of the easiest for the dark powers to accomplish as he was already willing to callously sacrifice even fellow battle brothers for the chance of advancement. The Changer of Ways smiles upon this one’s ambition and may well just see him succeed.

Another unit of these nasties only the Champion is somewhat younger and more roguish looking a bit like Ebenezer. Thanks to Ian Tong for the spare Eldar head: Hope you like how it turned out.

Sigmund managed to roll up Doombolt which gives me a powerful anti-vehicle ability that can also be used to turn single infantry models to goop when needed.

Heavy Support: Loch's Devastators- 5 Chaos Havocs

Loch is a grouchy old Devastator Sergeant who has always had a mean streak a mile wide. His fall to the ruinous powers has not changed much, in fact he claims he and his brothers were spared the mutations of travel in the Eye. This claim is somewhat sketchy as no other Magpie has seen one of Loch’s lads without his helmet in over half a century.

These guys are an all-round insurance policy against fliers (Flakk Missiles), Light Infantry Hordes (Frag Missiles) and Heavy Infantry (Krak Missiles). Without the Aura of Dark Majesty they may be less durable than their tactical brothers but they pack so much wallop it really doesn't matter.

The models are kitbashed from the Tactical Squad, Scout and Imperial Guard Heavy Weapons Sets. I like the idea of Blood Ravens acquiring experimental new model weapons to fire as it fits with the somewhat magpie like nature they have gained from their secret Primarch.

Conclusion
This is a VERY small elite force that is designed for carnage, convenience and utility. Little armies like this are great for those on a budget and get you into playing really fun games really quickly!

The battered form of Brother Martin, held on the point of death by the statis field was respectfully lowered into place. Brother Bors took a deep breath laboured by his bionic lungs. With a mumbled prayer to the Omnissiah and a skilful application of his cogitation enhancement circuits he swiftly inter-grated what was left of the man with the sacred machine.

Martin, aided by the augmented vox circuits replied "I am well brother."

As those of us who aren't at 1000 points got our boost this week I thought I'd introduce you to the one thing I have been able to add to Meacher's task force. Brother Martin the Dreadnought.

Brother Dreadnought Martin
Battered to near death by the Plague Zombies of Typhus the Herald of Nurgle, Brother Martin was consigned to the living tomb of a Dreadnought so that he could continue to serve his old friend Meacher. His memories and humanity are fading fast but it is a price worth paying for his continued service.

Why a Dreadnought not a Dreadknight? Because despite vehicles being slightly more vulnerable in 6th Edition 40k Dreadnoughts have 2 major advantages to a Grey Knight Player...

1) Improved Ageis: Psychic powers targeted on those within 12" of the Dreadnought have a -4 penalty to their leadership instead of the usual -1.

2) Truesilver Armour: Don't you just love weapons that do damage when YOU get hurt? Truesilver Armour is just that. A monstrous creature who is psychic or a Daemon is definitely going to think twice before assaulting Martin. You could very well kill him but you'll be taking a Strength 6 hit for every HIT you inflict.

I'm not accustomed to using vehicles so it should also be a learning experience for me. I can see Brother Martin both as a centre of a battle line and its flank. Most likely he will be used defensively though with only a 24" range on the Assault Cannon I may be tempted to get close to some enemies.

The most awesome thing about getting the Dreadnought though is the opportunity to return a retired character to play in a new and far more intimidating form.