Imperial Guard Hellhound

Like Typhus, and my Chaos Dreadnought this Hellhound is one of my oldest miniatures. I bought it off of my friend Tim in 11th grade, as he was planning on getting rid of his Catachan army. I honestly don't remember the original colour that it was painted. but 16 year old me, quickly painted it black with silver highlights.

And that was how it remained, and featured in many games as a Hellhound of a stand-in vehicle, since it's paint scheme was so generic. So I finally decided to bring it up to snuff.

In 8th Edition Warhammer 40k, Hellhound got a revamp, and became, both awesome and hilarious at the same time featuring a ridiculous 16" range 2d6 auto-hit weapon. I like to charge it up one of the flanks of the table. It frankly can't take that much damage, but enough that it distracts fire from other much more vital Imperial Guard Armour selecitons. But most importantly your opponent will have to deal with it eventually or it will wreak havoc with their infantry and back line.

For those familiar witht eh current Astra Militarium Model Line up, you will notice that the model for the Hellhound has changed quite drastically. The new one is skinnier, doesn't feature the two tanks on the back and has a significantly different gun mounting.

I actually think I like the old one better.

I have done a few builds in 8th ed that use more than one Hellhound, but ultimately I am undecided, with so few fast attack options for the Guard though, it might be my only practical choice to fill that slot.

And so piece by piece my Imperial Guard Army starts to get a little bigger! Soon I will be at my 1000pt goal!

Written by: Andrew Gregory

Lord Anthenion the Fighter in 15mm

This stern-eyed fellow is Lord Anthenion from our Age of Heroes Campaign, and like Erapledes before him is one of the groups NPC's. Lord Anthenion however is a much more influential character than the philosopher could ever hope to be. Given his much higher social rank than anyone in the party, he is at least figuratively the group's leader and the player characters are his trusted lieutenants and advisers.

An interesting relationship to have with an NPC to say the least!

As a Fighter Anthenion is well trained though currently poorly armed, and is a nobleman with lands and title to his name. Having lost control of the city of Eratrides to his scheming brother Lord Idolese Anthenion was looking for support and funding to reclaim his birthright. He found it in the player party and their possession of a rare creature they planned to gift to the king in exchange for influence.

The party sees Anthenion in a similar light: as a gateway to the upper echelons of society. So as a group they have decided they are more than happy to call him liege and serve his ends.

Like Kyros, Lander and Erapledes (as mentioned above) Lord Anthenion's Mini is from Xyston Miniatures. I gotta say that I have been very impressed with the quality of their miniatures and look forward to painting more!

As it stands in Game, Lord Anthenion and the players have arranged a meeting with Charemides, King Plades' personal slave, to come and appraise the lion and begin begin negotiations. For now, the God's have blessed the party. But who knows how long their fortunes will last.

Written by: Andrew Gregory

3D Printed Giant Man-Eating Venus Flytrap

Ever since I was a teenager I have wanted to include a Giant Man-Eating Venus Flytrap as a terrain piece in a Warhammer 40k game. The Plant monster would be able to attack anyone who got near it and do some undecided amount of damage that would make you want to avoid it.

I think I got the idea from a White Dwarf Magazine in the early 00's but I honestly can't remember what inspired me.

A few years down the line and I finally, decided that dream a reality, and got this mini based on Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors from Thingiverse, and had my good buddy Coy print it up for me.... That was three years ago and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since.

Well I finally I got around to giving it a quick paint job and got it ready for the table.

Now I haven't found or had the time to think of a ruleset for it as an active game piece, so I will let you know if I come up with anything.

For now it will serve as a very cool looking Warhammer 40k terrain piece....

And one epic 15mm encounter for my D&D Campaigns!


Written by: Andrew Gregory

Imperial Guard Armageddon Pattern Basilisks

Continuing the trend of overwhelming artillery and adding some heavier support for my Mortar Teams I present these two Forge World Imperial Guard Armageddon Pattern Basilisks.

Honestly I don't really use them as Armageddon Pattern Basilisks in game. But I do think they look a lot cooler than the standard Basilisk, and of course (most importantly) they match the rest of my Steel Legion force!

Rules-wise in -8th Edition Warhammer 40k- the only difference between a regular Basilisk and an Armageddon Pattern Basilisk is that APB's have +1 Toughness, bringing it to a grand total of seven. And it is only 15 points more so not a bad price, but honestly not a necessary upgrade in my opinion.

Design-wise however, I absolutely love this model. Clearly based on the M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer, it was a joy to paint. These models were two of my first experiments with highlighting. My lines are a little thick and wobbly but slowly and surely I am getting it.

And so my 1000pts Steel Legion army continues to grow. Only a few more tanks and infantry and it will be complete!

Written by: Andrew Gregory

Erapledes the Philosopher in 15mm

In peculiar turn of events, Erapledes is a Philosopher from Delphi sought by the Arachnophobia party, and encountered by by Age of Heroes party as they needed his expertise as a biologist. It's a long story involving the charming and subsequent capture of lion - a beast thought extinct in the Hellenistic Isles... But I digress...

The party managed to secure Erapledes friendship and services in Delphi. It was due to this that Augustus the Thief, who had been following the party for several days, decided that he would use Erapledes as the perfect gateway to join the party.

And so following the philosopher home one night, by chance Augustus was able to save the old man from a mugger, and has worked as his bodyguard ever since.

Erapledes has been working with the party for several days in game now, and has been involved in several fights... Not as a direct participant mind you, but as an asset that the party feels they need to protect... And frankly the wizard mini I was using as a stand in just wasn't cutting it.

I think this figure, though not perfect, fits a little better. And like Kyros you can get this mini from Xyston Miniatures.

Written by: Andrew Gregory

4 Ways to Stop Players from Stealing your NPCs in D&D

Meeting new characters, making new in-game friends and growing your party into an effective adventuring force is an essential part of any D&D campaign. Like I mention in Building a Balanced D&D Party, sometimes a group of players can make characters who's classes don't give them everything they need to overcome your challenges. So NPCs can easily fill this roll, and become beloved by the party in their own right.

However, after learning that they can invite people to join their group, some players may take this too far, inviting everyone they meet; which can lead to a bloated party with well more muscle than you had intended. As a Dungeon Master you need to be prepared for this eventuality. So here are four things that you can do.

1. Give NPCs a Reason to Stay

Would you just up and leave your life because some random was like "hey come on an adventure with us!?" Probably not... I mean, I guess some of you might. But for most of us the idea of leaving friends, family, and home behind is a little more than we are prepared to undertake.

So the same would be true of most NPCs. Sure the Blacksmith might be the coolest dude around, but odds are he is more interested in tending his forge, family and friends than he is joining the party that just arrived in town and started heckling him to join them.

2. Keep Your Player's Money on Your Mind

If your players have amassed a large amount of gold you need to keep this in mind when preparing your "in-village time." Just like in the real world, having lot's of money means that you can hire a lot of people. If your players are at a level where they can offer peasants and other villagers more money than they would see in a life time -even given tip 1 above- it will be difficult for them to turn that down.

Account for this by making plenty of useful hirelings and NPCs available. Taverns are a great way to introduce such groups and individuals. Just make sure your players know there are more skilled people they can hire than the random villagers on the street.

If your players have this much money, you are probably at a point in a campaign where they are fighting very powerful monsters. Remember once they have spent their money of a veritable army these "powerful monsters" may not be so powerful after all. Be ready.

3. Give Your a Player's a Reason Not To Hire Them

Perhaps one of the best ways to discourage your players from attempting to recruit someone is to give them a very good reason not to. There are two ways you can handle this: the first is in-game, the second is out-of-game.

For an in-game solution look to your NPC's backstory. Physical ailments, conflicting beliefs and opinions, general unpleasantness -  These are all excellent qualities to ensure your players will have no interest in recruiting them to their ever growing band.

For an out-of-game solution one trick I like to impose revolves around character levels. If one of my players dies, they may roll up a new character to join the party, however that character will enter the group sharing the same level with the party member who has the lowest level. A small set back for having died, but it also means that players will avoid trying to recruit level 1 or even level 0 NPCs out of this fear. It is admittedly a little cheeky, but it does work quite well.

4. Don't Worry Too Much About It

A piece of advice I often give in this sort of matter: just let it happen. Use some of the tips above, but in the end everyone is here to have a good time. If your players want to go around trying to enlist every single NPC they meet, then let them try, and adjust any encounter that you have to accommodate.

If things get out of hand, a quick failed morale save will cause even the the most stouthearted NPC to flee for their lives... Possibly to never be seen again. So don't stress to much about it and let your players learn for themselves what NPCs are worth hiring, but just remember that too much of a good thing can exist.

Does your D&D group attempt to recruit inappropriate NPCs into their party? How do you handle it? Let us know in the comments bellow!

Written by: Andrew Gregory

*All pictures are from the D&D 5e Player's Handbook.

Kyros Velis the Fighter in Pencil

After the last session of our Age of Heroes campaign, Mike (who is our Tau player in Warhammer 40k, and Kyros Velis in Age of Heroes) decided that he wanted to do a more detailed sketch of his character.

So one night  he sent this amazing picture to our group chat, and offered to do a sketch for each character.  How could we possibly refuse!

Can't wait to see the rest of the group Mike!!!

If you want to see any more of Mike Pace's art, life and hobbies check out his instagram @mikepaceart

Written by: Andrew Gregory

Imperial Guard Steel Legion Mortar Teams

I honestly can't say for other editions but in 8th ed Warhammer 40k, mortar teams are friggin' awesome! They rain down with the same strength as bolter fire, at 48" with no need to have line of sight to the target. What's not to love about them?

In game terms, Mortars are a Heavy D6, STR 4, AP 0, DMG 1, RNG 48" Weapon, and as mentioned above it does not require line-of-sight to its target. That means that your standard three base heavy weapons team will get 3d6 shots... My two teams of three get 6D6!

All that fire power translates into a lot of small hits capable of slowly (or quickly) whittling away opposing infantry, and not needing line of sight and the generous 48" range usually means that you can place them well out of harms a way.

My only problem was the that I didn't choose a faction that ever had a mortar made for them. Unlike the Cadian Shock Troops, Valhallan Ice Warriors, Mordian Iron Guard, etc. The Armageddon Steel Legion don't have a specific Mortar model.

This makes sense given their lore as a mechanized infantry. The idea was they would move and strike quickly rather than entrench and bombard. however, I think a healthy mix of both is required to make a truly effective Imperial Guard force.

So I had to create my own mortar teams. I used the crouching figure from the missile launcher team, and painted the missile they are holding so it appears more as a shell. Their companions are simply spare Steel Legion figures placed based on their stance, and of course the mortar itself is the regular old Cadian Mortar from the Heavy Weapon's Team Box.

So far I have been incredibly impressed with the Mortars. they are great for area control, stopping those pesky charging units from getting to close, etc. etc. And at a mere 33pts/three base squad they are a cost effective way to handle enemy infantry. Throw a Commander by them and with the "Take Aim" order you will score just a ton of hits.

And so slowly I creep towards finishing the 1000pts build! They ahve already proved their metal in battle already, I just need them to look the part!

Written by: Andrew Gregory