The Emperor's Feth Astra Militarum Army Part 1 - The beginning & thelist

The Emperor’s Feth

I enjoy hearing about how people started in this hobby, chatting about armies, lists and I absolutely love looking at painted models. With this in mind I thought I would blog about my history with 40k, what I’ve been up to, and introduce my 1^st army The Emperor’s Feth. I hope that you enjoy what I’ve been up to and would love to hear your story and what you think of my army and list. Over this post and more over the next few weeks I’ll showcase this army with my thoughts and how I painted each unit so please read on, enjoy and comment by all means…

The Beginning…

So as The Emperor’s Champion (Rich) says 2009 rolls around and out of curiosity I walk into a Games Workshop in Stockport, Manchester. As it happened, that week 5^th edition was due to be released and 40k was being pushed in the store. I got chatting with the manager and had a good look around before my eyes finally came to rest on an Ogryn model. It looked ace – bigger than the others and full of character. I had no idea of the rules or army, all I wanted was to paint this beast and so I bought it with a few paints and a brush and there was the start of my love affair with the Imperial Guard or as it is now known the Astra Militarum.

Above: The first model!

Tournaments

Over the next few weeks 5^th Edition Imperial Guard was released with a bunch of new models which nicely relieved me of any spare cash I had at the time. As I was building my army Rich had also been getting into Ultramarines which prompted lots of games and new models as were constantly trying to beat each other. Each week would see a new addition that one of us would have to counter with a purchase or a list change of our own – we were having a mini arms-race!! At this time Games Workshop began their 40k Doubles tournaments and Rich and myself decided to enter with Ultramarines and Astra Militarum at our first tournament and then with a Double Astra Militarum force at subsequent tournaments. We had to choose a name for our army and so The Emperor’s Feth was born. The doubles tournaments were amazing, we got to meet loads of people (Dad Dave is one), see Warhammer World, do fairly well in the tournaments and most importantly get nominated 4 times for best painted armies.

Above: The Emperor’s Feth at a tournament at Warhammer World

Above: Under pressure at a tournament at Warhammer World. Not quite sure how we got ourselves into this situation!!

Above: Dad Rich looking a bit geeky at our first trip to Warhammer World back in the day

Hobbying

It was during these tournaments where I saw some beautifully painted models that I decided that I wanted to create not just an army but an army with a theme. At this point I was considering painting a Tyranid army as I love Aliens (who doesn’t) and love the idea of Genestealers and a swarm. I started but after putting together and painting a handful of Genestealers decided it was a bad idea that would take far too long – especially as I still wanted to add to The Emperor’s Feth. So I came about the idea that The Feth would be specialists at fighting Tyranids and began to model Tyranids onto my existing Astra Miltarum figures. I also built the army list to this theme. In order to fight the swarm I have lots of bullets, flamers and some snipers and lascannons for the bigger creatures. This hobby idea is still taking shape so you will see some ideas completed and some more develop as I complete projects this year.

Above: One of The Emperor’s Feth Chimeras

At the current time I am also halfway through painting a 40k Flesh Tearers army – more to come on that in a future post – but I still have lots of Feth to continue with yet. Anyway enough chat, let’s get to it with my current list of all the models that are completely painted:

Company Command Squad

Company Commander

2 Veterans with Meltaguns

1 Lascannon Heavy Weapon Team

1 Astropath

Chimera – Multilaser & Heavy Flamer

Platoon Command Squad

Platoon Commander

4 Troops with Flamers

Chimera – Multilaser & Heavy Flamer

Combined Troop Squad

2 x Troop squads

2 x Flamers

2 x Lascannon Heavy Weapon Teams

Commissar

Heavy Weapon Team

3 x Autocannons

Heavy Weapon Team

3 x Missile Launchers

Veteran Squad

3 Plasma Guns

Camo cloaks and snare mines

Chimera – Multilaser & Heavy Flamer

Ratling Squad

6 x Ratlings

Vendetta

10 man troop squad

Vendetta

Manticore

Heavy Flamer

Leman Russ Punisher

Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Heavy Bolter

Leman Russ Executioner

Plasma Sponsons

Heavy Flamer

Leman Russ Demolisher

Plasma Sponsons

Lascannon

Grand Total – 2000 points

Above: The current 2000pt army in all its glory.

As I said earlier, keep looking out for posts on ‘The Feth’ over the next few weeks where I will post more photos, discuss each unit and include how I painted it in detail.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

James

Space Hulk

Well I didn't think that my first blog post would be about space hulk. However the unexpected opportunity of my first ever game came about last night as Steve (one of the other 4 dads of the apocalypse) and I met up for a couple of hours.

Space Hulk is one game that I have wanted to play since I played Space Crusade on the Amiga 600 many moons ago. I love the simplicity of the idea, the tension and the claustrophobia that the game presents.

We only had time for one game and as I hadn't played before we decided on the first mission and that I play the part of the genestealers. This allowed me to play on a simple board and make plenty of mistakes that wouldn't lose me the game. Here is the board we played on:

So a quick battle report and then a separate post as a review of the game.

The Space Marine objective was to flame the control room - the most northern room. The Genestealer objective was to kill the flamer...

Turn 1

The space marines lumbered forward into the first room, working together 1 split to cover the southern corridor and their backs. The others faced the imminent danger of the blips approaching from the east and blocking their path to the objective.

Turn 2

As blips appear south and west the marines advance forward and open the eastern door revealing fangs and claws tearing down the corridor. The leader of the squad, the sergeant enters the corridor first and clicks into overwatch mode but his storm bolter jams leaving him vulnerable...

Turn 3

The sergeant doesn't panic and uses his experience under pressure to clear the jam and aim true cutting down the feverish genestealers tearing towards him with no mercy.

Turn 4

More aliens appear from the east and charge but the sergeant bellows a war cry, fills with battle rage and sprints forward to feel the glory of close combat. The marines behind trust their sergeant and flame the corridor preventing any aliens splitting the squad. The rearguard holds true as the threat also looms from the south...

Turn 5

The sergeant's power sword flashes as he cuts down all in front of him. Watching his sergeant's back the marine with the heavy flamer rounds the corner and hot promethium engulfs the corridor to the north burning a horde of aliens. The marine watching the rear fires true and extinguishes any threat from behind. The marines assert their authority...

Turn 6

It's decision time. The sergeant gives the order to split up as he advances to hold the southern corridor so that the others have time to move north and head towards the control room.

Sensing a break the genestealers make their move attacking from the south and east both in front and behind to force mistakes under pressure...

Turn 7

And there is the break for the aliens. The marine sergeant pulled up his storm bolter as the aliens rounded the corner only for a dull click to emanate from the trigger. A jam at the worst time cost him his life and left a gaping hole for the aliens to exploit...

Turn 8

The surviving marines collectively made their decision to move, move, move and get to the control room before being overwhelmed. The 2 remaining Storm bolter marines led the way protecting the heavy flamer and ready to sell their lives so that the mission could be successful...

Turn 9

The marines get forced back and surrounded in the close confines of the corridor but their shots count and genestealers litter the floor around their feet. Up to this point 29 have been terminated through marine ferocity.

Turn 10

The marines drive forward and break the tyranid assault fighting back to back to cover all angles as the heavy flamer marine breaks for the control room to the north and the successful completion of the mission.

The storm bolter marines set up overwatch covering fire across the north/south corridor to eliminate any threat...

Turn 11

One of the marines fighting back to back drops having been cut down. His partner glances behind him which gives a genestealer the fraction of a second it needs to make it across the corridor in front. As he realises his mistake and is pulled to the ground he glances past the corner in hope only to see his brother's heavy flamer clatter to the ground arm still attached. An apology to the god emperor exits his lips and the blackness descends...

So the tyranids win but only just. If the overwatch shots hadn't jammed the Blood Angels would have triumphed the very next turn! A very enjoyable game which really could have gone either way so thanks Steve but 1 - 0 to me for the blog!

Anyone have any experience of Space Hulk? I would love to hear of any really close games you've had.

Make sure to check my review of Space Hulk in my next post soon.

James