I’m excited to be returning to the Grand Narrative this year with the Rainbow Warriors. Atlanta is only about a 3 hour jaunt from my home, so I really have no excuse not to go and have a great time with like minded gamers. I’m going to miss the scenic views and green chillies that can only truly be found in Albuquerque, but I’m sure Atlanta won’t disappoint.
One advantage to driving over flying is that I’ll really be able to go all out and bring a full 3,000 point Order of Battle. This is going to be my first real attempt at using the new Space Marine codex, and I’m pretty stoked. Of course, every Space Marine player is contractually obligated to now have a Lieutenant with Combi-Weapon in their force, so this was the first unit I made sure to paint up for the Grand Narrative:
I had a wonderful time painting this guy. While mono-pose, he has great details and all of it is super easy to paint. I even got to do a surprise test run of my potential Tyranid scheme, Hive Fleet Esquilax. I hope to have many years of running this guy around the table annoying my opponent while being quite difficult to kill.
When the first previews of the new Space Marine codex came out, I was immediately driven to the Firestorm detachment. I always play a little too aggressive with my guys, so a detachment that rewards me for this is ideal for me. The Land Raider Redeemer is a natural fit for this detachment (although it can find a home in any, really), so this was next on my list to prep for the Grand Narrative. It’s been sitting in my backlog for about a decade now, and I’m glad to finally get it checked off.
Masking the top for the rainbow striping was one of the most difficult taping jobs I’ve done yet, but I love the final result. This machine is an absolute beast and I can’t wait for it to roll over the battlefields of the Palat system. I did want to get a unit of Terminators finished in time, but I just couldn’t make that stretch goal. It wasn’t really necessary, though, as the first order of battle I wrote was around 4,500 points alreadly. Whoops. I was able to pare it down to this:
Quick Order of Battle - click to Expand
Captain in Gravis Armor
Enhancement: The Flesh Is Weak
Apothecary Biologis
Judiciar
Lieutenant in Phobos Armour
Lieutenant with Combi-Weapon
Librarian in Phobos Armor
Techmarine
5x Intercessors
5x Assault Intercessors
Impulsor
6x Aggressors
6x Bladeguard Veterans
Brutalis Dreadnought
Gladiator Lancer
Hellblaster Squad
3x Inceptors
3x Inceptors
5x Incursors
5x Infernus Marines
5x Infiltrators
Land Raider Redeemer
Redemptor Dreadnought
Redemptor Dreadnought
Repulsor Executioner
Scout Squad
I’ve got a lot of armor, so it might be worth dipping into Ironstorm, but I think I’ll be sticking with Firestorm for the 6 games we’ve got this weekend. The one enhancement I decided to go with is the 4+ Feel No Pain on my Gravis Captain. Historically a lot of Fame or Infamy requirements at these things have required your warlord to stay alive, and there’s few better ways to do that than ignoring a ton of wounds. Especially when that guy is already halving damage.
I’ve been assigned to Battlegroup 11, the Heralds of Truth, alongside fellow author Jack and his Imperial Fists and a few other Goonhammer writers, so I’m sure to have a blast. The only snag I’ve run into is forgetting my display board at home, totally forgot to pick it up after taking the photo above. Not a huge deal as I have one of those handy army carts to make travelling between battlezones pretty easy.
I’ll be sure to update you all when I get back home with how the Rainbow Warriors faired fighting for the Pact of Enlightenment, and if you see me around give me a shout!
