Epic Knights and Epic box art

 During our game of Adeptus Titanicus the other week, I also dug out my Epic Knights and admired once again the fantastic box art and model photography of these big box games.

AT88 box art.

Number 1 son had fun playing with all the various weapons I have.  I won an eBay lot of 16 Warlords many years ago and have lots to use!  I have a couple of metal Reaver Titans there too.

 I started using some of the bits to build some alternate weapon heads for my Titans, inspired by the Colin Dixon-designed metal ones that GW released around 1990-91.  I constructed a carapace landing pad too, though it's only a square of plasticard with a magnet mounting underneath, more work needed!

 The Imperial Knights (presumably the "one man titans" mentioned in an earlier White Dwarf as something that would have been in the never-released Codex Titanicus II) were a bit of an oddity.  I really loved the models, and got a set of each, but never really got to use them.

My Knights Paladin are accompanied by a couple of plastic Knights from the Titan Legions box.  I never had Titan Legions, but did pick up a second hand set of the Knights to bolster my forces.  The plastic Knights were obviously based on the metal knight on the left, with chainsword and battlecannon.  I was slightly disappointed in the rules, I had hoped for more weapon variety, the same as larger Titans, but they all counted as a battle cannon and generic close combat weapon.  That Paladin with a power fist and multi-melta would have been great!

Knights Paladin

I have a couple of Warhound Titans, one of which is seen here leading my Knight Lancers.  I picked up an extra Lancer from somewhere, handy because the rules in WD gave minimum unit sizes of 4 and the Knights were sold in packs of 3.  These all had a las-cannon and 2 multi-lasers.  2 of the 3 designs clearly had las-cannon, but the lead Lancer weapon looks more like a battle cannon.

Warhound & Knights Lancer

Wardens were slow-moving, heavily armoured units, with a battle cannon and 2 multi-lasers.  That fits the centre & right models, but the left one obviously has a multi-launcher instead (would presumably count as a grade 2 weapon for AT88/SM).

Wardens

 The model photography for Adeptus Titanicus and Space Marine was comparable to that which appeared in White Dwarf at the time.  These were obviously much more involved photo shoots than those which appeared from 1990-91 onwards.  Time was taken to disguise the bases with flock, "smoke" was blown across the battlefield to give a greater sense of atmosphere.  Most of the scenery was scratch built or modified model railway or 1/300 WWII resin scenery.  The AT88 pictures exclusively feature the prototype metal Warlord Titans.  Within a year or two, photography focussed more on the individual paint jobs, with models simply grouped on a gaming board with some scenery arrayed around them.  They would still "tell a story", but not with the same atmosphere that you got from these older images.  A lot of the artistry was gone.  Make sure you click on the images to view them at a larger size so you can appreciate the amount of detail in them!

AT88 model photography.

The same city walls can be seen in the box art for Space Marine, but here the Titans are plastic Warlords, along with the metal Reavers, Warhounds and Eldar Phantom.  The Space Marines, Land Raiders and Rhinos are the metal ones released for Adeptus Titanicus, not the plastic ones included in the Space Marine box.

Space Marine model photography.

The Warp Runners "Sunburst Group" task force picture from White Dwarf made a big impact on me when I originally saw it.

"Sunburst Group" Warp Runners Titans.

It's interesting to see where much of the scenery in the original AT88 photo-shoots originated.  The towering scenery, tiny Space Marines and smoke all come together to make a great battle scene.

Original battle scene.

"Legions of Power" toys have been used for the block structure atop the tower on the left of the photo, augmented with some lattice steelwork to help give a sense of scale.  A hemispherical Legions of Power connector sticks up from one corner, with a Blue Zoid gun and dish antenna on top.  Incidentally, a Legions of Power cockpit made its way into a 40K scale Scout Titan that appeared in a later issue of White Dwarf, along with parts from the Red Scavenger Zoid.  Guns from the Dark Future plastic kits appear in various guises.  Some were also used in White Dwarf to convert Rhino APCs into what looked like an early form of proto-Predator tank.  There looks to be an electric motor used as the base of a tower.  The warehouses in the foreground are from a resin WWII/modern scenery range sold by a long-closed company, I think it was TableTopGames ("TTG").  I ordered a lot of their scenery (from a photocopied paper mail-order catalogue - no internet then!) to use for BattleTech and recognised the warehouse when my order arrived.  There are obviously bits from various railway model kits in there, probably N gauge.  Those fuel silos on the left - maybe started life as ping-pong balls?  I'm not sure, but the storage tank, back right, might have been 25mm scenery from Ainsty Castings.

Annotated battle scene.

I hope you've found these ramblings of interest!

Adeptus Titanicus 1988

 I tried a game of the original Adeptus Titanicus from 1988 with Number 1 son.  AT88 included 6 Warlord Titans with interchangeable weapons, 8 expanded polystyrene buildings, 2 range rulers, dice and rules.  20 or so years ago, I magnetised my Titan weapons and started painting my loyalists in Warp Runners colours and traitors in Death's Heads' colours.  One day I might summon the courage to try painting the flames on the Warp Runner legs and carapace!

We played a simple game, 2 Nemesis class Warlords on each side.

Death's Heads.

Warp Runners.

We faced each other across a city using my card/plastic Space Marine buildings.  I only used the tall ones, so that they would block LOS completely.

The battlefield.

On the right, both sides gave Advance orders.  As the titans came into range, void shields flared as plasma fire, autocannon and multi-launcher missiles flickered back and forth.

Exchanging fire as they close.

On the left, the Titans moved more slowly and exchanged fairly ineffectual long-range fire.

Long range duel.

Turn 2 resulted in Charge orders for the Death's Head on the left flank, closing the gap quickly.  Both sides managed to repair a couple of void shields.

Closing the distance.

On the right, void shields winked out under sustained las-cannon, autocannon and heavy plasma gun fire, followed by a powerful plasma cannon blast.  The traitor staggered back as both close combat arms crashed to the ground.  The close combat titan was left without power fist or chainfist!

Goodbye close combat weapons!

Continuous fire pummelled the Titan, striking deep into the hull.  Plasma, lasers and explosive shells wreaked havoc, damaging first the plasma reactor, then the MIU (Mind Impulse Units - how the crew control the Titan via neural links), legs and a carapace weapon mount.

Leg, reactor, MIU damage...

 On the left flank, Charge orders bring the loyalist into contact with the traitor.  Weapons fire flickers back and forth as the Titans close, the Warp Runner losing a multi-launcher while the Death's Head's Defence Laser is blown off.  The Warp Runner's chainfist scores a single close combat hit before being disabled by return fire in the next turn.  Both Titans have lost their void shield generators, though at this close range the shields would have merged anyway, offering no protection from each other.

Damage mounts on both sides...

Finally, the inevitable happens. As the Death's Head on the right stands immobile, desperately trying to repair the reactor, the Warp Runner pounds it with every weapon.  Peppered by autocannon shells, las-cannon and maximal plasma gun/cannon fire, after 5 or 6 "no further damage" rolls, luck finally runs out for the traitor as the reactor loses containment and the Titan is engulfed in a plasma reactor breach.

First traitor Titan suffers reactor meltdown.

On the left flank, the Warp Runner is lucky enough to fire first.  Multi-launcher missiles spray armour fragments across the battlefield and a Defence Laser shot pierces the traitor plasma reactor.  Standing close to the traitor, the Warp Runner's MIUs are fried by the plasma explosion and the crew are left stunned.

Fortunately for them, the Imperial forces have triumphed.  All that remains of the traitor forces are 2 craters filled with radioactive lava.  The Emperor Protects!

Necromunda game

Something a little different today. While my friend Howard was home to see his parents I was able to pop over for a couple of games.  Our second game of the evening was Necromunda, the old GW small unit skirmish game using a modified version of the 2nd edition WH40K rules.  Click on the photographs for a larger view.  I took lots, mainly to show off Howard's fantastic scenery!  Of particular note is the monument covered with tiny notices, all individually painted and glued on.

Scenery is a mixture of foamcore, GW Cities of Death bits, IMEX platformer, Hirst Arts (plaster moulded doors, lots of the crates, barrels etc.), Ramshackle Games (vehicles), Black Cat Bases (vending machines and other scatter scenery) and assorted bits of wire, old electronics parts, steel mesh, toilet ballcock and more...

Howard's army was the (better painted) Scavvies, mine were the outnumbered Cawdors.  The scenario: Scavengers (pp.154-155 of the hardback rulebook), 5 glass beads are scattered around the table representing loot that gangers can pick up...
 

Scavvies rush forward on multiple levels.

Cawdor gangers make their way up one of the towers.

Cawdor boss dashes forward to pick up the first loot.

Another Cawdor grabs the second loot.

Scavvies approach their first loot marker.

Cawdor Juve takes cover behind a vending machine.

Cawdor heavy (old Kryomek figure) and Juve with invisible pistol.

Cawdor gangers watch for the Scavvies.

Scavvies cautiously creep forwards...

Scavvy Scaly looks out over the underhive...

Scavvy spots a Cawdor in the distance!

Scavvies cross the bridge towards two Cawdor gangers.

Plague zombies shamble towards a Cawdor ganger.

View across the table.

Howard's fantastic scenery and Scavvies.

Aaaaagh!  Plague zombie attack!  As the Cawdor fights for his life...

Scavvies lurk below him - and they've found a ladder!

Zombie and 2 additional Scavvies taken down - but look out!

Cawdor Juve has the loot - but Scavvies close in!

Cawdor ganger gives covering fire.

Cawdor heavy and his woefully ineffective heavy stubber.

Scary Scaly thunders across the bridge towards the Cawdors!

Scavvy boss and one of his minions are down!

There's too many of them!  Scavvies attack from all sides.

Scavvies, zombies and Scalies everywhere you look!

Down goes the Cawdor.

My Cawdor gang - boss, heavy, 4 gangers, 3 juves.

Howard's excellently painted Scavvy horde

Plague zombies on left, Scavvies on right.

Scavvy boss flanked by Scalies.

More Scavvies, inluding a 3-armed mutant.

A fun game, although the Cawdors were hugely outnumbered the majority managed to survive, mainly thanks to very flukey die rolls!  We didn't play the game to its conclusion but I had 3 of the 5 loot counters and had taken down the Scavvy boss, a zombie or two - but there were still plenty out there!