Fluff Friday: Toughness

I found this discussion over on the Tyranid Hive about GW 'logic' and found the part discussing the real life values of Toughness characteristics very interesting. It made lots of things make a lot more sense and some things make a whole lot less sense. It basically explains the toughness chart as an exponential increase with T6 being roughly equal to an AV10 vehicle. 

Very interesting and though provoking. 

*Note* This section of my blog seems to be getting ever-more elastic as I don't seem to be concentrating on what I originally intended, the fun, contradicting and interesting fluff of 40K. Do you find the direction this section is going good or boring? Please vote below.

Fluff Friday: Vleast Planetary Analysis

Hey everyone. I have let this slip recently but not any more. I shall strive to complete a 'Fluff Friday' every week and keep myself motivated.

So here's the first in a rethought of the series where I will also include my own fluff inventions, mainly focusing on the system and war I am creating for my friends' and I's armies to play. Here is an introduction to the planet, an Imperial Analysis.

Vleast IV Planetary Survey

Date: 978.M41

Planetary/System Analysis:

Taros System: 6 planets (I – VI), 2 habitable (Vleast IV, Vleast III)

Size: Equatorial Distance: 14,000 miles

Gravity: 1.13G

Satellites: 1 Large Moon, Vleast IV.I (Local Designation – Peticrus)

Rotation Speed: 11,000 mph (1 rotation every 4 Terran hours)

Climate Classification: Extreme – Hyper Tropical

Star Orbit: 2.6 Terran years

Star Class: F (Giant Star)

Land/Ocean Ratio: 32.6% Land, 67.4% Ocean and River

Closest Astartes Homeplanet: Salamanders, Nocturne

Closest Xenos Species: Tau Empire, Fal’shia

Population Analysis:

Imperial Colonisation Status: Abandoned

Colonisation Date: 910.M41 – 972.M41

Planetary Government: Devolved, Tribal

Human Population: 4,000,000 approx.

Xenos Population: Native – *Indiscernible*, Alien – Suspected Tau Colonists

Fluff Friday: Mephiston

Today I am going to talk about Mephiston and his extremely odd background. Although his rules are quite amazing and his stats extremely strange for an infantry Space Marine, even a character, his background explains it all even if it is weird too. 

The basics of it for those who don't is that Mephiston was once a Librarian until he was overtaken by the Black Rage and put amongst the Death Company for his glorious death in madness like all those before him. However when at the front of an assault in an Imperial city he was buried underneath a collapsed building and stuck fast. Even in his rage he was unable to move and had to endure a week of insanity before he overcame the Black Rage. He burst from the rubble as Mephiston, transformed into a monster of incredible strength, psychic ability and toughness. Typical of a Space Marine he then butchered a couple hundred Orks and now appears where he is needed most.

Now that's some weird fluff. Trapped under a building until he turned into a complete close combat beast. I couldn't imagine a more 10 year old invented story.

But imagine if the Blood Angels managed to make all of their Death Company into Mephistons by making them endure and overcome their Black Rage. Armies of Mephistons. 

That would be scary. 

Fluff "Friday": 4th Edition Space Marine Traits

OK it's not Friday. Well not here, it might be Friday somewhere else but anyway. I'm a busy/forgetful person.

I've been reading through my old codex's recently with not much else to do with the snow and all. Its interesting to see conflicts between codex's and things that have been added or removed. One of these things is in the old 4th edition Space Marine Codex. The Chapter Traits is a little section at the back of the book detailing many different traits of different chapters, organising them into groups like Wise, Courageous and Zealous.

This is the codex in question.

Friday Fluff: Falcon Sky-Dive

Todays fluff is about the Falcon (the only Eldar tank I haven't tried yet) but will also be a little rant. To me this is a perfect example of GW lack of Fluff to Rules ability and general common sense. It is the opposite to the Raveners last time, they were given acute senses, but no shooting weapon?!?

Anyway, here's the bit of fluff I'm talking about, it's found in the Falcon unit entry in the Eldar codex:

Many Falcon pilots specialise in flying hidden within the clouds only to dive from the skies, pulse lasers and shuriken weapons spitting death into the ranks of the enemy.

Or Tank-shock, it's all the same.

Friday Fluff: Tyranid Ravener Senses

Second installment of my Friday Fluff series, this time about one of my favourite units in the Tyranid Codex, Raveners. Firstly here's the piece of fluff from the unit entry I am talking about:

'Though Raveners have a merest fraction of the Warrior's intellect, their auditory and visual senses are far superior. A Ravener's hearing and vision are sensitive to a broad range of vibrations and energy-bands. As a result, a Ravener can hear the smallest tremor on the surface and it can 'see' the energy-forms emitted by vox transmissions, sensor-stealth technology and even the emissions of teleport homers. So accurate are the Raveners senses that even a small brood can effectively seize upon an unguarded signal, instinctively tracking its point of origin and following the electromagnetic waves to its source. Thus does the technology of the Raveners enemies become their undoing.'

I smell prey.......

Friday Fluff: Dark Reaper Armour

Ok this is a quick post as I just had 2 teeth out (wasn't too sore) but I thought I should share this cool thing I learned a year or so ago about Dark Reapers.

'All who fear death, fear the Reaper.'

It was basically that I heard from a GW staff guy I was talking to told me that the Dark Reaper is meant to be like a solid exoskeleton, unlike all of the other eldar armour. It not only 'locks' in place when it's time to fire but also acts like the Iron Man suit from Iron Man, holding the weight of the gun and moving in time with the wearer sot they feel no weight and is easy to aim and fire. The Reapers can also 'see' through their gun's muzzle through a psychic link to gain unprecedented accuracy.

Very cool.