Colonel Audacian watched as his regiment assembled. Boots
crunched in perfect synchronicity, a gratifying vindication of hard hours spent
on the drill ground.
Imperial and regimental colours flapped in the wind as
the vast columns took up their positions.
Audacian was proud of his regiment. He was proud of every
soldier who stood before him. And unlike many imperial commanders, he went to
great lengths to keep his troops alive.
Through skilful diplomacy and radical battlefield
tactics, he had minimised casualties. Their campaign had seen them liberate
planets from heretics and conquer new worlds for the Emperor. And all at low
loss of life.
But Audacian was woken from his thought by the serpent whisper of the commissar who stood by his side.
“The time to let blood for the Emperor is nigh.”
The commissar almost seemed to enjoy the thought of the
guard suffering mass losses.
Audacian had noticed the steady increase in the number of
commissars attached to his regiment. They would arrive, unannounced, and follow
officers and NCOs at all times. The commander himself was now under constant
surveillance.
Perhaps his refusal to sacrifice the lives of his men had
roused suspicion. The imperial administration expected officers to be ruthless.
And now he faced an impossible situation. He had been
given a direct order to mount a full regimental frontal assault on a heavily
defended position. With commissars now everywhere, he could not see a way to
avoid this suicidal strategy.
Audacian felt the commissar’s hard stare. He cleared his
throat, drew his sword and ordered the advance.
I was 7 when my dad and I first stumbled upon a Games
Workshop. Already obsessed with toy soldiers, I insisted that we go in. Weeks
of pocket money was invested in the plastic imperial guard box set and now it
feels only right that 35 years later I get round to painting them!
Inspired by that superb John Blanche cover art, I’m planning
massed ranks of infantry, with plenty of banners! White Dwarf issues 109-115
will provide lists and painting guides (Although in the spirit of Rogue Trader,
points values are secondary to narrative!)
Speaking of narrative, I do love a bit of fluff! I will
certainly be taking the opportunity to expand on Audacian and the sinister commissars!
I also want to thank the wonderful community for stepping
forward and providing essential miniatures for the project. Graeme, Joseph, Auke
and Glyn – thank you! You are all heroes and the Emperor will smile upon you!
I can’t wait for this challenge. There are a lot of
brilliant projects to look forward to. Best of luck to everyone!
Points:
1 X command section:
280 points
2 x tactical squads @
200 points each: 400 points
1 x white shields
squad: 200 points
1 x support squad:
445 points
5 x commisars @ 45
points each: 225
1 x land speeder: 200 points
Total: 1,750
You have a really promising and impressive project! The Imperial Guard and that box are very nostalgic for me as well, although I painted mine back in the day as members of the Genestealer Cult. The artwork you chose is excellent and I'm sure your army will look great in those colours. Best of luck in the upcoming challenge!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really inspiring one. Great selection of models!
ReplyDeleteI also just finished watching your first Youtube update. Looking forward to seeing this project move forward, it's going to be a special one