Iannick's Red Templars - An introduction

And they shall know no fear

So when I decided to include Rogue Trader\40K to the OWAC (after some polite lobying from a few members) I decided I would join that wave. 

I have a complicated relationship with the 40K universe. Like many 80s Oldhammerers, I started with Fighting Fantasy books, then RPGs, then Warhammer Fantasy (3rd edition). After some fantasy gaming with mostly unpainted figures, I got Rogue Trader in my early teens and I played a lot of it for around 2 years with my best friend, my Imperial Guards vs his Eldars. Then puberty came, along with parties, drugs, girls and we stopped playing. When I came back to the hobby in my college years I didn't really like the direction 40K had been going, and I plunged back into fantasy, never to look back.

Since then, I painted a few sci-fi figs, lots of Epic, but never 40K, although the aesthetics of Rogue Trader, and to a lesser extent 2nd, still pleases me. 

I figured this edition of the OWAC was my opportunity to get back into the far future, after more than 25 years! I contemplated rebuilding an IG force, but quickly settled for Space Marines. When I was younger I always wanted to paint marines but I found them intimidating. Lots of flat surfaces, edge highlights, and the need to do free hands on those pauldron put me off. No more! 

The real and agonizing choice came next. What chapter to do?! I didn't want to do one of the classic ones, I wanted something unique, and none of the Badab wars colour scheme really tempted me that much either. And there was also the question of transfers, as I'm still shite at freehands.

So I decided to go with my childhood dream and build my own. Looking at my favourite iconography, I settled on using Fleur de Lys (I'm from Québec, with french ancestors, and I have a soft spot for them). And then while perusing the Web I realized there was already a Chapter sporting the Fleur de Lys, the Red Templars. I even liked their colours, which were classics and had an old school RT vibe to them. So a decision was made! Even better, transfers were easily available from a number of vendors specializing in historical transfers. Case closed.

The Red Templars are also a very obscure Chapter, and its lore has never been explored by GW. That leaves me tons of creative options when it comes to its history, markings, etc. Yes, the pieces of the puzzles were coming together nicely.

Then it was just a question of putting a force together. I wanted to stay true to a Rogue Trader force as much as possible and wanted to make it infantry heavy as a core. Obviously painting all those classic models I saw in WD as a kid. Beakie heavy, as I still don't understand to this day the dislike GW has for that fine helmet. 

I almost had a huge disaster late November, when I realized the 20 odd plastic beakies I had were pretty much useless, but fellow challenger John Ratcliffe came to the rescue and saved my ass with not only a squads of RTB01 beakies, but a RT dreadnought to boot! One of the many things I love about this hobby, the helping each other out!

So, let's look at that project shall we?

1st Company, Red Templars, Harrowing of the Night Reapers campaign

2nd Tactical Squad (crappy picture, as you can see these are already sitting pretty on my painting table. Just a few hours left before paint is applied)

3rd Tactical squad (all RTB01 plastic marines)

1st tactical (veteran) squad, with Lieutenant. Bit short at the moment, I know. I'm waiting for reinforcements before deciding the other figures I'll use. My plan is to use helmetless marines, marines with weird armours, terminator honours marines, etc. to make this a bad ass looking veteran outfit.

Terminator Tactical Squad, with Captain

Specialists (Medics, Techmarines)

My Wild Card stuff; Dreadnought, Robot and an Assassin. Because it's Rogue Trader and I want an assassin!

Command group; Lieutenant-Commander Martin (with the mechanical leg, of course), Company Standard Bearer, Chaplain and Librarian

There might be a surprise or two depending on how things go

Tentative Army list (I went pretty vanilla on upgrades. After all the goal is not the min-max a list but to paint) :

- Lieutenant Commander Martin (Major Hero) : 94 pts

- Lieutenant (Minor Hero) : 50 pts

- Chaplain (Champion) : 19 pts

- Librarian (Epistolary) : 50 pts

- 2 Techmarines : 34 pts

- 2 Medics (Champion) : 68 pts

- 3x Tactical squads : 750 pts

- 1x Terminator squad : 450 pts

- Terminator Captain (Hero) : 150 pts

- Contemptor Dreadnought : 201 pts

- Conqueror Robot : 160 pts

For a nice total of 2026 pts! 

The OWAC can now officially begin in a mere two hours. They are 39 challengers this edition, which is our record (what have I done?!) and they are some truly great and unique projects this year. I wish best of luck to all the challengers ballsy enough to join this event, and a personnal thank you for all the great offerings you worked on. Now, fuck 2020 and let's get this party started!