A Legion Rises

I had a pretty good idea of the look I was aiming for and decided to do some paint test, partly to ensure I could achieve the look I wanted, but also to work out a process that would be straightforward and repeatable. As the majority of each model was armoured, my approach would be to tackle the armour first, before painting in the non armoured areas.

For this I used some spare shields that I primed with a can of GW’s Retributor Armour.

I wanted to break up the majority gold of the armoured areas with a bronze or copper colour and so used GW Balthasar Gold on the more decorative features. I would also be using a silver for the more functional aspects of the miniature and so applied GW Ironbreaker to each shield boss.

I had initially intended to try three different washes, Army Painter Soft and Mid tones, as well as GW Agrax Earthshade. However as I had four shields I decided to try Drakenhorf Nightshade as well. I’ve used this wash a lot to tarnish silver armour in the past but generally wouldn’t use it on gold.

I was glad I had tried the Drakenhorf as at this stage it was my preferred result out of the four. I hadn’t anticipated how much the blue would desaturate the gold, making it look more aged and less decorative than the other samples. The next stage was to bring the detail out with a little dry brushing. For this I used Gehenna’s Gold over the entire shield, avoiding the shield boss.

I then dry brushed Runefang Steel over the whole shield in order to add a tarnished appearance to the metal, while also adding a bright highlight. The final step was to add a verdigris effect by using Model Mates Mould weathering fluid.

I applied the weathering liberally but used a fairly small brush as I wanted the Verdigris in some of the deeper recesses, as well as on the armoured surface. What’s lovely about these fluids is that they are water soluble, allowing you to adjust their placement if you aren’t happy with how they land on application. The result is an aged look to the metal with some nice contrast between the turquoise and gold. Hopefully the following image shows the variations between the shields more clearly, though it is fairly subtle!

The three members of my command retinue are the most extensive kit bashes I built for this small force. Each member of the retinue is based on a body from the Anathanoi/Varangian kit.

As you would expect, the Bodyguard is the tank of the unit, with a shield improving his defensive abilities. He also has the Tenacious rule, which allows his regiment to ignore one failed defence roll each time it is attacked. This Bodyguard uses the arms from a Praetorian and the head of the Legionnaires unit leader. I also used a set of Praetorian shoulder pads with the right pad cut down, to add a little more armour to the model.

Next we have the Duelist, who is probably my favourite member of the retinue. I came very close to building two of these.  With one more attack than the other members of the retinue, plus Flurry and Flawless Strike, I anticipate the Duelist will outperform the others in combat. He also has the Parry ability, giving him a degree of protection against incoming attacks. I had originally planned to use Athanatoi arms on this model (which would’ve been a lot easier!), but I liked the way the Praetorian arms gave a different look to the model, so I opted for a little conversion work. The head is taken from the legion kit and uses the plume from one of the Praetorian helmets.

The final member of the retinue is the Warrior who is the hardest hitting of the trio. Although he won’t be landing as many blows at the Duelist, Cleave 2 ensures that when he hits he will punch through enemy defences. However with no other abilities I suspect the Warrior may prove the least versatile of the retinue options.

This model was built with the arms and axe of a Varangian but like the others has a head taken from the legionaries kit. A single Praetorian shoulder pad adds a little bulk and changes his silhouette from the standard Varangian model.

Unfortunately the Varangian and Legionnaires kits have very different head joins. This meant a bit more effort was required to do what could’ve been a simple head swap!

For anyone attempting this, as the Varangian heads and necks are cast as a single piece, It is necessary to trim the head away with clippers and a blade. I used a needle file to shape the cut edges roughly into a neck stump before gluing to the body. Once the glue has set you can work more easily on the neck to make it compatible with the legionaries socket joint.

The  final stage of army construction would bring my list to 800 points, the standard for a game of First Blood. I already had an additional Praetorian built from my first entry (he had been superseded by the Standard Bearer once I had the parts I’d needed to build one). Placing him in the Pretorian Regiment increased their number to eight models, bringing them in line with the legionaries units.

With 120 points remaining I looked to build a retinue for my Commander. After some deliberation I opted for one of each type from the Combat Retinue section. These weigh in at 30 points apiece and although my usual approach would be to go for a job specific combination (three bodyguards for example), I wanted to try out all three to see how each performed.

More on the retinue models in the next entry but with 30 points still to spend I figured that my Xiliarch could benefit from a weapon upgrade. It was a choice between Skofnung and Severian’s Dagger, either of which would use up my remaining points. I opted for the Dagger as it comes with the Flurry and Deadly Blades special rules. This seemed like a nice complement to the Cleave 1 the Xiliarch already possesses, plus the dagger also gives the bearer Parry, further improving their defensive capabilities.

My force now comprised of three units of eight models, each with an Officer and Standard Bearer. Owing to the Xiliarch’s Pentrachoi special rule, at full strength these units would count as Ten models for the purpose of scoring objectives. They also count as being within his command range at all times, so long as the Standards are in play. I was hoping this would give me a force that was durable while retaining a strategic advantage due to the elongated command range and scoring bonuses. The Optio’s also bring a high degree of mobility to the list with their Endless March Command. As for the Commander himself, I was confident that his retinue and upgrades would allow him to hold his own against most opponents.

The next target I had set myself was to reach 650 points. I wanted to bulk up my regiments and add a bit more punch to each of them with the introduction of more officers. As the first Legionnaires Regiment already had an Optio, I simply added two more legionaries to this unit, bringing them to a total of eight.

The second Legionnaires Regiment gained an additional Legionary along with an Optio, making it identical to the first. This gave me two decent sized units, while the ‘Endless March’ command ability from each of the Optio’s would add manoeuvrability to the army overall. The second Optio was constructed in the same manner as the first, although this time using a standard Praetorian head sporting one of the larger helmet crests.

The Praetorian regiment would be joined by a Profane Reliquary. As with the Optio, a model is available but I was keen to build something unique and so created this hybrid between Athanatoi and Praetorian. I’m going with the idea that the mask and swords are the relics referred to in his title, and will need to paint them accordingly.

I now had an Officer for each of my units and with just 25 points left decided to add some extra protection to my Xiliarch. Aventine Armour seemed the obvious choice as it used up my remaining points and grants the wearer the Hardened special rule, reducing the effectiveness of incoming enemy attacks.

I was aiming to build my force up to 500 points in order to try a few games and get familiar with the rules. With this in mind I ordered another set of Legionnaires as well as the newly released Varangian set. With the arrival of fresh meat (rotten meat?), I had the bodies I needed to bulk up my force, as well as a new set of components to build a few unique characters.

First up I built a second unit of Legionnaires, along with a Standard Bearer. This unit was comprised of five Legionaries and would be led by an Optio.

Although an Optio model is available, I wanted to add a bit of flavour to my force by kit bashing my own. I used one of the bodies from the Legionaries set and the arms from an Athanatoi (With the sword cut from the left hand as a Shield would go here). I also took the fur shoulders from a Varangian guard which fitted pretty snugly after a little trimming and a dip in boiling water! The figure was topped off with the Pretorian unit leader head.

The Praetorians themselves were in need of a Standard and as I had already used both of the Legion ones I had, I instead took the standard from the Athanatoi, giving a unique look to the regiment.

Along with the models I had previously built I now had three units of six, each with a Standard. I also had a single officer in the form of the Optio and my Xiliarch Commander. This brought the list to an even 500, giving me a pretty decent force for my first few games.

We have a little tradition in our gaming group that every time a birthday comes around we pitch in for a gaming or hobby gift. And so it was that my journey into undeath began on my birthday! 

Sent directly to me from the OTT store, courtesy of my gaming buddies, I received the Xiliarch and a set of Legionnaires to get my first blood army underway. Not to mention a little token of love from the crew, thanks guys.

I had worked out that with just these two sets I could build a 350 point force. I started by building the Xiliarch, who would be my Commander. The Xiliarch’s ‘Pentarchoi’ rule entitles Legionnaire and Pretorian units under his command to include a Standard Bearer at six models (rather than the usual 12). With this in mind I built six Legionnaires, along with a regiment standard. 

The remaining six models I built as Praetorians and although they too would be eligible for a standard, the set only came with one, so for now they would have to do without. I left the shields off the models for the moment, as this would make painting a lot easier.

I had plans to increase the size of both regiments in the near future but for the time being I would need to wait for reinforcements. At this stage I had a respectable 350 points and was well on my way to playing my first game.