Ordo Acerbus

Ultramarines 1988

2009-09-06T04:28:32-07:00

January 1988, and White Dwarf 97 included the first ever installment of the ‘Index: Astartes’ column. This gave a detailed description of the background and organisation of the Ultramarines chapter.

Reading it now, it is clear that the 40k background has gone through some significant changes before it settled into what we know today. Some examples are:

The Ultramarines are a third Founding chapter, given number XIII after it was removed from one of the ‘Treacher Legions’. (The Ultramarines are a First Founding Legion/Chapter so their number couldn’t be changed).

My Armies

2010-05-28T10:03:45-07:00

Selections from my collection of wargames miniatures.

Red Corsairs

2010-06-01T11:45:45-07:00

The Red Corsairs are a Chaos Space Marines army for Warhammer 40,000. Originally formed from the remnants of the traitor Astral Claws chapter, their numbers have been swelled by like-minded deserters fleeing Imperial persecution.

What To Do About the Inquisition

2010-06-02T05:19:34-07:00

Some background – I’m a long time 40k player, having started my Imperial Guard army when the 1st edition plastic boxed set came out, and my Sisters of Battle when the 2nd edition Codex came out. I even have one of those old ‘Inquisitor in Terminator Armour’ models.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

2010-06-02T05:20:53-07:00

In which I discuss whatever gaming topic I happen to have been thinking about at some time.

Competitive play in 40k

2010-06-04T12:48:35-07:00

As alluded to elsewhere on this site, I’ve played 40k since not long after the first edition came out. At the time of writing, that is about 22 years. A lot has changed in that time.

One thing that has grown hugely, especially since 3rd ed, is competitive/tournament play, and a corresponding move in internet discussion to focusing on the ‘best list’. A brief glance at ‘tactics’ forums around the web will show that nearly all that is considered is the choice of units, and there is a new generation of gamers who don’t even understand why someone would use a ‘non-competitive list’.

Gaming League '89 - '90

2010-06-11T07:11:14-07:00

In 1989 – 1990, GW ran some gaming leagues in their stores. They included a few different games, but I’m going to focus on the Warhammer 40,000 league. I didn’t play, since I was too far from a participating shop, but I have the rules which I’ve scanned so you can see what I’m talking about (170kB PDF).

Army List

At the time, only a few armies had lists, and they weren’t very consistent. So for the league they made the interesting decision of providing one specific list for everyone to use. Not surprisingly, it was Space Marines, and was a cut-down version of the Space Marine list of the time.

Hive Gang Militia

2010-07-09T11:21:32-07:00

Untrained and poorly equipped, the militia gang is hardly of military quality. A desperate commander will look on them as a cheap way to bolster his force, however.

A Hive Gang Militia is a Troops choice for any Pragmatic army.

Imperial Guard Land Speeders

2010-07-09T11:36:02-07:00

On some more technologically advanced worlds, these poor copies of Space Marine equipment find their way into the regular armies.

Guard Land Speeders are a Fast Attack choice for an Imperial Guard army.