After some soul searching, model counting and browsing of online stores I have my first draft for the LatD force design. While the notion of using a “common” set of cultists and mutants was very appealing from a painting perspective, it would really limit opportunities for unique conversions. So I tried to find a way where I could use my existing ~40 bases for some of the Gods and then add more readily available models for the remaining Covens. Below is the result. I don’t quite have enough Covens for all the support options but in all cases I am only one unit below the required count. The individual forces per God are each around 2000 points so any combination of two forces should fully cover a 3000 points game (point values taken from NetEA LatD Beta list). Photos of conversion models are all from the actual manufacturers. I will still have to paint my own 🙂
Noted below are the force organisation, design ideas and my first cut of conversion sources. Comments on the playability and modelling ideas are welcome.
Lost and the Damned
Khorne Warband = 3185
Design Notes: The iconic imagery is aggressive assault, savage beasts, martial combat, skulls, etc. Models will be painted in brown and dark red tones. Metal will be rusted or brass. Green accent colours. The force is fully mobile to go with the assault theme. This works well with the Daemon Engines which portray a similar image.
Sigmatus Covenant Covens – Khorne (2x Mobile with hounds = 2x 420, 1x Foot with Altar = 450)
3 Aspiring Champions
19 Mutants (mix of beastmen and various daemons)
15 Big Mutants (mix of minotaurs, trolls and ogryns)
6 Chaos Hounds (use DRM Critters)
18 Land Transporter (use GHQ trucks)
1 Chaos Altar (stone altar with old Bloodletter statues pulled by old Fleshhounds)
Sigmatus Covenant Support Covens – Khorne (4 formations)
1 Lord of Battle = 400
15 Daemon Engines (3 units + 3 spares) = 3x 300
Cross-Over Units from Black Legion =595 (already painted)
1 Daemon Prince =50
1 Bloodthirster =75
8 Bloodletter = 8x 20
8 Fleshhounds = 8x 20
8 Juggernauts (can be used as Rough Rider) = 150
Nurgle Warband = 1925
Design Notes: The inconic imagery is decay, rats, mutation, slow but steady, etc. WM Skaven models help to capture this image while differentiating the mutants from the martial Khorne models . Paint with green and bone/brown colours. The force is assault oriented but on foot for that inevitable slow wave theme. The Daemon Engines augment this slow and steady concept (the Rough Rider are fast but their models at least will look sluggish).
Sigmatus Covenant Coven – Nurgle (1x Foot with hounds and spawn = 335, 1x Foot with hounds, spawn and altar = 505)
2 Chaos Space Marine Aspiring Champion
8 Mutants (left-over models with Green Stuff)
8 Cultists (left-over models with Green Stuff)
9 Big Mutants (using WM Rat Ogres)
2 Chaos Spawn (using WM Chaos Spawn)
1 Chaos Altar (WM Screaming Bell pushed by WM River Trolls)
6 Chaos Hounds (using WFB giant rats with handlers)
Sigmatus Covenant Support Covens – Nurgle (3 formations)
1 Plague Tower = 325
4 Contagion Towers = 325
6 Rough Rider (using Warmaster Beast Rider) = 150
Cross-Over from Black Legion (already painted)
1 Daemon Prince = 50
1 Great Unclean One = 75
8 Plague Bearer = 8x 20
Slaneesh Warband = 2110
Design Notes: The inconic imagery is variety, randomness, playfulness, mobility. Vehicles will be painted in pink similar to Emperor’s Children army. Cultists should be in a blend of pink, yellow, light blue and red. The force is mobile and shooting oriented to go with the Slaneeshi theme. The Daemon Engines operate similarly.
Sigmatus Covenant Coven – Slaneesh (1 Mounted with Hellhounds = 500, 1 Foot with Altar and fire support = 450)
1 Demagogue
1 Chaos Space Marine Aspiring Champion
22 Cultists (using mix of models including cultists, daemons, imperial guard, eldar and orks to invoke random nature of Slaneesh)
6 Traitor Chimeras
1 Chaos Altar (pleasure barge build on old Epic 1st ed Eldar tanks?)
3 Traitor Hellhounds
4 Fire Support Units (cultists with Noise Marines)
Sigmatus Covenant Support Covens – Slaneesh (3 formations)
2 Subjugators = 450
6 Daemon Knights (1 unit + 2 spares) = 275
4 Traitor Sentinels (using Eldar Warwalker with Slaneeshi symbols) = 100
Cross-Over Units from Black Legion (already painted)
1 Daemon Prince = 50
1 Keeper of Secrets = 75
8 Daemonettes = 8x 20
8 Mounted Daemonettes (can be used as Rough Rider) = 150
Tzeentch Warband = 1810
Design Notes: The iconic imagery is long range, psychic, corruption without mutation, mind games, etc. For both theme and model reasons the Covens represent a corrupted Imperial Guard regiment with Thousand Sons “advisors”. The paint scheme will be regular Guard with blue uniforms similar to Thousand Sons. The force organisation is very basic with fire support only. The Tzeentch Daemon Engines operate independently anyhow so there is no real need to integrate with the Covens.
Sigmatus Covenant Coven – Tzeentch (1 Foot with fire support = 300, 1 Foot with Altar and fire support = 450)
2 Demagogue
22 Cultists (using IG models with chaos marines and horrors thrown in)
1 Chaos Altar (some kind of mobile summoning circle?)
8 Fire Support Units (using IG models with chaos marine havocs)
Sigmatus Covenant Support Covens – Tzeentch (3)
1 Firelord = 150
3 Doomwings = 150
4 Silver Towers (have 2) = 325
Cross-Over Units from Black Legion (already painted)
1 Daemon Prince = 50
1 Lord of Change = 75
8 Flamers = 8x 20
8 Tzeentch Disc Rider (can be used as Rough Rider) =150
Undivided Warband (Support) = 2360
Design Notes: Undivided Chaos is usually a good place for the “recently corrupted Imperial Guard” theme. I used this for Tzeentch already so something else was needed. I like the DRM Ketzali models and thought about a theme that would include them somewhow. They look a bit like the Jawas from Star Wars (smaller guys in brown robes) so I think I am going with a related theme: Clannish loot and scrap metal collectors who have become worshippers of Chaos by virtue of their outcast status rather than true evilness. The scrap metal theme also lends itself to “absorbing” all the left-over models in my bitz box to make extra tanks for this army (the exact model count for some of these vehicles is therefore unknown until I actually start kitbashing). Their equipment should be very rusty using my 40k rust scheme. Infantry should be in dirty brown robes. The force organisation is shooty with a bit of all the Undivided support choices.
Sigmatus Covenant Coven – Undivided (2x Foot with fire support = 2x 300, 1x Foot with fire support, Demolisher and altar = 660)
3 Demagogue
33 Cultists (use DRM Ketzali)
12 Fire Support Units (using random AT guns from GHQ and other looted gun equipment)
1 Chaos Altar (scratch build Capitol Imperialist-like vehicle to mimic Star Wars Jawa crawler?)
3 Traitor Leman Russ Demolisher
? Traitor Hydras (kitbash from left-over parts)
? Traitor Griffons (kitbash from left-over parts)
Sigmatus Covenant Support Covens – Undivided (3 formations)
6 Hellfire Cannons (1 unit +2 spares) (add Ketzali gunners) = 200
5 Traitor Basilisk (1 unit + 1 spare) = 325
6 Traitor Leman Russ (have 2) = 400
Sigmatus Covenant Plague Zombie Infestation
20 Zombie Bases (using Exodus Wars Edenite Zombies) = 175
Other Chaos Units to complete (I have a few left-overs from my Black Legion project that need to get done as well)
2 Nurgle terminators
4 Nurgle Havocs
2 Nurgle Rhinos
2 flesh hounds
1 Mortarion
1 Magnus the Red
1 Lord of Change
6 Rough Rider (for IG)
Wargaming Workshop 