The 501st

Hey Everyone,

So thought I’d show off something new and exciting for Luna Wolves, The Fleet. So over the years I’ve gathered quite abit of battle fleet gothic and thought I'd put it to some use. The hardest part was the limited amount of Chaos and grandcruisers that where in the fleet to be re-purposed but I think I found a good balance between older style and newer ships. This is also my first experiment of writing some fluff for the army so as always hope you enjoy.  

 

--------------501st Expeditionary  Report--------------

Expenditory Commander: Captain Soban 14th Company XVI Legion

To: XVI Legion Command, Imperial Remembrance Order.

Subject: 501^st Expeditionary Fleet Assets and Brief History

Subject of this report as per request by the Imperial Remembrance Order and request of XVI Legion Command, I have prepared a brief report of the history and some of the ships of the Line of the 501^st Expeditionary Fleet presently under command of Captain Soban  of the 14^th Company. It is hoped that this can be recorded for future generations as well as give a combat profile of the fleet for future legion tasks. This report will briefly go into the lowest tons of ship all the way to the flag of the fleet.

The Smallest Vessel presently in service with 501^st is the numerous transports of the fleet. Ranging from troop transports of the Imperial Army, to ammo and fuel transports these vital ships form the backbone of the fleets logistics.

The 501^st presently has 6 sword class frigates that work as escorts in the fleet. Seen in the image from top left to bottom the list of the ships are as follows, Sword of Cthonia, Gladis of Luna, Dagger of Mars, Cutlass, Katana, Kiliji. These are the work horses of the fleet. While in combat they serve as an escort for larger ships and during prolonged campaigns as a patrol frigates. Most of the frigate presently seen though are recently acquired due to attrition in the fleets many campaigns and due to the fact frigate rarely survive long in void combat.

The Gothic Cruiser Warspite is a recent addition to the 501^st Expeditionary Fleet. Originally laid down in the gothic sector, this ship would serve in multiple battle groups of the XVI Legion till it was passed on to the 501^st Expeditionary Fleet. Many believe this is due to the unproven design over other cruisers that have served since the founding of the crusade. Despite its newer age this ship has proven itself to be an able cruiser especially paired with the cruiser Luna as both have shown time and time again as an able combat pair.

The Lunar Cruiser Luna, a deadly ship and also one of a newer design. Laid down at the Luna shipyards in the Sol system, the Lunar Cruiser was a new design that is slowly being spread through out the Imperial Fleet. Of interesting note Imperial records show that there is several Lunar class Cruisers that share the name Luna, whether this was an oversight by the shipwrights of Luna is ,at this point, speculation. Another note this cruiser is modified, removing the aft lance bay for flight deck and launch bay for storm eagles and other drop ships. This was a special request by the Expeditionary Fleet due to duel needs for a space superiority vessel as well as invasion transport. Despite the last of the after lances, the forward section is a heavy lance section that allows it to fire more often then traditional lances, meaning no loss of firepower is found in the ship. This has proven this design to be very reliable and makes this make a requested upgrade on new Lunar Class Cruisers being currently manufactured for Legion Fleets.

The Mars Class battle cruiser, the Eye of Cthonia. A heavy ship that serves as a carrier and rear support. The Eye of the Cthonia was laid down at the Iron Ring. Early crusade this ship has only served in the 501^st Expeditionary Fleet. Serving as a bombardment ship due to its nova cannon as well as a primary invasion ship it has proven to be less fearsome as its firepower would note. Due to this and its weapons, this ship is left in the rear of the fleet as a rear guard and long range bombardment ship. This ship was originally going to be transferred out for a new strike cruiser but due to growing needs of the Crusade it has kept this ship on the front lines. Despite its being undergunned this ship does have a high amount of battle honours including the Keylek Campaign, Romulas Crusade, and many more.

The Hades Class Heavy Cruiser, the Hellion, is one of the oldest ships in the fleet and has served since the founding of the 501^stExpeditionary Fleet. Laid down in the Ring of Iron of Mars, this ship was one of 5 ships to form the initial fleet. Due to its advance age this venerable ship has seen some of the greatest battles of the fleet and has always pulled through. Being a heavy ship this is one of the main combat ships and has claimed numerous ships in its service to the Emperor. Its greatest battle honor to date is still the second battle of Romulas in which this ship acting as command ship for a smaller flotilla of ships were patrolling the outer system to protect against a counter attack of the proctorerant fleet that just months before the 501^st pushed out. During this time the small combat patrol was under attack by 2 heavy cruisers of the proctorerant fleet. Despite the opposing heavy cruisers better armament and the Hellion losing all its escorts it was able to destroy both the heavy cruisers. The hellion has since been known as this time as a capable ship killer and is often in charge of the fleets vanguard.

The Vengeance is  a sub class of the Cardinal Class Heavy Cruiser. The ship is a unique example in which the traditional dorsal lances are removed in order to give the ship a vertical launch bay in which to launch invasion craft. During actual combat though, this launch bay is closed so as not to expose the weaker deck armour or the landing craft inside. The Vengeance itself has a fearsome reputation in the fleet due its impressive weapons as well as kill tally. The ship presently has the second highest kill record falling just under the flags tally, due to this it has given this ship the nickname of the Slaughter.

The Devastation Class Cruiser, the Vanquisher, is one of the oldest ships in the fleet. Laid down just before the great crusade begun, she would see service in a few fleets in the first two years of the great crusade till she was moved to the 501^stExpeditionary Fleet. A very able ship with a impressive array of weapons as well as one of the largest flight marks, this ship as the main carrier of the fleet for naval engagements. Due to her multi-role and impressive abilities as a ship it has marks the Vanquisher as the secondary command ship in the fleet who's battle honours include the Pacification of Luna, Pacification of Oort Cloud, and of course the Romulas Crusade.

The Desolator Class Battleship, Wolves Honour, is the current flag of the fleet and also one of the longest serving ships in the Great Crusade. Serving as a flag ship in multiple fleets and fighting in the Fierce Pacification of the Oort Cloud. During that part of the Campaign she was heavily damaged and almost Abandoned to rot in a moth ball yard due to her damage. It was here that 14^th company, wishing to rejoin the crusade and secure a heavy asset for its forming Expeditionary Fleet, requested the battleship to be repaired and given to their growing fleet. The request was granted the ship was re-christened the Wolves Honour. During this time she would be refitted as a Legion Astartes Battle Barge and could hold several hundred legionaries plus armour giving the ship a improved planetary invasion role. From this time she served as the Flagship of the fleet and has gained a reputation in the fleet as a fierce combatant and reliable ship.

Famous Battles of the 501^st

1^st Battle of Romulas

The 1^st battle of Romulas is still recorded to date as one of the most fearsome naval campaigns conducted by the 501^stExpeditionary Fleet. The 501^st was in charge of removing a Remeant Protectorate strong on the planet Romulas. This would be a daunting task for the 501^st as Romulas was guarded by several heavy platforms as well as a impressive fleet that had advanced weapons. The Protectorate fleet had at least one battleship class as well as several cruisers and a few escorts.

 

Despite the Impressive weapons arrayed against the fleet the 501^st also a impressive ship roster. At the time the fleet had temporarily under its command: 8 cruisers, 2 grandcruisers and also the battle ship Wolves Honour, backed up by scores of frigates and cobra destroyers. The fleet was the highest number of ships under the fleets command and would be enough to crush many systems over. Despite its high numbers though the Protectorate had the technological edge as well as the home turf knowledge of defending its system .

The Romulas system it self was also another issue for the fleet. Shrouding the main plant was a ring of small asteroids and other large spatial objects that gave the defender an advantage as an attacker would have to navigate the dangerous ring. This though did blind the defenders and if the fleet could advance quick enough they wouldn’t see the assault till it was too late.

 

The battle itself was actually handled at the edge of this ring of asteroids where the two fleets clashed. The Imperial fleet was ambushed and as due to the mass of asteroids they were unable to evade at first causing 3 cruisers and the grandcruisers,Emperors Wraith, to be destroyed in the opening engagement.  This was a crippling blow to the Imperial but the 501^st did not give up.

The one major advantage the Imperial had was the cargo the surviving ships had, Legionaries of the 14^th Company of the Luna Wolves. The commander picked to quickly close the range to the Protectorate fleet and unleash boarding torpedos and storm eagle ships on the defending fleet, this would prove devastating. The unexpected assault from boarders took the defenders by surprise and quickly the flag ship fell to the Vengeful Luna wolves.

 

After the flagship was removed, the 501^st had a easy time removing the surviving cruisers and the few escorts. With fleet removed the next task would be to remove the orbital defense platforms which at this point at been out of range of the main combat. Knowing that the surviving ships he had at his command would have a hard time engaging the surviving platforms, a new plan had to be made. Spending the next few weeks gathering intelligence the 501^st prepared for the next phase.

 

During those weeks Imperial Intelligence as well as recons by the fleet were able to gather a great deal of information from the capture Protectorate flag ship. During the course of interrogation of surviving personal as well as the flags databanks, a weakness was discovered in the orbital net. A single platform was found to be controlling the entire network and if it was removed the entire network could be brought down. It was at this time a plan was drawn up and then enacted.

 

The plan was very bold though, there would be some sacrifice. Using the protectorates own flag and the surviving grand cruiser, Imperial Justice, it was decided that in order to remove the platform they would use the flagship to ram it. In order to do this the Imperial Justice tethered the massive flagship and set a direct course. It was expected though that the grandcruiser would not survive.

 

With a skeleton crew of just volunteers on both ships they begun their assault. The Imperial justice moving at full speed was a slow behemoth taking fire as it approached. On fire and with multiple hull breaches, the commander of the ship decided not to remove the tethered line and kept on a direct course to ensure the impact was made. It was a mammoth explosion. As the two ships and the platform met, the defenses fell silent.  The bitter battle was won with high causalities on both side.

 

End Report.

 

 

 

So this is the report and the first major fluff for the army I do hope you enjoy it and this final picture of the fleet. Be sure to let me know if you enjoyed it and if I should go on with this fluff reporting in the future.

General Soban 

Signing off till next time

Next Batch Done

Hey Everyone,

So  I have some updates on the wolves showing off the next batch that got painted up.

 

Apothecaries

These are finally done and already they have some field work over the weekend and I have to say I'm very impressed by how well they did. These units really shined and also the army paint was great! Another good job by Rob !

 

 

Vindicator

Probably one of my favorite pieces in the army, the vindicator, in all its old school metal glory ! This just looks amazing on the table and has already proven itself as a multi-role assault tank. Love the detail work with the bullet holes and how sharp it looks.

Command Elements

This one I didn't show case earlier in the pre-build stages but one that is going to be critical to the army is the Vexillas and voxs. Both are needed for my combined arms with the re-rollable leadership test or the ability to spot for my mobile artillery I tend to run. Other thing is I now have a Sergeant in all the mk2 glory and also a very cheap sergeant. Love how it turned out and can’t wait to get the other one done.

 

Legion Marking

A small detail but one I’ve been debating on is to have the legion number on it. I originally thought of just doing the company number but it might be confusing so instead put in the legion marking on the shoulder pad. Eventually all units will have this in the exact same place. The other added bonus is I can run this in campaign as another luna wolves company and it can be consistent.

 

Legion Banner

One of the last but not the least, we have the legion banner and extra warrior. This is a simple but amazing banner that will be just for the companies legion banner for the battle field. I think I’ll be running this even if I don’t use the rules for it or run it as a vexilla because of how it looks and the feel of the legionary standing out.

 

Future work

So due to a slight ordering mishap and with the rise of the British Pound I am going to hold off on my big purchase of the new armour. My local store tends to run events and hoping next month they run a event where Forgeworld is so I can pick up my last major armour purchase. This is kind of sad but in the end it will work out for the best since I can pay a little bit less.

 

Due to this I went ahead and purchased 2 more land raiders and am going to have my baneblade painted. These heavy tanks are going to be some of the biggest armour in the army till the typhon and Spartan make it into the army. The other thing that will be happening is my Battle Fleet gothic fleet will also be done and will be shown off hopefully this week.

So lots of fun stuff ahead and hope you stay tuned.

 

General Soban 

Signing off till next time

Small Army Update

Hey Everyone,

So just some minor army progress to show some of the stuff that just got assembled.  

 

Apothecaries

So my first Apothecaries are due to be up soon and I am looking forward to running these. Personally love how the MKII armour set for these look and I think with my future plans this is going to fit nicely with the army.

Vindicator

So for those that have been following along or know me, I am personally in love with the older model of tanks. I really lucked out and was able to buy this amazing still on the sprue vindicator with all the attachments. I can’t wait to see this old warhouse painted up and in action.

Command Squad

So the MKII Command set is on its way and will be my Legion Banner for the company. With the added bonus of another consul in mkII plate this is going to be fun.

As always stayed tuned for more Heresy and Crusade action.

General Soban 

Signing off till next time

Next big Purchase

Hey Everyone,

So I’ve been slacking abit this month for blog posting but I can tell you I have not be idle. So in this blog post will be covering a few different subjects of what’s going to be happening in the near future on the blog. Army progress is slowgoing and we will talk about some goals for the luna wolves.

 

First up want to talk about one of the first things that will one up shortly a new battle report. Me and my good mate Jesse got another rematch in and even with a few proxies we both field tested some units to try to get a feel for them. Right now am just organizing the photos right now and hopefully by the end of the week we will see the rematch of wolves’ vs fist.

 

Army Progress and new goals

So we’ve seen in the last few months the my luna wolves grow from a small force to one that is truly growing as a company. I have to say am personally ahead of the schedule I set up earlier this year for I wanted to do for next year.  You can find my original goal list here athttp://generalsobanandthegreatcrusade.blogspot.ca/2015/02/hey-everyone-so-i-just-wanted-to-talk.html

 

Now with that goal list in mind after play testing and also with some funds coming my way I just want to change it abit. This was due to playing some games and finding some army weakness and some battles that I struggled with even if I won. So lets look at what’s currently built.

Current

HQ

Praetors- Currently have two main ones that can either be run as a terminator or in an artifcer armour great choice

Consuls- Right now have some basic ones to give me a few Legion Champions, extra Sergeants, Librarians, and even soon an Apothecary.

Horus- Though a lord of war want to include the warmaster here since well he leads the legion. I have no complaints about him

Elites

Justerains- Ok these are just fluffy and fun to run. This 5 man squad is  with its combo of axes and the multi melta make it a great light vehicle or character killing unit .

Taratos Terminators- Great 5 man squad and gives my infantry a nice anti tank platform in close combat, extra mobility is a plus compared to the Justerains with their ability to run.

Veteran Tactical Squad- A veteran tactical squad with a melta and a rocket launcher. Though not a bad unit I find its underperforming compared to my main tactical squad so I got to find a nice niche for these guys.

 

Contomptors- I do have my 2 contemptors, built one with the ability to change the load out as a anti air/infantry to a good mix or the anti tank/infantry charger. I love these models and love running them.

 

Troops

30 Tactical Marines- Ok these are truly my bread and butter and have been my mvp in a lot of games. I need to work on getting them a few upgrades but their close combat and short range fire power is amazing.

Fast Attack

Storm Eagle- For me this is a great platform and has won me a lot of games with the tactical marines. For those running a lot of infantry I recommend picking this up with its firepower as well as transport ability it really shines.

Heavy Support

Predator Squadron- Another unit that I find that does great though I am finding some issues with it with the list. Though it’s a great anti infantry platform it has a lot of issues with some amour where I can’t find it as consistent depending on my opponent. 

Whirlwinds- So I’ve been running my whirlwinds as scorpius and I have not be disappointed with its ability to mulch infantry and also have some anti tank In it I’ve had this unit win me some games. Running two is also a nice bonus and I’ve seen this really keep my opponent off balance.

Land Raider- This vehicles has really shined in a 30k environment and also against a few xeno players I’ve been up against. That amour 14 really shines with amour cermite but am finding its lower transport ability has kept it in the garage in a few games.

 

Game analyst

So one of the things I like to do post game is to try to figure out where I’ve gone wrong or what my army has felt like it’s been missing. So with some luck a good friend of mine has been running a website called Itoysoliders where you can record games and also get I think a pretty good gauge of what your scenes local meta. You can find some of this data here at http://itoysoldiers.com/stats .

Now what I’ve found is that in my local meta and also from my own notes is that am lacking some anti armor. Thinking back on a few games I found that a lot of of my kills against heavy amour tanks like shadowswords and land raiders was that I was either lucking out or mass fire for glancing hits. Now this tactic is a sound tactic but I was only lucking out and it wasn’t a consistant thing with the average heavy weapon of my army being either strength 7 or 6 with rending things will have to change.

Another big thing was getting my units either up the board into a battle position or taking objectives. From a few of my notes my rhinos where getting killed by a few heavy weapons quickly where my land raider and storm eagle where both performing very well in this role. So with this I have to look at a better screen or a more reliable option for the army that can both replace the rhino and the land raider.

The other thing that I discovered in my games was due to my local meta and some rules I set up for myself I was not taking my lord of war or had any comparable.  Since an average game in my local store and scene was either 1850 or 2000 points I always had a hard time bringing Horus into a game to be a counter and booster for the army just due to his 500 points. I need to look at a alt method for a lord of war that will be cheaper than Horus but also be able to take on a knight or shadow sword that runs in the local meta a lot.

Lastly one thing that I found was there was something my army did have was vehicle survivablity . Now the rhinos where a exception to this rule but I found on average most of my tanks and walkers were armor 13 on the front armor which where proving pretty well even against a few of the shooty armies I played against. So this was one of the great strength I have to make sure I still keep.

Revamped Plans

So with that there was a few goals in mind. First was that my new selections in the armies had to most likely be tanks and transports. Next was that they had to have improved fire power compared to my current tank platforms and contemptors.  Lastly in my selection I have to make sure I also get something that can also be a better transport for bigger squads of troops.

 

With these goals in mind I wanted to pick a few vehicle options that would give me an edge.

Sicaran Battle Tank

Now this is a tank many 30k players would swear by and with some thought this might be a nice new battle tank to add. It’s a nice all around vehicle that give it some anti-tank ability, some great anti infantry and in a pinch anti air. It has a nice amount of armor and with it has some speed to it compared to the predator.  This one looks like it will be a nice staple piece but lets look at it in better details.

First I make sure it meets my heavy weapon goal. Armor with a Twin Linked Accelerator Autocannon of 6 shots at strength 7 and rending gives it a nice amount of firepower though at some cost of massed shots compared to a 3 squadron of predators. The other nice thing about that weapon is its ability to remove jink saves that help it against massed xenos bikes as well as a anti flyer platform. It also has a added bonus to mount either heavy bolters or lass canons that can really define its role.

The other benefit to this unit is the amour this thing has mixed with its speed. The Sicaran has a front armour of 13 with side, rear being a impressive 12 making this a great tank all around and will survive more then my current predator fleet. The other nice thing is the fast rule this tank has making it a more mobile platform being able to fire on the go. I think this and its fire power will give the army a much needed boost.

Sicaran Venator Tank Destoyer.

Now the Venator is the younger brother to the Sicaran and fits a nice tactical role. With the same strengths as the Sicaran that came before it it has a defied role as a tank killer with a Neutron Beam. Despite its shorter range this strength 10 ap 1 is a true beast of a anti tank and will give the army the boost it needs. I think this will be my second go to tank in my revamped plans.

 

Spartan Assualt Tank

So the big brother to the land raider and one of the greatest transport ability in a legion list. This one I’ve been eyeing for a while to either carry my primarch and a body guard unit or just another way to get a blob of troops. The other nice thing is it’s another way to get lasscannons on the field so it will give the army another weapon choice. Personally can’t wait to get this out.

 

Typhon Siege Tank

So this is the lord of war that will take place of my primarch in a lot of games. This was a hard pick as I wanted to a nice lord of war that could bring firepower but also be cheaper then my primarch. With its massive gun and also ignoring cover I think this is going to be a big hitter with its strength 10 ap 1 apoc blast. Hoping this will punch higher then its points in most games and can’t wait to give a post game analysis once I get it.

 

Army Conclusion

So this the big expansion to the army and probably the last major purchase for a while tank wise. I hope this will fit all my needs until I find a new one for the army and if that comes up you will know. Now with this purchase this won’t be the last purchase period since I got a lot more I want to add the company including a major amount of mkII armour and MkIII armour to the list. I wonder what everyone thinks of this armour selection.

 

Whats up after this ?

So there's two last major thing I want to talk about quickly. So hoping that in the next two weeks I want to start with some tactical blog going over some units that I found for the luna wolves that I found a lot of people seem to have some issue with. Hoping that I can go over some units that I found have made the luna wolves doctrine pretty strong and may help out some players come up with a fluffy but tactical use for them.

 

Lastly the one thing I want to talk about is hopefully by next month me and mate can start up a campaign. This will be a great crusade campaign pitting the 14^th Company Against the fell xenos of the orks. Its still being worked on and I hope I can get this off the ground. As always stayed tuned for more 30k gaming and news.

 

General Soban 

Signing off till next time