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A Warp Rift
The Battlefleet Gothic netzine
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Rogu e Tr a de r s * * * Pa t r ol Fle e t s * * * M a gn e t ize * * * Pa in t in g Gu ide * * * Office r ’s M e ss * * *
 Fr om t h e N e x u s Pu blish in g H ou se

Warp Rift is not endorsed, nor does it endorse, Gam es Workshop, and it is not an official publicat ion of Gam es Workshop. Any words, phrases or
im ages are used wit hout perm ission and no challenge is int ended as a result of such a usage, including t he use of t hese words, phrases and
im ages wit hout t he appropriat e sym bols of copyright . Addit ionally, t hese pages – including cont ent , design and im ages – are copyright ( except
where copyright should infringe ot her such right s) . Licensed nam es, im ages and logos are copyright t heir respect ive com panies or aut hors. No
part of t hese pages m ay be ‘borrowed’ or reproduced, and no art icles or rules should be considered ‘official in any way.

E Ple a se r e gist e r you r su ppor t for t h is pu blica t ion .

D D ow n loa d you r copy dir e ct fr om t h e officia l w e b sit e ,

at:
I w w w .e pic4 0 .co.u k / bfgm a g/
T Su bm ission s W a r p Rift Pu blica t ion Te a m
O All t ypes of art icle are desperat ely needed, t o keep t his publicat ion Roy ( Horizon) Am kreut z – Void St alker I I
alive. I n som e cases, subm ission includes inclusion on t he web sit e I ain ( Cybershadow) – Wat cher in t he Dark
R at : www.epic40k.co.uk, or t hrough www.t act icalwargam es.net .
Please include a not e wit h your subm ission if you would like t his
Ray
Reg
Bell
St einer
–
–
Adm iralit y
Tyranid War Vet eran
clarified. Subm ission via e- m ail im plies approval for publicat ion.
I Cr e dit s:

A Se n d you r su bm ission s t o: Cover Pict ure – Mechm ast er

Addit ional Graphics & Pict ures – Giulio Taverna, Christ ian
L h or izon @e pic4 0 k .co.u k Schwager, Mechm ast er, Thanat os, Pablo Fiasco &
Abarot h, Yannic, Roy Am kreut z, Pet er Greblord, Lord
or Chronos, Unseelied

w a r pr ift @e pic4 0 k .co.u k Warp Rift :

I ssue Sevent een
March 2008

2
 + + + Th e La byr in t h + + +
Hello,
First of all I would like t o m ake an
apology t o Giulio Taverna. I accident ally
m ixed up his first nam e in t he header of
E t he Tyranid Conversion Art icle in Warp
Rift 16. Hopefully t his issue will see his
D correct nam e heading t he follow up art icle
t o his conversion guide: The Tyranid
Paint ing Guide in t he Dry Dock sect ion.
I I n t he world of Bat t lefleet Got hic people
are st ill w ait ing t o see som e escort s re-
T appear in t he online st ore of Gam es
Workshop. I ncluding am ong t he m issing
escort vessels are t he following: Space
O Marine Gladius, Nova and Hunt er vessels.
The Tau Defender, Orca and Dhow. The
R Necron Jackal and Dirge.
Hopefully, and t his has been post ed at
www.port m aw.com , it he escort s are j ust
I being repackaged int o blist ers and t hat
t hey are not rem oved perm anent ly.
A As bet t er news I can personally
m ent ion t hat t he m issing Bridge part ,
Dorsal Lance Turret and Nova Cannon of
L t he Adept us Mechanicus Bat t leship have
been added t o t he package. I n t he
beginning no one received t he m et al st rip
cont aining t hese t hree pieces. Luckily I
received an Adept us Mechanicus
Bat t leship cont aining t his st rip! I already
read one ot her person received t he bridge
as well. Good news.
Back t o Warp Rift : t his issue sees an A TYRAN I D W AR
expansion int o t o t he realm of t he Rogue Ch a pt e r s 5 - 6
Traders. This list / art icle has grown st eadily
at t he forum s of www.t act icalwargam es.net
This m ont h t he Tyranid War st ory
m ainly headed by Yuber Okam i, Yannic and
cont inues wit h chapt ers 5 & 6. This t im e
m yself. But lot of ot her people added t heir
Pen and Lynx ran int o t he Old Warrior and
ideas and opinions as w ell. For t his w e
really like t o t hank t hem for doing so. I f all
goes well t he next issue of Warp Rift will
Orks. Download it at from t he sam e page
as Warp Rift .
feat ure som e Legendary Traders.
From Cypra Probat ii we received an
art icle dealing wit h sm all fleet s. A very nice
Chapt ers 1 –
downloaded here:
4 can be direct ly
asset t o play som e sm all and fast gam es.
The Dry Dock is heavily filled wit h t he
already m ent ioned Tyranid Paint ing Guide.
ht t p: / / www.epic40k.co.uk/ bfgm ag/ wr16t
yranidwar.pdf
But it also feat ures an art icle on how t o
m agnet ize your I m perial Cruiser, very
( not e: t his is t he unzipped variant )
useful for people who j ust cannot decide on
which cruiser class t hey like m ost .
I n t he Officer’s Mess we have a st ory
writ t en by one of our younger readers. As it I ssu e Se ve n t e e n – Con t e n t s:
is one of his first st ories I bet he would
really like som e const ruct ive feedback on En cyclope dia Got h ica
Rogue Traders 4
how t o im prove his writ ing skill.
Ta ct ica l Com m a n d
H a ppy Ba t t le fle e t Got h ic,
Roy
Pat rol Fleet Rules [ Cypra]
Sh ow ca se
15
Visit t he following websit es from t wo of our
Eldrit ch Pat h 18
art / CG/ Phot oshop suppliers here: Office r ’s M e ss
Bat t le of Kyshar 19
Christ ian Schwager:
www.solit udo.com D r y D ock
Magnet ize your I m perial Cruiser 27
Mechm ast er: Tyranid Paint ing Guide 31
ht t p: / / www.m echm ast er.co.uk/
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Y En cyclopa e dia Got h ica Fle e t s of t h e Ga la x y
C
L Addit ion a l r u le s

Rogu e Tr a de r s
O By Yu be r Ok a m i, Ya n n ic a n d H or izon
Thanks t o all t he ot her part icipant s in t he discussions at www.t act icalwargam es.net !
P
A The 40t h m illennium is a dark and grim First of all, Rogue Traders can provide Last , but not least , som e Rogue Traders
age. A t im e in which m ost people m eet civilians w it h t ransport capacit y, as t hey end up becom ing corsairs and even
E out siders w it h suspicion if not out right
paranoia, and w here t ravelling and t rading
don't need a m ilit ary escort , t hus not
divert ing t he I m perial Navy from it s ot her
conquerors. That way, t he I m perium can
wage war wit hout declaring war. I f t he
have becom e a dangerous business. t asks. Second, being ( t o a cert ain degree) conquest goes as planned, t he rogue t rader
D Nonet heless t rade st ill is vit al for t he independent from t he adm inist rat um , t hey will claim bount y or even conquer worlds
survival of t he I m perium of Man, whose can com m erce wit h alien races, for t he I m perium , if it goes badly t he
I m erchant s fleet s are st ret ched t o t heir independent hum an worlds and ot her I m perium can always say t he rogue t rader
lim it s j ust t rying t o provide t he m ilit ary and heret ics, bringing som e of t heir exot ic and was a crim inal act ing on his own. So for t he
A civilized planet s t heir needs. But even t he
m ight y fleet s of t he I m perium cannot cope
m uch sought product s t o t he I m perium ,
w hich is som et hing t he I m perial fleet is
I m perium it 's all benefit s. The Rogue
Trader, on t he ot her hand, can even carve
wit h such a Herculean t ask. banned from . an em pire for him self and his descendent s,
or can blow up in a last glorious bid, as
This is t he reasoning w hich paved t he m any of t hem finish t heir career.
G way for t he Rogue Traders: independent
m erchant s, explorers, and even som et im es But hum an am bit ion t ends t o surpass
O conquerors. Rogue Traders are sponsored
by t he I m perium but are not under t heir
com m on sense, so t here are always people
t rying t o becom e Rogue Traders.
direct cont rol, a sit uat ion which benefit s
T bot h sides, as Rogue Traders who succeed
add new resources t o t he I m perium , while
H t he ones who die in t he darkness of space
+ + + To Bring Fort h Ye Light + + +
cost very lit t le t o t he I m perium of Man.
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C Sh ip Ch a r a ct e r ist ics

Y Tr a de Ga lle on s helping I m perial forces t o ret ake t he

C Trade Galleons are t he largest vessels
used by Rogue Traders. A Trade Galleon
L rivals an I m perial Cruiser in size and
firepower. Since Rogue Traders const ant ly
upgrade and change t heir personal Trade
O Galleon, t hese vessels m ay becom e quit e
eccent ric. Therefore it is im possible t o
P designat e a st andard class of Trade
Galleons, and t he t erm Trade Galleon is
A usually applied t o any large vessel in
service of a Rogue Trader.
A large percent age of Trade Galleons are
E based on t he Got hic or Lunar class cruiser
fram e. A fam ous exam ple of t his is t he
D Archis Nova: originally int ended t o be a
Lunar class cruiser, it 's building was
I abandoned when t rait ors seized power in
t he syst em where it was being built . Aft er
A t he dust cloud like a pair of hawks
G Dark Age of Technology luckily discovered
O fam ous ships of t his t ype include t he
T wit nessed several t im es cooperat ing wit h
H not ed for dealing wit h forbidden t ech in t he
syst em , Rogue Trader Em il Bosquera was
awarded t he vessel, which was finished t o
his own t ast es as a Trade Galleon.
The infam ous Rogue Trader Nicius
Ravenclaw act ually m anaged t o buy an
unfinished hull from t he planet ary governor
of Corint h. This hull, only know as Hull 354,
was t hought t o be cursed by local
dockworkers and was never finished.
Ravenclaw t owed Hull 354 out of t he
syst em wit h his t wo Lorcha’s Vexat or and
Sabazius. Aft er t hree decades, Hull 354
ret urned t o Corint h Fleet base as t he
Dom it or Ast ra. Most of t he local
dockw orkers st ill t hink t hat t he ship is
cursed, but so far she has perform ed
Ca pt a in von Gr e fe n h ofe n ’s r e por t of a n
e n cou n t e r w it h t h e Fr a ’a l in syst e m
XW 3 4 5 7
out st andingly and has enabled Ravenclaw
t o claim several big prizes, including t he
renegade grand cruiser Doom ham m er. They [ t he Fra’al bat t lecruisers] cam e out of
swooping down upon t he Dom it or Ast ra. At
On t he ot her hand t here are m any Trade
Galleons of unique or obscure origins, such t he m om ent t he enem y fired t heir Et her
as t he Blessed Voyager, a cruiser from t he Cannons, t he Dom it or Ast ra sim ply
t ranslat ed sideways t o avoid t heir deadly
by Rogue Trader Julius Kaeron when he was beam s. St unned by t his m anoeuvre, t he
sent off- course by a warp st orm . Ot her alien ships where unable t o respond t o t he
bat t ery fire from t he Dom it or Ast ra. One
t ook a hit in t he engine clust er, m aking her
Helion's Talon, an infam ous pirat e vessel
Ork pirat es, and t he Androm eda, a ship
spin out of cont rol; t he ot her had her
shields collapsed and was easy prey for our
guns.
Gulf of Dam ocles.

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Tr a de Ga lle on…………………………………………………………....1 4 0 pt s
C
TYPE/ HI TS SPEED TURNS SHI ELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
Y Cruiser/ 8 20cm 45º 2 5+ 2

C Choose one of t he following arm am ent s:

I m pe r a t or Pa t t e r n
ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC
L Port weapons bat t ery
St arboard weapons bat t ery
30cm
30cm
10
10
L
R
Prow weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 LFR
O OR
H u ll Upgr a de s
Ar ch is N oca Pa t t e r n
P ARMAMENT
Port weapons bat t ery
RANGE/ SPEED
30cm
FI REPOWER/ STR
4
FI RE ARC
L
You m ay Upgrade your Trade Galleon wit h t he
St arboard weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 R following Hull Upgrades:
A Port Lance bat t ery 30cm 2 L
St arboard Lance bat t ery 30cm 2 R Ext ra Thrust ers: + 5cm speed 15pt s
E Prow weapons bat t ery 30cm
OR
4 LFR Ext ra Shield:
Ext ra Turret :
+ 1 shield
+ 1 t urret
15pt s
10pt s
D om it or Ast r a Pa t t e r n
D ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC Not e: you m ay t ake each Hull upgrade only once. So
Port weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 L upgrades cannot be st acked.
I St arboard weapons bat t ery
Port Launch Bay
30cm
30cm
4
2
R
L +++
Fight ers – 30cm
A St arboard Launch Bay
a- boat s – 25cm
2 -
W e a pon Upgr a de s
Fight ers – 30cm
Port Launch Bay 2 -
a- boat s – 25cm
Prow weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 LFR You m ay upgrade your Trade Galleon wit h t he
following Weapon Upgrades:
G Ext end STR 4 bat t eries t o 45cm 10pt s
O Ext end STR 6 bat t eries t o 45cm
Bom bers
15pt s
25pt s
Prow Torpedoes 25pt s
T
Not e: bat t eries upgrades are for port / st arboard
H bat t eries. Prow Torpedoes are st r 6 and replace t he
prow weapons bat t ery.
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M e r ch a n t m a n
C
The Merchant m an is a st ep down from t he Trade Galleon, equal M e r ch a n t m e n ……………………………………………………………..8 5 pt s
Y in size t o an I m perial light cruiser, being a com prom ise bet ween
TYPE/ HI TS SPEED TURNS SHI ELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
t he raw firepower of a Trade Galleon and t he fast and nim ble
Cruiser/ 6 20cm 45º 1 5+ 2
C Lorcha. Just like it 's larger cousin, Merchant m en com e from a lot of
different sources. Most of t hese vessels st art ed t heir life as super Choose one of t he following arm am ent s:
heavy cargo vessels but som ehow ended up in t he hands of a
L Rogue Trader, and, due t o t he Rogue Traders love for m odifying his ARMAMENT
Re m u s Pa t t e r n
RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC
vessels, m ost of t hem are m ade unrecognisable aft er a few or Port weapons bat t ery 30cm 6 L
O m any refit s. Merchant m en are cheaper t o run and m aint ain t han a St arboard weapons bat t ery 30cm 6 R
fully fledged Trade Galleon and t hey at t ract less at t ent ion ( for a Prow weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 LFR
P Rogue Trader vessel t hat is) , m aking it a less preferable prey for
space pirat es. That 's why m ost of t hese ships ply est ablished space
OR
Ve spr u go Pa t t e r n
lanes, alt hough som e advent urous Rogue Traders not able t o afford ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC
A t he larger Trade Galleons use t hem for explorat ory purposes. Port weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 L
Som e exam ples of t his kind of vessel are Rom ulus & Rem us, St arboard weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 R
E sist er ships which cover t he dangerous rout e bet ween Mars and St arboard Launch Bay
Fight ers –
a- boat s –
30cm
25cm
1 -
Arm ageddon; I t zar's Green Hide, a Merchant m en built using part of Fight ers – 30cm
Port Launch Bay 1 -
D t he Hulk of an Ork cruiser; t he Lar'shi'fannor'o, possibly t he m ost
powerful Merchant m en ever; and t he m yst erious Kalandras, a Prow weapons bat t ery
a- boat s –
30cm
25cm
4 LFR
Merchant m en which is said t o t rade bet ween Eldar Exodit e worlds
I and ot her, even darker alien species.

A H u ll Upgr a de s W e a pon Upgr a de s

You m ay Upgrade your Merchant m an wit h t he You m ay upgrade your Trade Galleon wit h t he
following Hull Upgrades: following Weapon Upgrades:
G Ext ra Thrust ers: + 5cm speed 10pt s Ext end STR 4 bat t eries t o 45cm 10pt s
O Ext ra Shield:
Ext ra Turret :
+ 1 shield
+ 1 t urret
15pt s
10pt s
Replace LB wit h st rengt h 1 lance @ 30cm
Prow Torpedoes
Free
25pt s
Manoeuvring Thrust ers 10pt s
T Not e: bat t eries upgrades are for port / st arboard
Not e: you m ay t ake each Hull upgrade only once. So bat t eries. Prow Torpedoes are st rengt h 6 and replace
H upgrades cannot be st acked.
Manoeuvring Thrust ers increase t he t urn rat e t o 90° .
t he prow weapons bat t ery.

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Lor ch a
C
Lorcha’s are t he sm allest class of Rogue Trader vessels. They are
Y som ewhere bet ween escort size and light cruiser size. I n fact , m ost
of t hem are ext rem ely convert ed escort s or ships built using t he
C incom plet e fram es of light cruisers, be it because t hey were half
finished when t he Rogue Trader t ook cont rol of t hem , were
int ended t o be built as Lorchas from t he beginning or were m ade
L using t he rem nant s of som e light cruiser.
These vessels are known for t heir great speed and
O m anoeuvrabilit y and are oft en used as sm ugglers, blockade H u ll Upgr a de s
runners or light raiders. Fam ous ships of t his class include Erick
P Van Hort 's Dragon, t he flagship of t he Red Flag pirat e fleet
operat ing near t he Maelst rom , or t he Light ning, which m ade m ore
You m ay Upgrade your
following Hull Upgrades:
Merchant m an wit h t he

t han t hirt y voyages t o t he Arm ageddon syst em when it was being

A besieged by Ork forces during t he second war of Arm ageddon. Ext ra Thrust ers: + 5cm speed 15pt s
More recent ly t he Sabazius has becom e quit e infam ous am ongst Ext ra Shield: + 1 shield 15pt s
E t he convoys heading t owards t he Corint h Fleet Base. The Sabazius Ext ra
Ext ra
Turret :
Boost ers
+ 1 t urret 10pt s
10pt s
has claim ed over t went y m erchant vessels, but has t hus far
D m anaged t o escape vengeful Navy escort squadrons.
Not e: you m ay t ake each Hull upgrade only once. So
upgrades cannot be st acked.
I Ext ra Boost ers give t he Lorcha + 1D6 m ovem ent
Lor cha ……………………………………………………………………..6 5 pt s when on AAF Special Orders.
A TYPE/ HI TS SPEED TURNS SHI ELDS ARMOUR TURRETS W e a pon Upgr a de s
Cruiser/ 4 25cm 90º 1 5+ 1
You m ay upgrade your Trade Galleon wit h t he
ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC following Weapon Upgrades:
G Port weapons bat t ery
St arboard weapons bat t ery
30cm
30cm
4
4
L
R Ext end STR 4 bat t eries t o 45cm 10pt s
O Prow weapons bat t ery 30cm 2 LFR Replace LB wit h st rengt h 1 lance @ 30cm
Prow Torpedoes
Free
20pt s

T Not e: bat t eries upgrades are for port / st arboard

bat t eries. Prow Torpedoes are st rengt h 4 and replace
H t he prow weapons bat t ery.

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Re - com m ission e d Escor t s
C
Since it is of t he ut m ost im port ance t hat t he valuable
Y cargo of t he Rogue Trader is prot ect ed, t hey oft en re-
com m ission old Navy escort s. Most of t hese vessels are Br iga n t in e ………………………………………………………………..4 0 pt s
C salvaged from reserve fleet depot s, som et im es wit hout
perm ission, refit t ed and brought back int o t he fight . TYPE/ HI TS SPEED TURNS SHI ELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
Escort / 1 30cm 90º 1 5+ 1
L Exam ples of t hese t ypes of ships are t he Sulphur
Squadron, w hich is ident ified as belong t o t he Grand
ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC
Fleet of Nicius Ravenclaw. Sulphur Squadron consist of
O four brigant ines wit h ext rem ely heavy shielding for
Dorsal weapons bat t ery
Prow weapons bat t ery
30cm
30cm
3
2
LFR
F
t heir size. This heavy shielding enabled Sulphur
P squadron t o deliver t he killing blow t o t he Ork Kroozer
Deffast a, aft er sailing t hough a hail of fire from it s
A at t endant escort s. Juno squadron is anot her four st rong
squadron consist ing of re- com m issioned vessels. I n
Ba r que ……………………………………………………………………..4 0 pt s
cont rast t o Sulphur Squadron; Juno Squadron consist s
E of a m ix of Barques and Brigant ines and was
TYPE/ HI TS
Escort / 1
SPEED
30cm
TURNS
90º
SHI ELDS
1
ARMOUR
5+
TURRETS
1
responsible for t he heroic defence of Convoy 14 during
D t he Thirt eent h Black Crusade. ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC
Dorsal weapons bat t ery 30cm 2 LFR
I Upgr a de s Re - com m ission e d Escor t s
Prow weapons bat t ery 30cm 1 F

A You m ay upgrade your Re- com m issioned Escort s

wit h t he following upgrades: Pinna ce ……………………………………………….…………………..4 0 pt s

Ext ra Shield: + 1 shield 5pt s TYPE/ HI TS SPEED TURNS SHI ELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
G Ext ra Turret :
Ext ra Boost ers
+ 1 t urret 5pt s
5pt s
Escort / 1 30cm 90º 1 5+ 1

ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC

O Not e: you m ay t ake each upgrade only once. So Dorsal weapons bat t ery 30cm 2 LFR
upgrades cannot be st acked. Prow t orpedoes 30cm 2 F
T Ext ra Boost ers give t he Re- com m issioned escort
+ 2D6 m ovem ent when on AAF Special Orders.

H
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E Ta r e llia n Ca r r a ck …………………………………….…………………..7 0 pt s

N TYPE/ HI TS SPEED TURNS SHI ELDS ARMOUR TURRETS

Cruiser/ 1 30cm 45º 1 5+ 2
Ca r go Ve sse ls a n d Tr a n spor t s
C ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC
I nevit able t o any Rogue Trader’s or Port weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 F
Y Merchant fleet are t he vast num bers St arboard weapons bat t ery 30cm 4 F
of t ransport and cargo vessels being
C used.
The charact erist ics of t hese vessels
Ar m e d Ca r go V e sse l……………………………….…………………..2 0 pt s
can vary wildly.
L Here we will give you t he profiles t o
TYPE/ HI TS SPEED TURNS SHI ELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
som e com m only seen t ransport
O variant s. Players are free t o int roduce
Escort / 1 25cm 45º 1 5+ 1

variant s of t heir own. ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC

P Dorsal weapons bat t ery 30cm 2 LFR

A Xe n os Ve sse ls X e nos ve sse l………………………………………….…………………..5 0 pt s

E Rogue Traders encount er TYPE/ HI TS SPEED TURNS SHI ELDS ARMOUR TURRETS
m any different space faring Escort / 1 25cm 90º 1 5+ 1
D species on t heir part . I n som e
cases not hing m ore t han ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC

I unscrupulous raiders but at

ot her t im es m ercenaries who
Dorsal weapons bat t ery
Prow lance bat t ery
30cm
30cm
2
1
LFR
F

A are w illing t o aid t he Rogue

Trader ( as long as paym ent is Not e:
enough of course) . Xenos vessels m ay t ake one * ( st ar) m arked upgrade from t he Exot ic Upgrade
Table.

The Xenos profile included is

G a generic profile for t hese kind Ex a m ple : Toba r i Ligh t Ra ide r …………………………….…………..4 5 pt s Not e: Disrupt or weapon: This short ranged but
advanced weapon does not bring direct
of vessels.
O TYPE/ HI TS
Escort / 1
SPEED
35cm
TURNS
90º
SHI ELDS
2
ARMOUR
5+
TURRETS
1
dam age t o t he ship being hit but it cut s
t hrough t o t he core elect rical funct ions and
You can also design your own disables t hose.
T alien t ype of vessels and use
t hem on agreem ent wit h your
ARMAMENT RANGE/ SPEED FI REPOWER/ STR FI RE ARC The Disrupt or negat es shields and hit s on a
5+ . Apply t he following result s:
Dorsal weapons bat t ery 30cm 1 F
opponent . As an exam ple t he • On a 5+ it inflict s a crit ical hit .
H Tobari Light Raider from Warp
Prow Disrupt or 15cm 1 F
• On a 6+ it inflict s a crit ical hit and places a
Blast Marker on t he ship being t arget ed.
Rift 11 has been included.
I Not e: Crit ical hit s are being rolled using t he
st andard crit ical hit chart s. Brace for I m pact is
C allowed as norm al.

A 10

E
N -
Addit ion a l Upgr a de s
C - Macro Cannons:
Since Rogue Traders are an eccent ric
Y lot , it is rare t o find a Rogue Trader using
a st ock ship. Most of t heir ships have
C several unusual upgrades.
upgrades can range from ext ra heavy
These
weapon bat t eries, such as t he ones found
L on t he Sledgeham m er t o t he exot ic
displacem ent drive found on t he Dom it or
O Ast ra. Som e upgrades don’t com e in t he
form of t echnology, but as t ypical
P crewm em bers wit h cert ain ext raordinary
abilit ies. A fam ous exam ple is Helm ut
St ein; t he helm sm an of t he Lorcha
A Velocirapt or, w ho’s pilot ing skills m ade it
possible t o run t he Port Maw blockade
E successfully for over fort y t im es, a feat
no ot her vessel can claim .
D Maxim um Num ber of upgrades:
I Tr a de Ga lle on : 3 u pgr a de s, 2 e x ot ic
M e r ch a n t m a n : 2 u pgr a de s, 2 e x ot ic
A Lor ch a : 1 u pgr a de , 1 e x ot ic
I wonder why even a Rogue
G Trader would be so foolish t o
use part of an Ork Hulk for
O one of his vessels
T Ca pt a in M ich e lov of t h e
H D M S Th a n a t os
H His im m ense skill is m ore t han enough com pensat ion for all of t he dinosaur t oys he has scat t ered
I ships have failed t heir com m and checks already. The RT ship m ay m ake t his at t em pt even if it has
C
A 11
I m pe r ia l Te ch n ology Upgr a de s
- I m proved Sensors: as in rulebook, + 1 Ld 15pt s
-
Target ing Mat rix:
Upgraded Boost ers:
as in rulebook, left shift on t he gunnery t able
+ 1D6 on AAF
15pt s
10pt s
- Manoeuvring Prot ocols: + 1 Ld on CTNH, BR, AAF 10pt s
replace st rengt h 4 weapons bat t eries wit h range 30/ st rengt h 4 Heavy Gunz. I .e. a
ship wit h a broadside of firepower 10 replaces t his wit h 6 st andard bat t eries and 4
Heavy Gunz 30pt s
- Heavy Hull Plat ing: gain + 1 hit point and cannot be boarded 35pt s
- ‘Boarding Part ies:
- Arm oured Prow:
ship gains a + 1 m odifier in boarding act ions
ship gains 6+ prow arm our
20pt s
25pt s
Not e: you m ay t ake each upgrade only once. So upgrades cannot be st acked.
Ex ot ic Upgr a de s
Not e: You m ay only use exot ic upgrades on t he Rogue Traders personal vessel.
- Replace st rengt h 4 prow bat t eries wit h Ta u Gr a vit ic M issile La u n ch e r st rengt h 5 30pt s
- Trade Galleon only: Replace launch bays wit h Ta u Gr a vit ic H ook s. This allows for inclusion of
2 free Tau Orca class escort s 40pt s
- I nt egrat ion of Tau Messenger st yle Tr a ck in g Syst e m ( no range! )
- Alie n H u ll: in t he endphase roll a D6, on a 5+ 1 lost hit point is rest ored
15pt s
25pt s
- Elda r h olofie ld t e ch n ology: right shift against bat t eries, 6+ save against lances
- Alie n w e a pon r y: I n t he shoot ing phase t he weapon m ay fire D6 blast m arkers up t o 30cm
25pt s
in a random direct ion ( scat t er dice) 20pt s
- D ispla ce m e n t dr ive : On CTNH special orders t he ship m ay m ove t he first 15cm of it s
m ovem ent in any direct ion except t he rear arc before t urning 30pt s
- Ke l- da ch Tor pde os: The RT cruiser replaces it 's norm al t orpedo arm am ent wit h t orpedos
acquired from a local xeno race- t he RT cruiser count s as having Melt a Torpedos 20pt s
- Pe n a n ce Sh ie lds a n d W a r ds: The RT is known in cert ain circles am ong t he I nquisit ion and
wit h him act ing as t heir dist ant eyes and ears; t hey have gift ed him wit h a m eans t o prot ect
him self from t he Daem onic. The RT ship is im m une t o t he det rim ent al effect s of Marks of
Slaanesh, presence of Spect ral Daem on ships, and any ot her psychic at t acks such as Necron
Seplechures and Tyranid ships wit h t he Psychic Scream evolut ion 20pt s
- D e m iu r g M a it e n a n ce bot s: The RT has acquired Dem iurg Maint enance Aut om at ions which allow
him t o roll 2 addit ional dice for dam age cont rol in t he end phase 20pt s
- A st r a n ge pa sse n ge r : A rogue Eldar Seer and his warrior guard have t aken an int erest in t he RT’s
wellbeing, seeing a fut ure where he m ay aid t he Eldar cause. The Rogue Trader gains a re- roll 25pt s
- I a m a le a f u pon t h e w in d...: Your RT has hired an eccent ric but brilliant pilot / helm sm an.
about his st at ion. You m ay always at t em pt t o go ont o CTNH, BR, AAF special orders even if ot her
already failed a Lockon or Reload Ordnance check 20pt s
- Br oa dsw or d M issile Syst e m . Replace St r6 broadside weapon bat t eries wit h a st r 4 t orpedo salvo 20pt s
E
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Rogu e Tr a de r ’s W a r r a n t
Y Rogu e Tr a de r ’s in Ba t t le fle e t Got h ic
These fleet s are fine up t o a m axim um of Sm a ll M e r ch a n t s
Rogue Traders play a different role in 1000 point s in a regular gam e of Bat t lefleet 1D3 Cargoships FREE for every 500 pt s
C Bat t lefleet Got hic. They aren’t com m anders Got hic. They can work at 1500 point s but t his 0- 1 Escort Carriers 60pt s
of large fleet s like an I m perial Adm iral or will t ake t he feeling away of playing wit h Arm ed Cargo Transport s 20pt s
L Tau Kor’el. sm all Rogue Trader Fleet s. At 750 point s t his
is ideal. Escor t s
O Most of t he t im e t hey com m and a single
vessel wit h a few at t endant escort s and Fle e t List
Sword Class Frigat e
I conoclast Dest royer
35pt s
30pt s
cargo ships. This is t heir prim arily m et hod 0- 6 Recom m issioned Escort s 40pt s
P of living: t o t ravel t heir regular t rade rout es Ca pt a in per 1000 pt s
or at t im es forge int o unknown areas Rogue Traders 25pt s 0- 6 Alien Escort s 50pt s
A following rum ours of great wealt h. At t im es You m ust include a Rogue Trader in your per 1000 pt s
t hey m ay j oin t here effort s wit h ot her t rade fleet . Your Rogue Trader m ust be placed
E part ners like alien races or planet ary
governors.
aboard a Trade Galleon, Merchant m an or a
Lorcha.
Tr a de Pa r t n e r s

0- 1 Tau Merchant plus at t endant Orca escort s

D Then at t im es t he I m perial Navy m ay order A Rogue Trader gives + 1 t o t he rolled 0- 4 Tarellian Carrack
t hem int o t heir fleet t o repel an urgent Leadership of his vessel and com es wit h 1 re-
I enem y uprising, or an I nquisit or goes
aboard t he Rogue Trader’s vessel and
roll. You m ay t ake one of t he following t rade allies
t o accom pany your Rogue Trader:
A pret t y m uch all com m and goes t o t he
I nquisit or.
Addit ional Rerolls
A Rogue Trader m ay buy an addit ional re- roll Ta u :
at t he following cost : You m ay field t wo Em issary class light
At ot her t im es a Rogue Trader wit h good cruiser.
I m perial reput at ion m ay be ordered t o 1 re- roll 25pt s D e m iu r g:
G com m and an expedit ionary fleet int o
unknown regions t o bring forward t he Light Cr u ise r s
You m ay field one Bast ion class cruiser.
I m pe r ia l:
O of t he Em peror. You MUST include at least ONE of t he ships
below in your fleet
You m ay field one Lunar class cruiser.
Pla n e t a r y For ce s:
The above background m eans Rogue You m ay field one Murder class cruiser.
T Traders do not fit int o a regular fleet list 0- 1 Trade Galleon excl upgrades 140pt s Ade pt u s M e ch a n icu s:
m ost of t he t im e. Because of t his we 0- 2 Merchant m en excl upgrades 85pt s You m ay field one Adept us Mechanicus light
H present you t hree different fleet list s. 0- 2 Lorcha excl upgrades 65pt s cruiser.

I
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E
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Un de r a D iffe r e n t Fla g
C
The Rogue Trader’s fleet is being part of a
Y m ilit ary fleet , while m ost likely t his will be t he
I m perial Navy ot her races m ight j ust pay
C enough t o persuade a Rogue Trader int o
j oining t heir ranks. You m ay select a
m axim um of 750 point s of t he following
L Rogue Trader’s fleet list which m ay be added
t o a fleet of t he following races ( t hus if you
O play a 1500pt s gam e you m ay t ake 750pt s of
Rogue Trader’s in addit ion t o 750pt s of t he
P select ed fleet , if you t ake 400pt s of Rogue
Traders you can t ake 1100pt s from t he
select ed fleet ) :
A
I m perial Navy
E Governor’s Fleet ( Renegade – Chaos m odels)
Space Marines
D Adept us Mechanicus
Dem iurg
Tau
I
A Fle e t List Addit ional Re- rolls
Sm a ll M e r ch a n t s
0- 1 Escort Carriers 60pt s
A Rogue Trader m ay buy an addit ional re- roll Arm ed Cargo Transport s 20pt s
at t he following cost :
Ca pt a in Escor t s
G Rogue Traders 25pt s 1 re- roll 25pt s Sword Class Frigat e 35pt s
You m ust include a Rogue Trader in your I conoclast Dest royer 30pt s
O fleet . Your Rogue Trader m ust be placed
aboard a Trade Galleon or Merchant m an.
Cr u ise r s
You MUST include at least ONE of t he
0- 6 Recom m issioned Escort s
0- 6 Alien Escort s
40pt s
50pt s
following in your fleet . ( m ay not be select ed it t he Rogue Trader is
T A Rogue Trader gives + 1 t o t he rolled Ld of part of an I m perial or Space Marine fleet )
his vessel and com es wit h 1 re- roll. 0- 1 Trade Galleon excl upgrades 140pt s
H 0- 2 Merchant m en excl upgrades 85pt s The Rogue Trader act s as an independent force
regarding re- rolls in such a fleet .
I
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E
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Th e Gr a n d Ex pe dit ion a r y Fle e t
C
Now and t hen a not ewort hy Rogue Trader
Y m ay be given t he com m and of a large fleet t o
bring forward t he Light of t he Em peror. These
C fleet s are oft en rag- t agged as it is being a
collect ion of reserve cruisers or cruisers which
are not im m ediat e needed for st andard
L I m perial Navy prot ocols.

O Fle e t List

P Ca pt a in
Rogue Traders 25pt s
A You m ust include a Rogue Trader in your
fleet . Your Rogue Trader m ust be placed
E aboard a Trade Galleon or Merchant m an.

A Rogue Trader has Leadership 9 of his vessel

D and com es wit h 1 re- roll.

I Addit ional Re- rolls

A Rogue Trader m ay buy addit ional re- rolls at
A t he following cost :

1 re- roll 25pt s H e a vy a n d Gr a n d cr u ise r s

2 re- rolls 75pt s Hades class heavy cruiser 200pt s Sm a ll M e r ch a n t s
1 per 2 cruisers 1D6 Cargoships FREE for every 500 pt s
G Rogu e Tr a de r ’s Cr u ise r s
Vengeance class grand cruiser
1 per 3 cruisers
230pt s 0- 1 Escort Carriers
Arm ed Cargo Transport s
60pt s
20pt s

O You MUST include at least

following in your fleet .
ONE of t he
Cr u ise r s Escor t s
Lunar class cruiser 180pt s Sword Class Frigat e 35pt s
T 0- 1 Trade Galleon excl upgrades 140pt s Got hic class cruiser 180pt s Firest orm Class Frigat e 40pt s
0- 2 Merchant m en excl upgrades 85pt s Dict at or class cruiser 220pt s Falchion Class Frigat e 35pt s
H 0- 4 Lorcha excl upgrades 65pt s Murder class cruiser 170pt s 0- 6 Recom m issioned Escort s 40pt s

I
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T
A
C Ta ct ica l Com m a n d Ta ct ics & St r a t e gy
T
D iffe r e n t Fle e t Ope r a t ion s
I Pa t r ol Fle e t Ru le s
C By M KG

A Here we present t he Pat rol Fleet rules,

which are BFG equivalent of WH40k in 40
m inut es rules or WFB Border Pat rol rules.
L They are designed as fast and com pet it ive -
ideal for persons, who do not have t oo
m uch t im e for larger bat t les. They are also
nice addit ion for cam paign or m ay be used
as t he fast t ournam ent rules. Or inst ead of
chips t o beer or t wo...
C As t he idea is based on sm all skirm ishes
bet ween fast and light fleet pat rols, t here
O are a few lim it at ions t o avoid t oo m uch
heavies or hardcore in t he fleet s.

M
M
A
N
D
15
T
A
C
Pa t r ol fle e t r u le s
T - Fleet s are lim it ed t o 450 point

I - Use sm all t able ( up t o 120cm * 120cm ) and play fast scenarios,

preferable 'sudden deat h' t ype.

C - 2- 4 Capit al Ships or Escort squadrons.

- You cannot t ake ships larger/ m ore powerful t hen a cruiser ( so

A heavy cruisers/ bat t le cruisers/ grand cruiser et c. are forbidden) .

- No capit al ship or escort squadron m ay cost m ore when 230

L point s ( 260 in case of Hive ship - t his is t he only one except ion
allowed) .

- Det ail rules from fleet list , such like t he fielding of Voss pat t ern
light cruisers, are ignored.

C - a m axim um of 6 launch bays and 1 Nova Cannon in t he fleet .

- you cannot use m ines nor special t orpedoes.

O - you cannot com pose capit al ships in squadrons.

M - rules of com m anders are ignored. I nst ead one ship ( larger/ m ost
expensive) is declared as flag ship, w hich gains 1 re- roll ( m ay be
used in whole fleet ) and + 1 t o Ld. I f t he ship suffers t he bridge
M sm ashed crit ical hit t hese bonuses are lost .

A
N
D
16
T
A Pa t r ol fle e t su b- plot s t a ble

C Because of uncom m on nat ure of sm all fleet act ions use t he following
sub- plot t able.
Before t he bat t le roll D6 secret ly and check your secondary obj ect ive.
T 1. Psychological Warfare
Your received an order t o break enem y m orale at all cost . I nflict at
I least 1 dam age point t o all enem y capit al ships/ escort squadrons.

2. St ealt h at t ack
C According t o new doct rine, in t his bat t le, your pat rol have t o reveal as
few det ails about it self as long as possible.
To com plet e sub- plot you m ay not use Special Orders in first D6 t urns.
A 3. Chain of com m and
During t he war experienced com m anders are always in price and
L should be prot ect ed at all cost .
Prot ect your com m and ship from being crippled or dest royed!

4. Num erical superiorit y

You received an order t o gain local advant age in num bers. Minim alising
own losses becam e one of t he m ain st rat egic priorit ies.
C Dest roy/ cripple m ore point s of enem y ships t hat you lose.

5. I nt elligence service
O I nt elligence wish t o know as m uch as possible about t he enem y
com m and ship and need som e det ailed phot os.
One of your ship have t o close 10 cm or less t o t he enem y com m and
M ship in t he any End phase.

6. Low supplies
M Unfort unat ely your supplies are get t ing low. The best way of gaining
t hem is t o capt ure t hem from t he enem y...
Perform at least one successful boarding act ion.
A +++

N
D
17
 Sh ow ca se
Ve sse ls of t h e Ga la x y

S
H
O
W

Giu lio Ta ve r n a
C Eldr it ch Pa t h

A
S
E

18
O Office r ’s M e ss Lou n ge t im e
F
F Sh or t St or y:

I Ba t t le of Kysh a r
By Ja ck W a t lin g
C
E The bridge of t he ‘Em perors Maul’ was silent . The crew t yping away “ Thank t he Em peror t hat we got t hose long ranged sensors
at t heir st at ions, wit hout a word, t he light s dim . All but Adm iral upgraded,” he called t o t he chief observer. Sam wheeled around and
R Sam uel Eden st ayed put . For him , t here was not an hour off dut y.
Every m inut e of his life he spent at t he ready, his devot ion t o his
began barking orders. “ Keep m e updat ed on what com es out of t he
warp. Maint ain ast ropat hic silence. Call all hands t o deck.”

’ dut y suppressing all needs of a m an.

The st ars seem ed dull t hrough t he bridge windows, t hough light ing
ent ire st ar syst em s t hey m ade no difference t o t he gloom of t he
S bridge.
“ Adm iral,” whispered t he chief observer, “ Dist urbance in t he
Kyshar syst em . Large warp blow out . Possible host ile, await ing
orders.”
Wit hin seconds Sam had j um ped t o, t he silence shat t ered, “ Get m e
M visual, Signal t o t he rest of t he fleet . Get t hem t o encircle t he ship.
Sam rushed t o t he capt ain’s chair. Pulling t he vox- set from t he
arm . “ This is Adm iral Eden, warp shift sight ed. Expect ed host ile as no
I m perial ships are beam ing us. Call all hands t o deck and bring t o. I
want us encircled. Call an open line.” He cut t he m essage and
ret urned t he set t o it s place.
“ Adm iral, t his is Capt ain Hans. Order received. Open line
connect ed, we picked up t he warp shift as well. Moving t o guard
form at ion im m ediat ely.” The vox reply was sent t o t he ent ire bridge.
Sam felt safe knowing t hat Hans had his back.

Send squadron DI 92 out , I want a reading.” A series of reply’s cam e in one aft er anot her. On t he t act ical
E Frant ic crewm en rushed around t he bridge. The wall screen fired up
display it becam e obvious t hat t he fleet was encircling t he ‘Em perors
Maul.’ Sam liked his fleet t o be efficient . He const ant ly drilled bot h
and a set of im ages began revealing t hem selves. A pict ure of a his crew and t he ot her ships under his com m and. His vigorous
S pulsing light cam e on screen. I t looked as t hough t he fabric of space
was being pushed apart . I t looked like a dist ort ed glass. Sam uel
t raining of his fleet was now evident as t he ships slipped int o t he new
form at ion wit hin m inut es.
knew what it was.
S

19
 Suddenly, t he fabric of t he universe shat t ered in a huge display of
warped light . On t he t act ical display no m ore t han t went y- seven craft
O sprung up all pulling t hem selves int o t he plain of realit y.
“ How t he hell did t hey get so close unnot iced? I want a reason.”
F Sam ’s eyes were wide wit h anger; he st ood, m arching t o t he sensory
servit ors and glaring at t he t ech- priest in charge. “ Well, why did you
F fail?”
“ Adm iral, m y apologies but I have no idea. I f you can ident ify t he
ships I m ight be able t o find a reason.” The t ech- priest fell silent , his
I eyes cast down t o his boot s.
“ Fine, I ’ll ident ify t he ships but ‘m ight ’ isn’t good enough.” Sam
ran t o t he chief observer. “ Get m e t he ident it y of t hose ships and
C bring it t o t he wall. Bat t le st at ions.”
“ Cert ainly adm iral, com ing on screen now.” The chief observer
replied, furiously t yping on a t ouch pad.
E his gaze t o t he m arine before him .
The bust le on t he bridge ceased as t he pict ures of t he ships cam e
R t o t he screen. “ Chaos, how dare t hey com e here.” Sam shout ed
across t he bridge. “ Gunnery officers, keep m e updat ed on range.”
“ Shall we flee adm iral, rem em ber, we are ordered t o m ove t o t he
’ aid of Adm iral Lect on.” First officer Karlile asked quiet ly, avoiding
Sam ’s eyes.
S “ Change form at ion, wedge. Make evasive act ion. Com e t o new
heading. Prepare t o engage. We were ordered Karlile t o m ove t o t he
front . The front has com e t o us so we are obliged t o m ake our
st and.” Sam m oved t o his chair, his dark green eyes dart ing t oo and
fro.
M “ Adm iral, I believe t hey have som e form of sensory blocker as we
st ill don’t have t hem on our syst em s. They could be using a psychic
block but it seem s unlikely. I t hink t hey were at t em pt ing t o j um p t he
E I m perial front but ran int o us.” The sensory t ech- priest sounded
worried as he report ed.
“ Adm iral, you’re being hailed.” The com m s operat or yelled from
S across t he room .
“ Bring it t o screen. Give m e bridge wide.” Sam st ood before t he
S screen and wait ed.
20
Before him was an im age of a t all, dark figure. The arm or t hat t his
t hing wore clearly defining him as a chaos space m arine. A wolf- fur
cloak hung from t he m onst ers shoulders. Sam shuddered. “ Adm iral,
how st range t hat you should await m y fleet leaving t he warp. Do you
com e here t o fight ?” The figures voice sounded like t housands of lost
souls, being dragged t hrough t heir darkest night m ares. So om inous
was t he sound of his voice t hat Sam felt like a bird, flying ahead a
st orm .
“ Don’t wast e m y t im e asking quest ions t hat you already know t he
answer t o.” Sam curled his lip in disgust .
“ I f I am t o st op wast ing your t im e could you do t he sam e for m e?
I t is such a nuisance t hat you should even at t em pt t o st and in m y
way. You and your corpse worshiping fleet will crum ble under t he fist
of chaos” Sarcasm ran t hrough t he m arine’s voice.
“ Back your t hreat s wit h act ion fool.” Sam signaled t he first m at e.
“ Take com m and on deck,” Sam ordered quiet ly before ret urning
“ Fool, you know not hing of m e, you cannot sim ply presum e m e a
fool. To j udge wit hout evidence would m ake you t he ‘fool,’ would it
not ?” The m arine began t o laugh, raising his nose t o Sam as t hough
he were not hing m ore t han a slave.
“ I have all t he evidence t hat I need. You m ade a m ist ake when
you t urned from t he Em perors light . And now you’ll pay for it wit h
your life.” Sam sm iled. “ You m ust underst and t hat every pat h in
chaos leads t o t ort ure. You have such power and freedom now but
once t he Dark Gods are finished wit h you, you will be cast t o et ernal
suffering.”
“ You seem t o have great knowledge of chaos for an I m perial, I ’d
be careful if I were you, you wouldn’t want t o be accused of Heresy.”
Again t he m arine laughed. “ Chaos gives m e power Adm iral, t he
power t o wipe you from t he face of t he universe. Enj oy t he last hour
of your life.”
“ Com e t hen, fight us and st op your m indless boast ing. The em peror
keeps us as one, he unit es m ankind. I ndividuals like you can achieve
not hing. Chaos is not unit ed and so will never defeat t he I m perium .
However st rong you are, Chaos is weak. I t s st rengt h is t he failure of
ot hers not it s own power.” Sam cut t he link before t he reply could
com e back. Turning slowly he began giving orders once m ore.
 “ Adm iral, squadron DI 92 is under fire. They’re sust aining heavy
losses. They’ve scanned t he enem y fleet but are alm ost broken.” The
O com m s officer yelled over t he noise of t he rest of t he crew.
“ They’ve done t heir dut y, get t hem t o feed t heir dat a t o us and
im m ediat ely disengage. I repeat , disengage. I don’t want a ship lost .”
F Sam shout ed back, “ Order t he whole fleet , All Ahead Full.” Sam sat
back in his chair. Cut t ing out t he background noise he ent ered his
F m ind, t hinking of what was t o com e.
There was a j olt as t he ship began t o accelerat e. The enem y
I suddenly began t o get closer. “ Gunnery officer, I want a range
check.” Sam called as t he ship ret urned t o norm al speed.
C “ We should have m ade cont act wit hin quart er of an hour. Nova
cannon are already in range.” The reply was warm ly felt by Sam who
sm iled and pulled t he vox from t he chair arm .
E “ Alpharis Squadron, prepare nova cannon. They’re in range. Turon
Squadron, launch t orpedo spread. Em pt y all t ubes and reload.” Sam
R put down t he vox and pressed t he ship wide com link. “ All fight er
crews t o launch bays, all bom ber crews at t he ready. Prepare t o
launch. Expect ed launch t im e, t en m inut es.”
’ “ Wit h pleasure adm iral, t orpedoes away.” Cam e t he reply form t he
four lunar class cruisers t hat m ade up Turon Squadron.
On t he t act ical display m any sm all dot s appeared on screen,
S labeled, I m perial t orpedoes. Sam liked t hose dot s, he count ed,
t went y- four. The chaos fleet would eit her scat t er or suffer a lot of
dam age. Eit her way, t he enem y was t he one who would get hurt .
“ Nova cannon loaded Adm iral, locking on. Firing on order.”
M Com m ander Barka, squadron leader of Alpharis squadron cam e over
t he radio.
“ Fire at will com m ander.” Sam closed his eyes as t he t hree huge
E beam s of light flashed t owards t he enem y fleet , m assive frost ed
blossom s im pact ing on four of t he enem y ships. One t he ships was
even blown off course by t he huge am ount of energy, it s engines
S failing as it becam e crippled. Cheers flooded t he bridge. All t hree
dom inat ors report ed hit s and significant dam age t o t he t arget s. Sam
S congrat ulat ed each crew at a t im e before ordering t hem t o reload.
21
“ Adm iral, you’re being hailed again.” The com m s officer called
back.
“ Shut it down, I am not int erest ed in speaking wit h t hat deluded
t rait or. How a m arine of t he em peror could bring him self so low I
have no idea.” Sam swiveled around and began looking at t he t act ical
display, calm ing his nerve for t he carnage t hat was t o com e.
“ Adm iral, seven m inut es and count ing for cont act .” The gunnery
report ed. Sam pulled out t he ship wide com m and dialed in t he com -
code for t he launch bays.
“ All fight er crew t o st at ions. Launch when ready. Keep us safe
from enem y at t ack craft . Rem em ber, t he em peror is wit h you.” Sam
put down t he m out hpiece and t urned back t o t he t act ical display.
“ Adm iral, incom ing. Enem y bom ber wave. Sm all spread of
Torpedoes com ing up t he right flank.” The chief observer eagerly
await ed t he reply.
“ The enem y will be in range in approxim at ely t wo m inut es.” The
gunnery officer called out .
Relay m y orders, all fight ers wings are t o engage bom bers as a first
priorit y, t orpedoes as a second. Don’t let anyt hing t hrough. As t o
you,” Sam point ed t o t he gunnery officer. “ Hit t he open line t o t he
whole fleet . We m ay need t o brace. Make sure all weapons are ready
t o fire once we com e int o range.”
“ Com m s up adm iral.” The reply cam e quick and sharp.
“ Adm iral, nova cannon are reloaded.” Com m and Barka’s voice
cam e over t he open com m Link.
“ Fire when ready.” Sam replied quickly his m ind was racing. He
had been an Adm iral for seven years but every t im e he ent ered
bat t le t he rush of quest ions and updat es always t hreat ened t o sweep
him off his feet . To be an Adm iral one m ust have very proficient self-
cont rol.
“ The enem y is in range adm iral, sensors indicat e t hat w e are being
t arget ed and we believe six enem y vessels are increasing in speed.”
The gunnery officer blurt ed out , his eyes wide as he repeat edly
scanned t he screens.
“ Adm iral, bom ber wave neut ralized, enem y t orpedoes are
dest royed, ret urning t o launch bays.” The wing com m ander spoke
slowly, his voice shaking slight ly. Obviously t he bom bers had put up
a fight , Sam t hought t o him self.
 The t hunder of t he nova cannon washed over t he bridge once
m ore as t he huge t orrent of light j et t ed from t he prows of Alpharis
O squadron. One of t he shot s scat t ered wide but t he ot her t wo went
t rue, bot h st riking an enem y cruiser. Huge fires could be seen and
t he ship began vent ing sm oke. The bridge of t he ships had been
F caved in and t he prow was horribly t wist ed.
F “ Adm iral, t wo successful hit s, enem y ship alm ost crippled but
braced. Her bridge is down and her launch bays have caught fire,
t arget ident ified as devast at ions.” The report led t o yet m ore
I cheering. Through t he open com m s Sam could hear t he ent ire fleet
giving t heir t hanks t o Alpharis squadron. Sam sim ply said, “ cheer
when we’ve won, keep on t ask.” The bridges fell quiet again.
C “ I ncom ing! ” Shout ed t he ships t racker, “ enem y lance fire.”
E “ We will weat her t he st orm , all crews, All Ahead Full.” Sam
buckled him self int o his seat . This was where it all began.
R The ent ire ship rocked as lance beam s im pact ed on it s shields.
Then a single lance beam pushed t hrough and st ruck t he Em perors
’ Maul on her prow! The ship j olt ed from t he im pact but ot herwise kept
going.
S “ Adm iral, we’ve been hit , no serious dam age, our shields are
down. Capt ain Hoph fared less well, he has been hit seven t im es and
is request ing t o disengage.” Sam uel nodded as t he report was
relayed t o him .
M “ Perm ission grant ed, Capt ain Hoph, disengage. But before you do,
em pt y prow t orpedoes t ubes.” As t he fleet accelerat ed, Sam wat ched
as anot her six t orpedoes sped out of t he lunar class cruiser, before
E t he light s on boards blinked out . Sam t ook a deep breat h and
ret urned his at t ent ion t o t he t ask in hand.
S “ Give m e a reading on t he first t orpedo salvo.” Sam was eager t o
know how t hey had fared.
S last t went y m inut es. “ Fire.”
22
“ Seven hit s, t he rest eit her failed t o harm t he enem y or were
dest royed.” The report was warm ly received am ong t he crew.
“ Launch a bom ber wave, I want t o t est t heir defenses.” Sam didn’t
fancy t he bom bers chance of survival but he needed t o know how
m uch fight er cover t he enem y had.
“ Sir, t he enem y has us in bat t ery range, t heir firing.” The shield
operat or looked up from a bank of screens. “ Sir, our shields are up.”
Sam replied short ly and sharply. “ Good, order t he fleet , were our of
range so it doesn’t ham per us in any way, All ships Brace for
I m pact .”
The enem y fire seem ed endless as shot aft er shot im pact ed all
around. Aft er t he first five hit s t he Em perors Mauls shields were
collapsed and sm oke began seeping t hrough t he vent ilat ion syst em .
Many of t he hit s were glancing but t wo broke t hrough causing havoc
am ongst t he launch crews.
“ St at us report , I want a st at us report .” Sam uel j um ped form his
chair as soon as t he fire had ceased.
“ Adm iral, fleet wide dam age but it s all m inor we can handle it .”
Sam nodded and began pacing t he deck.
“ How long unt il we are in bloody range.” Sam didn’t like t he long
guns on t he chaos fleet . They were incredibly dest ruct ive.
“ Fift y six seconds and were in range adm iral” The gunnery officer
was sm iling under t he peak of his cap.
“ Prepare t o bring all guns t o bare, I want t o be locked on t he
second were in range am I clear?” Sam wouldn’t let a single chaos
ship escape; he would crush t hem t o t he ground.
“ You are clear sir, I ’m j ust checking our t arget ing array now.” The
gunnery officer began furiously t yping on a m iniscule t ouchpad.
“ Were in range capt ain, locking on now.” The t im e was set t o do
som e real harm t o t he enem y.
“ Bring t he whole fleet t o bare,” Sam t ook a long, deep breat he
before half whispering t he order he had been dying t o give for t he
 As one t he ent ire I m perial fleet opened up, unleashing a t orrent of
t orpedoes, lances and bat t ery fire on t he t rait ors before t hem . Three
O chaos escort s were dest royed inst ant ly and five chaos ships were
severely dam aged by t he huge volum e of fire t hat erupt ed from t he
previously silent I m perial Navy.
F As t he servit ors began relaying dam age report s, Sam clim bed t he
set of st eps t hat led t o t he podium of com m and aboard t he Em perors
F Maul. Pressing t he ship wide com m grid he began t o speak.
“ Servant s of t he Em peror. Know now t hat we fight a foe t hat
underm ines everyt hing we fight for. A foe t hat is fueled by hat red, a
I foe t hat t ries t o drive t error int o our heart s, but hear m e now. We
need not fear t hem , have fait h in your dut y, have fait h in your abilit y.
For if t hey feel t hey are loosing t hey w ill squabble and flee. Act
C t oget her, act as one and as one we will crush t hese worm s. Long live
t he I m perium .” Shout s and cheers erupt ed t hrough t he ship. Sam
st epped off t he podium and began t o m ake it back t o his com m and
E chair.
R “ Adm iral, enem y is firing.” The crew im m ediat ely dropped back t o
t heir st at ions, as t hey realized t hey were in a bat t le again.
Sam began t o laugh. “ Order each ship t o fight in t heir squadrons,
’ t he squadron leader is now in charge of each ship under his
com m and.
S They need not follow m e now, let each capt ain decide whet her t o
brace or not . For us, we shall not brace, for every hit t he enem y
deals us, deal t en back. Release all Ordnance.” Sam buckled his seat
again as t he chaos fleet opened fire. The ship rocked and swayed as
shot aft er shot im pact ed on it s hull, m ost bouncing off but som e
M finding t heir m ark and leaving carnage behind t hem .
“ Ride t he st orm , Fire.” The Em perors Maul spewed fort h a near
E endless st ream of fire. An enem y carnage class cruiser was sm ashed
apart as t he em peror class bat t leship unloaded a t ot al of eight
squadrons of bom ber wings on t he ship along wit h a full broadside.
S t he bridge.
Ahead of t he Em perors Maul loom ed a large chaos vessel. The
S enem y vessel was exchanging broadsides wit h a dom inat or.
23
“ Adm iral, were sust aining heavy dam ages. Two ships are
request ing t o disengage. The Archilon and t he Tahlris.” Through t he
com m s, Sam could hear pleas from t he crews of t he ships.
“ Very well. Allow t hem t o disengage. I don’t want t o lose any ships
t oday.” Sam t urned t o wat ch t he display board.
“ Too lat e adm iral, we’ve lost escort squadron DI 35.” Sam disliked
t he news t hat he had lost t hree ships. That didn’t bode well.
“ Helm sm an, com e t o new heading, line us up, prow first wit h t he
flagship.” Sam point ed t o t he large chaos ship t hat was now t o t heir
port . “ I want her ahead of us.”
“ Yes sir.” The ship began t o spin at a great ly increased rat e.
“ Release a fight er wave, enem y ordnance on it s way.” The flight
com m ander gave t hum bs up as anot her wave of fight ers left t he
launch bays.
Suddenly, t here was a huge explosion t hat rocked t he ship like a
rag doll. Sam was cast t o t he ground as sm oke began pouring from
t he vent s in t he ceiling. Maint enance crews sprang int o act ion,
repairing any dam age t hat t he int erior of t he ship m ight have
sust ained.
“ Helm sm an, st op t his t urn you’ve m issed our heading, … Helm sm an.”
Sam rushed t o t he wheel, shaking t he helm sm an from t he cont rols.
Blood, dripped from t he m ans forehead. He flopped dead t o t he floor.
Sam grabbed t he cont rols, forcing t he ship t o st op it s spiral and
brought her back ont o course. The cont rols seem ed t o be pushing
against his will, t rying ceaselessly t o break free but he forced t hem t o
obey his will as t he ship rocked and swayed he kept his knees bent
and brought t he ship t o his w ill. “ Get a new helm sm an up here.” Sam
shout ed back at t he crew who were wat ching him st ruggle wit h t he
cont rols.
A short , t hin m an cam forward, grabbing t he cont rols before salut ing
and greet ing t he adm iral.
“ Line us up w it h t he flag ship. I believe she is a repulsive grand
cruiser. Keep us st eady” Sam ordered and ret urned t o t he cent re of
“ Sir our shields have failed for good.” The defense operat ive spoke,
his voice unst eady and broken.
 “ I nt ensify forward bat t eries, I don’t want anyt hing get t ing
t hrough.” Sam weighed t he sit uat ion. A wrong decision here could
O cost him t he bat t le. He had lit t le choice in his m ind but t o do t he
unt hinkable. “ Helm sm an, All Ahead Full.” Sam spoke soft ly before
sit t ing and st rapping him self in.
F “ Adm iral are you sure, t hat would bring us direct ly int o t he enem y
vessel, you don’t m ean t o ram her do you?” The helm sm an’s voice
F quavered as he spoke of t he unt hinkable.
“ Don’t quest ion orders, divert power t o t he engines.” Sam snarled
as t he helm sm an’s glaring eyes widened int o horror.
I “ Sir, yes sir.” He said, appearing confident but inside he felt rot t en.
Sam t hrew him self t o t he wall as t he huge bat t leship accelerat ed
C t o a phenom enal speed. The ship seem ed t o push t hrough t he void of
space wit h ease; rapidly t he chaos ship cam e closer and closer. I t s
weapon bat t eries firing m anically as t he prow of t he Em perors Maul
E im pact ed wit h her side. Sam was t hrown right against t he wall, his
nose banging painfully on t he m et al. He winced as t he whole ship
R shuddered and groaned. Through t he bridge windows could see a
huge gaping hole in t he chaos ship. Men and m achine alike being
sucked int o t he vacuum of space! Sam pulled him self from t he floor
’ as t he ship st abilized. The shock of t he im pact st ill reverberat ing
t hrough t he bridge floor.
S “ Adm iral, we got off light ly. We weren’t half as dam aged as I
expect ed but we’ve lost 79% of our prow sensors and m ost of t he
prow arm am ent s are unable t o fire.” The sensory officer t rem bled as
he spoke. “ Adm iral, we’re alm ost crippled. The enem y however is
alm ost dest royed. She’s lost 92% of her bat t eries on t his side! Her
M engines have cut ent irely and her shields are down.”
“ Good work m en, fire dorsal bat t ery int o her, I want her dest royed.
Launch a bom ber wing.” Sam began t o laugh as laser burst s fired
E right int o t he cent re of t he ship.
Huge com part m ent s being blown t o shreds. Fires erupt ed all over
S t he ship and as t he bom bers flew in for t he killing blow it all seem ed
t o be over. The light s on t he chaos ship began t o blink out , one part
S at a t im e t he ship becam e invisible unt il all t hat could be seen was it s
24
bridge. But it was t oo lat e and t he bom bers had already locked on.
Explosions ripped t hrough t he arm ored plat es of t he upper deck, t he
bridge of t he ship im ploding as a bom ber unloaded it s full payload on
t he adm inist rat ion t ower. The ship becam e a hulk, not hing lived on
board, it s guns fell quiet and it slowly began t o drift away.
“ Adm iral, we have int ruders.” The m ast er of t he wat ched yelled as
im ages flashed on t he wall screen of a whole unit of ship guard being
blast ed from t heir post s. “ I t seem s som e of t he crew of t he enem y
ship beam ed aboard us. But it get s worse, t hey’re com ing t his way! ”
“ What do you m ean t his way?” Sam asked, already running t o a
keypad, set int o t he floor of t he deck.
“ They’ll be here in approxim at ely t hree m inut es, here as in right
here.” All over t he bridge, eyes widened.
“ Who will be here in t hree m inut es, what are we dealing wit h? I
want num bers.” Sam finished dialing in a set of digit s and pressed his
t hum b ont o a sm all circular t ouch screen.
“ You don’t want t o know adm iral, t erm inat ors! ” The bridge
im m ediat ely fell silent . Sam st ared at t he m an, his hand lift ing from
t he t ouch pad he sim ply raised and eyebrow.
“ Then we’ll have a nice lit t le surprise for t hem ! ” Sam pulled back a
floor panel, elect ro m agnet s com ing apart as he revealed a dark box.
“ I want every able m an here, we’ll enforce on t hem t he em perors
j ust ice and greet t hem wit h hell.”
Sam ripped t he t op off t he box, revealing no less t han t went y
m elt a class rifles. “ Fire st raight boys, give t hem som et hing t hey’ll
rem em ber for t he next five m inut es of t hey’re lives.”
From a sm all holst er he pulled out a sleek looking pist ol, t he let t ers
on it s barrel sim ply reading, ‘classificat ion, inferno.’ Pulling t he slide
Sam clim bed ont o t he ext ended doorfram e above t he com m and deck
ent rance, pulling from a sheat h a long curved saber. As he pressed a
sm all but t on under it s hilt blue energy began t o pulse around it s
blade, he sm iled, st ood and wait ed.
The first m at e scowled at his capt ain, “ You play a dangerous gam e
 Adm iral, I ’m not so sure you should have t hose here, you know full
well t hat t hey’re against regulat ions.” He seem ed upset , alm ost
O m ort ified t hat his capt ain would break t he rules.
“ To be honest I t hink t hat us using t hese weapons is a m inor
offense com pared t o loosing an em peror class bat t leship. I did what
F was necessary. Whet her t hese are against regulat ions or not I would
rat her use t hem t han see chaos prevail.” Sam fixed his posit ion and
F began t o send his officers behind cont rol banks and pillars.
The chaos t erm inat ors would have a surprise when t hey realized
I t hat t heir special arm our would not help t hem at all. Sam felt a t ouch
of anxiet y in t he back of his m ind. He felt like som et hing was wrong,
he pushed t he feeling t o t he back of his m ind and began st eadying
C his nerve as t hrough t he surveillance cam era t hat overlooked t he
corridor out side t he bridge ent rance he first glim psed his enem y.
Nine hulking form s pushed t heir way t owards t he door, t hey’re fist s
E adorned w it h uncount able spikes and blades. All of t hem w ere easily
t hree t im es t he size of a m an and each one had a pelt spread over
R t heir shoulders. The pelt of a wolf! Sam knew t hat was a bad om en
as his m ind spun back t o t he hail of t he chaos m arine before t he
bat t le. The m arine t hen had been wearing a wolf skin cloak. Slowly
’ but surely, Sam ’s heart sunk int o a dark and om inous feeling of
despair.
Through t he doors, t he foot st eps could be heard of t he approaching
S foe. A voice echoed t hrough t he bridge, a harsh and evil voice.
“ Adm iral, I said your life would end, and I was right . You dest royed
m y ship adm iral, but are you as good a swordsm an as you are a
capt ain.” Laught er pushed t hrough t he door j ust as a huge fist
brought t he Adam ant ium blast doors t o t he ground. Bolt er shot s
M sprayed form t he breach, t he explosions, shaking t he cont rol panels
and shat t ering screens all over t he bridge. Sam wait ed.
E “ For t he em peror! ” The first m at e yelled from his hiding place,
bringing his m elt a rifle t o bare and firing int o t he first hulking
m onst rosit y. The chaos m arines fell t o t he ground, his leg separat ed
S from his body. Blood sprayed form t he wound as t he whole bridge
crew rose, firing wit h such int ensit y t hat t he loat hsom e beast
S clasped, his am our m elt ed away by t he fury of t he em perors light .
25
Despit e t he casualt y t he rest of t he t erm inat ors pushed forwards,
t hey’re shells killing bridge crew like flies under foot . The m arines
pushed on, firing wit h t he fury of t heir race. But t he m elt a weaponry
was t aking it s t oll on t he t rait ors. Two m ore t erm inat ors dropped t o
t he ground and t he rest were only j ust holding on as m ore and m ore
shot s poured int o t he gap.
As t hree of t he t rait ors began t o advance, wading t hrough t he las
and m elt a fire. Sam saw t hat t hey had passed his posit ion and so
seeing an opport unit y, he leapt from above t he door. Landing on a
t erm inat ors back he plunged his saber st raight t hrough t he m arine,
blood spraying from t he open wound he j um ped ahead of t he dead
m arine, avoiding t he m arines fire. A second swung at sam e head, a
deadly power m aul wiring t hrough t he air as sparks crackled along it s
lengt h. Sam ducked t he blow and raised his pist ol, shoot ing t he
chaos m arine under t he chin, t he m elt a shot burst ing t hrough t he t op
of t he m arine’s head, boring a hole in t he roof of t he bridge. Sam
leapt aside again as t he t erm inat ors dead form began t o fall on him .
There was a heavy t hud as t he m onst er connect ed wit h t he deck.
As Sam pulled him self up a bolt er shell clipped his left shoulder,
pain ran t hrough his body like elect ricit y and he was sent sprawling
over t he ops desk.
Despit e dealing a huge blow t o t he bridge crew, one by one t he
t erm inat ors dropped, t hey’re life being ext inguished as t he officers on
deck fired shot aft er shot int o t he hat ed enem y.
Sam lim ped t o wards t he doorway as t he fire began t o cease. The
sm oking corpses of m any of his crew lying on t he cold st eel of t he
deck. On t he ot her side of t he door, som et hing st irred. “ An
im pressive display adm iral, why not t est your skill on m e.” St epping
back Sam felt fear rip t hrough him as t hrough t he door walked t he
warm ast er. His hulking body easily was t hree t im es t he size of Sam .
His dark curved sword, dripping wit h blood he slowly began t o
advance. Sam realized wit h horror t hat he was bet ween his m en and
t he m arine, his m en couldn’t fire as he was in t he way.
Sam launched him self at t he lord. He faked a st rike t o t he m arine’s
head and t hen spun his sword down, t rying t o cat ch him on t he
knees. The t rait or blocked wit h ease but m ade no at t em pt t o at t ack.
 t rying t o at t ack he st opped and advanced again. This t im e he lunged,
but only wit h a proport ion of his st rengt h. The chaos lord sim ply
O pushed it aside and t urned Sam ’s blade. Sam was ready for t his and
drew all his st rengt h t o at t ack from an opposit e angle, his sword
passed t hrough t he m arines guard and cam e st raight for t he t rait ors
F head but he sim ply st epped back, allowing Sam ’s sword t o pass
wit hout laying a scrat ch on him .
“ Adm iral,” t he first m at e was t ouching his forehead. “ Adm iral?”
“ What ?” Sam pushed forward t he word, his lips felt like t hey were
m ade of lead.
“ The chaos fleet , or what is left of it is fleeing. We have won. We
were vict orious sir.” Sam pushed out a sm ile, it was all he could do.”
“ Well done, you fought well.” Sam breat hed his last words before
falling unconscious. They had won, t hey had won, and t he phrase

F I t was now t hat he chose t o at t ack. Grabbing Sam ’s wrist in a

repeat ed it self in his head for som e t im e. Unt il event ually it st opped
and he was laid in his cabin, t o sleep.
sharp act ion he brought Sam int o his knee, knocking Sam back ont o
I t he floor. The m arine pulled his sword up for t he killing blow shout ing
“ Enj oy deat h adm iral.”
+++
Sam j um ped forwards, t he blade swept an inch from his back but
C had m issed. Sam now at t acked from under t he chaos lords guard,
t he t rait or only j ust m anaged t o block but wit h a sim ple act ion of his
wrist , he flicked Sam ’s sword from his hands. Sam spun around,
E drawing a dagger from his belt . The m arine grabbed him , lift ing him
int o t he air, Sam knew it was all over but he had t o t ry. He drove t he
R dagger int o t he m arines forearm , forcing t he dark servant of chaos t o
drop him . The chaos lord yelled in pain but leveled his fist and st ruck
Sam such a blow t o t he chest t hat he was flung across t he floor.
’ I f it had not been for his arm ored chest plat e he would have had a
set of broken ribs but as t he t rait or approached Sam , Sam drew his
S pist ol knowing t hat it was his last hope. He squeezed t he t rigger, t he
m elt a shell boring a hole in his foes leg. The m arine dropped t o t he
ground, dragging Sam t o him and punching him square in t he
forehead. Sam t ried t o break free but t he grip of t he chaos lord was
like an iron clasp.
M “ You will know pain fool.” The chaos lords voice blew warm on
Sam ’s cheek, harsh and t hreat ening, it fell on his ringing ears.
E “ You are st ill t he fool t rait or, you failed t o disarm m e.” Sam
pushed out t he words, one at a t im e before raising t he m elt a pist ol t o
t he m arine’s forehead and firing. He couldn’t see whet her he had
S succeeded but as he wasn’t dead he assum ed his shot had found it s
m ark. Sam kept his eyes closed, his head spun, pain covered his
S body but he held on.

26
 D r y D ock
Ve sse ls of t h e Ga la x y

I m pe r ia l N a vy

H ow t o M a gn e t ize you r Cr u ise r s

D By Ch a n g
R
Hi! . Having only j ust inst alled m agnet s St e p 1 : Cut out t he t wo body halves of
Y in m y own cruisers, I decided t hat your cruiser, and t rim off t he excess
people should know how t o do t his as plast ic. Glue t hem t oget her as per
w ell, w it hout all t he guesswork. So here norm al. Cut out t he ot her body part s
is m y st ep by st ep guide, following ready t o glue ont o t he body, but don’t
D exact ly what i did in creat ing a m odule
swappable cruiser. Have fun!
glue t hem on yet . Wait for t he body t o
dry before m oving ont o st ep 2.
NOTE: This guide is ONLY for t he
O I m perial Cruisers. Do not at t em pt t o
drill holes int o t he die- cast bat t leships,
C because you will A) Shat t er t hem b)
Bend t hem .
K You Will Need: Your cruisers and
Modules ( This is opt ional, you can
always j ust air- drill) , Super Glue, Two
RARE EARTH MAGNETS for each cruiser
( I got m ine out of m y brot hers
N ot e
Magnet ix set . The size m agnet you use
You can buy Rare Eart h Magnet s at t he
w ill det erm ine w hat drill head you use;
following websit e in case your brot her
m ine were 6m m in Diam et er, 4m m
has no Magnet ix set :
deep) , St aples, Wire Cut t ers, A
Modelling Razor, A drill and Drill Heads
ht t p: / / www.kj m agnet ics.com /
( Mine were sizes 5.5 and 6) , and t hat ’s
about as m uch as I can t hink of.

27
 St e p 2 : Take your naked cruiser t o St e p 5 : St ick your m agnet s int o t he t wo holes, and
your shed, and find your drill. ( Your wedge t hem all t he way in, so t hat t hey are not
bedroom will suffice, but m ake sure you st icking out on eit her side. I don’t know about you,
do t he drilling on t he expensive but m y m agnet s st uck really well, so I did not need
furnit ure) . To begin wit h, use a razor, a t o use any glue, but if your m agnet s are loose,
pin or a pen t o m ake t wo sm all holes t hen a lit t le super glue wouldn’t hurt . Once you
where you want t he drill t o...well drill. have done t his, you can assem ble your cruisers as
NOTE: t he m agnet s do not have t o be per norm al. The next st ep is how t o 'Met alize' your
in t he exact cent re of t he cruiser; t he Modules.
m odules w ill st ill hold on, t hey are VERY
D st rong m agnet s. Just t ry your best t o
drill out a hole as close t he cent re of
R each m odule slot as possible. This will
m ake it look neat er.
St e p 4 : Now, depending on what
Y m agnet s you used ( or how badly you
drilled t he holes) t he 5.5 hole m ay be
St e p 3 : Using a 5.5 drill head t o begin
big enough. I f so, skip t o St ep 5. I f not ,
w it h, drill slowly t hrough t he first Slot .
t hen pull out t he size 6 drill head and
Do not m ake t he m ist ake I m ade and
D HOLD ONTO YOUR CRUI SER VERY
widen t he t wo exist ing holes. The
reason I used t he 5.5 first was because
TI GHTLY if you do not want it t o t urn it
I did not want t o put pressure on t he
O int o a propeller. LOL! Keep drilling unt il
you m ake it out t he ot her side. Cut off
hulls of m y ships, and break t hem . I f
you are lazy, you can j ust use t he 6 t o
t he curly excess plast ic and repeat for
C t he second Slot .
begin wit h, but because I did not do
t hat , I don’t know how it will end up. Be
K m y guest if you want t o risk it , lol.

28
 St e p 6 : Now com es t he easy part . I 'll
st art wit h t he Weapons Bat t eries,
because t hey were t he easiest .
- W e a pon s Ba t t e r ie s: Grab a single
st aple, and cut off t he ends wit h wire
cut t ers ( I used scissors, which was a
bad idea, as t hey are now blunt ...) and
t urn your WB over, so you can place
t he st rip of m et al ont o t he back of it .
D Try and cent re it as m uch as possible,
t hen bury it in a puddle of super glue.
R lol.
Y Once dry, t his should be st rong enough
t o hold t he m et al ont o t he WB, and t he
m agnet s w ill be st rong enough t o hold
t he St aple. Repeat for all of your WB's.
D down st aple in t he dit ch and super glue
O
C
K
- La n ce Ba t t e r ie s: This is slight ly
harder, as t his t im e t here is no where
t o glue your st aple wit hout m aking it
st ick out . When I cut out m y LB, i found
t hat t hey all had a slight indent in t he
m iddle. upon closer inspect ion, I found
t hat t hese were not deep enough for
t he st aples, but t hey were in t he right
place.
So I whipped out m y t rust y razor,
cut t ing m yself in t he process, but
ignored t he pain and cut out a dit ch for
t he st aple t o lie in. I also added a drop
or t wo of plast ic m odelling glue, t o
soft en up t he plast ic. This m ade it a lot
easier, and all I had t o do was scrape
away t he m elt ed plast ic.
Once you have done t his, place t he cut -
it in. Repeat for all of your Lances.
29
- La u n ch Ba ys: This proved m ore problem at ic t han
t he last t wo m odules. I f you t ake a look at your LB
now, you will see t hat t here is nowhere t o glue t he
st aple t oo. Not willing t o give up, I t ried m et hods of
st icking a st aple t here, wit h st icky t ape, so I could
always undo t hem . I n t he end, t he m ost effect ive
m et hod was t his: Pick up your cruiser body sprue ( it
should now be em pt y, and j ust scrap) and cut off LB
lengt h sized st rips. put super glue on one side, and
st ick it t o t he inside of your launch bay long- ways.
Bingo, now you have a plat form t o glue your st aple
t oo. I t s alm ost like t he cruiser set WANTED t o be
m agnet ised. lol. Once t he st rip has dried, glue your
cut - down st aple t o it . Repeat for all of your Launch
Bays.
 And t hat ’s it . once t his has all dried,
you can now m ix and m at ch m odules,
changing variant s or even creat ing your
own variant s. From here on, you can
paint your cruiser j ust like norm al, but I
suggest paint ing t he Cruiser and
Modules separat ely. Once undercoat ed,
t he m agnet s will be hard t o not ice,
w hich is a good t hing.

D
R
Y

D
O
C
K
I Hope This guide was helpful, and I hope
t o hear of ot her peoples success in
m agnet ising t heir cruisers. HAVE FUN!

30
 Tyr a n ids

Tyr a n id Pa in t in g Gu ide
By Giu lio Ta ve r n a

D
R I n de x

Y 1 – Get t ing Ready

2 – Tyranid Models Anat om y
3 – St art ing Paint ing : Black base coat
4 – Soft Part s : Liche Purple
D 5 - Chit inous Exoskelet on
5.1 - A Purple Wash
5.2 – Black t o Whit e St rokes
O 5.3 - Grey Dry brush
6 – Hardpoint s : Sunburst Yellow
C 7 – Arm our Plat es
7.1 - Whit e Base Coat
K 7.2 - Golden t o Sunburst
7.3 - St rokes t o Whit e
7.4 - The Wasp Pat t ern
8 – Eyes
9 – That 's I t !

31
 1 – Ge t t in g Re a dy
Hi everybody, and welcom e t o t his paint ing t ut orial. I n t his
art icle I 'll cover all t he t echniques I used on m y I m enot h
Hivefleet , using as exam ple a newly convert ed clawed cruiser.
I f you wonder how it was built , you'll find useful m y convert ing
art icle in Warp Rift 16. Like t he ones in t hat art icle, every
t echnique explained here will fit very well not only for BFG
hivefleet s, but also WH40K swarm s. I n fact , I used t his colour
schem e also for m y 40k arm y, as you'll see in som e pics, and
D t he result is pret t y pleasing.
Most of t he paint ing t echniques showed in t his art icle can be
R easily achieved by every paint er, however som e of t he
advanced ones assum e som e confidence wit h paint t hinning,
and som e pract ice wit h precision paint ing. Anyway, t hey can be
Y a good way t o t rain t hese skills, so you could t ry t hem out ,
what ever level you are.
The palet t e required for t his colour schem e is very lit t le and
sim ple : t he only colours used are Black, Whit e, Golden Yellow,
D Sunburst Yellow and Liche Purple. Also, you'll need 'ardcoat
( Gloss Varnish) t o achieve som e effect s. As for t he brushes,
you could use j ust a 0, and add a 00 for t he t hin wasp pat t erns,
O if you need it .
I found t hat adding som e dish soap t o t he wat er I use t o t hin
C down colours helps a lot paint ing, and I suggest t o do it every
t im e you can. Preparing it is very easy : add 10- 15 drops of
K soap t o a 50cc bot t le of t ap wat er. That 's it . I f you're not sure
about t he quant it y of soap t o add, j ust m ake sure t hat t hinned
paint s don't creat e bubbles when you m ix t hem or apply t hem
t o t he m odel.
As you'll not ice from t he first pict ures, som e of t he bit s used in
t he conversion of t he m odel used for t he t ut orial don't com e
direct ly out of t he box, but are used and have som e rem nant s
of older paint on t hem . They were old m odels i bought on ebay,
and I used t hem on purpose, t o show t hat you can have very
nice result s even from old, “ flawed” bit s.
Finally, t his art icle is no m ast er class, t his colour schem e is
t hought as a good com prom ise bet ween qualit y and speed.
32
2 – Tyr a n id M ode ls An a t om y
When I paint ed t he first of m y Tyranid
m odels, I spent som e t im e analysing t he
anat om y of t hese m iniat ures, so t hat m y
colour schem e would be coherent . Aft er
som e st udy, I found out t hat t here were 5
kinds of anat om ical part s t hat required
different paint ings t echniques. The first I
like t o paint are t he soft part s, like arm
j oint s, t ongues, and anyt hing “ int erior” ,
like exposed wounds or t he inside of
guns. I decided t hese t o be purple. Next
com es t he exoskelet on, which includes
arm s, legs, t ails, and everyt hing t hat
looks like t he skin of t he creat ure. Being
inspired by wasps for m y colour schem e,
i choose t o render it in black.
As t hird cat egory t o paint I usually select
t he arm our plat es and scyt hes, however I
preferred t o post pone t heir t reat m ent in
t his art icle, because t hey w ill surely be
t he longest part of t he proj ect t o paint .
They'll be bright yellow, anyway.
The fourt h cat egory are what i call “ hard
point s” , like knuckles and chest ribs. I
chose for t hese a bright yellow pat t ern,
applied in sm all, sprayed dot s.
Last but not least , com e t he eyes, which
need specifically t reat m ent , but are
usually not m uch t im e consum ing ( unless
you plan t o convert a creat ure wit h m any
eyes) . They are t reat ed like purple gem s.
Keeping t his in m ind, you'll find t hat it 's
easy and fun t o experim ent , if you don't
like som e of t he colours i used, and st ill
be able t o have som e coherent ly paint ed
m odels on t he bat t lefield.
 3 – St a r t in g Pa in t in g : Bla ck ba se coa t

So here we are! The first t hing you m ay not ice looking at t he pict ures is t hat t he
base coat is not applied t o t he whole m odel. While not very com m on, I find t his t rick
very useful on t his kind of m odels, as you'll need a black base for t he exoskelet on
and t he purple part s, but a whit e one for t he yellow arm our plat es. Of course, you'll
have t o lay down t his black coat t hrough a brush – no spray t his t im e!
I Suggest t o avoid t he black spray even if you're really lazy, as it w ill be harder lat er
t o paint t he whit e coat if you give t he whole m odel a black foundat ion.

4 – Soft Pa r t s : Lich e Pu r ple washes t he sam e, and t hen apply a coat of m at t varnish once t he m odel is com plet e.
Anyway, once you apply t he wash over your vessels, t he result should look like
Once t he black base coat is dry, you can st art paint ing any soft pict ures 2 and 3 in t his chapt er. I t 's bet t er t o apply 2 t hin washes t han j ust a heavy
D part present on your m odel. Soft part s t end t o be m ore organic- one, it will give you m ore cont rol on what you're doing.
looking t han t he harder plat es or exoskelet on part s, so decided t o Once everyt hing is dry, prepare a m ixt ure of w hit e and liche purple slight ly light er
R achieve t he final result t hrough a wash. This will give som e easy
random ness. First of all, m ix som e liche purple t o whit e. Liche
t han t he first one you used, and apply it as highlight colour on t he m ost prom inent
edges of t he purple organs. They w ill look like pict ures 4 and 5, and t hey can be
Y purple is a st rong colour, so you'll have t o m ix som et hing like 2 or
3 part s of w hit e for every part of purple, obt aining a kind of light
considered finished j ust as t hey are. I f you like t o spend som e ext ra t im e on t hese
part s, j ust add m ore whit e t o your m ixt ure, and cont inue highlight ing. Reduce t he
violet . Refer t o t he pics t o get som et hing sim ilar. Apply t his colour area you apply paint on every t im e you prepare a light er m ixt ure of paint s, so t hat
t o soft part s. t he darker colour below will show off.
At t his st age you'll have a m odel sim ilar t o t he first pic of t his
D chapt er.
Now you're going t o apply a purple wash, not only on t he soft ,
O violet part s, but also t o t he back- coat ed exoskelet on. Doing t his
you'll achieve t o result s : you'll give a very nice shading t o t he
violet organs, and you'll give som e shiny, purple deepness t o t he
C whole exoskelet on. I t won't be very not iceable, but it 's presence
w ill enhance t he final result a lot , not only m aking t he skin of your
K creat ure shine a bit ( alien, anyone?) , but also giving a basic
hom ogeneit y t o t he whole m odel.
To prepare your purple wash, place som e liche purple on your
palet t e, and t hen t hin it down a lot wit h your t hinning wat er. I f you
added soap t o it , you'll see how t he colour react s when drops fall
on it , spreading out t ow ards t he edges. Thin dow n t he colour a lot ,
let t ing fall 4 t o 7 drops of wat er from your brush for every drop of
paint . You should have som et hing like purple wat er on your
palet t e. Now, t ake som e gloss varnish and add it t o t he m ixt ure.
You'll need 2 or 3 drops of it . As you m ix all ingredient s wit h your
brush, you'll not ice t hat gloss varnish t hickens and aggregat es t he
coloured wat er. This way, when you apply t he wash over t he
m odel, it w ill slip in t he folds and holes w ay bet t er. Also, t his w ill
give it t he shiny finish we're looking for. I f you don't like any
shininess on your m iniat ures, i suggest you t o use gloss varnish in

33
 5 .3 - Gr e y D r ybr u sh
5 - Ch it in ou s Ex osk e le t on
Som et im es t here are anat om ical part s about Tyranids where
5 .1 - A Pu r ple W a sh you sim ply can't apply t he “ st rokes” t echnique. The m ost
5 .2 – Bla ck t o W h it e St r ok e s t ypical are t ails. As t hey are a part of t he exoskelet on like t he
The first t echnique applied t o t he ot hers, I had t o find a way t o easily and quickly paint t hem
exoskelet on is already done, as it was t he Usually, highlight ing black part s is wit h t he sam e colours as t he rest of t he m odel. The answer
purple glossy wat er you j ust washed over som ewhat difficult , however t he bare t o t his problem was dry brush. Dry brush is a very
t he m odel. What you have t o do now is t o m at erial t he Tyranids are m ade of will st raight forward t echnique, and I don't t hink anyone needs
highlight t hose black part s t o m ake t hem help us t his t im e. An easy and reasonably explanat ions about it . I use 4 t o 6 passages of dry brush t o
st and out . quick way t o sim ulat e black chit in is t o obt ain a good looking effect , each t im e reducing t he area I
highlight t he edges of t he exoskelet on paint , going t owards t he edges.
wit h ort hogonal st rokes, going from dark
grey t o pure whit e. This way you'll avoid
m any problem s about t hinning and
D blending greys in such t iny areas, as
highlight ing in st rokes doesn't require
R m uch precision. The eye won't cat ch
errors about m any st rokes drew near, as
it would about a single, wide area.
Y Moreover t his m et hod helps sim ulat ing
som e t hree- dim ensionalit y, creat ing a
sim ple t ext uring effect .
So st art m ixing black and whit e t o obt ain
D a very dark grey, and apply it like in t he
first 2 pict ures of t his chapt er. Don't
worry if you can't clearly see t he
O difference from t he bare black
underneat h. Try paint ing t hese fine lines
C very close t o each ot her, and enough long
t o be highlight ed.
K Now all you have t o do is t o add m ore
and m ore whit e, t ill you reach pure whit e,
and draw a short er line over every line
you paint ed earlier. I achieve t he result in
about 4 passages : dark grey, grey, light
grey, whit e. I t 's im port ant t o not ice t hat
you'll need t o be increasingly precise as
t he colour you apply is light er, as it w ill
st and out a lot over t he black base coat .
So you can t ake it easy wit h t he first t wo
passages, and care m ore about t he final
t wo, especially when applying whit e.

34
 6 – H a r dpoin t s : Su n bu r st Ye llow

I t 's now t im e t o paint hardpoint s. When I

figured out how t o paint t he various part s
of Tyranid organism s, I found t hese a
challenge. They are a lot , especially
am ong chest ribs and t he knuckles of t he
7 – Ar m ou r Pla t e s
big scyt hes from t he m onst rous creat ures
7 .1 – W h it e ba se Coa t
sprue, and while part of t he exoskelet on,
I found t hat highlight ing t hem j ust as
Now com es t he hard part . As you'll not ice
norm al, t hrough greys t o whit e, didn't
from what you paint ed so far, and t he
m ake t hem st and out enough. Moreover,
pict ures of t he fully paint ed creat ures, t he
it was t oo long t o do com pared t o t he
yellow, wasp- like plat es are t he m ost
effect achieved. The “ dot s” m et hod
im port ant part s of t his colour schem es,
D proved very useful, as once you get used
t o it , it 's quit e quick and very effect ive.
and t hey require pat ience t o paint . When
you get used t o t he procedure, however,
As showed in t he pict ures of t his chapt er,
R first of all you'll have t o paint som e big
you'll cut on t im e and have a bright ,
clean yellow t o st and out on t he
dot s in Sunburst yellow over every
Y “ node” , or hard dot , you see. Yellows are
bat t lefield.
The first st ep t o paint plat es is t o give a
weak colours, especially over a black
whit e base coat t o t he involved arm our
base, so you'll have t o apply paint
part s. This is t he only way t o have a
t hinning it j ust very lit t le, and you'll
bright and full yellow. As always, it 's
require 2 or 3 hands t o have a full,
D beaut iful colour. Once t his is done, st art
bet t er t o apply t wo passages of t hinned
paint rat her t han a single t hick one. This
paint ing m any sm all dot s wit h t he sam e
O colour, st art ing from t he edge of t he
way you'll preserve t he det ails of t he
m iniat ure, you'll have a t hinner and m ore
yellow nodes, t o blur t heir edges. The
hom ogeneous layer, and you'll have
C concept behind t his is t hat when Tyranid
chit in get s hard and t hick enough, it
bet t er cont rol over t he brush.
st art s get t ing yellow. So The arm our
K plat es, harder and t hicker t han t he rest ,
are bright yellow , and t his nodes are
yellow t he sam e, j ust in a m ore “ sprayed”
m anner, as t hey are not prim ary
prot ect ion.
Dot s will be very t hick nest t o t he edges
of t he nodes, and get m ore sparse as you
paint furt her from t hem , j ust like in t he
pics.
The last passage is t o highlight nodes.
Mix som e whit e t o Sunburst Yellow, t hin it
down wit h wat er and apply t his paint t o
t he cent re of t he nodes.

35
 7 .2 - Golde n t o Su n bu r st

Once t he whit e coat is dry, apply

t hinned Golden Yellow t o t he whole
arm our. Golden Yellow is a quit e
hard colour t o m anage, and you'll
need at least 3 layers of t hinned
paint t o obt ain an hom ogeneous
colour. Don’t ' rush t hings, t hin down
t he paint properly ( t hat 's t o say,
liquid enough t o avoid covering
det ails and t o have a hom ogeneous
layer, and t hick enough t o achieve a
D good colour aft er 3 – 6 layers) and
wait every layer t o dry before
R applying t he next . I t could be boring
( it will for sure) , but if you m ess up
Y wit h t he base colour you'll never
m anage t o fix t hings wit h t he next
layers.

D
Once golden yellow is properly applied ( like in t he first pict ure of t his sub- chapt er) , you can st art
O highlight ing. The wide, flat areas of arm our plat es are j ust perfect for t he blending t echnique. St art
adding m ore and m ore sunburst yellow t o golden yellow, and apply it t hrough very t hinned layers.
The colour you paint on t he m odel should have t he consist ency of m ilk. For every colour st ep ( i.e.,
C t he first one aft er golden yellow could be 33% Sunburst 66% Golden) , apply 2 or 3 layers. You'll
probably see not hing when you apply t he first layer, don't rush t hings because it 's t he right way
K t hings should go. St art applying t hese very t hinned layers so t hat you cover about ¾ of a plat e wit h
t he first , a lit t le m ore wit h t he second, and slight ly m ore wit h t he t hird layer, t hen add som e m ore
sunburst yellow t o your m ixt ure, t hin it down properly, and apply t he new m ilky colour right under
t he point where you st art ed applying t he previous layer.
I use t o apply a t ot al of 5- 9 layers, and 3 different colour t ones. Do not reach pure sunburst yellow,
as it 's t oo bright and art ificial- looking. A good ending m ixt ure should be 66% sunburst 33% golden.
I have t o excuse now, for t he pics i t ook don't show well enough t hese colour passages. I used a
fluorescent “ cool whit e” lam p, which seem s t o kill yellows in phot os. Refer t o t he pics of t he finished
m odel t o get a hint of t he real t ones, as t hey were t aken under nat ural light . Anyway, by now you
should have som et hing sim ilar t o t he last pic of t his subchapt er.

36
 7 .3 – St r ok e s t o W h it e
I t 's now t im e t o st art adding whit e t o t he
paint m ixt ure you have on your palet t e.
Add m ore and m ore whit e, t hin t he m ixt ure
as usual ( m ilk- like subst ance, t oo t hick of a
paint and your brush st rokes will be t oo
visible, t oo t hinned and you won't be able
t o cont rol t he paint as you apply it ) , and
apply it in a “ st rokes” m anner, in a way
sim ilar t o what you did earlier wit h t he
exoskelet on highlight ing. You'll have t o be
way m ore precise and gent le, however. The
st rokes should be very t hin and close t o
each ot her, like in t he pict ures above. Also,
D t his w ill be m ore sim ilar t o blending t han
t he j ob you did on t he exoskelet on, and
R you'll probably need 2 t hinned layers of
every colour passage t o keep t hings
Y sm oot h.
D
O
C
K
There’s not m uch else t o say about t his, it 's
j ust about pract ice and experience wit h
brushes. Not e t hat if you're a beginner, or
j ust not very t rained wit h blending, you can
avoid all t his precision m adness, and j ust
go ahead t he sam e way you did earlier wit h
greys over t he exoskelet on. The final result ,
while not sm oot h as it could have been wit h
painful hours of pat ience, will m ost
cert ainly be very pleasing t he sam e.
Once you have worked your way up t o pure
skull whit e, you should have som et hing
sim ilar t o t he lat t er pics of t his subchapt er.
The lat t er 3 were t aken under sunlight , and
t herefore show t he colours like what t hey
are when you look at t hem live, m ore or
less.
Looking at t he last pic, you'll not ice t hat I
don't use t he “ st rokes” m et hod for scyt hes.
As t he are m ade of long,
37
sm oot h surfaces, I prefer t o keep blending
up t o skull w hit e. This can be long; j ust be
pat ient , t hin down paint s properly and
prepare t o apply m any “ wet ” layers. A very
im port ant t hing is t o avoid rushing t hings
up, and wait for every layer t o be perfect ly
dry, or else you'll screw t he surface bad,
and you could not be able t o fix it ( it
happened m any t im es t o m e, and I finally
learnt pat ience hehe) .
At t his st age your m odel should already
look very good, and you could j ust avoid
t he next passage, if you want . The wasp
pat t ern is t he m ost difficult part of m y
colour schem e t o paint , as it requires a lot
of precision and concent rat ion for long
periods of t im e ( and a firm hand, t oo) .
 7 .4 - Th e W a sp Pa t t e r n

While t he hardest , t his is m y favourit e sect ion of m y colour

schem e. I have a m orbid passion for wasps, and I invent ed
t he whole yellow/ black schem e j ust t o have a swarm of
repulsive alien w asps.
There's not m uch t o explain about it t hat can't be seen in
t he pics. Use pure chaos black, and t hin it down enough t o
have it run sm oot hly over t he m ini as you paint it , but don't
over t hin it , as t here’s no need t o do it . You should be able
t o have a full black wit h j ust one layer.
As you can see from t he series of pics, I 'm com fort able
st art ing wit h t he horizont al line at t he bot t om of t he plat es,
t hen paint a vert ical line as a guide. This line w ill be t he
axis of t he cent ral “ crest ” of t he pat t ern. Leave a lot of
D space t owards t he point of t he plat e ( where it get s whit er) ,
as you'll probably need t his space t o correct errors. The
R only way t o correct and error m ade by fresh black over
bright yellow is t o paint anot her line black line over t he
previous one, hoping t o be m ore precise. This is why it 's
Y bet t er t o leave a lot of space.

Once you're sat isfied wit h t he cent ral axis, paint t he t wo

curves t o j oin everyt hing. You can st art t hese placing t he
D t ip of t he brush vert ically over t he axis, and t hen going
down, or horizont ally on t he first line, and t hen going up.
You'll probably end up using bot h m et hods, as different
O areas require different approaches. Always be very careful
not t o paint black errors on t he plat es you're not paint ing :
C it 's easy t o concent rat e only on t he t ip of t he brush, on t he
plat e you're current ly paint ing, and forget about t he base
K of t he hair of t he brush, full of black paint and t ouching t he
w hit e area of anot her plat e. When t his happens ( and it w ill
happen for sure) , lick one of your fingers and t ry t o rem ove
t he paint w hile it 's st ill fresh. Do t his once, t hen lick again
t o wipe t he paint from t he finger, and repeat t he operat ion
t ill no t race of black rem ains. I f you're quick enough you'll
find no perm anent error is done.
Once t he cent ral crest is done, paint t he oblique axis for
t he lat eral crest s, and t hen finish t he j ob wit h t he curves as
above. I t 's very hard t o have a perfect ly even pat t ern, and
m ost of t he t im es you'll find sm all differences bet ween one
side and anot her.. it 's up t o you t o decide what t olerance t o
use about t hese im perfect ions.
Finally, you can decide t o add sm all dot s, t o have a
bet t er looking pat t ern, like t he Tyranid warrior in t he
pict ure. Just be sure t o place t hem evenly.
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 8 – Eye s

To com plet e t his paint ing t ut orial we

need j ust one m ore det ail : eyes. I
paint t he eyes of m y vessels t reat ing
t hem as t hey were gem s, and using t he
st andard GW m et hod for t hem . St art
paint ing t hem black, t hen decide upon
w here t he light w ill hit t hem . I n
exam ple, if you want light t o com e from
D t he upper- left direct ion, w e'll leave t hat
port ion of t he gem black, and t hen
R highlight w it h light er and light er colours
t he gem going t owards t he opposit e
direct ion ( t hat 's t o say, down and
Y right ) . The colours I norm ally use are
black, liche purple and whit e, however
for t hese eyes i want ed t o give som e
m ore deepness, and added a lit t le
Blood Red in t he 3 rd layer. Once t his
D was applied, I went back t o liche purple
+ whit e ( t hat 's t o say, no m ore blood
O red! ) , as keeping red in t he m ixt ure
would generat e a t one i disliked. As you
C m ay not ice, i didn't care t oo m uch
about precision and sm oot h blending.
K This is for t hree reasons : first of all,
t hese are gam e m odels, and t he effort
t o paint perfect gem s is t oo m uch
com pared t o t he final result . Secondly,
on a t ablet op none w ill not ice t he
difference, as t hese det ails are t oo
sm all t o care. But m ost im port ant ly, t he
last passage of t hese procedure consist
in paint ing a final coat of gloss varnish,
t hat will som ehow adj ust errors and will
give an “ alive” look t o t hem .

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 9 – Th a t 's I t !

Yeah! Anot her foul creat ure is about t o swim t hrough t he void. The whole proj ect should t ake bet ween 4 and 8 paint ing evenings, and people w ill
surely not ice your fleet ... it 's im possible t o m iss som et hing bright yellow over a black t ablet op hehe! . I hope you find t his art icle useful, I enj oyed
writ ing it and had t he occasion t o expand m y fleet wit h a brand new cruiser. I f som et hing isn't clear or you have som e quest ion, don't hesit at e t o
writ e m e at giulio.t averna@alice.it , I 'll be happy t o answer anyone.
Cheers!
Giulio

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