My Current Hell Knights Army and the painted Woflhounds force

 Just felt like posting a pic of my Hell Knights army as it stands at this point.  There are 56 troops and 13 vehicles bringing the army total to 69 pieces.  Of course I have quite a ways to go before I "finish" this force but it's a pretty decent army worth several thousand points in No Limits which give my quite a bit of variety for most games in our campaign.

The Wolfhounds have a much more modest force but considering that at the end of October they consisted of only one six man squad I'm very happy with the progress I have made.  I'm planning on focusing on this force for my winter work break and hopefully I will add another 12 troops and a few more vehicles so it will be a nice little army by early in January.

Wolfhound Infiltrators build.

 I spent part of the weekend putting together a few more figures for my Wolfhound Freikorps army.  The assassin is a Reaper miniature with a SMG from the Wargames Factory Male Zombie Survivors boxed set.  The Jägers are built from Wargames factory Shocktroopers using the flat cap head for every member of the squad.  They will be infiltrators for the army serving as scouts but they will have veteran stats so they will be more like Rangers or Commandos than Scouts.

I used entirely too much kit for these guys and used entirely too many kits to scavenge the pieces.  I even scratch built two sets of grapple lines out of green floral wire.  They are kind of ruff and I considered ordering some better bits to customize these guys but I decided I should stick with some stuff I already have because my game budget seems to get tighter every month.
These guys will probably be a pretty expensive squad since each member has a rifle, pistol, and hand to hand weapon as well as grapple lines but I think they will be effective.  They are also going to be a pain in the butt to paint.  I will probably paint their coats in some kind of Germanic looking camouflage.

Wolfhound Freikorps: Shocktrooper Squad Painted!

Got the new squad of Shocktroopers painted up for my Wolfhound Freikorps.  This is the second squad for that army I have finished.  Next up is the veteran squad then I need to assemble some more.

Building the Wolfhounds

 We've started building up some new squads for the Wolfhound Freikorps.  At the moment we only have one squad done and three vehicles.  Getting the force to numbers we can field is part of our Winter projects this year so over the weekend and the last couple of days I put together a couple of squads for the army.
Above is a regular Shocktrooper squad built from the Wargames Factory Shocktroopers box.  I added a vox caster from the Games Workshop Cadian Imperial Guard squad to make one of them a com specialist.

For my Veteran Shocktrooper squad I used heads from the Wargames Factory Shocktrooper Heavy Weapons squad box.  I used some small backpacks from the Wargames Factory Male Zombie Survivors box on 5 of the squad members and a communications pack from a Games Workshop Catachan Jungle Guard squad.  I used a Games Workshop Plasma rifle for one of the special weapons trooper and a sniper rifle from a Wyrd miniatures modern weapons pack. (Or at least I think that is were I got it.)

Hopefully I will have these squads painted up soon.

Tanksgiving: Project Wrap Up!

Well I went a little over my deadline wrapping this up but I'm okay with that.  I managed to get 9 tanks and armored vehicles finished in one month for my Tanksgiving project and since I didn't start till the end of the first week of November and I just finished these at the end of the first week of December I'm still pretty happy with my progress.
I finished four vehicles for my Hell Knights Mercenaries bringing their vehicle total up to 13.  Three of the tanks are for my Wolfhound Friekorps which is my next big army project.  Two of them I just painted up as generic mercenary tanks for general use.

Tanksgiving Update: 5 Vehicle Mix!

I've been trying to finish up a few more tanks for my Tanksgiving marathon so I spent the last two days trying to build up several of my half finished projects.
My wife built the grey APC from the body of a cheap "Army Man" Patton tank.  We are going to be using it for the Wolfhounds.
The green 6x6 is from Secret Weapons Games and it is the only "kit" model I have done for this project.  It also cost about what the rest of the tanks in the project cost combined but it is a very nice model.  If I had the budget I'd buy at least a squadron.  I may pick up some more in the future.
The two smaller hover tanks in the front are based of a Matchbox toy.  These "Douglas" Medium Hover tanks are for my Hell Knights.  I already have one of these completed so this will bring me up to a full squadron.
The large hover missile launcher is a variation of my Landshark AFV called the "Hammerhead".  It is also for my Hell Knights.   It is built from a toy LAV-25 which came in a set from Dollar General and included the missile launcher as a tow behind weapon.  I simply converted it into a missile turret.
Hopefully I will get these painted by tomorrow night.

Tanksgiving Update: Wolfhound Super Heavies Finished!

Well my first two tanks for the Tanksgiving Marathon are finished!  I just finished up these Wolfhound "Liger" super heavy tanks for my Wolfhound Friekorps army.  Here you can see them both with a unit of Wolfhounds for scale.
I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out considering they are just $5.00 toys from the Dollar General store.  Hopefully the rest of my projects will go this smoothly.

Tanksgiving Update. Wolfhound Super Heavies painting WIP

Here is my first Tanksgiving update!  I've got the basic paint job finished on this two super heavies I am doing for the Wolfhound Friekorps.  I found some heavy machine guns to add to the turret for some additional fire power.
Next step is to put a wash on them then do the weathering.

Battle of the Venture Star Depot ( A 1000 point No Limits Battle report for the Station 42 War)

 October 27, 3032 12 Kilometers south east of Station 42 on Titania.  Earlier today a small scouting force of the Hell Knights Mercenary Company raided a supply depot owned by the Venture Star Prospecting Company a known support of the Titania insurgency.  This volatile region has been quite since mid July when the Hell Knights Mercenary Company captured Station 42 from insurgents and renegade elements of the Titania Planetary Guard.

 As mercenary light armored units made a move toward the entry to the compound members of "Bear's Militia" opened fire disabling both vehicles.  Hell Knight scouts and snipers responded killing at least two of the militia members occupying a building with a communications array.  One unit of scouts kicked in the back door to a smaller building to gain access.

 The mercenary scouts and militia members continued to exchange fire.  Bear himself was shot by a Hell Knights sniper and one of his units was broken by the scouts in the building.  At least two scouts were also wounded in this exchange.  The Hell Knights Marksman Battlesuit exchanged fire with a militia auto-canon.  The mech was damaged but one of the crewmen manning the weapon was killed as well.

 One of the Hell Knights snipers killed the last member of Bear's personal unit while the other shot down a NOVA trooper.  A unit of scouts moved into the middle of the compound and killed the remaining crewman of the militia auto-canon but one of their own was killed by a member of Wolfhound Friekorps.  Three Wolfhounds were killed by grenade and laser fire from the mercenary scouts in the building while the mercenary battlesuit killed the militia sniper.  The militia field gun actually hit and damaged one of the compound buildings trying to hit the battlesuit.

 The two remaining members of Bear's militia rallied and found cover but were almost immediately gunned down by the scouts in the building.  Two more of the mercenary scouts in the middle of the compound were killed by NOVA troopers leaving only the Sargent of the unit standing.  The two remaining Wolfhounds fled from their position.  

 The Hell Knights battlesuit moved into point blank range with the NOVA security troopers but neither the mech nor the troopers could hit each other.  Another trooper was killed by one of the mercenary snipers.  The Wolfhound troopers rallied before fleeing the compound completely.  One of the Venture Star employees was shot by a mercenary sniper as his coworkers fled to one of the storage buildings.  The mercenary scouts began to pull back.

In a bloody and final exchange of fire the last two NOVA troopers were gunned down by the mercenary battlesuit.  The Hell Knights scouts continued to withdraw under the cover of their snipers.  As the mercenary forces withdrew it was unclear if the Hell Knights had achieved their objective.  They had certainly bloodied the nose of the insurgents and caused significant damage.  The remaining militia units did not attempt to pursue them.

Notes:  Well this was a pretty smooth skirmish.  It had been a long time since we had played so we didn't want to do a very large action.  Also we have decided that it would be logical for the next phase of the campaign to involve several smaller skirmishes with militia insurgents instead of pitched battles with the Planetary Guard.  We decided to hold this game to 6 turns.  The Hell Knights main objective was a scan as many of the compound buildings as they could.  I managed to scan 5 out of 6 of the buildings and inflict more casualties than I sustained so we considered it a victory for the mercs.  One of the funniest things about this battle was the poor performance of the militia field gun.  They managed to hit the Venture Star earth mover and shuttle as well as two generators and one of the buildings with scattered shots.  The only two shots they fired that hit nothing flew way over the heads of the snipers.  
Also I decided to try and take wide shots of the battle every turn and then add smaller inset details of the action which I think worked out here.  I plan to do that again for other battle reports.  I like to keep my total number of images small but this way I can also show more of what happened.        

Battle of Dutton's Camp (Station 42 War Battle Report)

 July 5th 3032 Titania "Green Zone":  Earlier today a small force of Hell Knights engaged member of the Titania Militia just near Titania City in the "Green Zone".  Regular vehicle traffic inside the zone is restricted to a few roadways so the mercenaries marched a force two kilometers inside the zone to reach the militia encampment.  Militia members under the command of Jim Dutton had set up a hidden recruitment base and the Hell Knights intended to shut it down.

 Hell Knight Scouts and Snipers crept close to the base.  Two NOVA securities officers were shot down in the opening exchange.

 Another group of scouts on Dutton's right flank engaged some Wolfhound mercenaries but in this engagement they did not do as well loosing two of their own.

 The commander of the Hell Knights and two Armored Assault Squads moved in with an Assassin saying in the cover of a large hill.  A militia sniper far on their left managed to take out one of the commanders men.

 The remaining three NOVA troopers closed on the scouts and engaged them but lost another of their member in the attempt.  A militia sniper kill one of the scouts but was wounded in return by a Hell Knights sniper.  That sniper was killed by fire from the commanders squad members who was shot by yet another militia sniper.

 The Hell Knights commanders final squad member was killed by fire from Bear's militia unit.  Another NOVA trooper was gunned down by the Scouts leaving only the Sargent.

 Leaping from the shadows a Hell Knights Assassin dispatched the remaining militia sniper on Dutton's left flank.  The three remaining scouts on the hill killed three of Bear's militia as the other Armored Assault Squad made a steady advance.

 Combined fire from the Scouts and Armored Assault Squad reduced Bear's militia to two members.  The return fire left only the Scout Sargent standing.

 The heavily armored Hell Knights took out Bear and his last militia member as the Scout Sargent withdrew from his position.  Dutton's militia and the Wolfhound mercs continued to close in.

The NOVA Sargent gunned down another armored Hell Knight but the mercenaries managed to break the Wolfhounds with accurate Heavy Blaster fire.  The assassin blew up a cache of  militia supplies and the mercenary commander gunned down one of Dutton's men.
With only seven men left in the battle the Hell Knights commander chose to withdraw from the field.  Although they had bloodied the militia they were unable to achieve their objectives.

Notes:  This was actually one of the more grueling battles we have had for the campaign.  With no vehicles allowed there was a lot of moving but there was also a lot of moving through difficult ground and a lot of cover.  The Militia snipers did a lot of damage to the Hell Knights.  The Hell Knight scouts really had a great position on the hill.  Elevated and with +2 cover from the woods enemy shots were at a -3 for the entire game.  This made them a tough group to take out.  Not only that they managed to give as well as they got in the long run.  If only I had put the other scout squad in an equally good position.  The Wolfhound Friekorps were also particularly nasty.  They dispatched my other unit of scouts in two turns without taking any damage.  The Hell Knights objectives were to take down Dutton and Bear and to destroy supplies and the militia's generator and communications up-link.  This may have been a few too many objectives especially with so many defenders to face.   This ended up being a pretty solid victory for the militia although a hard fought one.  

Station 42 Conflict Update Part 2

 Late March 3031:  After a long pause in the fighting the Hell Knights discovered that Titania Militia forces had re-built and supplied the "Ghost Compound" and were using it as a base of operations.  A sizable force was dispatched intent on either retaking the compound or at least destroying as many supplies as possible.

 The fighting began around the smaller "Specter Compound" when a Hell Knights scout squad engaged mercenary and security forces there supported by a light hover tank.

 Another scout squad attacked the main compound held by "Boon's Irregulars" supported by a sniper.  Supplies were stacked in both compounds and the surrounding area.  

 After a brief skirmish between the scout and militia forces mechanized infantry and armored units from both sides entered the combat.  Hell Knight and renegade Titania Planetary Guard units engaged head on in the open ground between the compounds.

 Casualties began to mount quickly for both sides.  Specter Compound was over run by Hell Knight forces and the supplies there were destroyed.

 The assault on Ghost Compound did not fare as well.  Planetary Guard Tanks stalled the Hell Knight advance and even though a single Lagarev Hover transport managed to break through both it and the majority of the scout squad were destroyed.

At the end of the battle the Hell Knights were forced to withdraw with heavy casualties although they did manage to destroy about half of the militia supplies.

 Early May 3032 near Pleasant Valley:  After reports of increased militia activity in the town of Pleasant Valley the Hell Knights set up a checkpoint on the main road running between Pleasant Valley and Station 42.  Titania Militia units attacked the checkpoint in an attempt to make the road safer for their activities.

 As militia units advanced the Hell Knight armored units moved up to the ridge across from there checkpoint.  The militia were using light civilian vehicles for transports which were little use against the Hell Knights heavier guns.  The militia also had two field artillery pieces and a few improvised armored vehicles.

 The Hell Knights commander piloting a Battle Suit and Light Hover tank pressed into the militia ranks and did significant damage cutting down many of the lightly armored troops.

 The commander managed to also take out one of the Improvised armored vehicles but was eventually stopped by combined fire from the militia and field piece.

 The Mercenary hover tank also took out several militia troops and improvised armored vehicles until it was taken down by the militia's AC 10.

Even though they lost several armored units during the fighting the Hell Knights managed to force the militia to withdraw.  The veteran rifle squads and remaining Lagarev light transport managed to hold the checkpoint against the few militia that made it past the ridge.

Alphonso Marks for the Titania News Network.

Notes:  The 2nd battle of the Ghost Compound was one of the largest battles we have had in the campaign to date at 2500 points using the No Limits system.  We were very happy to bring a number of units onto the field for this one.  It was a lot of fun to have a large battle with combined arms.  The Battle of Checkpoint Bravo was a 1500 point skirmish.  Although we plan to have more skirmishes we plan to ramp the campaign up with much larger battles involving Mecha and air support as well as tanks and infantry.  

Titania Media blackout lifted! An update on the conflict in the Station 42 region (Part 1)

 When a Hell Knights Battle Cruiser arrived in orbit over Titania last August citizens in the contested lands around Station 42 feared an overwhelming escalation of their conflict with the Smith and Wilson Agriculture corporation.  What they got instead was several months of court battles and a media blackout.  Through buyouts, bribes, and blackmail Smith and Wilson managed to gain control of the local media agencies.  Meanwhile their lawyers engaged in several legal battles to try and put pressure on the locals to abandon their property claims.
On August 19th the Hell Knights conducted three small raids on some of the more stubborn locals.  

 The Hell Knights raided a mining camp owned by the Venture Star Prospecting Company.  Expecting only light resistance Hell Knight forces consisted of mostly infantry units.

 Venture Star had however received had received an anonymous tip about the raid so they hired units from Nova Securities and the Wolfhound Friekorps mercenary company.  They were also backed up by renegade Titania Planetary Guards units.

 The Hell Knights situation became desperate early on when they realized that the Planetary Guard units included a battle tank.

 A Hell Knights assassin managed to kill most of the Wolfhound mercenaries and some of the Nova men before being taken down.

 Their other troops were however no match for the Planetary Guard Tank.  Most of their riflemen were cut down quickly and only a few assault troopers managed to escape the fighting.

 The Hell Knights also dispatched a force to the Redwing farm where they believed a number of Titania militia units were hiding.

 Hell Knight scouts managed to gain a good position early in the fighting using stealth to infiltrate deep within the compound.

 Another Hell Knights assassin was seen during this battle.  These types of troops have previously not been seen in this conflict.

 The Hell Knights Heavy equipment moved into the center of the compound and engaged the militia units and light vehicles.

 The Titania Planetary guard also arrived with a tanks but even that was not enough to secure the farm.  The Planetary guard tank and all the militia light vehicles were destroyed and the Militia units routed.

 The Davis Farm also came under attack by a Hell Knights infantry force backed up by fast moving Lagarev apcs.

 The defenders consisted of Planetary Guard and Militia units with a few improvised light vehicles.

 The battle was a close one and both sides took many casualties but the militia units took the brunt of the damage.

 At the end of the battle the remaining militia member retreated into the farmhouse as Hell Knight assault troopers close in.

Among the militia casualties was Mrs. Davis who was shot during the fighting at the farm house.  The Hell Knights were able to secure the farm and destroy a cache of supplies dealing a heavy blow to resistance forces.

For several months afterwards the conflict in  the Station 42 Region died down.  The Militia and renegade Titania Planetary Guard units had suffered numerous casualties and loss of supplies just as the Hell Knights received some significant reinforcements.  It seemed as if the conflict would finally be settled in the courts although that battle still continues while hostilities seem to have flared again in the region.  More reports on the renewed conflict coming soon.

Alphonso Marks, Titania News Network.

Notes:  We had a long unexpected break during this campaign and didn't play any battles through the last four months of 2012.  The last three battles we fought were a set of 1000 point raids using the No Limits rules system we have been using for this campaign.  We decided that the resistance had been dealt a pretty nasty blow and had mostly gone into hiding while the Smith and Wilson Agriculture Corporation went back to the courts to settle disputes over their claims.  We have had some other battles this year but I just kept putting off the updates about the campaign so I never posted that information.  I will be posting another report in the next day or two hopefully to bring things up to speed and get back on track.  We hope to bring this campaign to a close in the next few month with some larger battles.