The Slate of Organization and Equipment (SO&E) for the Astra Militarum's 187th Dragoon Regiment (Composite)

(Image from:  The Bell of Lost Souls

My cynicism towards Warhammer 40000 (WH 40K) hasn't stopped me from amassing a large collection of figures, vehicles and terrain.

My earlier Pass in Review posts included the following factions--

--The Kroot,

--Chaos Cultists,

--The Inquisition,

--The Adepta Sororitas ("Nuns with Guns"), and recently,

--The Tempestus Scions

None of these, however are the centerpiece of my collection.  You could say I'm working my way up to a finale, so to speak.

I've always been moved by stories about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.  And you don’t get any more ordinary than the common soldiers of the Astra Militarum in the extraordinary “...grim darkness of the far future..."

As I acquired vehicles and figures, I set out to create a unit with a unique history that wasn't a copy of a  storied regiment already annotated in the annuls of the Imperium of Man.  Nor did I care for the idea that the troops would be typical 41st Millennial cannon fodder either.

Finally, I wanted my centerpiece unit to serve as a tribute to the military service of my family and our overall heritage.

So I set out to raise a fully tricked-out mechanized infantry regiment.

What to call my ordinary unit turned out to be an extraordinarily easy decision.

My father was a Korean War combat veteran, and served with the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (ARCT).  Which meant the numbers "187" would come into play.

The WH40K ‘verse is known for worlds able to raise specific unit types, like the Tallarn Desert Raiders, and the Catachan Jungle Fighters, etc.  Delving into the game’s fluff, I discovered the planet Jouran had a knack for raising "dragoon" regiments, which was a term commonly used during Earth's “Horse & Musket Era.”

Initially, I was going to call my unit the 187th Jouran Dragoon Regiment.  But because I bought nearly everything second hand & pre-painted, or hired others to paint and assemble box kits; my collection lacks a uniform color and camouflage scheme.  Since I'm too lazy I have no time to repaint anything, I'm going to assume the original regiment received, and continues to receive, reinforcements and replacements from various other Astra Militarum units.

And so, the 187th Dragoon Regiment (Composite) was born.

As a fan of the Black Library’s Ciaphas Cain novels, I envision the narrative of the 187th DR(C) to be something like:  Hammer’s Slammers meets F-Troop.

Anyway, after Googling extensive research, I stumbled across the heraldry of the real 187th Infantry Regiment:

I liked it so much, I adopted it wholesale.

Even the motto is applicable to WH40K’s grimdark setting—and in real Latin—no less:

Ne Desit Virtus (Let Valor Not Fail).

I had the flag of one of my standard bearers painted in a close approximation of the 187th Infantry's crest:

A side view:

This is an old metal figure.  The weight of the standard made the figure top-heavy, so I glued a washer to it's base in order to provide balance.

Now getting back to the future-history of my regiment:

Last year shortly before St. Patrick’s Day, one of my siblings had a DNA test done.  We discovered our genetic makeup was 43% from Scotland, Ireland and Wales.  After more Googling extensive research, I stumbled across the war cry:  "Faugh A Ballagh!" (Clear the Way!), used by various Irish-manned units in pre-2nd Millennial America and Great Britain.

This certainly sounds like an appropriate phrase for mechanized infantry soldiers to holler during the din of battle, even 41 millennia into the future.

Speaking of battles:  I grew up watching the movie, To Hell and Back and did a short stint in Iraq with Audie Murphy's unit, the 3rd Infantry Division (3 ID), back in 2003.  This makes me rather partial to the song Dogface Soldier.  So I made this tune the Regimental Song (with the necessary WH40K adaptions to be determined later).

Overall, the basic “SO&E” (Slate of Organization & Equipment) of the 187th consists of the following:

1 x Headquarters/Headquarters Company

3 x Mechanized Infantry Battalions

1 x Reconnaissance Company

The regimental headquarters is centered around a handful of Chimera command and control (C&C) vehicles, along with support assets, like recovery and supply vehicles. 

The mechanized infantry battalions consists of three companies of 10 Chimera armored personnel carriers (APCs).  Nine of the Chimeras carry an infantry squad consisting of 6-12 soldiers, while the tenth one is the company command and control (C&C) vehicle, sporting extra communications gear.

The reconnaissance company is smaller and more streamlined. 

The 187th’s "R Company" consists of 3 x Chimeras and 3 x Lehman Russ Annihilator tanks.  On paper, this is organized into 3 platoons consisting of 1 x Chimera with 4-8 dismounted scouts/snipers and 1 x Annihilator to provide support and overwatch fire.  During operations, the troop's deployment could vary depending on the mission.

I have enough vehicles to field a reinforced company or a reduced battalion: 15 x Chimeras, 8 x Lehman Russ Tanks of four variants, and 3 x fire support vehicles.

The 187th also has an unofficial nickname derived from the term “(Composite).” Because the regiment receives personnel and equipment replacements of dubious quality, veterans feel their regiment is a dumping ground for other units to pawn off their undesirables.  So the rank-and-file, substitute “(Composite)” with “(Compost).”

Outside the hearing of commissars, of course.

But this unofficial moniker is also a source of pride as well:  Soldiers refer to themselves as “The Composters”—as in making garbage out of their enemies.

(Hey, this wouldn't be WH40K post without some Imperial bombastic proclamations).

I'm currently conducting photo shoots of my collection, so pictures will be posted shortly.

Pass in Review: WH40K Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle)

Prelude:

I was originally planning on only raising an Astra_Militarum force for Warhammer 40,000 (WH40K).

However, a few serendipitous events happened that motivated me to expand my force of common foot soldiers.

First, I read Faith & Fire, a novel about the Adepta_Sororitas (Sisters of Battle), or for us "cynical fans" Nuns with Guns.

I liked it so much, I read the sequel, Hammer & Anvil.

There's an additional novel and novella, compiled in an omnibus with the earlier books by James Swallow that I'm currently not in the mood to buy.

But shortly after reading the first books back-to-back, someone offered to sell his painted metal Sisters of Battle miniatures collection for such a great price I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  While I'm not in the mood to buy a book that I've essentially read half of already, I'm always in the mood to buy figures I don't have to paint.

Since this was two years ago, I'm afraid I can't remember the guy's name, nor what I actually paid for the figures.

Anyway, these figures dated back to WH40K 2nd Edition.

The problem for me--and a considerable number of fans of the Naughty Nuns--was that we had rules for 6th, 7th and finally 8th_edition.  None of which featured the Adepta Sororitas.  So folks had to make due with old models and old Codexes and wedge them into their games.

Then, amid much rumors and anticipation, the Sisters of Battle Army Set was released with much fanfare in December 2019.

While the new plastic models look stunning, I wasn't in the mood to add to my Mountain of Shame.

All I wanted was the codex and game accessories, which Games_Workshop (GW) assured it's long-suffering fans--again, with much fanfare--that additional material would be available shortly after the New Year.

Fortunately, GW made good on their promise and I scarfed-up the codex, data cards and dice.

Now that I have all the necessary 8th Edition Crunch to run an Adepta Sororitas task force (in)competently, and Fluff to maintain my geek cred; I can finally post a decent Pass in Review.

Review:

Somewhere in the Sector Fronteris...

...an Adepta Sororitas task force assembles.


The first vehicle to approach the apparently abandoned settlement is a Chimera armored personnel carrier (APC).

This vehicle is actually part of my Inquisitor Retinue, but since the color scheme is about the same does double-duty, serving with both the Inquisition (a.k.a. The Emperor's Pet Psychopaths) and the Adepta Sororitas.

I'm including this vehicle because it is part of the Sisters' order of battle, according to the Witch_Hunters Codex (3rd_Edition), but seems to have been dropped by this edition.  I figure I could use the stats from the Astra Militarum's Splatbook.

Next in the advance column is Rhino...

...followed by an Immolator.

The Adepta Sororitas' vehicle laager-up around the abandoned settlement.

My figures were painted based on the Order_of_Our_Martyred_Lady, in honor of Saint Katherine, the founder of their order and probably the most commonly fielded of the Orders Militant.

Since these figures are dressed mostly in black I decided to remove the settlement buildings for a clearer image of the miniatures.

(1st Battle Sisters Squad)

Adepta Sororitas' task forces are known as "Missions." These are considered the smallest organizational units capable of independent action and form the military arm of the Adeptus Ministorum, a.k.a. The Ecclesiarchy.  In addition to forming the main militant arm of the Church Militant, the Adepta Sororitas also works closely with the Inquisition’s Ordo Hereticus.

Note on higher echelons:  Two or more Missions form a Commandery, two or more Commanderies for a Preceptory, while the various Orders are divided between two Convents—Convent Sanctorum and Convent Prioris.

My particular Mission consists of two squads of Battle Sisters, each armed with an assortment of Bolters,Flamers, /Storm_Bolters, and Meltaguns, with one sister bearing the Simulacrum_Imperialis and led by a power sword-wielding Sister_Superior.

(2nd Battle Sisters Squad)

With a little finagling I might be able to select some figures from the two Battle Sisters Squads and form a single Celestian squad instead.

The Battle Sisters/Celestian Squads will need close-assault specialists or fire support.  And that's where the Dominion and Retributor squads come-in.

(Dominion or Retributor?)

From what I can gather, the four figures pictured above could form either a Dominion or Retributor Squad.  I'll just need to clarify what they are at the start of any game.

If the Adepta Sororitas can be considered religious zealots, then the Sisters_Repentia are fanatics.  These women seek atonement for their real, or perceived sins and form the Sororitas' suicide squads.

Here's my full squad of Repentias:

Since the picture looks a bit crowded, I split the squad in half for a better view of the Chainsword-wielding Repentias, driven-on by their Mistress:

My Adepta Sororitas Mission includes two special characters.

First, is the shotgun-wielding preacher, Uriah Jacobus, bearing the Banner of Sanctity:

Second, and commander of my Adepta Sororitas Mission, is none other than Canoness Veridyan, the iconic poster-girl for the Sisters of Battle:

(The original Canoness_Veridyan cover art by John_Blanche)

While the Adepta Sororitas aren’t genetically mutated enhanced like the Space Marines.  Despite this, they can count on divine intervention in the form a living saint:

 Saint Celestine.

Another version of Saint Celestine and her attendant Geminae Superia:

Here’s my entire Adepta Sororitas Mission, or as many as I could squeeze into one image, minus the three transports shown earlier:

Overall I’m very happy with my Sisters of Battle collection.  While I stated earlier I wasn’t planning on adding to my Mountain of Shame, I could use a few Hopitallers to act as the Mission’s medics or field chirurgeons.  So I hope there’ll be some available separately that I could purchase without having to get an entire starter kit.

Since this is an older set of metal miniatures, some figures, especially the Repentias, required some touch-up paint work.  I also added the sand flocking to the black bases, minus the flying figures of Saint Celestine and her Geminae Superia.

I'm sure the new plastic models will be more detailed.  But for the most part, I like the weight and feel of metal miniatures.  I've had to add washers underneath the bases of my WH40K plastic figures because they're too light and tip over easy.  My metal ones can too, especially if their pose is too extreme, like with my Repentias.

And it's not just the infantry-type figures that have a balance problem.  The flamer attached to the commander’s hatch of the Mission's Rhino is too unbalanced.  I’d rather not glue the hatch down, but I haven’t found the right sized washer to weigh down the underside of the hatch.

Bibliography of Related Videos:

In addition to leafing through my new Adepta Sororitas Codex, I watched several videos on the subject that I couldn't manage to weave into my review's narrative.

So I've listed them below, starting with The Crunch—

—Snipe and Wib, of Codex Complaint, present the Adepta Sororitas' First Codex (2nd Ed WH40K).

—Uncle Atom Smasher, of Tabletop Minions, helps players determine whether or not they need to buy the Adepta Sororitas' Limited Edition Army Box Set.

—Norn Queen Alexis also has an unboxing video of the Adepta Sororitas Limited Edition Army Box Set, as does Sword 'n' Steele.

—Striking Scorpion 82 discusses the new Adpeta Sororitas Codex (from the Box Set).

—For anyone planning to buy the new figures, The Painting Coach has tips on how to paint Sisters of Battle based on the Order of Our Martyred Lady.

—Norn Queen Alexis hosts a Beginner’s Guide video.

—There’s plenty of visual information on Adpeta Sororitas Fluff—

—One Mind Syndicate has 4 videos, starting with:  Sisters of Battle 40 Facts (Part 1) and Part 2, as well as their origins, while delving in to what they don’t tell you about the Sisters of Battle.

—In another Norn Queen Alexis video, our hostess does a rundown of the Adepta Sororitas’ various Orders, as does Arch Warhammer.

—WH40K Theories newcomers’ intro video answers the question:  Who are the Sisters of Battle?

—And for anyone wanting to set their games to earlier eras than the 40th Millennium, Arch Warhammer has a video on The Sisters of Battle in the Age of Apostasy.

Regardless of how involved you are in WH40K, I hope you enjoy the information presented here.

Five Second Flick Theater: When All Else Fails, French Indochina Version

My friend Tim likes wargaming the French Indochina War.  A couple weekends ago, he hosted a game at Fall In!

He and a friend took several pictures of his game.

And of course, I couldn't leave well-enough alone and concocted another Five Second Flick.

Halloween 2019 Five Second Flick--Part II

Here’s another Five Second Flick I made to celebrate tonight’s festivities.

Halloween Five Second Flick--Part I

Here’s a Five-Second Flick I concocted merging a Halloween image created by "Korolevatumana" With the Windows 3D Effect Program.

Enjoy!

Desktop Now Deceased

(Image from Schuyler House)

Last week, my desk top, a 10 year old HP, began locking up.  Since I was on duty, I didn't have the time to deal with it other than attempt to go through on-line tutorials to figure out what was wrong.

Then one morning when I turned it on, the screen displayed the Mircosoft icon and the words:  Preparing Automatic Repair.

And it remained in this state.

Once again, I attempted another on-line tutorial fix, but to no avail.

So I took it to a nearby computer repair shop.  A couple hours later, my desktop was declared DOA.

Two capacitors on the motherboard were fried, and since the system was originally designed for Windows Vista, it wasn't worth replacing.

I'm also having some issues with my laptop:  The media player won't play, and the power receptacle seems loose.

Meanwhile, I can't manage to get my iPad Pro to do what I've had my succession of laptops, and desktops to do.

So the long delays between blogposts will be longer I'm afraid, as I embark on a quest to obtain a new desktop.

Stern Rake Studio Website

Well, I finally launched an actual Stern Rake Studio website yesterday. 

I've been tinkering with it for over a year now. I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but I'm not sure what else to do with it. 

So instead of letting it continue to lay dormant, I thought I'd launch it. 

I'll continue to work on it when I figure out how to improve it.

In the meantime, I hope you like it:

SternRakeStudio.com 

GeekGirlCon 2017's Cosplayers, Vendors and Cosplay Contest

While GeekGirlCon bills itself as "the celebration of the female geek," men attended and made a good showing among cosplayers at this year's convention.

My first encounter was with Charles Arrasmith (a.k.a. The Omnus) looking badass as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier.

Now this teenager, who was with his family, put on some Spider-Man poses.

I had to tell him "okay, thanks" otherwise he would have kept on posing.  His mom told me he practices all the time.  His practice certainly paid off.

I'll end the "men's category" with a sinister, but debonair flourish with this picture of
Jareth the Goblin King.

And now for the Women's Category:

I'm not sure who this woman was suppose to be, but her costume was striking.  There were several of us snapping pictures of her.

Okay, now here's a cosplay character I recognized--Natasha Romanova (a.k.a. The Black Widow.

Several crossplayers were also attended.  This woman impressed me with her Indiana Jones, not because I've dressed as Indy (okay, that's part of the reason)...

...but I loved all her props!  The Golden Idol was a piggy bank she found in Thailand or Japan (I forget which).  Her Holy Grail was half-filled with water, and her Headpiece to the Staff of Ra was printed on both sides.

Cosplayers often travel in pairs or packs.

I ran into Belle a couple of times and had to give her wide birth because of her ballgown.

Now here was an odd match up:  Snow White, the Evil Queen and Lara Croft.

Here was a mother and daughter dressed as steampunk versions of Pokemon characters.

Right after the Cosplay Contest, I ran into this badass Merida and told her she should have entered the contest.

She said she found out about it too late to sign up.

The only "Couples' Category" I managed to encounter was Black Widow paired-up with Thom Cruz as Red Hood, whom I've never heard of until I looked him up for this post.

I didn't by too much merchandise. However, one item really caught my eye.  This Exasperated Woman Switchboard Operator poster from RxLetterpress.  I even had the artist, Emily Riley (holding the picture) and her friend sign it.

Since I got my boss's approval, I plan on framing it and hanging it up at work.

The Cosplay Contest drew practically a standing-room-only crowd.  I found a seat on the stage-left end.

The lighting was dim, and I still suck at taking action photos.

But here's the best one I managed to take featuring our emcee,  Lauren (a.k.a. Random Tuesday) seen below in the fairy costume holding the microphone:

Here's one of the little girl in the steampunk Pokemon costume:

And this is best picture I took of our finalists, along with our emcee and judges (on the right):

Since I had to work the following day, I left shortly after the Cosplay Contest.

I've always liked attending GGC and hope to attend future conventions--work schedule permitting.