Rising Ahead

It has been little over a week since returning from Chicago and experiencing my 4th Adepticon. As with every year, I usually call it quits for awhile, usually my summer, from wargaming. As with my first post on this blog, I want to try and avoid taking a break and start becoming a better painter and get more games in.

To start this, I need a plan. I need direction and need to keep it focused enough to be able to be handled with my school and work schedules. My semester is coming to a close with in a month and with work, I am finding myself wanting to change my schedule or even get a new job. So in reality, there is a distinct possiblity to achieve my goal of going bigger and better on all fronts.

The plan is to continue building my Mechanicus army, and start up a Legion army as well. As part of this too, I want to take what I have for unpainted miniatures and work on new techniques and methods of painting to help get those armies looking better. I bought Horus Heresy: Extermination at Adepticon and thanks to it, I finally have a full army list I can play. Since Adepticon '13 I've used codex CSM and some form of allies to do a Mechanicus army. I am starting to give up hope that I can still play the codex and make a competitive army through tactics but with the state of 40k, I am inclined to just want to play 30k.

As more and more models for the Mechanicum are getting released, the more and more I can flesh out my army. For the Legion though, I don't know where to start. With the Mechanicum, I can play both sides, Legions I can do the same but I'd rather pick a side. I also want to pick one of the legions my friends don't play. Sons of Horus, Iron Warriors, Emperors Children are out. I always hate to play the good guys since the days I've played Star Wars Galaxies. Loyalist are out.  This leaves me with World Eaters, Alpha Legion, Night Lords, Death Guard, and Word Bearers. I've played Plague marines and already paint red enough, so DG and WB are out. I also want a Legion that could transitions well to 40k in hopes rules get better. I feel with the state of the CSM codex, World Eaters won't statisfy that idea. Ave Dominus Nox or We Are Legion. What to do? On one hand, I love ADB's Trilogy and his work with some of the smaller stories for them. On the other, I absolutely loved Legion. Model wise, Nightlords don't have a lot of love in the current available sculpts out there. GW versions are meh and the FW upgrades and Raptor kit don't appeal well for my eyes. Alpha Legion has nothing, which is a good thing, as most fluff shows them as those who blend in, in any situation. Painting, both are shades of blue, Nightlords though are going to be the more difficult with lightning. Rules wise, I like the Alpha legion more. At this point I am leaning more towards them.

I'll give it a few for a decision, and where to start with painting...