Space Wolves

In preparation for a tournament at my local GW, I have started a new army. A 40k army.  Intially the tournament will be 500pts, then a 750 pt tournament and finally a 1250 pt tournament by January giving everyone the chance to collect a new army from scratch and grow along with it over the months.

But what army did I want to collect? I already had Alpha Legion Chaos Space Marines, based on the books, not the version in the computer games. So another Chaos Space Marine force was out of the question. I asked what other armies had already been picked. Necrons, tick, Orks, tick, Tyranids, tick, Eldar, tick, Imperial Guard, several ticks, Tau, tick, Chaos Deamons, tick. I asked has no one taken Space Marines? No, well, John is taking Blood Angels. So I decided Space Marines had a slot free, but than just Space Marines, I thought lets have a fruity alternative Space Marine to bring more colour to the tournament.

So, I picked, as the title gives away, Space Wolves.

A legion I have never really loved and had even more cosmetic problems with in this edition.

Now, you may already know this about me, but I specialised in Vikings at Birmingham University, while doind a degree in Archaeology and Geology. I have a great fondness for the Northmen, their artefacts, and their sagas. It is a bit of a passion.

And Space Wolves have always left me cold.

There is something about that has never rung authentic to me about noble marines, drinking beer. I've always found the stories associated with codices and rule books make them thoughtless, brutish, childlike comedy stock. I couldn't take them as a serious threat to anyone. I couldn't take them seriously as a part of the Imperium. They seemed foolish.

With the latest releace it appeared even worse, with Canis Wolfborn (or wolf wolfson as I think of him) riding a Thunder Wolf with twin wolf claws that seem to make it impossible to hold any reigns so god knows how he stays on the cow shaped behemoth he sits astride. I mean its really silly. I hate it.

And yet as I have studied the book, I have come to find the parts of the Sons of Russ that I like. The Great Companys each individualised and well described. The cover art, of a truly menancing warrior storm lasheda nd knee deep in snow, in dark grey armour matching the grim future in which there is only war, with red shoulderpads decorated with gold interlaced braiding very much like the runestone grave artefacts of real Vikings.

Space Wolves Codex: the picture that defines Space Wolves for me.

I can see their place in scheme of the Imperium better now for having read the codex thoroughly. They embody the final resting place of free moral judgement in the crushing beurocracy of humanity's existence. Each is raised to be a hero, to exercise moral choice and individual courage, and live or die by that choice. And they are frequently on the wrong side of the authorities in their history. Refusing to hand over imperial world's to inquisitor's because they know the citizens will be purged. Out and out fights with loyalists when they feel they have been too cruel to poor old bog standard humans. The tale of the first armeggedon war, and the Spce Wolves nearly starting a civik war in protest at how the loyal Imperial Guard survivors were en masse sent to penal colonies so word of the deamon's od Angron would not spread. They have a healthy rebelious streak that I find appealling to say the least. And after haing read the excellent Horus Heresy book Thousand Sons they don't always get it right and they know it. The codex is full of regrets and bad choices, that the style of warrior training can only expect to have as a down-side. These aren't the literal, dogmatic, parade ground super stars of the Ultramarines. And yet they probably share closest the trait of caring for the basic citizenry and knowing the Emperer's message of what a Space Marine was for. The guardian of the real focus of the Great Crusade, the average human. Two Legions poles apart and yet converging on the same ethical ground. The ground upon which the whole 40k Universe is opposed to. The exception that proves the rule as it were. No wonder Logan Grimnar is one of the most famous and loved personalities in the Imperium. He actually cares.

Anyway, I had justified to myself why I should take Space Wolves but what should I take?

I decided on the Great Company of Sven Bloodhowl, to be a little different and because he had the next best symbol, the firebreathing wolf.

Then I had a look at what two troops I could take. Blood Claws are juvenile recruits with WS 3 and BS 3 but still in power armour and with hack'n'slash rules. They get to counter charge a charger. They get +2A when they charge themselves. With a hand weapon and pistol (+1A) that'd be 4 Attacks per model on the charge. But they have to charge if within 6" in the shooting phase. So they have lots of Attacks but not quality attacks and they could go off half cock.

Grey Hunters are tactical marines with benefits and the second option for a Troop choice. They too can counter attack and also have WS 4, BS 4 plus the holy boltgun as standard compred to Blood Claws. They get the same upgrade options (no heavy weapon), plus a once-per-game re-roll in the assault phase for an extra 10 points, or a model with D6+1 Attacks and rending close combat special rule for 15 points. The upgrades are assault orientated as you can see. The codex makes demands that you get up close to your opponent.

I took 8 Blood Claws gave one a power fist, for boxing vehicles, and one a meltagun, again for dealing with big stuff. And I put them in a Drop Pod so they could get a charge as they arrived, or disrupt my opponent if they were bossing the game.

None of my Blood Claws wears a helmet and I have chosen the most ferocious faces I could find to better convey their special rules.

To help boost their accuracy at hitting with all those attacks I gave them the HQ choice as a leader. A Chaplain come Apothecary, the Wolf Priest. He has a cruzius to hit with, he has a rosary (wolf amulet) for the invulnerable save, and he gives his squad "prefered enemy" allowing them a better chance of hitting. Just what the doctor ordred. To keep within the points I gave the Wolf Priest runic armour (an extra pip of save and an invulnerable against psychic attacks) and a combi-melta so i had another melta-gun if I needed it. I would have liked to give him melta bombs or a Saga, or a wolftooth necklace. but points are precious at the moment.

My converted Wolf Priest, awaiting a coat of paint.

Finally I took a squad of 10 Grey Hunters, one with a free flamer the other upgrade being another flamer. Just to really make the most of the templates. I may have made a foolish pick, and revert to Meltaguns but the flamer option was free and potentiall hits a lot of models. A lot of dice rolling, even with a poor AP I'm bound to kill one or two on percentages. Quantity of dice over quality of dice here. I put this squad in a Rhino to give them some protection in the first turn, and manouevrability if i don't need the protection.

The way I see tjhe force working is the Grey Hunters are out in the Rhino APC surveying and hunting out enemy contacts. When they make on they go into a defensive mode and call in the wolf pack that cmes howling into the atmosphere in the Drop Pod. With the Blood Claws and Wolf Priest laying in to all around the Grey Hunters close in like a disciplined predator, laying down withering fire and then closing in for a superior hack'n'slash to kill all survivors. It works in my mind, just got to try it on the tabletop. I will keep you informed.