Arx Tyrannus

Arx Tyrannus – A Tale of Warmasters

The final destination on my Warrior Pilgrimage to Rynn’s World was my voyage to the Jadeberry Hill Necropolis. Upon that blasted knoll are to be found hundreds of hand-carved headstones, each one a memorial to a fellow battle brother of the Crimson Fists. Each stone is engraved with the battle honours of a hero whose mortal remains will never be recovered, his sacrifice an example to us all. I lingered at that bleak place for a day and a night, meditating upon the foes I had defeated and the terrible battles I had fought to return here and atone for my weakness. Come the morn, I was struck by a revelation. Though many of them had died here, my brethren had prevailed in the face of adversity. I would strive to emulate their example and prove myself worthy of the trust placed in me by my Chapter.

Preface to Chapter V, ‘Warrior Pilgrimages of the Angels of Death’

I have been in the hobby since 1996, when as an impressionable child random chance led me to discover a strange new type of toy, one you had to build and paint yourself. In 2003 I went to University and my tight budget meant that with the exception of Black Library, the Games Workshop hobby fell to the wayside. Fast forward several years to January 2011, and I pop into Games Workshop Loughborough on a whim and after chatting to Scott and reminiscing about ‘the good old days’ I spent over a hundred quid on Space Marines to get back into the game, and that’s where it all went wrong.

I was determined to build a DIY chapter, and spent ages designing colour schemes and fluff that the painting fell by the wayside. Despite buying enough extra kit in 2011 to build a company strength force I’ve painted two miniatures to completion. I had to concede that it was not working and a fresh start was needed with 2012 fast approaching, while discussing this with a friend today the following popped up in my News Feed.

Its a new week here in GW Nottingham, and after the dust has settled following our weekend of full metal carnage, the Necrons have carved themselves indellibly into the minds and more importantly strategies of everyone who stopped by the store! To acknowledge this fact, I (Thom) have decided to give myself willingly to… the cause of the Necrontyr and start my very own dynasty as part of an event we have come to call….*pause for effect* A TALE OF WARMASTERS *cue dramattic thunder and lightening* to take part all you will need is a new 500pt legal 40k army painted by the 5th December. thereafter we will be adding 250pts a month. For more details stop by the store and ask a member of staff. James has already made a start on his Imperial Fists, Matt’s Sons of Horus are looking awesome and Adam’s Eldar, backed by his vast experience, are looking to be formidable foes. Get into store now and get yourself signed up for A TALE OF WARMASTERS!

Well, it was like the Inquisition were listening in to my conversation and directed the team at GW Nottingham to save me from Heresy. 500 points by December that’s doable, and the 250 point expansions should be easy enough; at least I realised that was if I could figure out what it was about my DIY chapter that was causing me to spend so much time messing with the fluff and not so much on the models. That was when the epiphany struck, I didn’t love my DIY like I did the chapters I grew up reading about.

So I went back to my beginnings with the hobby, which while it was after the launch of Second Edition 40k, my first exposure to the fiction was the Rogue Trader book and I think this is partly where my love for the Space Marine comes from. The story of the Rynn’s World incident isn’t heroic in the traditional form, it is not a mighty victory but a last stand.

Look at this artwork, these heroes are going to die and for some reason that appealed to me. There was something inherently noble in my young mind about this refusal to accept defeat, that they stood firm in the face of annihilation and spat in deaths eye. My affection for the Crimson Fists is surpassed only by the Ultramarines themselves, and it came (appropriately) down to the roll of a dice as to which of these two noble chapters I would devote my painting time to, and on a 4+ the Fists won it.

Tags: Crimson Fists, Wargaming, Warhammer 40000