Marching from Macragge: Lions of Macragge

IG Fanatic here, time to post up Sicarius's Command Squad. To begin with, I had originally done up a few of them with Meltaguns because the SM CS has had access to these since 3rd edition. Then the new codex dropped, and they said CS didn't get access to Special Weapons anymore. So I refitted them with pure CC weapons. Then the other day, GW FAQ'ed them to get Special Weapons. *cue my annoyed face* Moving on...

Before I begin, bear in mind that none of this is my own creative process. As previously stated, I am copying the pre-established fluff for the Ultramarines 2nd Company which has already been set down by GW. You can find this in the old 5th edition Space Marine codex, or on page 24-25 of the new 6th edition codex.

Interesting fact: unlike the majority of the infantry units, the Command Squad did not receive a points reduction in the 6th edition codex. The Apothecary just became optional, which leaves the unit at the exact same points cost as before. 

Veteran Sergeant Daceus: (If your not pointing at the foe, your not an Astartes!)

  The leader of Sicarius's Command Unit, he has more stylized armor (BA Sanguinary Guard Torso and his left shoulder pad is a super-squirrel version of the chapter symbol). The Codex shows him as having a Power Fist, so he got one. This should be useful when I really need the squad to run up and back-hand an opposing vehicle. He also got a flamer; because it A) looks cool, and B) Power Fists are specialized weapons and don't gain the extra attack from having a bolt pistol, he got one of the squads Special Weapons. (More on that choice of weapon later.)

Apothecary Venatio:

Wow, these guys still can't get any upgrades. But they HAVE become an upgrade option, so if you don't want one, you don't have to pay the points for them. Basically, I just built an Apothecary out of the standard GW CS kit, and made sure to give him a bolt pistol so that he'd be WYSIWYG. Cheers. Note: The new white paint goes on exceptionally better then the old Skull White color. You still need 2-3 layers if your doing a large area like the Aothecary's backpack or his shoulder pad(s), but its definitely a step up from the previous color.

Brother Vandius (Company Standard Bearer):

Since I'm running the Codex Chapter upon which all codex chapters are based, I consulted the 2nd Edition Ultramarine Codex to see how the Company Standard Bearer should look. Chapter emblem on the left shoulder (standard practice) and a laurel-wreathed skull on the right. I also gave him a laurel-helmet from the Blood Angels Death Company kit, to add to his honored status. Regarding his "flag": I took inspiration from the United States Marine Corps, which by tradition has a 'Guide On' flag for each platoon, used for formation runs and basic formation duties. The banner itself bears the colors of the company (yellow) and in game play will count as a Power Lance, NOT a Company Banner.

This gives him +1 str and AP3 on the charge, but str-as-user and AP4 the rest of the time. My reason for this is two-fold: It fits the weapon he is carrying, and no one else I've ever heard of uses Power Lances. At All. That's reason enough for me.

Note: I should not have taken this picture with the bright yellow storage bin in the background, but oh well, I'm too lazy to change it.

Honored Brother Gaius Prabian:

The Codex Fluff lists this guy as the Company Champion, but that unit's wargear is horrible. So I'm taking an exception to the fluff with this model. He's just a standard Veteran whose got a Power Axe, and a Bolt Pistol. Other then that, nothing else special. He's got a head from the new Sternguard plastic kit, and a note about those. They look beautiful, but the facial details are such that even the slightest layer of paint obscures the details and makes their face look like oatmeal. I may go back and replace his head with helmet at some point.

Brother Malcian:

 
 The Companies Chief Communications Officer. Yes, the fluff says that each suit of Power Armor has comms gear, but I love the Horus Heresy squads that have a radio man in each squad. The radio is an Imperial Guard command squad Vox Caster. I just carved down the backpack mount on his rear torso and,... boom! He also has one of the squads flamers as well. Seemed like a good choice for him. I plan to have each Tactical squad in the army have a radio man as well.

The Squad as a Whole:

A few notes. I plan to mount the whole unit with Captain Sicarius in a Land Raider Crusader. This will ensure that it gets to make the charge. This is crucial as its an assault unit, and coupled with Sicarius's Warlord Trait, getting the charge is everything.

I chose Flamers because they are a cheap way to soften up an enemy unit before the charge. Plus, Tyranids and Orks are likely to be the next up for Codex release by GW, so it makes sense to incorporate some decent anti-horde weapons in now. The varied close combat weapons are there to cause maximum damage no matter what unit they need to destroy. Each member has 4 attacks on the charge; that's a lot of STR 6-9 attacks! Note that due to Sicarius's one-time Furious Charge ability (Warlord Trait), those weapons are at 1+ STR. Used properly, this unit should give me the ability to crush a crucial enemy unit in assault. It has an excellent mix of at-initiative AP3 attacks and I1 AP2 attacks.  With a Land Raider as transport, this will be my opponents neglected backfield scoring unit, as most 6th edition armies lack suffient weapons capable of stopping a Land Raider of any type. This will make his/her game plan shift uncontrollably. Well, hopefully.

Modeling: I've given every member of the squad a Veteran Sergeant shoulder pad, as they are the cream of the 2nd Company, and they would all be Veteran Squad Leaders in their own right. I also made sure each member has Frag/Krak grenades and spare ammo pouches, because, well, this just makes sense.

Well, that's all for now, hope you enjoyed reading!