TOEMP #3 - The Mordian 7th Regimental Command, part 3

Success (sort of)! I managed to polish off the command squad last night for the Tale of Even More Painters 3rd challenge. The qualifier is in reference to the Commissar Lord who I managed to drop onto a tile floor on the way out to seal the figs. Going to have to do some serious rework on that one. Curses!

Part of the contest was to come up with a background and history for your own special character, and as such I fleshed out some information regarding the Mordian 7th Regiment and Commander Evin Eldro:

++THE MORDIAN 7TH REGIMENT++

The Mordian 7th Regiment can trace its history back to the days of the expansionist era as one of the original ten Guard regiments raised from the hive world of Mordia. During a recent refounding the regiment's D Company was formed from the "Night Rippers" hive gang, which had led a rebellion against Mordia's planetary governor, Commander Varren. The rebellion was put down, and its leader, Mahagon Jhume, executed. His followers were considered a potentially valuable fighting force and rather than being executed, they were inducted into the Imperial Guard. The "Night Rippers" continue to use their gang symbols and use Jhume's image on their banners. In 984.M41 the regiment was assigned to pacify the newly rediscovered human world of Flotis III. However due to an Adeptus Munitorum scribe's error on their regimental manifest, the unit was mistakenly recorded as the "Mordion 7th", and as such found themselves cut off from support and resupply from Mordia for nearly five years. Eventually the error was corrected, though in subsequent years the Mordian High Command has attempted to distance themselves from the 7th Regiment, claiming "they've spent so much time on the front lines they no longer represent the Mordian ideal", and it has been quietly speculated that Eldro's association with the Night Rippers hive gang has compromised the principles that the majority of the Mordian Iron Guard hold dear. Indeed the Mordian 7th is unusual in the fact that they do not fight in the dress uniforms and tidy ranks the Mordian Iron Guard are known for. Regimental Commander Evin Eldro dismisses these claims and points to the phenomenal successes the regiment has accomplished over the years as proof that his men are as capable as any other regiment hailing from the Mordian Hive World.

++COMMANDER EVIN ELDRO++

Following his successful persecution of the Orks infesting Flotis III, Commander Evin Eldro of D Company was elevated to the rank of Regimental Commander of the Mordian 7th. The time spent fighting the Orks honed Commander Eldro and his men into fierce fighting form, and it was due to Eldro's tactical acumen that the 7th Regiment (and notably the men of D Company) were able to not only stem the green tide, but eventually repel the Ork invaders from the planet Flotis III. Eldro was able to exhort the men of D Company to perform acts of insane bravery in the face of the alien menace, and their actions saved thousands of Imperial citizens from a fate as slaves to the cruel Ork taskmasters. On more than one occasion, surprised orks were massacred by waves of enraged, bayonet-armed guardsmen charging into battle.

Commander Eldro is unusual in his open-mindedness towards abhumans, something that has caused friction between the Mordian 7th and other Imperial forces. During the action on Flotis III, D Company included squads of Ratlings and Ogryns which are still seen on many battlefields, but also included a small force of Beastmen - an abhuman strain that is regarded with extreme suspicion by most. No one is quite sure of the history behind their association, but packmasters Org and Raakt are fiercely loyal to Commander Eldro, and their abilities in close quarter fighting were instrumental in repelling several Ork incursions on Flotis III.

A Company Commander may be replaced by Commander Evin Eldro for an additional 100 points.

	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Commander Evin Eldro	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	10	4+

++EQUIPMENT++
Carapace Armor
Refractor Field
Plasma Pistol
Frag Grenades
Close Combat Weapon

++SPECIAL RULES++
Supreme Commander: Eldro can issue up to four orders each turn. He has a command radius of 24". Eldro can use the Bring It Down!, Fire on my Target! and Get Back in the Fight! orders described on page 30, as well as the First Rank, FIRE! Second Rank, FIRE!, Incoming! and Move! Move! Move! orders described on page 36. In addition, Eldro can use the following unique order:

For Mahagon Jhume!: Through a combination of inspiring diatribe and threatening bellows, Eldro exhorts his soldiers forward to glory! If the order is successfully issued, the ordered unit is inspired and immediately charges into the fray with little thought for its own safety. Until the end of the turn, the ordered unit gains the Fearless and Furious Charge special rules - place a counter or other suitable marker next to the unit to show this.

Beastmen Attack Squads: Commander Eldro is unusually tolerant of Abhumans and any army he leads may be accompanied by 0-2 Beastman Attack Squads. They are chosen following the rules and points values for Penal Legion squads, however their Desperadoes specialist skill is always assumed to be Knife Fighters, and they must discard their lasrifles, preferring the exclusive use of their swords and axes. Although Beastman Attack Squads are considered a Troops Choice for purposes of holding objectives and deployment, they do not count as mandatory choices for Force Organization chart selection.

Regimental Command: Commander Evin Eldro is always accompanied by his regimental command staff. If Commander Eldro is included in the army, he MUST be accompanied by a full complement of Advisors, including a Master of Ordinance, an Officer of the Fleet, an Astropath, and two Bodyguards.

I based the rules for Commander Eldro on Creed, removing the Tactical Genius rule and replacing it with the Beastman Attack Squads rule, and adding the caveat that he must be accompanied by a full set of Advisors. In addition I removed his twin-linked hotshot laspistols and gave him a Plasma Pistol and Close Combat Weapon (the swagger stick) instead.

I realized after I'd built them that technically bodyguards are supposed to be armed with Laspistols and Close Combat Weapons, but as in most of the army entries there is no points cost difference between a Lasgun and the LP/CCW, my opponents rarely kick up much of a fuss. I enjoyed building the 'casualty' model, it's somewhat hard to tell, but he's dropping a live grenade, I shaved the pin and added it to the base, which makes the other bodyguard's wide-eyed look a bit more understandable, as he's no doubt expected to throw himself on said grenade...

Another fun unit to paint - this time around all the figs were mini-characters in their own right, I tried to build as much personality into the command squads as I can, and that makes them much more entertaining than the blocks of regular infantry so common to the Guard.