BoLScon 09!!! What A Blast!!!

What can be said about the first BoLScon? It was definitely a success. It was a party. It was the best 40K event I have ever attended. The event ran smooth, the players were gracious, even the ones I had disagreements with. It just goes to show that a competitive event doesn't have to be all about WAAC.

The Friday night Lucky 13 game was a great time. It was a little fast paced for me(not by much just a tad). But, I did deploy across the board and ended up fighting 2 armies with less than 3/4 of my forces. I died horribly and it was an absolute epic good time.

I got to bed Saturday morning about 3:30 am, but was back at BolScon by 7:30 am. Saturday was an absolute blast and I had better results than I expected. I didn't bring a real "HARD" army. I was trying to stay away from the "Mech IG" list. I really wanted to bring a gun line but, I didn't get the models done in time. I played against a Space Wolves, SM, a beautiful
IG Vostyran army, and an IG Mech army. I managed to come out on top every game and was the top Austin player going into the second day. I was shocked to say the least.

Saturday was another late night, I sat around talking to some other players and wisely avoided getting drunk. I met John Schaeffer from GW. He was really nice and had a few painting tips. It was early in the morning before I got to bed Sunday morning. My alarm went off waaaaay too early and it was time for day 3. The tournament started early Sunday and I played against a Mech Eldar, Blood Angels, and Mech SM. I managed to win 2 of the 3 games and ended up in 13th place overall. I didn't get max points in a single game. However, with the exception of the loss I scored consistently in the 30s. On game 6, I only scored 3 pts. I will always remember that Corbulo is NOT Fearless lol. A critical mistake on my part.

Overall, it was the most fun I have had in a long time. I will definitely be there next year. I hope to see a lot of you there, too. I can't recommend this event enough. Yes, it was that great! Below is a copy of my list. What do you think?

HQ

Command- Bolter, LC, 2x Sniper Rifle

Primaris Psyker

TROOPS

Command-Bolter, LC, 2x Sniper Rifle

Squad 1- AC, Sniper Rifle

Squad 2- HB, Sniper Rifle

Squad 3- Melta

HWS 1- 3x LC

HWS 2- 3x LC

Penal Legion

Vet Squad 1- Sgt w/pw & plasma pistol, 2x plasma, melta, demo

Vet Squad 2- Harker 3x melta, demo, Chimera

ELITE

Ratlings x3

Ratlings x4

PBS x9, Chimera

FAST ATTACK

Valkyrie- Multi rocket pods

HEAVY

Demolisher- LC, 2x PC

LRBT- 3x HB

2 x Hydra

Praetorian Penal Legion and Vets

As I promised last week, here are some pics of my latest Praetorian troops. The Vet Squad are the Black and Tans. They get a black jacket to signify their veteran status. Otherwise, they are painted just like my normal troops. They are equipped with extra ammo pouches and grenades. There are also quite a few minor conversions in the squad.

First of all, since GW never gave the Praetorians plasma, I had to make my own. I used the plasma pistol barrel bit from the old close combat accessory sprue that GW used to sell as a blister. It involved cutting up a flamer trooper and some filing. it's a retty straight forward conversion.

The basic vets all have shotguns. I converted their lasguns into double barreled under & overs. I used brass tubing for this. While it does look a bit clunky, I like the results. Also, one of the shotgunners has a demo charge. This was made out of a Catachan vox unit.

The Sgt. was given a plasma pistol from a Space Wolf Blood Claw sprue and a power ax from the above mentioned close combat accessory sprue.

The banner bearer is still waiting for a banner. I cut away the original banner pole and used brass rod in it's place, adding the original top piece to it.

The Penal Legion still need final detailing. I thought about using plastic models instead. But, now I'm glad I didn't. I like the orange uniforms with the black P on the back and no "bling". I have enjoyed fielding this unit. They have already done some epic missions and they have also failed completely. But, they are fun.

What are you using for Vets and Penal Legion?