Welcome to the second edition of 'Getting to Know the 609th' with the rowdiest bunch of guardsmen around. You might have seen this bunch of hoodlums on the fringes of 'A Day in the Life of...' scrapping on a flank or on the center line. They are known as the 'Wolf Pack.'
The Wolf Pack are the 609th's First Veteran Squad (officially), and are lead by the indomitable Veteran Sergeant Huckish. The manpower of the Inquisitorial Shock Troops, like the 609th IST, are replenished from surrounding sector they fight in and are often made up of platoons from different planets. In the case of veteran squads, often each member is from a different world.
They also specialize in hunting heretic space marines, and to do so the unit carries three plasma guns in addition to Huckish' plasma pistol and Campbell's missile launcher (although he rarely fires it as they don't sit still very often). These three have earned quite the reputation, (for instance; last year at GottaCon they had a 4-5 turn shootout with pre-heresy World Eaters with plasma guns
in the open).
Each of them are named after someone who was working in GW Oakville/HQ at the time, as a tribute to our veterans. They were decked out with some putty carapace armor and masks, lots of equipment, and the lasgun barrels were doubled. The wolf pelts were a last addition, which instantly gave them their name. Can you spot Aubin's pet rat?
They enjoy short walks in ruined cities and temples followed with intense fire-fights and being serenaded by screaming heretics on fire. They don't like reserves or night-fighting. Now, with them being a troop choice, they can hold objectives and are used in almost every game. I think some traitors have a bounty on these guys heads by now, since whenever they appear marines start melting.
Which brings us to I 5 1, or more commonly, Lunchbox. The Wolf Pack is often assigned to babysit mechanized platoons, which means that they are assigned a chimera. V. Sgt. Huckish' plan, most often, is to drive Lunchbox into the adversary's cover and assault. This plan is often the cause of Lunchbox's demise. The current Lunchbox is a field-equipped city-fight pattern, likely 'borrowed' from the PDF.
Lunchbox is equipped with a heavy flamer, due to the range it finds itself most often, as well as a heavy bolter/stubber turret. Not much use against monstrous assaults, (which it often finds itself), but great against squishy things.
Looking back on these models, I can spot some improvements and touch-ups I could do on them. I might actually get to doing that, but it would most likely after they get battle-honours, and for that they would have to survive a whole game. I think they could use some purity seals and other bling, but I still like them.
Until next post,
Ricalope.
Hello all, time for another Wednesday!
The biomorph known as a whiptail is a simple one and not very common in many known Hive Fleets. The whiptail is a strong, almost metallic, hollow cord instead of the blunt tails of most tyranid organisms. They can be found in many different organisms, from rippers to carnefexes, although rarely in full swarms. Most commonly, a small percentage (2-5%) of a swarm exhibits this biomorph.
The cord contains two long muscles which allow it to coil rapidly, ensnaring potential prey. The end of a whiptail is hooked, allowing the organism to stab its prey repeatedly. Although it is not prehensile, a whiptail may be used for labor duties within the hive.
The whiptail does sacrifice some mobility for its viciousness. The end of a tyranid's tail grows dense, becoming a counterbalance, without this weight the beast moves slower and not as well balanced as its kin. Due to this, whiptailed tyranids are often found at the rear of the swarm, where they ensure all of the biomass they pass by is dead.
(and I am making digestion pits...)
Until the next warp storm hits, be well,
