It's been about eight years since I played Warhammer 40K. I moved to New York City, and I really didn't have the ability to play. I rented rooms here and there, and tried hard to keep my things light and easily transportable. Lugging around an army wasn't an option. I also really didn't have the space to set up a painting space. But I've come to miss painting miniatures, and my living circumstances have improved over the years, so I'm ready to jump back into miniature wargaming.
There are several armies out there that appeal to me, stylistically. In general, I like armies that are mobile. One of the things the second Iraq War taught us is that mobility is the key to battle. If you read Generation Kill, you can see how critical First Recon was to the effort as they streaked across the battlefield in advance of the main force. The Eldar, for example, have always held an odd fascination for me because of their jetbikes -- mobility. I used to play the Tau, mostly because I liked the look of the army, but also because they are also highly mobile. In the end, however, I've decided on a Space Marine army.
I am a huge fan of the Halo series of video games, and like many players I'm particularly taken with the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. And one of my favorite books is Heinlein's Starship Troopers. There is nothing more mobile than dropping your troops onto the battlefield wherever you need them. The only army that allows you to deploy your forces in this way are the Space Marines. You can pretty much keep your entire army in reserve and plop them on the table using teleportation, jump packs, and drop pods. So that's the army I'm going to field.
This blog is intended to periodically update the process of collecting, painting, and fielding my army. In the end, I hope to make it the homepage for my Space Marine army: The Helljumpers.
