Genetically engineered super trooper - the Afriel strain

Over the last 4 months or so I've been involved in a very entertaining Inquisimunda campaign (28mm scale Inquisitorial warbands played with the Necromunda rules). My warband, led by radical Ordo Malleus Inquisitor Dirske, is comprised of bizarre mutants and daemonic entities.

Dirske has proven himself to be a) cowardly and b) a pretty poor fighter. He now tends to take a strategic view of most engagements (i.e. hanging at the back and watching the others do the fighting!). One minor fly in the ointment, is that members of the warband keep on getting themselves killed. And I don't mean through bad rolls on the serious injury table either; I mean being eaten or obliterated in-game. Thoroughly, irreversibly, dead.

This didn't end well for Scrat!

Scrat, my first ratling assassin, was eaten by a draconid Hex Wyrm in dense jungles (whilst trying to steal one of its eggs) - see above. His replacement, Sneek, was eaten by an unknown monster which snatched him from the shadows. HIS replacement (Sculk), was killed by a haywire robot on a space station. Thankfully, ratling assassin #4 - Snak (note the name) is still fighting fit. Unfortunately, my poor, stupid, two-headed mutie Gron-Slom died in my most recent game. He was eaten by the same (or possibly related) monster that snacked on Sneek.


'What's this all got to do with genetically engineered super troopers?' I hear you ask. Well, it just so happens that with the demise of Gron-Slom, I had the opportunity to replace him with a more effective inclusion to Dirske's warband. As I had plenty of Throne Geld in my kitty, and the need for some more high-powered weaponry, I decided to invest in something with a bit more punch. A heavy plasma gun ought to do it!

After rattling around in my boxes for a suitable figure to use, I decided on a model of Rogue Trooper from Citadel's old 2000AD line. Rogue is toting a lazooka, which I figured could pass muster as a heavy plasma gun ('plaszooka'?).

Whilst the pose was great, I didn't really want my figure to have the same characteristic skin-tight leggings as sported by Rogue, so I got out my greenstuff and bulked them out into a pair of baggy trousers. I also teched up the figure a little, by adding a small aerial to the backpack, and a little sighting doo-dad to the side of his helmet.

The colour scheme follows the now standard palette for Dirke's retinue - grey with a rusty brown and flashes of a jade green. I wanted to make a nod towards Rogue's genetically engineered origins - happily in Warhammer 40k canon, there's a very similar concept with the Afriel strain Imperial Guard regiments.

The Afriel strain are, like Rogue, genetically engineered super troopers, characterised by albinism. They also are supposedly plagued by bad luck and misfortune...this seemed perfect for the kind of soldier who might end up joining Dirske. A simple pale skin colour, and Afriel Trooper Alpha-6 is ready for his first game (during which he will certainly fail to do anything of note)!

Members of Dirske's retinue make a hasty barricade.