Col. Jebediah Kolensburg

[dirkthe1]

Sturgstom holds several records, the most noticeable of which is for longest kill

Be more specific here. Is this a 116th regimental record, Armageddon regiments' record, or what?

Should have specified that- I was going for regimental as I agree, its more than likely any more than that and someone else probably has it already! As you said, wide enough to be meaningful. As i said before, when writing i got a bit hung up on amageddon, but I think it works.

I'll drop the BS down-after all we arnt making Space Marines!


On a tangent, I do disagree with you point on the range. The fact that light is limited to straight lines is a restriction-the abilty for theoretical indirect fire is gone. I (personally) think that in 39000 years, semi smart munitions are not that unlikely, and weapon design would have evolved so far that the kinetic energy required to hurl a round that far would be relatively simple (if somewhat primitive) concept.
That aside, I also dislike lasguns.

[Adlan]

I like the updated Col.

How about a more rifleman/marksman orientation for the sgt. Rather than sniper? I've found a well equipped rifleman plays as you generally play a sniper, but is better adapted. Most =][= games occur at under 100 yards distances, very close for a sniper.
I've found, tend to work better when controlled by the GM, not even necessarily on the board.

Maybe using a bolt action rifle (designed for using captured ammunition when operating behind the lines/ a long way from resupply?) or selective fire auto? If you don't like Las?

[DapperAnarchist]

Just on the impossible 5 miles shot - isn't that roughly the range currently held for the longest range kill shot, held by a Canadian sniper in Afghanistan? Or have I mixed up miles and kilometres? It was a shockingly long shot anyway.

[MarcoSkoll]

The fact that light is limited to straight lines is a restriction-the abilty for theoretical indirect fire is gone.

Indirect fire is the role of artillery, not bolt action rifles! You'd have to be mad to use a point target kinetic energy weapon when you needed an area target chemical energy weapon.
Other than playing semantics with the definition, I doubt any sniper in history has ever made a shot that was indirect. (i.e. Shooting someone through a wall or other intervening object does not count as indirect.)

I (personally) think that in 39000 years, semi smart munitions are not that unlikely

And I respectfully disagree. While it is perhaps not that unlikely for an Inquisitor or other special individual, it is very very very unlikely for a Guardsman.

Going by Dark Heresy figures, specialist ammunition starts at around 300 times the cost of a regular rifle bullet. I can't find a specific price for executioners in the books I've got, but I know they're at the costly end even at the 12 gauge size, let alone the smaller calibre of a rifle.

We're probably talking 500 or 1000 times the cost of a regular bullet. I cannot see any reason at all the Munitorum would issue semi smart bullets when they can give out a hundred regular ones for a fraction of the cost. Which means many more dead enemies.
Heck, I'd be surprised if many regiments issued bullets at all. A longlas pack can be charged for free if you leave it out in the sun for a day.

weapon design would have evolved so far that the kinetic energy required to hurl a round that far would be relatively simple concept.

Weapon design has evolved. It's called the lasgun.

Solid shot weapons have their limits. For a 9400m shot at a plausible bore angle, you'd be talking about muzzle velocities of 2000 m/s, which just aren't possible with chemical propellants. The limit of what physics will actually allow is about 1800 m/s - and yes, those 200 m/s difference are important. Also, the mechanically inefficient design of the rifle means it can't get close to that theoretical limit.

That aside, I also dislike lasguns.

And I prefer steam locomotives to diesel locomotives. That doesn't mean that I think that a steam locomotive is going to best its technologically superior successor.

You might not like lasrifles, but if a sniper has a weapon where they don't have to worry about drag, drop, wind or time to target, they will beat a sniper who does. If you want him to have a bolt action rifle, then that's fine by me, but it's pretty much a given that he would not hold any records where he was competing with a long-las, and that he would be unlikely to have bested about 3 km range (which would still be very impressive)

Just on the impossible 5 miles shot - isn't that roughly the range currently held for the longest range kill shot, held by a Canadian sniper in Afghanistan?

Nope. Not only has Rob Furlong's record has been beaten by 45 metres by a Brit (Craig Harrison of the Household Cavalry), the record is still less than two and a half kilometres (2,475 metres), a little more than a quarter of what's being suggested.

[dirkthe1]

By theoretical Indeirect fire I meant the hollywood idea of bending bullets round building due to winds- a film I watched recently had this in (and I know they did in wanted as well). Yes entirely inplausable, but not impossible. With the all the targeting software that is now around you could in theory fire at a target indirectly and hit, however I doubt it has ever been done. But the theory is there.

Yes with current (chemical propellant) technology it just isnt feasible, but with current small scale magnetic rail projectiles testing at 3500m/s (I think they also mentioned figures of closer to 4000m/s) who knows what is around the corner.

Yes I concede that it is unlikely that a guard sniper would be firing specialist munitions, and most probably would only have ever used a long-las or variant there of ( I remember that needle sniper rifles fired a las pulse microseconds before the round to penetrate armour), but I quite fancied him being a little different! As such, it seems the character needs to be re-rolled, perhaps as suggested to more of a marksman type role.



Out of interest, were there ever any figures worked out for boltguns? I havent ever looked at Dark Heresy, having only ever dabbled in the fantasy version. Perhaps I should have a look.

[MarcoSkoll]

I meant the hollywood idea of bending bullets round building due to winds

Winds affect bullet placement, yes, but it's by inches. It's enough to make a shot miss, but we're talking a change of a few minutes of arc, even in quite a wind. (Also, that kind of wind strength around buildings? With the crazy airflows involved, forget it being in anyway predictable.)

And what they did in Wanted, for the most part, was impossible. You cannot "throw curve balls" with bullets by flicking your wrist about. Hooking shots, unintentional or otherwise, are exactly what rifling is designed* to prevent!
*Well, technically, it wasn't designed for that purpose, being an accidental discovery, but that's why we still use it.

...but with current small scale magnetic rail projectiles testing at 3500m/s who knows what is around the corner.

Well, now we're kind of getting out of the realms of what constitutes a bolt action rifle.

I quite fancied him being a little different! As such, it seems the character needs to be re-rolled, perhaps as suggested to more of a marksman type role.

Don't feel that you're not allowed to have him be a bit different, but if he's going to be different by choosing what in his day and age is a pretty ancient weapon, then that'll come with its drawbacks.

Out of interest, were there ever any figures worked out for boltguns?

In what sense? Costwise?

Standard bullets or shotgun shells is usually a Throne for 20 and a trifle to find. Simple special pistol/rifle bullets (Dum-Dums, Manstoppers, etc) are 5 Thrones for 6 and a bit of a pig to find. Bolt rounds are 16 thrones each and a nightmare to find.
In comparison, a las charge pack (for either pistols or rifles) is less than a single bolt round, gives you a total heap of shots and can be recharged basically endlessly for nothing.

[dirkthe1]

I think after all the above discussion, I will re work him. I'll sort it now and edit the post about him.

Thanks to all



Next on the list is a Blood Axe Kommando- I bought the model today. Any comments from anyone??

[Ynek]

When it comes to including orks, bear in mind that being what is essentially an intelligent fungus, they give off spores that tend to have the annoying habit of settling in the ground and growing into new orks.

If an inquisitor is walking around with a pet Ork as a bodyguard without taking precautions, he might end up introducing a feral ork problem to every world he visits. And feral orks are apparently impossible to completely clean out without conducting exterminatus.

I have an ork character who is, in essence, a neutered Ork, unable to produce spores. He was neutered by an Inquisitor who was conducting experiments into how to effectively neuter Orks through atmospheric manpulation. (Change a planet's atmosphere to contain chemical X, leaving a planet's Ork population unable to reproduce, and thus, would make the problems they bring much more solveable.) However, the Ork escaped his imprisonment, and now wanders around the subsector as a vagrant and outcast. Some Inquistors hunt him to kill him, others hunt him to capture him as evidence of the first Inquisitor's heresy, and some hunt him to steal the ork-castrating technology for themselves. There are hive worlds who would pay very handsomely for the ability to cleanse out a feral ork population.

I just thought I'd include that as an example for how you can crowbar an ork into the battle for the Emperor's soul.

[dirkthe1]

Hadn't thought of that bit yet! I did buy the Warboss Snikrot model today thought-just had to be done! Bit of sculpting and tweaking and will fit the bill perfectly

[dirkthe1]

Apologies for the double post.

Got my first models through yesterday- 2 mutants, and a slightly converted Eisenhorn model, who will eventually become my inquisitor-I'll post some pictures up some when soon. Ebay really is great for models.

I've also spent along time reading the various comments, and character guides, and re-written the "Col." (that's right, he's only one in inverted commas, there's some intrigue, right there!) if anyone wants to read through him, let me know as I cannot post it on here, as the footnotes don't transfer. I think I have finally got the balance, a decent back story, and I'm quite excited to test him! Now if I can just find a club that plays local to me.

As for the sniper, I'm currently adjusting him to a marskman role.

Thanks for everyones advice

[JoelMcKickass]

This is more of a background thing from me, but if he's Steel Legion, wouldn't he have a number, not a name? Or are Officer's different?

That would be Death Korp of Krieg, my bad, total brain fail.

On the sniper discussion, you could always go for a "Marksman", or "Urban/Combat Sniper". The difference between them and a regular sniper is distance involved, and the equipment used. A scope used by an L96 sniper rifle is different from the one used by an SA80, which is different again from that used by an SA80 with iron sight. A Marksman or Combat Sniper (sniper's very rarely fight with the main force, and thus aren't part of "combat") could be symbolised by giving a standard Guard issue weapon with a sight to someone. If las-weapons are a problem (as they are for me), the trusty auto-gun is always available.

[dirkthe1]

This is more of a background thing from me, but if he's Steel Legion, wouldn't he have a number, not a name? Or are Officer's different?

On the sniper discussion, you could always go for a "Marksman", or "Urban/Combat Sniper". The difference between them and a regular sniper is distance involved, and the equipment used. A scope used by an L96 sniper rifle is different from the one used by an SA80, which is different again from that used by an SA80 with iron sight. A sniper could be symbolised by giving a standard Guard issue weapon with a sight to someone. If las-weapons are a problem (as they are for me), the trusty auto-gun is always available.

I think the best way to describe where I'm taking him is sharpshooter, with a scoped standardish weapon-more then likely a las. Unless I play him as a ratling.

Where did the number point come from?

EDIT: I see that you had gotten confused.easily done!

[dirkthe1]

Sorry for the double post.
I have updated my first post to include an amended backstory.

are there currently rules for a harpoon gun. I was thinking Id quite like to add a scavvy with one!