Defending Ground: World Eater Bastion

Though the Compliance of Konos III was accomplished well within the time forecast, and with acceptable casualty rates, it was vital that real gains on the surface of the planet be supported by dedicated military strongholds. Members of the Mechanicum and expedition serfs descended into secured zones days or sometimes even hours after the area had been declared clear, constructing a variety of hard points, landing zones and communication centres with which to aid the rest of the invasion. These were often constructed using special machines which utilised the minerals and other materials found on the surface, following a standard template pattern.



Here we see an example of one of these strongholds, with a Heavy Support unit on sentry duty on its roof. The remains of several Lalondian Dragoon troopers hang from the parapet, their crime; dereliction of duty, their deaths serving as a warning to other members of the regiment that failure will not be tolerated.

The purpose of the stronghold is to not only provide an easily defensible refuge point for the troops inside, but also an ammunition store with supplies held safely behind a foot thick of reinforced Adamantite. In the months following the invasion such a Bastion would become a favoured option of the expedition, the open plan storage and factory areas proving far too vulnerable to the increasing number of guerrilla and remote attacks launched by members of the insurgence.


If I were to be brutally honest, I would never have bought a Bastion had it not been a requirement of the AoTE event. Even then, it was a completely token effort on my part - just a single coat of spray paint and that was it! Fortunately it's use was limited to a single game...

So anyway, I thought why not make a better job of it, and try and give it some character that marks it distinctly as being owned by the 12th Legion? If nothing else it can be used as a terrain piece or bunker in a game.



I remember reading an interesting extract about the World Eaters (unfortunately I can't remember where!) which stated that the Legion was infamous for its use of 'decimation' on Imperial Army regiments who were fighting alongside them in battle. For anyone not familiar with their Roman history, this revolved around the execution of 1 in 10 of the soldiers who fled the battle or else dishonoured themselves in some way. I wanted to model this into the Bastion, and so there are two unfortunates in the colours of the Lalondian Dragoons (an Imperial Army force I have been painting up alongside the WE) hanging from the Bastion!