Tools of the Hunt Part 3

This week’s Tools of the Hunt will be looking at the many different forms of ranged weaponry on offer to the Space Wolves. Our Long Fangs are hands down one of the best Heavy Support units out there.  The stereotype of the Sons of Russ is that we are little more than barbarian berserkers but this is often used to the advantage of the more cunning players as we are so much more! Let’s have a look at why.

God I love these things. Seriously I pack as many as I can into my army lists no matter what the points cost. The missile launcher in the world of Warhammer 40,000 is a simple device which is essentially taking the same simple idea of the missile launcher today and perfecting it with futuristic technology to give the missiles a superb guiding system and the cyclone variation simply a shoulder mounted version.  Those of us that love the Long Fangs know that we can get these bad boys for cheap and have the option of firing either a frag or krak missile. The difference being that the frag (fragmentation) rounds are set to explode on impact and scatters aerodynamic shrapnel over a large surface area. These are fantastic against lightly armoured troops and can even be utilised to deal serious damage to open topped vehicles but if your target is smart enough to wear substantial armour you better load a krak missile into that bad boy your long Fang is holding. The krak rounds are then rigged to deliver a condensed but incredibly powerful explosive force to the target, usually punching straight through the target. The missile launcher is used by the Imperial Guard but Space Marines use them better (like with everything else) thanks to their improved strength and stamina. The two types of grades our boys carry are the exact same only that they rely on hand-eye co-ordination compared to a guidance system (duh), their lighter to carry and pack less of a punch.

Another favourite of mine, the melta gun operates by firing a short but incredibly powerful shots of energy that burns so hot it can melt solid adamantium (that’s right comic book fans, they can literally melt Wolverine). They achieve this by inducing a chemical reaction in the highly pressurized gas held inside the canister that makes it unstable at a sub-molecular level which then creates nuclear fusion, the gun then takes this energy  and aims it directly down the barrel in your poor opponents face. The details on this are sketchy I know but this is the best way I could explain it! The weapon is well known to create a loud hissing noise as the heat vaporizes the moisture in the air; this is then followed by a loud explosion as the beam melts through the target literally incinerating the hapless chap (tank) it’s aimed at.You can see why these are so good for tank hunting! The multi-melta then is simply the same melta gun but on a bigger scale, improving its maximum range and power. I know a lot of people think they’re not as good as they used to be in the new rules but I adore the extra bit of power it gives my Grey Hunters.

Okay their flame throwers, what can we expect right? These things spray a liquidised form of promethium (the Warhammer 40k substance that is essentially napalm) that is ignited by a pilot light on the nozzle of the gun. The promethium sticks to the target, while burning at ridiculously hot temperatures, the poor shaggers who don’t die instantly get to be slowly cooked alive so I think I’d prefer a bolt round to the head myself. The flamer sprays the promethium in a wide area so their perfect for taking down multiple foes whether they’re in cover or not. The heavy flamer takes the idea of the bigger the better and puts it to very good use with an increased output of promethium. Interestingly the Astarte’s flamers differ to that  used by the Imperial Guard in their use of the promethium as the Guard version bears no difference to flame throwers today I that their gas based and less powerful. Also this gas is mined on numerous planets but is quickly running out on a universal scale due to the constant war covering the universe.

These beasts need a terminators steady hand to fire, seriously it’s no wonder a Long Fang can’t hold them. It’s a six barrelled, self-loading, rotary cannon that delivers an insane amount of solid rounds into the opponent at medium range making them your termie’s best friend when it comes to a fire fight when you’re boys are outnumbered.  Despite the pay out these guns are flawed. They’re prone to overheating due to the speed of the rotating barrels and can jam quite easily. The barrels themselves also need to be changed after each mission as they simply become worn down.

I discussed the las (or laser if you prefer) weaponry briefly in Tools of the Hunt Part 1 and the lascannon differs only that it magnifies the energy output to unbelievable levels inside the laser chamber before obliterating its target. The many different versions of las weaponry are loved by the Imperium as their relatively cheap on materials, reliable and the battery packs are small and easy to change when they run empty. The lascannon doesn’t differ however in the Guard they require the cannon to be mounted with a two man firing squad to fire and change the heavy battery pack that needs reloading after each blast, proving once again, that the forces of the Imperium just don’t compare to the Sons of Russ and our fellow marines!

Warning. This one will be short. Their fantastic bits of kit for our unbelievable wolf scouts but they are just great sniper rifles from the future that have been improved with a better quality of material that fire solid slugs, not bolter rounds with the aid of an amazing scope. Sorry to disappoint anyone that hoped for something more!

Ah the plasma family. Those beautiful devices that make us hold our breath as the dice roles to see if the wielder or the target will be the one to suffer the wrath of the most unstable of devices.

Plasma weapons are incredibly powerful weapons that come in many different forms but they all operate the same way by using a raw plasma fuel, which is actually made of hydrogen!  The hydrogen is compressed and contained within reinforced flasks inside the gun. These flasks are dangerous as it is and many theorize that the Imperial plasma grenade came into life when a plasma flask whose handling rites were botched blew the bearer sky high! The smaller the flask the less shots, the pistol providing before the wielder must reload a fresh canister of hydrogen. The hydrogen fuel is then fed from the flask into a miniature fusion reactor core; the gas is then heated to extreme temperatures which turns it into a highly-energized state of matter called plasma. The plasma is kept in the weapon’s core by an electromagnetic confinement field and when the gun is fired the plasma is encased inside this magnetic field to stop the plasma from simply falling apart before reaching its target. Once this thing hits its target there is rarely anything left!

Of course then there’s the overheating problem. The amount of heat being generated by the plasma needs to be released otherwise the gun will blow in the users hand. The heat is vented into the air but even then it’s risky unless it’s being used by a machine that can bear the correct cooling apparatus. The method for making plasma weapons is rapidly becoming a forgotten art within the Imperium and plasma weapons have become so rare that the Imperium would prefer the bearer to be blown to bits rather than have the gun itself harmed! Of course we could tone down the power levels and make it safer to use like many other races but here’s the fun in that?

As always comments are welcome and I will indeed respond to any questions! Next week I’ll be discussing the long career of a Sky Warrior from birth till the end of his service to mankind.

Till then!

Wolf Lord Herne