The Diapsis Reach - Minotaur Incoming!

UTILITATUM ADMINISTRATUM BAKKA

Transmitted: Astropath Gyar
Received: Astropath Lassio
Destination: Inquisitor Forben
Mission Time: 8 941 997.M41
Telepathic Duct: Classified
Ref: Ordo Xenos/5682354/HH
Author: Autosavant Hessick
Thought for the Day: "Innocence is a Cruel Cloak"

The final transmission of Inquisitor Amalthea from Knossos Prime Indicates Hive Fleet Minotaur is particularly rapacious. High Magos Biologus Siolon Tarannin has provided us with several strategic and operational scenarios. Tactical readouts at your discretion.

We have every reason to believe that a tendril of Minotaur has split from the Knossos path and is headed toward the Diapsis Reach of the Fulguron Sub. Needless to say this complicates the already delicate scenario you detailed to me in your prior communique. Given the presence of Waaagh Gutshoota on Pyrrhon and a possible Chaos incursion uncovered by your team on Ark Murray, the Tyranids may yet plunge the entire subsector into outright and irrevocable war.

The Iron Hands will undoubtedly intervene to protect their interests on Brevis, so it is the opinion of the Board that you prioritize in favor of cordoning off Daron's World as the swarm will probably favor attacking that colony as opposed to crossing the Gadarene Abyssal with its high incidence of warp storms and other unexplained phenomena.

Deathwatch kill teams are available on request. The Emperor Protects!

Inquisitor-Lord Tylius

Pics of the Spawning Pool

To build a hive fleet properly, one must have the proper tools. ;) I've moved into a new apartment and I'm in the process of creating a den with one of the bedrooms. Naturally, 40K and Hive Fleet Minotaur will be an integral part. The first pic is the primary work station. Note the in-progress raveners and gargoyles on the left. ;)

The second shows a credenza that will hold quite a few books, and the third shows a shelving unit that holds terrain items, counters, dice, and templates. New model kits and army bags are stored in the closet.

The next big thing will be to unpack the codices and set up the gaming table. The latter might be going up in the den or perhaps the kitchen. I have some additional shelving in mind. A few posters might be in order for the den as well. :) 

Naturally, working on "Bug Central" is a lot of work, but it's also a labor of love. Once all is in order, Minotaur will be getting some additions!

On the Offensive - Minotaur Scuttles On

Greetings fellow bug fans. Apologies for the delay in posting, but I'm hoping the slight wait will be worth it: Hive Fleet Minotaur has several very exciting things in store. :)

First of all, the blog is getting some updated artwork! I've commissioned Randy Galiban, a very talented artist, to provide some new banner artwork for the blog. Check him out, he's worth it. :)

Secondly (and I'm quite happy about this), is a new unofficial setting for HFM to shine in. Enter the Fulguron subsector! Without saying too much at this point, Fulguron is the focus of Minotaur's progress through the galaxy. There will be stories, missions, readouts and battle scenes centered around Tyranid activity in the subsector. And since all good stories need adversaries, you'll see some models of those armies that dare to oppose the Great Devourer.

Thirdly, I have a mutation in mind. :) The Knossos Incident has two more episodes to go, and when it concludes, look for hints of a gift I intend to make available to everyone who visits this blog. In other words, Hive Fleet Minotaur is about to get its first downloadable content. As always, stay tuned!

It's a Bug's Life - The Tervigon

Size is a relative thing: and how fortunate for the termagant that he has BIG relatives! I kill me...

*Cough* Anyway, as the premier installment of our ongoing spotlight series talked about the lowly termagant (whom we found wasn't quite as low as he appears), it seems only fitting that we look at one of the reasons why such a basic gaunt is so popular.

The Tervigon: the gaunt queen! The size of a small house, bloated with squirming termagants ready to burst out of bulging amniotic sacs. And thanks to the new GW model kits (I'm still drooling over this), the demand for her is likely to increase. But for those of us who might not understand what all the fuss is about, here are some reasons for wanting tervigons in your hive fleet.

First is the flexibility. Tervigons can be used as both HQ and Troops choices. A monstrous creature that can hold objectives? That in itself is an eye-opener.

But as her description implies, she gives berth to termagants almost every turn. Get yourself more termie models in your army, because the more tervigons you have, the more you'll need to deploy. They reproduce at will, and in the words of a certain star-faring physician, "Boy have they got a lot of will!"

Thirdly and perhaps most interestingly, useful biomorphs like adrenal glands and toxin sacs once fitted to a tervigon will benefit any nearby termagants! It makes the gribblies cheaper points-wise and tougher on the board.

Finally, our rather corpulent queen has useful psychic abilities, that can, among other things, effectively encase a unit in a suit of armor.

So what's not to like here? Well, some folks prefer flying units, some don't trust monstrous creatures for various reasons. But the vast majority of 'nid fans I've talked to swear by the tervigon. Conclusion? Give her a shot. I bet you'll love her. Your opponents not so much. ;)