The Gamers' Bullpen: September 2008

So I saw this article a long time ago on the internet on how to make little wooden crates for terrain. Heck if I can find it again...but it was so simple I figured I would give it a shot.

To do this you will need...

* 1" or 3/4" wooden blocks from your local craft store.
* Wooden coffee stiring sticks
* Wood glue
* Light Oak colored touch up Wood Stain marker.
* Micron black ink pen.
* small Xacto saw (although a good pair of snippers would work too)

Step one - glue the coffee sticks to the wood blocks and trim. You only need to do 5 sides, the 6th side will be the one on the table.

Step two - glue "strapping" wood and trim.
Step three - with ink pen make 2 dots at end of each piece of wood (Nails)

Step four - Stain the whole thing with your marker and your done.

How do they look?

3/4" blocks
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1" blocks

Figure these will work for 40K, WWII, Western, Pirate games.

Might put a set of these on EBAY to see what I can get for them.

Founding of the Greenhouse Guardians Chapter of Space Marines.

Jed was a simple man from the hills. He had worked his whole life with the soil of Terra. He knew the secrets of growing the various forms of plant life indigenous to Terra. For generations his family was responsible for the care of the Emperor’s courtyard in the gargantuan Imperial Palace. The courtyard was an impressive display of the fauna of Terra, with at least one specimen of every form of plant-life that still existed in the immense courtyard.

Jed was the head grounds keeper in charge of the over one hundred keepers of the courtyard. Each species of plant had specific rules for their care. These rules which were kept in massive Tomes called The Rules of Fauna. The tomes and passed down from generation to generation and stored a small vault in the keepers housing hidden under the center of the courtyard.

When Horus Heresy came to Terra, the keepers continued to do their work. Throughout the shelling of the Imperial Palace, Jed kept his crew busy for the work in the courtyard was never done.

Kharn the Betrayer, paced impatiently on the teleport pad, waiting for the shields protecting the Imperial Palace to fall. He and his squad would be among the first in the palace and he knew would be the first to find combat. When the shields protecting the Palace fell, an instant later Kharn and his group of Berserkers were teleported to Terra.

Seeing only green plants and trees, Kharn screamed out in rage fearing he and his squad had been teleported to the wrong location and would miss the taking of the Palace entirely.

Jed heard the scream, and sensed many new beings in his courtyard. The throaty buzz of numerous chainswords revving up to speed, confirmed his senses. The Berserkers quickly began slashing through fauna and grounds keeper alike. Jed’s quick thinking at this time secured his legacy. Jed ordered all the keepers to leave the courtyard and flee to the Marine barracks in the palace gates. Doing this had three fold impact. First the blood thirsty Berserkers were lead away from the Rules of Fauna. Second, Jed knew if the loyalist marines found the berserkers in the courtyard a firefight would ensue and destroy much of the precious fauna. Finally, by leading the Berserkers to the barracks by the gate they were being led away from the throne room and the Emperor. Jed stayed behind and using the courtyard he had lived in for all his life to mask his presence used hit and run tactics to lure the few remaining Berserkers away from the hidden entrance to the keepers housing and more importantly from the Rules of Fauna.

The keepers were slaughtered to the man in the flight to the barracks. The last falling just as the first Loyalist Marines began shooting at the Berserkers. Jed was slain as well, shot in the back as he was sprinting out the main archway of the courtyard.

The deeds of Jed and the Keepers of the Rules of Fauna were overlooked during the aftermath of Horus Hersey. The death of Horus, the Emperor becoming entombed in the Golden Throne, the loyalist Space Marines counter offensive against the forces of Chaos had the historian attention and Jed’s tale was quickly forgotten.

It was a minor clerk in the Administratum that rediscovered what happened at the courtyard. The tale reached the High Lords of Terra and after much debate, a special founding of a single chapter of space marines was ordered to represent the deeds of Jed and the keepers of the courtyard that day. Geneseed was taken from just the Librarians every chapter of Loyal Space Marines, to honor the sacrifice made to keep the Rules of Fauna safe. Historians discovered that in ancient times those that did the same work as the keepers had temples called Greenhouses where they practiced their arts. With that discovery the space marine chapter of the Greenhouse Guardians were formed, with the motto “The Keepers of the Rules”.

The new 40k Boxed set has come out, with a bunch of well made plastic minis. Josh, one of the owners of the Greenhouse has asked me to paint up the space marines from his demo box to display in the store window. I could have done one of the well known chapters of space marines, but when I was looking over the minis, I noticed how much the upward pointing arrow on the shoulderpads of the Marines looked like a monopoly house. I had to make a background story and create a space marine chapter for the store (There is over 100 chapters with only about 30 having been officially named) Here are some images of the finished minis...

The Captain
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