Antares: A Privateer's Life For Me!

While the blog has been very quiet lately, I have been able to squeeze in some hobby.  In fact I had typed up this post back in the end of March but there was one mini that wasn't painted so I put it on hold... and then forgot about it.  Naturally, since that was over two months ago, the miniature in question still isn't painted.  No shocker there!  Still, I have included a work in progress photo so that these long neglected minis can finally see the light of day... on the internet...

Back when the lockdown started, I was thankfully able to transition to working from home so things pretty much continued on as usual except I needed to dig out the "office" (aka storage room) and actually make it a functional space.  While doing that I was also able to get a hobby station set up which let me finish off my Ghar Exile armored suits and also led to a new idea; a privateer force for Antares.

The privateer rules are in the supplement The Drone Scourge Returns and give you access to quite an eclectic mix of units.  While the core is either Freeborn or Boromite, there is a lot of flexibility to incorporate other units into the mix.  There are some limitations (you won't find Ghar outcasts holding hands with Algoryn AI troops for example), but overall there is a ton of room to explore and that I am doing.

Since I got into the hobby over thirty years ago (as mind boggling a thought as that is...), I have collected quite a number of minis.  Not as many as some since I had a number of years off in the intervening time but still there is quite an eclectic mix of minis floating around in my collection.  Of course most of it has never even been primed so this seemed like the perfect opportunity plus it gave me a truly unique ragtag band of sell swords.

Leading my privateer band are a trio of beings in hyperlight armor (the fancy version of powered armor in my mind).  The leader is Aa'Jae Craullee, one of my Traahiri mercenaries armed with a compression rifle.  Backing him up are two more beings equipped with plasma carbines and a spotter drone.

I would like to include more drones but given the point limit I'm aiming for, this is a good start.  On a modeling note, I also might swap out the bodyguard rifles from assault rifles to actual plasma carbines but for now I'm calling them good.

Next up is the first of my privateer squads (aka Freeborn Domari).  This motley crew is led by a notorious smuggler, arms dealer, and all around bad guy Ab-duul Goll Steen armed with a mag pistol, backed up by four troops with mag rifles, one trooper with an oversized micro-X launcher, and a cobbled together spotter drone.

Rounding out the tactical choices is another privateer squad equipped the same as the first, this time lead by survivor of the Ghar-Ghar conflict in the Mel system uprising, Pa Pa'smerff.

The carbon copied domari squads keep the points down and give a good base to build from, either by expanding them in the future or bringing in new units to give the force more options on the battlefield.

Last but not least is a support option.  While it's not required at this point level I'd like to throw in something different just to keep the list interesting.  Originally I was going to do this with a support team to give the force a bit more bang for it's buck but instead I decided to push the envelope a bit further.  Introducing the latest in aftermarket T7 knockoff transporters, Ly-tng McQ33N.

Still some more painting to do on this one but you get the idea.

Of course points are tight for the list so this is a pretty stripped down transport.  To give it some teeth, it is equipped with a mag light support and the machine intelligence has been enhanced as well but that's it.  Without the typical array of supporting drones this is a risky investment but I really want to field one and I think it rounds out the list nicely.

Coming in at 493 points, this will make an interesting force to field against one of my more typical Antares armies and its given me a reason to put some paint onto minis that I've neglected for years.  All in all, I definitely call that a win, even if they probably don't stand a chance on the table. Until next time...