Warhammer fans of a certain vintage might remember Deff Skwadron, a rowdy group of legendary Ork Flyboyz whose adventures first hit the funny pages of the original Inferno! magazine, before being collected in an eponymous graphic novel.
In a scenario plucked straight from one of their finest escapades, this week’s Warhammer+ Battle Report sees da ladz pour all of their dubious aeronautical skill into a death-defying race through a perilous canyon in pursuit of an ornery flying squig. Ork Kommander Simon Grant, the most enthusiastic man in Warhammer, is here to explain more.
Simon: Put simply, this week's Battle Report is probably the most anarchic that we've made yet. Considering the competition – such as last month's festive Kill Team game starring the Goff Rocker – that's quite the statement!
It all started with an epiphany I had one morning about a 'rolling road' game of Warhammer 40,000 using a modified version of the rules found in the Necromunda: Ash Wastes. After floating the idea past Nick Bayton, he mentioned that he had a collection of Ork aircraft inspired by the classic Deff Skwadron graphic novel that he'd painted for an old Armies on Parade entry. That fit the bill perfectly!
The graphic novel in question comprises a number of short stories, each recounting a different wacky tale of the infamous Flyboyz of Deff Skwadron, as they set out to turn the tide of a conflict between rival Ork Warbosses Badthug and Grimlug. The last story is the aptly named Katch Da Squigeon, in which Deff Skwadron attempts to shoot down a kustom-bred Carrier-Squigeon and steal Grimlug's secret battle plans. Given that it's essentially one big chase scene, it was the perfect inspiration for our game!
With that in mind, I came up with a bunch of additional rules to represent some of the crazy things that happened in the story. These varied from the dangers of flying over a geyser or navigating rocky pillars and arches, to additional abilities based on the skills and personalities of Deff Skwadron's foremost Flyboyz, and the nuances of Nick's converted miniatures.
The one divergence I took from the source material was that I could bring on some randomly generated Ork units every round, to represent the presence of Warboss Grimlug's outlying forces as the Squigeon neared its objective. This gave me something else to do each turn besides moving the Carrier-Squigeon, and ensured that Nick had a suitably target-rich environment to distract him from the Squigeon itself.
As you can probably tell by now, it turned out to be quite the bonkers game, and bucketloads of fun. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!
Big thanks to Warhammer+ Army Painters Andy and James for their squig-converting skills and to Warhammer World Studio Army and Battlefield Painter Paul for making the stunning terrain!
Thanks Simon – that sounds incredible! Deff Skwadron in... Katch Da Squigeon! is available to watch on Warhammer+ right now. Go check out those amazing flying machines!
Note: Patience of Iron, the latest instalment of Angels of Death: Origins was supposed to go live today. Unfortunately, due to Glitchlings running around in our datastacks, it has been delayed for a short time. We’ll keep you posted on when it will be available!
In the meantime, there are still plenty of Warhammer animations to watch over on Warhammer+, as well as in-house shows such as Citadel Colour Masterclass, Loremasters, and – of course – Battle Report!
