Armies of the Jungle: Yblis’ Bzrkx  by Kenton Kilgore
In the From Idea To Reality series, we chronicled the process of creating an army from scratch. In this series, we will showcase the finished results of our labors – the completed armies (as much as any 40K army can ever be considered “completed”). By detailing how the army was collected, how the background and color schemes were developed, and how the army is used on the battlefield, we hope that this series will provide inspiration for those interested in collecting similar armies.

Battle, endless battle, on a thousand, thousand worlds, for a thousand, thousand years. Millions fought, millions died—were they memories, or dreams? The centurion had slept so long that he no longer knew. 

At this moment, he recalled—imagined?—with exacting detail how he and his soldiers had blasted through the Syryllian’s lines, gunning down the gelatinous amphibians as they ran. He remembered—fantasized?—how the loathsome, pulsating body of the Syryllian DeoRex had literally evaporated under the repeated blows of the centurion’s powerstaff. Even now, so many years later, the centurion felt a surge of joy and pride in his victory, just one of a thousand, thousand.

Suddenly, the centurion was roused to consciousness by a rich, sonorous voice, one he knew and loved. “Awaken, sweet slave,” the voice said.

The centurion looked around. Light—a burning white light—had come to the sealed chamber where he had stood, immobile and inert, for so long.

“It is good to see you again,” the voice said, and the light dimmed and coalesced into a glowing golden figure, robed, who sat in a throne atop a dais at the end of the chamber. 

The centurion raised his powerstaff and took two steps forward. “Remove yourself from the throne of my master,” he growled, his voice little more than a harsh buzzing. 

“You remember the ancient traditions. Good. I am your master, Centurion.”

“Crystalord is my master,” the centurion replied. “You are not him.”

“But I am,” the figure said. It stood, and its aura flared as it transformed into a faceless humanoid made of dazzling, transparent crystal facets. “This is the form I took when you first swore allegiance to me, and Crystalord was the name I used then.”

“At your command,” the centurion said, laying down his staff and kowtowing on the stone floor. 

“Rise, my slave,” the figure said. “Many names I have used, and many guises have I worn. Some call me the Jackal God. Others call me the Deceiver. Right here and now, I call myself Yblis.” The crystal figure morphed into a glowing golden orb. "Now, attend," it said.

An image appeared in the air nearby. A red-haired female Space Marine in black and white tiger-striped armor fought hand-to-hand with a skeletal figure shod in bronze. “I need a new commander for one of my armies. Lord Thoth failed me in a crucial battle, and destruction has been his just reward,” Yblis said. The image vanished. “Much time has passed since you served me last, yet I have not forgotten your skill or devotion. I wish you to take Thoth’s place. You will do that for me, won’t you?”

The centurion held out his hand above his staff, which still lay on the floor. The staff flickered, vanished, then re-appeared in his grasp. “Yblis is my master,” he said. 

“Excellent,” the glowing orb replied. “The name you used when last you served me has been forgotten, even by me,” it chuckled. “In addition to granting you new powers and new warriors, I shall also grant you a new name. Centurion Lucifer I shall call you, the Bearer of Light—my light. 

“There is a new force in the universe,” Yblis continued. “It calls itself ‘Man.’ I want it destroyed. Exterminated. You will do that for me, won’t you?” 

“At your command,” Lucifer replied. 

Two eyes and a mouth appeared on the glowing orb. It smiled. 

Introduction
Jungle visitors may recall that in 2003, my friend Patrick Eibel built and painted a Necron army, which appeared in our unofficial Eye of Terror campaign tie-in and in New Year, New Enemy. After using the army for several months, Pat decided that he didn’t care for Necrons and put it up for sale.

I was never a big Necron fan, but it seemed a shame to see such a nicely-done army go. So I bought it from Pat and set to work on making it my own.

Army List
Currently, the army consists of the following: 

HQ

• Yblis The Deceiver (300 points)
• Centurion Lucifer 1.1. Necron Lord w/ Staff of Light, Resurrection Orb, and Veil of Darkness (200 points) 
• Centurion Lucifer 1.2. Necron Lord w/ Staff of Light, Resurrection Orb, Phase Shifter, and Destroyer Body (200 points) 

• Unit 2.1. Nine Pariahs (324 points)
• Unit 2.2. Ten Immortals (288 points) 
• Unit 2.3. Ten Flayed Ones (180 points) 

• Unit 3.1. Fifteen Necron Warriors (270 points)
• Unit 3.2. Fifteen Necron Warriors (270 points)
• Unit 3.3. Fifteen Necron Warriors (270 points)
• Unit 3.4. Fifteen Necron Warriors (270 points)

• Unit 4.1. Four Necron Destroyers (200 points)
• Unit 4.2. Four  Necron Destroyers (200 points)
• Unit 4.3. Nine Scarab Swarms (108 points) 

• Unit 5.1. Two Tomb Spyders, one w/ a particle projector (55 points each) 
• Unit 5.2. Three Heavy Destroyers (195 points) 
• Unit 5.3. Monolith (235 points) 

Modeling and Painting
Pat built and painted almost all of the figures, spray-painting them black, then drybrushing them in Brazen Brass. He drybrushed the guns Boltgun Metal. Because Pat didn’t like how the clear plastic tube pieces for the guns looked, he painted over them with Jade Green. He based the ‘bots with sand flock, painted in typical “desert” style. 

As I mentioned, I liked how the army looked, and when I purchased it from Pat, the only changes I made were to add Pariahs and the Deceiver.  I initially hadn’t intended to use Pariahs: they're heinously expensive, limited to one unit, and don’t count as Necrons for Phase Out. But I found some miniatures from the VOID game (see below) in my bitz box, and rather than just throw them out or ignore them, I decided to paint them up, using Pat’s paint scheme, and use them. 

Similarly, I hadn’t intended, at first, to use a C’Tan in my army. Yeah, they have all kinds of freaky powers and can kill just about anything the other fellow brings, but they’re monstrously expensive, they’re slow, and a canny opponent will ignore them in favor of taking apart the rest of your army. But as I was thinking about a background for the army, I was inspired to use the Deceiver. After finding an alternate model I really liked, I changed my mind and included him in the army, saving him for big games. More about him later. 

Background
As you’ve seen, the army list and paint job don’t do much to visually distinguish this collection from any other Necron force, so why do I consider it a themed army? The answer lies in the army’s background, or “fluff.”

Most Necron armies that I know of have no personality. They have no characters, they have no history, they have no more background than what is presented in the codex. I can understand the concept of armies of generic drones without any human-like qualities, possessing no distinguishing features besides the weapons they carry. I understand why some people like to play such armies. But that’s not for me. I’d get bored with that really quickly.

In writing up some background material (or “fluff”) for my Necrons, I took most of my inspiration from the 1970’s TV show Battlestar Galactica, which I had watched as a kid. BG concerned itself with a group of space-faring humans searching to find planet Earth. They were pursued by a race of robots, the Cylons. Cylons spoke in buzzing voices, were lousy shots (of course), and wore bulky armor. But they always had the advantage in numbers and were relentlessly bent on “the annihilation of the life form known as Man.” (Shortly after I decided to use Galactica, I learned about the new, darker series: while I sorta liked the episodes I saw, I really didn't get into it, and thus, didn't borrow anything from that version)

I was also influenced by the 1980's video game Berzerk, which featured evil robots that tried to hunt down and shoot a "humanoid" (controlled by the player) trapped in a maze. The robots in Berzerk could speak, yelling "Get the humanoid!" when attacking and "Chicken! Fight like a robot!" whenever the player-figure ran away. The robots were pretty dumb and were no better shots than the Cylons, but they were led by a spherical, smiley-faced being called Evil Otto, who could pass through walls, couldn’t be killed, and would annihilate whatever it touched.

So how did I incorporate these two influences into the army?

Yblis The Deceiver.  In BG, the Cylons served a shadowy, robed figure they called “Imperious Leader.” Viewers never got a good look at Imperious Leader, but he didn’t seem to be a robot. Nor did he sound like one: the British actor Patrick Macnee (most famous for his role in TV’s The Avengers) provided his voice.

In two episodes, Macnee also played Count Iblis, a miracle worker who promised to save the human protagonists from the Cylons if they swore allegiance to him. One character pointed out that Iblis and Imperious Leader had the same voice, but the connection was never explained. Iblis was eventually revealed as a demonic entity in human guise.

The characters of Imperious Leader and Count Iblis inspired me to choose The Deceiver, under one of his many names, as the ultimate leader of my Necrons. “Yblis” is a combination of the two BG villains: a satanic figure bent on destroying humankind through his mechanical minions. The name “Yblis,” by the way, is pronounced “EE-blee” (the “s” is silent). 

While the Games Workshop figure for The Deceiver is cool, I wanted something different, something that would tie in with either Galactica or Berzerk. It occurred to me that surely a godlike entity like The Deceiver can change its form as desired. So I modeled The Deceiver after Evil Otto from Berzerk, who as you recall, can move through walls, can't be killed, and destroys whatever it touches. Sounds like a C’Tan to me. At a party store, I found a transparent smiley-face ball with electronic doodads inside that light up when the ball bounces. It cost about a dollar. I drilled a hole in the bottom and glued a standard flying stand under it. And thus was "Yblis" born. 

Centurion Lucifer.  The idea of a human-like Necron leader has always appealed to me; in the fictionalized battle report New Year, New Enemy, I assigned some human characteristics to Lord Thoth. Though the Necrontyr long ago submitted themselves to become machines, it seems quite reasonable to me that the Lords—presumably the strongest-willed of the Necrons—kept some aspects (even some emotions, perhaps?) from their mortal lives. Hence, in the fictional piece that begins this article, I have the Necron who becomes Lucifer recall (or imagine?) past battles and victories. 

If the idea that a Necron Lord with personality strikes you as inconsistent with Games Workshop’s vision of the ‘bots. I direct your attention to this line from page 25 of Codex: Necrons...

Only a few of the very strongest [Necrontyr] retained their intellect and even they were shadows of their former selves.

Experience has taught me that in games over 1500 points, two Lords are better than one. Rather than create two characters, I thought it would be more in keeping with the robotic theme to have The Deceiver create two versions of the same Lord and have them share their programming. Thus, Centurion Lucifer, a former captain in the armies of “Crystalord” (The Deceiver in another guise), appears as Version 1.1 (on foot, with a Veil of Darkness) and as Version 1.2 (with a Destroyer body). One mind, one personality, two bodies. 

Lucifer takes his name from a more intelligent, more articulate, more human-appearing Cylon (see below) from the original Battlestar Galactica series. “Lucifer” is a Latin word meaning “bringer or bearer of light” (and is, like “Iblis,” another name for the Devil). Accordingly, my Necron Lords are each armed with a Staff of Light. Not giving them Staves would be like having Crimson Fist characters without power fists: yeah, you can do that, but it ain’t boss. I suppose if I was feeling really fluffy, I could one of them a Solar Pulse, but ‘bot wargear is, on average, very expensive, and there are better items to purchase.

The Bzrkx.As I mentioned earlier, the rest of the army (from a “story” perspective) is a collection of automatons devoid of personality. Carrying further my inspirations from Battlestar Galactica and Berzerk, I imagine that my Necrons talk, albeit in buzzing, distorted tones unpleasant to the human ear. Being unemotional and not innovative thinkers, they would probably speak only to relay information to Centurion Lucifer (“The humans are massed on the southern hill”) or to acknowledge orders (“At your command!”). This is not to say that my Necrons are stupid, just that they don’t stand around reciting soliloquies. One shouldn’t expect witty dialogue from Necrons, anyway.

Thus, I haven’t made up other characters or given the Monolith a name, or anything like that. But because I wanted the army as a whole to have an identity (and not just be “my Necrons”), I needed a name for them. If you read through Jungle battle reports prior to 2006, you'll find that I called them “Yblis’ Marauders,” borrowing the name of the mutant supervillain group from the “Mutant Massacre” issues of the X-Men, back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. But the Marauder name introduced a third element that didn't mesh well with the Galactica and Berzerk influences, so down the Memory Hole it went. 

In trying to come up with a new name, I decided that with "Yblis" and "Lucifer," the army had enough Galactica references, so I would lean towards the Berzerk game. I thought of calling the army "Yblis' Berzerkers," but I thought that might cause people to think, God forbid, that I own a Khorne army. Eventually, I settled on the collective name "Bzrkx" (pronounced "biz-URKS") for the units under Lucifer's master. So "Yblis' Bzrkx" it is. 

Using the Army
In most games, I use both Lords. Centurion Lucifer 1.1 uses a Staff of Light, a Resurrection Orb, and a Veil of Darkness. In addition to a Staff and an Orb, Centurion Lucifer 1.2 has a Destroyer Body (to escort the Destroyers with) and a Phase Shifter. While a Warscythe is THE hand-to-hand weapon, I can’t pass up the Staff’s Assault 3 shooting capability, especially as I don’t want my ‘bots in close combat, anyway. 

Necron Warriors, of course, form the bulk of the army, and attract attention away from the Immortals, Destroyers, and other units. If I had built this army from scratch, I would have preferred having more Warriors and less of the other units, but I can’t complain much. With 60 Warriors in my collection, I have a variety of ways I could field them, but I group them in four units of 15 to equalize firepower, survivability, and mobility. 

Immortals are just badass, and I almost always bring them. At first, I was opposed to having Pariahs, and only included them to make use of the VOID miniatures I acquired. I started warming up to them at Counter Offensive 3, and really appreciated them after the Hazy Shade of Winter game, but Pariahs are still seriously flawed. As for Flayed Ones…well, they don’t do much for me. Pat was fond of Deep Striking them, but I prefer to think of them as a counterassault unit. Many armies prefer to close with the Necrons to avoid the horrific damage that their gauss weapons inflict, and hopefully the Flayed Ones will make that strategy less appealing. 

I love the Destroyers’ mobility and firepower, and when I accompany them with Centurion Lucifer 1.2, they last a long, long time (Pat repeatedly tried to annihilate them in the Hazy Shade game, but they kept getting back up). Scarabs are fast, have lots of Wounds, and they’re Fearless (“Mindless,” technically). What’s not to like? I send them out ahead of the main phalanx of Necrons, to intercept assaults units or to charge firepower units. In either case, they’re there to tie up and inconvenience the enemy. 

Unlike many Necron players, I’m not really wild about the Monolith, but seeing as how I have one, I try to put it to good use. It’s sturdy, of course, and the flux arc projectors don’t suck, but its particle whip doesn’t hit nearly as often as I would like. Usually, I forego the whip to get my Toasters out of fights they don’t want to be in or to move into better firing positions. “Oh, look: my Immortals have blipped away from your Wraithlord and are now right in front of your Howling Banshees—and it’s my turn to shoot.” 

I am ashamed to admit that my other Heavy Support choices do not fare well. My Tomb Spyders never seem to be in position to make much use of their special repair abilities, and they’re not the close combat monsters I’d like them to be. And though my Heavy Destroyers hit really hard, they never survive the inevitable counterfire that gets thrown their way: they’re usually among the first casualties of any battle.

As I mentioned, I didn’t intend to have a C’Tan in the army, but like the Pariahs, the modeling possibility (at such a low cost) was impossible to pass up. I’ve used him in a few games, but he never seems to do anything that justifies his high point cost. Ah, well: he’s fun to use, and adds sorely-needed character to the army. 

Currently, the only Necron unit I don't have is Wraiths. It's true that they're cool-looking models, they're effective in hand-to-hand, and they're fast. But they have limited numbers and they're as expensive as a night at a “high-end” strip club. I suppose you could build an “assault” Necron army based around Wraiths, but that’s not what I bought. My army is based around shooting, and I don’t want to spend a lot of points on units that don’t shoot. 

As of this writing (May, 2008), my record with Yblis’ Bzrkx is a pathetic 2 wins, 8 losses, and 2 ties. I find this particularly embarrassing because I’ve had several people tell me that Necrons are among the easiest of armies to use and win with. Of course, Pat, the army’s creator and original owner, never fared much better with it, so I’m inclined to believe that the army itself is just cursed. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. 

Seriously, though, the army would probably be better in battle if it had more Necron Warriors and less extraneous units. If I were to revamp this army, I’d ditch the Flayed Ones (which I rarely use), the Tomb Spyders, and the Heavy Destroyers to free up cash and points for more regular ‘bots. But I don’t know if I’ll ever go to the effort of doing that, seeing as I already own four other armies (with plans to add another), and the Bzrkx are my least favorite (not, mind you, that I dislike them—far from it).
 
 

So there you have it. My friend Pat assembled what I thought was a solid foundation, and after some extensive stealing—errm, "borrowing"—from an old TV show and a classic video game, I’ve come up with what I think is an interesting army. Hopefully, you agree. 
 

First posted May 2004. Revised August 2006 and June 2008. 
 

Top