The knee doctor said I don't require surgery at the moment but that due to the unusual structure of my knees I need to take precautions or my knees probably won't last much longer without some sort of injury. Apparently I am a mutant. The peculiar way my bones are built is a 1 in 100 rarity that makes me 4 times more susceptible to injury of the knee. Yay. So I've been prescribed a few weeks of physical therapy to learn what I need to do to keep my joints from exploding.

I've been contemplating the back story of my 40k armies, thinking that I want to tie them all together into some sort of narrative, sort of like one of Forge World's campaign books that centers around the armies and equipment that are found in a single area. The idea would expand from force organizations and color schemes all the way up to coordinating battle boards that reflect each army's unique building style. For my Imperial Guard I've decided on a Mars Pattern XXI camouflage scheme, and I think my armies will be fighting over a Red Planet that the Adeptus Mechanicus want to use. Unfortunately, it is currently infested with Orks that need to be moved aside. That's about as far as the idea has progressed. My Space Marines are not red, but Space Marines don't need to match the terrain they're fighting on. My friend E.A. is painting his Tau in a red and tan scheme that should fit into the theme as well, although he doesn't know about the back story for my armies. I can't remember that far back, but his color scheme may have informed my choices somewhat. I imagine that as the Adeptus Mechanicus are invested in the acquisition of this world I should include some Techpriest Enginseers and some Techmarines in my armies somewhere.

I still haven't nailed down a lists for my Orks and Imperial Guard. The problem is that there are so many models for both armies that I want to build, I can't fit everything into a single list. I stopped by the hobby shop in town after my trip to the doctor this morning to look at the new Ork models and the Battle Missions book. I like the new Killa Kans, but I think I've got one or two of the older ones still kicking around in my boxes somewhere. The Deff Dread and really most of the walkers in 40k seem a bit overpriced to me. I have a hard time justifying them, which explains why there aren't very many on my shelves. The Battle Missions book looked interesting. I'm not sure if I would actually buy it, but it seems like a strong source of ideas for narrative storylines in a campaign.

Games Workshop also sent out an e-mail highlighting the new Blood Angels stuff that is in the pre-order section of their website. Some of it looks pretty neat, although I don't have much use for the actual figures. My main interest is in the accessory stuff; shoulder pads, icons, weapons, and backpacks. It might be interesting to paint up a couple of Sanguinary Guard figures as high-falutin' Assault Squad Sergeants. Maybe they could represent the Command Squad of a Reserve Assault Company or a special unit attached to the Chapter's First Company. I'm still pretty dedicated to my homebrew Chapter, so any new figures have to find a spot in the force organization for the Chapter. Luckily I can bend it to my whim, although if I make too many changes the strict Codex Chapters will suspect me of heresy against the Emperor.