IN THIS SERIES, I showcase armies used by your humble Jungle Guide. By detailing how the army was collected, how the background and color schemes were developed, and how the army is used on the battlefield, I hope to inspire those interested in collecting similar armies.
Two red suns were rising over the rocky hills as more than two hundred Space Marines in yellow and brown tiger-striped armor swept down from all directions, converging on the Renegades’ camp, an ill-defended collection of dilapidated huts and shacks pieced together from panels of scrap metal.
As the Sabretooth Tigers of Veda bore down on them, two guards — Marines formerly of the Howling Griffon and Black Templar chapters— rose from their small campfire and fired off a few ineffectual rounds. In the few seconds before making contact, Captain Sudra Patel, the Sabretooth’s commander, noted that the two Renegades had painted red “X’s” over the Imperial Eagles on their breastplates. Then Patel’s power sword decapitated one and effortlessly disemboweled the other.
Roused by the noise, more Renegades — deserters from scores of Space Marine Chapters — lumbered into view. A few raised their bolters and fired. Some rushed forward, thinking to meet the Sabretooths’ charge. Some fell back toward the center of the camp. Others stood, weapons half-raised, looking around in confusion. As was typical for many Chaos Marines, these had rejected discipline when they had rejected the Emperor, and now they would pay for their laxity.
Several explosions went off simultaneously in and around the camp. Sudra Patel smiled grimly. Sabretooth Scouts were kicking down doors and filling the hovels with bolter rounds. Rhinos were surrounding the camp, Sabretooth Tactical Marines dismounting and gunning down any Renegades in sight.
“Fire at will,” Captain Patel snarled into his helmet mic. “Kill them all, for Veda and the Emperor!”
Introduction
You’ve heard of the Fighting Tigers of Veda, but who are the Sabretooths? As I mentioned in my 2025 “State of the Jungle” post, I’ve split my massive collection of Space Marines into three chunks. All of the mustard-yellow and brown Marines are now a separate army, a successor to the Fighting Tigers.
To further differentiate the Sabretooths, I opted to use the rules for “Blood Brothers” (aka Blood Angels) in Grimdark Future (which, if you aren’t playing, you really ought to instead of 40K: here’s why). I’ve always thought of my yellow-and-brown Marines as being close-combat oriented, and the Blood Angel rules certainly facilitate that.
Despite being a portion of my original collection, it still has more than 100 figures and about a dozen vehicles, with the option of including more from my other Tiger armies.
Modeling and Painting
Real-life tigers are not mustard-yellow and brown, so why are the Sabretooths those colors? As I began building my Space Marine collection back in 1987 (when 1e 40K, aka “Rogue Trader” was released in the US), I decided to create two factions: the “Flying Tigers” (named after the famous WWII unit) would be airborne, and the Sabretooths would be the infantry.
I gave the Flying Tigers the regular orange-and-black color scheme that real tigers have, and gave the Sabretooths a yellow-and-brown look so that it would be easier to tell them apart.
Many of the miniatures are very old, being RTB01 plastic figures that came out in 1987. They were ridiculously cheap: IIRC, a box of 30 Marines was $12 or $15, which is about $40 in 2026 currency. And they offered a lot of modeling options. I remember buying several boxes at a time. Subsequent purchases were plastic or pewter, depending on what model I wanted.
As I began painting the Sabretooths, I used Citadel paints, but for some reason that I have forgotten, I concocted a darker brown (almost a chocolate shade), and once that ran out, I was unable to replicate it. So, the “newer” models (which I painted in the 2000s) are a lighter shade of brown.
(My painting skills were not good back when I did these models, and they haven’t improved since. So, yeah, I know my painting sucks. You don’t need to comment)
Background
The Sabretooths were established as a successor chapter to the Fighting Tigers shortly after the latter liberated the planet Veda in the 34th Millennium from the Kabal of the Ozone Scorpions, a faction of Drukhari who had been exiled from Commorragh.
The Sabretooths built a fortress-monastery for themselves in Ghuyarashtra, the larger, southern continent of Veda, and worked so closely with the Fighting Tigers that for centuries, it was assumed that both were part of the same chapter.
Late in the 41st Millennium, Raja Shamhiir Taletri, Chapter Master of the Sabretooth Tigers, was removed from office after a disastrous campaign against first the Red Corsairs, then the T’au Empire. The chapter was run by its senior officers for a number of years before Raja Rama Ayodhya, “the Exalted Prince,” returned to the chapter after being lost in the Warp, while battling Orks, since the 38th Millennium.
Currently, the Sabretooths have only a token force on Veda while the majority of the chapter has split into Shikars (loosely translated to “Hunts”), small, autonomous, self-contained forces analogous to the Crusades of the Black Templars. This has allowed them to better engage numerous threats emerging from the Maelstrom, which lies near Veda.
Waging War
Under the current Grimdark Future rules (version 3.5.1 at the time of this writing), my collection comes to about 10,000 points. It used to be that GF point values were about double what 40K point values were, but as I’ve been away for 40K for several years, I can no longer say.
I have a nigh-irrational fondness for basic troops, so my Sabretooth army has five 10-man squads of what 40K called Tactical Marines, as well as two 10-man squads of Scouts. I have two 3-man units of Terminators, a 6-man unit of Devastators, a 5-strong squad of Vanguard Veterans, and a 6-man Sternguard Vet outfit.
I have three commander-types in regular armor, and two more in Terminator armor (one of them is a Chaplain). I also have a Techmarine on a bike, because why not. I have one Dreadnought (“Shrendi Vastar”) with a multi-melta and heavy flamer.
As far as vehicles go, I have two Rhinos, a Razorback, two heavier tanks (one of which is a Land Raider Crusader), and five Land Speeders, each with the GF equivalent of assault cannons and heavy bolters. I also have four Drop Pods that the Sabretooths share with my Fighting Tigers.
What all that means is that the army has a lot of flexibility, able to maneuver, shoot, and punch. As they emulate the Blood Angels, the army has a rule called “Bloodborn,” which can give them extra hits in close combat, and all of the Tac Squad Sergeants have power fists.
I’ve only played a few games with the Sabretooths, but they’ve proven themselves to be tough as nails, and able to unload a whole lot of pain on the enemy. I’m looking forward to more opportunities for them to tear into the foes of the Imperium!
“SAGE” IS COMING! If you love fantasy roleplaying games but hate the clunky rules of old editions, or the bloat and lameness of new editions, you’re going to love SAGE!
SAGE stands for “Simple & Awesome Gaming Engine,” and it’s a fun and easy way to adventure, meant for busy people (new players and veterans) who don’t have the time or inclination to power through 500+ pages of rules spread across multiple books.
SAGE is the game I’ve been wanting to build for the past 30 years, and soon I can share it with you. I have not used any AI when writing or editing SAGE, or for any of its artwork, because AI sucks, and you deserve better.
SAGE is a labor of love designed by gamers for gamers; it’s not a cash grab by a big corporation that only cares about churning out product. Everything the players need will be in one slim, softcover volume. A separate book (about the same size) for the game master will cover monsters, treasure, and magical items. That’s it. Nothing else needed. All reasonably priced, with minimal frills. And, of course, there will be digital versions you can pull up on your phone.
Look for the Players Rulebook early this year, and the Game Master’s Guide in late 2026 or early 2027. You can read more about SAGE here and here.
Kenton Kilgore writes books for kids, young adults, and adults who are still young. Follow Kenton on Facebook for frequent posts on sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. You can also catch him on Instagram.