Alpha Legion.

[Zeller]

Yet another post from me. I apologize but I'm home all day with nothing to do.

 

I've been reading a little bit of the reviews and such of 'Legion' and other flufflisitc material. Since the AL did not flee to the EoT then wouldn't it make sense that their armor has not mutated with horns, skulls, and the like? Better yet, if they are able to sucessfully pass themselves off as loyalists from other legions then wouldn't that mean their armor is still the clean and conservative make from the heresy? For modelling purposes would it make sense to use loyalist marines with no chest marks, rims cut off, beaky heads, and chaos weapons minus any spikes? What about their dreadnoughts and other vehicles?

 

Food for thought. :lol:

[Tyrannicide]

Since hearing the reviews of Legion, I've had the same thought. I picture the Alpha Legion as more of a loyalist looking force now. Think straight out of the foundries, type of power armor. Very clean, but with almost no markings or distinction from the loyalist serving Astartes. I think they would paint their armor when the situation called for it. So in the meantime they'd have their own 'adopted' scheme, the green and blue one.

[x_beowolf_x1]

I agree with potato, It would only make sense. Plus, since the alpha legion works as one coherent forcec (as nothing has actually split them into warbands like the WE) there wouldnt be any confusion about the models either.

[Brother Aristeo]

Actually Beowulf, the Index Astartes said that the Alpha Legion broke into splinter groups at some point.

 

Also, 2nd edition background said that some of the Alpha Legion went to the Eye of Terror, but unlike the rest of the Traitor Legions, many remained behind in Imperial space.

 

It seems that the background would support doing just about anything with an Alpha Legion force. Some could have mutated armour, others could be devoid of any mutation or heraldry. Some like to disguise themselves as Imperials. It depends on the splinter group and if they hail from the Eye or from Imperial space.

 

I personally think that there could be entire chapters that are Alphas in disguise!

[Lay]

Also, 2nd edition background said that some of the Alpha Legion went to the Eye of Terror, but unlike the rest of the Traitor Legions, many remained behind in Imperial space.

Now that's quite interesting to me since the 4th ed Codex mentions Alphas operating from both inside and outside the Eye - I've always thought that was a mere fluff inconsistence, but now...

[Senseilord Ashahara]

Although not all Alpha Legion fled to the Eye, it doesnt mean they didn't go to other Warp/space crossovers, indeed it's mentioned some went to the Maelstrom.

Also courruption of the soul mainifests in courruption of the body, so you can still have mutated Legionares with hoary armour.

[Brother Aristeo]

I don't remember reading that any Alpha Legion went into the Maelstrom. I think the Word Bearers and maybe the Red Corsairs went into the Maelstrom though. Unless there's some new background that I've missed.

 

I do remember reading that the Alphas and the Word Bearers don't get along...something to do with the differences in their cults I think. So I don't think the Alpha Legion would be operating out of the Maelstrom at all.

[DuskRaider]

Well, it seems as though at least SOME Alpha Legionnaires have resorted to worship of the Chaos Gods, as seen in Imperial Armor 5, which caught me by surprise. While I don't really agree with this, the character, Arkos the Faithless, is actually really good, and I'm sure he could be used likewise with an Anti-Chaos Alpha army. I generally see them as splinter cells, operating both independently from one another, and yet still keeping in contact. Infiltrating loyalist chapters and generally making life hell for the Imperium when they feel like it. If anything, I see the Alpha Legion as still the most organized and resourceful legion, both loyalist and renegade.

[Brother Aristeo]

DuskRaider, is IA 5 worth picking up? Specifically, as an Alpha Legion player is it worth having to play with Alpha Legion?

[Tyrannicide]

Hey Brother Aristeo. It's actually Index Astartes IV your thinking of, and I'd say it's well worth the money.

[DuskRaider]

Actually no, in IA5 they have rules for Alpha Legion. They're pretty much just Chosen, no special rules or anything. You can only use 1 squad of them normally, although I believe there are alternate rules in there to field a whole army.

[Hally]

I'd mix the less "chaos-y" parts from the chaos sprue with the SM ones :)

[brother heckengar]

If you use Arkos as your hq, you can have more than one squad as troops. they get 1 to 4 special weapons, or 3 special, and one heavy per squad.

also the renegades and legion killed off about 200 DA, in the campain.

[Zeller]

Just started Legion a few days ago and I must say the deceit and secrecy with which the Alpha Legion conducts itself is most unnerving. I do not like them anymore. :ph34r:

[Brother Aristeo]

Aw come on Zeller, don't tell me that! That book is AWESOME! I've read it twice already.

 

Anyway, all this talk about background made me go out and get the new Chaos Codex and I have found what I've read to be pretty interesting. The Alpha Legion material was pretty cool, I must say. It seemed to mesh the 2nd and 3rd edition background together, while adding in a few new tidbits.

 

As far as the novel Legion goes and its impact on the Alpha Legion in the 41st millennium, the Codex material that GW has provided has consistently made the Alphas out to be a Chaos army, through all the editions. While I personally think that they are not like any of the other Legions for a number of reasons, they're certainly not Loyalist by any means.

[RagingGriffon]

I personally think that there could be entire chapters that are Alphas in disguise!

 

Now, THAT is a cool thought.

[Alkana]

I personally think that there could be entire chapters that are Alphas in disguise!

 

Now, THAT is a cool thought.

 

It might be true. I don't think the Alpha Legion had any sort of disaster that broke up the legion. There are probably thousands of Alpha Legion members still alive, since their tactics normally allow them to use less troops. I think that some of the 13th founding chapters(the ones with missing records) might actually be Alpha Legion warbands.

[DuskRaider]

They're the most organized legion you'll never see :P

 

Seriously though, I'm sure they have at least a company of embedded legionnaires in each chapter. It'd really be funny if members of the Inner Circle were actually Alpha Legion.

 

I'd be tempted to start an Alpha army if they actually still had rules. Or if there was a way to field an entire army of Chosen.

[Zeller]

I read a little further into the book last night and have come to the conclusion that the Alpha Legion is most comprable to a modern special forces unit. Their tactics have gone from sneaky to understandable in one night and they are back on my good side.

 

Duskraider, couldn`t play apocolypse games with the entire army being chosen (insert question mark here)

 

Perhaps the abilities of the alpha legion are not quite beyond our reckoning!

[DuskRaider]

You could play an Apocalypse army with all Chosen, but I don't see any sense in collecting a whole other army for just one game that most people around here couldn't play anyhow.

[Playa]

Hey,

 

I don't see any sense in collecting a whole other army for just one game that most people around here couldn't play anyhow.

 

It doesn't have to be too costly - just buy 10 plastic Termis and 2 plastic Lords.

Model the twelve included models uniquely, and your 40kA army is done -

 

Ultimate Chosen: Abaddon's Armour Through the Ages. ;- )

 

OT -

 

Technically, I'd only expect to see Warp Mutations in Cult Legion forces.

Those guys followed their Primarchs over to the Dark Side, so neener.

Undivided "Renegade" forces are more like Space Pirates, imo.

So, Viking horns are cool. But tentacles? Not so much . . .

 

Unfortunately, we're all pigeon-holed by GW's limited Chaos miniatures range:

 

Anybody could take Possessed, so Mutants snuck into a lot of MoU lists.

But, Night Lords players just got one IC and those goofy party hats.

Iron Warriors got one IC and some bionic bits, and ... that's it?

 

Hmmm ... other than Classic shoulder pads, AL and WB got bupkus!

I can't recall *any* Citadel figs made specifically for WB or AL.

Anyone else?

 

The Smith and NL Hero are modeled with older pattern armour and no Mutations.

So, the only reason Alpha (or any MoU) armour is "warped" is because of the default figs.

Now, about the appearance of those "Chapters" that turned "Renegade" yesterday . . .

 

 

Playa

[Dam13n]

I'd be tempted to start an Alpha army if they actually still had rules. Or if there was a way to field an entire army of Chosen.

 

You could field an army with 3 units of chosen and 2 units of "normal" Chaos Marines. There is information (somewhere)

that the Alphas are recruiting much like a Loyalist Chapter, from aspirates taken from a number of different primitive worlds.

The "normal" Chaos Marines could simply represent the newer recruits, who aren't as experienced in infiltration yet...

 

I agree that the old Alpha rules were good, supplimenting your army with a couple of units of cultists with vet-skills was a cool idea. I personally liked the combo of Inf and Furious Charge (Assassins I believe) and using them to tie up a unit or two of expensive shooty enemies (Devs/IG Heavy Weapon squads etc) while my Alphas closed for the kill... mwahahahaha...

 

Laterz...

[Brother Aristeo]

You can still make an Alpha Legion army work, just use the rules from the Witch Hunters Codex for cultists.

 

The rules say you can only use them if you're fighting against a Witch Hunters army, but in a friendly game I doubt anybody would care.

 

Then take three squads of infiltrating Chosen, although you give up Termies and Dreads.

[Gman]

Maybe I should go pick up the book to get me inspiration to finish painting my AL army. I built it up and started painting it under the old codex, all infantry army, everything infiltrated. But now, meh. I figured I can now just play them as standard chaos marines, maybe giving them mark of glory, if even that. I love the Index Astartes 4 book, it has great fluff on the AL and inpired me to start the army in teh first place. My Lord is converted from the space marine commander model kit, and his fluff is was a defected imperial marine, that took over an AL company. He himself has never been into the EoT and fights for his own causes and needs.

 

This thread gave me an awesome idea though. What about a unit of chosen, modeled and painted after an imperial marine chapter? With the infiltrate rule you can say they are pretending to be part of the enemy force, but in reality they turn around and start firing at the AL enemy. You could even deploy them facing back towards you when you infiltrate them. That would look great on the table.

[Zeller]

Definitely a cool idea, Gman! The book really was quite cool since it carried such a secretive sub-storyline I suppose you could call it.

 

I'm still a bit confused as to why the AL fought against loyalist forces during the heresy if their ultimate goal was to protect the Emperor or rather his empire. How did the AL siding with Horus eventually lead to Horus's downfall?