The Lure of Chaos

[Dammeron]

I've always been rather fascinated by people's enthusiasm for the hobby, specifically what draws players to a particular race or force. Was it simply a case of being attracted by a particular miniature or range of miniatures, the percieved power of an army on the battlefield, or was it some element of the background that drew you in? Personally, I was actually an Eldar player in my earliest days, which was shortly after the Dark Millennium supplement and original Eldar codex were released for 40K's Second Edition. I didn't really game much back then; the principle factor that attracted me to the hobby was the background, with its unrelenting cyber-gothic grimness and papal baroqueness, it was a sci-fantasy universe the like of which I hadn't really encountered before, and which I immediately went all out to learn everything I could about.

 

Having been purchased second-hand copies of the original RoC books by an extremely perspicacious relative, I quickly changed my allegiances to the forces of darkness. Chaos was a thing that already saturated the 40K universe; the Eldar codex contained details on the birth of Slaanesh and its significance to the mythology as a whole, but the RoC books were a whole other reality, going into explicit detail on the exact natures of the Gods, their servants and that ineffable other-realm known as the Warp. It was also about this time that my personal reading habits began to evolve and mature, shifting from the black and white simplicity and moral absolutism of high fantasy (Tolkien, Lewis et al) to the more richly ambiguous and, to my tastes, emotionally and intellectually satisfying realms of Edgar Allen Poe, Henry James, Clive Barker, Phillip K. Dick, William Gibson, Neil Gaiman, etc. Chaos seemed to fit into that trend quite succinctly, feeding and whetting my tastes for the gratuitously dark, and the seductively malevolent.

 

The Second Ed chaos codex was released around the same period, which I found interesting, as it contained a great deal of new information on the Traitor Legions, the Horus Heresy etc, but somehow wasn't quite so satisfying as the RoC books. That didn't stop me reading it cover to cover several times, of course, and it was using the army lists contained within that I started to tailor my first armies (which were largely Death Guard oriented). the miniatures they contained, however, were always tailored in accordance with the background rather than the rules themselves. The game has never been the principle thing for me, rather it is the games capacity to tell a story, to weave a mythos in which the charcters I created could partake.

 

Though the gaming system and the background have suffered various upheavals and vacillations, my enthusiasm for Chaos as an aspect of the background and the 40K universe as a whole remains undimmed. I adore the image of the Corpse-God mouldering amidst the machinery of the Golden Throne, of the millions impotently struggling, praying, flagellating themselves, fighting, dying in his name. I wallow in the overt surrealism and horror of the Warp and its followers, the Dahli-esque and Boschean visions of Daemon Worlds in the Eye of Terror. Even though I feel the state of the game is currently at something of a low ebb, the background continues to evolve and complexify through publications such as the Horus Heresy art books, and the recent series of novels from the Black Library. It is these elements more than anything that keeps me coming back, and will hopefully do so for a good long time to come.

 

I'm curious as to where the basis of other's enthusiasm lies....

[Dam13n]

When I first started, I was a Blood Angel simply because I loved the old metal BA Devastator Sergeant (with the pointy power fist, mmmm). I became seduced by the 2nd edition Codex: Chaos after which my view of the 41st millennium was ever coloured by the warp (mwhahahaha and all that) I loved the consistency of the 2nd ed. codex, the stories set on purgatory brought me back again and again, I must have read it, cover to cover, over 100 times. I particularly loved the bitterness and cold ruthlessness of the chaos space marines, as well as the fact they were damned beyond all redemption. This coincided with my increasing disillusion regarding religion and other moralistic social organisations (the british government for example). I loved the fact that they had fallen into hell and thrived, their souls forfieted for the chance of achieving true immortality and power, and the opportunity to wreak their revenge on the Emperor and his servants, who they saw as the betrayers and hypocrites of all they, the legions stood for.

 

Needless to say, the 3.0 dex did nothing for me except update the army list portion of the 2nd ed codex, which suited me (even if it was a very poor update) at least it didn't barstardise the background or change who chaos is at it's heart. Then 3.5 dex came out, I become inexplicably devoted to the colour red, and a zerker army of doom grew of my devotion (it's pictured in the showcase thread linked in my sig). Towards the end of 3.5, with 4.0 looming on the horizon, I turned to my first chaos love once again, the brass and steel legions of the Iron Warriors. I loved the fact that they were the unloved and unappreciated foundation upon which the whole of the great crusade was based, and this led to them becoming the most bitter and disillusioned of all the legions. This fit so well with so many of my own feelings regarding the world in which I live, I couldn't help but sympathise with their desire for retribition, and their joy at being able to destroy all created by those who formerly had trodden on them on their way to glory (eat that you yellow gits!!)

 

I still love the "old" vision of chaos, and will continue to rant and rave until the greatness of chaos is returned to it's rightful place in the universe of the 41st millennium. I loved the evolution of the heresy depicted in the visions books and horus heresy novels, and at least in the black library I can find some solace.

 

Chaos is, and always will be, my favourite of all the armies in 40K, I just wish the rules could keep up with the vision, I have my eye on a unit of PH terminators at the moment, following Ron's superb tutorial, I expect to add a unit soon(ish) to my showcase of the dark gods chosen.

 

Laterz...

[Void Stalkers]

i was drawn to the ruinous powers for many resons, first of all was my brother, he told me the were awsome to play. so i looked through his codex and started to make my first army list (thousand sons) but had no money,then last september bought the new codex.

The modeling and converting options were another reason, there are so many ways to make a chaos marine look even more awsome!!

[Dammeron]

When I first started, I was a Blood Angel simply because I loved the old metal BA Devastator Sergeant (with the pointy power fist, mmmm). I became seduced by the 2nd edition Codex: Chaos after which my view of the 41st millennium was ever coloured by the warp (mwhahahaha and all that) I loved the consistency of the 2nd ed. codex, the stories set on purgatory brought me back again and again, I must have read it, cover to cover, over 100 times. I particularly loved the bitterness and cold ruthlessness of the chaos space marines, as well as the fact they were damned beyond all redemption. This coincided with my increasing disillusion regarding religion and other moralistic social organisations (the british government for example). I loved the fact that they had fallen into hell and thrived, their souls forfieted for the chance of achieving true immortality and power, and the opportunity to wreak their revenge on the Emperor and his servants, who they saw as the betrayers and hypocrites of all they, the legions stood for.

 

Needless to say, the 3.0 dex did nothing for me except update the army list portion of the 2nd ed codex, which suited me (even if it was a very poor update) at least it didn't barstardise the background or change who chaos is at it's heart. Then 3.5 dex came out, I become inexplicably devoted to the colour red, and a zerker army of doom grew of my devotion (it's pictured in the showcase thread linked in my sig). Towards the end of 3.5, with 4.0 looming on the horizon, I turned to my first chaos love once again, the brass and steel legions of the Iron Warriors. I loved the fact that they were the unloved and unappreciated foundation upon which the whole of the great crusade was based, and this led to them becoming the most bitter and disillusioned of all the legions. This fit so well with so many of my own feelings regarding the world in which I live, I couldn't help but sympathise with their desire for retribition, and their joy at being able to destroy all created by those who formerly had trodden on them on their way to glory (eat that you yellow gits!!)

 

I still love the "old" vision of chaos, and will continue to rant and rave until the greatness of chaos is returned to it's rightful place in the universe of the 41st millennium. I loved the evolution of the heresy depicted in the visions books and horus heresy novels, and at least in the black library I can find some solace.

 

Chaos is, and always will be, my favourite of all the armies in 40K, I just wish the rules could keep up with the vision, I have my eye on a unit of PH terminators at the moment, following Ron's superb tutorial, I expect to add a unit soon(ish) to my showcase of the dark gods chosen.

 

Laterz...

 

A friend of mine remarked to me the other day when we having quite a heated debate concerning the basic hypocrisy of absolute ideologies of morality that he's noticed a distinct tendency amongst those attracted to the powers of chaos to rail against any imposed standard of thought, behaviour etc. Something of a generalisation, I know, but I'd be very interested in seeing if there is something of a trend or pattern here.

 

As a side note, I'd also like to point out that I eventually became subsumed into the worship of glorious Slaanesh, who appeals to various different facets of my personality, including my veneration of imagination and creative potential, my libertarian outlook on life, and also the radiant perversity that I find one of the most attractive characteristics any human being can possess.

[TheDarkApostle]

When I first began my journey into the world of Warhammer the very first thing I bought was a Chaos Rhino, I think I had originally planned to buy a normal SM Rhino but I guess that they were out of stock or something, so I went with the second best I could find. I think I was about 7 or 8 then, I can't remember the year but I do remember that it was the same day that I quit school and the summer holidays began, and that I had a particually nice pizza that day together with my mom, my grandma and two of my cousins. Anyway I then remember asking one of my neighbors who just so happened to collect warhammer as well if he could paint it for me. After that though I continued collecting a few odd Chaos models made up of a pair of 5 man Chaos Marine squads and one of the old school Obliterators.

 

I remember spilling quite a lot of ultramarines blue paint as well that summer all over one of my moms white tablecloths which resulted in my paints and warhammer being confiscated.

 

After that some time passed though and when I was around 9 I think I started to learn more about a guy I had met a few years earlier. Turned out he was a avid warhammer fan as well having amassed quite an Ultramarine force at the time already. Sufficient enought my passion for Warhammer flared up once more. So I went out and bought myself some Space Marines stuff, one of the painting sets with 5 space marines, a tactical squad, a bike and a land speeder I think the first things was. By now my painting was much better as well of course, still, being inspired by the marines on the box covers I started an Ultramarine force. Time went by and my passion for the hobby eventually ebbed out.

 

Then when I was about 10 something I hocked up with the Ultramarine player once more and I borrowed his codex a bit, (up till now I had never played even once), and with his help I managed to get a playable force up and going. A few games later and my passion was in full flames again. I got some more marine stuff, an other tac squad box, a combat squad box or two, a devastator box, another land speeder, and a captain model aswell as a chaplain model.

 

It was sometime now, when I was about 11 that I bought the new 3,5 Ed Chaos codex. In the meanwhile passing time I had bought the Armaggedon codex by chance though and remade most of my army into a Black Templar force. ( My tactical completence was utterly horrible though so I lost pretty much every game all the time :lol: )

 

Anyway, getting my hands on the Chaos Codex opened my eyes to a whole new world though. First starting a generic no god specific army, (I thought the mark rules was to complicated for my understanding at the time). The army doing no good though, ( much due to my complete non-tactical scheningans :rolleyes: ) I started to experiment with the rules and started to add marks etc to my army. First going towards the World Eaters and then back to Black Legion. Eventually I bought the Ahriman model and began trying the Thousand Sons rules.

 

Finally when I was around 12-13 something I think I began getting more and more into the fluff and painting then the actually gaming. Consulting various accounts on various sites I can conlude that must have begun my fall into the realm of the Word Bearers sometime '04, since I first signed up on a small forum as TheDarkApostle in november '04. After that it would appear I made a small detour as an Iron Warrior in march '05 as that's when I signed up on the Iron Warriors 4'th Grand Company forums (where fellow Moderator Insane Psychopath is an admin).

 

In April '05 I signed up here at the B&C as TheDarkApostle though so I can only conclude that I either turned back to the Word Bearers, or as I most likely believe now as I think about it, were doing two armies at the same time between Word Bearers and Iron Warrors.

 

Anyway the Word Bearers stayed with me as I got hocked on the Chaplain rules in the Space Marines codex as soon as I saw them, and then as I read about the Word Bearers and the Dark Apostles in the Chaos Codex is was pretty given that I was completely sold on it.

 

A few years fast forward and here I am, and I still don't have a proper finished army might be added :lol:

 

Ugh, turned out to be quite a long story :rolleyes:

 

TDA

[Vladar]

There's something about villains I find appealing. They are more believable than their heroic counterparts, the things that make them them are all-too-real human flaws. A 'good' villain is one you can almost feel sorry for, just almost. (then there's those absolutely dispicable ones you just love to hate :rolleyes: )

Plus, villains get to use all the cool-as-hell weapons, tech, minions, creatures, etc heros can never hope to use!

[TheDarkApostle]

There's something about villains I find appealing. They are more believable than their heroic counterparts, the things that make them them are all-too-real human flaws. A 'good' villain is one you can almost feel sorry for, just almost. (then there's those absolutely dispicable ones you just love to hate :rolleyes: )

Plus, villains get to use all the cool-as-hell weapons, tech, minions, creatures, etc heros can never hope to use!

Indeed, being evil is always much more fun since there wont be any laws or morals that just hinders you from doing what you are supposed too, the all known bane of all good guys :rolleyes:

 

TDA

[Dammeron]

There's something about villains I find appealing. They are more believable than their heroic counterparts, the things that make them them are all-too-real human flaws. A 'good' villain is one you can almost feel sorry for, just almost. (then there's those absolutely dispicable ones you just love to hate :rolleyes: )

Plus, villains get to use all the cool-as-hell weapons, tech, minions, creatures, etc heros can never hope to use!

Indeed, being evil is always much more fun since there wont be any laws or morals that just hinders you from doing what you are supposed too, the all known bane of all good guys :rolleyes:

 

TDA

 

 

I can't always help finding the self proclaimed "Good Guys" somewhat hypocritical in most fiction (and in real life for that matter) anyway. Strong morality rarely applies to its advocates, insofar as they're concerned.

[Jereminus]

I started in the ruinous powers near the start of the year. My friend (the filthy ork) showed me the rule book and his old bezerkers and plgue marines. i asked why he had given up on such a cool army and started orks. he said that he just got bored of them. That was the moment i decided to start a chaos army, so I could show him that I will show fanatical devotion to the ruinouspowers of chaos. Of course then I started collecting by getting the codex and a squad of ten marines. after memorizing the codex and putting to gether my marines I was ready to go. I beat him with my squad. one squad against 3 ork bikes one gretchin unit and some boyz. that was when I First truly started along this dark path.

[davethebear]

they tempted me with daemonhood...nah just kiddin i only got back into the whole hobby after a 2yr break, i got into chaos cause i saw all the new models and colour schemes for them and they just look badass and dark and gnarly, iv always gone for the badguys in stuff and you don't get much badder than chaos ...and maybe dark eldar....but yeah.

[DuskRaider]

I've always been tempted by the darker side, and when I looked into playing 40K about 5 years ago, I had two options: Tyranids or Chaos. I had actually ALMOST picked up 'Nids while on a little trip into Massachusetts, but instead I picked up the Chaos Megaforce, with the intention of playing Khorne. However, after looking through the codex, and being a big fan of zombies and horror in general, Death Guard caught my attention. After doing a lot of research into them, I decided that Nurgle was my deity of choice, and it just took off from there!

 

I will admit I try to usually go against the grain, and at the time most people were playing World Eaters or an Undivided force, as many people were put off by the restrictions of Death Guard in 3.0... I actually looked at it as more challenging and fun. I have been collecting Nurgle in one form or another for 5 years (Renegade Militia Nurgle theme, Death Guard, and Nurgle daemons), although lately, Khorne has been tempting me, which as I see as a natural thing, as the two seem to compliment more then oppose each other (the only two gods to do so).

[Dam13n]

Khorne has been tempting me, which as I see as a natural thing, as the two seem to compliment more then oppose each other (the only two gods to do so).

 

I've always wanted to try a mix of slaanesh and tzeentch, the combination of seduction and manipulation would complement quite well, IMO.

(plus the thought of all that firepower, mmmm, there I go again... back to the iron warriors. ;) )

 

Laterz...

[sexiest_hero]

I asked a stor manager for the most Alian face of warhammer to play way back in 97' and he handed me the caos codex and a box plague marines withthe cleft hooves and nazi helms, (odd i know). I was instantly caught up in thiertuogh luck story and Their primarch's willingness to doanything to save his men. And I was rapture by Grand-father Nurgles actual caring about his troops that sealed the deal for me, Hell let's see thelords of terror give a damn about thier masses. I've also be a fan of zombies for a long time, so that helps.

 

Then i saw the new models for the night lords, I fell in love, Their story of the night haunter being betrayed by his own father touched me,and the fact that the Emperor lost almost the whole galaxy because he didn't want to kill Horus, But sent tons of assassins to kill his other "unloved" son instead of meeting him on the field of battle, Earned my eternal hatred of him and every cowering chapter that would bow down to a coward that would stoop so low as to assassinate his own son. Although I think what ever the emperor was working on, In the end simply drove him mad, As he loved to say he wasn't a god, and sicing the wolves on the 1ksons, launching assasin at the night haunter, andhis horrible defence of Terra, among other things isa mark ofa man slowly losing it, SoIt may just end up not being about vindication, But pttin your old man who's lost his mind, out of his misery, A mission of pity if you will.

 

Rant over

[Dammeron]

I asked a stor manager for the most Alian face of warhammer to play way back in 97' and he handed me the caos codex and a box plague marines withthe cleft hooves and nazi helms, (odd i know). I was instantly caught up in thiertuogh luck story and Their primarch's willingness to doanything to save his men. And I was rapture by Grand-father Nurgles actual caring about his troops that sealed the deal for me, Hell let's see thelords of terror give a damn about thier masses. I've also be a fan of zombies for a long time, so that helps.

 

Then i saw the new models for the night lords, I fell in love, Their story of the night haunter being betrayed by his own father touched me,and the fact that the Emperor lost almost the whole galaxy because he didn't want to kill Horus, But sent tons of assassins to kill his other "unloved" son instead of meeting him on the field of battle, Earned my eternal hatred of him and every cowering chapter that would bow down to a coward that would stoop so low as to assassinate his own son. Although I think what ever the emperor was working on, In the end simply drove him mad, As he loved to say he wasn't a god, and sicing the wolves on the 1ksons, launching assasin at the night haunter, andhis horrible defence of Terra, among other things isa mark ofa man slowly losing it, SoIt may just end up not being about vindication, But pttin your old man who's lost his mind, out of his misery, A mission of pity if you will.

 

Rant over

 

Yes, were I were to start another Chaos Space Marine army at any point, I think I'd go with the Night Lords. The element of tragedy that surrounds them has always drawn me, and I remember feeling intense pity for Night Haunter whilst reading the I.A article, particularly during his first meeting with the Emperor, when he refutes the name Konrad Kurze, and proclaims that he knows full well what his Father has in store for him. It seems to me that poor old Konrad was doomed from the start, as a result of his self-fulfilling pre-cognitive visions. I also like the fact that they are not Chaos Space Marines as such, rather an entire legion of self-interested, sadistic pirates that seem to wallow in their own nihilism. Very, very cool.

[Citizen V]

For me, it was the first time I saw the b/w Horus vs. Emperor by Adrian Smith waaaayyyy back in RT days. Found both RoC books and the RT box set w/ rulebook and beaky SMs (the best!). Then I dropped off the gaming radar until 4ed, but like the NL says: "We have come for you!"

 

~CV!

[Penmarch']

Always fun to play 'the bad guy' even against another, perhaps even worse, bad guy.

However I must admit that much of the shine had rubbed off since the last codex.

[Exalted Warsmith Adam]

To be honest, my joining the ranks of the damned was an almost arbitrary choice. I started out playing on a friend's Necrons. A few days after that, I had a long talk with my local game-store owner -who was, in fact, a long time Nurgle player- and we finally settled on the idea that I'm the kind of player that like a lot of the "Stand-and-shoot" along with minor amounts of combat. After reading through the 3.X 'dex, I settled on the 'ol Iron Warriors, due to their ability to do just that. Well, that, plus I liked the paint scheme (though I never really got around to painting 'em...I need to...).

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

I started out as Imperial Guard, playing against an old-school Dark Angel player who used to thrash me with great efficiency in every game. After about my thirtieth crushing defeat, I became very disconsolate about the entire thing, because it wasn't my tactics or my army list that was deficient, but the stats and dice that were killing me every time. After one mission in Iraq, we came back and set up a game, and he fielded Deathwing vs. my Doctrine Guard and solidly slaughtered them, and in a fit of pique I went and ordered a metric buttload of Chaos on eBay and from GW US, along with the 3.5 Codex. Once it all arrived and I got it built, I fed his Deathwing army to a Khorne-heavy force centered around an Undivided Lord and scads of 3.5 'dex Berserkers, and the chainaxes drank from Terminator hides for four solid turns of slaughter for the Dark Gods. After watching the bone-white bad boys die screaming for the Lion to save them, I realized I'd missed my true calling, and forsook my total devotion to the False Emperor.

[BearerofNight]

Well Chaos was calling for me when my friend and i started reading the novels, then I was a totally devout servant of the Emperor :D But when i read the Chaos Codex i immediatly became enthralled in the idea of frothing maniacs bent on endless slaughter and destruction (KHORNE!!!). I love playing video games with destructable scenery and after a pitched battle i love to walk around the map and look at the destruction wreaked by battle. Sometimes its so awesome i take screenshots. Destroyed beauty its called, the idea that human conflict and death can cause very artisitc and touching scenes. That and the idea that a Father sold out a huge group of his children to demagogues and those who had not fought for anything but to tax and spend and impose meaningless laws made for good drama :P Chaos Undivided became my devotion purley for destruction :) I like destruction and blowing things up :D

[Sons of Horus]

i'll make it short but true :P. its because there is only one absolute, and that is CHAOS!!! i like their special characters a lot

[Lucrosium Malice]

What drew me?

 

Tyranids.

 

Yep, you read right. Tyranids.

 

Back in the day, (2nd ed) I used to play Tyranids, and had a huge army of them. I eventually got tired of painting Hormagaunt number 173 (they were all metal and totally unbalanced then) and decided to make use of my extensive genestealers and went with a genestealer cult army. Which eventually morphed into genestealer cult with chaos allies, which was allowed back then.

 

At that time, Necromunda was a big deal and my Delaque gang all had the yellow and black hazard stripes painted on the side of all my bases to match the cardboard hive terrain. I was given so much flak over it, when I went with my Chaos allies, I decided on Iron Warriors, who at that time were just a footnote army with no special rules.

 

Eventually it just became chaos, sort of does that you know, and the rest they say, "is history!"

[Penmarch']

What drew me?

 

 

At that time, Necromunda was a big deal and my Delaque gang all had the yellow and black hazard stripes painted on the side of all my bases to match the cardboard hive terrain. I was given so much flak over it, when I went with my Chaos allies, I decided on Iron Warriors, who at that time were just a footnote army with no special rules.

 

Alas, they are back where they started. :devil:

[fearlessgod]

Well, it wasn't so much of being lured to Chaos, as I came to it out of need. My son and I play regularly at our home. He plays DA and I played IG. One day we decided we needed a "bad" army to fight against. After looking at all of our choices, we decided on Chaos. I built and painted a 2000 point Black Legion army. The more I played it, the more I liked it. I now play Iron Warriors and haven't used my IG models in years. Go figure...

 

~fearlessgod~

[Avarris]

i was drawn to chaos after playing several games against them with my Dark Angels and decided to have a go at painting one of the Chaos Terminator Lord models and bought the codex as i then decided to make a showcase army.

[Cohort]

This is going to sound silly, but I just liked the sheer ornateness (is that a word?) of the chaos marines. I liked being able to go rococo on my line soldiers and even further on daemons. Besides that, I like a good tragedy with an insane cast of characters and chaos has both.