Isolated Space Wolf companies

[Brother Ranulf]

I'm searching for an old piece of fiction that mention that occasionally Space wolf commanders will decide, the need for them is greater where they are or they get isolated.

 

This was presented that this meant that the Space Wolf Chapter was in effect forming new chapters here and there.

 

This made it really convenient to have a fluffy Wolf Lord of his own Great company, but not be one of the 12 and be in a different sector of the Galaxy.

 

Anyone know of this? or have an opinion?

[Hfran Morkai]

I'm searching for an old piece of fiction that mention that occasionally Space wolf commanders will decide, the need for them is greater where they are or they get isolated.

 

This was presented that this meant that the Space Wolf Chapter was in effect forming new chapters here and there.

 

This made it really convenient to have a fluffy Wolf Lord of his own Great company, but not be one of the 12 and be in a different sector of the Galaxy.

 

Anyone know of this? or have an opinion?

 

Who better to answer this than a Rune Priest?

 

Not too sure about that bit of fiction, then again some fluff must pass me by. However I am aware that occasionally one of our companies disapears, 'tis a rare circumstance but certainly not impossible. But the thing you must remember Brother is that the Wolf Lord could fall at any time. And then there has to be a new one to replace him, for an isolated company would struggle to maintain it's vehicles for a suspended period of time. You must trust your senses Brother and go with what your hearts tell you.

[Woulfeheart]

Indeed, sometimes a Wolf Lord will renounce fealty to the Great Wolf, but still remain loyal to Russ and the All-Father, leaving the Fang with his Company in tow. And it's not too absurd to have a Great Company become isolated from the rest of the chapter for long enough to be considered a 'Lost Company'.

 

That's actually the background behind my Great Company. It wasn't so much of a disagreement between the Wolf Lord and Grimnar, so much as my Wolf Lord decided to become a "Lost" Company, to essentially allow for another Great Company. Occasionally, Grimnar will send some fresh Blood Claws under the table to my Great Company. And since they don't have their own place on the Grand Annulus, they can do things normal companies wouldn't be able to without turning the Inquisition's eyes upon the Fang.

 

There's always a way to write your own fluffy backstory, even if it seems like all Wolf Lords are named. :(

[Lord Ragnarok]

What you describe is the saga of many Lost Companies. Some Wolf Lords decide to never return to the Fang, either because they are too far from the Fang, and do not want to waste time travelling back through the warp, or they have renounced their oaths to the current Great Wolf. Renouncing oath's to the GW, is in the spirit of the anti authoritarian nature of Russ, and much respected in the SW chapter v/s other chapters where such an act would certainly have a company hunted down. Such recanting of oaths is only to the current GW and not to Russ and the All Father.

 

Pups or Long Fangs who have forgotten these tales, can find more information in a dusty tome named White Dwarf 245(US), in an Article named "Lone Wolves).

 

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This represents an excellent way to field a "successor" of SW's. Your company may have decided to stay in an area far from Fenris. They may have found an area where there was little martial Imperial presence and also found a planet which has natives who good for recruitment.

[Hfran Morkai]

What you describe is the saga of many Lost Companies. Some Wolf Lords decide to never return to the Fang, either because they are too far from the Fang, and do not want to waste time travelling back through the warp, or they have renounced their oaths to the current Great Wolf. Renouncing oath's to the GW, is in the spirit of the anti authoritarian nature of Russ, and much respected in the SW chapter v/s other chapters where such an act would certainly have a company hunted down. Such recanting of oaths is only to the current GW and not to Russ and the All Father.

 

Pups or Long Fangs who have forgotten these tales, can find more information in a dusty tome named White Dwarf 245(US), in an Article named "Lone Wolves).

 

----

This represents an excellent way to field a "successor" of SW's. Your company may have decided to stay in an area far from Fenris. They may have found an area where there was little martial Imperial presence and also found a planet which has natives who good for recruitment.

 

Thank you brother for enlightening me. I feel my mind fit to burst with a wealth of knowledge and shall do my best to seek that hallowed tom.e of which you spoke to add to my library

[Vash113]

However remember that while a Great Company can just decide to up and leave or figure it's better not to return, that doesn't mean they are in essence forming a "new Chapter" as those Great Companies will not have access to recruits from Fenris, and local stock may well not be compatible with the fickle Canis Helix, even should the Great Company have enough Wolf Priests and Gene-seed to replace moderate losses without the armories and apothecarions of the Fang keeping resupplied, repaired and reinforced will quickly prove a significant problem.

 

So even if a Great Company was relatively large at the time (approaching 200 or so given info from the new Dex) within a few decades that number will probably be halved far from the Fang and it's facilities. Within a century or two the remnants of the Great Company will probably be relatively few in number ~60 or so and will likely comprise mostly Wolf Guard and Grey Hunters with probably no Blood Claws remaining and perhaps some Long Fangs. Eventually the Company's viability as a fighting force will drop to the point of none-existence if they don't finally return to the Fang. Those who just decide to remain in the field longer than normal may well do that, those who recant their oaths to the Great Wolf are probably left with either becoming renegades or fighting on as loyalists till their supplies and numbers go dry.

 

Unlike the Black Templars or other Crusading Chapters the Space Wolves don't have much fluff supporting establishment of independant bases (garm being the only notable exception but an extreme one at that) nor does it seem likely that the Wolves could recruit from stock other than from their homeworld of Fenris given the results of the Wolf Brothers, so establishing bases of operations and centers of recruitment aren't really an option for Lost Companies.

 

My Great Company's fluff that I'm working on is basically that it was technically "lost" when after a long campaign they went into the warp for what seemed a couple weeks but was actually a couple centuries, they get back to the Fang only to find their spot on the Grand Annulus filled. So my Wolf Lord is basically sitting around waiting for another GC to go under or go missing so he can get his spot back and in the meantime wandering around doing whatever. Eventually all will be back to normal but it may take a while. :teehee:

[Grey Mage]

Well while Recruits would indeed be nearly impossible to come by munitions, parts, and repairs would be only as far away as the nearest forgeworld or imperial Munitorum outpost. I doubt any of them would refuse a chapter in good standing with any provisions they could provide.

[Vassakov]

Lone companies are an important part of our background, acting as "successor" groups rather than rebels. Pretty much all of the options have been covered here, and they are a good way to use your force without the established groups.

[rattman]

I have played space wolf since first codex in the early 90's and TBH I am bored of the color so atm working on a different color scheme to repaint my new army as during my last move most of my space wolfs went AWOL. (someone must of lured em away with beer)

 

I was going to say that my successor chapter was deployed to cadia to help defend it from one of the attacks. Afterwards they went AWOL into the EOT to find Russ.

After looking for him for several hundred years they decided to return. The first contact with the imperium is of course cadia where they get stopped by inquisition and get told that they are not allowed to leave while the INQ investigates them for taint of chaos. Meanwhile they confined to a monestry on cadia and they have been tasked with and have vowed to defend cadia from all comers. Name wise was thinking of cadian wolves as a tribute to planet that has taken in on thier return to imperium.

 

To support the fluff I was going to have units of odd numbered units, to represent the depletion that would happen in a long campaign with no replacements. ie 2 squads of 5 long fangs and 1 of 3. For fun games I was thinking of taking an inquisitor in one the HQ squads to watch the unit to make sure they dont turn to chaos.

 

 

 

As a paint job I am thinking of doing some based on one of german winter camo's from WW2

http://www.tankzone.co.uk/images/takara/s5/s5_85_500.jpg

or simpler

http://www.tankzone.co.uk/images/takara/s5/s5_89_500.jpg