IA: Night Wolves

[Jacobius]

Night Wolves

From The Darkness We Strike

Named by their founder after a pack animal native to their home world of Remus, Brother Tiberon hoped to instill in his newly founded chapter the cohesion and cooperation of a pack with the cunning, stealth and independence of the lone wolf.

Tear at your foe’s heels from the darkness, wound him a thousand times, you and your Brothers, and then, when he lies dying, alone, exhausted and afraid, fall upon him as one and finish him where he lies. - Brother Tiberon, Chapter Master, Night Wolves

Origins

Founded: 22nd Founding

Founded by decree of the High Lords of Terra, the Night Wolves Chapter was created with a careful eye toward the harsh lessons learnt during the 21st or ‘Cursed Founding’. Brother Captain Tiberon of the 4th company of the Storm Lords was given leave to select a training cadre from amongst his own Chapter and set forth to the Remus system near Accatran in the Segmentum Tempestus. Tiberon was tasked with replacing a Chapter lost during the purges that resulted from the Cursed Founding. Brother Captain Tiberon’s name was put forward by the Stormseers of the Storm Lords after their consideration of who was best suited to fulfil the request of the High Lords. Tiberon was a veteran of several campaigns over his 200 years’ service to the Storm Lords and was a cunning and shrewd commander with an uncanny ability to ascertain the potential in either situation or man at a glance.

Tiberon was directed to set up his new Chapter wherever he saw fit as long as the founding was close enough to protect the valuable agri and mining worlds supplying the Forgeworlds of Accatran and Roma. After rejecting several other worlds as unsuitable due to lack of population or over-hostile climates, the training cadre came upon the feral world Remus. After infiltrating the forest world, the training cadre spent time observing the local populace. Finding a cunning and war-like people, Tiberon knew he had found his new chapter’s homeworld. After locating a suitable site, the training cadre settled and began the process of building the new chapter.

First Kill

While the Night Wolves were barely more than a company in size and still composed mostly of neophytes and only a handful of newly trained and equipped pack brothers, the first call for assistance came from nearby Roma. Orks were rampaging through the sector and with Roma’s fleets occupied elsewhere, the Night Wolves were the only Imperial forces nearby able to assist. A courier fleet carrying an STC copy to Roma had been ambushed by Orks and decimated. Several crippled ships, including that containing the STC copy had crash landed on an uncolonised world. Desperate to recover their sacred relic, the Arch Magos of Roma requested that the Night Wolves move to locate and secure the precious cargo.

Knowing that not only the equipment produced by the STC copy but also good relations with local forgeworlds could be vital to the future success of his new chapter, Tiberon ordered a small force mobilised to respond. Five sergeants volunteered and were given leave to select four neophytes each to command. Brother Siberus, a newly trained apothecary also volunteered and Tiberon, loath to lose precious geneseed if it could be avoided while the chapter was so vulnerable to losses, gave his consent.

After infiltrating the planet by Thunderhawk, the five squads of Night Wolves located and searched three crashed ships without being detected by the numerous bands of Orks, also scouring the planet’s surface for salvage. After locating their target, the Night Wolves were forced into defensive postions on and around the crashed hulk as Orks controlled the skies and were massing on the ground. A fierce battle ensued with the Night Wolf force taking a terrible toll on the Ork forces arranged against them while slowly being whittled down in number. Brother Siberus seemed to be impervious to damage as he repeatedly placed himself in the line of fire to retrieve a fallen Night Wolf and their precious geneseed cargo. By the time Adeptus Mechanicus reinforcements arrived four days later the Night Wolves had paid a heavy price with less than half of their number remaining. Thus the Night Wolves earned their first battle honour.

Homeworld

The Night Wolves’ home world is Remus, a feral world peopled by Stone Age tribes. Remus is thickly forested with climates ranging from taiga to tropical rainforest. However, most of the landmass on Remus is situated between the temperate and subarctic zones.

The people of Remus are hardy hunter-gatherers who live a life of cunning, stealth, ambush, wariness, fieldcraft, patience and, at the right moment, deadly precision. Failure in any one of these tasks results in death to predators of either the animal or human variety. Remussarn society is tribal in nature. Each tribe lays claim to its ‘patch’ and defends this from the encroachment of neighbouring tribes resulting in a ferocious system of tit-for-tat raiding and boundary protection. While deaths are common and escalation to the point of decimation of the occasional tribe occurs, Remussars consider sneaking into another tribes’ territory without being detected to slit a throat or steal a trinket, not only a rite of passage, but also the finest kind of sport. As a result, Remussars sleep light, carry a weapon as their first and last possession and are keenly aware of their surroundings at all times.

Recruiting

New recruits are selected by veteran sergeants on garrison duty who survey, from a distance, villages as they ‘do the rounds’ across Remus looking for signs of Orks, Chaos or more recently, Tyranid infestation. The recruits are taken as they hunt alone in the forest and brought to the Den to begin their new lives. Neophyte marines are first inducted into a company that is currently rotated on to garrison duty on Remus. Here a new recruit is taught all the skills he needs to enhance the chances of his own survival. This includes training in stealth, ambush, reconnaissance and sniper skills. Brother Tiberon laid down a strong tradition of each marine being responsible for providing the chapter with not only his heart, body and soul but also his brain and all that it contains, thus, keen observation and post-bellum reporting are taught so that each recruit may fully contribute to the chapter. Further training is provided ‘on the job’ as the new recruit’s company is rotated out onto active duty.

The Night Wolves’ Fortress–Monastery is located inside a labyrinth of subterranean lava tubes and is known as the Den. Over time this series of caves and tubes has been enlarged to cater for the needs of a fully fledged Chapter, including a forge deep in the earth. Most of the main entrances into the Den open out into thick forest but a few have been kept clear for entry by Thunderhawks.

Beliefs

The Night wolves don’t believe the emperor is a god and aren’t particularly pious (no chanting of liturgies, hours of meditation etc.). They only care about getting the job done, protecting lesser humanity (as they have sworn to do) and living up to the ideals of the Adeptus Astartes. They have a strong sense of confidence in their own abilities and decision making as well as a confidence in the Brother to each side. Cunning and independence are held as high virtues in the chapter as well as the ability to learn, preferably from the mistakes of others, and adapt to the prevailing conditions. Knowledge and Wisdom are also held in high regard and the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge is instilled from an early point in the training of a new Night Wolf. As a result of the Night Wolves' somewhat more relaxed attitude towards their faith, the role of the chaplain within the chapter is more concerned with morale and making sure that the Pack Brothers hold fast to the ideals of the chapter.

I say to you young ones, the gift of knowledge may be the greatest a Brother can give to his chapter, as which of us knows what the smallest piece of information may lead to? Who here can say that a single whisper cannot undo an empire? - Brother Omar, White Paw], 9th squad, 3rd Company, Night Wolves to new recruits.

Combat Doctrine

Brother Tiberon, upon observing the unique mindset and experiences possessed by his new recruits, modified his intended indoctrination regime to incorporate stealth, ambush and tracking with the White Scars’ own brand of lightning fast harassment and assault. As a result, the chapter as a whole specializes in guerrilla tactics behind enemy lines, using precisely coordinated attacks and refraining from frontal attacks or protracted attrition warfare. The Wolves’ typical tactical doctrine consists of small, highly mobile or stealthy raiding parties composed of Assault Marines, Land Speeders, Bikes and Scouts supported by aircraft such as Stormtalons and Vultures to disrupt supply and communications and to destroy key strategic objectives through sabotage, ambush, assassination, surveillance and raiding. The intention behind this is to weaken enemy infrastructure, organization and morale as well as provide valuable information in preparation for a hammer blow from the more substantial parts of the company. Night Wolves are particularly adept at stealth, ambush, counter-ambush and tracking operations. Night wolves make heavy use of scouts, drop pods, teleport homers and aircraft to insert troops at the desired time and place, to prepare their battlefields, to launch commando missions or to turn the tide of battle.

Organization

Night Wolf Captains are fiercely independent, flexible and cunning, values that are prized amongst the Night Wolves as a result of both their previous lives as tribesmen and as encouraged by Brother Tiberon through his founding teachings. Individual companies are designed to be completely autonomous as a result of the operational needs of the Night Wolves. With a large sector to protect and a steady stream of requests for aid, the eight companies of Night Wolves rotated off garrison duty at any one time find themselves almost constantly deployed on operations. To accommodate this need for long duration missions and, consequently, long periods between rest, recruitment and refitting, Night Wolf company structure is arranged slightly differently to those of other chapters. Three or four squads per company of around 20 scouts each are on hand whenever possible, in this way the Night Wolves are able to make heavy use of their scouts for reconnaissance and replenish their more senior ranks with new pack brothers while ‘on the move’. In addition, Night Wolves do not maintain Devastator squads. Squads are expected to be flexible and as independent as possible, able to deal with most threats they encounter. Consequently, heavy weapons specialists are distributed throughout each squad and tend to be armed with more mobile specialist weapons such as plasma guns, meltas, and sniper rifles. As a result of their combat doctrine, Night Wolves tend to field few large, slow moving vehicles but each company has its own supply of bikes, Land Speeders and other transports. Aircraft are utilised whenever practicable to provide air-support or to insert troops. These arrangements allows the Night Wolves to deploy the full array of weaponry and skills available to a Chapter within a single company.

Veterans

Veterans in the Night Wolves, like many chapters, are held in high regard and are known as White Paws as they paint their gauntlets white as a mark of rank. White Paws, veterans of many battles, possess the cunning and tenacity for survival under the most extreme of conditions and the knowledge, insight and experience to solve the most complex of problems. The Chapter considers its White Paws some of its greatest treasures and they can be found scattered across the chapter in advisory, pedagogic and leadership roles. Each company also has a dedicated group of White Paws whose job is to carry out the most difficult missions that others consider suicide and that lesser men would stand no chance of completing.

The Eruditium

When the Night Wolves were first founded, Brother Tiberon kept council with a group of senior Night Wolves selected for their access to, and rapport with, the other members of the chapter. This group consisted of senior Librarians, Apothecaries, Chaplains, Sergeants and Techmarines. The council’s intended purpose was originally to ascertain how the fledgling chapter was progressing as it grew in size, complexity and experience. Information gathering was limited to measuring performance and searching for weaknesses in tactics, attitude or organisation. Over time this council has evolved into the Eruditium whose job is to collate and analyse the flow of information gathered from scouting, battle and elsewhere. The Eruditium is comprised of the Chapter Master, Chief Librarian, Reclusiarch, Master of the Forge, Master Apothecary and all ten Company Captains. At any time any member of the chapter may be called upon by the Eruditium or any of its individual members to report on an incident of note or provide an opinion. In addition, various off world experts, such as the Executor Fetial of one of the local forgeworlds or a passing Naval commander may be invited to attend a meeting of the Eruditium and provide advice or satisfy the curiosity of the Eruditium on a point of interest. To the Eruditium, Knowledge is Victory, and its members spend most of their non-combat time poring over and analysing vids of previous battles, written accounts, interviewing returning marines, inspecting battle damage to both man and machine and dissecting captured xenos technology with a view towards learning more about the enemies and technology ranged against the chapter. This knowledge is collated and archived by the Librarians of the chapter and is stored in a massive vault deep inside the Den. Over their 2000 years of information gathering and service, the Night Wolves have collaborated with their Adeptus Mechanicum neighbours in the modification or development of new equipment to meet their specific needs. The most famous example is the Interfector pattern marksman bolter carried by heavy weapons specialists in the chapter.

Special Roles

There are several additional titles that may be bestowed on any one of the White Paws in a company, due to their special expertise, that bring additional responsibilities. These roles include Master of the Hunt, Master of the Kill and Master of the Pack. The Master of the Pack title is given to the White Paw who has shown himself best suited to the training of new recruits. The Master of the Pack is responsible for organising the location, selection, recruitment and training and equipping of new initiates. This ensures that the flow of new recruits to each company is uninterrupted. The Master of the Hunt is responsible for the planning and execution of all specialist pro and counter reconnaissance and intelligence gathering operations. He is responsible for knowing the disposition of his own company and the enemy at all times and provides the Captain with the information he needs to secure victory. The Master of the Kill is responsible for the planning and execution of targeted kill missions and destruction of strategic resources, whether through the insertion of a sniper team or the targeting of an orbital bombardment. It is he who plans and executes the death of an army, whether through decapitation or slow starvation.

Geneseed

Night Wolves trace their lineage to Jaghatai Khan and the White Scars chapter. There is a minor aberrance present in the Night Wolves’ geneseed compared to other descendants of the Khan. The streak of violent aggression present in the White Scars and several of their other successors is missing, presumably somewhat ameliorated by the geneseed’s interaction with the physiology of the tribesmen of Remus.

Battle Cry

As a Chapter used to silent movement and stealth the Night Wolves do not have a battle cry.

Chapter Motto: ex obscurum nos ferito – From The Darkness We Strike

Eruditium Motto: ex eruditio victoria insisto – From Learning, Victory Follows

Heraldry

Howling wolf and moon chapter badge is placed on left shoulder pad.

C&C always welcome. Let me know what you think is cool, what's not so cool etc.

-J-

[Codex Grey]

Brother Captain Tiberon of the Raven Guard’s 4th Company was given leave to select a training cadre from amongst his own Chapter and set forth to the Remus system near Accatran in the Segmentum Tempestus. Tiberon was tasked with replacing a Chapter lost during the purges that resulted from the Cursed Founding. As the Raven Guard were almost constantly underhanded due to the instability of their own geneseed, Tiberon was gifted with Ultramarine geneseed and asked to instill Raven Guard doctrine in the new chapter recruits.

Why would the High Lords of Terra give this responsibility to a Raven Guard Captain, when the Ultramarines are viewed as the exemplars of Space Marines? Why would Tiberion, a Raven Guard Captain, agree to raise a Chapter with gene-seed different from himself and his cadre? What happened to Tiberion and his cadre after their deaths?

 

These are just some of the questions that popped up in my head that really need to be answered. This sort of idea has been brought up before, but never have I seen it work, so you must excuse me if I'm a bit negative. But if you're sticking to it, then know that telling us that a RG cadre trained a UM successors is not enough, you have to try and convince the reader that its plausible.

 

Over time a select group in the Night Wolves known as the Eruditium has formed. This group consists of senior Librarians, Apothecaries, Chaplins and Techmarines. To the Eruditium, Knowledge is Victory, and its members spend most of their non-combat time poring over and analysing vids of previous battles, written accounts, interviewing returning marines and inspecting battle damage to both man and machine with a view towards learning more about the enemies and technology ranged against the chapter. The Eruditium then attempt to use new insights gained through this work to advise the Chapter Master.

This comes kinda out of nowhere, it's just there. My suggestion would be to develop it, and make it something that runs though the article and is a significant part of the Chapter. Make it affect their doctrine and how they interact with allies/enemies/battles/location/etc. Either that or just drop it.

 

Other than that, I like the name and the feel of the Chapter (That symbol reminds me of Wolverhampton Wanderers' symbol, which is funny because I once considered basing a Chapter on that team ;) ).

[Jacobius]

Why would the High Lords of Terra give this responsibility to a Raven Guard Captain, when the Ultramarines are viewed as the exemplars of Space Marines? Why would Tiberion, a Raven Guard Captain, agree to raise a Chapter with gene-seed different from himself and his cadre? What happened to Tiberion and his cadre after their deaths?

 

I consider this to be the main weakness of my idea.

 

I like the tactics and doctrine of the RG but there is a bit of a problem in that they're, apparently, perpetually undermanned and are constantly having to get more geneseed from Mars rather than their own stock and on top of that their geneseed is somewhat flawed. The best excuse I could think of was that the RG were the closest chapter and that the new chapter needed to be raised quickly, doesn't get around the problem of the time it would take UM geneseed to arrive however -_-

 

Then I discovered that the current location of the RG home world is unknown so I didn't want to give them a location by saying where my chapter is and then saying that the RG were the closest.

 

To try and get around this, I used the period after the Cursed founding when, presumably, the next founding would have been done cautiously and with only the best geneseed (i.e. UM or IF). Add to this the fact that the UM or their successors can't be everywhere at once and all hands are needed to replenish the chapters lost from the 21st founding, I thought it might be plausible.

 

Would a bit more explanation of the above and some words regarding Tiberon's sense of duty and honour at being chosen to found a new chapter vs. idea of using another chapters geneseed solve some of the issue perhaps?

 

Would a "UM/UM successor cadre on its way to found a new chapter, overrun by orks/nids/fluffy bunnies, wiped out as discovered by RG battle company, ordered to carry on UM mission" work? Been done to death?

 

This comes kinda out of nowhere, it's just there. My suggestion would be to develop it, and make it something that runs though the article and is a significant part of the Chapter. Make it affect their doctrine and how they interact with allies/enemies/battles/location/etc. Either that or just drop it.

 

I know -_-

 

I really like the idea of the Eruditium but I don't want it to seem like I'm cramming too much "uniqueness" into my Chapter. I'll do a rewrite and put it in from the start, incorporate observation and post-bellum reporting into the Neophyte's training and see how that goes.

 

In any case, thank you for the feedback, it is much appreciated and has confirmed some of the things I thought myself.

 

Improvement ho!

 

-J-

[Grand Master Tyrak]

I like the tactics and doctrine of the RG but there is a bit of a problem in that they're, apparently, perpetually undermanned and are constantly having to get more geneseed from Mars rather than their own stock and on top of that their geneseed is somewhat flawed. The best excuse I could think of was that the RG were the closest chapter and that the new chapter needed to be raised quickly, doesn't get around the problem of the time it would take UM geneseed to arrive however -_-

 

Why do you need the Raven Guard involved? The Ultramarines are just as capable of training a Chapter that specialises in hit-and-run attacks even though they won't have the expertise of the Raven Guard. That's the point of being Codex - being the jack of all trades means you can learn any of the tactics that the famous Chapters specialise in. You can then choose to specialise in one of those tactics (in this case hit-and-run) without having to go anywhere near the Raven Guard. You won't be as good as them as a result, but since that's par for the course for DIY Chapters anyway, what difference does it make?

[Jacobius]

Why do you need the Raven Guard involved?

 

Cause they're frakkin' cool? wait...can I say Frak?

 

It's not just their tactics, it's also the independence of the company captains, the particular brand of assault that they specialise in that is different from a SW or BA assault for instance. Basically I like the 'feel' and I've always thought of the UM as the unbending codex Nazis of 40k. I was under the impression that them having a direct hand in the founding of a chapter would mean that there would not be specialisation to the degree I'm interested in and that the reorganisation of the companies I have suggested would be unlikely.

 

I just feel that with the amount of differences between mine and a standard chapter that a UM training up a scout heavy ambush/camouflage/hit and run chapter might be the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of plausibility.

 

If this is not the case then I will consider giving up my baby but I would still like a plausible workaround if possible -_-

 

Maybe what I need is a damn good reason why the Lords of Terra require a chapter with the particular skill set the RG can teach...

 

In fact what I'm beginning to understand, just like grade 8 maths, is that I need to show a lot more of my reasoning.

 

Thank you for the feedback, you have sparked much debate in my brain meats

 

-J-

[Ace Debonair]

It's not just their tactics, it's also the independence of the company captains, the particular brand of assault that they specialise in that is different from a SW or BA assault for instance. Basically I like the 'feel' and I've always thought of the UM as the unbending codex Nazis of 40k. I was under the impression that them having a direct hand in the founding of a chapter would mean that there would not be specialisation to the degree I'm interested in and that the reorganisation of the companies I have suggested would be unlikely.

 

The unbending-highly-adaptable-organisation-and-tactics-that-adjust-to-counter-any-threat-nazis? :P

Raven Guard are cool, but it's not like you can't make a good UM stealth-mastery successor.

(EDIT: Put ultramarine successor instead of Raven guard successor there. Now it says what I wanted it to.)

 

As far as the re-organisation of companies goes, my Infinity Knights are UM successors with rather divergent companies. If mine can do it, so can yours. You just need to explain and justify the change. ;)

 

In fact what I'm beginning to understand, just like grade 8 maths, is that I need to show a lot more of my reasoning.

Basically, yeah. Getting the right answers is easy, since you can theoretically do anything. Getting the right ideas and showing how you got them is a different kettle of fish altogether. ^_^

[Grand Master Tyrak]

Basically I like the 'feel' and I've always thought of the UM as the unbending codex Nazis of 40k.

The unbending-highly-adaptable-organisation-and-tactics-that-adjust-to-counter-any-threat-nazis? ^_^

 

If the Nazis were inflexible then Guderian's blitzkrieg tactics and panzer divisions would never have seen the light of day, and we'd probably still be using the old 'penny-packet' system. :P

Calling someone a military "Nazi" means they're flexible and innovative. Or, if it's the later version of Nazis, mad and strategically inept. Not rigid or tactically poor. Just something to bear in mind. ;)

 

Anyway, as Ace said, the Codex rigidly and dogmatically adheres to flexibility (it might seem like a paradox, but it is possible). The only thing the Codex could be said to rigidly prohibit is the methods of warfare that have been tested and found not to work, like walking very slowly towards enemy machine guns (without power armour). The ones that do work are permitted, and are outlined in the Codex. If you think that's restrictive then fair enough, but I wouldn't agree. Since the last cause for rewriting Imperial military theory was the splitting of the Legions, the Codex still stands. Even the Chapters that specialise in a particular type of warfare are technically 'Codex' - their methods are in the Codex and they simply focus on that style to the exclusion of all (or most) others. Whether it's in the Codex because they adopted it or they adopted it because it's in the Codex is a chicken and egg problem, and there's little point debating it, but the Codex is still not "do this and nothing else, ever". It's "do either this, this, this or that, and nothing else because none of the others work and you'll just get yourselves killed".

 

I was under the impression that them having a direct hand in the founding of a chapter would mean that there would not be specialisation to the degree I'm interested in and that the reorganisation of the companies I have suggested would be unlikely.

 

The Mortificators would disagree.

 

Maybe what I need is a damn good reason why the Lords of Terra require a chapter with the particular skill set the RG can teach...

 

All you actually need is a reason for the Chapter to be created and a first Chapter Master who happens to be good at RG-style tactics/prefers RG-style tactics. It's not necessarily a good excuse, but it is sufficient excuse.

[Codex Grey]

As far as the re-organisation of companies goes, my Infinity Knights are UM successors with rather divergent companies. If mine can do it, so can yours. You just need to explain and justify the change.

In addition to echoing what Tyrak and Ace have said, I just want to add to the above quote.

 

Being a successor of a Chapter other than Ultramarines is usually not a good enough reason for organizational divergence.

The Raven Guard are the best at what they do and have famously independent Captains. But they are still 'Codex' and follow the same Organizational structure of the Ultramarines (to a certain degree I would guess).

So why would a successor of the RG diverge?

[Jacobius]

Hey All,

 

Thank you all for the responses, I've gotten more than I was expecting, should I take that as a good sign or a bad sign? :D

 

Firstly I meant "Nazi" in the colloquial sense of rigid or zealous about correct interpretation of rules. I am well aware that Guderian, Rommel, von Manstein et al. were quite innovative and flexible ;)

 

Secondly I'm going to post my rewrite into a seperate post in this thread rather than editing the original first post. I'm doing this so myself and others can see the changes over time and as an example of how much an IA can change from first to last draft.

 

If this is not best practice, lemme know and I'll edit the first post.

 

Cheers all in advance,

 

-J-

[Jacobius]

Draft no. 2 moved to blog

 

-J-

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Decent. I have only two comments on this draft. First:

 

As a result, the chapter as a whole specializes in guerrilla tactics behind enemy lines, using precisely coordinated attacks and refraining from frontal attacks or protracted attrition warfare. The Wolves’ typical tactical doctrine consists of rapid maneuver engagements consisting of the deployment of Assault Marines, Land Speeders and bikes aimed at harassment, sabotage and the destruction of key strategic targets over the frontal engagement of enemy forces at large. Night Wolves are particularly adept at stealth, ambush, counter-ambush and tracking operations. Night wolves make heavy use of scouts, drop pods and teleport homers to prepare their battlefields and to insert troops at the desired time and place.

 

Ok, so they've got two distinct tactical doctrines: Raven Guard-like stealth and behind-the-lines tomfoolery; and White Scars-like speed to break an enemy frontage. I suggest you pick one of the two and emphasize it rather than mixing and matching. As it is, it sounds to me like your entire chapter is either A.) Scouts B.) Assault Marines or C.) Bikers. Not a lot of tactical flexibility there, and tactical flexibility is one of the Astartes' strong suits.

 

Second: Gene-seed. Yes, we know they're White Scars successors. But being 22nd Founding, there's bound to be some issues with it. The Imperial Fists, for example, are First Founding and they're got two organs that have stopped working. Is it one hundred percent pure, no issues? Has a certain implant failed or malfunctioned in some way? Do they have a flaw they hide from the Mechanicus? Its little details like this that help to set your chapter apart from the other 1,000 chapters of Space Marines in the Imperium.

[Jacobius]

Ok, so they've got two distinct tactical doctrines: Raven Guard-like stealth and behind-the-lines tomfoolery; and White Scars-like speed to break an enemy frontage. I suggest you pick one of the two and emphasize it rather than mixing and matching. As it is, it sounds to me like your entire chapter is either A.) Scouts B.) Assault Marines or C.) Bikers. Not a lot of tactical flexibility there, and tactical flexibility is one of the Astartes' strong suits.

 

I intended them to feel commando, something like the LRDG from WW2 or modern SAS, highly mobile, behind enemy lines, sabotage, ambush, death of a thousand cuts...or something. Obviously, at some point they're going to need to confront the enemy in some fashion and as SMs they should be able to handle that, just that they're particularly expert at the commando stuff.

 

I'll think about how to do a rewrite to make that clearer...assuming it makes sense as it is :)

 

Second: Gene-seed. Yes, we know they're White Scars successors. But being 22nd Founding, there's bound to be some issues with it. The Imperial Fists, for example, are First Founding and they're got two organs that have stopped working. Is it one hundred percent pure, no issues? Has a certain implant failed or malfunctioned in some way? Do they have a flaw they hide from the Mechanicus? Its little details like this that help to set your chapter apart from the other 1,000 chapters of Space Marines in the Imperium.

 

Yep, still figuring that out. Looking to tone down the savagery for a more calm and rational approach to battle so maybe White Scars aren't the way to go? Although it does say here in the Librarium (the only place I can find that talks about WS geneseed) that it's the interaction of the Khan's geneseed with the tribesmen of Mundus Planus that leads to a little extra violence, so maybe I can get out of it by reversing the process through the interaction with the tribesman of Remus who lead a more careful existence than the marauding steppesmen anyway. Trying to avoid the UMs as hard as possible (in case you hadn't noticed), may have to give in eventually...

 

Would it be too corny to have their eyes amber coloured and their vision (Occulobe) and hearing (Lyman's Ear) even more accute than a normal SM?

 

I'm also wondering how the knowledge gathering/eruditium sounds to others? Is it integrated properly? Is it cool or kinda lame?

 

Is there anything that people feel needs some more explanation or are just interested in knowing more about?

[Jacobius]

Draft no.3 moved to blog

 

-J-

[Jacobius]

Draft no. 4 moved to blog

 

-J-

[Gaz1858]

I like the idea youve got running through this chapter. Reading it i can picture Scouts and Drop Podded Tacs, Assault Squads hitting the lines first followed by the heavier Terminators etc.

 

The Eruditium is the main sticking point for me. Just doesnt seem to gel aswell.

 

Also having looked at your other post i expected to see a bit more inclusion of the Forge World links. It only really comes into the equipment section. How about maybe having a Executor Fetial ( i think thats what theyre called. Look up what Crusius rank was in the Titanicus novel. I'll have a look when i get home after the weekend) be a member of the Eruditium so as to strengthen the Forge - Astartes bond. Executor Fetial's are the go betweeners for Mechanicus to Imperial.

 

Better yet why not make the Eruditium contain the Chapter Master, Senior Techmarine/MOTF (nod of respect to the forges), plus advisors of your choice of rank/status. Plus an Executor Fetial from each of the three Forge Worlds plus attendant tech guys? Who better to study the weaponry, battle damage etc than the Mechanicus while the Astartes look to the tactics, information flow etc.

 

I do like the part about not venerating the Emperor as a god. In the first page of C:SM it says they see him as a patriarch not a god and i think people can forget this. To the Astartes the Emperor is a man. Yes, the greatest man in the history of the universe and to whom they owe their existence and loyalty but yet, a man.

 

Have you came up with a new colour scheme as youve changed to WS founding chapter or are you sticking with the originals at the top?

[Jacobius]

Better yet why not make the Eruditium contain the Chapter Master, Senior Techmarine/MOTF (nod of respect to the forges), plus advisors of your choice of rank/status. Plus an Executor Fetial from each of the three Forge Worlds plus attendant tech guys? Who better to study the weaponry, battle damage etc than the Mechanicus while the Astartes look to the tactics, information flow etc.

 

Hmm, I definitely had the senior techmarine in there in one of my many drafts, must've got lost somewhere. Was definitely intended to be there. Will add something in with the next update as I've since learned much more about the AdMech. Looking for a close relationship, mainly through arse saving which leads to providing with shinies which leads to more arse saving and so on ad infinitum. A reciprocal bond of respect if you will. Nothing on the level of the Iron Hands tho, not sure about an outsider (Magos Executor Fetial) being in the inner circle but will do some research then decide.

 

I do like the part about not venerating the Emperor as a god. In the first page of C:SM it says they see him as a patriarch not a god and i think people can forget this. To the Astartes the Emperor is a man. Yes, the greatest man in the history of the universe and to whom they owe their existence and loyalty but yet, a man.

 

I concur :sweat:

 

Have you came up with a new colour scheme as youve changed to WS founding chapter or are you sticking with the originals at the top?

 

Keeping the colours, been using them since DoW1 and they were the first idea that lead to the whole chapter being created for me. :D

 

Many thanks for your double input ;)

 

-J-

[Jacobius]

Night Wolves

 

From The Darkness We Strike

 

 

Named by their founder after a pack animal native to their home world of Remus, Brother Tiberon hoped to instill in his newly founded chapter the cohesion and cooperation of a pack with the cunning, stealth and independence of the lone wolf.

 

Tear at your foe’s heels from the darkness, wound him a thousand times, you and your Brothers, and then, when he lies dying, alone, exhausted and afraid, fall upon him as one and finish him where he lies. - Brother Tiberon, Chapter Master, Night Wolves

 

Origins

 

Founded: 22nd Founding

 

Founded by decree of the High Lords of Terra, the Night Wolves Chapter was created with a careful eye toward the harsh lessons learnt during the 21st or ‘Cursed Founding’. Brother Captain Tiberon of the 4th company of the White Scars was given leave to select a training cadre from amongst his own Chapter and set forth to the Remus system near Accatran in the Segmentum Tempestus. Tiberon was tasked with replacing a Chapter lost during the purges that resulted from the Cursed Founding. Tiberon was directed to set up his new Chapter wherever he saw fit as long as the founding was close enough to protect the valuable Forgeworlds of Accatran, Metalicus and Roma. Tiberon selected as the homeworld of his fledgling chapter, the Feral world of Remus.

 

Brother Captain Tiberon’s name was put forward by the Stormseers of the White Scars after their consideration of who was best suited to fulfill the request of the High Lords. Tiberon was a veteran of several campaigns over his 200 years service to the White Scars and was a cunning and shrewd commander with an uncanny ability to ascertain the potential in either situation or man at a glance.

 

Upon attaining the rank of Captain in the White Scars, Tiberon built around himself a solid and integrated command group composing Veterans, Apothecaries, Librarians and Techmarines. Tiberon encouraged this group to be independent, quick thinking and as knowledgeable as possible in all facets of command, warfare and daily life. Tiberon was also pragmatic enough to realize that he would one day, either fall in combat or be promoted and when he did there would need to be someone capable enough to step into the void left by his absence. As a result, Tiberon groomed several of his Veteran Sergeants to replace him and encouraged those under him to do the same. When Tiberon departed the White Scars he took with him the core of his command group but as a result of his careful planning and forethought there was minimum impact on the 4th company.

 

Homeworld

 

The Night Wolves’ home world is Remus, a feral world peopled by Stone Age tribes. Remus is almost entirely covered in thick forest with climates ranging from taiga to tropical rainforest. However, most of the landmass on Remus is situated between the temperate and subarctic zones.

 

The people of Remus are hardy hunter-gatherers who live a life of cunning, stealth, ambush, wariness, fieldcraft, patience and, at the right moment, deadly precision. Failure in any one of these tasks can result in death to predators of either the animal or human variety. Remussarn society is tribal in nature. Each tribe lays claim to its ‘patch’ and defends this from the encroachment of neighbouring tribes resulting in a ferocious system of tit-for-tat raiding and boundary protection. While deaths are common and escalation to the point of decimation of the occasional tribe occurs, Remussars consider sneaking into another tribes’ territory without being detected to slit a throat or steal a trinket, not only a rite of passage, but also the finest kind of sport. As a result, Remussars sleep light, carry a weapon as their first and last possession and are keenly aware of their surroundings at all times.

 

The Night Wolves’ Fortress–Monastery is located inside a labyrinth of subterranean lava tubes and is known as the Den. Over time this series of caves and tubes has been enlarged to cater for the needs of a fully fledged Chapter. Most of the main entrances into the Den open out into thick forest but a few have been kept clear for entry by Thunderhawks.

 

Beliefs

 

The Night Wolves don’t believe the emperor is a god and aren’t particularly pious (no chanting of liturgies, hours of meditation etc.). They only care about getting the job done, protecting lesser humanity (as they have sworn to do) and living up to the ideals of the Adeptus Astartes. They have a strong sense of confidence in their own abilities and decision making as well as a confidence in the Brother to each side. Cunning and independence are held as high virtues in the chapter as well as the ability to learn, preferably from the mistakes of others, and adapt to the prevailing conditions. Knowledge and Wisdom are also held in high regard and the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge is instilled from an early point in the training of a new Night Wolf. As a result of the Night Wolves' somewhat more relaxed attitude towards their faith the role of the chaplain within the chapter is more concerned with morale and making sure that the Pack Brothers hold fast to the ideals of the chapter.

 

I say to you young ones, the gift of knowledge may be the greatest a Brother can give to his chapter, as which of us knows what the smallest piece of information may lead to? Who here can say that a single whisper cannot undo an empire? - Brother Omar,White Paw, 9th squad, 3rd Company, Night Wolves to new recruits.

 

Combat Doctrine

 

Brother Tiberon, upon realizing the unique mindset and experiences possessed by his new recruits, modified his intended indoctrination regime to incorporate stealth, ambush and tracking with the White Scars’ own brand of lightning fast harassment and assault. As a result, the chapter as a whole specializes in guerrilla tactics behind enemy lines, using precisely coordinated attacks and refraining from frontal attacks or protracted attrition warfare. The Wolves’ typical tactical doctrine consists of using small, highly mobile or stealthy raiding parties composed of Assault Marines, Land Speeders, Bikes and Scouts to disrupt supply and communications and to destroy key strategic objectives through sabotage, ambush, assassination, surveillance and raiding. The intention behind this is to weaken enemy infrastructure, organization and morale as well as provide valuable information in preparation for a hammer blow from the more substantial parts of the company. Night Wolves are particularly adept at stealth, ambush, counter-ambush and tracking operations. Night wolves make heavy use of scouts, drop pods and teleport homers to insert troops at the desired time and place to prepare their battlefields, to launch commando missions or to turn the tide of battle.

 

Organization

 

Night Wolf Captains are fiercely independent, flexible and cunning, values that are prized amongst the Night Wolves as a result of both their previous lives as tribesmen and as encouraged by Brother Tiberon through his founding teachings. Individual companies are designed to be completely autonomous as a result of the operational needs of the Night Wolves. With a large sector to protect and a steady stream of requests for aid received, the eight companies of Night Wolves rotated off garrison duty at any one time find themselves almost constantly deployed on operations. To accommodate this need for long duration missions and, consequently, long periods between rest, recruitment and refitting, Night Wolf company structure is arranged slightly differently to those of other chapters. The 9th and 10th squad of each company are scout squads, these squads carry out reconnaissance, ambush and targeted kill missions. The 8th squad is designated as a Devastator squad, there are then 2 tactical squads (6th and 7th), 3 assault squads (3rd-5th) a Veteran Squad (2nd) and a Command Squad (1st). The 1st and 2nd squad can deploy as Terminator Squads if necessary. As a result of their combat doctrine Night Wolves tend to field few large vehicles but each company has its own small supply of bikes and Land Speeders as a well as a few larger vehicles such as Predators. This arrangement allows the Night Wolves to deploy the full array of weaponry and skills available to a Chapter within the size constraints of a single company.

 

Veterans

 

Veterans in the Night Wolves, like many chapters, are held in high regard and are known as White Paws as they paint their gauntlets white as a mark of rank. White Paws, veterans of many battles, are a true embodiment of the Chapters' values and possess the cunning and tenacity for survival under the most extreme of conditions and the knowledge, insight and experience to solve the most complex of problems. The Chapter considers its White Paws some of its greatest treasures and they can be found scattered across the chapter in advisory, pedagogic and leadership roles. Each company also has a dedicated group of White Paws whose job is to carry out the most difficult missions that others consider suicide and that lesser men would stand no chance of completing.

 

Recruiting

 

New recruits are selected by White Paws on garrison duty who survey, from a distance, villages as they ‘do the rounds’ across Remus looking for signs of Ork, Chaos or more recently, Tyranid infestation. The recruits are taken as they hunt alone in the forest and brought to the Den to begin their new lives. Neophyte marines are first inducted into a company that is currently rotated on to garrison duty on Remus. Here a new recruit is taught all the skills he needs to enhance the chances of his own survival. This includes training in stealth, ambush, reconnaissance and sniper skills. Brother Tiberon laid down a strong tradition of each marine being responsible for providing the chapter with not only his heart, body and soul but also his brain and all that it contains, thus, keen observation and post-bellum reporting are taught so that each recruit may fully contribute to the chapter. Further training is provided ‘on the job’ as the new recruit’s company is rotated out onto active duty. As the scout proves his worth and, should he survive, returns to Remus he is finally inducted as a full Pack Brother.

 

The Eruditium

 

When the Night Wolves were first founded, Brother Tiberon kept council with a group of senior Night Wolves selected for their access to, and rapport with, the other members of the chapter. This group consisted of senior Librarians, Apothecaries, Chaplains, Sergeants and Techmarines. The council’s intended purpose was originally to ascertain how the fledgling chapter was progressing as it grew in size, complexity and experience. Information gathering was limited to measuring performance and searching for weaknesses in tactics, attitude or organisation. Over time this council has evolved into the Eruditium whose job is to collate and analyse the flow of information gathered from scouting, battle and elsewhere. The Eruditium is comprised of the Chapter Master, Chief Librarian, Reclusiarch, Master of the Forge and all ten Company Captains. At any time any member of the chapter may be called upon by the Eruditium or any of its individual members to report on an incident of note or provide an opinion. In addition, various off world experts, such as the Executor Fetial of one of the local forgeworlds or a passing Naval commander may be invited to attend a meeting of the Eruditium and provide advice or satisfy the curiosity of the Eruditium on a point of interest. To the Eruditium, Knowledge is Victory, and its members spend most of their non-combat time poring over and analysing vids of previous battles, written accounts, interviewing returning marines and inspecting battle damage to both man and machine with a view towards learning more about the enemies and technology ranged against the chapter. This knowledge is collated and archived by the Librarians of the chapter and is stored in a massive vault deep inside the Den.

 

Equipment

 

Due to their role in protecting three forgeworlds and their close rapport with the techmarines within their ranks Night Wolves field a high number of master crafted and custom weaponry, armour and equipment. The custom made sniper rifle, Eyeseeker, of White Paw Tyndon of the 6th Company is a famous example. The dreadnought sarcophagus that contains Brother Zechinus, the second Chapter Master, after he fell defending the forgeworld Roma during an Ork invasion, is another example, lovingly crafted by artisans from all three forgeworlds under the protection of the Night Wolves as a mourning gift to the chapter in recognition of his tireless service.

 

Psykers

 

Psykers within the chapter are held in high regard, both for their service to the chapter and their role in collecting, storing and passing on knowledge as Librarians.

 

Special Roles

 

There are several additional titles that may be bestowed on any one of the White Paws in a company, due to their special expertise, that bring additional responsibilities. These roles include Master of the Hunt, Master of the Kill and Master of the Pack. The Master of the Pack title is given to the White Paw who has shown himself best suited to the training of new recruits. The Master of the Pack is responsible for organising the location, selection, recruitment and training and equipping of new initiates. This ensures that the flow of new recruits to each company is uninterrupted. The Master of the Hunt is responsible for the planning and execution of all specialist pro and counter reconnaissance and intelligence gathering operations. He is responsible for knowing the disposition of his own company and the enemy at all times and provides the Captain with the information he needs to secure victory. The Master of the Kill is responsible for the planning and execution of targeted kill missions and destruction of strategic resources, whether through the insertion of a sniper team or the targeting of an orbital bombardment. It is he who plans and executes the death of an army, whether through decapitation or slow starvation

 

Geneseed

 

Night Wolves trace their lineage to Jaghatai Khan and the White Scars chapter. There are several minor aberrances present in the Night Wolves’ geneseed. The streak of violent aggression present in the White Scars and several of their other successors has been somewhat ameliorated by the geneseed’s interaction with the tribesmen of Remus. In addition the vision, hearing and sense of smell of Night Wolves is particularly acute and their eyes slowly turn amber over time.

 

Battle Cry

 

As a Chapter used to silent movement and stealth the Night Wolves do not have a battle cry.

 

Chapter Motto: ex obscurum nos ferito – From The Darkness We Strike

Eruditium Motto: ex eruditio victoria insisto – From Learning, Victory Follows

 

Special Characters

 

Coming Soon

[Jacobius]

Greetings all once again,

 

Fairly large update, pretty happy with most things now but of course would love to hear if something is really bugging you.

 

Would love some specific feedback on the eruditium and the special roles section. How are they coming along? Do they fit? I've been staring at them and thinking about them so long now that it's hard for me to tell anymore.

 

As always many thanks for any input you may provide,

 

Cheers,

 

-J-

[Gaz1858]

I like it mate.

 

It flows alot better now in the Eruditium and doesnt feel out of place like it did before.

 

With the special roles given that each company operates seperately does each company have a Master of the Pack, Hunt and Kill? Or do these individuals deal with their roles on a Chapter size? For example the Master of the Pack, once given his role does he leave his company to become based on the Homeworld?

 

Having the company structure differ slightly is excellent and justifiable given the nature of how you see the chapter conducting its battles.

 

The initiation of each recruit and thus company works really well as they can replenish theyre fallen while on rotation on Remus.

 

Again the role of the chaplain is something else i feel strongly about, they shouldnt be there to offer up prayers or hymns etc as said before about views on the Emperor. They should deal with only the mental wellbeing of the chapter / individual marine.

 

Im loving the nature of this Chapter as you seem to share alot of the views i have!! Keep it up!!

 

ex obscurum nos ferito

[Jacobius]

Hey All,

 

Please tear my IA a new one and if anyone has the ear of Codex Grey (or is it Gray?) or Octavulg or someone else they feel gives good advice/criticism feel free to send em here ;)

 

With the special roles given that each company operates separately does each company have a Master of the Pack, Hunt and Kill? Or do these individuals deal with their roles on a Chapter size? For example the Master of the Pack, once given his role does he leave his company to become based on the Homeworld?

 

There is one White Paw per company given each one of the titles, so three per company. I tried to use the word company and Captain as often as possible, but if it's not clear I can tweak a bit?

 

Just while I think of it, how is the 'wolfy' theme coming across? I think the space wolves are a bit overblown, like with many of the Codex chapters, so I've tried to keep it reasonably subtle, White Paws, The Den and Pack Brother the only overt references I can think of apart from the opening sentence.

 

I'm still working on a section for special characters and I keep forgetting to mention the fleet! ;)

 

Is there anything anyone wants to know more about? Anything people feel needs a bit more meat on its bones?

 

Also gonna move my many drafts to a B&C blog and colour code them so it's easier to see the change over time, for anyone that's interested, in the near future.

 

-J-

 

++EDIT++

 

Blasted commas... :P

 

++EDIT EDIT++

 

Gah! Thanks are in order to Gaz for the feedback, Cheers :)

[Jacobius]

Hey all,

 

All previous drafts have now been moved to the blog. Updates are colour coded as they're added so you can track the changes.

 

Still looking for some feed back on some of my questions.

 

Just while I think of it, how is the 'wolfy' theme coming across? I think the space wolves are a bit overblown, like with many of the Codex chapters, so I've tried to keep it reasonably subtle, White Paws, The Den and Pack Brother the only overt references I can think of apart from the opening sentence.

 

Is there anything anyone wants to know more about? Anything people feel needs a bit more meat on its bones?

 

Would love some specific feedback on the eruditium and the special roles section. How are they coming along? Do they fit? I've been staring at them and thinking about them so long now that it's hard for me to tell anymore.

 

Cheers,

 

-J-

[Codex Grey]

Your blog link lead me to nothing, so I'll base my comments on post 17.

This is shaping up! there is potential here, but there are a few issues I feel stands in the way.

 

Origins:

 

First paragraph is fine, but the second and third starts to derail from whats important; the Night Wolfs. Ask yourself, do you really need Tiberion? Is the character important for the way the Chapter turns out? He is, but only because you made him important. It's the common DIY thing of focusing on the founding master, when it's not necessary, and at worst detracts from what should be the real focus; again, the Chapter. I am guilty of this myself with the Heralds, and it's something I will change.

I believe that everything you're trying to achieve with Tiberion can be done only by referencing the training cadre. You might ask 'but what about the choices Tiberion made?', well I have some suggestions later.

 

My suggestion for the Origins section is to rewrite the first paragraph to exclude Tiberion, and then drop the next two. What I would like to see instead is a small description of the Chapter and what they're all about ( a brief stealthy, knowledge hungry ways), but leave the details of certain aspects to the respective sections. This helps to establish the main themes of the Wolfs, and so that certain things don't seem like they came out of nowhere.

 

The main things for me in an Origins section are:

When and why - This you have and its good enough. No need to get into too much detail, unless the when or why has effected them in any way.

Their Reputation - Have they completed their initial assignment? Or is it an ongoing/permanent thing? How have the actions of the Chapter been received by others? The last one can help to portray the Character of the Chapter, before diving deeper into it in the following sections.

 

Homeworld:

Good. The Remussian people really enforces the themes you're trying to put forward. It feels a bit short though. But I have some suggestions later.

 

Beliefs:

Good. A bit rough, but as you develop these guys more, I'm sure the sections will both be expanded and refined.

 

Combat Doctrine:

Aside from my suggestion of reducing/removing Tiberion's role, the first line reads a bit weird to me. Would a space marine captain really modify indoctrination based on the recruiting stock? It's too sudden and feels forced to me, and feel more like cheap excuse than a good explanation/reason for the Chapter's doctrine.

I would rather let the Remussian recruits' natural adeptness at stealth, gradually effect doctrine of the Wolves over time. From the typical White Scars fast attack heavy doctrine, to a more heavy reliance on scouts and stealth before the final swift strike. Or put in another way, first the lone wolfs (scouts) track and stalk their prey, probing their opposition, gathering information, before the entire pack (company) gathers to assault the prey. Fits nicely with the theme.

 

I would however focus the stealth part on the scouts only. Assault marines and landspeeders aren't very silent or sneaky.

 

It could also be good to add a paragraph about post battle information gathering/analysis.

 

Organization:

Starts off good. Establishing the independence of companies, in compliance with traditional WS organization. I feel you go into too much detail regarding squad composition. Simply stating that each company is mostly self contained, with their own veteran and scout squads is enough, and maybe that squad composition might vary from company to company. I would however emphasize the scouts. Scout companies in Codex Chapters don't have a set number of squads, and and often fluctuate. There is a certain degree of leeway there that might be utilized. I think some of the Night Wolves companies could have more then two squads without that catching to much attention, and I think it's kinda fitting due to their reliance on scouts.

One thing, why only 8 Companies?

 

The sub headers should be dropped. They only take up space and the info is still part of the Org. section. It is a bit detailed in places so try to cut down where you can.

 

The recruitment part should be moved to the Homeworld section, as that's where it fits best plus beefs that section up a bit. The part about the scout training involving post battle analysis is great, but having it in the Homeworld section spreads the thematic aspect more evenly throughout the article.

 

The Eriditium is great, and feels more natural now. And with my suggestions for adding some of this aspect of the Chapter to other sections will make it a even more natural part of the Chapter and article.

 

The line about the Librarians can be dropped.

 

The equipment stuff is unnecessary, and a bit 'look at my shiny toys!' like. I feel it detracts.

 

Gene-seed:

Good. A bit short, but I guess there isn't much more to say.

I'm not sure what the amber eyes adds to the chapter, and the acute senses is similar to the special equipment. It gives the impression of 'my marines are better than yours'.

 

***

 

Those are my thoughts and suggestion, but it's all up to you of course. As I've said before, I like the feel of the Chapter and I think there's potential.

As for if the wolfy theme works, IMO it does. The intro sets the stage and is more than enough. I'm not force-fed wolfyness, but instead enjoy the subtle wolf aspects of the Chapter. I like it.

 

I hope you get what I'm trying to say, as I'm really tired now. Good night.

[Jacobius]

Hey Folks,

 

Back from work sending me interstate for 3 weeks and attempting to move house. Huzzah! <_<

 

Codex Grey:

 

You've given me quite a bit to chew on but hopefully, now that I haven't looked at it for a month or so, I can look with fresh eyes and do a major rewrite.

 

Your blog link lead me to nothing

 

Very odd, when I try the links they take me where they're supposed to go. Can someone else please try this and let me know if they work or not?

 

Their Reputation - Have they completed their initial assignment? Or is it an ongoing/permanent thing? How have the actions of the Chapter been received by others? The last one can help to portray the Character of the Chapter, before diving deeper into it in the following sections.

 

You're right, something about their previous battles will help this section along, thought about it a bit at the start and decided most of their battles will revolve around Orks/rebel IG with a few small skirmishes recently against small swarms separated from one of the hive fleets finding their way into the Night Wolves local sector. Completely slipped my mind as I was focused on doing rewrites for the stuff I already had, so thank you for reminding me.

 

Would a space marine captain really modify indoctrination based on the recruiting stock?

 

The thought I had on this was, not knowing how a homeworld/recruiting population is selected, upon finding a world inhabited by feral humans, the training cadre would probably spend some time observing their potential new recruits to check for chaos taint/mutation and to determine if they were even suitable. Upon observing the Remussar's way of life Tiberon would have decided to harness their potential rather than trying to force them into a battle style they're not used to (I know the clockwork orange style indoctrination the recruits would receive would mean they could be made into any kind of warrior needed but if it aint broke don't fix it, right?). If I put that into prettier wording would it work do you think?

 

I feel you go into too much detail regarding squad composition. Simply stating that each company is mostly self contained, with their own veteran and scout squads is enough, and maybe that squad composition might vary from company to company. I would however emphasize the scouts. Scout companies in Codex Chapters don't have a set number of squads, and and often fluctuate. There is a certain degree of leeway there that might be utilized. I think some of the Night Wolves companies could have more then two squads without that catching to much attention, and I think it's kinda fitting due to their reliance on scouts.

 

Fair 'nuff. Didn't like it but had seen it in one of the guides...I think?

 

One thing, why only 8 Companies?

 

There are 10, 8 offworld at most times, 2 assigned to garrison/R&R/recruiting at all times with all companies being rotated back onto garrison eventually. Will think about how to rewrite this to make it clearer.

 

The recruitment part should be moved to the Homeworld section, as that's where it fits best plus beefs that section up a bit. The part about the scout training involving post battle analysis is great, but having it in the Homeworld section spreads the thematic aspect more evenly throughout the article.

 

This is an excellent suggestion :)

 

The Eriditium is great, and feels more natural now. And with my suggestions for adding some of this aspect of the Chapter to other sections will make it a even more natural part of the Chapter and article.

 

Glad to hear it, this is the bit I've been worried about most in terms of getting it to fit and making sense.

 

I'm not sure what the amber eyes adds to the chapter, and the acute senses is similar to the special equipment. It gives the impression of 'my marines are better than yours'

 

I know, I know...so very cheesy but someone asked about any special geneseed stuff so I thought I'd throw it in there to see how it sounded to others. Am quite happy to consign it to the flames.

 

Cheers for that CG, much appreciated.

 

If anyone has anything else they want to add, feel free ;)

 

-J-

[Sigismund Himself]

Your blog may be set to private so that's why we can't see it <_<

[Jacobius]

Just checked,

 

The board administrator has not given permission to create private Blogs.

This setting will have no effect.

 

Definitely not set to private.

 

Can someone please try cutting and pasting this URL and see what happens?

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...logid=988