DIY Chapter logistics

[Lucion]

I'm wanting to start a DIY chapter and the stickies have been incredibly helpful, especially when it comes to the actual "creation" part fluff wise. The project I'm wanting to start is hopefully going to grow into something much bigger than just a page worth of back story and a colour scheme. It will probably take the form of a blog and I want to work on it hopefully for several years, provided I can keep the enthusiasm to do it and I don't run dry on fresh ideas that is. The intention is to write as much as I possibly can regarding all stages of a chapters lifespan starting "pre-creation" by doing something fairly short but informative on my chapters parent chapter. Id rather keep this stage small so as not to tread on any toes when it comes to writing about GW founded chapters, just introducing some characters and reasons for the new chapter being founded and them being chosen to mentor.

 

Chapter creation seems to be something that is skipped over by GW for every chapter and the only real information I could find about it was on this site in "How are new chapters founded? By Aurelius Rex" and its been a great help in forming a basic framework of events around the founding of my chapter, however there are some questions I have that I could find nothing on and hopefully those more in the know regarding chapter creation may be able to help. If there is no definitive answer then id still be greatly interested in what the community thinks would be the best theories or way of handling the situation and I could go from there, anyway on to the questions!

 

Your chapter is founded and the first batch of recruits begin training with mentors from its parent chapter, the Mechanicus makes you a "starter" kit of vehicles and probably a barge or a strike cruisers so you can fly around and make war. The question is how does your new chapter acquire the rare items such as Terminator Armour and Dreadnoughts. If my memory serves me correctly the Space Marine codex lists the Ultramarines as having 26 Dreadnoughts and whilst they are obviously going to have a larger amount compared to later foundings due to it once being a Legion, how could your chapter ever get even close to that when new ones cannot be produced. I imagine a small amount could be "Gifted" by your parent Chapter once your chapter makes it to 3+ Battle Companies, but where else could a newly founded chapter get them. Does the Mechanicus have a small number to give to newly created Chapters? I cant imagine the parent chapters being able to spare more than a handful of Terminator suits and possibly 1-2 Dreadnoughts and those aren't going to be enough for a full strength chapter.

 

My second question is regarding the Fortress-monastery and the Chapter Forge. I don't want them located on my chapters "Home" world but rather a moon orbiting the planet, would the Mechanicus come and build them for us whilst the Chapter is still in the process of building its first few Companies or is it the duty of the chapter to build its own? If so how could a chapter build its own Fortress and Forge when it has no Forge to make the materials. Would they be able to requisition materials from a Forge World in the sector / sub-sector in exchange for more protection?

 

Next one. A full strength codex chapter is made up of 1000-1500~ Space Marines but it also consists of many thousands of serfs and servitors etc. How does a new chapter get these and who trains them as the small force from your parent chapter is going to be tied up training space marine recruits. Once your chapter is well established then there are many ways of getting and training them but in the beginning it seems like a daunting task. Pulling too many from your chapters home world could stunt growth for several generations and hurt your intake of future space marines as well as damage relations. Nobody likes having their relatives stolen. My guess would be that the servitors come from penal worlds and the serfs just build up over time from failed recruits and small intakes from your homeworld until you have enough to fill all the major roles. Does this sound feasible?

 

Final question (for now D:) is regarding the command structure and how it would be created in a new chapter. Supposing the parent chapter sent a reserve company Captain and a handful of Sergeants & Veterans, the Captain would take over the role of acting-Chapter Master and the Sergeants & Veterans would take on the roles as Captains. Once your chapter reaches a size to be self sufficient and they go back to their own chapter, how would new Captains and a Chapter Master be chosen? No one would really have the necessary experience that you would expect from Space Marines in that type of position so is there any documented way to handle this exchange of power or do you think that it can be left up to me as the writer to decide how it happens and hope that I don't get torn to pieces for doing it "wrong".

 

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your input.

[Lysimachus]

Ok, lets take a crack at these!

 

Your chapter is founded and the first batch of recruits begin training with mentors from its parent chapter, the Mechanicus makes you a "starter" kit of vehicles and probably a barge or a strike cruisers so you can fly around and make war. The question is how does your new chapter acquire the rare items such as Terminator Armour and Dreadnoughts. If my memory serves me correctly the Space Marine codex lists the Ultramarines as having 26 Dreadnoughts and whilst they are obviously going to have a larger amount compared to later foundings due to it once being a Legion, how could your chapter ever get even close to that when new ones cannot be produced. I imagine a small amount could be "Gifted" by your parent Chapter once your chapter makes it to 3+ Battle Companies, but where else could a newly founded chapter get them. Does the Mechanicus have a small number to give to newly created Chapters? I cant imagine the parent chapters being able to spare more than a handful of Terminator suits and possibly 1-2 Dreadnoughts and those aren't going to be enough for a full strength chapter.

 

Firstly, in the GW 'creation of a space marine' article it says that the Ad-Mech replicates 1,000 sets of gene-seed in test tube bodies before implanting them into the new recruits so unless there is a major problem, any new Chapter should start at more or less full strength. The Chapter is founded over a space of several years and so I would say that some of the Forge World production where they are founded is turned over to building the equipment/ships they will need (in the article it is named as Mars but I think logically any large Forge World - with shipyards - would do). TDA and dreads are difficult to produce, but not impossible, so a new Chapter will probably get a fair few. Getting replacements/extra is much harder as there would most likely be a long waiting list for them. As you said, they could get a few bits from their 'parent' Chapter as well.

 

 

My second question is regarding the Fortress-monastery and the Chapter Forge. I don't want them located on my chapters "Home" world but rather a moon orbiting the planet, would the Mechanicus come and build them for us whilst the Chapter is still in the process of building its first few Companies or is it the duty of the chapter to build its own? If so how could a chapter build its own Fortress and Forge when it has no Forge to make the materials. Would they be able to requisition materials from a Forge World in the sector / sub-sector in exchange for more protection?

 

I must admit I'm not sure on this one, in most GW/DIY articles I've read the Chapters just seem to have the resources needed to construct their monasteries. It would likely be over a period of decades rather than years though.

 

 

Next one. A full strength codex chapter is made up of 1000-1500~ Space Marines but it also consists of many thousands of serfs and servitors etc. How does a new chapter get these and who trains them as the small force from your parent chapter is going to be tied up training space marine recruits. Once your chapter is well established then there are many ways of getting and training them but in the beginning it seems like a daunting task. Pulling too many from your chapters home world could stunt growth for several generations and hurt your intake of future space marines as well as damage relations. Nobody likes having their relatives stolen. My guess would be that the servitors come from penal worlds and the serfs just build up over time from failed recruits and small intakes from your homeworld until you have enough to fill all the major roles. Does this sound feasible?

 

Again, my guess would be the initial core would be provided along with everything else from the Forge world they were created on, with others gradually added from failed aspirants once they start recruiting.

 

 

Final question (for now D:) is regarding the command structure and how it would be created in a new chapter. Supposing the parent chapter sent a reserve company Captain and a handful of Sergeants & Veterans, the Captain would take over the role of acting-Chapter Master and the Sergeants & Veterans would take on the roles as Captains. Once your chapter reaches a size to be self sufficient and they go back to their own chapter, how would new Captains and a Chapter Master be chosen? No one would really have the necessary experience that you would expect from Space Marines in that type of position so is there any documented way to handle this exchange of power or do you think that it can be left up to me as the writer to decide how it happens and hope that I don't get torn to pieces for doing it "wrong".

 

Well, there are two choices. First, they may simply stay with the new Chapter, becoming part of it rather than their old one. If they do leave, it will be a long time after they started training the new force. By the time they leave, there will be numerous experienced and capable veterans to choose from. Probably if the CM knows he is leaving, he will have kept an eye on/selected for further 'command' training any of the new marines who he thinks might be up to the job.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Lysimachus

[Lucion]

Thanks for the reply

 

Firstly, in the GW 'creation of a space marine' article it says that the Ad-Mech replicates 1,000 sets of gene-seed in test tube bodies before implanting them into the new recruits so unless there is a major problem, any new Chapter should start at more or less full strength

 

Having the gene-seed isnt the problem, it takes 55 years to vat-grow the 1000 needed but having 1000 recruits to place the gene-seed in is another thing all together.

 

"For Blood Angels, although hundreds, possibly thousands, of challengers may attend Angels Fall on Baal Secundus, only 50 victorious Aspirants are selected after they have taken part in violent games and tournaments. The 50 selected are then taken to the Fortress Monastery on Baal, where they will hopefully be able to withstand even more tests before becoming a Neophyte"

 

Taking thousands of aspirants from a single world over and over again in a very short period of time would cause many of the "strong" blood lines to completely die off and your home world would become a weak source of recruitment, you have to leave two or three generations before recruiting from the same place again so the process of building a chapter would be a slow one. By the time the chapter makes it to full strength you would have a fully fledged veteran 1st company from the first few times you recruited.

 

 

Well, there are two choices. First, they may simply stay with the new Chapter, becoming part of it rather than their old one. If they do leave, it will be a long time after they started training the new force. By the time they leave, there will be numerous experienced and capable veterans to choose from. Probably if the CM knows he is leaving, he will have kept an eye on/selected for further 'command' training any of the new marines who he thinks might be up to the job.

 

Aye I thought about having the acting-Chapter Master choose his successor before he leaves, he will know the Space Marines under his command best after all, the others could also choose their replacements too, maybe a little while before they intend to leave so it gives them time to train them for the role and ease them into it rather than having a completely new set of chapter leadership overnight. I don't want the "mentors" to stay with the chapter which is why i was trying to think of the best way of handing over the reigns. It just doesn't sit well with me that you would rise to the rank of Captain and most likely be a Hero in your chapter only to then be sent away and have to found another chapter, despite the honour of being given the task I expect the Captain would be slightly bitter about being sent away from everything he knows and has fought for and then to have to stay there forever. I know I would want to return to my home chapter.

[Wildfire]

Easy answer: the fact that it's not documented in official fluff means you can make up your own details!

 

For instance, my chapter conscripted tens of thousands of hive gangers. The youngest and very best became space marines. The older ones were worked to death building the fortress-monestary, and the survivors were either executed (the trouble makers), turned into servitors, or became the first generation of chapter serfs (the more reliable ones).

[Odsox]

And if your Chapter has a homeworld, they can always.. annex any surrounding villages and make indentured workers of the inhabitants! After all, who's going to try and stop an eight-foot genetically-engineered superhuman in power armour from offering them a life of honour and service to the warriors of the most glorious God-Emperor of Mankind?

 

Od.

 

++Edit++

 

P.S. It's not slavery, it's enlightenment!

[Lysimachus]

Having the gene-seed isnt the problem, it takes 55 years to vat-grow the 1000 needed but having 1000 recruits to place the gene-seed in is another thing all together.

 

No, sorry, I guess I wasn't being clear. My point is (if my memory is correct, I can't find the article now) that it says that the Forge World does the implanting of the whole first generation of a Chapter, the entire 1,000 gene-seeds, as part of the creation process before the training cadre takes over; and therefore the first recruits don't come from the Homeworld at all. (I think this is right, as I said I can't find the article now so if someone can quote it and prove me wrong I'm quite happy! :) )

 

After all, most Chapters don't have a Homeworld from the start, some never take one! When they later do start recruiting from Homeworld/wherever they've been, it's to replace the losses they've suffered already.

 

So the question should be where does the Forge world get the 1,000 suitable aspirants from?

 

 

Edit: Having said all of that, I'd have to agree with Wildfire that it's all fairly vague and you can (more or less) do what you want for your Chapter!

[Argon]

Having the gene-seed isnt the problem, it takes 55 years to vat-grow the 1000 needed but having 1000 recruits to place the gene-seed in is another thing all together.

 

No, sorry, I guess I wasn't being clear. My point is (if my memory is correct, I can't find the article now) that it says that the Forge World does the implanting of the whole first generation of a Chapter, the entire 1,000 gene-seeds, as part of the creation process before the training cadre takes over; and therefore the first recruits don't come from the Homeworld at all. (I think this is right, as I said I can't find the article now so if someone can quote it and prove me wrong I'm quite happy! :P )

 

After all, most Chapters don't have a Homeworld from the start, some never take one! When they later do start recruiting from Homeworld/wherever they've been, it's to replace the losses they've suffered already.

 

So the question should be where does the Forge world get the 1,000 suitable aspirants from?

 

 

Edit: Having said all of that, I'd have to agree with Wildfire that it's all fairly vague and you can (more or less) do what you want for your Chapter!

 

IIRC, don't they use vat-grown people? We know the cogboys can do that, right?

[Wildfire]

I seriously doubt it. If vat-grown bodies are usable, why would a chapter spend all that effort monitoring and stealing recruits from local populations? The fact that most every chapter recruits from feral worlds or hive gangs indicates to me that they're looking for something that they can't teach in training.

 

Altho, that does give me an interesting idea for a renegade chapter. Hmm..., no. I have too much to do to start a new project!