Field Police

[James Raynorus]

I've been wanting to do an IA on an official chapter for a while so I decided on the field police from the original rogue trader rulebook. As it is practically garunteed that they will not be updated.

Field Police

Origin

After the heresy many planets had become ridden by crime to an insane extent. The Adeptus Arbites could no contain the outbreak of crime and villainy that resulted from the war between the space marines. When, the High Lords determined that they should assign a new chapter to deal with this newfound crime. Thus the field police were born they were assigned the battle barges Judge’s Fury and Heretic’s doom. A contingent of twenty veterans and a captain from the Nova marines were sent to help their newfound descendants.

Home world

The chapter was initially fleet-based allowing them easy access to places where they were needed the chapter was very successful. They took down large criminal networks due to the fact that each of the companies possessed its own strike cruiser. Eventually sometime soon after the Age of Apostasy crime began to become less common due to the improvement of the arbites and the new found chamber militant of the Ordo Herictus the Field Police became less needed. The whole chapter began moving as one body and doing the duties of a regular chapter. In Millennium 39 though they were ordered to do their specialty once more on the planet of New Kroy there had been a sudden outbreak of gangster activity and the beginnings of a gene stealer cult. The Arbiter’s headquarters had been destroyed and the chapter put their battle barges on a strike force for the planet. On the planet they became admired by the inhabitants for their amazing work at purging the planet. After, much thought the Chapter Master ordered that New Kroy become the chapter Home World. They built their fortress monastery as a huge tower where the Arbite Headquarter formerly was.

Chapter Organization

After, they took on their purpose as essentially arbites they decided that each company would have the layout of a regular battle company, but each with their own librarian, chaplain, veterans, scouts, apothecaries, tech marine and vehicles. The leader of each company is called a judge and chooses the fighting style of the company. One company might favor making a swift planet fall while, another might only use bikes and land speeders. Each company has one tech marine, chaplain, and librarian. The rest study their art at the fortress monastery. All serfs become an arbiter force for nearby planets along with their regular duties.

Combat Doctrine

To the field police the concept of a combat doctrine is non Existent they favor adaptation a company having specialists in everything from boarding enemy ships to fighting on open landscapes.

Beliefs

The chapter believes in order above everything. They believe that should crime should be destroyed no matter the cost and that all people have crime. Due to the close monitoring of the chapter not one marine or serf has become a traitor due to the chapter’s excessive love for order.

Gene Seed

The Field Police like two thirds of the current chapters they are descendants of Gulliman. Their gene seed is in great stock at Mars due to their early founding. They have multiple successors most of which have a similar love for order. If their gene seed is ever mutated they will examine the mutations, and if it threatens their hope for order it will be purged, but if not it will remain.

[The Normish]

Original concept, for sure.

 

What founding are they? If they were founded because of the Heresy, they might be second or third (second is off-limits, I'm not sure about the third).

 

Homeworld seems fine, but a little more information about New Kroy could help flesh out the relationship between the Chapter and the inhabitants. Since they are not originally from New Kroy, how do they relate to the natives? Do the natives fear their judgment?

 

Chapter Organization seems pretty standard, I like the Arbiter-serf thing. So each Company is essentially a Battle-Company that has access to all weapons and equipment (as in, there are no assault-only Reserve Companies and things like that)?

 

As for Combat Doctrine, I think that sounds very pragmatic, which is good, but I wouldn't say they have no combat doctrine.

 

If the Chapter believes in Order above all else, how do they view the Emperor? How do they view the Eccelsiarchy and the dis-order that occasionally stems from both it and the Inquisition?

 

I take it that this is a preliminary draft. I look forward to reading the completed version when you're done. I like the idea of a Chapter whose purpose it is to hunt down criminals that are particularly threatening to the Imperium (traitors, heretics, and mutants, for example - does this mean they get along with the Inquisition?). They sound pretty oppressive and "the ends justify the means" sort of guys, unlike a lot of the more "humanitarian' Chapters you see around.

 

If you want me to help some more, I'll be quite happy to!

[Brother Tyler]

Contrary to popular belief, the Second Founding isn't "off limits". It's just highly recommended that another Chapter be used (which I agree with). Your choice of creating the Chapter from the Novamarines would imply Third or later since the Novamarines were created in the Second Founding.

However, I noticed that your color scheme doesn't match the original:

Is there a particular reason for that?

Also, the Space Marines aren't created to perform garrison work or police worlds. That is the mission of the Adeptus Arbites and the planetary Enforcers. Such a role would be wasted on the Adeptus Astartes, especially since it is much easier to recruit the millions of Arbites that would be needed for multiple worlds than to create a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.

Personally, I think that the Field Police were never a Chapter as such, but were more akin to a role similar to the Apothecaries ("Medics" as they were portrayed right above the "Field Police") and Techmarines. During the Rogue Trader era, the background on the Space Marines was very dynamic and fluid - it had not been molded into what we know today. Many Space Marines were criminals recruited from their homeworlds and the discipline of the Astartes wasn't what we know today. This is especially true for anything that appeared in the Rogue Trader rulebook when compared to the material that was developed during the latter part of the 1st Edition. In that, I think that the concept of Field Police was rolled into the Chaplains, who also appeared as a smaller image on that spread and were fleshed out later in the 1st Edition, becoming the disciplinarians and warrior cult priests of the Astartes.

We've sort of assumed the role of the Field Police in the B&C mascot Chapter, the Legio, who also have black armour and red helmets, though this role is more of acting as diplomats between the various Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes and sort of enforcing internal policing between the Chapters (to avoid as much as possible the interference of other agencies of the Imperium in the affairs of the Emperor's Sons). That doesn't in any way mean that you can't use the Field Police if you want, but is meant more to illustrate how the concept of "Field Police" might be better updated and adapted to the modern fluff.

[The Normish]

As little as I know about the original background for these guys (or any of it, actually), it seems to me like this Chapter would be enforcing "The Emperor's Law", as they see it. As in, they sort of do the same things all other Space Marines do, but believe in the idea of Law and Order (and Sam Waterston - terrible joke), and would be particularly cold and unforgiving. They would "police" the sector looking for things to purge and kill. Does that make as much sense as it does in my head?

 

Anyway, obviously it's up to James Raynorus (treacherous Starcraft name though it is - only kidding) to tell us. Just offering how it seems to me. Sorry if I seem a little impertinent, by the way, James Raynorus.

[James Raynorus]

Contrary to popular belief, the Second Founding isn't "off limits". It's just highly recommended that another Chapter be used (which I agree with). Your choice of creating the Chapter from the Novamarines would imply Third or later since the Novamarines were created in the Second Founding.

However, I noticed that your color scheme doesn't match the original:

Is there a particular reason for that?

Also, the Space Marines aren't created to perform garrison work or police worlds. That is the mission of the Adeptus Arbites and the planetary Enforcers. Such a role would be wasted on the Adeptus Astartes, especially since it is much easier to recruit the millions of Arbites that would be needed for multiple worlds than to create a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.

Personally, I think that the Field Police were never a Chapter as such, but were more akin to a role similar to the Apothecaries ("Medics" as they were portrayed right above the "Field Police") and Techmarines. During the Rogue Trader era, the background on the Space Marines was very dynamic and fluid - it had not been molded into what we know today. Many Space Marines were criminals recruited from their homeworlds and the discipline of the Astartes wasn't what we know today. This is especially true for anything that appeared in the Rogue Trader rulebook when compared to the material that was developed during the latter part of the 1st Edition. In that, I think that the concept of Field Police was rolled into the Chaplains, who also appeared as a smaller image on that spread and were fleshed out later in the 1st Edition, becoming the disciplinarians and warrior cult priests of the Astartes.

We've sort of assumed the role of the Field Police in the B&C mascot Chapter, the Legio, who also have black armour and red helmets, though this role is more of acting as diplomats between the various Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes and sort of enforcing internal policing between the Chapters (to avoid as much as possible the interference of other agencies of the Imperium in the affairs of the Emperor's Sons). That doesn't in any way mean that you can't use the Field Police if you want, but is meant more to illustrate how the concept of "Field Police" might be better updated and adapted to the modern fluff.

Regarding the color scheme I knew someone would point out the real color scheme so I just crossed my fingers and hoped I got it right, and in case no one noticed Kroy is York spelled backwards. Thanks, but GW never said it wasn't a real chapter so I'm gonna go with it.

[Aqui]

Field Police were a position or rank that like Lieutenant and Lieutenant-Commander were taken out after Rogue Trader.

 

An interesting idea, although I think that perhaps rather than concentrating on individual Criminals/Cartels, the Chapter would be better off dealing with entire Planets full of Criminals (think ridding the Imperium of much larger versions of Mos Eisley for example.)

[Brother-Captain Jericho]

I like the basic idea.

 

Dislike the name as it sounds more like a title than a Chapter name, though. Which I think it is?

 

Also... They would have a combat doctrine... One that's likely very codex if they can do a little of everything.

[James Raynorus]

Field Police were a position or rank that like Lieutenant and Lieutenant-Commander were taken out after Rogue Trader.

 

An interesting idea, although I think that perhaps rather than concentrating on individual Criminals/Cartels, the Chapter would be better off dealing with entire Planets full of Criminals (think ridding the Imperium of much larger versions of Mos Eisley for example.)

 

Wow thanks thats actually how I was intending to put it. I'll put up a new update by the end of the day.

[Doghouse]

I think maybe a name something like the Enforcers would be a good start. The Night Lords did have a sense of justice driving their actions although it became a little corrupted so something like this would be extremely plausible.

 

I think the field police picture from the RT book would be great as a starting point for the chapter icon and a nice nod to the original.

 

I do think that you probably want to get a strong mandate in place for these guys. For the most part criminal activity is the domain of the Arbites or the witch hunters depending on the nature of the crimes committed and how it is interpreted by Imperial authorities.

 

Basing them on a highly authoritarian hive world would be a good start, maybe something along the lines of mega-city one might provide some inspiration.

 

You could take a leaf from the Black Templars book and have chapter keeps based on planets that could act as precincts and deal with situations that the Arbites are able to on their own. So you are probably looking at quelling major rebellions or dealing with genestealer cults so you could have ties to the Ordo Hereticus and the Death Watch.

 

I think the key would be to start off with the nature of the chapter itself and their homeworld, how they are naturally inclined to favour law and order then go on to explain how this has shaped their roles in the Imperium and the campaigns they engage in.