Heru Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 I have a Chapter for every Codex, the Darkwatch is my Codex Dark Angels Chapter. What I am wondering is what current Unforgiven players think of the concepts behind my Unforgiven Chapter, and whether they work. This is what I have from them so far, I know it's not much yet, but it's just the start: Index Astartes: Darkwatch - Large version of Darkwatch symbol - IA Notes: - Loyalist Chapter. - Dark Angels Geneseed. - 3rd Founding Chapter. - Angels of Vengeance Successor. - Stationed along the Northern edge of the Astronomican's range in the Segmentum Obscurus. - Has three primary bases of operation. + The Watchtower: A massive immoblie space fortress and monitoring station that sits out in the void between star systems (not the Galactic void). It has enough space to house the entire Chapter's assets and personnel. + Centurion: A base hidden within one of the thirteen moons of a Gas giant in an unpopulated star system. + Deadfall: The Darkwatch's primary recruiting world. - Has many minor Chapter listening posts and observation stations spread out along the border, watching outwards into the darkness of the void between Galaxies and the systems not covered by the Astronomican's light. Most stations are only crewed by singular Space Marines commanding a number of Chapter serfs and servitors. - As members of the Astartes, their duty is to watch for all threats that may come from the void, or may emerge in systems bordering it. - As members of the Unforgiven, their duty is to watch for members of the Fallen who may have been thrown out into the void between Galaxies and are trying to make their way back into the Milky Way, or are hiding in systems on the border of the void. - They are one of four members of the Unforgiven with this duty. The other three stationed along the Eastern, Western and Southern borders of the Galaxy. - They are organized just like all other Dark Angels successors. - They use the standard Codex Astartes marking system (Tactical, Devastator, Assault, Veteran symbols etc etc). - They display their Company colour on their Right kneepad (their right, our left when looking at the from the front). - Darkwatch Sergeants and Company Veterans wear bone coloured robes. - Their Deathwing (1st Company) equivalent is known as the Nightstalkers. - Their Ravenwing (2nd Company) equivalent is known as the Regulators. Terminator: Scout: Chapter Badge on pad: Also Darkwatch Category on my B+C blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isiah Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 No replies? I like 'em. Colour scheme is good (bone white and black) and would be good looking on the tabletop I should imagine and is kind of a metaphor for the dark and light side of our character. Personally the zeno skull on chapter badge looks a bit Chaosy or Space-Wolfish to me. Was that the intention?? Cheers I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother-Redemptor Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 I agree on the head for the chapter badge. It looks wolfish/orkish, maybe try throwing a sword peircing the circle/star. Otherwise the successor looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FerociousBeast Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Very interesting, and explores one of the more fantastic angles on the Fallen. According to the fluff, the Fallen are spread throughout time and space, so by that there's really nothing preventing them from landing in other galaxies. Or the distant past, but that's another issue entirely. That said, those are two of the facets of the Diaspora of the Fallen that have never sat well with me. The story doesn't make much sense if you assume that the Fallen were scattered at random--because if truly random, then they'd all pretty much pop out in the void of space--so the only other alternative is that the Fallen were deposited by whomever scattered them (almost always described to be the Chaos powers) with intent. And if with intent, there would be little reason to deposit them anywhere other than the galaxy of the Imperium. Other than that, your background is good and interesting. It also obviously indicates the existence of three more Successor chapters that have not yet been created. There are some logical issues with assuming that a single chapter can be expected to realistically police the edge of an entire quadrant of the galaxy, but hey, it's 40k we're talking about. One possible suggestion would be to relocate your chapter to the southern quadrant so that they can come naturally into conflict with the Tyranid incursion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EPK Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 I like the sound of it and also agree the badge might need some more thought. I like the idea of one Astartes lording over chapter surfs - and it's vaguely reminiscent of the Fallen they hunt who sometimes happen to rule planets. Do you have a background on why you choose such an image? I like where FB is going and perhaps that may even explain their chapter badge looking so xeno, as they may have also been created in opposition of Tyranid incursions (that would change their founding though). On a side note, I prefer to think that DA successor chapters can not field an entire company of Terminators. So I would not be against you having PA Vets as part as the 1st company as well. But that's just me. And finally, Regulators, mount up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heru Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 Just putting this here so I can keep the discussion centralized. Octavulg wrote on my blog: - 3rd Founding Chapter. Why so old? - Has three primary major bases of operation.+ The Watchtower: A massive immoblie space fortress and monitoring station that sits out in the void between star systems (not the Galactic void). It has enough space to house the entire Chapter's assets and personnel. + Centurion: A base hidden within one of the thirteen moons of a Gas giant in an unpopulated star system. + Deadfall: The Darkwatch's primary recruiting world. Primary major is redundant. - They are one of four members of the Unforgiven with this duty. The other three stationed along the Eastern, Western and Southern borders of the Galaxy. - They are organized just like all other Dark Angels successors. You're dictating about other Chapters here. That's generally poor practice. - Their Deathwing (1st Company) equivalent is known as the Nightstalkers. - Their Ravenwing (2nd Company) equivalent is known as the Regulators. Nightstalkers isn't bad, but Regulators is just...weird. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My responses: - 3rd Founding Chapter. Why so old? 1. I was thinking that their mission as Unforgiven would have been one of the oldest to be laid down (the faster you set up a perimeter the easier it is to find your targets). 2. It helps explain why they are trusted by the other Unforgiven to do this job. 3. It gives them time to build up a Terminator armour collection for their Deathwing equivalent. - Has three primary major bases of operation.+ The Watchtower: A massive immoblie space fortress and monitoring station that sits out in the void between star systems (not the Galactic void). It has enough space to house the entire Chapter's assets and personnel. + Centurion: A base hidden within one of the thirteen moons of a Gas giant in an unpopulated star system. + Deadfall: The Darkwatch's primary recruiting world. Primary major is redundant. Changed to just primary. - They are one of four members of the Unforgiven with this duty. The other three stationed along the Eastern, Western and Southern borders of the Galaxy. - They are organized just like all other Dark Angels successors. You're dictating about other Chapters here. That's generally poor practice. It's not much of a perimeter if it's just them, and the second bit is from the Dark Angels Codex (at least I think it is, my DA Codex is back in the UK). - Their Deathwing (1st Company) equivalent is known as the Nightstalkers. - Their Ravenwing (2nd Company) equivalent is known as the Regulators. Nightstalkers isn't bad, but Regulators is just...weird. It's a number of things: 1. Homage to the origin of the Chapter name and symbol (the game Darkwatch). 2. A Wild West/Frontier/Cowboy reference (Galactic Edge, mounted strike force etc). 3. A slight reference to the Fallout 3 Regulators (Bounty Hunters who hunt evil people). No replies? I like 'em. Colour scheme is good (bone white and black) and would be good looking on the tabletop I should imagine and is kind of a metaphor for the dark and light side of our character. Well I also thought it could stand for allot of other dualities as well: Darkness of the Void, Light of the Galaxy Unforgiven, Fallen Redemption, Damnation Etc etc. It's nice that, that the duality was noticed though. Personally the zeno skull on chapter badge looks a bit Chaosy or Space-Wolfish to me. Was that the intention?? It is actually a Vampire skull. The Chapter symbol, name and Regulator / Nightstalker names come from the game Darkwatch. Said game is about a secret society of well armed hunters who fight the supernatural (mainly vampires and the undead) in the Wild West (though they have timeline that goes Rome - Dark Ages - Wild West - WW1/2 - Future). Basically I didn't use anything from that other than the four bits mentioned, and the fact that the Galactic border is sort of "the Wild West" of 40k (oh and the whole hunting thing - though Fallen rather than Vampires). I just say that there is probably allot of Xeno species (that aren't the big Codex races) that hide from the Imperium just outside the Astronomican's light, and that the skull is one of theirs. :shrug: To be honest I'm not very good at drawing "new" symbols. Very interesting, and explores one of the more fantastic angles on the Fallen. According to the fluff, the Fallen are spread throughout time and space, so by that there's really nothing preventing them from landing in other galaxies. Or the distant past, but that's another issue entirely. That said, those are two of the facets of the Diaspora of the Fallen that have never sat well with me. The story doesn't make much sense if you assume that the Fallen were scattered at random--because if truly random, then they'd all pretty much pop out in the void of space--so the only other alternative is that the Fallen were deposited by whomever scattered them (almost always described to be the Chaos powers) with intent. And if with intent, there would be little reason to deposit them anywhere other than the galaxy of the Imperium. I like to think that out in the Void there is probably a number of rogue planets (planets tossed away for example if their star exploded), space hulks and lost ships on which members of the Fallen could have been deposited. Other than that, your background is good and interesting. It also obviously indicates the existence of three more Successor chapters that have not yet been created. There are some logical issues with assuming that a single chapter can be expected to realistically police the edge of an entire quadrant of the galaxy, but hey, it's 40k we're talking about. Yeah I stuck with four because any number larger than that becomes a "so why hasn't GW mentioned one of these guys yet" for example like the Astartes Praeses (SP?). One possible suggestion would be to relocate your chapter to the southern quadrant so that they can come naturally into conflict with the Tyranid incursion. Hive Fleet Leviathan didn't come in from the edge though (it came from below the Galactic plane - so underneath), so even if my Chapter was in the South, they wouldn't of come into contact with it. Though there is Hive Fleet Moloch in the North East (minor Tyranid Hive Fleets are all over the place these days). That said the Tyranids are too new, in my opinion, for the Darkwatch to be created in response to them (that would stick the DW in at the 26th Founding and thus make them a bit too rookie for my taste). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FerociousBeast Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 The Tyranids are definitely attacking the southern edge. There is one hive fleet that is spiking up through the center of the galactic plane, but that's not the one I'm thinking of. Anyway, I didn't mean to suggest that the Darkwatch were created to combat the Tyranids, just that if you put them in the south, you'd gain some narrative hooks you could explore due to the inevitable conflict between the Darkwatch and the Tyranid hive fleets. Could give you some interesting plots, such as: - the Darkwatch are in the middle of hunting down a Fallen on a planet that is suddenly assaulted by Tyranids - the Darkwatch hear of a member of the Fallen and must decide between chasing him down or protecting one of their three fortresses from a splinter fleet - the Darkwatch must snatch a Fallen marine from a planet in the final throes of a Tyranid assimilation and escape with their prize before time runs out - or any number of plots that have nothing to do with the Fallen at all. Though an inordinate amount of attention is placed on the Hunt for the Fallen both in the literature and in many fans' expectations, in reality the Unforgiven spend the vast majority of their time conducting normal Space Marine operations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octavulg Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 1. I was thinking that their mission as Unforgiven would have been one of the oldest to be laid down (the faster you set up a perimeter the easier it is to find your targets). Makes a fair bit of sense. Though, on the other hand, why not just wait at the center of the galaxy and hunt them down the normal way. I mean, it's not like the Fallen are going to sit in the void of space waiting for something to happen... 2. It helps explain why they are trusted by the other Unforgiven to do this job. They're fellow Dark Angels. 'Nuff said. 3. It gives them time to build up a Terminator armour collection for their Deathwing equivalent. There's no need for them to have 100% Terminator armor in the deathwing, you know. It's not much of a perimeter if it's just them, and the second bit is from the Dark Angels Codex (at least I think it is, my DA Codex is back in the UK). I don't remember the second bit, though it may exist. I'd say just mention that other DA successors watch the other borders, and leave how many and how more ambiguous. It's a number of things:1. Homage to the origin of the Chapter name and symbol (the game Darkwatch). 2. A Wild West/Frontier/Cowboy reference (Galactic Edge, mounted strike force etc). 3. A slight reference to the Fallout 3 Regulators (Bounty Hunters who hunt evil people). It just...doesn't feel right. None of those are particularly grimdark or gothic sources of inspiration, and the name shows that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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