PH34RB0T Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Hey guys. I'm more or less new to the gaming side of the hobby. I've got a few marines left from my last stint with the hobby, and I've been wanting to do something... Creative with them. Now, I've always liked the Inquisition, but I don't like the current Inquisition dexes. Maybe when the new ones get released... but I digress. I've been toying with the idea of a chapter that fights almost exclusively for other people. Either rushing in to defend Imperial Forces or being used as an Inquisitorial strike force. Basically, lots of interaction with other Imperial forces. What would it take for this? I was thinking probably something along the lines of a chapter who became fleet-based after the destruction of their homeworld, and they see their service to the Imperium as there way for atoning their failures. It just seems a little... cliched. Any input? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapter Master Ignis Domus Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 I recommend the Guide to DIYing and Octavulg's Octaguide 2.0. Both have many answers for you. I'll state some here. The protection of Imperial Forces is fine, but them being a dedicated Inquisitorial unit is not. The inquisition already has its military. Don't usurp their role. Also, a chapter doesn't need to lose their homeworld to become fleetbased. Have you looked at any Raven Guard fluff? It's an excellent example of what you're trying to do. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593153 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PH34RB0T Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 I'm pretty familiar with the Inquisition, and I wasn't planning on being a dedicated force for their bidding. The Inquisition is basically my fluff background. I'm not very familiar with the Raven Guard... worth checking out? Also, I looked at both guides, but they seemed a little complicated. I guess I'd better check again, though. I was just making sure that the idea wasn't overly cliche. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593156 Share on other sites More sharing options...
soddinnutter Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 All chapters fight the battles of others. A distress signal is sent out by a Regiment needing a hand/Colony being exterminated/whatever and then they turn up. In the second Space Wolf book Ragnar Blackmane is put in the service of an Inquisitor for three reasons; 1. he is a newbie and can't accidentally let slip something incriminating 'cos hen knows little 2. he's still a blood claw and the chapter dosn't feel like wasting anyone with a bit of experience and 3. he's a space marine. even their dregs are better than nearly all Inquisitorial Storm Troopers. Maybe the posting to the retinue of an Inquisitor could be as much for the Chapters benefit as the Inquisitors. The Inquisitor gets an awesome fighting machine at his disposal but this is twinned with the fear and knowledge that if his competence and purity are found wanting then he will be executed by the bodyguard. Also the reports they occasionally send back to Chapter HQ are laden with many things the Inquisition wishes the Chapter not to know about. The Commanders of the Imperial Guard Regiments could have a couple of squads under their command for the duration of a campaign, extensions on contract have to be negotiated for with the Chapter Master (or whatever title he has). The Imperial Guard gets soldiers who can go toe to toe with a bane blade and win and the Chapter gets 100% accurate first hand documentation of the IG deployment and strength. Your chapter would have a very, very limited amount direct clout. On the positive side its massively diffuse structure means that even taking out the Fortress-Monastery won't slow them down. Especially if the store houses for the gene-seed are small and spread from one Edge of the galaxy to the other. Down side is that you will have to have a lot more specialists than a normal chapter, given that you will need a sprinkling of micro-forges across the width of the galactic disc if you want your brothers to have Power Armour that acutely works. This constant need for more Tech-Marines will mean that the Ad-Mech will have your chapter by the nuts. But any marines posted to the Skitarii Legions and Explorator Fleets will be reporting anything interesting found back to HQ so maybe it's a price worth paying. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593327 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapter Master Ignis Domus Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Soddinnutter, have you ever heard of the Alpha Legion? :rolleyes: Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593489 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PH34RB0T Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Okay. So, new idea along those lines and with it comes a question of plausibility. Say a chapter's homeworld were destroyed and they teamed up with another force, possibly an Inquisitor or an Imperial Guard regiment to take revenge on whatever it was that destroyed it. If they got low on numbers, is it possible they would be given recruits? I was toying with the idea that the chapter basically sells itself for recruits. Rip it apart, guys. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593777 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapter Master Ignis Domus Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 I might do something like "They are a fleet-based chapter. When they arrive at a system in need, they assist them. They exact a tribute of aspirants from the population when they are done." if you want to do an idea like that. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593788 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PH34RB0T Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 That sounds exactly along the lines of what I was thinking. Thanks! Now on to the next question I've been struggling with... What would it take to destroy a Space Marine homeworld? Either by itself or what would be necessary to cause the chapter to destroy it. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593813 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapter Master Ignis Domus Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 It depends on what you mean by destroy. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593823 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PH34RB0T Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 What would make a chapter abandon their homeworld? I figured that it's destruction would be the most obvious, but are there others? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593828 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapter Master Ignis Domus Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 It could be taken over by an enemy, become a daemon world, or be killed by a form of planetary death weapon. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593840 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Tyler Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Hey guys.I'm more or less new to the gaming side of the hobby. I've got a few marines left from my last stint with the hobby, and I've been wanting to do something... Creative with them. Now, I've always liked the Inquisition, but I don't like the current Inquisition dexes. Maybe when the new ones get released... but I digress. I've been toying with the idea of a chapter that fights almost exclusively for other people. Either rushing in to defend Imperial Forces or being used as an Inquisitorial strike force. Basically, lots of interaction with other Imperial forces. What would it take for this? I was thinking probably something along the lines of a chapter who became fleet-based after the destruction of their homeworld, and they see their service to the Imperium as there way for atoning their failures. It just seems a little... cliched. Any input? As others have said, the concept of a Chapter that fights on behalf/alongside of others is fairly standard and plausible. So the issue really comes down to a Chapter that becomes fleet-based after losing their Chapter somehow (destroying it, having it destroyed, etc.). The notion of them being on a (self-)appointed penitent crusade is completely plausible. I'm pretty familiar with the Inquisition, and I wasn't planning on being a dedicated force for their bidding. The Inquisition is basically my fluff background. I'm not very familiar with the Raven Guard... worth checking out? Also, I looked at both guides, but they seemed a little complicated. I guess I'd better check again, though. I was just making sure that the idea wasn't overly cliche. Don't worry about the guides. While they provide good information, players should never feel constrained to follow them. This is, after all, a game. While it's always nice to have your Chapter fit within the commonly accepted game universe, the various notions of what is "commonly accepted" are highly subjective. Games Workshop doesn't always do the things that the various guides recommend (which isn't necessarily saying that GW is doing "good" things, mind you). Take the guides for what they are - useful and instructive, but not authoritative (and I say that as the guy who wrote the first guide that appeared here at the B&C). Okay. So, new idea along those lines and with it comes a question of plausibility. Say a chapter's homeworld were destroyed and they teamed up with another force, possibly an Inquisitor or an Imperial Guard regiment to take revenge on whatever it was that destroyed it. If they got low on numbers, is it possible they would be given recruits? I was toying with the idea that the chapter basically sells itself for recruits. Rip it apart, guys. It works within the information that GW has given us. That sounds exactly along the lines of what I was thinking. Thanks! Now on to the next question I've been struggling with... What would it take to destroy a Space Marine homeworld? Either by itself or what would be necessary to cause the chapter to destroy it. What would make a chapter abandon their homeworld? I figured that it's destruction would be the most obvious, but are there others? Lost to the Tyranids, an Ork Waaagh!, Necrons, the Warp, excessive mutation among the populace, whatever. There are lots of things that a Chapter might lose their homeworld to, or which might prompt a Chapter to destroy/abandon their homeworld. Captain Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens destroyed one of the worlds from which that Chapter recruited, the very world from which he came as a matter of fact, because of excessive warp influence (I forget the exact reason, but I'm sure the article here in the Librarium will tell you). Out of curiousity, what is the background material behind the army (not the Chapter) that you plan to collect? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593848 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PH34RB0T Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Out of curiousity, what is the background material behind the army (not the Chapter) that you plan to collect? Could you rephrase this question? I'd be glad to answer, but sometimes I have a hard time connecting to questions... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593854 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Tyler Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Often, players focusing on developing the background material behind the Chapter. However, very few players actually collect an entire Chapter. Instead, they collect an army. It is my personal belief that Chapter development is well and good, but players can often make their Chapter development a bit more vague and flesh out specific distinctive elements by focusing on the army. To illustrate, we have a depth of information on the Ultramarines. We actually have a lot more than most players need to focus on, but the reason I'm using the Ultramarines is because they are a "Codex" Chapter. Now if a player decided that he wanted to collect a Sixth Company Ultramarines army, he'd have an army that is mostly Tactical Squads and Bike Squads. Such an army might be augmented with attachments from the Armoury and other companies (tanks, scouts, terminators, etc.), but it would still be a Sixth Company army. So the player might focus a little effort on the Sixth Company and its characters instead of focusing on the entire Ultramarines Chapter. Also, since the Sixth Company is one of the Reserve companies and might have a non-standard organization, the player wouldn't have to develop some rationale for having more bikes than normal. In the case of the Chapter/army you're working on, perhaps you could differentiate between the elements that apply to the Chapter as a whole and those that apply to the specific army you're going to create. Also, identifying which elements apply to which organization might alleviate some of the work you might otherwise put into explaining things. Using my example, the Ultramarines player could opt out of explaining why he has so many bikes in his army simply by saying that it's a Sixth Company army. What we usually see is players looking at their Chapter through the lens of the army they're collecting, and then thinking that they have to explain everything in order to justify it within the "shared universe" concept that we so casually throw around in this forum. I think that we often put too much work on our own and others' shoulders through failing to look at things in the context of our army rather than the entire Chapter. So I'm trying to save you some work. :D Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593867 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PH34RB0T Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Oh, gotcha. :D Well, I'm building a rapid response force. So nothing that won't fit into a drop pod or deep strike itself. The theme of the force is that it's more-or-less the first forces on the planet's surface. They get there as fast as possible to save as many lives as possible. Part of the whole penitence thing. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2593870 Share on other sites More sharing options...
soddinnutter Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 Why would they need to have had a Homeworld obliterated? The death of a single out of the way world might be excusable for GW not to mention it but the death of a Chapter Homeworld would, I feel, get a mention at some time. Perhaps they never got the opportunity to claim a Homeworld after the founding and instead got their entire fleet destroyed. Enough of the Chapter is planet-bound when the fireworks appear in the sky for the Chapter to rebuild but they lost the entire fleet. As far as screw-ups go that impressive enought. Not even the Lamentors have managed that one yet. The AdMech would not be likely to entrust them with another ship again. Ever. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2594554 Share on other sites More sharing options...
PH34RB0T Posted December 20, 2010 Author Share Posted December 20, 2010 I have recently rephrased the idea to the death of the Homeworld's non-Astartes population. I figure it fits better. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/217436-toying-with-a-few-ideas/#findComment-2594559 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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