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Whats our honour guard?


The Thirst

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space wolves have had the best Veteran Squad since 3rd ed. The Wolf Guard! the most tactically fit elite group of hard asses out there. Other codexes have not had any thing quite like it until resently, and their still the best after adding in a Logan-wing your a feared opponet for sure.

We don't have a highly regimented honor guard type elite bodyguard unit in the Space Wolves chapter. Our wolf guard are the closest thing in terms of their level of skill and the quality of their wargear, but they aren't necessarily comparable. Wolf guard perform a number of tasks, and I think the stereotypical wolf guard is highly versatile. He can wear terminator armor or power armor and use different kinds of weapons dependent on the mission (although he probably has a favorite or favorites). He can lead squads, serve as a bodyguard for his lord or another important individual/asset, or act as part of a highly elite strike force tasked with tearing the heart out of the enemy. Some wolf guard are probably specialized to some degree, but the typical, versatile chosen warrior of this elite brotherhood exemplifies the Space Wolves' pragmatic view towards getting the job done instead of checking the regulation pamphlet before making each decision.

 

Along this vein, I imagine that each great hero/commander of the chapter probably has a sort of household guard - a group of huscarls, if you will - at least some of whom accompany him practically at all times like a bodyguard. He may also send them on special missions that he feels he can only entrust to one of his closest, most trusted warriors. This concept is probably exactly where the original wolf guard units came from, and for a Wolf Lord, this idea of huscarls is probably synonymous with the wolf guard itself, but there may be different cases in the chapter as well. For instance, a rune priest, wolf priest, or senior wolf guard probably would not have a contingent of wolf guard attached to him as huscarls, but I imagine that he might have a household guard nonetheless. Consider the old retinue rule and the backstory surrounding it. In battle, Space Wolf heroes each command a particular contingent of warriors (quantified at around 750 points worth in game terms by the third edition codex). It's understood that these commands are flux and can be changed as often as between engagements, but it's likely that commanders would not change these things up more than was necessary. The Space Wolves would keep commands together to promote cohesion, but they wouldn't stick to rigid command structures past the point where they would impair tactical flexibility. But what if each commander had just one or two squads that stayed with him through multiple campaigns as a household guard? Keeping these very small units together wouldn't hamper flexibility (except perhaps in extreme cases) and it would probably help the commanders to do their jobs confidently because they're always intimately familiar with the capabilities of the warriors close to them. I think it makes sense personally, and it would explain why the Space Wolves don't have (and indeed don't need) an honor guard.

space wolves have had the best Veteran Squad since 3rd ed. The Wolf Guard!

 

Well before 3rd Edition, I am afraid. The legacy of our Wolf Guard dates back to the late Rogue Trader era, circa 1992:

 

Wolf Guard

 

 

The Wolf Guard are the elite warriors of the Great Company. They are the pack brothers of the Wolf Lord himself, his companions and his most trusted friends. They have access to the sacred Terminator suits as well as many personalised weapons. Used only for the most dangerous of missions, the Terminator suits are ancient artefacts, giant sets of the mightiest power armour, forged by the ancients and handed down from generation to generation. The honour of wearing one is much sought after by the warriors.

 

The Wolf Guard fight alongside the Wolf Lord in the thick of battle, ready to give their lives to protect their leader. A Space Wolf can only become a Wolf Guard by performing an exceptional feat of heroism such as defeating overwhelming odds in hand-to-hand combat, storming an enemy position single-handed or slaying a particularly mighty foe. They must have proved themselves to be the bravest of the brave since to become a Wolf Guard is the highest honour the Chapter can bestow.

space wolves have had the best Veteran Squad since 3rd ed. The Wolf Guard!

 

Since 2nd, when they first got their own codex (as RT only had fluff, no rules). Nothing since has compared to the sheer nastyness of the 2nd edition WG squad.

 

Not true Wildfire. The first true army list came out in WD157, January 1993, which was still Rogue Trader era, more than a year prior to 2nd.

 

V

Back in Rogue Trader we were from the planet Lucan, and led by Imperial Commander Enoch.

 

True, but that was early Rogue Trader (Book of the Astronomican); in late Rogue Trader the Wolves were completely "rebooted" to the current fluff, and got a brand new army list and rules. In addition to Ragnar Blackmane's Incredible Reflexes Dodge Save, he got an extra attack in close combat from a switchblade-style knife that was housed in his boots!

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