Organization and Fighting Style of the Wolves

[Walter Payton]

I was reading Bill King's Space Wolf Omnibus and have some questions, given that I am about to start up a Space Wolf army.

 

In the book, the Space Wolves are portrayed as being very professional and function almost like modern military units, despite the quaffing off-field. I thought this was an excellent portrayal, but does it tally with the fluff in the Codex, which I have heard from some portrays the Wolves more as, for want of a better term, Space Vikings.

 

Further, do the Wolves have Sergeants? It seems suspiciously Codex Astartes.

 

Finally, how are individual Great Companies structured, if they don't follow the Codex.

[Kassill]

Welcome to the Fang Brother! *Slades ale over*

 

Yes, we are "Space Vikings" no doubt, but dont let that fool you into thinking we're a bunch of babbling idiots when it comes to fighting.

 

The Great Companies, from my knowledge, are setup to each Wolf Lords taste. For instance, if one prefers Thunder Cavalry, you'll see more present in his company than others. Etc, etc. At least, that's what I remember.

 

As for Sergeants I am not sure. I dont think there is any established rank called sergeant, but that Wolf Guard will accompany packs of Space Wolves and serve as a form of sergeant or squad leader.

 

Hope I sort of answered your questions. Been away from it all for a while and im kind of rusty. B)

[Natanael]

I'd say that the wolves are in many ways lika a modern military force. The space viking-portrait that we often get is motsly, IMO, apperance and not so much the actual battlefield tactics that the Wolves usually employ. On the tabletop I'd say we are NOT, as some may think, an assault force, but rather a close firesupport/counter-assault force. We excel within 12". The Grey Hunters are some of the best troops in the game because they can do anything well enough, shoot, fight in close combat and take objectives, and IMO they are the embodiment of what the space wolf force is. That said, there is always the Mark of the Wulfen, or Power Weapon that you can take for them, represented in the greater picture by units such as thunderwolves, large packs of blood claws and so on.

 

And then we have the viking feel in out Heroes. =)

 

About Sgts, we have wolf guards that CAN be assinged to packs, but the "pack-feel" of the wolves make them work in unison instead of taking orders from a singe source. However, there is probably one or more "alpha males" in each pack that have more of a commanding role given to them by the others out of respect, but that does not show in our rulebook or on the tabletop.

 

And the great companies are as Kassil said. Made after roughly the same lines, but with the print of the WL in charge very evident.

 

- Natanael

[Grimtooth]

I am a dissenting voice regarding the Space Wolf Omnibus since I have read A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns. People will try and say that the Wolves of 40k are different then the Wolves of 31k, but I disagree absolutely.

 

Read the Omnibus and enjoy it. Then read the two books above and see if your impression has changed.

[d@n]

You have to read these books with a bit of poetic licence, space wolves dont's have sergeants in the currant codex but if my memory serves they did a few codices back. I see it as maybe sergeants were unique to barreck thunderfists great company, maybe he served along side the ultramarines or something like that and liked to idea.

[Walter Payton]

That sounds cool. Finally, is Sven supposed to be Sven Bloodhowl, or is that just coincidence?

[maverik_girl]

I prefer the word space barbarians than space vikings, the way I see it.. Space Wolves take all the good real life lore and background from old germanic, slavic and nordic maybe even celtic than just the stereotypical "viking" aspect, but that's just me.

[Wulfebane]

Aside from the connotations "barbarian" gives, I agree with Mav_girl. From germanic runes to norse/celtic knotworks and saga-styled adventures, calling them merely "vikings" is a disservice, however mildly appropriate. A truly historic viking vs the notion of "viking" in modern society (thoughts of Minnesota Vikings or "How to Train Your Dragon" come to mind) are very different. For instance, vikings historically did not wear horned helmets, etc... the list goes on.

 

In short, SWs are too complex to simply be considered as "barbarians" or "vikings" but we bear it in stride b/c allowing the enemy to think us brutish simpletons with an axe is what we want them to think.

[maverik_girl]

The only reason why I chose barbarian is from the ancient greek ideology of; if your not greek then your just a barbarian. In 40K terms, if your not codex astartes, mister prim and proper, then your just a savage... when in truth, we Space Wolves are just as dedicated and diciplined. Just as indicated in Prospero Burns, we play our roles and play our part as the savage, feral warriors we are, but we all know better. Intimidation is the name, killing is our game. ;) Viking you say? no FENRIS BORN!!!!!!!!!

[Wulfebane]

Troof.

[Brother Crazywolf]

With all of the visible influences that can be seen in the culture that forms the Wolves I would have to say that they are more like the Germanic tribes abd the Goths of western and central Europe. There is a comon thread that is not seen due to the popular culture but can be seen if looked at historically. The Norse influence is the most visibly dominant as Fenris is a seafaring world.

 

As to organization a paralell can be drawn with the Goths sacking Rome. It wasn't just one tribe that did it. They were under a single leader to do that, I.e., the Great Wolf. Each tribe, or company in this case, had common threads, but its own strengths. The only reason they united was that they had been pushed too far. As far as I am aware the different chapters do not got out and end a threat together as a single group unless the threat is great enough, ie they have been pushed too far. I feel this applies the the Wolves the mlost strongly.

 

Sergeants.... hmm. Have you even seen a wolf, the four legged variety, wearing stripes? There are alphas in each pack. Leaders by general consensus. The Wolf Guard are more like military officers if you ask me. They are looked at for their exprience and leadership and to give a direction to the pack's actions. They are both a member and separate group. Sort of like a special ops team member seconded to a regular military until for the purposes of the mission. They are the biggest, meanest alpha in that pack so deference goes to them.

 

I hope this helps a bit. I also agree with the above posts.

 

Crazywolf

[Valerian]

Sergeants.... hmm. Have you even seen a wolf, the four legged variety, wearing stripes? There are alphas in each pack. Leaders by general consensus. The Wolf Guard are more like military officers if you ask me. They are looked at for their exprience and leadership and to give a direction to the pack's actions. They are both a member and separate group. Sort of like a special ops team member seconded to a regular military until for the purposes of the mission. They are the biggest, meanest alpha in that pack so deference goes to them.

 

The best way to think about Wolf Guard (in my opinion), is taken from one of the oldest sources on the Wolves: "the Wolf Guard are the pack-mates of the Wolf Lord himself.". Occasionally, the Lord will send a few off to augment other packs with their unique skills, leadership, and abilities.

 

V

[Brother Crazywolf]

Sergeants.... hmm. Have you even seen a wolf, the four legged variety, wearing stripes? There are alphas in each pack. Leaders by general consensus. The Wolf Guard are more like military officers if you ask me. They are looked at for their exprience and leadership and to give a direction to the pack's actions. They are both a member and separate group. Sort of like a special ops team member seconded to a regular military until for the purposes of the mission. They are the biggest, meanest alpha in that pack so deference goes to them.

 

The best way to think about Wolf Guard (in my opinion), is taken from one of the oldest sources on the Wolves: "the Wolf Guard are the pack-mates of the Wolf Lord himself.". Occasionally, the Lord will send a few off to augment other packs with their unique skills, leadership, and abilities.

 

V

 

Thank you Valerian. I was not thinking of it that way. That does makes great sense now that I see it.

 

Crazywolf

[Walter Payton]

Certainly the Wolves are very Germanic and Nordic in nature, but I think we can agree that the Bill King books draw on a heavily Viking influence, what with longships, using the word "jarl," and using the cold version of Norse hell (Frostheim).

[Leonaides]

So no-one here can remember Sergeant Haakon? You'd have thought all that saga-telling and the photographic memory might have helped a bit, but apparently not. :D SW's have sergeants. Whether they are represented on TT by any particular rules? not really. Are they maybe refered to differently in fluff? Sometimes. Are they still squad sergeants fluff-wise? Yes.

[Kassill]

So no-one here can remember Sergeant Haakon? You'd have thought all that saga-telling and the photographic memory might have helped a bit, but apparently not. :D SW's have sergeants. Whether they are represented on TT by any particular rules? not really. Are they maybe refered to differently in fluff? Sometimes. Are they still squad sergeants fluff-wise? Yes.

 

 

 

I think B-C Alecto was referring to Sergeant Haakon when he first asked the question :D

[Valerian]

So no-one here can remember Sergeant Haakon? You'd have thought all that saga-telling and the photographic memory might have helped a bit, but apparently not. ;)

 

Sergeant Haakon was from a Black Library novel, not from anything the Design Studio ever published (codices or White Dwarf articles). In what I call the "core fluff", released by the Studio, the Space Wolves do not have Sergeants; those are inconsistent with the SW pack organization model that has been in place for almost 20 years. BL novels are fine, and sometimes add a lot of valuable background material, but when they directly contradict the core fluff, they need to be disregarded. All of this is, of course, my own opinion.

 

V

[Leonaides]

2nd ed there was a Sergeant Haakon in a short story about Ragnar in the SW codex if I recall. got killed saving Ragnars hide from a Carnifex (pushed him out of the way and tried to hold its claws back - got sliced into little pieces for his troubles). SW's have sergeants. whether they use the precise nomenclature from the Codex or not, they have them. Long Fang sergeant (so you call him a pack leader - its the position thats important, not the title), etc...

[Valerian]

2nd ed there was a Sergeant Haakon in a short story about Ragnar in the SW codex if I recall. got killed saving Ragnars hide from a Carnifex (pushed him out of the way and tried to hold its claws back - got sliced into little pieces for his troubles). SW's have sergeants. whether they use the precise nomenclature from the Codex or not, they have them. Long Fang sergeant (so you call him a pack leader - its the position thats important, not the title), etc...

 

I apologize. In the 2nd Edition codex the pack leaders were called Sergeants (including the bit about Sergeant Haakon from the short story that you referred to. This certainly was produced by the Design Studio. However, since 2nd, the term "Sergeant" has gone away/fallen into disuse, as the leader of each pack is simply the "Alpha" personality within each pack, unless a Wolf Guard Leader has been designated to them.

 

I suppose that it is most correct to say that the Space Wolves used to have Sergeants in the old fluff, but they were not the same as the "codex" idea of Sergeants, and the term has been changed over the years.

 

How's that?

 

Valerian

[Wulfebane]

Frustrated, the thing swept the sergeant up, grasping him in all four claws. Haakon arched his back, struggling futilely against the creature's irresistible strength. Great cords of muscle bulged in his neck. For a moment it looked as if he might actually do it. But there was no escape from that death-grip. The claws closed like the blades of great shears and Haakon's body flopped to earth, torn into three pieces...

 

Pages 72-76 of the 2E codex. Written by Bill King.

 

Where it may have existed at one point and time, we've got to go with the current codex (unless you prefer nostalgic games akin to D&D players that use older rule sets). In the 2E codex, you'll note that the BC/GH/LF/Scouts entries all mention having Sergeants, some with special gear, some with better stats. Today's codex has a more homogenized feel, I believe, in hopes to give a smoother gameplay.

 

Some changes made are purely fluff, such as Wolf Scouts now considered veteran loners of their respective companies, rather than raw recruits bound to the Great Company under the eyes of the Wolf Priests.

 

Whatever the case, just consider WG pack leaders as sergeants if you must... or paint up that really nice conversion you've had your eye on and claim him as a sergeant with a saga to tell. Won't mean a hill of beans stat-wise, but it's nice to add some character to your army.

[Adarul Greystalker]

Indeed, many parts of the second edition codex are no longer consistent with generally-accepted fluff established by newer codices. As far as the question of sergeants goes, our packs have internally-recognized leaders and probably have a more complex hierarchy, considering that they're based on wolf packs. Wolf guard are sometimes assigned to lead packs, in which case, the original pack leader presumably becomes second-in-command. Instead of having sergeants and corporals leading our squads, our packs have more complex hierarchies owing to their special bond. Remember that Fenrisian packs remain together throughout their careers (for the most part) and do not receive replacements or reassignments. This makes them less flexible in terms of force strength and organization, but the bond shared by a pack makes them an incredibly formidable fighting unit, even when compared to other astartes. Of course, sometimes it helps to have low-level small-unit leadership with more combat experience or that knows the mind and plans of the command staff more intimately, and that's why wolf guard pack leaders are assigned to squads.

 

Regarding the actual combat organization and fighting styles of the chapter, Great Companies are the smallest fighting units that are considered self-sufficient in a theater of operations. They consist of between 100 and 200 astartes (exact numbers are not given, and it's implied that they vary), including all the wargear, vehicles, and spacecraft needed to wage war. Specialists such as rune priests, wolf priests, iron priests, and venerable dreadnoughts are all considered to be part of the household of the Great Wolf, and are assigned to great companies as needed. Each great company differs according to the tastes of its wolf lord, but they all have blood claws, grey hunters, long fangs, wolf scouts, and wolf guard with grey hunters making up the largest portion of most, if not all, great companies. In combat, a great company's forces are divided into commands which are assigned to rune or wolf priests, wolf guard battle leaders, and/or the wolf lord himself. Each command presumably has its own objectives pertaining to the overall battle plan.

 

As far as how Fenrisian combat styles pertain to viking/medieval warfare as opposed to that of modern, professional armies, it really depends. Blood claws would fight a lot like vikings or other medieval warbands, since they're not too far removed from that type of warrior culture. This limits their battlefield versatility until they've gained combat experience in ranged and combined-arms warfare and they've learned to control the wolf within to a greater extent. They're basically shock troops for the most part. Other wolves of Fenris act more like professional modern military units. Grey hunters are described as utilizing lure and ambush tactics frequently, and they obviously excel at mid- to close-range combat. Other units are specialists and I think they're jobs are pretty self-explanatory.

 

For an excellent example of the wolves of Fenris acting as a modern professional military would, I recommend the assault on the Quietude orbital graving dock from Prospero Burns, while the assault on the Quietude homeworld is somewhat more medieval.

[Grey Mage]

So no-one here can remember Sergeant Haakon? You'd have thought all that saga-telling and the photographic memory might have helped a bit, but apparently not. :cuss

 

Sergeant Haakon was from a Black Library novel, not from anything the Design Studio ever published (codices or White Dwarf articles). In what I call the "core fluff", released by the Studio, the Space Wolves do not have Sergeants; those are inconsistent with the SW pack organization model that has been in place for almost 20 years. BL novels are fine, and sometimes add a lot of valuable background material, but when they directly contradict the core fluff, they need to be disregarded. All of this is, of course, my own opinion.

 

V

I think its not so much of a contradiction.

 

Sergeant Haakon was a training sergeant- injured, and IIRC the last of his pack.

[Firenze]

On the topic of your Sven Bloodhowl question: No, I dont believe he is actually Sven from the books. I see it as once you join a company, you stay till death. This means Sven could be a Wolf Guard in Ragnars company/dead but he isnt Bloodhowl.

 

 

I could be horribly wrong though. I havent read all the SW books.

[Grimtooth]

Indeed, many parts of the second edition codex are no longer consistent with generally-accepted fluff established by newer codices. As far as the question of sergeants goes, our packs have internally-recognized leaders and probably have a more complex hierarchy, considering that they're based on wolf packs. Wolf guard are sometimes assigned to lead packs, in which case, the original pack leader presumably becomes second-in-command. Instead of having sergeants and corporals leading our squads, our packs have more complex hierarchies owing to their special bond. Remember that Fenrisian packs remain together throughout their careers (for the most part) and do not receive replacements or reassignments. This makes them less flexible in terms of force strength and organization, but the bond shared by a pack makes them an incredibly formidable fighting unit, even when compared to other astartes. Of course, sometimes it helps to have low-level small-unit leadership with more combat experience or that knows the mind and plans of the command staff more intimately, and that's why wolf guard pack leaders are assigned to squads.

 

Regarding the actual combat organization and fighting styles of the chapter, Great Companies are the smallest fighting units that are considered self-sufficient in a theater of operations. They consist of between 100 and 200 astartes (exact numbers are not given, and it's implied that they vary), including all the wargear, vehicles, and spacecraft needed to wage war. Specialists such as rune priests, wolf priests, iron priests, and venerable dreadnoughts are all considered to be part of the household of the Great Wolf, and are assigned to great companies as needed. Each great company differs according to the tastes of its wolf lord, but they all have blood claws, grey hunters, long fangs, wolf scouts, and wolf guard with grey hunters making up the largest portion of most, if not all, great companies. In combat, a great company's forces are divided into commands which are assigned to rune or wolf priests, wolf guard battle leaders, and/or the wolf lord himself. Each command presumably has its own objectives pertaining to the overall battle plan.

 

As far as how Fenrisian combat styles pertain to viking/medieval warfare as opposed to that of modern, professional armies, it really depends. Blood claws would fight a lot like vikings or other medieval warbands, since they're not too far removed from that type of warrior culture. This limits their battlefield versatility until they've gained combat experience in ranged and combined-arms warfare and they've learned to control the wolf within to a greater extent. They're basically shock troops for the most part. Other wolves of Fenris act more like professional modern military units. Grey hunters are described as utilizing lure and ambush tactics frequently, and they obviously excel at mid- to close-range combat. Other units are specialists and I think they're jobs are pretty self-explanatory.

 

For an excellent example of the wolves of Fenris acting as a modern professional military would, I recommend the assault on the Quietude orbital graving dock from Prospero Burns, while the assault on the Quietude homeworld is somewhat more medieval.

 

The assault on the homeworld of the Quietude was not medieval at all, but straight up tactical genuis and political maneuvering.

 

The jarl plays upon the vanity of the IG commander to get theatre control. Realizing the protracted battle for what it is, he uses the orbital as a devasting planetary strik to open up the crust thus allowing the VI to actually do what they know. Not to mention, all within authority despite the objections of the IG in the sector. A planet designed to resist a siege is cracked resulting in the saving of probably millions of said IG lives.

 

Was awesome!

[Adarul Greystalker]

Agreed. The use of the orbital as a weapon was genius as well as utterly ruthless (as well as awesome). I wouldn't dispute anything that you said about it. I was referring to the aftermath as medieval because it was a straight-up fight where the wolves basically overran and overwhelmed their foes. They fought this way because they had put their enemy at a huge disadvantage and were attacking swiftly and savagely in order to finish them off, so certainly there was a tactical reason for their all-out attack, but the up-close details of it were absolutely medieval, what with the chaotic melees supplanting the careful planning and precision of the assault on the graving dock.

 

I would describe the actual act of the assault on the Quietude homeworld post-orbital strike as medieval and savage, but I definitely recognize that this was a tactic used expertly to exploit the enemy's weakness. That, in my opinion, is an important part of the wolves' battle doctrine. They are capable of feral savagery and medieval brutality. They understand it because they were born of it. But as astartes, they know how to use this as a tactic when the enemy has been put at a disadvantage and is wavering, ready to be broken by a savage assault.