Bolshevik/Soviet Chapter

[Walter Payton]

People with long memories may remember me saying that I intended to make DIY chapters for each of the major powers in WWI. Well, the German Chapter Mk II project is rolling along nicely, so I though I would get started on the post-October 1917 Russians now, maybe draft a plan for when my current project is finished.

 

My objective is to make a chapter that is renegade, but not Chaotic. After re-reading 1984, I intend to make the chapter as power-hungry, manipulative and dominating as the real CPSU was, however. The themes will be lust-for-power, deceit and megalomania, and the way in which all three are doomed to fail to beat some of the people some of the time.

 

First, I need a name. The few that I have tried all either existed in real-life (Red Guards, etc) or are twee. I normally am okay at coming up with names, but I need some help from my Liber brothers here.

 

The plan for the chapter's abandonment of the Czar Emperor goes thusly:

 

The chapter are content to let the governor of their home system run it for them, leaving the to get on with killing people.

 

This system works for years, until the standard and ethics of the governorship gradually erode.

 

Eventually a yet-to-be-determined enemy invades the chapter's home sector. Hundreds of millions of guardsmen and the entire chapter are called up. War goes badly, due to negligent defence planning on the part of the evil ruler.

 

Increasingly tyrannical policies are sanctioned by the corrupt governor in order to try to rectify the situation and hide his failures. People get fed up.

 

People rebel. Governor appeals to Chapter to maintain order. Chapter responds with brutality to be expected of Marines.

 

Chapter unable, despite horrific causalties on part of rebels, to put down revolt. Many marines begin to become disillusioned with what they are being asked to do.

 

Chapter opens talks with rebels.

 

Chapter betrays governor, proclaims a free Republic and denounces Emperor as a genocidal tyrant.

 

Current situation: chapter fighting both Imperial punitive expedition and the original yet-to-be-determined enemy, mirroring the three warring states of 1984.

 

Any thoughts? All criticism is welcome and desired.

[voi shet magir]

They should be reactionary centralizers. So, the opposite.

 

They can still be renegade, but the focus in this article ought to be after the break, and not on the break.

 

Marines should get medals that don't mean anything, and even heroes should be bundled off to exile when they don't toe the line. Also: security services

[Arkangilos]

Well, I think it would be interesting if the chapter master was overthrown (due to the rebellion) by his subordinates, and is run in a communist sort of way. Maybe have it run by the Central Executive Committee (or Central Chapter Committee, the CCC, which is one letter short for the soviet CCCP :P ). And at its head is the Supreme Sovern (based on teh Supreme Soviet). That would give it a commie feel.

 

And lets see, a chapter name...

 

The Red Brothers

Red Warriors

Red Shields

Red Protectors

Red Brotherhood

Red Star

 

Brotherhood of the Sickle

Brotherhood of the Hammer

Brotherhood of the Red Star

 

I'll try to think of more later.

[PyronusSouria]

When I first looked at this thread, for some reason I got the image of Space Marines with AKs :P Totally the wrong decade, but still a neat image.

 

Anyway, I think this is a very cool idea. It might be neat to have it collapse later on as well, like the USSR did. Maybe some of the planets controlled by this Chapter secede?

[Grimdarkness]

Chapter civil war the kangaroo trial of "heros" exile gulags the mass starvation of the home worlds population. The purging of the chapters leadership before the current cursade. Mass artillery mass tanks lots of cannon fodder infantry.

 

 

As for names something with guards in it would work.

[Terminatorinhell]

Its a good concept, I would like to see a full story on it :P. Also can I see the WWI german chapter?

[Walter Payton]

Its a good concept, I would like to see a full story on it :(. Also can I see the WWI german chapter?

 

It's coming soon, it has kind of metamorphosed from Germans to generically arrogant, and I am trying to bring it back to Germany.

[Walter Payton]

Its a good concept, I would like to see a full story on it :(. Also can I see the WWI german chapter?

 

It's coming soon, it has kind of metamorphosed from Germans to generically arrogant, and I am trying to bring it back to Germany.

[DarkVen]

It may be as brilliant, and terrible. Some of the ideas that I've read here we call "klukva" in term of "nonsense". Medals with no meaning, or mass tanks/artillery and so on.

First things first: USSR is the alliance of the republics, not just one republic.

For every marine medal=seal/master-crafted armor or weapon.

Space marines can't have lots of tanks, because they are infantry-based army. And except Whirlwinds they have no artillery.

 

On the other hand, AK design can be a cool base for thematic bolter conversions.

 

And speaking about naming it. United host/warriors/brotherhood/brothers. Because main idea of Socialism is equality and union.

 

But IMHO, we have now soviet-army in 40k - this guys known as Valhallan or somethin'...

[AbyssKnight]

I would actually say a Vindicator is more artillery (big gun) than a Whirlwinds (mobile missile launcher).

 

For the name, I can't believe no one has mentioned Bears. Also, you could use a variant of "Red," for example Crimson Bears.

 

Since Russia was characterized as "the East" with Europe/US as "the West," the Chapter should be near the Eastern Fringe. The invading force should be the Tau, and the space marines could become influenced by ideas of the Greater Good. I am not saying they join the Tau, but applying aspects of the GG ideology (communism) in protecting humanity as opposed to Imperial creed. They can still fight the Tau (think of the Tau as China, there were still a lot of tension there despite both being communist).

[Tyther]

For the name, I can't believe no one has mentioned Bears. Also, you could use a variant of "Red," for example Crimson Bears.

 

I'd vouch for that.

 

But as far as the rest of the Chapter details go, they'll have to be Soviet in outlook rather than in organization, since the Imperial Guard's got the whole Russian demeanor (lots of machines, en masse charges, Commissars). Perhaps the ranks of the Chapter are 'unofficial', with all Brothers being nominally equal, while in reality they're no different from how the loyal chapters are, similar to how the Soviets were really not all that much different from the czars.

 

The history is a-ok for me, but not the part about the 'free republic'. The Space Marines have WAY too much power to not let it get to their heads. An independent 'protectorate', perhaps? Supposedly governed by the people with the Astartes as guardians, mirroring the Warsaw Pact states (a long time after WW1, I know, but just throwing it out there)?

[Arkangilos]

Well the Soviet Union was supposedly a "free" state. But the Supreme Soviets let power get to their heads. That is the problem with Communism, while everone is "equal" someone lets their equality get to their head, and become "more equal" than everyone else :D That could be the character of the chapter, in which refer to my first post ;)

[Tyther]

Well the Soviet Union was supposedly a "free" state. But the Supreme Soviets let power get to their heads. That is the problem with Communism, while everone is "equal" someone lets their equality get to their head, and become "more equal" than everyone else :D That could be the character of the chapter, in which refer to my first post ;)

 

And I agree with that as the Chapter's character- I'm just arguing that in a (semi-logical) extension of the USSR's form of government, there are no official positions- every Space Marine is simply 'Brother'. That way, the power any leadership within the Chapter has is purely practical, as opposed to official. So if you looked at a roster, you'd only see one title repeated a thousand times, but in any conversation, one or two of the 'Brothers' dominate.

[Brother-Sergeant Bohemond]

Larger than per normal chapter and masses of Guard as the mainstay of the battle doctrine, so, over a thousand marines and something similar to the Tyrants Legion and a whole subsector under their control 'united' under the chapter command (ala, Politburo). Chaplians=KGB-esque and so that could be played up a lot in their IA.

 

I like the Crimson Bears for a name, but, you could have a rename if you so desire.

[Arkangilos]

Well the Soviet Union was supposedly a "free" state. But the Supreme Soviets let power get to their heads. That is the problem with Communism, while everone is "equal" someone lets their equality get to their head, and become "more equal" than everyone else :D That could be the character of the chapter, in which refer to my first post :)

 

And I agree with that as the Chapter's character- I'm just arguing that in a (semi-logical) extension of the USSR's form of government, there are no official positions- every Space Marine is simply 'Brother'. That way, the power any leadership within the Chapter has is purely practical, as opposed to official. So if you looked at a roster, you'd only see one title repeated a thousand times, but in any conversation, one or two of the 'Brothers' dominate.

 

Well, you could have that and the command in the form of a committee. You have your Company Committees (and all of them still have the rank of brother), and you have the Chapter Central Committee, where they still hold the same rank but practice a higher command. However, I still think there should be one man in charge with a title (much like the Soviet Union). He could be the Supreme Sovern or something. Or the Speaker of the Council. But he is controlling and power hungry, and holds the real authority that the committees are supposed to hold.