Index Astartes article templates

[Brother Tyler]

Previously I mentioned the possibility of having article templates that incorporate graphics-based headers. I've worked up a few examples, though these are relatively simple applications. The intent would be two-fold:

1. Provide stock images that players might use in their articles
   
2. Demonstrate the "art of the possible", hopefully inspiring members to create their own images
   

For these, I've gone with simple 500 pixel wide by 16 pixel high headers with 12 point black Arial text in all upper case. There is a two-pixel gutter at the top, left, and bottom. The backgrounds were taken from images I got from Lost and Taken, a site that provides free stock texture images. I cropped two of the images, though I could very easily have multiple portions of multiple textures for variety. Each finished text layer is set at 85% opacity. Using layers in Photoshop and variations on the same words (British versus American English, variation in the published Index Astartes articles, etc.), I've come up with these two examples:

There are, of course, lots of possibilities, including larger sized font, different colors for the font, wider/narrower headers, incorporation of other imagery on headers, borders, etc. Having a variety of stock images might satisfy most players' needs, but I'm sure that our more enterprising players will pick the ball up and run with it, creating their own versions in order to customize their articles.

The use of variations (e.g., "Honours" and "Honors" above) will allow players to choose their preferred headers.

I'll finish the other headers using the same backgrounds later (time for bed).

[Brother Tyler]

Notes for further header development...

 

The examples I provided above work well enough on the black background of the default B&C skin. However, they don't work quite as well on lighter skins such as IP.Board Pro. One semi-solution is to create darker headers as options (with lighter text), though this then reverses the problem. Another solution is to create a border around the header in order to give it contrast. I'll probably go with both solutions in order to give players a choice.

 

I think that the overall height of the headers might be a bit small, especially if I add borders. I'll probably double the gutter sizes.

 

I'll also create similar headers using larger text (probably 20 point font).

 

All headers will also have variants with graphics at the far right - probably a skull, eagle, all five of the basic Chaos symbols, the fleur de lis (for Sisters of Battle Orders), the Inquisition symbol (just in case someone creates an organization associated with the Inquuisition), the Adeptus Mechanicus symbol, and whatever else I can figure out would be generic enough. These will be simple graphics and will match the text color and size (so four versions of each).

 

While the finished images will be available, I'll probably make the files available for download. This will allow players to further expand upon their choice in order to customize their articles (especially if they want to make headers for event names and other unique stuff). These might be accompanied by a tutorial to help members along (and I'm sure that you Photoshop ninjas can help me to improve upon that tutorial since I learn things in Photoshop by accident).

 

The last "template" I'm working on is a rather generic "mini" template such as we saw at the Third War for Armageddon website. I'll provide a few examples of how Chapters were portrayed there since there was some variation, but the overall format was fairly consistent. This should do well enough for those players that want to give a basic amount of information without going into too much detail, and works for all of the armies we cover without needing special headers or categories.

 

And once I get the templates and files prepared, we can start dickering over the format of the actual article (and you guys will see that your concerns have already been considered and might further refine the article).

[Brother Tyler]

Taller headers (20 pixels high now instead of 16), now with a black border. The black border won't mean much if you're viewing the site using the default skin (or any of the variations with a dark grey/black background), but if you're using a lighter skin, the border provides more contrast between the background and the header image. If you'd like to see, go to the bottom left of your screen and change the skin you're using (try IP. Board Pro). I'll have variations of these using a black border, a white border, and no border, allowing the user to choose. I'm also going to work on the graphics for the far right portion of the image, but that will come later (after I finished some work for Octavulg).

Again, Photoshop image with layers and using various spellings to accommodate different countries/preferences.

And now that I have these basic image templates done, it's time for me to turn my mentally composed work for another project (Octavulg's) into actual material that can be used. :P

[Brother Tyler]

And here are a few more of the graphics headers, now with icons. I've simply used the post icons we have here at the B&C, turning the black backgrounds transparent. I'm sure that we might come up with some images that work better with the backgrounds in time.

Fleur de Lis (for our Adepta Sororitas players):

Aquila (should work for loyalist Space Marine players):

Chaos Undivided:

I've turned most of the other icons into similar graphics, except for those specific to the Big 4 Chapters. Other icons include the four Chaos Powers, the bolter, the Inquisition symbol, and the fermee cross (I kept the fermee cross of the Black Templars since that's also a common icon of the Imperium and other Space Marine forces).

Looking at these now, the Fleur de Lis and Chaos Undivided icons cover too much vertical space. This is probably a problem with a few of the other icons. I think that I'm going to have to use a slightly taller background graphic so that the icons are within the borders. ;) I guess I'll have to get to work on that. :)

Going through back issues of White Dwarf I found the Codicium Imperialis article on the Space Wolves. This was a format used in 3rd edition before the Index Astartes articles. Most of the same information is given, and then some. This fell into the category of the "Liber Honorus" (which I assume was general information about the Space Marine Chapters), as opposed to the "Liber Victorum" Codicium Imperialis article about the Ultramarines and the Battle for Macragge (I'm assuming that Liber Victorum articles were about events/victories). The problem with the Codicium Imperialis article is that it uses header titles that are specific to the Space Wolves. I can probably derive a template of sorts, but players will be encouraged to deviate from that format and to customize headers to the nature of their Chapter.

In another back issue of White Dwarf I found an article on the Dark Angels (an excerpt from the Historia Astartes). This was a single page article that gave a brief overview of the Chapter followed by a short section on Chapter Organization and concluding with a section on Other Distinguishing Anomalies.

Lastly we have the article on the Howling Griffons that appeared around US WD 300. This was a two-page article that gave very basic information on the Chapter, starting with a brief overview, then going into Organization and History, and concluding with a very short section on the Chapter Today.

These three "formats," combined with the similarly short "formats" from the Third War for Armageddon website, should provide players desiring to provide less details about their Chapter with workable alternatives.

Now we just need to figure out corresponding templates for Chaos Space Marine units and Adepta Sororitas Orders.

At some point after Codex: Witch Hunters was published, there was an article titled "The Liber Sororitas" in White Dwarf magazine. Unfortunately, that article was about the Adepta Sororitas in general and didn't specifically cover any of the major Orders. That article did provide some very interesting bits of information (for those that are inclined to follow "the gospel"):

It has been observed that the different Adepta Sororitas Orders do not display any great divergence from one another in terms of combat doctrine or organization, as do many Space Marine Chapters and Imperial Guard regiments. Such differences arise, in the case of the Astartes, from the strong genetic link with the Chapter's Primarch or, in the case of the Imperial Guard, as a result of combat doctrines unique to the culture from which the regiment was raised. The Adepta Sororitas can trace the routes of its doctrines to a single source - the San Leor temple of the Daughters of the Emperor - and their teachings have remained largely unchanged since that time.

Despite the lack of significant divergence between the Orders Militant in terms of organization and combat doctrine, there is a degree of variation to be found within the teachings of the founders of the Orders, which tends to reflect the outlook of each Founding Saint. For example, the Sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady can be said to reflect the vengeful nature of their patron, Saint Katherine, while the Sisters of the Order of the Bloody Rose share the brooding, quick-to-anger nature of Saint Mina.

...

The exact number and size of these "Lesser Orders Militant" [i skipped a paragraph there :P ] can only be guessed. It is assumed that none are as large as any of the six "Greater" Orders, and some may be as small as only a hundred or so Sisters. It is known that the leaders of the Lesser Orders are, in theory at least, answerable to the leaders of each of the Greater Orders that formed them, but this structure has little practical meaning because of the size of the Imperium and the many years travel in the Warp that separates the Lesser Orders from their parents.

Whether or not that material is preserved in the upcoming Codex: Sisters of Battle is anybody's guess, but I guess we should take that issue up in an article on creating DIY Adepta Sororitas Orders.

Most of the Chaos Space Marine armies featured in White Dwarf (other than the Traitor Legions) have been painting showcases (e.g., Shel'Das'S Castigators by Gary Marsh). The standard Index Astartes article format should work well enough for many, though we'd have to come up with some header or group of headers for why/how/when a Chapter went renegade. There was the Index Malleus article on the Lost and the Damned and another on the Blood Pact, both of which followed a similar format. These might also be modified for use in writing up Chaos Space Marine warbands. Headers for these included: Physical Characteristics, Home World, First Contact, Combat Capabilities, Technology (only in the Blood Pact article), Threat Index and Imperial Policy, and Peculiarities (only in the Blood Pact article). Perhaps these might be expanded upon and added to our bank of header images.

[Brother Tyler]

Okay, I've made a few adjustments. The header image height is now 26 pixels, with the font changed to 16 point Arial in bold. I also created a few new header icons, including an eagle's head, a skull, and the fermee cross. So far I've created the full range of Space Marine headers for the paper background using the eagle's head icon and the marble background using the skull icon. You can see the images and their URLs below (anyone desiring to use them may).

I've had to break this down into two posts due to image posting limits. At the top of each post are the individual images and their URLs, with the template for the "classic" Index Astartes article using those images. Note that where there are variant spellings/titles (e.g., "Gene-Seed" and "Geneseed") I've given the verbiage in parenthesis after the corresponding URL, with the variations separated by slashes. You'll have to choose the spelling you want and then remove everything else on that line.

PAPER BACKGROUND/EAGLE'S HEAD ICON

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_12079.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_14189.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_3417.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_8.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_1898.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_13946.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_13628.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_6062.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_6944.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_8154.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_10327.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_7231.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_9735.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_744.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_4767.gif]

TEMPLATE FOR "CLASSIC FORMAT"

PAPER BACKGROUND/EAGLE'S HEAD ICON

[center][size=4][b][color=orange]Index Astartes[/color][/b][/size]
<<Chapter Badge>>

[size=5][b]The <<Chapter Name>> Space Marines Chapter[/b][/size][/center]
[imageright][img=<<Space Marine image URL (showing color scheme)>>][/imageright][basicheaderhalf=black]Origins[/basicheaderhalf]
<<Information on the origins of the Chapter>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_6062.gif] (Home World) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_6944.gif] (Homeworld)
<<Information on the Chapter’s home world>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_1898.gif]
<<Information on the Chapter’s combat doctrine>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_10327.gif] (Organisation) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_7231.gif] (Organization)
<<Information on the Chapter’s organization>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_3417.gif]
<<Information on the Chapter’s beliefs and warrior cult>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_13628.gif] (Gene-Seed) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_13946.gif] (Geneseed)
<<Information on the Chapter’s gene-seed purity/mutations/lost organs>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_14189.gif] (Battle-Cry) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_12079.gif] (Battlecry) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_8.gif] (Chapter Motto)
<<The Chapter’s battle-cry or motto>>

<<The next part is only needed if you have special rules for your Chapter>>

[size=4][b]USING A <<CHAPTER NAME>> ARMY IN WARHAMMER 40,000[/b][/size]

<<Provide the special rules for your Chapter>>

[Brother Tyler]

MARBLE BACKGROUND/SKULL ICON

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317423244/gallery_26_6416_5209.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317423244/gallery_26_6416_2372.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317423244/gallery_26_6416_8381.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_9939.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_2731.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_1429.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_16042.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_11745.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_6132.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_2121.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_1196.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_6180.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_11958.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_12263.gif]

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_14710.gif]

TEMPLATE FOR "CLASSIC FORMAT"

MARBLE BACKGROUND/SKULL ICON

[center][size=4][b][color=orange]Index Astartes[/color][/b][/size]
<<Chapter Badge>>

[size=5][b]The <<Chapter Name>> Space Marines Chapter[/b][/size][/center]
[imageright][img=<<Space Marine image URL (showing color scheme)>>][/imageright][basicheaderhalf=black]Origins[/basicheaderhalf]
<<Information on the origins of the Chapter>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_11745.gif] (Home World) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_6132.gif] (Homeworld)
<<Information on the Chapter’s home world>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_2731.gif]
<<Information on the Chapter’s combat doctrine>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_1196.gif] (Organisation) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_6180.gif] (Organization)
<<Information on the Chapter’s organization>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317423244/gallery_26_6416_8381.gif]
<<Information on the Chapter’s beliefs and warrior cult>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_16042.gif] (Gene-Seed) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_1429.gif] (Geneseed)
<<Information on the Chapter’s gene-seed purity/mutations/lost organs>>

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317423244/gallery_26_6416_2372.gif] (Battle-Cry) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317423244/gallery_26_6416_5209.gif] (Battlecry) / [img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1317590567/gallery_26_6416_9939.gif] (Chapter Motto)
<<The Chapter’s battle-cry or motto>>

<<The next part is only needed if you have special rules for your Chapter>>

[size=4][b]USING A <<CHAPTER NAME>> ARMY IN WARHAMMER 40,000[/b][/size]

<<Provide the special rules for your Chapter>>

I'll provide the equivalent for the Badab War template later.

Also note that members are free to use these images/templates. If you have a special request for a background, icon, or header title, feel free to contact me via PM.