WIP - IA : The Hammer Guard

[WeaponAdept]

EDITED 08/10/2011

The Hammer Guard

“The mission of every Astartes is to close with and engage the Enemy in all operational theatres and environments of War in order to bring about his defeat in His Holy name, The Emperor of Mankind”

Chaplain Armos Umrald

"The mission of every Astartes is to safeguard the Imperium of Man against it's foes. The people of the Human race are the Imperium. We must protect human life wherever it exists"

Master Apothecary Sundred Altair c.M41

“In the midst of destruction all warriors of Mankind thrive and excel.”

Chapter Master Karos Crohl c.200.M38

BATTLE CRY

Inciter: "Strike hard!"

Response: "Strike True!"

CHAPTER COLOURS

History:

The Hammer Guard are an Adeptus Astartes Chapter founded in M38. The goal of their founding; to aid in closing off the North-East Ultima Segmentum to the Ork menace. Led by Chapter Master Karos Crohl, formerly a Captain of the Crimson Fists, and a team of mentors, the Hammer Guard were a second generation Successor Chapter of the Imperial Fists created from the Gene Seed of the Crimson Fists.

As soon as the Hammers had been outfitted with the Ships and equipment befitting a new Chapter they set course for the planet Incus. Most of the new Astartes recuited hailed from the world of Incus, for this reason it was selected to be the Astartes Homeworld. At Incus they took control, forming a Planetary Government and weeding out corruption within the shakey leadership structure. They constructed their fortress monastary, The Fornax, in a largely volcanic region on the northern continent.

In the first thousand years of their existence they conducted many successful campaigns against Orks in the local sectors, distinguishing themselves and earning good reputation. Engagements with the Eldar pirates and unholy cults furthur steeled them against the enemies of the Imperium. Even the fall of Chapter Master Karos Crohl during a defensive action against a xenos incursion in late M38 only served to cement the Chapters existence.

Word of the Hammers reputation reached the ears of Jolnar, a local forge world who had long maintained an outpost on Incus. An amicable relationship grew between it's master and the Chapter, and so did the Hammer Guards arsenal. The Hammers found themselves naturally drawn towards the technology of the forge world, a trait most likely bourne from the culture of their homeworld (see: HOMEWORLD). The number of potential Techmarines identified from recruits is high. Indeed, many of those recruited into the Hammers already sport bionic modifications. This in-turn generated a substantial level of interest from Mars in the Hammers afairs and their recruiting pool. Mars happily train large numbers of Techmarines in return for the ongoing study of the unusualy sucessful improvised technology borne by the indiginous population.

Most Marines of the Hammer Guard are fanatical about the upkeep of their Wargear. The Techmarines are grateful for the assistance of servitors and human Artificers and Artisans, as they are constantly inundated by work requests for everything from major upgrades to small embellishments on weapons and armour. With a forgeworld in close proximity and a small manufactorum on Incus the Hammers appetite for personal Wargear is easily fed. However, Jolnax has a lack of STC equipment neccessary for the production of vehicles limiting their role in the Chapter.

In M41 after 3 millenia of mostly successful service to the Imperium, the Chapter suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of a Tyrannid hive fleet on course for the inhabited system of Lexanis. Splintered from Hive Fleet Kraken, the invading "Inferna Tendril" moved to the 4th planet of the system. The Hammer Guard set about conducting a massive counter action. The Chapters entire fleet engaged with the Tyrannids in orbit above Lexanis IV while the Astartes themselves deployed to the planet’s surface. In orbit the Imperial fleet fought to a hard earned victory in the space of a few days. On the surface of Lexanis IV however, the Tyrannids proved far more tenacious. Over the course of several months the Chapter suffered horrific losses. At every step the Tyrannids seemed focused on one thing and one thing alone, killing Astartes. Every significant objective was guarded by the most monstrous and ferocious bio-organisms commanding untold hordes of lesser creatures that repulsed every action the Hammers could execute. Every perceived weakness was an ambush, every extraction point occupied. Cut off from the fleet the Hammers died in their hundreds. A descision was made within the hierarchy of the fleet and the planet was bombarded relentlessly. A force of Imperial Guard stationed in the nearby Kotrax system were tasked to move to Lexanis and mop up the remaining Tyrannids. The remnants of the Hammers stayed in orbit to observe and aid the 52nd Kotrax in cleansing the world. The Chapter had learnt it's hardest lesson. The first encounter with the Tyrannid threat had nearly destroyed them. Hatred of the xenos was burned deep into the genetic memory of the Hammers just as the names of the fallen were burned into The Great Anvil on Incus.

Since their first encounter with the tyrannids the Chapter has recovered well. The Ork excursions from Jagga and the Galactic north fear Hammer Guard space. The Hammer Guard themselves patrol their jurasdiction, ever eager to find and face the Tyrannids at any opportunity.

BELIEFS:

The Hammer Guard, like many Astartes Brotherhoods, revere and uphold the Emperor of Mankind as a mortal being.

The Hammer Guard uphold the role of their primogenitors the Imperial Fists as the Emperors Preatorians. Hero's of the Hammer Guard are often said to have inherited 'superior' Terran gene-seed by the populace of Incus. These rumours are not tolerated within the Chapter itself.

The Hammer Guard value human life. While not as 'humanitarian' as the Salamanders, The Hammers will seek to protect human life in the absence of more pressing objectives. That said, the Hammers have been know to abandon human lives in pursuit of interests related to the Adeptus Mechanicum.

They rule Incus as well as they can, seeking to advance the quality of life for the inhabitants who do not fall within their recruiting pool. The Hammers see this as a reflection of the quality of the Chapter itself. Ever mindful that Incus is also their recruiting world, they are not above influencing the nature and frequency of certain low-society activities. Ganger scum are of course, notoriously tough.

CHAPTER ORGANISATION:

The Hammer Guard are a codex compliant chapter with minor deviations. The most notable of these being the significant number of Techmarines. There are always some away on Mars, recieving training from the Mechanicum. More regularly journey to Jolnar to hone their skills furthur when the Adeptus Mechanicums presence on Incus has supplied all the knowledge it can.

Some Techmarines take an aprentice novice, an initiate who aspires to join the ranks of the Adeptus Mechanicum. The novices are suitably trained and assesed by the Mechanicum on Incus and Jolnar before journying to Mars to achieve their full potential.

The Chaplains of the Hammers are not affiliated with any specific formation within the Chapter. In peace and in battle they stand together as a united force, rarely being seen individually. It is rumoured that the Chaplains concentrate their faith to offset the Chapters osbsession with technology lest they be accused of swaying from the Emperors light.

COMBAT DOCTRINE:

The Hammers take pride in their ability to flank the enemy without them noticing it happening. The few bikes in the Chapters arsenal are held by the 10th company who use them to great effect in recconnaisance, flanking and decoy roles.

While a measured, tactical force, The Hammers would rather die before suffering a defeat and the dishonour that comes with it. In engagements that are less than guaranteed to produce a strong victory the Hammeres are quick to assault, least they get bogged down in a stand off. This can work against them however. Assaulting an enemy that has not yet felt the full force of Astartes ranged weapons can end poorly.

HOMEWORLD

Incus IV, most commonly refered to without it's numerical designation, is the only Terra Compatable world in a system of five.

Incus exists today as a mixture of irradiated wasteland and a slowly recovering temperate climate, but it was once a world full of potential.

Re-discovered in late M37 by an Imperial exploratory fleet, Incus had become divided during the Age of Strife.

The southern hemisphere had reached a respectable level of technology and social advancement. Natural habitats still existed in conservation areas. Faster-than-light travel was being tested in-system, several orbital platforms and moon-based mining colonies thrived and the largest city in the south was a borderline arcology. More significant than this was the firm existance of Terra and the Emperor in the cultural memory of it's people. The Galactic co-ordinates of the Sol system were frequently and accuratly detailed in historical documents. When the representatives of Terra contacted the collected councils of the southern lands they were recieved with near unanimous exultation.

Contact with the Northern hemisphere was in direct contrast to this. The people of the North had retreated into the great city-states that covered the larger landmasses they inhabited centuries before. The pseudo-hives were almost totally locked down. Massive AI constructs ran every aspect of day to day life from balancing taxes to collecting resources from outside the city limits. When the Imperial Fleet attempted to contact the North they were answered only by transmissions from AI's. No human could be reached. Closer inspection and ground recconaisance of the North revealed their technology to have startling similarities to known STC constructs in common use throughout the Imperium. Eager to see what other technologies might be in the possesion of the Northlanders, several excursions to the surface were made. Those parties that landed in the hive-constructs vanished quickly and never seen again. More successful were those that landed amongst the agri-lands and vast mountainous quarrys. There they entered autonomous factories. Amongst the various analogues of imperial technology a disturbing discovery was made.

Servitor-like human slaves worked the factories. Hundreds of thousands of semi-aware servitors silently maintained the endless automatons of industry. It was sickeningly similar to the events of Ancient Terra when man had made war against the Men of Iron. Aggressive incursions to the City-States proved what many already feared; the human populace of the North had been completely overwhelmed.

The Imperial Lords were enraged, they accused the South of allowing Heretical practicies to run rife on their world. The Fleet immediatley engaged the Northern continents from orbit. The campaign was long and drawn out. To destroy the North without choking the whole planet in dust and debris meant long intervals between salvoes. It was during these intervals that the AI sent waves of atmospheric drone-craft and slave soldiers towards the South, who were forced to mobilse their military forces.

War raged for two years. the South were all but destroyed. The North lay in ruins, the City-States and their lands reduced to so much glass and dust. Tectonic events were triggered that lasted half a millenia. The North vanished under centuries of Volcanic activity. Despite the devestation, pockets of humans survived the AI holocaust in the North. Slowly waking from their slavery they swiftly adapted to the new world around them, living in the irradiated deserts, picking at the ancient remains of machines that worked their way to the surface. The nomadic peoples learned to repair and upgrade their cybernetic-slave implants, augmenting themselves to survive the wastelands. They delevoped tribal cultures, adapting to fight wars against each other with little aim or consequence, until the Astartes arrived.

The South developed enough to warrant the Imperial Guard establishing a garrison. Unremarkable in many respects the Southerners, once so full of promise, stagnated until the arrival of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Keen to investigate any surviving STC technology, a small Forge and manufactorum were established. The mechanicum outpost captured and disected the tribes of the North as well as sifting the ruins of the South for anything to add to their research. It was through this research the Mechanicum discovered the Bionic Northerners were not just extremly hardy organic beings, but apparently had a natural disposition towards being augmented. Samples of the populace were taken to the Martian Gene-labs which led to the founding of the

Hammer Guard.

The Hammers recruit largely from the Bionic-Barbarians in the volcanic Northern wastes, the people from which the vast majority of the Chapter were initially born. Small numbers of exceptional Southerners make it through the Hammers novice screening programs each year.

LOCATION

TRAITS:

Honour Your Wargear

Death Before Dishonour

[Ace Debonair]

C&C pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease.

 

Very well. :wallbash:

 

“The mission of every Astartes is to close with and engage the Enemy in all operational theatres and environments of War in order to bring about his defeat in His Holy name, The Emperor of Mankind”

Gratuitous 'his' which makes your lads sound unusually heretical.

Luckily you'll have time to fix that before the Inquisitors come knocking. :D

 

Even the fall of Chapter Master Karos Crohl during a defensive action against a xenos incursion in late M38 only served to cement the Chapters existence. Without Karos, they were truly a fully bled, autonomous Chapter.

 

Eh?

So... Crohl was some kind of horrible tyrant who was preventing the Chapter from being themselves?

 

Is that what I'm meant to be taking from this line?

 

In M39 and barely a Millennia old the Chapter suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of a Tyrannid hive fleet on course for the inhabited system of Lexanis.

 

Tyranids weren't around back then, at least as far as I'm aware.

I think they're a strictly M41 menace, although to be honest I'm not too clued up on the bugs.

 

While once they were strict followers of the Codex. The Hammer Guard are now classified as a Non-Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter. With so few Brothers after defeat at the hands of the Tyrannids, the Hammers felt they cannot afford to field formations as large as companies. Unwilling to maintain companies as small as 40 Brothers the Chapter reorganised itself into smaller ‘Corps’. Each Corp has its own distinctive markings and identity as each one specialises completely in a single form of combat. As the Chapter regains strength so adherence to the Codex begins to be restored, albeit in a limited and pragmatic way.

When a mission is initiated a force of individual squads is drawn together from the Corps of the Chapter to form a Battleforce. With each and every Marine and Initiate in the Hammer Guard specialising in a single aspect of combat, the nature of the Chapters tactics is directly influenced.

 

So... why have the non-codex organisation if you're going to have codex battle-formations anyway? :lol:

 

 

There we go, C&C as requested. ^_^

Hopefully my nit-pickery proves useful to you.

[Archivist Thaddeus Kryptem]

Hello there!

I like the general idea of the army I just have a couple of bit's and pieces I'd like to suggest/ask:

 

they set course for the Chapters Homeworld, Jolnax.

 

How did they get this world? Was it assigned/given to them by the high lords of Terra or offered by the local lord of the sub-sector-sector for the defensive benefits of having the space marines calling it home? Just think information like that adds legitimacy to them and adds some more back story... especially if they took it through war :D.

 

In M39 and barely a Millennia old the Chapter suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of a Tyrannid hive fleet on course for the inhabited system of Lexanis.

 

Unfortunately the 'nids are strictly post M41.745, that was there year of arrival and first point of contact with the Ultramarines, and unfortunately any early contact would be out of the question... hard to miss planets getting eaten and a chapter almost being wiped out :P such an event would have been on record, I'd suggest putting the date back 2,000 years so it fits with canon and can give you an ancient chapter struggling to recover or change the Xeno's to possibly Necron's? although I am slightly unsure on there "discovery".

 

Ooooooooh and if you stick with 'Nids can you name the Hive Fleet it was or splintered from? (Behemoth, Kraken, Leviathen) just little details like that make articles like that for me :D

 

Again just my two cents as I like the idea and story ;)

[WeaponAdept]

Great points, the Tyrannid is a pretty massive mistake.... I'll jimmy the dates around a bit, that'll do.

 

The Chapters organisation is a historical thing. That they still employ a varied codex-ish force doesn't mean they have to live like Ultras :-D

 

I want to elaborate on certain things but don't want it to be too long to read. Thankyou by the way for taking the time out to read this, I appreciate it.

 

Eh?

So... Crohl was some kind of horrible tyrant who was preventing the Chapter from being themselves?

 

Is that what I'm meant to be taking from this line?

 

Just about, he was a Crimson Fist at heart and wanted the Hammers to be just like them. When he died, the Chapter could start evolving and growing. Also Crohl was their great teacher, with him gone the Chapter is no longer 'in training' as it were. I wanted to include more history involving Crohl and the nature of his leadership, how his heart bled for his own Chapter and how the Hammers were his chance to rebuild some of the Fists greatness. But it's not really necessary or relevant for an IA.

 

And finally; homeworld. The initial recruits not from the recuiting jurisdiction of the Crimson Fists wee from Jolnax. An ommission on my part.

 

 

When I rework it, should I just edit the initial post or re-post the lot a-fresh?

[NightrawenII]

Just edit the first post, it's easier to find the newest version.

[WeaponAdept]

latest edit is up. C&C please :-)

[Shinzaren]

C&C incoming. Just be careful what you wish for... :D

 

The Hammer Guard are an Adeptus Astartes Chapter founded in M38, reputedly part of the same founding as the Celestial Lions.

Celestial Lions are relevant to this Chapter/IA how? Always try to make sure that everything in your IA is relevant and necessary, as it helps avoid undue length and strain on the reader.

 

As soon as the Hammers had been outfitted with the Ships and equipment befitting a new Chapter they set course for the Chapters Homeworld. Many of the new Astartes recuited hailed from the world of Jolnax, for this reason it was designated an Astartes homeworld by Terra.

Space Marines generally pick their own planets.

 

Even the fall of Chapter Master Karos Crohl during a defensive action against a xenos incursion in late M38 only served to cement the Chapters existence. Karos had always been a Crimson Fist at heart. He mourned the fate of his Chapter as if they were destroyed.

The assault on Rynn's World and the subsequent destruction of the Crimson Fists took place in 989.M41 Your Chapter Master has been around for over 3,000 years if he sees this happen, and by the time this event took place, the Hammer Guard are no longer a young chapter, but full fledged one, bled in the honors of the Imperium. The Crimson Fists would be alive and thriving when Crohl kicks the bucket, unless he becomes a dreadnought.

 

The Hammer Guard were his chance to see the Crimson Fists genetic legacy and heritage carried on. Without Karos' influence, they were truly a fully bled, autonomous Chapter free to become their own Brotherhood with their own traditions.

A successor is never a copy of their parent chapter. Even if the Chapter Master wants it to be, the various influences on the Chapter by the recruiting worlds, engagements, and history will make a different chapter. Killing your Chapter Master because he was 'holding you back' doesn't really make sense to me.

 

In M41 after 3 millenia of mostly successful service to the Imperium, the Chapter suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of a Tyrannid hive fleet on course for the inhabited system of Lexanis. Splintered from Hive Fleet Kraken, the invading Tyrannids were designated "Inferna Tendril". The Hammer Guard set about conducting a massive counter action. The Chapters entire fleet engaged with the Tyrannids in orbit above Lexanis IV while the Astartes themselves deployed to the planet’s surface. In orbit the Imperial fleet fought to a hard earned victory in the space of a few days. On the surface of Lexanis IV however, the Tyrannids proved far more tenacious. Over the course of several months the Chapter suffered horrific losses. At every step the Tyrannids seemed focused on one thing and one thing alone, killing Astartes. Every significant objective was guarded by the most monstrous and ferocious bio-organisms commanding untold hordes of lesser creatures that repulsed every action the Hammers could execute. Every perceived weakness was an ambush, every extraction point occupied. Cut off from the fleet, the Hammers died in their hundreds.

So it was a pretty typical early battle against the Tyrnaid swarm then? Don't worry, other chapters encountering Tyrnaids for the first time fared no better. No one in the Imperium was prepared for the might of the Hive, and entire chapters have been swept aside by it. The fact that you survived at all is impressive, though slightly hard to believe. Especially since your DNA would provide the Hive Mind with ever more dangerous creatures to send against you.

 

The Chapter was disgraced, their precious pride, shredded. Barely 300 marines survived the doomed action, almost resulting in the Hammers demise. Many of the survivors were veterans of the first and second companies, many more were novices of the 10th. The sins of pride and hubris stained the survivors very being. The events of Lexanis weigh heavily in the Chapters memory. The Infernal Wall in the great hall of the Hammers Fortress Monastery lists all those who fell against Inferna Tendril, a constant reminder on the destruction that Pride and Hubris can bring to the Imperium of Man.

Except there was nothing you could have done. First contact with the Tyranids was disastrous in every single encounter. Using this as justification to abandon the Codex, which I know is coming, is foolish.

 

While once they were strict followers of the Codex. The Hammer Guard are now classified as a Non-Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter. With so few Brothers after defeat at the hands of the Tyrannids, the Hammers felt they cannot afford to field formations as large as companies. Unwilling to maintain companies as small as 40 Brothers the Chapter reorganised itself into smaller ‘Corps’. Numbering approximatly 50 at full strength, each Corp has its own distinctive markings and identity. Each Corp specialises completely in a single form of combat for the duration of their lives. As the Chapter regains strength so adherence to the Codex begins to be restored, albeit in a limited and pragmatic way.

Called it. The Codex Astartes is more than a book telling you how to organize your chapter. It is a massive entity that covers nearly every known scenario imaginable. Abandoning the Codex after one battle is silly. Especially when your Chapter is descended from the Crimson Fists, who are staunch supporters of the Codex.

 

After Lexanis, the Hammers found themselves short of just about everything. The Chapter's Apothecaries, Techmarines and Chaplains reduced to a handful in number. Quickly, each of the remaining Apothecaries and Techmarines begin training Novices lest their precious knowledge be lost. Currently the Chapter maintains a steady number of each specialist, each with an Apprentice. The Chaplains of the Hammers are not affiliated with any specific formation within the Chapter. In peace and in battle they stand together as a united force.

Heresy. No one trains Techmarines except the Adeptus Mechanicus, a process that ensures any 'divergent practices' are weeded out. In the short term the apprentice situation might be ok, as long as they were just giving them the basics. After that though, they need to be shipped off to Mars.

 

If they wished it they would have a large pool of potential Astartes. As it is the Hammer Guard retain some of their elitist ways, despite being humbled by Lexanis. They recruit from a select few sub-cultures of Jolnax they have deemed worthy enough for such an honour. Recruitment is adequate enough for the Chapter to enjoy a somewhat inconsistent rate of growth.

Why not increase the recruiting pool? After all, the implantation process is already going to weed out the incompatible and the weak. Denying yourself potential growth after a disaster like you suffered is just foolish.

 

When a mission is initiated a force of individual squads is drawn together from the Corps of the Chapter to form a Battleforce. With each and every Marine and Initiate in the Hammer Guard specialising in a single aspect of combat, the nature of the Chapters tactics is directly influenced.

See this is silly. Space Marines are so dangerous because they are good at everything. You are severely limiting yourself by training your marines solely in one aspect of war, not to mention making it more difficult to replace your losses. Beside, tactical marines are the heart of any Chapter. They get their name from being able to respond to any tactical situation, something your chapter of specialist marines will be unable to do.

 

A three tier formation with mobile elements is standard for any confrontation involving 50 or more brothers.

• Devastators take firm cover or high ground on the rear flanks to harass and engage at long range.

• Tactical squads engage at mid-range while closing with the enemy to cover the Assault. Once the Assault has fought through an enemy position, the Tactical squad will clear and occupy that position. Tactical squads may attach Novices.

• Assault squads move under cover of friendly fire or utilise jump packs to engage the enemy behind their lines and within their defended structures. Assault squads not equipped with jump packs may attach Novices.

• The Corps who form Bike and Landspeeder squadrons are generally sent forward of assaulting troops to soften the line or into a flanking role in order to achieve specific goals and channel the enemy.

So... Codex fighting formation then... Why even bother with the first paragraph. Just go back to the Codex for your formations, since they already utilize Codex tactics.

 

When utilising the Chapters few heavy vehicles, the positioning on the battlefield is much the same. Assault squads have priority use of Razorbacks over Rhinos.

Venerable Brother Mallick tends to roam the battlefield as he pleases. No one argues.

So you took a Rhino, put some long distance firepower on it, and then drove it right into the heart of the enemy? That doesn't make much sense. I would give the Assault squads Rhinos or Land Raiders, and give the Razorbacks to the Devastators who will benefit most from the additional long-range power. There is also the fact that the Razorback has a smaller transport capacity, something that works against Assault Marines and their giant jump packs. Lastly, having a loose cannon wandering all over the battle is silly, especially since "No one argues." The backbone of Space Marines is their iron discipline and cohesion. This guy would be a spanner in the works...

[WeaponAdept]

All great points, I will be working most of them into my next edit. Especially the resounding timeline issue and the Codex point. Through Uriel Ventris's experiences the Codex seems a bit daft in places:

"If we stick to the codex in this situation we will all die."

"Whats your point? Disobeying the Codex is heresy"

"Dying for no reason other than what a book says is stupid"

"You're stupid." *dies

 

If I changed everything they would just be another Chapter with a different name and colour scheme. I'm a little tired of the die hard IA rules.

 

Are the Templars subject to this critisism? (Zealot crusaders? Having the Knights Templar in 40K is silly)

The Space Wolves? (Barbarians who mutate into wolves, whos geneseed putrity is questionable and who are bloody tyrants on their homeworld? Silly)

The Dark Angels? (Quitting the battlefield just to search for one bloke would be silly, Astartes wouldn't do that. Plus they're so Emo.)

The Blood Angels? (Havinga Gene seed that flawed is silly, the Imperium would get rid of them.)

The Raven Guard? (They would clearly have been destroyed after what Corax did to the geneseed)

The Fleshtearers? (Practically Khorne beserkers in loyalist colours? Silly)

 

See what I mean?

 

So genuine thanks for the points but please don't be offended if I don't change everything.

I don't want vanilla marines, I want borderline renegade, flawed Astartes with lots of character, like most of the 1st founding.

 

And the comment about my Dreadnought was just a bit of fun :-)

[Shinzaren]

The idea isn't to make you get rid of all your ideas that don't conform perfectly to the fluff. The idea is to have to explain the those things in such a way that the reader doesn't feel like they are different just to be different. A good explanation/justification for any/all of the things I pointed out will result in a chapter that is different from the rest, as well as being grounded in the same universe we all share.

[WeaponAdept]

The idea isn't to make you get rid of all your ideas that don't conform perfectly to the fluff. The idea is to have to explain the those things in such a way that the reader doesn't feel like they are different just to be different. A good explanation/justification for any/all of the things I pointed out will result in a chapter that is different from the rest, as well as being grounded in the same universe we all share.

 

The problem I have is if I do put an explainer in for everything it becomes less of an IA entry and more of a comprehensive background. When I'm brief points seem too subtle or lost, when I elaborate it's too much for most readers. I have seen some excruciatingly long IA's in the Librarium that don't get criticised and I've also seen some rather short IA's that have recieved negative comments about the same thing. Any advice to help me find the line between the two?

[Leonaides]

Ok, assuming you've got the dates all sorted out now, a couple of quibbles -

 

They take a battering from a Tyranid fleet, and are immediately calssified as non-codex adherent, even though they are working back to being codex adherent as they rebuild? Even the Crimson Fists are not classified as 'non-codex adherent' and they took as much of, if not more of, a hit than this chapter and will take far longer to rebuild (having lost their fortress, their equipment, their stores, their trainign and medicae facilities etc as well as their battle brethern). I'd really suggest takign that little line out, since it is, in the nicest possible way, meaningless words that add nothing. Their only change is to be nominally organised into half companies. Which is actually meaningless since they seem to deploy on a squad-by-squad basis (Iron Snakes style I assume) and dont operate as 'corps' or formal company-level units. There is a massive amount of variation possible within the Codex Astartes, sayign they're not codex adherent tends to come across as sloppy thinking and (as said above) difference just to be different.

[WeaponAdept]

Ok, assuming you've got the dates all sorted out now, a couple of quibbles -

 

They take a battering from a Tyranid fleet, and are immediately calssified as non-codex adherent, even though they are working back to being codex adherent as they rebuild? Even the Crimson Fists are not classified as 'non-codex adherent' and they took as much of, if not more of, a hit than this chapter and will take far longer to rebuild (having lost their fortress, their equipment, their stores, their trainign and medicae facilities etc as well as their battle brethern). I'd really suggest takign that little line out, since it is, in the nicest possible way, meaningless words that add nothing. Their only change is to be nominally organised into half companies. Which is actually meaningless since they seem to deploy on a squad-by-squad basis (Iron Snakes style I assume) and dont operate as 'corps' or formal company-level units. There is a massive amount of variation possible within the Codex Astartes, sayign they're not codex adherent tends to come across as sloppy thinking and (as said above) difference just to be different.

 

I wasn't really aware of the epicness of the Codex. I though it was very easy to sway away from it. I'm having a rethink now...

 

As for the Corps, the significance is on the models, it allows a bit more customisation on my part. And yeah, like the Iron Snakes, deployment is on a squad by squad basis, I'll add reason why.

 

This is all good stuff and I appeciate the comments, keep it coming guys.

 

Chris.

[Shinzaren]

The Codex is like a bible. Except that this Bible includes EVERYTHING. It has tactics and battle reports from hundreds of millions of battles across a billion worlds. Gulliman wrote it, and it has been added to by every single great tactical mind of the Imperium. Russ and Corax have contributed, as have Dorn and Vulkan. The tactics used by Angron and Fulgrim are included, and every single pivotal or important engagement from the Great Crusade onward gets a mention. It details the best ways to organize a chapter of marines, as detailed by a Primarch who was known above all others as possessing the finest tactical and strategic mind of his age. The Codex is not a book that you follow because someone told you to. It is a massive collection of works that covers EVERYTHING imaginable. Even the Space Wolves, who are among the most divergent of the current chapters, still follow the Codex in many ways. While their organization is different, the overall battle strategy of the Wolves and the Black Templars are still considered Codex, because the Codex includes everything. Don't toss aside the Codex.

[Leonaides]

It allows more customisation on the models? A bit confused - do you mean different colour schemes or something? I'd suggest having a good think about why you're wanting to put this in (not that I'm saying demi-companies arent do-able) - Bearing in mind you have the potential for 8 companies anyway (10 minus the first and scout companies), how much more variation do you actually need? Its unlikey that you'll collect more than a coupl eof compaines worth of marines (simply becasue at that point you're unlikely to use most of them most of the time).

 

your IA doesnt have to justify a differnet paint scheme for soem marines - remember the Codex also covers camo schemes...

[NightrawenII]

All great points, I will be working most of them into my next edit. Especially the resounding timeline issue and the Codex point. Through Uriel Ventris's experiences the Codex seems a bit daft in places:

"If we stick to the codex in this situation we will all die."

"Whats your point? Disobeying the Codex is heresy"

"Dying for no reason other than what a book says is stupid"

"You're stupid." *dies

Lol, just go to Ultramarines subforum and ask about Uriel, you will see a splendid :cussstorm...

 

The Dark Angels? (Quitting the battlefield just to search for one bloke would be silly, Astartes wouldn't do that. Plus they're so Emo.)

*sigh*

Dark Angels are NOT emo ;) :

Blood Angels and Dark Angels- There are two types of popularized angels archetypes. The Guardian Angel and the Angels of Death. The Blood Angels are the guardian angels of the Imperium, descending on wings of light where they can help the most and do the most good. They are noble and proud, beautiful in their conduct and appearance. People want the Blood Angels to come help them. Their Primarch was universally loved and is held as the greatest of the Primarchs. They see themselves as Angels, like their Primarch, and act that way.

 

The I Legion is the yin to the Blood Angels 'Angelic' yang. They are not the ones you want to come help you. They are the wrathful angels descended to bring God's judgment down upon sinful populations. If the Dark Angels have become involved in what you were trying to do, you have made a mistake somewhere, and now they have come to solve your problems for you. You didn't want them too, but you were too incompetent to get it done, so here they are. Lion El'Johnson was a cold, unfeeling warrior. The consummate strategist, unburdened by conscience (or however A D-B put it). He was not a hero, and his sons are not heroes, they are instruments of wrath. They conduct themselves as a knightly order, and hold knightly traditions.

 

If I changed everything they would just be another Chapter with a different name and colour scheme. I'm a little tired of the die hard IA rules.

~

I don't want vanilla marines, I want borderline renegade, flawed Astartes with lots of character, like most of the 1st founding.

You know, you are no different than 99,99% of newcomers in the Liber. They all come to the Liber with the idea of creating a characterful and interesting Chapter and then get lost somewhere along the way;

 

Some of them think that "character" is an battle-story and thus they are focusing all their energy into making a epic battle between the Chapter and "insert random enemy of your choice". This is boring and, in fact, meaningless effort. All chapters fought over millenia of their existence in truly epic and magnificent battles. ONE battle is simply not going to cut it.

 

Of course, in some cases the DIYer is "smarter" and use this epic battle as the "crutch" in order to introduce a "new" combat doctrine or organisation. And then he dedicates his time and effort into explanation of "how is his Chapter different from the fold." - Well, that's commendable, but what does the SW or BT organisation tell us about the Chapter? Nothing at all. (I should also mention the geniuses, who spend more than half of their IA doing the above and ends up with fairly good Codex Chapter. :D )

 

Others adopt, a rather silly, idea that their Chapter has to be best or very good at something* in order to be interesting - Sorry guys, but they can never be an Ultramarines, for their geneseed is not that of Roboute Guilliman. - I don't need explain why this is bad, right? ;)

 

*Hilariously enough, this "something" is often Drop pod assault, entirely ignoring the fact that Drop pod assault is SM main choice of deployment. :blink:

 

And at last, there is my favorite. "Let's name everything in the Chapter with colourful names in silly attempt to add (nonexistant) flavour." - The most frequent culprit of this approach are the japanese-themed Chapters. The author usualy throws in a lot of japanese names in haphazard manner and thinks how original and imaginative he is. - Well, the 100+ previous attempts wants to disagree, but let him live in his bubble of self-satisfaction. Cool?

 

Of course, this is not exhaustive list of pitfalls, there is also "Our 1st Chapter Master was da boss."; "Origins shrouded in mystery because our Creator is lazy git."; "We are in love with this unit."; "One codex rules them all." and ad nauseam... but that's not point of this rant. First, I did this to show you how are some "ideas" recycled and repeated through the existence of the Liber (without fail). Second, to point out something what is very simple and quite obvious: Character is created by the theme of Chapter.

 

Easy, isn't it? But what is the theme of of Hammer Guard?

 

Choose your theme, pinpoint your objective(s), work towards it. Rinse and repeat.

[WeaponAdept]

I guess at their core the theme is Blacksmithery. But I don't want to go the Iron Hands way. I have a history with smithery and thus chose the Hammer title.

They are Imp Fist sucessors from Crimson Fist stock. I like the defensive attitude and the Blacksmith theme fits. I also like the Eldar approach to training hence the Corps being specialised.

 

I do appreciate the honesty.

 

I'm not offended at all.

 

I hate Samurai Marines too.

[Zynk Kaladin]

Choose your theme, pinpoint your objective(s), work towards it. Rinse and repeat.

 

I will say this is very very good advice (being one of the 99.99% newcommers a while back and perhaps still making the same mistakes). Before I did this I tried to whack away at my IA thinking I'd do something cool and "out of the box" and it just turned out terrible. Definitely pin down your theme and major motifs first.

 

Blacksmiths you say? I know very little about smiting, but a few things come to mind. So they have excellent and well crafted weaponry? Are each of their weapons unique with a personal touch instead of churned out of a forgeworld?

 

What are your chapter's objectives? At first they are sent to kill orks, but then get wrecked by the tyranids. Are they going to continue eliminating orks or set their sights on a newer threat? They're a pretty weakened chapter now, so keep that into consideration for their objective.

 

I think you have a broad direction right now. You only need to "sharpen the spear" so to speak and go from there.

[JaM_TW]

If possible, I'd give them hammers. Just use them as either powerweapons or cc-weapons, but really, they should live up to their name.

At least the sergs should have them.

 

And I am curious about their colourscheme. Most of the time I read Liber posts, and really want to see what kind of scheme the marines have.

If the scheme interest me enough, I'll read the whole article. Even if I dont post (a lot of) comments.

 

As for the '50' marines: just create some background why they can or will do with 50 marines while others need (or have) 100. Maybe they pick smaller battles, or have a backup from another corps,... or sending in 50 is enough for them, they dont want to lose another big part of their chapter by sending in 100 marines,... stuff like that.

[WeaponAdept]

New edit is up :-)

[NightrawenII]

Hello, some minor points...

 

History

Many of the new Astartes recuited hailed from the world of Incus, for this reason it was selected to be the Astartes Homeworld. At Jolnax they took control, replacing the Planetary Govenor and weeding out any corruption within the leadership structure.

- Incus... Jolnax... Disrepancy in the planet name.

 

Most Marines of the Hammer Guard are fanatical about the upkeep of their Wargear. It is fortunate that the Hammers have so many Techmarines, as they are constantly inundated by work requests for everything from major upgrades to small embellishments on weapons and armour.

- The Techmarines are aided in their duty by servitors or artificers.

 

Now, in DIY is important one thing, amongst others :blink: , the principle of cause and effect. And this leads us to:

 

The Hammers found themselves naturally drawn towards the technology of the forge world, a trait most likely bourne from the culture of their homeworld.

- We know the effect, but what is the cause? On the other hand:

 

In M41 after 3 millenia of mostly successful service to the Imperium *snip* recovered well however and near full strength once more.

- Where is the effect?

 

CHAPTER ORGANISATION

The Chaplains of the Hammers are not affiliated with any specific formation within the Chapter. In peace and in battle they stand together as a united force, rarely being seen alone.

- Why? The Chaplain is responsible for mental and spiritual health of the marines.

 

Combat doctrine:

The Hammers take pride in their ability to surround and defeat the enemy without them noticing it happening.

- "surround" is not exactly best choice of word. Your marines will be outnumbered in all, but few engagements.

 

 

Cheers, NightrawenII.

[WeaponAdept]

Hello, some minor points...

 

History

Many of the new Astartes recuited hailed from the world of Incus, for this reason it was selected to be the Astartes Homeworld. At Jolnax they took control, replacing the Planetary Govenor and weeding out any corruption within the leadership structure.

- Incus... Jolnax... Disrepancy in the planet name.

 

Most Marines of the Hammer Guard are fanatical about the upkeep of their Wargear. It is fortunate that the Hammers have so many Techmarines, as they are constantly inundated by work requests for everything from major upgrades to small embellishments on weapons and armour.

- The Techmarines are aided in their duty by servitors or artificers.

 

Now, in DIY is important one thing, amongst others B) , the principle of cause and effect. And this leads us to:

 

The Hammers found themselves naturally drawn towards the technology of the forge world, a trait most likely bourne from the culture of their homeworld.

- We know the effect, but what is the cause? On the other hand:

 

In M41 after 3 millenia of mostly successful service to the Imperium *snip* recovered well however and near full strength once more.

- Where is the effect?

 

CHAPTER ORGANISATION

The Chaplains of the Hammers are not affiliated with any specific formation within the Chapter. In peace and in battle they stand together as a united force, rarely being seen alone.

- Why? The Chaplain is responsible for mental and spiritual health of the marines.

 

Combat doctrine:

The Hammers take pride in their ability to surround and defeat the enemy without them noticing it happening.

- "surround" is not exactly best choice of word. Your marines will be outnumbered in all, but few engagements.

 

 

Cheers, NightrawenII.

 

Cheers for pointing out the error with the planet name.

 

Cheers for adding the point about the artificers and servitors. I can expand on that.

 

Cause and effect: Homeworld - technology ref: Homeworld section coming soon. All will become clear :D

 

The Chaplains work together. Not being seen alone doesn't mean they are not being seen.

 

 

"Surrounding the enemy has nothing to do with numbers. A platoon may surround a company. It is mearly a case of being present in all of the enemies arcs simultaniously and laying down sufficient volumes of fire. The resulting crossfire will almost certainly sow panic and confusion in the enemy position while substantially incresing the effectivness of your fire. Be certain to overlap your own arcs of fire to avoid causing friendly casualties."

Extract from British Army Field Manual 2009. (I only have my COIN volume of 2011 edition)

 

Now consider that, but with Astartes and Bolters.... That being said, I'll elaborate to make it more feasable to non-military personelle. I often forget I'm not on a military forum. ;)

[NightrawenII]

"Surrounding the enemy has nothing to do with numbers. A platoon may surround a company. It is mearly a case of being present in all of the enemies arcs simultaniously and laying down sufficient volumes of fire. The resulting crossfire will almost certainly sow panic and confusion in the enemy position while substantially incresing the effectivness of your fire. Be certain to overlap your own arcs of fire to avoid causing friendly casualties."

Extract from British Army Field Manual 2009. (I only have my COIN volume of 2011 edition)

 

Now consider that, but with Astartes and Bolters.... That being said, I'll elaborate to make it more feasable to non-military personelle. I often forget I'm not on a military forum. :P

Emphasis of mine. :P

[WeaponAdept]

I can see that. But my point is that a company of space marines could easily surround a larger force, as long as that larger force didn't have a footprint that made it impractical.

 

A valid observation. I can reword it to make it feasable in fluff terms. Perhaps it's time I mentioned the 10th company?

 

 

 

 

EDIT: I just read the quote in your sig.... so....... :P

[WeaponAdept]

NEW EDIT IS DONE!

 

Homeworld section added.

 

Nearly there I hope just need to expand on reasons for Techmarines etc.

 

C&C is of course welcome.

[NightrawenII]

In all honesty?

 

Too much eggs in this basket. The southerners don't look like they are contributing to the Chapter at all, so I would abolish them. - This will actually solve the question, why these two factions have no contact with each other.

 

Also, the Admech will be veeery curious in any STC or Dark Age of Technology stuff, so they should be present on the planet. After all, all technology must by sanctioned by the Priesthood of Mars. -> relationship between HG and Admech -> more Techmarines than usual. Done. ;)

 

 

Cheers, NightrawenII.