DIY Article Templates

Brother Tyler · April 22, 2012

An important step in the process of creating your own DIY is deciding how that DIY will be presented to your fellow members. As Games Workshop has demonstrated, there are a variety of ways that DIYs can be presented, ranging from the commonly used Index Astartes article to portrayal in fiction. The varying styles have their strengths and weaknesses, whether presenting information as "accepted fact" (such as is done in an Index Astartes article), demonstration (such as in a story), or even speculation and rumor (such as a series of third person communications about a DIY). Some players have even presented their DIYs through the medium of comic book/graphic novel. Ultimately, the method of portrayal is up to the author.

Now all that said, most players choose to use the Index Astartes article as their format; and we've also seen the recent Imperial Armour books presenting an alternate format. While there has been some variation between different examples of these formats, the basic formats tend to follow certain patterns.

This discussion presents templates of both of these formats. Players can take these templates and copy them for their own use. Variations on each format will be presented, demonstrating to authors the "art of the possible" so that they can experiment with modifying them.

Ultimately, the intent is to present just a few examples of how Games Workshop has presented information on Chapters over the years, demonstrating to players a range of possibilities that they can use and adapt in presenting their own DIYs. Players are certainly free to use the templates as provided, but these are nothing more than examples and modifying the templates to suit your tastes is encouraged.

Four categories are provided for each army. These are:

There are three distinctive variants utilized in some of the templates presented here: text headings, BBCode headings, and image headings. Each has its pros and cons, and those are discussed separately:

Note that all of the formats, colors, images, etc. that are presented here are meant to be examples and players are highly encouraged to modify these templates in order to achieve more customized versions.

Brother Tyler · April 22, 2012

^{(return to INDEX)}

CHAPTER DATAFILE

The datafile is the basic article that we have in the Librarium for presenting information on a chapter, legion, warband, etc. All related articles on the organization will link from that article.

[basicheader=000000][center][size=4]Chapter Datafile: <<Chapter Name>>[/size][/center][/basicheader]
[table=[center][basicheader=000000][center]:HQ:   Primary Data   :HQ:[/center][/basicheader][/center]][tr][td=15%]Founding[/td][td=85%]<<number or year/millennium of founding>>[/td][/tr][tr][td=15]Progenitor Legion[/td][td=85%]<<Name of Legion [<<name of direct predecessor>>]>>[/td][/tr][tr][td=15%]Known Descendants[/td][td=85%]<<names of any known descendants>>[/td][/tr][tr][td=15%]Homeworld[/td][td=85%]<<name of homeworld>>[/td][/tr][tr][td=15%]Allegiance[/td][td=85%]<<Loyalist, Traitor, or Renegade>>[/td][/tr][/table]

[basicheaderhalf=000000]Notable History[/basicheaderhalf]
<<basic information on the Chapter's notable history>> 

[captionright=Scheme and Chapter Symbol][center][img=<<image URL>>][/center][/captionright]

[leftsidebar=References]<<list references>>[/leftsidebar]

Chapter Datafile: <<Chapter Name>>

[center

:lol: Primary Data ^_^[/center]

]Founding<<number or year/millennium of founding>>Progenitor Legion<<Name of Legion [<<name of direct predecessor>>]>>Known Descendants<<names of any known descendants>>Homeworld<<name of homeworld>>Allegiance<<Loyalist, Traitor, or Renegade>>

Notable History

<<basic information on the Chapter's notable history>>

Scheme and Chapter Symbol

References

<<list references>>

Brother Tyler · April 22, 2012

^{(return to INDEX)}

LEGIO INTEL FILE - ADEPTUS ASTARTES

This type of file is written as an intelligence report on a Chapter from the perspective of the Legio, the Bolter & Chainsword's mascot Chapter.

[basicheader=000000]The <<Chapter name>>[/basicheader]
[captionright=<<Chapter>> Battle-Brother]<<Space Marine painter image or other color scheme>>[/captionright][font="Courier New"]
Date:...............######.M##
Ref:................LBC//<<first three letters of author's Legio persona name>>
By:.................<<author's Legio persona>>
Re:.................Adeptus Astartes - <<Chapter name>>
Thought:............<<relevant quote/thought for the Chapter>>[/font]

<<one or two brief sentences that summarize the Chapter>>

[skullheaderhalf=000000]Origins of the <<Chapter>>[/skullheaderhalf]
<<Origins and notable history of the Chapter>>

[skullheaderhalf=000000]Organization[/skullheaderhalf]
<<description of the Chapter's organization>>

[skullheaderhalf=000000]Homeworld[/skullheaderhalf]
<<description of the Chapter's homeworld>>

[skullheaderhalf=000000]Combat Doctrine[/skullheaderhalf]
<<description of the Chapter's combat doctrine>>

[skullheaderhalf=000000]Geneseed[/skullheaderhalf][rightsidebar=Author][left]<<Note about the author>>[/left][/rightsidebar]
<<description of the Chapter's gene-seed source, mutations, and defects>>

[skullheaderhalf=000000]Interaction with the Legio[/skullheaderhalf]
<<description of the Chapter's interaction with the Legio>>

[skullheaderhalf=000000]Related Articles[/skullheaderhalf]
<<link any related articles within the Librarium>>

The <<Chapter name>>

<<Space Marine painter image or other color scheme>>

<<Chapter>> Battle-Brother

[font="Courier New; background-image:url(http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/hq2.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: 8px 2px; padding: 12px 8px 12px 8px; border: 1px solid #DDD; margin-left: 0 auto; text-align: left; color: #fff; text-indent:50px; font-size:130%; width:50%;">

Date:...............######.M##

Ref:................LBC//<<first three letters of author's Legio persona name>>

By:.................<<author's Legio persona>>

Re:.................Adeptus Astartes - <<Chapter name>>

Thought:............<<relevant quote/thought for the Chapter>>[/font]

<<one or two brief sentences that summarize the Chapter>>

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/hq2.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: 8px 2px; padding: 12px 8px 12px 8px; border: 1px solid #DDD; margin-left: 0 auto; text-align: left; color: #fff; text-indent:50px; font-size:130%; width:50%;">Organization

<<description of the Chapter's organization>>

Homeworld

<<description of the Chapter's homeworld>>

Combat Doctrine

<<description of the Chapter's combat doctrine>>

Geneseed

Author

<<Note about the author>>

<<description of the Chapter's gene-seed source, mutations, and defects>>

Interaction with the Legio

<<description of the Chapter's interaction with the Legio>>

Related Articles

<<link any related articles within the Librarium>>

Brother Tyler · April 22, 2012

^{(return to INDEX)}

IMPERIAL ARMOUR (ADEPTUS ASTARTES)

TEXT HEADINGS

This template is a relatively straightforward adaptation. An example of this format using text headings is Brule the Spear-Slayer's Avenging Lions.

[table=THE <<CHAPTER NAME>>]

[tr][td=30%][img=<<image URL - should be about 350 pixels x 350 pixels][/td][td=70%][font="Courier New"][size=3][b]CHAPTER NAME:[/b] .............. THE <<CHAPTER NAME>>

[b]FOUNDING:[/b] ..................<<##>>[sub]<<ST/ND/TH>>[/sub] [M.<<##>>]

[b]CHAPTER WORLD:[/b] .............<<CHAPTER WORLD NAME>><</CRUSADING CHAPTER>>

[b]FORTRESS MONASTERY:[/b] ........<<FORTRESS MONASTERY NAME>>

[b]GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR):[/b] ...<<PROGENITOR LEGION>> [<<ACTUAL PARENT CHAPTER NAME (IF NOT THE 2ND FOUNDING CHAPTER NAMED FOR THE LEGION>>]

[b]KNOWN DESCENDANTS:[/b] .........<<ANY KNOWN, CLAIMED, OR SUSPECTED CHAPTERS CREATED FROM THE GENE-SEED OF THIS CHAPTER, OR "NONE">>[/size][/font]

[i]"<<Quote, battle-cry, or whatever else you want to fill this space>>"[/i] [/td][/tr][/table]

[dropcap]<<First letter of first word>>[/dropcap] Initial paragraphs cover the general background of the Chapter, starting with an overview of the Chapter's earliest history and some pivotal events later history.>>

<<Then there are one or more paragraphs concerning the Chapter's combat doctrine, including how much or how little the Chapter adheres to the Codex Astartes and how it views that tome.>>

<<Then comes information about the Chapter's homeworld, fortress monastery, and fleet.>>

<<Then comes additional information on the Chapter and things that differentiate it from other Chapters.>>

<<images of Chapter members to display color scheme, power armour on left and terminator on right:

[captionleft=<<Title/Name>>

<<Chapter Name>> <<#>> Company

<<A few lines of information (make sure you hard return each line)>>][img=<<image URL>>][/captionleft]

[captionright=<<"Veteran Brother" or Chapter-appropriate title/Name>>

<<Chapter Name>> 1st Company

<<A few lines of information (make sure you hard return each line)>>][img=<<image URL>>][/captionright]

Use the Space Marine Painter without weapons to create the images>>

[b]ORGANIZATION[/b]

<<A paragraph or two on the Chapter's organization (short paragraph if Codex-adherent, longer if the Chapter has some degree of deviation)>>

<<Paragraphs to describe the key distinguishing characteristics of the Chapter>>

<<Paragraph to describe the Chapter

Brother Tyler · April 22, 2012

^{(return to INDEX)}

IMPERIAL ARMOUR (ADEPTUS ASTARTES)

BBCODE HEADINGS

The template below is the same as that for the text headings, but this time the headings are in the header BBCode. Simple customization is to change the header type (skull, full, etc.), change the color of the header (by adding "=######" in the first header tag), etc.

[table=THE <<CHAPTER NAME>>]