Need advice on new chapter

[Mystech1]

While developing fluff for the IA Chapter that will go along with my Black Templars I ran into a huge hurdle in the 26th founding. I did a few cursory searches, but didn't come up with anything to help with this so thought I'd ask for some advice and opinions on possible options.

 

What I want is a completely new Codex Chapter, as in just founded and starting out new. I also want it in the most recent timeline. Since the 26th founding was 250-300 (I think?) years behind the current timeline and my "Chapter" consists of less than 30 total models, this doesn't seem to work out.

 

What I'm trying to do is mimic my real life building of the chapter as I purchase new models and fight battles. I have a rough campaign style system in place to represent the gains, losses and experience of the individual units. So far this is on a small scale and growth will be probably be relatively slow. Currently my Chapter consists of a 10 man Tactical Squad, a 10 man Scout Squad and a single Captain who, at the age of 74 is the oldest and most experienced member of the Chapter. This also makes him the default Chapter Master. These constitute the official birth of the Chapter, culled from the survivors of a series of skirmish style battles fought by a pool of 30 Scout recruits. As a result, no Terminators or veterans yet, no Dreadnaughts, and no currently no tanks.

 

So my problem lies in the timeline and foundings so need help with a few options to fit them in.

Possibilities I've come up with:

 

1. Adjust the age of the chapter, but they still seem to be extremely small for even a 250 year old Chapter.

2. A possible secret founding.

3. Were 26th founding and bigger but were destroyed to the brink of extinction and are building. (A little too Crimson Fists style IMO)

 

Any help and opinions appreciated. ;)

[Alkana]

26th Founding was in 738.M41, so just say that you're playing in, for example, 742.M41. To have your Chapter be "up to date" in your IA, you could just say that by 999.M41, they've reached full strength. You can just make the beginning and the "end" for your Chapter, and fill in the details as you build your army. That's how I'd do it, at least.

[Marshal Brellak]

I would go the "was almost completely destroyed and is rebuilding" path. When a chapter is founded and finalized it is 1000 marines strong.

[Lord Scytha]

I would go the "was almost completely destroyed and is rebuilding" path. When a chapter is founded and finalized it is 1000 marines strong.

 

What he said; with added for emphasis, a newly founded chapter isn't even considered founded until it numbers 1000 and isn't allowed to go off on its own until that time.

 

 

Fun fact: It takes around 60 years to create a new chapter.

[Ecritter]

Yeah, after 250 years they'd have been at full strength and in at least a few battles ... so nearly destroyed may be the way to go. But remember, if they're down to that few members they'd be dissolved ... even if you're 30 models is only a single company, that'd be only 300 marines. That may be doable that way, but I really doubt any chapter would send out a company of just 30 marines.

[Mystech1]

Interesting points and thanks for the advice. Didn't realize a Chapter would need to be a full 1k strong to be considered founded. I would think that during the time period leading up to that point they would need to see some combat and gain some experience. Essentially proving they have what it takes to function on their own. So this would make them a Pre-Chapter during that build up time?

 

I'm fine with them not being officially founded, it's the build-up part that I want. This is actually the basis of my initial concept fluff. A new Chapter just beginning to establish itself, working under the guidance of an already established force (my Templars) that are going through a period of rebuilding themselves. Sort of a big brother helping a little brother get started, while big brother gets back on his feet and moves on again. It also echoes the Initiate/Neophyte relationship inherent to Black Templars, although in this case the Neophyte Chapter will follow Codex: SM rules. As my Templars re-emerged (My profile has their current fluff) during the current timeline, this wouldn't work unless I backed up my Templar timeline to coincide with the 26th founding, which wouldn't work with their fluff. LOL

 

As original and fun as the above possibility would be for me, the nearly destroyed rebuilding route may be the best way to go. I didn't really want to go the Crimson Fists route, but it's looking inevitable in order to make this work. I'm ok with this course as well, but again have a few concerns. I've read a bit about the CF's, but don't have any specifics on how small they were reduced to. I remember them losing their fortress monastary and being on the brink of extinction, but that's about all I have. As part of my IA Chapter fluff involves them establishing a fortress monastary of their own I was thinking something along the lines of them having lost their original homeworld and being assigned a new one. Is this something that could happen? I could easily tie that into my Templar fluff. What would be the cutoff for dissolution? In the current timeline can the Imperium afford to dissolve a chapter that has the potential to rebuild? I could modify the fluff to include a Tactical squad or two with a Veteran Sergeant being dispatched to protect and preserve the Chapter's gene-seed and whatever else is needed, all evacuated before their original homeworld is lost, a tyranid Hive fleet (Leviathan tendril?) would most likely do this job. Given this potential to rebuild that coincides with the rediscovery of a fringe planet expressing the desire to be brought back into the Imperium, as well as the presence of a damaged BT Crusade on planet to assist the rebuild process. Would a force as small as this still be dissolved or given one last chance to live given the circumstances and parallel coincidences?

[Lord Scytha]

Well, since you seem to be going the rebuild path I'll focus on answering those questions.

 

Don't remember any exact figures but the CF were somewhere between 200 and 300 marines, though probably closer to the former than the latter.

Now the Imperium is hard pressed to lose even one chapter but it happens and regularly. That's what the subsequent foundings are all about.

However, the Imperium only have a say in the founding of a chapter. Once founded a chapter is an autonomous entity that with the exception of their gene seed tithes doesn't answer to anyone else unless they choose to themselves. (They are even in their rights to tell an Inquisitor to piss off, just as the Inquisitor is in his rights to virus bomb them as a parting gift ;) )

So that means a chapter decides for themselves what to do when facing extinction.

Now in that situation there seems two be only two choices a chapter can make according to the fluff. Either try to rebuild or go out in a blaze of glory.

The significant thing about the CF fluff is that Pedro is lauded for choosing to try and rebuild so from that it's possible to assume that the blaze of glory path is more common. How the blaze of glory happens is interesting but better discussed elsewhere.

 

Now looking at the CF fluff the cut off point for even being able to try to rebuild is probably around 200 since the CF is depicted at being at just the brink of being able to rebuild and those were their numbers aboutish at least.

 

There are also two factors that should affect the possible success rate of any rebuilding attempts.

The first and lesser of them is the number of scouts, that is novices, that remains. If the scout company along with any other initiates survived any disaster largely unscathed it would probably make rebuilding easier.

 

The second and most important is how much of their gene-seed stores survived.

If the chapter lost all of their gene-seed it's goodbye. They won't have a chance to rebuild.

If all of it is still safe then there is good chances that they will be able to rebuild.

Then the only question is if the remaining battle-brothers can survive long enough to replenish there numbers. Because it takes at least ten years for a recruit to become a space marine and no chapter, no matter how depleted, will just go off for ten or more years to reorganize. They will keep fighting the enemies of man from the get go and just hope they don't fall faster in combat than new marines is inducted.

[Mystech1]

Thank you for your insight Lord Scytha. The rebuild route does seem to be the most viable way to approach what I'm trying to do. This would also help justify the addition of a few veterans and possibly a dreadnaught to a base of mostly new marines fresh out of scout school. My next wave of expansion will probably come from an AoBR clearance in the wake of the new DV release so those models would serve as a nice experience upgrade. I hadn't thought of the autonomy factor either, I was under the impression they would need some direction from the high lords of Terra, but this autonomy makes the decision of if it is possible or not irrelevant. A major theme of the Chapter is survival against the odds, so it works there as well.

 

Thanks again for everyone's assistance. I believe I have a solid route to build upon that will fit my little corner of the Imperium without causing any serious ripples in the fabric of "reality". If anyone has other comments or insight I welcome it as I build fluff for both my Marine Armies. :)

[Azash]

Having read the Blood Angels novel series in which the Blood Angels chapter becomes very very depleted do to the events in the first three novels there is another option to chapters on the brink.

 

I don't know the fluff behind your chapter but what the Blood Angels do in the novel is call a meeting of all the BA successor chapters. Essentially they ask for a voluntary tithe of gene seed and recruits from the other BA successors to boost their incoming numbers back to a level where the Chapter can "comfortably" maintain itself. Now in the books not all the successors were jumping up and down for the opportunity to do this but some were more than willing to do this. So depending on your back story you could say they were almost wiped out but they had an influx from a few allied chapters that allowed them to get back to a self sustaining level but a level far from full strength.

 

I would also think that any sort of strong bond would be good enough for one chapter to help another. An honor debt owed, descended from the same legion, close allies during a particularly brutal war, originated in the same founding and a close history of fighting together, etc...