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A Question to my fellow Black Legionnaires


Lepaca

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So one of the things I find most interessting about the Black Legion is that they accept all manner kinds of different Marines into their fold.

Therefore I want my BL warband to incorporate Marines that used to belong to other Legions and even parts of renegade chapters.

But what I don't want is for my army to look like a colorful heap of different warbands!

 

Now I would like some of the other Black Legion or Chaos in general players here to give me advice on how to go about this. Maybe even post a few pictures of how they did it!

 

An example: I'm about to build my second havoc squad. I decided that I want them to be former Iron Warriors who joined my warband along with their Warsmith.

So what would be a good way to show their former alligance? I was planning to simply paint the miniatures in my Black Legion scheme but add the typical chevron heraldry on one shoulderpad and on their weapons.

Do you like this idea? Any suggestions?

So one of the things I find most interessting about the Black Legion is that they accept all manner kinds of different Marines into their fold.

Therefore I want my BL warband to incorporate Marines that used to belong to other Legions and even parts of renegade chapters.

But what I don't want is for my army to look like a colorful heap of different warbands!

 

Now I would like some of the other Black Legion or Chaos in general players here to give me advice on how to go about this. Maybe even post a few pictures of how they did it!

 

An example: I'm about to build my second havoc squad. I decided that I want them to be former Iron Warriors who joined my warband along with their Warsmith.

So what would be a good way to show their former alligance? I was planning to simply paint the miniatures in my Black Legion scheme but add the typical chevron heraldry on one shoulderpad and on their weapons.

Do you like this idea? Any suggestions?

I have seen it done both ways, where models are painted in the colors of the Black Legion with an icon on a shoulder pad, and where the model has kept it's original outfit entirely.

 

I opt for the later and have troops modelled as World Eaters, Plague Marines, Thousand Sons, ECs, etc. It makes for a more colorful army and fits the fluff to the extent that these are warbands collaborating together.

As a Black Legion player, I found myself with the same question not too long ago. The solution I came up with is based on the level of loyalty of that marine/squad. If they are pledging their loyalty to the Warmaster because they truly wish to win the long war and see the Imperiums demise, they will probably paint their armour the black and gold of the abyss and wear only their former shoulder pad as a reminder of their origins.

 

If they have joined the Black Legion out of desperation, greed, or force I believe you will find them wearing only a little or no black as a sign of pride or selfishness.

 

 

Just my two cents.

I have a few models in my army that are 'True Sons of Horus'. Then I also have a few from other warbands that joined, a few Khorne berserkers with some faded heraldry of Sons Of Horus/World Eaters and Iron Warriors. Same with the other 'cult' units.

 

Then at my troop choices I also have a couple of guys that have their shoulder pads painted black. Some drew the 8-pointed star. These are the new arrivals, they came with their armor adorned with spiky bits but no tale of which Legion they were a part of. Basically making them 'Black Shields', if they prove themselves worthy they'll be allowed to join and be dubbed as new Sons of Horus. Then again, this being the BL, it takes some time.

 

Just my 2 cents.

As I see it, Abaddon, when the BL absorbs other CSMs, wants them to be fully integrated to his Legion, and have them under his orders.

Taking the black is something meaningful, for the Black Legion. To be a black legionnaire, you got to be in black.

I reserve one shoulderpad for the use of the original Legion colors of one of my Black Legion auxilia units. In the case of Iron Warriors, ones who now work in my Grand Company have a shoulderpad in Boltgun Metal and sometimes I go ahead and paint their helmet the same. Beyond those concessions, they get colored the same as any other Black Legionnaire. Giving them a link to their past affiliations isn't considered a slight on the Black Legion, it's purposefully done to sink home the concept that regardless of Legion of origin they are united in the singular purpose of Horus that transcends loyalties to even a primogenitor.
So one of the things I find most interessting about the Black Legion is that they accept all manner kinds of different Marines into their fold.

It is more like Abbadon is good at coercing all manner of traitors, renegades and heretics under his banner.

As a Black Legion player, I found myself with the same question not too long ago. The solution I came up with is based on the level of loyalty of that marine/squad. If they are pledging their loyalty to the Warmaster because they truly wish to win the long war and see the Imperiums demise, they will probably paint their armour the black and gold of the abyss and wear only their former shoulder pad as a reminder of their origins.

 

If they have joined the Black Legion out of desperation, greed, or force I believe you will find them wearing only a little or no black as a sign of pride or selfishness.

 

 

Just my two cents.

 

That is a good explanation!

 

I reserve one shoulderpad for the use of the original Legion colors of one of my Black Legion auxilia units. In the case of Iron Warriors, ones who now work in my Grand Company have a shoulderpad in Boltgun Metal and sometimes I go ahead and paint their helmet the same. Beyond those concessions, they get colored the same as any other Black Legionnaire. Giving them a link to their past affiliations isn't considered a slight on the Black Legion, it's purposefully done to sink home the concept that regardless of Legion of origin they are united in the singular purpose of Horus that transcends loyalties to even a primogenitor.

 

That is pretty much what I want to go for as well!

 

So one of the things I find most interessting about the Black Legion is that they accept all manner kinds of different Marines into their fold.

It is more like Abbadon is good at coercing all manner of traitors, renegades and heretics under his banner.

 

Which is the same difference, right? ;)

 

 

 

As I see it, Abaddon, when the BL absorbs other CSMs, wants them to be fully integrated to his Legion, and have them under his orders.

Taking the black is something meaningful, for the Black Legion. To be a black legionnaire, you got to be in black.

 

Makes sense!

 

Thanks for all your feedback. So I guess for now I'll go ahead with my original idea!

If you feel up to it, you could use legion/chapter-specific bitz on some of those marines. For example, use a few Iron warriors upgrade parts on the dudes, but otherwise paint them up as Black Legion. That said, painting the hazard stripes on their guns, and maybe having a shoulder pad and occasional helm in original colours would look cool too.

 

If I were doing Black Legion, I'd be shoving little visual hints at the origins of various marines all over the place. It's fun doing things like that, it makes the models look and feel more characterful, and can make them stand out from the norm without looking horribly ostentatious.

 

For example, I might use an iron warriors torso on one of them, paint him all in the Black, but give him a gunmetal helm (doesn't clash with the Black legion colours too much anyway), and maybe give him a little iron warriors symbol on his kneepad or something. Visually he'll fit in with any other BL squad, but he's got a few little differences that mark him as a former Iron Warrior if anyone cares to take a longer look.

Depends. If they're actual members of the Black Legion, then their armor will be black. If they're mercenary forces who have joined on for a particular incursion, or simply been hired by some Black Legion warlord, then they'll keep their own colors. Cult units are more likely to be mercenary forces (this includes both the typical aligned cults and more esoteric cults like raptors and warp talons, and dark mechanicus units like Warpsmiths and Obliterators). Apostles are likely to be actual Word Bearers ministering to other chaos factions, and as such still wearing their own colors.

 

However, the Black Legion also has their own warbands of cult units and dark mechanicus factions and apostles that are sworn to them in particular, chaos marines who in addition to their particular cult dedications have also taken the black.

 

 

Even among chaos marines that have taken the black, there's some variation in coloration and markings. Abaddon cares that your armor is black and that you wear the eye, but there's some variation beyond that. Trim color varies between gold, silver, just black, or other, and can offer a chance to show off prior allegiances. Individual markings aren't forbidden, so you might have marines that keep the terror markings or lightning of the Night Lords, for instance. There's also modeling - A Plague Marine is recognizably a plague marine, even if their armor is black, and Iron Warriors tend to have distinctive helms and armor patterns, as well as fewer mutations and more bionic augentation.

I also do one shoulder pad of the original Chapter (the right one, instead of a squad marking, as I only have one squad like this). I've also tried to theme each of the Marines a little (so the White Scar has a Techmarine Axe, the Blood Angel an apothecary arm, etc).

 

All my Plague Marines are ex-Blood Angel (Blood and Guts Angels, heh...) so they're coloured and marked as such.

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