IA: The Steel Vanguard (re-worked WIP)

[Wulfebane]

I like the blue version Ace did, but if I didn't, I'd probably go with a warm tone to focus on the red hot forges that craft steel, rather than tones to hint at cool steel. Probably something like this:

[Ace Debonair]

Thanks for the suggestions Ace! I am going to run to the local shop this weekend and grab some of the paints I just dont have around the house and tinker. What did you think of the sample steel/bronze fig I threw together? I like how the world eaters look myself color wise but if I go that way I feel a man hunt would be called for using the color haha.

I thought the test figure looked pretty good, actually.

I'm just honour bound to dive in where people cry out for colour schemes.

I'll run up some warmer looking schemes later, but I've got family coming 'round and they'll give me odd looks if I'm crafting up internet colour schemes while they're here.

EDIT:Here we go again! ;)

BTW Ace.... I read IA: The Sons of =I=DELETED=I= and the Steel Dragons and have to say I am impressed :) Where have you been recently? It looks like you took a year off from the Liber.

Glad you like the IAs. I've still got plenty of work to do for the 'Dragons, and they're not even third on my list of what needs doing yet. ;)

As for where I've been, my mum died in may, and I've been at a loose end ever since. That's not really a board-related topic though, so we'll leave that story for another time.

On a more cheerful note, I think I'm finally getting back into the C&C business. :)

[Uaronain]

Thanks for the suggestions! I got a lot of stuff in the mail and grabbed some more paints from my local shop to try them out. First up will be the greyy/blue as I have the comors handy.

 

I also like the one Wulfebane did as well. What colors are those? I like the idea of a warmer scheme.

 

I started a thread in the WIP area of the forum about the work on the steel legion. I posted a red version as well, but I do like the steel looking one better so far.

[Wulfebane]

I also like the one Wulfebane did as well. What colors are those? I like the idea of a warmer scheme.

 

 

I may have tweaked a couple of them, but the main tones were based off old GW paints (since the new ones aren't in the B&C marine painter).

 

The dark grey is tin bitz, light grey is chainmail mixed with a warm tone.. maybe try stormvermin fur or dawnstone. The bronze trim was actually beaten copper in the painter, but whatever you're using is the intended tone I tried to match. The red was mechrite, though darker, and the bright red was something solar orange, though I guess now wild rider red or jokaero orange will replace it.

[Uaronain]

 Hi guys, I am back from my slumber and started working on the LPC for the liber that is a steel vanguard project. Due to a lack of funds I ended up using calgar blue and steelish colors for the chapter. A link is located below.

 

LPC Steel Vanguard Project

[Uaronain]

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff225/uaronain/IMG_20130203_162159_zps745bf1fb.jpg

What I have done so far, much more to be done. just need to finish the Stormtalon and assemble the Master of the forge and a techmarine. Then just some painting and the vow will be complete.

 

Anyone else making headway on a liber vow?

[SickSix]

I am really liking this! Makes my writing look like the work of a gradeschooler.

 

Actually, I would like to maybe have our two chapters cross paths somehow as mine is also operating in the Halo Stars.

[Uaronain]

 Go right ahead brother, you can always message me directly or post here about specifics. I still have some fine tuning to do on my chapter so adding more history with another chapter and relatiosn with the greater empire as a whole would be nice.

 

 

 Also, many thanks for the feedback, this chapter is not exactly a hotbed of activity so it is nice to get a prod to get back working on it.

[Octavulg]

Quote

Steel Brother --- Tech Priest/Chaplains of the Steel Vanguard

Hospitaller --- Apothecary

Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator Fleet --- AMEF

College of Steel Brothers --- Leadership of the Chapter Companies, includes Hospitallers

Steel Brotherhood --- General term for all members of the Steel Brothers and Hospitallers

Reposatorium --- Steel Vanguard version of a Libraium, All recovered records schematics and knowledge are stored here, where the knowledge they took from the AMEF went, accessible to Hospitallers and Steel Brothers Gene-Seed records etc

Hexathedral Assault Citadel --- Hexathedrals are modular staging platforms for planetary fortification and invasion, and are assembled in around 24 hours by heavy tug craft. They are typically used to remove problematic continental features, land bridges and their ilk. The Hexathedral appears to have some sort of atmosphere-retaining force shielding around its 'deck'.

As a rule, if you need a glossary, you're doing something wrong.

 

In order:

Steel Brother could be good - Steel Father would seem more obvious. So a distinct reason for the change in status would be good.

Hospitaller seems unnecessary - change for change's sake.

AMEF - have you EVER seen an acronym in 40K? Outside the Adeptus Titanicus rulebook, anyway?

The College of Steel Brothers would work better if only Steel Brothers were in it. Since they're not, it's confusing. That might be realistic, but it's mostly annoying.

Steel Brotherhood is redundant. Also, Steel Brothers would be a damn good chapter name. I don't dislike Steel Vanguard, but Steel Brothers might be better.

Repositarium - why not keep those things in the Reclusiam? It makes complete sense - that's where relics normally go, and since they're Machine Cultists it's even more logical. And I believe the Reclusiam's IN the Librarium somewhere in many chapters. I think.

Hexathedral - too shiny, IMO, especially in quantity (and especially in a modular form). You know what else takes out large scale surface problems well? Bombardment cannons. And they're already conveniently on your ship!

Quote

The Steel Vanguard was born in the 10th founding under the command of Clan Commander Klantius from The Iron Hands whose exact Clan within the Iron hands is lost to the mist of time. The Clan culture adopted by the Iron Hands on Medusa also appears to have faded away as well over time as the Steel brotherhood found standard force organization more logical.

I've often thought Iron Hand successors might well be drawn from a single Clan (perhaps some martial contest to determine it?). Though adopting the Codex feels excessively accomodating.

Quote

With the overreaching goal of recovering arms and armaments from the heights of the great crusade while keeping an ever present eye out for new threats to the Imperium.

Did the Great Crusade reach the Halo Stars?

Quote

There are also no known Librarians as the logis have deemed the threat of taint to great with their projections.

A lack of Librarians is a big liability, I think. Not illogical for the weakness-obsessed Iron Hands, mind you.

Quote

Combat Doctrine

Too much detail on things we already know. Also, they spend a lot of time ignoring or flouting the Codex for a chapter that's concerned with following it...

Quote

Moirae Schism and the Ghoul Crusade732.M35-551.M37 Sealed Chronicle of the Steel Brotherhood

This takes a long time to accomplish little, IMO. It's just not that interesting. What are you trying to accomplish with it?

Quote

Genesis Program --- Genetic Repository Stasis Tanks store a vast host of collected Spermatozoon and ovum. It is here the Hospitallers determine the perfect combination for a desired recruit. The ovum in placed into a servitor womb with the Spermatozoon where it grows into potential Initiates, those who fail the indoctrination program are instead turned into servitors. It is in this way they breed those most likely to survive the gene-seed and bionic augmentation.

The only person who's had cloning work in 40K is Fabius Bile. What's this supposed to add?

Quote

Battle Cry

Our abhorrence is pure, our devotion to the emperor absolute, absolution only in death!

I said someone's battlecry was long recently. I was wrong. This battlecry is long.

 

A good battlecry is short, simple, and gives insight into the chapter. This doesn't really manage any of those.

 

I'm not sure what you're after with this IA. What do you want the chapter to be like? What do you want the reader to experience? When? The organization of the article's flawed, and it's hurting the reading experience.

 

As always: what do you want?

[Uaronain]

Glossary notes:

Steel father is too much like Iron Father IMO, I like Steel Brother but could go the father route as well.

Hospitaller: I like it better than apothecary. I am a BT player and love the crusading theme,so I thoguht to myself... what knights provide care for poor, sick or injured pilgrims to the Holy Land... and well that is why I like Hospitaller better.
BUT it is change for changes sake and I will drop it... prolly

AMEF will be dropped, it is just a mouthful either way.

Repositarium vs Reclusiam boils down to my ignorance of a Librarium, I see it and go Psyker....
old habits die hard

College Of Steel Brothers just needs to be honestly a Clan Council type thing like the
iron hands, will work on it.

Hexathedral un-needed and was added for the sake of trying to be different

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You said: I've often thought Iron Hand successors might well be drawn from a single Clan
(perhaps some martial contest to determine it?). Though adopting the Codex feels excessively accomodating.

I just don’t know enough about the Iron Hands to say what clan they are drawn from or even
how it is chosen. It would make for a better story to have that part of their history known and I will be thinking more about this.

Did the Great Crusade reach the Halo Stars?

Not a clue and I dont think anyone known how far it really went in the modern 40k universe.

A lack of Librarians is a big liability, I think. Not illogical for the weakness-obsessed
Iron Hands, mind you.

While trying to think of the emperor and the machine god as one and the same and building on the moirae schism beliefs I thought that
the emperors words would be seen as cannon. One of the last official councils before the horus heresy was the one at Nikaea.

The Emperor issued what would become known as the Edict of
Nikaea, decreeing that the Legiones Astartes, beyond the use of Navigators and
Astropaths, would no longer employ psykers. They were to disband their
Librarius departments, the Librarians re-deployed to the battle companies and
the primarchs themselves were to refrain from using any psychic powers they
possessed. This of course applied to Magnus, whose use of sorcery was declared
not proven.The Emperor also gave one final warning:

'"Woe betide he who ignores my warning or breaks faith
with me. He shall be my enemy, and I will visit such destruction upon him and
all his followers that, until the end of all things, he shall rue the day he
turned from my light."

Perhaps I should explore the specifics of their cult or beliefs better?

Combat Doctrine

Yea that section is messed up, just wanted to be mostly codex adherent because a lot of it
works. Also was going the change for changes sake route, un-needed really.

This takes a long time to accomplish little, IMO. It's just not that interesting. What are
you trying to accomplish with it?

Moirae Schism and the Ghoul Crusade; in my mind it accomplishes everything. Isolation,seperation fromt he greater imperium left alone to thier own devices to evolve on thier own, to change and stand apart. I need to find a better way to express how important this period of time is for the chapter. It goes from normal recruitment to vat/ womb babies, it kicks iron over flesh into overdrive, it is the time they evolve the moirae schism teaching even farther. It was during this period of time where everything that makes them what they are today. I need to find a way to express this better.

The only person who's had cloning work in 40K is Fabius Bile.

It is not cloning, children are still born, they still use good ol fashioned sperm and eggs. Part fo them being out on the “crusade in the
ghoul stars” meant being without recruitment worlds, it was more of a self imposed exile. So if you don’t have fresh worlds to steal children from you just make your own children, educate them how you want and so on.

Also the Death Corps of Krieg would like a word with you... they are grown in tanks... they are clones

Battle Cry

Should be a motto or dropped, after the chapter changes into the machine
marines they are today they dont really scream anything when going into battle.

I'm not sure what you're after with this IA. What do you want the chapter to be
like? What do you want the reader to experience? When? The organization of the
article's flawed, and it's hurting the reading experience.

Well in a nutshell, religious zealots of their own creed of the machine god. I wanted
their beliefs to be different possibly enough to be ostracized by the greater
imperium. I want the reader to experience a transformation from a flesh and
bone chapter to one that is more steel. They have a quest to be more like the
machine god, I guess the brain is the only real valuable flesh to them. I want
them to revere machine spirits to the umpth degree enough to come to blows with
others if they feel they are being disrespected. Imagine they are more machine
than flesh... and come to think of actual machines as kin. “That there is our
brother Kol” (pointing to a predator) Maybe going so far as to speaking in
techno-babble?

While being different, perhaps heretical in some circles. (all if the truth was known to
everone the extent of their beliefs) I want them to hide some of the more
heretical thinking because of what happened in the Moirae Schism. They are
loyal to the empire as a whole but not to many elements inside of it; if that
makes any sense.

[SickSix]

Well, I liked it.

 

I think your back story about the Moirae schism and the Ghoul Crusade sets everything up.

 

The servitor mothers thing is a bit weird, but if the DKOK is grown in tanks, then it sounds plausible to me.

 

And, there are many things in 40k that are 'change for the sake of change'.

 

Sanguinary priests are Apothecaries. Neophytes are scouts. There are scores of examples of this.

[Octavulg]

Uaronain

Steel father is too much like Iron Father IMO, I like Steel Brother but could go the father route as well.

But why does it need to be different? These are Iron Hands successors. It'd make sense for the role to have a similar name.

BUT it is change for changes sake and I will drop it... prolly

YOU can call them Hospitallers. But I'm not sure it needs to be told to everyone else, at least not in this context.

Repositarium vs Reclusiam boils down to my ignorance of a Librarium, I see it and go Psyker....

old habits die hard

That reminds me - who keeps the records if the Librarians are gone?

College Of Steel Brothers just needs to be honestly a Clan Council type thing like the iron hands, will work on it.

I kind of liked it as a larger organization (it'd probably be near a hundred).

I just don’t know enough about the Iron Hands to say what clan they are drawn from or even how it is chosen. It would make for a better story to have that part of their history known and I will be thinking more about this.

My explanation would be that the clans have a contest for the honor to found a new chapter. They don't necessarily ALWAYS do it that way, but it makes enough sense it could happen once.

 

As to the clan itself, that doesn't necessarily matter. Hell, we only know of five of them.

Not a clue and I dont think anyone known how far it really went in the modern 40k universe.

True. They're just a long way out is all. Looking for relics of the DAoT might make more sense.

While trying to think of the emperor and the machine god as one and the same and building on the moirae schism beliefs I thought that the emperors words would be seen as cannon. One of the last official councils before the horus heresy was the one at Nikaea.

Fair enough.

Perhaps I should explore the specifics of their cult or beliefs better?

Depends what you mean by specifics. Figure out what precepts underlie their beliefs. Express those. Once one knows the fundamentals, after all, the details fall into place.

Yea that section is messed up, just wanted to be mostly codex adherent because a lot of it

works. Also was going the change for changes sake route, un-needed really.

Codex adherence can be expressed in the two words I just used. Focus on what makes them unique (if anything). There's usually something.

Moirae Schism and the Ghoul Crusade; in my mind it accomplishes everything. Isolation,seperation fromt he greater imperium left alone to thier own devices to evolve on thier own, to change and stand apart. I need to find a better way to express how important this period of time is for the chapter. It goes from normal recruitment to vat/ womb babies, it kicks iron over flesh into overdrive, it is the time they evolve the moirae schism teaching even farther. It was during this period of time where everything that makes them what they are today. I need to find a way to express this better.

Iron over flesh is in overdrive? I hadn't noticed (seriously).

 

I'd sketch out what you want to express as an outline. It rarely fails.

The only person who's had cloning work in 40K is Fabius Bile.

Ah. You realize that if you just called them iron wombs you wouldn't need to explain how they worked?

Also the Death Corps of Krieg would like a word with you... they are grown in tanks... they are clones msn-wink.gif

And the Ad Mech are freaked the hell out. Though I had forgotten the DKoK.

Should be a motto or dropped, after the chapter changes into the machine marines they are today they dont really scream anything when going into battle.

Makes sense. Though it's still kind of weird as a motto - doesn't really encapsulate the chapter.

Well in a nutshell, religious zealots of their own creed of the machine god. I wanted their beliefs to be different possibly enough to be ostracized by the greater imperium. I want the reader to experience a transformation from a flesh and bone chapter to one that is more steel. They have a quest to be more like the machine god, I guess the brain is the only real valuable flesh to them. I want them to revere machine spirits to the umpth degree enough to come to blows with others if they feel they are being disrespected. Imagine they are more machine than flesh... and come to think of actual machines as kin. “That there is our brother Kol” (pointing to a predator) Maybe going so far as to speaking in techno-babble?

The machines as brothers idea has a certain merit.

 

It's an interesting idea. I don't know that it's coming across, but it's an interesting idea (if you go with the machines-as-people idea, I'd definitely recommend a chapter name-change to Steel Brothers).

While being different, perhaps heretical in some circles. (all if the truth was known to everone the extent of their beliefs) I want them to hide some of the more heretical thinking because of what happened in the Moirae Schism. They are loyal to the empire as a whole but not to many elements inside of it; if that makes any sense.

Sort of.

 

They're nice ideas. I'm not sure you're getting them across. I'll reread in a few days and see if I have some ideas.

 

* * *

 

SickSix

And, there are many things in 40k that are 'change for the sake of change'.

Not as true as you probably think, and the ones that are are often dumb.

Sanguinary priests are Apothecaries. Neophytes are scouts. There are scores of examples of this.

Sanguinary priests demonstrates the importance of blood to the DA and of Sanguinius' blood in particular. Perfectly sensible, considering how central blood is to their rituals.

 

Neophytes have a unique relationship with the rest of the chapter (they don't scout, most obviously), and also capture the BT's monastic overtones well.

 

Not change for change's sake at all.

[NightrawenII]

 

And, there are many things in 40k that are 'change for the sake of change'.

 

Sanguinary priests are Apothecaries. Neophytes are scouts. There are scores of examples of this.

Neophyte is marine in the middle of transplation process, ie. marine without full set of organs.

Not every neophyte is scout and not every scout is neophyte.

 

While trying to think of the emperor and the machine god as one and the same and building on the moirae schism beliefs I thought that the emperors words would be seen as cannon. One of the last official councils before the horus heresy was the one at Nikaea.

 

The Emperor issued what would become known as the Edict of Nikaea, decreeing that the Legiones Astartes, beyond the use of Navigators and Astropaths, would no longer employ psykers. They were to disband their Librarius departments, the Librarians re-deployed to the battle companies and the primarchs themselves were to refrain from using any psychic powers they possessed. This of course applied to Magnus, whose use of sorcery was declared not proven.The Emperor also gave one final warning:

 

'"Woe betide he who ignores my warning or breaks faith with me. He shall be my enemy, and I will visit such destruction upon him and all his followers that, until the end of all things, he shall rue the day he turned from my light."

... and yet all 1st Founding Chapters happily employ Librarians, which means at some point of time the decision was amended, maybe even by Emperor himself.

Right now, the Council of Nikea is more of hassle than benefit, IMHO.

[Octavulg]

The Nikaean edict was repealed by Guilliman and the other High Lords, IIRC.

[NightrawenII]

That's popular assumption, AFAIK nothing official yet.

[Uaronain]

 This is from my notes, an exact source I cannot find at the moment. "The Council's rulings also created a new position amongst the Space Marine Legions, the Space Marine Chaplain, to uphold the Imperial Truth and help maintain the purity of an Astartes Legion's dedication and fidelity to the Emperor's commands."

 

So the council said no libbies AND we will make chappies to make sure people follow the imperial truth.

 

 

Anyways guys, the more I read up on 40k the more I think GW has no idea what it is doing with the storyline.

 

 

So yea, I am kitbashing my chapter ethos and history more, will have some work doon soonish :) Right now it is a lot of jumbled thoughts..

 

[Octavulg]

Anyways guys, the more I read up on 40k the more I think GW has no idea what it is doing with the storyline.

Basically.

[Uaronain]

So I edited a lot of the file on my side but when I go to replace the first post no matter what I do the code for the primary datafile is always broken.... I even back-tracked to the template listed in the DIY respurces and it still breaks..... any ideas?

[Messor]

Copy pasting into the bbcode editor should work. Editing has never worked for my articles that use the more unique code.

[Octavulg]

Always edit in a Wordpad document, then cut and paste into the main one. Always.

[Uaronain]

I used wordpad AND the bbccode and both times the table breaks. I went ahead and edited the chaper and it is still a WIP and as you can see the table is broken.

Broken tables or not the show must go on I will be adding more as time permits and please feel free to rake me over the coals for choices I have made. I am thinking of sticking these guys in the Loyalist/Renegade area.... thoughts?

Expect to see a lot more Ad-Mech type fluff in the IA. (chpater will use IG allies to count as Skitarii)

[Octavulg]

Do what I do for tables: steal someone else's formatting (the Steel Dogs have one that probably does what you want. Remember, no line breaks in a table (there's free online line break removers that help with that).

 

I don't know that making them ambiguous in loyalty is really necessary. It always comes across as people being unable to deal with the way the Imperium are dicks, at least to me. Which would be especially ironic in an Iron Hands successor (in the bad way).