Identity Issues

[Jiron]

Hey brothers.

Well I have little problem here. When I started collecting chaos some three years ago, I have started with my DIY renegade chapter which was inspired by WHFB Skaven. I used some pieces of their heraldry and some stuff from the background etc.

However, as my understanding of chaos developed, my concept of warband faded a bit. Today in a local club this conversation occured:

 

Some Guy: "Wow this is what warband?"

Me: "Well these are Space Rats, my DIY inspired by Skaven"

SG: "And the inspiration is manifested by what...exactly?"

M: "ehm... ehhhh... very unreliable plasma guns at the moment."

 

How do you guys deal with development of your concept? What do you do when your base ideas fade away or turn to something else?

[Vesper]

A facinating topic.

Personaly, I like to write, and I'm quite good at it. So I wrote on my army. Made reports of my battles, make my infamous 11th compagny of the Black Legion "The Envenomed Heart" part of something greater, like the Black Crusades. For example, my warband was quite insignifiant post Heresy, and followed Abaddon's forces out of loyalty and to be protected, which led my dudes to be involved in Black Crusades, not doing much at first. But then, during the Ghost War, they managed to defeat an Eagle Warriors army, led by their chapter master, killing him in the process. Which led to a burning hatred from the Eagles Warriors and the favour of Abaddon who helped the warband to grow into something huge (1500-2000 astartes) that plays a role in his Black Crusades.

 

It can be more complicated when you have to handle a warband made from scratch. But it's also quite exciting !

Maybe your warband found a dark temple, deep in the Eye of Terror, and burried underground was the cell of a powerful rat-like entity/daemon prince that they started to worship, or stuff like that.

So I handle my warband's identity by writing fluff about it.

[Octavulg]

Pretend that was the plan all along.

Seriously, though: evolution of your concepts is natural and healthy. Don't worry too much about it. Their current state is the only one of consequence.

[Disruptor_fe404]

Pretend that was the plan all along.

Seriously, though: evolution of your concepts is natural and healthy. Don't worry too much about it. Their current state is the only one of consequence.

This is how I roll. Plus, there's some bias inherent in your own perception; no one else knows your guys the way you do, and very likely, no one ever will. All these meandering changes and such? You're the only one that truly sees them.

[Firepower]

Once I finish and put a bow on my ideas, I close my eyes, cover my ears, and scream 'LALALALALA!!!' anytime they are contradicted by new or previously unnoticed issues.

Actually I've had several DIY's in the past that flopped because as I went more than a few models in, I became unsatisfied with the idea, or decided some new feature would be cooler, or wanted to try new colors, etc. I recently made the Broken Arrows, which is the first time I've really felt I had a 'bow' on a DIY, and I'm just really, really hoping the idea stays satisfying and coherent as I work on the army.

Sooo yeah. Here's hoping.

[Gripharius]

How do you guys deal with development of your concept? What do you do when your base ideas fade away or turn to something else?

I think you ultimately have to decide if you want to grow or change the current Chapter, or just flush the old and start a new Chapter.

Personally, I think the natural growth of a Chapter is something that will ultimately make the Chapter much, much better.

Take a look at you first IA and then assume a couple hundred years have passed for your Chapter since then. Think about the table-top battles you've fought with your army. Did you get utterly annihilated by a 'Nid army that you still think about? Did you go on a streak of great wins? Does one of your Chaplains seem to be unnaturally lucky -- always getting good rolls for or bad rolls against? Got a new model that you're using as a Captain?

Maybe those things have affected your Chapter. Maybe 'Nid table-top game was a multi-Company campaign that saw your Chapter severely beaten down, and the Chapter rebuilt in a different way, determined not to suffer like that again. Maybe that streak of table-top wins was a glorious campaign that changed the tenor of the Chapter as a whole. Maybe that lucky Chaplain has risen to a level of high respect in the Chapter, become Reclusiarch and changed a lot about the Chapter's cult. Maybe that new Captain model is actually the new Chapter Master, and he has made some changes in the way things are done.

Better yet, maybe your personal style of play has changed. Did you move away from sloggers to transports? Has 6th edition made you look more at flyers? Explain changes in your play style with events, motivations and similar changes to the fluff of your Chapter. You can use real table-top experiences or just make up battles and campaigns that your Chapter fought.

I think those are the kinds of things you can do to grow your Chapter. Yes, they were once Space Rats but then the "Nid campaign tore them apart and broke them in defeat, then the new Reclusiarch led them on a glorious campaign of victories, and then a new Chapter Master, groomed by the lucky Reclusiarch, rose to power and swept away the old, defeat Space Rats to unveal the new, Emperor-blessed _____________.

Or, you change just dump the models in paint stripper and shred the old IA, and start all over again.

[Jiron]

Thank you for positive attitude! Actually, you helped me a lot.

I must say that I have really got some beating by Necrons and now I participate in a campaign against Alpha Legion in which my new commander is doing pretty well.

It will work out quite nice...