For some, it was a hobby. For others, it was an obsession.

[Reynolds]

Reading once more through the "Unforgiven but not Unknown" thread that has been here since 2007. I looked back to the years of B&C, and I recall to the moments of 2002 when I started to follow B&C forums, 'til I finally registered myself here in the 2003 Eye of Terror Grand Campaign.

- I somehow looked back to my early years as I picked up the colors of Dark Green in 1994, and a thought came back to me from those days, that I thought after reading the stories/fluff of the 2nd edition Angels of Death book.

"If I'll ever get a tattoo, I'll get it from either from Deathwing/Ravenwing or of the Dark Angels insignia. I don't think any other would hold such a significance."

- Now it's been almost 20 years, but to this very day, I remember mobilizing my forces even for the 1999 Armageddon Grand Campaign. The raising of the battlefleet "4th Command Armada", under the rule of the Dark Angels of my personal cadre; with the Battle Barge "His Undying Fury" at the tip of the spear. Same for Eye of Terror.

- I can remember & recite the spouts of anger and bitterness as I played my first match against the freshly released Necrons; and the Monolith that shredded my Land Raider to shreds(along with 60% of my forces); only to be taken down with 5 Terminators as my desperate charge after they deepstriked, one of them scoring a lucky hit, blowing the entire thing down in 2001.

- I won that day, but the casualties were high(85%, but I won in the end).

***

I could go on and on; but one thing has stood for me throughout my entire life: The perseverance of my faith to the Chapter and to the Unforgiven; even at desperate/bitter times that the 4th edition era was(even in my personal life) 'til now. I might not be young forever, I might ride a high cc motorcycle as the Ravenwing themselves; I might be just as hard-headed and stubborn as the Deathwing themselves, and I might have gotten blows at the City instead of a woman because I would not tolerate how some people treat a lady.
- But one thing will stand in my life: I will carry the torch of the Unforgiven with me with all of their secrets to my grave. And as I will do that, as I only return to that what I thought to myself almost 20 years ago: "If I'll ever get a Tattoo..."

***

I am aware of the copyright deals; I am aware of everything else, hence I will just underline "If I will ever", and leave it at that in here.

- Instead I will say, that for some it was, and is a hobby; which is good.

- For others it was an obsession that they incorporated in to their daily lives, and they prospered. But just as the Dark Angels, I too will take the secrets in me to the grave. So this shall be my first thread in 10 years here, I take it it might be a short lived at that. But there's a place on my left shoulder, that I will imprint next year, as 20 years will come to a circle, with an insignia, and I will leave it at that.

For I will take the torch with me to the grave, and no one can take away what the Chapter means to me, and how much I hold in high regard its values, even through all these years.

- I'll see you on the field; I look forward that other Veterans might one day follow; but 'til then and ever onward... For the Lion.

***

Thank you, ShadowGuard, Isiah, Master Sheol, FerociousBeast & others of the Moderati Team of the past ages. I suppose I should now introduce myself to the "Unforgiven, but not Unknown thread". Looking forward to the next 10 years here.

- Feel free everyone to share your own thoughts of the past years, if you feel like it; or delete the post by Moderati, if you feel like it

[FerociousBeast]

For the Lion indeed!

 

It's strange how this chapter does stick to some of us. I've been fed up with GW and quit several times (still in a quitting period right now... I refuse to buy another mini until the prices become reasonable again), I've even been fed up with the Dark Angels and their lackluster codexes, the generally poor quality of their novels in recent years, and, yes, even the excessive emphasis on robes since 4th edition.

 

But I keep coming back. Azrael's still my homie. The red terminators in my copy of Space Hulk still kind of bug me.

 

I'll be 32 in a few months. I know I'm too old for this stuff. Who cares :)

[shortysl]

For the Lion indeed!

It's strange how this chapter does stick to some of us. I've been fed up with GW and quit several times (still in a quitting period right now... I refuse to buy another mini until the prices become reasonable again), I've even been fed up with the Dark Angels and their lackluster codexes, the generally poor quality of their novels in recent years, and, yes, even the excessive emphasis on robes since 4th edition.

But I keep coming back. Azrael's still my homie. The red terminators in my copy of Space Hulk still kind of bug me.

I'll be 32 in a few months. I know I'm too old for this stuff. Who cares

I'm 33 and have 3 kids. I'm NEVER going to be too old for my Dark Angels........

[FerociousBeast]

My wife just had our third kid this Tuesday morning. Another reason why I can't afford to buy minis anymore :)

[Brother dean]

Congrats Beast.  You will find that it gets easier when they get older.  My 3 are all driving now.

 

 

OP: Agreed...    I started with our Legion in Epic 2nd edition when I was splitting boxes with a friend who wanted Space Wolves...   We more or less flipped a coin over who got which.  I have not regretted it since.  

 

I have at times dallied with other armys, (Crimson Fists, 1ksons, Guard, Eldar) while in the depths of codex despair but I always come back to the Deathwing and a full formation of termies.  

 

And I dont like what Gav Thorpe has done to the backstory but there is one scene in Ravenwing that fits very well.  The Chaplain is using psychotropc drugs to lead initiates to the desired end result and that fits with the original RT vision of the Space Marines....   Good to see old stuff coming back.

 

We are the First, The Primary Legion, The mailed (Power) fist of the Emperor.

[shortysl]

My wife just had our third kid this Tuesday morning. Another reason why I can't afford to buy minis anymore

Ah, congratulations mate! I have a good excuse to keep buying; my eldest and middle daughters are starting to show an interest in my models.......

[Isiah]

Congrats to you and the wife FB.

[A D-B]

Best wishes to you and yours, FB. Muchos congrats.

[facmanpob]

For the Lion indeed!

 

I'll be 32 in a few months. I know I'm too old for this stuff. Who cares :)

If I may misquote Gurney Halleck:

 

"You young pup!" ;)

 

I'm 41, with 2 kids under the age of 5, and I'll never be too old for my plastic man dolls!

 

Congrats on the latest addition to the squad! :D

[Brother Moridius]

I started in this hobby when I was 12 15 years ago, it was three of my friends and I and they picked BT, BA, and SW so DA was pretty much what was left. Man did I get lucky they didnt choose them! I have played on and off since then dabbling in other 40k and fantasy armies (though never other marines) but my Dark Angels are still the first and favorite and by far the biggest army I own.

 

To all of you 'old' folk with the family and kids I say first congratulations on having a loving family but also to staying in the hobby and finding time for yourself to do something we all really enjoy. I for one plan to be one of the creepy old guys at the back of the store playing on a regular basis, remembering glorious battles and chanting weird things that freak all the 12 year olds out.

 

For the Lion Brothers, may your love and devotion for the hobby never go away.

Moridius

[JeffJedi]

Around 1992 I had been getting comic books for a few years, but there was a gaming section in the back with racks of lead miniatures. I didn't know what they were and they looked cool, armored guys. Then I saw this:

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/3/3f/UKWD117.JPG

 

I got a 3-pack of MK7s and this White Dwarf they had been sitting on the shelf for a few years. It's a great issue and totally different from what we see now. If not for this picture I'd have been painting World Eaters since there was another WD cover that looked amazing. But no, my Chapter chose me as much as I chose my Chapter. Once I saw this there was no question, I would have Dark Angels.

[Gillyfish]

I do like that bit of art - that was one of the reasons I thought the DA were cool too. I started out with Epic and liked the background, with the descriptions of the Ravenwing and Deathwing and the special formations for them. When I started to get into 40k at the beginning of second edition I decided to pick the DA - they just looked like the 40k background - dark, sinister and gothic.

 

Congratulations to you FB - very good news. :)

[FerociousBeast]

Thanks all!

 

Yeah I've always loved that painting, too.

 

What originally got me into the Dark Angels was simply the color green. Dark green was my favorite color at the time, so the Dark Angel mini in the chapter lineup immediately called out to me. I also liked the idea of "dark angels" who were good guys. I read through the three books that came with the 2nd edition box set, and read that the Dark Angels had some kind of terrible secret. Sounded good! I didn't know anything else about the fluff when I painted my first minis dark green.

 

Then I bought Angels of Death, and they had me. Hook line and sinker.

[A D-B]

Thanks all!

 

Yeah I've always loved that painting, too.

 

What originally got me into the Dark Angels was simply the color green. Dark green was my favorite color at the time, so the Dark Angel mini in the chapter lineup immediately called out to me. I also liked the idea of "dark angels" who were good guys. I read through the three books that came with the 2nd edition box set, and read that the Dark Angels had some kind of terrible secret. Sounded good! I didn't know anything else about the fluff when I painted my first minis dark green.

 

Then I bought Angels of Death, and they had me. Hook line and sinker.

 

I can never get enough of origin stories like this.

 

This whole thread is rad.

[Onisuzume]

Hm... Loyalty is its own reward, eh?

[shabbadoo]

I've collected miniatures since 1977, and have had Dark Angels since 1987.  Definitely a hobby and an obsession for me. :D

[The Shadow Guard]

Thanks all!

Yeah I've always loved that painting, too.

What originally got me into the Dark Angels was simply the color green. Dark green was my favorite color at the time, so the Dark Angel mini in the chapter lineup immediately called out to me. I also liked the idea of "dark angels" who were good guys. I read through the three books that came with the 2nd edition box set, and read that the Dark Angels had some kind of terrible secret. Sounded good! I didn't know anything else about the fluff when I painted my first minis dark green.

Then I bought Angels of Death, and they had me. Hook line and sinker.

Hear! Hear! Green is indeed great and very alluring.

I had seen the 40K minis around hobby shops but never paid much attention ... me being a historical 1:72 scale aircraft modeller and all... then while in Taunton, Somerset UK for 6 months i had to buy a birthday present for my then young nephew who was interested in something called warhammer 40,000. The hobby shop in Taunton at that time was owned by a a lovely chap from Melbourne so we got talking.... and i bought my nephew the 40K2 starter set and a whole heap of Spacewolves miniatures..... Seeing the quality of the plastic and the paints I thought I'd try out painting a single Tactical Squad (old 40k2 set) and decided to buy the Codex Angels of Death!!!.... Never looked back.....

On return to Australia I discovered the 40K online community and B+C and later ended up in Birmingham for 2 years.... little realizing that GWHQ was in Nottingham... and those heady days of the EoT campaign, meeting the admins and mods of B+C inperson at the Gamesdays 2002 and 2003....That Codex: Angels of Death has long been the cause of much recruitment to the Unforgiven cause! :)

My wife just had our third kid this Tuesday morning. Another reason why I can't afford to buy minis anymore

Nice work and congrats on the liddle 'un....... it's the only thing in life that is better than hanging out here painting the unforgiven!!

SG

[Master Avoghai]

Congrats FB ! That's now 3 scouts in formation you'll have to convert into the hobby in the future... 10th company is the future of our chapter.

 

And remember what says my best friend :

 

You don't stop playing because you're getting old.

You gets old because you stop playing.

[elmo]

I'm a relative newcomer to the DA. I started in 2010 when I bought a AoBR box set primarily for the small rules book (I had been playing Tau) and wanted a change from painting my little blue Xenos so I painted up the orcs and sold them off. That paid for the boxset so I decided to keep the marines.

It took a while to decide which chapter to go for but the "Monks looking for repentance" look was to good to resist (plus I was using DA green for my Tau ) and even though it meant removing all the tactical badges from the models I went for it and never looked back. I still have loads in the painting cupboard and after a short sabbatical painting my Tau I will be back on The Rock.

As to age - I am still playing with my toy soldiers at 45 and have even got the kids (2 boys) in on it but the eldest is a Nurgle/Daemon player (thedevourer on BnC), the youngest has IG. Just got to convince the wife to collect SoB and we are set.....

I did start modelling in my early teens with Airfix/Revell military models then after a 10 year gap moved on to WHF and LotR and I still have these in a cupboard. Ahh... signs of a misspent youth

[Terrahawk]

Inspirational stuff, fellas. Maybe I'll also throw my Origin Story out there.

 

My first contact to Warhammer 40K was Space Crusade in the 90s, which sparked my life-long love for Power Armour and Boltguns. Didn't know it back then though. I loved Space Crusade, but didn't really get into Warhammer back then. Later in life as a teen, I used to read my cousin's White Dwarves and Warhammer Fantasy army books. I also painted some Warriors of Chaos, but still didn't get into WH40k. Loved everything 40k-related I saw in the White Dwarves though. This must have been 2nd Edition for 40k.

 

Fast forward to Warhammer 40k 4th Edition. I had grown to love RTS games such as Command & Conquer and Starcraft on PC, and was looking for new games to play. Enter Dawn of War. I instantly recognized the Space Marines from my past, and my love was re-ignited. In Dawn of War's army painter I was scrolling through the different Chapters (I recognized some of them like the Ultramarines), and the Dark Angels instantly spoke to me. The menacing name, combined with a dark green colour scheme and the winged sword Chapter insignia just appealed to me. 

 

Being the researchy kind of nerd I am, I started properly getting into the 40k background via online resources. The more I read about the Dark Angels the more I liked them. The story of Lion's youth on Caliban with knightly orders, the fact that they were very tactically minded, their legendary resolve in battle, and of course Luther's betrayal and the secret Hunt for the Fallen. And finally, remember that menacing dark armour? They also wore bone-coloured robes on top of that.

 

Now in 6th Edition, I still have my DAs, even though I have diversified my collection to different armies. I still feel, that the Chapter has the kind of depth to it's fluff, that makes all the other Chapters pale in comparison. They still have the best looking Power Armoured models on the table, since you just can't beat the imagery of sinister and mysterious, yet utterly dedicated warrior monks. We also finally have a Codex, that has some real parity to Vanilla Marines. 

 

Brothers, may you always hunt the Fallen without mercy, and bring the Emperor's wrath to the Alien, Heretic and Traitor alike.

[Brother-Sergeant Bohemond]

I saw the DA when they were released for 4th edition. Knew they would be my favourite Chapter from then on. I loved the robes and the jetbikes and the general air of brooding around them. Once I read their background properly it solidified my choice.

[Dread]

Lets see, 20 years ago this November I bought my first box of Deathwing termies and have had a DA army ever since. I've played thru the hard times and good as well. I own way too many armies for both 40k and fantasy but that won't stop me. When I become to old to throw dice then out to pasture with me, then I will be done.

 

Congates on your achievements as well. and please post a pic of your body art when you get it (that's what I do for a living, over 18 years now).