Red corsairs fluff holes?

[recon0321]

Pretty simple is their enough holes in their fluff to make a smaller warband...say a minor champion within the corsairs? Maybe he is given leave from the blackheart to pursue his own goals within reason as long as he gives the tyrant his due?

 

Thoughts or should I just do my own warband?

[Hemal]

Sure why not, the Red Corsairs are a pirate band, wouldn't make sense for all of them to operate togetehr in one group all the time.  The Maelstrom is a big place, each comapny equivalent will have its own leadership hierarchy any road...

[Zincite]

Chaos is chaotic by its very nature - and so too are its followers. There are dozens of ways a Red Corsair warband could exist. Particularly since the Corsairs are said to be as large as a pre-heresy Legion (which one man couldn't possibly micromanage) and that they're primarily made up of renegades. 

 

Your warband could be a company of Space Marines who turned from the Imperium, decided they didn't want to bear their old colours and so repainted themselves as Red Corsairs  - or even just crossed out their Eagles - and declared their allegiance to Huron Blackheart.  They needn't have met him in person or follow his direct orders. They could be a group of ships under the control of one of Blackheart's lieutenants. They could be Corsairs who are disillusioned with Blackheart's leadership and declared themselves an independent warband. They could even be another warband pretending to be the Red Corsairs if you wanted. It's a big galaxy. Those are just the first few ideas which enter my head.

 

I would personally imagine that Huron demands that his servants acknowledge his power, don't get too big for their boots and that they profit him in some way by their activities. This might be a constant demand like keeping a certain system under pressure. Or it might be a one-off event like capturing an artefact, a gift of ships or the destruction of a Space Marine force. Or he might not ask anything at all and call in his favours later. Every warband wearing his mark would be obliged to answer his summons, if he called.

 

This does not mean that your warband has to answer, or that they have to obey all his rules. A set of Corsairs who decided they wanted to make their own rules could quietly slip away in the warp and nobody would ever know. Even if they went out guns blazing, it's a big galaxy and it would take a lot of resources and time to track them down and destroy them. Huron might make that effort to enforce his will. Then again, he might not. 

 

There's a thought provoking piece by A D-B in this thread, which I used recently to figure out some of my own renegade warband's fluff. I can also recommend Blood Reaver as a cool look at the Red Corsairs.

 

Have fun!

[Son of Carnelian]

"We figured they were more like guidelines anyway."

 

Zincite got it all right in his post. They're pirates! I find a lot of my inspiration comes from the real world, so maybe research how real pirate captains collaborated with each other? I'm sure there is plenty of cool stories from the Golden Age of Piracy that can inspire your force. 

[Zincite]

"We figured they were more like guidelines anyway."

Hah! That's a perfect illustration.

[Kol Saresk]

Pretty simple is their enough holes in their fluff to make a smaller warband...say a minor champion within the corsairs? Maybe he is given leave from the blackheart to pursue his own goals within reason as long as he gives the tyrant his due?

 

Thoughts or should I just do my own warband?

Well, let's put it this way. There aren't that may holes. But only because there is so little filled in. You can pretty much do whatever you want. Like for example, Heathens had a thread called Akhan's Reavers IIRC. It's buried somewhere in the Chaos Ascendant forum. Or rather, it should be. Anyway, maybe you can use it for some ideas.

 

EDIT: Found it. Akan's Reavers.

[Mahoo]

The reason I chose Red Corsairs is exactly whats been said above.

 

Aside from the awesome idea that they're space pirates and Huron is arguably one of the coolest CSM characters. The freedom they represent from a painting and modelling perspective was what hooked me.

 

It's logical that Huron would have lieutenants that would manage their own small warbands. Warbands would comprise of just about anyone, Traitor marines, traitor guardsmen and heretic cultists. Marines from other chaos forces who just happen to serve a Red Corsair champion. I plan on having at least a few units from random legions in my army (Thousand Sons sorcerer, Iron warriors havoks a Word Bearers dark apostle etc).

 

I'm sure I read that loyalist marines that have fallen to chaos and follow Huron just need to cross out their chapter symbol with a red "X" and that's good enough for him.

[A D-B]

Pretty simple is their enough holes in their fluff to make a smaller warband...say a minor champion within the corsairs? Maybe he is given leave from the blackheart to pursue his own goals within reason as long as he gives the tyrant his due?

 

Thoughts or should I just do my own warband?

 

Every Red Corsair army is a Red Corsair warband. Every Red Corsair army led by a Corsair other than Huron is led by a lesser/minor Corsair champion. And there'll be loads of those - Huron doesn't do everything. So you're not looking for holes, exactly. What you're looking for is exactly what Chaos Marines are already.

[daveNYC]

Pretty simple is their enough holes in their fluff to make a smaller warband...say a minor champion within the corsairs? Maybe he is given leave from the blackheart to pursue his own goals within reason as long as he gives the tyrant his due?

 

Thoughts or should I just do my own warband?

 

He was probably given leave by Huron and told to go off and do something to further Huron's goals.  Now if he's actually doing that, or if he's doing that plus a little extra for himself, or even if he's telling the rest of the band "Oh yeah, Huron totally wants us to take over that planet and then have me rule it until he shows up, really." is up to you.

[Tenebris]

Pretty simple is their enough holes in their fluff to make a smaller warband...say a minor champion within the corsairs? Maybe he is given leave from the blackheart to pursue his own goals within reason as long as he gives the tyrant his due?

 

Thoughts or should I just do my own warband?

 

The Red Corsairs fluff was written in such a way that making your own warband of renegades not only is in line with their fluff but also expected. There is even no need to paint them red and black, simply paint a red X across their chapter symbol and you are done. The Red Corsairs are a mix of renegade marines, some simply renegades, some already chaos marines, but all are traitors of some kind. Even the original Astral Claws are merely a token presence, sure they hold many important positions in the Red Corsairs but Huron rewards the brave and the useful so every renegade, human, xenos or astartes has a chance to obtain a position of notice in the Red Corsairs.

 

So to recap, the "Red Corsairs" is an umbrella term for dozens or even hundreds of renegade warbands, some chaotic, some simply renegade. Warbands that can be of all kinds, astartes, human and alien but all hold their "loyalty" to Huron Blackheart. As in all things chaos the concept of "loyalty" is shrouded at best, it is much better so say that the warbands pay lip service to the Tyrant of Badab. 

 

You want to make your chaos lord a lieutenant of Huron, your warband affiliated with the Red Corsairs? Well than grab a painting brush, dip it in a red color and paint a red X over your shoulder pads. Congratulations, you are a Red Corsair... welcome to the club. Your only job is to pillage, ravage and despoil everything you touch and when the Tyrant calls you better be there or have a very valid reason why you failed to appear when summoned... and yes... the cookies are over there, near that freak of a chaos pirate with seven eyes...

[Trevak Dal]

I use the red 'X's to show new Corsairs (Prospects...been watching a lot of Sons of Anarchy).  They haven't earned their 'Flags yet, and I represent this by having the squad be largely like a Codex Marine squad: Bolters, bolt pistols, 1 special 1 heavy, no veterans of the long war, no marks, etc.

Standing Corsairs are painted in Red and Black, with Champions picked out with some gold, and usually have the mark of Khorne or Slaanesh, with Ubergrit (extra combat weapons) and veterans.  They've fought for a while-maybe even have a member or two of Astral Claws among them-veterans of the Badab War.

[A D-B]

I use the red 'X's to show new Corsairs (Prospects...been watching a lot of Sons of Anarchy).  They haven't earned their 'Flags yet, and I represent this by having the squad be largely like a Codex Marine squad: Bolters, bolt pistols, 1 special 1 heavy, no veterans of the long war, no marks, etc.

 

Standing Corsairs are painted in Red and Black, with Champions picked out with some gold, and usually have the mark of Khorne or Slaanesh, with Ubergrit (extra combat weapons) and veterans.  They've fought for a while-maybe even have a member or two of Astral Claws among them-veterans of the Badab War.

 

That's cool as all heck. I bet it looks beautiful on the tabletop, too.

[Tenebris]

Indeed, I remember a pic from an old CSM codex where there was a group of Crimson Fists made by bitz from both the loyalist and chaos marine squads and they were presented as renegade marines. The red X implied a connection with the Red Corsairs who were on the same page.

[recon0321]

Thanks brothers that answers my questions I was thinking of maybe standardizing the scheme a little...at least I can go ahead with my project now thanks for the responses!

 

A-D-B thanks for commenting on my thread I am honored

[Pariah Mk.231]

Indeed, I remember a pic from an old CSM codex where there was a group of Crimson Fists made by bitz from both the loyalist and chaos marine squads and they were presented as renegade marines. The red X implied a connection with the Red Corsairs who were on the same page.

 

Prior to 4th ed (or more accurately, the Index Astartes article about them), that was all that distinguished a marine as a Red Corsair, they didn't have an actual colour scheme like they do now.