Help with hyborian Space marine chapter

[recon0321]

Was thinking of how well the Conan the barbarian theme would fit with a space marine chapter....I mean it would be something like salamanders meets space wolves....you get the barbarian side of the Cimmerians with their almost religious worship of the sword and anvil....could this work? or is this too much of a similar already done idea?

[LongGone]

Q: What is best in life?

 

A: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

 

Seems fitting for Teufels in Space.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I had a fan fiction idea in which Conan the barbarian is one of the unknown Primarchs- his legion is named the Black Dragons aoc.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Dragons, after the Aquilonian king's guards. There are very few Chaplains or Librarians in Conan's legion, due to the Cimmerian's distrust of priests and sorcerers. However, Conan is nonconformist, and won't bother enforcing the Emperor's edicts against organized religion- see 'Queen of the Black Coast', in which the Cimmerian states, "I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply."

 

One idea I had was, when the Emperor first appears on Hyboria, Conan swore, "Crom!" as he usually does, when angry or upset. The natives, naturally, see the Emperor as a god, and when the Emperor identifies Conan as one of his sons, the natives think this means Conan is Crom's son, and begin worshipping him as such- even the Cimmerians, who believe the fact Conan was sent to them, means they are the gods' chosen people, though Conan successfully convinces them that Crom only accepts the sounds of metal upon metal (blade upon blade, as in battle, or hammer upon anvil, as in a blacksmith's shop) as prayer, and will not answer mere words. This makes his swearing the one word he regrets the most.

[Heru]

A Conan inspired Chapter already officially exists: Executioners

[LongGone]

A Conan inspired Chapter already officially exists: Executioners

 

Maybe its because I don't remember much about Conan beyond the awesome one liner above, but I didn't really make the connection between him and the Executioners. Care to explain?

 

LG

[recon0321]

Hmmm yea what is the connection between the two..

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The confusion is due to Oliver Stone ing up when he wrote the 1982 'Conan the Barbarian' movie's script. "Thulsa Kane" commanded the Executioners forces during the Badab War, according to the Lexicanum article. "Thulsa Doom" was Conan's nemesis in the 1982 movie, despite the fact he never appeared in Robert E. Howard's original 'Conan the Barbarian' novels (he was Kull's nemesis). There's also the absurd scene of Conan praying to Crom, when Conan specifically stated Crom did NOT answer prayers in 'Queen of the Black Coast'!

[recon0321]

Well I think this can still be a viable idea...just need a way to make them barbaric and not space Wolfie....

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Conan's legion will likely have techmarines serve as de facto Space Marine chaplains, as they did in the Iron Hands before the 6th edition 'Codex: Space Marines' was published. There may be some chaplains who focus on the marines' spiritual health, but they will be rare- as stated, Conan rarely trusts priests, but all rules have exceptions (read 'The Hour of the Dragon' for one such exception), and the Cimmerian is as individualistic as any of Fenris' sons.

[Darrell]

 

 

A Conan inspired Chapter already officially exists: Executioners

Maybe its because I don't remember much about Conan beyond the awesome one liner above, but I didn't really make the connection between him and the Executioners. Care to explain?

 

LG

There are a few connections that show Conan (both Howard's books and the film) was a major inspiration for the Executioners.

 

1) Thulsa Kane, combining the names of Thulsa Doom from the movie and Solomon Kane (Not Conan, but another of Howard's characters).

 

2) The Executioners are based on the Darkenvault, a fortified asteroid, which sits in the lagrange point between two worlds. Those two worlds being Stygia and Aquilon (described as "infamous planets of fire and ice). This is a "hammer to the head" reference.

 

3) The Executioners did a great deal of wandering of the galaxy between M32 and M37, before they eventually settled and essentially ruled over Aquilon. This echoes Conan, wandering his world before strangling the king of Aquilonia and becoming king.

 

4) The Executioners are frequently described as "bellicose", "fractious", "grim", "savage" and "barbaric". They are barbarians in power armor. However, they are also born of Dorn's geneseed which gives them a noble aspect to their barbarism. See also their carnage wrought in the Badab War, where they avoided civilian targets. Conan is the quintessential "noble savage". Their dark nature fits well with Conan's melancholy moods.

 

5) They prefer short-ranged combat and melee, unafraid of throwing themselves against an outnumbering foe and trusting their skill to see them through. I remember only one instance of Conan shooting a bow (He was good at it, but an Executioner has the same BS as any other Astartes counterpart), and Conan repeatedly finds himself fighting large groups of enemies "like a cornered tiger". He prefers to cleave skulls to the teeth, which is shared by the Executioners.

 

6) The Executioners "ascribe to the worship of the God-Emperor". I assume this means they see him as a god, but they also have no patience nor need for the "superstitious trappings of the Ecclesiarchy". Conan, likewise, had a belief in gods but did not involve himself with ordered religion.

 

7) Conan takes his oaths very seriously (When he broke a cup and swore "The heads of ten Picts shall pay for his, and seven for the dog..." while an observer self-comments how he had no doubt the Cimmerian would fulfill his oath). So, too, do the Executioners who would join the Secessionists in the Badab War to fulfill a millenia-old oath to the Astral Claws.

 

8) Consider that both Conan and the Executioners are barbaric in nature, savage and primal in aspect, yet can ironically be found protecting the weaker, civilized world. Conan as a city guard and again as king of Aquilonia, the Executioners as Astartes of the Imperium.

 

9) Take a look at the words written on the Land Raider "Heart of Blood". You'll see the word "Cromm" inscribed.

 

Some of the inspiration is obvious (Thulsa Kane, Stygia, Aquilon) while others are more subtle. I appreciate the latter, because Sergeant Alenpoe of the Raven Guard still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

 

As far as drawing inspiration from Space Wolves and Salamanders, the Executioners' common ground with both of these Chapters was touched upon in the Badab War books. The Space Wolves found common ground with their less jovial cousins, the Executioners, during the Plague of Unbelief. They both shared a deep sense of honor, a similar combat doctrine and barbaric cultures. Yet the Executioners were a grim, taciturn, lot and the Space Wolves referred to them as "Laughing Axemen" in Fenrisian. Meanwhile, the Salamanders would later be impressed by the Executioners' honorable conduct during the Badab War and the Executioners would come to the aid of Vulkan's sons in the Red Hour. The Salamanders would go on to put their own reputation on the line to defend the Executioners to the loyalist forces of the Badab War and again to the consistorial court who judged the Secessionists. Even now, the Salamanders guard the Executioners' fortress-monastery and homeworlds until their rightful owners return.

 

It is not 100% Conan the Cimmerian (IN SPAAAAACE), but that's a good thing. Hyboria is a very different place from Warhammer 40K, and very few, if any, ideas would port directly into that universe. I also detect a hint of Lovecraft in the Executioners' fluff, along with the presence of animism and ancestor worship as a more general "tribal feel" that Conan didn't really have.

 

It's not impossible to create another Chapter based on Conan, as there are Chapters who share themes (Iron Hands/Sons of Medusa have their Adeptus Mechanicus ties and desire to replace flesh with bionics, clan structure, Chapter council. Ultramarines and Minoraurs have Spartan inspirations). However, much of what has been mentioned can already be found in the Executioners. Not only do you have to differentiate yourself from your Chapter's inspiration, but you also have to separate yourself from an official Chapter with similar tones.

 

It would be a difficult project to write, but it could be done with the proper care and attention.

[LongGone]

 

 

 

A Conan inspired Chapter already officially exists: Executioners

Maybe its because I don't remember much about Conan beyond the awesome one liner above, but I didn't really make the connection between him and the Executioners. Care to explain?

 

LG

There are a few connections that show Conan (both Howard's books and the film) was a major inspiration for the Executioners.

 

 

Well damn. Clearly I need to brush up on my Conan knowledge. 

 

LG

[recon0321]

Maybe just go with executioners...too bad forge world didn't give them pads

[Darrell]

A few years ago, I bought "The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian", "The Bloody Crown of Conan" and "The Conquering Sword of Conan" along with "Savage Tales of Solomon Kane". I've read them numerous times, and wore "The Coming of" to the point where 1/3 of the pages separated from the spine. Since, I've become a fan of pulp in general but Howard and Lovecraft are my staples. I also have three of the "John Carter of Mars" books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, though I have not yet read them.

 

I'm not an expert, by any means, but I love the literature. I see a lot of general pulp influences on the Executioners, which is part of why I am so fond of the Chapter. I tried to do a similar DIY some time ago, but did not do nearly as well. So, I admire the writer of the Axemen for that.

 

If you decide you want to explore the Executioners (And there's nothing wrong with trying your hand at a DIY, because everything can be improved. Don't let things like "it's been done before" dissuade you, because everything has been done before!), their Chapter symbol is not difficult to draw from what I have seen. "Sipping on Paint Water" blog has done a tutorial as well as "Fourth Company Librarium", I believe. Both also have tips for the blue-steel color scheme for which the Executioners are infamous.

[LongGone]

Not gonna lie Darrell, I bought the Conan 'bundle' for my Kindle and have been learning all about the barbarian/thief/reaver/King of Aquilon for the past two days. Good stuff. I'm almost ashamed I relied entirely on the movies for the Conan 'universe.'