Why I Love Chaos

[Uprising]

With the release of the Imperial Knight, and the surprise of the crimson slaughter codex, the chaos community has fallen into a realm of madness and despair(worse then usual).  I love chaos because of the freedom, Chaos armies are for convertor, the hobbyist, the artist.   Chaos allows me to do anything with my models, and not seem against the fluff.  We can literary take any bitz from any model range, and use it.  We have an army that can be painted in any fashion without raising an eyebrow.  Our models are mostly great, if their not we can just convert them(Dark Vengeance is pure win).  We have legions of traitors, mutants, warp denzions, and Daemon itself backing our marines. We follow the only truth, not a rotting corpse on a golden throne. We have some of the best lore within the game(thank you A-D-B). We have some of the finest competitive gamers(all heed Jeske word), the murderous Night Lord legion(they are endless, thanks A-D-B), traitorous guard and Daemons, some of the greatest hobbies on the forum(to many to name). 

 

Brothers and sister, We fight the long war.  I love it, now I ask why do you love chaos?

[Brother Scythe]

I am with you. I actually play Loyalist Marines currently but only against a friend. I am considering the conversion and switch to Chaos, the conversions and themes are limitless and I would have a lot of fun with it.

Then again I hate the Hellturkey and don't ever play anything except campaigns and story driven battles so...

[KhorneFlakes]

I totally agree! Chaos is an awesome power to reckoned with!

[Scribe]

Why do I love Chaos. Why do I love Chaos?

 

At the end of the day, I think its the brutal philosophy of it all. Any faction can put out a beautiful army. Any faction can give a wealth of conversion opportunities, and certainly more playstyles are available with the MEQ on the other side of the fence.

 

What they dont have though, is an insight into the deeper recesses of the soul. Sure, the Imperium is man's sins of necessity magnified, but Chaos? Chaos is what fires our souls in the first place. Rage, Lust, Hope, Despair. These are the ingredients of a full life, of a person who's each breath is full of passions, and emotion.

 

Chaos, is what drives humanity forward, it is what motivates, and causes it to rise above its place.

 

Chaos, is what gives colour, life, and depth, to the drab grey of reality.

[Forté]

Firstly. Thank you Uprising. The negativity here of late with certain releases had begun to get to me to the point that I was beginning to avoid reading posts.

 

Back to the topic though.

 

My love comes from the original Realms of Chaos books and the imagery they created. I always loved films like Willow, Conan, and other fantasy tales. But it was always the look of the bad guys that fascinated me. And with Chaos I had pretty much free reign to do that.

 

Initially I was drawn to Khorne and how brutal he was. Just caring about blood and skulls and not where it came from. Then there was Nurgle and the opportunity to paint some really gross models. But then WD did the Index Astartes articles and I was instantly grabbed by how terrifying the Night Lords were and there style of war. And for a while it was them I wanted to build. Then I read the Emperors Children IA article. I was hooked. Not so much by the rocker look which actually put me off. But by the fact that they are so far removed from what humanity is. No limits. No boundaries. If Chaos is pretty much free reign to model what you want, then Slaanesh is the pinnacle of this. No one could say that painting everything in the army different isn't in fitting with the fluff. Because it is and so much more.

 

But once again. Thank you for a possitive post and reminding me why I do what I do.

[Spacefrisian]

But you can do anything you want with any codex.

[Forté]

But you can do anything you want with any codex.

Bright pink and green Ultramarines with extra limbs and tentacles?

[Dysorange]

I think Spacefrisian did not quite catch the spirit of the effort made here to brighten this forum that is sinking in unusually grim and dark Grimdarkness nowadays.

 

My main focus is on Chaos Space Marines!

 

I love playing Chaos for the possibilities. 

 

As a big fan of lore, historical background or just fanfictions I really enjoy the infinity of destinies you can encounter and if we could quietly discuss with Chaos Space Marines each one would be the one teaching new things, new stories, new ways of switching from Humanity's defenders to it's worst ennemy. Each warband has it's own story to tell,  it's speciality, it's gear, it's goal in life and it would be really enlightning to be able to learn all of that. Now you would be most likely chopped to pieces before getting dried and used as sniffing stimulant for Slaanesh lovers if you would ever happen to cross such interesting fellows....

 

You are also free to write you own army history. And despite what you are saying Spacefrisian, I don't think  any Codex has the freeedom and openness to allow such variety and diversity as our :

 

SM : What the hell is there with this Guilliman fetichism? 1,000 each, properly trained and oredered for review by Papa Chaplain! Meh..boring! 

 

Eldar : One far all, all for one! And yes the Farseer propheted this so we are here to fight! Derp.....

 

Necron : ZZZzzzzzZZZZZzzzzz...oh we woke up, time to screw things up!

 

Nids : NomNomNomNomNomNomNom.....

 

IG : Some dude with a pencil said 13 Millions of us should come here and get used as new flesh and blood carpet.....so we are here!

 

Orks : PLease refer Nids above, save the "Noms" should be "Roars".

 

Yeah, in fact, as a Chaos Space Marine you can really build up your own story, your own past, your own reasons to hate this Corpse God, you have a million of different possibilities allowing you to 

create your very own unique chapter/legion/warband/ tea party.

 

THIS is my main interest in Chaos, and by now writing my Warband history has been the biggest source of pleasure^^

 

PS : Please don't get my little demonstration by army as a bad taunt, I was just trying to be a little funny and make my point!

 

For the Fantastic F.....errrr....the Big Fo......errrr those 4 dudes we like!!!!! For Chaos!

[Iron-Daemon Forge]

Firstly. Thank you Uprising. The negativity here of late with certain releases had begun to get to me to the point that I was beginning to avoid reading posts.

 

 

Agree.  We have a lot of great memebers here who have a lot of skills in diffrent aspect of the hobby, see Call of Chaos for exsample on the converting & painting side of the hobby, we should show other memebers of the fourm these great skills/be more positivie (sp) if it tactical, background, army logs, etc.....

 

With Chaos.  For me it all started with White Dwarf 202, the first White Dwarf I bought when I started the hobby.  Seen John Blanche art work & the conversion that staff memeber in the studio done made me want to start Chaos Space Marines right there.

Also 2nd ed codex Chaos Space Marines with the background & art work.  Bloodquest comic (Exlie Blood Angels who battle in the Eye of Terror) which was in Warhammer Monthly has always been a great source of idea toward any conversion due to the great art work & well worth picking up if anyone can find a copy.

 

For me I enjoy converting models from that point onword.  Collecting Black Legion just when codex 3rd ed was release, part of that was due to the battle report in White Dwarf 230? which had Black Legions vs White Scars.

 

But Index Astarties where being release in the White Dwarf & it when the Iron Warriors article was release that I ended up going for the IV Legion, also a friend done some really cool conversion for there Thasound Sons force, there also a really great Fallen Angels army that the local Games Workshop store I went to that the time, there the type of armies that will always stay in my mind & always inspired me when ever I've look that starting a Chaos Marines army. 

Since then my Iron Warriors has became & still are my main force during those years.

 

I like useing the current codex Chaos, I've been getting more games in & I've really like adding onto the army.  I think my army over 7000pts, I've not added the point up.  It been great adding units like Raptors because the new plastic models are really cool, just Raptors was a unit I though I would never add as I did not like the old metal models & I'm looking to add a unit of biker to my Iron Warriors after seen Brother Heinrich Night Lords army log.  While it still not taken away from the overall theme of my army.

I like have each unit sub theme, for me gaming wise it add bit more fun as those units do somthing epic in game that'll add further to there theme & why I like adding trophies.

 

I'll keep adding to my Iron Warriors, it will always be down to models I enjoy converting & painting no matter if it for a tournament or friendly games that my local store/gaming club.

 

IP

[the jeske]

 

But you can do anything you want with any codex.

Bright pink and green Ultramarines with extra limbs and tentacles?

Yes. You call it a cursed founding .

 

The chaos gives more options for converters is more an anegote . Even for painters with self ally , formations etc any army doesn't have to be made out of same colored clones.

[Forté]

 

 

 

 

But you can do anything you want with any codex.

Bright pink and green Ultramarines with extra limbs and tentacles?

Yes. You call it a cursed founding .

 

The chaos gives more options for converters is more an anegote . Even for painters with self ally , formations etc any army doesn't have to be made out of same colored clones.

I'd love to see a pink Ultra. Just to see confused looks.

 

But you are right Jeske. The one thing the allies has brought is the opportunity to have an army which isn't based around one scheme or idea.

 

The more I look at this thread the more I remember why I got into the hobby too. It was never about power levels and winning. It was about cool models and seeing others creations and their passion.

[Redtoof]

Chaos Marines, the only power armoured faction that can hold my interest long enough to paint a whole army.

[Spacefrisian]

You can convert any thing you want in this game, unless you are restricting yourself to what others say, eg whats stopping you from using guardsmen with scything limbs as Hormagants, or whats keeping you from making female marines? Its your money not those who stand around the table complaining how your models look.

[Slave to Darkness]

i play chaos because it was the first army that really captured my imagination when i was a nipper (wow these space marines look cool, but golly gee is that?!?!?!) 

They do what they want when they want, you can model them how slimy/spiky/tentacally as you want and it doesnt matter. Best background, there just amazing. <3<3<3<3<3

[Rune_Priest_Rhapsody]

Well, I play this game (not a game??) for fun. I play my Space Wolves for fun, and I made the venture into the eye of terror for fun. As already stated chaos is a festering puddle of converting, kit-bashing, uniqness. And that in itself is enough for me at least, to pick up the codex, buy some models, and get going down that candy-laden trail to damnation. Maybe it's just that kind of reasoning why some of us are upset?? Maybe yet again, Chaos is meant to be the hobbyist army, and not one you take you crush hopes and dash dreams. Although it should be!! For me it's the idea of having a ying to my yang. I've got flea ridden super angry marines and dammit, they need some enemies to fight!! The fluff monger in me at first was insistent upon playing Thousand Sons, for obvious reasons, but as a purveyor or horror, zombie, and dead things, I cannot resist the lure of big papa.

 

The thematics of chaos are infinite as well. You can weave any tale you'd like to and it's accepted, because the chaos gods can explain anything away. Or welcome it into the fold. I am a purist however, you would never find me painting tentacled marines pink and claiming them as a mutated legion, but I sure as hell ain't going to say you can't!! The universe this game is set in is far too vast to pass anything off as being implausible.

 

The idea of chaos is the most like our actual society in this game. It's a melting pot of all kinds of things and beings, and it's bent on the destruction of other things both living and ethereal.

 

End of Line

[Zhukov]

Years ago I played Space Marines. I found them boring and switched to Chaos Space Marines for that reason. I still view it the same way.

 

After that I started to appreciate the background and models.

 

Now I can consider myself a fan of CSM, which I never thought would happen. (The rational person I am being a fan of a particular faction lol)

[Dragonlover]

The 2nd Edition Chaos Codex. I first saw it a few weeks after finding out about the hobby and my brain just went 'You see this? You need it in your life'. That was 17 years ago. I love Chaos because the models are just cool, and conversions are so much easier when if you stuff it up you can get away with bunging some kind of mutation over the mistake.

 

I also really enjoy the current codex, it breathed new life into my hobby as it came at a point where I was finally coming out of a long bout of unemployment induced depression. I just couldn't do anything with the 4th Ed codex at the time, but I've written tons of lists with this one.

 

Also, I'm a big reader of project logs, and Chaos players that have project logs just seem to care more about the army in a holistic fashion. I mean, just go read any of the Night Lord logs, or fortes Slaanesh stuff, or thamiers Black Legion and there's a passion there that I just never quite seem to see in the loyalist logs I've read. I wish I could bring some of it to mine sometimes, but I just don't have the energy really to write fluff, and my painting is very workmanlike.

 

Dragonlover

 

P.S: That was nowhere near a comprehensive list of logs I enjoy, and feel free to prove me wrong on the passionless Loyalist thing.

[HsojVvad]

Why do I like Chaos? Hard to say. I collect Tyranids and Dark Angles. For me that is what got me into 40K years ago. About a few months ago, or maybe a year ago, I felt like trying Chaos. Fluff wise, I don't like how the "good guys" are really bad guys and worse than Nazis and nothing really redeeming about them. So I guess, if I am going to play something that is really evil, I may as well go really EVIL then. 

 

I kept reading each Legion, and war band to see what appealed to me. Ironically I picked Alpha Legion. To me they are just like or are the opposite of Dark Angels. Both are secretive. Both could be actually serving the other side depending what you read or believe. Primarchs are both great Tacticians. Might be only one Lion, but AL have twice the Primarchs. :P

 

Now like Nids, I love the minis. Love the multiple colour schemes. Love the convert ions. Liking the fluff from what I am reading. I don't really care for REAL EVIL, but it seems some Chaos is not real Evil. 

 

I also play for fun, and it seems CSM look fun to play. When I use to play, I always lost, so not missing out on that part. :P

[Wayniac]

I've always been attracted to Chaos as the "big bad" of the setting, even if they don't reflect that anymore.  Chaos was the first real army I had beyond a smattering of Ultramarines (like most everyone else in 2nd edition lol) and what appealed to me the most was the whole "fallen angel" (not the Dark Angel variety) concept - that these were once the loyal servants of the Imperium and have been swayed to evil. 

 

I've never been much of a converter for miniatures (too lazy) but the fluff and backstory has always appealed to me and is why I've always been enthralled with Chaos. 

[Trevak Dal]

I don't really 'love' chaos.  I like elements of it, but I don't like it in it's entirety.  My favorite faction is Grey Knights-I liked them first and most when my friends were trying to get me into the hobby back in 5th, before they had the update.  I picked tau at their suggestion because "It's like the Covenant from Halo, and the Federation from Star Trek," and they had Armored Cores.  :cuss yeah!

 

I digress.  I wanted an Alpha Legion type army of hard-ass commandos kicking in doors.  Maybe that's not how Alpha Legion 'are' what with them being the "True Legion of Tzeentch" and all (lizard like mutations, where there are mutations, Spy Vs Spy anarchy, M. Night Shamalan type of twists in the Heresy novels...), I really liked the stuff about how they train teams of astartes together to accomplish goals, and were so adaptable they could deal with losing elements of their army.  They lost their primarch and didn't bitch out like the Sons of Horus did (or did they? DUN DUN DUN WHATA TWISSST!)

 

If my tau weren't Blue/gray (in direct contradiction to Farsight Enclave Red/Gray)...I'd be playing an Alpha Legion cell instead of Red Corsairs.  I've come close to stripping both and starting over...especially after painting my Daemon Prince in Alpha Legion colors.

 

But...I've built my love of the Alpha Legion into the background for my Corsairs strikeforce.  The leader (Sorcerer Giselburtus) is a former Alpha Legionaire sorcerer who infiltrated the Astral Claws to perpetuate the Badab War.  His cell was wiped out by another, rival Cell, and his last surviving brother (the Daemon Prince Jyuggulag) keeps in contact with him and has noted that Giselburtus is subconsciously re-creating his former Cell, in how he assigns the corsairs to squads.

 

He also has a fair bit of Colonel Schafer, in that he's putting together a strike force of the most hardbitten and resourceful survivors of the Red Corsair campaigns.  Giselburtus gets assigned special retrieval missions, where a more delicate hand is needed to secure high value items.  They are thieves-and damn good ones too, and the only fights they get into are ones where things have gone sideways.  I'm trying to build them as balanced as possible.  They do pretty well (Except against Wraith Units...the urge to break ranks and get Daemon Engines is high...but I want to try and avoid that if I can, though I do use 3 Nurgle Oblits because they're awesome)

 

My as yet unnamed Khorne warband is way far removed from the Legions of old  They are technically World eater descendants-though they have been in the Eye for over 100,000 years and allied themselves to "the Black King" on several of his campaigns for the promise of a good fight, plunder and slaves.  "Rage is our weapon, not our curse"  I kind of want to try my hand at painting them a metallic color...I'm thinking chainmail and then washing it gryphon sepia to make it 'golden' type armor with green accents.  It will be the Assault Army that I always wanted.  Daemon engines, Helbrutes and Raptors Oh My.   If my Red Corsairs are the COG Gears, these guys are the Locust Horde.

[Akylas]

For me it all started with the Dark Crusade video game. I'd already played DOW2 and its first expansion and even bought a pack of assault marines, intending to assemble them for fun but not really planning on playing Warhammer 40k. Then a friend suggested the older DOW games. I made it through the first couple and ended up playing the Word Bearers for my first game of Dark Crusade. I was hooked. The smug way Eliphas was presented, so sure of the supremacy of Chaos and the cheesy lines from the Chaos champions when you clicked on them were great. I started to put together an army but kind of faltered when I couldn't choose from among the many ideas I had. Nearly two years later it's the plogs here that brought me back.

 

I just love everything about the Chaos concept. The very serious and even subtle themes you can explore about it on one end (Fire Caste is still possibly my favorite about Chaos but not explicitly book) as well, when it's presented with a sense of whimsy and irreverence, the mustache twirling "evil" side of it. Add in the immense freedom in converting, painting and fluff without ever feeling like you're going against the background and it's irresistible.

 

I long for a reasonably strong and flexible codex with a lot of options but in the meantime I'm happy to develop my nascent conversion and painting skills in the name of the Dark Gods.

 

 

[Rain]

I've always only liked Chaos and Dark Eldar. My first army was actually DE, a friend of mine and I split on the 3rd edition started box and I got the DE with him taking the SM. Then I got the 3rd edition rulebook and saw a Chaos Marines painted dark silver with hazard stripes on his bolter and was like--woah that's badass. The Vogen campaign was going on around this time and I read battle reports and in character campaign logs featuring Night Lords and Iron Warriors including all kinds of awesome quotes like "Am I not a heretic? Come, punish me in the name of your False Emperor, but beware, for death and I are old friends". I mean, how could you NOT want an army of that. Then I started reading the IA articles and was officially hooked.

 

So yeah, I started an Iron Warriors army, it started out pretty small, then got bigger with the release of 3.5 and became my main army supplanting my DE. Been playing Chaos off and on since, so far I've played IW, DG, WE, and now NL, I actually love all of the Traitor Legions, maybe not equally, the BL, TS, and WB are definitely at the rear of my roll of dishonor and I hate how McNiell wrote the EC so I'm just trying to scrub Fulgrim and Angel Exterminatus from my mind, but I love the whole demigods from a forgotten age coming back to ravage the Imperium they helped found bit. And unlike perhaps some Chaos players I like the ultimate pointlessness of it, I actually like that the Black Crusades haven't "succeeded" (yeah, I know, it was all a setup to collect swords and crap blah blah) because it adds to the Sisyphean tragedy of the Legions, they fight the Imperium not because there is any realistic hope of victory, but because that's all that they have left to do.

[Akylas]

Good one on the tragedy aspect of the legions, Rain. That's something I hadn't really considered but is probably part of the reason I like the Night Lords series.

 

I also love all the legions, if in a somewhat different order (your bottom 3 range among my top 5 or 6, although Iron Warriors are also up there). I'm also iffy on the representation of the Emperor's Children so far. How did you feel about the  Iron Warriors in Angel Exterminatus? There were things I liked and disliked about that one.

[Wayniac]

I've always only liked Chaos and Dark Eldar. My first army was actually DE, a friend of mine and I split on the 3rd edition started box and I got the DE with him taking the SM. Then I got the 3rd edition rulebook and saw a Chaos Marines painted dark silver with hazard stripes on his bolter and was like--woah that's badass. The Vogen campaign was going on around this time and I read battle reports and in character campaign logs featuring Night Lords and Iron Warriors including all kinds of awesome quotes like "Am I not a heretic? Come, punish me in the name of your False Emperor, but beware, for death and I are old friends". I mean, how could you NOT want an army of that. Then I started reading the IA articles and was officially hooked.

 

So yeah, I started an Iron Warriors army, it started out pretty small, then got bigger with the release of 3.5 and became my main army supplanting my DE. Been playing Chaos off and on since, so far I've played IW, DG, WE, and now NL, I actually love all of the Traitor Legions, maybe not equally, the BL, TS, and WB are definitely at the rear of my roll of dishonor and I hate how McNiell wrote the EC so I'm just trying to scrub Fulgrim and Angel Exterminatus from my mind, but I love the whole demigods from a forgotten age coming back to ravage the Imperium they helped found bit. And unlike perhaps some Chaos players I like the ultimate pointlessness of it, I actually like that the Black Crusades haven't "succeeded" (yeah, I know, it was all a setup to collect swords and crap blah blah) because it adds to the Sisyphean tragedy of the Legions, they fight the Imperium not because there is any realistic hope of victory, but because that's all that they have left to do.

 

That's a very interesting way to look at it, especially the whole eternal damnation aspect of it.  You fight a battle you can't win, because it's all you know and part of you knows that there's no other way - you can't ever be forgiven for your sins (if you even wanted forgiveness).  It's almost tragic, in that maybe you fight because you hope to die, since death will liberate you.

[Rain]

The IW fared okay, there were a few really questionable bits like when Berossus was killing his own men as part of training on how to control a dreadnaught. I mean seriously? I can see Chaos Marines using slaves or even serfs as target practice but their own Astartes? That scene was pants-on-head idiotic. Also it didn't make sense if taken in conjunction with Storm of Iron which it referenced practically every other page. I mean, if Forrix and Kroeger were also members of the Trident with "The Warsmith" why were they serving under him in SoI? And just in general, why does Forrix, the FIRST CAPTAIN end up serving under a peer of his at all? Certainly if anyone would become a full blown Chaos Lord a former First Captain should. Taken seperately, SoI kind of made sense, The Warsmith was the overlords and Kroeger and Forrix though also Heresy vets were implied to have been his underlings all along, now it's a bit disjointed.

 

That said, the general characterization was good, he did a good job of fleshing out Perturabo's sense of being betrayed at being forced into menial work. This was always there in the background, but he worked with it well. Overall I was pretty satisfied, taken seperately from SoI it was a good portrayal.