IA: Sable Hawks.

[Ekim_Trub]

I think you very well could be on to something, I will do some thinking & research into cultures and see what I can come up with. 

[Grand Master Aldric]

On the topic of the Baal predator I think that blood angels would be perfectly happy to share a copy of the STC (especially considering that they share the storm raven.) but there are two problems: One: Your friends the Admech have been trying to get the Blood Angels to hand over the STC for hundreds of years so they may  dislike you a little for being friends with Blood angel and some mech tentacled freaks my even try to take it from you. Two: the Blood angels hate the Admech, so they not want give it to you for fear that your relationship with Admech may lead to them getting the plans for the predator.  Just my opinion.

[Ekim_Trub]

Those reasons and, iirc, it is stated that the Blood Angels guard the STC very closely and do not share it out with their own ranks is why it won't be a 'Baal' but a battlefield improvisation that uses the same weapon layout.

 

I can get a Flamestorm 'copy' in the form of the Infernus, so theoretically it is is possible for some Techmarines to stick some assault cannons in a damaged Predator turret to help fight an Ork horde or to provide suppressive fire.

 

It will clearly be a poor copy as it won't have the Lucifer engines, but as I don't game, it is more from a fluff aspect I want/need to justify it.

[Plague Angel]

Using the Rites of Battle format is neat. Did you roll those, or select them from the charts?

[Ekim_Trub]

I cherry picked them to suit myself, if anything, it helped reassure myself that I was going down a believable route with my Chapter.

Hopefully I will get something up shortly, but at the moment I can't seem to take my IA past bullet points/single sentences for each section. :(

[Dizzyeye01]

What you could do is start adding in reasons why you're chapter acts in the way it does like why do your chapter favour its current tactics? Has it always been this way? It's good having points but it's the reasons that bring a chapter or warband to life really.

 

Currently I'm in the same position as you, just need to add some flesh to the skeleton of my own chapter (which I need to post) so I know where you're coming from.

 

Hope this has helped :)

[sitnam]

When it comes to filling out info, I always brainstorm while doing a mindless task, such as driving to work. It took me a while to fill in the details for my chapter. I went through several iterations. going from Whitr Scars, to Blood Angels, finally getting to Iron Hands.

[Demus Ragnok]

When it comes to filling out info, I always brainstorm while doing a mindless task, such as driving to work. It took me a while to fill in the details for my chapter. I went through several iterations. going from Whitr Scars, to Blood Angels, finally getting to Iron Hands.

I second this. I always do my best thinking when I'm doing something other than just thinking.

[Ekim_Trub]

So, I have progressed little with this project, except for researching some cultures in the attempt a Home World for the Chapter.

I have found myself drawn to the Native Americans/Red Indian tribes as an inspiration, however, I am struggling to find a way to explain how the Chapter specialises in air assault tactics when their recruits would be drawn from a culture favouring guerilla warfare and horse-mounted warfare. I am also unsure as how to explain why the same culture has not evolved from a stone-age civilisation over the 7/8 millennia since the Chapter claimed it as their own.

 

[Captain Juan Juarez]

 

I have found myself drawn to the Native Americans/Red Indian tribes as an inspiration, however, I am struggling to find a way to explain how the Chapter specialises in air assault tactics when their recruits would be drawn from a culture favouring guerilla warfare and horse-mounted warfare. I am also unsure as how to explain why the same culture has not evolved from a stone-age civilisation over the 7/8 millennia since the Chapter claimed it as their own.

 

Well, for your first point, the way I see it is you are making a mistake; how the culture, or cultures, they recruit from fight isn't going to have an impact on the way they fight. Terrain, opposition, logisitics and mindset, for example, will do.

 

I've seen many articles drafted that have a Chapter begin with one particular combat doctrine that evoles in to nother, for whatever reason, so you can always start out with the basic Marine combined arms approach and find a reason for it to have developed in to airborne assault. The usual reason is to focus on a spectacular defeat or series of defeats.

 

Moving on to point number two and advancement, one thing to consider is that you don't ever really need to mention this at all. If you need an explanation for it, you can discuss how the Chapter prefers to keep the culture at a certain level as this means that those they recruit are phsyically tougher and more likely to survive the implantation process.

[Ekim_Trub]

Well, it would appear I am about my literary skills would be akin to a Giraffe on rollerskates. 

Once again, I have ran around in circles re-editing the same drivel over and over and over again to the point where I have hit the proverbial brick wall.
I think I just throw together a small paragraph to cover my Chapter instead, as giving them a culture and/or theme is just a task above my abilities. :(

Thank you to all of those who have tried to help me throughout  attempts the several I have made at writing an Index Astartes article, it has been so very appreciated and made me love this forum even more than I already did.

[Captain Juan Juarez]

Trub, you can't give up dude - it'll come eventually. Personally it took me something in the region of 4 years to have anything close to a finished article and I still have these nagging doubts that it isn't 100% perfect (probably because it isn't!).

 

Focus on the one core idea that makes your Chapter unique and work from there, take it slow and work through each facet of your article until you are happy with it. I think one of the big issues is that people try and do everything at once and they get bogged down which leads to the sense of despondency you probably feel righ now. 

[Ekim_Trub]

I'll pool my idea/workings together and see what I have, then take it from there. I may post it all on here and see if I am maybe just missing something.