New Project - Black Guard

[Mau]

I'm away from the hobby for a long time again, and after years my taste and motivation changed. Due to that change, I decided to forget about the old IF's army and start from the scratch again.

I leave in Brazil (as you should note 'cus the poor English) and around me there are no players ... and has been like that since I first met WH40K 28 or 29 years ago on a trip (yes I still have a Rogue Trader mint rules book) but unfortunately not the miniatures any more.

 

So... after almost a year looking to some nice amount of sealed boxes of GW minis and reading about WH40K history and painting blogs I decided to go with the Raven Guard, and again I got caught when I was reading a painting guide from GW and saw the Black Guard chapter.

And after one or two weeks of researching there is nothing about them ... only some really really few lines talking about one battle moment in particular and its done.  Owhhh and a nice colour scheme (my taste is not in discussion).

This was perfect, 'cus I was really wanting to paint something close to the original legions, and a 2nd founding chapter with no background was perfect.  I don't have anyone to play with so fluff and nice models is all I can get ^^

 

Well with that small introduction I would ask for opinions about my idea for the chapter history.

 

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Black_Guard

That link has everything I could found about them in one place... so it is my reference.

 

What I'm going for.... starting from the background I could found:

 

Background

 

"The Black Guard is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and a rare Raven Guard Successor Chapter of the Second Founding. Much of this Chapter's history has been lost to the passage of time."

I'm assuming the Black Guard as the purest of the successors, they carries the most close from the original gene seed of the XIX Legio Astartes.

Why that, it came with the name they chose when the Legio was split in chapters ... they were the guards of the abominations at the Raven Spire during Heresy Wars, and because the close relation with the Raven Guard apothecaries they kept the white colour on their power armour.

They are strong in temper and consider themselves the true sons of Corax once their gene seed wasn´t touched since the raising of the 19th legion.

 

This should be the core of my background for the chapter. To be improved with time and new ideas to grant more details.

 

Gene seed

 

They keep their gene seed stocks with the most pure material around all other successors, even from the Raven Guard itself.  They did not suffer with Istvaan losses nor had their ranks exposed to the accelerated process that brought disgrace upon the legion during the Horus Heresy.

They carry the pale skin and black hair from the Primarch, they carries the flaw of the Betcher’s Gland but with the aid of their ancient Apothecary the Mucranoid functionality was restored and made their companies able to operate under extreme circumstances.

The drawback of the Mucranoid restoration was the speed up of the skin whitening process that became almost instantaneously after the gene seed inoculation.

 

Chapter Organization

 

The chapter adhered to the Codex Astartes each company of the chapter can be independent counting with all kind of resources available to them.  There are 7 companies of Black Guards, each one leaded by a captain and counting with their own scouts, Black Guard companies can have from 120 to 150 Space Marines.

The command structure is based in a counsil of war, know as Birds Nest, composed by the captains of each company, and represented by the chapter master into the Imperial affairs.

The lack of faith in superior powers may have been inherited from the long time they spend assisting the abominations created by Corax during the Horus Heresy as an desperate try to replenish the ranks of the XIX Legio in time to aid the loyalists in battle.  After years watching their brothers twisting in pain and agony, waiting for someone to put an end to their misery, praying for the heavens to have mercy of their souls, they only answer they got ware the loud noise of their Primarch bolter giving peace to that poor souls.

That feeling can be notice at Black Guard by the lack of religious rites and also but not less important by not seeing the Emperor as God, but as the rightful and just ruler of the Galaxy of Man.

 

Combat Doctrine

 

The Black Guard always served the XIX Legio as guardians, keepers of fortresses and legion relics.  Their training was hard in the ways of their legion focus in fast and precise attacks, guerilla and sabotage. And they mastered their training as their brothers and specialized in combat in close places, mastered the manoeuvres of a power armour in closed space.  Being a sublime strike force to conquer and occupy important facilities from the many enemies of the Emperium.

 

The scouts delivered into the battlefield and not recruits, they are Black Guards, no distinctions are made not by skills not by position, between them and their battle brothers. They just wear lighter armour to accomplish their jobs in battle.

 

The recruits train at there fortress in a moon <<yet to decide where>> for many years before their gene mutations are totally in place and the chapter combat techniques are mastered, then they are elevated to the rank of a Astertes and join one of the 7 companies.

 

Chapter Colours

 

As described in GW material, I will keep the scheme but adding a lot more of Raven iconography to their colours, to demonstrate how close they are to the original XIX Legio.

Still need to think on sergeant and veteran markings.

[Mau]

Oh and by the way .... please help me with ideas, concepts, critics anything =)

[Inquisitor Eisenhorn]

Nice start!  Just based on the little information that is given about the Black Guard, my take on them has been that they operate slightly differently than the Raven Guard, Raptors or Revilers.  

 

Given that their main documented exploit is a devastating Thunderfire cannon line, they seem to like to employ less skirmish tactics, and more overwhelming force.

 

If you want that to fit into the RG successor thematic narrative, though, you could say that they use extensive recon units to gather as much information about enemy movement as possible to set a massive trap where they surprise and overwhelm the opponent in a single strike, rather than using hit-and-run tactics and smaller engagements.

[Mau]

Thanks for the insight.

 

Thinking on something like that I set the "scouts" as fully trained marines, members of the companies itself, not only as part of a company of recruits in training, more like light armored marines... I can use it as a hook to link better to the thematic.

 

I line of work will have them as something like "facilities takers" .... and guards just playing with the name.

 

Lets say.... a deep recon made by their "scouts" at an TAU fortress... than when they have what they need... a powerful surgical attack, supported by their own heavy weapons.

 

Fluff and hobby is all I can have around here so lets fluff.... more ideas ? anyone ... everyone ?

[Mau]

I would like to ask for a favor to the great all ... as I don't use an iPad I can't see the guide with the schema for the Black Guard, I got a frontal pict at google with the paints and so... but is there any other information ?  Like the markings on the left shoulder pad... or the knee markings ...

 

If someone can help will be much appreciated.

[deathspectersgt7]

Company color on right knee. Squad on right shoulder in Red white or black number.

[SyNidus]

Definitely liking the rise of Black Guard here! Keep i up gentlemen :)

The main thing i'm abit conflicted about is how they have "purer" gene-seed. Not that I mind personally, but i don't know how they'd be able to have less deteriorated gene-seed as the Black Guard was not formed until the second-founding, after the heresy, by this time the Alpha Legion's warp-taint would have become more widespread. I'd recommend removing that or if you can find some way to explain it, it'd be pretty cool.

[Mau]

Hi Brother SyNidus,

 

My idea is that the Black Guard was formed by the members of the Guard of Ravenspire... the chapter was not raised from the deteriorated gene-seed from the Raven Guard, but formed by those members that were kept away from the battles of the Horus Heresy campaign.

 

They stayed out of the fight to behold the abominations created during the try of Corax to speed up the process.  That's my idea about the gathering of that chapter, that explain why they have the purest seed, they had never being touched by the events of the heresy or the post heresy Legion gene-seed.

 

I thought that I had explained better when I wrote about the gene seed, but sometimes my English fails me.  Its a try to make them somehow special once they had no honorable records or great achievements in the Emperium history...  Hope its better explained now ... please gimme your feedback again =)

[Mau]

Totally off topic .... but any of you have cats at home ?

 

Damn I wasn't paining for the last 4 years in this time I got 4 cats and now I cant even setup my desk for the paining to start working ... any hints to keep them away ?

[deathspectersgt7]

prayers and incense

[Mau]

Lets talk about colors...

That's my idea of colors to their holy armor plates.

In the upper row ... a regular marine and a sergeant and at the lower their veteran variations... my idea circles around the concept that the more experienced they get and older they become more close to the black armor they get. Is like a symbolic reverence to XIX Legion.

And for the captain and commanding officers .... I wanna go that way, also to add some color and diversity to the army. An even more dark (black) armor with a red helmet.

Please comments !!!

Oh I was forgetting ... the knee pads are for company and squad.... or something like that, I also thought in use the colored knee to show the function (devastator, assault...)

Edited August 20, 2014 by Mau

[deathspectersgt7]

Like what you have come up with so far. Maybe have all senior officers like the Capt or even all Vet Squads.