The Brit marines.

[The_Iron_Duke]

this is the history for my space marine chapter. hope you like it chaps

Shortly after Slaanesh attacked Earth the British (fearing the end of their nation) sent a fleet containing the best British regiments, politicians, scientists and of course the monarchy. The ship contained a cargo of stolen Space marine technology, enough food to last a millennium and the remains of great British heroes.

The British expeditionary fleet continued its journey across the galaxy, looking for a new homeland to colonise. Many years later they found their new home. The new planet was light years away from Earth (now under the emperor’s rule and under the name Terra) and they named it Britannia in honour of old Blighty. The ancestors of the pioneers began exploring the planet and building cities. Not much is recorded of the “rebuilding” period due to the British focusing on rebuilding society.

After British society was re-established the age old instinct of conquering kicked in and a new BEF (British expeditionary fleet) was built to colonize the solar system. The British planetary empire was born.

Whilst the Horus heresy ravaged the Imperium of man the British planetary empire continued to grow as the scientists (or Boffins as they were called by the common folk) developed newer technology to expand the empire. As the Horus heresy drew to a close, the Boffins had already developed the Space marine armour they captured so it was up to date with the imperium. Another technological leap was made by the Boffins shortly after the death of King George XXXII. They had developed a cloning device, they had experimented on dead peasants at first but once it was perfected they used it on the remains of the British heroes. First to be cloned was Sir Arthur Wellesley (the first duke of Wellington); however to keep the clone alive a special suit of armour had to be made for him. The result of the amour was a highly agile but heavily armoured version of the Space marine suit. He stood 10ft tall and almost invincible. Most of British society treated the clone as a god incarnate. If the Brit marines were an Imperium legion Wellesley would be the Primarch. Wellesley (or the Iron Duke as he came to be known) expanded the British planetary empire even further. King George XXXIII now reigned over four solar systems and protected by an army of ten thousand soldiers, officers, mechs and tanks alike. This colossal army was split into regiments and the country from which they’re ancestors came from (I.e England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland). The first time the Brit marines encountered the Imperium since leaving Terra was when the British Navy (lead by a clone of Lord Admiral Hiratio Nelson) attacked a Space marine battle barge. The result shook the Imperium as nearly an entire chapter was wiped out (this of course is not recorded in the Imperium archive). They didn’t know who did it until the nearest Imperium outpost (manned by the Imperial guard) received a message. The message read as follows: “You have feared and despised us for as long as you can remember; you took our homeland and destroyed our pride. We are the conqueror of worlds, defenders of hope and glory, loyal to our gracious king. We are the Brit marines and you are our next victim”. The message outraged the imperium and every soldier in that outpost was put on full alert. They awaited the invasion that they knew was imminent. It was a month before the Brits launched their attack. The invasion fleet they sent was extraordinary.1000 Brit marines, 40 tanks, 300 bikers and a pre-emptive strike of 100 guns. The force was led by Sir Wellesley himself and there were no Imperial survivors to tell the tale. The British planetary empire had dealt a huge blow on the greatest military force in the galaxy. A new surge of national pride struck Britannia and its colonies; the British spirit reigned supreme. Wellesley then planned an invasion on an Imperial forge world. It was the single greatest battle in British history but it came at a cost. During the battle a host of Daemons arrived, although they were swiftly killed Wellesley was sucked into the warp and was lost forever. Although the battle was a great victory the empire was in mass mourning; some reported that even the king was caught shedding a tear. Wellesley could not be cloned again due to the last of the formula being used and the resources spent. After the battle the British planetary empire declared an un-easy peace with the Imperium. The British army now possessed the same technology as the Imperium and was a force to be reckoned with. Although the peace still lasts the British planetary empire faces a new threat. Xenos. Now the British must defend their borders from an enemy that knows no peace and this war is just beginning.

The Brit marines also have their own home brewed rules. just comment below if you want me to tell you them and if you want to see the forces of King Gerorge XXXIII click this link to my youtube channel

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC89G_taL9kIM4AjNWg092DA

[Leonaides]

interesting... Not a huge amount of 40k involved, and a few of your big plot points could do with some fact-checking, but its certainly interesting.

 

have you read the Octaguide? You may find it useful...

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/214213-the-octaguide-20/page-1?hl=+octaguide

[The_Iron_Duke]

Thanks and I'll check it out. I'm still getting used to the lore haha. What facts did I get wrong so I can correct them?

[Leonaides]

Well, slaanesh never attacked earth, and britain as a nation had ceased to exist a long time before the emperor started to create the primarchs for starters. Read the guide, it'll help...

 

Cut out all the 'british' and work out what you really are wanting your marines to be, then maybe add back some british-ness. At the moment its a bit too british future history to be 40k...

[The_Iron_Duke]

About slaanesh attacking earth I read that on the internet but suppose not everything is true haha. The idea origionly started as British in the future so removing that entirely would more or less destroy the reason for creating the chapter in the first place but thanks for the advice though

[Tiberius Cato]

You may want to look for inspiration in the Scarlet Sentinels, brother The_Iron_Duke. You'll find them in the Liber Asartes subforum in the Liber Cluster topic, they're Brit-inspired marines that command authority with their naval prowess and discipline.

[Leonaides]

Iron duke, there's full-fat in your face british in the future and there's semi-skimmed low fat british in the future. At the moment you've just got too much british and not enough 40k, it's jyst got too much british. Strip it down to the essence then lightly season it with hints rather than slapping people round the face with british. Bear in mind that in 30,000 before the heresy they were excited that they had finally discovered all 3 of shakespeares plays and you might realise how little information survived all that time. By 40k its possible that even tjose 3 plays have been lost and that no-one even realises they existed to be lost.

[The_Iron_Duke]

Ok arctic paladin, I'll check them out :)

[The_Iron_Duke]

How could I add more 40k to it then leonaides? I know I'm asking for a lot but I'm still getting used to the fluff and the sources I've found so far have been, let's face it, not great hence how I got the whole slaanesh thing

[Leonaides]

What is it exactly that you think 'being british' adds to your marine chapter? At the moment you tell us nothing about your chapter, but a lot about a future-britain's history. Strip all that out and look at what is left - how does your chapter function, why does it function. They arent imperial, so how do they get sufficent technological support? How did they get their geneseed and figure out how to implant it?

[The_Iron_Duke]

Ok thank you, I'll work on it and add that in.

[exetus]

The best way to understand 40k is to read the source material and then look to the current chapters of Space Marines as a guide.  Various societies are represented in all of the chapters and legions with heavily thematic, yet 40k feels.  The White Scars are so obviously Mongols, the Space Wolves are Vikings, the Ultramarines represent ancient Gree/Rome, the original Thousand Sons were Egyptian-themed and the Imperial Fists tend to be Teutonic feudalism.

 

Once again, use the Octaguide, and develop what traits you want for your Space Marines and then apply those to 40k.  You can flesh out their backstory, but right now it just reads like an "I've got a better army than you" story where there is little explanation for how they figured stuff out.  You have to remember that the process of creating Space Marines was developed by the Emperor of Man and the current way it's done is a pale shadow of his methods.

 

I would also put this in the Liber section instead of here, where you'll have more people to actually look at it and provide guidance instead of people here looking for a story to read.

[The_Iron_Duke]

Ok thank you exetus, I've learnt a lot from posting here and I think I know how to improve it now :) I put it in here because I didn't know what the liber section was when I posted this haha.

[Olis]

Would you prefer it if I moved this topic, Duke, or would you rather pop over to the Liber and start afresh? 

[The_Iron_Duke]

I think I'll just start afresh, thanks for the offer though :)

[Olis]

I think I'll just start afresh, thanks for the offer though

I'll see you there, then.

[The_Iron_Duke]

You sure will ;)

[The_Iron_Duke]

i have an idea for the new Brit marines and i just want to see if its lore friendly before i write a full LA on it. The Brit marines are loyalist this time but they see the emperor as the reigning monarch and the high lords of Terra as his advisers who implement his will (sort of like the madness of king George), They originally went by a different name (still to be decided) but during a mission against an imperial world that was recently taken by Orks they come across a vault and they find many British artifacts, they return them to Terra and in honour of their find their name was changed to the Brit marines and they change their doctrines to be more in line of their great discovery. Of course this will be expanded but that's it for now.

[Olis]

I would advise finding a different moniker to 'Brit Marines' (if this is a serious article and not a tongue-in-cheek one). Perhaps the Sons of Albia might work? Albia, up to the time of the Heresy at least, is the region that the British Isles used to be (bearing in mind that there is no water on Terra any more). Of course, if that doesn't strike you then maybe another name can be explored fully in the Liber.

 

Seeing the Emperor as the "King" of Mankind seems like a reasonable outlook from a space marine chapter, although I would advise having this perspective derive from the natives of whatever their homeworld is. Perhaps the natives don't have a word for 'chief' or 'master' and substitute the word 'king' instead. 

 

Having a name change usually is associated with a chapter turning from Imperial service, so I think giving them one name and sticking with it might be the way to go. 

 

Now, when you say "British Artefacts", what exactly do you mean? I personally would say something more akin to 'pre-Unity artefacts' rather than 'British', as Leonaides has already pointed out that using the term British too much (or even at all in this context, imho) can feel a bit heavy handed. You are, of course, new to the background (and my word there is a helluva lot of it) so these sort of issues are only natural. It's a learning process. ^_^

 

Anyway, returning said artefacts to Terra would make for a nice little footnote in their history but I wouldn't base their entire character upon it. I would consider what makes these marines 'feel' British? Rather than ladling on the word 'British', I suggest injecting British traits into them. Maybe something to do with the British Empire era 'bulldog spirit' or the quiet patience that sometimes is noted by outside commentators. Maybe you could go down the route of them being an exploratory chapter, channelling the zeitgeist of Livingstone, Raleigh, and Cook.

 

But, regardless, I think this should explored further in the Liber.

[The_Iron_Duke]

all right then i'll try think of a subtle British name as the sons of Albia doesn't really do it for me (thanks for the suggestion though). And as for British traits would this come from the gene seed and if so iv'e read on various guides that meddling with a gene seed is a no no in more or less everyone's books. and for artifacts there is a variety, one of Shakespeare's plays (probably a midsummer nights dream as that was the first one i read), the poem Rule Britannia, a map showing the empire, the union flag and a portrait of queen Victoria is what i have in mind right now. I also quite like the idea of exploration but of course if conflict arises they won't shy away from it. It may seem like i'm asking for a lot of help but i just want this one right :)

[Olis]

all right then i'll try think of a subtle British name as the sons of Albia doesn't really do it for me (thanks for the suggestion though).

That's fair enough. It was a bit of a punt, tbh.

And as for British traits would this come from the gene seed and if so iv'e read on various guides that meddling with a gene seed is a no no in more or less everyone's books.

Well... yes and no. There are certain characteristics that offspring chapters can inherit from their parent chapter - I'm thinking perhaps a kind of stubbornness all of the chapters that come from Imperial Fists stock exhibit. Usually, I would say that the culture and the obvious traits of a chapter come from the world they recruit from but there are exceptions to the rule (like fleet based chapters for example).

Meddling with gene-seed is an in-universe no-no. It is not done. There are very few exceptions and they usually turn out badly.

and for artifacts there is a variety, one of Shakespeare's plays (probably a midsummer nights dream as that was the first one i read), the poem Rule Britannia, a map showing the empire, the union flag and a portrait of queen Victoria is what i have in mind right now. I also quite like the idea of exploration but of course if conflict arises they won't shy away from it. It may seem like i'm asking for a lot of help but i just want this one right

Aha. So they would be cultural artefacts. I believe the name 'Shakespeare' has tranformed by the time of the Great Crusade (and by the 41st millenium, too) - I think I remember a quote in a book attributed a certain 'Shakespire'. This should be a good indication of just how names and artefacts can change in the millennia from now. That poem could be water damaged and only have a central verse legible. It might not even be known as Rule Britannia but as something else. The union flag could be so faded that the colours would be as if they were extremely sun-bleached and the true colours could only be guessed at. Get the idea?

[Tiberius Cato]

Traits can aquired through the chapter's recruits. So let's say this chapter recruits from the world of Saxonia, the inhabitants of the world swear fealty to the Emperor as a king and believe the High Lords to be his will made flesh. They could be inherently empircal because of the recruits aswell. As the recruits influence the chapter more and more it becomes more focused on taking xenos worlfs for man, having their own kind of Ultramar.

 

They could also become masters of void combat and boarding action, their stone cold demenour and unwavering patience helping them in this feat. Or perhaps they choose to dominate the skies, and maintain a specialised air force, boasting the best dog fighters in the Imperium, whilst they have ace tankers on the ground tearing apart enemy fortifications to make way for infantry.

 

I say your best bet is to look at how the British military and how it's operated throughout all time and pick which era appeals to you most, then insert hints of British mannrisms; perhaps your chapter really enjoys tea or maybe they enjoy a rousing game of football played with a defunct servo skull. Maybe they're rambunctious and are looked down upon for their delinquency (Oi! Da Emprah wants yo' world, mate. An' we's gon' take it fur him.*whips out combat blade sized butterfly knife*)

[The_Iron_Duke]

thank you again for everyone's help :) i think it's time to write the LA now! 

 

 

I say your best bet is to look at how the British military and how it's operated throughout all time and pick which era appeals to you most, then insert hints of British mannrisms

my favorite era would be the Napoleonic wars (i actually have a rather large collection of napoleonic British models) so a lot of cavalry (bikes) and bulldog infantry!

 

 

Oi! Da Emprah wants yo' world, mate. An' we's gon' take it fur him.*whips out combat blade sized butterfly knife

That's just too funny! XD

[Leonaides]

in that case can i suggest using Imperial Fists rules on the tabletop. Historically the British/English army has been a horrible thing to try and dig out of defences and has been rather good at defeating/laying siege to enemy fortifications. You have Richard Lionheart during the crusades, the english knights and infantry were the most disciplined force in the christian ranks and formed the core of the most successful crusade. In the hundred years way ( a little before agincour) there was a particular engagement when a couple of thousand French troops (including a large contingent of knights) caught a cargo convoy of English wagons guarded by 300 bowmen - i forget the reference but it was mentioned in another Bernard cornwell book (the harlequin series i think) and he does a lot of background fact checking for his fiction. Unfortunatley for the french the waggons contained arrows and they kept on attacking (assuming the archers would run out of arrows soon presumably). General Hawkwood in Italy - one fo the great mercenary generals of his age and has statues in varous cities he saved while he was there. Equally you have engagements like the Batt House in Oman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mirbat) where a small british force has held out against significantly outnumbering forces...

 

Naploeonic wars - i assume you're reading/have read all the bernard cornwell (sharpe) books? You might also try 'Rifles' by Mark Urban - a very good book covering teh emergence of the modern british army and focusing on the Napoleonic era. You could look up the location/background of your local regiment (assuming you are UK based?) and see what part they played in some historic periods - you could even try to work some of those battles into your marine chapters history if you are stuck for inspiration.

[Tiberius Cato]

Your marines being sons of Dorn would be a good fit for a few reasons:

1. Dorn and his children are stubborn and harder than to remove from entrenched formations, this reminds me of multiple occasions where the British had put forth valiant defense and stuck out the fight until their power of will proved triumphant

2. Rulewise, Dorn's children are the best with the standard holy bolter. If I remember right, the Napoleonic Brits were the best with their rifles at the time, with something like 30 rounds per man as opposed to the average of 10 rounds.

3.Many of Dorn's descendants are fleet-based, and the British have been renowned for the naval abilities. Perhaps this chapter lacks in ground troops but boasts a large number of battleships.

4.The discipline and adherence to their training and drilling is a core tenet of both armies.

5. Both fight for an empire (I think)

These are just a few off the top of my head, and I got a few suggestion for names if you haven't thought of any:

1.Sons of *homeworld* (I was thinking names for the homeworld could be something like Saxon(ia), Engel, Britannia, Hermajestee, Lundin, Manchesta, etc.)

2. Tea Eaters

3.The Red Bulldogs

4. Union Jacks

5. Void Lords (if you go for naval combat)

6. Exemplars of Discipline

7.The Emperor's Unyielding

Hope I've proved helpful and not just spammed your thread with useless info. Can't wait to see your IA, brother!

Edit: Almost forgot I made a quick mock-up of these fellows, inspired wholly by the Napoleonic Brits. Feel free to use it if it strikes your fancy!