The Legion for you... Community Assistance Thread

[Castiel]

Does anyone else have problems with sticking to their particular legion? I was watching the Two Towers again today and for some reason helms deep made me want imperial fists again. It's something about defending a fort against numerically superior forces that I love about them. How do you guys deal with that problem? I was thinking of buying a small imperial fists section and maybe ally them with my night lords, if the rules allow me to. I doubt they will though.

All the time. I have Salamanders, then got a small detachment of Raven Guard, now I want Night Lords, SoH and Alpha Legion.

 

Howeverm I chose Salamanders as my primary force, as Salamanders were the legion I kept coming back to the most, there's just something I love about them. I guess if there is a Legion you feel a constant draw to then you should do them.

[Hyaenidae]

I get the desire as well, quite often in fact. It's pretty natural, if you think about it, as we are all being more exposed to new and interesting fluff and ideas constantly, thanks to FW's hard work and dedication to the Heresy. I mean, how many people's jaws dropped the first time they saw the Imperial Fists' Unification Era scheme? So simple, yet so striking, that alone was enough for people to try out a test model.

 

Really, that's the only way you'll be able to scratch the worst of those imaginative itches. Make a cool, stand alone model, just for the hell of it, based off that one wild idea you had. I tried out BCK's Crimson Son's technique, because I was very drawn to the acid-scarred look of the paint, and the badass fluff behind them, and I had a blast doing it. Yeah, there's one, singular VIII Legion warrior sitting on my display case, rarely to be used; but it was fun, and after spending four straight, work-free days, trying to make that one model, I most definitely feel better about making a whole army of them, lol.

 

You get a cool idea, grab some sticky-tac and try it out. You like the look, get some paint on it. Who knows, even if it doesn't inspire you, it might inspire who like the technique and/or story you have created. :) 

[Daemon2027]

I float where the winds of heresy carry me.

[Soldier of Dorn]

The biggest problem with the Heresy is that everything's so fricking cool. I mean, even my least favorite First Founding Chapter (the Ultramarines, if anyone's wondering), are awesome in 30k, mostly because of the little that A D-B wrote about the Evocati in Betrayer. I mean, fluff-wise, you can explain anything. And now I want to do Evocati, and Imperial Fists, and Salamanders Xenocide Destroyers, and Night Lords, and World Eaters, and I haven't even started my Terran XIX.

[Slips]

If it helps you any, you could always make yourself a Flow Chart so you can keep yourself relatively on track with your projects. I know I did >_>

 

 

 

Its rough around the edges but should give you an idea as to how I plan my stuff out.

 

...For some reason its also really tiny. Don't know why.

[GhostMalone]

Slip you and DC make me shudder at your maths hammer your charts calculations and rules analysts.

 

 

@_#

 

Sometimes I think I need to educate you both in the art of relaxing

[Slips]

Slip you and DC make me shudder at your maths hammer your charts calculations and rules analysts.

 

 

 

 

@_#

 

Sometimes I think I need to educate you both in the art of relaxing

 

Nahh that chart is just there as i guideline so that i always know which projects are the priorities over any others :p that way i dont get bogged down in unfinished stuff.

[Clone]

I've been following this forum for a while now and am finding myself truly tempted to start a 30k force. I currently have a chaos and tau army but have fallen out of 40k recently, however, I love the 30k era universe.

 

I love dreadnoughts, terminators, breachers, mkiii armour and librarians. I realise that you can build any army with any legion so the question for me isn't really about which legion suits these units best, but which modeling and paint schemes I can get the most mileage from.

 

The thought of creating a 40k chapter in its 30k form intrigues me. For this reason I'm considering ultramarines, I do like the fluff and I like blue. In my minds eye I can also picture an army of knightly character, worn and bloody, being forced into the dirtiest of the fighting against brother marines. Not taking joy from battle anymore and ground down from a once proud bearing. I picture chain mail, mud, tarnished armour and a grim resolve to simply get the job done. This isn't how they've fought before and they aren't accustomed to it but, by the Primarch, they'll do it. These are dark days and I like the thought of my marines encompassing that visually.

 

For me this rules out certain legions, like the Death Guard, Iron Warriors and Iron Hands. It doesn't rule out traitors or loyalists. One again I think the ultras could go well with my idea, also Imperial Fists (scared of painting yellow!), White Scars, Blood Angels, even possibly Word Bearers (they'll fight for Lorgar but they don't have to like it).

 

Can anyone recommend me a legion, or colour scheme I can really get behind?

[GhostMalone]

Well what chaos army did you play?

You could always say do them pre heresy so you have a transitional army :)

[Clone]

Well what chaos army did you play?

You could always say do them pre heresy so you have a transitional army :)

Black Legion, so really a mix of legion and renegade marines. My fluff for my warband was about a small core of Sons of Horus with a smattering of other legionaries and renegade chapter marines. I did consider the Sons of Horus legion but the scheme doesn't really excite me.

[GhostMalone]

Well you could always do them as pearlescent luna wolves, get horus and give him the sword mentioned in the wolf of ash and fire

[Warp Rider]

Hello all! I have a slight problem in that I have decided on Night Lords but am very torn on how to run them. I have a fluff idea in place for a force that hasn't completely slipped into madness. As a sort of core, I am thinking of running two 20-man bolter blobs but I desperately want to use Sevatar for fluff reasons. Would my force be seriously crippled by the lack of Terror Squads? I apologize if I have posted in the wrong place.

[GhostMalone]

Hmmmm it would work but you would have to look at an appropriate RoW, really it all depends on how you want to play I'm sure sevatar 2X 20 man blobs and say jetbikes with predators could work as a heavy hitting force

[Warp Rider]

Awesome, much thanks! I finally am getting ready to make the initial purchase but have been struck by indecision.

[ThatOneMarshal]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Conn I really like the idea for a night lords siege force and slips I like that flow chart. Also I really like the idea of painting a single miniature to help with wanting to play that army.

[KJB]

Anyone bother with the Legion Champion Consul type anymore? Thanks to the gorgeous Iron Father model, my old Praetor is getting downgraded... Was thinking about using him as a champion - Yay? Or Nay?

[Stofficus]

Hello all, brand new around these parts, motivated in part to make an account due to crippling indecision on the Heresy front. 

My group is going to be getting into 30k soon, so after I finish some travelling this summer with my gf across the Balkans and the Med, I have to quite waffling and actually choose something. 

Here's where I'm at with my own pros and cons for each: 

Solar Auxilia

 

Pros: I'm an Imperial Guard player to the core - they were my first love stemming from DoW Winter Assault, my first actual tabletop army years later, and the 2nd BL series I ever read was Gaunt's Ghosts (started with Eisenhorn while travelling in Arizona after high school). The SA represent badass regular human beings, who I've always been more fond of than Astartes in many respects, with interesting, if esoteric models. Additionally, I've got a Baneblade and about 7 unused Leman Russes which would make the army quite a bit cheaper to build: all I need is the infantry. 

 

Cons: I already have a notable Death Korps of Krieg army, which while struggling in 7th edition's rules environment, I still enjoy aesthetically and thematically. The SA have a somewhat similar playstyle (and I like avoiding redundant playstyles), and money spent on Guard equivalent might be better spent on new toys for the Korps which might make them more fun to play. 

Other: Depending on the Imperial Militia list in Tempest, I could repurpose the Korps as the Imperial Army, but that again is something I'm uncertain about. 

Ultramarines

Pros: Honest-to-Emperor "Good Guys." Between the Korps and Minotaurs, my two chief armies, I don't exactly have any especially "nice" armies, even by 40k standards. Additionally, I relate to a lot of the things the Ultras stand for; duty, personal honour, responsibility, commitment to a larger mission, real defenders of "civilization." I've also learned how to paint Ultras fairly well (I have a kill-team of them I built after enjoying the heck out of Space Marine and when I saw the Sternguard kit had Captain Titus's head in it, as well as Sgt. Sidonus, I just had to. Still waiting on a General Sturnn look alike GW, get on it!). The WIPs of their unique models also all look pretty cool; the Immortals in particular, as did Guilliman's WIP. Also, as many in my group are diehard Xenos, and won't be doing 30k forces but will happily play against them, I could do a Scouring-themed force and re-use some of my spare Mk. 7 marines and the like, cutting down cost. I've got about 40 spare marines of various roles leftover form all sorts of aborted projects. 

It'd also annoy the hell out of a local DA player who has an irrational hatred of Ultramarines. 

 

Cons: I have little personal connection to the Ultras. While I like their ideals and general character, I've never read anything where they so much as appear, nevermind have a central focus. My like of them is abstract mostly, or based off my general like of their non-Wardian fluff in 40k, both on the video game and written stuff. Additionally, there's already going to be more than a few blue Astartes in my club; Night Lords, World Eaters, 40k Thousand Sons as examples, our colour pallet is somewhat limited at present. 

Alpha Legion

Pros: I am Alpharius. Simply put, their rules are *hilarious,* hiding a primarch in with the rank and file, stealing other Legion-specific units, army-wide infiltrate, scout or such the options for just having fun with these guys is basically limitless. Furthermore, the AL is something I have read a fair bit about, and have enjoyed their admittedly limited 30k offerings greatly, from the whole "trying to the right thing surrounded by people very much trying to the do the wrong thing," their general aloofness from the traitors and loyalists alike, and the fact that come the 41st millenium, their actual allegiance and purpose remains extremely ambiguous. I personally subscribe to the theory that the legion splits post-Heresy into genuine Chaos Space marines, and the other realizing the Cabal had duped them, intentionally or not, and resigned to their role as traitors, fight the "good fight" from underground against the corrupt decadence of the 41st millennium Imperium, and those who would seek to snuff out mankind. Thus, the force I would build would again work thematically against 40k forces, and allow me to use some surplus 40k marine stuff as needed. Additionally, the very broad range of "acceptable" paint schemes as laid out in FW's offering gives me flexibility not always present with other Legions. 

Cons: For 30k games, I'm stuck with the traitors. The arguments of the AL's intentions in the 41st millennium are legion (see what I did there? such clever), but during the Heresy they're still committed to acting out the Cabal's plans. This can be worked around a little bit by again focusing on the Scouring thematically (which seems to be a theme of the club to justify using less expensive non-FW models when possible and work in the Xenos), but I am an arch-Imperial at the end of the day. Additionally, all the legions thus announced in our group are traitors - there's one possible Imperial Fist, but that's it thus far. 

Lastly: Loyalist Emperor's Children

Pros: I loved the first run of the HH novels, and particularly enjoyed Saul Tarvitz and the plight of the loyalists amidst the traitor legions. I preferred Loken, honestly, but not the character of his legion. The EC's focus on culture, the arts, the real heart and soul of human civilization speaks to me a great deal (my morning commute is through the Louvre and the Tuileries, I've got some strong notions on this sort of thing), as well as a degree of perfectionism, all perverted when the legion turns, but still represented by those plucky loyalists, the underdogs still committed to a noble ideal, that's all pretty awesome. I also quite like the aesthetic of their units, unique and otherwise (big Eastern Roman Empire history buff here, purple and gold is a familiar pallet), and would contrast nicely with the other armies in my club. 

Cons: Boy to the EC rules suck, like horribly. Even Saul has pretty mediocre rules all things considered, though the Phoenix Termies and Palatine Blades aren't horrible, and the Maru Skara is a pretty interesting Rite of War. Additionally, it's somewhat difficult to justify them beyond Istvaan III - FW has provided some fluff justification for loyalist elements of traitor legions (and traitor elements of loyal legions) in Conquest, and as I've understood it, the EC had the most loyalists out of any of the traitor legions - having some elements escape Istvaan and regrouping with more disparate elements of the legion and fighting a guerrilla war behind the traitor's lines can be justified to a point, but it feels like a stretch. To say nothing of when I end up fighting Tyranids or Tau. 

My girlfriend used a random number generator and assigned my choices to specific values and decided, therefore, that Alpha Legion is the one I should do, but I think I want a bit more than that to base my decision on, so what do you all think of my wall-o-text?

[infyrana]

On the small point of repurposing your Death Korps, if you can, just note them as being from a homeworld like the Death Guard, great excuse for their masks.

[Daemon2027]

Hmmm...

With the guard, you could just keep the death korp and use them as they are, or if your up for a bit of work, make some death korp versions of some of the SA specific units and have a multi force.

 

I think if the you have dismissed the Alpha Legion after the random number generator then you probally aren't that keen on them.

To me it sounds like it's between the Ultramarines and the Emperors Children. I wouldn't worry to much about a personal connection, 30k is quite flexible with background. Maybe focus on a story or character you do like, or pick a theme you do like I bend that legion to it. If I was to do Ultramrines for example I would theme it more around Roman myth then anything in the exsisitng background.

I think your main problem comes down to painting and rules. Personally I wouldnt worry to much about what everyone else is painting, if you like and want to do blue then go for it.

I would say I think the Emperors Children are what you really want to do (from what you have written), so it's just how importent the rules are to you. Can you make them playable, or have fun playing with them? I'd so, go for it. If not maybe wait to see what rules the Ultramarines get.

[Stofficus]

Well the "random number generator" was all of 3 numbers (1 for AL, 2 for UM, 3 for EC) which my girlfriend chose. 

if it were a proper system and by some random fluke the AL number was chosen, I'd take that as a sign from above, but a D3 role? I need a little more than to invest considerable time and money. 

My recalcitrance with the EC rules stems from having played middle-low tier armies for so long, I'm feeling a little bit of attrition on the 40k side of things - the constant tabling or complete inability to response to my opponent's list is grating after a while. 

now, 30k doesn't have half the level of imbalance as 40k proper, but one of the bottom legions still makes me pause. I don't need the equivalent of Eldar, but how much of an uphill battle do I want? 

The more I think about it, the less drawn I am to the Ultras, but I'd say I'm probably more drawn thematically to the ECs, but gameplay wise to the Alphas - and this is 30k after all, so by rights I should go with what I find more thematically interesting, no?

 

EDIT: Update on the random number generator, my gf responded to my criticism of her method by instead using 100 numbers and seeing which Legion number comes up first; 20, 13 or 3. After 15 rolles, she got 7 57s (so if there was a 57th Legion, that'd be the one for me..) but on roll 16 she got a 20. 

Clearly the RNG is Alpharius. 

[Dantay VI]

Why not run a small elite force of EC using AL rules?

The EC strived for perfection. And these could be an elite recon & light armoured division. You could use the imperial army to bulk them out.

 

Or go old school Alpha legion in indigo armour and use platinum & green as your secondary/tertiary colours.

[Daemon2027]

Dantays suggestion could work (and boy does he want yo see indigo alpha marines :) )

 

I must admit I'm not great on rules, what is it about them that is off putting. Have you looked at building a list around one of the standard rites of war. Pride of the Legion with Phoenix Guard and normal TDA?

Oh and forget to add, Conquest tells us of a band of loyalist Emperors Children who proudly wear the purple and gold of their legion despite splitting from the Primarch, and go by Death Eagles. So there is president for loyalist factions of the traitors fighting past Isstvan III.

[Stofficus]

Why not run a small elite force of EC using AL rules?

The EC strived for perfection. And these could be an elite recon & light armoured division. You could use the imperial army to bulk them out.

 

Or go old school Alpha legion in indigo armour and use platinum & green as your secondary/tertiary colours.

 

While I've used plenty of counts-as in 40k, I'd feel a little dirty doing it in 30k - I want to be as "honest" as possible. 

 

I'll experiment with lists for the AL and EC some more - one thing I quite like for the ECs as I'd be playing Loyal, I'd have no need for Fulgrim as my LoW, which would save room for the sexy, sexy Fellblade. For the Alphas, I couldn't not run Alpharius, even though I haven't the faintest clue what he'll end up looking like. 

 

Perhaps that's part of my dilemma - I already know what the ECs would look like and dig the aesthetic, I'm left with far less for other options - the AL in particular, we've at least seen art for Immortals and a WiP for Guilliman. 

[Stofficus]

Dantays suggestion could work (and boy does he want yo see indigo alpha marines )

I must admit I'm not great on rules, what is it about them that is off putting. Have you looked at building a list around one of the standard rites of war. Pride of the Legion with Phoenix Guard and normal TDA?

Oh and forget to add, Conquest tells us of a band of loyalist Emperors Children who proudly wear the purple and gold of their legion despite splitting from the Primarch, and go by Death Eagles. So there is president for loyalist factions of the traitors fighting past Isstvan III.

The problem with the EC rules is their Legion rules provide Crusader (which is ok, though pretty limited) and they are forced to challenge, gain +1 Initiative, but take an extra -1 to their ld if they lose the challenge.

Saul Tarvitz is just a Captain equivalent statline with access to Rites of War, gives counter-attack to his squad as his warlord trait while in his own deployment and has a sniper + charnabal broadsword as wargear, which is a bit odd.

Their rite of war is pretty snazzy - up to 3 units are held in reserve and can outflank with a few bonuses, the rest gain bonus movement their first turn, but you can't take anything Slow and Purposeful or with the Heavy USR. It allows for some interesting Hammer and Anvil style attacks, but at the end of the day they're a melee-centric army without much in the way of bonuses for melee, which leaves them in a bit of an odd place.

They can do some cool stuff, but they're bit of and odd duck in design overall whereas other legions have better synergy with their rules and abilities.

[Conn Eremon]

It sounds like you want Emperor's Children models and paint, but Alpha Legion rules.

 

If your group is okay with you doing just that, why not? It isn't like you wouldn't have a lack of fluffy reasons.