An idea takes shape...

[Pistorius]

Greetings, gents.

 

I used to play 40K back in the 4th/5th editions and had Dark Angels and an Inquisition army, but I moved away from my gaming group and ended up getting rid of all of my stuff.  I recently got the bug again and I am thinking of picking up some marines, an I had the idea of doing a rather tongue-in-cheek chapter based off of my favorite (American) football team, the Chicago Bears.  I played around with the painter program and came up with this for the tactical marines:

 

I have some other variants done on the painter which you can see by clicking here, if you are interested.

 

Here are some quick ideas that I jotted down just brainstorming how to make the chapter fit around theme without being completely stupid.

 

Chapter Name:  Void Hunters?  Astral Hunters?  I want to stay away from anything like Space Bears in the name and let the background, which is really just for my own enjoyment, be where all the Bears references are. On the tabletop, they should just look like Blue/White/Orange Marines.

 

Chapter Master:  First --> George Halas, Current --> Marc Trestman

 

Battle Company Captain and Squad Leaders based off of the current team roster (Cutler, Marshall, Forte, etc.)  Dreads named for famous players from the past (Payton, Butkus, Ditka, etc.)

 

Homeworld:  Shikawgo, a primitive planet with brutal winters and devastating wind storms.  Populated by various tribes (Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, White Sox, Cubs) of which the Bears are the most important/powerful.  Fortress Monastery is known by the tribes as the "Windy City"

 

Combat Doctrine:  Known for certain tactical deployments, such as the T-formation and the 46 Defensive Pattern

 

Nemesis:  Long-running feud with a band of Nurgle Marines, colloquially known as the "Pukers" or the "Cheeseheads"

 

What do you think, guys?  Can I make it work without being completely laughed off the table?  

 

 

 

 

 

[Lysimachus]

I think this is one of those 'joke' Chapters that could really work, especially given that most people wont recognize all of the little references. Colour scheme is nice, name is possibly a little generic but it works, particularly like the idea that they have a set of carefully formulated battle plans that they choose between before each engagement.

 

The only references that don't work for me are the 'windy city' one (as it's too well known, plus would the primitive tribes have ever seen a city or know that's what it's called? Maybe 40k-ify it a bit and call it the Tower of the Winds or something?)

 

I also don't understand the Pukers/Cheeseheads reference (rival teams perhaps?), but it feels a bit odd as a name for Chaos Marines. Remember, these are Astartes, feared and respected as it is, then warped by the worst of mankind's nightmares; they're hated but have to be respected.

[Pistorius]

Thanks!  I could drop the Windy City reference entirely, and simply let the weather description get the point across.  

 

I'm not super stoked about the name, either...I've been trying to come up with something, and thought "Something Hunters" might work.  I forgot to mention that the chapter symbol would be a bear claw, rather than the Chicago "C" which would be too obvious.

 

The "Pukers" and "Cheeseheads" names are referring to the Green Bay Packers, who have a long-running divisional rivalry with the Bears.

[Tiberius Cato]

What about calling them "The Pack"? That's a nickname for Greenbay and could fit into a hunter stylised chaos warband

[Quixus]

What about calling them "The Pack"? That's a nickname for Greenbay and could fit into a hunter stylised chaos warband

How about Emerald Cove Pack? simply the Pack sounds too generic to me.

 

I like the pre-heresy World Eater scheme.

 

The Combat Doctrine sounds way to specific and limited. Maybe go along the lines of the other combat doctrines like Boarding assault, siegecraft or similar. I don't know how to fit a football reference in there though.

 

BTW what game do the Blackhawks play?

[Tiberius Cato]

The Chicago Blackhawks are a hockey team in the NHL, brother.

[Lysimachus]

Claws could work as part of a name? Maybe mix it with something to reference their gene line i.e. Iron Claws as IH Successors or Fire Claws as Sallies? Have you got any ideas on which gene line you want to use?

 

I don't see the Combat Doctrine as limiting, just that they'd have hundreds of possible plans ready (that could then each be adapted for the specific scenario, obviously). Actually, that'd be quite Ultramarine-ish, maybe use their gene seed?

[Commissar Molotov]

 

 

What do you think, guys?  Can I make it work without being completely laughed off the table?

 

I think almost any concept can be used as the basis for a DIY Chapter, as long as it meshes in some way with the basic concepts behind the Space Marines. And when you think about it, sports teams and warriors aren't much different. What will make the difference is how overt or subtle you make your references. And also the audience receiving those references - if you are around other sports fans, they might find your references more obvious than players who don't follow the game.

 

I like your colour scheme, and think it is very striking - it will certainly work well.

 

With regards to names, I think you want something that will evoke similar ideas. You could include Bears, if you wanted, or perhaps consider why the name "Bears" was chosen. What do bears represent? Bravery, strength, loyalty, ferociousness? You could try to come up with a name that evokes similar concepts. Others have suggested using "claws" as a name, and that works well as it could have a lot of inter-related symbolism - Space Marines are the claws of the Imperial Aquila, for example.

 

 

When it comes to the names of characters, I think you do need to "40kify" them a little bit. To me, a name like "Marc Trestman" isn't a suitable one for a Space Marine.

 

 

 

Homeworld:  Shikawgo, a primitive planet with brutal winters and devastating wind storms.  Populated by various tribes (Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, White Sox, Cubs) of which the Bears are the most important/powerful.  Fortress Monastery is known by the tribes as the "Windy City"

 

Here, I think you will benefit from being somewhat more subtle. But equally, the Homeworld would have a significant impact on the Chapter, so I would recommend you to put some work in here to bulk out your concept and make it credible.

 

 

 

Combat Doctrine:  Known for certain tactical deployments, such as the T-formation and the 46 Defensive Pattern

 

I would rephrase this, perhaps - the Codex Astartes is much like a coach's playbook; perhaps you could talk about the rigorous strategic acumen of your Chapter's leaders - perhaps the Chapter has added a supplementary text to the Codex Astartes, and the greatest heroes of the Chapter are expected to add what they can to the accumulated strategic wisdom of their forebears. Perhaps even the newest recruits are rigorously drilled in strategy and tactics, and great emphasis is placed on units fulfilling their role within a grander overarching strategy, rather than going for individual glory?

 

Equally, "Cheeseheads" isn't really grimdark enough. I would agree with "the Pack" as a suitable alternative, though that's not something that needs to figure particularly deeply in your background.

 

Perhaps consider this: What aspects do you like about the Chicago Bears? What has made them into your favourite team? How can those aspects be incorporated into a Space Marine Chapter?

[Pistorius]

Greetings, once again.

 

Thanks for helping me process my thoughts on this new chapter.  It was really a very rough idea when I first posted it.  Given your suggestions, I've decided to go with UM (tactical, most prevalent) or IF (defensive minded) geneseed.  I do plan on making them a feral/tribal background, and will probably use a lot of SW bits to dress them up, so I just need to figure out which one of the two would be preferable.  

 

As for the Chapter name, it came to me this morning...Maulers.  It fits with the bear theme, and sounds suitably savage.  A quick search didn't turn up any results for the name, so I should be fairly clear.

 

As for the character names, I had always planned on changing some spellings, etc. (40Kify them as the good Commissar called it), so that should not be an issue.  

 

The Pack is a great name for a renegade warband, and it is clear who I would be referencing.

 

All in all, thanks for the input.  I'm going to start roughing up an IA and will probably pick up my first tactical squad later this month!