Heresy Death Guard and basic equipment maintenance...

[Ovidius Incertus]

Pre Nurgle, of course.

 

I understand that the Death Guard are dour and spartan in their outlook and tactics , eschew ornamentation and ostentation (vs., say, the frippery of the Emperor's Children), but did they somehow miss the hypno-conditioning on equipment maintenance?

 

Their color scheme really lends itself to bravura displays of weathering on minis, but I don't understand how a primarch can let his men run around and just let their equipment rust.  Preventative maintenance?  Maybe some esprit d'corps and pride in your uniform?

 

Am I missing something?  Is this just a metaphor for how the corrosion of Nurgle lurks in the spirit of the legion?  Or are they just bad soldiers?  Is it a Dusk Raiders from Terra (e.g. Garro) vs. Death Guard/Mortarion from Barbarus sorta thing?  I find it hard to believe that Garro would let his armor sit around with rust on it.

[*Furyou Miko]

The corrosion only really set in after they turned to Nurgle. It's just that the normal colour of their armour looks kind of manky anyway (being a green-tinted off white).

[GrandMagnus]

The death guard kept their armour in shape and damage free just like all the other legions, except for easthetic damage. If it was only superficial and not considered a threat to the way the armour worked it was not considered worth repairing and even an honour.

 

They considered themselves to be the toughest legion, fighting in the most hellish atritional and biological warzones and therefore the marks showed that they had survived and therefore where the toughest. Its just the way the legion behaves. I think the armour damage is not so much rust as its chips and small cuts and harmless corrosion from chemical weapons.

[Chaeron]

It's the lack of ornamentation and unnecessary cosmetic repair rather than functionality.

[Demus Ragnok]

I always considered the heavily weathered or dirty armor to represent them in mid battle.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

I always considered the heavily weathered or dirty armor to represent them in mid battle.

 

This, especially pre-Nurgle. Trust me, they're going to keep their gear functional, but that shiny white paint job the tech thralls sprayed on the armor before the latest campaign isn't going to worry them if it gets dirty or scratched. Also, ceramics don't fething rust. >_>

[DuskRaider]

I always looked at it as... They don't necessarily care if their paint is peeling off or there are pits and gouges in the armor as long as it's effective still. They have armorers who repair their equipment post battle. I imagine their weaponry would be very spartan, nothing baroque, but it would be meticulous. The bolter and the chainsword are but tools, the operator is the weapon.

[Relict]

Consider modern soldiers fighting in, say, the mountains of Afghanistan. 

 

Things like uniforms, body armor (the correct terminology would be "plate carrier"), and weapons get pretty beaten up after a few days in the field. A soldier's M16 may have its paint scratched off in places and covered in fine dirt on the outside, but as long as the insides are cleaned and maintained properly, the weapon will continue to function. Same deal for body armor - the fabric may become dirty, discolored, or even torn in places, but as long as they hold up to use, they are still as effective as if they were new.