How you know you have picked the right Legion

[The Red Thirst]

You know you've picked the right Legion because, whenever you take a short break or life gets in the way, you look at the other Legions but come straight back to where you started.

Don't think ill ever not love Blood Angels ( everything else is a close second )

[Father Mehman]

I'm super touchy with my painting which is the biggest problem with my choice of legion, if I'm not happy I can paint them to a standard acceptable to me then they are off the table, which is a real pain as it means a lot of my favourite things fluff wise are off the table

Right with you here, mate. Sticking to what gets me results has been my mantra for 10+ years in the hobby. The problem was I stagnated in a pool of earth colours. There was no growth. Everything I did was the same, yet different.

"Yeah, I'll paint some Beastmen and then paint some Daemons!" I would say enthusiastically. They're different so no worry (I started off as mainly a Fantasy player so bear with me). Then 40k came around and it was the same thing. Chaos Space Marines, Daemons, Imperial Guard, etc Nothing was ever out of my comfort zone. It took all of two years and I was bored with the greatest hobby in the world.

One day, in a funk, I sat down at my painting chair and almost started to bawl myself like I'd lost a girlfriend or something. It had to be better than this, I remember thinking. Well, skip ahead a few months and I was at a GW minding my own business and buying things I could never paint. That's when a youngling, 8-10yrs, came up to me and asked if I wouldn't mind helping a friend and him play a game (kids must feel safe around the beard, I don't know). So there we were, me the attentive teacher and they my pupils. Their manner was so carefree, so happy, it was if they were stupid from all the laughter that was happening. That's when it hit me: I used to be like that. Not young and into the game, but stupid-happy about the hobby.

Why do we do this hobby? There are many answers but there are only a few truths to the question, one of which is this: to be happy. The end goal of the hobby is to be happy with ourselves, damn all others. If you are truly happy not pushing yourself, as I once was, so be it: keep that tasty fluff away from yourself. I'll take it.

Those boys made me remember that I once had no idea what I was doing in the painting spectrum of Warhammer. What I was doing when I was a neophyte, like them, was pushing myself. Sure didn't feel like it. Felt like happiness.

Yeah, you'll make mistakes and some stuff won't be up to snuff. Happens to us all. That's why we all have a paint stripping method. I don't ever want to hear of a fellow hobbyist who won't do something they would enjoy because of "skill level" or some other trite reasoning. Go after it, mate. Trust me, you'll love it.

[OzDestro]

When you remember for the longest time that you absolutely hated the idea of bile putrid snottyness infesting the game world of your clean mean fighting space marines with a passion, especially with the cross over from fantasy feeling so very incompatible - the simple ugliness of sickly green and disgusting creatures - men turned to nothing more than an infested carcass of chaos infused plague disassociated from anything remotely human. (seriously, if you had asked me just before 3rd ed came out what I thought of Nurgle, I would have put them bottom of my go to list for armies since I couldn't relate to them at all, that and I hate painting white)

...and yet... the mysteriousness of those spiked-helmeted marines trudging through the trenches and across the open fields, bolters in hand, sometimes with the googly eyes of some early warfare gasmask, reminding me of our own fascinating history, finally won me over and had me looking for the fluff to take in like some History channel documentary. (this was about the time FW made the DG torso models)

The Death Guard fluff, their founding and history from chapter approved, had me gripped from the start. I don't like what they became, but as history reads it wasn't a choice for most of them. From my understanding they were once men tried and tested in warfare and without the snobbery associated with those who like to keep their metal polished in bright colours. The fact that through their own written history I have been won over enough to purchase both a 30k and 40k army says it all to me. They aren't Mr Awesome with the flashy new speeder bike and golden wings, they are the soldier doing what they do best with an unyielding determination that doesn't stop to wipe mud from his boots.

That and they have the coolest looking Tart'inators so far

TL:DR - When you now own a 30k+40k army of the same legion, even though you once hated them with a passion.

Having just read the Eisenstein book, I too have recently found some love for the Death Guard.

Grunts on the ground kicking arse!!

... such a pity their turning to Nurgle was so destructive!

[OzDestro]

I'm super touchy with my painting which is the biggest problem with my choice of legion, if I'm not happy I can paint them to a standard acceptable to me then they are off the table, which is a real pain as it means a lot of my favourite things fluff wise are off the table

Just grab yourself some cheap marines - even on Ebay and start practicing, dude.

You'll be okay.

Even these guys are good to try out on:

http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Space-Marines

What Legion are you looking at?

Man, I had to freehand a War Hounds symbol until I found the decal sheet online - it's all practice.

[Emperor's Furor]

I'm super touchy with my painting which is the biggest problem with my choice of legion, if I'm not happy I can paint them to a standard acceptable to me then they are off the table, which is a real pain as it means a lot of my favourite things fluff wise are off the table

Just grab yourself some cheap marines - even on Ebay and start practicing, dude.

You'll be okay.

Even these guys are good to try out on:

http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Space-Marines

What Legion are you looking at?

Man, I had to freehand a War Hounds symbol until I found the decal sheet online - it's all practice.

Don't worry, it's just me I'm worried I'm going to ruin the models, I've stripped so many models before and I'm considering doing it again.

[Vazzy]

I sometimes think I want to do other legions,but I always come back to the XIIIth. I think a lot of it depends on what you identify most with (night lords I'm watching you...;) ). The themes of discipline, loyalty and triumph in the face of adversity really speak to me, and I wouldn't feel that with any other legion.

[OzDestro]

I'm super touchy with my painting which is the biggest problem with my choice of legion, if I'm not happy I can paint them to a standard acceptable to me then they are off the table, which is a real pain as it means a lot of my favourite things fluff wise are off the table

Just grab yourself some cheap marines - even on Ebay and start practicing, dude.

You'll be okay.

Even these guys are good to try out on:

http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Space-Marines

What Legion are you looking at?

Man, I had to freehand a War Hounds symbol until I found the decal sheet online - it's all practice.

Don't worry, it's just me I'm worried I'm going to ruin the models, I've stripped so many models before and I'm considering doing it again.

There's a lot of good painters on here - why not get some advice?

With a Legion there are others who have gone there before and could have some great tips and tricks.

Your call obviously...

What Legion is it?

[Emperor's Furor]

Current models are painted in red of Word Bearers, but I'm considering changing them to alpha legion or Ultramarines, the latter being something I think I'd be comfortable with doing cause I'm ok with painting blue. I've tried fists in the past but was never happy with them, the various wash techniques just don't do it for me.

[Dantay VI]

Fire Golem, why not do a shattered legion and choose elements from all the legions you like?

A tactical squad with a mix of RG IH Salamnders, an assault team made up of loyalist WE & DG etc... A band of disparate brother all fighting for Terra and just to survive through the raging inferno of the Heresy?

Sentenced to death for a heresy they did not commit, they escaped from a hyper secure maximum underground stockade..... Wanted by both heretic and loyalist alike, they ply the stars surviving as warriors of the Emperor.... If you have a problem, if no-one else can help... maybe you can call upon,.... The shattered legion (aka pre heresy Legion of the Damned!! )

[Fire Golem]

It's a good idea, and I may do it for the loyalist side of things (raven guard, white scars, blood Angels, salamanders, iron hands...) after I start my UM who I'm fairly certain on now, just to mop up the other ones I like. But my main draw is the bad guys, and I know I could do loyalists from the traitor legions but if I start doing too many 'loyalist traitors' I just feel like I'm trying to shoehorn them in a bit. On the traitors side I think I'll pick one legion and then do allied detachments of other legions, but I need to pick the main one haha.

[Dantay VI]

Alphas, for me if I do a Traitor legion, cos they get to be all sneaky and cunnin' like.

 

Plus they get to dress up as the other legions when working as operatives (Deliverance Lost for example and as World Eaters in another story)

 

For now I am with the VI the Vlka Fenryka

 

 

1 of many not quite finished Wolves

 

 

[zedmeister]

See, I have two Legions in the works: Alpha Legion and White Scars.

 

The Alpha Legion intrigue me so much. They're more than the simple one dimensional traitors. You don't quite know where they stand, are they actually fighting for you by fighting against you? The mutable tactics and the deviousness really appeals. Plus I'm really enjoying painting mine at the moment.

 

The White Scars appeals because of their independent nature. They have little need for the trappings of empire and are quite happy gallivanting off to some remote corner of the galaxy and clobbering a worthy enemy. Also, they like their (Jet) bikes. Fiercely independent, high speed, slightly maverick loons. Plus their primarch is called Khan! What's not to like?

[Brother Callius]

You know you've chosen the right legion when you can feel it in your gut, it's not something you can put your finger on as much as it is a feeling that this one is just right.

 

When I started 30k I was torn between the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists. I decided to do IW but when I started painting and reading up on the background I had a feeling that this was not the right legion for me. After much consideration I read up on the Fists fluff and did a test mini to see if that was any better and the finished result gave me a feeling of completion.

I then knew that the VII legion was the right for me. After I finish a new model I get this feeling again that this is just right and I am really happy I made the switch, so I don't regret a thing.

 

Some people say that you should pick the legion that represents your playstyle the best but why would you do that if you can't shake the feeling that something is off?

The legions where a massive and complex fighting force and if you can imagine a style of fighting for a legion the chances are that they've done it.

Whos to say that some World Eaters didn't prefer long range fighting or that some among the Emperors Children where not masters of stealth strikes?

You can make your legion yours when doing something not seen that often.

 

To sum it all up: If you get the feeling that the legion you've chosen is just not quite right, then try another legion. In the end you know when you get to the one perfect for you.

[Fire Golem]

Alpha Legion are probably where I'm gonna go. Every time I read anything about them I immediately want to do them. And I love their colour scheme, especially the FW one (which I'll never be able to replicate). And I can still see them fielded en masse, in gleaming blue and steel.

 

Other traitor legions I like are the Iron Warriors, I really like Perturabos character, and the brutal siege warfare style; the Word Bearers, I like both their colour schemes, I love their iconoclastic pre Lorgar aspect, and I love Argal Tal and the Gal Vorbak, but I'm not keen on their zealousness; and I like the Night Lords, but I sometimes think they're a bit unrelateable, and I like having relatable characters. But after watching Hannibal this weekend I do quite like the serial killer thing :P

 

I could also potentially see myself doing the SoH or DG but I don't think they appeal quite as much. But the other 4, AL, WB, NL and IW I could see doing.

 

I do really like the White Scars after Scars too...

[Dantay VI]

You get a feeling of completeness when you finish a model?

I wish I knew what that felt like, I finish so few... I start incredulous " I actually go one done!!" Then I ponder, "is it really done?" Then I spin it around in my hand a few times with a realy sick feeling in my stomach..."surely it can't be finished, I missed a bit, a blemish... Maybe somethings fallen off??"

Then I get cold sweats and palpitations, gently put it down and back away....

Tis a rare and momentous thing for me to actually finish a model

Back on topic:

But aye I find I have always loved the Wolves since I first saw them, and for me it was an easy jump... I have been tempted by others and I may do a few one-offs or small squads, like remnants being scooped up in the maelstrom of war, to add a bit of variety..

Saying that also, I have no idea of how this 30K malarkey works, what rules go where etc, but I do love the books and the models... Maybe I'll be a collector rather than a gamer.

[Balthamal]

You know it's the right Legion for you when you see all of the new bits and pieces coming out during WHF/Weekenders/Open Days and instantly bypass whatever scheme they're painted in and picture it in the colours of your chosen Legion (Midnight clad, obviously)

 

I think it's different for everyone since there's so many varying degrees of investment in the whole 30k scene. For me personally, I've always played Loyalist Chapters because the aesthetic of the CSM range never appealed to me yet I've always found the 3 "neutral" Legions (IW/NL/AL) fascinating and I was on the verge of taking the plunge back in the heady days of the 3.5 dex. Fast forward a decade and the Chaos dex is extremely underwhelming and I've read the Night Lords trilogy and I want to do the VIII Legion but there's no way of doing them that fits in with the vision I have so what alternative is there? Horus Heresy. Fun, thematic, exceptionally written. Everything that the Chaos codex is not. Yes waiting a year for the book was terrible. Yes waiting another 6 months to see any models was worse. And waiting another 7 months after that for Curze and another 1 for Sevatar torture, but throughout all that, I did not bow to the temptation to do another Legion. I think that's when you know, when you're willing to wait weeks/months/years (decades if you want Dark Angel shoulder pads) for your chosen project.

 

The other thing for me was being hungry for all aspects of the Legion - background, organisation, doctrine, paint schemes, models, conversion opportunities, characters, taking all of them and then putting a personal spin on them. My first impulse upon finishing my first 2k of models wasn't to rush out and get a game but to write about them, give them some identity which, I hope, I've managed to do.

 

That being said now that I'm over 4.5k I'm looking to the future and barring a couple of additions to the VIII (at the moment looking at one of the new interceptors and a Falchion) I plan on getting 2-3k of Alpha Legion (love the azure blue, especially if I bite the bullet and get an airbrush) and in the distant future I'll want a Loyalist Legion. Possibly the Blood Angels but will hold off until I've seen the stuff for all 18

[Kol Saresk]

I just saw it as this blinding white that burned the heavens and shattered the earth until pieces of Nostramo flew into Colchis. :D :P :D

[Black_out]

You know it's the right Legion for you when you see all of the new bits and pieces coming out during WHF/Weekenders/Open Days and instantly bypass whatever scheme they're painted in and picture it in the colours of your chosen Legion (Midnight clad, obviously)

 

I think it's different for everyone since there's so many varying degrees of investment in the whole 30k scene. For me personally, I've always played Loyalist Chapters because the aesthetic of the CSM range never appealed to me yet I've always found the 3 "neutral" Legions (IW/NL/AL) fascinating and I was on the verge of taking the plunge back in the heady days of the 3.5 dex. Fast forward a decade and the Chaos dex is extremely underwhelming and I've read the Night Lords trilogy and I want to do the VIII Legion but there's no way of doing them that fits in with the vision I have so what alternative is there? Horus Heresy. Fun, thematic, exceptionally written. Everything that the Chaos codex is not. Yes waiting a year for the book was terrible. Yes waiting another 6 months to see any models was worse. And waiting another 7 months after that for Curze and another 1 for Sevatar torture, but throughout all that, I did not bow to the temptation to do another Legion. I think that's when you know, when you're willing to wait weeks/months/years (decades if you want Dark Angel shoulder pads) for your chosen project.

 

The other thing for me was being hungry for all aspects of the Legion - background, organisation, doctrine, paint schemes, models, conversion opportunities, characters, taking all of them and then putting a personal spin on them. My first impulse upon finishing my first 2k of models wasn't to rush out and get a game but to write about them, give them some identity which, I hope, I've managed to do.

 

That being said now that I'm over 4.5k I'm looking to the future and barring a couple of additions to the VIII (at the moment looking at one of the new interceptors and a Falchion) I plan on getting 2-3k of Alpha Legion (love the azure blue, especially if I bite the bullet and get an airbrush) and in the distant future I'll want a Loyalist Legion. Possibly the Blood Angels but will hold off until I've seen the stuff for all 18

Your reasoning for NL exactly mirrors my own thoughts as well!

[Sulemain]

I like the professionalism and the precision of the warfare practised by the Imperial Fists. That stoic outlook crossed with with a marksman's ability to always find his target. 

[Skalpynock]

I haven't. I thought I had when I painted my first demi-squad of Iron Warriors: the fact that I can relate to Perturabo in way too many ways, the brotherhoods as dens of dubious science and political backstabbing, heavily armoured warfare, a mathematical approach to war, it all appealed to me. Then I looked around at the Death Guard and Iron Hands. They have a fair bit of overlap but with differences that give them a certain "taste" which I like as much as that of the IV^th. Then I started wondering about the missing legions. And there I made something that could work.

Why chose, when I could make a joint force of Iron Warriors, Iron Hands, Storm Legionnaires, and Death Guards? And now I'm here, with no money, and a computer that decides to crash every time I try to write some fluff.

 

As of said fluff, I think it takes more than a single legion to strike 150 000 marines from the records. Elements of the Fourth, Tenth, and Fourteenth were dispatched on Limaris, chosen by the Emperor as warriors who would show no reluctance to purge fellow astartes, and who would form an unflinching bulwark against the traitors. Of course, there were loyalists it the Eleventh. Including a few who proved themselves worthy of salvation, after major actions against their once-brothers. As with the later Heresy of Horus, warbands of surviving elements, loyal to the Emperor's word, would rally with those who had come to burn them after the Transgression. Such shall be my force, those calling themselves the Indomitable Wave.

[Azekellon]

I have, and always be a IX Legionnaire. Something about 'red ones go fasta' and the gene curse before each game is cool.

 

The Baal Predator is cool, too, but I'm still mad about my lack of flying dreadnoughts. CURSE YOU, 7th  EDITION!

[ROBOcaster]

I think Ill sum up my love for the Iron Hands with a simple quote...

 

"What man is man, who does not turn himself into a machine in order to conquer his foes?" - Ferrus "Russell Crowe" Manus.

[Lord Tharand]

There is always some fluff element that draws me in after reading the books/novels and it's made for a real hard time choosing a Legion. I've always known what I like in 40k but here in 30k it's a different matter entirely.

I'm attracted to Word Bearers because of their fluff, they started the whole thing after all, nifty models, and paint schemes. So I bought Lorgar, Gal Vorbak, and Erebus/Kor Phaeron. I will work through those models because I like them a lot. I'll start adding line troops before long because I love their story and the Legion colors/icons aren't shabby either.

But...

When I saw the Castellax models I knew I had to get as many of those as possible because I love them! Which started me thinking about doing an Iron Hands or Iron Warriors army so I could really include some of those Mechanicus models I'm digging. So I've been going back and forth on that for a few days. I see both of these Legions has fairly similar in nature. I've been really digging the Iron Hands fluff I've read lately (Damnation of Pythos, Veritas Ferrum, and Riven) plus I love their models and Legion icons. On the other hand I really like the updated fluff on the Iron Warriors legion. They've made them more than just guys who build fortresses and stand there waiting for loyalists to come along and shoot at them. Both get some access to the Mechanicus models that I like so much (without having to start a Mechanicus army) so I have a tough choice ahead in the coming days!

And then one day my love from 40k will pop up, Dark Angels. So in the end I'm sure I'll have three Legions that represent three different aspects I love about the universe.