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Retribution Fluff Rating


Silent Observant

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Hello, I'm wondering what the fluff to retribution is like. I would like more of a fluff rating, as I do plan on getting the book, but I mostly just get it for the fluff that forgeworld produces, so on a scale like a one to ten how do you like the fluff? How good is the fluff on the dark angels, black shields, blood angels, and white scars, are they merely mentioned? Or is there a little more details about them until we get their book? Is it a go out and get it now? :) 

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There's actually very, very little about the, Blood Angels and White Scars. What appearances there are constitute cameos. The Dark Angels at least do have a protagonist role in one the war zones   The "campaigns" in the books relate:

 

 

The defence of Mezoa by (primarily) the Salamanders against the Alpha Legion and Iron Warriors

 

The Xana Incursion - Loyalists and Traitors slugging it out over a neutral but Traitor leaning Forge World

 

Autek Mor's counter attacks against the traitors after the campaigns in Conquest and the destruction of the World Eater fief world Bodt

 

The Conclave at Optera is Garro attempting to bolster the ranks of Knights Errant with plenty of Blackshield action

 

The Scouring of the Nostramo Sector by the Blackshield force Ashen Claws, as re-told during the Scouring

 

 

Personally I'd give the writing in this a 9/10. The only reason it's not a perfect 10 being I feel there was a slight missed opportunity given the theme of Shattered Legions/Blackshields that they could have introduced elements from the Blood Angels and White Scars. I mean we know timeline wise they were both pretty busy but it wouldn't have hurt to see more of them, whereas what we got in the main were the tried and tested Iron Hands/Salamanders/Raven Guard although big up to FW for making their approaches to war completely different which made them far more engaging than the bland "we're in this for revenge" characters we're getting in a lot of novels

I thought the DA also got less than the BA and WS did in the book.

 

Yes, they have a (semi)major role in one of the engagements (haven't properly read it yet) and they got 2 color plates - BA got that plus vehicles if I recall, and I think WS may have been the same - I haven't specifically looked at those two as I'm a Dark Angel to the core!

 

In fairness they do get a character (of sorts) in that he's part of the black shields but can be used in a later iteration in any army (so technically DA did get a special character in the book) and while not fully legion, he does give some insight into early, pre-Caliban legion.

 

Rules wise it's a bit sparse for the 3 legions, but that was to be expected - hopefully the full book for them will be in the next 12 months or so.

 

 

There's some nice tid-bits here and there, so definitely recommend it. It's the first black book I've bought direct and I was pleased

I'd say Xana isn't so much as "leaning" towards the traitor cause as much as it tripped and fell face first into a bearhug with the traitor cause.

 

They went full Dark Mechanicum. They agreed to trade Ordinatus weapons to the traitors for the bodies of Space Marines so they could experiment with the Emperor's genetic science, which is like a super no-no. On top of millions of tonnes of ordnance.

 

They even created a vast "city" which they loosed prisoners (including Imperial Army units) captured in their raids on Imperial Worlds, just so they could show the Sons of Horus how much fun their Ordinatus platforms are!

There's actually very, very little about the, Blood Angels and White Scars. What appearances there are constitute cameos. The Dark Angels at least do have a protagonist role in one the war zones The "campaigns" in the books relate:

 

 

The defence of Mezoa by (primarily) the Salamanders against the Alpha Legion and Iron Warriors

 

The Xana Incursion - Loyalists and Traitors slugging it out over a neutral but Traitor leaning Forge World

 

Autek Mor's counter attacks against the traitors after the campaigns in Conquest and the destruction of the World Eater fief world Bodt

 

The Conclave at Optera is Garro attempting to bolster the ranks of Knights Errant with plenty of Blackshield action

 

The Scouring of the Nostramo Sector by the Blackshield force Ashen Claws, as re-told during the Scouring

 

 

Personally I'd give the writing in this a 9/10. The only reason it's not a perfect 10 being I feel there was a slight missed opportunity given the theme of Shattered Legions/Blackshields that they could have introduced elements from the Blood Angels and White Scars. I mean we know timeline wise they were both pretty busy but it wouldn't have hurt to see more of them, whereas what we got in the main were the tried and tested Iron Hands/Salamanders/Raven Guard although big up to FW for making their approaches to war completely different which made them far more engaging than the bland "we're in this for revenge" characters we're getting in a lot of novels

I'm kind of surprised they didn't do BA and WS. With the majority of the BA being locked up in Signus, the rest of the Legion would have been Shattered Legions. And all the White Scars who tried to join Horus and either turned Traitor or Penant? Absolutely perfect for the Blackshields.

It's made pretty clear that Blackshields are an entirely different kettle of fish to Shattered Legions. They're basically totally out on their own. Even groups like the Ashen Claws who went after the Nostramo sector. I think it's really cool the way they're managed to take something so similar and make it distinctive

Actually the best 2 campaigns fluff wise are Xana incursion and raising of Nostramo. Defense of Mezoa suffers from the same 'saint' 'religious' crap that ruined Salamanders HH books from BL (not to mention being written by Nick Kyme of course) dry.png

Blasphemy! You dare slander the Prophet of Flames?!

Actually the best 2 campaigns fluff wise are Xana incursion and raising of Nostramo. Defense of Mezoa suffers from the same 'saint' 'religious' crap that ruined Salamanders HH books from BL (not to mention being written by Nick Kyme of course) dry.png

Blasphemy! You dare slander the Prophet of Flames?!

Burn the heretic!

Err wait is he a Salamander?

Ummm...

Kill him with bad writing!!!

It's made pretty clear that Blackshields are an entirely different kettle of fish to Shattered Legions. They're basically totally out on their own. Even groups like the Ashen Claws who went after the Nostramo sector. I think it's really cool the way they're managed to take something so similar and make it distinctive

I understand. That's wjy those scattered groups of White Scars would be perfect since the Traitor Scars are likely to throw away their Legion identity and start anew. Same for the penitents.

Wait...isn't one of the engagements WS vs. AL?

 

The Alpha Legion ambush the Conclave at Optera.

 

The White Scars then maraud through the sector, hunting them. They end up on a world (I forget which) and such is the carnage that the system is swallowed by the Warp and remains so to this day. So nobody knows what happened to them both. There's no real detail beyond that sadly. We do know they're the Brotherhood of the Foresworn, so one of the suicidal atonement-battalions exiled from the Legion after Scars. Garro notes most of the warriors bear Lodge tokens.

 

The Blood Angels were kicking the Alpha Legion in the balls on a mining colony but seemingly suddenly got a Phall-like order to withdraw and made for Terra. It's suggested at least some made it.

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