Fluff questions for my DIY Forgeworld/Household

[sitnam]

I was brainstorming a Forgeworld/Mechanicus Household today and I was wanting to get my ideas down on paper, but I'm pretty clueless as far as Ad-Mech stuff goes. Most of what I know comes from the FW Horus Heresy sourcebooks, but I know the Mechanicum and Ad-Mech have some differences. I was hoping everyone here could answer a few questions about ideas I was having for my fluff:

 

1) Do Forge-worlds generally produce only their design patterns of imperial equipment or do larger forge-worlds licence designs out to smaller "vassal" forge-worlds?

 

2) How likely is it for a small-scale Forgeworld to have its own titan legion, or is it more realistic for a smaller Forgeworld to have detachments from parent Forgeworlds?

 

3) Does an equivalent term to the HH-era Taghmata exist? More or less the combined factions from a single Forgeworld (Skitarii and Cult Mechanicus operating together) 

 

4) Is a Knight House being founded by a warband of Freeblades realistic in the fluff? It seems that Knight Houses are ancient and don't really get foundings like Space Marine chapters or Imperial Guard regiments.

[MoGuy]

1.) Every Forgeworld produces a broad variety of weapons and vehicles. I don't know if there are any "small" Forgeworlds though. Their whole purpose is to distribute their goods to a whole system of planets. Tech-Priests are also notoriously self-centered and don't like to share knowledge with anyone - especially not their rivals. ;)

 

2.) See above. There are no parent Forgeworlds (I know of). Either the Forgeworld has a titan legion or it doesn't. This is not dependant on their size. 

 

3.) Skitarii and the Cult do operate together. They are parts of the same army. There are also still remains of the HH-era Taghmata units. The Ordo Reductor comes to mind.

 

4.) Nope, not realistic. Knightly Houses are founded on tradition and Freeblades are either exiled Knights (who would never ever see themselves "worthy" to found their own house as such a thing is for people of honour) or the last survivors of their house in which case they might get "adopted" into an existing house - but they wouldn't found their own house.

 

Hope I could help! :)

[Cactus]

1. Forge worlds do licence/trade some of their designs. Obviously they'll be trying to bias the deal in their favour. I'm pretty sure the Mars pattern lasgun for example is manufactured throughout the galaxy.

 

2. There are more forge worlds than there are titan legions but every titan legion will need a forge world, or equivalent resources, to maintain it.

 

3. Not as far as I know, but the background in that area is quite limited so there's plenty of scope for you to create something like that.

 

4. A sole survivor freeblade or small group might be adopted by a forge world that aims to create its own force of knights. It's not quite like founding a new household but very similar.