Feelings about differently colored Grey Knights

[Phiasco]

I want to get a feel for what people think about painting grey Knights not grey/silver. Fluff wise I guess you could say that they're 'successer chapters' or maybe just different brotherhoods. Perhaps they're going 'undercover' and have painted up their armor to do so? What do you all think?

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Exorcists are one successor Chapter of the Grey Knights, and there may be more. As for "going undercover," the Grey Knights accidentally did so when they were forced to requisition Terminator armor from other chapters, as described in a (likely apocryphal) article in White Dwarf (UK) Issue 109. Besides, INTENTIONALLY wearing another Chapter's colors would make much more sense than showing up with Grey Knights insignia, exorcising a Daemon, and then executing and/or mindwiping each and every person who saw a Grey Knight in Grey Knights colors. (The last part is something 1d4chan makes fun of- FOR GOOD REASON.)

Warning: Fluff Nazis WILL and moan about your decision to have "counts as Grey Knights." If you can't deal with the fluff Nazis (either by presenting logical arguments, avoiding the fluff Nazis, or choking the fluff Nazis until they yield), you should give up on the "differently colored Grey Knights" idea.

[Canadian_F_H]

Then again, grey knights used to look more like death watch...

[Valerian]

The Exorcists aren't a successor to the Grey Knights. The GK were involved in their development (a squad on standby in case something went wrong), but that's about it, unless the fluff has been retconned, or I missed something else significant. Not sure where they got their geneseed.
 

EDIT:  I was wrong, and had forgotten a discussion that we had about this on the GK subforum about 6 years ago.

 

 

 

Then again, grey knights used to look more like death watch...

Only in one picture in a White Dwarf; otherwise they've always been grey or silver to denote the unpainted armor.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Exorcists aren't a successor to the Grey Knights. The GK were involved in their development (a squad on standby in case something went wrong), but that's about it, unless the fluff has been retconned, or I missed something else significant. Not sure where they got their geneseed.

The Lexicanum article claims they're Grey Knights successors, and cites 'Headhunted' (Steve Parker's contribution to the 'Heroes of the Space Marines' anthology) as its source. The Warhammer 40,000 Wiki article states their gene-seed origin is "Classified by order of the Inquisition, believed to be the Grey Knights". Which is true? Who knows?

[Valerian]

Ah, you're right.  I had long-since forgotten that the author of the Headhunted short story put that in the fluff (that the Exorcists geneseed came from the Grey Knights).  As a Grey Knights fan, I don't think Parker should have done that, but oh well, what's done is done (until retconned!).

 

Here's some more Third War for Armeggedon era info on the Exorcists:

 

Quote

 

EXORCISTS

To: ++ Inquisition Clearance Insufficient ++

From: ++ Inquisition Clearance Insufficient ++

Date: 013.M36

Subject: Adeptus Astartes, Exorcists Chapter

Thought for the day: Ruthlessness is the kindness of the wise.


Honoured Lord, it is with great pleasure I contact you to inform you of the success of our project. Minor setbacks aside, I can report that the first two companies of the Chapter created in this thirteenth founding are responding well to the daemonic possession therapy. Under controlled hexagramic conditions, the subjects were exposed to possession by minor creatures from the daemonic pantheon under the watchful eye of Ordo Malleus daemon hunters protected by sigils and wards of great power.

Incense inimical to the summoned creatures was burned while chants of binding were continually intoned from the ++Liber Expurgatorius. Inquisition Clearance Insufficient ++. Once the subject was exposed to the essence of the daemon, the creature was allowed to remain in the host body for twelve hours before being cast out by a daemon hunter. In some cases the resultant physical and psychological damage to the Space Marines was irreparable and we were forced to terminate, but the majority of the subjects survived the procedure and required only minor reconstructive surgery and corrective psychotherapy.

After a period of recuperation, the subjects were instructed in the methods of combating the daemonic, trained in the use of the 666 verses of the Book of Exorcisms and equipped with the weapons of an Exorcist. The two companies were then put into action on a daemon infested world on the northern fringes of the Eye of Terror. With a squad of the Grey Knights held in reserve, the Exorcist Space Marines achieved a kill ratio of 97:1. Impressive under normal circumstances, but against the daemonic, I'm sure you'll agree that these figures clearly indicate that the procedure is both safe and effective.

The test subjects adrenal production more than tripled and levels of the neurotransmitter Serotonin dropped drastically, resulting in heightened states of aggression and combat effectiveness. Only 1% of the Space Marine subjects re-succumbed to daemonic influence on the planet and I believe that, subject to careful monitoring, this Chapter might eventually be granted a base and limited autonomy within a reasonable time frame.

With this success behind us, I believe the time is right to begin the creation of a full Chapter of Exorcists. The technology is in place and the need for such troops has never been greater. The two test companies can be integrated into normal Chapter organisation with the minimum of fuss and the resulting Chapter of Exorcists could be operational within less than fifty years. By then, the minor side effects that have manifested in a number of test subjects should hopefully be eliminated.

I remain your humble servant,

Lauram Clelland
Genetor-Major, Xenobiologis

[Valerian]

I want to get a feel for what people think about painting grey Knights not grey/silver. Fluff wise I guess you could say that they're 'successer chapters' or maybe just different brotherhoods. Perhaps they're going 'undercover' and have painted up their armor to do so? What do you all think?

 

Back to the heart of the original post, what alternate colors do you have in mind?  I suppose the level of deviancy from base silver/grey would make a difference in how acceptable they'd be.

[Gentlemanloser]

Pretty sure it's retconned in later publications, with mention that the GK gene seed has never been used to birth a successor.

 

But I can't remember any actually passages to back that up.

[Phiasco]

 

I want to get a feel for what people think about painting grey Knights not grey/silver. Fluff wise I guess you could say that they're 'successer chapters' or maybe just different brotherhoods. Perhaps they're going 'undercover' and have painted up their armor to do so? What do you all think?

 

Back to the heart of the original post, what alternate colors do you have in mind?  I suppose the level of deviancy from base silver/grey would make a difference in how acceptable they'd be.

 

Well, my favorite color is more of a blue. Actually the forgeworld alpha legion color scheme pretty much nails it on the head. So something similar to that I suppose. 

[SCOTT_FRANCIS]

Hmm, Grey Knights infiltrating the Alpha Legion. Interesting. 

 

Or using Alpha Legion colours to create in fighting, then using the distraction to banish a Deamon.

 

I like it, GK are the best of the best, why not be sneaky and devious.

[Gentlemanloser]

There's also a rumour that Janus (the first GKGM) is/was actually Alpharion/Omegon (whichever one of the two!!).

[SCOTT_FRANCIS]

Erm, says who? Tzeentch? 

 

I get that the Alpha Legion were fighting for their own corner, with help from the Cabal, but helping to set up and run a Space Marine Chapter that is specifically designed to kill the one thing that the Cabal suggested should win the war? That's a bit of a push.

[Gentlemanloser]

It's to do with Janus being a two faced God in mythology, and IIRC Omegon having a spare suit of unpainted Power Armour.  And some other stuff.

 

Could link a few threads, but they're blocked at work.

 

Some stuff;

 

 

 

In the short story 'Feat of Iron' Alpharius and Omegon are represented with a statue of the God Janus, what exactly is Janus? In the Roman religion, Janus is the God of change and time - he is shown as having two faces.

Now others have noted that on Omegons armour, 'Seeming Plain and unadorned', you could argue that he has this so he can infiltrate easier, but I personally think that they make a point of it, much like Garros armour.

Personally I think the biggest hint yet is Mortartion's Heart audio drama, Mortartion starts a monologue on how Draigo and the Chapter would be shaken to their core about their beloved Janus, a brother who betrayed his brother seeking some kind of pitty redemption.

[SCOTT_FRANCIS]

I do remember a story about Alpharius/Omegon destroying their own facility and at the end he walks into his room and looks at his other suit of armour.

[varchilde]

I think it comes down to how much of a purist for the background you are. If you want to keep things in line with the background then I guess silver/gun metal it is.

 

However I don't have a problem with GKs in different colours; I'd rather play against painted army in non-canon colours than a badly painted/not-even-painted-at-all army.

 

And GKs in the alpha blue/green sound really cool!.

[Quixus]

To me Grey Knights should have grey/silver armour but they should have more freedom for the colours of their heraldic symbols. Red white and black gets a bit boring.

 

I have no problems with using the GK rules and totally different paint schemes for other psyker heavy forces.

[Happy-inquisitor]

I want to get a feel for what people think about painting grey Knights not grey/silver. Fluff wise I guess you could say that they're 'successer chapters' or maybe just different brotherhoods. Perhaps they're going 'undercover' and have painted up their armor to do so? What do you all think?

 

If you have a strong visual concept that you want to go with then do it. You play the game the way you want to. Devise your own fluff.

 

In reality we can all tell when someone puts an army on the table that is their passion and anybody with any feel for the hobby should take it as an opportunity to start a conversation with you about it. Should you ever meet that person who objects because your GK are not the right shade of Grey then you might want to gently steer them in the direction of Historical Gaming where that sort of attitude belongs.

[deadangel101]

I'm doing this. Rules wise, I'm using a NSF and Iron Hands CAD. Modeling wise, they are all a mix of Grey Knights and Dark Angels. Color scheme is closest to Angels of Vengence.

[KiwiBen]

I used the old White Dwarf colour scheme as inspiration for mine...

 

It's always appealed to me more than the gw silver... part of that is my dislike for painting silver, but I also like having something that is "fluff official" but still unique

 

Link is in my signature.

[Brother Tyler]

I use the Grey Knights rules to represent a specialist order within my Nova Hawks Chapter. While they're mostly silver, the Chapter at large has orange arms and the specialist order in question, the Wardens, is represented by white helmets (standard for veterans) and a white tower badge. The only time I'd have such as a "complete" army would be with a very small force - 500 points or smaller, including kill teams.

[Vodunius]

Certain parts of the setting are set in stone and have never changed, and I dislike altering such things.. Grey Knights are absolutely not one of them: They first appeared in Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness wherein no chapter colours were shown but their emblem was that of the Ordo Malleus itself: an aquila holding a rod in one foot and an axe in the other. (this was before Terminators existed and only their Librarians were psychers). The earliest colour guide I've found for them was in Genestealer expansion for Space Hulk wherein they were described as wearing baroque GOLD armour, Armies of the Imperium for EPIC described them as having a mix of silver and brass, which Eavy Metal interpreted by giving each marine a random mix of silver and brass plates (ie: silver torso and gold pads on one guy, the opposite on the next guy), the painted example that appeared on the Terminators & Tyranids box appeared to follow that basic scheme but with a subtle but distinctive purple shade to the silver. Then you've got that anomalous grey/black guy from a single IA article.. so I say go for it, if anyone complains just say you're following GW's example by ignoring the previously written fluff. ;)

[jeffersonian000]

Hmm, Grey Knights infiltrating the Alpha Legion. Interesting.

 

Or using Alpha Legion colours to create in fighting, then using the distraction to banish a Deamon.

 

I like it, GK are the best of the best, why not be sneaky and devious.

I'm of the firm belief Janus is Omegon, and that the Grey Knights are the overtly loyal successors of the 20th Legion following the plans laid down during the Heresy to win the 10,000 year war for the survival of the human race. The Alpha Legion, on the other hand are lead by Alpharious as the covertly loyal arm of the same plan.

 

My personal opinion, anyway.

 

SJ

[Strength 10]

There are precedents of other colours for Grey Knights before the current iteration of the way GW portrays them (see below).

For me fluff doesn't get superceded just because they decided to go in a different direction with the latest codex etc. It's literally just made up by a bunch of guys that work in Nottingham. I work in the videogame industry and have worked with ex GW guys (they often become game designers after moving on) - including people that had a major hand in writing some specialist games rules/fluff etc. They're just normal chaps and I wouldn't get too caught up in exactly what fluff says down to the last detail. Maybe it's just my perception but I get the sense that GW games used to feel a lot more open in terms of their settings / canon etc.

Also you have to remember that marines used to paint their armour different colours for different campaigns, at least in Rogue Trader (see the third image). I don't think it's unthinkable that a bunch of Grey Knights used a different colour scheme for a particular campaign etc. That's my two cents anyway.

(First pic below is from another B&C post from the poster Valerian (found it on google image search).

http://www.peteandkellie.com/wh40k/images/eavy_metal/egkt01.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bUYN9HxGbDc/UePyHy3HPwI/AAAAAAAACC4/ladGGOjUG2o/s1600/WDmarinecolours.jpg

[Trevak Dal]

I use the Grey Knights rules to represent a specialist order within my Nova Hawks Chapter. While they're mostly silver, the Chapter at large has orange arms and the specialist order in question, the Wardens, is represented by white helmets (standard for veterans) and a white tower badge. The only time I'd have such as a "complete" army would be with a very small force - 500 points or smaller, including kill teams.

I've pondered about building a combination army up in 500 point elements. Vanilla core, Deathwatch Vanguard and Sternguard, Grey Knights (terminators).

[Zoatibix]

In one of the older GK codexes there was a heavy metal section (IIRC by John Blanche) that featured a number if red GK. I followed that schemevwhen I ran an Inquisition army of =I= , SoB and GK.

 

If I ever did GK again then I would paint them a dark grey.