[IRON GAUNTLET 2017] IA - Exemplars of Dorn Mk.PRIMARIS

[Boldthreat]

http://i.imgur.com/mLsjhpW.jpg

 

Chapter Name:                  Exemplars of Dorn

Founding:                          Ultima Founding

Chapter Master:                Matthias Grimm

Chapter World:                  N/A

Combat Specialty:             Zone Mortalis / Boarding Operations

Gene-Seed:                       Rogal Dorn

Known Descendants:         None

Current Strength:               Full-Strength

Battle Cry:                          Strike Hard, Strike Fast; Strike First, Strike Last

 

“They were forged for Mankind’s darkest hour – and that hour is upon us.”

• Roboute Guilliman

The Exemplars of Dorn are a new breed of Space Marine, created by the Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman to push back the darkness and reclaim Mankind’s destiny among the stars.  Armed with the greatest training, technology and a genetic legacy of the highest order; the Exemplars of Dorn are fast living up to their namesake.  The Chapter, along with their Brother Chapters of the Primaris Founding, are spearheading the Indomitus Crusade... determined to seek out the mutant, the alien and the heretic and take back what was lost. 

 

ORIGINS

 

When Roboute Guilliman was returned to the Imperium, he declared that no longer would the Imperium of Man continue to decay and fight defensively against the monsters and terrors that were inevitably destroying what his Father built piece by piece.  No longer would the Emperor’s forces sit and wait for the enemy.  No, the Imperium would go on the attack.  The Imperium would fight back against the Terror and reclaim what was lost.  A new Great Crusade was declared... the Indomitus Crusade; in Mankind’s darkest hour, it will be its glorious rebirth.

 

To aid in this endeavor, Guilliman would release a new weapon on the enemies of Mankind.  A new breed of Astartes built upon and perfected for over 10,000 years have been created... The Primaris Space Marines.  These warriors are bigger, faster and stronger than their predecessors.  Armed with the absolute finest equipment from the forges of Mars, these warriors would reinforce the bloodied but heroic Chapters of the Imperium.  But not just reinforce, as Lord Guilliman declared a new founding, the Ultima Founding.  New Chapters of Primaris Space Marines would be created from the most stable of Mars’ gene-seed vaults.   These new Chapters would be borne to be the spear tip of this new Crusade.  One of these Chapters built from the ground up are the Exemplars of Dorn.

 

The Exemplars of Dorn are a Chapter of Primaris Space Marines built using the gene-seed of Rogal Dorn.  When participating in the final review of this particular band of Space Marines; Roboute Guilliman addressed the assembled 1000 warriors and said this:

 

“Your Progenitor was many things... A Dutiful Warrior... A Loyal Son... A True Brother... but more than anything else; he was a Crusader.  My Brother and his Legion, more than any other, embraced the Great Crusade and what it stood for, and they were always willing to pay any cost to bring my Father’s dream to reality.” 

 

“Now we find ourselves launching a new Great Crusade to recapture what was lost... to reclaim what my Brother fought and died to build!  I need Crusaders!  I need Crusaders who are Exemplars to everything my Brother stood for and represented!  You will be those Crusaders!  You will forever quest and give battle!  You will know no home but the Grace of the Emperor’s mercy!  You will find purpose only in the destruction of the enemies of Mankind!...”

 

Since its inception, the Exemplars of Dorn has ever dutifully and purposefully strive to live up to their genetic legacy.

 

HOMEWORLD

 

The Chapter was built, equipped, and trained on Mars.  Since the launching of the Indomitus Crusade, the Chapter has taken to the stars and made war against the enemies of mankind.  The Chapter has embraced its identity as a Crusading Chapter and has not appeared to establish any official homeworld.  Dedicating itself fully to the Indomitus Crusade.    

 

COMBAT DOCTRINE

 

The new Chapter has dutifully subscribed to the dictates of Roboute Guilliman’s training and teachings for Primaris Chapters.  The Chapter is in line with the Codex Astartes and does not appear to deviate from its Combat Doctrines.  The Chapter has already gained a reputation as exceptional in ship to ship actions and out-hull void warfare.  The Chapter has also been instrumental in many sieges since the start of the Indomitus Crusade.  They are proving to be true heirs of the Imperial Fists and their Primarch.

 

ORGANISATION

 

The Chapter has not deviated from the Codex Astartes and how Roboute Guilliman has directed the new Primaris Chapters to operate.  It has yet to be seen if the demands of the Indomitus Crusade will necessitate any organizational deviations.

 

BELIEFS

 

The Chapter has embraced the ideas of the Indomitus Crusade.  They are die-hard loyalists who believe whole-heartedly in the goals of this Crusade.  The Chapters warriors are universally dutiful and taciturn Astartes who have embraced the teachings and writings of their ancient Primarch.  The Chapter Cult espouses the ideals of Duty and Honor over everything else.  The Chapter not only appears to collect the teachings of Rogal Dorn.  The Chapter honors many different heroes of Imperial Fists lineage... from Alexis Polux, Sigismund and Rann to Maximus Thane, Pedro Kantor and hundreds of other heroes.  These stories and teachings are studied and contemplated and form the core of the burgeoning culture of this new Chapter.  From the greatest of triumphs to the harshest of defeats, the Exemplars of Dorn embrace and honor the lessons learned from the past.

 

GENESEED

 

The Exemplars of Dorn’s Gene-Seed is assumed to be 100 percent pure and stable.  All records are permanently sealed and barred from all but the highest of authority. 

 

APPEARANCE

 

The Exemplars of Dorn wear predominately White power armor with midnight blue squad markings.  Honor markings are crimson.

The Chapter badge is a midnight blue shield with twin crimson axes facing away from each other.  Chapter Legend states that the symbol used to be a symbol of honor markings recognizing skill in Zone Mortalis missions.

 

BATTLECRY

 

The Battlecry of the Exemplars of Dorn is “Strike Hard, Strike Fast; Strike First, Strike Last”.  When uttered in battle... the Chapters Chaplains or Leaders will say “Brothers!  Strike Hard!” To which the Battle Brothers will answer “Strike Fast!”.  And/or  “Brothers!  Strike First!” To which the response will be “Strike Last!”.

[Boldthreat]

OLDER ARTICLE, FOR REFERENCE.  PRE-PRIMARIS CONCEPT

 

The Exemplars of Dorn are a Space Marine Chapter created to be on constant crusade, to forever quest to bring the Emperor's justice to the mutant, alien and heretic.  The Chapter has spent its entire existence on campaign, refusing to settle down or waiver in any way with its divine mandate; as a result the Chapter’s Cult is not shaped by any one people, instead solely rooted in its Crusader mandate.  This has created a zealous, stubborn Chapter that has developed a particular skill in void warfare.

 

ORIGINS

 

The Mythos Angelica Mortis, a tomb of knowledge that details Space Marine chapters around the time of the 37th Millennium, names five Chapters that were created with the sole purpose of going on continuous crusade... to replace the terrible losses that had befallen the Emperor’s Space Marine Forces in the age before.  Most notable of these Chapters are the Marines Errant, a Chapter of heroic deeds and noble lineage.  Another of these Chapters detailed in this work are the Exemplars of Dorn.

The Exemplars of Dorn, like the Marines Errant, would spend their lives on constant Crusade; to never waiver in seeking out and destroying the enemies of Mankind.  The Mythos Angelica Mortis names the Crimson Fists as the immediate forbears of the Exemplars.  The Crimson Fists being a proud and honored successor of the Imperial Fists.  The great work also tells why the Crimson Fists were singled out; because of that Chapters heroic success in the Crusade of Righteous Liberation, a campaign that saw the Crimson Fists re-conquer 84 worlds in the Age of Apostasy.  It further states that the Fists were lauded as “...Exemplars of everything their Primarch, Rogal Dorn, represented” and that “...A new Chapter shall be founded, so that more worlds may be re-touched by His glory in this manner”.

Since its inception, the Chapter has sought to live up to their namesake in everything they do, Crusading across the stars and bringing the Emperors light to worlds thought long lost in the darkness of Apostasy. 

 

HOMEWORLD

 

Never relenting in their duty, the Chapter has refused to set up any kind of fortress monastery or claim a particular world or system for recruiting purposes.  The Chapter lives and moves with its Fleet, leaving nothing behind and only trusting in their faith in the God Emperor of Mankind to see them to their next warzone and bless them with recruits.  This blind superstition has had the Exemplars accused of recklessness and more on many occasions; even from their Sentinel Founding Brothers in the Marines Errant, who at the very least had the world of Vilamus... and their Primogenitor Chapter the Crimson Fists, who had gone on to claim dominion of the Loki Sector and establish a Fortress Monastery on Rynn’s World.  Many a Chapter would meet their ends in similar situations and the Imperium can ill afford to lose more Chapters.  Regardless, the Exemplars have never relented... sure in their belief in the divine mandate of their creation and fiery counter accusations of weakness and a lack of faith in the Emperor.  This has caused some contention with fellow Chapters, some would say even fostering a divide with their parent Chapter, especially post the tragedy that was WAAAGH! Snagrod.  

 

COMBAT DOCTRINE

 

This zealous and stubborn nature has won the Chapter much renown, especially in the realm of Void Warfare, but at a great cost.  The Chapter has been recorded as extinct on multiple occasions, only to be rebuilt by a wayward Crusade.  The Chapter has also been almost depleted of its rarer equipment, such as Terminator Armor and heavy vehicles such as Land Raiders, as those have become harder and harder to replace.  As a result the Chapter has become notorious for Lightning Strikes with mostly space borne assets like Drop Pods and Thunderhawk Assaults.  The Chapters Assault and Devastator Squads are more readily used in place of Light and Heavy ground based vehicle assets respectfully.  This has created an excellent Infantry based force that is somewhat limited in protracted land engagements.  These losses have not slowed the Chapter down.  They will ever continue to Crusade and never let up, even in the face of certain death.  Honor demands it.  The Emperor wills it. 

 

ORGANISATION

 

The Chapter started life as a Codex Compliant Chapter just like their Primogenitor Chapter.  However over the many, many years of constant campaigning; the Chapter would start to deviate from the dictates of the Codex Astartes in how the chapter organizes its forces.  At the close of the 41^st Millennium, the Chapter is organized into Battalions or laterally called Crusades.  Each Battalion is made up of 2 Battle Companies with its own Headquarters Detachment of specialists and Veterans.  There are only ever 4 Battalions in existence, as the Chapter has always been careful to not ever exceed its allowed number of warriors.

Each Battalion operates independently from the other.  It is rare for the Battalions to form into larger formations and operate in the same theatre.  The Chapter has not fought as a whole Chapter in almost 500 years.  The Chapter Master travels between the Crusades with his own retinue of Honor Guard and Equerries aboard his Flagship, spear heading multi-battalion engagements across the stars. 

 

BELIEFS

 

The Chapter has no dedicated home world or system to centralize a belief system.  The entire culture of the Chapter is centralized around the Crusader Mandate that has always ever been at the center of the Chapter.  Each Space Marine is immersed in this idea of a divinely inspired order that must be followed, even in the face of certain death.  The Marines of this Chapter are a notoriously grim and superstitious group who are fanatically loyal to the God Emperor of Mankind; one of the few Chapters to subscribe to that ideology, something that does not go unnoticed with their Brother Chapters.

Each Battalion does have its own history... with heroic victories and tragic defeats, heroes and rivalries and sworn enemies.  The Battalions recruit across the Imperium.  In some cases the Battalions are almost completely rebuilt from a particular planet or region of space; in this case, briefly, a Battalion will have a unique culture:  As is the case with the current 3^rd Battalion... recruited almost completely from a people living in a confederation of city state space stations, who have spent their whole lives in the harshness of space.   This has created a Battalion with an above average proficiency in boarding operations.  They are known throughout the Chapter as the “Voidborne”.  These names and reputations never last, but forever recorded in the Chapters histories.

 

GENESEED

 

Like all Sons of Dorn, the Exemplars are lacking the Betcher’s Gland and Sus-an Membrane.  Otherwise the Chapters geneseed is surprisingly stable and free of all other major mutations and chaotic contamination.  The Chapter further attributes this as a continuing sign of the Emperor’s blessing. 

 

APPEARANCE

 

The Exemplars of Dorn wear predominately White power armor with midnight blue squad markings.  Honor markings are crimson.

The Chapter badge is a midnight blue shield with twin crimson axes facing away from each other.  Chapter Legend states that the symbol used to be a symbol of honor markings recognizing skill in Zone Mortalis missions.

 

BATTLECRY

 

The Battlecry of the Exemplars of Dorn is “Strike Hard, Strike Fast; Strike First, Strike Last”.  When uttered in battle... the Chapters Chaplains or Leaders will say “Brothers!  Strike Hard!” To which the Battle Brothers will answer “Strike Fast!”.  And/or  “Brothers!  Strike First!” To which the response will be “Strike Last!”. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Well done. As for the different colors, the backstory you wrote- the Chapter divided into Battalions, which have not fought together for 500 years- allows you to use BOTH, with one Battalion painting their armor black to mourn fallen brothers (or whichever explanation you find appropriate, e.g., the black armor means those Marines serve as the God-Emperor's executioners).

 

I'm surprised your Crusading (fleet-based) Chapter didn't think to bring (or seize) a forge ship or other mobile manufactory, which would help resolve its difficulty repairing and replacing arms, armor, and vehicles.

[joschlumpf]

Well done. As for the different colors, the backstory you wrote- the Chapter divided into Battalions, which have not fought together for 500 years- allows you to use BOTH, with one Battalion painting their armor black to mourn fallen brothers (or whichever explanation you find appropriate, e.g., the black armor means those Marines serve as the God-Emperor's executioners).

 

I join here. You don´t have to recolour the whole army, except you want that.

 

With your Chapter being specialised in fighting on space ships and in Zone Mortalis they may use plenty of short range weapons like melta and pistol/CCW combinations instead of heavy weapons.

[Dizzyeye01]

You're off to a good start. I would personally say all you really need to do is expand on the solid fou dations you have.

 

As you mention, your chapter is fleet based however you could go into more detail on the flagship and what it represents for the chapter. Even what the average battalions' fleet composition looks like would be nice to have. You may want to look into what a Predatation Nomad Fleet formation is like as to me it seems to fit in to how the Exemplars operate.

 

Another thing to expand on is why the cultures of a world hasn't sinked into the Batalions. Is it seen as a form of weakness so they memory wipe recruits? Do they do it to unity the chapter and bring together a stronger brotherhood? It's certainly an interesting idea that a culture is rejected so explain why they do this.

 

As I said before, you've got a good foundation. Just keep working away at it and you'll get far :)

[LancsHotpot90]

Excellent start here brother! I also agree that using both colour schemes would be a brilliant way to add more variety to the chapter.

 

Looking forward to more :)

[Kelborn]

Interesting.

I had the same idea of dividing my chapter into battailons which act seperately. Great minds think alike, right? :P

 

Good start here. Keep it up.

 

Regarding color scheme and chapter badge:

 

- I agree that you should use both schemes. The white ones could be the "normal" Marines, while the black scheme could be used for the veterans (which would yet be another commonality to my chapter but that doesn't matter). The more experienced a Marine get, the darker his attitude and character becomes, which is reflected by his blackened armor. Medieval executioners wore mostly black. Could fit.

 

- I do see your point regarding your chapter badge. Have you considered to use a double-bladed axe? Something like this maybe:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Labrys-symbol-transparent.svg/2000px-Labrys-symbol-transparent.svg.png

 

or maybe two crossed axes?

https://image.shutterstock.com/z/stock-vector-a-vector-illustration-of-two-crossed-american-indian-axes-crossed-axes-silhouette-267935807.jpg

 

Hope that helps. :)

[Lysimachus]

I really like both schemes, either would work well or as the others have said, the black one could be a Veteran scheme (or maybe even a Night-world camouflage variant?) The only thing that I might change would be to make the Sgt's loin cloth blue instead of red, just to tie the black scheme back in with the standard white a bit more? 

[Lephisto]

Regarding colour scheme: I like both, however I tend to like the white one more because the black makes it look more like Black Templar. Perhaps go white and use the new heraldry that you created? That would be sweet.

 

Perhaps under the heading Origins, have notable battles included? The Chapter is 4 millennia old, the campaigns and fights could be used to explain why they have changed their battle doctrine compared to their progenitors. Explaining how and what caused the heavy depletion of armored vehicles in more depth etc  would be good. A very good start to the Chapter.

[NovemberIX]

So like everyone else has said this is a good start, it feels like the basis of a cannon army. It's a good soup stock, now it's time to add in the flavor. I hope the questions I pose help in that endeavour.

 

• Is each battalion completely self sufficient, and more or less a chapter on it's own barring a Chapter Master and retinue?

• How often do the 4 battalions/crusades meet if at all, and is there any sort of ceremony when they do?

• Are they all operating near each other so as to share resources or are they much more separated?

• Where are the rest of the Dept. Heads (Rechlusiarch, Chief Librarian, Forge Master, Chief Apothecary)?

There is one point I'd like to raise about the Chapter Master doing so much traveling, it might end up leaving him the least informed one of all, since an unavoidable amount time is spent going between theaters, just a thing to possibly consider.

[Boldthreat]

Well done. As for the different colors, the backstory you wrote- the Chapter divided into Battalions, which have not fought together for 500 years- allows you to use BOTH, with one Battalion painting their armor black to mourn fallen brothers (or whichever explanation you find appropriate, e.g., the black armor means those Marines serve as the God-Emperor's executioners).

I'm surprised your Crusading (fleet-based) Chapter didn't think to bring (or seize) a forge ship or other mobile manufactory, which would help resolve its difficulty repairing and replacing arms, armor, and vehicles.

Thanks, Brother. You know I never really thought about having the Battalions with different heraldry. I do not know if I will go that way, but I like the idea.

You're off to a good start. I would personally say all you really need to do is expand on the solid fou dations you have.

As you mention, your chapter is fleet based however you could go into more detail on the flagship and what it represents for the chapter. Even what the average battalions' fleet composition looks like would be nice to have. You may want to look into what a Predatation Nomad Fleet formation is like as to me it seems to fit in to how the Exemplars operate.

Another thing to expand on is why the cultures of a world hasn't sinked into the Batalions. Is it seen as a form of weakness so they memory wipe recruits? Do they do it to unity the chapter and bring together a stronger brotherhood? It's certainly an interesting idea that a culture is rejected so explain why they do this.

As I said before, you've got a good foundation. Just keep working away at it and you'll get far

Thank you for the questions. My current idea is that a Battalion is roughly 1 Battle-Barge, 2 Strike Cruisers and support craft. This ends up being 5 Battle Barges (+1 for the Flagship of the Chapter) and 8 Strike Cruisers plus support ships for the Chapter Fleet.

My thought on why the cultures never really last is due to the ever crusading nature of the Chapter. They do not settle down, they are constantly moving. Whole companies and battalions could be drawn from a particular culture; but as the Battalion moves on and more and more of the marines die... their culture becomes less and less important over time, until its ultimately replaced by another culture that completely rebuilds the Battalion. My whole idea here is that cultures come and go, but the Crusade, it never ends... its what truly unifies the Chapter... its all there is.

Interesting.

I had the same idea of dividing my chapter into battailons which act seperately. Great minds think alike, right?

Good start here. Keep it up.

Regarding color scheme and chapter badge:

- I agree that you should use both schemes. The white ones could be the "normal" Marines, while the black scheme could be used for the veterans (which would yet be another commonality to my chapter but that doesn't matter). The more experienced a Marine get, the darker his attitude and character becomes, which is reflected by his blackened armor. Medieval executioners wore mostly black. Could fit.

- I do see your point regarding your chapter badge. Have you considered to use a double-bladed axe? Something like this maybe:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Labrys-symbol-transparent.svg/2000px-Labrys-symbol-transparent.svg.png

or maybe two crossed axes?

https://image.shutterstock.com/z/stock-vector-a-vector-illustration-of-two-crossed-american-indian-axes-crossed-axes-silhouette-267935807.jpg

Hope that helps.

Thank you regarding the Battalions. You know its something that I still go back and forth on. On one hand, I do not want to spit in the face of the in lore idea of what the Codex Astartes is. We are talking about a book that is like the Holy Bible and The Art of War was mixed together and then baked for 10,000 years. On the other I just cannot reconcile that the Marines Errant are spread just as thin as this Chapter, but they endeavor to stay compliant. That seams difficult... especially when considering what the 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th companies are and represent to the chapter as a whole. I feel the Chapter has to divide its forces more formally.

I have considered two crossed badges. That may be a possibility to go with. I am biting the bullet and ordering custom decals... I may just do that.

[Boldthreat]

I really like both schemes, either would work well or as the others have said, the black one could be a Veteran scheme (or maybe even a Night-world camouflage variant?) The only thing that I might change would be to make the Sgt's loin cloth blue instead of red, just to tie the black scheme back in with the standard white a bit more? 

 

Thanks,  I honestly see myself switching to the black scheme and abandoning the white.  I love the white scheme, but the black one is just as cool to me and im favoring the idea of painting black more so than the white.

 

 

Regarding colour scheme: I like both, however I tend to like the white one more because the black makes it look more like Black Templar. Perhaps go white and use the new heraldry that you created? That would be sweet.

 

Perhaps under the heading Origins, have notable battles included? The Chapter is 4 millennia old, the campaigns and fights could be used to explain why they have changed their battle doctrine compared to their progenitors. Explaining how and what caused the heavy depletion of armored vehicles in more depth etc  would be good. A very good start to the Chapter.

 

Thanks Lephisto, I do need to flesh out the battle history of the chapter.  This is where I really need to focus on to explain why the Chapter shifted from standard codex adherent to the Battalion format.  I want this to have been a slow shift that is eventually formalized, maybe post the almost destruction of the Chapter.

 

 

So like everyone else has said this is a good start, it feels like the basis of a cannon army. It's a good soup stock, now it's time to add in the flavor. I hope the questions I pose help in that endeavour.

 

• Is each battalion completely self sufficient, and more or less a chapter on it's own barring a Chapter Master and retinue?

• How often do the 4 battalions/crusades meet if at all, and is there any sort of ceremony when they do?

• Are they all operating near each other so as to share resources or are they much more separated?

• Where are the rest of the Dept. Heads (Rechlusiarch, Chief Librarian, Forge Master, Chief Apothecary)?

There is one point I'd like to raise about the Chapter Master doing so much traveling, it might end up leaving him the least informed one of all, since an unavoidable amount time is spent going between theaters, just a thing to possibly consider.

 

Here is a brief overview of how I imagine my Chapter organizes its forces:

 

http://i.imgur.com/A7iIF6E.png

 

My thoughts are this:

 

The Chapter Master has his own retinue of Equerries, Honor Guard and Chapter Council... this is where you find the Head Apothecary and Master of Sanctity, ect. ect.  Then you have the Fleet Commanders and Ship Captains... they answer directly to Chapter Command.  The Battalion Commanders are like mini-Chapter Masters, once in theater they are in charge of the actual military campaign and replacement of forces.  

 

The Chapter Master and his Flagship are always attached to a Battalion on Crusade.  Sometimes 2-3... rarely ever 4 are called and they operate as one battleforce.  The Battalions are self sufficient in that they can replace losses, they can manufacture some equipment, and persecute Campaigns on their own.  But where they Crusade and why is determined by a higher authority.  So when its time to move on from one Battalion to another... I want this to be a fluid thing usually done at the end of a Crusade, before the start of a new one. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

To minimize confusion, perhaps you should either number the Companies in the traditional manner (1st Battalion commands 1st and 2nd Companies, 2nd Battalion commands 3rd and 4th Companies, etc.), or designate Companies with letters (1A and 1B indicating "1st Battalion, Alpha Company" and "1st Battalion, Beta Company", 2A and 2B indicating "2nd Battalion, Alpha Company" and "2nd Battalion, Beta Company", etc.).

[Draakur]

I actually have quite a few things I'd like to comment on here, but I don't have time so will have to come back to it. A few things before I go:

 

- re: the Mythos Angelica Mortis, you're aware this is specific to naming/recording Chapters of the Astartes Praeses, yes? Seems there might be some confusion here?

 

- I prefer the white scheme :tu: Both purely from an aesthetic standpoint and because, as has been pointed out, crusading black power armoured Dorn successors is a slot the Templars have pretty firmly made their own, I feel

[Legionare]

I like your squad/company icons, i wonder how you've made those? Your chapter organization is also very nice, especially that table. Maybe you could include that table to your IA?

[Brink]

The table is quite nice it really helped. As for the color scheme the white does look quite nice and I would have to agree with Draakur about the black scheme looking quite like the templars.

[Minigiant]

Nice IA you have going here, as Bjorn stated, you can use both colour schemes if you so desired, so that is a cool little aspect you have.

 

Battalions are what I like about this, it has a few world affects. You are less likely to come across them, so I can imagine lots of Myths and Tales are told and sung of them. However when they do deploy to a warzone (or make one) they are some of the mightest battles in the Imperium. Not very often you need to companies to get something done. So if the Exemplars are coming, you know S*** is about to hit the fan.

 

Why does your chapter master fly around between their Battalions, instead of Battalion convoys reporting back to them?

 

Does Battalions offer more autonomy and self reliance?

[Boldthreat]

Damnit guys!  With the release of the new Primaris information... I think I am going to change some things up here and jump into that whole madness whole-heartedly.  I am seriously thinking about turning the Exemplars of Dorn into a brand new "Primaris Founding" Space Marine Chapter created by the OG - RG himself for the Indomitus Crusade!  

 

I know we are short on official information... and it will probably evolve as more and more information is made available, but I think its exciting.  

 

I really like the idea of a fresh start.  A new Chapter for a new Crusade.  1 day to re-write everything?  Oh well, wish me luck!

[TheBlindPrimarch]

Very interesting Chapter and well written too. Here's a couple of critiques and suggestions for you, feel free to use or ignore them as you wish.

-Crusading Chapters are nothing new, so no problem there, but that freedom comes with a tendency towards being suspect by the more conventional powers that be. It would be interesting to see how your Chapter views this suspicion, and how they react to it when it becomes apparent.

-You mention strained relations with not only Imperial authorities but even the Chapter's progenitors. Has this ever led to conflict? Has the Chapter ever been censured? How willing is the Chapter to submit to Imperial authority?

-The proficiency in void warfare is interesting. I would like to see you expand on this. Saying their good at it is one thing, giving examples that illustrate this ability would lend itself well to the credibility of this claim.

-You mention a Chapter Master in the text but in the quick information the entry for Chapter Master is left blank. Is this intentional, or is it a result of not having a character developed yet?

-You mention a lack of more ancient tech within the Chapter due to attrition. Does this include Dreadnought?

That's all I can think of right now, best of luck!

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

In regards to your latest post, Boldthreat, I think that would actually be a good idea! Go right ahead and do that. Maybe Guilliman sees the value in multiple autonomous crusades of a single chapter (even though he literally wrote the book on chapter organization and command structure), a la Black Templars, and might make a chapter like this, with the training cadre and gene-seed drawn from the BT's. This would also provide justification for the black scheme as well as the white (the veterans wear it-or a halved scheme- of white and black-to honor their progenitors).

 

Take this idea and run with it from Terra to the Halo Stars, man. Strike Hard!

[Kelborn]

Damnit guys!  With the release of the new Primaris information... I think I am going to change some things up here and jump into that whole madness whole-heartedly.  I am seriously thinking about turning the Exemplars of Dorn into a brand new "Primaris Founding" Space Marine Chapter created by the OG - RG himself for the Indomitus Crusade!  

 

I know we are short on official information... and it will probably evolve as more and more information is made available, but I think its exciting.  

 

I really like the idea of a fresh start.  A new Chapter for a new Crusade.  1 day to re-write everything?  Oh well, wish me luck!

 

I'm eager to see this new version. Don't hesitate if you need any help, brother. :)

[Ferrus Manus]

I like these guys, the article was rather a good read. I just have a few questions:

 

1- how do thy deal with recruitment? Do they take from planets they have visited or do they have a series of worlds they favour to recruit from at various times, like the Dark Angels or the Blood Ravens? Because of their heavy losses do they have a larger than average Scout Company?

 

2- Forgive my memory, but weren't the Marines Errant formed during the 26th founding? M37 seems a bit early for that.

 

3- You mention how battalions join together for larger crusades but do they ever break down into smaller battle groups? After all, 2 Space Marine companies is generally enough to recover an entire system of planets.

 

4- This is more of a comment than a question, but for me the Battle Cry is too long, I'd personally drop the second half of it.

 

Just my two cents worth

[Boldthreat]

Alright guys, the first draft of the Exemplars of Dorn Primaris Space Marines is up.

 

I know its kind of short, but honestly there are a lot of questions surrounding the Primaris.  As we get more official information I will update and fill in more.  I have decided to go back to the original white scheme.  I think it will look great on the new models... now they need to hurry up and be released!

 

Also of note, I know everyone seemed to like the idea of the Battalions, but this has been shelved due to us not knowing how a full Chapter of these guys would be organized, and on top of that they are so young that I do not believe they would stray to far from the Codex at this point.  But we will see I guess.

 

Anyway let me know what you think.  

[Kelborn]

hm....by now, it is ok.

Problem is that we do not have enough information about the Primaris to really work with. Therefore, this is not your fault but your new version is a bit bland as it's more like a recap of the Primaris teaser post.

 

I'll give you some thoughts to think about. Maybe they might help you.

 

- How would other chapters react and interact with them? I can think that some hardliners may dread their sudden appearance.

- Though they are "improved" Astartes, they most likely won't have the experience of a 10K old chapter. Yes, they are still lethal and well trained but they could lack real combat experience. Don't know why but these Primaris remind me a lot of the Star Wars Clone Troopers. Bred to be superior soldiers, trained and equipped with the best possible wargear but. But nothing (imho) can prepare you with the reality of war. I've seen a Space Wolve, who lost nearly all of his enthusiasm just because he had served in the Deathwatch. I just think that they could be overwhelmed with certain threats like Orks or Tyranids.

- Do they have an entire fleet? If RG and Cawl come up with thousands of Astartes in thousands of combat-ready ships, it's just ridiculous. Why not giving them one or two ships, limiting their possibility to wage war?

 

 

Just my two cents for you to play with. :)

I'd recommend considering to give them saw flaws. Otherwise, they might look a bit mary-sue-ish and bland (that's what the official Primaris do look like). But that comes mostly of lacking more informations.

 

Hope that helps. :)

[Boldthreat]

hm....by now, it is ok.

Problem is that we do not have enough information about the Primaris to really work with. Therefore, this is not your fault but your new version is a bit bland as it's more like a recap of the Primaris teaser post.

I'll give you some thoughts to think about. Maybe they might help you.

- How would other chapters react and interact with them? I can think that some hardliners may dread their sudden appearance.

- Though they are "improved" Astartes, they most likely won't have the experience of a 10K old chapter. Yes, they are still lethal and well trained but they could lack real combat experience. Don't know why but these Primaris remind me a lot of the Star Wars Clone Troopers. Bred to be superior soldiers, trained and equipped with the best possible wargear but. But nothing (imho) can prepare you with the reality of war. I've seen a Space Wolve, who lost nearly all of his enthusiasm just because he had served in the Deathwatch. I just think that they could be overwhelmed with certain threats like Orks or Tyranids.

- Do they have an entire fleet? If RG and Cawl come up with thousands of Astartes in thousands of combat-ready ships, it's just ridiculous. Why not giving them one or two ships, limiting their possibility to wage war?

Just my two cents for you to play with.

I'd recommend considering to give them saw flaws. Otherwise, they might look a bit mary-sue-ish and bland (that's what the official Primaris do look like). But that comes mostly of lacking more informations.

Hope that helps.

All very good questions. Its partly why I am excited about this project. There is just so much we do not know yet. How is a Chapter of these guys organized? Where do Intercessor Squads fit in the Company Structure? Are they similar? How close do they follow the Codex Astartes? In fact... what has happened to the Codex Astartes since Guilliman's return?

I have the same questions as you do for the Chapter Fleet. How autonomous are these new chapters? Especially in the context of this new Crusade? How independent are they?

Its even difficult at this point to understand who they would get along with or not. Are the Crimson Fists and Imperial Fists Chapters that have accepted the new Primaris Marines? I would bet so. But what about the Templars? The Space Wolves probably would not trust these guys. Are the Blood Angels even aware of this development? There are so many questions. I am not griping... I am enjoying this actually.

I love the idea of a brand new start. I will admit its pretty bland at this moment. I am not even sure how to flesh out special Characters... I do not even know how these guys were created yet. I am itching to find out though, and I want to fit my custom Chapter into it when we do find those answers. I am excited to not just go over the history of my guys now... I am excited for the future of them. What battles they will get into. I have ideas with how they would have disputes with brother Chapters like the Executioners... or Chapters that they believe are unbecoming via their culture or temperament.

Exciting times indeed.