Index Astartes: Star Wardens (WIP)

[Archivist Thaddeus Kryptem]

I honestly never thought I'd see Cowboy Space Marines done well... just want to say congratulations on proving me wrong, you've done a great job! 

[InAction]

I honestly never thought I'd see Cowboy Space Marines done well... just want to say congratulations on proving me wrong, you've done a great job! 

 

Thanks, though I can't take all the credit. I've had plenty of help from everyone who have chimed in with interest and advice.

 

Anyway, got something cool for the article today. I commissioned Blazbaros for a Marine in his Chapter Approved series done up in Star Wardens colors!

 

[Minigiant]

 

 

I honestly never thought I'd see Cowboy Space Marines done well... just want to say congratulations on proving me wrong, you've done a great job!

Thanks, though I can't take all the credit. I've had plenty of help from everyone who have chimed in with interest and advice.

 

Anyway, got something cool for the article today. I commissioned Blazbaros for a Marine in his Chapter Approved series done up in Star Wardens colors!

 

Great work

 

Blazbaros does great work

[InAction]

Hello again, B&C. It's been a while.

Not much to really speak of about on my absence - got caught up with real life, fell behind on lot of my gaming hobbies and for a while kind of just didn't feel like I was in a 40k mood, y'know? But, much like that familiar grimdark itch I have, I've come back again.

Been looking to start playing some Kill Team, (I got the manual during the holiday) and using my Wardens as the basis. That having been said, when last I left off their fluff was still very much a work in progress, I felt anyway. Going over it now, I'm kind of not entirely satisfied with some of what I came up with. So I'd like to try a tighten the article up with the help and input of others, try to figure out what to keep while pruning some the extraneous bits. Maybe even look just rewrite the whole history and have it be a recent Primaris chapter to keep in line with more current goings-on.

[Brother Lunkhead]

Welcome back to the fray brother, you've been missed I've been following this topic with keen interest. Space Marine cowboys is a great concept and you've done so well with it. Hope you can find some time to get this project moving along "...…..with the tumbling tumbleweeds."

 

[InAction]

I have returned! Again. Apologies that this continues to be a recurring trend. In any case, some real life stuff kind of happened, I got rather discouraged and lost interest in a lot of my gaming hobbies. But I found myself getting back on that horse (pun intended), and into the fray once more. However, because I enjoy torturing myself, I haven't been able to make any headway on a new Marine army as I keep coming back to my Wardens. And trouble is, when last I left them, I wasn't entirely satisfied with how I left them. So I'm left at an impasse where I kinda want to start fresh, but at the same time I can't let go because, honestly, anything else I come up with feels like it's just not going to do it just right for me as the idea of "cowboy marines".

So to that end, I'm back and looking to really shake things from the ground up. I'll likely be keeping some of the broad background details the same because I like the general idea of the homeworld I created, but most everything else is going to be getting majorly overhauled. Primarily looking to address for the moment major aesthetics that have bothered me; the color scheme (as appropriate as it seemed at the time, a largely grey paint job feels very dull to me now), and the name. "Star Wardens" is certainly alright, but I want something that more emphatically screams the pitch concept.

As always, comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

An idea: The Chapter operates "ranch ships" in addition to the traditional battle barges and strike cruisers.

 

The Great Rift's opening has forced the Star Wardens to undertake duties traditionally assigned to the Astra Militarum, the Arbites, and the Administratum, e.g., to rebuild Imperial worlds, raise Planetary and System Defense Forces in their defense, and maintain order. To carry out these duties, the Chapter adopted the "ranch ship," an armed colonization ship certain Rogue Trader dynasties use to terraform planets, and to defend their claims.

 

Each ranch ship is comparable to a star fort in size; they incorporate facilities for mining asteroids and other resources; multiple manufactories to produce not only aerospace, land and naval vehicles to sustain colonization efforts, but components to maintain the ranch ships themselves; hangar decks and docking facilities; greenhouses and other environmental emulators for the flora and fauna necessary to terraform barren worlds into ones capable of sustaining human life; all contained within an armored hull capable of resisting a broadside from an enemy battleship, as well as mounting points for weapons capable of retaliating against such attacks. The Chapter acquired the STC pattern from the [insert name] Rogue Trader dynasty, whose scion led the Explorator fleet which discovered Delamar; the Master of the Forge subsequently modified the design by rearranging the decks to accommodate Primaris Marines, adding multiple rapid-fire guns to defend the ranch ships from torpedoes and enemy boarding craft, adapting the environmental emulators to sustain death world climates and creatures to prepare the Wardens for battle in such harsh conditions.

 

The sight of a ranch ship is welcome to Imperial worlds in the [insert name] Sector, for it means salvation has arrived- not only defenders from beyond the stars, but trainers for defenders who will be raised among them, food and shelter, the means to rebuild their worlds as well as manufactories for the manufactories necessary to sustain their reconstruction efforts.

Edited September 19, 2020 by Bjorn Firewalker

[InAction]

Hey Bjorn, I like that idea. I'm putting a pin in that though because for now I'm looking to focus on mainly the basics and work up from there.

I've compiled a few different possible names that try to emphasize the theme a little more. These include:

- Red Riders/Red Rangers
- Blood Riders
- Emperor's Mustangs
- Dark Horses
- Justicars

- Marshals/Silver Marshals

 

I've found myself kind of gravitating towards "Red Riders" at the moment, but it's not a definite as of now. For about all of these the chapter icon will be some variation of a horse head.

Oh, and had also given some thought to changing the name of their homeworld. Delamar was another thing I came up with that I wasn't entirely satisfied with. I find it rather dull-sounding and, as a friend of mine put it, "like a mediocre dish at a tex-mex joint". I came up with something else earlier in the week that I like the sound of much better and is properly evocative - "Vaqueron".

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I think "Blood Riders" is the best name out of those you listed. If you go with something else, you might as well retain the "Blood Riders" name for the Chapter's elites, e.g., Outriders who serve as Honor Guards for the Chapter's leaders. ("Bloodriders" serve as a Dothraki khal's honor guards in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels and their TV adaptation, Game of Thrones.)

 

"Vaqueron" is a good name. Will the planet be named in honor of the Rogue Trader who discovered it, or the Space Marine Captain who accompanied his/her explorator fleet?

Edited September 19, 2020 by Bjorn Firewalker

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Possible name: "Knight Hunters", for the power armored Marines range far in search of those who fled the Emperor's justice. (Cainhurst Knights from the Bloodborne video game inspired the name. I was going to suggest "Iron Hunters" to evoke the "iron horse" and "bounty hunters" referred to in classic westerns, and to hint at close relations with the AdMech, e.g., the Chapter aids the latter in its hunt for STC technology; but it sounds cheesy.)

[InAction]

After giving it some thought, I think I'm gonna go with "Red Riders" for the chapter name as that's the one that largely has been sticking out in my mind. What can I say? My tastes run maybe a little campy?

In that regard, I've thrown together some different possible color schemes. The first three groups are all variations done mainly with the shoulders and trim, all fairly vanilla. The rest are attempts at more unique patterns that I think would be relatively simple to paint on a miniature and also not be totally eye-gouging to look at.

[Nomus Sardauk]

First of all, lemme just say welcome back and I'm really happy to see you back InAction (no pun intended) and this thread revived! Edited September 20, 2020 by Nomus Sardauk

[Bjorn Firewalker]

After giving it some thought, I think I'm gonna go with "Red Riders" for the chapter name as that's the one that largely has been sticking out in my mind. What can I say? My tastes run maybe a little campy?

 

In that regard, I've thrown together some different possible color schemes. The first three groups are all variations done mainly with the shoulders and trim, all fairly vanilla. The rest are attempts at more unique patterns that I think would be relatively simple to paint on a miniature and also not be totally eye-gouging to look at.

How about incorporating tan, to serve as camouflage on the Chapter planet's deserts, and as a reference to the leather of an Indian brave's deerskin clothes or a cowboy's duster? White is NOT a color I associate with the Wild West; too much red will make your Marines look like Blood Angels instead of your IA Chapter.

Finally, I fully support Bjorn's idea of the marines-who-are-not-Wardens escorting "Ranch Ships" ("Pioneer Arks?") on dangerous expeditions into unexplored systems to colonise new worlds for the Imperium, constantly pushing out the frontiers of the Emperor's domain and helping tame wild news worlds.

Thank you. Edited September 20, 2020 by Bjorn Firewalker

[InAction]

That orange-red is actually close to what I would like to do for the bases. Give them a red-orange desert environment.

 

Incorporating some kind of tan as camo isn't a bad idea. But mainly only for that. That as an actual bit of the standard livery doesn't sit right with me - it's like with the predominantly grey scheme I had before, it just feels far too dull. I kinda want my marines to look bright and bold, I like those sort of schemes a lot. That said, I'm kinda feeling like leaning towards a scheme with more red than white. I understand the concerns, but I don't think it's the huge a deal. There are plenty of red chapters out there, both canon and fan, so if  no one begrudges the Rampagers, Red Talons, Exorcists, etc. for sharing a scheme with the Blood Angels, I'm gonna try to not let it bother me.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

How about navy blue and blood red armor, with gold highlights? I'm taking inspiration from the following image of George A. Custer, from the AMC show The American West:

[Gamiel]

Of the colour scemes sugested do I think #4 is best, it's red enought for a Chapter called "Red Riders" but don't make you go "Blood Angels"

 

 

I admit, I'm a little sad to hear you're changing the name and scheme (especially since you've already commissioned artwork of the Wardens previously) but since you are, I'd like to suggest either "Iron Rangers", "Horizon Riders" or "Scarlet Stallions" as potential names.

I would like to ad: Saber Rider/s; Brave Star/s; Star Sheriffs; Silver Stars; Wild Stallions*; Black Stallion/s

 

* Should be working with Ordo Chronos

[Brother Cambrius]

Oooh, new colour schemes! Lemme grab my Liber Heraldry Department hat.

 

Of the colour scemes sugested do I think #4 is best, it's red enought for a Chapter called "Red Riders" but don't make you go "Blood Angels" 

 

I echo this, I really do like #4's set up, it maintains the red as the block colour and focus, but the arms and backpack help to give it a more unique look. Alternatively, you could give them white helmets and change the shoulder-pads to be red to help keep the focus on the red as the primary colour, but with the white accents.

 

Now in terms of a name, I do love the original Star Wardens name, but Red Riders is just as good for some alliterative distinctiveness. If it feels a little too low-gothic, as per the Space Sharks etc, you could add a High Gothic name akin to the Charcharadon Astra, or gripschi's "Equites Rhenus" alongside "The Knights of the Rhine" but still keep Red Riders as the common name used by the citizens of the Imperium.

 

Cambrius

Edited October 1, 2020 by Brother Cambrius

[Bjorn Firewalker]

How about using a light blue torso, upper arms and legs, to make the blood-red Aquila, gauntlets and boots stand out? I'm taking inspiration from classic images of the Lone Ranger (NOT the black-clad Zorro-wannabe in the 2013 film).

I would like to ad: Saber Rider/s; Brave Star/s; Star Sheriffs; Silver Stars; Wild Stallions*; Black Stallion/s

 

* Should be working with Ordo Chronos

Good ideas, worth reserving for the Chapter's elites. Someone who appreciates the classics, should be appreciated in turn.

If it feels a little too low-gothic, as per the Space Sharks etc, you could add a High Gothic name akin to the Charcharadon Astra, or gripschi's "Equites Rhenus" alongside "The Knights of the Rhine" but still keep Red Riders as the common name used by the citizens of the Imperium.

Another good idea. How about "Equites Sanguineus", the latter referring to the blood-red color you chose?

[Gamiel]

An idea: The Chapter operates "ranch ships" in addition to the traditional battle barges and strike cruisers.

 

The Great Rift's opening has forced the Star Wardens to undertake duties traditionally assigned to the Astra Militarum, the Arbites, and the Administratum, e.g., to rebuild Imperial worlds, raise Planetary and System Defense Forces in their defense, and maintain order. To carry out these duties, the Chapter adopted the "ranch ship," an armed colonization ship certain Rogue Trader dynasties use to terraform planets, and to defend their claims.

 

Each ranch ship is comparable to a star fort in size; they incorporate facilities for mining asteroids and other resources; multiple manufactories to produce not only aerospace, land and naval vehicles to sustain colonization efforts, but components to maintain the ranch ships themselves; hangar decks and docking facilities; greenhouses and other environmental emulators for the flora and fauna necessary to terraform barren worlds into ones capable of sustaining human life; all contained within an armored hull capable of resisting a broadside from an enemy battleship, as well as mounting points for weapons capable of retaliating against such attacks. The Chapter acquired the STC pattern from the [insert name] Rogue Trader dynasty, whose scion led the Explorator fleet which discovered Delamar; the Master of the Forge subsequently modified the design by rearranging the decks to accommodate Primaris Marines, adding multiple rapid-fire guns to defend the ranch ships from torpedoes and enemy boarding craft, adapting the environmental emulators to sustain death world climates and creatures to prepare the Wardens for battle in such harsh conditions.

 

The sight of a ranch ship is welcome to Imperial worlds in the [insert name] Sector, for it means salvation has arrived- not only defenders from beyond the stars, but trainers for defenders who will be raised among them, food and shelter, the means to rebuild their worlds as well as manufactories for the manufactories necessary to sustain their reconstruction efforts.

 

to follow up on this if I may, some things you could add to this or maybe take alone that I think could fit with a “cowboy” Chapter:

* They protect Agri worlds (or at least try to) and/or try to use warfare that damage agricultural land as little as possible.

* things like bullfighting, bull-jumping, cow-wreastling, rodeo and such is part of the aspirant training/initiation-ceremonies – this do not actually need to be done with semi-normal bovines but it could be other animals like grox, gene-sculpted mega bovines, terror birds, giant sheep, etcetera.

* cowboys were infamous for the loud and violent way they celebrated their pay when they had finished a job. Maybe your Chapter have great, chaotic and loud victory fests.

* looking good was important for many cowboys ones they were back in civilization, maybe they have some impressive “dress armour” or ways to look extra fancy when out of battle, or maybe they cover their armour with honours that gets damaged and removed when they fight and has to be replaced by the serfs after every battle.

* entertainment like guitar-playing, singing and card games was often the only entertainment cowboys had while they herded cows from one end of the prairie to the other so at least some of them become good with it, and you have the old architype of the singing cowboy – maybe your chapter have a musical tradition or one member in each squad is expected to train in music and play during down times.

* while cowboys were not the only one playing poker and the real card players was seldom cowboys (why heard cows when you could make a living at the green table) are card games a classic part of the wild west image. Maybe the traditional card deck symbols are part of the chapter’s heraldry in some way.

Edited October 11, 2020 by Gamiel

[Bjorn Firewalker]

* things like bullfighting, bull-jumping, cow-wreastling, rodeo and such is part of the aspirant training/initiation-ceremonies – this do not actually need to be done with semi-normal bovines but it could be other animals like grox, gene-sculpted mega bovines, terror birds, giant sheep, etcetera.

Excellent idea! Another possible addition is to have the Chapter deploy "Rodeo Clowns" (Marines who must make penance for their sins, specially modified servitors, brightly painted animals, etc.) that draw enemy attention (and attacks) to themselves, allowing the Marines to infiltrate and continue the mission, or exfiltrate and escape annihilation.

* cowboys were infamous for the loud and violent way they celebrated their pay when they had finished a job. Maybe your Chapter have great, chaotic and loud victory fests.

Like the Space Wolves?

* entertainment like guitar-playing, singing and card games was often the only entertainment cowboys had while they herded cows from one end of the prairie to the other so at least some of them become good with it, and you have the old architype of the singing cowboy – maybe your chapter have a musical tradition or one member in each squad is expected to train in music and play during down times.

Have the Librarians serve as bards and sing the Chapter's history. That should work.

* while cowboys were not the only one playing poker and the real card players was seldom cowboys (why heard cows when you could make a living at the green table) are card games a classic part of the wild west image. Maybe the traditional card deck symbols are part of the chapter’s heraldry in some way.

The spade IS considered a symbol of death; US military personnel DID wear the ace of spades on their person to intimidate the enemy, during the Vietnam War. Good idea.

[Gamiel]

to follow up on this if I may, some things you could add to this or maybe take alone that I think could fit with a “cowboy” Chapter:

Some more suggestions:

* you could take a look at classic livestock branding symbols and use them as squad markings.

* silver decorations was common among churros and vaqueros, and they inspired US cowboys (to my understanding), and among the gauchos, many of those decorations was more-or-less coin shaped (and sometime actually made from real silver coins). Maybe the Red Riders have something similar? If you are making figures could you use Warcry’s Iron Golem’s “coin mail” (or what it’s called) painted silver as decoration on your marines.

* while it’s the gunfighter we more often think of then the real cowboy when we think Wild West did cowboys know how to use guns (for protection, hunting and often because they were war veterans) but more important than gun skills for cowboy was the ability to capture and take down a cow/bull for branding, to stop it, or similar, and to heard the great cow herds. Maybe your Chapter are specialists, or have a specialist unit, in capturing enemies/monsters rather than just kill them.

* one of the established lore’s of the Imperium is that they have a very misunderstood understanding of what has come before. You could have that the Chapter have some knowledge of the Pinkerton Agency and have some kind of markings or an elite group based on the Pinkertons but have misunderstood facts about them so maybe their Pinkerton Elite are all painted pink because they believe that the name Pinkerton refer to the agencies colours.

* since the Dark Angels have some Native American elements (less now than before) could you make a ‘Cowboys verses Indians’ reference by having your Chapter being antagonistic toward the DA.

* many Native Americans actually worked as cowboys and the land was originally theirs so maybe put some Plains Indians inspiered elements in your Chapter. This suggestion and the one above can absolutly be used togheter.

* bowie-knife shaped swords maybe?

* whips was used to heard cows (at least among the stockmen), and the whip is a classic side weapon to Zorro and churros, so maybe power-whips is a weapon the Chapter use.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Gamiel

[Bjorn Firewalker]

* bowie-knife shaped swords maybe?

How about Bowie knife-shaped swords that incorporate boltguns, like the gunblades from Final Fantasy VIII?

* whips was used to heard cows (at least among the stockmen), and the whip is a classic side weapon to Zorro and churros, so maybe power-whips is a weapon the Chapter use.

Indiana Jones as a Space Marine? Yes, I can accept that.

[Gamiel]

 

to follow up on this if I may, some things you could add to this or maybe take alone that I think could fit with a “cowboy” Chapter:

Some more suggestions:

And some more:

 

* as reference to The Magnificent Seven could it be that squads are only up to seven members.

* since the iconic Wild West hero is a lone man or just a small band of heroes (there is the cavalry of course but they ain’t cowboys or gunslingers) could you have that the Chapter is organised in similar ways to the Iron Snakes, no companies just squads. And/or maybe they usually send only one marine to an area asking for help, and seldom send more than a squad.

* scouts are called ‘greenhorns’ or ‘tinhorns’

* captains are called ‘marshals’ with the chapter-master known as ‘high marshal’

* captains are called ‘sheriffs’ with the chapter-master known as ‘marshal’

* squads are called ‘posses’

* you may have thought about this but if you plan on modelling do I suggest that for unhelmeted heads could you use Necromunda's Orlock heads or heads from Age of Sigmar’s the Freeguild range since many of them look a bit like how people looked back then, or at least how we imagen them.

 

 

 

 

 

* cowboys were infamous for the loud and violent way they celebrated their pay when they had finished a job. Maybe your Chapter have great, chaotic and loud victory fests.

Like the Space Wolves?

More or less yes. But burben instead of mead

 

 

 

* whips was used to heard cows (at least among the stockmen), and the whip is a classic side weapon to Zorro and churros, so maybe power-whips is a weapon the Chapter use.

Indiana Jones as a Space Marine? Yes, I can accept that.

 

Brother Björn you need to watch more Zorro if I mention him in the text but your mind still goes to Indiana Jones your reference for a whip wilding guy.

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by Gamiel

[Bjorn Firewalker]

* as reference to The Magnificent Seven could it be that squads are only up to seven members.

Seems too limiting. As seven is also Nurgle's holy number, this may lead to squads taking... desperate measures... to overcome these limits.

* since the iconic Wild West hero is a lone man or just a small band of heroes (there is the cavalry of course but they ain’t cowboys or gunslingers) could you have that the Chapter is organised in similar ways to the Iron Snakes, no companies just squads. And/or maybe they usually send only one marine to an area asking for help, and seldom send more than a squad.

Again, too limiting. A Marine can only be at one place at a time; maintaining order in a war's aftermath, is a duty for which LARGE NUMBERS are necessary, as we learned the Hard Way in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's overthrow.

* squads are called ‘posses’

As the term "posse" merely refers to a group of indeterminate size, let's use it for ALL deployed units, from combat squads (five Marines) to the entire Chapter. This is a counterintelligence measure; the enemy won't know the size of the "posse" coming to bring him/her to face the Emperor's judgment, until it has arrived, leading him/her to either underestimate the posse (making the enemy easy to defeat) or overestimate it (devoting resources better spent elsewhere, to countering the arriving posse, giving the Chapter opportunities to exploit).

* captains are called ‘marshals’ with the chapter-master known as ‘high marshal’

* captains are called ‘sheriffs’ with the chapter-master known as ‘marshal’

* scouts are called ‘greenhorns’ or ‘tinhorns’

Good ideas!

 

 

* whips was used to heard cows (at least among the stockmen), and the whip is a classic side weapon to Zorro and churros, so maybe power-whips is a weapon the Chapter use.

Indiana Jones as a Space Marine? Yes, I can accept that.

Brother Björn you need to watch more Zorro if I mention him in the text but your mind still goes to Indiana Jones your reference for a whip wilding guy.

I tend to think of Zorro as the master swordsman, wielding a rapier.