What Traitor Legion would you like to do as Loyalists?

[Marshal Mittens]

I think Loyalist War Hounds / World Eatters would be a lot of fun. Still savage and fearsome, but loyal to the Emperor.

 

Iirc they had to purge 50%+ of their Legion because despite the nails, they were still loyal the the imperium. Even some of those who turned, including Khârn, did so for loyalty to their Primarch and not so much to the ideals of Horus.

Edited April 29, 2022 by Marshall Mittens

[bushman101]

Iron Warriors. I liked the stories involving Danitoch in the books

[N1SB]

I, too, would have chosen World Eaters, but (for just my own possible project) their loyalty wasn't even to the Emperor...it was to their shipmaster.

 

I won't spoil the plot, but this idea was based on a short story by our own Frater, ADB, A Rose Watered With Blood.  A shipmaster is technically a Legion Serf, serving the Astartes, but his is clearly an important role, commanding their ships from and to battle.  This turned out to be even more true of the World Eaters' shipmasters, because by bringing them to their next fight to satisfy their bloodlust...he's actually delivering them away from the pain of the Butcher's Nails.

 

By being seen as someone who'll take their pain away, the World Eaters really come to trust their shipmasters.  Loyalist? Traitor?  Just give me someone to hit so the pain goes away!  They'll fight whomever their shipmaster directs them towards.  And if the shipmaster is loyal, then the World Eaters aboard will be loyal.

 

The shipmaster would make a really cool NPC-like character, a regular human whose job is to open, then close, that Pandora's Box.

Edited April 30, 2022 by N1SB

[WrathOfTheLion]

Emperor's Children, or Sons of Horus if the Luna Wolves transfers come back.

 

I probably will do a small contingent of Grey Word Bearers I can run as maybe an allied detachment if playing loyalists.

[Slave to Darkness]

I may have a dabble with loyalist Dark Angels. ;) 

[Valkyrion]

Not necessarily loyalist loyalist, but not traitor traitors - Emperor's Children.

I like the idea of a group of Emperor's Children who, thanks to Deus Ex Warp Shenanigans, missed the entire Heresy and utter debauchery and hedonism of their legion and end up 10,000 years later clean and strive to keep it that way with the benefit of hindsight after seeking out their kin - no sonic weapons, no possessions, no snake bodies and crab claws, just clean, purple and gold, legionaries.

Given the size of the Imperium, to all intents and purposes to the wider citizenry at large, especially considering the Aquila on their armour, they are just another space marine chapter, and they go around sneakily saving imperial worlds until one day a Chapter recognises them as the dirty heretics that they are and the hunt begins to stop these evil traitors saving all these Imperial lives. 

 

It could work for a lot of Legions, but I think the Aquila would help the citizens of Planet Whatever to trust them etc. 

 

Plus, for gaming reasons, you could end up running it as a 30k force, a 40k space marine force or even a 40k emperor's children force. 

[Marshal Mittens]

Not necessarily loyalist loyalist, but not traitor traitors - Emperor's Children.

I like the idea of a group of Emperor's Children who, thanks to Deus Ex Warp Shenanigans, missed the entire Heresy and utter debauchery and hedonism of their legion and end up 10,000 years later clean and strive to keep it that way with the benefit of hindsight after seeking out their kin - no sonic weapons, no possessions, no snake bodies and crab claws, just clean, purple and gold, legionaries.

Given the size of the Imperium, to all intents and purposes to the wider citizenry at large, especially considering the Aquila on their armour, they are just another space marine chapter, and they go around sneakily saving imperial worlds until one day a Chapter recognises them as the dirty heretics that they are and the hunt begins to stop these evil traitors saving all these Imperial lives.

 

It could work for a lot of Legions, but I think the Aquila would help the citizens of Planet Whatever to trust them etc.

 

Plus, for gaming reasons, you could end up running it as a 30k force, a 40k space marine force or even a 40k emperor's children force.

Very cool idea!

[Dagoth Ur]

Iron Warriors, no doubt. I've always wanted to do an Iron Warriors force that would eventually transition into being 40k Minotaurs.

 

Alternatively, World Eaters are also one I'd fancy just because that scheme is dirty sexy.

[No Foes Remain]

I had an idea a while back of a Blackshield force made up from elements of the traitor Legions (3rd, 4th, 12th, 16th and 17th), alongside Imperial Army Elements, who went into a region of space with crappy warp routes which prevented them from safely returning to the Imperium proper but managed to establish a safe zone with a lost Forge World before setting further in to the region as they had no real way back.

  By the time they had resuced the human colonlies and eradicated all the xeno threats the heresy kicks off but they know nothing about it. Them jumping back to a way station being told that Warmaster Horus has betrayed the Imperium with other Primarchs with them replying 'What's a Warmaster and there are more Primarchs?'. Leads them to be raiding traitor lines from the warp routes in and out of 'their' region but sometimes come to blows with the hard faced loyalists who they try to enact a fighting withdrawal from.

 

Cancelled the idea as it required a lot of older tech (mainly Mk2) which would either be too costly in the long run, but with the start of the plastics from GW I may bring it back. We'll see.

[alfred_the_great]

Dusk Raiders, but also Death Guard with the phosphex etc.

[sarabando]

Not necessarily loyalist loyalist, but not traitor traitors - Emperor's Children.

I like the idea of a group of Emperor's Children who, thanks to Deus Ex Warp Shenanigans, missed the entire Heresy and utter debauchery and hedonism of their legion and end up 10,000 years later clean and strive to keep it that way with the benefit of hindsight after seeking out their kin - no sonic weapons, no possessions, no snake bodies and crab claws, just clean, purple and gold, legionaries.

Given the size of the Imperium, to all intents and purposes to the wider citizenry at large, especially considering the Aquila on their armour, they are just another space marine chapter, and they go around sneakily saving imperial worlds until one day a Chapter recognises them as the dirty heretics that they are and the hunt begins to stop these evil traitors saving all these Imperial lives. 

 

It could work for a lot of Legions, but I think the Aquila would help the citizens of Planet Whatever to trust them etc. 

 

Plus, for gaming reasons, you could end up running it as a 30k force, a 40k space marine force or even a 40k emperor's children force. 

back in 4th my local GW did a 40k in 40 mins campaign and this was my army literally EC that jumped away from istvaan and arrived in the 41st millennium.  face to face with the tau XD

[Ekim_Trub]

Iron Warriors. Would be interesting to see how they would of turned out had they remained loyal and felt appreciated.

[Corswain]

Night Lords. Still be the terrifying nutjobs we all know and love, just hate Curze more than the Emperor.

 

Or Thousand Sons. One of the fleets that couldn't make it back to Prospero and find out about Horus's betrayal before they find out about Prospero.

[Karhedron]

Alpha Legion because, let's face it, I am not sure if even they know which side they are really on.

[Marshal Mittens]

Night Lords. Still be the terrifying nutjobs we all know and love, just hate Curze more than the Emperor.

 

Or Thousand Sons. One of the fleets that couldn't make it back to Prospero and find out about Horus's betrayal before they find out about Prospero.

Isn't it thought thr Blood Ravens were from one of the cults that was off world at the time or something?

[Corswain]

 

Night Lords. Still be the terrifying nutjobs we all know and love, just hate Curze more than the Emperor.

Or Thousand Sons. One of the fleets that couldn't make it back to Prospero and find out about Horus's betrayal before they find out about Prospero.

Isn't it thought thr Blood Ravens were from one of the cults that was off world at the time or something?

Yeah. Don't think there's ever been anything official but it is a popular theory.

[Gamiel]

 

 

Night Lords. Still be the terrifying nutjobs we all know and love, just hate Curze more than the Emperor.

Or Thousand Sons. One of the fleets that couldn't make it back to Prospero and find out about Horus's betrayal before they find out about Prospero.

Isn't it thought thr Blood Ravens were from one of the cults that was off world at the time or something?

Yeah. Don't think there's ever been anything official but it is a popular theory.

But unlikley since the BR don't suffer from anything like the flesh-change.

[Ripper.McGuirl]

It would be cool to do a recon company of loyal Word Bearers led by Narek.

[N1SB]

Isn't it thought thr Blood Ravens were from one of the cults that was off world at the time or something?

Yeah. Don't think there's ever been anything official but it is a popular theory.

But unlikley since the BR don't suffer from anything like the flesh-change.

Let me start by saying your statements above are all correct. I will add this is one of my favourite fan theories, or even headcanons.

But the closest thing so far to official lore has been statements from the former Black Library writer and editor, Laurie Goulding, back in 2016. Now, he's left the Black Library to work in Riot Games, who makes League of Legends. He commented on it in an interview that is mentioned but I can't find, but I DID find this:

Source: https://twitter.com/LaurieGoulding/status/789042889452052480

"There is no direct evidence to support that theory" WAS the official line. But things do get retconned in Warhammer, and this lorekeeper has since left GW.

What this means for Heresy 2.0, I can only speak for myself. I would be very subtle about it, like it's just a coincidence some Loyalist Thousand Sons so closely resemble the Blood Ravens. I might do a Detachment of only the Raptora or Corvidae Cults who raid Traitors and steal their stuff to survive the Heresy. Then I'd never confirm nor deny the connection.

Laurie Goulding is right. It'd be way more fun this way. Even the Dawn of War series deliberately leaves it ambiguous. If the opponent or other Hobbyists around the Warhammer Store/FLGS notice a connection, that's on them, I didn't say it as fact. If not, then it's just a group of Loyalist Thousand Sons. It's actually less fun if we got confirmation.

Plus, as Brother Gamiel pointed out, there's actual issues to work out. Even up to the Fury of Magnus, there's problems with the geneseed. Just a coincidence.

Edited May 2, 2022 by N1SB

[Chaeron]

I had an idea a while back of a Blackshield force made up from elements of the traitor Legions (3rd, 4th, 12th, 16th and 17th) ...

I really like that concept! I think Emperors Children speaks the most of me due to the contrast with their traitor counterparts, but the idea of a Blackshield force would be really nice to bring those elements together.

 

I'd also like to do a traitor White Scars continent, just to go against the grain (although perhaps that's another thread!).

[Gamiel]

Just got an idea based on that the Sons of Horus, specially after Cthonia, have a notable gang structure where many officers are in many ways gang-leaders and warrior kings, having their subordinates loyalty through charisma and deeds. Leading to a strong loyality to the officer as a person, more so than the office.

 

This would likley makes it easy for a group of SoH that had been cut of from the main force untill after the start of the Heresy to stay loyal to Terra, as long as the marine leading them decide to side with the Emperor rather than their primarch. 

 

This idea is could be used to creat loyalist SoH that are not just old Lunar Wolves, but mostly/fully of Cthonia origin.

[dicebod]

Going the opposite way, I've always had a hankering to do a traitor space wolves force. I imagine they were a Great Company seconded to the Luna Wolves and as that legion changed, so did they, embracing their more feral aspect and discarding Leman Russ in favor of a darker Wolf King.

[Gamiel]

Anybody got any idea for how to make loyalist Lutheran Dark Angels?

[Noserenda]

Anybody got any idea for how to make loyalist Lutheran Dark Angels?

Use lots of Green rather than red as an accent colour, lean into the "Knightly" aesthetic rather than "First among the legions" (Vague i know) and include a couple of the Caliban seperatist characters?

[WrathOfTheLion]

I wonder if we'll see more participation of Luther, I was always intrigued by that map in Crusade showing a big Traitor spearhead going through about where Caliban was.

 

Would definitely be interesting to have that section of the 1st Legion get some play.