THE MOST CURRENT VERSION IS SOMEWHERE TOWARD THE END OF THE THREAD
Introduction:
As a natural extension of the Octaguide, I'm going to create a chapter from scratch and properly document the process. This will hopefully be useful in its own right and also a useful test of the Octaguide's utility.
A warning: this will be somewhat stream-of-consciousness. I'm doing my best to transcribe an actual process, so it's a hazard that must be endured.
Right.
The chapter in question will be inspired by the Black Company, last of the Free Companies of Khatovar. If you are unfamiliar with the Black Company novels, they are in many ways one of the original 'hard fantasy' serieses (and, I remain certain, the inspiration for the Night Lords in A D-B's books). The Black Company is an ancient group of mercenaries whose fortunes have varied widely over the years, and who are doing relatively poorly at the opening of the first book. Out of practicality and a need to survive, they sign up with one of the lieutenants of the Lady, who rules an expansionist empire to the north with her dark magic. Events develop from there.
The Black Company fight hard and well, but most of all they fight dirty. They're smart, they're cunning, they're creative, and they're ruthless. They almost always win, and they almost always keep their word. They may be a brotherhood, but they're not nice people. Their value lies in their experience and the sneaky and evil things they come up with, not the strength of their arms, for all that they're excellent soldiers in their own right.
Note that there will be spoilers here. Lots of juicy spoilers. One of the most interesting facets of the Black Company is the secret of their history, and reproducing that means I will be discussing that. I will do my best to spoiler-tag it, but it's kind of inevitable. So if you don't want the later history of the Black Company spoiled (specifically, why they're the Black Company and what being a Company of Khatovar means), you may want to avoid this.
Now!
The aspects of the Black Company I like and am going to try to reflect, in no particular order (what I want):
-The Annals (the records kept by their company archivist)
-The importance of their standard (the relic that remains from the founding of the chapter)
-Their relationship to their lost history (both how they strive to discover it and what that history turns out to be)
-The names given to brothers (brothers have nicknames reflecting their personalities or features)
-Their mercenary nature (they're loyal, but they're loyal to the people paying them. And if you betray them, they get very unpleasant)
-Their underhanded tactics (they're good at being insurgents, they're good at being counterinsurgents, and they're just generally devious)
Things I like but won't reflect, or don't like:
-Their name. It works for them, but it won't work for a Space Marine chapter
-Croaker. The 40K universe already has an underhanded-yet-noble medic who exerts influence over his fellows disproportionate with his station and longs for lost glory days that may or may not have existed (
-Their later history. The Books of the South are OK, but the Books of the North are the fun bit.
-Their symbol. I'll try and make reference to it, but it's bloody complicated.
Note that I intend for them to be a loyalist chapter. I'm going to do this with ITs some time, but I wanted to do it with an IA first.
The next post is determining ways to implement these ideas.
Edited by Octavulg, 01 February 2013 - 04:24 PM.