DIY thread - feedback appreciated!

[reptilelover1995]

I'm posting in this forum because I am looking for feedback and help with a large, long-term project I am undertaking, and have not gotten any responses from any of the other Warhammer 40,000 forums I have posted in. I'm hoping I will have better luck here.

 

Essentially, I am working on creating a continuous narrative, where each "campaign" simply pushes the story further, and the next "campaign" is built upon the results of those preceding it. It's a bit hard to describe what I mean, but I think that it will become a bit clearer as I describe what I've been doing so far and what my plans are. Another thing I'm working on is actually using my knowledge of planetary science, biology, and other sciences to come up with creative environments with unique rules that represent the actual effects of fighting in those environments. For example, on a planet with little to no atmosphere, Tyranids would be unable to take any FMCs (and other factions may be limited in their deployment of flyers, depending on how those flyers supposedly work in the lore).

 

I'm primarily a Tyranid player, so the series is currently following my Hive Fleet (though if I had other casual players in my area there would certainly be ways we would integrate their forces in with their own series), named Hive Fleet Laelaps (a mythological Greek hound that always caught its query, seemed fitting given the nature of Tyranids). Since they aren't a major Hive Fleet, they would be relatively small, and as such would only target poorly defended worlds at first.

 

I'm working on creating a custom Space Marine chapter for the fourth sub-campaign. The main thing I wish to do with this is essentially make whatever happens in this campaign make them swear to devote themselves to destroying Hive Fleet Laelaps. What I need is some help deciding exactly what should happen to cause them to do that, as well as other specifics to make the chapter have its own unique character, but not to the point where they aren't really even Space Marines anymore. I was thinking perhaps that this planet would be their homeworld and would be consumed by the Hive Fleet, although the problem would be that since I need them to survive as a chapter they'd have to have enough resources to become fleet-based at least until they found a new homeworld (unless they decided to continue being fleet-based, as tribute or something to the tragedy that occurred on their first homeworld). I also don't mind if they obey the Codex Astartes, but I don't want them to treat it like some holy text that must be obeyed to the letter, so I'd like to have some sense of unique organization that still makes logical sense. 

My idea for their future recruitment is based on their devotion to destroying Laelaps - when they defend a world, they try to focus on protecting/working with civilians.. This isn't because they're some Mary Sue superheroes or anything (though their attitude towards it would be a bit like the Salamanders); they would actually use the opportunity to test some of the young boys - those that survived the swarms and showed great skill and resourcefulness would be taken to become future Space Marines. They obviously wouldn't be expected to take on the same battles as the Marines themselves, but it's not like the Space Marines hold their hands along the way.

 

I know I've left out a lot of the substance from this post, but due to the fact that everywhere else I have gotten almost no response showing any interest in helping or getting involved, I'd like to get an idea of whether or not people would be interested before I post all of that. Sorry if I sound like I'm being a jerk or whatever, it's just that it kinda feels bad spending hours putting all the details into a post only to not get any interest at all. 

I hope I get some interest here, I'd really like to share with the community! :)

[Olis]

Greetings, brother, and welcome to B&C. I'd also like to warmly welcome you to the Liber, a place for many years dedicated to creating DIY space marine chapters.

I'm working on creating a custom Space Marine chapter for the fourth sub-campaign. The main thing I wish to do with this is essentially make whatever happens in this campaign make them swear to devote themselves to destroying Hive Fleet Laelaps. What I need is some help deciding exactly what should happen to cause them to do that, as well as other specifics to make the chapter have its own unique character, but not to the point where they aren't really even Space Marines anymore. I was thinking perhaps that this planet would be their homeworld and would be consumed by the Hive Fleet, although the problem would be that since I need them to survive as a chapter they'd have to have enough resources to become fleet-based at least until they found a new homeworld (unless they decided to continue being fleet-based, as tribute or something to the tragedy that occurred on their first homeworld). I also don't mind if they obey the Codex Astartes, but I don't want them to treat it like some holy text that must be obeyed to the letter, so I'd like to have some sense of unique organization that still makes logical sense.

My idea for their future recruitment is based on their devotion to destroying Laelaps - when they defend a world, they try to focus on protecting/working with civilians.. This isn't because they're some Mary Sue superheroes or anything (though their attitude towards it would be a bit like the Salamanders); they would actually use the opportunity to test some of the young boys - those that survived the swarms and showed great skill and resourcefulness would be taken to become future Space Marines. They obviously wouldn't be expected to take on the same battles as the Marines themselves, but it's not like the Space Marines hold their hands along the way.

I know I've left out a lot of the substance from this post, but due to the fact that everywhere else I have gotten almost no response showing any interest in helping or getting involved, I'd like to get an idea of whether or not people would be interested before I post all of that. Sorry if I sound like I'm being a jerk or whatever, it's just that it kinda feels bad spending hours putting all the details into a post only to not get any interest at all.

I hope I get some interest here, I'd really like to share with the community!

Now this is the part that I'm directly interested in, although the part that I've cut out from the quote is decent enough in providing a basis for where we are starting this.

First of all - the dedication this unnamed chapter will have in destroying Laelaps. First we must consider whether or not the chapter is particularly vengeful. Do they hold grudges? Do they encourage rivalries? Are they perhaps a chapter with a wellspring of hate in their hearts?

Second, if their character does not particularly lend to single-minded hatred/vengeance, then maybe it'll have to boil down to circumstance. As you've already stated, maybe their homeworld is devoured by Laelaps. Maybe this particular splinter fleet has dogged the chapter for a number of years, only to deliver a crushing blow by eating their homeworld. They have lost good men to the foul alien menace and now, of all things, they have to deal with the fact that their home is not only gone, but that they failed to protect it.

Now, in terms of how they survive such a catastrophe, you can be reasonably dramatic in how much the Chapter loses - especially if you foresee them lasting long enough to destroy Laelaps. First company? Gone. Scout company? Gone. Chapter Master? Gone. You can exact pretty brutal losses and the chapter can still live on. If you want a precedent - the Scythes of the Emperor suffered badly from a similar situation and the smattering of survivors pretty much ignored the codex from then onwards.

Now, I suggest not going quite so far as completely ignoring the codex but a good way to represent a break from codex stricture on the tabletop would be to us the Legiones Astartes Crusade Army List (LACAL) from 30k. With the units in there you can be mostly codex adherent but, crucially, there's plenty in there to deviate from the norm.

Anyway, shall we start at the beginning, brother? How old do you see your chapter?

[reptilelover1995]

Thank you very much for the prompt feedback, I'm very glad to have found a place where people seem to be interested in the DIY/Fluff side of 40K.

 

Right now the idea is for Laelaps to destroy their homeworld - since the prior worlds they consumed were unable to send out a warning due to the shadow in the warp (and being poorly defended, would have fallen relatively quickly, enough so that the possible lack of replies would not be suspicious yet), the Imperium would not yet be aware of the threat until after the tragedy. I do like the particular idea of them feeling it is a stain upon their honor/they neglected their responsibility to their homeworld and its people, as it fits what I see them doing in the future.

 

As for the founding and other info, I've actually been working on a document that compiles all of my information about both the custom chapter and the campaign scenarios I've done thus far. I haven't quite gotten to the conflict with the Emerald Serpents yet (I still have to finish writing missions (and getting people to help me play test them) for the first three campaigns), but since it requires creating an entire new chapter and everything to do with it, I figure it wouldn't hurt to get that stuff started in advance as I'm sure it will take a while to get all of it sorted.

 

Is there any way for me to upload a pdf or something to this thread? It would be a lot easier for me to get everything shown, as some of it isn't able to be copied to a post directly.

 

Another long-term goal I have is to make the campaign series into one or more Imperial Armour style books, complete with narrative, art/pictures, and rules for the scenarios. I've already got some of the stuff in that sort of format, and I hope perhaps once I've got more I will be able to get someone to contribute some drawings that I can use. :)

[Olis]

Is there any way for me to upload a pdf or something to this thread? It would be a lot easier for me to get everything shown, as some of it isn't able to be copied to a post directly.

I doubt you could upload a pdf. directly onto the forums here, but you could probably upload it elsewhere (like dropbox) and then link it here. Usually, however, most people create IA articles in written form, either here or in Word and then copy/paste it into a thread.

Another long-term goal I have is to make the campaign series into one or more Imperial Armour style books, complete with narrative, art/pictures, and rules for the scenarios. I've already got some of the stuff in that sort of format, and I hope perhaps once I've got more I will be able to get someone to contribute some drawings that I can use.

It is likely that this project may be a little outside the scope of the Liber. B&C does, however, have a Special Projects subforum. I'd wager that this place may be a good place to check out for your campaign series.

[reptilelover1995]

Ah, okay. I did not realize that there was a specific subforum for that, I'm sort of new to this forum. Since that's mostly the part that can't be copy-pasted, here is the stuff from the document showing what I have of my custom Space Marine chapter. Anything in italic is stuff I'm not really set on, so it's more of a starting point.

 

Chapter Name: The Emerald Serpents
Chapter Symbol: ???
Codex: Vanilla Space Marines
Color Scheme Description: Green and dark blue
Renegade or Loyal: Loyal
Theme/ Specialty: They like to send a relatively small force first to trick the enemy into a false sense of security/confidence, and then when they are unprepared, they attack in an overwhelming force, the composition of which will depend on the conflict in question. This is inspired by their homeworld’s star, which is prone to sending off massive flares of deadly radiation with no warning.
Homeworld (if any): Rivicto
Homeworld Type: ???
Homeworld Population: 25,000,000
System Name/Type: Pardesc/M
Segmentum: Ultima
Fleet based or Fortress Monastery: Fortress Monastery, but fleet based after Hive Fleet Laelaps consumes their homeworld.
Codex Astartes Compliant:

Founding: 23^rd Founding
Associated Primarch (if known): Roboute Gulliman?
Chapter Master:
Alternative title for Chapter Master:
Notable members:
Specialist Formations:
Primary Company for Gaming: N/A
Company Heraldry, Heraldry Locations etc:
Active number of Marines (1000 standard if Codex Compliant): 1000
Preferred Enemy: Xenos
Gene Seed mutations: None
Unique Rituals: All space marines devote some period of their day to a special chamber that is bathed in the same type of light emitted by their home planet’s star, meditating there for some time.
Rival Chapters: N/A
Chapter Relics:
Recruitment Process:
Perception of Humanity (contempt, veneration etc): They believe it is their responsibility to protect those they perceive to be honorable, who show perseverance and willingness to fight even in the darkest of times. Those who cower and flee from battle are viewed with contempt for the most part, unless they are servicing the Imperium in some other way (as with pretty much all Space Marines).
Battle cry:
Successor Chapters: None
Notable Engagements:

The Rivicto Tragedy: The Emerald Serpents’ homeworld of Rivicto is consumed by Hive Fleet Laelaps, forcing them to become a fleet based chapter. They swear to destroy the Hive Fleet to honor those they lost in the conflict.
Chapter History/story/miscellaneous:

The Emerald Serpents Chapter was founded in M38, and were responsible for defending parts of the Eastern Fringe closest to the Tau Empire. Any attempt to expand into Imperium space was met with immediate and aggressive attacks by the Emerald Serpents. Over the next two millennia, the Emerald Serpents beat back the Tau with incredible efficiency – only losing 5 Imperium worlds in the two millennia since their founding.

Throughout M39, Dark Eldar raids on local systems forced the Emerald Serpents to dedicate a force to defending from such attacks, though the speed of the enemy meant many of these attempts were met with failure. However, in 880.M39, the largest Dark Elder raid yet encountered by the sector had enough of an advance warning for the Emerald Serpents to prepare a defense. The battles were hard fought, and many battle-brothers lost their lives, but in the end they were able to inflict heavy losses on the foe. Raids became significantly rarer in the years to come.

M40 and M41 were relatively quiet times for the area in which the chapter operated, the only threats being occasional Xenos raids and Tau expansion, and even these did not often require the commitment of any large force. During this time, the Emerald Serpents began to grow their fleet, constructing large warships and battle-barges. This respectable fleet allowed the Chapter to bring aid to areas of the Imperium that were in the most need, taking part in the Corinthian Crusade. They did make an attempt to contribute some of their forces to aid their parent Chapter against the Tyranids, but the Shadow in the Warp prevented the fleet from reaching the system until after Behemoth had fallen. To make up for this, they contributed some of their strength to fight with the Ultramarines in the Scouring of Quintarn.

 

[reptilelover1995]

So, I've been continuing to think of what to do for my Space Marine chapter but I've hit a bit of a creative slump. Right now the main things I want to figure out are the homeworld's culture, the chapter's heraldry (as in the future I will need to make custom transfer sheets somehow), etc. [Also, keep in mind that I am mainly a Tyranid player, so if anything seems over the top or underwhelming it's not because I want to make them seem super powerful or super easy prey, it's just that I'm not as in-tune with Space Marine lore to have a great idea of what a good baseline is for some things. In that spirit I will pretty much implement any and all suggestions/recommendations as I trust that anyone on here will have a more accurate idea of what seems reasonable for a chapter.]

 

Here's some more details about their homeworld, in the hopes that it may provide some inspiration:

 

Rivicto is a planet slightly larger than Earth (1.12 Earth masses, surface gravity is 1.13g) that orbits a red dwarf star. It is in the habitable zone, but because the star is so much smaller than the sun it has to be much closer to get enough heat, so its year is only 57.6 days. The dwarf star, like many red dwarfs, will often emit massive flares, which bombard the planets in its system with a stream of deadly radiation. This presents a significant danger to the human inhabitants, as anyone on the surface during a flare will either die as their DNA is torn apart by the energetic particles or experience other side-effects of radiation exposure depending on how long they were exposed and how intense the flare was. The natives would need to have some way to quickly get into a shelter of some sort when there was a solar flare, such as a cave or other area with a large amount of mass between them and the surface. Since the world would not be culturally advanced (since AFAIK most space marine recruiting worlds are fairly primitive) I doubt that they would have technology that would generate massive magnetic fields to protect them. Also, since the star is rather dim and emits most of its light in the infrared part of the spectrum, the people would likely have very acute low-light vision.

 

One thing I've also thought about is a way that they might be able to predict flares so they can get to shelter (if they just had to randomly hope that it didn't happen when they were outside, they just wouldn't survive as a population). My idea is that all of the life native to the planet has adapted some ability to detect an oncoming solar flare before the most deadly wave of particles reaches them and they behave accordingly. For example, any animals have a parietal eye of some sort that is able to pick up on photons with the energy levels of those ejected by a flare, and quickly seek shelter before the bulk of the storm reaches the planet. Plankton/other sea life simply sinks down deeper into the water, and any plants on the surface I imagine being somewhat like deep sea tube-worms, having roots that go extremely deep (something like 20-30m below the surface), and can retract their stems/leaves into that tube upon sensing an oncoming storm. When the humans observe these changes they immediately seek shelter.

 

I hope someone can help me with suggestions/ideas!

[Olis]

I think the idea that nature on Rivicto is in itself a warning system for the natives is a clever one. I would be surprised that mutations haven't crept into the gene-pool, though, if solar flares and deadly radiation are a common occurrence.

 

Also one detail of note - if the star emits red light, then the plants will likely have black leaves in order to photosynthesise. 

 

Anyway, that's by-the-by. You're population sounds like it's more concerned with living day-to-day rather than warring like on some worlds, so I would recommend some sort of survivalist/scavenger vibe. Or maybe something a little more akin to vault dwellers in Fallout. They'd rather stay in their vault but events outside of their control means that they have no choice but to roam the surface intermittently. Predators might be a good thing, too. Might as well make it dangerous out there otherwise the chapter wouldn't care for recruiting there.

 

Now then, if from this stock marines are made then I would wager that structure and obedience are the watch-words for surviving and thriving on Rivicto. As such, even when they no longer fully adhere to the codex there should be some sort of iron hold on to what remains, I think.

[reptilelover1995]

Yes, I have taken the color of plants into consideration, as I will at some point be creating the actual scenarios and playing out battles of the Rivicto Tragedy to decide some specifics on the narrative. I'm actually going to implement solar flares into the gameplay, ie having a roll prior to each battle to decide whether or not there is a flare, and then if so how severe it is, and then I'll figure out what effects it should have.

 

I did think about mutations in the gene pool, I guess the thing would be that the radiation would most likely kill or severely harm those who were exposed to it, and as such those people who were exposed would be unlikely to pass whatever trials they had to go through in order to be recruited. I certainly would be open to giving them some sort of gene-seed mutation, I'd just have to figure out specifics and whatnot.

 

I haven't decided the specifics of the recruitments prior to the Rivicto tragedy, but my idea for their recruitment methods afterwards is that they basically try to protect some of the "normal" people when fighting Laelaps on planets, and they specifically involve some of the boys of potential recruiting age in these defensive battles. Those that survive are recruited into the chapter, though I'm not sure if that's a good method for them.

 

I also need to decide what culture I should use to come up with names for characters and whatnot from the Emerald Serpents. Obviously it will change in the future as they recruit from other worlds, but they will certainly need something to start with.

 

Also, here's the color scheme I came up with for my chapter - this is a Devastator from the 2nd company (hence the color on the head). I like the general scheme, though I'm definitely open to suggestions.

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu304/flarginblarg/Custom%20Space%20Marine%20Chapter%202nd%20company%20devastator_zpsnpqb5owr.jpg

[reptilelover1995]

Just looking back at my idea of tactical specialties and I realized it sounds a bit too much like Pre Heresy Alpha Legion imo, the whole idea of having a small preliminary force and misdirection with that ending with a sudden surprise attack of overwhelming force being a bit more like them than other Space Marine legions. If anyone has better ideas for tactics/specialties that my chapter might use, let me know!

 

Also, I still need to come up with the chapter's heraldry, so any suggestions are appreciated, as are a culture I could use as a basis for naming marines in the chapter.

 

Thanks!

[Conn Eremon]

If you're looking for naming ideas, check out Behind the Name. Choose some cultures you are interested in, let the site throw some random names at you, and mix, match and blend them up.

 

As for tactics, I think you have a good start. To veer it away from Alpha Legion territory, lets consider the background of your Marines. Each one is a survivor, an independent, but fully aware that in unity there is greater strength. I think that translates really well into tactics. These Marines can assemble a force that can shatter without breaking. They can splinter apart with little warning, suddenly operating in smaller units independent from a whole, and just as easily collide back into a cohesive force. This would require superior communication and a training that deeply instills the independent duty and strength of each Marine, all of which are readily available to the Emperor's Space Marines.

 

This would be an adaptive Chapter, skilled in flowing with changes rather than battering themselves against them. This is the kind of trait that a world like Rivicto would instill.

[reptilelover1995]

I do like the idea of being independent yet also having a strong sense of unity. I'll have to think about exactly how that would be manifested in the units and whatnot that they field (Like I said, I'm not a Space Marine player so I don't really have much experience on that), but I love the core principle. I'd like to choose names from a culture that has similar values, as it would make quite a bit of sense given that their values stem from those of Rivicto. I'm looking at midieval Roman names, but I'm wondering if the name meaning is very significant because some of them sound really cool (in my opinion) but don't necessarily have anything to do with soldiery or military. Organization/deployment will be important when I decide what forces should be present on Rivicto when it gets consumed, I definitely want some of the first company to be lost, perhaps the entire Scout company (since they're not full-fledged space marines it would be easier to replenish the scout company), and some other stuff as well.

 

At first my idea for the chapter symbol was a green serpent on top of a dark red circle (representing their home star), but I realized that too might look a bit too much like the Alpha Legion. I've been looking at the symbols of other chapters for inspiration but still can't seem to figure anything out.

[Conn Eremon]

Can't help you with game tactics, since I have zero involvement with that aspect of the hobby.

 

As for names, I wouldn't be concerned about meanings. They can be fun and useful, but remember in real life names are rarely indicative of our futures. My name translates as Little Savior King by the Water. These are four things I am not. :D

[reptilelover1995]

Glad to know, I think it would be WAY harder to come up with exclusively military-themed names :p

 

I've been compiling everything into an Index Astartes for the chapter, and here's what I've got for the "Homeworld and Recruitment" part.

 

The native population of Rivicto live in many separate settlements dug deep into the ground or excavated into the sides of mountains, though these settlements are far lower in elevation than the mighty Fortress-Monastery of the Emerald Serpents. They are a technologically primitive folk, though they do have basic firearms. These indigenous people are extremely dedicated to survival, and venture out of their shelters only as necessary to gather food, water, or other necessary supplies. They concern themselves chiefly with living day-to-day, meaning that unlike some other Space Marine homeworlds, war between different settlements is rare. Their focus on survival specifically emphasizes independence, with children of both sexes learning from a very young age to be highly self-reliant.

The people of Rivicto have learned to predict solar flares by watching the wildlife around them, and taking shelter according to their behavior. This has led to a close tie with nature, and the natives maintain a deep respect for the life that acts as their guardians. This symbiosis balances with the emphasis on autonomy, meaning that while all people of Rivicto are able to survive by themselves, they do recognize the benefits of cooperation and will go out in small groups when necessary, so that more resources can be obtained in a shorter amount of time to minimize the risk of being exposed to a deadly flare.

The Fortress-Monastery of the Emerald Serpents is located high in the mountains, protected from solar flares and the like by a large void shield. Avalanches are not uncommon, and deadly predators roam the treacherous slopes, assuring that it is inaccessible to almost all non-Astartes.

The Emerald Serpents’ recruitment relies on the location of their Fortress-Monastery. The location is known to the natives; revering it as the epitome of their values of survival. Even from birth, young boys dream of making the perilous journey up to the heavens. By ideal recruitment age, they have already learned all they can from their relatives, and many of them set off on the dangerous trek skywards. The nature of the journey ensures that only the most resourceful, dedicated, and skilled aspirants survive to make it to the Fortress-Monastery itself. Unlike some other Chapters, there is no specific time when these journeys take place, meaning a steady influx of recruits.

[reptilelover1995]

Just started working on a bit more concrete stuff for the Index Astartes, relating to the actual gameplay. I was hoping I could get feedback on what I have, I want to make sure it's not overpowered or underpowered. So far I have only been able to think of advantage traits, so suggestions for disadvantage traits would also be very helpful. I also still need help coming up with an actual chapter organization structure so I can create a chart like in the Index Astartes, and I need ideas for a chapter symbol. Like I said, suggestions are welcomed/encouraged! :)

 

Anyways, here's what I've written for the Traits so far (Haven't figured out the actual trait names yet, that will come later):

Traits

Minor Divergence: [Needs a name]

Trait advantage: [Needs a name]

The chapter trains its marines to be prepared for rapid changes in battlefield conditions, and each marine is capable of acting independently or as part of a larger formation.

Any unit with the Combat Squads special rule numbering at least 8 models may choose to split into two units at any point in the game, though this must be announced during the Movement phase prior to moving the now-split unit. The two new units must end the movement phase at least 3” away from each other—if this is not possible, the unit may not be split and the player must move all of the models back to their original positions. Any unit that has split may not Run or Assault that turn.

Additionally, two units of the same type may come together to form a single unit, provided they did not split during the prior turn. The player must announce his or her intention to merge two units during their Movement phase, before moving any models in either unit. The two units must then move such that they are in Unit Coherency. If this cannot be done, the units may not merge and models must be placed back in their original positions. Any unit that has merged may not Run or Assault that turn.

Extreme Resolve:

Every marine is trained to act as an individual as well as part of a squad, which, combined with their emphasis on survival, makes them nearly unbreakable in battle. Unsuccessful Leadership and Morale checks may be re-rolled.

[reptilelover1995]

I've been working on figuring out specifically what the Chapter should lose when Rivicto is consumed, but I can't seem to decide exactly what to do. I know about the Scythes of the Emperor, Lamenters, and the Ultramarines at Macragge, but the former two do not have any details as to exactly what companies they lost in those battles, and the Ultramarines at Macragge aren't quite the same since they ended up defeating the Tyranids in the end. Plus, as far as I know in all three cases there was some amount of time for them to prepare for the invasion, but in my case it's basically meant to be sudden, as the planets it has consumed up until now were small, poorly defended worlds that were not of such importance that the Imperium would not know exactly what had happened to those worlds until after Rivicto was consumed (due both to travel times and the fact that the time that had passed since their last communications at this point would not be long enough to be extremely suspicious).

 

Any suggestions as to what forces of the Space Marines should be on Rivicto for the battle would be greatly appreciated. I've got a single squad of Terminators there, but I can't decide for sure on anything else. I've got an idea for a really cool battle scenario where the Tyranid forces are making their way up to the Fortress-Monastery, and the Emerald Serpents are trying to keep them at bay. It certainly wouldn't be the first battle in the campaign, but I think it would definitely be a great epic scenario to have somewhere in the middle or a bit towards the end. Problem is I have no idea what type of forces Space Marines would be able to field on the slopes of a mountain, since I doubt any tanks would be able to safely traverse there, as would be the case with dreadnoughts. While they could possibly use things like land speeders or flying vehicles, if a solar flare hit the energy would basically shut down the vehicles in midair and they would crash to the ground (so I doubt the Space Marines would be dumb enough to field them in this case). Again, I could really use some ideas!

[Machine God]

 

Any suggestions as to what forces of the Space Marines should be on Rivicto for the battle would be greatly appreciated. I've got a single squad of Terminators there, but I can't decide for sure on anything else. I've got an idea for a really cool battle scenario where the Tyranid forces are making their way up to the Fortress-Monastery, and the Emerald Serpents are trying to keep them at bay. It certainly wouldn't be the first battle in the campaign, but I think it would definitely be a great epic scenario to have somewhere in the middle or a bit towards the end. Problem is I have no idea what type of forces Space Marines would be able to field on the slopes of a mountain, since I doubt any tanks would be able to safely traverse there, as would be the case with dreadnoughts. While they could possibly use things like land speeders or flying vehicles, if a solar flare hit the energy would basically shut down the vehicles in midair and they would crash to the ground (so I doubt the Space Marines would be dumb enough to field them in this case). Again, I could really use some ideas!

@reptilelover1995 - Nice idea. 

 

Dreadnoughts could fight on the slopes of a mountain and I believe that Space Marine vehicles would be EMP hardened and so not affected by Solar Flares.

[reptilelover1995]

Okay, I'll probably have some dreadnoughts and flyers then, but I don't know how many I should have and I think they would definitely need to have more than that to last more than a couple of hours against an entire Tyranid Hive Fleet. I've just been drawing a bit of a blank. Once I've decided exactly what forces of theirs will be present, I can move forward much more smoothly.

 

I also just created an idea for a chapter symbol, though I'm still not quite sure about it. I was hoping perhaps I could get some feedback and/or suggestions for one, as I think that iconography would be pretty important.

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu304/flarginblarg/Emerald%20Serpents%20chapter%20symbol_zpsgmqgc03s.jpg

The red circle is meant to represent the star their homeworld orbits, and the snake is obviously due to their name being The Emerald Serpents. At first I thought of making the snake a green color but I realized that green overlaid on red just looked a bit ugly, so I decided against it. 

[Conn Eremon]

The snake on its own would look more simple, which I generally prefer, but as is looks perfectly fine.

[reptilelover1995]

Okay, I'll probably do that, though if the snake is by itself I might decide to make it a green color.

 

Any ideas as to what forces should be involved in the consumption of Rivicto? It's just so hard to decide... XP

[Iron_Aquilifer]

I would say scouts and veterans for any "first-reaction" battle(s) that take place.  The initiates, command ect would be desperately trying to reinforce the defenses and so to buy time they have thrown the few "battle-brothers" they have in a series of stalling engagements.  In addition, perhaps they made common cause with the nearest natives, bolstering what forces were at hand with the numbers necessary to mount a proper defense.

 

EDIT: The above is in regards to the SM Chapter.  I would humbly put forward that the chapter should be crippled, though not exactly simply just due to loss of the number of marines.  That would come in the expected counter-attack.  Instead it would be the total loss of any ability to recruit more initiates, the deaths of all their current initiates (though perhaps not all 10th company), as well as the destruction of their monastery, armory, gene-seed stocks and much of their librarium.  What is left is the actual companies.  The spear-tip without the shaft, as it were.

[reptilelover1995]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll still have to think of a reason why whatever portion of the 1st company is on Rivicto is there instead of out fighting somewhere else. I'll have to figure out exactly how much more than that they should lose, partially because I want the campaign played out to feel epic, rather than a relatively one-sided battle given that the hive fleet is... well... a HIVE FLEET, and while a portion of veterans and scouts/initiates could certainly give them decent trouble, it wouldn't take the 'nids all that long to overwhelm such a small force with sheer numbers.

 

I do agree with you on the damage especially being to their recruitment and whatnot. That's part of what I've been really enjoying about all this.

 

Once I come up with exactly what marines/forces are involved on Rivicto, I can start actually thinking of battle missions and whatnot :D

[Olis]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll still have to think of a reason why whatever portion of the 1st company is on Rivicto is there instead of out fighting somewhere else.

 

Maybe they're overseeing recruitment and/or training?

[reptilelover1995]

That's a good idea! I like it. I'm thinking something like 70 scouts total would be there, perhaps half of the first company, I was thinking maybe the Chapter Master (his loss would certainly deal a blow to the chapter, though reasoning for him being there is a bit of a problem). I would like there to be some marines from other companies there to make it interesting and have some variety, though I will still have to decide why they'd be there, perhaps something along the lines of resupplying or whatever in preparation for an attack somewhere.

 

I'll also have to figure out exactly what units/weapons/armor they field, ie I know there will be 50 first company marines, but would they be mostly Terminators or just Sternguard? I'm leaning towards the latter given that they like to be flexible in their deployment and Terminators are slow-moving, but I don't know enough about Space Marines to really say for sure.

[reptilelover1995]

Just altered the chapter symbol, removed the red circle and changed the color of the snake to green. Here's what it looks like now:

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu304/flarginblarg/Emerald%20serpents%20chapter%20symbol%20v2_zpsksy0a7jj.jpg

 

I've also added a bunch of stuff to the Organization table showing the forces on Rivicto. Here's what I've got:

Personnel

1 Chapter Master

3 Apothecaries

19 Sergeants

171 Other ranks

194 total

Vehicles

5 Rhinos

3 Razorbacks

4 Land Speeders

2 Dreadnoughts

 

The companies present are the 1st, 5th, and 10th, I'm thinking that the 5th are there perhaps to resupply or something in preparation for a mission of some sort. I still need to add stuff from the Armoury and the Fleet, but I don't know exactly what I should add. Keep in mind that this is all of the Emerald Serpents forces, so it won't all be in one battle. :P

[Conn Eremon]

To be honest, I'm not sure how good that bright green symbol will look on those shoulder pads. The serpents themselves don't need to be emerald, just as the tiger symbol of my Emerald Tigers Chapter is not in green. I think the original black/red serpents would look good. But if you like the colors, ignore me.

 

As for forces involved on your home world, it really depends on your narrative. Honestly, the presence could be as minimal or maximum that you want.

 

But there is room for a non-Marine presence as well. I recall this is all being set up to narrate a particular campaign, so if you want to include the Guard, you could have an army of Chapter serfs that can double as the planetary defense force.