Justifying proxies for Deathwatch veterans fluff-wise

[Ordo Xenos Inquisitor]

I currently own two armies, the Deathwatch and Dark Angels (majority). I picked up the Deathwatch thinking I could use a dedicated Kill Team army just in case my Dark Angels wouldn't cut it. But overtime, as I read the codex, I became more and more tempted to purchase dedicated Deathwatch models. I have already sunk a lot of money into my armies and I wanted to find an alternative. I know proxies are acceptable so long as they resemble what they are supposed to be as close as possible (I got 2 Plasma cannon tacticals  that I can just say are frag launchers for example) but I am a very fussy person when it comes to how they would fit in in terms of fluff since I am a very fluff-centric player as opposed to a competitive one. I have seen pictures from the video game Space Hulk Deathwing  that showcase at least one Deathwing terminator wears his Deathwatch pauldron on his Terminator armor and I wonder if I can do something about that for my existing Dark Angels. 

 

What do you guys think? Think this would work out? :D

[Sheesh Mode]

Yeah man. In fact, it would be totally legitimate to field a 'deathwatch army' of a specific chapter with their chapter badge on their left shoulder and their Deathwatch badge on their right shoulder. You can still paint them up as deathwatch as long as you keep a bunch of chapter specific bits on the 'allied marines'.

[Moostick]

I disagree. Game-wise, using them as stand-ins is perfectly acceptable.

 

Fluff-wise though, once a marine leaves the Deathwatch, he's no longer in the Deathwatch. Do you plan on playing them as Deathwatch or DA Veterans that returned from DW service?

 

If playing as DW, it's unlikely to have an entire unit comprised of a single chapter.

 

If playing as DA who have finished their service, the marine can keep the pad as a memento, but I would assume loses all the perks that come with being in the Deathwatch. They would conform back to the combat style of their respective chapters, and it would also be odd to put these DW veterans into a single unit upon their return.

[Ordo Xenos Inquisitor]

I disagree. Game-wise, using them as stand-ins is perfectly acceptable.

 

Fluff-wise though, once a marine leaves the Deathwatch, he's no longer in the Deathwatch. Do you plan on playing them as Deathwatch or DA Veterans that returned from DW service?

 

If playing as DW, it's unlikely to have an entire unit comprised of a single chapter.

 

If playing as DA who have finished their service, the marine can keep the pad as a memento, but I would assume loses all the perks that come with being in the Deathwatch. They would conform back to the combat style of their respective chapters, and it would also be odd to put these DW veterans into a single unit upon their return.

 

 

 

I see. Oh well. I got plenty of time to get new Deathwatch models. Until then, gotta make do with what I have.

[Xenith]

.

 

Fluff-wise though, once a marine leaves the Deathwatch, he's no longer in the Deathwatch. Do you plan on playing them as Deathwatch or DA Veterans that returned from DW service?

 

Technically, yes, but they keep the pad, silver arm and SIA is they wish. Do not forget that DW veterans arm themselves with preferred equipment, stuff they have used already.

 

My BA will feature squads of models returned from their time in the Deathwatch, with pads and SIA. fitting into codex structure, they count as sternguard, however when the need arises their skills will be called upon to be fielded as kill teams, using DW rules.

[Irbis]

Yeah man. In fact, it would be totally legitimate to field a 'deathwatch army' of a specific chapter with their chapter badge on their left shoulder and their Deathwatch badge on their right shoulder. You can still paint them up as deathwatch as long as you keep a bunch of chapter specific bits on the 'allied marines'.

 

That used to be the case, judging by old command squad pads, but seeing Codex mentions leaving arm silver after return I'd keep DW pad on left arm. Especially seeing DW pads due to being asymmetric look kind of bad on right arm, while UM/DA/BA upgrade pads are symmetric and can go on either. As for the OP, I'd certainly didn't mind if you made DA squad with left silver arm and DW pad, that would make differentiating them easy enough...

[Moostick]

 

.

 

Fluff-wise though, once a marine leaves the Deathwatch, he's no longer in the Deathwatch. Do you plan on playing them as Deathwatch or DA Veterans that returned from DW service?

 

Technically, yes, but they keep the pad, silver arm and SIA is they wish. Do not forget that DW veterans arm themselves with preferred equipment, stuff they have used already.

 

My BA will feature squads of models returned from their time in the Deathwatch, with pads and SIA. fitting into codex structure, they count as sternguard, however when the need arises their skills will be called upon to be fielded as kill teams, using DW rules.

Game-wise, I see no problem with it.

 

You can also forge your own narrative and justify using them, and that's fine as well, but OP was asking for opinions on fluff. The pad and SIA is understandable since the chapter would normally have it, but things like Deathwatch Frag Cannons, Infernus Bolters, DW relics, or Corvus (basically DW only things) would be hard to justify taking with them fluff-wise once they leave DW.

 

That's just my opinion on fluff though, and I would not make a fuss about it if someone wanted to do it for a game.

[Xisor]

There's account of Salamanders doing their own Kill Teams to take on Deathwatch-esque missions - e.g. exterminating Necrons tombworlds. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a similar approach that was used in cleansing the moons of Ymgarl.

 

I'd imagine many chapters do similar things as/when necessary.

 

In that sense, switching from 'Chapter Tactics' to 'Kill Team' seems entirely sensible, especially for folk as disciplined as Space Marines.

 

I'd be happy with it. :)

[Xenith]

The pad and SIA is understandable since the chapter would normally have it, but things like Deathwatch Frag Cannons, Infernus Bolters, DW relics, or Corvus (basically DW only things) would be hard to justify taking with them fluff-wise once they leave DW.

I think it's safe to say Blood Angels will have a few frag cannons lying around in the vaults amongst all the other treasures.

 

Where you you think you got that Beacon Angelic?

[Dr. Clock]

In general, I think if you have 'units of DW' on the table all sharing the DW honour arm/pad, they should also be in the black of the DW...

 

When marines come back to their home Chapters, they are divided up to serve in conventional units, communicating what they've learned about xenos to their squadmates throughout their remaining lives. So you'd practically never see a 'full unit of guys with this mark' outside of a unit also sharing the black armour.

 

I'd say it's entirely appropriate to have more than one 'DW pad haver' in a given Company or Strikeforce, though... For some Chapters it may be more common than others, and further, a Company might commit to briefly (over a couple centuries ; ) ) sending a higher than usual number of members to the DW following some event... [insert story hook here]

 

When it comes to 'DW rules on the tabletop', it's actually one of the best ways to do some 'movie marines'. As 'effectively sternguard', doing an MSU, heavily-armed 'Veteran Strikeforce' using the DW rules is not beyond the pale. The 1st Company Strikeforce from the marines book is pretty close, and 'special plasma cannons' with much more sensitive controls could fit for frag cannons if used throughout the army IMO... You could even mix in 'real DW units', and/or 'extra dudes' from the DW in some units to make some mixed squads...

 

In many ways, it would make MORE fluff sense to have 'sternguard veterans' from a regular Chapter which have 'special equipment' DW embedded n the units in a specific engagement. Fluff-wise the DW Killteam would have been 'assigned' briefly to a Chapter strikeforce for a particular mission... list-wise that could look like a number of Killteams with the 'veterans' filled by 'DA vets', and the 'random other unit' filled by DW models (like Branatar or Delassio etc.). This IMO could be a pretty solid step around the 'problem of fielding a large DW force', in that I still want them to 'feel elite'. I feel a bit odd just straight up field 20+ DW in a list most of the time... So basically a 2000+ point 'DW list' that contains only 7-8 'DW guys' in an otherwise 'elite Dark Angels' force would be fine with me, fluff-wise : )

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

[Azure Hammer]

I run a codex marine army that I created my own fluff for. I have taken a few models and repainted them for my Deathwatch army. When I play them as codex I just throw them back into their original squad. My reasoning is that they completed their service and their armor represents the honor they have earned for the chapter. I also will use my codex army to fill holes in my Deathwatch as they are known to second what they need from available sources.