Jump to content

DW alternative color scheme


Recommended Posts

So with the advent of the codex and me really loving the deathwatch lore and models I'm really excited to hop on board and build my first deathwatch army! The one thing I'm not looking forward to is painting them, my primary army right now is black templars, and I honestly just do not want to paint more black armor. As such I was thinking of alternate deathwatch schemes I could use. Would it be unheard of for a particular watch fortress to use a different scheme than black and silver? Strictly from a lore perspective I wanted to figure this out, I know the whole "my minis do what I want" but I want them to fit lore wise into the deathwatch

 

I was actually thinking of painting them a nice dark crimson and gold instead of silver, although I might do a test mini cause I feel like silver would look good with a dark crimson too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, in the lore, they’re always black and silver.

However, why not use the deathwatch rules to represent a Marine chapter temporarily seconded to the control of an inquisitor for a specific campaign? You could argue that the inquisitor is using his influence to supply the chapter with special weapons and equipment, and thereby use pretty much any scheme you wanted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I specifically wanted to keep the idea of mixing recruits from different chapters, I thought about a chapter founded by multiple different chapters' geneseed but I'm not sure exactly how that would work out as the only cannon chapter I know of like that is the mentors
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to go mad (and have a very peculiar army), go for a 'disbanded a Watch Fortress' or however many marines you need - by having them all return to normal colours *after* their tour of duty to return to their Chapters, so with silver arm and DW plate, but full chapter colours otherwise.

 

You could mute the colours, or do something stylistic like 'plain grey'/gunmetal on all except the left arm and pauldrons, as if they'd striped the paint, but not re-applied to their new colours.

 

Or, indeed, opt for a camo scheme (e.g. Raptors), where even the DW pad is returned to a 'sludgy, mossy grey-green' rather than formally undertaking a different uniform? It's more plausible, especially in the context of desperate times/measures, and has some precedent in the lore where distinct schemes for the Watch Fortresses aren't (yet) established.

 

But that's the key. They're not established as yet, but there's no real pressing need for the DW to stick to one uniform, beyond that's how things have been done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to go mad (and have a very peculiar army), go for a 'disbanded a Watch Fortress' or however many marines you need - by having them all return to normal colours *after* their tour of duty to return to their Chapters, so with silver arm and DW plate, but full chapter colours otherwise.

You could mute the colours, or do something stylistic like 'plain grey'/gunmetal on all except the left arm and pauldrons, as if they'd striped the paint, but not re-applied to their new colours.

Or, indeed, opt for a camo scheme (e.g. Raptors), where even the DW pad is returned to a 'sludgy, mossy grey-green' rather than formally undertaking a different uniform? It's more plausible, especially in the context of desperate times/measures, and has some precedent in the lore where distinct schemes for the Watch Fortresses aren't (yet) established.

But that's the key. They're not established as yet, but there's no real pressing need for the DW to stick to one uniform, beyond that's how things have been done.

u

 

This would be particularly cool for a Primaris army, since I presume the seconded battle brothers are from the Unnumbered Sons

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So it seems like one way or the other I can't have an established cannon deathwatch force using the scheme I want to try, but I guess I can't let that stop me.

I'm going to do a few test minis to see exactly the scheme I want to go with

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bingo. The canon isn't DW only use black and silver, but that they are so far only depicted using black and silver. Not quite what you're after, but with room to give license to do as you will.

 

I'm keen to see the results!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A horrible tragedy has befallen a watch fortress. Being reduced to practically no one, the few remaining brothers put out a call to any chapters within reach and request their Deathwatch brethren respond to their call for aid. Their calls are answered and a full force of Deathwatch veterans, still in their chapter livery, take to the field of battle...

 

Watchmaster Placeholder has long been at odds with other leaders of the Deathwatch as to how exactly they should operate. After an intense disagreement of how best to purge the Xenos, Placeholder breaks ranks with his equals. He dictates that the Astartes under his command change their livery because Reasons, and the purge continues...

 

Inquisitor Radicalus, an ancient Inquisitor of great renown, and respect, has grown increasingly radical in his advanced age. Ever more frustrated with the slow pace of the Imperium's war to secure the stars he has been slowly requisitioning and conscripting armed forces with his authority. A few Astartes here, a few more there, and Radicalus' retinue soon contains enough for his own force of Astartes. Armed with the best tech he can secure with his extensive connections, they take to battle wearing his personal livery, a harsh reminder to Xenos scum that none can hide from Inquisitor Radicalus...

 

There ya go. One plausible reason for a different mixed colour scheme, one possible reason for a tweaked scheme, and one excuse for a counts-as Deathwatch army :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can anyone let me know what the base cost of a vanguard vet is? I'm picking up my Dex today but also getting a game in at the same time and battle scribe isn't up to date yet.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can anyone let me know what the base cost of a vanguard vet is? I'm picking up my Dex today but also getting a game in at the same time and battle scribe isn't up to date yet.

 

Hope I'm not stepping over a line here - they appear to be 18 points base. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Can anyone let me know what the base cost of a vanguard vet is? I'm picking up my Dex today but also getting a game in at the same time and battle scribe isn't up to date yet.

 

Hope I'm not stepping over a line here - they appear to be 18 points base. 

 

 

We've had a few questions about this lately, so I'm going to get serious clarification.  Perhaps post a sticky since the DW sub has been lousy with points listings lately and I want to avoid entanglements.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Can anyone let me know what the base cost of a vanguard vet is? I'm picking up my Dex today but also getting a game in at the same time and battle scribe isn't up to date yet.

 

Hope I'm not stepping over a line here - they appear to be 18 points base. 

 

 

We've had a few questions about this lately, so I'm going to get serious clarification.  Perhaps post a sticky since the DW sub has been lousy with points listings lately and I want to avoid entanglements.

 

 

I imagine we'll have far less questions now that Battlescribe is (mostly) updated. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Confirmation from big guys, just don't post codex pages or a detailed points cost index and we're fine.  Discussing values in conversation is cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you considered using the paint/color scheme for the Red Hunters? You could run Red Hunters as "counts as Deathwatch" due to their close affiliation with the Inquisition, and their paint/color scheme is striking.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've not heard of them before, not exactly what I was going for, was more looking for a deathwatch palette swap rather than a traditional marine style scheme. This weekend I have off so I'm going to paint up a few test minis as well as my vows for ETL so I can get an idea of how I want to paint my deathwatch
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It occurs to me that the Salamanders famously operate in xenos-hunting (Necron, mostly) Killteams, and are very well equipped, and unorthodox in their organisation, so if you fancy Green+Flames+YourOwnTwist, or indeed a Salamanders-trained (if not necessarily genetically linked) successor Chapter, then the lore is good for you!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a really big fan of alternate colour schemes (and also get bored of painting black) so I'm trying to go with a squad by squad approach. I'm trying to keep all the smaller details the same across the force (left arm, leather, accent colours, lenses etc.) to keep it looking a bit uniform, but changing up the base colour... I'm fairly happy with the result so far.

 

 
 
 
 
 
I've got a few more kill teams with specific chapter themes (DA, SW, BA) that I'll paint according to chapter as "returning vets".
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going to be honest with the exception of that middle squad which is clearly white they still all look black to me :/

 

Hahaha, I can appreciate that... I guess it's subtle and I have a potato camera phone, but the others are different shades of black / different painting methods.

 

The first is standard abaddon black / eshin grey, second is primed ironbreaker + nuln washes, third is white (obviously), fourth is primed incubi darkness + nuln washes + incubi highlights, fifth is ironbreaker primed + nuln / guilliman blue washes.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A horrible tragedy has befallen a watch fortress. Being reduced to practically no one, the few remaining brothers put out a call to any chapters within reach and request their Deathwatch brethren respond to their call for aid. Their calls are answered and a full force of Deathwatch veterans, still in their chapter livery, take to the field of battle...

Watchmaster Placeholder has long been at odds with other leaders of the Deathwatch as to how exactly they should operate. After an intense disagreement of how best to purge the Xenos, Placeholder breaks ranks with his equals. He dictates that the Astartes under his command change their livery because Reasons, and the purge continues...

Inquisitor Radicalus, an ancient Inquisitor of great renown, and respect, has grown increasingly radical in his advanced age. Ever more frustrated with the slow pace of the Imperium's war to secure the stars he has been slowly requisitioning and conscripting armed forces with his authority. A few Astartes here, a few more there, and Radicalus' retinue soon contains enough for his own force of Astartes. Armed with the best tech he can secure with his extensive connections, they take to battle wearing his personal livery, a harsh reminder to Xenos scum that none can hide from Inquisitor Radicalus...

This is unironically the most quintessential Space Marine story since "...and then I became a Dreadnought." I love this.

Mjrwaud, that is some beautiful painting there, and thanks for sharing your formulae. Beautiful stuff, really appreciate those data points.

I posted this elsewhere, but I basically share those concerns about painting black. I went with a graphite/brushed metal look:

gallery_57329_13636_35445.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

A horrible tragedy has befallen a watch fortress. Being reduced to practically no one, the few remaining brothers put out a call to any chapters within reach and request their Deathwatch brethren respond to their call for aid. Their calls are answered and a full force of Deathwatch veterans, still in their chapter livery, take to the field of battle...

 

Watchmaster Placeholder has long been at odds with other leaders of the Deathwatch as to how exactly they should operate. After an intense disagreement of how best to purge the Xenos, Placeholder breaks ranks with his equals. He dictates that the Astartes under his command change their livery because Reasons, and the purge continues...

 

Inquisitor Radicalus, an ancient Inquisitor of great renown, and respect, has grown increasingly radical in his advanced age. Ever more frustrated with the slow pace of the Imperium's war to secure the stars he has been slowly requisitioning and conscripting armed forces with his authority. A few Astartes here, a few more there, and Radicalus' retinue soon contains enough for his own force of Astartes. Armed with the best tech he can secure with his extensive connections, they take to battle wearing his personal livery, a harsh reminder to Xenos scum that none can hide from Inquisitor Radicalus...

 

This is unironically the most quintessential Space Marine story since "...and then I became a Dreadnought."  I love this.

 

Mjrwaud, that is some beautiful painting there, and thanks for sharing your formulae.  Beautiful stuff, really appreciate those data points.

 

I posted this elsewhere, but I basically share those concerns about painting black.  I went with a graphite/brushed metal look:

 

Thanks N1SB, I'm excited to try some more schemes, ones that are a little further from black... ;)

I really like your metal on metal look, armour polished to a shine by those serfs / servitors! it's a good look that I was trying for when priming with ironbreaker spray but the washes really dulled down the shine in a way that I ended up liking. If I could suggest anything for your colour scheme it'd be adding just a tiny bit of brighter gold / bronze for contrast or maybe another accent colour?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Easiest way around it is probably the simplest. They ran out of black paint...

 

Now that might sound sarcastic but it's not as absurd as it sounds. Basically what you do is have a beleaguered Deathwatch force that is in dire need of parts but due to their remote location they can't get them and rely on resupplies from Imperial forces.

 

Because of the warp rifts your guys were almost completely cut off and with their options limited they intercept an Admech barge, on route to to supply a recently destroyed Chapter with new armour, using Inquisitional edicts to claim their cargo. The armour of course being painted in the chapter's colours already and the Astartes not wanting to offend the spirits of the armour or dishonour the dead Chapter refuse to paint them black.

 

There was actually an instance of this way back in the early days of space hulk where the Ultramarines loan/gift the Blood Angels a terminator suit but it remained in Ultramarine colours because each time it was repainted red the user was slain in battle. 

 

What you have to remember is the Imperium on the other side of the rift isn't in great shape, we've seen chapters nearly wiped out or just plain exterminated. Some forces are going to be losing badly and using whatever they can get their hands on, basically imagine Istvaan but on a much larger scale.

 

From that point on it becomes tradition that the Watch Company always uses the chapter colours with the right pad being the Astartes chapter of origin.

 

You could even explain away painting the silver arm in other colours because they might rely on other materials and that is what changes it's colour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.