Barret

Now here's a topic I never expected to see... I haven't been back to the Yukon for a few years, but last I heard there was a gaming scene at Titan, if it's still around and you're in Whitehorse. If you're in the communities, well...

That guy is awesome. Personally, I quite like the helmet, but then I also love the bat-wing helms. ;) I think my favourite touch is the Guardsman. There's something about the two poses that combines to provide a very strong narrative. "I'll deal with you in a minute, after I'm done pointing dramatically!."

Can't believe I never saw this thread 'till now. I'm in Burnaby, and usually play at Strategies on Sundays, though I haven't had the time in quite some time...

No worries. There's room in the galaxy for more than a few pirates, and I'll put any similarities down to great minds and all that. ;) Reading this has actually made me want to go back and touch up IT:BP... Yeah, I get what you mean. I might suggest clarifying that a bit in-article, though. and if it's ok with you I may well incorporate it into the article! Go for it! :lol:

Ahoy, It's been a while since I've been in the Liber, and I must say I'm glad this was the first DIY I found on doing so. :D Very well done on all counts, though I may be slightly biased as I did something somewhat similar. The Iron Gods (great name) are a rather refreshing take on Marine renegades, and you've got some interesting ideas, especially around the nature of his little pseudo-empire and his relationship with the larger Imperium. There are a few places where you appear to contradict yourself around the origins of individual Iron Gods. Specifically, you clearly state that renegades from any Chapter can join, then later on state that it is unknown where the Gods come from. I understand what you mean, but it was a trifle confusing on first reading, and could maybe use some rewording to ensure the language is consistent. I largely agree with Octie's grammatical suggestions, but beyond that I only have a few suggestions. Firstly, I'd like to know a little more about the man himself. I understand you want to leave his origins shrouded in mystery, but maybe, even in the form of speculation, discuss more of his (potential) reasons for going rogue, why he does what he does, etc. Varn strikes me as kind of a pulp anti-hero (that's a good thing), and I think he could use some more characterization to push that further. In a similar vein, I like what you've done with the Magos, but he, too, could use more explanation. What would drive a high-ranking member of the AdMech into a life of piracy? What would he gain from it? Is he disenchanted with the Omnissiah and merely, like Varn, seeking to claw what he can from a dying galaxy before madness and death overrun all? Or is there some deeper motivation? Perhaps rumours of some archeotech hidden in the lawless corner of space the Iron Gods "rule"? Something that might make him greater than any mere Astartes? One of the reasons all good and honourable people like pirates is that pirates, unlike those uncool, pajama-clad ninjas who were probably always picked last for everything and couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag if it didn't have its back turned, are full of character and I think that's one of the strengths you've got here. Let's see more of it! How about Varn's lieutenants and henchmen? What horrible renegades and scabrous dogs plot and plunder in Varn's name? You can never have too many pirates. :D The same actually goes for your models, too. Individualizing them more, and giving them more and varied gear could help push the look, as pirates are anything but uniform. Griev is a good character, and a good addition, but I think you could do more with him, especially to push the Ahab-ness of him. What is this mad quest of his doing to his career? Is the effrontery of Varn's self-serving piracy really driving him that much, or is there something more personal at play? Have Varn and Griev ever faced off? I love this quote. However, lose the extra exclamation marks. This is a bit nit-picky, but I dislike the term "asteroid belt" for a formation of the size you describe. It's doesn't seem to have the right tone to it, as it immediately conjures images of kind you see around stars. Perhaps a large, debris-ridden nebula? The remnants of dead stars and planets slowly coalescing back into news ones, hiding the warp only knows what secrets... You may want to do another pass on the "Iron Gods" section as all that I could when reading it was "justification for using C:SW". Honestly, it doesn't need to be justified. If you do want to discuss their combat doctrine, perhaps focus on how their new MO and situation has altered them from the Holy Codex and how they go about their piracy, rather than explicating what kinds of units they field. This can be quite tough, I know. How are leaders and lieutenants chosen? What is their internal organization and hierarchy, such as it is? Why do they take the field, and what do they seek? Some level of their tactics is good, and I like your description of their version of the Wolf Guard, but I don't think you need to worry so much about things like Long Fangs. Following on the notion of their internal organization...what is it? Do they have any? Are they a relatively solid group, like a Viking crew, or are they riven with politicking and intrigue, like the Iron Warriors? I think that's all I've got for now. Keep up the good work! Barret Have you been playing Dragon Age? That sounds suspiciously like the grammar of a certain forest witch...

Varen, the most complete and recent list of the Vocates is here, unless I'm mistaken.

Two more things for the timeline. The dates are my own best guesses, so feel free to change them (or any of the details) as you see fit. It's not like it's going to conflict with any of my stuff. :huh: 952~ XXth Company fights alongside the Thousand Swords 2nd Company to defeat the Daemon Lord Urvog the Nauseating, with the Thousand Swords suffering heavy casualties to allow Captain Y time to close Urvog's warp rift and stem the invasion. Before parting ways, Captains Xharp and Y exchange honours, Y receiving the Golden Hand and Xharp the Crown of Thorns. 994~ The Fifth Company is blown off course after departing Tynax, and put in at Karthagot Nova for repairs, becoming the first Castigators in millennia to visit the Thousand Swords' homeworld. While there, they are invited by Chapter Master Zeuxis to join in the extermination of a Dark Eldar kabal.

All this talk of serfs has gotten me thinking. The notion of nine thousand seems really quite low to me. These populations have millennia to grow, and a lot of space to do it. Between crewing the Chapter fleet, the basic support staff for a Fortress-Monastery (each of which might be the size of a hive city), providing specialized support for the Chapter (artificers, etc), that population could be in the tens of thousands on its own. Beyond that, there would be families, the support for those who serve the Chapter directly (farmers or other food producers, miners and forgeworkers), as well as any armed forces the serfs provide... And on top of that there would be an entire bureaucracy that governs the population. Administrative staff, police forces, any kind of self-government they have (since I really doubt that Marines would be directly involved in that). Really, I think that serf populations would be more like self-sustaining nations that could reach populations of hundreds of thousands assuming they have the space and supplies to support it. Between providing armed forces for the fleet and garrisoning any permanent installations a Chapter might control, the serf militia alone could be size of one or more Imperial Guard regiments, and given that they'd be receiving training and equipment from Astartes, they'd like be comparable to Guard elite forces. There's a whole world of logistics behind a Chapter that hasn't really gotten much thought put into it, in my opinion. Chapters produce their own vehicles. That requires factories. Who is going to work in those factories? Serfs. Factories require raw materials, and unless a Chapter can import them all, which seems unlikely given that the Imperium is already stretched, those materials would have to be mined, processed, smelted, etc. Serfs would have to do all of that, as most Chapter homeworlds have populations that haven't even mastered gunpowder, let alone the technology required to supply a futuristic military industrial complex. Marines and serfs both need to eat. Food must be grown and processed, stored, prepared, served. Again, I don't think imports could explain all or even a large part of that as a Chapter needs to be as independent as possible, especially given how isolated they are in many cases. Schools, both for children and to develop specialized skills would be needed. It's a vast workforce, an entire society, that would be needed to support a Chapter, far more than just crewing space ships and assembling the odd bolter. We all know the propensity for human mutation in the 41st millennium. I would think a serf population would have to be self-regulating, with its own police forces, along with the facilities and training to deal with nascent psykers, mutants, etc. Anyways, I hope that's some food for thought. I'm certainly doing a lot of thinking about the Thousand Swords' serf population and how they function alongside the Chapter.

For the Master's Secretarius, I was reading Charles Stross' Atrocity Archives, and one of the characters claimed that the root of "secretary" was "secret". As in a keeper or guardian of secrets. Wikipedia gives the etymology of "secretary" as: Perhaps that could be of some help? As for the Serfs, the model I've been working on for the T-Swords is that they're a distinct, self-sustaining population that are the descendants of the original Serfs from the Founding. They have little to no contact with the natives of the Chapter's homeworld, and are not regarded as a viable source of recruits. That said, the serfs could be taken from a homeworld or recruiting world (failed aspirants) to supplement their population. Perhaps children who are almost but not quite good enough to become aspirants could be inducted. Or maybe they're a lot of re-educated criminals, or something.

I'm almost 100% positive Genestealer Cults are still around and haven't been retconned out. They might not be a viable army choice any more, but they're still there. I'll take a look through the newest Tyranid 'dex when I get home. There's also two of the Ciaphus Cain books which centre around 'stealer cult activities. As for Patriarchs and Brood Lords, I'm inclined to think they're different entities, although I used the terms interchangeably in Sword and Claw. If I recall correctly, a Patriarch is brought about by several generations of 'stealer infected humans breeding while a Brood Lord seems to be a specific bio-engineered vanguard organism. I'm trying to remember where I've read it, but the life cycle of a 'stealer cult has been documented in a few places.

According to Insignium Astartes, as well as other sources like the Chapter org chart in Codex: Space Marines, Dreadnoughts are indeed an assigned part of companies, especially the Battle Companies. This is according to the Codex, at least. Chapters with differing doctrines or beliefs around the Dreadnoughts might have different practices, or a Chapter with very few Dreadnought sarcophagi might concentrate them within the 1st Company, the Armoury, or not assign them to a Company at all. What this means in the Castigators is, of course, up to Molly. :P

I'll help, but only on the condition it's entirely written in limerick. ;) Gimme a shout next time you're on MSN, I'd be happy to help out.

Talking here, if you care about that sort of thing. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/ElcidBarret/SoD3/CommandSquad.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/ElcidBarret/SoD3/Slogan.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/ElcidBarret/SoD3/Pipes.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/ElcidBarret/SoD3/Captain.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/ElcidBarret/SoD3/Standard.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/ElcidBarret/SoD3/AllOriginal.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/ElcidBarret/SoD3/TartanDetail.jpg