Army Backgrounds: Do you have one? Why or why not?

[Paul]

Hello everyone!

I was reading some of the more venomous arguments between the "Fluff-bunny" camp and the "WAAC" camp. It was all fine and dandy (and a rather entertaining read at times) when something popped into my head.

I have a background for my army. A home-brew planet, regiment, fighting style, et cetera that I created to fill my niche in the vast Milky Way of the 41st Millenium. I know several people who have done the same.

In contrast, I know some people who simply paint their army, play with it, and discard it for another once they're done. There's little background (aside from that given by GW) in most cases. NOTE: This isn't a bad thing; some people think differently from me and I respect that. I don't mean to sound condescending.

SO.

I wanted to create an open thread addressing two things:
1) What's your army background? Do you have one? Or do ya just play because you enjoy the game, and immersion in the background is secondary.

2) What do you think? Is a background important? Does it add flavor? Or is it just a waste of time and effort, or at least a sign of maybe a tad of insanity? :D

As for me personally:
I've got a background. My planet is named Concordia, and it is a Knight World for a Lesser Forge World. It fields an Armored Regiment in the Imperial Guard (the Concordian 1st Armored), equipped predominantly with Leman Russes but with a larger proportion of specialized variants (one Vanquisher, one Executioner) due to the connection with the Adeptus Mechanicus. Repeated clashes with Chaos have also instigated Inquisitorial scrutiny (my friends Inquisitorial Guardsmen regularly skirmish with mine). Currently deployed in campaign allied with the 7th Trynzendian Foot (another buddy's shock infantry regiment).

I think it adds flavor. Whether or not it is important is up in the air for me, as I have no problem playing people without them hearing mine or me hearing theirs. But I do think it can help determine the course of one's army list builds as well as the models one acquires. For example, being based on Soviet armored tactics, my regiment relies on direct infantry support (tankodesantniki) and application of overwhelming firepower on a single target inorder to overcome the enemy. This, some may say, is evidence of my complete lack of sanity. I wouldn't necessarily argue against that...:D

Anyways, what are your thoughts?

[Xas]

I have an army background and I think it greatly increases your fun.
I however also like to get every % of effectiveness out of my army.

So I dont fit into either of those "camps".


The background for my Army collective of imperium-origined (meaning: non-xenos) is as follows:

The lead figure is a lord-inquisitor who has turned radical in his thoughts but so far managed to keep this hidden from the few people who could outmatch him in power and influence.

He has command over several Regiments of IG, a medium sized fleet as well as thight bonds to a Titan legion. He grants his troops free choosing of the means by which to complete their task and therefore many of the lower levels have turned to chaos for the gifts the chaos gods promise as well as help from deamons. As long as his troops fight well against xenos the lord-inquisitor doesnt care. He even has some loose arrangements with some of the traitor legions to call for assistance as kind-of-mercenaries. At the price of supplies and newer imperial technology they lend a hand in battle against some of mankinds greater foes.

His arch enemies are the tyranids and he thinks only by uniteing the imperium with their chaos-öoving brothers mankind as a whole can survive. While he himself hasnt yet made any deamonic pacts he thinks that because ultimatelly it is human emotions who command the gods of chaos they are a lesser evil than the total extinction that the xenos promise if left unchecked.

[Mal]

There is a time and a place for army background... and the gaming table isn't it.

This is not to say you shouldn't have an army background, it can be a lot of fun and very satisfying to have a well thought out army background for your finished army.

But when it comes to game time, don't give yourself a handicap for some 'fluff'... nobody will think highly of you for throwing a match like that.

As a side note, i've noticed a few people prattling on about the 'spirit of 40K' lately... what a load of garbage... the spirit of 40K is nothing more then powergaming kids... after all they are who the game is targeted for.

As for my armies, I have a background for around half of my armies... some I simply don't bother with as it essentially comers down to this: they are mean, they want to kill you... the end. I mean, how much story can you put into a nid force? they are hungry, your lunch... the end.

[Paul]

As for my armies, I have a background for around half of my armies... some I simply don't bother with as it essentially comers down to this: they are mean, they want to kill you... the end. I mean, how much story can you put into a nid force? they are hungry, your lunch... the end.

I don't throw the game because of fluff. I just don't take 9 Demolishers and call it a day. Not that anyone does, just illustrating an example. :D

So, your nids: What part of the galaxy are they attacking? Are they running into Imperial forces? Orks? Tau? What hive-fleet are they from? Are they a splinter fleet, or still part of a fully integrated fleet? Are they the vanguard of an as-yet-unseen threat from an unknown quarter? The remains of Leviathan or Behemoth? There's a lot of available background...

[SotonShades]

Peronnally I've got fluff for all my armies, and it is constantly evolving. From planetary origins, regiment names, even names and individual backgrounds for a few of the main characters. However when the models hit the table, they are game pieces and the fluff doesn't change my tactics (although which tanks I have for my Armoured Regiment are decided by fluff to a certain extent, but I have enough to be pretty flexible for most non-Apocolypse games)

I find the fluff drives me more on the craft side of the hobby than the gaming side. It drives me to do better, more exciting convertions and put more effort into the paintjobs. This in turn, having the nice models, makes me want to use them in as many games as I can as often as I can.

[eldargal]

I have created my own Craftworld, Cait-Badd:

The Eldar believe themselves to be a race doomed by their own folly, and thus a fatalistic attitude permeates there society. Of all the Craftworld of the Eldar only two have rejected this fatalism and strive towards restoring the Eldar race: Biel-Tan and Cait-Badd. While Biel-Tan has taken a zenophobic and militaristic approach, the farseers of Cait-badd have recognised that for the Eldar to truly regain their former pre-eminence they must increase their numbers. To this end the craftworld instituted what they half-jokingly refer to as the ‘Way of the Mother’, a structured system of breeding to maximise the number of Eldar births. It’s success can not be denied, over the following millennia the population of Cait-Badd has exploded.
Where even the other more populous craftworlds are still predominately empty cities floating through the depths of space, Cait-Badd is a thriving, populous hulk, its bonesingers struggling to expand the craftworld in all directions to meet the growing demands for space. Indeed, there are so many Cait-badd Eldar that in the last years of the 41st millennia they have been able to resettle permanently on some of their Maiden Worlds.

Unfortunately for the Eldar, many of these Maiden Worlds had since been claimed as Imperial agri-worlds, but in contrast to the xenophobic Biel-Tan, under Farseer Dru’slla Cait-Badd took a more diplomatic approach. Knowing the Imperium of Man was under significant strain from the ongoing conflicts in both Cadian and Armageddon systems, Dru’slla proposed a deal. The Eldar would assist the Imperium in both theatres of war, and allow the continued use of the Maiden Worlds as agri-worlds, if the Imperium would turn a blind eye to their relatively small resettlement.
The proposal was initially rejected, but after the Eldar came to the assistance of the Imperium at several junctures, including saving an entire Imperial fleet, a review was promised. With continual assistance rendered, success was assured when Chapter Master Calgar himself acquiesced, stating that the aid given had been invaluable, and that the damage the Eldar could wreak on the war efforts food supplies warranted a more restrained approach for so long as the Eldar kept their word not to interfere in Imperial agriculture.

The success and growth of Cait-Badd have had a number of startling cultural effects on the craftworld. The females of the world have taken on an increasingly dominant role, given the focus on breeding and mothering and the population as a whole has a significantly younger median age than any other craftworld. In fact, Farseer Dru’slla herself is extraordinarily young by Eldar standards, by human standards being in her early twenties. The autarchs of the craftworld too are, at this point, all female. Needless to say the Shrine of the Howling Banshee is a particularly popular one on the Cait-Badd craftworld.


To me background is of utmost importance. I want to know why my Eldar are risking their lives, what they are doing on that world, why they are fighting whomever it is they are fighting. Otherwise, what is the point?

[Grailkeeper]

My Marine Army had a distinct backround- it was a shadowy, dogmatic Imperial fists successor chapter, guarding a terrible Imperial Secret and bearing an overwhelming grudge against chaos. They were called the Grailkeepers (from where I derive my net name).

Every Character and most of the seargents had a name, and after I finished a battle I'd record all the details in a little book I had with the Chapter logo on the front- Win, loss, points level, against which enemy and opponent etc etc. I'd nominate a hero of the battle and why. I even put in one of those little imperial thoughts for the day - suffer not the enemy to live or what ever that suited the game.

Some day I'll read back over all those old battles and smile for a youth spent in door thinking about space warriors and their personalities when I should have been outside learning to chase girls.

The Fluff definitely influenced my playstyle as I was leaning to play, it helps that my characters personalities aided that playstyle- for excample my Chaplin Barucas lead from the front and was always the first to get to hand to hand with the enmey

[scadugenga]

The first thing I do when thinking about a new army (save Tyranids...) is think about where I envision them coming from, how to make the army more uniquely mine. "Fluff" in that case, is awesome.

I completely disagree with Mal over fluff to the tabletop. That's utter BS that you "hamstring" yourself with fluff.

There are two "modes" of play in 40k--fun, and competitive. Save the competitive play for tournaments.

There is no more sure recipe for a dissatisfying game for both parties than when the expectation for the game is not in synch. You have someone wanting to play a fun game playing against a competitive-oriented gamer and shenanigans will ensue.

[Mal]

I've not said anything of the sort, this is the second post i've found in the past 5 mins where you've assumed you understand what im saying without really reading my post properly and gotten it wrong...

gaming is gaming, friendly is friendly, competative is compatative...

I did not say to play competatively in friendly games, get your facts stright.

What I said is I see no reason for giving yourself a handicap in a game just to suit fluff. It makes no sense, fluff is good and fun, but it should be kept to the hobby side of the game, not the gaming side.

For example, I know a couple of people who only field scouts in their marine armies (apart from HQ), this gives a seriously unbalanced and rather easy to beat army... (once you know how scouts work that is), and how can it be fun knowing your army is going to loose without extreme good luck on your side?

Now there is nothing wrong with running scouts, but I don't agree with limiting your options to only scouts in games for a purely fluff reason. That is a handicap that you are giving yourself and imho removes an element of fun from the game (its not fun to slaughter scouts all the time, it gets a bit stale after a while).

What im saying is you can still have the fluff, but take a couple of support units, or fast attack to even out the balance of your scout army list... after all variety is the spice of life.

[scadugenga]

"There is a time and a place for army background... and the gaming table isn't it."

"But when it comes to game time, don't give yourself a handicap for some 'fluff'... nobody will think highly of you for throwing a match like that."

"i've noticed a few people prattling on about the 'spirit of 40K' lately... what a load of garbage... the spirit of 40K is nothing more then powergaming kids."

Right...what you seem to come across as is that you see no distinction between play and competitive.

I stand beside my original point. You have done nothing to alter that with your last post.

[eldargal]

I disagree, self imposed handicaps can make games more challenging and more fun. Voluntary handicaps can even be woven into some kind of narrative campaign with mis-matched force sized, restrictions on unit types etc.
I'm not saying this applies to you at all, Mal, but in my experience the people that get bored with their army/the game the fastest are those who don't try new things and setting themselves challenges within their codex, whether it is something as simple as saying 'I'm going to have a guardian themed army', 'I won't take _____ unit' or 'I'll let my opponent take 250 points more than mine this match, just to see what happens'.


I've not said anything of the sort, this is the second post i've found in the past 5 mins where you've assumed you understand what im saying without really reading my post properly and gotten it wrong...

gaming is gaming, friendly is friendly, competative is compatative...

I did not say to play competatively in friendly games, get your facts stright.

What I said is I see no reason for giving yourself a handicap in a game just to suit fluff. It makes no sense, fluff is good and fun, but it should be kept to the hobby side of the game, not the gaming side.

For example, I know a couple of people who only field scouts in their marine armies (apart from HQ), this gives a seriously unbalanced and rather easy to beat army... (once you know how scouts work that is), and how can it be fun knowing your army is going to loose without extreme good luck on your side?

Now there is nothing wrong with running scouts, but I don't agree with limiting your options to only scouts in games for a purely fluff reason. That is a handicap that you are giving yourself and imho removes an element of fun from the game (its not fun to slaughter scouts all the time, it gets a bit stale after a while).

What im saying is you can still have the fluff, but take a couple of support units, or fast attack to even out the balance of your scout army list... after all variety is the spice of life.

[murrburger]

I make my army first, then do the fluff after. Me and my friends are pretty layed back, but we don't bring 'weak' lists to the table. Usually, we have some kind of background for the battle, but it's never very serious.

"Damn, that must be the most valuable hill w/ flag in the galaxy. About 30 Space Marines died to take it."

"Hell yeah! My marines just punched your stupid sentinel to death!"

"Alright men... pull out.
"But, Sarge! There's only one Marine on that hill! We can take him!"
"No. It's turn 7. We're leaving."

Stuff like that.

[Mal]

taking snippets of my posts out of context to prove your point = pathetic.

scad I challenge you to find one place where i've said to play competatively in non competative games. don't worry i've got plenty of time... and for the record you'll not find a single example beacuse i've never said that.

You have chosen to take what iom saying out of context and try to show it as me saying something im not... this doesn't prove anything.

I have never and will never recommend playing competatively in a non competative match, but by the same token im not going to build a list with inheriant weaknesses just to make you feel better about yourself.

I see no reason to do so.

After all you can build a well rounded list without powergaming.

@eldargal, if you've got a group that plays like that then great, but most people do not... most of my games are pick up matches, they are not planned out. I build lots of variety into my lists and I rarely grow bored with them, what I grow bored with is staring at the same armies month after month when i've already showed my opponent the weaknesses in their force...

I personally find it more fun when my opponents reconigise the weakness in their army lists and take steps to reduce the weaknesses or at least take more advantage of their strengths, refusing to do this for a fluff reason only means you'll loose more games, if im in a position where my opponents are essentially throwing the games (i.e. comming with a list that they know has soo many weaknesses it can't help but to loose) then I do get very bored with those games, there is nothing there to keep my entertained...

This is not to say they have to scrap fluff... simply don't let it hamstring your army before you even set up for turn 1.

[Mr.Pickelz]

yes i do create fluff armies, mainly to have fun, i do make them usefull but mostly dedicated to fluff. an example is my SW's their BFG fleet has a Venerable Battlebarge (Oberon class battleship) and there's a good 1-2 pages of fluff over why he has it. to keep it short, towards the end of the 13th black crusade as chaos ships were retreating, they came into contact with a smaller forge world on the rim of the sector, as more and more chaos ships showed up the IN (Navy) decided it was a lost battle, and pulled out, my WL's entire fleet (meager as it was) was already fully committed, suffice it to say, he survived and openly on the vox called out the IN Admrial a coward who deserves a boot up his *Censored*. For his effort in securing the planet which had a lost unknown STC (which was discovered over the course of the battle) he was granted any new ship to replace his, after looking through the dock, his eyes set on an old Oberon class...

For 40k my wolf lord is a beast-slayer he carries his Shield and Frost weapon (the terminator power axe, but on PA body) and his wolf guard have frost weapon/SS while one of them has twin claws, and they are accompanied by a wolf priest who records kills, lore, etc... (for their weapons i used the PA thunderhammer arm, but cut off the hammer's head and put on the old power weapon blades, to give it a short spear look.)
and he utilizes blood claws, as well as a rune priest with stormcaller and living lighting/murderous hurricane.
His famous quote: "That's not a fang...This is a fang!" (him showing his weapon off)

As the battle starts, a strange fog covers the battle field encasing the enemy as they march forward(aka rune priest,also explains dawn of war getting rolled) a loud long howl pierces the quiet fog, then after a moment of silence, as the enemy looks around, laughter can be heard in the distance. Followed by more howls that grow ever louder...and ever closer, the rumbling of engines can now be heard and then the first shots start to ring....

[house_cawdor]

I'm sorry Mal, but it sounds to me your trying to hide behind a veil that you are a friendly gamer and do not powergame. Your posts here and in the forum you started sound like bad excuses of pretending to be a friendly player. It isnt that big of a deal if you do, but admit it if you do :)


I've not said anything of the sort, this is the second post i've found in the past 5 mins where you've assumed you understand what im saying without really reading my post properly and gotten it wrong...

gaming is gaming, friendly is friendly, competative is compatative...

I did not say to play competatively in friendly games, get your facts stright.

What I said is I see no reason for giving yourself a handicap in a game just to suit fluff. It makes no sense, fluff is good and fun, but it should be kept to the hobby side of the game, not the gaming side.

For example, I know a couple of people who only field scouts in their marine armies (apart from HQ), this gives a seriously unbalanced and rather easy to beat army... (once you know how scouts work that is), and how can it be fun knowing your army is going to loose without extreme good luck on your side?

Now there is nothing wrong with running scouts, but I don't agree with limiting your options to only scouts in games for a purely fluff reason. That is a handicap that you are giving yourself and imho removes an element of fun from the game (its not fun to slaughter scouts all the time, it gets a bit stale after a while).

What im saying is you can still have the fluff, but take a couple of support units, or fast attack to even out the balance of your scout army list... after all variety is the spice of life.

[Paul]

I'm sorry Mal, but it sounds to me your trying to hide behind a veil that you are a friendly gamer and do not powergame. Your posts here and in the forum you started sound like bad excuses of pretending to be a friendly player. It isnt that big of a deal if you do, but admit it if you do :)

Guys, please calm down. This is a discussion that sparked from the arguments, not a place to rehash them! MAL is indeed permitted his own input in this thread; my questions were rather open-ended for a reason. He should be able to provide that input without being viciously attacked for his heretical views on toy mans.

Now what I will say to Mal (without mentioning his "powergameyness") is that some of us do indeed think that fluff belongs on the tabletop and should affect playstyle. Maybe not to a degree that one is becoming easy to beat, but I can think of several helpful examples. If you're a Tallarn tank-hunting regiment, I see an unusually high proportion of Vanquishers, not Eradicators, for example. If you're the Sallan's World Air Defense Force, I expect Hydras, not Basilisks. There is, indeed, a place for fluff on the Table Top.

[Mal]

Paul, my whole point of my views on fulff on the table top occur when people build fluffy armies without taking into account how they play on the table... this leads to those 'easy to beat' armies... this is the core of my problem with fluff on the table top.

Now as to me being a powergamer because I build effective lists?

What a load of twaddle... a good list does not a powergamer make.. I rarely use powerbuilds (never outside of competative games), and I don't use tricksy tactics during friendly games... how exactly does this make me a WAAC powergamer?

The problem people have with me is they are only seeing a part of how I play... people are becomming too focused on the fact that when I play competatively I play competatively. This doesn't mean I only play competatively and I would apprichiate it if people actually stoped to think for a moment before flaming me for my abality to do both seperately.

[phoenix01]

I have a fluffy background for my Space Marines. However, everyone at Bolter and Chainsword complained about it when I mentioned it in a "what is your army's background" thread, so I stopped going there (they were really nasty about it).

[Paul]

Paul, my whole point of my views on fulff on the table top occur when people build fluffy armies without taking into account how they play on the table... this leads to those 'easy to beat' armies... this is the core of my problem with fluff on the table top.


My counter-point would be to ask: what is wrong with 'easy to beat' armies? Why must the other player play as if he was in the World Championships for 2011 in a pick up game?

I think this is where the other people are getting confused. They draw a line from 'you shouldn't be fluffy because you're easy to beat' to 'being easy to beat is bad' to 'you shouldn't be fluffy because it is bad.' To be quite honest, this doesn't make sense to me. Why is 'being easy to beat' a bad thing? Why can't people just beat the tar out of a fluffy army and enjoy the easy win?

[Mal]

Because it gets stale... nobody likes to get the snot beaten out of them.. and I don't like getting such an easy victory, its very unrewarding.

Playing an army that will loose removes the point of the game.

Ultimately this is a game, and all games are played to win (yes we will have the usual argument of 'I don't play to win, I play for fun', but these are the same thing). This is not to say you should play to win at all costs, but just that you shouldn't play to loose.

I absolutly hate it when people throw matches, and I don't expect a list to be a world championship list... just a half way decent list will do... something that takes me more then 2 turns to table with a friendly army build...

So its wrong because it removes an element of fun from the game.

This is my point, this is why I don't agree with it.
I don't expect everyone to agree with me, this is just my view on the matter.

*Edit*

To avoid more flaming I will clarify one of my points here...

You don't have to win to have fun... but it helps.

[Paul]

Because it gets stale... nobody likes to get the snot beaten out of them.. and I don't like getting such an easy victory, its very unrewarding.

Playing an army that will loose removes the point of the game.

Ultimately this is a game, and all games are played to win (yes we will have the usual argument of 'I don't play to win, I play for fun', but these are the same thing). This is not to say you should play to win at all costs, but just that you shouldn't play to loose.

I absolutly hate it when people throw matches, and I don't expect a list to be a world championship list... just a half way decent list will do... something that takes me more then 2 turns to table with a friendly army build...

So its wrong because it removes an element of fun from the game.

This is my point, this is why I don't agree with it.
I don't expect everyone to agree with me, this is just my view on the matter.

*Edit*

To avoid more flaming I will clarify one of my points here...

You don't have to win to have fun... but it helps.

I agree with all of this, except the solution.

Instead of demanding your opponent play up to your exacting standards (and forfeit the fluffy part of his fun) why don't you take some less optimized units (tac marine, flamer, plasma cannon) and play down to his?

It doesn't remove any of the strategy or tactics unless your list was built around a theme.... which was the original point.

[Mal]

Yes but then you have the question, why should I have to bring an easy to beat list just to have a game with someone?

I don't demand people bring better lists, I just apprichiate it.

*Edit*

My friendly marine list is missile launcher/flamer for the tac squads...

[Paul]

Yes but then you have the question, why should I have to bring an easy to beat list just to have a game with someone?

I don't demand people bring better lists, I just apprichiate it.

*Edit*

My friendly marine list is missile launcher/flamer for the tac squads...

You don't have to, you can bring a heavy list against mine and beat the tar out of it. I don't care! :) My armored regiment's honour roll that I keep only works for our fluffy games, so one-off pickups I couldn't care less if you beat the tar out of me.

If you want to simultaneously have a competitive, tense game and a fluffy, less-hard-list game, you're going to be hard pressed to find anyone to play at all.

I know it sounds crazy, but there are fluffy lists (like mine: 8 Leman Russes and 3 Chimeras not in squadrons) that are not "game-throwers" either, and they're probably your best bet. Outside of lists that fit that discription, you're going to be hard pressed to find opponents who are simultaneously fluffy and competitive and tense.

Just stick to your higher-tension, more competitive games and leave the fluff-bunnies alone, is all I can say.

NOTE: That's where the perception of Power-Gamer comes from, one who would rather play a competitve game than a fluffy one. I don't personally believe they're mutually exclusive, but I think that some people believe they are.

NOTE 2: That isn't to say competitive gamers are bad. They're just a different breed, but I don't like it when I'm told I can't take my list because they disapprove of the level of competitiveness. It is rather insulting.

[house_cawdor]

Maybe if everyone's list was fluff based, then the game would be more balanced...

How is that train of thought, rather than, lets be competitive and say **** your fluff!

I will play whoever, but I do not like when a list screams cheezy. (9 Oblits, 2 Daemon Princes, All Plasma Vet Spam, etc) Usually, Spamming becomes the cheesiest, which is what most Hard Boyz lists semm to be.

If your list follows some background but you compromise to have a competitive build then thats cool by me!

I wasn't trying to be harsh, I was only stating that some competitive players get bent out of shape that they really are WIIIIIIINNNNNN EVERYTHING Players.

What is your typical list Mal?

[Mal]

Im not saying I wouldn't play you... or that all fluff lists are bad... some are rather good (some are even cheesy :P ), but most have too many weaknesses for my tastes.

I will admit that I prefer closly fought games, ones that relly crank up the tension and her your pulse racing... I love that...
But trust me when I say you don't have to play competatively to get that. In my gaming group im the guy who takes responsibality for teaching the younglings how to play the game (no I do not turn them into powergamers, I only teach them how to find weaknesses in their list and the list of their opponents, what they do about it is their choice), and some of my most enjoyable games have been against these new players...

When teaching these new players I use my friendly lists and I avoid some of the nastier tactics unless they ask me to teach them to play competatively (I make sure this is optional, as you stated, not everyone wants to do this). But there gets to be a point where your dumbing down your list to the point that you may aswell just knock 500 points off your points limit to try to even the matches out... I intensely dislike having to go this far, and I only do it for a new players first few games if they are having trouble catching on.

When playing an experienced player I will refuse to go to such lengths to make the game balanced, i've already brought a friendly list and left my tourny tactics at home... what more can they reasonably ask of me?

Im not disagreeing with you paul, you make some very good and valid points, im just trying to show you the other side of the equation.

[Mal]

What is your typical list Mal?

I have lots of different armies with lists of varying degrees of competativeness... so you'll need to narrow this down a bit for me.

Do you want to know what my friendly list is?

[house_cawdor]

Nah, I was just curious, what is your most used army?

[Mal]

Currently its tied between dark eldar (im getting back into playing them after a loooong break, so much pratice required) and my imperial fists (my single most fluffy army, and also my primary friendly list).

If I had to say, then I think i've played the fists for a game or 2 more then the eldar...

The fists at 1500pts are as follows:

Lysander (a must have fluffy choice for a fist army)
5 termis with cyclone missile launcher

10 sternguard, 3 combi-meltas, sarg with fist and meltabomb
droppod with locator and dw launcher

2x 10 tactical marines, flamer, missile launcher, sarg with fist and meltabombs

5 devs, 4x heavy bolters, sarg with combi-flamer

dreadnought with twin las and missile launcher

The reason there are sternguard in there is that I didn't quite have enough points for 2 more tac squads, ohh and the pod goes down empty.. I just use it as a tracer for lysander and the termis.

[LemanRussCommander]

I develop the fluff and then create a army from that, for example my WIP Drop Troop Regiment is from Vistas in the south eastern tip of Segmentum Solar the Planet Vistas is covered in mountain chains except for the fertile plains near the coast. The Imperial Guard and PDF forces are all volunteer. There is only 1 Drop Troop Regiment, the 12th Mountain Eagles. Only after becoming a verteran in the regular guard forces are you allowed to try the indoc for the Drop Troop Regiment. If you survive the training then you become a Drop Trooper. The 12th's mortal enemy are the Dark Eldar, since they captured the old Colonel years ago.(one of the best games i ever played kept this fluff going) The regiment is geared up ready to exact vengence with the increase in raids in the sector recently. Captain Edwards leads the elite of the elites Veteran Squad transported by their long time Vendetta Turbo Lover (better run for cover...) All my Valks, Vendettas, and Vultures are named after metal and rock. Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc.

IMHO the game is geared to be fun, some of the best games i've played i lost, sometimes horribly, but sometimes i can't help but laugh when a bloodthrister destroyes half my army only to be dragged down by a guardsman with a flamer. If you play just to win you wont walk away happy every time. I mean in all seriousness we play with little plastic men ( and not afraid to say it) so how serious can you really take it ;)

[Koppenflak]

All my Valks, Vendettas, and Vultures are named after metal and rock. Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc.

I love it. I had a 'similar' idea of naming each of my Leman Russ tanks after current/former girlfriends (the idea made me chuckle) but unfortunately I have a full company of 10 tanks, and only had 4 girlfriends. I'd need to be way more of a manwh*** for that idea to work

...That and my current girl was shocked and appalled by the idea. :P

I love fluff. Fluff was the reason I got in to the game to begin with, and I find it's very hard for me to seperate the game from the story. To force them in to seperate interests just doesn't work well in my head, but I still value competitive lists... so I've combined the two theories.

As a result, my Imperial Guard's fluff paints them as a hardened force of veterans who are well-equipped, well drilled, experienced and versatile. More than just their army list, I've probably written about 90 pages worth of fluff of both their planet and sector's history. (I've combined my 40k army and my Battlefleet Gothic Imperial Navy in a roundabout way) Where as there is a fairly rigid distinction in most regiments between Light Infantry, heavy infantry, mechanized and armour in most Imperial Guard forces (the Cadians, for example) I've adopted something of a "Rommel" theme whereby Prussaria's Reichsguard are raised as 'combined arms' forces that bring together tank, artillery and infantry companies in equal measure in a single regiment. In essence, it's US/German Blitzkrieg theory. In game terms, I don't spam vets, nor tanks, and I usually find an equal measure of every unit type in my lists.

I play it to theme as well - lead from the front with officers who like to punch the enemy in the middle of the face, punishing those who shirk from advance, while laying down crossfire from multiple sides. Casualties be damned. They're an army of intollerant, but efficient, ****s who give no quarter and expect none. I don't like the easy win, so I'm not going to play them to give me one either.

It's always surprised me that despite the Imperial Guard's underlying theme of encouraging combined arms, the fluff of most regiments doesn't reflect it very well, with regiments being defined strictly as "infantry", "armour" or "artillery", and not much cross-pollenation.

[LemanRussCommander]

I love it. I had a 'similar' idea of naming each of my Leman Russ tanks after current/former girlfriends

I spent to much money on my tanks to name them like that, i'd just get angry and smash them to pieces (not that any of my past relationships ended poorly:D)

[house_cawdor]

Mal,

Sounds like a pretty good fluff list to me.

I dont know then?

I always try for a fluff list, but balance it out by covering up some weaknesses of units. I have noticed from SM Codex and on, you can make a reasonable list in every codex that follows the fluff. Sorry Chaos and Orks got left out on that one :(

[Koppenflak]

I spent to much money on my tanks to name them like that, i'd just get angry and smash them to pieces (not that any of my past relationships ended poorly:D)

This is true. But then I've got fond enough memories of them that I could probably get over the urge to smash.

...Just noticed that the word "Na" followed by "zi" is censored on this forum. How odd. (My guardsmen can't help what they are! That's discrimination! ;) )

[Mal]

The imperial fists are a fluff list... but then they were made to be a pure hobby army, I painted them up as a show army (14 months of painting)... but I decided to start using them as its actually difficult to make a truely friendly list using the ork codex...

even massed basic troops with no upgrades can be competative in that dex... (and scarily enough, i've got the minis to do it! eep!).

[BuFFo]

My army background can be found here, at the bottom of the first page.

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=10707

It is almost two years old, and I have not updated it since then, so it is probably full of grammar errors and the like.

[Mal]

I may write some background to my DE list once i've finished hammering it out and working out the kinks... but i'll base the fluff on what forces I play, to make sort of a living background to the army. (my prefered method of working fluff into my armies).

[Porty1119]

Here goes nothin'

Krandor 116th Airborne 'Black Sheep'

Located deep in Segmentum Pacificus, Krandor is an easily-overlooked agri-world but for one detail: hurghis. This nearly-miraculous medicinal plant is in great demand throughout the segmentum, and has brought Krandor great wealth over time. Accordingly, it has been able to purchase the very best equipment for its raised Guard regiments. The last of these to be founded was designated the 116th, 116 being an unlucky number in Krandor culture. As befitting this, the Black Sheep have been thrown into just about every suicidal deployment imaginable-and won. Everything from moderate Ork campaigns, to Chaotic incursions, to Tau raids have been destroyed by superior tactics and equipment.

As its designation suggests, the Black Sheep specialize in air assault tactics, maintaining more than seventy of their own aircraft, and eschewing conventional armored units for gunships and assault carriers. By association, this lack of heavy ground-based equipment leads to a heavy focus on well-equipped infantry. Melta weapons and flamers have proven highly popular, as their short range is negated by the speed with which they can get into combat.

The 116th is a relatively small regiment at just over 600 men and women, but it never goes into combat on its own. A variety of air support, transport and elite support units are tacked on and often effectively become part of the regiment over sustained campaigns, and overall have nearly quadrupled the unit's strength. In the 116th's current operation, Operation Divine Hammer, or the liberation of the capital continent of the world of Asphodel, several Asphodel PDF units look likely to also become seconded to the regiment.

KRANDOR 116th AIRBORNE AND ATTATCHED UNITS

- Krandor 116th Airborne
-13th Battalion, Royal Krandor Marines Recon Division
-1657th Imperial Fighter Squadron 'Firehawk' Flight
-133rd Krandor Marines Fighter Squadron 'Arrow' Flight

IMPERIAL MERCHANT MARINE TRANSPORT DETACHMENT
-INS Pacificus Conveyor
-INS Providence

IMPERIAL NAVY ESCORT SQUADRON ALFA 6223
-INS Incendia Aquila
-INS Ferrum Tempestas
-INS Venator Praemium

[Commissar Lewis]

I have some fluff written up for my regiment, and names for a number of my troops. My regiment's half Daneland Red Guard (Cadian models) and Catachan.

Though my Marbo is gonna be a model I'm gonna make of Cliff Hudson, flannel sleeveless shirt, camo boonie hat and machete and all.

[DarkLink]

Do I have army fluff? Not really. Because I'm lazy.

[Paul]

This is all a very good read; I've been attempting to name my tanks recently and these are all wonderful ideas.

[cobra6]

I'm glad to see that the tempers have cooled a bit.

I'm definitely a fluff player (I have to be honest - I kind of have to be because I'm not a very good competitive player.) I play several different armies:

CSM: World Eaters 24th Company- lots of footslogging Zerks, summoned daemons, bikes, Dreds, and Defilers, led by Chaos Lord "Captain Sirhc." They were the largest surviving unit of WE's after Skalathrax, but have been steadily wittled down and began press-ganging other Chaos Marines and forcibly implanting them with Berzerker aggression chips.

IG: The Blood Pact from the "Gaunts Ghosts" novels by Dan Abnett. Yes, I even modeled the little 'grotesque' masks on all of 'em. I try to play these guys very fluffy - dismounted Vet squads with a mix of weaponry (no chimeras, no melta spam), 2-4 Leman Russ variants, Infantry platoons, some mutated ogryns, a squad of rogue psychers (ie. battle psycher squad), and a command squad including counts-as Nork as a 'Lifeward.' Not leafblower by a long shot! The fluff? Read the books!

Vanilla Marines: The "Screaming Eagles" chapter, a tribute to my old Army unit, the 101st Airborne. This is currently my most competitive list. The fluff is that this chapter was recently created in Ultima Segmentum, and promised a "rendevous with destiny!" The 3rd company ("Rakkasan Company") are a bunch of primadonnas who keep drawing all the cool planetary assault missions, drop pod assaults, etc. The disgruntled 2nd Company ("Strike Company") which I play, keeps getting stuck with grueling insurgencies on desert worlds, and has to rely on decentralized operations, with squads and razorbacks operating in small groups with support from landspeeders and scouts. Both 2nd and 3rd look down (without real justification) on 4th Company ("Currahee") and 5th Company ("No Slack Company".) So there is some very rich background to plumb here..

Blood Angels: Pre-Heresy World Eaters 15th Great Company- This army is under construction, with only a Tac Squad and a Furioso completed. This Great Company (approx. 1k Marines) was enroute to the Istvaan system to link up with their Legion when they were lost in the warp and re-emerged in the 41st millenium. They are now very confused, and very very pissed off. Some of them are loyalists who were slated to go down to the surface and get virus bombed. Some of them have joined the warrior lodge and are falling to Khorne worship. To be loyal to WE and PH fluff, no Baal Preds, Storm Ravens, Sanguinor, Razorbacks, Pred Annihilators, Lib Furiosos, LR Crusaders, etc. There will be c/a Death Company "Berzerkers" in every single list, even if they are not the most effective unit!

I also have made Daemon, SoB, another SM and another IG army, but I either don't own or don't play them curently.

[Herr Wiggles]

I think theme is more the thing I aim for instead of background. When I make an army, I strive to keep to a certain theme, while still trying to either remain fairly effective, or keeping in all the models I want in the force. For the gaps between the theme and what I want in the force, I create small bits of background to justify things for myself. Take my space wolves for example, I wanted to run a 13th company army to make use of the assorted chaos bits I have (and indulge myself a bit in newer kits), but I love my land raiders and the new termies are gorgeous. So, I have come up with the background that these are a separate lost force that has slaying the warriors of the blood god and making use of what equiptment they could salvage, which includes terminator armor and land raiders.

[Force21]

I like the idea of making your own army background & all...

I thought about it when I started playing 40k.


but I did not know alot about the fluff in it so I just said to myself


Ahhh.... 8th Cadian is cool & pretty much ow I like to play my IG... the best mass troops & awesome commanders. stuff like that.

same about the Demon hunters...

I loved the fluff about GK & all.


but when I started playing Dark Heresy I thought this is the chance to make anything you wanted about your background... still working on it tho....

[Javin]

I really enjoy making fluff for my armies. I have three and each has its own history. When a unit does something fun in a game I add the story to their fluff OR give a random soldier/ork/marine and actual name.

[JonnyRoxtar]

There is a time and a place for army background... and the gaming table isn't it.

This is not to say you shouldn't have an army background, it can be a lot of fun and very satisfying to have a well thought out army background for your finished army.

But when it comes to game time, don't give yourself a handicap for some 'fluff'... nobody will think highly of you for throwing a match like that.



Well, thats just like your opinion man.

Playing a fluffy list can help you progress as a gamer. Use units that others consider weak or an entire list of stuff that fits your background but most "know" doesnt work. It developes diferent tactics and new ways of thinking around problems. Also its just fun. Some people do play for fun right?

[Mal]

I've tried that before, yes its a good way to master tactics in an unbalanced game, however thats the limit of its usefulness.

Im at the point with my gaming where I don't need to play a game to work on new tactics.

Its largely due to how I play.. i'll try to explain, but not many people have understood how I do it...

I play my opponent as much as their army... I use tactics that have a heavy psychological factor, essentially I play with my opponents head, I throw them off their game and make them make mistakes.
I can do this because im really good at reading people, I know how people will react in a given situtation and I use that to my advantage.

A side effect of years of doing this to the same group of people has left me with a very solid picture of how they will play their army in any given situtation, so I can actually visualise a game in my head with their responses being realistic without the need to pick up a single dice... sure im limited to probabilities to work out casulaties and this doesn't always translate into reallife, but it does give a good basis for tactical development.

I suppose you could say I think too much.

[Christian]

At our Gaming Store, Fluff plays a role in the tournaments. You get points for a good story and the best 'background story writer' gets an award at the end of the tournament. So yes I do sometimes have a army to which I write my own story.

[Xas]

Im at the point with my gaming where I don't need to play a game to work on new tactics.

Its largely due to how I play.. i'll try to explain, but not many people have understood how I do it...

I play my opponent as much as their army... I use tactics that have a heavy psychological factor, essentially I play with my opponents head, I throw them off their game and make them make mistakes.
I can do this because im really good at reading people, I know how people will react in a given situtation and I use that to my advantage.

I suppose you could say I think too much.

Mal, what you describe sounds very familiar with me. I've been there and done that and I may go as far as to say that I've gone even farther as of now.

It seams our playstyle is very similar. Correct me if I'm wrong but you think (or even be as sure to say "know") that it's not your list that wins games but your mind and even presence alone. You look for someone who can battle you on even terms where both players go to their best of abilities and in the end the game is decided on knive's edge or by the will of a few dice because it is so close. You wouldnt mind if you'd loose as long as your oponent really earned his win.

If the above is right I can tell you something and maybe even teach you a bit.

First you'll have to accept that there are very few players like you and me.

There is one crowd that sees the game just as a way to roll dice and have some brain-lacy fun with their self-painted toys. They usually call themselves "hobby players" or "friendly players". Compared to our level they basically do not think about tactics at all. Not because they are dumb but because they just dont care. For them warhammer is first a dice game played to relax the mind just as much as painting can relax your troubled mind.

The other big crowd are the win at all cost gamers. To them the game is there to feel superior by winning and crushing your oponent. They do not care if the game is fun to anyone (including themself) as long as they win in the end. They use every trick and cheat they can get away with. I cannot really understand their mindset but to me it appears very dirty and sinister. The problem is that those people are very "prominent" on both the gameing table and the internet. As their goal is just to push their ego they like it if they are seen and get attention (good as well as bad one!). So if you have one or two of those people in a tournament of 50 it is a shure thing that at least half of those 50 players will remember those WAAC people and go home with bad memories.

Between them there are (maybe the most) "normal" gamers. They can appreciate the crafting and painting and dont go over the top to win every game. At same time they like to win and try to improve their playstyle and army list a bit. Unfortunatelly the most common mixture is that they are nearly as win-eager as the WAAC crowd but to lazy to learn the tricks to do so (I call this subgroup the "sore loosers" because all they do day in and out is complain. If they loose your list is "cheesy" and OP but at same time the take 20 nobbikers to a "hobby-tournament" under some wierd excuse).


Outside this spere there are a few other people who hearthfully appreciate a tactical challenge. We might appear similar to the WAAC crowd but only because the results are the same (we win, and we win most of the time). Our reasons and the way we do so is as different as it could be compared to the WAACiaks. We win because we like to think and think very much. A game of warhammer 40k is so much more than turn sequences, BS, S vs T, AP vs SV and mission objectives. Some people percieve the flow of battle in a total different way than most others. I like to discribe it as "tasting the strings of destiny". Without many conscious thoughts but much more instinct it is possible to orchestrate the battlefield and the play of yourself AND your oponent into a beatiful symphony of destruction in which every piece plays it's part perfectly and in the end it all clicks in to your final victory.

We know that we are different than the WAAC crowd. At same time we cannot mesh with the hobby crowd because the fear us (on the table).

What you can do (and sorry for takeing so long) is to either find people like you or adapt to the others.

You could try and catch some younger/fresh WAAC players and teach them some manners and that you need to win with honour and skill and without dirty cheats.

You could also try out team games. catch a fluffbunny or two and play against some of the loudmouth WAAC guys in your area. They will think the hobby-gamers as easy prey. You will crush them utterly and wouldnt have to have any regrets because its only some Wanabe WAACs. At same time you will have given the hobby-people an enjoyable experience (they might have been defeaten and verbally abused by those WAACiaks in former games) as well as maybe learned them something and made friends.

Just accept that some people dont want to think to much when playing and that this doesnt make them "lesser" gamers.

I have many friends in my local shop but only a handfull of them are good/courageous enough to play me 1v1. Many have fun in a team game (and the usually pickup apocalypse game usually ends up with 2-3 people and 10k more who want to play on my side than with the others :) ) and some of them we just talk about the crafting aspect of the hobby and army background.


I hope this helped even a bit :)

[Mal]

Thats a really good description actually... I always seem to have a hard time putting those concepts into words.

I actually have no shortage of people who want to play me... im fortunate that a lot of the gamers in my area are decent folks who like a challenge, and some of them are even better then me! (shock horror! :p ).

For the most part though, I play somewhat diluted lists against most opponents because my A game would just be too much for them. The only exception is when im hammering out a new A list, but I always tell people before I accept any challenges that I want to do competative testing with the army.

It is a shame that there are not more people who play the same way as I do in my area, I've only met 1 other person in that last 18 years who did... and that was one insane matchup... and extremely fun... I lost on the last turn... I needed to roll a 4+ for my run move to force a draw (at which point I would have won on secondary objectives), but I rolled a 2.

He said he'd bne showing up at the tournament again next year, so im hoping I get paried off with him again.

[Hyperion]

Personally, while I very rarely restrict a list for fluff purposes (I dont take Commisars, Aetherials, or Priests... my IG are veterans for the primary reason that Elysian squads are £35 a pop) I cannot see much point in playing such an expensive and background-rich game without taking basically, a hobyist approach... background for me drives the conversion and painting processes with characters often evolving during campaigns. Since our campaigns are invariably story driven and often cross over to Dark Heresy this works out quite well.

I really can't criticise anyone's preference, especially as I have already stated previously my abhorrence of unpainted models, but I would suggest to powergamers that chess is a whole lot cheaper.

So, anyways, my imperial armies are based in Hyperion system, galactic north of Ultramar:

"Hyperion system has long had ties to the Ultramarines and is the recruiting ground for the Regulators Chapter (WIP) who play little if any direct role in governance. The system has two inhabited planets: Helios and Selene; plus numerous outposts and bases spread throughout local space. Legend claims that when the Emperor himself arrived in Hyperion space, He was greeted by a civilisation which had weathered the fall at least as well as Macragge and it is said that the Great Crusade left system with over a thousand more ships and some sixty thousand troops in tow. The truth of this is unknown, but it is apparent that the system remains a significant force within the Imperium.

The world of Helios is mainly arid, with the bulk of food being grown in the more temperate equatorial regions and the majority of industrial activity taking place in orbit and on several of the system moons. Selene, further from Hyperion is colder, largely covered in water and with only small landmasses available. Both planets have several major cities, but for the most part the population of Helios lives in scattered family settlements whereas those of Selene reside in flotillas of boats, which form and disperse seemingly at random. The system is technically advanced, perhaps even dangerously so… although no obvious heresy has ever been established or as far as records show, investigated. At any rate, there is a substantial Inquisitorial presence, with a fortress moon orbiting the dead planet Eos (interdicted). The force reports to Talasa Prime but their purpose in the system is unknown.

Hellions and Selenites share most characteristics (a fact they hotly dispute) although the former are generally regarded as more outspoken when sober, the latter when not. All Hyperians share strong family ties and an ethic of both hard work and hard play. The most obvious characteristic to outsiders (Hyperians have a pretty jaundiced view of all foriegners and see no practical difference between a visiting Iperial Dignitary and any other type of Xeno... all are treated with the same polite distain, notable exceptions being Ultramar citizens and Catachans whose ethic of stoicism makes them almost godlike to Hyperian society) is an almost pathological embarrassment caused by ostentatious or bombastic behaviour unless all participants are allowed to get blindingly drunk first. This has had a profound effect on the local ecclesiarchy who are more likely to be found having tea with local notables than giving hellfire speeches from the pulpit. Those preachers who insist on sermonising generally have to accept that the few Hyperians who stagger in to listen a) probably won’t remember a word and b) often start singing in the wrong places.

The Hyperian government consists of Queen Caroline Grey and a wide ranging and ever changing number of debating chambers and ministries in what is known locally as a ‘democratically elected parliament’. Hyperians are extremely proud of this system of government, feeling that the numbing complexity of legislative bodies and an apparently random shift in both overall numbers and dominance adds to the fun. For the most part, domestic issues are debated, whereas the Queen (Bless her) runs Imperial and extraplanetary affairs, ostensibly on behalf of the Regulators Chapter Master. Notable chambers include the House of Nobles (These are family heads who are elected to their position within the family), the House of Savants (Boring debates but the fights can be entertaining), the House of Seniors (An estimated 90% of legislation from this house directly relates to skirt hemlines and general noise levels in young persons. However, as with many chambers, the legislation is obscure and almost universally ignored by the under 120’s) and the House of Veterans which is for persons who a) have been to war and b) like to talk about it.

The Military forces of Hyperion fall into two main categories: the Militia which make up the bulk of both PDF and Auxilla drafts and which are generally raised, outfitted (according to tradition taste or occasionally some sort of military experience) and funded by family heads from within their own (extremely extended) families, often operating on a part time basis or in times of need; alternatively, the Professionals are drawn from across the system (including Militia personnel should they get fed up with keeping it in the family) and make up units such as 3-6 Commando. Such forces are often sent to fight alongside both the Regulators and Ultramarines chapters and are also often seconded to Ultramar or even to the Imperial Guard as need arises.

3-6 Commando is primarily a rapid reaction and recon force used in scouting, area denial and sabotage roles. Currently, Captain Mercer commands the unit.


“This hammer? Well it’s rather pretty as symbols go, but look! There! See how it comes apart in my hands? Don’t know my own strength, that’s the problem… Still, I’m sure Magos Barkin can fix you up with a nice shiny new hammer. Wave it in my face again, however, and I’ll wrap it around your neck. Now bugger off, there’s a good chap: some of us have work to do.”

Captain Isambard Mercer addressing Inquisitor Lord Hephaestos Grudd."

[erwos]

Only the very lightest of backgrounds.

My Iron Warriors are part of the 7th Company. They're reasonably friendly with Abaddon, and will go into battle with him and other legions (I have three squads each of PMs and 'zerkers, and imagine I'll paint up new squads as other legions as trades allow).

My Jenen Ironclads (lifted the name from Codex: Eye of Terror) are armoured-company traitors who are allied with the Iron Warriors. They do like salvaging Imperial gear and turning it to their own use, so while they primarily have the older gear, they do run into the odd new bits.

I don't need much more than that, given that they're canonical groups... they do what Chaos does, which is invade planets, kick tail, and then divide up the plunder.

[DadExtraordinaire]

My army background can be found here, at the bottom of the first page.

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=10707

It is almost two years old, and I have not updated it since then, so it is probably full of grammar errors and the like.

Interesting concept Buffo - I like it...a lot. :) I have some 3rd edition Warhammer Plastic Skeletons for my Chaos Space Marine / Daemon Army well more like a huge invasion horde. The conversions have certainly given me some food for thought for my army. As for washes try a chesnut brown (which is red / brown) ;)

[MarshalAdamar]

I like the idea of a background fluff, especially for a home brewed chapter. For me, I couldn’t play an army unless I knew how it fit into the fabric of the 40k universe. But I’m a story driven kind of person. Now that I have not just played a game of 40k off the hip but I find that I enjoy mini campaigns or even just placing the mission with in the context of a larger story add to the enjoyment of the game.

I made my home brewed chapter after I started a vanilla marine army and found that the paint job was very close to the black Templars. I read the codex and loved it, but I was not going to repaint the army to the actual BT paint scheme.

So the “Lions of the Emperor” were born. Sent by the High Marshal to pacify a back water system that was tainted by the ruinous powers Marshal Adamar took the equivalent of an entire battle company and set forth on his crusade.

Shortly after the Lions entered the system a warp storm engulfed the entire system trapping the crusaders. Cut off from the Imperium and all contact with their chapter they continued to fight to purge the taint of chaos. Supported by vast maufactorum forge ships they purged the planet of Rilos and established a fortress monastery as a base of operations.

Over the course of the years trapped in that system the Marines slowly took on their own traditions and traits. Their chaplains preached that they fight like “lions”; “Lions for the Emperor” on the battle field.

After battle the surviving battle brothers would take a knee on the battle field and pray with their chaplains and thus the red knee pad became a symbol of the brother’s victory on the battle field. After many particularly bloody engagements the forearms of the initiate would be red, caked with blood and so the red forearms became a symbol of the willingness to shed blood for the Emperor in brutal hand to hand combat. In time the initiates began to paint one kneed pad and their forearms red as symbols of the bloody campaign. And finally from removing their helmets with bloody hands time and again to kneel and pray with their chaplain their helmets would become crimson, leading the battle brothers to paint their helmets red.

In the end the system was purged of Chaos and the warp storm abated and the crusade returned to the Imperium to report to the High Marshal what had happened. The crusade fleet returned home to find that time passed much more slowly in the warp storm than for the rest of the Imperium. In addition the Black Templars that assembled to meet the High Marshal bore only a passing resemblance to the ones that had left of the original crusade.

In fact after much debate, the High Marshal proclaimed that they were no longer “Black Templars” But worthy to be their Own Chapter. And so High Marshal Adamar took command as the chapter master of the newly formed “Lions of the Emperor”.

[DadExtraordinaire]

I love fluff. Fluff was the reason I got in to the game to begin with, and I find it's very hard for me to seperate the game from the story. To force them in to seperate interests just doesn't work well in my head, but I still value competitive lists... so I've combined the two theories.

As a result, my Imperial Guard's fluff paints them as a hardened force of veterans who are well-equipped, well drilled, experienced and versatile. More than just their army list, I've probably written about 90 pages worth of fluff of both their planet and sector's history. (I've combined my 40k army and my Battlefleet Gothic Imperial Navy in a roundabout way) Where as there is a fairly rigid distinction in most regiments between Light Infantry, heavy infantry, mechanized and armour in most Imperial Guard forces (the Cadians, for example) I've adopted something of a "Rommel" theme whereby Prussaria's Reichsguard are raised as 'combined arms' forces that bring together tank, artillery and infantry companies in equal measure in a single regiment. In essence, it's US/German Blitzkrieg theory. In game terms, I don't spam vets, nor tanks, and I usually find an equal measure of every unit type in my lists.

It's always surprised me that despite the Imperial Guard's underlying theme of encouraging combined arms, the fluff of most regiments doesn't reflect it very well, with regiments being defined strictly as "infantry", "armour" or "artillery", and not much cross-pollenation.

I would like to read your history sometime Koppenflak its sounds really interesting. I see many fluff IG armies are based on either Death Korps of Krieg or Elysians.

Historically, the German forces of World War 2 adapted ideas from the British use of the Tank in WW1 combined with their own storm trooper tactics of WW1 and a highly efficient Air Force, the German forces Blitzkrieg their enemies for the first few years of the WW2. Rommel incidentally was only commanding the 7th Panzer Division during the fall of France. His dynamic manoeuvres in the Desert War are a good read to understanding Operational Tactics. The British utilised combined arms in WW2 after learning from the Germans but the organisational structure was different from the panzer divisions of WW2. The British artillery was probably the best in the WW2. The American armed forces of WW2 tended to have all Armoured Divisions and all Infantry Divisions with Combat Commands which were essentially small combined armed forces for localised situations.

GW leans towards the armies of the 1st World War for IG certainly the architecture of the IG vehicles are all about WW1 as well as the fluff around mass IG armies walking into the hail of enemy shells, bolt rounds obliviously unmoved by the huge losses suffered (very similar to the sort of WW1 assaults made between 1915 to 1917).

[Koppenflak]

I would like to read your history sometime Koppenflak its sounds really interesting. I see many fluff IG armies are based on either Death Korps of Krieg or Elysians.

'Be quite happy to send it on to you. I'm at work at the moment, But Ill PDF what I have when I get home and send you a PM.

Cheers.

[Kahoolin]

Background is very important to me, but I don't think it's important in itself. That is, I don't care at all if the person I'm playing has it or not, so long as they are fun to play with :D

I have a strong background for my guard and my sisters worked up in my head and represented on the models by banners, squad markings and army list choices. Haven't really had occasion to write it down yet, but it basically explains the different models (I have Cadians, DKoK and homebrew guys) in my army and why they are fighting side by side. It also explains why my homebrew guard frequently ally with sisters, and why they are an aggressive force full of power weapons and priests, which is what I like to play.

If my opponent has a good background too, great. Even more fun. The only weakness I find with background is if you place too much emphasis on it it can become a burden trying to explain why Tau would fight Tau or why my loyalist Guard are attacking Astartes again. So you have to take these things with a grain of salt, it's a silly futuristic wargame after all.

[Paul]

Due to the success of the thread, I will post a couple of paragraphs from my TO&E document:

The Concordian 1st “Ironbreakers” Armored Regiment is currently deployed against heretic Space Marine companies. The regimental nickname is derived from their specialization in destroying enemy vehicles, including 1 enemy Warhound titan, 4 enemy superheavies of varying types, 28 enemy Land Raider battle transports, and innumerable smaller vehicles. Founded from the Knight World of Concordia, the Ironbreakers sport an unusually high number of variant Leman Russes from Aeptus Mechanicus Forge Worlds.

The 2nd Company of the Ironbreakers was formed from the remains of the 2nd Brettonian Armored Regiment after its decimation by the heretic Titan Legion “Legio Mortis” and its subsequent rescue by the 1st Company of the Concordian Armored.

The incomplete 3rd Company was formed from attached infantry of the 7th Trynzendian Assault Shock Regiment, leading to the similar uniforms and equipment to the latter organization, including a preponderance of auto-cannon heavy weapons and a preference for the flamer. Vehicles for the company are provided from Concordia.

Due to its deployment against renegade Space Marine units, the most common training missions undertaken by the 1st Concordian Armored have been against friendly Space Marine units, in order to better learn the capabilities and strengths of enemy formations.

Recently, the 1st Concordian has fought alongside elements of the 143rd Elysian Drop Troops Regiment, allowing it to successfully engage and destroy Eldar formations in a recent engagement. Due to the success of the combination, further cooperation between the two regiments in the future is extremely likely.

TL;DR: Awesome stuff.

[DadExtraordinaire]

'Be quite happy to send it on to you. I'm at work at the moment, But Ill PDF what I have when I get home and send you a PM.

Cheers.

Koppenflak thank you very much :o I look forward to reading it and if I get time would like to reciprocate my own background of my IG army and Blood Angels 2nd Company's involvement with the IG army :)

And,

I hope you didn't take offence to my skim history of the WW2 formations and where GW approaches the IG from? :o I find that history can provide us a wealth of material either for a WAAC, themed, fluff or a themed-fluff based army.

I think what is difficult is trying to create a background for an existing force in the W40K universe, i.e. for me it’s my Novamarine force I have just started building for my sons :confused:

[Koppenflak]

Koppenflak thank you very much :o I look forward to reading it and if I get time would like to reciprocate my own background of my IG army and Blood Angels 2nd Company's involvement with the IG army


No offence taken at all. And you have a new message. :)

[EnglishInquisition]

I'm all for "fluff" and background, but I find it can come from many sources. The models, the paint scheme, or the actual codex.
For example, my Tau are all based around the number 8. This is because Tau have 8 fingers, so I made the connection that they would count in Octal (base 8). Octal is a direct multiple of binary (base 2), which is pretty much the basis for logic (yes/no answer etc), hence their rapid advance technologically I know all very basic and full of holes but it works for me..
So, I have 1 commander in battlesuit, with 2 bodyguards, 4 stealth suits, and my fire warriors are in squads of 8, as are the pathfinders. If something can take a transport then they get it, to reflect their use of technology. Other choices are in 2/4/8 as required. My 1500pt list runs out with about 50 models which really pleased me as the codex suggests that this is the approx size of a Hunter Cadre!

My Guard Army are based around the Vostroyans, but I really couldn't paint another red army, so I went with blue. To explain this I went with the theme of the Vostroyan Secondborn, an army raised in addition to the required firstborn of every family. As these sons would be the ones who would normally take on the Family name and responsibilities (lets face it, those firstborn aren't really coming back home!), I went with the theme of lavish expenditure, to keep these "loved" sons alive.So we are heavy on tanks and Chimera, plasma guns would be expensive (if dangerous), but if they hit something it's pretty much guaranteed to die, so thats my special weapon of choice. My platoon struts its stuff with a flamer and vox in every squad. Only one veteran unit (lets face it they haven't been around that long), and some good old long range ordanance, don't want those heirs dying too soon, so kill the enemy from a distance if we can! The conscripts are based on the Valhallan models, and pretty much look like the poor man's Vostroyan. Since they have now been stripped of all special weapons from their squads in the rules, I now think of these as the "Draft Dodgers" and are looked upon as pure cannon fodder, and don't deserve to be equipped with the nice fancy stuff that keeps you alive!

Well thats 2 of my armies fluff, and they do play pretty well, and hold their own on the battlefield,. I love to see themed armies at work, as it seems to tick all the boxes for a fun game.
Ramble over!