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View Full Version : Making a Space Marine Chapter and Writing New Fluff: A Creative Process



Warboss Spleenstabba
08-30-2009, 01:29 AM
Here's a thread I posted on dakka hope you all enjoy :D :

Well First how this all got started: I have been flipping through the Bell of Lost Souls Badab War mini-dex voraciously of late and was amazed by all of the very interesting fluff of chapters that I was not accuainted with and decided, wow that is something I would like to do. Being that I really don't subscribe to the idea of completely home-growing a chapter as I belive that someone can always find something to adopt within the existing 40k universe I decided to follow in Eldanesh's (from 40k Radio Freeboota fame) footsteps by taking a chapter with very little fluff and nothing in the way of an existing paint scheme and making them your own as he did with the Star Phantoms. I also wanted to make a historical or cultureal connection that haddent been done before: Ie: Ultramarines-romans, Iron snakes- greek hoplite, white scars- mongols, mantis warriors- samuai, attilan rough riders- huns, vostroyans- cossacks, tallarn- lawrence of arabia, praetorians- zulu british infantrymen, valhallans- russians, the list goes on and on, I wanted to find one that hadn't been done before, as well as not doing any space wolves- werewolves, blood angels- vampires, star phantoms- ghosts type connections I raced my brain and could not come up with anything historical or mythological wise that did not already exist in one form or another within the 40k universe. I really wanted a fighting style theme as well and was very attracted to a chapter that specialized in boarding actions. So i decided to just go through the known space marine chapters and see whats what.

The best way I thought to do this was to head to the list of space marine chapters on lexicanum and run through the list. I've gotten a little sick of these new chapters with names that just rip off of the origional chapters: Fire Angels, Red Wolves, Emperor's Hands, Space Sharks and the like, rather I enjoyed the ring Executioners, and Lamenters had to them. So as I was running through the list I would click on the chapters with the names I found interesting and would take a further look.

It came down to a final 3: Consecrators, Iron Hearts, Harbingers. The Consecrators already had an espablished paint scheme (black with some red, I already have black with raven guard so I didn't want to do that again), and the only fluff they had was that they were devoted to hunting the fallen, I really did like their chapter symbol though. The Iron Hearts were a chapter from an old short story in a BL novel (Into the Maelstorm who's chapter had been nerely wiped out) Cool but my last option was much better.

The Harbingers (love the name) were first listed in codex eye of terror where it was said they had devoted 8 companies to fight the 13th black crusade, next they appeared in codex space marines 3rd editions where it mentions that they engaged and defeated the ork controlled space hulk named Skylla and only suffered engine damage to their ship the Unrelenting Fury

Their final mention was from the BL Dark Angels Novel by Gav Thorpe ( Which I had read and thoroughly enjoyed) where they fought alongside Boreas and the Dark Angels against Ghazkull and Nazdreg on Piscina IV.

Under the chapters Generic informaition they had no paint scheme or symbol so I was free to work with what I wanted, the information that was given however was that they specialized in boarding actions and planetary strikes (yes just what I have always wanted and it would make sense for them to work alongside my raven guard), their homeworld was the black planet not having heard of this I clicked on the link- The Black Planet is just another name for Birmingham, a feral world that still uses muskets and is also a major imperial guard recruitment planet and is called the Black Planet b/c it receives very liitle visible light (I though a good way to work in fluff that the Harbingers have deeveloped night vision on the feral world). The planet is also just outside of the segmentum tempestus so it would make even more sense that they would fight alongside my Swap Stalkers of Myr imperial guard and Raven Guard.

The Final piece of information that I was given was the name of the chapter master- Nimrod Grudge, most people might think haha Nimrod like a dolt or an imbecile, but some may know him better as the ancient King who built the tower of Babel. Then my mind started racing the civilization that hasn't been done before in the 40k universe- the Sumerians, Babylonians and Mesopotamians, perfect!

Now how I arrived at deciding on chapter colors and a symbol: when you search King Nimrod on google images you will come up with images of him being depicted in a crimson robe with a lot of gold as well as some emeralds on his cloak. So I thought mostly that crimson with gold shoulder pauldrens and helmet with a little bit on the power packs, knee and shin guards so that the gold was almost as prevelant as the crimson, but not quite and emerald green for the helmet lenses. I came up with the symbol when I saw an ancient fresco style painting of Nimrod depicted with a white stag and recalled an old hungarian legend about nimrod (I have some hungarian ancestry and have always been very interested and proud of it) The legend goes that Nimrod had two sons: Hunor and Magor who each lead 100 men on a hunting party of a white stag these men were the start of the Hun and Magyar tribes that make up the current ethnicity of Hungary (or Magyaria) ,so in addition to coming up with the chapted symbol of the head of a white stag with emerald eyes I also cam up with the names of my 1st and 2nd company captains.

As I delved further into the whole Babylonian theme here is what I cam up with:

Name: Harbingers.

Founding Chapter: White Scars (I though the whole Birmingham being a Feral world, mongols and hungarian legend thing all meshed well together).

Founding: 4th (Something different)

Chapter Master: Nimrod Grudge

Homeworld: The Black Planet (Birmingham).

Fortress-Monastary: The Tower of Babel (cmon' I was just being begged to do this especially with the fluff about Birmingham saying that the people have become culturallly and LINGUISTICALLY isolated).

Main Colors: Crimson and Gold with some Emerald.

Specialty: Boarding Actions and Planetary Assaults.

Battle Cry: "Mene Mene Takel Upharsin" (I thought it was fitting and that the meaning of the phrase is very forboding and harbingeresk).

Estimated Strength: 2066 marines (There were multiple factors of how I arrived at this number 1. I wanted something different, 2. I belive that hey should have more marines since they are involved in 3 different campaigns (8 companies in the 13th Black crusade, fighting in the 3rd War for Armageddon, and their Home world is in the middle of Hive Fleet Leviathan!) 3. I wanted the 10th Company (the scouts) to be lead by captain Solomon (going with the cultural theme) to have 666 scouts in it as opposed to the usual 100 as that was the number of talents he had in the bible (and not the number of the beast that number was mistranslated and was actually 616) I digress so the Chapter has 14 companies: each chapter having 10 more marines than the usual 100, it has 2 veteran companies the 1st and 2nd and the 10th company has 666 initiate scouts.

Notable Harbingers:
Noah the 1st Chapter Master who lead the Battle Barge The Ark to discover Birmingham.

Cheif Librarian Gilgamesh (I think my reasons are a bit obvious )

Head Chaplain Belshazzar

Head Tech Marine -----------

Head Apothecary ------------

1st Company: Captain Hunor.
2nd Company: Captain Magor.
3rd Company: Captain Darius.
4th Company: Captain Nebuchadnezzar.
5th Company: Captain ---------------
6th Company: Captain -------------
7th Company: Captain -------------
8th Company: Captain ------------
9th Company: Captain ------------
10th Company: Captain Solomon
11th Company: Captain ----------------
12th Company: Captain ----------------
13th Company: Captain ----------------
14th Company: Captain ------------------

Well I hope anyone who has bothered to read it enjoy's it, I mainly wrote it to keep my thoughts in order and to catalog it, but I also hoped that some people might find the inspiration to pick up an unloved chapter and write some fluff for it and also would like to receive imput from the dakka community on name suggestions for my other characters or any quiestions or comments you might have. I was throwing the names Suleiman and Mustapha around as I know they are not Babylonian I am also of turkish ancestry and those names might fit the bill I also like Saladin and Abaraham let me know what you guys thing and again thank you for taking the time to read this and or respond.

Schnitzel
08-30-2009, 06:22 AM
Very interesting spin you've taken here. I like it. If I hadn't already solidified the basic fluff of my DIY chapter I'd follow in the same pattern.
For more Babylonian names you could take a spin through the Christian bible. I believe in one of the old testament books the Jews were held captive by the Babylonians for a good period of time.
Also looking though some history books on the subject of Babylon would be a good idea as well.

I took the historic spin for my DIY chapter and am basing it off of Mark Antony. Drawing historical parallels is a very fun and interesting way to fluff out your chapter.

ThePov
08-30-2009, 06:37 AM
Agreed, wonderful job there. It's just begging for a Captain Habbukkuk.

I too took an "established" Chapter in name only, (The Angels of Retribution, whose only real fluff is that they are a Dark Angels Succesor) and went wild with it, creating a Space-borne army devoted to hunting the Warp-mutated crew of a lost Battlebarge, but I didn't go nearly as deep as you (names for all Captains, Librarians, non-codex Company set up, etc.). I appluad your effort and demand to see pics of the army as it progresses!

Denzark
08-30-2009, 06:43 AM
Its definitely different. But probably the reason not been done before is that sumerians, mesapotamians etc are persian subjects and what with all the spartan tat flying around, simply spear fodder to throw against your greeks. Hardly heroic taking 100000+ to kil kil kil 300.

Or if you prefer persian, therefore Iranian. So probably a no-no (although I would think giving a chapter amster the rank of 'Ayatollah' would be quite droll.)

Liking the names though.

Dragonslayer261
08-30-2009, 07:38 AM
I like it. It's great to something NEW that hasn't been raked over the coals. Would love to see pics as you progress.

Warboss Spleenstabba
08-30-2009, 11:54 AM
To the Persian and Iranian comment yes I see where your coming from but I wanted to keep the chapter in more of the BC middle eastern time period, mainly b/c I am one of those Spartan loving people on top of being a major hellenist I love the battle of thermopolae (b4 everyone jumped on the ban wagon when Zach Snyder's adeptation of Frank Miller's work came out, not to say that it was not a great graphic novel or film) and all things greek (history, war, mythology, philosophy, science, medicine etc.)

I'm a bit of a novice theologian so yes I have taken a lot of this inspiration from some books of the bible mainly Daniel.

The Mark Antony theme sounds awesome.

I love the Habbukkuk idea and I would love to see any fluff you write up for your Angels of Retribution.

As far as pictures go I definately will be posting some but it might be a little ways off as I'm wrapping up my Word Bearers army with death guard contingent and still have some work to do on my Swamp Stalkers of Myr imperial guard, but rest assured they will be up there (I might post my swamp stalker thread on here too and still have yet to make the profile for the word bearers (very conversion heavy army)) But when the harbingers do come up they most likely won't be painted and if so probably not by me, I'm a good converter and fluff writer, but I can't paint worth ****, some people tell me I'm being too much of a perfectionist about so who knows maybe I'll try my hand at a couple.

Where I would like some help is in finding heads for some of the characters especially Nimrod Grudge I really like the beard and shoulder pad and these pictures: http://echarlestucker.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/nimrud.jpg http://www.hiddendawn.com/char/king_nimrod02.jpg but have yet to find a model with a head that works any suggestions would be great.

Thank you everyone for the comments this thread was received a hell of a lot better on here than it was on Dakka I should get on these forums more often :D

ThePov
08-30-2009, 12:07 PM
Well, if you want to read the fluff for my army, or post your own, I'll refer you to this thread: Story Behind YOUR army. (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=550) My story is outlined in the first post, and a lot of very creative stories have been posted in response. I actually have a bit of fiction written for my army, which I'll likely post on my user Blog, just because it's WAY to long for a normal post.

So yeah, Go at it! And yes, these forums are about the best I've seen for 40K.

Warboss Spleenstabba
08-30-2009, 12:23 PM
I'll definately take a look at your stuff, and maybe I'll do a post deferring people to this article b/c as you said it's way to long for a post, and thank's for introducing me to that thread. :D

Latro_
03-23-2010, 03:23 PM
The Iron Hearts were a chapter from an old short story in a BL novel (Into the Maelstorm who's chapter had been nerely wiped out) Cool but my last option was much better.


uber thread necro. Doing this chapter myself and have just read the short story, where does it mention they were nearly wiped out... cus it does not in that story.

harrybuttwhisker
03-23-2010, 04:16 PM
best to steer away from using the back planet as its has according to the fluff been destroyed after all contact being lost.

Latro_
03-23-2010, 04:59 PM
best to steer away from using the back planet as its has according to the fluff been destroyed after all contact being lost.

'back planet'? sorry you'v lost me mate.