Whatever happened to Adeptus Arbites

[Deej]

Hi All,

I used to play 2nd Ed. quite a lot, and have only really got back into 40k for the 5th Ed.

My mate used to play IG, and one of the better-looking units were the Adeptus Arbites. I notice they're not in the IG codex now, so when did they get culled? Have they been worked into another Imperial codex, or are they forgotten in the mists of time?

[Sangre]

I'm a huge Arbites fan too. I think they're possibly units in Inquisition codices. Of course, if you ask me, your best bet would be converting the models and fielding them as Veteran squads with shotguns, and that makes them *****in' troops choices!.

[Mike X]

Arbites were scrapped as playable units. I think the reasoning behind this was they're just the police of the Imperium, they have no place on battlefields in wars. Plus, considering they're merely cops, they're mostly trained to combat human criminals... not Chaos Marines or Xenos.

[Necrosis]

Actually Arbites are meant to fight Xenos. They are suppose to be so well defended that they can hold out agaisnt an entire planet uprevolting and wait for reinforcements to arrive. Once the reinforcements arrive they join and help out retake the planet. They have Rhinos, Chimeras and even Leman Russ. They can fight small minor wars by themselves and still win.

[Aegis]

Not to mention that in much of the fluff, Inquisitors tend to take on a lot of Arbites officers to make up their retinue/personal forces. Must mean that have some talent that goes over looked. Alternatively, it stands to reason that a guardsman that survives his tour may become arbites.

[mysterex]

Arbites are a Troop choice in the Witchhunters Codex. See the Inquisitorial Stormtrooper entry. Basically you get them by taking Stormtroopers and replacing their Hell Guns with shot guns.

You can take them in a guard army by using the Witchhunters as allies rules in the front of the WH codex.

[Melissia]

I'm a huge Arbites fan too. I think they're possibly units in Inquisition codices.

Not just possibly. They're in a white dwarf article and most places would let them be legal.

Mostly, though, Arbites exist in the storylines (unless you're in a boring marine-centric story, in which case why are you even bothering to ask?) and in Dark Heresy.

[mathhammer]

Arbites are a Troop choice in the Witchhunters Codex. See the Inquisitorial Stormtrooper entry. Basically you get them by taking Stormtroopers and replacing their Hell Guns with shot guns.

You can take them in a guard army by using the Witchhunters as allies rules in the front of the WH codex.

Bell of lost souls also has a Arbites codex that you can try out. (I will assure you it's not overpowered, and very very hard to win with)

[lobster-overlord]

They had a new set of models put out a few years ago as well for the Necromunda line. It updated their look from the 2nd/3rd edition Judge Dread style to a more in-keeping with 4th ed Cadian, Robocop look. Either style are pretty nice models.

John M>

[RogueGarou]

My oldest Arbites look kind of weedy. There were three sculpts and they are kind of scrawny. One with a shotgun, one with a boltgun, and then one with a bolt pistol, power maul and a helmet mohawk/plume. They are fairly scrawny and do not look like they are wearing heavy carapace armor. Most of the Rogue Trader era minis were kind of scrawny so they fit into that time well.

Then they released some new sculpts during the 2E era which were much more bulky. A shotgun, a boltgun, and the grenade launcher and officer or judge with a shotgun wearing a long coat. These four sculpts were really nice and looked like they were wearing heavy armor. They got a lot of play in Necromunda and there were more rules for them and their shotguns in Necromunda than in 40k.

There is a gang set available for Necromunda that looks pretty nice and those models can have different weapons on the models. They include a heavy with a heavy stubber, cyber mastiffs, and FINALLY models with what was often described as standard equipment... the shock maul/power maul and suppression shield. I haven't picked those up yet but they are on my wish list.

The Arbites had rules in an old White Dwarf but they were scheduled to be in the Imperial Agents Codex that was scheduled to come out in 2E. Unfortunately, this Codex joined the Squats Codex in limbo when 3E came out. Oddly, at the end of 2E the Assassins were pulled out of the Imperial Agents Codex and got their own mini Codex at the end of 2E which was then updated for 3E pretty early in that release cycle. I have always wondered why that was decided and then shortly after those models were put into the Inquisition Codicii.

The Arbites did get some sorta-love from Forge World with the release of Repressor tank kit that both Sisters and Arbites could use. They got a place in the Necromunda revision. 40k, though, has languished a bit on the Arbites front. I would like to see them as a real unit someday, though.

[BDub]

Not to mention that in much of the fluff, Inquisitors tend to take on a lot of Arbites officers to make up their retinue/personal forces. Must mean that have some talent that goes over looked. Alternatively, it stands to reason that a guardsman that survives his tour may become arbites.

Funny you should mention that. I was thinking the other day that it might be cool to use Arbites as "counts as" Inquisitorial storm troopers in a Witch Hunters army.

[Mike X]

Actually Arbites are meant to fight Xenos. They are suppose to be so well defended that they can hold out agaisnt an entire planet uprevolting and wait for reinforcements to arrive. Once the reinforcements arrive they join and help out retake the planet. They have Rhinos, Chimeras and even Leman Russ. They can fight small minor wars by themselves and still win.

I've read a lot of fluff that consists of Arbites, and I've never seen Rhinos, Chimeras, or Leman Russes even mentioned in the context of Arbites. With Guard, of course, but never Arbites. And I can't see Arbites being "meant" for fighting Xenos... they have incredibly crappy weapons that would be nearly useless against most Xenos. I mean, come on, shotguns against power armor?!


Not to mention that in much of the fluff, Inquisitors tend to take on a lot of Arbites officers to make up their retinue/personal forces. Must mean that have some talent that goes over looked. Alternatively, it stands to reason that a guardsman that survives his tour may become arbites.

This is much more true to the fluff I've read up on. Sure, the Arbites is a great recruiting ground for Inquisitors and the Guard, but I really can't see them as a whole putting up much of a fight against invaders. In fact in most fluff I've read, the "planetary militia" is usually getting its *** kicked until Astartes, Titans, or Guard show up to save them. Just because a few stand out as being exquisite warriors doesn't mean all Arbites are.

[mrphatman]

i'm acutualy useing sm scouts with difrent heads (havn't decided what looks arbit enough:p) i play a peniel legion army and thoat that arbits would make great enforcers for them:D i use the vetern rules (carapace with shotguns) even found a way to give sm scouts meltas and plasma guns (snipers, flamers are easy but need to figure out how to do gernade launchers and heavy flamers:confused:)

[Red 2]

[QUOTE=Mike X;44942]I've read a lot of fluff that consists of Arbites, and I've never seen Rhinos, Chimeras, or Leman Russes even mentioned in the context of Arbites. With Guard, of course, but never Arbites. And I can't see Arbites being "meant" for fighting Xenos... they have incredibly crappy weapons that would be nearly useless against most Xenos. I mean, come on, shotguns against power armor?!




It has been a while since I've read the book, but I believe that Graham McNeill details a lot about the Arbites in "Nightbringer". Ventris and the Ultramarines get involved in a planetary civil war and there is a side story involving the planetary Arbites. They are putting up a military-style defense, and they have access to a wide variety of military hardware, including heavy bolters, Rhinos, etc. I also think that there is a reference to the Arbites using Rhinos in First and Only, but, again, I could be wrong.

As for the Arbites being constant parts of Inquisitorial retinues, it makes sense, but not for their combat prowess. In the Eisenhorn books, Eisenhorn took on Godwyn Fischig due to his piety and his exceptional detective skills. In Sandy Mitchell's books, Mordechai Horst is important due to his investigative and interrogation skills that were learned as a member of the Arbites. Both characters are imposing and accomplished warriors, but that's not what landed them the job.

[Just_Me]

Funny you should mention that. I was thinking the other day that it might be cool to use Arbites as "counts as" Inquisitorial storm troopers in a Witch Hunters army.

You certainly can, as has already been mentioned they are specifically mentioned in that codex, which states that as the Arbites frequently have very similar goals to the Ordos Hereticus, they are often employed on-site by OH Inquisitors who need extra muscle. The codex gives you the option to replace the Inquisitorial Storm Trooper's hellguns with shotguns to represent a typical Arbites riot squad. Of course, there is no reason you can't just use them as is to represent a squad outfitted as a SWAT team of sorts.

And one more thing; the Adeptus Arbites are NOT in any way shape or form "just cops." Planets have their own law enforcement agencies that are comparable to the police, sheriffs, etc. If you are familiar with the US law enforcement system then the Arbites (insofar as they can be compared to anything on Earth today) are more like the FBI, they have broad jurisdiction that stems from the "federal" (Imperial) authority rather than the "state" (planetary government) authority, so their authority and jurisdiction is the same on every planet in the Imperium.

Even this is a poor analogy as the Arbites officers also function as judge jury and executioner, so they are really more like the Gestapo, Stasi, Cheka, KGB, and a million other secret/military police organizations throughout history. They have broad discretionary powers and are able to carry out summary judgments as they see fit, but unlike the Inquisition they are still required to operate within Imperial law, rather than above it. In fact, the "Judge Dredd" analogy is both fairly accurate and not accidental (as a side note, Abnett has actually written for Judge Dredd from time to time). They are not usually responsible for petty crimes and basic peacekeeping, that is the responsibility of local law enforcement, they are responsible for crushing riots and investigating cult and interplanetary criminal activity. In fact they are there to watch the planetary government and legal agencies as much as they are to uphold them, sort of like the civilian equivalent of the Commissariat. In short you won't be getting a speeding ticket from an Arbites enforcer, but he might shoot in the face with a riot gun if you were participating in a 60s style demonstration, or whack the governor if he is getting too big for his britches or too friendly with those nice blue alien visitors.

As for their resources, they are generally very well equipped, similar to a SWAT team, and are probably (on a small individual scale) better equipped than PDF or even Guard forces. However, they are very small forces (there might be only a few hundreds or perhaps thousands on an average planet) and would lack most of the heavy stuff (tanks, artillery, and aircover) that these organizations have. They would be very well equipped with APCs (Rhinos, Chimeras, and of course Repressors) to get from point to point and remain secure on the way, and might have limited air support (a handful of VTOL craft like Valkyries) to provide rapid transport and pursuit. They probably also have support from things like Sentinel variants and bike squads (in fact, if you wanted to do a counts-as Inquisition force, Scout Bikers would probably fit right in). Recall that while all of this gear would be considered very light by military standards , it is way beyond what most rioters, insurrectionists, or criminals would have access to. The are intended to hit an inferior target hard and fast to break its back, not engage in extended military action. In the event of an invasion they will backup the PDF and try to quell any potential panics. In small scale rebel actions they will likely be at the forefront of the action. In the event of full scale rebellion they will try to arrest/execute the traitorous government leaders responsible and hope that fixes the problem, if that isn't possible or doesn't work then they will send out a call for Imperial action and hunker down in their Precinct Fortresses (generally isolated and very well defended) to hold out and buy the Imperium time to react.

[Melissia]

Right, if you actually read more than just Astartes fiction, you'd likely see the difference between Enforcers (local law enforcement agencies) and the Arbites (Imperium's galaxy-wide law enforcement agency).

[BuFFo]

Hi All,

I used to play 2nd Ed. quite a lot, and have only really got back into 40k for the 5th Ed.

My mate used to play IG, and one of the better-looking units were the Adeptus Arbites. I notice they're not in the IG codex now, so when did they get culled? Have they been worked into another Imperial codex, or are they forgotten in the mists of time?

You played Arbites in 2nd edition? Thats nice, because Arbites got axed in 1998 when 3rd edition came out anyway.

[Nabterayl]

Right, if you actually read more than just Astartes fiction, you'd likely see the difference between Enforcers (local law enforcement agencies) and the Arbites (Imperium's galaxy-wide law enforcement agency).
I think of Arbites as the Imperium's gendarmerie - a full-on branch of the Armed Services that specializes in police work. This is a little unintuitive for American players, and to a lesser extent British players, because neither the USA nor the UK really has a gendarmerie, but many nations have a sort of national super police force that is actually part of the military (in addition to the actual police, who are a civilian organization). Once I stopped thinking of Arbites as Police Plus (like some kind of SWAT team) and started thinking of them as military personnel whose job is to punish criminals, Arbites made a lot more sense.

[DarkLink]

I think of Arbites as the Imperium's gendarmerie - a full-on branch of the Armed Services that specializes in police work. This is a little unintuitive for American players, and to a lesser extent British players, because neither the USA nor the UK really has a gendarmerie, but many nations have a sort of national super police force that is actually part of the military (in addition to the actual police, who are a civilian organization). Once I stopped thinking of Arbites as Police Plus (like some kind of SWAT team) and started thinking of them as military personnel whose job is to punish criminals, Arbites made a lot more sense.

The Coast Guard actually would qualify as a gendarmerie, as they act primarily as a police force protecting US coastlines, but are actually one of the five uniformed services (USCM, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard).

[Nabterayl]

The Coast Guard actually would qualify as a gendarmerie, as they act primarily as a police force protecting US coastlines, but are actually one of the five uniformed services (USCM, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard).
Yeah, I know, but they aren't visible in quite the same way as a land-based force would be. That's why I didn't just say flat out that the USA doesn't have a gendarmerie.

Another weird thing about Arbites is that they get better training than even the regular army; i.e., the Imperial Guard. Arbitrators come out of schola progenia, meaning there's a standardized training system for every arbitrator in the Imperium - the same basic training system that turns out such Imperial badasses as commissars, sisters of battle, and storm troopers. In American terms, it'd be like, say, FBI agents who all had to graduate from SEAL training - in many ways, having these people hunting for you is even scarier than having the army hunting for you.

[Faultie]

I think of Arbites as the Imperium's gendarmerie - a full-on branch of the Armed Services that specializes in police work. This is a little unintuitive for American players, and to a lesser extent British players, because neither the USA nor the UK really has a gendarmerie, but many nations have a sort of national super police force that is actually part of the military (in addition to the actual police, who are a civilian organization). Once I stopped thinking of Arbites as Police Plus (like some kind of SWAT team) and started thinking of them as military personnel whose job is to punish criminals, Arbites made a lot more sense.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
I completely agree. It is difficult for many (mostly American) players to find a real-world analogue for Arbites. An elite gendarmerie, with more training and better gear than the army, doesn't exist in any countries I can think of off the top of my head.
You played Arbites in 2nd edition? Thats nice, because Arbites got axed in 1998 when 3rd edition came out anyway.What about the Chapter Approved list? It was published in Third Edition (~1998, if I recall).

[mysterex]

You played Arbites in 2nd edition? Thats nice, because Arbites got axed in 1998 when 3rd edition came out anyway.

As they're in Codex Witch Hunters, which came out in 2003, this is incorrect. At worst they just weren't included in a valid codex for a while.

[snikrot]

i love the Arbites they just seem like super cops. i would play them if they got a codex

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I love arbites too, but then I grew up on 2000AD so its like a whole army of Judge Dredds for me :D

[BDub]

Right, if you actually read more than just Astartes fiction, you'd likely see the difference between Enforcers (local law enforcement agencies) and the Arbites (Imperium's galaxy-wide law enforcement agency).

Exactly.

Most of us really crusty old players know that the Arbites were a nod to 2000 AD comics - specifically Judge Dread.

If you think along those lines you will never be far off on what the Adeptus Arbites are about.

[Sangre]

With, of course, the major difference that Arbites make Judge Dredd look like a flaming liberal.

[imperialsavant]

Actually Arbites are meant to fight Xenos. They are suppose to be so well defended that they can hold out agaisnt an entire planet uprevolting and wait for reinforcements to arrive. Once the reinforcements arrive they join and help out retake the planet. They have Rhinos, Chimeras and even Leman Russ. They can fight small minor wars by themselves and still win.

:rolleyes: Not really correct there!
Arbites are in fact Planetary Police & they mostly are for control of the Population when Riots etc occur.
They certainly will fight against Chaos Cults, Genestealer Cults & Xenos Cults but not specifically Xenos incursions. That would call for the Planetary Defence Forces, Sisters of Battle & ultimately Space Marines.
Most Black Libarary Books define their role as above. For Reference read the Shira Calpurnia Novels Crossfire, Blind etc. Cant remember them having Leeman Russes & they tend to use Repressors which were specificaly made for them & then seconded to the Sisters of Battle who now also use them as well as Rhinos etc.

[imperialsavant]

For anyone who wants to model Arbites to use in a Witchhunters Army I recommend the Necromunda Models which are still available. I attach a pic of my Arbites which include Shira Calpurnia. She is not a GW model but converted from another games system but I cant remember which one now as I did her model about 3 to 4 years ago. :)

[Faultie]

:rolleyes: Not really correct there!
Arbites are in fact Planetary Police & they mostly are for control of the Population when Riots etc occur.
They certainly will fight against Chaos Cults, Genestealer Cults & Xenos Cults but not specifically Xenos incursions. That would call for the Planetary Defense Forces, Sisters of Battle & ultimately Space Marines.
Most Black Library Books define their role as above. For Reference read the Shira Calpurnia Novels Crossfire, Blind etc. Cant remember them having Leeman Russes & they tend to use Repressors which were specifically made for them & then seconded to the Sisters of Battle who now also use them as well as Rhinos etc.
Not really correct there!
Read more than just the Shira Calpurnia novels (which, although good, are a bit too 'classic police/investigation drama', and less 40k), and you'll notice Leman Russes, Macrocannon fortress defenses, Strike Cruisers toting bombardment-cannons, assault ships, Chimeras & Repressors, drop pods, etc.
From what I've read, the Rhino is their equivalent of a squad-car. Of course, I took some liberties in my army (http://www.majhost.com/gallery/darcoarco/WM/arbitesarmy.jpg), but I tried to keep theme.

I'd suggest Codex: Imperialis, Imperial Armour, Execution Hour, Nightbringer, Dark Heresy materials, etc. I love Farrer's trilogy, but it's a bit divergent from the other fluff (involving the battling of rebel PDF, dark eldar, chaos marines, traitor guard, warp beasts, more traitor guard, etc.) When necessary, the Arbites will even take command of the local PDF to fight such incursions.

Just for the record: the presence of alien life is a crime. The punishment: death.

[BuFFo]

As they're in Codex Witch Hunters, which came out in 2003, this is incorrect. At worst they just weren't included in a valid codex for a while.

Oh, I must keep on missing the Arbites army list in there. Sorry. :confused:

- edit -

Oh yeah, my bad, Arbites had an actual army list in an old Chapter Approved back in early third edition. That would be the last time Arbites had an official army list.

[Faultie]

Oh yeah, my bad, Arbites had an actual army list in an old Chapter Approved back in early third edition. That would be the last time Arbites had an official army list.
Interestingly enough, I believe that's more recently than Dark Eldar got an army list. :/

[BuFFo]

Interestingly enough, I believe that's more recently than Dark Eldar got an army list. :/

You are completely correct!!!!

I never even thought of that ha!

Funny though, that my Dark Eldar is still a tier 1 army with an 11 year old codex + a pdf. update.

Now I am seriously curious about that Arbites List.... I need to hunt me down a copy of that CA. :D

[clintb311]

Having a conversation with Tim Huckelberry, the Arbites were supposed to be in the 3rd ed rule book but they ran out of space. That is why the ONLY Citadel Journal CA list came out the very next issue (29) for the Arbites. You were only allowed to have allies with the heroes of the Imperium list.