players whowrite their own fluff vs those who don't write any at all.

[Just_Me]

I'm definitely a hobbiest of the "fluff-first" variety, though the form of that has changed over the years. I actually struggle to call myself a "player" at all because I so rarely had the opportunity for a game! :P

My first army was a Marine army and a Chapter of my own devising. I actively resisted using ANYTHING that was already covered in the literature and I wrote extensive background material for them and did the same for the Imperial Guard army that followed. Recently however I have shifted my focus and find it more interesting to build around the framework that already exists. I've started a Red Scorpions army because I like their fluff and wanted to flesh out an individual Company within the framework of the Chapter's established fluff. I also re-worked my guard as a Cadian regiment rather than a complete unknown.

I have several other armies as well, with varying degrees of "originality," but I ALWAYS inject a lot of character and fluff; my Tau for example represent a unit specializing in covert tactics and equipment testing, all of my Dark Eldar squads are lead by female models because the Archon is so paranoid that he only trusts his concubines to lead his forces (and even then not very far!), etc... I always tend to work a "theme" into any army, usually informed by some element of their background that apeals to me.

It may sound hokey but I really love modeling and converting and I often let a model "tell me" about the character it represents. As I convert, equip, and pose them they tend to develop a certain "personality;" arrogance, aggression, stoicism, etc. In the end, even if I haven't written it down anywhere I have some impression about "who" my characters are.

[Brakkart]

compelling background material... chortle.... some of us are old enough to have been brought up on victor and commando...

I grew up with Battle Action Force as my comic, which is why someday I will get around to doing a Red Shadow themed traitor Imperial Guard army.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

@just me

I can understand where you come from on that. i know the some of my own background has been influenced based off of a cool modeling project or for example i have 3 main characters who i tend to rotate which change the make up of my space marine force. one is my chapter master based off the calgar sculpt who has been converted he is my primary character. another is a terminatory captian who leads my first company early in the hobby my friend built and painted him up for me. the lastly after drop pods were finally released another friend recently made up a captain for me to lead my planetary invasion forces. these 3 characters have been heavily worked into my own background because well they have a history to them they are projects that friend have done oe helped me with over th year's so its important that they get out in and are seen on the table top and that they are used heavily in my story writting when it comes to my chapters's history.