Hmm?What's this about?
Black Templars. Best crusaders, and the most bro-tier of all chapters -maybe only surpassed by Salamanders and Lamenters-
Iron Hands
Interested in playing if you give us the chance.
Fluffwise, I'm an all-time Spacewolf, though Ultramarines and many others are also on my "like" list.
I'd think of it as needed specialties rather than a flat number:
Commander, Librarian, Apothecary, Techmarine, etc.
If, as the title suggest, the idea is to play a single chapter, we/you can always make up one.
I'd think of it as needed specialties rather than a flat number:
Commander, Librarian, Apothecary, Techmarine, etc.
Given how a squad is traditionally 10 Marines of the same specialty (tactical, assault, devastator) i don't think that applies correctly. The nice thing about deathwatch is it ignores the standard fielding procedures entirely. We are likely to be a strange collection of Space Marines even within our own chapter.
To cover all specialists we need 6 for what's presented in deathwatch, but 9 for all of what we could be as per the codex.
I really love the blood angels and their successors, but I'm open to playing pretty much any chapter in this scenario.
The Iron Hands would be really interesting actually if you played off the rivalry of the Clan Companies.
I assume we will be doing missions as that chapter and not just a whole group of one chapter in the Deathwatch. Very rare that you would have such a strange mix of character types in one unit outside of a command unit. Maybe that would be the way to do it though, a command unit that got cut off from its detachment.
Only complaint I gather against being Dark Angels hubting the Fallen is I can't get to be sweet badass Azrael :'(
The minimum size of a squad is 5 men, called "Combat Squad"
Normal (non-deathwatch) squad: (Assault, Tactical), Devastator squads are different.
Sergeant, 3 brothers, 1 weapon specialist (flamer, melta gun, plasma gun)
Devastator squad:
Sergeant, up to 4 heavy weapon specialists, the rest are normal battle brothers.
You have to choose a first founding chapter?
Also, I remember making 2 chapters at our GM's request, for him to use in our campaign (about 4 years ago). A Japanese style chapter of tacticians, and a Zulu flavoured high mobility with shotguns one.
But I will play whatever, anyway...
I would kind of like to shy away from both of those themes because i find neither particularly fascinating at first glance. I am not opposed to a themed campaign however.
Command squad you can have things like Chaplin, Apothecary, Librarian, that's why I mentioned that.
I would love to play a space marine!
Man, did i totally kill the vibe in here?
A lot of people speaking of the Iron Hands, I think it would be fun to play that chapter vs Necrons, their affinity with the Mechanicus and Omnissiah in the face of such abomination could be testing and motivating.
I'd be down to play whatever chapter/theme.
Fighting Tau would be cool too.
You can consider when in the timeline we are. With such a focused campaign, you could insert us in a number of places and have plenty for us to do.
Chaos, of course.
Just came across this thread, which would definitely be of interest. I was involved in one, which never got past the initial entrance into combat. I'm not a big fan of the Ultramarines or any chapter that is too stuffy about the codex. I am a Space Wolf player, but having played a couple of SW characters would be interested in something different, particularly White Scars, Salamanders or Blood Angels.
For a codex chapter the smallest squad is a combat squad as detailed above by The Warlord (or the other half of the squad, 4 marines and a devastator), non codex you have more free reign for example the wolf guard are a real mix. If starting at a low level I tend to think of the specialties as leanings at that stage. In every squad you will have the person who is better at first aid/best shot/best hand to hand fighter etc and you may well have someone who is being lined up to join the ranks of the librarians or chaplains. So it would be relatively easy to explain it at low level and most chapters (particularly the less codex orientated) would keep a good team together for a series of missions. For Deathwatch purposes I think around 5 is about right.
Happy to take or leave themes, there is a lot of lore out there regarding those sort of big hunts, which could be easy to trip over or restrict you as a GM, but equally could be a lot of fun too.
Favoured enemy, again happy with any. Necrons would be fun (there is a good alternate class for this at higher levels called dead station vigilant), but a bug fight would be good too.
Sorry for the long post, but hope that catches me up.
Iron hands vs. Necrons would be pretty cool. In general i would like to fight chaos or tyranids. If we did fight chaos a Grey Knight campaign could be the way to go. Grey knights are presented in dark heresy:daemon hunter.
As the chamber militant of the Ordo Xenos my choice would be to eradicate some Xenos scum before they speak their lies. I still think a command squad would be the way to go to explain why you have a sanctioned librarian or apothecary hanging about. Its not a matter of having aptitude, these positions and the equipment that come with them are a whole other set of training.
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Don't particularly like Grey Knights, Ultramarines, or Space Wolves. Then again I have played them, just don't like them.
"A Kill-team is the standard operating unit composed of an elite squad of experienced xenos-fighters consisting of no fewer than 5 Space Marines that have been seconded to the Deathwatch, the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition."
Really when you become part of the Deathwatch you are already above the average marine, you are a veteran someone that could potentially be in the first company or command squad.
There is nothing stopping a chapter of having there own "Kill-Teams" for special tasks. Is this a deathwatch game with all PC's sharing a chapter or a Chapter with it's own Kill-team?
There is nothing stopping a chapter of having there own "Kill-Teams" for special tasks. Is this a deathwatch game with all PC's sharing a chapter or a Chapter with it's own Kill-team?
There actually is something stopping them, its called the Codex Astartes. It really depends on how he is running this, if we are in the Deathwatch then sure that flies, any other chapter, even Spacewolves, would not have some random team with the best command units just running about doing missions.
Well the wolf guard is essentially that, the best 'heroes' for want of a better term grouped together to fight as the company commander dictates, on top of that the chaplains and librarians attach themselves as they/the great wolf sees fit. After all the SW don't think much of the codex. In the Ragnar Blackmane books they even have a few marines attached to a navigator house they are allied with (I forget the name) as a protection detail.
Therefore if one chapter doesn't there will be others, although admittedly probably not the standard chapters.
Its not a matter of having aptitude, these positions and the equipment that come with them are a whole other set of training.
There are some stories that include combat squads put in charge of ships, if the ships are carrying the equipment the codex would surely suggest they use it if they know how and the situation called for it. At low level this could then justify most of the types except librarians and they could easily be accompanying a librarian.
But it really is up to how Radavel wants to play it, I personally think there are enough examples amongst the less strict codex chapters.
Well the wolf guard is essentially that, .
Wolf Guard...yeah you mean a company command squad? That is basically what the Wolf Guard is like I said a company command squad fits the bill.
Being put in charge of ship carrying a Crozious or Narthecium does not make you a Chaplain or Apothecary.
Fair enough with the wolf guard, I'm not as up on the other chapters as I haven't played in a while.
Isn't chaplain a higher level alternate rank? I haven't got my books with me, but I thought at least 4th or 5th. As for apothecary, I find it hard to believe in a universe of war, dedicated soldiers don't have somebody trained as a medic in each squad to at least cover the equivalent of a rank 1 apothecary given the right equipment.
But whatever, happy to agree to disagree. Just trying to offer possible ways to link it across to the lore, as I can't see rank 1 characters being good enough for a command squad (yet).
Fair enough with the wolf guard, I'm not as up on the other chapters as I haven't played in a while.
Isn't chaplain a higher level alternate rank? I haven't got my books with me, but I thought at least 4th or 5th. As for apothecary, I find it hard to believe in a universe of war, dedicated soldiers don't have somebody trained as a medic in each squad to at least cover the equivalent of a rank 1 apothecary given the right equipment.
But whatever, happy to agree to disagree. Just trying to offer possible ways to link it across to the lore, as I can't see rank 1 characters being good enough for a command squad (yet).
I guess I can see where you am coming from, but only the Red Scorpions to my knowledge have a medic in each squad and that is kind of their special thing. Not much kills a space marine, and those things that can are usually utterly devastating so I guess that might be one reason. The main purpose of an Apothecary is actually to recover the geneseed medical attention is secondary.
Yeah in the books Chaplain is in Rites of Battle as an advanced rank(Fantasy Flight got a lot of @#%$!) but they also say you can work with your GM to make your own specialties so what usually happens is people come up with their own low level version until they can get that.
Why I am pointing out these things is because Deathwatch is special for a reason, and it is very rare for a Tech-Marine, Apothecary, Librarian, Devestator to be in the same 5 man squad in any chapter outside of a command unit or maybe in the aftermath of an intense battle. I agree with trying to figure out a way to present this that is reasonable.
That's why they made the game Deathwatch oriented in the first place, so players can choose different chapters and specialties. Otherwise it would be either too dull or too weird.
In this case, playing a chapter (homemade, probably) which doesn't follow the Codex to the letter would be a solution - a chapter which lets its squads be a miscelanea of "everyone fight as he is best, and the leader will try to work it out".
Another solution is one that some chapters already employ, which is allowing characters change Specialties, as do the Space Wolves - everyone starts as Blood Claws, probably advances to Grey Hunter (unless you're Ragnar) and then you choose to stay there, go to Long Fangs, Scouts or ascend to Wolf Guard (or choose something special like Wolf Priest, etc.). But honestly, I don't know if there are home rules for that and how well would they work.
Its not just about chapter structure. Sure lets completely throw that out the window for this argument.
When you are a Tech-Marine its not just that you are handy with machines and your chapter makes you a tech marine, no you are sent to Mars to learn a whole other religion.
When you are a Chaplain its not just that you are pious and the chapter nominates you for that position, you have to make a pilgrimage To Terra or your Primarch's home.
When you are a Librarian its not just that you have ability with the warp, you have to become a sanctioned Lexicanium.
Its not simply moving up in the ranks like from a scout(bloodclaw) to a Devestator(longfang).
Well, yeah, it's technically moving between the ranks, just the move may be easy or it may not. This has to be roleplayed or solved in game, then.
About structure, well, SWs don't have Chaplains or Apothecaries, e.g., so they have Wolf Priests. I doubt they train those at Terra.
What I mean is you can always customise something that works for your campaign - after all, there are thousands of Chapters. And I truly believe Chapter structure can solve the problem.
In terms of foes I'd say either chaos or necrons.
We'll be whatever we are in our chapter equivalent, having been captured in our own unique way and some how meeting/surviving long enough to come together. It's the first 5 to reply that get to play the round, so the next one could be a new mix. Has a hunger game feel. Once we're free we might get kept together for unknown reasons, seconded to the DW... Or all become black shields... Who knows.. I like the idea and am not deep enough the lore to weigh in on this discussion.
Panda, I think you might have mixed this thread with Gathrix's :)
Well, yeah, it's technically moving between the ranks, just the move may be easy or it may not. This has to be roleplayed or solved in game, then.
About structure, well, SWs don't have Chaplains or Apothecaries, e.g., so they have Wolf Priests. I doubt they train those at Terra.
What I mean is you can always customise something that works for your campaign - after all, there are thousands of Chapters. And I truly believe Chapter structure can solve the problem.
I had a long thing typed out, but its not worth it. You did not even read my last post fully or you would have caught the part about Chaplains going to Terra OR THEIR PRIMARCH"S Home. So Space Wolves, yeah Fenris. Space Wolves are Legion, not all living on Fenris.
S!#$, you're right, I skipped that part :P
But that doesn't mean the matter at hand isn't a structure problem, anyway. Or I fail to see how it isn't.
-Damn, how can we explain so many different specs in the same squad? That's so... Un-Astartes...
-Well, just be Un-Astartes, Young Grasshopper.
The authors of Deathwatch chose... yeah, Deathwatch. Someone up there suggested a Command Squad. I talked about the possibility of choosing a chapter with a loose structure.
The Chaplain/Techmarine/Etc thing, you're right, they need to undergo special training and so. But I guess they do that after someone (or themselves) notices the guy is good at that, that's all I meant. So maybe, in our hypothetical Chapter, after completing the training they get re-assigned to their old squad (I know it might sound dumb, but hey, I was trying to suggest alternatives :P).
FYI there have been "special teams" assembled by chapters, normally veteran volunteers to undertake long term missions, and can't return until mission complete like Bloodquest.
Not all chapter follow the Codex Astartes that, like the Iron Snakes.
It is also known for some chapter to "lend" a squad to Inquisitors and are usually volunteers, or voluntold.
There are all sorts of new formations that ignore the Codex Astartes, by deploying a "coven" of 5 librarians and other type of formations like that.
As far as who would I like to fight:
Chaos, is always fun to fight. If not, against the Tau and their Mirror Codex problem that we might encounter.
For the 10000 time its not about following the codex or not its about how rare these individuals are and the rites they undertake. "Lending" to the Inquisition? What you mean like THE DEATHWATCH? That is what the Deathwatch is, a secondment to the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition.
The new formations in the miniature game are a joke, but sure even going with that 5 librarians is not-A Tech Marine, An Apothecary, A Librarian, A Devestator, and a Chaplain of the same Chapater. That really doesn't exist outside of the Deathwatch except for 1)Command Squad-Insert Chapter Variant 2)-Nothing else. Not in the miniature game, not in the books I challenge to you find it for me.
I want big ass armor and a bolter. Squads may be organized and set before a battle, but people die and s%!+ breaks. Squads reform on the battlefield with whomever and whatever equipment remains.
I want big ass armor and a bolter. Squads may be organized and set before a battle, but people die and s!&% breaks. Squads reform on the battlefield with whomever and whatever equipment remains.
That would be a good way of starting it, as I suggested.
Seems interesting, what if the gm picks a chapter, or makes one up with very little known about it and each player can make up a historical fact or piece of information about the chapter like chapter colors? Then it gets fleshed out even more as the game progresses.
I like what haruhiko88 suggested about a new chapter.
New chapter seems like the easiest solution. I like the idea of being a squad specifically sent out away to deal with a long term threat. Some kind of single ship, or at least single cruiser, formation.