This has been something I've wanted to see done well for the longest time now, having been part of a few promising RP's based in the realm of Warhammer 40k, from mixed Guard regiments, Inquisitorial Retinues (which counted such Xenos like Orks and Eldar amongst their numbers), mixed arms between different armies, and I figured I would try my hand at getting some traction in this grim future of a setting. So I dug through some past experiences that should have made it farther, in my humble opinion, and I'm going to throw my own spin on them, see if anyone has any interest in a few of them!
The Imperial Guard is without number, billions upon billions of soldiers from millions of worlds. Every conflict that sees Guard involvement sees casualties, sometimes marginal, sometimes severe, and too often they are so great that the resources required to replenish the regiment's numbers outweigh the benefit. So the survivors would be moved on to another regiment, integrated and the colors of the old regiment retired, and often times forgotten by all but the handful that moved on. Other regiments gain experienced, well trained, and often times exceptional or lucky troops from such infusions of these veterans, but they will still primarily gain troops from recruitments into the Guard from their homeworld, that continues to support them through their tithes of men and equipment. However, very few regiments can support themselves from such casualties, from the misfortune of other regiments.
The Machariun 185th Mechanized, homeworld long lost to the annals of history and commonly agreed to have been taken from the Imperium long ago and never reclaimed, not under the same name, are one of these few regiments. They hold no claim of honorable background, no homeworld of note, only the accolades of war decorate their worn battle standard. Classified as a Mechanized division due to the fact that they cannot be picky in what survivors they take, as not all Guardsmen are infantrymen after all, men and women from all regiments, from the scout snipers comparable only to the Tanith 1st and Only, to the most hard bitten commanders of the Lemun Russ, and all sorts of soldiers and specialists in between.Hardly the largest regiment, often times skirting that small number of troops that makes one question whether they should still be a regiment, these veterans and survivors, blessed and lucky, provide a strong core, and stronger punch, that cannot be argued. But the 185th is a piecemeal regiment, a surprisingly successful example of a combined arms regiment though, that not only survives, but finds glory and victory more often than should be normal, and while this has attracted subtle, silent observers, they have not acted yet, leaving the regiment to be deployed as needed, for the glory of the Imperium of Man.
So, this one is more my own musings on the idea of what happens to the survivors of war in the Imperial Guard, looking at how they are treated in books and lore, as well as my own thoughts on what might happen if a regiment was built solely around these survivors. I find that the greatest problem with RP's that are solely based with the Imperial Guard is that most regiments do not pick from various doctrines, for good reasons of course, and this heavily limits what those interested have to choose from. Recon Regiments, a prime example being the Tanith 1st and Only, have no vehicles to really experiment with, and stories that follow the armored regiments, conversely, generally don't have room for those that wish to follow the path of the infantryman.
The idea here, in short, is the story of survivors, men and women with their chosen (by their will or for them) talent in the Guard. Sentinal pilots, heavy weapon specialists, stormtroopers and almost any kind of guardsman could find himself within the ranks of the 185th, and they could find themselves deployed against any foe, on any planet (or far above, in the cold depths of space, or below). This one is heavily formed by the characters that arrive. A heavy amount of vehicle based characters? Not as much of the close quarters that make vehicles inoperable. Heavy focus on the infantryman/woman? Not really as limiting, but the necessary transports and such would be NPC'd.
In even shorter, this is me trying to get a Guard based rp that allows for most any type of guardsman while trying to be clever about it (I figure there is things I'm missing that will make this not work, but hey, whats an attempt without problems?)
The Inquisition, an imposing and terrifying opponent to the Xeno, the mutant, and the heretic. Daemons are banished by the Ordo Malleus, the Daemonhunters, grand men and women that man that all too thin wall that protects the Imperium from the beings that originate in the Immaterium, the Warp space that houses the four horrifying Lords of Chaos, mad gods that each plot their own rule of all, and strike them down with force all too fitting of the translation of their title. The Ordo Hereticus, the Witchhunters, cunning men and women that track down those that worship the beings of Chaos, that plot and scheme to bring it about in the real space for their own gain, and exact due justice. Lastly, but hardly least, are the Ordo Xenos, hunters of all things alien, who protect the Imperium against interests and hostility from outside, from Eldar and their Dark cousins raiding parties, predicting the next place the Tyranid swarm will arrive, to keeping the threat of the Necron awakening quiet and any other threat that originates clearly from non human or chaotic origins.
With such a massive universe, many would agree (or vehemently disagree) that the Inquisition does not have the numbers to accomplish their task. But they are hardly alone, for they have the authority to call upon almost all the resources within the Imperium, should the need prove dire enough. Both in material, and manpower, the real currency of the Imperium. From veteran Stormtroopers, trained and raised from birth to act in their stead, to gangers and criminals that prove useful to their goals and are retained for such skills, one can find just about any talented being within the retinue of an Inquisitor. Even Xenos can find a place in such bands, especially if the Inquisitor is of the radical persuasion. Eldar Rangers (and to a lesser extent other warrior castes) , Ork warriors, Tau mercenaries can be encountered in their retinues, although this is agreeably rare and frowned upon, at best. The life in the retinue of an Inquisitor can be the most free, and most dangerous, place a person can find themselves. Depending on the Inquisitor, they can enjoy liberties and resources that they would never even dream of finding elsewhere. Yet, they are also guaranteed to face the absolute worse foes of the Imperium, at some point or another. This is the life of a member of such Retinues, carriers of the Inquisitorial Rosette, bearers of the Badge of Office.
Alright, this one is also fairly open and dependent on the characters that are made for it. An inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus would not likely count many aliens amongst its retinue's numbers, while the Ordo Xenos would have little use for the weapons that are made to harm daemons. If the people interested would find it more entertaining to fight against daemons and heretics (And not just brute violence, hopefully), then the overall aim of such things will angle that way with more of a focus on the Malleus or Hereticus. Likewise, if facing off against the Xeno finds more interest, than more focus will fall onto the Ordo Xenos. And of course, each branch has its own Chamber Millitant, a dedicated force of soldiers that are called upon to fight when an Inquisitor needs more force. The Ordo Xenos has the Deathwatch, a chapter of Space Marines that are drawn from most chapters of the Imperium. The Ordo Hereticus has the Adeptus Sororatis, Sisters of Battle. And the Ordo Malleus has the Grey Knights, a Chapter of Space Marines uncorrupted and utterly dedicated to the defeat of warp spawned entities. The plot will form more based upon the interest generated, if there is interest in such a band, of course!
And as a side note, the Inquisitor does not necessarily have to be run by me, whether as an NPC or PC, but don't expect that if whoever takes the role drops off the face of the earth that I will let this die. They will be relegated to NPC status until it can be reasonably assumed they aren't coming back, and then dealt with. If no one else wants the spot, the NPC remains, but if they do, a glorious death in service of the Imperium awaits.
Those are the two big ones, but there are plenty of other angles, plots, stories, and other such things that can be gained from this setting. So, what do all you fine folks think, any interest in this at all?
The Imperial Guard is without number, billions upon billions of soldiers from millions of worlds. Every conflict that sees Guard involvement sees casualties, sometimes marginal, sometimes severe, and too often they are so great that the resources required to replenish the regiment's numbers outweigh the benefit. So the survivors would be moved on to another regiment, integrated and the colors of the old regiment retired, and often times forgotten by all but the handful that moved on. Other regiments gain experienced, well trained, and often times exceptional or lucky troops from such infusions of these veterans, but they will still primarily gain troops from recruitments into the Guard from their homeworld, that continues to support them through their tithes of men and equipment. However, very few regiments can support themselves from such casualties, from the misfortune of other regiments.
The Machariun 185th Mechanized, homeworld long lost to the annals of history and commonly agreed to have been taken from the Imperium long ago and never reclaimed, not under the same name, are one of these few regiments. They hold no claim of honorable background, no homeworld of note, only the accolades of war decorate their worn battle standard. Classified as a Mechanized division due to the fact that they cannot be picky in what survivors they take, as not all Guardsmen are infantrymen after all, men and women from all regiments, from the scout snipers comparable only to the Tanith 1st and Only, to the most hard bitten commanders of the Lemun Russ, and all sorts of soldiers and specialists in between.Hardly the largest regiment, often times skirting that small number of troops that makes one question whether they should still be a regiment, these veterans and survivors, blessed and lucky, provide a strong core, and stronger punch, that cannot be argued. But the 185th is a piecemeal regiment, a surprisingly successful example of a combined arms regiment though, that not only survives, but finds glory and victory more often than should be normal, and while this has attracted subtle, silent observers, they have not acted yet, leaving the regiment to be deployed as needed, for the glory of the Imperium of Man.
So, this one is more my own musings on the idea of what happens to the survivors of war in the Imperial Guard, looking at how they are treated in books and lore, as well as my own thoughts on what might happen if a regiment was built solely around these survivors. I find that the greatest problem with RP's that are solely based with the Imperial Guard is that most regiments do not pick from various doctrines, for good reasons of course, and this heavily limits what those interested have to choose from. Recon Regiments, a prime example being the Tanith 1st and Only, have no vehicles to really experiment with, and stories that follow the armored regiments, conversely, generally don't have room for those that wish to follow the path of the infantryman.
The idea here, in short, is the story of survivors, men and women with their chosen (by their will or for them) talent in the Guard. Sentinal pilots, heavy weapon specialists, stormtroopers and almost any kind of guardsman could find himself within the ranks of the 185th, and they could find themselves deployed against any foe, on any planet (or far above, in the cold depths of space, or below). This one is heavily formed by the characters that arrive. A heavy amount of vehicle based characters? Not as much of the close quarters that make vehicles inoperable. Heavy focus on the infantryman/woman? Not really as limiting, but the necessary transports and such would be NPC'd.
In even shorter, this is me trying to get a Guard based rp that allows for most any type of guardsman while trying to be clever about it (I figure there is things I'm missing that will make this not work, but hey, whats an attempt without problems?)
The Inquisition, an imposing and terrifying opponent to the Xeno, the mutant, and the heretic. Daemons are banished by the Ordo Malleus, the Daemonhunters, grand men and women that man that all too thin wall that protects the Imperium from the beings that originate in the Immaterium, the Warp space that houses the four horrifying Lords of Chaos, mad gods that each plot their own rule of all, and strike them down with force all too fitting of the translation of their title. The Ordo Hereticus, the Witchhunters, cunning men and women that track down those that worship the beings of Chaos, that plot and scheme to bring it about in the real space for their own gain, and exact due justice. Lastly, but hardly least, are the Ordo Xenos, hunters of all things alien, who protect the Imperium against interests and hostility from outside, from Eldar and their Dark cousins raiding parties, predicting the next place the Tyranid swarm will arrive, to keeping the threat of the Necron awakening quiet and any other threat that originates clearly from non human or chaotic origins.
With such a massive universe, many would agree (or vehemently disagree) that the Inquisition does not have the numbers to accomplish their task. But they are hardly alone, for they have the authority to call upon almost all the resources within the Imperium, should the need prove dire enough. Both in material, and manpower, the real currency of the Imperium. From veteran Stormtroopers, trained and raised from birth to act in their stead, to gangers and criminals that prove useful to their goals and are retained for such skills, one can find just about any talented being within the retinue of an Inquisitor. Even Xenos can find a place in such bands, especially if the Inquisitor is of the radical persuasion. Eldar Rangers (and to a lesser extent other warrior castes) , Ork warriors, Tau mercenaries can be encountered in their retinues, although this is agreeably rare and frowned upon, at best. The life in the retinue of an Inquisitor can be the most free, and most dangerous, place a person can find themselves. Depending on the Inquisitor, they can enjoy liberties and resources that they would never even dream of finding elsewhere. Yet, they are also guaranteed to face the absolute worse foes of the Imperium, at some point or another. This is the life of a member of such Retinues, carriers of the Inquisitorial Rosette, bearers of the Badge of Office.
Alright, this one is also fairly open and dependent on the characters that are made for it. An inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus would not likely count many aliens amongst its retinue's numbers, while the Ordo Xenos would have little use for the weapons that are made to harm daemons. If the people interested would find it more entertaining to fight against daemons and heretics (And not just brute violence, hopefully), then the overall aim of such things will angle that way with more of a focus on the Malleus or Hereticus. Likewise, if facing off against the Xeno finds more interest, than more focus will fall onto the Ordo Xenos. And of course, each branch has its own Chamber Millitant, a dedicated force of soldiers that are called upon to fight when an Inquisitor needs more force. The Ordo Xenos has the Deathwatch, a chapter of Space Marines that are drawn from most chapters of the Imperium. The Ordo Hereticus has the Adeptus Sororatis, Sisters of Battle. And the Ordo Malleus has the Grey Knights, a Chapter of Space Marines uncorrupted and utterly dedicated to the defeat of warp spawned entities. The plot will form more based upon the interest generated, if there is interest in such a band, of course!
And as a side note, the Inquisitor does not necessarily have to be run by me, whether as an NPC or PC, but don't expect that if whoever takes the role drops off the face of the earth that I will let this die. They will be relegated to NPC status until it can be reasonably assumed they aren't coming back, and then dealt with. If no one else wants the spot, the NPC remains, but if they do, a glorious death in service of the Imperium awaits.
Those are the two big ones, but there are plenty of other angles, plots, stories, and other such things that can be gained from this setting. So, what do all you fine folks think, any interest in this at all?
