+ inload: Anatomy of Empire II: The Nova Terran Imperium +

+ Anatomy of Empire II: The Nova Terran Imperium +

+ Principal domains of Nova Terra +

+ Segmentum Pacficus +

After decades of discontent with the machinations of the Adeptus Munitorum and Ministorum, the majority of the systems in this Segmentum declared for Nova Terra over the course of some thirty years. 

• Constantium/Nova Terra  The seat of the Ur-Council; Constantium has long been known as Nova Terra owing to its influence across the galaxy. The term became official during the Declaration of Secession. It is a large, beautiful and well-connected world, massively well-defended both politically and militarily. The system enjoys protection from attack by peculiarities in the nearby warp that prevent the rapid approach of voidcraft.
• Chalcedon  Seat of the Patriarch of the Reformed Ophelian Church, Chalcedon became a major Shrineworld and site of pilgrimage during this period. Previously dotted with palaces, the Mendicant Order saw these fall into carefully-organised ruin.
• Galatat  A primary Forge World, Galatat was tacitly endorsed and supported by Mars, who sought to brace and bridge both rival Imperial forces without favour. 
• Port Thrace  As the naval forces of the Nova Terran Imperium strengthened and increased in number, the civilised world of Port Thrace was pressed into service to lessen the load on the ancient naval seat of Hydraphur.
• Barbaras  Seat both of the Nova Terran Army's High Command, and of the Ancient and Proper Inquisitorial Palace.
• Trimundi  A bustling hiveworld on the contested border of the Segmentum, Trimundi was brought near to ruin several times during the later period of open warfare.

Galatian Armoured and Super-heavy Armoured Companies for the Nova Terran Army.

+ Segmentum Obscurus +

• Khios  On the borders of the Laanah Rifts, this world churns out sturdy and reliable Regiments for the Nova Terrans.
• Avignor  Stronghold and Forgeworld of Archmagos Veneratos Zion.
• Jin Gi  One of the many fiercely independent frontier worlds that joined the Nova Terran Imperium after the Secession; seeing the Nova Terrans, rightly or wrongly, as more malleable to compromise than that of Ancient Terra.

+ Ultima Segmentum +

Throngsman of the Ymir League

• Formund  Nova Terran stronghold; site of the iconoclastic Truth movement.
• Vacuna  Fortress world and birthplace of Hos Chu.
• Tellaria  Infamous as the principal proponent of the Xenos Accords, which aimed to non-humans inducted into the Army of the Nova Terrans.
• Ymir League  Many amongst the abhumans of the coreworlds had ties to Nova Terran interests, or felt oathbound to throw in their lot with the secessionists. The Ymir League was the most famous of the large Leagues to declare.
• Dargon  A minor squat stronghold, Dargon was to have a terrible fate.

+ Segmentum Tempestus +

• Salvation-Gamma  The shrineworld of Salvation-Gamma is seen by many Old Imperials as the southernmost reach of the Nova Terra Ur-Council; a bastion of faith in a faithless empire.

+ Segmentum Solar +

• Sarmatia   Home of the Lesser Imperial Synopticon.
• Moirae  Forge World; seat of the Moirae Schismatics.

+++

+ Forces loyal to Nova Terra +

+ Nova Terran Army +

7th Division NVA; wearing desert fatigues for combat on Ryll

The Nova Terran Army, usually shortened to the NTA, was the pride of the Ur-Council. An elite force somewhat equivalent to the Tempestus Scions or Naval Armsmen, it formed a corps of highly motivated and well-equipped professional soldiery able to respond quickly to threats or uprisings. Circumventing the ancient split of Navy and Guard, the Nova Terran Army remained officially separated from Naval forces by becoming the militant wing of the Munitorum; which accounts for their unusual naming practices.

Separated from the Guard, the Nova Terran Army were showered with support, equipment and materiel by the Nova Terran Munitorum. As a result, many Divisios were able to resurrect the pre-Crusade use of the Rhino as transport, in addition to a limited number of Predator cavalry tanks.

Most of the Army's members were ex-guard or PDF volunteers and religiously motivated, favouring the hardline doctrines of the Reformed Ophelian Church, which emphasised self-reliance and clear thinking. The Army was as effective a propaganda tool as a military force; becoming a by-word for reliability. Looting – then commonplace amongst Guard regiments – was heavily punished, and the solider encouraged to be 'Clene in thort, werde and dede.' 

Initially intended as a meritocratic organisation where proficiency, rather than social standing, determined rank and progress, the Nova Terran Army inevitably failed to fully realise this ideal. However, the zeitgeist of Nova Terra did mean that a number of low-born volunteers achieved high acclaim. 

The Nova Terran Army earned a number of derogatory names from their Ancient Imperial counterparts. The  'Neevees', 'Firstfalls' and 'Rotten Army' being amongst the more publishable.

+ Notable Divisions +

• 1st Division 'Proficients' – a double strength division, the Proficients held the line at Ghaud and scattered the Eldar of Shi-Rei.
• 5th Division – The first to fight the forces of the Ancient Imperium, captured members had their hands removed ritually before being returned. In response, the regiment adopted a practise of tattooing their hands to show camaraderie with their fellows and contempt for their enemy.
• 17th Division 'Coldcurs' – The most decorated armoured divison of the Nova Terran Army, this Divisio boasted an entire company of Predator-pattern battle tanks, fresh from the forges of Galatat.
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+ Nova Terran Guard +

While the NVA was intended as a long-term replacement for the PDF and Imperial Guard, logistics meant that they were only ever a figurehead force, numbering barely 500,000 across the entire corps. The bulk of existing Imperial structure remained, meaning that the extant Guard regiments and PDF of nearly quarter of a million worlds remained active.

+ Notable Regiments +

Free-soldiers of the Hydraphur 707th

• Chirosian Cavalry – In truth, a group of small, rival bodyguard forces conglomerated into a single regiment, the Chirosian Cavalry were part of the laity of the world. They fought bravely against Eldar pirate forces on a number of theatres, becoming something of a specialist anti-Eldar force.
• Verghast 41st Armour – Led the Nine-Hundred Mile march against the ork gargants of Charadon. 
• Hydraphur 707th – The Primary port for the Segmentum's forces, the world also produced a number of highly-motivated Imperial Guard regiments in support of the submerged Cities of Int on Prama XI, against Hrud assaults.
• 2nd Alban Rifles – Suffered catastrophic damage during campaigns against the K'thark homeworlds and were subsequently cycled out in favour of a regiment of jungle warfare specialists.
• Barbaran Hammers – Decked out in ritual armour and subject to limited genhancement, the Hammers were the Honour Guard for the Ur-Council. 
• Tekarn Iron Fists – Supplementing their training with an unusual form of unarmed combat, the Iron Fists were surprisingly effective during urban warfare against the orks of the Braccian Theatre.
• Guizho Armoured – Notable for their distinctive headwear and layered raingear; essential for this agri-world's cycle of torrential rains and blistering sunshine.
• Jakart Light Rifles – An entirely infantry force, the Light Rifles proved highly effective against the Kroot invasion of Cessida.
• Adobe 1st PDF – Suffered notable recruitment issues; requiring the Commissars to begin the draft no less than three times to ensure a sufficient quality was produced.
• Vega Rams – An abhuman regiment ceded from the Ymir League
• Praximundi Honoured – One of the many Feral World regiments drafted following a successful series of religious Missions.
• Los Grabia 888th – The forcibly conscripted hivegangs that made up the 888th were noted to be amongst the most obedient forces from this world; rumours of loboindoctrination are rife.
• Jangtze Siao – Heavy infantry, notable for their Dark Age polearm/lasrifle weapons.
• Sinopian 94th –
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+ Frateris Constantium +

The principal military force of the Nova Terran branch of the Adeptus Ministorum, the Frateris Constantium formed an Ecclesiarchical mirror to the Nova Terran Army. Both were precociously well armed and equipped by their Adeptus backers, but where the NTA attracted the more puritanical, the Frateris Templar were swelled by those who sought ritual and reliability in a world of swiftly-changing fortunes.

[+appendnote+: A number of ancient texts indicate that the organisation of the Frateris Constantium was the direct inspiration for the later Frateris Templar, under the infamous Eccleisarchs of later Millennia – +authorident: Unfortunus Veck+ +] 

Despite the name, the Frateris Constantium recruited both men and women; both serving in lockstep on the frontlines of Faith. Backed by the increasingly influential regional Ecclesiarchy Constantius, which was starting to mine its prodigiously wealthy coffers, many elements of the Frateris Constantium bore exceptionally expensive equipment, up to and including power armour.

Some of the more daring – or power-crazed – War-Bishops and Canon-Martials elevated to command these groupings chose to ape the largely-absent or withdrawn forces of the Astartes – cladding their warriors in power armour and boltguns. Their opulent equipment created a startling and baroque spectacle that, while falling behind true Astartes force in martial effectiveness, nevertheless proved to be hugely effective against the forces of Ancient Terra, and the numerous Xenos species to which the Frateris Constantium typically found themselves opposed.

+ Notable Militant Orders +

• Order of the Emperor's Arm – The militant branch of a emergent cult declared non-heretical by the Nova Terran Ministorum, the Order of the Emperor's Arm was vastly wealthy, and was able to equip the men and women under its command with power armour and boltguns as standard.
• Ancient Order of the Free Thinkers – Dedicated to the concept of the Imperial Truth, the Free Thinkers were amongst the most hidebound and ritualistic of the Militant Orders; launching several religious wars against regions within the sector. 
• Chapter Constantine – Clad in gold and black, and decked about with star-chased robes, the so-called Chapter Constantine openly mimicked the traditions of the Astartes – or at least as well as its commander, the eccentric 'Cleric Superlative Tosc', understood the second-hand accounts of the Astartes he could lay his hands upon. He restricted their numbers to 1,000 men and 1,000 women; cladding all in opulent power armour and boltguns. Such was the ruinous expense of maintaining such equipment, the 'Chapter' was short-lived, collapsing to a tiny Honour Guard remnant after seven decades. 
• Order of the Chalice – Established by order of the Nova Terran Ministorum, the Order of the Chalice was famous for its policing of the Nova Terran Army, much to the NTA and Munitorum's opprobium.
• Order of Disgust – Decked in lustrous green plate, the Ordo Fastidium were instrumental in launching counter-campaigns against a number of xeno invasions. So-named for their fanatical hatred of non-humans and abhumans.
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+ Tempestus Scions (Nova Terran) +

Being doctrinally separated from the Imperial military, small forces of the Tempestus Scions declared for Nova Terra; regarding it as the Emperor's true vision. Regiments in the region adopted the silver flashes on their uniform to mark them as part of the younger Imperium. However, their loyalty remained to the Scions above all; and there are a number of recorded instances when opposing Scion forces retired rather than engage their comrades.

+ Neomechanicus forces +

Identifying as the 'United Neomechanicus forces of Segmentum Pacificus', the Adeptus Mechanicus remained politically aloof from the split in the Imperium; regarding its role as simply to supply equipment and materiel to the Imperium's fighting forces, as laid out in the Treaty of Olympus Mons (The Treaty of Mars) five thousand years previously. That they were not supplying arms to both sides of a tense codl war was of little practical interest.

Avignan Balisterai

This belies the Adeptus Mechanicus' political insights and nous, and in practise, the highest echelons of the Mechanicus were split between those keen to exploit the rift, and those who sought to close it – the broad schools of the Mechascendants and the Concilatori. [See Anatomy of Empire VII and IX, later in this datascreed.] As a result, only those forces explicitly ceded to the Ur-Council are considered below.

• Legio Caudax  – Defenders of Avignor
• Avignan Skitarii – Twelve full regiments were assigned in support of Caudax.
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+++

+ Principal Astartes domains and forces of Segmentum Pacificus +

Silver Star 

As across the rest of the Imperium, the Astartes of this Segmentum were deliberately reticent to intervene in Imperial politics, and so the following are not to be considered sympathetic to the Nova Terran Cause except explicitly stated. Where active, they ignored pickets and borders established by the rival Imperial forces. Mostly, but not always, they were allowed to pass as non-combatants...

• Iron Knights Chapter Astartes Entire – Studiedly neutral; the Iron Knights cut off contact entirely, and launched a dual xenocidal campaign against the Eldar Craftworlds of Yme-Loc and Kaelor.
• White Consuls Chapter Astartes Entire – The twin Chapter Masters of the White Consuls determined to restrict their forces to purely defensive warfare during this period; protecting shipping lanes for supply shuttles within the Segementum. This brought the Chapter into conflict with both Terran and Nova Terran forces.
• Crimson Fists Company-strength Strike Force
• Void Revenants Chapter Astartes Entire– Still rebuilding after the events of the Mag Karan Assaults, the remnants of the Void Revenants played a limited role in the Alien Wars. 
• Night Reapers Chapter Astartes Entire – For the early part of the Interregnum, the Night Reapers were engaged in executing simultaneous xenocidal campaigns against the hellgrammite species and ork pirates within the Laanath Rifts, a border region on the North-west of Segmentum Pacificus. The withdrawing forces were attacked by Terran forces assaulting the Shrineworld of Salvation-Gamma, and the Chapter subsequently declared for Nova Terra.
• Silver Guard Chapter Astartes Entire – notable for their actions in the Janii Theatre War, and the prosecution of the first ork empire of Kalverna.
• Dark Sons Chapter Astartes Entire – Their homeworld sat on the northern fringes of the Segmentum, and was instrumental in defending Khios against punitive forces of the Greater Imperium.
• Silver Star Chapter Astartes Entire – [REDACTED]
• Chapter Castellan Chapter Astartes Entire – The 8th Founding, during which this Chapter was established, was within living memory for many of its members. Declaring for Nova Terra, the Chapter was all but wiped-out by the Halo Brethren and the Imperial Fists within the early years of the war. Their homeworld, Banish, was subsequently claimed by the Inquisition, and the Chapter exiled to the Eastern Imperium on a Penitent Crusade.
• Red Templars Company-strength Strike Force – Initially declaring for Ancient Terra, a change of leadership saw the Red Templars execute a shift in allegiance, leaving them open to declarations of heresy from the Terran Inquisition. This prompted the Second War of Trimundi.
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+++

+ Do you have a force you'd like added, or do you fancy having a go at painting a member of these forces (because let's face it, this page would look a lot nicer with some pictures to illustrate)? Let me know in the comments. +

+ inload: Origin of an Empire: The Nova Terran Imperium +

+ Origin of an Empire: The Nova Terran Imperium +

'Admiration? Certainly. We look to Ancient Terra as one might look to an aged parent. Respected; beloved – but still failing. Better for it to assume its ritual place as the seat of the Golden Throne and Him-on-Earth; and leave the burden of government to better, more vigorous souls.'

Extract from All Human History – Inquisitrix Barbari Kills, Ordo Xenos

+++

+ Road to Interregnum +

Those loyal to Ancient Terra portrayed the Nova Terra Interregnum as a betrayal by rebellious elements; treachery of seismic proportions. The truth, as is usually the case, was considerably more complex. 

The earliest days of Imperium had demonstrated that centralised Imperial Government had always been laughably impractical. The Imperium itself is built on the knowledge of a lost empire. The Age of Strife had demonstrated the ease with which intergalactic – or even intersystem – communication could be silenced. Similarly, the largest stumbling blocks to the Great Crusade's progress had not been military, but logistical. The Imperial Council; and later the Adeptus Munitorum, had struggled manfully with the challenge, but the bald fact is that galactic distances make communication all but impossible. That Ancient Terra was able to maintain tenuous links to any systems at all is impressive.

Astropathic communiques allow only the broadest of meanings to be transmitted; and even those for from reliably.

Those systems which enjoyed high traffic and relatively open interstellar communication naturally became important hubs; astropathic choirs operating as links in a chain to pass on information to more distant worlds. Beyond this, communication is reduced to the physical; relying on transmitted light signals, shuttling voidcraft or awkward nodal webs of signal servitors seeded in the void. As a result, as the Imperium expanded, Ancient Terra's role became less one of direct leadership, and instead became more symbolically valuable, with each world standing largely alone; themselves only vaguely connected to Old Terra via tenuous and largely symbolic connections to principal systems in the local Sector and Segmentum: worlds such as Kar Duniash and Constantium are excellent examples.

In the wake of existential threats such as the Horus Heresy and the War of the Beast, it became clear that the 'problem' of lack of direct leadership was largely irrelevant. Such is the scale of the Imperium that no orders from Terra could realistically be enacted; with paradigmatic shifts in power between the Administratum and growing Ecclesiarchy, individual Imperial Commanders found Terra less and less responsive. By the close of M33, it had become accepted that Imperial worlds all but stood alone; and that any mutual support came not from a unified Imperial oversight, but from regional protection.

+++

+ Death, the God-Emperor and taxes +

Of course, even this overview is misleading, suggesting a consciousness of galactic scales for individual planetary governors or Imperial Commanders. To most, their duty was simple: protection of their fief in order to supply the Tithe. Few chafed at taxation – such is the scale of planetary production that no Imperial Commander need suffer genuine deprivation; and in any case, even the ruinous tithes demanded by the Imperium were insufficient to provide surplus: most planetary tithes were, to all intents and purposes, immediately used to provide stopgaps for inevitable regional shortfalls.

The effect was that by the closing years of the thirty-fourth Millennium, the majority of Planetary Governors across the Imperium took a pragmatic view of themselves as overlapping autonomies; with the concept of Imperium a lofty ideal, and the Emperor as a figurehead.

Scene from Port Thrace, two decades after the Eve of Secession. 

As the long centuries ground on, and the Adeptus Ministorum gradually inveigled its way into silent conflict with an ossifying and inward-looking Adeptus Munitorum, Ancient Terra became sidelined; remaining a place of importance and pilgrimage, certainly, but not a position of temporal power. 

+++

+ Secession +

The potential for a region of the Imperium to secede has always been a potential risk –  indeed, rebellious governors and armed uprisings are the meat and drink of the Imperial Navy and Imperial Guard. That it lasted as a broadly stable whole for five millennia is testament to the stabilising effect of the Emperor as figurehead, and the brutal suppression of rebellion. The Nova Terra Interregnum was less a dramatic shearing away – whatever later dramatists recorded – and more a gradual recognition that Ancient Terra's gaze was simply irrelevant to many regions.

The Nova Terra Interregnum can be briefly summarised:

The Nova Terra Interregnum, also known as the 'Time of Twin Empires', was a troubled period in Imperial history when the Imperium of Man fractured for a time into warring factions for over nine centuries during the mid-34th through the late-35th Millennium. During this period, the Ur-Council of Nova Terra dismissed the authority of the High Lords of Terra and claimed separate rule over the Imperium's Segmentum Pacificus.

...and while this paints the broad strokes adequately, as with anything of galactic scale, it leaves much out; and warring histories have meant that much is muddy that may once have been known. Some regard Friar Decimus Pyne's bold move in nailing a list of revisionist demands to the gates of the Mendicant's Palace as the spark that ignited the tinder of rebellion; while others see a dustier, drier narrative. Nova Terra itself recorded the date of secession as 470.M34 – some fifteen years later – in order to commemorate the first fully physical gathering of the Ur-Council as the start of a new age; though since some elements attempted to create a new dating system stemming from this date, it is sometimes recorded as 001.1.This datum is a tiny example of the myriad conflicting philosophies and directions that gathered under Nova Terra's banner, and followed it into secession.

+++

+ Seed of Imperium +

This is not to say that the Nova Terran faction was necessarily disunited. What was to become the Ur-Council was made up of the hereditary heirs of empire, and their ambitions had been fostered for centuries. Wise enough to understand that their ambitions would become little more than a series of quickly-suppressed and isolated rebellions, these highly-placed individuals sought a rallying concept. It was in philosophy and religion that their long-harboured ambitions were to find root.

The Ecclesiarchy had moved to Ophelia VII in 200.M35 – exactly three millennia after being established s the Imperial Cult – and this momentous event had caused ripples and unrest across the Imperium, as some amongst the populace began to harbour doubts of the Adeptus Ministorum. The Ur-Council's agents tacitly supported populist movements, millennial cults and starry-eyed idealists across the Segementum Pacificus for many decades to create the fertile soil into which the new empire was to be born. The Ur-Council's power, huge as it later became, could not hope to extend its will over the populace of the Segmentum, and there is much to suggest that they did not intend to do so. By and large, their ambitions were more concerned with Temporal power – indeed, many were devoutly religious and devoted to the God-Emperor. They were also frighteningly pragmatic.

Lex Bigal's Inquisitor Theodora

Whispers of the fabled 'Imperial Truth' had long circulated amongst the aristocracy of mankind; with many amongst the Munitorum –  particularly those most at loggerheads with the Ecclesiarchy – regarding it as a secular 'holy grail'; a demonstration of the Emperor's Will that – while the details were unknown – would doubtless loosen the ascendant strength of the Ministorum. Strong adherents amongst the Inquisition had ensured that those searchers after truth were protected; though those foolish enough to promulgate it or openly introduce the concept to the populace at large were reluctantly removed. The Truth, after all, was little more than a legend; with any evidence for it long-buried in the ever-increasing annals of history. Even as Munitorum forces sought it, they created more bureaucracy to hide the signal in the noise. Such is the irony of the Nova Terran Imperium.

+++

+ The Ur-Council of Nova Terra +

The Emperor's deification some centuries earlier – still in living memory of the oldest members of Imperial society – had taken root amongst the masses, but was far from secure across the galaxy for many of influence. The Nova Terrans had found their seed in the Truth – though such a concept could never be openly espoused. Far from open rebellion and denial of the Emperor's divinity, the Ur-Council's initial statement of intent was couched in placatory, even friendly terms. The Segmentum would part ways for purely practical reasons; rejecting the High Lords' authority in favour of localised Government.

The thirty-three members of the Ur-council formed a mirror of the distant High Lords – establishing mirror structures to the Greater Imperium, such as the Adeptus Mechanicus Minor; the Reformed Ophelian Church of Nova Terra; and the New Terran Army, a hybrid of the established Imperial Guard and PDF – and began to gather their forces openly. This was not, the Council were at pains to make clear, an armed revolt, but an orderly and non-threatening statement of intent. The Nova Terran Imperium – made up of the former Segmentum Pacificus and a number of allied enclaves across the galaxy – remained an ally; but no longer a vassal.

Rebellion on such a scale had simply not occurred since the distant ages when the Emperor walked amongst them, and the High Lords were – openly at least – at a loss; mired in internal arguments and unable or unwilling to take action against them. There was certainly no ill-will from the bulk of the Imperium – most Governors, if they heard of the rebellion at all, saw it as a distant semantic argument, of little interest. The Nova Terrans had not openly declared war – indeed, they seemed to be taking pains to openly increase trade and service with the Greater Imperium – and the Naval and Guard forces who would have taken action had already made clear their allegiance to the Ur-Council, whose seats included many prominent military figures.

For many – indeed, for most serfs, citizens and denizens of the Nova Terran Imperium –  the change had little effect; their world still turning in the heavens, and the seasons passing as before. Nevertheless, the vision of the Ur-Council settled many discontents, and allowed long-standing rivalries and simmering grudges to be set aside in favour of the dawning of a new age.

For some crucial years, nothing outwardly happened, though behind the scenes, a cold shadow war had already begun to wage... a war that would cancerously come to consume the forces of mankind from within, until by the middle years of the millennium, the increasingly straitened forces of both Imperial contenders meant that forces were withdrawn from frontier worlds and isolated systems, allowing the resurgence of myriad xenos across the galaxy, and prompting the Blood Angels, under the ill-fated Chapter Master Formosus, to launch the Alien Wars.

+ Post Script +

Thought for the day: An open mind is like a fortress with its gates unbarred and undefended.

I remain, at your service; Inquisitrix Barbari Kills.

+ inload: Waaagh da Orks! +

+ Accept no substitutes +

+ Orks! A long time coming, but Thrugg Bullneck's boyz are ready to take some heads and invade some Chapter homeworlds. Some nice timing, too, as Black Library have just released a new novel set on the world, Legacy of Dorn, by Mike Lee [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]. I think I'll pick it up and get into the setting before the game. +

+ But enough waffling, let's look at da ladz:

+ Hruk's squad +

+ Second in command of Thrugg's forces, you can have a look at building Hruk in more detail through this link [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+].

+ Cheerful looking bunch, aren't they? I guess when your boss is the boss' mate, you get best pick of the loot (well, after da boss and da boss' boss – and da uvver bosses – have had their go). +

+ I think the greenstuffed grins are my favourite part of this mob, but the nailed-on hand that allows Hruk to use the bolter he looted from some luckless Crimson Fist veteran is a close runner up. +

The flaming skull on his belly plate is the Charadon Empire symbol (see below).

+ Zerox's squad + 

+ This squad's got the best examples of the Rogue Trader elements I've tried to get in: a mix of ramshackle weaponry that nevertheless looks manufactured rather than all custom-built; heavier armour than modern orks; and a (slightly anarchic) sense of uniformity. I've tried to get more of a sense of individuality through, so they look like an undisciplined army, rather than a warband of beasts. +

 

+ Wortoof's squad +

+ The clans – Deathskull, Evil Sunz etc. – weren't around for the Battle for the Farm era, so I ummed and erred about whether to retcon them in or not. In the end, I decided to keep things simple to avoid diluting the look. +

+ With that said, not showing it off isn't the same as saying it's not there – I think it'd be possible to pick out a mob of more Snakebitey-looking boyz, such as the fur-clad Wortoof here. Similarly, the two in the front rank here look slightly more like Blood Axes than the others. +

+ Splatta's squad +

+ This mob's a good example of the contrast between the jokier-looking ork on the right, and the more savage Splatta in the centre. I'm not against humour in orks; I just think it's more fitting when there's a nasty streak to it... +

+ Ident-markers and ikonography +

+ Backplates came in with Waaagh the Orks, and were given a lot of emphasis in terms of markings – working as a bit of blank space equivalent to a Space Marine's shoulderpad. They haven't really been mentioned much since 3rd edition, though they haven't explicitly been written out. The models, however, still have 'em, so I used the info from Rogue Trader to add the symbol of Luggub's Drop Legion to them:

+ Warpaint's also mentioned, so a few of the boyz have got classic chequers, dags and – what better for the troops of the Arch-Arsonist? – flames. +

The ork on the right here is based on the Bolta and Kleaver model (rightmost, top row). Can you spot any others?

+ This has been a really fun little project, and it's great to get it 'finished' to a state I can play a game, rather than sighing and thinking 'only three more squads and tanks to go...' +

+ I'm looking forward to getting 'em on the field. +

+ inload: Your Faction Needs You +

+ Alien Wars: Escalation +

+ I've updated The Alien Wars section (see tabs above) to create a node where I can add further links as the project continues, and explain the project a little more. I've had a few questions and requests for clarification, so hopefully things are now a bit clearer. +

+ So, if you've been interested but not known how to get involved, hop over to the Alien Wars page [+noopsheric inloadlink embedded+], or read on for some ideas and discussion here. +

+ Of course, while it's nice to tick things over myself, the best bit of this is seeing the work other hobbyists have been making. I've been absolutely astonished by the pieces submitted so far – thank you all; and I'm looking forward to sharing more soon. Here's a taster:

James Turner's Sabre Selene [The Pig's Sty]

Lex Bigal's Inquisitor Theodora [Servitor Crusade]

Josh Noble's Eldar Raiders

K0rdhai's Janii [K0rdhai's Instagram]

DeathCat147's Magos Barbas Vholk [One Four Seven Miniatures]

Lex Bigal's Ultramarine Scout

+ If you'd like to get involved, here are a few questions +

• Do you want to explore the fractured Imperium, or the gathering might of the various aliens?
• Are your forces loyal to Terra, Nova Terra, undecided – or simply seeking the fall of the puny hu-mans?
• What sparked your imagination when you got into the hobby? Can you update a favourite old model or army?
• Do you want to investigate a 'canon' individual/force, or explore your own unique characters and lore?

+ Forces and factions you might like to explore +

• The orks of various petty empires have never stopped raiding human worlds; and now the Imperium's forces are turned inwards, they've never been more bold.
• With Imperial pickets thinning and staying closer to potential internal troublespots, the Eldar are freer than ever to explore.
• The Adeptus Mechanicus are beginning to be wracked by the signals from Moirae... which side of the schism will your force join?
• Rogue Traders will doubtless be able to turn the disputes and disruption in shipping to their own advantage.
• The squat homeworlds are alive and well. How is this dominion reacting to the politicking of the broader Imperium?
• How do the Inquisition react? Nova Terra and the worlds of the Segmentum Pacificus might have rejected subjugation to the governance of Terra, but they still worship the Emperor and pay their tithe. Doubtless individual Inquisitors fall on different sides of the discussion.
• The Astartes are noted as remaining largely aloof from the political conflict, but as with any Imperial organisation, they doubtless have their own aims...
• Wilderness space starts to be reclaimed as the Imperial presence retreats; what minor species will emerge from there?
• On frontiers and backwaters alike, the knowledge that worlds now stand alone may lead individual planetary governors – or the populace – to toy with independence.

+ What I'm doing +

+ The underlying aim of this project is simple – to make a model (or army) that speaks to your own nostalgia for your introduction to Warhammer 40,000. The army that has stuck with me as the 'ur-example' of a 40k army is the Blood Angels Third Company, detailed in White Dwarf issues 136–139. I'm building an homage to that army using modern models, materials and techniques. +

The Rogue Trader aesthetics inspired my orks and marines

+ Beyond that, the 35th Millennium setting, the period of the Nova Terra Interregnum. The premise for this choice of setting is similarly simple. The current era of Warhammer 40,000 itself has become a very different beast to the one I grew up with. That, of course, has its own appeal (and the PCRC and I continue to explore that in our Antona Australis setting), but choosing a point in the murky past of 40k gives myself – and I hope you – more freedom to play with building our models. +




+ So, why not join in with the Alien Wars? All you need do is think back to what first grabbed you about the 40k setting, and get building and painting. If you'd like to share it, I'd like to invite you to share it on the Death of a Rubricist Facebook page, or with the #alienwars hashtag on Instagram. +

+ There's no need to restrict yourself to a particular set of rules or location – after all, it's a big galaxy – but please do feel free to share any gaming, too. +

+ Looking forward to seeing your take on the horrors of the M35 galaxy, and what the divided Imperium will come up with to defend itself... +

+ inload: Anatomy of Empire I: The Charadon Empire +

+ Anatomy of Empire I: The Charadon Empire +

Located in the Ultima Segmentum, the Empire of Charadon today incorporates nearly seven hundred primary ork systems, and with a significant further dominion of slave worlds.

The empire sprang up in the wake of the Horus Heresy. Its first leader, the Arch-Arsonist Garslab, was quick to take advantage of the power vacuum left by the withdrawing legions, and the pocket empire quickly began to exert its influence across the spiral arm.

Today, the Empire is eclectic, established and markedly cosmopolitan; incorporating as it does a substantial permanent population of non-orkoids, including independent humans, abhumans and nearly a dozen other identified xenos species. The orks seem to tolerate – with some ork planetary commanders even encouraging – the presence of raiders, pirates and freedom-seekers in their realms. The existence of such ne'er-do-wells gives the orks of the Empire an unrivalled understanding of other species' strengths and weaknesses, and a ready source of both mercenaries and enemies against which to test themselves.

It is a mark of the Empire's longevity that the Tactica Imperium itself makes note of the forces of Charadon, using the military strategies of the forbidding black planet as an example of the perils of underestimating the threat of the orks: it is this Empire's pragmatism that has allowed the Arch-Arsonist and his cronies to prosper so long, and to have grown so powerful as to bring the Imperium of Man to terms on a number of occasions.

+ Military forces of the Charadon Empire +

The denizens of the Charadon empire are typical of orks – by which it is meant that the inhabitants are by turns belligerent, aggressive and surprisingly cunning. Unlike humanity, orks show little adaptation from region to region. If one could bear to remove the greenskin's stinking clothing, an ork of Charadon would be all but biologically indistinguishable from one from across the galaxy, which goes some way to demonstrate the sheer resilience of the ork genomic equivalent.

With that said, cultural tropes and norms do vary, and ork forces of Charadon are typically armed and armoured in a slightly more uniform fashion than one might expect of less-established ork regions, whose nomadic forces rarely have an established regional identity. This is due almost entirely to the stable supply lines from a string of indentured manufacturing worlds deep in the region. These include the fabled Lost Forges of Zoroaster – a dozen former Forge Worlds that fell to the first Arch-Arsonist over a decade of terrible warfare, and have remained firmly in the Arch-Arsonist's claws to this day. These churn out the murky fatigues and granite-grey armour plate by which the orks of Charadon can be recognised.

Typical ork Grenadier squad of the Charadon Empire

The clan system here is not absent or suppressed – indeed, a number of worlds within the Empire are vibrant examples of ork Kultur – but it is not a mineral-wealthy region, which in turn means that dyes, paints and other materials are relatively hard to come by. This is no hardship to the orks – after all, it provide the perfect reason to continue raiding each other, and to launch occasional large-scale fleet assaults that the orks call 'World-burnas' on fringe worlds in the reaches. Such attacks are launched by ambitious warbosses (sub-commanders) on their own initiative, but the most terrible are those made by order of the Arch-Arsonist himself, as such fleets are drawn from all across his Empire, and rival the Naval fleets of the Sector in number and mass-displacement. 

The armies of the Arch-Arsonist show the usual range of ork technology and tactics, ranging from light infantry forces supported by war buggies to specialised artillery and air units. The warboss Brug Wellshod's Iron Stompers are a good example of such specialism; being a force made up entirely of siege dreadnoughts and power-armoured support. Given the provenance of much of their equipment, it is perhaps not surprising that the orks of Charadon demonstrate a greater-than-usual proportion of vehicles recognisable as adapted STC designs; and most of the Arch-Arsonist's military forces will include weaponry and materiel that would be broadly recognisable to Imperial commanders, ranging from Rapier light weapon platforms to Bullock jet-cycles. This corruption of the Machine God's will, along with the loss of the forges of Zoroaster, has earned the Empire the eternal opprobrium of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who continually petition local Imperial Commanders, mercenaries and Astartes commands to launch counter-raids to recover precious knowledge from these lost worlds. 

+++

+ Charadon in the Alien Wars +

By the time of the Alien Wars, the Charadon Empire had become the longest-standing and most stable orkoid region in the galaxy, and the current Arch-Arsonist – by now an inherited title – a significant concern in galactic politics. Prior to taking the mantle of Arch-Arsonist himself, Zogblad the Belligerent had been a powerful lieutenant who helped his predecessor into the ork afterlife by 'accidentally' nudging the previous incumbent into the voracious maw of one of the Seismic Proto-dragons of Kor Luft.

Ruling from the black granite throne of the principal world from which the empire takes its name, the arch-arsonist now broods on the best course of action to take as his minions bring news of retreating Imperial forces all across the galaxy...

+++

+ Painting +

+ A productive weekend's work has seen me get the fatigues and weapons base-coated across the four squads, and to complete the skin on them all – a very satisfying stage. As noted elsewhere, I've taken pains to make sure they've each got a different skintone, by using unique combinations of paint mixes and washes. I'll have to be careful when adding further refinement, as I've no chance of remembering a particular mix! +

More of da ladz

+  All that remains is to work back over each model in turn, picking out details, filling in gaps (straps and pouches in particular), and adding details like the Drop Legion logo and warpaint to suitable areas. I hope to have that done by the end of the week; then it's on to finishing off the terrain for the game. +

Thrugg Bullneck and his squad leaders

+ What's next? Well, I'm still enjoying painting orks, so I might well paint up a few gretchin and a dreadnought – if I can do that, I'll be able to recreate the 2nd edition ork force, as well as the Rogue Trader army, which'd be a fun additional project. That'll bring things back round to the Blood Angels, who have received some exciting reinforcement from my friends in the PCRC... +

+ inload: Luggub's Drop Legion and micro-review of Warlord Games' Ruined Farmhouse +

+ Luggub's Drop Legion +

+ Work progresses on my orks for the Alien Wars. After a jolly fun weekend with the PCRC, I've got everything I need built for the game – four squads of five orks, plus Thrugg. On top of that, I've got the farm buildings built and the trees, hedgrows etc. all sorted. +

+ On a bit of a whim, I decided to weigh down the boyz with tuppenny bits under the bases. This'll help keep them stable:

'Wot's goin' on, boss?' 'Drop-pod trainin', Grubb. If dey get used to bashing their bonces, dey'll be much better suited to the attack. Orky-know-wotz, see?' 'Dat's ded clever, boss.' '...and don't you ferget it!'

+ Beyond that, there's not much that's particularly exciting or noteworthy in terms of painting. I've got the mob primed, so let's have a look at the new chaps:

Hruk's squad

Wortoof's squad

Splatta's squad

+ Semi-batch painting +

+ While I'll finish each mob off in turn, I wanted to make the most of batch painting to get things to a fairly uniform finish in places. Orks might not be the most attentive to their kit, but the ground's always going to be pretty much the same, and the majority of their fatigues and arms will have been mass-produced by slaves. To reflect this, I'm batch-painting the bases, cloth, armour and weapons; but will give the skin and ornamentation individual attention. +

Bases complete bar the tufts, and the fatigues base-coat in place.

+ This sort of approach works well for semi-modern style armies with a mix of visible skin and armour/cloth, such as guard, tau infantry and orks. It'd be less effective for armies with entirely enclosing plate (marines, various flavours of eldar, tau suits etc.). +

+ When batch-painting, I try to work as quickly as possible for each model, and don't worry about occasional brushmarks in the wrong place. (Apart from anything else, these niggle at me and encourage me to work on so I can go back and fix them at the individual stage!) As a result, I'm able to crash through a significant chunk of the group over the course of an hour or so. However, I am only applying the base coat. When I come to the individual model, or smaller group, I'll work more carefully and build up the highlighting/shading in a more considered way. This strikes the balance for me between boring but quick batch-work and slow but enjoyable 'main painting'. The more I get done at the batch stage, the less rote work later on. +

+ Buildings +

+ You'll also spot the buildings have been based and base-coated in the image above. I was very tempted to build my own, as I've got some foamboard lurking around, but time pressure meant that a pre-constructed one was my go-to. I'm using Warlord Games' Ruined Farmhouse [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], which is pretty much ideal for the Rogue Trader Battle for the Farm scenario, as it contains enough bits to make a small farm building and an outbuilding of approximately the right size. +

Devastator marine included for scale

Devastator marine waiting for you to leave so he can use the outbuilding

+ Quick to build, the construction is fairly intuitive (lucky, as there are no instructions included), though I think it does require a sturdy base as the contact points of the modular design are poor. I've used some off-cuts of mountboard. +

+ As a micro-review of the kit, some aspects of the design seems a bit odd or badly-planned – there's no way to attach the chimney to any of the walls without being able to see at least some of the undetailed back through a window or other hole, for example; and the (presumably) modular design means that the bumpy corners don't align without some trimming and filing. There's nothing that can't be fixed or improved with a little time and the right tools, but overall it's a bit of a near-miss for me. +

+ With that said, it's sturdy high-impact plastic, has better texture and a more realistic finish than an equivalent MDF or card building, and is comparably priced to MDF. For the price, I'm happy with it, but I'd hesitate to recommend it. +