# More Name Change Fuckery: IG



## venomlust (Feb 9, 2010)

http://natfka.blogspot.com/2014/01/imperial-knights-ig-renamed-and-wood.html



> Imperial Knights will not be a part of the Imperial Guard codex, and for the matter, the Imperial Guard codex will be renamed, Astra Militarium (quite the mouthful). So looking ahead we have some very cool things on the horizon.
> 
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> Please remember that these are rumors. So with that said, a new IG codex is certain to be an April release, with Imperial Knights in March.
> ...


My question is this: If we're changing all the goofy army names, why the hell did they stick with "Space Marines" instead of changing the army name to _Adeptus Astartes_? "Space Marines" is on par with 
"Sisters of Battle" for stupidity of nomenclature in the future, as far as I'm concerned. But, being the cash cow of the franchise, I imagine they didn't want to fuck with the possibility people would be turned off by the name. "Space Marine" is something a child can understand and convince their parents to purchase, but "Astartes" sounds odd and foreign, perhaps. 

Also, if you've played the game _Space Marine_, you'd know that any time an Ork sees an Astartes in the 41st millenium, they have to shout out "SPUYS MAREENZ!" "UHSTARTEEZ" might be twice as annoying, hearing it in the same voice over and over. You know, because any Ork of a certain caste looks and sounds identical to its cohort.

Thoughts?


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## Ddraig Cymry (Dec 30, 2012)

Hmm, I thought they were due in February?


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## venomlust (Feb 9, 2010)

Well yeah, as with any rumor it's a given. Still fun to specurate.

I think if we see an explosion of info the way we have with 'Nids, it could point to some truth. Thinking the same about Chaos rumors.


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## Bindi Baji (Apr 23, 2009)

Ddraig Cymry said:


> Hmm, I thought they were due in February?


I thought it was March, but it does indeed sound like April


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## Shas'Ui (Feb 28, 2013)

Because people already know what a space marine is, is people start running around calling them adeptus assablabla or whatever, new players would be all like "SAY WHAAAAAAT?"


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## Veteran Sergeant (May 17, 2012)

venomlust said:


> http://natfka.blogspot.com/2014/01/imperial-knights-ig-renamed-and-wood.html
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Space Marines are the flagship of the property. They aren't going to mess with it. Besides, it's exactly what they are. Marines in space. People know what a Marine is, so they automatically know those guys must be bad ass. It may be simplistic, but it's evocative and effective. What the fuck is an Adeptus Astartes if you aren't familiar with the 40K license? Remember, business is based around generating new customers.

Sisters of Battle, on the other hand, sounds a little silly. And it's an e-book anyway. They could call it Nuns with Guns and it wouldn't matter. The people buying that book are a very specific segment. Games Workshop doesn't support the model line anymore beyond continuing to trickle out small numbers of the existing models via their web store. It's a bad idea to compare the Sisters of Battle with any of the mainstream 40K armies. 


I think the idea behind this (and I don't like the change, I'm just offering my thoughts), is that Imperial Guard is a very defensive sounding name. Defense isn't exciting. Offense is exctiting. But they're not going to change the name of the Imperial Guard itself, so the only marketing option is to change the name of the _product_. I don't know if it is a good choice or a bad choice, but obviously they are trying to redefine/rebrand the product from a marketing standpoint hoping it will boost sales.

It could also mean they are going to be adding in rules for non-Guard-specific stuff like the Imperial Navy.


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## venomlust (Feb 9, 2010)

Yeah that makes sense. :crazy:

Regardless of names, everyone is still calling SoB SoB, and I imagine people will still call IG IG.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

+1 to what Veteran Sergeant says. I'm not a fan of the name change and there are two possible reasons for why it's being done, one is what has been said above, the other is that they are tightening up on their IP. Imperial Guard is a term used in a few other universes (Star Wars being the obvious one) and I imagine after the CHS debarkle the GW legal team needs to show the higher ups that they are worth the retainer. Securing and future-proofing their IP internally (rather than continuing with the C&D spray and pray they have been doing in the past) would be a logical way.

I'm not entirely sold on the rumoured name either. Astra Militarium isn't a term that's been used before and does fit with the "Adeptus" prefix that is used on the vast majority of the Imperium's Organizations. The only time Astra has been used before is in regards to the Carcharodons.


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## venomlust (Feb 9, 2010)

Hmm I guess I didn't know about their history with IP issues. That could make a lot of sense too.


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