# Army Summary Project



## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

In the WFB forum, we have an excellent introductory thread.

While we do have one here in General 40k, it's not as detailed as the WFB one and I'd like to rectify that situation.

Check out the WFB one here to see what I'm talking about.

If you'd like to write one, and get tons of rep, sign up below and i'll put your name next to the army on the following list:

Space Marines
Space Wolves
Blood Angels
Dark Angels
Black Templars
Imperial Guard - Concrete Hero
Demonhunters
Witch Hunters 
Eldar
Dark Eldar
Necrons
Orks - Culler
Chaos Space Marines - Dies Irae
Tyranids
Chaos Demons
Tau Empire


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## Dies Irae (May 21, 2008)

I might be able to do the Chaos Space Marines introduction, it's my only army since I started playing (only 3 years, but I know CSMs pretty well). I'm going to write it tomorrow, and send it to you via PM.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

inquisitor einar has asked to do witch hunters


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## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

I might be able to do Space Marines, Guard or Space Wolves. Let me know which one, Space Marines are probably what I'm best at.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

just post them here, dont worry about a pm. means that other people can correct and expand them.


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## Calamari (Feb 13, 2009)

I think lots of people are going to vote themselves for stuff but I have some suggestions of people who I think would be good at certain armies.

For 'nilla Marines I would say either Katie Drake or Someguy. Eldar would probably be TKE and Deamons could be Katie again. Orks by Culler? I see that Einar has already volunteered for WH so thats ok


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## Concrete Hero (Jun 9, 2008)

I could do Daemonhunters fairly easily, as well as the Guard. I'll get the Nids down soon enough I think. 

Though if anyone feels like they could do a better job then fire away, I'm going to be completely honest and say this isn't my Number One priority :grin:


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## Snake40000 (Jan 11, 2010)

Why don't you use Broken swords Csm stuff. I recently made a printable version of all his posts (http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=54039).

This is extraordinarily detailed so i think this would be perfect.


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## Culler (Dec 27, 2007)

Calamari said:


> Orks by Culler?


I have been considering this, but if I've been called then I must answer (unless morfang or TKE wants to take it on.) I'll see if I can't whip something up tomorrow morning.


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## Underground Heretic (Aug 9, 2008)

I'd be willing to step in for the Greater Good. Just tell me what you want, over and above what you've got posted for CSM, and I'll fill it out. Give me a few days, maybe a week and I'll have it done.


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## Concrete Hero (Jun 9, 2008)

Here's a skeleton of a Guard Summary, had to rush it to finish though.


Imperial Guard

FLUFF:


The Imperial Guard are the hammer of the Imperium, recruited from countless worlds and numbering untold Billions. The Imperial Guard are the more typical 'Army' than the Space Marines (who represent more of a strike force), deployed en mass with a dizzying array of Vehicles and enough numbers to see any conflict through. Though your standard Guardsmen is poorly armed and armoured, casualties aren't a problem with such huge numbers available.


MODELS:


Luckily, most of the Imperial Guard Range is now done in Plastic, so the entire range is easy to build and the kits are reasonably prices (By GW standard). The downside is most Imperial Guard armies are going to compromise of a large number of either vehicles or infantry, meaning quite a lot of purchases are required, usually repeat purchases: Footslogger armies will need multiple shock trooper boxes, mechanised lists will need many Chimeras etc.

Though the Imperial Guard are more the standard 'army' you're free to customise them in this way, personalising them in your own way. The diffrerent regiments of Imperial Guard can also dress very differently. The Cadians, the Imperial Guard Poster boys, are the standard, armoured foot soldier. The Catachans are jungle fighters and adopt a more 'Rambo-esque' look. A larger list of Imperial Guard Regiments can be found Here.


GAMEPLAY:


The Imperial Guard are regarded as a 'Shooty' army, they can bring a fearsome amount of weaponry to bear on their opponents having a weapon perfect for every circumstance, though they will struggle in Assault against more specialised enemies. The Platoon system of the Imperial Guard Codex lets you field a very large number of infantry squads, all supported by various Heavy and Special weapon support teams. This sort of army will almost always vastly outnumber its opponents, sheer weight of firepower and numbers wearing their enemies down. A single Guardsmen on his own however, is not very special. Their stats are fairly poor, but their points are cheap.

The Guard are also famed for being able to deploy the largest number of Tanks in the game. Having Vehicles available in multiple FOC slots as well as the ability to field tanks in 'Squadrons', with a possible Nine Leman Russ Battle Tanks in one force! Steam rolling tank forces, Flying Cavalry and multiple Artillery batteries are all available.


SUMMARY:

-The Army of the Imperium, almost limitless in its number.
-Very easy army to assemble and paint, with almost the whole range being plastic. Though becomes expensive with multiple purchases required.
-Shooty army with a wide variety of play styles.


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## asianavatar (Aug 20, 2007)

Would have loved to do Witchhunters but inquisitor einar already took that.


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## Culler (Dec 27, 2007)

*Ork Army Summary*

*Fluff*
The Orks are a savage race whose entire society revolves around fighting, gearing up for a fight, or getting to a fight. If there is no one around to fight, they'll fight each other, just to see who is strongest or for the fun of it. They basically have the personalities of extreme British football hooligans. Whoever the strongest Ork is becomes the Warboss, and this creature stomps all the other Orks who would be boss around him so more boyz will follow and then the warboss leads his boyz on a glorious WAAAGH! of destruction.
Orks are race without gender who share traits of both animal and fungal life forms. When they die they release spores that develop into cocoons that will spawn various breeds of greenskin. There are the snotlings, who are the size and intelligence of rabbits and often eaten or bullied by the larger greenskins, there are the gretchin ('grots'), who are the size of medium dogs and possessed of a low cunning and cowardly streak a mile wide, and then there are the Orks, who are larger than a man and as they age continue to grow, becoming stronger and smarter.
Ork society always has a Warboss at the top, who is the biggest and meanest and tells the boyz where to go and what to do until another Ork kills him and takes his place. Below him are the Nobs, who are big and mean but not as big and mean as the boss, they order the rest of the boyz around. Below them are the boyz and below them are the grots and snotlings. A society of nothing but fighters wouldn't function though, and gretchin aren't smart enough to come up with the gadgets that Orks use to get from world to world. This is where Oddboyz come in. Runtherds who manage the lesser greenskins, Weirdboyz capable of tapping into the psychic energy that Orks generate when fighting, Mekboyz who build and maintain Ork technology, and Mad Doks who put boyz back together/"improve" them are all spawned with an innate understanding of their field written into their DNA by the mysterious race that created them which they refer to as the Brainboyz.
Ork society is composed of tribes and clans. All Orks belong to a tribe which consists of all the greenskins of a particular area, but many also belong to a clan which each have a distinct identity and a large tribe can have members from many clans. There are 6 clans in canon that can be found throughout the galaxy: 
-The Goffs who are the biggest and most violent and typically field massive hordes of boyz (colors: black/white)
-The Evil Sunz who love going fast and careen around the battlefield on bikes or in vehicles (colors: red, because 'red ones go fasta')
-The Bad Moons who are the richest of the Ork clans because their teeth grow the fastest (this being Orkish currency) and who typically have fancy weapons and armor (colors: gold/black)
-The Snakebites who live off the land and shun the use of technology and breed large numbers of gretchin (colors: natural)
-The Blood Axes who are a bunch of untrustowrthy gits that trade openly with other races, work as mercenaries, and even go so far as to wear camouflage like some cowardly grot who doesn't want to be seen (good Ork sense is that you charge headlong at your enemy waving your arms in the air.) They typically have a better understanding of strategy and planning (colors: camo, often several different types at the same time)
-The Deathskulls are looters, plunderers, and thieves without equal with a fascination for technology. They typically field more gadgets and fancier guns than other tribes (colors: blue)


*Models*
Plastic models can be found for almost the entire range (exceptions being meganobz, characters, big gunz, kans/dread but may be changing soon, and flash gitz.) Orks are also highly customizable and convertable. Literally anything can become an Ork vehicle with enough creativity, there are even looted carnifexes out there. Ork boyz are also very cheap thanks to the Assault on Black Reach set.
However, Ork armies do tend to have a lot of models so a good deal of painting can be expected. 

*Gameplay*
Orks are usually fun for everyone at the table because they have some great random effects that can be used and a great number of models that usually aren't too terribly difficult to kill. They typically rely on swamping their enemy with massive numbers of otherwise mediocre attacks, shots, and models.
Ork armies are wide and vary from vehicle-mounted kults of speed to massive hordes of boyz, from purely assault units to static shooting units. No matter what, an Ork army is almost always going to end matters up close and personal in assault. How much shooting they do on the way and how long they take to get there are the only factors and are highly customizable by how the army is built.
Almost always there will be plenty of Ork boyz, who by default are tougher than a guardsman but poorly armored. They strike after most other armies in assault but have good WS, fair strength, many many many attacks, and usually feature a deadly powerklaw in every boyz mob. Ork BS is a 2, lower than every other race, but their guns usually fire many shots, making up for the difference. Their leadership is poor but this usually matters little as Mob Rule! lets them and all other Ork units use the number of models in a unit as their leadership value.
An Ork general can also declare a WAAAGH! any turn after the first to give every Ork in the army fleet of foot for a single turn, often making a devastating second or third turn charge.

*Money Saving*
Plastic Ork slugga boyz are easily and cheaply acquired from marine players selling the other half of their Assault on Black Reach set, there tend to be many on Ebay. Acquiring some shoota arms and converting them is a possibility as well.
For extreme money saving on Ork vehicles, go to a toy store and see what strikes your imagination and then convert away. I've seen excellent toy conversions, but I've also seen painted Tonka trucks. They won't be tournament legal without >50% GW product but they will be inexpensive.

*Summary*
Orks aren't the strongest army in the game at any one thing, but rather they are superb generalists, typically relying on numbers rather than individual durability or killing power as their numbers are what gives them their resiliency and strength. A sense of humor is often needed from Ork generals especially with certain units, as an Ork army can often be highly random but all in good fun.
Also, you will almost never get to roll as many dice as with an Ork army, where the statement 'OK, now I get my 100 attacks' isn't completely farfetched.

*Where to go from here*
For a more detailed breakdown of Ork units, I encourage exploration of the tactica section. A detailed army-building tactica can be found here.
Here is a good way to paint Orks quickly. Many other tutorials and tacticas can be found in their respective sections on this and other forums.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Thanks Culler, awesome article. If people want to look at the sticky, i'd like Dies Irae's CSM fluff section to be expanded.

keep em coming, and rep the writers people!


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

bump. really want this to get off the ground people. join the fight!


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## dark angel (Jun 11, 2008)

I could write something for the Space Marines, but not until sometime this week, thats if you want me to.


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## Shadow Hawk (Apr 26, 2009)

I think Culler should probably do the ork one.
Is TKE still active? I don't think he's had any activity since October 2009.


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## Dies Irae (May 21, 2008)

torealis said:


> Thanks Culler, awesome article. If people want to look at the sticky, i'd like Dies Irae's CSM fluff section to be expanded.


Well after reading Culler's Orks introduction, I think I may come with something better for CSM fluff. I'll post it tomorrow or Tuesday


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## Inquisitor Malaclypse (Dec 6, 2008)

Witch King of Angmar has written something for the Eldar, I believe, but I would like to give this a shot if no one else minds.

EDIT: here's my contribution to the cause:

Written with material posted by the Witch King of Angmar.


FLUFF
The history of the Eldar stretches back countless millennia. As a whole, the Eldar have life spans than can expand centuries or more. This allows individual Eldar to experience anything and everything s/he desires. Sadly, it also became their undoing as life times of experiences led to boredom. This boredom eventually led many Eldar to become decadent and sadistic, which caused them to seek new experiences through decadence.

The excessive emotions and psychic emanations of the Eldar race eventually coalesced in the Warp into a sleeping entity known as Slaanesh, or “She Who Thirsts”. Slaanesh’s awakening killed many of the Eldar almost instantly, as she consumed their souls. But all was not lost. Some of the Eldar, being disgusted by their decadent brethren, had settled new planets far away from the Eldar home worlds. These Eldar became known as the Eldar Exodites. Some of the Eldar’s dark kin survived as well, and they are known as Dark Eldar.

Other Eldar, who for trade and various reasons, traveled in massive, city-like spacecraft known as Craftworlds. They escaped the cataclysm of Slaanesh’s birth by traveling in stable corridors of the Warp known as the Web Way. These survivors took steps to prevent the Eldar race from becoming so decadent again. Eldar have millenia to learn, experience, and master a certain role of Eldar life, called Paths. Once an Eldar masters a Path, the Eldar can move on to another Path. 

Aspect Warriors are some of the most commonly encountered Paths in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Each Path takes on a personification or “aspect” of the Eldar god of war Khaela-Mensha Khaine. The most prominent Aspect Warrior Paths include:  Howling Banshees, Striking Scorpions, Fire Dragons, Dire Avengers, Swooping Hawks, Warp Spiders, Shining Spears, and Dark Reapers.

When taking the field, bands of these warriors are led by Exarchs, who are Eldar that cannot walk away from the Path they have chosen, but each of the Warrior Aspects (with the exception of the Warp Spiders and Shining Spears) was founded by a Phoenix Lord. 

The current Phoenix Lords are not immortal individuals, but ancient relics whose bodies have passed on, leaving an empty suit of armor to be found by another Eldar warrior who dons it and takes on the part of the Phoenix Lord. Even though the original Phoenix Lords have long died, their spirits fight on and on through out eternity.

But arguably the most enigmatic Path of Craftworld Eldar is that of the Harlequin. The Harlequins worship the Laughing God of the Eldar, and are the only Eldar who can travel among the Craftworld Eldar, the Exodites, and the Dark Eldar. They assemble in troupes and travel seemingly wherever they will, telling, singing, and dancing the stories of the Eldar gods to other Eldar.

They are also the guardians of the Black Library, a place within the Eldar Web Way that contains the accumulated knowlecge of Chaos.

For most Eldar when an individual dies his/her soul travels to a small jewel worn on his/her clothes known as a Spirit Stone. This stone is removed from the Eldar’s body and placed in his/her Craftworld, thus robbing Slaanehs of one more Eldar soul.

The only exceptions to this seem to be the Phoenix Lords, as the souls of Phoenix Lords who have died are interred in the armor of the original Phoenix Lord and the Harlequins, whose souls are for the most part protected by their patron the Laughing God.

MODELS
The Eldar have some of the most graceful models in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe, not to mention some of the most detailed. For modeling purposes, Eldar models can be difficult to assemble or convert due to the nature of the model itself or because many Eldar models are made of metal. In shopping for models, the true advantage of such large range of pewter models is that they can be bought used and are easily stripped. It is recommended however that plastic models be bought on sprue or at least only base coated unless any would be hobbyist is an expert at stripping paint from plastic.

GAMEPLAY
Eldar style of play can be summarized by Craftworld:

-Biel-Tann: this Craftworld upholds the Path of the Warrior in high esteem, and they tend toward having more of Aspect Warriors than any other Craftworld. Aspect leaders of known as Exarchs gather together at times of war to form the Court of the Young King and awaken the fiery Avatar of Khaine, a small embodiment of the Eldar’s god of war.
-Saim-Hann: this Craftworld tends to speed and mobility, and thus employs a lot of Jet Bikes when fighting.
-Ulthwe: incorporates some of the most powerful Farseers (Eldar psykers) a character of note is Eldrad Ulthran. The Farseers of Ulthwe look into the future and manipulate events so their Craftworld, and the Eldar race can survive.
-Alaitoc: Eldar of Alaitoc are more focused on wandering the stars and employ more Rangers and Pathfinders (Eldar Scouts) than any other Craftworld.
-Iyanden: once was one of the greatest Craftworlds of the Eldar until it was almost destroyed by the Tyranids. Only the intervention of Prince Yriel, a pirate of Iyanden saved the Craftworld from total destruction. They now employ constructs made of the Craftworld itself known as a Wraithguard and Wraithlords to fight in their armies as the dead of Iyanden out number the living.

Eldar play style can be very fluid, and Eldar armies tend to do better when they maintain a theme. Typically, due to Eldar warriors being weaker than other races, transports are heavily used to keep them safe. Eldar tanks have abilities that improve the survival of the tank, thus increasing the survival of any passengers. 

The use of Farseers is also very common as their abilities can be used to improve any unit they are attached to.

Farseers and their attendants (known as Warlocks), are also very common choices in fielding an Eldar army. Units of a Farseer and Warlock body guard (called a Seer Council) are typically hard to kill. The fact Seer Councils can be mounted on Jet Bikes make them deadlier still, though both options of a Seer Council (on foot or on bikes) are very expensive in points when building an army.

Summary
-One of the oldest and most powerful races in the galaxy with a tragic past and present.
-Can be difficult to assemble and convert, but a large pewter range can save money if buying used metal.
-Unique in play style in that it can have a distinctive flavor, even though army selections come from the same race.
-Tanks are key. This is due to Eldar army selections having a weaker toughness than other army selections. Keeping your Eldar in tanks will let them do their job better.
-Eldar psyker powers are some of the most powerful in the game, but lack in offensive capabilities when compared to other races. Eldar psyker powers are more efficient when enhancing other units in the Eldar army or confounding opposing units.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Thanks, i was going to ask for an expansion to the fluff.

will post that up soon.

going great guys!


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

aren't craftworlds larger than 'city-sized'?


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## Inquisitor Malaclypse (Dec 6, 2008)

they are...i just wrote this up at 3am (my time) and had to edit it myself. i can change that, so no problem there. also, i don't like that i mentioned Aspect Warriors but failed to explain them but the problem as far as i'm concerned is that i'm being too wordy.


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## Culler (Dec 27, 2007)

Inquisitor Malaclypse said:


> they are...i just wrote this up at 3am (my time) and had to edit it myself. i can change that, so no problem there. also, i don't like that i mentioned Aspect Warriors but failed to explain them but the problem as far as i'm concerned is that i'm being too wordy.


Better to err on the side of being too wordy than not wordy enough IMO. Aspect warriors are one of the cooler eldar ideas and are integral to understanding the warrior culture of their society, so playing that up a little in a 'this is what is cool about eldar' fashion is perfectly legit


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

be wordy as you like. use subsections and subheadings so people can skip if they want.


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## Inquisitor Malaclypse (Dec 6, 2008)

not a problem; editing away and will post changes in orange on my original post. cheers.

EDIT: article updated.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Bump! Get on board people! Rep the writers!


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## liforrevenge (Oct 6, 2009)

I'm thinking about honoring my chapter by writing something up for the Blood Angels. Although it'll be short lived, I'll come up with something here in a few days.


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## Iron Angel (Aug 2, 2009)

Necrons. About the only other person I could possibly suggest for this army is Darklove, but I'll happily write one up.


Fluff
The Necron race is far older and more enigmatic than even the oldest known races- Older, even, than the Eldar.

Their story is tragic and twisted. They started as the Necrontyr, a short-lived race who lived on an unknown world bathed in the radiation of a dense and highly dangerous star. They managed to survive, but the constant, life-long radiation warped their genes, giving them many weaknesses. Necessity is the mother of invention, and their situation propelled forward the research of cold sciences, catapulting them to an extraordinarily high technological level in a fairly short amount of time. They attempted to use science to undo what had been done, but the damage was permanent. They moved away to neighboring stars, which often took decades to reach due to the fact that the Necrontyr were not warp-capable.

Eventually, a race known only as the Old Ones, who are the only race known that are older than the Necrontyr, attempted to extend their hand in friendship, offering warp technology and longer lives. For an unknown reason, the Necrontyr turned on them, driven to hate and spite of the Old Ones due to their long lives and healthiness. This sparked a brutal and bloody war between the two, with Necrontyr forces and ships able to easily decimate the relatively simpler Old Ones technology. However, the warp capabilities of the Old Ones eventually overcame the Necrontyr, and they were defeated and forced into a distant corner of the galaxy to be contained. The Necrontyr continued studying the stars, but now, instead of looking for a way to stop the radiation, they sought a way to use it as a weapon. They instead found the C’tan.

The C’tan are ethereal energy beings the Necrontyr pulled into this world by use of their technological advances. Called Star Gods by many, they are massive energy beings the size of stars who feed on their host star's energies, compressed into smaller forms while in the mortal plane of existence. The star that had caused the strife of the Necrontyr hosted what we know as the Nightbringer, who many suspect was the cause of the violence and danger of the star. After discovering the C’tan, more were awakened and they agreed to fight and defeat the Old Ones in return for the worship and adulation of the Necrontyr. They began feeding on the more vibrant and flavorful energies of souls rather than that of the stars.

The Necrontyr obliged, and the Old Ones suddenly found themselves facing a force they could not stop. The C’tan Deciever, for his own machinations, began tricking the C’tan into eating one another until only himself, the Nightbringer, the Outsider, and the Dragon remained. He then brought about the Necrons by transferring the minds and souls of the Necrontyr into Living Metal bodies similar to the one they had given him, in effect rendering them immortal, but at great cost- Most were stripped of their identity and sentience by the process, leaving only malice and hatred within their souls. The new Necrons were easier for the C’tan to manipulate and even stronger than the Necrontyr, and they wreaked terrible vengeance upon the galaxy. The destruction and pain they caused was so great that they sparked the first changes in the warp, and like small stones that start an avalanche, their horror cast a great vibration through the Warp, giving birth to the Slavers, or perhaps simply inviting them in. The Slavers began feeding on the psychic races the Old Ones had created, in effect starving the C’tan.

The Necrons thus went into stasis, and the Slavers are now gone. They are returning now to reap the seeds their old enemies spread across the galaxy, intent on killing and enslaving the pitiful beings that now thrive on planets that once belonged to their vast empire. They are awakening after an eon long slumber to reclaim a galaxy that once belonged to them, and to feast on the souls of their unsuspecting victims…

Models
The models in an army are about half plastic and half metal (With some models being literally half plastic and half metal). The Necron models share a common theme while still being visually different- The theme being ancient skeletal robots. The plastic models are high quality, and the metals are well-produced and visually appealing. Meant to represent the undead of the 40k universe, their models are quite villainous in appearance, most being hunched over, leering with hate-filled mechanical eyes from beneath their skeletal faces. While not as varied in appearance and form as other models, and with a smaller range, they are still a very visually pleasing army when painted. The uniformity well represents the feeling of a silver tide of soulless machines.

Gameplay
Necrons can be played several ways, with four common “all comers” builds, and plenty of room to specialize. Necrons perform the best in large point matches, 2000+ generally being considered the best for Necrons. Necrons are an insanely durable army, able to take immense levels of punishment and come back swinging. They have plenty of special rules and equipment that reinforce their durable defenses, making them a very good steamroller army. Many of the units in a Necron army can also Deep Strike, making them good at surprise attacks as well. Their weapons are capable of a glancing hit on a vehicle on a 6, regardless of weapon strength or vehicle AV, meaning a standard Warrior can glance a Land Raider’s front end! En entire unit of ten firing at the vehicle at once ensures at least one glance, possibly two. Necrons have massive armor saves and the ability to return from the dead if they are struck down by anything that doesn’t ignore armor saves- And with a Resurrection Orb, they can recover from even those heinous blows. They can roll their failed We’ll Be Back rolls a second time by warping through their Monolith- A massive floating fortress with special rules that make it nearly indestructible- regaining even more of their fallen. This makes Necrons the masters of attrition. They also have many jetbikes and jetbike-movement units in their armies, making them highly mobile when necessary as well. Their main drawbacks are a lack of model numbers and a general weakness in CC- Assault troops can best Necrons due to Inititive values.

Money Saving
Necrons are possibly the cheapest army to collect. Despite a wide range of metals, the fact that each model costs a massive amount of points in relation to other armies means you will need far fewer models than you would for other forces. It is possible to procure a 3k point force for about 1000 USD if you use discount wargaming sites.

Summary
Necrons perform best in large numbers, so they can take advantage of their special rules and benefit from highly deadly massed fire volleys. They are powerful at shooting, and even better at absorbing shots, and they are immensely durable, able to recover even if killed several times. They are cheap and easy to paint, and are quite attractive as far as the models go. 

Where to go from here
A detailed analysis of Necron units can be found here, as well as others in the Tacticas section. For painting tutorials, there are several simple guides to painting quick Necrons throughout the hobby section. There are too many to be posted here, so don’t be afraid of the search function!


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## Underground Heretic (Aug 9, 2008)

Tau Empire

FLUFF:

When they were first discovered by an explorator vessel, the Tau were a tribal society composed of four warring factions. Marked for settlement, the world of T'au was lost for millenia because of a freak warp storm that cordoned the world off from the rest of the galaxy.

When the explorators returned millenia later, the Tau had evolved into a technologically advanced society divided into five castes. Each of the warring tribes had joined together under a fifth, each playing a role in cooperation to a Greater Good.

The fifth tribe, called by the other four the Ethereals, first appeared during a war between the plains dwelling hunting tribe and the technological fortress building tribe. One Ethereal appeared at each camp in the night and was taken to the general, though no one had ever seen these strangers before. By dawn the Ethereals had led the generals in a negotiated peace at the gate, preaching to them how each tribe could benefit if all tribes worked together. Eventually, all four of the tribes were united in this manner. The Ethereals gave each tribe a name according to their role in the Greater Good.

The most warlike of the tribes was named the Fire Caste. Though no stronger then a human, these warriors were the best specimens of Tau fighting ability. The Fire Caste was tasked with defending all of T'au. The fortress building tribe was named the Earth Caste and tasked with developing new technologies. A third tribe, mountain dwelling Tau known for their mobility became the Air caste, pilots of the vast navies of the Tau Empire. A fourth tribe, traders and seafarers, became the Water Caste, making contact and handling negotiations with other species.

When the Tau achieved rapid spaceflight, they sought to bring their message of the Greater Good to the stars. Their first allies in this cause were the kroot. Kroot Mercenary clans swore allegiance to the Tau after the Tau helped them free their home planet from the orks. The vespids later joined the empire after the introduction of communication aides, called communion helms, were introduced to their leaders.

The Tau way of war is anathema to several components of fifth edition missions. While the Imperium may through thousands of lives away for a ridge, the Tau are more enlightened. They have come to realize that there are very few places worth the life of a Tau, when the enemy can be killed and the land taken back then.

While the guns of the Tau are far superior to those of the Imperium, they do not believe a phyrric victory, one where both sides lose large quantities of lives, has any merit. The life of a Tau is sought to be preserved at all costs. The mercenary kroot have often been called upon to prove their devotion to the Greater Good by sacrificing themselves to save their Tau employers.


MODELS:

The majority of the Tau model range is plastic, with only a few units with metal models and two hybrid metal-plastic kits. Pathfinders, Vespids, Ethereals, Sniper Drone Teams and Commander Shadowsun are the only units left as full metal models. Some of the most frustrating models in the range are the hybrid kits: Broadsides and Commander Farsight. Let it suffice to say that plastic bonds much better to plastic when superglue is applied than it does to metal. The entire Tau motorpool is fully plastic and iconic units like the kroot, fire warriors and the crisis suits are fully plastic models.

The Tau are very well sculpted in most every case, though lacking a bit of detail. Conversion opportunities abound for the patient hobbyist. Tau are known to change the color of their camouflage to suit the terrain they are operating in, leading to a wide variety of paint schemes, helped by the smoothness and lack of gaudy details on their models.

GAMEPLAY:

The Tau are the ultimate in shooting armies. While the Imperial Guard my lay claim to the most powerful large blast weapons in the game, the strongest single shot belonged to the Tau, until very recently. The greenest soldier on the line wields a weapon superior to the las gun or even the holy bolter. Boasting better range and stopping power than either, the pulse rifle is to be feared by the enemies of the Greater Good.

That being said, the Tau themselves can't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. Besides having lower weapon skill and initiative than a guardsman, the Tau boast the only weapon skill one model in the game. The kroot and vespids fare better, but are less well protected.

As their fluff dictates, the Tau view themselves as hunters, laying traps for the enemy and waiting until the opportune time to strike the killing blow. Mobility is the key to winning as Tau. In 4th edition, a Tau gunline could pelt any infantry attempting to close the gap with them into submission, but no more. The increased enemy speed benefited by the run rule has taken time away from the Tau and forced them into the relative safety of their transports.

SUMMARY:

-The shootiest of the shooty armies, powerful at range and dead up close.
-Paintable in a wide variety of schemes that will look good if kept in the model lines. 
-A tactician's army, the Tau require finesse to be able to compete against the brute force of many 5th edition armies, but they retain the weapons that made them feared in 4th edition. Only the knowledge gained by experience is able to make the Greater Good triumph.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

+ rep! + rep! + rep! + rep!


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## liforrevenge (Oct 6, 2009)

This is the first time I've done something like this, how does this look?

The Blood Angels

Fluff:

Blood Angels Space Marines are the tragic heroes of the 41st millennium. Created in the first founding, they are among the oldest chapters of the Space Marines. During the Horus Heresy, their winged primarch Sanguinius boarded the flagship of Horus himself. He became separated from the rest of the boarding party, and eventually engaged Horus in single combat. Horus, empowered by the combined strength of the four chaos gods easily bested Sanguinius, but not before he could put a ***** in Horus's armor, just enough to turn the tide in the Emperor's favor. It is rumored that Sanguinius possessed the power to see into the future, and knew of his demise long before he sacrificed himself for the Emperor.

Centuries later, the Blood Angels bear the scar of his sacrifice, in the shape of the Black Rage. In the heat of battle, a Blood Angel may begin seeing visions of Sanguinius' final sacrifice. Soon they will become unable to separate these visions from reality, believing that they are Sanguinius himself, battling Horus for the fate of all humanity. These damned souls are recruited into the Death Company.

Along with this curse, the Blood Angels bear many other unique traits. They are some of the longest lived of all Space Marines, their chapter master Dante having lived for nearly 1100 years. 

Models: 

Blood Angels are space marines, and therefore many of the models available for Space Marines will also be options for the Blood Angels. There are a few models made specifically for the Blood Angels, including the Baal Predator, Furioso Dreadnought, Death Company, and several special characters. 

Collecting them could be slightly more expensive than a “vanilla” Space Marine army, but not by much. Be sure to keep an eye on sites such as eBay for good deals that can save you good money. Keep in mind, however, that come April many of the Blood Angels models will be getting completely revamped so buy carefully. Tactical Squads, Rhinos, and a Commander are all very safe buys that should be relatively cheap. 


Gameplay: 

The Blood Angels are very much an assault-based army, though they are still space marines, so don't think that's all they can do. Among the most mobile Space Marine chapters, they make heavy use of Rhinos with their over-charged engine special rule and ability to take Assault Sqauds as troops. Some players choose to take lots of jump troops for an infantry heavy assault force, while others choose many transports and vehicles for a heavily mechanised force. 

Either way, the Blood Angels are a largely “in-yo-face” army. The Blood Angels characters are magnificent at improving the effectiveness of their supporting troops, making them even more deadly. Their Baal Predator is feared by their enemies.



Summary:

-FREE codex available from Games Workshop website.
-Heavily Assault army, lots of mobile options.
-Fun army to play, with lots of competitive options.
-For a LOT of magnificent information by the ever-brilliant player Jawaballs, see his blog here: Jawaballs Blog

It looks pretty shallow compared to the other ones here, what is it missing?


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## Concrete Hero (Jun 9, 2008)

"The ever brilliant Player Jawaballs?" lmfao

Indoctrinated much?


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## liforrevenge (Oct 6, 2009)

Concrete Hero said:


> "The ever brilliant Player Jawaballs?" lmfao
> 
> Indoctrinated much?


yeah, yeah
what's a better way of saying it? I couldn't find the words I wanted to put so I settled for that.


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## Culler (Dec 27, 2007)

Could we get an update to the OP with what's still missing?


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## Styro-J (Jan 20, 2009)

I was rather upset this thread never really took off, the complete set would have been nice to sticky.

It's a pity I only really know one race, and their covered.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Will update today, sorry.


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## Shaun_wi (Oct 8, 2008)

*Dark Eldar*

I thought I would have a go at a dark eldar summary. Feel free to add to this.

Fluff

The history of the Dark Eldar stretches back to the birth of slaanesh and the event known as the fall. After the fall the Dark Eldar fled into the webway to escape the hunger of Slaanesh and founded the city of Commorragh.
(I don’t know much about the fluff so feel free to add to this section)

Models
The Dark Eldar model range is the ugliest and out-dated range going. The fact that they have had no update for 13 years has’nt helped. However I have found that the warriors look good if combined with models from the dark elf range from wfb and various other conversions can be made to give the army much needed love. On a plus note it can be easy to get cheap models on the internet as they are’nt the most popular of armies. 

Gameplay
The Dark Eldar are possibly the hardest army to play with. They take a lot of getting used to before you start winning games.
The Dark Eldar are fast but fragile. You need to use your speed to your advantage whenever possible, against most armies you won’t be getting an armour save against most of their shooting so never be left out in the open. The trick to using Dark Eldar efficiently is to never fight fair, use all of your army to hit just a part of your opponents. This way you can cripple one flank and be back in your transports before the opposite flank has time to react.
As said previously they are the hardest army to get started with but in the hands of a skilled player they can be devastating.

Summary
- Oldest model range but can be a converters dream
- Very steep learning curve
- Can be cheap to collect if you buy second hand
- Fast but fragile
- Devastating if used properly

Where to go from here
There are two excellent tacticas here on heresy
Dark Eldar Tactics by Mr Darkraider 
http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7509
Dark Eldar tactica and unit breakdown by Keelia
http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=55046


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## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

Ill make the Space Wolves one


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## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

*Codex Space Wolves*

*Fluff:*
We come from the land of the ice and snow, 
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow. 
Hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new land, 
To fight the horde, sing and cry: Valhalla, I am coming! 

This is the start of Led Zeppelins awesome Immigrant Song but it could damn sure be a poem about Space Wolves instead. The 6th founded Legion comes from the Death World of Fenris, which is the planet the Primarch Leman Russ was scattered to. He came to rule the planet until he was rediscovered by the Emperor himself, and after losing his first fight ever Leman Russ swore the Emperor his allegiance, and has been true to his word ever since. Leman Russ is one of the Primarchs that survived the Horus Heresy, but he has left on a quest into the Eye of Terror together with his most trusted Wolf Guards 10000 years ago. Whatever happens Russ has promised his Chapter that when the Wolftime comes, the final fight of the Chapter, he will be there with them.

Fenris is a planet of fire and ice, with extreme weather condition and one of the three most lethal planets inhabited by Mankind. Fenris has a huge eclipse path around its sun, thus seeing both extremely cold weather and extremely hot at the span of one Fenrisian year. A new born Fenrisian is always gifted with and Axe as birth gift simply because life on Fenris is one long battle, either against other tribes or the monsters that inhabit the world. 
The vast majority of Fenris is water and the areas of land are no bigger then islands. The only real chunk of land is at the north pole, an area the natives call Asaheim, the land of the gods, which is surrounded by cliffs of several thousand feet. This is where the Space Wolves have their Fortress-Citadel known as the Fang. The Fang is an immense structure that reaches high into the atmosphere of Fenris, and considered the greatest Imperial bastion outside Holy Terra itself.

The natives the Space Wolves draw their recruits from are a warrior born people, and for them to be elected into the Sky Warriors, as the native Fenrisians call the Space Wolves, is to live the warrior dream fully. The Space Wolves loves to fight, eat and feast with their brothers, and this is exactly what they get to do, so very little can tempt them from their path of the warrior. Each single member of the Chapter has his warrior saga to build upon, constantly seeking to add more spectacular deeds to it. The saga of the current Great Wolf, Logan Grimnar, is so long that it spans form one wall to the other in the great feast hall of the Fang, and its the dream of every single Space Wolf to reach the same level of success as him, to become a living legend!


*Models:*
Space Wolves are Space Marines and are thus mixable with all the normal Space Marine kits. The Space Wolves themselves only have 2 chapter specific boxes which includes all kinds of bits and bobs to make your Sky Warriors look like proper sons of Russ. Space Wolves are a superstitious lot and almost all of them adorn their armour with wolf-talismans, runes and similar items. With a little imagination and these bits you will be able to convert all your models into feral Space Wolves, even the ones you bought as “normal” Space Marine kits.
Apart from the Characters almost all models in the Space Wolves army are plastic, thus making it very conversion friendly and easy to assemble. One noticeable exception however are the feared Thunderwolf Cavalry. The only model for them right now is a special character in metal, thus making the unit both expensive to acquire and a bit harder to convert. There are several rumours saying that these models will be released when the second wave of Space Wolves hits the shelves sometime in the future.


*Gameplay:*
The Sons of Russ will at first glance look like an Assault army with few equals, and while this holds true there are more to it then what meets the eye at first glance. Sure the Grey Hunters cant take a Heavy Weapon, but then again the Long Fangs can, and they even have reasonable prices for them! The Wolf Guard are extremely flexible since each model can be armed and equipped for any task the player want him to do. The only downside with that is that youre more or less forced to have an elite slot of Wolf Guards in each army, since they are the Space Wolves equivalent of the normal Space Marine Veteran Sergeant. Generally speaking each Space Wolves unit is more geared and specialised towards one kind of mission, and if they are combined effectively you will have a very solid army. This also means that you rarely pays for “unused” options, but also means that you have a little bigger chance of ending up without a good counter tactic to certain situations. 

The Space Wolves are an army of heroes, great warriors striving for personal glory and expanding their own Saga on a level few others in the galaxy does, Space Wolves literally lives to fight! The Space Wolves may pick 2 characters on 1 HQ slot, thus meaning that you can have 4(!) independent characters in a normal army! They also have access to Sagas, heroic rules for representing the deeds of your characters on their way to the legends. Sagas give your characters some nifty extra rule, like the ability to outflank or re rolls against Monsters amongst others.


*HQ Units:*
_Wolf Lords_ are the greatest fighters of the chapter, dwarfing the fighting prowess of normal Space Marine commanders with their skill. These guys are lethality personalized, but generally also very expensive.
_Wolf Guard Battle Leaders_ are the equivalent of Captains. Cheapest of the 4 different HQ available these warriors are ideal to lead low point games.
_Rune Priests_ are the Space Wolves Librarians. They control the weather and can literally cast lightning on the opponents.
_Wolf Priests_ are a mix of Chaplain and Medic, they are also the ones that choose which native Fenrisians that are suitable for joining the ranks of the Sky Warriors.

*Elite Units:*
_Wolf Guards_ are the Wolf Lords personal guard, highly prized warriors equipped with any weapon they chose from the armoury. They are the ones that dons the Terminator Armours the Chapter has, and also acts as mentors for the other packs of the army.
_Dreadnoughts_ are just like their Space Marine equivalents, but the Space Wolves ones can be pimped with cool talismans and stuff.
_Venerable Dreadnoughts_ are the same thing, but they also have access to Saga of the Majesty which makes units close to it re roll failed morale checks.
_Iron Priests_ are the Tech Marine equivalents that keep the Space Wolves armoury going. They do not have access to the Thunderfire cannons, but can be a lot more lethal in close combat.
_Wolf Scouts_ operate far away from the rest of the Space Wolf army, often striking at the enemy from behind thanks to their unique special rule “operate behind enemy lines”.
_Lone Wolves_ are the sole survivor of a pack, whom are set out to hunt and slay an impressive monster to restore the honour of his fallen battle brothers, or die trying.

*Troops:*
_Grey Hunters_ are the most numerous of all Space Wolves, still battle hungry but fighting with a predators patience and are formidable foes on the field of battle.
_Blood Claws_ are the recruits of the Space Wolves. Everyone starts his Saga in a large pack of these young and ferocious fighters, that always favours the charge solution to all problems.

*Transports:*
_Rhinos_ are for the Space Wolves, just like all Space Marine Chapters,the main transport vehicle, and almost rare to not see at least one in a Space Wolf army.
_Razorbacks_ are reserved for more senior units and provide covering fire for the advancing units ahead of them with their heavy weapon.
_Drop Pods_ are known as the Claws of Russ to the Space Wolves and are as normal used heavily on Planetstrikes, but also on other occasions to deliver packs straight into the fighting.

*Fast Attack:*
_Thunderwolf Cavalry_ are Warriors mounted on a Wolf roughly of the same size as a big Rhino, a truly horrific combination for the enemy. For imperial records the Thunderwolf Cavalry does not exist, it saves the Space Wolves a lot of annoying questions...
_Swiftclaw Biker Packs_ are Blood Claws mounted on Bikes. They are better assault units then their Space Marine equivalents, but worse shooters thanks to BS3. Including these guys are the only way of getting attack bikes into the army. 
_Skyclaw Assault Packs_ are Jump Pack equipped Blood Claws speeding towards the enemy quickly and unorthodoxly, at least in the eyes of the older Space Wolves.
_Fenrisian Wolf Packs_ some times follow the Space Wolves to war. They are cheap and move as cavalry, but not durable at all.
_Land Speeder Squadrons_ are fast skimmers that have a fairly good mix of available weaponry and can be customized for any battle mission.

*Heavy Support:*
_Long Fangs_ are veterans of centuries of warfare who provide their younger brethren with long range fire support, and thanks to their huge experience of fighting with each other they can even engage two different targets!
_Predators_ are versatile tanks that can be equipped for either infantry killing or Vehicle hunting and preform either role well
_Whirlwinds_ offers light artillery support for the army, specially noticeable are the Incendiary Castellan Missiles which disallows cover saves
_Vindicators_ are siege tanks armed with a massive Demolisher cannon that can breach walls and Vehicles with horrible effectiveness.
_Land Raiders_ are the pinnacle of the armoured might of the Imperium, armed with Lascannons and Heavy Bolters the standard pattern is scarcely without targets.
_Land Raider Redeemer_ trades the long range fire power of the Lascannons for Flamestorm Cannons, weapons that make Heavy Flamers seem both small and harmless.
_Land Raider Crusader_ has a set of Hurricane Bolters on either side instead of bigger weapons, this allows it to transport 16 models inside it making it a very good assault tank indeed.


*Money Saving:*
More or less the whole army is plastic, and Characters can be made out of plastic models too without any real problem. Its also a Space Marine army and thus fairly elite in its way so you wont need extreme numbers of troopers for your games. As long as you dont plan on including any Thunderwolf Cavalry units in your army you should be able to get a working army for a quite decent price, well as decent as prices goes in this plastic crack addiction hobby...


*Final Thoughts:*
The Space Wolves are a highly iconic army of Space Vikings. You dont need a master degree in history to realize where the inspiration for them came from, its the whole Norse mythology and way of life from start to stop. Its a warrior saga of great deeds and evil foes told without any holding back at all, after all, whats the point of doing great feats if you can not brag over them afterwards?
When creating your own Space Wolf army it will require more effort then a normal Space Marine army thanks to all trinkets and pelts and stuff that they carry with them, but it also allows for a lot more modelling and painting freedom since the Space Wolves dont pay the Codex Astartes any heed what so ever. Whenever a new Wolf Lord is elected for a Great Company he chooses a new symbol for his company, and the Company repaints their Armours and Vehicles to fit the new Wolf Lords theme. This will always result in personalized armies, its totally in the theme of the army to be that way!


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## liforrevenge (Oct 6, 2009)

I'll have to update mine next month :O
I'll see about adding some more here sometime this week anyhow.


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