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The Polymarines.


Great idea and I +1 the recommendation for magnetization, especially to keep certain model's options open for adaptability. Just be conservative, as Lars stated above, it's easy to get carried away.

I like the color scheme, btw. Aren't Red Scorpions similar?

Yeah, now I only magnetize as I go, when I discover I want to use a new weapon.

ArbitorIan wrote:So, I've been thinking of re-jigging my Marines. I have a huge White Scar army and still quite a few marines left over and I was trying to think of a way of creating a Space Marine chapter which could be used as ANY codex without offending my own sensibilities. I'm one of those people who gets really annoyed when someone changes their Marines to use the newest codex - when someone's Vanilla Marines suddenly become Space Wolves overnight when the codex is released, then switches to Blood Angels a year later.

So I was thinking - how can i build an army that can CONVINCINGLY be any chapter? My plan was as follows...

- Build a load of generic marines with bolters, cc weapons, all special and heavy options.
- Paint them in a uniform colour scheme, but with very few codex markings, and no chapter badge.
- Paint up all your vehicles in the same colour scheme, but with magnetised weapon options.
- Any 'veteran' squads get their own, different colour scheme, such as Terminators, Vanguard Squads, etc. So, if my army is red and grey with white details, all the veteran elements are white with red and grey details.

- Make a separate 'sergeant and character' set for each 'chapter'. Make heavy use of banners, chapter-specific model parts etc., to make the characters really LOOK like the chosen chapter.
- Make a separate magnetised weapon set for each 'chapter'

*snip*
Is this an acceptable way to 'theme' the same basic army so that it can be played as multiple things without looking 'forced'?

While I do think this is a good idea, especially making different Squad Leaders and Characters to match the WYSIWYG for each book, I am not certain how it solves the problem you mentioned above (I added bold). On the one hand, the added banners etc. will really help the opponent remember which chapter's rules you are using which is a smart move, but on the other hand you would still be committing the underlying sin of changing your armies codex based on whichever one is fun and new. Personally, I don't have a problem with that and wish to encourage it, but seeing as how many people disdain counts-as armies as simply trying to use the best rules I don't see how this is different. I believe you yourself went on record as saying you didn't like using Chaos Marines models to be Space Wolves.

If this means you are converting yourself over to being ok with counts as, good on you! However, I don't think the paint scheme and name of the chapter was ever the problem, and no matter how well you solve that (The scheme and the name sound great to me) I think you will still bump up against people who complain that you are just using the same army with different rules based on which book is more powerful.

Wehrkind wrote:While I do think this is a good idea, especially making different Squad Leaders and Characters to match the WYSIWYG for each book, I am not certain how it solves the problem you mentioned above (I added bold). On the one hand, the added banners etc. will really help the opponent remember which chapter's rules you are using which is a smart move, but on the other hand you would still be committing the underlying sin of changing your armies codex based on whichever one is fun and new. I believe you yourself went on record as saying you didn't like using Chaos Marines models to be Space Wolves.
If this means you are converting yourself over to being ok with counts as, good on you! However, I don't think the paint scheme and name of the chapter was ever the problem, and no matter how well you solve that (The scheme and the name sound great to me) I think you will still bump up against people who complain that you are just using the same army with different rules based on which book is more powerful.

Thanks for the comments. It is, indeed, a fine line, and I guess this idea is how I think it should be done - essentially the whole point of building this is to make a interchangeable Marine army to my standard of acceptability - I still dislike the idea that someone's Ultras are now 'count-as' Space Wolves whenever a tournament comes around (for me, this is the same as 'my orks are now Tyranids' - it's proxying). I guess the idea here is to show I think it 'should' be done.

First - I've always been a fan of counts-as (I have a good few 'counts-as' armies down there in my sig) but the important thing is that it should be obvious to the opponent what he's facing. If the force he's facing look like Codex Marines, then playing them as Space Wolves is automatically confusing, regardless how similar Tactical Squads and Grey Hunters are. The intention with this army is that, just by looking at my army in it's 'Space Wolf' configuration, it should be instantly obvious to my enemy not only that the army is Space Wolves, but what unit is what. Anything less would be confusing, is proxying rather than counts-as, and would give an unfair advantage in a tournament situation.

I AM partly collecting this so that I can 'try out' all those codexes I wouldn't usually bother with, just like the people you mention. I have no desire to collect a Black Templars army, but if I only have to paint a new command batch and few spacial units, then I'll be much more likely to try out the codex. As far as 'collecting the most powerful army' goes, I'm not just planning Blood Angels and Space Wolves here - I'll be doing Dark Angels, Templars and Codex Marines too. But I guess the point is that this level of customization is what I'd expect of someone else doing the same thing.

How about the "Pioneers" chapter? (it's all about jumping on a wagon to go better yourself, innit?)

Okay, playful insults aside, I have often thought of this as a viable option for any marine player. If people can have a 'counts as shrike' in an ultramarine army then I don't see why they should not have a 'counts as' tactical marine. The codex differences shouldn't matter based on if you have a wolf pelt, or dark green armor and a dress, etc. Just as long as they are all armed according to the same FOC of that 'counts as' codex. In this regard I don't even think a 'counts as' space wolf army would need any kind of feral markings whatsoever. Maybe they have a completely different culture to the vikings, something like an arabian 'whirling dervish' or a japanese 'samurai' culture, also both prone to unrelenting ferocious close fighting styles (but for zealous religious dogma in one case, for bushido honor code in another, for nordic berserker culture in the origional, still amounts to the same game-effect). Codex-specific weapons or special abilities could be given completely unrelated equivalents for the same game effects ("Mark of the Wulfen" = "Curse of (X)" or "Favor of (X)" so far as naming goes. The only thing I could see causing a problem are the unique vehicle upgrades and peculiar force org differences (like grey hunters needing a ccw while tac marines don't get one). It's difficult to model the difference between a rhino with a supercharged engine and one without, just as a ferinstance.

Very interested. I'd be curious to see how it would work. Swapping the shoulder pads is what makes it sound like it could work.

ArbitorIan wrote:

Wehrkind wrote:While I do think this is a good idea, especially making different Squad Leaders and Characters to match the WYSIWYG for each book, I am not certain how it solves the problem you mentioned above (I added bold). On the one hand, the added banners etc. will really help the opponent remember which chapter's rules you are using which is a smart move, but on the other hand you would still be committing the underlying sin of changing your armies codex based on whichever one is fun and new. I believe you yourself went on record as saying you didn't like using Chaos Marines models to be Space Wolves.
If this means you are converting yourself over to being ok with counts as, good on you! However, I don't think the paint scheme and name of the chapter was ever the problem, and no matter how well you solve that (The scheme and the name sound great to me) I think you will still bump up against people who complain that you are just using the same army with different rules based on which book is more powerful.

Thanks for the comments. It is, indeed, a fine line, and I guess this idea is how I think it should be done - essentially the whole point of building this is to make a interchangeable Marine army to my standard of acceptability - I still dislike the idea that someone's Ultras are now 'count-as' Space Wolves whenever a tournament comes around (for me, this is the same as 'my orks are now Tyranids' - it's proxying). I guess the idea here is to show I think it 'should' be done.

First - I've always been a fan of counts-as (I have a good few 'counts-as' armies down there in my sig) but the important thing is that it should be obvious to the opponent what he's facing. If the force he's facing look like Codex Marines, then playing them as Space Wolves is automatically confusing, regardless how similar Tactical Squads and Grey Hunters are. The intention with this army is that, just by looking at my army in it's 'Space Wolf' configuration, it should be instantly obvious to my enemy not only that the army is Space Wolves, but what unit is what. Anything less would be confusing, is proxying rather than counts-as, and would give an unfair advantage in a tournament situation.

I AM partly collecting this so that I can 'try out' all those codexes I wouldn't usually bother with, just like the people you mention. I have no desire to collect a Black Templars army, but if I only have to paint a new command batch and few spacial units, then I'll be much more likely to try out the codex. As far as 'collecting the most powerful army' goes, I'm not just planning Blood Angels and Space Wolves here - I'll be doing Dark Angels, Templars and Codex Marines too. But I guess the point is that this level of customization is what I'd expect of someone else doing the same thing.

Sounds good. I am pleased to see one starting down the path. Soon you will agree that the color of the marines does not matter, but only what lies in their little plastic hearts. BWAHAHAHHAHA

Look forward to seeing the lads worked out!

ArbitorIan wrote:Codex Marines sounds good to be. Anyone know where I can get a load of good 'book' icons and transfers?

Hooray! Agreeing with Killkrazy (I think it was), I think your best bet would be knocking up a book transfer which you can print out yourself.
I'd be more than happy to knock something out for you Ian, if you're keen. I've been known to occasionally dabble in Photoshop. PM me if you're interested.

This is a really good idea, I'm very interested to see if it can work, personally; if it does work I can forsee a groundswell of "adaptable" SM armies in the future. Hell, you may have just invented Dakka's answer to the Angry Marines

"Always reading, all the time!"

How about "The Greener Grass Marines"? obviously refering to "the grass is always greener..." proverb.

It's a great idea, and really only has to be as difficult as changing shoulder pads and special characters. - After all, it IS still a "counts as" army, granted the most flexible and believable "counts as" army ever!

allthecodex marines

I like Omnimarines and Dewey Decimators. Polymarines is good, but I prefer Omnimarines.

yeah,.
By looking suitably different you could always pick which ever codex you want.
I don't know of a lion chapter. they could be templar angel wolfs?
Now that Scrbor is available at darksphere you could get the lion bits, at discount.





Panic...

I just realised - This Chapter should be painted as Rainbow Warriors. They are already "multi-coloured" (well, their helmets are), so it would fit that they can use any colour of codex.

Ok, I've STARTED!

Tek persuaded me to start a Tale of Four Gamers report, to keep us motivated. I've decided to start with a Blood Angels 'set'. We need to have 500pts done by the end of March, then 250pts every month after that. Here's my first 500pts

10 x Assault Marines, Melta, Sgt with Powerfist
10 x Tactical Marines, ML, Flamer
1 x Sanguinary Priest, Powersword, Jump Pack.

The Tale of Four Gamers can be read here - http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/348293.page

I'm also (for now) settling on Angels Ambiguous as a name - I'll do a couple of squads before I decide if I want a custom chapter icon.

Here's the first test guy...

Wow nice looking marine.This would be awesome if you could pull it off. Keep us updated!

I like it. Cool name too, but I think I like the Legion of the Five Books a bit better. Gonna keep an eye on this one.

You can also call them...

Marines of Space

Looks Nice

The Emporers Blank Canvasites....

I'd actually do it differently. Rather than decking out squad leaders with BA or DA or SW bits, I'd simply go with a singular theme and then bling the crap out of specific groups of models which would then "count as" many other types.

Example: Say you go with "knights" as a theme. You would have your regular SM as the grunts, but then you might make a squad using a mix of Black Templars and Grey knights parts, also using Sanguinary Guard winged backpacks.

They would then be used as San guard OR Sword Bretheren, OR Vanguard, OR (Can Wolf guard be given jump packs these days) etc etc.

This way though, your chapter would have it's own identity, rather than being essentially vanilla marines with a bunch of blood drops or Wolf pelts or whatever on some of the models.

Back! Back to the depths with Ye!