Switch Theme:

Why do Space Marine sergeants and officers fight without helmets on?  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in se
Cultist of Nurgle with Open Sores




Sweden

Surely, the squad's most important member should have the biggest helmet if anything!

If this question already has been raised, I apologise. It just struck my mind and I figured someone here had some decent explanations.

1700pts
1500pts  
   
Made in us
Tunneling Trygon





Bradley Beach, NJ

It's 40k, if it doesn't make sense, it doesn't need to...
In the 41st millenium, men in heavy armor go to war with swords...

Hive Fleet Aquarius 2-1-0


http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/527774.page 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

40K is based far more on heroic fantasy than on real-world military thinking. Characters run around with their helmets off to stand out.

It's an aesthetic thing, rather than a logic thing.

 
   
Made in se
Cultist of Nurgle with Open Sores




Sweden

Ah, that makes sense...

I put helmets on all of them, myself. Mostly because I think it looks better and also because I don't like painting faces. Usually give the sergeant the nicest helmet, though.

1700pts
1500pts  
   
Made in us
Humorless Arbite





Maine

Take your pick.
Dude, it's fracken cool!
Because painting one out of 10 faces is easier!
If someone is going to carry your helmet for you, it looks stupid if their hands are empty.
Hair is an important sensory organ. Just ask the SW.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Doh! Ninja'd

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/05/06 00:53:18


Voxed from Salamander 84-24020
 
   
Made in us
Gore-Soaked Lunatic Witchhunter




Seattle

In the case of the Space Wolves, when they reach the rank of Sergeant, they are equipped with a Power-Beard, which no mere helmet can hope to stand against.

It is best to be a pessimist. You are usually right and, when you're wrong, you're pleasantly surprised. 
   
Made in se
Cultist of Nurgle with Open Sores




Sweden

Yeah, I can see how Space Wolves go without helmets. You don't see any badass bikers wearing helmets on the highway, after all.

I still find it illogical, though. Maybe it's because there are so few sniper units in 40k?

1700pts
1500pts  
   
Made in gb
Assassin with Black Lotus Poison





Bristol

ChaoticBob wrote:Yeah, I can see how Space Wolves go without helmets. You don't see any badass bikers wearing helmets on the highway, after all.


Unless they're old German army helmets (with or without spike) in which case you're allowed without sacrificing badass points.

The Laws of Thermodynamics:
1) You cannot win. 2) You cannot break even. 3) You cannot stop playing the game.

Colonel Flagg wrote:You think you're real smart. But you're not smart; you're dumb. Very dumb. But you've met your match in me.
 
   
Made in se
Cultist of Nurgle with Open Sores




Sweden

A Town Called Malus wrote:
ChaoticBob wrote:Yeah, I can see how Space Wolves go without helmets. You don't see any badass bikers wearing helmets on the highway, after all.


Unless they're old German army helmets (with or without spike) in which case you're allowed without sacrificing badass points.


Which is why the officers in the Death Korps and Steel Legion keep their helmets on.

1700pts
1500pts  
   
Made in nz
Stealthy Space Wolves Scout



Auckland, New Zealand

They don't really leave their helmets off, we just model them that way so they stand out.

An overly literal explanation.


I am Blue/White
Take The Magic Dual Colour Test - Beta today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.

I'm both orderly and rational. I value control, information, and order. I love structure and hierarchy, and will actively use whatever power or knowledge I have to maintain it. At best, I am lawful and insightful; at worst, I am bureaucratic and tyrannical.




I find passive aggressive messages in people's signatures quite amusing. 
   
Made in ca
Avatar of the Bloody-Handed God





Inactive

Sergents have expensive helmets made out of Invisnatium

Paused
◙▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
           ◂◂  ►  ▐ ▌  ◼  ▸▸
          ʳʷ   ᵖˡᵃʸ  ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ  ˢᵗᵒᵖ   ᶠᶠ 
   
Made in au
Lady of the Lake






Nameless faceless side characters are cannon fodder basically. They trade the helmet for plot armour.

   
Made in gb
Rough Rider with Boomstick






Southern England

They sort of explained this in the FFG Deathwatch 'Rites of Battle' supplement for the PnP RPG;

Page 152 wrote:It is fairly common to see a Space Marine fighting in battle without his helmet, especially among those of higher rank, and many Battle-Brothers prefer to remove their headgear when there is no immediate threat. Despite the added risk to their safety, or perhaps because of it, many see this practice as an act of courage and defiance of their enemies. The absence of a helmet does mean the loss of the Auto-senses that are housed inside, so as a result, many who favour this practice utilize earpieces and ocular devices, either temporarily or grafted on as permanent bionics.


In short; not wearing a helmet = pat on the back from fellow Astartes who admire your courage.

 
   
Made in us
Pyro Pilot of a Triach Stalker




New York

Haven't you read TSOALR?

Captains don't wear helmets because it saves lives. They can smell the enemy before they are near.
   
Made in us
Nasty Nob on Warbike with Klaw






So you can paint their faces or replace their heads and make them female Marines.

Read my story at:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/515293.page#5420356



 
   
Made in us
Manhunter






Little Rock AR

It's all leaders. IG eggs and offi ers don't have helmets either. I of course model them with helmets.

Proud to be Obliviously Blue since 2011!

 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





Vallejo, CA

If you're still looking for a practical reason, I'd say situational awareness. Wearing a full face helm drastically reduces your ability to know what's going on around you.

It's the same reason why tank commanders stick their head out of the top of the turret. You'd think that they'd want to be as deep in the tank as possible for protection, but it's the tank commander's job to know what's going on around the tank so that they can effectively command it. Likewise, space marine sergeants need to be able to command their squads and captains their armies. If extra protection gets in the way of that job, you ditch the extra protection.



Your one-stop website for batreps, articles, and assorted goodies about the men of Folera: Foleran First Imperial Archives. Read Dakka's favorite narrative battle report series The Hand of the King. Also, check out my commission work, and my terrain.

Abstract Principles of 40k: Why game imbalance and list tailoring is good, and why tournaments are an absurd farce.

Read "The Geomides Affair", now on sale! No bolter porn. Not another inquisitor story. A book written by a dakkanought for dakkanoughts!
 
   
Made in us
Kinebrach-Knobbling Xeno Interrogator



Sterling, VA

Ailaros wrote:If you're still looking for a practical reason, I'd say situational awareness. Wearing a full face helm drastically reduces your ability to know what's going on around you.

It's the same reason why tank commanders stick their head out of the top of the turret. You'd think that they'd want to be as deep in the tank as possible for protection, but it's the tank commander's job to know what's going on around the tank so that they can effectively command it. Likewise, space marine sergeants need to be able to command their squads and captains their armies. If extra protection gets in the way of that job, you ditch the extra protection.




If trying to apply logic to it, their helmets give them far more situational awareness. It's jsut a gaming concept, so it's easy to ID the sgt in a SM squad. You could paint the helmet a different color or something along those lines but somehow that became a typical way for 40k players to note sgts in a squad.


 
   
Made in us
The Hammer of Witches





A new day, a new time zone.

Because bareheadedness easily stands out on the tabletop, and you can can get a lot more expressiveness and character out of a face than you can a helmet..

"-Nonsense, the Inquisitor and his retinue are our hounoured guests, of course we should invite them to celebrate Four-armed Emperor-day with us..."
Thought for the Day - Never use the powerfist hand to wipe. 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





Vallejo, CA

pk1 wrote:If trying to apply logic to it, their helmets give them far more situational awareness.

...because?

You can still have an earpiece to receive orders without a helmet on. Even if you can get a little video through the helmet, that's actually only FURTHER reducing your vision, as not only is your vision limited to two tiny holes in the helmet, but now there's an HUD on top of everything. I could see perhaps getting into position, but once things start going down, you need to have at least one person in the squad who is able to actually look and listen to his environment to know what's going on.


Your one-stop website for batreps, articles, and assorted goodies about the men of Folera: Foleran First Imperial Archives. Read Dakka's favorite narrative battle report series The Hand of the King. Also, check out my commission work, and my terrain.

Abstract Principles of 40k: Why game imbalance and list tailoring is good, and why tournaments are an absurd farce.

Read "The Geomides Affair", now on sale! No bolter porn. Not another inquisitor story. A book written by a dakkanought for dakkanoughts!
 
   
Made in us
Big Fat Gospel of Menoth





The other side of the internet

They get extra renown at the end of the mission. (Deathwatch)

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

RAGE

Be sure to use logic! Avoid fallacies whenever possible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies 
   
Made in pe
Storm Trooper with Maglight





Lima, Peru, Holy Terra

Space Marines don't really need helmets. They can use bionics to replace the helmet's interface, they can take more advantage of their argumented senses and enduring the vaccum of space isn't really an issue for them.



DR:90-SG+M--B--I--Pw40k11#-D++A--/mWD-R+T(F)DM+

 
   
Made in gb
Journeyman Inquisitor with Visions of the Warp




York/London(for weekends) oh for the glory of the british rail industry

Because someone in the design team thought it would be cool.

I on the other hand I don't, all my marines have helmets, even my scouts (converted IG helmets) as they prefer to not get shot in the face. As GW kits include helmets you can model them how you like.

Relictors: 1500pts


its safe to say that relictors are the greatest army a man , nay human can own.

I'm cancelling you out of shame like my subscription to White Dwarf. - Mark Corrigan: Peep Show

Avatar 720 wrote:Eau de Ulthwé - The new fragrance; by Eldrad.


 
   
Made in au
Irked Necron Immortal





Because they are hard men who are not afraid of copping a head shot
   
Made in gb
Incorporating Wet-Blending





Wales: Where the Men are Men and the sheep are Scared.

BluntmanDC wrote:Because someone in the design team thought it would be cool.

I on the other hand I don't, all my marines have helmets, even my scouts (converted IG helmets) as they prefer to not get shot in the face. As GW kits include helmets you can model them how you like.


Mind showing a picture of these conversions? Ive wanted to put helmets on my Scouts for a while.



 
   
Made in us
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws





Baal Fortress Monastery

Its just a rule of cool thing. That's really about it. In my opinion its stupid. That's why all of my Blood Angel sergeants have helmets on. The way I distinguish them is with their black shoulder pads.
   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





Chicago, Illinois

All my guys are always to wear their helmets planetside.

From whom are unforgiven we bring the mercy of war. 
   
Made in us
Lone Wolf Sentinel Pilot





Fluff reasons its stupid machoisum. They ones who fight without helmets are "brave" or to Fearless to need the skimpy protection.

So ya know, stupidity.

Engine of War wrote:Duct Tape! the Ommnisiahs blessed bindings!
 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut




They are genre savy. Being recognised as an individual makes them less likely to get killed randomly in battle ( individuals are usualy allowed to die in a somewhat meaningful way, unlike their poor redshirt brothers ). The smarter marines realise this simple fact of life and stop wearing their face concealing helmets. This in turn allows them to survive long enough to be promoted to sergeant.
   
Made in gr
Perfect Shot Ultramarine Predator Pilot




They do not, not in my army
I do not have a single helmetless marine..
   
 
Forum Index » 40K General Discussion
Go to: