Kid_Kyoto wrote:So what we have is a conflict between fluff and gameplay.
Not at all -
GW actually released a huge article back in
WD #269 that retcons the Rhino's history to fit with its current use.
Here's a snippet from the article - it's not all by a long shot, but I really can't be arsed to copy-type any more from it right now.
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[...] The Rhino became the standard transport vehicle of human armies across the galaxy, with different variants falling in and out of favour as the nature of Man's enemies and battlefields changed. The armies of Mankind spread throughout the galaxy, and many hundreds of worlds were brought within this growing galactic empire. As more enemies were encountered, the
STC systems provided these early armies with many different variants of the Rhino such as the Predator, Immolator and Whirlwind. All this was come to an end, however, in a period now known as the Age of Strife. What caused such a massive upheaval in the realm of Man can now only be guessed at, but its cataclysmic effects cannot be underestimated. The many wars that erupted around this time engulfed the entire galaxy and not a single planet was spared the horrors of battle. Alliances and coalitions collapsed into internecine conflict, planets and systems waging war on one another for reasons that have since been lost to posterity.
Whole planets were razed in the conflicts, their precious
STC libraries destroyed or smashed by their enemies. COuntless designs were lost and many of the
STC systems were damaged beyond repaid. By the time the wars subsided and Mankind had been united under the banner of the newly-revealed Emperor, the vast majority of
STC systems had been destroyed and their priceless knowledge forgotten. Denied this most valuable resource, those few fragments of knowledge that remained became treasured relics, passed down from generation to generation, their very existence kept secret from the outside world. In time these fragments became legendary canticles of faith, their knowledge assuming the status of divinely inspired wisdom. Hard copies of schematics and designs created by
STC systems have lasted longer than the
STCs themselves and have become the holy grail of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who eagerly seize on any scrap of information that might lead to the discovery of even the tiniest fragment of an
STC output. Over the millennia, scattered pieces of
STC lore have been recovered and ancient designs slowly reincorporated into the Imperial inventory. The Immolator tank used by the Battle Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas is one such example, the databank containing its construction details discovered within an ancient factory complex on the world of Fornoth during the Icaria Crusade.
As knowledge of their construction faded from memory, attrition took its toll on the number of Rhinos throughout the galaxy. The rituals of maintenance became debased as the centuries passed and knowledge of the exact workings of the Rhinos passed into myth. Among those who retained the priceless knowledge of their construction were the Techmarines of the newly created Legiones Astartes and Tech Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who established strict guidelines regarding the construction, consecration and maintenance of these valuable vehicles. Whether built in the Martian weapon-forges of the Adeptus Mechanicus or the fortress monasteries of the Space Marines, the builders of these holy vehicles know that the purity and spiritual welfare of the Rhino is as important as the skill of the artificers who construct it.
[...]
Besides the Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes, only a select few Imperial organisations now have access to Rhinos, the priceless technology involved in their construction and maintenance judged too valuable to be entrusted to any but the most loyal and steadfast bodies of warriors. The Adepta Sororitas and Adeptus Arbites have a number of Rhinos, maintaining a body of those sanctified and pure of heart to care for them. Years of training go towards achieving this respected position. Aspirants must learn how to divine the runes of engineering, memorise the liturgy of maintenance and constantly study the routines of service. It is a position of great honour to care for these vehicles and those that are carried into battle within one of the spirits that inhabit the mechanical functions and blessed bolts that make up each one.
Should a Rhino ever be lost in battle it is an occasion of great mourning for those entrusted with its care, and furious battles have been fought to reclaim the burned-out carcass of a Rhino simply to lay its spirit to rest. After the Battle of Naeuysk Gorge, fourteen Rhinos of the Imperial Fists had to be abandoned when traitor Space Marines from the Night Lords Legion ambushed the advancing column as it crossed the only bridge across the gorge. [...] The following morning a daring mission involving an airborne assault across the gorge pushed back the Night Lords from the hills on the opposite side and allowed the Imperial Fists to bring up salvage units to start the recovery of their shattered vehicles and the bodies of their comrades. The battle in the hills raged for over thirty hours, with Imperial Fists' casualties amounting to almost 85% as they fought to give their Techmarines enough time to retrieve the fallen Rhinos. Many of the recovered vehicles were subsequently repaired and sent back into action, their battle spirits eager to avenge the ignominy of their earlier defeat. [...]
