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READ THIS FIRST: THE ADDITION OF THE FALLEN TO THE ROSTER HAS LEAD TO THE CREATION OF A NEW POLL AND THREAD. TO VOTE AND DISCUSS, PLEASE GO TO THIS LINK: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/439578.page#4086805 INSTEAD OF USING THIS THREAD.

So I'm starting a new extension for my Chaos Space Marine Army. Have delved into the genre of god-specificity with my Emperor's Children, I'm wondering what the next extension should be.

If I was to do Iron Warriors, it wouldn't be the standard scheme. It would be something darker, rustier, with less silver and gold but more burnt iron and blackened brass. Heavily weathered, paint peeling, stained yellow hazard chevrons, rust in all the cracks, glowing red eyes - the weathering works. I prefer Iron Warriors tactics to alpha legion tactics. My Emperor's Children army features a disappointing lack of tanks (only two rhinos and a defiler). Vehicles and mechanization would be a lot of fun to me.

However, Iron Warriors are very very overplayed. Alpha Legion are very very underplayed.

The Alphas color scheme unmodified is just as interesting as my modified IW scheme. I love the Alpha Legion tactics and fluff - but they are very difficult to actually portray on the tabletop. Apart from spamming chosen, I can't think of any special things but renegade guard. List making for the Alphas has been a pain in the ass- its difficult to create something fluffy yet playable for them.

What do you guys think?


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These are some images as to how I would go about painting my Iron Warriors.


How I would do Alpha Legion (with this scheme applied to CSM models).

I like iron warriors also word bearers are cool

I think you should go with the Alpha legion. You could still include alot of tanks with them and keep it fluffy. Due to them using alot of infiltration tactics they would be good at stealing and moving in large amounts of vehicles by preventing enemies sabotaging them.

Think about it, the worst enemy of the Iron warriors tank companies will not be huge guns but small enemy groups sneaking in and planting bombs on their tanks.

I think that the Alpha legion has been shown so little that in using them you will get to do alot of new work for them and make something more unique. The Iron warriors have been done alot and just about every variation on their colours has been seen.

I like your thinking, Leech.

Leech wrote:I think you should go with the Alpha legion. You could still include alot of tanks with them and keep it fluffy. Due to them using alot of infiltration tactics they would be good at stealing and moving in large amounts of vehicles by preventing enemies sabotaging them.

Think about it, the worst enemy of the Iron warriors tank companies will not be huge guns but small enemy groups sneaking in and planting bombs on their tanks.

I think that the Alpha legion has been shown so little that in using them you will get to do alot of new work for them and make something more unique. The Iron warriors have been done alot and just about every variation on their colours has been seen.

^^What he said

if you want a mechanized army, IW sounds like an obvious choice. I agree that they are commonly seen, but I like their fluff better than alpha legion's. black legion might be another option to consider.

varl wrote:black legion might be another option to consider.

Yeah I was thinkin' Black legion.

+1 to the black legion....but I am biased.

Thanks for all of your help guys! Keep voting. Once I've finished painting all my EC I'll check the polls and make my decision.

I chose Black Legion because I could pretty much do whatever I want and have fun with it, without any cult units (although I use the cult rules on the tabletop). The only exception is I made some noise marines to join in because they're cool. You could do a Black legion army in an iron warriors paint theme, and include a small strike force of alpha legion as allies (perhaps play them as chosen). That way you can do both things, have the coolness of tanks and some flavor of alpha legion without going over the deep end. You could even play your emperors children in there too.

Also, you wouldn't be risking too much making an alpha legion force because when the new codex comes out, who knows there might be some better units/rules to represent them so it would be better to do them after.

I'm not gonna do Black Legion, guys. Sorry. Hate the color scheme, hate their fluff. Nothing personal to any Black Legion players out there.


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Were the Alphas present at the Battle of Terra? I seem to remember reading somewhere that they weren't, but I could be wrong.

If you hate black legion, I would go for Alpha Legion, they're cooler than word bearers and night lords.

But using infiltrating chosen on the battlefield is kind of iffy.... there is so much stuff out there nowadays that will just shrug it off, then again anything but dual DP and mass obliterators/plague marines is iffy.

The only thing I can think of is to use a loyalist codex, which is alright since Alpha legion aren't really mutated by chaos much like other legions. Blood angels have outflanking/fast tanks, drop pods, scouts, might be nice...

I like them both for ideas its up to you. But I love Alpha Legion!

What are people's views on the Fallen? They work nicely because they don't have any codex or alignment restrictions - anything is available! They can take any Marks, I imagine, because they were broken into totally autonomous warbands. Howe can I add a poll option/reset it?

Crystal Geyser wrote:What are people's views on the Fallen? They work nicely because they don't have any codex or alignment restrictions - anything is available! They can take any Marks, I imagine, because they were broken into totally autonomous warbands. Howe can I add a poll option/reset it?

I don't know how to reset the poll, maybe a mod can do it. However your poll will won't be accurate if you do. A new thread with a poll is probably what you need.

I think the Fallen could be good or bad or unremarkable. The idea of the Fallen sounds all sinister but put into practice it may be hard to get a good result. You could paint them dark green but if you use Chaos Marine models they may look like they follow Nurgle and the Fallen connection won't be made. The Dark angels once wore black armour but changed it to green. Black would just make them oddball Black legion though and you don't like Black Legion (down with Abbadon I say)! The bone colour of the Deathwing won't work because in the fluff the reason the Deathwing are bone is because of an event that took place after the Fallen appeared, meaning it would make no sense for them to have those colours.

You can always just create a colour scheme and fluff all your own for the Fallen you create. But then it could be any Chaos Marine warband and there is no reason to say it's the Fallen. I still say go with the Alpha legion. So little work has been done on them the infiltration thing and the spies etc is mainly filler. You can create a whole feel and look for them of your own. Things like using certain types of helmets and excluding the others will add a more personal feel. Limit the horned heads to amke them look less obvious. Use parts from the Dark elf Black ark corsairs as scaly hydra hide. A few helmet parts and weapons from that set will help add more theme to them. Use the octopus symbol the Corsairs have and give them a vaguely aquatic feel, the ocean is mysterious which may help.

Just a few ideas of mine, hope it helps.

And in a plot twist, Iron Warriors take the lead from the Alpha Legion! What do the Alpha lovers have to say to this?


The way I see it, The Fallen have an advantage in that each war band has its own tactics and theologies - no limits! I can used whatever I want whenever and however I want. Like black Legion, but less overused. could paint them black and give a sharp green highlight to just the edge, plus robes. I think I'd convert Mk 3 armor and then sculpt robes and chaos markings onto it.


And horns. Don't forget horns.

Not so much horns, I think Fallen try to be less direct most of the time. I also think they don't form warbands but usually act as autonomous individuals that lead other gibbering hosts of crazies


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On a side note, Pertyboo

Yeah +1 for the fallen, would be cool sculpting all those robes if you're into that. Medieval looking armor, maybe cruel looking weapons like maces.

Meade wrote:Yeah +1 for the fallen, would be cool sculpting all those robes if you're into that. Medieval looking armor, maybe cruel looking weapons like maces.

He wouldn't have to sculpt much, just combine the DA vets sprue with marines

Black Iron Legion ( mix of both legions lol )

replace bolt gun metal with black legion colors, keep the danger stripes, still beautiful!