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So I'm working on a CSM army and looking for resources to get a more interesting / balanced perspective than evil for the sake of evil, perversion for the sake of perversion. Another thread had this brilliant link:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/271640-misconceptions-about-csm/page-4#entry3316051

It's an extraordinarily good read.

I was wondering if anyone else had any interesting links or recommendations for making an interesting war band, or getting into the right perspective to play chaos.

Ideally, I'd like to find a way to write the fluff for them that is neither "we're using chaos to fight chaos / while still loyal to the emperor!" nor of the moustache-twirling / psychotic villain perspective. Somewhere in the middle, with the story either being about renegades who are touched by chaos in some way, but not yet aware of/consumed by it, or perhaps taking it from a more pagan perspective.

Some other thoughts for general input:
I actually don't care for some of the chaos models - particularly the spikes-and-skulls look, so I suspect that I'm going to have to go with the story that they have only recently begun a fall to darkness, or perhaps simply stayed away from the eye of terror? Something to explain the lack of more obvious mutations you generally see on chaos models.

On the other hand, I have an unhealthy obsession with the Forgeworld HH models. So I need to find a way to explain that most of my actual marines are in MKIII-V armors. So, they are either a very old chapter / warband, or relic hunters of some kind who have come across a great deal of the stuff.

Let me know.

Thanks in advance.

If you wanna do chaos without using chaos models why not do a pre heresy army and add in the occasional chaos bit ??

Considered that, but in order to actually find games, I'm playing 40k with the CSM dex. And there are quite a few chaos models I quite like. Love the look of the cultists, some of the characters, the maulerfiend, etc. it's just the marines themselves that don't do as much for me.

AjaxBreakerofStone wrote:
Ideally, I'd like to find a way to write the fluff for them that is neither "we're using chaos to fight chaos / while still loyal to the emperor!" nor of the moustache-twirling / psychotic villain perspective. Somewhere in the middle, with the story either being about renegades who are touched by chaos in some way, but not yet aware of/consumed by it, or perhaps taking it from a more pagan perspective.

Well, you could have the warband originating from a particularly barbaric world where the people kept old heathen practices. The IoM needed a Chapter and selected this world as their base and recruitment territory. The Chapter served long and honorably but due to loss of knowledge among the Apothecaries the psycho-indoctrination procedures became less and less effective over the centuries. Eventually a majority of the marines were those that remembered their old heathen ways, or at least parts of the rituals and practices. At the same time the Chaplains office had taken a nose dive since fewer and fewer marines showed the right qualities. And the day came when a marine - carried away by the thrill of victory - called out to the old gods after taking the life of an enemy champion. To the great consternation of the few properly indoctrinated marines the majority of those present joined in the warcry.

The rest is history - a Chaplain narrowly escaping with a few loyal marines to inform the High Lords that the Chapter has fallen, and the newly blooded heathen warriors gathering to celebrate the old rites.

I thought this thread would be about the war materiel that the CSM use. They do have the Dark Mechanicus supplying them from Daemon Worlds, and there is always the raid on manufactorums and Forge Worlds to loot guns and ammunition.

I am doing something a little similar, Renegade Iron Hands with Dark Mechanicus Allies.
I have my chapter far away from the eye of terror. My chapter does worship chaos, but only in the way that denying chaos would be to deny some aspect of knowledge, and the pursuit of knowledge is paramount to their aims.
Page detailing the created fluff

There are so many options once you turn away from the Codex:Astartes and can do what you want.

If you want some ideas on how to make the chaos units without mutations you can take a look at some of my army here. I have a heldrake and some chaos spawn that are more mechanical less damonic.
My P&M blog for this project. Lots of Bionic, very few mutations.

First, if you have the time and haven't already, read the Night Lords trilogy by Adam Dembski-Bowden. It's probably the best resource for Chaos Space Marine warbands Black Library has produced in quite a long time. Time consuming and you might just not like the books, but it gives quite a detailed look at how a Chaos marine warband might operate, how it deals with the powers of Chaos, wargear, other Chaos warbands.

Second, check out some of the Imperial Armour books from Forge World, specifically the volumes about Badab War and the Siege of Vraks.

Lastly, there are some really good blogs I've used that I'll try and find the links for and post them here. I'm not a big fan of mutations either, and prefer a more regimented look to my Marines, without excessive amounts of skulls.

I play alpha legion. Most of my models are regular space marines and chaos mixed together. I say its for the fluff of them trying to blend in with the loyalist.