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You know, i've just got why CSM are FORCED to issue and accept challenges. Try to remember any movie involving super-villians.

"If you want to do it properly - you got to do it yourself".

Evil boss-guyz just can't resist it. They need to step forward in a cinematic way and spoil everything. Or start telling the protagonist about what the plan had been initially, than get carried away and do something stupid like opening the cage accidentally or not noticing their super-model female scientist assistant helping out the good guys.

The villian ball it's called, yes?

Chaos champions are megalomaniacal egotists trapped in a super human body encased in a warp tainted armour that further enhances their powers and durability... It makes complete sense to me that chaos champions are convinced / deluded enough to believe they can toe-to-toe any one and any thing in the galaxy; especially when they have the axe of the Dark Gods over their necks (and the Dark Gods do not suffer cowardice gladly).

Does this also mean that like all true supervillains, they're almost guaranteed to lose to any "good guys" that they fight? Hmmm, now I'm wondering who the stereotypical good guy is.

 kingbobbito wrote:
Does this also mean that like all true supervillains, they're almost guaranteed to lose to any "good guys" that they fight? Hmmm, now I'm wondering who the stereotypical good guy is.

The rugged hero, fighting the uphill battle against the oppressive, brutal, regime?

So chaos champions!

Pardon me, I think the chaplain is calling, brb...

I really don't understand how people DON'T get this. CSM are trying to show off how worthy they are to the dark gods. They've sold their souls for their power, and they definitely want to watch the galaxy burn, preferably by their own mutated hand. And cmon, if you had the had the power to rip out the throat of the enemy general with nothing but your bare hands, wouldn't you want to do it? I actually LOVE the duel rules. It's extremely cinematic, and the rule is actually quite a lot of fun. It's pretty rare to have a SM player back down, as well. You have pride vs ego, and It's a bit of role play, but it's fun, and sometimes extremely funny. Usually I do try to make sure that my challenges are not going to happen in the midfield, so it does affect your strategy as well, but having the attacks from the duel spill over into the losing crowd is WONDERFUL. Assault is harder to get into than it used to be, but it catches a lot of people off guard, and it actually will shake your meta up if there's people challenging constantly, lol.

As a loyalist, I might not always issue challenges, but I will always accept them.

But then again, pride and hubris are the flaws of the Ultramarines...

Nevelon, it's a damn shame to not have two well painted models fight it out, aint it?. Everyone around gets very interested in what's about to happen, and it totally sways the fight. I have lost duels to bad dice rolls when I should have decimated them, and had TAC squads tie up CSM for long than they should have because of it. I've also had daemon weapons plow through a duel and most of the enemy squad as well. It's a lot of fun, and in 7th it's less of a draw back and more of an interesting quirk about the army.

My DA will definitely be issuing and accepting challenges against chaos as well.... many bolt pistol wielding sergeants have died to overconfidence fighting a chaos champion.

Why not accept, sometimes it can be a good way to tie up the enemy HQ etc and the results can be quite fun.

And watching a basic lone ork with rokkit pack go head to head with a tooled up chapter master in 2+ armour with relic blade...
One sided but funny.

You're assuming that Chaos is necessarily the "bad guy". What about the renegade who got sick of the Imperium's treatment of IG meat shields and decided it was up to him to pull humanity out of the sway of a monolithic, uncaring empire? The nearby Commisar who just executed a subordinate for flinching in the face of danger is surely not going to be left alone.

There's also the whole "appeal to the gods' favor" thing.

Or Space Marines who joined the Greater Good? They'd be good guys then

The important part of the must-challenge rule is that it always ends with "Mwah, hah, hah, I am invincible!" or "No, NO! It's impossible! I am invincible!"

Every supervillain knows it's the monologue that sells it, even more than the evil laugh. It's why they spend so much time in the warp practicing.

 kingbobbito wrote:
Does this also mean that like all true supervillains, they're almost guaranteed to lose to any "good guys" that they fight? Hmmm, now I'm wondering who the stereotypical good guy is.

Good thing there are no stereotypical good guys

I like the idea of Chaos champions being the sophisticated, well-spoken types of villains.

The best example of the civilized and well-mannered villains vs, the rugged hero who is kind of a jerk is Die Hard. Bruce Willis as the dirty, wise-cracking, hero vs. Allen Rickman as the suit-wearing, impeccably well-spoken antagonist.

Now give them both power armor and let them duke it out!