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2015/12/15 16:36:33
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
So read part 1 of "The Beast Arises", which according to GW will be their next big event. Few notes on the plot for those who are interested or don't feel like reading the whole thing:
Spoiler:
-The Imperium is at peace and progressing at the start of the setting, ~500.M32. Stagnation hadn't set in yet and save the "frontiers" everything seems to be going pretty well for them
-We finally get to see the High Lords in all their backstabbing, politicking, scheming glory. All 12 are shown and there's a decent amount on how they form factions and constantly conspire against one another. The most powerful High Lord in the book is Lord High Admiral of the Imperial Navy Lansung who even has his own Hitler Youth that worships him.
-The position of Lord Commander of the Imperium is still around, who acts as commander-in-chief of the collective Imperial Military forces. The holder of the position is dubbed "Lord Guilliman" in honor of Roboute, but in the book the guy isn't a Space Marine but a normal Imperial Navy admiral. He seems pretty ineffectual and weak and is a tool of Lord Admiral Lansung.
-Drakan Vangorich (the same guy who went on to kill all the High Lords in The Beheading) is Grand Master of Assassins and is the main character in the Terra setting. He gets along with the Inquisitorial Representative but seems to hate everyone else. He seems a bit unhinged and thinks about how hard it is to not just kill people and give into his bloodlust. I guess he couldn't control it in the end.
-The Sisters of Silence are still around, this book series may explain why they're not in the current setting.
-It goes into the new culture of the Imperial Fists which is defined by their role in the Siege of Terra. Company's are referred to by what walls of the Imperial Palace they're stationed on (i.e. 2nd Lotus Gate Company). Imperial Fists use titles in addition to their standard names, there are guys called Daylight and Slaughter and etc..
As for the big bad of the book, the Orks
-The Orks have "subspace" technology" which lets them teleport precisely outside of the Warp. I suspect they're actually accessing the Webway. The Orks dub it a "Waaagh! Gate".
-The Imperial Fists are deployed in their entirety for the first time since the Heresy to fight aliens called Chromes. What they don't know is the Chromes were just running from the Orks.
-The big shocker of the book is the Orks have a "Death Star", a hollowed out moon space station that serves as the entrance of the Waaagh! Gate. When it transitions from subspace it creates massive gravitational storms and geological chaos. It's described as not being a true sphere but rather the end of the Subspace tunnel, allowing it to spit out endless amount of Ork warships from wherever they're coming from. The moon "recharges" by sucking up planets with a giant tractor beam. The moon is on its way to Terra after destroying the planet the Fists were on, seemingly destroying the entire chapter.
-The Lord Commander Militant of the Imperial Guard is a big bro who likes to lead from the front, and is part of an expeditionary fleet to rescue the Fists. He gets killed by the Orks I think.
-The Beast is described as being the size of a hab-bloc with tusks as big as tree trunks. He sends messages to the Imperials taunting them but they don't seem to understand what he's saying.
-All the Imperials get fethed over by underestimating the Orks. The Fists Captain can't understand how they're so technology advanced and well-organized.
My Armies:
5,500pts 2,700pts 2,000pts
2015/12/15 16:44:17
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
Sounds awesome so far! It'll be interesting to see in future books if the Imperium will handle the Ork Deffstar anywhere like the Necron World Engine, if they can even get that close.
2015/12/16 06:52:15
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
I finished it the other day - very quick read. Some of my thoughts:
I feel like Black Library/GW is hoping this series hits it big, and so they got Abnett to write the first one. I like Abnett. Unfortunately, the book seems to have been written a bit quickly, and it's only sitting at 238 pages, hardcover, with a fairly large font. I know Abnett can sling Wh40K prose and is probably near the top of the skill heap when it comes to BL's stable of writers, but I Am Slaughter feels... hasty. I constantly felt like I wanted more depth and meat to the story. Also, for being a book about a huge ork Waaagh! that threatens Terra itself, there isn't a whole lot of ork action going on. Most of the ork stuff occurs in the last ~50 pages of the book, and while I liked what I read... I was constantly thinking "ok, when are the orks going to show up?" while I was reading.
2015/12/16 17:12:19
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
Just another of Gdubs experiments.
Most GW author's are too busy to put out a proper novel.
So they charge written on the toilet, in a few hours. At book $, but half the content.
Guess the Scars episodic content didnt work out to well. Dont think this will either. But It might give them a idea of what to write about. They're looking for fewest pages = top dollar.
Kinda scary really.
Its like they've taken the criticism of the HH series on board, but gone the otherway.
Shorter books, but churn then out quicker.
2015/12/17 03:05:29
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
the ancient wrote: Just another of Gdubs experiments.
Most GW author's are too busy to put out a proper novel.
So they charge written on the toilet, in a few hours. At book $, but half the content.
Guess the Scars episodic content didnt work out to well. Dont think this will either. But It might give them a idea of what to write about. They're looking for fewest pages = top dollar.
Kinda scary really.
Its like they've taken the criticism of the HH series on board, but gone the otherway.
Shorter books, but churn then out quicker.
If this is the case, then I might stop buying new BL books altogether. HH books were perfect length, imo, they were just all so rushed that they ended up being poorly written (excepting a minority of them, which were beautifully written). Making more books, but having them smaller only exacerbates the issue.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/12/17 03:05:52
To quote a fictional character... "Let's make this fun!"
Tactical_Spam wrote: There was a story in the SM omnibus where a single kroot killed 2-3 marines then ate their gene seed and became a Kroot-startes.
We must all join the Kroot-startes...
2015/12/17 03:19:24
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
What I would like to know is why the Imperium does attack the orks on Ullanor, when they could have done a nice little Exterminatus thingie on the planet
2017/11/08 13:24:12
Subject: Re:"The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
What I'd like to know is why a series supposed to show the big threat of Orks has the Orks not act like Orks. They can be a danger... if they don't act like Orks!
2017/11/08 13:31:59
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
Tegeusa wrote: What I would like to know is why the Imperium does attack the orks on Ullanor, when they could have done a nice little Exterminatus thingie on the planet
One is good propaganda/a good novel and the other isn't. Not many people want to read a book "The Imperium launched some torpedo's and the Ork planet blew up. The end."
tremere47-fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate, leads to triple riptide spam
2017/11/09 10:08:22
Subject: Re:"The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
Hmm this is most troubling. Do we know what role if any Ghazzy has in this new offensive? With this new Waagh gate technology, has there been any developments on Armageddon/Ullanor?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/11/09 10:08:52
2017/11/09 11:53:44
Subject: Re:"The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
Ghaz has shown an increasing ability to coordinate galaxy wide, orkimedes and his followers have been increasingly developing tellyporta tech, but to date their best is teleporting titan-sized engines across a solar system (better than the oomies can manage but no waaagh gate).
Its safe to say the focus on armageddon is no accident, though.
Termagants expended for the Hive Mind: ~2835
2017/11/09 17:11:27
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
Armageddon is the renamel Ullanor. The planet that The Beast was from as well as the Ork empire that took both Big E and Horus to destroy. Aka the Ullanor Crusade. Big E almost died and Hours was maDE Warmaster.
2017/11/09 17:22:46
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
Maximus Thane, the Fists Exemplar CM who ends up reforming the IF chapter at the end of the series, alongside Drakan Vangorich wanted Ullanor destroyed permanently via exterminatus after taking care of the Beast/Prime-Orks. The Adeptus Mechanicus coveted the technology they had displayed during the war, however, and thus went behind their backs and teleported the entirety of Ullanor into a different subsector in space. Thus Ullanor would end up becoming what would be eventually known as Armageddon.
2017/11/09 17:24:31
Subject: "The Beast Arises" Part 1 discussion (Spoilers)
The black rage is within us all. Lies offer no shield against it. You speak of donning the black of duty for the red of brotherhood; but it is the black of rage you shall wear when the end comes.
Black Templars -
Deathskull Orks Adeptus Mechanicus Blood Angels Genestealer Cult 1000 Sons
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