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Which Legions cared the most (and least) about the appearance & ornamentation of their armour?  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in au
Fresh-Faced New User




I am still only fresh to learning about the '30k' setting so I apologise if anything I ask here or presume to know is wrong.

I seem to recall reading articles and seeing artwork of the legions in their very earliest days and at least one- I think more- had bare, unpainted armour (perhaps only with their pauldrons painted in more recognisable legion colours). Maybe I'm thinking of the Unification/ pre-heresy era? Is this right and if so did this apply to all the legions or just one or two?

My main question is the one in the subject line. I'm guessing maybe the EC or BA would have cared most about keeping things shiny and adding lots of embellishments- and, I guess, the NL in a morbid kind of way.

I'm presuming the Death Guard would have been at the opposite end of the spectrum, almost to the point of neglecting their wargear (even when pre-Nurgle)...is this true and if so, why?

I would think legions such as the IW or IH occupied a middle ground of pure functionality and utilitarianism; keep your gear clean, but no need to heap it with engraving and gems etc...

...the one oddball for me would be the WE. All of the artwork I see has them in crisp white and royal blue armour, albeit blood-splattered, which to me seems at odds with their general no-nonsense approach to butchery. Surely they would have been far more likely to want plain, unadorned armour, as they only ever cared about killing and not their appearance?

Apologies for being long-winded, I hope you get what I am asking!
   
Made in gb
Preparing the Invasion of Terra






Honour markings and designs were still important to the Legions.
Sure the Iron Warriors or Death Guard weren't much for ornamentation but if they were given an honour they weren't going to refuse it and Veteran Astartes would still want to be able to show their status. IMO that is where the FW upgrade kits come in, to mark out Veteran Legionaries rather than for equipping entire armies. Some of the FW Legion upgrade kits are specifically marked out as "Veteran" upgrades whereas others are just upgrades following on from artwork to give the Legions their aesthetic.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/05/24 11:20:03


 
   
Made in gb
Battleship Captain




It's more likely to see variations within a Legion.

So...New recruits will have plain, simple but well made heraldry. Veterans may be ornately decorated or battered and plain.

One thing that's often consistent is that destroyers have pretty plain armour, because when your armour gers battered by phosphex and rad-warheads, it's going to be Ash black and cracked so you might as well roll with it.


Termagants expended for the Hive Mind: ~2835
 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





Kind of depends on what you mean by "care" and ornamentation.

* Night Lords have their spooky gross ornaments.
* At least some of the Death Guard were forbidden from cleaning off the gore and grime by Mortarion, which is "not" caring so hard that it wraps back around to caring.
* Iron Warriors feel similar to me. They don't go out of their way to decorate their armor, but they seem to see their lack of adornment as a source of pride. So again, lack of care that wraps back around to caring. Like, Iron Warrior bob might want to while away the hours on a space ship by making a cool decoration for his helmet, but he won't because the other 'Warriors would laugh at him and say he's soft.
* Alpha Legion is extremely concerned with appearance, but more for the sake of confusing people than showing off.
* Space Wolves don't necessarily care about being pretty, but they do care a lot about their trophies and talismans.
* Thousand Sons don't talk about their outfits much, but you don't get helmets like that from not caring. Maybe there's supernatural significance to go along with that fashion sense?
* Emperor's Children were specifically very concerned with getting to flaunt their eagles and (I think) looking good in general.
* Iron Hands care, but they maybe project that care onto their augmentations more than their armor?
* White Scars don't seem to rant about their armor nearly as much. They don't strike me as being as materialistic as the other legions. They do care about trophies, but mostly in the sense that they take them back home to mount on the wall.

Everyone else seems to fall into standard conventional levels of caring about their appearances, trophies, and honor markings. That is, they care about them quite a bit because such things are wrapped up in their concepts of honor and glory. But like, as much as a Salamander or Blood Angel might embrace a talent for artistic craftsmanship, they don't seem prone to getting upset when their fancy gear gets dinged up. I guess Ultramarines might be an exception? Their stereotype is that they're so wrapped up in their pride and honor and strict adherance to tradition and dress codes that they might get a bit extra cranky that you scratched up their Employee of the Month purity seal.


ATTENTION
. Psychic tests are unfluffy. Your longing for AV is understandable but misguided. Your chapter doesn't need a separate codex. Doctrines should go away. Being a "troop" means nothing. This has been a cranky service announcement. You may now resume your regularly scheduled arguing.
 
   
 
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