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Well, yeah the Repentia are horrible (and I'm not only meaning the sculpts, which are indeed bad.) I'm totally cool with Sisters having fetish armour, but having practically nude Sisters is just silly and totally misses the point.

There was a really cool Repentia in John Blanche's Inquisitor Scetchbook wearing a partial SoB armour. I wish Repentia had looked like that.

Yeaah, as supportive I am of the breast plate on the powered armor figs, I'm going to admit that GW kinda dropped the ball with the Repentia model.
With the wyches it makes sense that they are wearing practically nothing, since it works with the whole "seductive-yet-deadly-gladiator" theme.
But Repentia? Doesn't work there. They have nothing in the background to support their attire.

You mean aside from the fact they desire to go into battle for their own death, thus wearing absolutely nothing that could defend them except their faith in entering martyrdom?

Seriously, compare them and Arco Flagellants.



Are these causing an uproar over their models too? These are half naked men and exactly in the same situation, except the repentia chose to be there! (Or forced by their sisters)

 ZebioLizard2 wrote:

Yeaah, as supportive I am of the breast plate on the powered armor figs, I'm going to admit that GW kinda dropped the ball with the Repentia model.
With the wyches it makes sense that they are wearing practically nothing, since it works with the whole "seductive-yet-deadly-gladiator" theme.
But Repentia? Doesn't work there. They have nothing in the background to support their attire.

You mean aside from the fact they desire to go into battle for their own death, thus wearing absolutely nothing that could defend them except their faith in entering martyrdom?

Seriously, compare them and Arco Flagellants.



Are these causing an uproar over their models too?

Yes, but why wear practically nothing? Why not wear just a body suit?
Good catch on the arco-flaggellant though. I forgot about them.
Yeah, they need a body suit too. Can't have any double standards, now.

Well, I guess thematically you could say that the Repentia wear almost nothing as a testament to their faith, that they are willing to expose themselves to the most horrendous of wounds in the name of the emperor.
Nakedness after all symbolizes weakness or vulnerability, so it kinda makes sense from that standpoint.
Of course, not many people would interpret that as such.

Well, the acroflaggellants are pretty obviously non-sexual. In fact, they've been quite dehumanized.

While I'm sure there's a fetish for this sort of thing, it wouldn't be considered sexualized in most contexts, lol.

The Repential have very emphasized sexual attributes. I don't personally have any problem with them (from a morality standpoint. I do think they are awful models and an awful concept, lol), but they're clearly designed with sexualization in mind. Otherwise they could be wearing some kind of gender neutralizing tabards or robes instead of an S&M starter kit.

Well, I guess thematically you could say that the Repentia wear almost nothing as a testament to their faith, that they are willing to expose themselves to the most horrendous of wounds in the name of the emperor.
Nakedness after all symbolizes weakness or vulnerability, so it kinda makes sense from that standpoint.
Of course, not many people would interpret that as such.

You mean aside from the fact that they practice self flagellation, thus showing their constant wounds and bleeding for the emperor in their fluff, as well as the fact that's literally how it was described in their fluff, they would go through constant pain and trials to the point that they were willing to fearlessly die before their sisters, the loss of their power armor showing they are truly bare before the Emperor's enemies, and that they, or the enemy will die in combat that day.

The Repential have very emphasized sexual attributes. I don't personally have any problem with them (from a morality standpoint. I do think they are awful models and an awful concept, lol), but they're clearly designed with sexualization in mind. Otherwise they could be wearing some kind of gender neutralizing tabards or robes instead of an S&M starter kit.

I did wish they could get rid of the silly armbands and leggings, but then again they are allowed to choose their own outfits at the least.

Though I did wish for a bit more uniformity amongst the masks and chest piece however.

 ZebioLizard2 wrote:

Well, I guess thematically you could say that the Repentia wear almost nothing as a testament to their faith, that they are willing to expose themselves to the most horrendous of wounds in the name of the emperor.
Nakedness after all symbolizes weakness or vulnerability, so it kinda makes sense from that standpoint.
Of course, not many people would interpret that as such.

You mean aside from the fact that they practice self flagellation, thus showing their constant wounds and bleeding for the emperor in their fluff, as well as the fact that's literally how it was described in their fluff, they would go through constant pain and trials to the point that they were willing to fearlessly die before their sisters, the loss of their power armor showing they are truly bare before the Emperor's enemies, and that they, or the enemy will die in combat that day.

Well, yeah, that too. As I said though, not many will recognize that.

I wonder if the OP is a master of the hover hand?

The Sisters are fine, and they're not changing any time soon. Why complain about something that is not only not under your control, but is not going away?

 AlmightyWalrus wrote:
Not to mention that having armour that deflects melee wepons towards your neck is a fast and sure way to become a martyr. Maybe that's why they're using it in the first place?

It's the same reason that helmets are so rarely used in 40k. If you're shot/stabbed in the leg you're only crippled for the emperor. If you're shot/stabbed in the head, Instant Martyrdom!

 Banzaimash wrote:

 kenshin620 wrote:
I'm sure some of you have seen this fanart already but it got me thinking. If SoB were redesigned into a more modest armor, would they lose popularity? I'm not saying SoB players are a bunch of "chainmail bikini" lovers but I am curious to know what dakka thinks

This armour looks pretty cool, much more streamlined and simple than the current design.

Upper chest torso minus the helmet looks like it is directly copied from Fallout T45-D PA.

On another note screw the sisters I'd wear that.

 DxM Scotty MxD wrote:

 Banzaimash wrote:

 kenshin620 wrote:
I'm sure some of you have seen this fanart already but it got me thinking. If SoB were redesigned into a more modest armor, would they lose popularity? I'm not saying SoB players are a bunch of "chainmail bikini" lovers but I am curious to know what dakka thinks

This armour looks pretty cool, much more streamlined and simple than the current design.

Upper chest torso minus the helmet looks like it is directly copied from Fallout T45-D PA.

On another note screw the sisters I'd wear that.

I thought it looked familiar! I guess that's why I didn't like it; it looks too much like any other generic powered armor.

To be honest, from any realistic perspective, a fully armored woman wouldn't look all that different from a man from the belly up, you'd really only ever notice it in the hips, maybe shoulder width.

That said, there are still ways to make an armored woman look...feminine. Like so


http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110917073642/warhammer40k/images/thumb/a/ab/Mira1.png/270px-Mira1.png

or this

http://origin.arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.media/sc4_pub_ss_hilde_001_psd_jpgcopy.jpg

It looks like OP's is going more towards the second on here, which I'd be fine with. You don't need each breast individually shaped and armored to make it not look like a dude.

It is simple really, all I have to do is ask you... " would you or anyone feel appropriate if you let your 8 year old daughter dress like that? "

Would I feel it appropriate for my 8 year old daughter to shave her head bald, dress in rags like a homeless person, cut out her tongue and replace it with scripture and have piercings the size of my fist in her spine and ribs? of course not. But I fail to see how that makes repentia "sexy".

Would I want my 8 year old daughter to dress up as a sister of battle? hell yeah, I am going to start working on the halloween costume as soon as im able! She will be adorable. Don't worry ill make sure her bite size bolter shoots nerf darts so she doesn't hurt your own kids.

Well you could run an all female DE army,

I did think of trying that. My goal was to have an integrated army, and by integrated I mean more than having a Smurfette in every other squad. DE is really the only army that accomplishes this, but when I found the Abbithan Banshee guard upgrades I decided to go the customization route instead and build a guard outfit.

 LunaHound wrote:
Really? Reallly????????? wow I don't even .

1) Their breast are larger than power armor sisters by like 3 cup size.

2) Not over emphasized? MISTER their left nipple are cover by tiny piece of leather that might not even cover their areola if GW ever painted them .

3) They don't look any pole dancers you've seen? Let me guess because they wear weird looking things thus it doesnt count to you right?
You never take into account the "relation" through them wearing almost nothing but BDSM attire? So would you finally agree that they look like bondage gear than?

4) "The main emphasis of model is the weapon." Have you ever heard of something so common in fantasy and sci fi and video games? Y'know the innuendo of large swords and half naked girls?
You reaaaaally cannot see the connection? This whole model reeks of sexualization.

Maybe you haven't had much to do with sex yet. You're a wargamer, so I wouldn't be surprised

I've never been to a club that featured bald, masked women with open wounds on the stage. And no, the sexual parts of the model are not overly emphasised. I'm not sure how you can't realise that, as it's blatantly obvious. They aren't suggestively posed, and their naughty bits are not heavily emphasised. Yes, they HAVE naughty bits, but the models aren't on their knees, in high heels, or in any other way posed to present themselves as objects of desire.

And even if they WERE deliberately sexualised, they're still only a single unit in the entire model range.

IcedAnimals wrote:Would I want my 8 year old daughter to dress up as a sister of battle? hell yeah, I am going to start working on the halloween costume as soon as im able! She will be adorable. Don't worry ill make sure her bite size bolter shoots nerf darts so she doesn't hurt your own kids.

Well crap... Now I want to have a kid just to do this.

Wtf is wrong with boobs? I like boob plates cuz I like boobs. Lol go to thread complaining about the topless commissar and since when are SoB popular?

I didn't see anyone mention it, but the US Army is currently designing body army that is a bit more curvacious then the standard body armor that we've been using.

"Now, the Army is testing eight additional sizes made specifically for women, with, among other changes, more-narrow shoulders and “bra-shaped darting” in the chest."

I know I'm late to the party, but while the SoB fan art is awesome, it looks too much like a slender man.

Boob armor on a 28mm female model that it totally armored is required. Especially with figures that are standing on bases the size of a quarter features have to be exaggerated to be noticed from several feet away on the tabletop. Boobs on females, muscles on men- bog standard.

While the pointed and edged boobs on the current SOB are kinda dumb in my opinion, they are necessary to exist, and the design fits the "Gothic" aesthetic as well. Though they would be better served if GW went to Werner Klocke for what womens' armor should look like to have the breasts molded in and still be tasteful and awesome:

GW needs to somehow define them as women, but maybe change how they represented the boobs, as I find it a little weird, but, I guess, how would you represent the SoB, going back to the OP.

 Kaldor wrote:
Maybe you haven't had much to do with sex yet. You're a wargamer, so I wouldn't be surprised

Personal attack, atleast you are blunt about it.

 Crimson wrote:
Well, yeah the Repentia are horrible (and I'm not only meaning the sculpts, which are indeed bad.) I'm totally cool with Sisters having fetish armour, but having practically nude Sisters is just silly and totally misses the point.

There was a really cool Repentia in John Blanche's Inquisitor Scetchbook wearing a partial SoB armour. I wish Repentia had looked like that.

Misses the point of a Repentia. They go into battle wearing nothing in any way protective, because they seek to absolve their sins through their death in battle against the foes of the Emperor (which is anything).

Yeah, but they don't have to look like Battlewhores(TM).

Robes are the same as nothing on the battlefields of 40K. Or maybe if it's required to keep the same aesthetic, a long belted tabard that covers the front and back but not the arms and showing bare skin down the sides.

Robes are the same as nothing on the battlefields of 40K. Or maybe if it's required to keep the same aesthetic, a long belted tabard that covers the front and back but not the arms and showing bare skin down the sides.

Which misses the point entirely of a potential martyr who often practices Self-Flagellation and prefers to show off the scars of her deliverance unto the emperor before herself, her sisters, and her enemies.





Compare and contrast. To be honest I really don't see how they are battlewhores myself. They are dressed down in order to die with marks torn open upon their flesh, how the hell does that make it sexy? Showing skin Is that all it takes to be a whore?

Edit: Actually they kinda look like some of the old necromunda outfits, hm.

Compare and contrast. To be honest I really don't see how they are battlewhores myself. They are dressed down in order to die with marks torn open upon their flesh, how the hell does that make it sexy? Showing skin Is that all it takes to be a whore?

To tell the truth I personally just thought the name was witty. Though if they are so pious and willing to die to be redeemed and sit by the Emperor, why do they need a Dominatrix behind them whipping them forward?

If anything, I just think they should be a unit geared more towards an army led by a crazy mono-dominant Inquisitor alongside Arco-Flagellants and Penitent Engines, while pure-SOB get something cool, melee-based, and in power armor to reflect female warrior monks.

For a good while there, the SOB was an army of females that kept clear of the "make the chicks show lots of skin" angle.

variable wrote:Those breasts are at least DDD. If you blew a SoB fig up to 12" tall those girls would make Barbie blush.

If you blew up a SoB fig up to 12" tall, a lot of other things would have to be changed as well. And this goes for any mini in the 40k line. -> "Hero Scale"

Though I will say that the armour is probably mass produced in a way that it can be worn by anyone, so certain parts like the chestplate might be bigger than necessary. So much for a potential in-universe explanation, anyways.

variable wrote:Remember how many times Starbuck had to brush the hair out of her eyes? She had half the hair you need for a bob.

I think the fact that much of that hair was in the front section of the head might've had something to do with that. Sisters don't even have hair that is long enough to possibly cover their eyes there. That's why I think their haircut is quite perfect. It's somewhat utilitarian and doesn't pose much of a hindrance in battle, yet at the same time it is still long enough to look "fancy". Good choice, imo. It's pretty much the 40k equivalent to a ponytail, just more gothic.

variable wrote:To most people Men being more masculine means they are tough, resilient where Women being femenine means they are more attractive to men, or more nurturing and soft.

Undoubtedly, yet do you not think that - even though I think attraction to male players was obviously the most prominent real world reason for their design - this actually fits nicely with this army's background ... in that the Sisters aim to attack and dismantle this stereotype that wants to tell them they'd have to stop looking like women to be regarded as competent? That only men and men-lookalikes are considered "worthy"? I do not deem it impossible that the ancient Temple on San Leor designed its members' uniforms with that thought in mind.

variable wrote:The second part I definitely don't buy. There's nothing sexualized about SM figures At All. Catachan Jungle Fighters, sure, if that's what you're into, but not really. Women sexualize men in very different ways then (straight) men sexualize women. It's not even remotely reasonable to suggest that the emphasis of masculine traits (again, traits useful for fighting and doing hard work) and the emphasis on "femenine" traits (that in this case are coincidentally what men tend to call sexy and attractive) are equivalent.

You don't understand. I am not suggesting that Space Marines were designed with an emphasis on the manly bits because it would attract women, but because men - their supposed players - believe this. It's part of an overall package: the ripped, brawny superhero who gets all the girls. Case in point: Conan. Such design choices are quite deliberate, and though they are ultimately tailored to appeal to a male audience this is a form of sexualisation as well. Just one the customer is intended to identify with rather than feeling attracted.

AlmightyWalrus wrote:Regardless, the entire point of medieval armour was to deflect enemy blows, not to absorb the energy.

Where did you read that? The preferred weapon against platemail armour was a maul. People didn't stab at knights, they slashed and hoped that the kinetic energy transferred upon impact would bend the armour that badly that the person beneath it would get hurt.

AlexHolker wrote:The same goes for the Mistress, by changing the reason she is in the squad. Pointless sensation is Slaanesh's domain, not the Emperor's, so having her flog the Repentia with her whips is just poorly conceived.

You need to read up on SoB fluff.

CthuluIsSpy wrote:Yes, but why wear practically nothing? Why not wear just a body suit?

Because that would defeat the point of them being Repentia in the first place.
They were put into that role specifically so they may experience extreme humiliation and chastisement on their road to redemption. They are supposed to suffer as much as possible, for only in suffering may they find the Emperor's mercy.

Apart from the obvious fact that their mistresses' neuro-whips would rather quickly remove remaining clothing, penitence with the naked body has been part of the Sororitas background even before those models were released. And just like with many other things in 40k, all of this has a real world connection - in this case obviously being a half-naked Jesus (who as we know shares a lot of traits with the Emperor in the Imperial religion: "He died for your sins!!" being whipped through the streets on his way to crucifixion, an act "replayed" by many Christian flagellants to this very day.

If you really think that this is "indecorous", be fortunate the Repentia minis wear as much as they do, for the official artwork has some of them actually go into battle with barenaked breasts, prayer-scrolls pinned to their friggin bodies with long scary needles, some Repentias even chained to others. The Ecclesiarchy and its most fervent worshippers quite simply are this crazy. Why is that a problem? If you want a "clean" Imperium without silly stuff, you may want to check out the Horus Heresy, because in the 41st millennium, this is part of the program.

 Lynata wrote:

variable wrote:Those breasts are at least DDD. If you blew a SoB fig up to 12" tall those girls would make Barbie blush.

If you blew up a SoB fig up to 12" tall, a lot of other things would have to be changed as well. And this goes for any mini in the 40k line. -> "Hero Scale"

Though I will say that the armour is probably mass produced in a way that it can be worn by anyone, so certain parts like the chestplate might be bigger than necessary. So much for a potential in-universe explanation, anyways.

There's also that part that small breasts are hard to see on 1-inch tall women. I echo the heroic scale point. 40K rifle barrels don't have to be a scale inch wide, either, or be lead by models with fists that would be the size of their head, if their heads weren't also so big.

Warhammer fantasy skeletons could never fit inside Warhammer fantasy humans, either.

 AegisGrimm wrote:
Though if they are so pious and willing to die to be redeemed and sit by the Emperor, why do they need a Dominatrix behind them whipping them forward?
.

She's not whipping them forward, she is purifying them through pain - that is why they are proud of their scars. Pain is not motivation, pain is penance.

Let's keep the tone courteous as per the rules. Personal jibes are not allowed on this forum. Thanks!

If you blew up a SoB fig up to 12" tall, a lot of other things would have to be changed as well. And this goes for any mini in the 40k line. -> "Hero Scale"

Naturally, but I everything blown up for HS is a choice. Breasts half the size we are talking about would be plenty visible. Boys like big boobs, we find them sexy, blowing them up caters to ONE possible impulse, therefore the boobs were made that big, that distinct, and the designers made damn sure the bolter didn't cover them up to show off how dang sexy they are. QED :p

Though I will say that the armour is probably mass produced in a way that it can be worn by anyone, so certain parts like the chestplate might be bigger than necessary.

It doesn't work that way in the real world, so if we are going to use real world ides like mass production I think the idea of OSFA completely falls apart when we are taling about form fitting armour. But this point has been covered by people who know a lot more about armour than I. I will say, the one time I had to get fitted for armour (many years in the SCA) its fit being right was of paramount importance to the armorer.

the Sisters aim to attack and dismantle this stereotype that wants to tell them they'd have to stop looking like women to be regarded as competent? That only men and men-lookalikes are considered "worthy"? I do not deem it impossible that the ancient Temple on San Leor designed its members' uniforms with that thought in mind.

Real men IRL came up with this fluff. I'm casting a particular aspersion on the motivation for the design of the SoB, which was to push the spank factor up as high as they could before they crossed into Robert Howard/Frank Frazetta territory using Nun/Dominatrix fetish.

You don't understand. I am not suggesting that Space Marines were designed with an emphasis on the manly bits because it would attract women, but because ...they are ultimately tailored to appeal to a male audience this is a form of sexualisation as well.

Fair enough, then no, there is nothing wrong with this because it's not exploitative of men to do so. It gratifies men to be objectified thusly both for the observer and the observed. Objectifying women to appeal to men after the fashion of the SoB is inherently demeaning to men and women because it exploits aspects of women for the sexual gratification of men. It Reduces women from their whole being to a set of attributes that have nothing to do with war and everything to do with Ensign Woody and his little troop of seamen.

 Morathi's Darkest Sin wrote:
I pretty much have agreed with everything Kaldor has said in the thread so don't need to go over it again.

Hell, I have a whole thread of Fantasy/Sci-fi related ladies in DCM, Sisters are really low end scale when it comes to sexualised females in the hobby arena we find ourselves in. Some folks might need to chillax. with a T-Rex drinking a banana smoothie.

This! and what Hollowman said. Honestly the other SoB players have been making my arguments for me.

Kinda a buzz kill really. I was all jazzed up then everyone beat me to it.

I'd be a Sisters player no matter what their chest plate looked like so there you go.