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Hello All,

I am wondering if there is any evidence to support that there would be an Imperial Guard Detachment at the Dark Angels "Home Base" of "The Rock", it seems like most of the Astartes home planets have some form of an IG detachment to protect the fortress while the Astartes are away. (Macragge/Ultramar being a prime example). More or less I am trying to think of an original idea based around using an IG Ally Detachment.

I would think they would have some thralls that are the equivalent of IG. Equivalent of Macragge PDF.

Likely not being that the Rock is floating space fortress. IMHO More likely to have servitors with a techmarine in working on base defence

Or numerous techmarines operating under an officer dedicated to defense.

 Brokksamson wrote:
Hello All,

I am wondering if there is any evidence to support that there would be an Imperial Guard Detachment at the Dark Angels "Home Base" of "The Rock", it seems like most of the Astartes home planets have some form of an IG detachment to protect the fortress while the Astartes are away. (Macragge/Ultramar being a prime example). More or less I am trying to think of an original idea based around using an IG Ally Detachment.

The Rock wouldn't have an IG detachment, at best it'd have Chapter Serfs, but they really aren't Imperial Guard either.


Macragge PDF are actual PDF/IG style regiments raised from the local populace so aren't a great parallel unfortunately.

I was thinking more or less elements of the chapter surfs serving as security guards. I see what you guys are saying. Definitely not the equivalent of Mcragge PDF.

 Melissia wrote:
Or numerous techmarines operating under an officer dedicated to defense.

In the codex they make mention of a techmarine called Master of the Rock that is directly wired into the Rock's systems. So I would guess as there is no mention of IG anywhere on the Rock that he and whatever new recruits are managing defenses while the chapter is in some major battle.

At least the forge master is always present, as he is hardwired into the machinery to keep control over the floating fortress. Also the book says the Rock is protected by a kind of force field. But I imagine as they move their flying headquarter around through the galaxy following the action there is always marines there. And then there are the watchers, that also seem to have kind of protective function.

edit: you beat me...

Skitarii would be my answer. To elaborate. The Dark Angels doesn't allow anyone not lobotomized near their keep. And they will be failed neophytes. They serve in all the mundane functions for the Dark Angels down to even being like a PDF-force. And the Skitarii sounds the most like the IG of the Dark Angels.

That's kinda what I was thinking... hmmmm le sigh... lol now i have to think more in depth about how to tie in an IG Detachment to my guys, I want to run some just to get a little different flavor into our friendly battles around here which are 90% Space Marines

There would be no Imperial Guard on the Rock. Anyone not a member of the Chapter would be a mindless servitor.

Now as to their recruitment worlds, I could see one having a small detachment. As their recruits tend to hail from primitive worlds, I wouldn't think that they would be native to the planet, though.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Anyone not a member of the Chapter would be a mindless servitor.

Depends on who you ask. After all, a worshipper of Chaos would say there's no difference between the two.

 Brokksamson wrote:
That's kinda what I was thinking... hmmmm le sigh... lol now i have to think more in depth about how to tie in an IG Detachment to my guys, I want to run some just to get a little different flavor into our friendly battles around here which are 90% Space Marines

Good to know you are not clinically insane at least. Having very human guardsmen there, and I would have advised you choosing a more humane chapter, but the servitors can be of use as the Dark Angels with their descendants as a security force and such, but your trouble is really why the hell are they outside the Rock? That would actually be an interesting read.

 Brokksamson wrote:
That's kinda what I was thinking... hmmmm le sigh... lol now i have to think more in depth about how to tie in an IG Detachment to my guys, I want to run some just to get a little different flavor into our friendly battles around here which are 90% Space Marines

You could ally the remnants of a regiment/company/platoon that has been fighting for years against a CSM warband which contained a member of the Fallen, and your Dark Angels showed up out of the blue to "help" the IG (really they're there to hunt the Fallen).

The Rock is a massive Chapter Fortress Monestary.

The only humans on it would be chapter serfs, and quite a few of them. They would be armed with good quality weapons. Probably a mixture of Shotguns, high quality lasguns, and various special weapons.


You could have Counts As Veterans and Stormtroopers representing chapter serfs. While not as fearsome as their masters, Chapter Serfs are still trained and fanatically loyal soldiers. Many of them will have the implants of a marine up to whatever stage they failed the training.

 Grey Templar wrote:
high quality lasguns

Stormtroopers have AP3 lasguns. Those things are not nice to Marines.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Stormtroopers have AP3 lasguns. Those things are not nice to Marines.

Hotshot Lasguns, yes. I actually love using storm troopers, though I would prefer if they had kept the same name from 3rd and 4th editions: hellguns. PEW PEW EAT HELL BITCHES

Even if the Rock were still part of Caliban, I very much doubt that the DA would allow any outside force to be stationed there. Considering that the Rock is just that -- a great big rock floating through space -- there is hardly a need for it. I bet they don't let anyone, IG or SM or Inq, get near it.

I really doubt The Rock has any non-Astartes or regular humans on it. It's probably the most secretive place of the Imperium, they don't even let Inquisitors in there.

The defenses are overseen by the Techmarines, Watchers in the Dark, Servitors, and Reserve DA Company's. The defenses overall are coordinated by the Master of the Rock (DA Master of the Forge) who is plugged into the ships systems. I imagine this reduces manpower needs as well.

For once I'm actually in favor of a guy asking a controversial question about a chapter and such here. Sure only Skitarii is qualified for this, no-one else, but in my mind it doesn't break fluff, it merely bends it. And bending is okay, I still want to read why the hell they are out of the Rock, but that's another story. The Unforgiven has many other chapters based there, they are the least humane of any chapter, all their crew are servitors, like the Skitarii.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I was inclined to believe it would be just them on the rock, and Serfs as well, just wanting a nice tie in, so I will have to work on it!

If there were, they'd know their damn role and shut their damn mouths!

 Brokksamson wrote:

I am wondering if there is any evidence to support that there would be an Imperial Guard Detachment at the Dark Angels "Home Base" of "The Rock", it seems like most of the Astartes home planets have some form of an IG detachment to protect the fortress while the Astartes are away. (Macragge/Ultramar being a prime example). More or less I am trying to think of an original idea based around using an IG Ally Detachment.

Rock is not a planet at all - it's floating Space Fortress with only occupants being Dark Angels and Watchers in the dark.
Seems as Rock is itself impenetrable fortress and that for most of the time a subsistencial number of Dark Angels is present there they really have no need for IG to guard it.

Oh yeah... Watcher in the dark PDF I can picture them all now in their little robes toting guns that are way too big for them!

Ahh... that's where the Night Goblins went when whfb got 40k... Minus the noses, sure.

 Brokksamson wrote:
(Macragge/Ultramar being a prime example)

The Ultramar PDF is notable because it's an exception to the rule - Ultramar is SO well run that they have IG regiments, even though they're a Chapter planet. This is different to almost every other Chapter home world.

I'd say your best bet is to have some IG forces that happen to be fighting in the same warzone as the DA...

you could say there the scouts for the space marines they go out and bring back info on the fallen for them. would be less obvious then a space marines wouldn't you say? might have to figure out the smaller details tho.maybe there the reminent of the citizens from there home world and travel with them on ships not in the rock but near by.

The only 'humans' on the rock would be Chapter Serfs. Given how secretive the DA are, I doubt there would be any human presence on the Rock. Plus, the rock is big, but not THAT big. It can fit the Chapter on it but there might not be space/resources for a whole 'PDF' too.

I was debating a "story" that my Death Wing specialized in searching Death Worlds for the fallen, and that they work with a detachment of DKoK because of their own specialty with Death Worlds.