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The problem I see with the World Eaters, Iron Warriors, Night Lords ect is the Emperor wanted conquest at all cost and he wanted it fast, he got it and as a result the Primarchs cut corners like turning their warriors lobotomized rage machines, or used chemical weapons(DG), or just refused and actually tried to found a society that would be loyal like the word bearers did and look how that turned out. If I had to pick the most loyal primarch I'd say Pert and his Iron Warriors, they fought in the worst battles, were split up and scattered, denied the credit they deserved, treated like gak by the other primarchs till they were burned out, behind him i'd say Curze, Lorgar, and Magnus.

Curze cut corners to get results just like the other Primarchs did, he was given a legion of disciplined terror troops, and as reinforcement he got undisciplined terror troops, he used them in the only way you could employ those type of troops. He knew full well what his father intended for him.

Angron mentioned in the Night of the Wolf that conquest was expected of him, that the tithe was enslavement and called Ruas a hypocrite.

Perteburo just about destroyed his Legion by following the Emperors plan.

Lorgar got rebuked for having a rational conquest policy.

Well, to be fair, Curze was borderline psychotic, Angron was an irrational rage-machine from the day the Emperor met him, Perturabo was an insufferable martyr, and Lorgar was a fanatical zealot. That's not to say that the other Primarchs didn't have their flaws, but ultimately it lies in their flaws that brought about their downfall. Could the Emperor have handled those flaws in such a way as to prevent some of them going rogue? For sure. But I think that, for some, it was inevitable. Specifically Angron and Curze.

Angron was an irrational rage-machine from the day the Emperor met him

Agreed but the Emperor might have been able to salvage something if he helped the slaves. Russ was barely better.

Well, to be fair, Curze was borderline psychotic

He degenerated, as the ruler of Nostramo he seemed sane and effective.

Perturabo was an insufferable martyr

Yea but the Raven cried and the Lion constantly felt slighted by others.

Well here is my question then if Curze and Angron were so bad then why did the Emperor put them in charge of his most elite soldiers.

Others cut corners as well, Magnus used psychic power, Fulgrim put alien dna into his troops, Russ might have put wolf DNA into his, the Death Guard used poison gas.

Ironclad Warlord wrote:
the Emperor wanted conquest at all cost and he wanted it fast.

Well, alright. The emperor didn't even plan on having space marine legions. He created the primarchs for a competent different job. Whenthey were kidnapoed, he needed a plan be, which was to build super soldiers to go out and get them as fast as possible, before they fell into a lava floe or built their own space armies and invaded earth. It was a botch from the beginning.

What's wrong with using poison gas? The gak works.

The problem is that the background requires that half of the legions rebel because of grimdark. Everything else is merely window dressing to get to the predefined end.

The problem is that the background requires that half of the legions rebel because of grimdark. Everything else is merely window dressing to get to the predefined end.

Which is why it only makes sense if the Emperor was kind of a jerk.

Ironclad Warlord wrote:

The problem is that the background requires that half of the legions rebel because of grimdark. Everything else is merely window dressing to get to the predefined end.

Which is why it only makes sense if the Emperor was kind of a jerk.

The real issue here is the idea that 40k makes sense...

Ironclad Warlord wrote:

The problem is that the background requires that half of the legions rebel because of grimdark. Everything else is merely window dressing to get to the predefined end.

Which is why it only makes sense if the Emperor was kind of a jerk.

The 40k background is designed to be at the grotesque dystopia end of the spectrum. Everyone is a total jerk only out for themselves. Even the most noble defenders of humanity are perfectly happy to do all sorts of nasty things in the name of victory and expidence. Thats how the background has always been written, including a healthy dose of biblical mythology, fallen angels and sons taking on the sins of their fathers.

Well the WE could have been a bit more regulated. With Angron the Big E just sorta went:

"Ah gak sorry about that. Hey uh you can have this Legion. No strings attached. You don't even need to be trained."

The only reasons I can see the Emperor a man who is highly intelligent and even has prophetic powers not knowing what Angron would do to his Legion. I think he just realized the destructive potential the World Eaters would have.