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"Adeptus Astartes" will probably be easier for most people to swallow anyways, since unlike "Astra Militarum", that name has existed for a looooong time.

It does hilariously enough make "Adeptus Sororitas" sound like its distaff counterpart, though (well, the sisters generally are the battle brothers' distaff counterpart in some ways, anyways)

They probably don't need high gothic names for the single-chapter codexes because the chapters are easy to trademark. That said, I believe the Space Wolves' high gothic name is Vika Fenrika (spelling could be off). Or maybe that's just their Fenrisian name. Space Sharks is Carcharodons. There is at least one other non-founding chapters with high gothic names but I can't recall which off the top of my head.

TiamatRoar wrote:
"Adeptus Astartes" will probably be easier for most people to swallow anyways, since unlike "Astra Militarum", that name has existed for a looooong time.

It does hilariously enough make "Adeptus Sororitas" sound like its distaff counterpart, though (well, the sisters generally are the battle brothers' distaff counterpart in some ways, anyways)

They probably don't need high gothic names for the single-chapter codexes because the chapters are easy to trademark. That said, I believe the Space Wolves' high gothic name is Vika Fenrika (spelling could be off). Or maybe that's just their Fenrisian name. Space Sharks is Carcharodons. There is at least one other non-founding chapters with high gothic names but I can't recall which off the top of my head.

Space Sharks had their name changed entirely to the Carcharodons. There are no more Space Sharks.
There are however Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, Grey Knights codices who don't have high gothic names which makes the idea that they are trying to bring all the Imperial codeci into some kind of common format nonsensical.

Astra Miltarum doesn't quite have the same ring as Imperial Guard. I think these bizzare names might be a turnoff for new players just getting to know the universe.

I think its more like: "the star-army and the space marines, defenders of the galaxy, wheee!"

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Dagger wrote:
I think its more like: "the star-army and the space marines Star-Obtainers, defenders of the galaxy, wheee!"

Fixed that for you.

If you are going to directly translate high Gothic / faux latin into English, you might as well do it for both Astra Militarum and Adeptus Astartes.

 Trickstick wrote:
They probably just wanted to test the waters with the AM name change, before they started to mess around with Space Marines. They are the biggest seller after all.

I honestly want and actively hope GW formerly changes their name to Adeptus Astartes and ditches "Space Marines" entirely for sounding hopelessly generic, "Astartes" sounding a lot better and more original, in-universe being formerly refereed to as Astartes in organization, and just it not being Space Marines. I mean really, naming your faction off a trope? Alright then.

Plus Astra Millitarum isn't that bad of a change at all, I just don't know why it wasn't Adeptus Millitarum as that would have made a lot more sense.

For me it is OK only if the name sounds silly/childish.

Space Sharks -> Carcharodons
Space Wolves -> The Rout, Vika Fenryka
Space Marines -> Adeptus Astartes

Sisters of Battle -> no need to change
Imperial Guard -> no need to change
Stormtroopers -> no need to chage

Personal opinion, of course.

 Wyzilla wrote:
(...)
Plus Astra Millitarum isn't that bad of a change at all, I just don't know why it wasn't Adeptus Millitarum as that would have made a lot more sense.

I always got the impression "Adeptus" (meaning "expert" or "highly skilled" ) is used for extremely well trained, highly specialized individuals.

Edit: autocorrect turned a couple of letters into an ork

 da001 wrote:
For me it is OK only if the name sounds silly/childish.

Space Sharks -> Carcharodons
Space Wolves -> The Rout, Vika Fenryka
Space Marines -> Adeptus Astartes

Sisters of Battle -> no need to change
Imperial Guard -> no need to change
Stormtroopers -> no need to chage

Personal opinion, of course.

 Wyzilla wrote:
(...)
Plus Astra Millitarum isn't that bad of a change at all, I just don't know why it wasn't Adeptus Millitarum as that would have made a lot more sense.

I always got the impression "Adeptus" (meaning "expert" or "highly skilled" is used for extremely well trained, highly specialized individuals.

Aeptus is simply the prefix to any branch of the Imperium organization. Which is why I don't know what the hell is with the Astra bit in the Newguard name.

 Wyzilla wrote:

 da001 wrote:
For me it is OK only if the name sounds silly/childish.

Space Sharks -> Carcharodons
Space Wolves -> The Rout, Vika Fenryka
Space Marines -> Adeptus Astartes

Sisters of Battle -> no need to change
Imperial Guard -> no need to change
Stormtroopers -> no need to chage

Personal opinion, of course.

 Wyzilla wrote:
(...)
Plus Astra Millitarum isn't that bad of a change at all, I just don't know why it wasn't Adeptus Millitarum as that would have made a lot more sense.

I always got the impression "Adeptus" (meaning "expert" or "highly skilled" is used for extremely well trained, highly specialized individuals.

Aeptus is simply the prefix to any branch of the Imperium organization. Which is why I don't know what the hell is with the Astra bit in the Newguard name.

Not exactly.

The Assassin's Organization is called the Officio Assassinorum.

The Navigator's guild is the Navis Nobilite

The Titans are part of the Collegia Titanica

I think Adeptus has more to do with a specific field of expertise.

The Adeptus Arbites - Concerned with the law

Adeptus Astronomica - Concerned with the astronomican

Adepta Sororitas - Concerned with protecting the Eccleisiarchy's interests (all female as well, hence the Sororitas)

Adeptus Astartes - Dedicated strike force who exist outside of the bureaucracy, and who are composed entirely of superhumans

ect, ect.

The Imperial Guard are too varied and general, which is why they do not receive the "Adeptus" prefix.

I still think it is related with "highly skilled" or "highly specialized". After all, that´s what the word "Adept" means. Arbites, Astartes, Terra, Astronomica, Custodes, Astra Telepathica, Sororitas... all of them go through a massive training program and/or are focused on a single particular thing.

Imperial Guard, as a whole, is not that "adept".

There are exceptions everywhere though...

 da001 wrote:
I still think it is related with "highly skilled" or "highly specialized". After all, that´s what the word "Adept" means. Arbites, Astartes, Terra, Astronomica, Custodes, Astra Telepathica, Sororitas... all of them go through a massive training program and/or are focused on a single particular thing.

Imperial Guard, as a whole, is not that "adept".

There are exceptions everywhere though...

I wonder if they used Astra as in the Astra of Hindu mythology.

In Hinduism, an astra (Sanskrit: अस्त्र) was a supernatural weapon, presided over by a specific deity. To summon or use an astra required knowledge of a specific incantation/invocation, when armed. The deity invoked would then endow the weapon, making it impossible to counter through regular means

Honestly though, I actually enjoy the name change, I enjoy it when the faux-latin is used throughout the setting, it kinda grew on me after using the RPG books for a while.

Even the new codex in the very first section notes that the Astra Millitarium is also known as the Imperial Guard.

The front page has

Astra Miliatrium - (sub heading The Imperial Guard )

The names are interchangable - same as Adepta Sororitas and Sisters of Battle - although in truth the name - Sisters of Battle only actually refers to the Militant Orders.............

The Imperial Guard are too varied and general, which is why they do not receive the "Adeptus" prefix.

It is because the Imperial Guard is not a stand-alone Adeptus. It is a sub-faction of the Departmento Munitorum.