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I´m about to embark into doing a labour of love, a Space Wolves -army painted to the highest standard I can muster, with display bases, conversios on most miniatures and all that shiz. I want the army to be something more than just basic Space Wolves.

I now need special ideas to give the army a theme, an idea. Note I do not mean armylist composition. It should be explainable fluffwise ( can be farfetched ) and have an impact on how the army looks, painting or modelingwise. I have one idea myself, but need many more from people who know the Space Wolves fluff and background;

Blackmane, a lieutenant of Morkai had the ability to bring the dead back to life, and Russ himself got the ability to visit the planes of the dead according to the Codex ( a cloak made from the mane. ) The army could be basically undead Space Wolves, with pale skin, blue glowing eyes ( White Walkers much? ) and some special colourtheme. Perhaps they were brought back by the will of Blackmane, a Runic Priests spell, or the combination of both. Kind of like a pseudo LOTD. Other ideas are the 13th Company ( are they possible alive or confirmed destroyed? ) and maybe Wolf Brothers.

Blast away!

 RunicFIN wrote:
I´m about to embark into doing a labour of love, a Space Wolves -army painted to the highest standard I can muster, with display bases, conversios on most miniatures and all that shiz. I want the army to be something more than just basic Space Wolves.

I now need special ideas to give the army a theme, an idea. Note I do not mean armylist composition. It should be explainable fluffwise ( can be farfetched ) and have an impact on how the army looks, painting or modelingwise. I have one idea myself, but need many more from people who know the Space Wolves fluff and background;

Blackmane, a lieutenant of Morkai had the ability to bring the dead back to life, and Russ himself got the ability to visit the planes of the dead according to the Codex ( a cloak made from the mane. ) The army could be basically undead Space Wolves, with pale skin, blue glowing eyes ( White Walkers much? ) and some special colourtheme. Perhaps they were brought back by the will of Blackmane, a Runic Priests spell, or the combination of both. Kind of like a pseudo LOTD. Other ideas are the 13th Company ( are they possible alive or confirmed destroyed? ) and maybe Wolf Brothers.

Blast away!

This seems like HAERASY! to me. Nah, just kidding sounds really cool!!

If I wanted a themed Space Wolves army it would have spammed squads of Blood Claws with propably some heavier infantry as well to support.
I don't know, either Wolf Guard Terminators led by fierce Wolf Lord! Or maybe Greay Hunters to provide the experience in your army of blood hungry fighters?

Oh, and a must have for any fluffy SW army is a Lone Wolf! After all, your army needs a Champion!
Out of curiousity, where do you live/play?

Perhaps a different animal other than a wolf for the pelts would go a long way to get a different asthetic diffrence. Or the pelts could favor a more grey or brown coloring for the wolf pelts.

For example my SW's are a DIY chaper called the Fox Marine; Grey armor, Orange trim and Fox pelts.

My theme is "more drop pods and melta!" Oh and the SW made friends with Tigurius and a group of cents when they found them wandering a random planet murdering stuff. They decided to team up and the SW were even nice enough to give Tig and his boys a shiny new drop pod of their own.

Thanks for the ideas. I got an army list ready though, so I´m basically looking for a background story more than what units to wield ( altough ofcourse they can affect eachother ) that affects how the army looks, the end result being different than normal space wolves.

@Toofast, that´s some quite deep stuff.

@Soomemafia I play in the Lahti area and I also often visit Jyväskylä. Just holla a PM if you want to play some day, in the Finnish forum my nick is Runic.

PS. It really doesn´t matter how far-fetched or silly, just voice your idea! I´m asking because I don´t know all the Space Wolves background and fluff and reckon people who do can give me even more ideas.

 RunicFIN wrote:
Thanks for the ideas. I got an army list ready though, so I´m basically looking for a background story more than what units to wield ( altough ofcourse they can affect eachother ) that affects how the army looks, the end result being different than normal space wolves.

I see. So what's in your list? Might help us.
And if you're looking for LotD theme, take a look about Space Wolves 13th Company. A group that disappeared in the eye of terror during the times of Horus Heresy and reappeared to fight Abaddon recently.
A bit of mystery, and an excuse to use ye olde SM figuress from FW.

@Soomemafia I play in the Lahti area and I also often visit Jyväskylä. Just holla a PM if you want to play some day, in the Finnish forum my nick is Runic.

Well I live/play in Espoo so it might be a bit difficult
But I was just wondering since I met a guy couple of months ago who talked about starting Wolves and wondered since I didn't know if he had an account on Dakka.

The current list is basically 4 Drop Pods with Greyhunters, Wolf Guard and a Dreadnought in them, Lord on Wolf + TWC, Vindicator, Stormfang and a Callidus Assassin.

Nothing that would basically be a background in itself. Yeah my current ideas is the warriors brought back by Blackmane, the 13th Company for the Forgeworld models, and the Wolf Brothers ( while still alive/loyal. )

Was just wondering if there are other warbands in some Black Library books, chapters even that have wolf iconography ( I recall there is atleast one, not Luna Wolves. )

One idea I did have but didn't have time to write up before you posted the list doesn't quite fit now I've seen you're using pods, but what the hell?

A company of Wolves is en route to assist a beleaguered PDF regiment from attacks by Orks. On approaching the planet, they realise that the Orks have it completely blockaded, a ring of crude ships bristling with guns surrounds the planet. It is an all but impenetrable fortress of space-bound steel, and the compatively meagre firepower of a single Battle Barge was all but useless.

At this point, more pragmatic and less honourable Astarte's would have made a tactical withdrawal, and maybe never returned with intent to break the blockade. The planet hardly mattered in the grand workings of the Imperium of Man; what were a few billion souls in an empire spanning a billion worlds?

But the Sons of Russ are not so blind, and not so easily deterred. After no more than a day surveying the work fleet, the Wolf Lord consulted with his Priests and Champions, and ordained only one outcome to any attempt to break the siege. Whoever stepped unto that breach would be annihilated, scatterered to atoms in the cold void. Nonetheless, no help would come from any other quarter, and the Wolves would not abandon those they had come to aid.

The entire company boarded their drop pods as the Barge approached the Ork fleet, readying themselves for one last stand, a desperate mission that they knew would end in death or glory. No sooner had the barge entered range of the fleet than the guns of the enemy had awoken, tearing her hull asunder, but, whether guided by the Allfather's hand or just by the
strength of will of a dying machine spirit, the crippled vessel held together just long enough to launch the wave of pods towards the planet's surface.

Over the weeks and months that followed, the Wolves of Fenris fought side by side with the planet's inhabitants, and slowly fought back the Ork hordes. After the bitter struggle, there came again a time of peace on this world, and with no way to escape and recorded as slain by all imperial records, the Wolves remained with their new allies, not venerated as demigods but as brothers in arms.

All things come to this world in Time, from Eldar pirates to marauder warbands, and even the powers of Chaos. Mortals live and die as the Wolves dwindle in number, their armour becoming relics, worn and battered, and their weapons supplied only by the meagre industry of the world. They are legends now, and heroes to the culture that has adopted them.

Each Fenrisian warrior knows he is fated to die in battle on this world, until the last lonely guardians defend the last of 5e homesteads. There is no peace, no respite. There is only war,and a promise to make such an end as to be worthy of song.

***

Basically, this would give you scope to make them really beat up, have fairly limited or even ramshackle weapons and vehicles, and really give them a history.

I had always invisioned a SW army with daemon allies, but not in the traditional sense. This band of Sw got lost in the warp after engaging in a search for Russ during on of the great hunts.Their numbers depleted they resorted to their most desperate tactics. Their runes priests called upon an anchient magic and broght back their ancestors of old to fight with them. Ancient viking warriors (count as blood letters but with fantasy viking mini all painted up as ghosts) and the spirits of all the dead wolves of whom they adorn themselves with. (Count as khorneate hounds, but wolves minis pained as ghosts once again).

Lots of vehicle and armor weathering possibilites and some cool other models so the whole army isn't just guys in powere armor.

 Jayden63 wrote:
I had always invisioned a SW army with daemon allies, but not in the traditional sense. This band of Sw got lost in the warp after engaging in a search for Russ during on of the great hunts.Their numbers depleted they resorted to their most desperate tactics. Their runes priests called upon an anchient magic and broght back their ancestors of old to fight with them. Ancient viking warriors (count as blood letters but with fantasy viking mini all painted up as ghosts) and the spirits of all the dead wolves of whom they adorn themselves with. (Count as khorneate hounds, but wolves minis pained as ghosts once again).

Lots of vehicle and armor weathering possibilites and some cool other models so the whole army isn't just guys in powere armor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3ALwKeSEYs - very good! I think the army will participate in tournaments so count as might be an issue, however there´s a thousand ways to get some space wolfy daemons going with modeling. Allround the idea of something happening to a warband of wolves during a great hunt is awesome, that opens up a lot of possibilities and I didn´t even think of that. Nice!

 Paradigm wrote:
One idea I did have but didn't have time to write up before you posted the list doesn't quite fit now I've seen you're using pods, but what the hell?

A company of Wolves is en route to assist a beleaguered PDF regiment from attacks by Orks. On approaching the planet, they realise that the Orks have it completely blockaded, a ring of crude ships bristling with guns surrounds the planet. It is an all but impenetrable fortress of space-bound steel, and the compatively meagre firepower of a single Battle Barge was all but useless.

At this point, more pragmatic and less honourable Astarte's would have made a tactical withdrawal, and maybe never returned with intent to break the blockade. The planet hardly mattered in the grand workings of the Imperium of Man; what were a few billion souls in an empire spanning a billion worlds?

But the Sons of Russ are not so blind, and not so easily deterred. After no more than a day surveying the work fleet, the Wolf Lord consulted with his Priests and Champions, and ordained only one outcome to any attempt to break the siege. Whoever stepped unto that breach would be annihilated, scatterered to atoms in the cold void. Nonetheless, no help would come from any other quarter, and the Wolves would not abandon those they had come to aid.

The entire company boarded their drop pods as the Barge approached the Ork fleet, readying themselves for one last stand, a desperate mission that they knew would end in death or glory. No sooner had the barge entered range of the fleet than the guns of the enemy had awoken, tearing her hull asunder, but, whether guided by the Allfather's hand or just by the
strength of will of a dying machine spirit, the crippled vessel held together just long enough to launch the wave of pods towards the planet's surface.

Over the weeks and months that followed, the Wolves of Fenris fought side by side with the planet's inhabitants, and slowly fought back the Ork hordes. After the bitter struggle, there came again a time of peace on this world, and with no way to escape and recorded as slain by all imperial records, the Wolves remained with their new allies, not venerated as demigods but as brothers in arms.

All things come to this world in Time, from Eldar pirates to marauder warbands, and even the powers of Chaos. Mortals live and die as the Wolves dwindle in number, their armour becoming relics, worn and battered, and their weapons supplied only by the meagre industry of the world. They are legends now, and heroes to the culture that has adopted them.

Each Fenrisian warrior knows he is fated to die in battle on this world, until the last lonely guardians defend the last of 5e homesteads. There is no peace, no respite. There is only war,and a promise to make such an end as to be worthy of song.

***

Basically, this would give you scope to make them really beat up, have fairly limited or even ramshackle weapons and vehicles, and really give them a history.

Are you Gav Thorpe? Man, that is some effort, thanks! I really like the feel of the warriors being stuck, and left to their "doom" while honourably enduring it. This is exactly what I mean, it gives the army a soul. Should I use this or use it as a base, I´ll be sure to mention you or whoevers idea I´ll use, infact. Maybe I´ll even paint a named miniature for the inventor of the army theme.

Cheers! I've had that idea kicking around for a while of a bunch of SM cut off and with a shift in priority from defending the Imperium at large to defending something much more personal, and SW were a perfect fit for that role. It also allows you to portray a much more human side of the Astartes as they form a warrior's bond with the allies they will fight with throughout their lives.

I'm almost tempted to write up some of this as a short fiction now. I'd be honoured if you used parts of it, and glad I could help!