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I'm currently cooking up a homebrew Chapter based on my family history and the Normans, and I've been thinking of centering them on the very fringe of the galaxy in the Halo Stars. However, all attempts to find information on the Halo Zone has been to no avail, as they never come up anywhere except when guardsmen are terrified of going there. Is there anything in the FFG books on them, or perhaps something in Imperial Armor I've never heard about? As they're an apparently underdeveloped zone, I could easily put my Chapter in there without conflicting with other material.

As I understand it... the 'Halo Stars' are simply the last clusters of stars that make up the ring around the Milky way.

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Halo_Stars

Basically, they're the last clusters of stars before the great void. Therefore these clusters form up a 'Halo' around the entire galaxy. I did some paint work for you to comprehend below.

http://i.imgur.com/2hmSMFN.jpg

Based on Otto's reply I assume they would be beyond the range of the astronomicon. So there's room there for some unique psyker abilities the chapter uses instead of navigators or something like that.

 Wyzilla wrote:
As they're an apparently underdeveloped zone, I could easily put my Chapter in there without conflicting with other material.

GW probably had the same idea with the Carcharodons ("Space Sharks"). They seem to spend much of their time outside the borders of the Imperium (i.e. probably in the Halo Zone). However, there's very little information as to their activity out there.

Lexicon doesn't have much information at all (here and here).

EDIT: Otto's link is great. The Koronus_Expanse is a region of the Halo Stars, and is covered by FFG.

 Orblivion wrote:
Based on Otto's reply I assume they would be beyond the range of the astronomicon. So there's room there for some unique psyker abilities the chapter uses instead of navigators or something like that.

Yeah, I was thinking that they would lack navigators entirely and instead have a larger Librarium to guide their own ships, with about one to two librarians per ship to guide it through the warp. Reason they would stay there is a strong belief in guarding those few wards they protect and adamantium mines they supply to the Adeptus Mechanicus in exchange for more ships.

Maybe also given specialist anti tyranid weaponry?

First line of defense, taking a hive fleet while its not quite awake

Maybe some other unokown objects found from void ships, other galexy xeno level unknown?

 jhe90 wrote:
Maybe also given specialist anti tyranid weaponry?

First line of defense, taking a hive fleet while its not quite awake

Maybe some other unokown objects found from void ships, other galexy xeno level unknown?

Tyranids come from the Galactic East, not the Galactic West. From Segmentum Pacificus you get fun stuff like the Rak'Gol or Corsairs.

Yeah, I think the Rogue Trader rpg mentions them in some detail. The Koronus Expanse is further covered in Only War. There's a surprising amount of stuff on the warhammer wiki.
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Koronus_Expanse

Oops Halo Zone, not stars. Not even in the same segmentum! Well, no idea about the Halo Zone. The Halo Stars' fluff is a lot like DnD though, as in the fluff is there for you to do whatever. Wouldn't they work for your setting? There's a ton of imperial regiments and chapters from all over the Imperium working in that region, don't think you need to worry about conflicting with other material. There's even some Disciples of Caliban seconded to the Deathwatch. Random!

 EngulfedObject wrote:
Yeah, I think the Rogue Trader rpg mentions them in some detail. The Koronus Expanse is further covered in Only War. There's a surprising amount of stuff on the warhammer wiki.
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Koronus_Expanse

Oops Halo Zone, not stars. Not even in the same segmentum! Well, no idea about the Halo Zone. The Halo Stars' fluff is a lot like DnD though, as in the fluff is there for you to do whatever. Wouldn't they work for your setting? There's a ton of imperial regiments and chapters from all over the Imperium working in that region, don't think you need to worry about conflicting with other material. There's even some Disciples of Caliban seconded to the Deathwatch. Random!

The origin of the Chapter that's slowly coalessing in my mind is that a Dark Angels' Chapter during the Great Crusade went to the far galactic north-west and got stuck when the warp storms erupted. When communication finally resumed with the Death of Horus, the Great Crusade had come and went, the Horus Heresy was over, and the Legions were breaking up. So they just sat down on a local system they had brought into compliance and became their own Chapter- the Brotherhood of Normant.

 Wyzilla wrote:
The origin of the Chapter that's slowly coalessing in my mind is that a Dark Angels' Chapter during the Great Crusade went to the far galactic north-west and got stuck when the warp storms erupted. When communication finally resumed with the Death of Horus, the Great Crusade had come and went, the Horus Heresy was over, and the Legions were breaking up. So they just sat down on a local system they had brought into compliance and became their own Chapter- the Brotherhood of Normant.

Are they part of the Unforgiven? They must have reestablished contact with the rest of the legion during the seven years between the HH and the Second Founding.

You could get some ideas from the Guardians of the Covenant. They're part of the Unforgiven but seem to mostly stick to their own territory and fight Xenos incursions rather than actively hunt the Fallen.
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Covenant

What aspects of the Normans are you basing them on? The Normans were kinda expansionist so you could have them building their own turf around that region and fortifying it with fortresses (kinda like how they built castles throughout the England). You could also have them actively assist colonization efforts. This would be quite different from the usual DA method of operation, where they fight in a conflict and immediately move on to the next.

Are they organized like other Unforgiven chapters?

I think this battle from the First Crusade could maybe give you some ideas on how they might fight differently from the usual DA. Basically the crusader vanguard is ambushed and the heavily armored knights are forced to form a circle to protect those without armor from constant harassment by horse archers. It's quite interesting!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dorylaeum_%281097%29

Also, the way the Crusaders weather the attacks for seven hours as they are slowly forced into the river is reminiscent of the stubbornness of the DA.

 EngulfedObject wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:
The origin of the Chapter that's slowly coalessing in my mind is that a Dark Angels' Chapter during the Great Crusade went to the far galactic north-west and got stuck when the warp storms erupted. When communication finally resumed with the Death of Horus, the Great Crusade had come and went, the Horus Heresy was over, and the Legions were breaking up. So they just sat down on a local system they had brought into compliance and became their own Chapter- the Brotherhood of Normant.

Are they part of the Unforgiven? They must have reestablished contact with the rest of the legion during the seven years between the HH and the Second Founding.

You could get some ideas from the Guardians of the Covenant. They're part of the Unforgiven but seem to mostly stick to their own territory and fight Xenos incursions rather than actively hunt the Fallen.
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Covenant

What aspects of the Normans are you basing them on? The Normans were kinda expansionist so you could have them building their own turf around that region and fortifying it with fortresses (kinda like how they built castles throughout the England). You could also have them actively assist colonization efforts. This would be quite different from the usual DA method of operation, where they fight in a conflict and immediately move on to the next.

Are they organized like other Unforgiven chapters?

I think this battle from the First Crusade could maybe give you some ideas on how they might fight differently from the usual DA. Basically the crusader vanguard is ambushed and the heavily armored knights are forced to form a circle to protect those without armor from constant harassment by horse archers. It's quite interesting!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dorylaeum_%281097%29

Also, the way the Crusaders weather the attacks for seven hours as they are slowly forced into the river is reminiscent of the stubbornness of the DA.

Just read through that account. Pretty damn awesome tbh - plate armour isn't easy to wear and they wore that for over 7 hours in combat, being shot at constantly, never knowing when an arrow might find a weakspot and end you, not knowing when help would arrive if ever but holding out anyway. Freaking hell, that's just inspirational.

 EngulfedObject wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:
The origin of the Chapter that's slowly coalessing in my mind is that a Dark Angels' Chapter during the Great Crusade went to the far galactic north-west and got stuck when the warp storms erupted. When communication finally resumed with the Death of Horus, the Great Crusade had come and went, the Horus Heresy was over, and the Legions were breaking up. So they just sat down on a local system they had brought into compliance and became their own Chapter- the Brotherhood of Normant.

Are they part of the Unforgiven? They must have reestablished contact with the rest of the legion during the seven years between the HH and the Second Founding.

You could get some ideas from the Guardians of the Covenant. They're part of the Unforgiven but seem to mostly stick to their own territory and fight Xenos incursions rather than actively hunt the Fallen.
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Covenant

What aspects of the Normans are you basing them on? The Normans were kinda expansionist so you could have them building their own turf around that region and fortifying it with fortresses (kinda like how they built castles throughout the England). You could also have them actively assist colonization efforts. This would be quite different from the usual DA method of operation, where they fight in a conflict and immediately move on to the next.

Are they organized like other Unforgiven chapters?

I think this battle from the First Crusade could maybe give you some ideas on how they might fight differently from the usual DA. Basically the crusader vanguard is ambushed and the heavily armored knights are forced to form a circle to protect those without armor from constant harassment by horse archers. It's quite interesting!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dorylaeum_%281097%29

Also, the way the Crusaders weather the attacks for seven hours as they are slowly forced into the river is reminiscent of the stubbornness of the DA.

No, I mean they reestablished contact after the Horus Heresy and just stuck around, then split with the second founding. Rejoining the Angels by cutting through the Halo Zone could lead to them showing up decades, potentially a century after the intended time. Plus they'd be sitting upon a massive adamantium deposit which is pretty much a gold-mine and source of infinite favors. As for their strategy, yes, conquer and fortify. They'd be the only real stable Imperial force in the region, so they'd have to build up fortresses and garrison them to ensure they didn't rebel or simply abandon post.

Combat wise, given that the Normans excelled in water-bound invasions and mobile infantry with cavalry, I was thinking of rhino spam on the ground for fast, mobile confrontations with enemy forces using APC's as cover, with a much larger Ravenwing company to provide escort for the Rhinos. The size would also be bigger then standard codex, given that the only reinforcements they could expect would be their own. Either that or you pray for the intervention of the Legion of the Damned, because nobody else is going to arrive in time.

And as for the black sea, they'd also specialize in boarding parties of breachers wearing MK III armor trained in sacking guys like the Rak'Gol or Orks. Their key specialization would be expansion, fortification, and protecting shipping to and from the Halo Zone (because that's their only lifeline).

And yeah they'd be part of the Unforgiven. They'd also serve as distant eyes and ears in case any Fallen decides to try to flee and hide in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. But as for inspiration, I was thinking something more along the line like bringing superior Norse and Frank cultures to the Anglo-Saxon heathens of the British Isles.

What about trying to develop some sort of beacon to allow further navigation? Like the Pharos?

There are such beacons. A choir of astropaths can establish them in Rogue Trader. But they're highly localized, usually only capable of assisting guidance in a single sector or even sub-sector.

Maybe give them a culture of believing a great crime to leave weapons or lose kit (more than the norm). Higher number of tech marines to fix equipment or salvage damaged gear and transport, etc.

If its remote then supplies may be rarer and they can be delayed due to storms or pirates etc. The uncharted lands on the edge could be interesting setting for suvuval on the very edge, minor loss,s even being serious



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Maybe give chapter a larger than the norm scout company?
To counter there lack of support to better survive inevitable loss,s

 Wyzilla wrote:
No, I mean they reestablished contact after the Horus Heresy and just stuck around, then split with the second founding. Rejoining the Angels by cutting through the Halo Zone could lead to them showing up decades, potentially a century after the intended time. Plus they'd be sitting upon a massive adamantium deposit which is pretty much a gold-mine and source of infinite favors. As for their strategy, yes, conquer and fortify. They'd be the only real stable Imperial force in the region, so they'd have to build up fortresses and garrison them to ensure they didn't rebel or simply abandon post.

Combat wise, given that the Normans excelled in water-bound invasions and mobile infantry with cavalry, I was thinking of rhino spam on the ground for fast, mobile confrontations with enemy forces using APC's as cover, with a much larger Ravenwing company to provide escort for the Rhinos. The size would also be bigger then standard codex, given that the only reinforcements they could expect would be their own. Either that or you pray for the intervention of the Legion of the Damned, because nobody else is going to arrive in time.

And as for the black sea, they'd also specialize in boarding parties of breachers wearing MK III armor trained in sacking guys like the Rak'Gol or Orks. Their key specialization would be expansion, fortification, and protecting shipping to and from the Halo Zone (because that's their only lifeline).

And yeah they'd be part of the Unforgiven. They'd also serve as distant eyes and ears in case any Fallen decides to try to flee and hide in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. But as for inspiration, I was thinking something more along the line like bringing superior Norse and Frank cultures to the Anglo-Saxon heathens of the British Isles.

Sounds like you've already thought it out! For the bringing the superior culture thing, the Unforgiven are pretty big on the whole chaplain/interrogator-chaplain thing so you've got that part covered. You could even make up some forced-baptism ritual to add more flavour.

I'd make them rely more on serfs though (as in actually use them in combat) and maybe give them their own militia because of how isolated they are, and also because the Normans were conquerors and colonizers (so "superior" Norman-style Astartes with "inferior" Anglo-saxon serfs).

Their relationship would basically be like this:


Sort of like, show up, round up the heathens, brainwash them, then force them to prove their worth on the battlefield.

 Otto Weston wrote:
Just read through that account. Pretty damn awesome tbh - plate armour isn't easy to wear and they wore that for over 7 hours in combat, being shot at constantly, never knowing when an arrow might find a weakspot and end you, not knowing when help would arrive if ever but holding out anyway. Freaking hell, that's just inspirational.

Well it'd be chainmail and kite shield instead of plate armour since this was at the end of the 11th century but yea, pretty impressive! They had no choice but to endure or perish. And they endured.

To be fair, chain or plate doesn't really matter against arrows, they tend to go through anything that's not layered silk or compacted straw without too much trouble.

Both plate and maille armor is actually exceptionally good at stopping arrows. As long as they just puncture tissue and nothing else, you can easily walk off those wounds. The various knights of the religious orders in the Crusades were noted as looking like hedgehogs with all of the arrows sticking out of them.

 Wyzilla wrote:
Both plate and maille armor is actually exceptionally good at stopping arrows. As long as they just puncture tissue and nothing else, you can easily walk off those wounds. The various knights of the religious orders in the Crusades were noted as looking like hedgehogs with all of the arrows sticking out of them.

Yea, I think the hedgehog thing is also mentioned for this battle. Certain types of arrows are more effective though (bodkin arrows for example).

What do you think about the serf army/slave idea ?

These guys' accuracy sucks and they're using bows with about a third to a half the draw weight of historical English longbows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCE40J93m5c

They're still penetrating the steel breastplate.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
These guys' accuracy sucks and they're using bows with about a third to a half the draw weight of historical English longbows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCE40J93m5c

They're still penetrating the steel breastplate.

And then there's the surcoat over the plate. Then there's the gambeson under the plate. Then there's the linen shirt under the gambeson. And most importantly, humans are not static rigid targets- kinetic energy is lost when trying to penetrate a human or any armor on us, as we roll with blows, robbing projectiles like arrows of energy. Battles such as Agincourt are touted as demonstration of the superior nature of the English longbowmen, but they forget that most of the casualties were normal footmen. Plus, the main killer when fighting knights is shooting their mounts, which are more lightly armored (if they are even barded), and can crush the entire pelvis or torso of their master as they topple down.

Additionally, arrows are horrible at actually killing outright- in that regard crossbows and guns are much, much, much better. The lethality of arrows came from infections, against which there was little do besides pour alcohol on the wound and chant hymns.



Even Crusader armor when they were still using maille with coat of plates was multi-layered, capable of stopping full lance strikes from a horse moving at around thirty/thirty-five miles per hour and just walking off with some cracked ribs.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 EngulfedObject wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:
Both plate and maille armor is actually exceptionally good at stopping arrows. As long as they just puncture tissue and nothing else, you can easily walk off those wounds. The various knights of the religious orders in the Crusades were noted as looking like hedgehogs with all of the arrows sticking out of them.

Yea, I think the hedgehog thing is also mentioned for this battle. Certain types of arrows are more effective though (bodkin arrows for example).

What do you think about the serf army/slave idea ?

Shamelessly stealing.

 Wyzilla wrote:

 EngulfedObject wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:
Both plate and maille armor is actually exceptionally good at stopping arrows. As long as they just puncture tissue and nothing else, you can easily walk off those wounds. The various knights of the religious orders in the Crusades were noted as looking like hedgehogs with all of the arrows sticking out of them.

Yea, I think the hedgehog thing is also mentioned for this battle. Certain types of arrows are more effective though (bodkin arrows for example).

What do you think about the serf army/slave idea ?

Shamelessly stealing.

lol, glad you like it! Thought it might fit your theme better than hedgehog knights

And yea, I think the youtube video hardly covers all the factors, plus you have historical accounts of their effectiveness in actual combat.

 EngulfedObject wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:

 EngulfedObject wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:
Both plate and maille armor is actually exceptionally good at stopping arrows. As long as they just puncture tissue and nothing else, you can easily walk off those wounds. The various knights of the religious orders in the Crusades were noted as looking like hedgehogs with all of the arrows sticking out of them.

Yea, I think the hedgehog thing is also mentioned for this battle. Certain types of arrows are more effective though (bodkin arrows for example).

What do you think about the serf army/slave idea ?

Shamelessly stealing.

lol, glad you like it! Thought it might fit your theme better than hedgehog knights

And yea, I think the youtube video hardly covers all the factors, plus you have historical accounts of their effectiveness in actual combat.

And tests performed by actual historians.