Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

For countless light years bored or uninspired hoaxers have been able to count on a few clicks with a simple post of 'Plastic Battle Sisters'.

*Cough* not that 'I' would ever stoop so low *Cough*

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/773138.page

But now, unless GW is really, really, really, committed to their 2020 April Fools prank it seems that particular piece of vaporware and long-running gag has come to an end.



So let's pour out a 40 ounce of Pure Battle Sister Blood in its memory and take a nice look back at the original Battle Sister Codex from twenty-two years ago in 1997. Bill Clinton was President, Apple Computers was in danger of bankruptcy and someone named Britney Spears was just starting her career.

And for the first time since Rogue Trader GW was adding a new faction to 40k. A faction of... girls!

Well mostly.

More or less.

As we shall see.

But they weren't entirely new, the Battle Sisters actually had a cameo appearance in Rogue Trader itself (the first truly new faction would be the Necrons a little bit later) so first let's take a look at their rich history before the codex.

Well there was this from Rogue Trader:



And um this the Black Codex:





And um, two 'female space marine' models we can now assume were SoBs and well that's it.

(I'm not quite all-knowing) so if there's anything I missed please chime in)

Fluff in RT and the 2nd edition Black Codex explained they were the fighting arm of the Cult of the Emperor/Adeptus Ministorum/Ecclesiarchy and they root out mutation and deviance across the Imperium including Space Marine chapters.

We never did find out what Brother Vermilion of the Rainbow Warriors did, maybe he'll make a cameo in the new codex so we can finally find out.

This is clearly an army with nothing behind it, in 1997 a stronger case could be made for Eldar Exodites, Enslavers or Squats (damnit!) than Battle Sisters. So why did GW go with Sisters of Battle?

I think one reason is that RT bit of art is appealing. While the art of that book was not as slick and polished as later projects, it was certainly evocative, it told a story and raised questions. Who is Brother Vermilion and what did he do? Why is the woman called Sister Sin? Why is she wearing a habit with power armor? Why does she have a ram skull on her armor? Why does she have spiked nipples? Why does she make my pants feel funny?

Or maybe it was the concept art that led to this:





Just... just look at it!

It's interesting that in Codex Sisters of Battle you can only really see one woman (but what a woman!) and a whole mess of men. But the men, for all their impressive vestments and guns are kind of scared and pathetic looking, hiding in the back while Debbie Harry there leads the fight.

Honestly, it's one of the best pieces of art from that era (compare the more cartoony covers of the 2nd edition IG or Ork codexes) and in one image sells the entire concept. This is clearly a labor of love by John Blanche.

So come back later when we actually get around to opening the book!

In the meantime you can check out some other Retro Reviews:

https://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Kid_Kyoto_Retro_Review_Index

Including the time the two new factions Sisters and Necrons squared off for the Battle Report - Massacre at Sanctuary 101. I've got a good feeling about this one.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/225100.page

Blimey, that IS vintage 40K!

Still have my copy.

Cheers,

CB

I think this was the shortest lived Codex for quite a while (probably taken by the Talons of the Emperor in 7th).

I mean, they had to have known/been making 3rd Ed 40K whilst this was in production.

And we're back!

Over on the Oldhammer Community on Facebook John Blanche has confirmed the cover was in fact modeled on his ex-wife and it now hangs in his daughter's room.



Neat!

On into the book! As was the custom then, the inside cover shows the models and a pretty cool little chapel for them.



Back before plastic (or even resin) terrain sets stuff like this was a cool game of eye-spy as I tried to work out what bitz were used. I'm pretty sure the Imperial Eagle there is a belt buckle they used to sell, for example. Which is not as cool as the tea strainer used for a chandelier in another book...

Another interesting bit is the Cadians in there. The Sisters book says several times they are meant as allies to augment other Imperial armies and not to stand alone. This is something that would limit the Sisters then and still limits them today. This might have been due to the limited number of models in the line or a reluctance to duplicate IG and Marines so there's no Sister with a las cannon or missile launcher. The whole idea of a 'holy trinity' of weapons wasn't in the (two) previous appearances.



And right from the get go we have a cool grimdark statement on the Emperor and hopelessness of everything just to get the mood.




And written by Gav Thorpe, not a name one generally associates with the Sisters.



Right from the start you see the improved art design in this book. Rather than featureless pages of text most pages have a properly grimdark border.



I really like the images of saints along the bottom, a nice mix of medieval iconography but with guns and chainsaws. The only problem is that they're all men. Throughout the book the only priests and clergy we see are male, implying the Sisters are flunkies to the big strong men, kind of the opposite of the message on the cover and not really a good way to sell a brand new faction.



Still we get some more awesome, evocative Blanche art.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:




Just... just look at it!

It's interesting that in Codex Sisters of Battle you can only really see one woman (but what a woman!) and a whole mess of men. But the men, for all their impressive vestments and guns are kind of scared and pathetic looking, hiding in the back while Debbie Harry there leads the fight.

I count about 16 women for about 10 men!
Ok, there is Veridyan stealing all the focus on the middle of the picture, then on her right there are all the clergymen and scholars and aristocrats hiding behind her, and then, on her left, even harder to see but still very much present, there are many Sisters of Battle (looking closer to the actual models) engaged in battle rather than posing for the viewer!!

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Debbie Harry there leads the fight.

Actually, according to John Blanche, that's his ex-wife. No record of whether she knows, or what her opinion of it is.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I think this was the shortest lived Codex for quite a while (probably taken by the Talons of the Emperor in 7th).

I mean, they had to have known/been making 3rd Ed 40K whilst this was in production.

Codex Assassins came out after this. And they sold that for actual money, unlike the 3rd edition Codex Assassins which came free with a White Dwarf. Not sure on the timeline for these, but I did see an interview that the rules for Necrons in 2nd edition (WD 217/218) were actually extrapolated back from the in-development 3rd edition rules.

And after a short Halloween break we are back!



The book starts off with several pages of fluff, giving us a history of the Adeptus Ministorium, how it was founded after the Horus Heresy by an IG officer who changed his name to Fatidicus (Latin for Prophet as it happens). Possible storyline/sequel for the never-ending Horus Heresy novels?

Over time it spread and absorbed both other Emperor cults and native religions creating a galaxy-wide, semi-coherent religion.



I have a good feeling about this. I think it will all work out fine.



As the power of the church grew so too did corruption and arrogance, until whole worlds were being bankrupted for greater and greater temples and cathedrals. A rivalry developed between Church and State, Ecclesiarch and High Lords of Terra, until the Ministorum had to leave Terra and relocate on Ophelia away from the power of the more secular and pragmatic High Lords.

But eventually the rivalry comes to a head, with High Lord Vandire assuming dual role of High Lord and Ecclesiarch and ushering in the Age of Apostasy.

This is cool stuff, drawing on all sorts of real world history, and far more than Codex Nuns with Guns should require. Whether it's been a detailed account of the rites of Scotty the Enginseer or a 300-year old planetary ruler's torn robes, 40k has always been able to imply a richer world than a simple table top game requires.

The Imperium-wide civil war of the Age of Apostasy (SAT word meaning straying from faith) tears the Imperium apart and provides a stealthy retcon from why the Imperium of the 2nd edition seems less advanced than that of Rogue Trader.



And while 40k is all about turning it up to 11, I like how they sometimes do give thought to how none of this can really work. I mean having 2500 square mile field covered entirely in polished bones is nice. But not really a sustainable development strategy.



Eventually Vandire is challenged by Sebastian Thor and then executed by his own bodyguards, the Brides of the Emperor.

Who?



Originally called the Daughters of the Emperor this sect refused to recognize Vandire's authority until he came to them in person and performed a 'miracle' by having on of his men shoot him with a las pistol but survive unharmed due to the Emperor's grace (and his Rosarius of course).

I dunno. I mean you figure the guard hits on 4+, wounds on 4+ so already he only has a 1/4 chance of being hurt, plus he almost certainly has multiple wounds. I don't even think the 4++ Invulnerable save was needed. I certainly would not have renounced my faith over someone surviving a las pistol shot. But whatevs.

And so the Daughters became his personal bodyguards and executioners, and were renamed the Brides of the Emperor.

You can read whatever implications you want into that.

But the problem with surrounding yourself with true believers of course is what happens when you don't live up to their standards?

Thus when Space Martin Luther arrived with proof of his corruption the Brides turned on Vandire and thus began the Space Reformation.



I wish I was joking but no, it is really called the Reformation.

And a quarter of the way into Codex Sisters of Battle we actually get some Sisters of Battle.

And we're back!

The actual Sisters of Battle portion of Codex: Sisters of Battle starts with a full page reprint of the cover.



Ah.

Whether it was motivated by laziness or cheapness or a genuine love for this piece of art I appreciate getting a clean copy of it without the cover dress.

This is followed by a full color section showcasing details on the organization of the SoBs...



and some livery.



Looking at them I can't help but wonder if the studio army would have been better served in silver or white than the black of the Order of the Martyred Lady that obscures the details on the figures.










See what I mean? All that black armor paired with black hair just makes everything kind of drab enmass.



The priesthood in contrast looks positively colorful and lively.

The section closed with my second-favorite bit of art.



At the time I gather, GW had a policy against including conversions in their rule books. Which makes a lot of sense, you want to show people what they can buy and paint, not what they can might be able to make.

So this is an interesting compromise. John Blanche draws what conversions you might be able to do. To anyone buying GW stuff at the time it was pretty clear which models you would use, but it prevented confusion for new fans. The 2nd edition Chaos Codex has a similar page.

Join us next time when, halfway through Codex Sisters of Battle, we actually get some rules for the Sisters of Battle!

I'm not sure when that policy would have started, as the Chaos Codex includes a heap of conversions - as did all of the WD article surrounding the release. This was only 1997, so maybe it was the very beginning of that idea.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Over on the Oldhammer Community on Facebook John Blanche has confirmed the cover was in fact modeled on his ex-wife and it now hangs in his daughter's room.

Ex-Wife? Well, I could have told him when I saw that image the first time that "when they look at you like that,they hate you". Also she must have left boot prints on the furniture so it's a good thing they parted ways.

 Elbows wrote:
I'm not sure when that policy would have started, as the Chaos Codex includes a heap of conversions - as did all of the WD article surrounding the release. This was only 1997, so maybe it was the very beginning of that idea.

Actually yeah, I should have noted that. They did have conversions in the Chaos book that came out a year before, but they were marked with an asterisk, an 8 pointed star of course, and a not saying you won't be able to buy these in stores.

This is a fabulous archive... I let all of these books go years ago, but when I see the images I remember all the hours I spent as a teenager studying every detail. I love those crazy priest illustrations; they perfectly capture the pulp-camp-grimdark that was those early editions. Thanks for doing all the scans and uploads!

I miss when modeling was an actual part of the hobby...showing up and seeing what another player managed to convert/make was one of the things I looked forward to. Now that guy shows up and gets accused of cheating. I know, different strokes and all, and the reasons behind it. But I still miss it.
(I also have this book, and wore it out).

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I think this was the shortest lived Codex for quite a while (probably taken by the Talons of the Emperor in 7th).

I mean, they had to have known/been making 3rd Ed 40K whilst this was in production.

One of the things that was an indicator, in hindsight, was the Bolt Pistols for the Seraphim turning up on the new Space Marine sprues the following year.

And we're back with what everyone has been waiting for!

An org chart of Ecclesiarchy!



Like I said, this is a really good codex for background, even stuff completely unnecessary for Codex Nuns with Guns.

It talks about the Schola Progenium, orphanages full of the children of slain Imperial officials raised to be the Commissars and Inquisitors of tomorrow! Missionaries who convert and subvert the religions of newly-conquered worlds. And of course the Adepta Sororitas.



We get a taste of the different sects within the Imperial Creed from 'normal' branches that care only about real threats to the Imperium, to people like the Redemptionists who will burn you for: Drinking, gambling, lying, cheating, profanity, lechery, fornication, thinking about fornication, and interfering with the good work of the holy Redemption.

It's cool that while the Ecclesiarchy isn't exactly a group I'd like to live under, they are not all insane and there are definitely shades of grey and genuine heroes among them.



We get a few pages about Confessor Dolan who defeats a heretic Cardinal through nothing but faith and oration.

And with that we get to the army list. And the one paragraph that relegated the Sisters to obscurity.



A note to the effect of 'this army sucks", no really.



This army is meant to be ALLIES, yeah you CAN use it by itself but you'll lose, just buy them, paint them, put them on the shelf and take them down for special scenarios like the time the Necrons came and killed them all. A bit of a passive-aggressive recommendation.

While this disclaimer might be justified, it was a brand new metal line, the model selection was limited, it hadn't been tested... but come on!

None of the problems mentioned in the disclaimer are necessary. Instead of Multimeltas GW could have given the sisters lascannons (the pure light of the Emperor blah, blah, blah) solving the range issue. Or said their 'Illuminator' pattern multimeltas can be fire up to 48". Or given them access to all the Rhino chassis vehicles, or given them IG (call them temple militia) as a troop choice... But by both choosing to nerf the army rules then point it out to would-be collectors GW effective said this army might not be worth your time and money, dooming it to it's status as a appendix army for (literally) decades to come.

Feh.

Just pisses me off.

And while the rules recommend Sisters have or be allies, they're still capped at 25% of their points.

Oh and BTW Marines and sisters have been in constant conflict for 4000 years. So good luck with that alliance.



Anyway, the Sisters get the first (of many, many) version of their sacred rites, a d6 roll with bonuses for more senior sisters in your squad.



Along with usual relics and wargear cards. Some of which have cool fluff.



The army list has few surprises.

A Canoness/leader with a command squad.



Verteran squads and various preachers.



(I miss the second edition fat guys, I love my IG officers with their paunches of authority)



Sister Squads had BS4/3+ and T4 interestingly.



Seraphim, IMHO the real stand outs as concepts and models.



Interestingly, no special or heavy weapon teams (again an easy way to fix the lack of heavy support in the army), the only heavy weapons were in regular squads.



And the cheap as chips Frateris Militia



Grot-like stats, weapons that include bows, muskets and flails, and yes lasguns and the like. But no grenades, not even heavy stubbers or flamers, they guys are designed to suck hard. Which again, is pointless. GW could have given them stats and weapons based on Necromunda gangs and (once again) fixed the range and heavy support issue, as well as giving some fantastic models a new home. But no. Hey at least you can use your Brettonian archers against that dreadnaught huh?

And that's your army.

Join us next time as we look at the special characters and finish off with the models.

Wonderful post! Thank you for sharing

Eh, I actually don't mind at all how they designed Sisters. Better than the gimmick armies they do now (desperately trying to turn every random unit into a mini-army). They were only alive in 2nd edition with this book for what 7-8 months? Their book actually operates pretty well solo when you go back and play them. They got worse in 3rd, but so did all of the armies.

I'd rather the old days when GW and its designers were at least honest with the players.

alphaecho wrote:

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I think this was the shortest lived Codex for quite a while (probably taken by the Talons of the Emperor in 7th).

I mean, they had to have known/been making 3rd Ed 40K whilst this was in production.

One of the things that was an indicator, in hindsight, was the Bolt Pistols for the Seraphim turning up on the new Space Marine sprues the following year.

Looking back it always amused me in one of the first WDs I got (224) there were some Chaos Cultist conversions (from the excellent Paul Muller sculpts that so desperately need to be made to order again it's not funny) for making a whole army of them like in the back of the 2nd ed CSM book. There were several conversions that used that as yet unreleased/non existent in 40k (yet!) bits from the plastic Tactical Squad and Dark Eldar warriors. I remember looking at the Cultist leader in puzzlement as his slim helmet blades did not match at all the SM knives I had that WD claimed them to be.

Looking back I know exactly what they are.

I've never seen those pictures. Do you have any saved?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I've never seen those pictures. Do you have any saved?

Only in a pdf of the issue. It’s the same one with the 2nd ed Legion of the Damned army list in and Warhammer Siege was released if you need to search for it.

Man, this is a great thread. Thanks to KK for doing this!

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
We never did find out what Brother Vermilion of the Rainbow Warriors did, maybe he'll make a cameo in the new codex so we can finally find out.

The sisters originated as a political joke - 'French' (fluer de lys) special forces blowing a hole in the side of the Rainbow Warrior. Sister Sin / Operation Satanique.
Combined with being the strict nun counterparts to the convict monk space marines of the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Rainbow_Warrior

A.T. wrote:

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
We never did find out what Brother Vermilion of the Rainbow Warriors did, maybe he'll make a cameo in the new codex so we can finally find out.

The sisters originated as a political joke - 'French' (fluer de lys) special forces blowing a hole in the side of the Rainbow Warrior. Sister Sin / Operation Satanique.
Combined with being the strict nun counterparts to the convict monk space marines of the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Rainbow_Warrior

If true, that's an amazing joke.

And we're back!

The army list closes out with five special characters - three preachers and two Battle Sisters, one of whom is already dead. This, you may recall, is Codex Sisters of Battle.





Saint Praxidus is a heroic sister who led her forces against the Tyranids and was martyred.

She doesn't get a model.



Helena the Virtuous is a nice girl, not much of fighter, but radiates holy light and such.

Doesn't get a model either.

Or art.



Uriah Jacobus is a hobo with a shotgun. He gets a model and art and is still in production.



Redemptor Kyrinov is an impressive looking clergyman with a mace and a book and a hat and everything.



Full page of art, model, still in production. Does anyone feel like maybe the SoB characters should have gotten this level of attention?



Cardinal something or another. Who cares. No art, no model.

The book closes out with some more action photos, nice to see that old scratch built terrain again.





Most 2nd edition codexes ended with a few catalogue pages showing the complete range in bare metal. While they might have been just cheap page-fillers they were kind of a neat feature. Codex SoB didn't have them, but thankfully the great Stuff of Legends site has us covered. I don't know how interesting they are to all of you but here you go.

(Spoilered for those who could not care less)



Looking at the book it is definitely one of the Blanche-ist armies around, rivaled only by the Vostroyans and some of the Necromunda gangs. Crazy character designs are on every page and I wonder if it wasn't toned down a bit. The various preachers and confessors are clear stand outs here, even the 3 preachers that are OBVIOUSLY the same body with head and hand swaps are all characterful fun models. There seems to be a bit of friction in the book whether it should be about the sisters or the Ecclesiarchy in general as seen by the number of preacher models and characters.

The Sisters themselves are well... insane. While armored from neck to toe, they're also 'nuns' wearing corsets and skull bras and I would argue they are sexualized, just for a very odd set of sexual desires (not that there's anything wrong with that...)

With the Codex being invalidated less than a year later, and the uphill climb of selling a girl army (a nun army at that) I imagine sales were never great which might explain what happened next.

So after the codex in 1997, the SoB got a 'get you by' list in 1998 for 3rd edition (just like everyone else). Then a few WD articles updating them and adding some new units until finally they got some new metals, but no plastic models, seven years later in 2004 with Codex Witch Hunters. And then... WD articles and other patches for 15 years (!!) until now.

Unless it turns out to be an elaborate April Fools hoax which I am still not ruling out.

So that about covers the book and my memories of it. Please do chime in if I missed anything or if you have insights on the army.

And any ideas for the next Retro Review? I have my library again so there's a lot to choose from. I might do the WD issue that had the first Horus Heresy story back in 93 or so.... But I'm open to requests.

Chapter Approved 2002 saw a the first revised Sisters of Battle list, including the original exorcist rules (AV 11, BS3, and AP3 missiles), and the first version of the faith rules.

It also included rules for the hospitaller, dialogus, and famulous. All three had models produced but not released for the sisters themselves - the first two becoming inquisition henchmen while the famulous model was never released. It was not until the 5th edition White Dwarf codex that the hospitaller and imagifier could be taken as sororitas units.

The Chapter Approved codex was expanded on in Citadel Journal #49 with rules for an inquisitor-led drop pod strike force, the first appearance of the repentia (a single model squad upgrade), and both rules and conversion guides for Praxedes and Helena (and updated rules for Jacobus and Kyrinov, but not Helfire).

Thank you for your work Kid_Kyoto.

Cheers,

CB

A.T. wrote:

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
We never did find out what Brother Vermilion of the Rainbow Warriors did, maybe he'll make a cameo in the new codex so we can finally find out.

The sisters originated as a political joke - 'French' (fluer de lys) special forces blowing a hole in the side of the Rainbow Warrior. Sister Sin / Operation Satanique.
Combined with being the strict nun counterparts to the convict monk space marines of the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Rainbow_Warrior

That is awesome, true or not I'm just going to assume it's true.

To me, this codex screams "interrupted project." I'd imagine there was a fuller version of the SoBs being worked on that got overtaken by 3rd edition. GW decided to release what they had, and so they have mostly languished. If not for Inquisitor (and the subsequent 40k codecies), I'd imagine the sisters would still be languishing, if not squatted.

This book seems to make Kyoto really angry for some reason.

I mean, the book's about the Sisters of Battle and the Ecclesiarchy in general, as the two things are interlinked in a way that is completely intrinsic.

I get SoB players being annoyed that they had their stuff tied to the Ordo Hereticus in 3rd Ed, but being annoyed that the SoBs have a lot of Ad Ministorum representation seems about as absurd as being annoyed that Space Marine Scouts are part of Marine armies.