Adam France said:

Well, maybe corruption by Adranti recruits/war with Adranti was the reason of confiment. And yes, I don´t think that there is any problem with having chapter homeworld in such "wild" region. We have no fething idea where or how far beyond the imperial borders is Sternac, Homeworld of Iron Lords, we just know that it´s in proximity of "hyper-violent  Barghesi of Grendl Stars" and tendrils of Hive Fleet Kraken and that sounds little bit "wilder" then pre-Angevin Calyx Expanse. Or Occludus, home of Death Spectres is somewhere in Ghoul Stars, in Halo Zone, what can be compared to Koronus Expanse on steroids.

You don´t need that great suspension of disbelief to believe that Storm Wardens had home world in area partialy rules by warp-infused xenos and xeno-tolerant, gene-twisting and advanced human empire.

Can you imagine how many chapters were cut from Imperium or settle in dark corners of Galaxy during such times as Age of Apostasy? Or Cursed Founding?

Adam France said:

Well, if you were going down that route one might also look at the type of stars that exist in the Halo Zone and begin to wonder if they are really all that habitable... Not to disagree, but in the craziness that is 40k it's always nice to have options, even if you don't believe in any of them.

Kage

TorogTarkdacil said:

All possibly technically correct ... however look me in the eye (methophorically speaking) and tell me you don't believe this was actually a mistake made by the writer who just didn't check his timeline properly.

As I've said, this kind of (apparent) contradiction to already established Calixis canon is becoming almost par for the course.

No, actually you are most probably right that it is a mistake or lack of focus for detail.

But is mistake, which isn´t (by coincidence for example) wrong per se, a mistake at all? Does it realy all that scourging?

I'm going to have to agree with that.  One of the things that we have all had to deal with is retconns and mistakes, at least when dealing with the 40k universe.  In this case, multiple explanations have been offered that can deal with the timeline discrepancy.  With that said?  I can empathise with Adam France's frustration.  In this case, though, I'm less after the minutiae and more after how things are going to be handled in general.

I've got my own interpretation of Marines and I'm just wondering how, or if, FFG are going to have me jaw dropping open with just how cool of a concept they've come up with. :D

Kage

Yes, intelligent and inventive gamers can always come up for an explanation for pretty much anything. Especially in a setting such as 40K which can be read so many different ways.

However ... I think FFG's seeming inability to stick to canon re even pretty big things in it's fairly limited bit of the setting (such as what millenia the Sector was founded in), is indicative of a bigger problem. That is, a seeming ... disdain, for fluff. A preference for rules bloat over consistent and detailed setting information. That's why I'm moaning. I buy these books for help with setting, new ideas for planets, organisations, adventures, history, etc etc I could give a fig for new rules. FFG needs to get it's focus onto the setting more imo. 

Adam France said:

Amen to that! 

Adam France said:

I don't know if it's a disdain for fluff so much as good old fashioned sloppiness.  The end result is the same either way I suppose.

To me this new Chapter pretty much sums up the creative direction of FFG of late: as in there doesn't really seem to be one.  It's just not in any way inspiring or interesting. 

GW disdains the fluff. All they care about is selling minis for the table top and making money on any other product they can. How often do they retcon or completely ignore their own fluff? I believe the answer to that is every time they release a new codex or novel.

Adam France:
I buy these books for help with setting, new ideas for planets, organisations, adventures, history, etc etc I could give a fig for new rules. FFG needs to get it's focus onto the setting more imo.

Yup, that's your opinion. My opinion: I have so much planetary and organizational background fluff from Star Wars and many other settings that I don't care about, nor do I want big books of planets, adventures, history, etc. A little bit of this info goes a long way for me. 

As a GM I don't like having everything spelled out for me. A little bit here and there and a few things that can easily be adapted to fit what I need are all I want. I find the more detailed something is the more restrictive it is.

Atheosis:
To me this new Chapter pretty much sums up the creative direction of FFG of late: as in there doesn't really seem to be one. It's just not in any way inspiring or interesting.

Why, because they don't have twenty years of fluff like the other chapters or because they are blue?

I honestly wonder if people would have reacted different if they had a green or maroon paint scheme.

 

ItsUncertainWho said:

Nah ... it's not that their color scheme is blue.  It's because they are sticklers for honor (like the Smurfs), and have a "unknown mysterious background" where they don't know who they are descended from (like the Blood Ravens) ... and very little else, at least that we know so far.  Meh ... 

It's not that that wouldn't be interesting if it hadn't been done before, several times.  Ack!  We just wanted something truly original and interesting!  I don't see where that is so wrong.  Whatever ... 

ItsUncertainWho said >>>

Yup, that's your opinion.  My opinion: I have so much planetary and organizational background fluff from Star Wars and many other settings that I don't care about, nor do I want big books of planets, adventures, history, etc.  A little bit of this info goes a long way for me.

I would rather have a richly explored setting that contains information that I ignore, rather than a poorly developed setting that is all smoke and mirrors and that, if I want to make sense of anything, I have to recreate everything myself.  Thus, in the long run I would love to see this material.  Even if I buy it I don't have to use it, just like I don't have to use every single rule in a game book if I don't want to.

It strikes me that it is always better to have something and not use it, rather than not have it and find that you need it.

ItsUncertainWho said >>>

As a GM I don't like having everything spelled out for me. A little bit here and there and a few things that can easily be adapted to fit what I need are all I want. I find the more detailed something is the more restrictive it is.

For me, I find it is always interesting to have a solid framework of interpretation to which you can make exception to, rather than an amorphous blob of exceptions to which you have to create structure. 

ItsUncertainWho said >>>

Why, because they don't have twenty years of fluff like the other chapters or because they are blue?

I honestly wonder if people would have reacted different if they had a green or maroon paint scheme.

The colour scheme doesn't bother meI'm colour blind.  Kinda.

Kage

ItsUncertainWho said:

Are you kidding?  I don't give a shit about the color scheme.  They're just a completely unoriginal and boring Chapter.  It made me laugh when Ross made reference to B&C as inspiration, especially seeing as several Chapters on that site are categorically better than the Storm Wardens (though most are horrifically bad).  When you consider that FFG writers are supposedly professionals, and that they're being upstaged by and inspired by a bunch of amateurs, it's just sad.

Perhaps that actually raises the issue of what defines a "professional" from an "amateur?"  As it stands it seem to be based upon the name on the company that is signing your pay cheque.  For a while now, I've found that most of the GW materials are being improved upon by fans, and that the quality of the fan work has been improving steadily...

I've found that one of the motivations for this was seeing the jaw-dropping production values on Dark Heresy.  Suddenly everyone, myself included, were playing with layout programs, thinking about how to improve the look of fan publications, etc.  I find it very comforting to know that the fans take inspiration from the "professionals."  One has to wonder whether it works the other way around and, as we have seen, that does seem to be the case.

<me in positive mode> 

Kage

Kage2020 said:

I don't personally see any particular distinction in terms of the potential for quality in official vs fan-made material. Afterall, I was asked to write for FFG based on the strength of the work I've done in my spare time. While I would say that what I've written for FFG is better than the stuff I've done before, I attribute that more to practice (everything I write gives me opportunities to improve on my previous efforts) and having a clear focus (in the form of deadlines, outlines and so forth) than anything else.

It was a generality.  Perhaps it has something more to do with being shackled less by corporate interest and more serving what someone sees as in the "interest" of the universe?  They can get more into the substance then might be allowed by the "professionals," i.e. the people that are hired by the companies and must subscribe to the legalities?

Kage