Starglyte said:

But do they come with jet bikes?

Gaire said:

Just gives me more certainty the Storm Wardens are.  After all, Storm Lords are a White Scar successor too, so the Storm Thing isn't unheralded.  Similarish vehicle based culture too… 

Known WS succesors:  Rampagers, Marauders (and through them, Mantis Warriors), Destroyers, Storm Lords, Iron Talons.

And that comic is hilarious.  JAWESOME!  :D

Great comic AluminiumWolf. Can't argue with that one.  

Gurkhal said:

It is perhaps worth pointing out that I think Thunderwolf Cavalry is the coolest thing GW have done in about fifteen years, and I totally hope the Sharks aquatic assault specialists do employ packs of unaugmentend Posiden VI megasharks when attacking vast underwater alien cities.

:-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MG9PvAHfhE

(and especially Riff Tamsen, the wonderful shark dude from the clone wars:-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eRFXhAdG9w

Again… JAWESOME! 

More seriously now, just got it.  And was quite impressed to see the additional non-indepth chapters are considered "Codex Chapters" and as  whole have some special demeanors, Primarch's Curse, and Psychic Powers that apply to them all.  This PLUS Rites of Battle is going to make for some really cool and diverse character options if none of the published 20 or so chapters are what you're going for.

The odd is that there are Relics for The Mentors, but they don't show up in the book.

Blood Ravens are… weird.  The whole book takes an interesting approach to stats, as they're the first with only one characteristic bonus, but in turn they start with the some addition skills.

Red Scorps I haven't read much, but they start with a talent instead of one of the stat bonuses.

Marines Errant seem rather solid. 

Flesh Tearers are especially weird.  +5 WS, +5 Ag, -15 (yes, 15!) Fellowships, and a talent. (Flesh Render)

Crimson Fists - Good stuff.

Howling Griffons, similar 'huh' - not bad.  Haven't done more than skim

Nova Marines - very good, two stat raises of choice.  In general seem all about diversity

Raptors - A favorite of mine at first glance.  Great Marksmen.  Oddly, don't get a BS advance.  But their solo mode and squad mode Attack Pattern both grant bonuses of a sort.  I did not know of this chapter before the book, they're now on the short list of characters I would consider making if I could ever get in a Deathwatch game.  (which sadly, doesn't seem likely :(  )

Car…  Screw it, SPACE SHARKS!  - JAWESOME Close Combat Berserkers.  Though after the surface thoughts, another interesting seeming chapter indeed.

"Playable Legion of the Damned" - These are less Playable Character as in… part of the normal Kill Team.  And more an "Oh Crap" button.  Your PC gets killed  in a mission, play a Legion member to finish it out.  However, this only applies if at least one original Deathwatch Team PC survives..  Also not meant for every battle.  Instead a "Whoa!" moment style thing on a particularly tough mission.  Further, they won't do much aside fight, and can't communicate with the other characters in any way.

I like this as a cool way to handle certain events.  And keep a PC involved - especially in a particularly brutal mission a PC gets killed early on with no feasible way to find reinforcements.

Picked up the book last night and looked through it.

I was impressed with the Black Templars rules and fluff. I must say that it, being the most important section of the book (), was the only thing I had time to read in-depth. The rules for becoming The Emperor's Champion were good, especially with the permanent sacrifice of the 500 xp and . The Armor of Faith and the Black Sword were sufficiently drool worthy to want a chance to play Godzilla with them.

I did like the rules for the Legion of the Damned. I was sceptical about their inclusion but they did it well.

The Red Scorpions and Minotaurs could have been cut and I would not have missed them, they are too Mary Sue for me. But I guess Forge World needed their pet chapters represented.

Killbeggar said:

First time I heard that. What's so Mary Sue about them? Ultramarines strikes me more as Mary Sues.

Gurkhal said:

Is it the rules that make them 'Mary Sue' or just that they are from Forgeworld?

The Red Scorpions are arguably FW's adopted chapters but both they, Minotaurs, Charcaradons are ones that were ones that got some special attention in very early 40k books (The 40K companion touches on the Baddab War and the chapters taking part are almost unchanged). 

I'd hope that any chapter that got a significant story or game part would be included. I know there's a thousand chapters but they have only even done short stories about a hand full really.

So some please, tell me what chapters are in it.

I'm hoping for (that haven't been mentioned) Silver Skulls, Scythes of the Emperor, Sons of Medusa, Lamentors, Mantis Warriors, Mentor Legion

Also… I love the idea for Legion of the Damned, but don't the Fire Hawks only get destroyed and come back as the LotD after the Badab War which started 901.M41 which is after DW is set. I only mention it because they are normally so stringent about their timelines.

yours

Face Eater Arch-Pedant

Face Eater said:

I'm proceeding on the theory that the Legion of the Damned is the first time such an affliction has occurred en masse and 100% linked to a specific Chapter.  I don't have the book and thus do not know how the book says, but I'm of the belief that the LotD aren't the only Marines to have been afflicted in such a way.  In the last 10,000 years how many Space Marines have been lost in the Warp?  Perhaps everything related to the LotD has been redacted or too isolated to link to a greater presence before them?

I may be grasping at straws, but it's what I'm going on.

Face Eater said:

ALL the chapters in it have already been listed earlier in this thread…

Your list though?  There's Silver Skulls and Sons of Medusa listed.  They're Codex Chapters - though the Sons can be made 'as Iron Hands' if you have first founding, with a couple differences listed.  Keep in mind that while each Codex chapter does only have a page or so.  They are a bit better done than the ones in Rites - different Stat Bonuses…  plus the "Codex Chapter" advance scheme, Psi Powers, and Solo Mode.  Plus some relics in the back.

I'd probably treat the others listed as Codex Chapters too, with the exception of the the Lamenters, who you'd treat as Blood Angels and just use the little fluff from Rites for handling their version of he Curse.

As for the Legion…  I'm inclined to guess the Fire Hawk Origin is something GW is moving away from.  Or that certain chapters that have also disappeared in the past also became such.  The Fire Hawks perhaps just the most recent ones the Emperor 'tapped' for Legionhood.  Either that or just don't have them in the current timeline.

EDIT:  Also, regarding Codex, I'd use it for almost any non-2nd Founding chapter in Rites too.  Second Founding - unless they purposely were a divergent part of the parent Legion (i.e. Black Templars) still have nearly the same prestige as the one that got lucky enough to keep the name.  They are still descended from the original Legion after all, having at one time included people who WERE in said Legion.  So things like the 'respect for the Ultramarines' thing makes sense for 2nd Founding Successors…  Later foundings I'd say are generally going to be Codex… unless Blood Angels.  And some Dark Angels. 

EDIT #2:  Darn it!  First real true criticism.  In the fluff on the Black Templars - they are said to not have been in the Crusade until much later.  Yet in the Storm Wardens section, they're said to have been part of Hammerfall.  Whoops!  QA fail there.  

And further DARN IT!  OK, still MORE mention of the Dark Sons!  PLEASE tell me these guys are going to show up in SOME sourcebook as a full writeup.  Because this is getting ridiculous!  They're mentioned all over in the fluff for the Jericho Reach, like, AS MUCH if not MORE than the Storm Wardens (Especially in the Jericho Reach sourcebook).  Yet they didn't even warrant one of the single page write ups in Honour the Chapter?  Despite being mentioned yet again in the Storm Wardens chapter - as having been a major part of Hammerfall.

I'm going to have to presume Codex Chapter for them - since one of the Wiki apparently says they are a Novamarines successor.  But seriously!  GET THE INFO OUT!   Maybe one of those web supplements you all used to do for each sourcebook.  Pretty Please?

Any word on when this will arrive on Drive Thru RPG? It's easier for me to get the PDF version through that rather than buy a physical copy since the RPG store in town is hilariously expensive.

Killbeggar said:

The Emperor's Champion was interesting to write, and it's final incarnation came about after long, in-depth conversations with Ross Watson (who was in charge of Deathwatch development at the time) and Andy Hoare (who wrote the background for all the sections I wrote the rules for in First Founding).

All that said, though, of all the things I wrote for the Black Templars, I think the Oath of the Eternal Crusade, the Squad and Solo Modes, and the different hatred-related special rules the Sword Brother has, are my favourite pieces. As much as the BT's squad and solo modes in the rulebook are effective, I never felt that they quite depicted the zealous, hate-fuelled crusader imagery of the Black Templars - always on the offence, always pushing forwards to strike down their foes, and spurred into an indignant fury by the sheer temerity of facing enemies who resist their just extinction.

math792d said:

Typically takes between three weeks and one month for the PDF to become available.

I consider the Red Scorpions and Minotaurs Mary Sue due to their fluff (from places other than Honour the Chapter).

With the Red Scorpions being lost in the warp and coming back with their amazingly pure gene seed just reminds me of some of the goofball fan created chapters floating around online. I do like how they were gimped on Terminator arrmour.

The Minotaurs are just the opposite, they are (purportedly) the personal beat sticks of the High Lords of Terra and can outfit entire companies with MkVIII armour and Terminator armour is plentiful. Hmmm, maybe they should send the Red Scorpions some.

But these are just my opinions and charges of Mary Seuneess could be leveled at any number of Chapters (even my beloved Black Templars - but it would be heresy ).

I have nothing against Forge World for making the Chapters special, but I can only imagine what would happen if Matt Ward got a hold of them.

While the minotaurs only get a page, and nothing about a lot of Terminator Armor, they come off as right jerks.  Hate for any non-Deathwatch or Minotaur Astartes.  Honestly, not even good PC options IMHO.  Does mention they are willing to go after other chapters though… then again, the Crimson Fists are said to have taken part in two Chapter Attacks.  So hardly original.  (Stupid High Lords seem to have forgotten the bloody point of the Space Wolves!)

The Red Scorpions?  I think your issue a bit moot after this.  It isn't so much they were lost in the Warp as they were cut off, and found a homeworld that they started to recruit from and could thus hold off.  Especially with their extra effort to hold off bad 'stuff' in their gene seed.  Like… any impurities is a death sentence style thing. 

And it says the 'lost contact for centuries' thing isn't even that uncommon for Marine Chapters.  It DOES happen.  Especially with Crusading Chapters.  the Marines Errant are often above 1000 marines simply because a company is missing for decades or centuries.  They finish replacing only for the original to finally turn back up.