Human Rebels
Hello again - time for a very brief post today, just some photos of a couple of models I stumbled across when packing up for my last game.
These are intended to be 'Human Rebels' - that is, non-Imperial humans, defined as rebels by the Imperium. In the fluff for 40K, there's far too much focus (IMHO) on the Imperium and all fluff seems to be told from their perspective. These chaps are intended to represent 'ordinary' humans - not necessarily Chaotic, just independent. The Imperium's far too big (and busy) to have an established presence on every world. I like to think that the majority of worlds marked on the maps as 'pro-Imperial' are in fact planets where a ship's company landed about 500 years ago, the lieutenant marched to the nearest village and announced to the nearest peasant that they now lived on an Imperial world, and then promptly departed. On lot of 'Imperial' worlds the citizens don't even know they're part of it, and on the ones that do, the Imperial presence is long-since scaled-down and faded into an almost mythical tale.
So when the Imperium comes back six millenia later and everyone's forgotten them, they get a bit shirty when the occupants of the planet protest 'independence' - hence this militia of independent humans. They are still equipped with bits of Imperial gear (among other things), because modelling a whole army of people without using any Imperial weapons would be a bit impossible. No real plans for these guys, I just dug out the models and thought they looked okay. Enjoy.
These are intended to be 'Human Rebels' - that is, non-Imperial humans, defined as rebels by the Imperium. In the fluff for 40K, there's far too much focus (IMHO) on the Imperium and all fluff seems to be told from their perspective. These chaps are intended to represent 'ordinary' humans - not necessarily Chaotic, just independent. The Imperium's far too big (and busy) to have an established presence on every world. I like to think that the majority of worlds marked on the maps as 'pro-Imperial' are in fact planets where a ship's company landed about 500 years ago, the lieutenant marched to the nearest village and announced to the nearest peasant that they now lived on an Imperial world, and then promptly departed. On lot of 'Imperial' worlds the citizens don't even know they're part of it, and on the ones that do, the Imperial presence is long-since scaled-down and faded into an almost mythical tale.
So when the Imperium comes back six millenia later and everyone's forgotten them, they get a bit shirty when the occupants of the planet protest 'independence' - hence this militia of independent humans. They are still equipped with bits of Imperial gear (among other things), because modelling a whole army of people without using any Imperial weapons would be a bit impossible. No real plans for these guys, I just dug out the models and thought they looked okay. Enjoy.
Thanks for reading!
The Colonel
Especially loving the pulse carbine.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your comments on the 'rebel' elements in the imperium. Where the Bloodcoats on Devos IV are heretics, hopefully when the Tigers make it back from Byzantium, we'll get some renegades up as well.
Thoroughly agree with your take on this and have thought the same for a long time now. 40K is a bit one dimensional where all these factions are concerned.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not pro Imperium, then you are obviously gone to chaos and nothing else. All about silly unbelievable extremes.
I guess no one's allowed to be honestly disenfranchised with Imperial doctine, or at least enough to just let them know things could do with a bit of a change?
:)
@Zzzzz: Thanks! That sounds good :) I'll keep my eyes open!
ReplyDelete@Dai: It is one-dimensional, but I suppose they can't make it too complicated for the newbies. That's the good thing about the setting (intentionally or not), it's got so many holes that if you've been playing for a while and are that way inclined, you can fill in the gaps with your own fluff.
These look great Colonel - the Guard range is ripe for bits mashing like this.
ReplyDeleteAgree Dai's comments - the imperium isnt made of extremes - ie loyalist v heretic - your fluff makes perfect sense, there would be thousands of worlds notionally within the fold who haven't seen or been in contact with the broader imperium for centuries who would have a militia response to a sudden appearance and tithe call or whatever.
Again, they look great - the pulse carbine really stands out, but I'm particularly taken by the hazard stripes on the melta gun.
I think that how "Imperial" a planet inhabited by humans would be in the 40K universe would have a lot to do with what if any contact they have with Imperial organizations. A world where the Imperial church is very active or the creed is devoutly followed by the populace would likely consider aliens evil and heretics anyone who didn't sign the Aquila while passing a statue of a saint. A planet with only the Administratum heavily involved in its affairs might be more lenient in regards to belief, but would likely consider outsiders and aliens hostile, and would have no wiggle room regarding tithes and taxes. The most tolerant arm of the Imperium could actually be the Imperial Guard, but their involvement often means the bad guys are already there or they've been left behind or mustered out. I do like the idea of unaffiliated humans in the 40K universe, I think border worlds or planets considered of little value might be the best way to explore those concepts. The draw backs in the broader idea is the lack of expansion that a single free planet could achieve. The Emperor's wrath might be held in check if you're just some batch of free humans, but you go poking around in the next solar system and the next thing you know your home planet is slated for exterminatus or at least reconquest. There are loads of ways to make the idea of free people work in the 40K universe, and they would make for some really cool forces and campaigns within a open minded gaming group, even with allies in sixth edition it could prove difficult to just show up to game store and convince the other homo-sapiens of the value of freedom over power armor. Besides the Inquisition is always watching. Rant over, very cool minis, makes me want to go kit bash some nifties myself. Keep up the good work Colonel.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your comments!
ReplyDelete@Pom: Cheers, much appreciated. I think that's what I'm going for - I know the standard fluff has to be a bit simplified so as to be approachable but this is adding a bit of depth. Glad all you guys have thoughts on similar lines!
@Chris: That's yet another dimension I didn't even consider. I suppose the majority of worlds would be Imperial Guard-conquered, so as you say perhaps the least zealously Imperial. A bit like the way loyal political supporters of the Communist/National Socialist regimes came back disenfranchised after WWII - mostly because of the horrific fighting, but also the exposure to other cultures and distance from their own. But yes, I'm sure a Mechanicus world for example would look very different after 500 years to an Administratum 'conquered' world. Particularly in these dying days of the Imperium, Im sure these outlying worlds would get forgotten about and some might even be bypassed by the Chaotic / Tyrannic / Orkish wars. Thanks very much for that thought-provoking comment!
In First and Only, in the pivotal series of flashbacks to Gaunt's youth, Abnett depicts a seperatist planet briefly: they aren't "evil" or "bad" or "good" either, they just want independence (and fail).
ReplyDeleteOverall Abnett's take on fluff involves a lot of divorcing the setting from its hyperbolic extremes: see especially the heterodox groups in his various Inquisitor books (such as the Cognitae, the Divine Fratery, Osma, Heldane, Quixos, Eisenhorn, Molotoch, Trice, that charming enabler character whose name I've forgotton and collected death-objects: figures who aren't "chaotic", but who represent 'extremes' to Imperial mono-culture). OF course many of these are too 'chaotic', but I still love that seperatist planet in First and Only, that wintry landscape and those piston planes and the breaching guns and the Boy in that wonderfully evocative image of a 'contemporary' planet.
Nicely put. I think you've hit the nail on the head there - an 'independent' planet might not see itself as Chaotic, but for the Imperium to work it has to be ruthless and take an 'if you're not for us, you're against us' mentality. Thanks for stopping by!
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