In Defense of the Breast Plate

This is the second post I’ve done without major 3d modeling content so I’ll try to keep this somewhat short. My last one, a background piece, was long. Maybe long enough people lost interest but I hope it was satisfying for those who read it.  I like background so it kept me entertained to write a foundation piece for a mythos I’m slowly creating with my miniatures. Not that GW’s existing mythos isn’t entertaining, just, sometimes you want to do something new and interesting.  Really the primary impitous behind this is that I want to kill sometime while waiting for miniatures to arrive so I can blog them.

Anyway, this time I wanted to blog a bit about an aspect of my personal projects that has gotten me some flak in my gaming circles.  Namely, as one female gamer put it, my “Fetish for Tit Armor”.  Now I don’t expect this to matter to a lot of gamers.  Sexy armor is as old a fantasy trope as Eleves being archers or Dwarves carrying hammers.  But the propensity of games to do “babe” armor on their miniatures has been criticized recently.

There are a number of bloggers that have attacked chainmail bikini’s and skimpy space suits with a vehemence that makes you less than proud to be gamers.  The often spoken notion that gaming is becoming less of a man’s hobby has encouraged these critiques.  This is generally done out of the perception that the sexy armor trope is sexist and thus should be discarded.

Obviously not everyone feels that way, and I myself don’t as you could have guessed from the title of this article. It’s hard to form a cogent argument against something like this.  The perception goes that if you support the sexy armor trope you are automatically a sexist pig, and admittedly there are a lot of those in the hobby.  But beyond that I really think very few people really have considered why armor like that exists in fantasy or scifi literature.

I’ve heard a lot of arguments against sexy armor.  The most prominent among these arguments being safety and/or impracticality.  This argument goes that receding body coverage is unsafe on the battlefield or simply impractical to be considered armor.  I always agree with this to an extent but it’s also an issue of cultural subjectivity.  There has been an obsession in first world nations with the value of human life for a long time now.  Throughout the first world nations in Europe the movement from hide and leather armors to part and full plate has captured the imagination of fantasy authors.  To such a point that we interpret full plate armor as the standard of the world when it isn’t now nor was it then.  The more affluent countries in Europe and other areas like Japan used full armor extensively for hundreds of years but that wasn’t the norm.  Throughout Asia, Africa, Mesoamerica the standard was lighter armor that protected the core of the body and the head.  Limbs, regardless of how important to you or I were considered expendable and rarely armored.  These lighter armor often left large swaths of the body exposed. They also tended to hang on the body making female anatomy more visible when women were allowed to be warriors.  The fantasy trope of the nomad barbarian half naked living among beasts is essentially true in some parts of the world.  The primary concern with these lighter armors was generally speed and maneuverability.  Segments of the body, like arms and legs, were uncovered so the soldier didn’t have as much weight to move while in action.  Even into the middle ages common soldiers were only lightly armored. Archers rarely wore anything more than chain shirts, while city watches and spearmen were lucky to have breast plates to shield their hearts and lungs.

Other arguments include that it’s entirely an aesthetics issue.  That the idea of curvy armor only has the purpose of being pleasing to the eye, specifically the male eye.  Again this is quite true to some extent. As a man I admit that female curves are attractive, that’s why most sports cars are so curvy.  It’s just bred into me to like those soft curves.  At the same time that isn’t the only thing that is forged into those curves.  Most men can attest that there are times when women are simply frightening.  Like a tigress protecting their young a woman can be more fierce and brutal than any man could hope to be. Along with the attraction of those curves a woman’s body calls to mind that absolute willingness to destroy anything that threatens her family.  This dichotomy of beauty and ruthlessness is a part of femininity that shouldn’t be forgotten. Stopping sexism is all about gender equality but it also is tempered with the truth that some things men or women can’t do.  No one can complain that women not peeing standing up is sexist, it’s a fact of human physiology and as such must be accepted. All we can do is offer equal bathroom facilities and be done with it. It’s true that women can be soldiers just as well as men can but we must also acknowledge that they have tools at their disposal that men don’t. Both the disarming allure of the female body and the frightening ferocity of a woman’s mental and biological drive to fight for what she holds dear are weapons that men rarely can achieve.  There is a psychological component to warfare that aesthetics plays a big part in.  No matter how gruesome we don’t question the idea of littering things with skulls and wicked blades in table top gaming.  The ancient Greeks would mold chiseled abs and pecks into their body armor for psychological effects.  There are even some accounts of Pict women fighting naked on the battle field against roman soldiers.  Regardless of how you feel about the female form arguing that because it’s aesthetically pleasing doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place on the battle field.  That may mean it has more of a place there than you’d like to admit.

Bullet trap cleavage theory, somewhat addressed as a safety issue, is also one particular argument trotted out.  This goes essentially that the cleavage shape on a breast plate makes it either A. funnel weapons fire to the heart, or B. structurally unsound.  There is some scientific evidence that would support this except for the fact that no scientific study has ever been done that actually examines this.  As a practical issue in melee combat the “breast” shape of the armor is no more or less effective against blows.  At range, any shot that would fall inside the “V” of the cleavage was already a center of mass shot which if it has the velocity to penetrate your armor was already a kill shot anyway regardless of whether it glances to the heart or passes through the lung.  I read one very scientific sounding article that said a women falling on her face in breast armor would die from a shattered sternum. An interesting scientific quandary that totally ignores any internal padding worn under fitted armor.  As though, the soldier was totally naked under the armor.  There is a certain amount of truth that surface bends, such as the concave cleavage area, are structurally less durable than a convex surface.  But most male armors aren’t a simple convex shape like classic plate armor.  They are often just as sculpted, albeit as a male body or generic design, as a female armor plate. The issue here is simply it may be less structurally sound than a classic breast plate but is it any less structurally sound than the male counter parts? Truth be told probably not.

There are of course concepts I can’t really defend in the field of sexy armor.  I don’t understand the concept of combat heels.  High heels have no purpose other than to affect posture.  Some shoe design are intended to shift the weight of the body off the heel towards the ball of the foot but there really is no evidence they would serve a tactical purpose.  There could be said to be a cultural significance to the incorporation of heels in a female boot.  If the culture has a specific focus on feminine posture as a key sexual trait of women you could lump that into the argument for aesthetics of psychological warfare.  However from my perspective the added mobility of flats vs heels on the battlefield would trump any psychological benefits.  Alternatively, in science fiction settings where zero G combat is the norm magnetic, spring, or rocket heels would be a tactical advantage but only if the heel actually represented these design integrations, a normal heel would still be a detriment to movement.

Of course the overriding reason that is the real impetus behind these arguments is simply that it makes female gamers uncomfortable.  Truthfully, some portrayals make me uncomfortable too a lot of the time.  There is always a balance between a strong feminine characteristic and a sexpot pinup girl.  It’s sometimes hard to fix where that line is drawn in your mind. It generally has to come down to the question of is this sexy for no other reason than its sexy to me, or is it part of some larger design aesthetic that is helping me represent a kick ass character that also happens to be female, and yes sexy to some degree.  Truthfully the worst offenders in my opinion are GW’s Madonna Warriors.  I’m ashamed to own a Sisters of Battle army even though I got it second hand.  And over the years as I tried to push the sisters out of the army first by adding storm troopers and then by adding inquisitor retinues I’ve come to grips with the fact that the army is just sexist drivel.  The Power Corsets and bra’s pointier than their swords is of course now considered quant in 40k.  They are a throwback to the age of 1980s female rockers like Madonna and Cindy Lauper.  That doesn’t make them right with modern sensibilities but at least it makes them somewhat understandable.

I could go on and on but really I have made my point. Generally the truth is that sexy armor isn't just about sexism.  There are real reasons that armor should be feminine.  Femininity is a part of the human condition.  The idea that women must emulate men to be perceived as strong is has been an aspect of the women’s liberation movement and its one that has been changing slowly.  Women can be feminine and still be strong without giving up what makes them feminine. Those who balk at the female form on the table top I must ask is it the sexy armor you don’t care for or is there something so psychologically terrifying about the idea that women are part of your gaming reality that you are afraid to acknowledge their right to be there and be themselves, in the game or playing the game.

Star Marine Heavy Armor, Softsuit Variant, Outfitted for Female Operator.
The Softsuit variant of the Star Marine Heavy Armor replaces the Tactics and Logistics Capsule  (TLC) for a breast plate of hardened thermo-ferric composites. The term Softsuit is something of a misnomer as the armor has nearly the same level of operator protection as its TLC equipped Hardsuit cousin.  Often used in atmosphere or controlled environment engagements where total vacuum seal is unnecessary.  It is favored by officers for its mobility and freedom of vision not afford by the TLC's visual assist systems.  The body of a Softsuit is fitted to its occupant in a process that is performed by the operator's house, often making some or all of the suit's equipment a heraldic heirloom.

Star Marine Joslyn of House Crowan being fitted for heavy armor.

A Fluff Piece

Imperial Archive Item 978-2-9002999818-1. 
Excerpt from Prime Austerean Hercanius’s Treatis on the History and Culture of the Star Marines
Transcript of videolog 17… Dated 9^th of Azzigas Vorpal, in the Year of our Empress Ompheria 2013
Marker 1. Origins and Legends of the Star Marines
Screens 23 to 37
Sol Prime Institute of Philosophy:  Department of Reasonist History: Chair Ameritus, Master of Reason, Physician of Imperial History, First Duke of Io, the Lourde Prime Austerean  Hercanius of the Noble House Thormalian by way of House Xaratian

… to best understand the nature of the Star Marines one must understand the anvil upon which they were forged.

               Officially the Star Marines are comprised of those noble households who carry the title of Knight of Stars in Service to the Empress.  However this was not always the case.  In the early days of colonial expansion before the formation of the Empire Solus Humanity was ruled by various competing religious organizations known as Corporations. It is believed that this early colonization effort was done in effort to seek freedom from religious censure.   As such these Corporations lead the people’s spiritual journey even as they funded their physical migration across the stars.

                For several hundred years mankind expanded across the Orion Spur.  During this period humanity encountered countless worlds teaming with life however sentient life proved elusive.  It was eventually hypothesized by Reasonists that while life was common sentience was a cosmic rarity reserved for only a handful of species throughout the galaxy, possibly the universe.  This lead humanity to define the “Mandate of the Heavens”.  The mandate was a political and social doctrine expounded as part of the Corporate religions of the day. It stated that humanity, due to its intelligence, was entitled to colonize the galaxy without end.

               Without external conflict it was inevitable that humanity created conflict from within.  The Corporations divided humanity along lines of their particular faiths.  Coupled with the relative isolation of early colonies due to the primitive nature of spacial travel the result was drastic cultural drift between colonies.  Social, economic, and political rifts between the colonies and their governments resulted in war.

               A group of colonies petitioned to secede from the colonial government.  What followed has variously been called the Civil War II, the War of 10 Corporations, and the First Imperial War. Lasting 14 years various Corporations formed military organizations and swallowed other colonies.  Secessionists fighting for freedom from the oppressive theocracy of monetization formed a new organization.  A culture of merit based on nobility and coherent family social structures was formed.  Nearly 2000 years ago the outmoded religious worship of wealth  was swept away and the First Emperor Volcunas The First united the colonies under the banner of the Empire Solus.

               In their earliest inception the Star Marines functioned as a militant arm for one of the many Corporation Theocracies.  They proved themselves to be highly skilled and honorable warriors during the war.  Thus Emperor Volcunas took them into his service and granted them title of nobility within the empire in return for their fealty.

               The Star Marines and their households were integrated into the structure of the nobility and ordered by Emperor Volcunas to toil in service to the Skylourde.  For much of the life span of the Empire they did just that.  The Star Marines became feared acting in the name of the Skylourdes in service of the Emperor.  But this was not to be their destiny for as we know we are not alone in the galaxy.

               In 1818 of the new imperial calendar the outer colonies were struck by a powerful imminent threat.  The Aether invaded human space to “cleans” planets of human “infestation”.  Though it would take the empire much time to know the Aether’s intent it was immediately clear they were a technologically superior malignant force.

               Perhaps most tragically humanity’s only saving grace was the thorough and methodical nature of the Aether’s attempted Genocide.  Colony by colony the Aether deployed their fleets in blockade systematically hunting and eradicating humans regardless of their age, race, or affiliations.  Emperor Tricerras and the Conclave of Noble Houses proposed diplomatic solutions and refused to hear propositions to the contrary.

               Then Skylourde Daltrian made a pact with the crown prince Voldayaas to assassinate the Emperor.  Prince Trivoltas, second in line to the throne, discovered the plot and called his brother out in council.  But by then it was too late Emperor Tricerras died by heart failure attributed to pulmonary micro fissures likely caused by nano-explosives inside the heart wall.   Voldayaas and Trivoltas both declared themselves Emperor before the funeral rights were complete and the War of Succession began.

               During this time the Aether had the run of the outer colonies.  It was widely claimed that the Imperial Core Provinces were better protected. And with good reason, many sectors included both Provincial Defense Fleets as peace keeping and humanitarian forces as well as the Independent Noble Fleets used to protect the shipping interests of the Nobility.  During the War of Succession these fleets were mobilized by various groups to fight for various governmental factions. Initially it was merely a quarrel between bothers as Voldayaas and Trivoltas fought for the throne.  However other factions appeared and vied for political or economic superiority.

               With the war taking its toll in the Provinces the Colonies were left to fend for themselves. Less wealthy, and often with limited military and technological resources the Colonies stood little chance against the Aether. Refugee fleets migrated core ward with each newly decimated colony.  Survivors of the atrocities were rare but other colonies were easily inspired to evacuate.  In the provinces the refugees found little respite as military forces were often used to blockade their entry or otherwise engaged in military actions of their own.

               For their part the Star Marines refused deployment until the Empire was stable again.  Skylourde Daltrian ordered the household lands of the Star Marines ceased claiming they were in violation of their oaths.  In response the Star Marines declared then 3^rd princess Collianna the rightful heir of the throne.  As the princess was merely 13 and no female had inherited the throne in a thousand years the Star Marines were publicly mocked for their allegiance.  But that mocking ended following the summary execution of Skylourde Daltrian.

               Claiming orders from the Empress the Star Marines publically forsook their homes.  In a broad public show they burned their ancestral homes and joined into a single fleet.  While vastly outnumbered the Star Marines were quite a fighting force and dispatched any forces that stood in their way.  They didn’t bother attempting to capture strategic systems instead battling their way to Sol where they enthroned the Empress. One there they left a small but well-armed honor guard and took the primary fleet into the Colonies.

               For many among the nobility it became a simple choice, support one of the brothers who had been fighting a bloody war across the Provinces or accept the arguably illegitimate rule of their younger sister who willingly sacrificed her own safety to protect the Colonies.  For the people the choice was much simpler. After two years of war and the constant threat of annihilation from the Aether the Empress was a sign of change and hope, a fresh beginning.

               Initially perceived as a week monarch the Empress changed such perceptions by her first declarations in office.  Only days after the Conclave of Noble Houses ratified her coronation the Empress declared the Matriarchy.  The Empire Solus would be ruled by an Empress, the eldest daughter of the ruling house. The eldest son would become Regent of the Empire and master of the ruling house in absence of the Empress.  The second eldest daughter would be the Duchess of Blades, a rank formerly titled Blade Lourde colloquially known as the master of assassins.  The second eldest son would inherit the title of Lourde of the Watch, charged with enforcing the succession and counting the genealogy of the noble houses.

               Some noble houses challenged the decree at first but these challenges were swiftly dealt with by force and often lost in the wash of political intrigue of the day.  Her second decree was even more controversial declaring the War in the Heavens.  The Aether’s action had declared war on all of humanity, and so all of humanity would face them.  The Empire Solus was henceforth at war with the Aether and all production and technology in the Empire would be used, first and foremost, to fight the Aether.  In short order a new Skylourde was appointed and each house of noble birth was ordered to appoint a Skymarshal that would oversee their fleet.  The Noble fleets were distributed across the empire with the responsibility of engaging Aether forces where ever they appeared. At the same time the Homeguard Fleets were to be convert for military use and production of ships and munitions was to be increased.  In the colonies the Star Marines had one task, delay the Aether, the longer they held the more time the Empire had to prepare.

               The Star Marines held the Aether in the colonies for 26 years.  Early engagements didn’t bode well for the Star Marines as Aether forces were clearly superior in technology and number.  They soon adopted an ambush strategy. Operating behind Aether lines the Star Marines fractured into Cavalier Fleets, small rag tag forces mixing elements of Star Marine forces with remnants of colonial militias.  These smaller battle groups could react faster and assault Aether forces with greater haste.  Often breaking Aether blockades and freeing civilians and military forces trapped by them.

               For several years the Aether showed no measurable response to the Star Marine’s tactics.  They continued their systematic approach without change.  It wasn’t until the battle of Caldinocht that the Aether changed their tactics.  Caldinocht was a Colonial shipping hub in the Caldaros sector.  The Aether set upon it with only minor warning but instead of their normal tactic of besieging the planet they pyroformed the planet from orbit.   Their biochemical weapons igniting the planet’s atmosphere and turning all life to ash.  This rightly provoked the Star Marines into open conflict with the Aether.

               As Caldinocht burned the Star Marines descended upon the massed Aether fleet.  For days the Aether held ground as the Star Marines and the Cavalier fleets hurled themselves against their enemy. With the death toll in the billions from the one engagement the Aether finally retreated on the 12^th day. 

Both sides learned much from the conflict.  Alongside their standard battle tactics the Aether began baiting traps to draw the enemy in.  For their part the Star Marines began using outriders forming a loose network of warning systems to inform other fleets and colonies of Aether were movements.  They also learned that while technologically advanced and extremely powerful Aether vessels were cumbersome and impossibly difficult to maneuver.  Soon after Aether ships began being drawn into Star Marine traps.

Thereafter the war became a great game of cat and mouse.  The Aether and the Star Marines fighting to take and keep ground respectively.  The greatest commanders among the Star Marines were able to make the Aether spend a hundred ships to take a single colony.  But for every Aether fleet removed from the game the Star Marines lost a dozen or more.  Each loss meant the Star Marines took another step towards Sol and the eventual extinction of the human race.  Each ship downed was a resource that couldn’t be replaced with ease.

For 26 years they held against a superior foe.  Early on it was believed that the Aether could be stopped simply by attrition but 26 years of attrition proved that wrong.  One thousand three hundred and sixty-two star systems fell to the Aether in those 26 years.  An estimated 42 trillion souls taken, and for each one the Star Marines made the Aether pay dearly.  On the 5^th of Azzigas Nol, 1846 nec the Aetherian 1^st fleet entered the Noridian Province at around 1:42 am local standard time.  They were met by the Veridian and Ordanian Home Fleets and engaged seven minutes later.  The battle would last for 21 days and the Alcarian, Boromian, and 5 other Home Fleets would join the battle before the Aether would retreat. This was the first true victory of the war.

It is unknown if the Aether can understand any of the many human tongues.  It is known they can recognize the Banner of the Stars.  Icon of the Star Marines, a cascade of gold and crimson freckled with 1362 stars.  Raised high upon the bows of the Cavalier fleets that precede the counter strike.  On that day the Aether turned tail and fled before it and they have run from it ever sense. 

We have been at war for two hundred years.  Five generations have faced the Aether and pushed them back into the abyss.  The Star Marines, her royal highness’ Knights of the Stars have lead that charge. They have held the line. They have given more fought harder than any human might in the face of such odds.  Thus you must understand that in the forge of battle and against the anvil of sacrifice and adversity they have been wrought.  Nobility, courage, and sacrifice, the shining light of a star guiding for the sake of all humanity.  As they pledge before the Empress herself, “the War in the Heavens began with an act of Genocide it will end with the very stars quaking at our wrath”.

Wargaming's Future (3/19/2013)

I haven’t spent a huge amount of time on my blog over the past several months.  Mostly my time has been dedicated to completing some commissions.  But I’ve been slipping into designing some cool bits now and then when the inspiration strikes.  On the one hand I’m proud of the commission work I’m doing but I feel I’m doing a bit of disservice to my readers and all those who order my items.  I know I’ve got a small stack of requests in my in box and a couple of errors on printed items that I need to get to.  I promise you that I’ll get around to them ASAP now that my free time is becoming mine again.

I semi-officially finished my largest commission last Tuesday.  I only await the final approval on the models to know that I’m definitively done.  I’d love to share with you the fruits of those projects but due to confidentiality agreements I can’t. Suffice it to say it was a huge challenge and I’m quite proud to have done it.  Now that I can get back to my own projects I’ve jumped on my star marines again.

When I started making my female space marines I jokingly referred to them as “Star Marines”.  This was as much a tongue in cheek reference to GW’s product as it was an example of my insecurity over the idea of barrowing on the Games Workshop mythos.  I am a huge fan of Warhammer 40k and the models of Games Workshop but the older their world gets the less I feel at home in it.

I could chalk this up to my age but I don’t really believe that’s the case. I still watch power rangers and read comic books so age isn’t the issue. The issue is Games Workshop is reinventing itself.  It’s been doing it for years and on the one hand being the Madonna of its industry is what makes it great.    On the other hand reinvention always leaves someone out in the cold. And that someone in this case is me.

I’m willing to bet that it’s a lot of other people too.  I’m not afraid of change but change, reinvention, can’t be for its own sake.  To often we take for granted that change will be good or bad and generally fail to acknowledge that the scary part of change isn’t its good or bad points but the lack of control we have over it. Games Workshop has changed Warhammer 40k a lot over the years and while we can say over and over that it’s changes aren’t all bad we must admit that some of them are.

Which brings me to 6^th edition 40k.  I started playing 40k back in 2^nd edition and back then the land scape or “meta” if you want to believe in that, was a lot like it is now.  There were a lot of people spoiling to play cool new things that could be done with the game books.  But back then Games Workshop accomplished the same thing with a lot less money and a lot less man power.  People were inspired less by Games Workshop’s fluff background and more by their own imaginations.  And people took absurd ideas and ran with them for hours upon hours of conversion and gameplay fun.

Today with the freshness of 6^th edition, the newly revised whitedwarf, and the quicker pace of releasing Games Workshop has captured that anything can happen vibe of Rogue Trader.  But in doing so what have they spent.  In terms of money? In terms of manpower? In terms of long term viability of the products they produce?  I’m not really qualified to speak on the time, effort, and money Games Workshop has spent to revitalize 40k.  What I can say is I’m not sure its sustainable.

Games Workshop has started trying new things and that’s good in the long run.  But they haven’t been terribly good at what they have tried.  6^th edition 40k is still a terribly hard to explain game for very little reason.  Contrary the to popular belief the rules for playing toy soldiers are very easy to articulate.  Any 8 year old can explain them, I shoot you, you die.  We all love rolling dice, we all love watching enemy and even allied soldiers get removed as casualties.  Games Workshop keep’s making that complicated.  Arguably this is done to making teams balanced but everyone can attest that, while the most balanced it’s been in years, 40k is not balanced so all that extra writing and layers of rules technicalities is a waste.  Beyond that every rule in the big book pretty much has an exception in one or more army books anyway making it less a rules guide than a bunch of things you have to remember to ignore but only when X is on the field anyway.

I have a 7 year old nephew.  A 7 year old nephew that is part of my table top roleplaying group.  We play a lot of different games but his favorite is Star War D6.  A game played with fists full of D6s and lots of brash fun gunslingers shooting at each other.  I tried teaching him Warhammer 40k. a game that is arguably very similar to the WEG Star Wars experience.  He lost interest after 15 minutes.

Perhaps 7 years old is the wrong age to learn mass combat games.  Maybe I’m not a good gaming instructor.  Or maybe there are just too many rules and to many exceptions for a child to track. I don’t really know.  The trouble is that most of the gamers I know are table top gamers because they started young.  I started at around 7 or 8 myself with RPGs and moved to wargames at 10 or 11.  My Nephew actually totally grasps the concept of characters, line of sight, hit points, armor saves, and all of that.  He just doesn’t care about look out sirs, overwatch, snap fire, anything that is a USR, or why some models get feels no pain and others don’t.

At the end of the day Games Workshop’s new more engaging business model just doesn’t make for a healthy game.  As a current gamer it’s nice that things are more balanced. It’s great that we are getting new kits faster.  It’s nice that unasked questions are being faq’d sooner.  It’s even nice that I can spend my money on a poorly designed digital product instead of an over designed print product.  But when it comes down to it balance, speed of releases, faqs, and even digital or print products aren’t the barriers to entry on the game.

At a time when the entire world has seen economic distress the biggest issue is now and always will be price and service.  Games Workshop’s constantly up sloping prices coupled with relatively poor customer service and the constant feeling that whatever I buy will be devalued in the game by 6 to 10 weeks out make it hard for a current gamer to justify the price tag.  At the same time while other games have maintained a reasonably price tag for their core products and an extremely low price tag for their starter sets, Games Workshop continues the trend of uniform prices across the board. This means new gamers can’t buy into the game to get hooked without a friend that’s already in the hobby and spent the money.

As a gamer I’m an advocate for gaming. I love gaming and believe everyone who plays is in some way better for playing.  But I can buy a DnD starter set for 20 bucks, all the core books for 60, and a bunch of plastic DnD miniatures for a buck a piece. For Warhammer 40k I spend 65 bucks for the core book, another 60 for my army book and then 100 plus for a bare bones starter army that isn’t even always complete to play and is rarely what you actually want.  I’m not sure I can advocate that as easily as I can other aspects of the hobby.

Maybe that’s the point though, Games Workshop is trying to change the dynamic of the hobby.  It seems clear they don’t want it accessible to just anyone.  Constant price rises, pushes to remove services from 3^rd party retailers, and even the semi-mainstream effort put into forge world are attempts at elitism within the hobby.  Games Workshop’s goal is to push people towards their in house distribution.  As an example, they just contractually killed bits service through 3^rd party retailers which means they will likely start unveiling a bunch of shitty fine cast bit kits that are direct order only.  Every kit will be priced at 19.99 or similar and have just enough kinda useful and kinda useless bits on the kit to make you feel like it might be a good price but the quality and service will still be lacking and spending 20 bucks for the one power fist will still leave someone feeling a bit let down.

See Games Workshop is ok with someone leaving the hobby so long as you aren’t ordering from them directly.  Their greatest profit margin is in house where their supply chain takes care of everything rather than paying an outsider.  Their highest degree of control is in house where they do all the training and control all the advertising. No risk of their employees telling you about a competing product or their magazine advertising WarmaHordes.  In the end their goal is pretty transparent.  If they can’t get you into one of their stores and keep you, they don’t want you as a customer.

If you want to understand their elitism look no farther than their “digital products”.  Their “digital products” are nothing more than the iBooks News Stand products.  I get game informer the exact same way, only for 14 bucks a year. Same basic content. Useful index, searchable functionality, fancy revolving 3d images (game characters are cool that way), occasional videos, forced landscape viewing (even though portrait is traditional print lay out and easier to bloody read), and of course outrageously large 300mb downloads.  Only difference is that Games Workshop feels their product is worth more because they made it.  Same goes with their print game books.  We can talk about all the fancy color print pages and stuff we want but I have personally felt for years that the army book prices are trending towards the point they aren’t in my price range. I can pick up a hard cover 200 page DnD supplement for 39.95 but I have to pay 60 for a warhammer one? And then by the models? And the core book? Oh and you’ve made stupid objective markers and psychic power cards too, great. 

I’ve come to realize that I’m not Games Workshop’s market for 40k anymore.  Neither is my Nephew.  It’s not about age.  I don’t feel entitled to anything because I’ve played for so long.  No its more about the very real truth that they don’t care if I patronize them or not.  They aren’t worried about losing me as a customer because they haven’t had me invested in their business model for a couple of years now.

Why is this all important? Well I’ve just realized something very clearly. For a long time side companies like Chapterhouse have been combating Games Workshop’s elitist mentality by keeping bits and specialized models cheap.  But they don’t have to. Games Workshop isn’t killing itself by getting rid of bits or raising prices or driving off customers. It’s giving life to its competition.  I’m not going to start a kickstarter.  But I will predict that someone soon will. Within a few months of Chapterhouse and Games Workshop settling Chapterhouse will start its own game.  Mantic has already started its Warpath game and will kickstart that.  Beyond the Gates of Antares was pulled from kickstarter and arguably was going to be a shitty game, but it will be back.  Within a year Anvil industries will at least talk about making a game as will Wargames Factory within 18 months.  The point is, I can’t look at Games Workshop’s business tactics as “bad for the hobby” anymore. They are good for it, just not good for Games Workshop’s place in it.

That's my deep thought for the day.  Later this week i'll be talking about Star Marines and what that means for my future projects, and hopefully a little about the design of my Heavy Armor troopers.

Further Games Workshop infringement claims.

My laptop crashed when I was writing this. My poor laptop has an issue where it just shuts down randomly, it needs a new motherboard and is out of warranty. So if this post seems a bit disjointed that’s why.

This afternoon I received a new infringement notice from Games Workshop. This time there infringement claim has specifically addressed specific items in my inventory. I'm thankful that they are actually addressing the reality of what I've uploaded for printing as opposed to the vague notion that they own everything under the sun.

Unfortunately they have specifically pointed out the "design" of armor marks again. Initially I had believed their previous statements in this regard covered the issue of the shoulder pad elements and Aquila trade mark. Sadly this time they specifically point to the female star marine parts in arms, legs, torsos, helms, and backpacks. I disagree on this. My understanding is that the models are covered under patent law and thus design elements aren't an issue but I can't afford to argue this point. If there was any question of whether I would have to redesign the female marines this answers it. It frustrates me because I'm reasonably sure that legally the female variants are different enough that even when sharing design elements they fall into fair use. However I can't deny that my intent with the models was to make them LOOK like their male counter parts that inspired them. As such denying they should be removed feels unethical to me.

No matter what I want that clear. I knew games workshop owns the rights to warhammer. However my intent was never to undermine them to the extent that they clearly believe I have. I was of the mind that Games Workshop was not producing certain products that I and others wanted. Either those products were not being produced at all or they had been produced and games workshop decided not to support them any longer and as a result abandoned them. Likewise I feel that Games Workshop's control over the likenesses, icons, and color schemes of space marine chapters is both legally and ethically dubious as many if not all of these designs should belong to their original creators not Games Workshop. I'm not sure why but these factors more than anything else have left my conscience clean on the matter. I didn't set out to deprive Games Workshop of funds. I set out to provide the gaming public with products games workshop doesn't. I don't want to get rich stealing sales from Games Workshop. I want to give back to the hobby I love in a way that Games Workshop just isn't doing. Ethically I don't see a problem with producing shoulder pads for customers who want them. Nor female marines. Nor out of print models. Nor guns. etc. Basically it encourages people to buy more actual products from Games Workshop. If I was out to steal sales I’d design a nearly identical product like Anvil Industry's steam knights designs. But of course I wanted to fill a hole in GW's product line that Games Workshop doesn't appreciate me filling. Sigh.  That’s all I can really say, just … SIGH…

Games Workshop has also made a claim regarding my “Space Undead Insects” while this design is intended to be a replacement for their scarab models it does not look like their scarab models.  It was intended to not look like their scarab models because their scarab designs are stupid.  I chose to instead make the insect like robot be insect like not… stupid.  Official scarabs are flat with no legs, no mandibles, not real bug like qualities.  My scarabs are more bug like with proper legs and mandibles.  The only thing remotely like an official scarab is the spinal column and single eye, and if they own that then robot skeletons the world over are infringing and I don’t believe that. I’m not going to push it until they take me to court though. I’ll simply listen to their feedback and change the fucking model.  If they think they own a cyclopean insect I’ll give it two eyes. If they think they own skeletal spinal columns on robots, I’ll make it fucking tubing.  They can’t own everything. Robot insects are real things that people at MIT are making right now. IP ends somewhere and if GW won’t define it for me I’ll test the waters until I find the edge myself.

Lastly and most troublingly is their statement of trademark on the term 40k.  Now, in fairness they can’t claim a registered trademark unless they’ve actually registered a trademark.  Copyrights are pretty much open ended but trademarks are documented.  While I would think I could argue the trademark based on the capitalization of the letter “K” denoting the difference between the proper trademark and the numeric abbreviation I don’t have the money or legal counsel to deal with this.  It’s easier to remove the “40k” moniker. Or it would be if I could change my shop name myself.  I’ve contacted Shapeways but I’m not sure I can adjust my shop name at all without deleting it and restarting a new one.  A process that deletes everything in my shop some of which I don’t have backups of yet.  Even this blog has GW’s “trademarked” “40k” moniker as part of its URL.  I’m sure I’ll get a notice about that too.  But I can change that.  Blogspot can let me change the URL with a single click.  Not a problem.  Shapeways could be an issue.  Hopefully I hear back quickly so I can fix this.

I seriously hate Games Workshop at the moment.  I feel simultaneously like I’m being threatened and patronized.  Like a puppy that has yipped to loudly I’m not sure if GW has come over to pet me soothingly or beat me with a stick.  I can’t see the harm my site name would have on the 40k brand but at the same time I know I could theoretically do some kind of damage to it vaguely somehow that I don't understand. I could make products they don’t want me to make and end up hurting their reputation if people think they made them. I can't see how anyone would mistake my products for theirs but whatever.  At the same time even knowing that Games Workshop could be harmed I feel that chance is minimal and can’t help but imagine that they know I may have to delete me shop in order to change its name and are just being obtuse as a result.

It’s easy to imagine the CEO of GW sitting in a Nottingham tower laughing like king john.  I doubt my particular situation has even been brought before him.  But the image is still there.  Perhaps I demonize Games Workshop because I’m not skilled enough or creative enough to create an equally powerful empire of miniatures.  But it saddens me none-the-less to be attacked for trying to support a hobby I love.  I’d not be surprised if this is all in my imagination.  That the GW corporation is just an emotionless machine, it responds to my particular issues as nothing more than a bump a car runs over in the road.  No malice, no particular disgruntlement, simply the bored curiosity of an office worker tired of his job.  Perhaps the thin veneer of politeness is simply my in ability to comprehend the depth of their sincerity.  Or perhaps it is the last vestiges of imperial condescension directed at an individual that is perceived as inferior. 

I don’t know.  But I wonder if deleting my shop would not be the best for all parties. I noticed a lot of shops I once visited are not updated anymore. A large group of people who design miniatures on Shapeways don’t sell them to the public.  Perhaps I was to brazen to actually SELL something I designed.  Obviously Games Workshop would argue that they designed these things and I stole them by copying them.  I suppose the question is then what’s the point in trying to support the hobby when the creator of the hobby claims ownership over everything within it including that which it doesn't actively create? 

EDIT: I added the footer from the Games Workshop legal teams emails. The statement of “confidential” is bullshit. Intellectual Property is a matter of PUBLIC record. If it wasn’t there would be no ability to enforce it. I have not signed a confidentiality agreement nor a nondisclosure agreement.  As such you can’t stop my legal right to talk about the claims placed before me.  I will say that the claims of Games Workshop as they apply to me can’t be construed as legal advice for the legal affairs of any individuals as the Claims are the views of Games Workshop and don’t constitute the actual law as interpreted by a Judge.  I will continue to post the emails I recieve from Games Workshop on this issue as a matter of public record and free speech.

 

 

My response to Games Workshop (8 - 20 -12)

Dear Mr, Nanson

Like yourself I appreciate diligence regarding this matter. I am a simple hobbiest and take the interests of Games Workshop in this matter with great seriousness.

I want to assure you I am already complying with the requests of Games Workshop. I have already removed a number of products and will continue to remove additional products going forward. Unfortunately there is no automated or batch removal function in Shapeways which means I have to manually edit each item to delete it from my account. This process takes time and I appriciate your patience.

I’m sorry that my request for clarification was interpreted as a request for legal advice. I honestly assumed that when Games Workshop was deciding I was infringing they would have made a list of specific infringements for me to correct. As I understand the legal process the individual with a claim of infringement is responsible for defining that claim. My only intention was to insure I addressed all of Games Workshop’s claims of infringement. I didn’t mean to be requesting your legal expertise, only the specifics of the infringement. Regardless I’m working to comply with your requests so I see no need to consult legal counsel at this time. And besides I have no doubt that Games Workshop’s claims have merit or its legal councils wouldn’t pursue them.

That having been said, I will endeavor to remove items based on the “shoulder pad”, “logos” (I assume this is directed at Chapter logos) and “Aquila” design that Games Workshop claims as their intellectual property. I’m saddened by the loss of these designs particularly because Games Workshop has not made comparable products based on the Intellectual Property they claim. I do however understand the need for licensing and intellectual property as a whole and will comply.

I agree it is my responsibility to ensure my items don’t infringe intellectual property laws and I will do better to comply in the future. Up to and including seeking legal advice regarding my hobby if needs be. However, in spite of not having legal counsel I am aware of the current litigation between Games Workshop and Chapter House Studios. While I will comply with your wishes now I feel that I need to inform you that if the court decides you are not the Intellectual Property holder of any or all of these designs I will continue with my distribution of any public domain items at that time, which would be my right if that is found to be the case.

I will do my best to have the offending items offline within the time allotted. I will also attempt better judgment regarding what items and requests to fulfill in the course of my hobby so that I don’t violate games workshops Intellectual Property again.

Sincerely
Dynath Kajira

Games Workshop Legal Notice (9-5-12)

Hi Dynath

Thank you for your continued cooperation in this matter and for removing several designs from your store. I appreciate you making the changes.

There are some remaining infringements in the store which I must ask you to remove as soon as possible.

There are some models which bear the Aquila registered trademark e.g. http://www.shapeways.com/model/325301/m7b1-star-marine-armor-torso-x5.htmlamong others.

There are a number of helmets, legs, arms, backpacks etc which combine to create your ‘Star Marines’. These parts, and their combined complete models, copy a significant part of Games Workshop’s Space Marine design. This includes various ‘marks’ of Space Marine armour and variants such as the ‘Techmarine’ and ‘Apothecary’.

There is also a set of Necron scarabs available.

Finally, I must inform you that ‘40K’ is a registered trademark belonging to Games Workshop Limited. Please remove it from your store name ‘Dynath40k’.

Please remove any remaining infringing auctions in the next 14 days and drop me an email when you have completed the removals.

I look forward to your notice.

We reserve all rights.

Kind regards

Tom

Tom Nanson
IP Assistant
Group Legal Department
Games Workshop Group PLC
tom.nanson@gwplc.com


My response to Games Workshop (9-5-12)

Dear Mr. Nanson,

Thank you for again taking the time to address this issue Mr. Nanson. Firstly let me say I am grateful that this time specific infringements have been identified so that they may be addressed, as opposed to broad statements of infringement.

Thank you for calling the Aquilla to mind, I had uploaded the models over a year ago and as a result it had slipped my mind they had an Aquilla on the chest of several models. I would ask if it was viable to remove the Aquilla and list the revised torsos but your next infringement claim lists quite literally all parts of a figure so there is no point. My understanding is that the design of your parts falls under patent law which dictates that the individual expression of a specific item is protected not its design elements. As such using elements of a similar nature such as cabling or plating of a similar design on a different expression, IE the difference between male and female designs, would be publicly viable. The printing of backpacks, shoulder pads, and armor designs by other companies such as Scibor, MaxMini, etc. I thought bore this out. Regardless as I have neither the legal resources to argue my point nor the inclination to challenge the makers of 40k regarding their patents of their miniatures I’m forced to comply.

The robotic insects on my list are significantly different from the legless, mandibleless scarab design produced by games workshop. While I don’t desire to fight I’m not convinced you own the trademark on“insects”. I would be happy to discuss the specifics of this “infringement”but as a whole the design is significantly different than your established designs to the point that if the name wasn’t “space undead insects” most viewers would not consider them analogous to the GW Scarab product.

Lastly the trademark “40k” I was actually unaware of this trademark. I had avoided the full “40,000” and “Warhammer” but didn’t realize the abbreviation was trademarked. I’m at a loss as to how to edit my store name however. I will have to contact customer support at Shapeways to adjust this. If they can’t do that I suppose the only thing I can do is delete my store entirely and start a new one.

I thank you for calling these infringement claims to my attention. I’ll work on removing the “star marine” product line and altering my shop name, however would like specific clarification regarding what aspect of a robotic insect you have copyrighten, trademarked, etc.

Sincerely

Dynath Kajira

Footer for Games Workshops Email Included for completeness (9-5-12)

Information in this email and any attachments is confidential, subject to copyright and must not be

used or disclosed except for the purpose it has been sent, unless required by law.

Games Workshop Limited, registered in England and Wales, under company number 1467092, and

registered at Games Workshop, Willow Road, Lenton, Nottingham NG7 2WS.

Unless stated otherwise by an authorised individual, nothing contained in this email is intended to create binding legal rights or obligations between you and Games Workshop in anyway, including but not limited to, in relation to settlement of any claims made by Games Workshop. This email is in no way meant to be taken as legal advice. If you are unsure of your rights or the implications of this email, you should obtain independent legal advice.

 

My Internet Is Back... and Video Games Suck...

So without internet access this week I spent some time doing something I’m sure a lot of us have done or do fairly commonly. I played some video games.  I know, A. no one cares, B. I have a crap tone of projects to do, and C. no one cares.  But honestly here me out, the exposition is always a the boring part.

See I was playing Space Marine.  Now I pretty much have only played the single player campaign.  I’ve played most of the warhammer games and I usually walk away with the same thought.  Has anyone who makes the video games ever actually played the 40k table top game?

Sorry if you like Space Marine but the game play is screwy.  They pretty much rape 40k’s background to make a poor quality first person shooter.  They saw an anti-tank laser canon and thought, hey lets make that a sniper rifle.  The game plays slow and inexorable.  Some might say that it fits the space marines.

On one level it certainly does.  On another level it plays out like gears of war but without the heartwarming narrative of poor decisions and mass murder.  The space marine should be slow and inexorable to some degree, but it’s the slow inevitable march towards the grave.  There is no passion in the characters.  Even gears of war had its poorly contrived quest to rescue the main character’s wife or something.  Here flat characters perform actions without any kind of connection to the setting, plot, or general background.

And lets not forget the constant focus on Space Marines versus Chaos Space Marines.   The game is a tired rehash of 40k’s better written back story.  Even firewarrior told a better chaos narrative than space marine.  So I was thinking here’s a fucking 40k game.

It’s called “Warhammer 40k: Heresy” cause that’s what it’s about.  Naming games for unit types has always been pretty stupid, only people who care are those people that play that damned unit. Firewarrior and Space Marine fell into this trap. I’m just calling it Heresy cause even though the main characters are Space Marines we are at least gonna make you look at the box art to figure that out.  And that’s another thing, the box art is the fucking emperor on the golden throne. Full blown glossy painted joygasm artwork not that same damned rehashed watercolor that’s in every fucking book.  No space marine on the cover cause, well we really want you to read the box descriptions and see the little photos of people being vaporized in game play. So its named lets jump in.

First off, we’ve had TBS’s, RTS’s, and now 2 shitty shooters.  I’ve probably forgotten a few games too. So lets do this right.  40k started with an RPG strategy hybrid so that’s where it should go.  Shooters are fine, they are obtainable.  They make sense to a lot of gamers and a good game needs to sell to more than just 40k fans.

So our hybrid will have a firm grounding in squad based shooters.  You’ll be the seargent of a 5 man tactical squad.  RPG wise you’ll have the opportunity to find equipment, looting fallen enemies for weapons.  In classic Rogue trader your space marines could carry lasguns or splinter rifles whatever just so long as you could kill something with the business end.  A real marine uses what they have and that’s our marines, fighting to the end. 

You’ll have a smart tactical menu to command your team mates and in Co-op or multi player the same interface will be used to command the party.  The main character in single player has some RPG style upgrades gained at intervals throughout the game through completing quests/objectives depending on how RPG or Shooter we want to build the game.  Personally your character will be allowed, let’s say 3 trees of abilities.  One is Psychic Powers, classic light shit on fire with your mind stuff building up to massive warp storm damage type shit.  The second is faith, prayers to the emperor that boost abilities for a short time, give auras of protection, and crap like that.  And third is mutations, start with simple things, altered vision modes super hard skin, these are permanent and can alter how the RPG elements play out, at the higher levels you have horns and breath fire which is pretty bad ass on its own.  But the idea is you mix and match upgrades in a tier system so you can’t be to powerful.  On top of this you add weapon and armor upgrades from poor quality weapons up to full on artificer quality stuff with digital lasers on board.  You buy everything with Requisition gained by completing in game objectives, storyline events, secondary objectives/sidequests, and competing online in Multiplayer.  Basically requisition buys strait out equipment upgrades and ammo or it buys a Character Point spendable in your upgrade tree.  So there is really four main options, All Faithful, All Psychic, All Mutant, or Strait Marine with the 5^th option of mix and match lower tier smorgasbord.  So that’s the game play.

Second we need a damned plot.  Now Dawn of War had a rather predictable but enjoyable plot regarding the machinations of chaos.  Dawn of War 2 was really moby dick in power armor.  Space Marine is really chaos’s version of Punk’d. The villain is Ashton Kocher playing for chaos undivided.  So basically it was dry and lifeless from the start.  Now I’m realistic if Ashton Kocher was in 40k he’d definitely be playing for chaos. I’m not gonna lie chaos is the protagonist… sorry antagonist… slip of the tongue hehee.  Anyway chaos is in here, the names heresy after all.  But it’s not gonna be this obvious.

So we are gonna start with a beautiful cut scene of a bunch of candles.  Pan out to the main character bowed before an imperial shrine in the staff briefing room of a thunderhawk drop ship reciting a prayer to the emperor.  A squad of space marines file in, for practical reasons we are limiting your squad from act one.  You’ll have the grizzled battle veteran we’ll call him Julius, veteran of many battles he’ll give you sound military advice.  Then you’ll have Arthur, the ordnance specialist.  Arthur is also a veteran but he specializes in “Special weapons” like plasma guns and melta bombs.  Next is Cestus, the strong silent type, heavy scars and cybernetic reconstruction leave him totally unvoice acted, I mean mute.  But that’s fine his favorite chain sword does most of his talking.  And last you’ll have Trajian, the newbie.  Just promoted to the veteran company he is only a hundred and fifty, as a result he’s brash and headstrong always suggesting a frontal assault as the most honorable path.

I don’t care what chapter my marines are.  Personally I think choosing ultrasmurfs was a bad idea for Space Marine.  I don’t like smurfs that’s why I call them smurfs and why my blood angels exsanguinate them on sight.  Dawn of War had a better idea, make it custom.  The blood ravens were an awesome introduction and were played perfectly with a richly developed iconography and well done backstory.  Sure they get their homeworld blown up and basically half of them go evil but they were marketed well.  Now if we were going full RPG here I’d suggest before game starts you could forgo the build your own character generator in favor of a “chapter builder” choose color and iconography like dawn of war style to make it more fun for the fluff addicts among us.  Then if you use game rendered cinemas like a lot of these games now do you just stick the color scheme and icons in as appropriate.  If we are leaning towards shooter then any chapter will do but I’d say a custom or lessor developed chapter would be good.  Maybe one of the big named ones that isn’t played up in the game often like Salamanders or White Scars, the choice at this point changes an aesthetic for the marines more than anything else so whatever trips the developers trigger.

The battle brothers wait for the end of the prayers and then begin a briefing.  The first briefing is about the tutorial part 1.  Basically your strike force has been deployed to fight… “insert 40k enemy here” I’d probably go with tyranids.  I like the nids and classic genestealer versus marines would start the game with a horror pace which would be awesome. The mission brief is your game hub where you decide what missions to do.  At first its only one mission but you’ll get more options here later.   The briefings would introduce the character personalities as the game gives you the option of what to do.  In the first one your mission is to extract some important people from a jungle death world that’s being overrun.  Trajian of course suggests landing on the research facility’s gantry,  Arthur suggests using defoliant weapons on the jungle first, and Cestus just polishes his chain sword.  Julius suggests a daring decent via Jump packs and a hike through the jungle to the facility followed by an exit through the roof of the facility’s main command tower.  All this is meant to set up the dynamics of the group and choose your starting load out.

My basic idea is simple, you keep what you kill.  Your party will have the option to pickup equipment in game and return to the ship with it.  Once you complete a mission with equipment it appears in your inventory and you can buy upgrades, ammo, etc for it. Till then you’re out of luck.  So to start you choose, Daring landing pad raid and you get classic tactical marine load out. As defoliator you get slow and purposeful terminator armor with flamers and storm bolters. And before anyone cries about game balance I’d set up termi armor with some drawbacks, no running or jumping for one, probably no duck either so while tactical marines can go prone the termi’s just have to take gun fire.  Also a lot of weapons wouldn’t work with termi armor so there.  Lastly you’d go jump pack as assault marines with Bolt Pistol and CCW.  Sergeant would have a power sword by default and Arthur a Plasma pistol.

First play through you’d go Jump pack decent by default unless you opt out of the “Tutorial” mode.  But basic idea is you footslog through the jungle fighting predators and carnivorous plants as a tutorial followed by part 2 maybe 3 being added levels of real game play.  After you enter the deserted facility you start getting into real gamer fun.  Most of the science teams and general squishes are dead ala Doom style body shredding.  You get a signal from a survivor deep in a sublevel and proceed through some puzzling maze like corridors down into the structure while being attacked by genestealers, gaunts, and whatever else we feel like tossing at you.  Just for the hell of it the station’s machine spirits are going crazy and autoturrets try to kill you too.  Finally you get into the facility’s last secure lab and find an ordo xeno’s inquisitor we’ll call Andureal.  Inquisitor Andureal, a Jokuro scientist, and his guard staff of female inquisitorial storm troopers code named “Squadron Valkyr” are all that’s left of the station personnel.  You extract them through the station’s secure containment tunnels to the command tower only to have Mawloc or some similar Nid monster knock it down.  You regroup with some losses to Valkyr and battle instead to the landing pad where the thunderhawk awaits with the rest of your strike force.  But the inquisitor orders the group to abandon the planet which you dutifully do.

Onboard the ship the Inquisitor officially demands the Astartes’ assistance with resolving an urgent matter.  Though he won’t explain he insists there is an urgent matter you must help with. Then orders you to make course for a highly populated hive world.  At this point you can free roam a bit.  Talk to the other marines for advice, the jokuro is your weapon upgrade mechanic.  The Valkyr’s chief of staff should be a sassy little tough as nails officer that reports to the Inquisitor.  You’ll also have an Apothecary on board for medical stuff, maybe a librarian and a techmarine as upgrade mechanics or supply options.  Not sure.  Along with your squad you’ll have a few other marine squads on the thunderhawk.  Maybe 30 people in total, counting the survivors let’s say 50 tight fit for the time being.   All in all in all you get some interactions and some back story, not full RPG stuff more like the hubs in Star Craft 2, if we are really clever you could do a mechanic where the librarian records you’re great deeds and can do instant replays or maybe have the other squads talk about how amazingly you kill things in the name of the emperor.  And one of the valkyr’s could say “I used to be space marine like you then I took a bolter round in the knee.” You know fun stuff like that.

The inquisitor lands you on an industrial hive world where your first task is to find a scientist who hid something stolen from someplace.  What follows is a fun and unique interaction with the 40k universe.  Space marines are gods among men in 40k and here they dine to walk amongst the populous. The common people bow to you, crowds part as you walk, if you stop to talk to a merchant he humbly offers you his wares for free though they never have anything useful.  The hive market becomes your hub.  By talking to the commoners you learn of their troubles.  A growing gang population, brutal totalitarian government, mass disappearances, and run amuck robot maniples.  The list goes on.  You have the option to dispatch your squad to deal with these issues in an attempt to possibly find your wayward scientists.  Depending on the missions you take you’ll get certain equipment and certain equipment will be needed for certain jobs.  But that’s all part of the RPG elements.  Each mission is a map you go to and fight your way through, completing objectives and collect equipment from. You’ll also have the option to dispatch some other marine squads to deal with a mission, by doing so you get a piece of looted equipment but no requisition or other rewards of game play.  Depending on the depth of the RPG/RTS influence you might also lose marines from the squad you send eventually running out of subordinates.  You’ll be limited to doing say 3 of the dozen missions yourself before the story mode triggers.

Finally the scientist reveals himself but you are cut off by gangers before you can capture the scientist.  You fight your way to the Gangers headquarters where you confront the scientist.  He reveals the object he stole was taken by the aristocrats but he isn’t sure who but they have ties to the Spyer Arena and the gangers.  In order to find the object without alerting the aristocrats you remove your armor disguising yourself as gladiators you enter the spyer arena battles to find information.  You fight your way through the arena gladiators interrogating your opponents between battles looking for clues as to who has the object.  In the final battle you beat down the gladiator champion and confront the arena’s adjutant as the artifact’s possessor.  But the adjutant releases an army of cybernetic abominations on the arena, you and its spectators.  The gangers wisk the adjutant away deep into the under city.

From here you return to the thunderhawk.  You’re presented with several tactical battle scenarios.  These include things like evacuating civilians to safety, retaking key structures like comms control and water recycling.  Or maybe just good old fashioned hold the line against waves of cybernatically enhanced abominations made from kidnapped civilians.  Once more you can do 3 of them personally and a small number of squad assignments to your allied Astartes.  As you are doing this if you are talking to people your officers will be giving you advice and talking about past campaigns or 40k story points. You could also tie multiplayer in here, you could do a bunch of multiplayer maps alongside the 3 single maps to get requisition and upgrades.  Maybe even use requisition to upgrade your allied astartes if you want not sure I think this mostly would depend on developer time needed to impliment.

Eventually the main story progresses.  After tactically retaking key facilities your squad strikes into the undercity to fight the gangers.  At first you battle through gangers with their legions of cybernetically enhanced minions. However it turns more evil over time. The Cybernetic minions give way to mutant abominations and chaos taint creeps into the gangs.  Finally you fight into the bowels of the city and finally confront the adjutant to find him a monstrous demonic half serpent amidst a horror show mad scientist laboratory. A massive boss battle ensues and you kill him but just barely. Finding the artifact is a large archiotech box like device about the size of a devastator marine’s back pack.  Collecting it you find the mutated gangers are going insane without the demonic influence of the adjutant to guide them.  Together you and your squad fights towards the surface.  As you go the spyer is wracked with explosions as the cyborgs and mutants destroy supports and power systems.  You reach the upper levels through force of arms and there on the platform beside the thunderhawk you face down a demon engine built form countless civilians sewn together and fueled by their dyeing breaths.  In a valiant effort your marines turn their weapons on the thing as the thunderhawk lifts off but the monster’s pincing claws grasp at the vessel and to save them all Cestus hurls himself from the open bay doors into the creature’s face sawing it to pieces, buying time to escape.  As you ascend the hive explodes as the mutants detonate the nuclear reactors destroying themselves and any unfortunate enough to survive.

The thunderhawk, your surviving crew aboard along with the surviving valkyrs and the inquisitor ascend into space where they dock with a giant space station known as the Skysprawl Citadel.  A vast ship yard in orbit around the planet.  Upon arrival you discover dark machinations afoot here as well.  Strange carvings have been found throughout the station depicting an evil pyramid and the demon named Helldrian.  Arbites enforcers patrol the station at all hours in response to rioting.  Brutal serial killings have been occurring.  What’s worse is the mutants and cyborgs have been smuggled on board the station which is threatening the lives of all aboard as they go crazy.  Here again you get the option to walk amongst the people. Different groups have their own motivations and will push you to do their missions. Arbites want the riot inciters caught and murders stopped, station officials want the mutants and cyborgs put down before they do damage, and of course the inquisitor and the valkyrs want the taint of chaos purged from the station before the situation disintegrates totally.  You’ll collect missions from multiple sources, you can do 3 again yourself, a small number of ordered missions for your surviving allies, and a bunch of multiplayer missions.

When the story mode picks up it’s a confrontation between yourself and the inquisitor. You insist on requesting backup from the Astartes but Andureal has ordered the mechanicus on Skysprawl to disable all transmitters and the telepaths have been sequestered by the Valkyrs.  Suspicion is rampant and the station’s population erupts into riots.  The Arbites stretched thin already are pushed to their breaking point and mutants slip through damaging the station’s orbital control systems during the riot you are forced to put down.  The station begins to fall into the atmosphere and break apart.  Your squad fights its way through the habitation section into the science labs in an attempt to reach the thunderhawk.  Once more a race against time you are forced to disable parts of the station’s security to get where you need to be while fighting off rioting civilians, mindless cyborg killing machines, and horrid mutant scum.  Finally you reach the secure facility the inquisitor had requisitioned but it’s been over run.  You find that before being taking by the mutants the artifact had been opened.  There in the facility’s house of horror, among the corpses of the techmagos’s assistants you find a young girl in strange attire.  With little time to think you gun down the mutants that are about to kill her and drag her away with you pushing her into julius’s arms and tell him to protect her.  You battle through the station’s remaining corridors to the thunderhawk.  But as you enter the docking bay from a gantry at the top you find that the station’s docking arm is locked on the thunderhawk and can’t be disabled now the station’s power is failing.  As the station’s docking bay buckles and begins to decompress, Arthur wishes you farewell and jumps onto the docking arm from the gantry holding on for dear life he overloads his plasma gun melting the thing in half.  Your dwindling crew drops onto the pack of the thunderhawk and rushes through the nearest hatch to safety as the station breaks apart in flames.

Onboard the Thunderhawk your surviving crew has shrunk greatly.  The inquisitor and the valkyrs are missing.  Your informed by the pilot that the valkyr comms chatter indicated they and the inquisitor commandeered a frigate from the ship yards and headed towards a planet named Caldera via the immaterium. You order a pursuit course.  In the briefing room the woman, named Helen reveals herself to be a psyker.  She was put into dimensional stasis by researchers millennia before the imperium came to be so that she could be studied.  Her power gives her foresight but also drains her life.  She claims that the inquisitor was drawn to evil by the temptations of his lieutenant, the leader of the Valkyr.  Julius recommends they overtake the Frigate in the warp if possible.  With the intention of doing just that they head in pursuit.

Through a trick of the warp they unfortunately arrive in the Caldera system weeks after the inquisitor.  They find the frigate and board by force.  Again you are presented with missions, this time making tactical decisions to take the ship sending yourself or the small number of remaining allied squads to take key objectives such as seizing the engine room, isolating crew quarters, life support, primary guns, and so on.  On board you find mutant imperial navy solders driven onward by monstrous demonic valkyrs tainted by the touch of slaanesh.  Their twisted wings and snake like lower bodies betray their allegiance all to well.  Once you’ve done your 3 missions you’ll discover an opening to seize the bridge.   A week Helen carried by Julius warns that the Inquisitor has fled the ship but the bridge will lead you to his ultimate location and your final confrontation with him.  So you battle up through the bowels of the ship to the bridge and confront an even more mutated Valkyr on the bridge.  After a protracted battle she is slain.  The bridge log indicates an lander was deployed to a small facility on the surface of the otherwise lifeless rock of a planet.  The thunderhawk is deployed to the same location.

Arriving you find an abandoned archeological dig.  The Valkyrs have slaughtered through the station crew and demons freely walk its halls.  Your survivors follow you through the station battling through the seekers to reach a chamber deep under the facility.  There a strange demonic pyramid awaits, flanked by monoliths and a great stone alter atop a dias at its front.  Lashed to a monolith at the dais’ landing is the inquisitor.  The lieutenant waits patiently as you approach battling down from the chamber’s edge and up the pyramid’s long steps through her demonic soldiers.  Then as you reach the dias to confront the valkyr turned daemon Julius draws his combat knife and drives it through Helen’s heart hurling her into the alter. The lieutenant laughs as you battle your possessed friend as the dias, pyramid, and monoliths begin to first glow then crack apart.  The dias snaps in two and drops several hundred feet before stopping, the alter, now far above glows like a sick green sun.  Andureal freed by the fall beheads Julius with a discarded chainsword as he is about to strike you down.  Crippled, bleeding, and broken Andureal pushes you back up the cavern slope.

You retreat through the crumbling station at last reaching the thunderhawk.  There you take off towards the frigate.  A parting shot of the planet shows the volcanic shelf has crumbled to reveal the pyramid is just one part of a massive construct. The pyramid is held aloft by a strange coiled serpent creature much like the valkyrs, this one colossal in size with a dozen limbs.  The coils glow now and begin to undulate flaking stone off as it returns to life.  Back on the frigate’s bridge the dying inquisitor reveals that he discovered from the scrawled text of the mad cultists on Skysprawl that Helen was the trapped soul of the deamon Heldrian the Siren of Slanesh.  He couldn’t be sure who her power had infected as her very voice could drive mortals mad.  So he intended to abandon her on Skysprawl and come here to destroy the temple that acted as the focus of Heldrian’s summoning.  He believed the ancients had given Heldrian a mortal form and trapped her in stasis. Now that her soul and were once again united her siren call would be a psykic beacon to rival the Astronomicon.  After a short debate he agrees that shattering the pyramid before Heldrian awakens might stop the resurrection.  All agreeing Trajan rushes to the engine room while you operate the ship’s guns. Hurling everything into the giant statue the ship hurtles through the atmosphere a blazing red spear against the nimbus of glowing green stone.  The cinematic climaxes with the imperial eagle emblazoned on the frigate’s prow splintering the pyramids surface and the planet cracking in two.

Roll credits.

After the credits a short cinematic would depict a rogue trader crew sifting through asteroid debris.  Finding the frozen body of a human girl embedded in the stone. And then cut to black.

That’s a 40k Game… Hope someone took notes.