Poll: Favorite Warhammer 40k faction?

nomotog_v1legacy

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Silentpony said:
nomotog said:
Silentpony said:
Here Comes Tomorrow said:
Tau when they came out used to be the good guys, but they've since been retconned to all be under the hormonal control of Futurama brain slugs. Apparently Ethereals have slugs that have basically eaten their brains and release a hormone to control the Tau, and all the other races, including humans, that have sided with them.

I would say Salamanders, but they really enjoy setting people on fire. I guess the Orks are the least morally dubious. They're honest, straight forward, fair and believe in a simple all encompassing philosophy: Green is best.
They weren't actually re-cannoned to that, but so many of the fans think that it might as well be cannon. Recently they have actually been Re-cannon nicer, but only in farsight armies. (Basically they suffered from the same thing that happened to the IoM.)
Actually its pretty canon, because it comes from Xenology

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Xenology

Its 10 years old, but the books says the Mechanicus believe pheromones controls the tau, and that each Ethereal dissected had dead worms in their brains.

Now, that makes the info 2+ codex out of date, but its not specifically being countered yet.

But who the fuck knows?! Its 40k. Literally everything is considered propaganda by the Inquisition.

and aren't the Farsights dead?
Xenology may never have been true from the start given that the writer was mad by the end. I always took the mind control theory as a joke in the setting. The IoM just can't figure out how a society could exist without brutal opression so they make up all kinds of crazy theories about how. (Though ya 40k cannon is so messy, I actually consider fan cannon just as valid because a fan will at least not contradict everything.)

According to the newest fluff. Farsight is alive (they aren't just someone new with the same name.) Basically their sword extends their life every time they kill someone. (I rather liked the idea that it's a title, but I tend to dislike most of the new farsight fluff. They made him into the good tau. I liked him better as the bad tau.)
 

Hawki

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bastardofmelbourne said:
Hawki said:
Um...none? I mean, aren't they all terrible?
Well, yeah. What we wanna know is your favourite flavour of terror.
As I said above, the Imperium, for the reasons I gave.

As per said reasons, it's also hard for me to really 'like' (in the conventional sense) any of the 40K factions, or really the setting itself that much. Even Warhammer Fantasy Battle, while not really having any one "good" faction, felt a bit more nuanced in its levels of morality. The Dark Elves are sadists, but have an understandable gripe with the High Elves over Malekeith's claim to the throne. The Empire isn't that nice a place, but it can still operate with civility in regards to other nations/cultures. The High Elves and Dwarfs are arrogant, but can still be reasonable, and so on. In 40K however, it's a galaxy of arseholes, because if you're not an arsehole, you're as good as dead.
 

nomotog_v1legacy

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Here Comes Tomorrow said:
The question wasn't "who are the good guys".

My vote is for the Tyranids. Mainly because they're the most alien faction, also because they look cool. Also I like the idea that they're a scary unknowable enemy that has no motivation other than to eat everything. There's no ego or politics involved, they just want to eat everything. Also they'll win in the end.

I have a 10,000 pts Tyranid army that never sees the table because 40k is terrible now and the Tyranid codex is bland dogshit. Though the new Genestealer Cult stuff being released is literally the best thing GW has put out in nearly 10 years and is strongly tempting me.
I both hate and love the Tyranids. Concept, I love it. The model designs, I hate them. Why do they carry guns! Oh why why why. This is the one place where I think blizzard did it better then GW. The zerg are just better all around.
 

bastardofmelbourne

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nomotog said:
I both hate and love the Tyranids. Concept, I love it. The model designs, I hate them. Why do they carry guns! Oh why why why. This is the one place where I think blizzard did it better then GW. The zerg are just better all around.
Mmmmm...nah. Tyranids still beat Zerg.

Tyranids have Genestealers and Old One Eye. The Zerg just have Sarah Kerrigan and plagiarism.
 

nomotog_v1legacy

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bastardofmelbourne said:
nomotog said:
I both hate and love the Tyranids. Concept, I love it. The model designs, I hate them. Why do they carry guns! Oh why why why. This is the one place where I think blizzard did it better then GW. The zerg are just better all around.
Mmmmm...nah. Tyranids still beat Zerg.

Tyranids have Genestealers and Old One Eye. The Zerg just have Sarah Kerrigan and plagiarism.
OK you got me on kerrigan, but I hate about a good 10% of all the nid models. (10% of each model not 10% of the models.)
 

SweetShark

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Grey Knights!!!

Because you need them to so a REAL heresy cleaning around the galazy!!
Also of course they are badasses.
 

Here Comes Tomorrow

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nomotog said:
Here Comes Tomorrow said:
The question wasn't "who are the good guys".

My vote is for the Tyranids. Mainly because they're the most alien faction, also because they look cool. Also I like the idea that they're a scary unknowable enemy that has no motivation other than to eat everything. There's no ego or politics involved, they just want to eat everything. Also they'll win in the end.

I have a 10,000 pts Tyranid army that never sees the table because 40k is terrible now and the Tyranid codex is bland dogshit. Though the new Genestealer Cult stuff being released is literally the best thing GW has put out in nearly 10 years and is strongly tempting me.
I both hate and love the Tyranids. Concept, I love it. The model designs, I hate them. Why do they carry guns! Oh why why why. This is the one place where I think blizzard did it better then GW. The zerg are just better all around.
They carry guns because they evolved that way to fight against the galaxies enemies.

Their whole thing is genetically tailoring themselves in order to be more efficiant at eating stuff. There's nothing efficiant about running at dudes with your really long finger nails when your opponent has a semi-automatic missile launcher.
 

Hawki

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bastardofmelbourne said:
nomotog said:
I both hate and love the Tyranids. Concept, I love it. The model designs, I hate them. Why do they carry guns! Oh why why why. This is the one place where I think blizzard did it better then GW. The zerg are just better all around.
Mmmmm...nah. Tyranids still beat Zerg.

Tyranids have Genestealers and Old One Eye. The Zerg just have Sarah Kerrigan and plagiarism.
Let's see...the tyranids are an amalgamation of the "bug species" trope, which dates back at least as far as Starship Troopers, who looked more like dinosaurs until third edition, whose archatypes are a mix of Starship Troopers and Aliens (genestealers), in a setting that borrows liberally from Dune, Foundation, Judge Dredd, and Warhammer Fantasy, which is based on tropes that Tolkein introduced with a touch of Lovecraft.

It's fair to say the zerg were inspired by the tyranids as well as other sources (e.g. Aliens), but saying they're "plagarized" is the pot calling the kettle black. Not to mention that this is Games Workshop, who tried to copyright the word "Space Marine."
 

nomotog_v1legacy

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Here Comes Tomorrow said:
nomotog said:
Here Comes Tomorrow said:
The question wasn't "who are the good guys".

My vote is for the Tyranids. Mainly because they're the most alien faction, also because they look cool. Also I like the idea that they're a scary unknowable enemy that has no motivation other than to eat everything. There's no ego or politics involved, they just want to eat everything. Also they'll win in the end.

I have a 10,000 pts Tyranid army that never sees the table because 40k is terrible now and the Tyranid codex is bland dogshit. Though the new Genestealer Cult stuff being released is literally the best thing GW has put out in nearly 10 years and is strongly tempting me.
I both hate and love the Tyranids. Concept, I love it. The model designs, I hate them. Why do they carry guns! Oh why why why. This is the one place where I think blizzard did it better then GW. The zerg are just better all around.
They carry guns because they evolved that way to fight against the galaxies enemies.

Their whole thing is genetically tailoring themselves in order to be more efficiant at eating stuff. There's nothing efficiant about running at dudes with your really long finger nails when your opponent has a semi-automatic missile launcher.
90% of the fractions use melee as a primary weapon. In 40k, charging at your enemies with really long finger nails is totally a thing armies do.

When it comes to range, they didn't need to make there range attacks actual guns though. Make them look like weapons you would find on a creature. Quills, fire breath, ect ect.
 

Here Comes Tomorrow

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nomotog said:
Here Comes Tomorrow said:
nomotog said:
Here Comes Tomorrow said:
The question wasn't "who are the good guys".

My vote is for the Tyranids. Mainly because they're the most alien faction, also because they look cool. Also I like the idea that they're a scary unknowable enemy that has no motivation other than to eat everything. There's no ego or politics involved, they just want to eat everything. Also they'll win in the end.

I have a 10,000 pts Tyranid army that never sees the table because 40k is terrible now and the Tyranid codex is bland dogshit. Though the new Genestealer Cult stuff being released is literally the best thing GW has put out in nearly 10 years and is strongly tempting me.
I both hate and love the Tyranids. Concept, I love it. The model designs, I hate them. Why do they carry guns! Oh why why why. This is the one place where I think blizzard did it better then GW. The zerg are just better all around.
They carry guns because they evolved that way to fight against the galaxies enemies.

Their whole thing is genetically tailoring themselves in order to be more efficiant at eating stuff. There's nothing efficiant about running at dudes with your really long finger nails when your opponent has a semi-automatic missile launcher.
90% of the fractions use melee as a primary weapon. In 40k, charging at your enemies with really long finger nails is totally a thing armies do.
This isn't actually true, it was a focus in the actual game for a long time because melee was objectivly more powerful than shooting because you could generate more attacks in melee than you could by shooting. For example, 20 hormogaunts with the Adrenal Glands (IIRC) on the charge in 5th Editon would generate 80 attacks in close combat vs 20 space marines with bolters generating 20 ranged shots with Rapid Fire. Thats changed in 7th though and melee is poop now apparently.

Also, 40k's warfare is totally done at range. The problem is Space Marines skewing the interpretation of how war is fought. Marines are a shock army. They run into your face so you can't shoot them without hitting your own army and mash you up good.

Tau, Necrons, Imperial Guard and AdMech all strongly favor range and aside from Necrons have almost no close combat abilities at all. Orks and Eldar are more combined arms factions and Tyranids are Tyranids and have all kinds of shit going on.

Space Marinea just skew everything because they're poster boys and between them and Chaos make up 50% of the factions.

When it comes to range, they didn't need to make there range attacks actual guns though. Make them look like weapons you would find on a creature. Quills, fire breath, ect ect.
Some of their ranged attacks are. The basis of symbiote weapons is probably because the weapons are much less taxing on resources to make and more versitile.

Its going to use less biomass to make a simple fungus that fires mindless beetles and graft it onto a tyranids arm, than to make a whole tyranid specifically for making that one type of attack. It also allows for more variations of ranged attacks.
 

TheMysteriousGX

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Pre-Wardian Blood Angels, the older the better.

Pre-Wardian Sister were pretty cool too. And the third edition Guard book painted cool version of the Imperial Guard which meshed well with the Ciaphus Cain novels, but otherwise the Guard has crap fluff.
 

nomotog_v1legacy

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Here Comes Tomorrow said:
nomotog said:
Here Comes Tomorrow said:
nomotog said:
Here Comes Tomorrow said:
The question wasn't "who are the good guys".

My vote is for the Tyranids. Mainly because they're the most alien faction, also because they look cool. Also I like the idea that they're a scary unknowable enemy that has no motivation other than to eat everything. There's no ego or politics involved, they just want to eat everything. Also they'll win in the end.

I have a 10,000 pts Tyranid army that never sees the table because 40k is terrible now and the Tyranid codex is bland dogshit. Though the new Genestealer Cult stuff being released is literally the best thing GW has put out in nearly 10 years and is strongly tempting me.
I both hate and love the Tyranids. Concept, I love it. The model designs, I hate them. Why do they carry guns! Oh why why why. This is the one place where I think blizzard did it better then GW. The zerg are just better all around.
They carry guns because they evolved that way to fight against the galaxies enemies.

Their whole thing is genetically tailoring themselves in order to be more efficiant at eating stuff. There's nothing efficiant about running at dudes with your really long finger nails when your opponent has a semi-automatic missile launcher.
90% of the fractions use melee as a primary weapon. In 40k, charging at your enemies with really long finger nails is totally a thing armies do.
This isn't actually true, it was a focus in the actual game for a long time because melee was objectivly more powerful than shooting because you could generate more attacks in melee than you could by shooting. For example, 20 hormogaunts with the Adrenal Glands (IIRC) on the charge in 5th Editon would generate 80 attacks in close combat vs 20 space marines with bolters generating 20 ranged shots with Rapid Fire. Thats changed in 7th though and melee is poop now apparently.

Also, 40k's warfare is totally done at range. The problem is Space Marines skewing the interpretation of how war is fought. Marines are a shock army. They run into your face so you can't shoot them without hitting your own army and mash you up good.

Tau, Necrons, Imperial Guard and AdMech all strongly favor range and aside from Necrons have almost no close combat abilities at all. Orks and Eldar are more combined arms factions and Tyranids are Tyranids and have all kinds of shit going on.

Space Marinea just skew everything because they're poster boys and between them and Chaos make up 50% of the factions.

When it comes to range, they didn't need to make there range attacks actual guns though. Make them look like weapons you would find on a creature. Quills, fire breath, ect ect.
Some of their ranged attacks are. The basis of symbiote weapons is probably because the weapons are much less taxing on resources to make and more versitile.

Its going to use less biomass to make a simple fungus that fires mindless beetles and graft it onto a tyranids arm, than to make a whole tyranid specifically for making that one type of attack. It also allows for more variations of ranged attacks.
Even if you wanted to do symbiotes (and don't even get me started on the energy black hole that is nid biomass. It so could not work how they describe it.) There is still no reason they need to look like guns. You can have symbiotes that look like creature parts, or really anything.
 

WindKnight

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Hawki said:
Eldar are gits - they're no better than the Imperium, they just lack the means to be as destructive. And the Dark Eldar are a race of sadists.

The Tau Empire have the whole 'holier than thou' thing going on, and are like the Imperium as well, only less blatant in their expansionistic tendencies. Oh, and the necrons also want to rule the galaxy...or something...I prefer old necron lore. :(
Eldar used to come off as kinda the world weary guardians of order. Seriously, a lot of the 2nd ed fluff can be read as:

Eldar: Stupid humans, Don't do that! If you stick your dick in the obviously evil altar it will kill you and unleash HELL ON THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!
Human: Make me, you pointy eared bastard. (cocks lasgun while trying to hump obviously evil altar)
Eldar: (sighs and cocks shuriken catapult)

Until they realised this made eldar more popular than the imperium and retconned into 'yeah, let's alter the course of events so the entire population of a human planet gets slaughtered to avoid us being slightly inconvenienced.'

And Tau may want an empire, but they at least want other races to be part of that empire, instead of wanting to kill everyone not them.
 

Samtemdo8_v1legacy

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altnameJag said:
Pre-Wardian Blood Angels, the older the better.

Pre-Wardian Sister were pretty cool too. And the third edition Guard book painted cool version of the Imperial Guard which meshed well with the Ciaphus Cain novels, but otherwise the Guard has crap fluff.
Pre Wardian?
 

Hawki

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Samtemdo8 said:
altnameJag said:
Pre-Wardian Blood Angels, the older the better.

Pre-Wardian Sister were pretty cool too. And the third edition Guard book painted cool version of the Imperial Guard which meshed well with the Ciaphus Cain novels, but otherwise the Guard has crap fluff.
Pre Wardian?
Matt Ward. I've heard his name come up a few times, but I'm not in the loop anymore. Then again, he did kind of 'de-fang' the necrons, so that's one gripe I have against him.
 

Samtemdo8_v1legacy

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Silentpony said:
Samtemdo8 said:
Yes, but fantasy orks don't hold a candle to 40k Orks. I feel like they've lost the 'fun' part of the Orks in Fantasy, especially with Age of Sigmar. They're no longer football hooligans on a drunk rampage in a foreign city. Now they're just hairless gorillas that like killing things, but don't seem to have fun doing it. Like a spider i guess. Murderous and all, no joy.

Here Comes Tomorrow said:
Tau when they came out used to be the good guys, but they've since been retconned to all be under the hormonal control of Futurama brain slugs. Apparently Ethereals have slugs that have basically eaten their brains and release a hormone to control the Tau, and all the other races, including humans, that have sided with them.

I would say Salamanders, but they really enjoy setting people on fire. I guess the Orks are the least morally dubious. They're honest, straight forward, fair and believe in a simple all encompassing philosophy: Green is best.
I don't know Grimgor seems to enjoy his battles:

 

Samtemdo8_v1legacy

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Hawki said:
Samtemdo8 said:
altnameJag said:
Pre-Wardian Blood Angels, the older the better.

Pre-Wardian Sister were pretty cool too. And the third edition Guard book painted cool version of the Imperial Guard which meshed well with the Ciaphus Cain novels, but otherwise the Guard has crap fluff.
Pre Wardian?
Matt Ward. I've heard his name come up a few times, but I'm not in the loop anymore. Then again, he did kind of 'de-fang' the necrons, so that's one gripe I have against him.
Damn you work fast O_O

But what is Matt Ward's greatest sins that deserves that term "Pre-Wardian" and is said with fondness?
 

Hawki

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Samtemdo8 said:
Damn you work fast O_O

But what is Matt Ward's greatest sins that deserves that term "Pre-Wardian" and is said with fondness?
I was quoted, responded, saw your post, responded again. It's more coincidence than me having a hyperactive work ethic.

But I can't say - like I said, I don't really keep up with 40K much these days, only that I've seen Matt Ward's name tossed around in a less than flattering way more than once.
 

TheMysteriousGX

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Samtemdo8 said:
But what is Matt Ward's greatest sins that deserves that term "Pre-Wardian" and is said with fondness?
Oh boy, I haven't been able to go on this rant in awhile:

I can't remember which edition it was, exactly, but Matt Ward was popular for writing codex years ago, mostly for crunch reasons. Unfortunately, he got to write fluff too. Examples:

First, he added a zero to just about every number in the Blood Angels fluff, which leads to your average Blood Angel being something like 700 years old and Dante, their leader, being only the third chapter master they ever had, the first two being the guy who founded the order and a dude who went crazy. Not bad for covering some 10,000 years of time. Then, Space Marines got access to revolutionary new tech that somehow was also 10,000 years old and was just, I dunno, not mentioned anywhere before hand ever. Then the story where the Blood Angels teamed up with Necrons, a.k.a. Lovecraftian Space Skynet, to beat up some Tyrannids. After the battle the two sides, mortal enemies by definition, just kinda parted ways. But it's okay, because contrary to all previous lore, Necrons went from being Lovecraftian Space Skynet to Space Tomb Kings from GW's Warhammer Fantasy line, so there's that.

But the real kicker, the epitome of shit writing, was the time the Grey Knights, most strong willed of all Space Marines, expert daemon hunters all, pulped some space nuns to cover themselves with their pure blood so they could sneak up on some blood-and-violence-powered daemons and shank them. See, said space nuns had been holding off said daemons while the daemons had this magic blood that made people who touch it go blasphemously berserk. A clever writer could've insinuated that the Grey Knights had been in contact with the magic blood and had unknowingly fallen under the sway of the blood daemons, showing that no matter who you are, nobody is incorruptible.

Matt Ward is not clever. So instead, surviving members of GW's single female faction comprising 99% of the female models in 40k; after holding their own against unimaginable horror; pure of spirit, body, and will; meekly submitted being turned into body paint. So that, bathed in the blood of the pure, the good guys could stab a daemon who loves when people spill the blood of the pure. And the good guys doing so was a noble sacrifice and a totally kosher thing to do.

It's stupid on every conceivable level.

And that's a small sample of some of the sins of Matt Ward.