Introduction to the Magma Lords - Colors

So, as a writer, I find that any 40k army that you're truly passionate about should have some sort of background; it should never just puff out of thin air and be 100% ready for combat. Personally, I like an army with character and with a history. Therefore, when I was coming up with a color scheme, I chose to create something completely original. This gives me more flexibility to have fun with the army's back story and not have to conform to a cookie-cutter format that already exists. Thus, I "founded" the Magma Lords Chapter.

My initial reason to create the Magma Lords was because I really wanted to use the Vulkan He'stan model in my games (twin-linked flamers and meltas? That's a no-brainer!). I decided to make a lost founding of the Salamanders so that I could use Vulkan. But of course, I also wanted more than just the fact that they were descendents of the Salamanders. I wanted my chapter to have an original armor color, personalized models, and a lot more background.

Let's start with the armor. After deciding to redo my White Scars (I scrapped them since I had absolutely no bikes), I initially thought I'd go with the Sable Swords. "Who??" Exactly. A chapter that had an existing history in the game, but a very, very minimal one. I thought I could play around with them, but I didn't get very far. Soon, ADD/boredom took hold of my paintbrush and I made the shoulder trim and knee pads red but keeping the majority of the armor black. Then I realized that not all of my models had separate knee plates. So then I made the entire lower legs and feet red, too. And that's pretty much how we got to this:

It's basic, but effective, I think.

Next will be the personalized models and back story!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog "Magma Lord"! This is what I'm planning to use as an outlet for two of my main hobbies: creative writing and Warhammer 40,000. Those of you who are not familiar with the latter, well, let me just say that its a complex hobby. It involves table top gaming, model building and painting, and a plethora of fictional history. (I think that the creative writing part is pretty self-explanatory, so I'm gonna focus this intro post on 40k).

Warhammer is a table-top, strategy game set in the 41st Millennium. To give a frame of reference as to when this fictional universe is set, think of this: a millennium is 1,000 years. Therefore, we have just begun the 3rd millennium. This game - hence the name 40,000 - is set in the 41st millennium.

For game set up, modular terrain is placed on the table - typically 6ft. by 4ft. Terrain can be anything from a ruined building, to a copse of trees, to a hill. What's more, you can have as much terrain as you like, whether that's a small city sector, to a sparsely covered farmland. It's really a matter of preference and availability, but the more terrain the better. After all, the terrain is there to provide cover for the most important aspect of the game: your "army".

Warhammer is not just about creating pretty little dioramas. No, it is a game in which the players control two armies as they try to crush their opponent on the bloody field of battle. Therefore, the most important part of the game is your army. Games-Workshop, the company that created Warhammer, has also created a vastly detailed universe in which the game is set. I will now briefly summarize the majority of the playable armies in 40k.

Humans: Mankind is at the peak of its empire. The Imperium of Man is composed of xenophobic humans, who will put whole worlds to the torch to prevent the spread of enemy alien races. At the head of the Imperium is the Emperor of Mankind, a divine individual thousands of years old who, though dead in body, conducts humanity's wars with his supreme psychic power. The playable armies of mankind are as follows:

1. Space Marines: Genetically modified, super-human warriors, the Space Marines are humanity's chief defenders. They are warriors unparalleled in battle and who exist solely for war.


2. The Imperial Guard: The most numerous force at humanity's disposal, the Imperial Guard are the backbone of the Imperium's armies, made up of legions upon legions of human soldiers.


3. The Inquisition: Mankind has been formed into a religious empire. The soldiers of the Imperium border on zealots, some fighting with such fanaticism that they may seem gripped by madness. However, not all humans agree that the Emperor of mankind is worth dying for. This is where the Inquisition comes in. The Inquisition is the Imperial force that deals with heretics, renegades, and traitors. The Inquisition will stop at nothing to purge the galaxy of the alien and heretical filth that corrupts and infests the Imperium.

Xenos: Humans are not alone in the galaxy. There are aliens all around, and all are enemies of mankind. The diverse array of playable alien races are as follows:

1. Orks: Vicious and brutal, Orks are a race of aliens that live on and for war and war alone. Though they seem crude, their armies, known as Waaaghs, are massive hordes of green-skinned aliens armed with whatever weapons they can find, steal, or make. They are a plague on the entire galaxy, and as long as there is war (which they can certainly make plenty of by themselves), there will be Orks. As a whole, Orks' fighting style is brutish and simple: charge straight for the enemy and kill him, no matter what it takes.


2. Craftworld Eldar (or simply "Eldar"): Enigmatic and ancient, the Eldar are a shadow of the great empire they once ruled. They once had the galaxy as their plaything, but after apocalyptic events, they are reduced to a ghost of their former glory. They fight preferring stealth and trickery over brute strength


3. Dark Eldar: The depraved and sadistic cousins of the Eldar, the Dark Eldar are a sect of the Eldar that concealed themselves in another dimension to escape the apocalyptic fall of the Eldar Empire. They survive by feeding off of the souls and suffering of their enslaved prisoners. Dark Eldar are a race of self-centered pirates that care not for the fates of others. Their style of fighting is that of furious speed and hit-and-run tactics.


4. Tyranids: A super-predator species of aliens, the Tyranids are also known as "The Great Devourer". Humans first made contact with Tyranids in the Eastern fringe of the galaxy, suggesting that they are a nomadic race that came to this galaxy in search of fresh prey. Tyranids will invade a planet in their trillions, stripping it of all life. Once a planet has been entirely consumed of organic material, the Tyranids hurl themselves into digestive pools to be reabsorbed by the hive ships where the new organic matter will be used to create more Tyranids.


5. Tau: The young Tau Empire is the fastest developing civilization, and their success and technology is no small amount of proof. They fight for what they call the "Greater Good", trying to unify the galaxy under their banner. In combat, they are elite marksmen and use their sophisticated weapons and tanks to crush the enemy from a distance; they prefer to let their allies do the hand-to-hand melee


6. Necrons: A cursed race, the Necrons are an ancient civilization that was promised eternal life but tricked into becoming mindless, undead beings whose souls were confined to machine-bodies. They now seek to purge the galaxy of all life. They are all-around fighters, though they excel at ranged combat best.

The Forces of Chaos: During the Imperium of Man's infancy, the Gods of Chaos sowed the seeds of destruction, whispering heresies into the ears of men. This drove Space Marine against Space Marine, Guardsman against Guardsman, and ultimately humanity against itself. Some Space Marines and Guardsmen turned from the Immortal Emperor, denouncing him and his rule, and began to worship the Gods of Chaos instead. This great civil war still continues.

1. Chaos Space Marines: The Space Marines who forsook the Emperor and turned to the Gods of Chaos now call themselves Chaos Space Marines. After breaking all ties with the loyalist Space Marines, the Chaos Space Marines now fight against all forces of the Imperium and any alien foolish enough to challenge them.


2. Chaos Daemons: The legions of daemonic soldiers of the Chaos Gods themselves, Chaos Daemons take form in the world to wreak havoc and destruction against all life here. The Daemons are the loyal servants of the four Gods of Chaos: Slaanesh, the god of excess; Nurgle, god of plague; Tzeentch, god of change; and Khorne, the Blood God and god of war.

Anyway, now armed with a rough background knowledge of Warhammer, you will be able to choose your army. Once you choose which race you want to command, you must assemble your soldiers and machines of war for battle.