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DAD LOST MY IPOD posted:Know No Fear is a top five all time Abnett book, alongside Saturnine, Pariah/Penitent, and Only in Death. You forgot Necropolis.
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Jun 26, 2021 07:52
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wiegieman posted:The Ultramarines seem really boring when their traits are "there's a lot of them, and they're really good organizers even under extreme duress", but that's exactly what you want when you go to war. You can never, ever, ever put them in a situation where they can't get their poo poo together and hit back. Imo the Ultramarines get unfairly poo poo on because they are basically the idealized Space Marines and some people just find that boring. But me, I dunno, that just means they can have big loving hero moments where the like do a fighting retreat covering guardsmen and poo poo. When all the other legions have major points of failure or whatever they can stand out. Telsa Cola fucked around with this message at 08:05 on Jun 26, 2021 |
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Jun 26, 2021 08:01
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It just goes to show how good Know No Fear is, because it's a story about a massive betrayal that completely throws out the strategy book, but because so many of the rules are about organisation, they just bounce back. I may have to buy it again, but in ebook form.
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Jun 26, 2021 08:11
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Arcsquad12 posted:I'm still convinced that the Invaders chapter is an intentional jab at the United States Army. Green army boys who use massive amounts of ordnance to blast the poo poo out of their enemies before getting bogged down in heavy casualty mop up campaigns where it's clear they bit off more than they could chew when they blew up a goddamn Craftworld. Christ, you weren't kidding 
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Jun 26, 2021 08:18
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I think it's the dumb looking marine at the back poking his head out between the weapons that's the worst feature of those vehicles. Take those out and they'd look fine, especially the missile versions. Edit: Lose the anti-gravity skid things underneath as well. Also RE: Guilliman chat from previous page. It doesn't really make any sense that Imperium Secundus was ever a secret. It's not like this was a purely bureaucratic, high level, need to know reorganisation thing. Sanginius was publicly crowned and openly ruling. The Billions (Trillions?) of Ultramar knew this was happening, along with thousands of space marines from other legions. You can't cover that up. Deptfordx fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Jun 26, 2021 |
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Jun 26, 2021 09:08
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It probably was just forgotten and then became a problematic truth.
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Jun 26, 2021 09:45
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Demiurge4 posted:It probably was just forgotten and then became a problematic truth. You could never look at real life history and see anything like that. Surely.
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Jun 26, 2021 10:33
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Warden posted:You forgot Necropolis. It really didnt hold up on re read for me. Abnett has learned a lot since then about how to write mass action, numbers, and combat in general. the plot is still A+ though
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Jun 26, 2021 11:13
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I'm surprised how many of us are at around the same point in the Horus Heresy right now. I was yawning my way through some of the early-ish HH and getting bored, mixing in other stuff, thinking of skipping to the end. I had just ground through Mechanicum and A Thousand Sons most recently. I'm glad I read both, but they just didn't grip me enough to love it. Then I read, one after the other without being able to slow down at all, Prospero Burns, The First Heretic, Know No Fear, and Betrayer, and my whole perspective on the series has changed, hot drat. Like they were so good, I feel like I can absorb a few dog entries to balance things out. Maybe I can go back and read Battle for the Abyss? (lol) Working through Unremembered Empire now and looking forward to dipping my toes into some Wraight heresy work soon!
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Jun 26, 2021 13:43
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Deptfordx posted:I think it's the dumb looking marine at the back poking his head out between the weapons that's the worst feature of those vehicles. It was entirely forgotten and it's going to infuriate the people who turned Sanguinius's death into a public holiday.
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Jun 26, 2021 14:26
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Ten thousand years is a LONG time. Like, comically long.
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Jun 26, 2021 18:01
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Warden posted:You forgot Necropolis. It’s good—really good—but it lacks the polish of Abnett’s later work. It’s on a level with Scars and Betrayer and the other best work of the non-Abnetts
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Jun 26, 2021 18:47
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I think it's beyond what we actually have recorded by a couple k years.
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Jun 26, 2021 18:48
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Is Gaunt mentioned as having dark hair? I feel like I remember that but apparently not? E: I think maybe the original covers had him with dark hair and that might be it? Schadenboner fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Jun 26, 2021 |
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Jun 26, 2021 19:08
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Cover Commissar was a running joke because of how the officer on the book cover illustrations looks nothing like how Gaunt is described. Warmaster is the first cover that has a fairly accurate depiction of Gaunt. It could also be a play on how Cornwell stopped describing Sharpe as a dark haired lean faced scowler once the Sean Bean series gained popularity.
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Jun 26, 2021 19:12
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Arcsquad12 posted:Cover Commissar was a running joke because of how the officer on the book cover illustrations looks nothing like how Gaunt is described. Warmaster is the first cover that has a fairly accurate depiction of Gaunt. I just thought it was a reference to that one Photoshop Phriday. E: Really? 
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Jun 26, 2021 19:14
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Schadenboner posted:I just thought it was a reference to that one Photoshop Phriday. I thought that was the temp cover. The final version looked like this. 
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Jun 26, 2021 19:25
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Arcsquad12 posted:I thought that was the temp cover. The final version looked like this. Yeah mine looks like this. Gaunt is explicitly blonde in canon.
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Jun 26, 2021 19:26
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This one is pretty good... even has the green flash from his cyber eyes..
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Jun 26, 2021 19:31
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Schadenboner posted:E: Really? Isn't that Hark?
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Jun 26, 2021 19:34
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I legit have no idea how/why I blocked out that Gaunt was blonde. He's literally Sharpe-iiiinnnn-Space.
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Jun 26, 2021 19:37
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Finished Shroud of Night. Alpha Legion working for Chaos deamons from multiple factions to take on an Imperial Fist protected world that has a wee bit of help from Celestine (It's not a spoiler, she's on the loving cover). Anyways, a few other names make appearances and it's pretty much bolter porn at the 1/3rd mark. I would probably put it in the good pile, just barely. Mostly because of the characters involved. The writing is about right at the bar for what I can stand without becoming totally stupid. Takes place sometime in the Indomitus Crusade, so there are primaris etc going on.
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Jun 26, 2021 19:58
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Gravitas Shortfall posted:Isn't that Hark? Too skinny to be Hark and he doesn't have the metal arm after his loxatl encounter during Sabbatt Martyr.
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Jun 26, 2021 20:07
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I finished Urdesh. Lots of bolter porn but overall pretty good. Worth picking up I'd say.
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Jun 26, 2021 22:18
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Schadenboner posted:I just thought it was a reference to that one Photoshop Phriday. That's just a Skaven who had some work done.
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Jun 26, 2021 22:54
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D-Pad posted:I finished Urdesh. Lots of bolter porn but overall pretty good. Worth picking up I'd say. I'm halfway through and its nice to read some bolter porn that's a bit more thought out. Farrer was a great choice to take over some Iron Snakes work as his previous Adeptus Arbites books went into a lot of similar Abnett-detail world building, and he writes marines in the same style as Dan. All very well thought out, not just marines screaming and charging into poo poo.
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Jun 27, 2021 17:07
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I've started reading Gaunts Ghosts (on book 5 now) on recommendations saying it's basically Sharpe but with 40k. I have never played/read/experienced 40K so it's been quite a ride (Holy poo poo what the gently caress is going on with the Emporer). Ive wiki'd quite a bit (Honestly, mostly about the Emporer) but am trying to avoid spoilers so I'll ask here. How do the Commisars fit into the military command structure? I know Gaunt is special as a Colonol. He shot that one general in the face during Necropolis but didn't shoot Lord General Lugo in the face. To what extent are the Commisars allowed to dispense their justice?
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Jun 27, 2021 17:14
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Kris xK posted:I've started reading Gaunts Ghosts (on book 5 now) on recommendations saying it's basically Sharpe but with 40k. They have pretty much unlimited authority when it comes to executing guardsmen. Officers less so but they're not gonna get pushback for field executing anyone up to a general probably if they have cause. The ghosts are also a bit special in that they are a competent and well run unit, the sterotypical guard army in the 40k universe is worse than the soviets in terms of human wave attacks.
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Jun 27, 2021 17:40
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D-Pad posted:I finished Urdesh. Lots of bolter porn but overall pretty good. Worth picking up I'd say. I really enjoyed the sequence where the snakes are messing with the convoy- bopping tanks with an armored gunship is unexpectedly hilarious.
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Jun 27, 2021 17:54
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There are special cases like Gaunt where a member of the Commissariat also has a commissioned rank. Gaunt's mentor, Oktar, also had a commissioned rank in the Hyrkan regiments. Gaunt mainly achieved his commission as a parting gift from Warmaster Slaydo and he was allowed to keep it primarily because Tanith had never raised a Guard levy before and had no official military structure from which to draw an officers pool. And yes, Commissars do have near unlimited authority to execute on sight, but there is also a very high casualty rate among Commissars who shoot their men willy nilly. Lots of "friendly fire" incidents. Gaunt does execute people but it is a very rare occurrence since fear is only one tool that a Commissar can use to inspire men to fight. Gaunt's Ghosts also runs with the idea that most Guard regiments are generally well run and that institutional rot at the higher echelons is to blame for high casualty rates. Abnett really likes the Lions Led By Donkeys parable from World War 1 and oftentimes it is the fault of out of touch Generals not knowing how to use each Regiment's unique talents and traditions that leads to wholesale slaughter. When the Guard forces are run efficiently, they are goddamn terrifying to face off against. The tank battle in Honour Guard is a textbook example of world War 2 armour tactics. Arc Hammer fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Jun 27, 2021 |
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Jun 27, 2021 17:59
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Gaunt and Cain also know the difference between actual discipline and just gunning people down because they don't do what you want. Probably why they've never fallen to friend fire.
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Jun 27, 2021 18:15
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Azubah posted:Gaunt and Cain also know the difference between actual discipline and just gunning people down because they don't do what you want. Who would've thought that treating a bunch of violent people armed with big guns like actual human beings gets better results than trying to terrify them into submission with your peashooter?
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Jun 27, 2021 19:24
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Didn't Abnett once write "In the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium there is more than war. There are people there, too."? His books pin the faults of the Imperium on institutions and entrenched systems run by the corrupt and the fanatical rather than on a collective frothing insanity.
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Jun 27, 2021 19:39
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Z the IVth posted:Who would've thought that treating a bunch of violent people armed with big guns like actual human beings gets better results than trying to terrify them into submission with your peashooter? Hersey talk like that get a special visit from a "totally legit rogue trader"
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Jun 27, 2021 19:40
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Arcsquad12 posted:There are special cases like Gaunt where a member of the Commissariat also has a commissioned rank. Gaunt's mentor, Oktar, also had a commissioned rank in the Hyrkan regiments. Gaunt mainly achieved his commission as a parting gift from Warmaster Slaydo and he was allowed to keep it primarily because Tanith had never raised a Guard levy before and had no official military structure from which to draw an officers pool. Literally the first four gaunts ghosts books feature incompetent, aristocratic senior officers as major villains, who often hate the ghosts because they’re just a pack of scrappy uncool kids from the poor kids’ camp across the lake. Also the sixth book is a major WW1 pastiche complete with a sclerotic, useless cadre of aristocratic officers. He eases off that throttle later on, but “bad officers screwing things up for the soldiers” is also a theme in Sabbat Martyr, Armour of Contempt, Only In Death (sort of) and The Warmaster. It’s just a lot milder later on. DAD LOST MY IPOD fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Jun 27, 2021 |
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Jun 27, 2021 20:10
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Arcsquad12 posted:Didn't Abnett once write "In the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium there is more than war. There are people there, too."? Yes and his works and a few others also point out that there are pretty functional and okay planets to live on in 40k.
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Jun 27, 2021 20:45
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DAD LOST MY IPOD posted:Literally the first four gaunts ghosts books feature incompetent, aristocratic senior officers as major villains, who often hate the ghosts because they’re just a pack of scrappy uncool kids from the poor kids’ camp across the lake. Also the sixth book is a major WW1 pastiche complete with a sclerotic, useless cadre of aristocratic officers. He eases off that throttle later on, but “bad officers screwing things up for the soldiers” is also a theme in Sabbat Martyr, Armour of Contempt, Only In Death (sort of) and The Warmaster. It’s just a lot milder later on. Well it also helps that the bad General in Sabbat Martyr is also the Bad General from book 4 too, very neatly closed that story bridge
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Jun 27, 2021 21:52
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Immanentized posted:Well it also helps that the bad General in Sabbat Martyr is also the Bad General from book 4 too, very neatly closed that story bridge There are more bad officers in Sabbat Martyr—Biagi and Kaldenbach won’t let Gaunt’s troops use flamers since they’re sacred weapons for the Militia Civitas Beati.
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Jun 27, 2021 22:07
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Arcsquad12 posted:Didn't Abnett once write "In the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium there is more than war. There are people there, too."? 
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Jun 28, 2021 06:17
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DAD LOST MY IPOD posted:Literally the first four gaunts ghosts books feature incompetent, aristocratic senior officers as major villains, who often hate the ghosts because they’re just a pack of scrappy uncool kids from the poor kids’ camp across the lake. Also the sixth book is a major WW1 pastiche complete with a sclerotic, useless cadre of aristocratic officers. He eases off that throttle later on, but “bad officers screwing things up for the soldiers” is also a theme in Sabbat Martyr, Armour of Contempt, Only In Death (sort of) and The Warmaster. It’s just a lot milder later on. I've not read the Gaunt books (yet), but anyone who grew up with the Sharpe TV series in the UK will remember booing and hissing at the bumbling, blow-hard officers who get the scrappy men killed and cheering when our dashing hero gets to put them in their place. Sounds like the books hit that same spot
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Jun 28, 2021 17:25
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