Space Battleship Potemkin S1 E0 - Eisenstein

 The Orbital Worker

“Taking our Revolution to the Stars"

News Prog. 15 - 271.M41

 

Ekaterina seals the bulkheads

Ekaterina shows up early for the second shift each evening. The Kronstadt shipyards bustle as workers leave the morning shift. Ekaterina is at the front of the line as the next shift enters the framing of the Republic, a new Gothic Battleship. Today, she has been assigned to frame 34, deck 6.

Ekaterina knows the protocols to install a standard naval bulkhead like her family’s protein perogy recipe, but she still diligently follows the installation rituals of the STCs inherited from the Imperium. No improvisation or cutting corners here.

Ekaterina has a sister, Anya, who serves aboard the famous Firestorm cruiser, Aurora. She keeps Anya and her shipmates in mind as she tightens each bolt with her power spanner. When there is a hull breach, the women and men of our Soviet Navy rely on the bulkhead holding fast against the void of space.

Remember, Comrades, your work matters!

After running the diagnostic ritual to verify the responsiveness of the emergency hydraulics, her labor cohort is allowed to rest. They are well-provided for in the new communal cafeterium – an improvement over the old individual sustenance chambers of the Imperium. Workers are allowed to mingle and many trade and haggle the various protein paste portions based on their preferences. Near the end of the 2^nd shift lunch, around midnight, we were treated to a dazzling sunrise as the lunar shipyard hurtled around our homey Stalinvast to reveal our star beyond. The rays lit up the whole cafeteria through the tall arched void panes before the dimmers kicked in. Ekaterina doesn’t even look up from her heated discussion about whether or not the STC rituals are a form of violence against the spirit of the working class – conversations like these are now common amongst workers across Stalinvast.

When the foreman's voice is heard on the Vox channel, Ekaterina and her team return to their work on the Republic. After a productive shift, Ekaterina makes her social rounds among her colleagues and returns to her room on the hab level. Habs at the shipyard are modest. They certainly are not the decadent domiciles of the Imperium authorities of the past, but they are an improvement over the sewer warrens and crumbling tenements of the underhive. 

The Potemkin Soars into Legend!

Scrivener: With permission of the Commissariat of visual Arts subcommittee on Proletkult I have the esteemed Sergei Eisenstein with me in Vasilariov for an interview. Thank you for being here with us, Comrade Eisenstein.

Eisenstein: Of course. I am pleased to speak as a representative of the Proletkult theatre collective.

Scrivener: You are here to talk about your latest work, the Space Battleship Potemkin. I’d like to start by asking, why this film? Why the Potemkin?

Eisentstein: With the establishment of the Worker’s Republic, life in Stalinvast has been transformed. The Imperium has been smashed in this sector and each day we have strived to redefine our humanity. Initially our work was to steer our fellow comrades as our world was rebuilt. The people struggled with their new-found freedom after millennia under the Imperium. Our first film embraced Proletkult with a furor to feature our agriwork comrades who were seizing control over their agrifactoria. We wanted to tell the story of these heroic communities so that they might act as examples for others. After three films highlighting various communities and the growing worker culture, our film collective, with the authorization of the Commissariat of Visual Arts, decided it was time to memorialize the events of the Revolution. To understand the Potemkin and its crew is to understand the Revolution.

Scrivener: Most of us still actively recall the events of the Revolution. We read the papers, saw the Imperial massacres over the holocasts, or knew others who were involved. What was it like to work with living history like that?

Eisenstein: Our collective was really quite fortunate. The Commissariat pulled a lot of strings to make this film happen. Many of the sailors are still alive and they were volunteered for our project. Those sailors were used to agitprop and speaking their minds. They would often have their political officers intercede to correct our script, or they would talk with our team about how a particular event happened. We also had access to many of the ships of the People’s Navy including the Potemkin herself. This gave our sets a truly authentic feel. The revolution has also made filming much easier. Before the Imperial authorities would enforce the rights of noble houses to bar our access to different sectors of the hive cities. Now, the nobles are gone, and the cities belong to the people. No private property-owner can protest against the use of his land or demand payment for its use. Naturally, these things considerably reduce production costs.

Scrivener: What are you most excited to share about the Potemkin film?

Eisenstein: Hololithic media had largely stagnated under the Imperium. Events were typically recorded following the strictures of mechanicus protocols. The old regime emphasized the role of recording for evidentiary reasons – this resulted in long recordings that featured the event in its entirely. The Revolution has allowed us to experiment and improve on the old practices. With Potemkin we get to use our new technique of assembling hololith segments. This process allows us to not just show the single action but to communicate the interrelation of details, expression, and motion. Let us take, for example the scene in Potemkin, in which the Wolf Pack slowly, deliberately, descend the Capitol river steps, firing into the masses. Through a deliberate composition of the elements of limbs, steps, blood, people, we create an impression, but of what kind? The spectator is not immediately transported to the Capitol of 269; but as the Marines’ boots march relentlessly down the steps the spectator recoils involuntarily, so as to escape from the field of bolter fire. And when the pram of the panic-stricken mother goes tumbling down the steps, the spectator grips his cinema seat convulsively, so as to avoid falling into the River.

Scrivener: Has the film received any negative reception?

Eisenstein: It depends what you have to say about it. [both laugh]  But, speaking more practically, No, the imperial censors have been abolished. It makes my job a lot easier, as you can imagine. [Both chuckle].

 

The Plight of our Servitor Comrades

Dearest Comrades we must not avert our eyes any longer to the truth of our servitor comrades. Our whole lives the old regime told us that the servitors were biomechanical tools, that they were grown in vats to serve tasks to make our lives better. But there were always rumors that some were every day people who were punished for crimes by the secret police, or stolen in the night by Mechanicus press gangs. These rumors were never quashed either because they were true and the workers’ knowledge and tales have always proven out in the long run, or because the old regime wanted us to be afraid.

But, they are rumors no longer! I, Vasili R., union steward to the K street munitions factoria on the 5^th level of Hive Dendrov, have proof! Growing up on the 3^rd level, I had a good childhood friend by the name of Mishka. He lived on the floor below me in the hab-block. Between edu-progs at the Schola Laboris, he and I shared a shift at a fuse milling station until he was 14. The Mechanicus ordered him transferred to another hive’s manufactoria detail. He refused and was arrested the next day by the judges and we never saw him again.

Three weeks ago, I found my dear friend Mishka. I found his body, but not his mind. Our comrades in Hive Mysov were hosting a munitoria safety standards symposium on-site at their plasteel lathing shop. When I was inspecting milling stations and the reviewing the new safety protocols I found what was left of Mishka. They turned my friend into a servirtor!  I couldn’t forget him. I spoke to the foreman, filed for an inventory transfer order, and got leave to bring Mishka back to Dendrov to confirm my suspicions. He was identified by comparisons with his medical slate and confirmed by his mother who wept upon seeing what was left of Mishka.

Since then, I have led the Commission of Servitor Repatriation to identify our missing comrades among the servitor population. So far, thousands of victims of the old regime have been verified and documented. This is only the beginning of this commission’s work uncovering the crimes of the Imperium.

My friend Mishka is long dead. His spark of humanity is cold inside that servitor. His body continues to work and be exploited. The Imperium does not care if we live or died, only so long as our bodies continued to labor for their unending wars. The fate of our servitor comrades embody the ultimate logic of the Imperium.

If Mishka persisted, deep behind those vacuous eyes of the servitor, then he was trapped. Our worker’s revolution has liberated us from the tyranny of the imperium. It has given us back our autonomy, our innate human desires and will and community. We now breathe more freely as we decide our shared fate. That freedom was not given to Mishka. Our servitor comrades are still trapped and cannot be freed by any revolution. Their fate is damned by the Imperium and their Mechanicus collaborators.

In consultation with the Commissariat of Public Safety, and Mishka’s next of kin, I terminated the servitor’s life-sustaining functions. That cage husk is dead. 

The Commission of Servitor Repatriation now urges each foreman across the people’s republic to begin shutting down these abominations. This goal will not be easy; it will come with great effort. Replacing the servitors will mean missing quotas, extra shifts by our living comrades, and putting our bodies in their dangerous roles. But, we must liberate our Comrades from these millions of cadaverous tombs.

Byron's Hobbying

For this first episode of SBP I have painted up a model of Sergei Eisenstein and his camera crew. 

Eisenstein and his crew

Eisenstein and his crew are a camera crew from Eureka miniatures, except that the director has had his hat clipped off, filed smooth and then I sculpted on Eisenstein's signature wild hair and re-did the ears. The rest of the crew is unmodified. 

A picture of Eisenstein to show his characteristic hair.

I found this historical picture of Eisenstein and his camera crew.

Eureka Miniature's catalog image of the camera crew

I suspect that the Eureka miniatures' camera crew may be based on this historic photograph. 

Eisenstein and his crew learn to work
with the veteran Potemkin Crew while the
ruined street set is still under construction.

But, why a camera crew? Eisenstein and his crew serve two purposes for SBP. First, Eisenstein will serve as a recurring character or narrator for the campaign. Knowing that the battle reports and other images come from his directorial perspective informs the story that is being told and challenges the traditional objectivity of a battle report or narrative campaign. Eisenstein and his "filmography" will appear intermittently throughout the campaign alongside other "primary sources". 

The second, and the thing that clinched the decision to include him, was White Dwarf 306. I play 4th edition Warhammer 40k with my kids. I plan to use the 3.5 ed codex to represent the Sailors of the Kronstadt Orbital Shipyard. This issue included rules for an Imperial Guard High Commander.

This HQ choice checks many of the boxes for this campaign. Eventually, when the titular ship returns to service, it will need a heroic captain. 

And, just like in the SBY influence, the captain should have a team of trusty officers at his command. This HQ choice is brimming with options. Unlike the standard HQ command squad, the high commander can have a large group of 11 aides and troopers (but no heavy weapons.) Some of the options are quite characterful.

Most relevant to our Mr. Eisenstein is the "Scribe Historicus". This "scribe" records the deeds of the soldiers in the unit. The in-game effect is that the soldiers gain the "counter charge" ability. Having a team of extra "scribes" allows for that rule to be granted to all units within 12". I think Eisenstein, a propaganda film director, fits this role perfectly. I can imagine the soldiers seeing his camera rolling and knowing their bravery will appear in movie theaters or media to keep morale up and that they would be inspired to great acts. This role allows for Eisenstein and his crew to exist in the game in a ludonarratively consistent way. He will exist in the campaign as both a participant and narrator. 

Tune in next episode to discover the mysterious origins of the Space Battleship Potemkin!

Tyrannic War + Lego Wolfpack

 I recently finished an Eldar Pirate army for OWAC 8.

I sat down with my kids over dinner one night and asked them what I should try to complete before the next OWAC. Near the top of the list was Tyranids and Space Marines for the various games we have. 

So, since the end of OWAC 8, I have been diligently working to complete a small army of Space Marines (next will be Tyranids).

But this isn't any ordinary army. It is an Space Marine force designed to meet the requirements to play Space Hulk (1st edition), Tyranid Attack, and the 4th edition Battle For Macragge boxed set AND, I wanted it based on the Wolfpack faction from Lego Castle Theme. 

So first things first, the Ansel pose:

Roguish Commander Byron and his platoon of Wolfpack Marines.

Space Hulk

Most Space Hulk missions only require a squad of 5 Terminators. Typically, one will be a sergeant with a power sword, and another will have a heavy flamer. I also had a Librarian in terminator armor, so I painted him up too. (There is also a terminator with assault gun in the works). The unit also has a Space Wolf terminator Sergeant since the space hulk game states that squads come with a sergeant with a power sword but no mini represents him. His wolfy aesthetic goes along with the Wolfpack vibe.

Tyranid Attack

The core game of Tyranid Attack has the Space Marine player start with two squads of Space Marine Scouts. Each squad has a sergeant, a heavy bolter, and three troopers.

The monopose scouts can be a bit repetitious so I converted a few of them to match some of the game art. 

One of the sergeants has been given an axe like the scout on the rulebook cover with an axe. And, a scout has been repositioned to be aiming his bolt pistol like one of the scouts in the background.

Next, one of the scouts is laying on the ground and one of the heavy bolters has been slightly repositioned to match the artwork in this picture.

Battle for Macragge

The Battle for Macragge set comes with 10 marines, a sergeant, a missile launcher, a flamer, and 7 troopers.

Warhammer 40k 4th ed.

I place warhammer 4th edition with my kids. Kids play Tau, Space Marines, and Tyranids. Part of my inspiration for the army project as a whole was that the scouts have the infiltrate rule. This means they deploy after everything else is down on the table. My son likes to add tanks to his army, so it seemed sneaky that I could add a missile launcher to a scout unit and line it up with a tank on turn 1. So The first unit of Scouts is armed with bolters and a missile launcher (the heavy bolter is a second option). I also gave them all the same number on their shoulders, 6075, which is a product code for the Wolfpack stronghold Lego set. 

The next unit of scouts is armed with bolt pistols and knives. I figured they would be useful for hunting down his whirlwind or a tactical squad. Again the heavy bolter is for Tyranid attack or an extra option. These guys got the number 1596 - another Lego Wolfpack product code.

Next, to continue with the theme of infiltration, I was going to get the Wolfpack marines the following Chapter Traits: See but don't be seen, Trust your battle brothers, and Flesh over steel. See, but don't be seen can allow tactical and devastator squads to infiltrate as well. The Combination of heavy bolters, a plasma cannon, and a missile launcher make them effective against swarms of bugs, Tau firewarriors, and space marines. 

The army needs an HQ. I can use the Tac Squad Sergeant from Macragge as a commander and put him in a retinue, or make them all into either a veteran squad, or a tac squad and give them infiltrate.

In a bigger point game I can also get a squad of Terminators and a Librarian in Terminator armor. They cannot infiltrate, but they can deep strike into the battle via teleporting. So it would have a similar impact during the deployment phase of me not placing any on the table. The Librarian model has been reposed to make him more like the later monopose sergeant holding his chainsword to the side. It's a little awkward (which is fine) but it also makes his weapon more readable. Which is important for your opponent to make informed choices. I try to make special close combat weapons bright red so it's clear that they are extra dangerous. 

The final unit in my army is the landspeeder. It's a standard loadout with a multimelta and flamer. It has the Wolfpack product code of 6038. I painted it blue because that is the color of the cart/wagon from the 6038 lego set. My son came up with the name "the Prowler". The dark blue has also been used as an additional contrast color throughout the army - mostly for details like helmet lenses, the plasma cannon etc. The landspeeder is also scratch built. The riders are converted tactical/bike rider marines. The vehicle is made from 40k bike bits, airplane engines, cardboard etc. I am very happy with how it turned out. Also, in 4th edition, landspeeders could deep strike by screeching down from the sky - with the same result that it does not deploy during the deployment phase. So, if I have played my cards right, my army will deploy nothing during the deployment phase. 

And, finally, I'd like to share some of the little slogans I painted onto the marines - both to add to their roguish vibe and give them a Rogue Trader homage:

"toast"

"DED END"

"LEGGO OR DIE" a wink to the fact that they are based on Legos.

"BANG"

Tally marks and "2 many" and his power fist is labeled "Fist"

"PAK life"

PAK ATAK

Once I add on the Terminator with assault cannon and the Terminator seated in a Heroquest throne, I will never need to paint another Space Marine again. 

A Case (among many) for Female Space Marines

Warhammer has always been political.

For the last few years the topic of female space marines has been a relatively hot topic in the 40k fandom. In this blog post I'd like to share two perspectives as a relatively casual 40k fan (casual insofar as I am not versed in recent lore). First I'd like to discuss the dated commentary and then how female space marines could contribute to the commentary of the setting and offer a new faction that is distinct from the Adeptus Astartes and Adeptus Sororitas. 

Let's get into 40k lore (as I understand it, feel free to comment below). When Rogue Trader came out the world (specifically the UK) was a very different place. The UK economy was in dire straights. Unemployment was high. 

Notice the low and looooong dip starting in 1980

Industry receded and neoliberal policies were gutting the public sector under Margaret Thatcher. There were large union strikes associated with coal miners (these showed up as scenarios in Tragedy of MacDeath and the later Grudge of Drong Campaign Packs) and the various industries under attack by the neoliberal advance. 

Credit to Stuff of Legends for the pic of the Reagan and Thatcher Harpies.

The Soviet Union still existed as a co-dominant political force in the world. The Berlin wall had not come down and the slog in Afghanistan was still ongoing. From an educated, punk, and anarchist perspective the future was bleak: stuck under the authoritarian bootheel of Soviet-style communism or the jackboot of the neoliberal corporate power structure. 

These anxieties seem (unless Rick Priestley would like to chime in and set me straight) baked into the early core of Warhammer 40k lore. The imperium is a rigid hierarchy with a literal corpse at its head. Many people live in hive cities that are dense and stagnant industrial centers that are built to physically embody the hierarchical and inequal organization of the imperium. 

The number of people living in poverty in the UK rose dramatically during this period. Income inequality soared. And long with this came the growth in punk subcultures.

Hive Ganger with a Crass tattoo

Crass, an anarchist punk band from the late 70s to mid 80s

Thatcherite governance was also punctuated with centralizing power, conservative moral panic, police repression, fear of communist outsiders and persistent military spending (nearly double per capita what the UK spends today.) These themes are all reflected by the Imperium with it's highly centralized imperial government (though decentralized in other ways as there is semi-feudal governance over distant worlds that owe fealty to the emperor) constant alertness to the threat of heresy, liberalism, rebellion, and mutation, the inquisition, rampant xenophobia, and galaxy-spanning military industrial complex that is perpetually at war. 

We can also acknowledge some aspects of 1980s politics that are absent from Rogue Trader. For example we might acknowledge the AIDS epidemic in the gay community and women's liberation.

A lot has changed since the late 80s and a lot has stayed the same or become salient again. Many of the roots of the current political crisis are found in the 1980s. But some issues have taken on new preeminence and new dimensions. In short, I think that we can agree that a lot has happened and changed in nearly 40 years. Warhammer's politics are in need of an update to stay current with the times while adhering to it's anarchist roots. 

Let's talk about the Custodes

Most radical feminists and feminist scholars want equality for men, women, and non-binary individuals, they also want to abolish the draft. So, for them making women also subject to the draft is not a victory, rather abolition of the draft for both men and women is the goal. Relatedly, liberal white feminists are concerned with breaking the glass ceiling and seeing white women in boardrooms. In contrast, radical feminists are concerned with who the shards of glass fall upon - namely poor/bipoc women here at home and in the colonial periphery. They don't view women also wielding the violent tools of patriarchy upon marginalized people as a victory. Rather the tools of patriarchy itself have to be dismantled.

All of that is to say that the type of representation of women in Warhammer matters. It's not enough to simply have women in Warhammer; how they are represented matters especially if it is to honor the radical roots of Warhammer's Rogue Trader legacy. Placing women into the top echelons of imperial power gives Girl Boss vibes and serves to undermine the satire and commentary of the Imperium being an oppressive authoritarian and failed state. It is not clear how the addition of female custodes adds to the satire and commentary of the 40k universe. It'd be like if Warlord games added female models to their line of German bolt action miniatures: it's not the diversity we need. I want to be clear that I am arguing in favor of more diversity and inclusivity in Warhammer, just doing it in a way that adds depth to the world and improves the story telling. 

Enter Female Space Marines

The first and central premise that needs to be established when talking about female space marines is that the Imperium lies and cannot be trusted as a narrator. The Imperium are not good guys. They are an oppressive, predatory, failed state. So all of the lore about women not being fit for gene seed implantation needs to be thrown out as lies and propaganda. 

What was the imperium hiding with that lie? Women space marines can reproduce and thereby reproduce the gene seed itself. This has huge implications. It means that a legion of female space marines is not limited in number like traditional space marine legions. This means that female space marines are fundamentally less controllable than male space marine legions. Remember, the Imperium has a pathological need for control, so female space marines that can reproduce the gene seed is something they cannot abide. Imagine the Jem'Hadar from DS9 who were not reliant on Ketracel-white. Effectively the Imperium manufactured a problem for themselves (again.)

It also means that if female space marines are broken off from the supply lines of the Imperium but continue to reproduce they will not all be clad in power armor and armed with bolters. Right away from a design/game/aesthetic perspective they start to pull away from the traditional space marine look. 

Next, we know that there are 2 redacted space marine legions. What if these two legions are women? But then we have to ask, why are they redacted? And we would have to have a really good reason to have them redacted. 1. Because it has to make sense in the universe and 2. You can only use this plot contrivance once or twice. You can't come along a few years later and say "hey, BTW there's actually a 3rd redacted legion." 

So why are they redacted?

Because they rebelled. Now, I hear you say "yeah, so what?? So did Horus and his legions aren't redacted"

But the type of rebellion matters. When the enemy is cartoonishly evil, like Horus and his legions, it is easy to rally people to fight this type of enemy. From a propaganda/messaging standpoint nearly all of the evil committed by the Imperium can be notionally "justified" by pointing to its enemies. E.g. "We must do XYZ terrible thing to our people to stop THOSE obviously even more evil guys over there."

Violent and hierarchical states are quite effective at combatting other violent and hierarchical states/adversaries.

But what if the rebellion isn't evil? What if the female space marines rebelled against violence, hierarchy, xenophobia etc and promote democracy, equity, compassion, multiculturalism etc?

It's hard to use an enemy like that to justify the horrors of the Imperium - in fact it would be quite self-defeating. 

So the Imperium pretends they don't exist (at least openly). They lie. "That planet wasn't in rebellion, it was a gene stealer cult." "Another planet infected with Chaos heretics, had to be exterminated." No one left to refute the official narrative. 

But it goes deeper. The existence of this growing rebellion of female space marines would call everything into question. Purportedly, the Imperium is constantly beset by galaxy-ending threats. Always a new threat that could end everything. But is that actually plausible? 

Imagine a deamonically possessed space marine general of immense power. No matter how individually powerful this one dude is, he is no match for the laser batteries of an imperial battleship in orbit. I know the chaos folks have their own ships and legions and whatnot. But the point is that the lore often focuses on individuals that pose a threat to the imperium rather than movements (Tau and Tyranids aside). I understand that is a useful plot contrivance for compelling storytelling but it falls apart in terms of galactic threats. What could threaten the Imperium is an ideology that can't even be officially recognized. 

It may be more plausible that instead these other threats are used as propaganda/justification to keep the Imperium in a constant state of fanatical militarism and paranoia in order to fight the existential threat of anti-authoritarian rebellion: to stamp out the real beating heart of humanity itself - our innate desire for freedom. 

But is that grimdark?

How can a faction of good guys be grimdark and contribute to the aesthetic? Because they are being ruthlessly hunted down just for existing. Nothing is more grimdark than the embers of justice being utterly stamped out. The fact that the male Space Marines and inquisitors hunt these people down would immediately demystify any notion that the male Space Marines might be just defenders of humanity. It would make the intentions of the Imperium beyond redemption. It would put a face to the billions of victims of the Imperium. It would again make the social commentary clear and unambiguous - the Imperium is evil and most of its problems are of its own making - sort of like the current administration.

The female space marines could never meaningfully win. They might save a few people here and there. They might be a tiny light of hope, but they are never capable of full victory. The imperium always follows and crushes anyone who lingers around under it's mechanical bootheel. It's like the setting is saying "so what if you are right. Your kindness and love simply doesn't matter in this universe. Go ahead and be a little candle of hope, the universe is too big to be lit up or warmed, it is uncaring and you will be snuffed out." Effectively, they are a tiny light that casts the rest of the galaxy into greater shadow by contrast. They would be tonally similar to the Lamenters chapter of Space Marines. 

A female space marine faction would also line up with the radical anarchist satire of the original RT while being a contemporary update on the politics. It would be a very on-the-nose political commentary on the current political crisis in which gender, authoritarianism, and democracy are central and potent questions.

What might their faction look/play like?

Aesthetically, we have to assume that they borrow a lot of the material culture of the Imperium. Some of the marines would be ancient veterans still clad in their old power armor. Others would be more lightly armored in more make shift armor - imagine a Scout but giving Star Wars Rebel vibes.

Without access to imperial forge worlds, their vehicles would likely also be a combination of ancient Space marine vehicles and improvised civilian vehicles. Therefore their vehicles would likely be less directly powerful or fighty, but the faction might overcome this with strategems and abilities that emphasize their revolutionary zeal and adaptability. 

Next their army wouldn't just be space marines. It would also include units comparable to the Frateris Militia of the Sisters of battle: everyday members of the Imperium who have rebelled and taken up arms. They could be all manner of alien and/or the spectrum of 40k's humanity. Again, like the Star Wars legion rebels kit that comes with humans and aliens fighting together. Such interspecies cooperation wasn't uncommon in Rogue Trader - though it is now. This might be reflected in the army composition rules, perhaps the basic infantry might gain access to different support and heavy weapon options based on what kind of alien/abhuman coalition the player has assembled - a strong intrinsic reinforcement to play up the theme of diversity and open mindedness. In real life, multi-national command structures and linguistic barriers can lead to failures of command and control. Perhaps they could have some sort of coalition building point system like the Druchari pain token system where they are incented to build up the bonds of their force as they fight to gain bonuses. 

They might have guerrilla tactics like the Eldar scouts that could delay the arrival of the enemy. Maybe they would have weapons that reflect the types of labor they used to do like the gene stealer cults. Maybe they could do psychic warfare on the enemy, breaking their will to fight or causing them to desert by appeal to their cause. 

Next they might have different mission objectives such as evacuation, sabotage, rescuing civilians.

It might be an interesting opportunity to introduce a faction that fights in very different ways with very different aims. 

What do you think should GW introduce female space marines? Are there better ways to align this with the lore? Would this get past the "but will it sell??" argument? 

Space Battleship Potemkin

 The crossover that no one asked for

I am starting another long-term Warhammer project. This one I am theming around the concept of "Space Battleship Potemkin."

Before I explain what I am actually doing, I should explain the concept. In essence I am combining the film, Battleship Potemkin, the cartoon, Space Battleship Yamato, and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader/4th edition.

Battleship Potemkin is a famous Sovietfilm made in the 1920s. It is known for its revolutionary themes and plot - aspects of this film were censored when screened in capitalist countries - as well as it's cutting edge editing. Its editing techniques keep it in high regard amongst film enthusiasts. 

The film has a famous scene on the Odessa steps where Tsarist soldiers massacre civilians. The movie is about revolutionary sailors who mutiny. A few years back I bought some WW1 Russian Sailors. Anarchist sailors played an important role during the Bolshevik Revolution and the subsequent civil war. The sailors of Kronstadt ultimately rebelled against the Bolshevik government claiming that it had betrayed the original principles of the revolution. 

Space Battleship Yamato is a 1970s Japanese cartoon. The cartoon features the titular ship in various daring space battles to save humanity in the distant future. The space ship is literally the Japanese WW2 ship, Yamato, that was rediscovered on the sea floor after the Earth's oceans had dried up. It was then refurbished and modernized with space weaponry and engines. 

So my theme is to squish these two IPs together into "Space Battleship Potemkin" in the context of Warhammer 40k. Hence the fake movie poster above that includes various 40k and Potemkin movie references. From Warhammer Space Fleet (a GW game that was released in the early 90s and only supported through a handful of White Dwarf issues before quietly fading away) there is the Planet of Stalinvast featured in the upper left, and a Gothic Battleship in the bottom right. The icon in the upper right indicating the movie is "R-level data" is from the Rogue Trader book. The pair of characters on the left are from the Potemkin film. And the vehicle and raiding soldiers are from model kit box art.

So what's the actual project?

Space Fleet

My project is two projects. First, I want to make a Space Fleet themed around the idea of Space Battleship Potemkin. I am thinking that I will paint the fleet in more traditional naval colors - Red antifouling paint below the "waterline" and light greyish/white paint above. 

The fleet will include a variety of Gothic battleships and ships that share a similar design. 

In addition to the war ships it will also contain a force of fighters and bombers - Thunderbolts and Marauders based on the original Epic range. I plan to paint these planes to match the WW2 soviet color scheme of olive green.

Marauders can be seen in the upper left and thunderbolts in the lower right (White Dwarf)

I plan to use this olive green color throughout the army as a contrasting color for some equipment like helmets, grenades, heavy machine guns, fuel tanks etc. 

The second half of the project will be a Warhammer 40k Imperial guard army. My kids play 4th edition so it will have to line up the with the requirements of the 3.5 edition book. The other constraint is that that it has to line up with the theme of anarchist Russian Sailors. To match up these two concepts I am blending the idea of WW1 era sailors a bit to include troop types included among WW2 naval infantry formations and vehicles available to Cold War Soviet naval infantry formations as well as a handful of other minis that sorta fit the theme.

The start of the army so far. 

Here is what I have in mind in terms of options:

Warhammer Unit type	Historical Analog
Infantry
Standard Guardsmen	Sailors armed with Mosin Nagant rifles.  Model comparison: Warlord, Artizan, Copplestone Castings, and Black Tree Copplestone Casting has the best overall sailors. The casts are clean and well-detailed. Artizan has the best faces but suffer from poor casting. Black tree have well sculpted faces and details but their range is limited. Warlord games are poor quality, the faces aren't well sculpted and there are lots of casting issues.
Conscripts	N/A
Veterans	Sailors armed with PPSH (to be analogous to the shotgun loadout)
Storm troopers	N/A (the obvious WW2 analog would be combat engineers, but that doesn't align with the Sailor theme)
Ogryns	N/A
Ratlings	I just converted some ratlings to look like they have sailor uniforms. Mostly just sculpting on sailor hats and soviet stars.
Support Weapons
Flame Throwers	WW2 Russian Flame Thrower infantry (some modified to have sailor hats) - this is a little bit of a cheat, but I am doing it because I wouldn't otherwise have any support weapons.
Grenade Launchers	Sailors modified to hold RPGs (also a little bit of cheat, except that cold war era naval infantry were armed with RPGs)
Plasma Gun & Melta Guns	N/A - There is, obviously no historical analog to these weapons
Heavy Weapons
Heavy Bolter	Maxim Machine Gun
Auto Cannon	Anti-tank rifles
Missile Launcher	Sagger guided missile (apprehensive about this one)
Las Cannon	I am thinking of getting WW1 era Russian field guns
Mortars	Even though they historically used mortars in WW2, I haven't found any metal Russian Sailors with mortars.
Vehicles
Chimera	BTR 60 pb (the obvious choice would have been the BMP, but they weren't historically allocated to Naval infantry units despite their amphibious capabilities)
Hellhound	N/A (though, if I were, it would have to be a modified BTR series vehicle to match the Chimera chassis)
Leman Russ	PT 76  -naval infantry formations were often equipped with T-55s which would be a strong comparison to the Leman Russ, I opted for the PT 76 since it has a stronger amphibious capability and is more prominently featured in photographs of naval infantry. (if we were playing with the Forgeworld rules, the PT 76 might be more analogous to the Salamander an amphibious scout tank.
Demolisher	N/A (Though I am considering the airborne ASU-85 because it shares the same chassis as the PT 76 (just like the Demolisher shares the same chassis with the Leman Russ). However, since it is an airborne tank I would want to include some WW2 airborne infantry to tie it in as a combined arms force and the 3.5 Guard codex allows for airborne troops.
Basilisk	2S23 Nona-SVK - this is a mortar/howitzer weapon mounted on a BTR series vehicle. This was chosen instead of the more analogous self propelled guns on BMP chasses because I wanted the chassis to match my BTR 60 choice for the Chimera. Though to be honest this vehicle choice would be a closer fit for the Griffon mortar tank (but I don't want to get into the whole forgeworld rabbithole with my kids.) Now if only I could find a model kit...
Sentinels	N/A - there is no historical analog to these walkers
Mounted Troops

                                                  

Rough Riders

N/A - While mounted troops were relatively common amongst Russian forces in the civil war and even present into WW2, none are associated with naval infantry forces.

                                          

What do you think? Should I be more strict about my model choices or consider different historical models?

What about Regimental Doctrines?

I am thinking:

1.  Close Order Drills (to represent their use of bayonets)
   

   
   
   
   
2. Hardened Fighters (Naval infantry are associated with beach assaults and urban fighting. In Bolt Action, Soviet naval infantry get a bonus attack in assaults. So +1 WS seems to match this vibe)
   
   
   
3. Ratlings (because I like them)
4. Maybe Iron Discipline to represent their ideological tenacity?
   
5. Maybe Sanctioned Psykers because they are a naval formation meaning that they will have psykers, astropaths,  associated with their fleet's warp navigation. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on what Regimental Doctrines would be appropriate to represent these anarchist Russian sailors. 

Ideally I'd like a doctrine similar to the Jungle Fighters:

Naval Infantry

The regiment's members are recruited from amongst the imperial navy. They excel in amphibious landings and coming to grips with the enemy in prepared positions. This doctrine may only be taken if all Infantry units in the army are upgraded to Naval Infantry. Naval Infantry cost -0.5 points per model. Apply this discount to each eligible model in Infantry units (e.g., Infantry Squads, Veterans, Command Squads).

 Naval infantry gain the following rules

• They may disembark and assault from any transport as if it were open topped
• They gain the preferred enemy special rule against enemies in cover
• They may replace their Lasgun with a Las Carbine (same rules as a Shotgun), but may not benefit from Close Order Drill if they do so.
• This specialization will lead a regiment to abandon bulky flak armor altogether as it impedes swimming and movement in cramped naval vessels. Their armor is reduced to " - ". 

May not be combined with carapace armor, chem-halers, conscripts, rough riders, and storm troopers

The -5 points is because most guardsmen deploy in infantry platoons that are not appropriately used as assault infantry - due to their lack of mobility, and having attached heavy weapons. As a consequence the doctrine acts has a hindrance to most guards infantry units: they lose their armor. 

Does that seem balanced? 

Put your thoughts and constructive feedback in the comments below.