What is your tale of damnation?

[Pyrescribe]

I'm not talking in universe. If the big 4 were real, even if I didn't know about it, I'm sure myself and many others would at least be tempted by the whispers in the dark--by unnatural forces that have a mark on reality that science cannot or will not explain. Mark Bedford (former sculptor for FW and GW) once commented that people look like their pets, and that's why he was drawn to Ogre Kingdoms. What I would extrapolate from this is the notion that in personalizing one's army, its construction, utilization and display are all a way for us to relate to ourselves and our friend groups. One could even argue that the engagement in any hobby, but especially one that is multifaceted like ours, is a process of self-discovery or development. Like it or not, it is a process. You learn, you adapt, you practice and you create. But to what end?

Back in the days of Fantasy when I was growing up, I think I grew passionate about the Orcs and Goblins because I loved the brutal humor that surrounded the faction. There is literally nothing funny about watching fungoid monsters kill and eat all your mates and raze your hometown only to be buried head deep in a pile of their excrement. And yet, it was funny to me and anyone else familiar with the setting. But I think that what I liked most about the army was the directed anarchy that they represented--a gleeful nihilism that my friends accuse me of exhibiting to this day. The imposition of order in my family's house was a stop gap for the chaos of an unraveling marriage. In a sense, the anarchy of the green tide looked like freedom to me.

But then GW nuked the setting and created this game instead.

After navigating the various stages of grief, I finally came back around as my hometown friend group was starting up AoS. This time, I've chosen to play the Disciples of Tzeentch. It started innocently enough: the start collecting box looked like great value and buying three of them would be a solid core to a daemon heavy army. Not only that, i could theoretically play the same army in two systems! Bonus! I also liked the look of the daemons--these gibbering nonsensical masses of unreason. Furthermore, the horrors and flamers not only looked fun to paint, but easy too. For all these reasons, I jumped in with Tzeentch. Of course, once I was in, I was pulled in further. Now I have to paint Acolytes and Tzaangors with their horrid filigree, but I'll do it because I already bought into the faction. Then I read A Thousand Sons and realized it was time to pick up Ahriman and some Rubrics. More filigree and stuff I don't enjoy the process of painting. But I'm in, so I gotta do it.

One of the ironies about Tzeentch is that the god appeals to people's pride. When you are oppressed, it is your pride that provides the animus needed to compel others of like mind to shuffle the deck of power distribution. When you haven't fulfilled your potential, it is your pride that hurts and compels you to seek recourse, a do-over or to plot for the next time. When you get schooled on the tabletop and get butthurt, it is your pride that will blame the dice, or the game designers, or your opponent's character when in reality, it's just a game of wardolls based on chance with very little consideration given to the balancing process. 

We all know the tale of others being caught and seduced by promises of power and scoff at them. "I certainly wouldn't fall for it," I used to tell myself. I am convinced now that if I was given executive power, I would likely be a tyrant despite my best intentions--I am unfulfilled as a person and therefore have some insecurities. Power--bestowed by the people's consent or by a god--can only magnify this. We hear tales of people losing their composure over trivialities and reassure ourselves that only the weak and pitiful would fall to such lows. What happens when you lose your composure over a triviality when you have a modicum of real power?

So why Tzeentch? My own representation on the tabletop--a Daemon Prince named Dichotomedes--is but a pawn in the Great Schemer's labyrinthine plot...but he's beyond fulfilled. He's beyond actualized. He's undergone Apotheosis. Yet he's a slave to the will of an unknowable god. I was drawn to Chaos for practical, real-world reasons: ease of painting, two games for the price of one army, vivid color palette, etc. I stay because I am caught in this existential loop. I think that's what happens to a lot of those who fall to Chaos in-universe. 

What I cannot understand is what draws someone to Nurgle? In universe,  it makes sense. You're afflicted and in your torment you supplicate for ease and big daddy Nurgle may hear your plea. But outside? How are the aesthetics so popular? What is being channeled in the mind of the Nurgle hobbyist? I need help understanding this. My art school friend who plays Nurgle can't give an answer beyond, "it's just frickin' cool, bruh." 

Anyway, dear fallen brothers and sisters, what is your tale of damnation?

[Luke82]

As a devoted disciple of the Plague God I would have to say your friend is wholly correct, the models are awesome. They are also pretty forgiving to paint, and lots of scope for conversions. Also a huge model range with loads of variety with slaves to darkness involved.

I also have a soft spot for the other chaos gods and beasts too and it’s getting pretty outrageous, around 20,000 points of Daemonic gribblies and their mutated mortal tag partners.

I have loved the idea of chaos since buying Lost and the Damned decades ago as an impressionable child. It’s nice that it’s always fairly secure in the setting as well, it may all get updated from time to time but it’s unlikely to get squatted.

[DINOSTAR]

I must be a really perfect person because I like playing the good guys! Out of chaos though, I also like Tzeench.  Not for even close to the same reasons you do, but I like their bright colors and the crazy faces of the pink, blue, and brimstone horrors.  Pink horrors are actually cute to me, much like the saurus and cold ones (often described as "derpy") and goblins/squigs that I have so, so many of.  

[mastercrafted]

Probably some of the old art from 2nd edition 40k era of chaos and khorne in particular, is what has drawn me over and over those models. Especially the mark gibbons khorne berzerker and adrian smiths chaos cultists. Its flipped these day though, as i prefer the models to the art now - the new chaos models get better and better and my khorne collecting shows no sign of stopping!

[TMS]

I used to be really into Chaos when I was younger but eventually grew out of it, so to speak. The idea of a Chaos Lord in his huge spiky armour hooked me in completely and I couldn't think of anything cooler but I've later come to realize that having actually sold your soul to an evil god wouldn't be so hot after all. For all your power you would still be a plaything in the end.

I do see the appeal of all the gods, though.

Through Khorne you would have the power brute force through anything standing in your way. Imagine the things that drive you mad and the possibility of just physically breaking them and have the issues be solved. Just like that.

With Tzeentch you would have the power to influence and change things far bigger than your local little world and the satisfaction of ruining whatever you dislike, even if you might not get credit for doing it.

Nurgle would let you simply stop caring about anything and just go along with the ride, laughing all the way. Imagine all the things you feel obliged to do in order to fit in and the freedom to just ignore it all and not care anymore.

Slaanesh would let you enjoy the highs of personal satisfaction. You're the best around and everyone knows it and shows it.

Of these different types of slavery I think I would have gone for Slaanesh the most and Tzeentch the least. I enjoy being admired for the things I invest myself into  and I generally dislike change unless it is necessary. But still, however big I would perceive myself to be, eventually I'd end up a chewing toy for daemons. Which is why I've come to mature and prefer another form of bondage...

Undeath!

Or vampirism, specifically.

Power and immortality combined with that cozy melancholy of the living dead. A completely selfish drive to make yourself something else. You could argue that the case of independency for undead in Warhammer is just a bad as it is for Chaos due to Nagash but we've seen that he's at least a bit more perishable than the big four.

Temporarily, at least.

[Overread]

Personally I've always had a liking for "wild" armies and have always been rather sad that Wood-elves of old clung to the trees so much. Way back the first time I started to build a fantasy army (which got nowhere really) was High Elves. This was when they had pheonix, hawk pulled chariots; lion chariots and heck I was ready to make my own lion mounted cavalry. Then wood elves started with their fantastic deer-riders but never really took their animal side further than eagle riders and the lord on a stag. 

Many might also now say "but but but what about Skaven!" and yes Skaven were another interest, certainly feral and wild; but Skaven of old relied heavily on skavenslaves - rank after rank of boring slaves. I just couldn't get enthusiastic about them back then on that line. 

 

 

So my fantasy armies resulted in much buying but not really much action. Then I got tempted by the dark magics. For the dark ruinous powers had mighty flesh hounds; vast mechanical bulls; bug like fiends; curious seeker mounts, smart eagle headed mages and strange etherial creatures that flew on curved wings whilst flaming kin float alongside to scorch any that came near - even many of the demonic units were quite bestial in their appearance. Thus it was that Khorne and Slaanesh started to tempt me. I'll also admit that at the time I was also hoping to use magnets and dark arts to make a 40K and Old World "all in one" compatible army. 

 

Fastforward a few years and more stalls and I'm back (sorta). The hounds have been reworked; the fiends are even more "sensual" than their previous versions; the Keeper still has some of her hidden animalistic influences and many of the rest of the range are still the very same! So for me part of the attraction is the ability to field a monster army; an army that isn't men nor aelf in armour. That embodies the wild and totally fantasy nature of the setting. Something totally inhuman. 

For me Slaanesh comes first, the units are unhuman and yet there is a certain edge of grace to the army. I'd seriously love reworked Deamonettes in the same design style as Daughters of Khaine have had; but otherwise the clawed beasties will suit me well as they are now. The sheer joy of battle; the cries and screams of twisted desire with a macabre edge to it all. 
Khorne follows up next; bringing heavy metal machine bulls thundering over the battlefield; backed up with the baying cries of hounds. 
Tzeentch then follows with a menagerie of beasties including some of the classic old metal mages with their hawk heads; and the mighty striding demon with its twin avian heads; a twisted monster that reminds many of the dark powers of the Skeksis. You can note that the infantry of both these latter don't interest me as much. Though I don't deny their power, but the core demonic infantry of Tzeentch have never really held my interest (though I greatly admire their design and influences an idea). 

Indeed that latter part - Skesksis, The Crow, Hell Raiser - 40K was birthed in that era and I feel that Chaos still embodies many of its most early influences. I'm actually really pleased to see new ones though - with the mighty Xersies from The 300 appearing as a  mighty Prince of Slaanesh

 

 

 

Now what of Nurgle I hear you say. 3 Ruinous powers have already caught my eye and held my sway (4 If you include the Great Horned One now that his people have relegated the slave to working in the mines and expelled them from the battlefields ). Well lore wise Nurgle is great, but visually they are to mutated, too torn apart, too - - ok Ill be honest and say as a non-painter they intimidate me. I always figured that one of THE hardest armies to paint well would be Nurgle. Nothing is clean, nothing is crisp and even if you go that way there's a heckload of rotting detail to add to each model. Though I'd still happyily want to throw down a Beast of Nurgle just to have a happy-decaying-rotting-puss filled maggot infested labradour who's only desire is to bound across the battlefield and give my opponent a lick and a hug.

[Kronos]

For my first ten years collecting I would wander  heavily with a severe shiny-toy lust, the stronger contenders in that time being goblins an trolls and evrery now and again Chaos, particularly Nurgle, but I’ve collected from Tomb Kings to spacewolves to Chaos Dwarves (that one got quit intense). Liber Chaotica kick started my strong intrests in all things Chaos. Then one day GW gave us the concept of Throgg, and that was really all my desires in one, Chaos Monsters, repulsive mutation and most importantly Trolls, which bounces off my facination of Norse Mythology. I did get distracted by the Heresy for quite some time, mostly because I really do like Primarch models. But then slowly my eye wandered back to Trolls and Chaos. And thats when my Grand Alliance of all Things Chaotic and Monstrous started and now I have a huge army Consisting of Chaos Trolls, Gavespawn Beastmen, Chaos Ogors and Forsaken Mortals (with the odd miscallanious beast like Fimir, Gargants etc. Technically it’s four armies and some warbands, but they all fall under the unbrell of the Monstrous Horde, which harkons back to my love of Norse Myth, I see the army almost as the Jotuns and beasts marching against Asgard to bring down the fall of the Aesir Gods. In this case Throgg fullfiling the role of Surtr with his Hammer, destined to shatter Mallus.  

 

If anything it was the new open setting that made me fall back in love with Trolls, I like a narrative in my armies and models, and AoS is megalithic in its size of setting and time that I can write in histories into the Age of Myth or even now without need to think it would need to happen in some alternate timeline. The last Two years I would say my Focus has directly been the Monstrous Horde, so much so that I buy things now only to convert, r because I want some more monster sin the Horde, not because it’s new. Admitedley I did fall for the Death Guard (all those Nurgles bits....drool) but eventually this was staved off before it went any further than a unit or two....many ended up part of the army though. 

So although I collect Undivided Chaos, it leans most Heavily on Nurgle, the reason, I feel is primal. Nurgle is the most equivalant thing Chaos has to a God of Death. Humans have an innate facination with Death (spiritual, scientific, historical, you name it) and Nurgle takes Death, amps it to 20, puts some teeth on guts and some tentacles on the arms and says not today. Its a corrupted shadow of immortality. It combines life, death and the paradoxes of Chaos. To me it’s the most insidious and repulsive of all the Chaos Gods...of all the Chaos Gods, how far does a mortal truly need to fall and suffer to come into the embrace of Nurgle, and then the creepy ****** smile about it too.  I guess to me thats pretty frickin cool bruh.

 

[MacDuff]

I love it all, so my wallet is damned.

[Thiagoma]

I do not live remotely close to any GW store, and Warhammer was but a legend that i as a Nerd kid heard about.

When i was about 12 a small company started to manufacture counterfait models and i bought all i could and started painting all of it.

Seraphon was my first passion in the early days of the internet. I didnt have a international credit card so my father would let me order a box every 2 months or so. I wanted to be a Paleontologist (went to college for it, but graduated in History instead) and it was kinda the obvious choice.

Only in my 30s i started reading the Lore and i felt in love with High Elves. I love how the whole legacy, wisdow, honor and nobility talk to me. I never liked to be "tge bad boy".

I specially love Order Draconis.  Honored warriors riding almost extinct powerfull and inteligent beasts, holding to their pride and ways and refusing to go down without a fight is amazing to me. Same goes fo the Phoenix Temple and Eldritch Council. So much Knowledge and Wisdow among then!