Warhammer 40k Emperor's Children - customization guide
The history of the Emperor’s Children is probably one of the most tragic among hundreds existing in the grim dark future of Warhammer 40k. Once the most beloved (as the Legion’s name itself indicated), the most praised and honored of all of the loyal warriors of the Emperor of Mankind - now traitorous - Emperor’s Children noted an unimaginable downfall due to machinations of the evil Gods of Chaos.
By the time of the infamous Horus Heresy, the Emperor’s Children committed that unforgivable treachery. Although this particular Legion couldn’t have fewer reasons to turn its back on the Emperor, it ultimately fell into the hands of the Prince of Pleasure himself - one of the Gods of Chaos, Slaanesh - because of its unmeasurable pride and constant need to become superior to others. Now, as the grotesque parody of once greatest loyalists, the Emperor’s Children are a horrific reminder of the instability of the will of men and the demonic influence of the dark powers that never hesitate to tempt the unwary.
As for the wargaming side of this Chaos faction, Emperor’s Children may attract players with several things. Among the most important could be their unique design, exciting choice of weaponry (including many sonic guns), and the sad, deep, tragic history, which resonates throughout the whole army.
Choosing your color scheme
Choosing a color scheme for this particular faction should be a straightforward task, with only one thing to remember. What might seem a bit obvious, post-Heresy Emperor’s Children’s appearance is much different compared to pre-Heresy ones. As the now-touched-by-Chaos Space Marines, they have a wide range of disturbing mutations unpleasant to the eyes. But the difference is visible in even more, less eye-catching details.
Grotesque, intensively pink armors are the trademark of Emperor’s Children. These Beldam Fraternity bits should reveal themselves as valuable when it comes to alternatives for this Legion
Emperor’s Children in 30k were their armor painted in violet and gold. In contrast, in Warhammer 40k, the most significant color of this Legion is pink. This slight resemblance to their old pallet of colors serves as a sad, ironic reminder of long-forgotten glory. What’s even more heartbreaking, pink is a color that is highly associated with the new master of Emperor’s Children - the Chaos God Slaanesh.
Deciding on your armor style
Deciding on the armor style of your Warhammer Emperor’s Children army can be a little more complicated than choosing a color scheme. Once again, the crucial thing is whether you intend to play the 30k version of this Legion (Horus Heresy) or the 40k (Warhammer 40k).
In this case, your choice will have a more significant impact on the appearance of your units. The difference lies no more in the painting (as with the color scheme) but in the selection of models.
Nonetheless - no matter if you’re playing Horus Heresy or Warhammer 40k - worry not. In both cases, we at Kromlech have a wide range of bits to help you prepare and personalize your Emperor’s Children army. Check out our Space Legions offer for the loyalist versions of Space Marines - many different arms, legs, add-ons and torsos await you to be used to customize your honorable warriors. For the Chaos ones, you may find our Bedlam Fraternity range of bits interesting. All of them are designed, so they look like a creation of a wicked, mad artist - suitable for any Chaos creations. These include heads, shoulder pads, and even horrifying backpacks!
And if you still need more bits, you can always try our Kromlech 3D Workshop range of printable files. Among them, some parts are dedicated to customizing Space Marine-like models - these aren’t only heads, arms, and standard tools but also some exciting upgrades to help you make your miniatures more original. They can give you a rare opportunity to stand out on every battlefield.
Weapon and equipment selection
As for the weapons and similar equipment for both pre-Heresy and post-Heresy Warhammer Emperor’s Children, you can also find some at our webstore. But maybe “some” isn’t the right choice of word here. As the name itself indicates - Bits of War - we have plenty of bits to browse. One can say that gear for wargaming tabletop games is our specialty.
You probably hesitate when you’re about to choose from such a vast cafeteria. You ask yourself, “what would be the best for my army?” We won’t tell you that - as you’re the only one who knows what he truly wishes - but we can give you some advice.
Again, the 30k version of Emperor’s Children should be easily combined with our bits for Space Legions. It should be the right decision - lore-wise, rules-wise, and convert-wise. We’re sure that is the truth, even if the subject is guns, swords, etc. That’s because - most commonly - our weaponry comes in pairs with suitable sets of arms.
When thinking about weaponry for your Emperor’s Children, besides the infamous sonic guns, consider also using some of the traditionally driven Chaos equipment
The 40k Emperor’s Children are highly visibly marked by Chaos. As is usual for those who pledged their allegiance to the Dark Gods, mutations overwhelmed them entirely. Most human beings see this as a curse, but it’s a precious gift for them. These mutations are usually likely to pass onto the weaponry of your warriors, making them even more deadly. And even if not, their twisted minds instruct them to modify their guns and blades to bring more pain to their enemies.
Look for such a weapon among our bits. One of the most suitable examples for Emperor’s Children can be our Bedlam Fraternity Sonic Guns - just because this particular army often uses troops called “Noise Marines.”
Unit customization tips
When arranging your Space Marines to look more like Emperor’s Children, it’s pretty natural that you’ll have much more possibilities in the case of the Chaos ones. As for the loyalists, the painting will do most of the work.
But if you play the treacherous version of the Legion of Emperor’s Children, personalizing the units and vehicles should be much more straightforward (just as the Slaanesh himself tempts you with an easier way, isn’t he?). The fact that the mutations and other Chaos marks are present gives you a wider cafeteria of possible changes and upgrades - everything to make your army more legit and unique.
Our modeling and basing products might help you customize both versions of Emperor’s Children’s army. For example, weathering powders can be beneficial if you plan to make your models look rustier.
In addition, if - besides troops - you wish to customize the vehicles of your 40k Emperor’s Children army, look at our Bedlam Fraternity Doors. They should be appropriate for your needs.
Applying decals and insignias
Another exciting way to personalize your Emperor’s Children army is by adding some decals and insignias. You can find that helpful, especially when handling your Warhammer 40k version of this army. It’s because worshippers of Chaos Gods usually use an almost ridiculous amount of such “beautifiers!”
Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean you can’t use decals and insignias when you play the loyalist version of this Legion. Indeed, using them is a great idea - there is only one condition. As the Emperor's Children were once the most praised warriors of the Emperor himself, he granted them his own symbol. Because it’s a vital feature of this Legion, it’s probably good to incorporate it on a wargaming table. When adding insignias to 30k Emperor’s Children, ensure they (at least) resemble the spoken symbol.
And remember one thing - no matter if you’re a loyalist or a servant of Chaos, you can find valuable glyphs on our webstore thanks to Tabletop Scenics.
Taking care of your Emperor's Children army
Finally - last but not least - here comes the time to add some finishing touches to the whole army. If you - as we - find that phase of preparing your roster much more enjoyable, consider our proposition on what to add to make your (almost entirely done) Emperor’s Children Legion.
Remember - the possibilities for affording conversion parts are almost infinite. It’s your choice, whether you go with resin bits or printable files
The first things that come to mind when thinking about making a ready-to-play army even better are gaming accessories. No other fancy gadgets like faction-themed Battle Rulers or - for instance - Battle Dice in a suitable color make your army feel that legit and professional.
One could say that these are just the details, that it’s just an addition. Of course, they are. Of course, it is. And it’s good to remember that! Neither Battle Rulers nor dice in fitting colors are a must because you can play with (or without) any accessories you want. We just want to inspire you - to show you that such possibilities exist. All of that because you might find them practical or fun. After all, details often reveal themselves as vital parts of any activity.
But these details - these possibilities - don’t end here. Besides some terrain that does not necessarily need to be in Chaos style (check out our HDF terrains in true grim dark future fashion), there are other ways of making your game more fascinating, comfortable, and good-looking. We’re speaking of tokens, markers, templates, and other similar things. Appearance is a significant part of wargaming, no doubt about it. In addition to a fully painted army, it’s always a good option to possess some relevant components so the immersion wouldn’t be disturbed (and so the pictures of your battle would look even more phenomenal).
Slowly leading to the end of our journey through the horrifying (but also tragic) history of Emperor’s Children, we would like to remind you that this Legion is only a drop in a vast ocean of the forces of Chaos. Many more sub-factions build this one faction - both similar to the Emperor’s Children or completely different (whether from fictional history or a wargaming point of view). Knowing this, note that many products we just talked about aren’t matching only this Legion. More or less, they should also be a fitting addition to other sub-factions that serve the Dark Gods. Even if some bits look like someone has made them suit troops from one particular force, it doesn’t mean you can’t use them to convert the models from the other!
And it looks like that is how we get down to the end of this customization guide. We hope that you found it helpful. Regardless of the answer, remember that there is still much more to discover - both in this specific faction’s subject and the vast wargaming hobby.
Please, treat that article as an introduction or a supplement to your journey through the fascinating universe of Warhammer 40k. If you’re keen on discovering more stories similar to the tragic tale of the Emperor’s Children, search some Wikis and forums. Of course, don’t be shy and check our sites and social media daily as well - there, you’ll find more content like this. And remember - as always, there is still much more to come!
