T-Shirts guaranteed to get odd looks

[IBBoard]

I was just hunting for some images for a Dawn of War banner and tripped over a GW T-Shirt that's bound to get you some odd looks in the outside world:

http://ca.games-workshop.com/Community/ ... ntreal.htm

Scroll to the bottom.

I wonder what kind of people buy and wear that in the real world?

[Simguinus]

Probably the same kind of people that buy Imperial Pendants. Or pin-badges of their favourite Vampire clan, and Werewolf tribe temporary tattoos.

[IBBoard]

I've got a GW pendant, but it was the Dark Elf one cos it looked nasty and generically spikey. Kinda worrying how that stat-line is almost 'iconic' of the game, though

[Simguinus]

I was thinking of the 'aquila' eagle pendants. I guess it's cos it's the stat line that most players will be familiar with: most people who play 40K tend to start off with SMs. And they get a lot of hype...

[IBBoard]

Never had an SM army - occasional chapters seem interesting for background, but they're not interesting enough for me. I still think it's odd that they've still got the same stat line, though. Orks changed in 3rd edition so they were more combat and less shooty, and I'd have thought that some of the others would have. Maybe not, maybe it's just Orks...

[Simguinus]

Most of the non-core GW 'entries' to 40K are SM-based: Space Crusade, Advanced Space Crusade, that entry-level SMs oard game that they released mid-90s the name of which escapes me (Imperial Marines or something). Most of GWs non TT stuff is SM orientated - DoW, the various Space Hulk PC games. Even the enemies in these tend to be 'ensemble' efforts. DoW pits you against Orks and Chaos, Adv Space Cru against Tyranids, but also mind-slaved Orks, CSMs, Eldar, etc.
Once you're 'in' a lot of the available stuff is SM too. Pre-Epic even the game was called Space Marine. There are individual Codices for Chapters, but just one book for Orks, CSMs et al. Despite this, yes the SMs still have the same profile. Un peu dull n'est ce pas?

[IBBoard]

Can't think what the mid-90s game was. That was about when I started gaming and all I can think of is Space Hulk (although that was more of a GW game than a non-core game)

I think the Marines are just the more easily recognisable, the more playable to the newbie (they can see them from the 'good' side, but they're also impressive super warriors instead of normal Guardsmen) and the more extensible. Where as different Guard regiments just fight in slightly different ways, super warriors can have lots of different styles, while aliens may fight differently but all tend to look similar to an outsider. It's also easier to style a Marine - check out the Skins@HWT downloads section and you'll see how many more Marine skins there are than anything else!

[Simguinus]

There's something about the Imperium in general that's attractive to most new players. It's probably a lot to do with the 'they're humans, we're humans' aspect. After Imperial troops, it's probably Orks that come next in the popularity stakes - although the Tau and the general popularity of anime-style things just now may have shaken that demographic a little.

It's just a little annoying that GW lavish so many pages these days on SMs - and the Imperial Guard, while not producing *ahem* Clanbooks for the Orks....not like in the Good Ole DaysTM (:roll:) when we had 'Ere We Go!, Waaagh: The Orks and Freebooterz to enjoy...especially the Freebooterz. Come back, Flash Gitz, all is forgiven. You may have had squigskin carrying cases, but at least you didn't have Ooge Choppaz.