Codex: Adeptus Arbites

[parhaius]

First, I would like to say that this “Codex� is not really a Codex at all. It contains no new rules or equipment, and it is completely useable, even tournament legal, for Warhammer 40K.

How can this be so? It merely uses the Regimental Doctrine rules as stated in Codex: Imperial Guard. Every Adeptus Arbites army is actually an Imperial Guard army in disguise!

Here are the Doctrines to use if you are going to play the Arbites:

First, EVERY Adeptus Arbites army MUST take the following Doctrines:

Special Equipment: Carapace Armour
Iron Discipline

EVERY squad must be given the Carapace Armour upgrade, and all characters able to access the Imperial Guard Armoury MUST select Carapace Armour as one of their options.

Also, the following Doctrines CAN NOT be used by an Adeptus Arbites army:

Techpriest Enginseers
Storm Trooper Squads
Ratling Squads
Ogryn Squads
Conscript Platoons
Rough Rider Squadrons
Grenadiers
Independent Commisars
Jungle Fighters
Light Infantry
Xeno-Fighters
Special Equipment: Chem-Inhaler
Special Equipment: Cameleoline
Special Equipment: Cyber-enhancement
Special Equipment: Warrior Weapons

It should also be noted that Adeptus Arbites armies CAN NOT take Commisars! Period! Also, an Adeptus Arbites army cannot be led by an Imperial Guard Special Character, nor can it contain Colonel Schaeffer’s Last Chancers.

The other three doctrine points are really up to the creator’s imagination. Here are some suggested Doctrine sets for different flavor armies:

Standard Arbites Precinct Garrison:
Special Equipment: Carapace Armour
Iron Discipline
Close Order Drill
Sharpshooters
Heavy Weapons Platoons

Arbites Mobile Insurrection Control Force:
Special Equipment: Carapace Armour
Iron Discipline
Mechanised
Die-Hards
Hardened Fighters

Arbites Quick Response and Execution Force:
Special Equipment: Carapace Armour
Iron Discipline
Drop Troops
Veterans
Special Weapons Squads

The only real change in the Arbites army list are the names that each of the units get. The Guard to Arbites conversion list is below.

Guard Unit Name --> Arbites Unit Name
Heroic Senior Officer --> Chief Justice
Senior Officer --> Judge
Junior Officer --> Adjudicator
Veteran Sergeant --> Chief Arbitrator
Sergeant --> Senior Arbitrator
Guardsman --> Arbitrator
Veteran --> Executor
Command Squad --> Judicator Squad
Anti-tank Support Squad --> Heavy Suppression Squad
Fire Support Squad --> Riot Control Suppression Squad
Mortar Support Squad --> Indirect Suppression Squad
Special Weapons Squad --> Close Suppression Squad
Sanctioned Psykers --> Living Polygraphs (derogatory)
Priests --> Ecclesiarchal Advisors
Hardened Veterans --> Executor Squad
Infantry Squad --> Arbitrator Squad
Armoured Fist Squad --> Mobile Arbitrator Squad

The names of all of the tanks and vehicles used by the Adeptus Arbites are exactly the same as the tank and vehicle names used by the Imperial Guard, so an Adeptus Arbites Basilisk would still be called a Basilisk, etc.

How do I model the Adeptus Arbites?

A good question indeed. As we all know, there are many different ways of modeling even the simplest miniatures, but the Adeptus Arbites present a special problem: how do you represent all that Carapace Armour? Of course, you could order a whole ton of Archive Arbites models from Games Workshop and convert about 80% of them to be holding lasguns, but what’s the point of doing that?

I believe I have found a better way.

It involves using the new plastic Cadian box set and parts from the plastic Space Marines as well to represent the heavier Carapace Armour that our little Arbitrators will be wearing. What I do is take the standard Cadian head, torso and legs for the center of the figure. To represent the beefier armour, though, I use Space Marine arms. This presents two problems, however. Problem one: the Space Marine arms are molded to fit a wider torso. To fix this, merely shave a bit off the inside of each shoulder on the arms, and they should fit just fine. The other problem is that the Cadian box set comes with the arms attached to the guns! However, all you have to do is cut away the stock and arms of most of the guns, and then just carve off the hand molded to the gun and presto… a free lasgun. Of course, it you’re feeling especially lazy, the plastic Catachan box set comes with 16 loose lasguns, and the Cadian box set comes with 4 loose lasguns, so I guess you could do it that way as well. I would also suggest using Space Marine special weapons for the models, since they will fit better in the models’ hands.

This will work great for your standard Arbitrators. If you plan on using Suppression Squads, all you need is a Space Marine Vehicle Sprue or 3 for the “Stormbolter Arms� – a perfect replacement for the gunner arms from the Cadian Heavy Weapons box. For Executor Squads, I would suggest giving them different heads or something to set them apart from the standard Arbitrator. Personally, I like to use the heads from the Catachan box set for this – they look tougher and more grizzled than the Cadian heads, and they are definitely set apart from the rest of the army. The only problem with Catachan heads is that their necks are a bit too long – nothing a good modeling knife won’t fix in a jiffy.

As for your Judges, you can use the metal Cadian Lieutenant models to represent these. I like using the ones with the caps instead of the helmets to make my Judges really stand out. Just clip the arms off carefully using a good pair of clippers, then use either the Space Marine Sergeant or Assault Marine arms to give them two weapons.

As for paint schemes, I would highly suggest not painting your army a camouflage scheme, since that really isn’t the Arbites’ style at all. I would suggest solid, constrasting colors for the armour, fatigues and weapons of your Arbiters. Anything in the range from black to blue to grey to white would be appropriate, though it’s my personal opinion that white may be a bit bright for Arbiters.

My personal colour scheme for my Quick Response and Execution Force is Space Wolves Gray fatigues with Ultramarines Blue armour and Boltgun Metal weapons. It makes for really fast and easy basecoating, since Citadel Colour puts out all three of these in a spray form. All I have to paint by hand is the highlighting! I would suggest something similar no matter what army you plan on painting – it makes the army look like it is all part of the same “team�, and it saves enormous amounts of basecoating time that could better be spent highlighting, converting, or (gasp!) playing!

Overall, your colour scheme and painting technique is best left to what you're most comfortable with.

I hope that this post at least sparked some ideas... use what you want, and most important of all... HAVE FUN!

[BobaHat]

Wow that's pretty good! It sounds very tempting...

I was thinking, maybe there could be a special elites choice of shotgun-judges? The Arbites Judges are known for their shotguns and power mauls...

I think an Adeptus Arbites army would look exellent in their black outfits...

[drozzy]

thats cool as, tho i wish i could use it, maybe next time

what about using conscripts as penal troopers, because if the arbites are fighting in a planetaryu battle their really arent gonna be enough cops to defend a planet. also, i think space marine bits are too, well large and...ummm....cartoonish? i believe the best way to model carapace armour is to use green stuff, and it doesnt require much skill, mainly due to only having to add knee pads, boot armour and gloves and gauntlets. Also, even tho i havent seen much arbite fluff, maybe stormtroopers as swat teams?

[Dragonslayero]

Aren't there already arbites models out there? I mean like at least in the GW arcive?
You could try remodeling some necromunda orlock gangers into arbites, they already have the long trenchcoats so you don't need worry about modeling carapace on them. Just say it's under the coats.

[parhaius]

Originally posted by BobaHat@Oct 21 2003, 23:31
I was thinking, maybe there could be a special elites choice of shotgun-judges? The Arbites Judges are known for their shotguns and power mauls...

To let you know, this is why Hardened Veterans (or Executor Squads) can be included. They can use shotguns as their basic weapons. See? I thought of everything.

[parhaius]

Originally posted by drozzy@Oct 22 2003, 01:55
what about using conscripts as penal troopers, because if the arbites are fighting in a planetaryu battle their really arent gonna be enough cops to defend a planet. also, i think space marine bits are too, well large and...ummm....cartoonish? i believe the best way to model carapace armour is to use green stuff, and it doesnt require much skill, mainly due to only having to add knee pads, boot armour and gloves and gauntlets. Also, even tho i havent seen much arbite fluff, maybe stormtroopers as swat teams?

You know, I wish I was a good enough sculptor to be able to use green stuff at all. Every time I try, it turns into a sticky blob-shaped mess. For those of you with the patience and skill to do it, by all means, give it a whirl.

As for the conscripts as penal troopers thing, the Penal Legions are a part of the Imperial Guard, not the Adeptus Arbites. As silly as it sounds, the Arbites don't really have prisons. If you do something serious to get their attention, your punishment is most likely death. Dead guys don't make good troopers. At least, last I checked. Some Fantasy Vampire Counts and Tomb Kings players may have an alternate point of view on this one.

I personally figured that Hardened Veterans could be used as SWAT squads, since they can Infiltrate, and can also Deep Strike if you take the Drop Troops Doctrine. Stormtroopers are another Imperial Guard-exclusive thing, since they're raised by the Schola Progenium. Same reason the Arbites can't have Commisars.

[Reavered]

That is a very well thought out 'codex'. Its such a shame regular Guardsmen cant have shotguns

[rule britania]

Originally posted by Dragonslayero@Oct 22 2003, 056
Aren't there already arbites models out there? I mean like at least in the GW arcive?

yes there are i have 5 of them they r so COOL!
i bought them 6 years ago so i dont know if they r still sold....they r black with yellow trim i repeat they r so coooooool

[Chilly McFreeze]

The Judge Dredd ripoff Arbitraitor models are some of the coolest troops GW ever made - they were released in 1992 (I think) soon after the relase of 40k 3rd edition, and the rules were published in White Dwarf, but they were never included in a Codex book. I think they were vaunted for the Codex: Imperial Agents book that never came out. As such they never really took off, but they do look very cool. I have 8 - a Judge, 4 with shotguns and 3 with boltguns.

[th0r]

For my arbites force I bought a Cadian battle force and box of 20 Cadians, as they look armoured ( carapace armour ). Plus the extra weapons you get in the 20 man sprues are good for make executionare squads ( 3 special weapons ). I was going to opt for a street camo, but opted for an army like woods cam. In the un official codex I read it said that sometimes since there are worlds so far apart it can take awhile for support ( space marines ) to come and they have to hold off. So I figured it would be better to have them in a colour scheme that would help them in a variety of landscapes.

For my judge I used a Commisar ( cape, and the hat make him seem more none combatent and more of a " well im here " kinda look ). His guards are 5 chasteners in power armour and bolters ( its assumed that the Judge would outfit his personal guards with the best equipment availible ).

I think unlike most IG armies were you have a bunch of 20 man squads running around the Arbites would be more suited to 5, to a max of 10 man squads, to represent there better trained then the average guard.

In terms of vehicals I think a rhino is best suited to transport due to the fact that there not meant to go against heavily armed foes, at thus only has a storm bolter.I think tanks should be allowed ( Lemas Russ ) to represent heavy riot contol and when raiding a base ( like a drug factory ) , however instead of HB and that have the Heavy Webber and the water cannon. Keep the battle cannon, but maybe modify the types of fire. Such as a weaker attack that uses the ordance blast and is made more for pinning.Make the tank come in at like 130 pts or so...

For fielding my army at the present time im using a PDF codex I downloaded off the net, it's pretty good but needs some adjustments.