Setting:Halo

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Halo is a vidya game series exclusively released for the ECKSBAWKS, ECKSBAWKS 360 and to the PC. The series was developed by Bungie, though Microsoft has bought the rights to the game. The halo universe is pretty massive, with all sorts of media ranging from video games and graphic novels to action figures and a series of short movies released to DVD. It became famous for being the game that saved ECKSBAWKS from doing an Atari Jaguar in the 21st century when the PS2 and Gamecube were neck and neck in console sales, primarily because it was the only reason anyone would even want to play an ECKSBAWKS HUEG console. It's storyline is pretty much a copy of your everyday generic sci-fi storyline you can think of with a multiplayer that isn't too original either. It's also famous for it's FUCKING cliffhangers during the end of the game. /Tg/ isn't big on Halo and topics pertaining to Halo will normally be saged, trolled or told to go to /v/ or some combination mentioned in the former. On /v/ however, Halo is.....still widely hated, then again /v/ hates video games in general.

Setting

The HALO universe takes place chronologically in the years of 2500s, the 26th Century. Mankind, led by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) has developed its own crude version of FTL (the Shaw-Fujiwara Drive) and finally colonized other worlds. At its height, human civilization occupied nearly 800 planets, forming a ring of outer colonies and rings of inner colonies with Earth as its capital.

Sometime in the year 2525, an agricultural world in the outer colonies, creatively named Harvest, is attacked by an unknown force with technology far superior to that of humans. In the succeeding months, all attempts to make contact, or even defend against the alien forces had been met with swift destruction. It is not long before more colonies are wiped out, or in the HALO terminology Glassed (the alien forces obliterate all life on a planet with such an intense plasma bombardment that it leaves a large quantity of the planetary crust smooth as glass). Humanity at this time, strangely have close to zero (0) energy-based weapons and pretty much has not developed weapons beyond that of chemically-propelled slugthrowers (like gunpowder. Seriously, Bungie? 26th Century?) and Railguns (nice, but Meh...).

The unknown menace finally identifies itself as the COVENANT, a coalition of several alien races bent on destroying humanity (yea, HALO is basically a group of alien races beating up one race). At first, the whole We-Come-to-Destroy-humanity thing is a bit cliche and kinda random, leaving people with a galaxy-wide WHAT-THE-FUCK, MAN!?. Later on, it is discovered that the story is somewhat deeper than your regular wednesday afternoon Sci-fi show, apparently humanity is the genetic descendants of an ancient super-technologically advanced alien race called the Forerunners (Covenant-recovered Forerunner technology seems to react to humans, some of the sentient technology even call humans Reclaimers).

This made the COVENANT kinda jealous, 'cause it was they who first discovered the forerunner technology, adapted it to their own science, and finally started worshiping the Forerunners as an intergalactic race of Space Jesuses. Apparently, knowing that your Gods had a favorite (humanity), finding out that it isn't you, and finding out that it's some backward civilization that has barely evolved past primate, induces much Alien Rage. So, back to Glassing. It's not long before the UNSC military, and humanity itself, finds out that it is being PWN'd so absolutely that it shits-itself just thinking about it (seriously, the Covenant has technology that basically turns a plasma bolt into a fucking guided-missile... as in ball of plasma follows you around... and knows where you live).

Nearly 20 years of Human-ball-kicking Ownage later, in steps the SPARTAN II Program, humanity's last hope. And the rest, is gaming-history...

The SPARTAN II Program

You have been called upon to serve, you will be trained... and you will become the best we can make of you. You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies.
— Dr. Catherine Halsey, founder of the Program, to the young SPARTAN-II recruits

The Spartan II program was originally a super soldier project intended to fight increasing terrorist and rebel threats throughout UNSC space. It was masterminded by genius geneticist Dr. Catherine Halser who is a fucken HAWT MILF who is the founder and former director of the the project. She and her team practically visited all 800 planets in human space, trying to find children who matched the exact psychological and genetic profile that would accept her newly-developed super soldier treatments. In the end, over 300 children where selected for the program but only 150 were actually abducted due to budget constraints. Those that were abducted were replaced by flash clones so the families would never know they went missing. A necessity that Dr. Halsey felt uber guilty about to the end of her days.

The child-recruits were brought to a secret, but heavily fortified military world called Reach (later the homeworld of the Spartans). In the canon, there, they were trained, given numbers instead of names, beaten, retrained, mindfucked, trained some more, and all around turned them into efficient and disciplined killing machines. Finally, the said children, now in their late-teens, were cleared for biological enhancement. Using the latest experimental treatments, the 150 were pumped full of drugs that induced their muscles to grow, enriched their blood, and increase their brain processing. They were surgically modified to give them superior eye sight, hearing, and grafted alloyed-wolverine-style skeletons in their bodies (but ceramic rather than adamantium). The procedures were so dangerous that over half of the remaining recruits were lost in the surgeries. Only about 33 of the original 150 survived the experimental augmentation procedure program that would've utterly crippled all those without the proper genetics. The result, however, were The Spartan IIs. They could think faster, had reflexes nearly 5 times quicker than a regular human, able to run over 40 mph in their suits, and lift nearly three times their own body weight (essentially like the warhammer 40k Space Marines except without Religion thrown in and emphasis more on tacticool operatan' rather than than balls out strength and bulldozery).

Later, the super soldiers were finally given their signature green armor. The prototype powered-suit, called MJOLNIR. The MJOLNIR Mark-IV armor enhanced the Spartan's already considerable speed to blurring velocities, and multiplied their potent strength twice fold. The suit had an in-built motion sensor, magnetic panels for securing weapons, life-support, and canonically weighed a metric tonne as it was grafted with overlapping layers of hardened ballistic and heat resistant alloys.

Over the course of the fluff, the Spartans are sent into several termed 'Suicide' missions that even the UNSC elite forces (the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers or ODST) can't go in. Basically, the Spartans Get Shit Done. By the time the COVENANT starts to attack human worlds, the Spartan IIs have been in service for nearly a decade and they are quickly redeployed with the new MJOLNIR Mark-V armor, each complete with a reverse-engineered personal shield stolen from the covenant. It is at this point that jokes about the high mortality rate of the Spartans start to manifest amongst the gaming community. The sheer difference in technology and numbers of Covenant warriors kill more Spartans than the actual fighting. This has been a great source of Manly Tears, Lulz, and some WTF, WHY?? from folks who follow the fluff, since to spite all their efforts, the Spartans are slowly dying off and there were very few of them to begin with. It is now commonly viewed that this is not so much the Spartan's or Humanity's fault, but Author Eric Nylon's effort to reflect the brutality and desperation that humanity is in, that even super soldiers have trouble stemming the Covenant onslaught.

Ironically, whenever a Spartan dies, it is recorded in the UNSC Naval registry as MIA (Missing-In-Action); with morale so low due to humanity being on the brink of extinction, UNSC Intelligence thought it best that the people believe that their Superhuman saviors Never Die, they just go missing.

UNSC Marines

"When I die please bury me deep! Place an MA5 down by my feet! Don't cry for me, don't shed a tear! Just pack my box with PT gear! 'Cuz one early morning 'bout zero five! The ground will rumble, there'll be lightning in the sky! Don't you worry, don't come undone! It's just my ghost on a PT run!"
— UNSC Marching Song

No, we're not referring to the Jihading Space Nazis, these are your everyday cannon-fodder from the UNSC who meet fates similar of the mobile infantry in the first Starship troopers movie or your typical Imperial Guardsman. Actually, they're more like Guardsman considering their service rifle is an assault rifle (technically considered stubbers in the Warhammer 40k universe) that uses rounds that would have probably been outdated considering it's been used since like.....1960-1970 and you're fighting aliens who have mastered Plasma technology and their armor are only fatigues and metal plates that are still incapable of deflecting anything properly while your enemy gets plasma shields and penis fingers. Oddly enough, the MA5 Assault Rifle in HALO may have actually have a higher armor penetration value than a Guard lasgun if rendered on the 40k tabletop considering that lasgund blow peoples arms off that's a given.

The Covenant

The Covenant are a coalition of quasi-religious alien civilizations that are far more technologically advanced that humans. They venerate and worship the Forerunners and are known to utilize some forerunner technology for their own means, giving them a colossal fleet of ships that outmatches the UNSC Navy. They are composed of the following:

• Grunts: 3-ft tall Cannon fodder/comic relief. They die like bitches.

• Jackals: Cannon fodder with plasma shields. A little tougher, and armed with Plasma pistols that can sear even through MJOLNIR armor. But they still Die like bitches.

• Elites: Lizardmen IIIIIINNNN SPAAAAAACE! But without tails. Forms the slightly more intelligent branch of the Covenant. As their name states, they are the Covenant's elite soldiery, armored with ancient ritual energy swords and armor able to cloak. Like the Jackals, the Elites are also equipped with Energy shields.

• Hunters: Some odd combination of worm/alien/giant thingy. They stand nearly 10 feet tall, but are actually a hive collection of worm-like aliens fusing together to form 1 giant thing. A single hunter is armored from head to toe in overlapping tank-class plate armor, and carries fuckheug shields. Making them notoriously hard to kill, and are only vulnerable when you get up close to them and shoot in between their armor plating. They are armed with powerful fuel-rod guns that can take out anything up to light armored vehicles. Known for raping anything, short of Master Chief and a starship.

• Brutes: Slightly intelligent Yeti/Cave Troll/Gorilla-like creatures......IIIIIINNN SPAAAAACE! Reputedly, they are the only race in the Covenant that had developed super advance technology through constant warfare, then became a space-faring race, then blasted their own civilization back to the stone age with their own advanced weapons, only to claw their way back up to space-faring again...AND LEARNED NOTHING FROM THE EXPERIENCE. They later replace the Elites as the standing go-to force of the Covenant, and bodyguards of the Prophets, forcing the Elites into exile. WTF?

• The Prophets: They form the leadership cadre of the Covenant, claiming that they alone know the truth purpose the Forerunners had for them, leading the Covenant in a spiritual-militaristic philosophy called 'The Great Journey'. It was the Prophets whom discovered that Humanity was the genetic descendants of the Forerunners, and declared humans as a thread to The Great Journey.

Also, our only edge is that the Covenant actually think that tinkering with the advanced technology they dug up from the olden days is HERESY... ensuring that we can improve on it. It is often noted amongst mutual fans of Warhammer 40k and HALO that the Covenant closely resemble the Tau from Warhammer 40k as their philosophies are somewhat similar except that the Tau are Commies and predominantly Asians, while the Covenant are religious nuts with a little African and Brazilian thrown into the Asian mix. Also, Warhammer Fantasy fans might notice strong parallels to the Lizardmen, who are lead by the Prophet-like Slann and rule over three different races- the Grunt-like Skinks, the Elite-like Sauruses, and the Brute-like Kroxigors.

Battles with the Covenant by the Humans have often resulted in catastrophic losses on the Human side. On the ground, UNSC Marines, Armored divisions, and Spartans can hold their own against their technologically superior foe, but it is a different story in space. Naval engagements almost always results in the obliteration of all human ships. The energy weapons of the Covenant ships are able to melt right through the unshielded battle-plating of human warships. While human missile barrages detonate harmlessly off Covenant shields. The only chance the Navy has are Nuclear ordinances and massive slow-firing Railguns called MACs (Magnetic Accelerator Cannons) that fling 600-ton Ferric-Tungsten rounds, able to break covenant ships in half. Sadly we do not have enough of them, since each ship is only equipped with one or two of these.

The Flood

The other antagonists are "The Flood". A race of parasitic organisms that exist only to infest other lifeforms and OMNOMNOMNOM them. They're sorta like a combination of a zombie virus from your generic zombie horror flic and the Xenomorphs from the Aliens movie franchise where they look like something that Nurgle would have probably made with a little Tyranid on the side. They were the ancient enemy of the Forerunners and why the Forerunners built the HALO devices. Battles with the Flood destroyed Forerunner civilization, as the flood could infest their own people and technology to use against them.

Finally, with all their massive fleets defeated, and all their soldiers massacred, the Forerunners committed mass suicide on a galactic scale to prevent more of their people and other fledgling civilizations from falling prey to the Flood, depriving the Flood of its essential hosts and food sources. The flood was finally died off due to starvation and were defeated...sorta. Small pockets of them hid themselves in the HALO devises waiting the day the new civilizations would rise so that they might feed again. Naturally, all the Covenants exploring of Forerunner technology, they accidentally reawakened the Flood. And humanity breathed a sigh of relief to note that finally, awakening an ancient galactic enemy from hibernation was so totally NOT their fault this time.

Hardcorez

Warhammer 40k and HALO comparison

Why this topic is so popular is beyond comprehension and probably only Tzeentch knows why it came into being. Still it should be addressed with some measure of competence, unlike some people. Firstly, it is rather absurd to compare both universes, since it is like mixing Apples and Onions; You don't know why it happened, but it did and you will have to eat the end result through your ass since that's the same way it's gonna come out. Moving on...

Secondly, the dates are all wrong. Warhammer 40k takes place in the year grimdark 40,000 AD while HALO takes place in fledgling space-faring setting of 2500 AD, there is like a fucking 37,500-year difference... That kinda throws a logical wrench in most conflicting facts about both. Differences in technology are expected.

Third, focusing now on the marked arguments on Spartans vs Astartes. One cannot really objectively relate one thing to the other, since their training, values, experience, gear, and fighting styles are exceedingly different. Since the awesomeness of the Astartes are well-documented by a hundred authors and writefags, this will largely be about the Spartans, and hopefully rather objective. Keep in mind, the author sounding like an Ass may result.

Spartans don't really put much on things like Glory, Honor, and Faith like Space Marines do. They just do what they can to Get Shit Done, if it means knifing someone in the back instead of facing them head on, or sneaking around and planting tactical nukes instead of charging and bulldozing head-first, so be it. Space Marines rarely make use of cover or infiltration, with a few notable exceptions. Space Marines fight head on, their incredible armor, brutal weaponry, and all out stamina and strength enable them to smash into enemy lines like a tide of death. Plus they nearly always have support units in orbit, via Orbital strike, Deep Strike, Thunderhawk strike, Tank strike, and various other strike-strike. Spartans rarely have that kind of support, human ships usually get obliterated, and UNSC marines are far to the rear. Compared to a space marine, Spartans have shit and sticks, that's it and they don't ask for more. They focus more on mobility than stagnantly holding the line, that's why their armor streamlined instead of hulking and boxy. It makes them more vulnerable to enemy weapons, but if they are moving fast enough, or if they are hidden, that really won't matter.

They are an independent small unit of soldiers, usually four in every team, trained to be away for long periods of time from any command structure. They are taught to improvise, salvage/steal and use alien weapons (they even have standing orders from the UNSC to steal alien technology), pilot enemy vehicles, take every advantage and cheap shot, to win, to survive. They are masters of the Hit-and-run strikes and they don't fuck around about honor and doctrine. No Primarch wrote a Codex for how Spartans should fight so they had to make shit up as they went along. If they have a chance to take you out without you ever seeing them, like planting C4 in your pancakes, so be it. Spartans are kinda Dicks that way, but that's fine by them as long as shit gets done. Against a Space Marine charge, Spartans will plant a Nuke and GTFO, without a second thought (no Last Stands unless ordered to do so). They do have a certain level of humanity as they try to keep civilian causalities to a minimum, but other than that hell blows the fuck up on a regular basis. Sadly, Spartans unusually die in the process. Ultimately, every human life on the battlefield is an expendable resource to the UNSC just to buy humanity a little more time to survive.

Spartan vs Space Marine in close combat debate

Seeing this kind of argument in a thread anywhere is sure to invoke RAGE of the umpteenth degree, guaranteed. The majority of arguments in favor of the SPARTANS neglect to let the opposition use an Independent Character; they consistently use Master Chief as the base of comparison to your average Space Marine. Which is at least a 125-150pt character against a 16pt Marine. Not a very fair assessment at all indeed.

This is a very sensitive topic and the authors of this page go into it with much hesitation. Nonetheless the subject has been brought up and must be address with as close to fair-play as possible. Basically this is your average Spartan ported into 40k:

WS 3 / BS 5 / S 4 / T 4 / W 1 / I 4 / A 1 / Ld 8/ Sv 4+/5++

Composition

3 Spartan-IIs
1 Spartan-II Squad Leader

Unit Type

Infanty

Wargear

• MJOLNIR Armor
• MA5C Assault Rifle
• Combat Knife
• Frag Grenades (Offensive)

Special Rules

• At All Costs - As per their tactical doctrines, Spartans are combat veterans of independent action and deep infiltration missions. They may spend weeks, if not months behind enemy lines while disrupting enemy movements even against insurmountable odds. They are psychologically conditioned to deal with such odds to achieve victory. Spartans gain the Stubborn rule from the Warhammer 40k Core Rulebook.
• Shoot First, Ask Later - Though trained in hand-to-hand, compared to other races who train constantly in it Spartans are rather poor at CQ combat. Spartans specialize in range tactics, as the majority of UNSC weapons are range-based and incorporated into their training. They refer not to engage powerful enemies head-on. Even in points of being trapped into melee, Spartans will more often than not, disengage from it to use their range weapons. Spartans gain the Hit & Run rule from the Warhammer 40k Core Rulebook.
• Interface Targeting - MJOLNIR not simply a suit of advance armor, it is a battlefield processor with a sophisticated Neural interface. In Warhammer 40k terms, it is at the very start of the Dark Age of technology. MJOLNIR's default up-link systems are so effective that if a weapon possesses electronic targeting, the suit's systems allows the wielder to interface directly with the targeting reticule of the weapon. Spartan wireless interface program their targeting systems so as to merge flawlessly with UNSC weapons, giving way to a precision of firing and accuracy that is as superhuman as the rest of the Spartan himself. The Spartan gain +1 to his Ballistics Skill (BS) when wielding weapons from the Spartan Armory already incorporated above in their stat line.

Options:

• May Include up to 4 additional Spartan-IIs for 18 points per Model
• For every 4 models in a squad, one model may replace their MA5C Rifle with one of the following:
  • M90 CAWS (Shotgun)...............................6 points per Model
  • SRS99D-S2 AM (Sniper Rifle)..................10 points per Model
  • M41 SSR MAV/AW (Missile Launcher)........15 points per Model

SPARTAN ARMORY

---

• MJOLNIR Armor - Created parallel to the SPARTAN-II Program, the MJOLNIR Armor is a sealed system, capable of extravehicular activity or operations in toxic atmosphere. Weighing over half a metric ton, the armor's shell is constructed in overlapping layers of Titanium-A plating and highly durable ballistic alloys of remarkable strength. It has even been augmented with a refractive coating capable of dispersing a limited amount of energy weapon strikes. The suit contains a gel-filled layer underneath a thick black armored bodysuit, which is then covered over-all by a thicker alloyed shell. The gel layer regulates temperature and can reactively change its density, allowing for unparalleled impact abortion. The inner skinsuit is made of a moisture-absorbing synthetic material linked to an environment control computer and the occupant's neural interface. Unique to the first Spartan IIs, their suits sports no heraldry or identifying marks, but rather bland militant colors, nor even wrappings and scriptures of religion, symbolizing that the Spartan IIs are not fanatics or zealots fighting for a cause, they are simply soldiers, machines of war. The armor provides 4+ armor save.
  • The MJOLNIR armor is equipped with a full body, recharging, energy shield that was reverse-engineered from captured alien technology. The finest human scientists worked for almost two decades before they finally succeeded in cracking the technology used to create resilient energy fields that could stop solid and energy strikes dead. The shield itself is utterly transparent and does not hinder sight in any way but briefly flashes a greenish-gold color when hit. The Spartan II gains a 5+ Invulnerability Save.

• MA5C Assault Rifle - Also known as the "MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System", the MA5C has an attached electronics suite that provides information on rounds remaining in the magazine, compass heading, and capable of wireless up-link with MJOLNIR systems for incredibly improved accuracy. Made of Titanium Alloy and Polymer, the rifle performs well in a variety of environments. Having a rate of fire of 650 rounds a minute, and chambering M118 7.62x51mm Armor Piercing, Full Metal-titanium Jacket Rounds, the MA5C is fully capable of a withering barrage whilst even in motion or on a charge. Like most assault rifles it can be fired while on the move. Though lacking a bit of strength and stopping power, these rounds are designed to pierce most conventional ballistic body armor.
  • It has the following stats: Range 24" / Strength 3 / AP 5 / Type Assault 3

• M90 Shotgun - Also known as the "M90 Close Assault Weapon System", is a pump-action, magazine-fed, dual tubular non-detachable type weapon. It uses the Soellkraft 8-Gauge Magnum Shotgun Shell, an incredibly large round capable of phenomenal stopping power. Recoil has been said to be relatively low, and can be fired while moving.
  • It has the following stats: Range 12" / Strength 5 / AP 6 / Type Assault 2

• Sniper Rifle S99D-S2 AM - Aka the "SR System 99D-S2 Anti-Matériel", is a semi-automaticUNSC sniper rifle that fires 14.5 x 114mm APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) from a 4-round magazine. It is fitted with a 5x and 10x optic that shows real time images in infrared vision when not looking through it. When looking through it, the scope shows a target's distance and elevation. The rifle is so powerful it even can be matched to fired at light armored vehicles.
  • It has the following stats: Range 36" / Strength 7 / AP 3^(When firing at vehicles, the rifle adds D3 to its Armor penetration value) / Type Heavy 1

• M41 Rocket Launcher - The M41 SSR fires 102mm HEAP (High Explosive Armor Piercing) shaped charge rockets. The launcher sports a 2x scope and can fire rockets over long distances with devastating accuracy. The rocket launcher spreads a huge amount of damage over a large area, its twin launch tubes allowing the wielder to fire two rockets at a time. It is capable of taking out entire groups of infantry at any range and can kill both the passengers and crew of nearly any vehicle.
  • It has the following stats: Range 48" / Strength 8 / AP 2 / Type Heavy 2, Blast

Reconciliation Attempt

What use is a debate if no resolution is found? Thus this is an attempt to try to reconcile the two opposing fields in the best light. Unfortunately, the HALO universe is rather well defined and thus any reconciliation may be impossible on its end. However, the answer to bringing the two sides together may be found in Warhammer 40k itself. Within Warhammer 40k's prevailing chronological gaps in great parts of its history. The sheer difference in era from 2,500 to 40,000 means that nearly anything under the sun could've happened in that 37,500-year period.

Indeed a difference of only 200 hundred years is already substantial, since the 1800s humans were still using steam engines and muskets, but in 2000, humans were already using Nuclear power plants and ICBMs. A point of contact can be made in the Spartan II's manner of bodily enhancement. While Spartan procedure in no way resembles that of the Space marines's geneseed implantation, there is another organization in the Imperium that may actually have a similar manner of enhancement and even training to that of the Spartans; The Adeptus Custodes

It may very well be that the Spartan II are the ancient precursors of the Custodes. Who knows, for up until the Age of Strife, the God-Emperor took a more minimal role in shaping humanity's history. It was the beginning of the Dark Age of Technology, a time of lost science in 40k. He could have been there with Dr. Halsey as her assistant or fellow developer of the Spartan procedure 37,000 years ago. The Custodes-Spartan discussion has surfaced from time to time on a forum or two, not enough to warrant real consideration but enough to provide a new twist to the story.

Though this by no means is an absolute reconciliation since it can be argued against, it does assist in providing a little bit of new insight into the prevailing debate-in-progress.

See Also

• 1R0QU012
  • The CC Debate, in which rage ensues

• This guy (who actually tried to make a reasonable Spartan II 40k approximation, with accompanying plausible fluff. Beware tl;dr is present). From which the Spartan Armory (listed above) was derived.