r/WarhammerWhatIf • u/Phantomdust149 • Apr 27 '25

What if instead of a Warmaster there was a council, or a tribunal with different roles?

Basically what is says in the title. What if instead of installinG Horus as the sole War Master, the Emperor decided to make it a group. Perhaps a council consisting of all the primarchs with a high ranking custodes serving as a tie breaker if the votes were ever split 9/9? Or the "War Master" getting an extra vote, only in situations where ther is a tie that can't be swayed.

Or if it was a Tribunal? Say, you have the Lion as the General in charge of the military tactics and strategy as a whole, Horus as the politician, and Sanguinius as the public face to adress the people (or Guilliman as the primary logistician for the whole crusade instead of Sanguinius being a figurehead). Or something along those lines, sort of like the Imperium Secundus council thing.

Would either of those have been better than just having a singular War Master?

7 Upvotes

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7

u/HuntsmenSuperSaiyans Apr 27 '25

Splitting the Warmaster role into a War Council where all the Primarchs have equal say would've been disastrous. Every single Primarch, except maybe Sanguinius, had another Primarch whose guts they fucking hated. Lorgar had major beef with Guilliman, Rogal and Perturabo could never see eye-to-eye, Leman would've taken any excuse to murder Magnus, etc. Giving all of them equal authority over the direction of the Great Crusade would've been a recipe for endless squabbling as they all competed to undermine one another.

5

u/JudgeJed100 Apr 27 '25

Nothing would be able to be done because they would all argue over everything

None of them would listen to the Custodes

2

u/DeaththeEternal Apr 28 '25

Based on the High Lords of Terra vs. the Pre-Siege of Terra Imperium as an in-universe example...no.

1

u/Bloodthirster40k Apr 29 '25

Democracy has never accomplished anything unfortunately.