I'm not 100% on the lack or murder, they've been shown as pretty capable warriors. That and a splintered group of AL can range from near loyalist to full on khornite. It really would have to be given a proper scenario. My 'stalemate' kind of thing comes from the idea neither side would wage full war without the deck stacked in their favor. That'd lead to poking/mind games/safe moves. It also stresses the idea how we consider these factions. Alphas use non-alphas for a ton of stuff, so do we count them? potential Xeno help (unlikely but alphas are alphas). the whole theme with AL and the reader not knowing shit is a pain in the ass, making it hard to actually parse facts out. then there's the advantage of having a living primarch. Though if Konrad wasn't murdered (a possibility), it becomes even again.
I will go with AL in this one!But the only reason i give this round to them is because they still have a primarcch while the NL do not.
I cant see either group going for a large scale conflict with the other. Would expect both rather to stick with smaller skirmishes and sabotage methods. Which I am inclined to say the alpha legion is set up best to cope with on the receiving end. The terror tactics of the Nightlords while effective are unlikely to have a significant effect on overall morale of the Alpha legion as many of its assets don't even realize who they work for or who else is working along side them. It could be a case of a terror attack improves morale because the groups were rival gangs but both had alphas in the upper command. If it does come down to a direct fight I would heavily place bets on Alpha Legion as at the start of the heresy they were listed as having between 90,000 and 180,000 active members and I dont recall any extreme losses of numbers, compared to the nightlords being 90,000 to 120,000 and having a significant number of losses against the dark angels.
The big bonus of the Night Lords is that 1. they employ psychological warfare 2. they fight dishonorable Both won't work against the Alpha Legion because 1. Space Marines don't know fear 2. while the Night Lords spent the Great Crusade with mass-murders, the Alpha Legion developed a tradition of beating the enemy with a superior strategy
Yeah, I gotta go with Kilrane on this one. I actually prefer the Alpha Legion, personally, but they do not favor direct confrontation, where as the Night Lords are very comfortable as bloody brawlers. So, based on the context of this question, gotta go with NL.
well this one is a some what tricky both sides prefer to fight on their terms and secrecy and element of surprise are there main advantages 1)both legions exacts manpower is not exactly know although it is know that after the HH night lords numbers were about 10000 it is said that alpha legion had suffered a lot of casualties after the HH but considering the original size of the legion and the possibility of having stable gene seed supply gives the Alpha legion a significant advantage 2) when it come to tactics the two legions use, NL prefer to use terror tactics above all and AL use wide variety of tactics this also give AL advantage 3) both legions do not serve a single dark god and choose to worship Chaos undivided but unlike other traitor legions they are both less effected by physical corruption of chaos considering what i said above it looks like a fight that Alpha Legion would win
I think this quote sums it up nicely for me. "Because the Wolves kill cleanly, and we do not. They also kill quickly, and we have never done that, either. They fight, they win, and they stalk back to their ships with their tails held high. If they were ever ordered to destroy another Legion, they would do it by hurling warrior against warrior, seeking to grind their enemies down with the admirable delusions of the 'noble savage'. If we were ever ordered to assault another Legion, we would virus bomb their recruitment worlds; slaughter their serfs and slaves; poison their gene-seed repositories and spend the next dozen decades watching them die slow, humiliating deaths. Night after night, raid after raid, we'd overwhelm stragglers from their fleets and bleach their skulls to hang from our armour, until none remained. But that isn't the quick execution the Emperor needs, is it? The Wolves go for the throat. We go for the eyes. Then the tongue. Then the hands. Then the feet. Then we skin the crippled remains, and offer it up as an example to any still bearing witness. The Wolves were warriors before they became soldiers. We were murderers first, last, and always!" —Jago Sevatarion, speaking about his VIIIth Legion Night Lords have no interest in a fair fight. They'll pull whatever dirty tricks get the job done most efficiently and effectively.
As much as I love this quote (And I actually really, really do... copy pasted it to my brother just to build the NL hype) I find it an odd example to give as a counter to the Alpha Legion who are classically known for fighting using prolonged, dishonorable and ruthless tactics. I'd say of all the legions, Night Lords and Alpha Legion are most known for fighting this way, which is why this question is challenging to answer. I based my answer off the context that the two legions were facing each other in a "fight or die!" stand off. No time for tricks, no time for disengagement, just kill each other. If the question had been phrased in such a way as to allow both legions to meticulously plan out the others destruction, I would have quickly swayed to the Alpha Legion.
