Colors of the Atreides

[Karyle]

So I've recently decided to create a Dune themed army in a table-top wargame that I play (Warmachine, if anyone is curious) and realized that I'm not very familiar with the exact colors used by different Houses.

I remember that Duke Leto I and Duncan both would commonly wear a solid black uniform with a small red hawk emblem on the breast, but otherwise I can't think of anything else! Fremen are of the desert, and stilsuits are silver/gray/black...

So what colors do the Atreides use, other than that red and black combo?

[Freakzilla]

The Atreides banner is red and black with a red hawk crest.

Like this:



Except black and green with a red hawk in place of the crossed sabers, is how I imagine it.

[Karyle]

So they're Christmas colors?

[Freakzilla]

So they're Christmas colors?

Is black a Christmas color?

[chanilover]

So they're Christmas colors?

Is black a Christmas color?

Motherfuckin ho ho ho.

[GamePlayer]

So they're Christmas colors?

Is black a Christmas color?

Hell yeah!

[Karyle]

Okay... let me rephrase a bit. I was hurriedly replying, so the whole "Christmas colors" thing wasn't fleshed out.

What I meant was - "Red" is typically a vibrant red, like McDonald's or Christmas or something, and when it is a different tone or hue you get things like pink, or scarlet, or maroon. So I understand "red."

Green, however, isn't quite as immediate to my brain. There are types like grass green, kelly green, hunter green, etc etc. I tend to think of the Atreides banner being more of a dark, hunter green, seeing as black and red are the other colors present.

When painting a miniature, or a painting, or whatever... if you use too much red and (bright) green, it ends up looking like Santa's workshop. I'm just going to have to make sure to utilize lots of black, with small bits being red or green.

Thank you for the help! (and all the funny "black Christmas" jokes!)

[Freakzilla]

The hawk crest is the only red, the colors are green and black.

If you're asking about uniform colors there are examples in the books:

The Duke was tall, olive-skinned. His thin face held harsh angles warmed
only by deep gray eyes. He wore a black working uniform with red armorial hawk
crest at the breast. A silvered shield belt with the patina of much use girded
his narrow waist.

She whirled, saw him striding from the arched passage to the dining hall.
His black working uniform with red armorial hawk crest at the breast looked
dusty and rumpled.

Idaho lounged in the black-and-green uniform of an Atreides House Guard, no
insignia. It was an affectation which was secretly resented by many of Alia's
actual guards, especially the amazons, who gloried in insignia of office. They
did not like the plain presence of the ghola-swordmaster-mentat, the more so
because he was the husband of their mistress.

Alia found herself speaking harshly to the guards she confronted in the
Temple foyer. There were nine of them in the dusty green uniforms of the
suburban patrol, and they were still panting and sweating with their exertions.
The light of late afternoon came in the door behind them. The area had been
cleared of pilgrims.

Both men wore the yellow robes of mourning, but Idaho's was a borrowed
garment worn because the people of Tabr had resented the Atreides green of his
working uniform.

Leto remained silent while the Duncan approached, observing details. The Duncan
still walked with the spring of youth despite all of his long service. He could
thank a minimal ingestion of melange for that. The man wore the old Atreides
uniform, black with a golden hawk at the left breast. An interesting statement,
that: "I serve the honor of the old Atreides!" His hair was still the black cap
of karakul, the features fixed in stony sharpness with high cheekbones.

He looked down at his clothing: a black uniform with golden piping, a red hawk
at the left breast. That, at least, was familiar. No insignia of rank.

Guards and courtiers kept themselves at a respectful distance well behind the
cart. Most of them were trying to avoid even the appearance of eavesdropping on
Leto and Moneo. Not so Idaho. He had positioned some of the Fish Speaker guards
at both sides of the Royal Road, spreading them out. Now, he stood staring at
the cart. Idaho wore a black uniform with white piping, a gift of the Fish
Speakers, Moneo had said.

The women of the Guard all wore skintight green uniforms, each with a red
Atreides hawk at the left breast.

Moneo swept his gaze up and down Idaho's figure, noting the old-fashioned
Atreides uniform, black with a red hawk at the breast, the high boots glistening
with polish. There was a ritual look about the man.

[Karyle]

Damn Freak, thanks man! That's killer stuff!

Do you have all of the novels on .pdf like you do of HoD and C:D or something? Because if you do... I would love to be a member of that club...

[inhuien]

pdfs? theres no pdfs arounds these parts, not since the drought anyhows.*
















*legal shit

[SadisticCynic]

Leto remained silent while the Duncan approached, observing details. The Duncan
still walked with the spring of youth despite all of his long service. He could
thank a minimal ingestion of melange for that. The man wore the old Atreides
uniform, black with a golden hawk at the left breast. An interesting statement,
that: "I serve the honor of the old Atreides!" His hair was still the black cap
of karakul, the features fixed in stony sharpness with high cheekbones.

I never noticed that before, perhaps the hawk changed colour with Duke Leto, remember Shaddam calls Atreides the Red Dukes?

[ionah]

at Warhammer 40k , some have briged the gap : http://forum.dune2k.com/index.php?topic=21554.0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Omphalos]

Hey, Good for Dune2K! Always nice to get an interesting thread every once in a while, no? Yes!

[DuneFishUK]

at Warhammer 40k , some have briged the gap : http://forum.dune2k.com/index.php?topic=21554.0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's a cool link

Back when I was gaming I very nearly collected an Atreides WH40K Imperial Guard army - Black, green and gold, with red as a spot colour. (I went with desert camo in the end though - but had a platoon of FH characters - Lt. McKie )

Re: the Gold Hawk - Could it be a rank thing - Duncan was pretty high up in House Atreides - it would make sense for his uniform to be bit more ostentatious than a boots-on-the-ground trooper.

[Karyle]

Re: the Gold Hawk - Could it be a rank thing - Duncan was pretty high up in House Atreides - it would make sense for his uniform to be bit more ostentatious than a boots-on-the-ground trooper.

This makes the most sense to me, too. I always assumed that when Leto I wore the black with red he was wearing a uniform much below his "rank," which was one of the reasons his officers and soldiers viewed him so amiably... he wasn't trying to place himself above them, but show them that they relied on each other.

[SadisticCynic]

Maybe you right about the rank thing; I just made the link between the suddenly different colours and the "old morality" of the Atreides Duke and wondered why...