Your Favourite Space Marines?

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**Kalashnikov**

Hey Guys,
So Space Marines are the poster boys of 40k, no other universe has medieval Knights/Spartans/Barbarians becoming super human super soldiers who tend to be religious fanatics, and I think we all love them to one level or another. I always loved marines but am one of those people who could never really decide a chapter/warband to play (for either loyalists or chaos).

So out of curiosity: do you have a favourite chapter, and if so why? Is it the colour scheme? Play-style? Lore? A mix of all?

Just curious to see what some of you may say, perhaps I'll find some inspiration through one of you to one day pick up a marine army.

**Deadshot**

My favourite are the Blood Ravens. I read a novelisation of Dawn of War II (Chris Roberson) when I was just starting, ending up repainting my rubbish look Battle for Maccrage Ultramarines, never looked back. Now I've customised, created post-DoW2 fluff, 13th Black Crusade fluff, scratch built characters, written fluff to use characters, designed the full chapter right down to each Marine's name and a short background, all 482 of them currently active. I'm in love with their colour, history, their creation (Out of universe), their tactics, their versatility, but most of all, because they are my Space Marines, and they shall know no fear.

**godardc**

I love the Blood Angels.
It is very difficult to make a choice, but I think they are the ones I enjoy the most.
They have a strong and original theme, and I love all their baroque art.
Really unique, especially in a "future" universe.

**Kalashnikov**

Deadshot wrote:
My favourite are the Blood Ravens. I read a novelisation of Dawn of War II (Chris Roberson) when I was just starting, ending up repainting my rubbish look Battle for Maccrage Ultramarines, never looked back. Now I've customised, created post-DoW2 fluff, 13th Black Crusade fluff, scratch built characters, written fluff to use characters, designed the full chapter right down to each Marine's name and a short background, all 482 of them currently active. I'm in love with their colour, history, their creation (Out of universe), their tactics, their versatility, but most of all, because they are my Space Marines, and they shall know no fear.

That alone is awesome. That is true hobby dedication right there! And I agree, Blood Ravens are totally awesome, it always helps to have lore (and games) to keep being inspired! Love me some Black Library!

**Ashiraya**

Deadshot wrote:
My favourite are the Blood Ravens. I read a novelisation of Dawn of War II (Chris Roberson) when I was just starting, ending up repainting my rubbish look Battle for Maccrage Ultramarines, never looked back. Now I've customised, created post-DoW2 fluff, 13th Black Crusade fluff, scratch built characters, written fluff to use characters, designed the full chapter right down to each Marine's name and a short background, all 482 of them currently active. I'm in love with their colour, history, their creation (Out of universe), their tactics, their versatility, but most of all, because they are my Space Marines, and they shall know no fear.

That is a bit of an irony. I love Blood Ravens too, but that book was horrid.

**TheCustomLime**

Minotaurs. I love the Spartan-esque themes, the brutal manner in which the conduct themselves and their paint scheme. It is a shame FW discontinued their decals or I'd do an army of them.

My second favorite are Ultramarines. I hate most of the characters as I believe they are lame Mary Sues so I susbstituted my own and declared my army consists of the Ultramarines in mid-late M30's to keep 'em lore friendly.

**Draco**

Pre heresy Thousand sons.

**Slayer-Fan123**

I pretty much like all of them outside the Ravenguard, Blood Angels, and Salamanders. They're too...nice.

Now, the Minotaurs, Marines Malevolent, and the CARCHARODONS ASTRA are the ones I can get behind. They're ridiculously brutal and match the setting perfectly.

**Gamgee**

Deathwatch. Blood Ravens and Imperial Fists. Space Wolves can come too.

**Tibs Ironblood**

Blood Ravens are one of my all time favorite because it is through them that I discovered 40k. They will always have a place in my home and on my table.

**Gamgee**

Tibs Ironblood wrote:
Blood Ravens are one of my all time favorite because it is through them that I discovered 40k. They will always have a place in my home and on my table.

Heck yes. Dawn of War 1 was my intro to this universe. Way back then when I only thought those were the 4 factions in existence I liked the Marines the most, then the Eldar (oh boy how the times have changed as I learned more), then the Orks, and then Chaos. When winter assault came out it became the Imperial Guard because of the Bassilisk and Baneblade then the Space Marines and Eldar ect. Then when Dark Crusade came out it was Necrons, Imperial Guard, Tau, Space Marines ect. Then finally Soulstorm and I kind of gained a respect for the DE but didn't come to enjoy them until years later. Over time though my rankings of lots of these have fluctuated and now I find most Space Marines kind of boring. Today its solidified into Tau, Dark Eldar, Necrons (Old Crons were cooler than Tau), Deathwatch, Blood Ravens, and then Tyranids. The Imperial Guard of the 40k tabletop is so different fluff wise from the one in the game even though they are a great visual representation. I just didn't like the IG on the TT once I learned more. I mean I don't hate them, but they are mid tier interest these days from me. Baneblade always has a special place in my heart though.

**Deadshot**

Ashiraya wrote:
Deadshot wrote:
My favourite are the Blood Ravens. I read a novelisation of Dawn of War II (Chris Roberson) when I was just starting, ending up repainting my rubbish look Battle for Maccrage Ultramarines, never looked back. Now I've customised, created post-DoW2 fluff, 13th Black Crusade fluff, scratch built characters, written fluff to use characters, designed the full chapter right down to each Marine's name and a short background, all 482 of them currently active. I'm in love with their colour, history, their creation (Out of universe), their tactics, their versatility, but most of all, because they are my Space Marines, and they shall know no fear.

That is a bit of an irony. I love Blood Ravens too, but that book was horrid.

The book was simple and straightforward, are you sure you aren't thinking of the C.S. Goto work?

**Vankraken**

For me there are Space Marine chapters that I find interesting but none of them are my favorite in every aspect.

Gameplay: Space Wolves because like my spess mahreens to be able to not be chumps in close combat. They also have some of the more practical "assault" marines with their Blood/Skyclaws. Also with their chapter tactic basically being counter attack it makes every Space Wolves unit competent in close combat so charging at them is often times a more risky endeavor.

Fluff: Black Templar probably because they think rowboat girlyman's book of regulations is for chumps (also a reason I like the wolves) and rather put their efforts into waging a massive crusade against the enemies of man because there are heretics, witches, xenos, and daemon spawn out there that are in desperate need of a good boltering. The Emperior's Champion is a really awesome piece of fluff as well.
Honorable mention for the Blood Ravens due to their chapter tactics giving +5 ham to characters. Commander Boreale and Captain Diomedies are two of the greatest meme generators in the Emperior's service.

All that being said I like having my own color schemes and fluff over using the stuff GW designed. I tend to like a certain narrative theme and GW's stuff doesn't really strike the proper balance between being interesting, tragic, awesome, and not a giant pile of fan service gak. It also gives me the ability to be creative and flesh out ideas without being burdened by what others have done or feeling like my army's narrative is stepping on the toes of somebody else's fandom.

For example I am working on making a custom space marine chapter called the Void Krakens.
Image

Spoiler:

Fluff:

Spoiler:

Basically the Void Krakens are a "chapter" of marines that were lost in the warp at some point around there heresy or shortly afterwards. They awake with no knowledge of their history, names, mission, or even what the date is. The inside of their Battle Barge was stripped of all legion iconography and the only thing they find is the XIII but every one has either the paint scraped off or covering up the II so only the XI is clearly visible. Words like "Traitor", "Heretic", "Mutant", "Corrupted", and "Purged" are found carved into the walls throughout the Battle Barge. Having been missing for thousands of years all record of them has been lost and no memory of them (be it part of one of the great legions or a successor chapter) remains. While they don't appear to have fallen to chaos, they exist as a rogue chapter as their mere existence is unrecorded and thus an automatic red flag for any imperial official or inquisitor that goes snooping around for information. They continue to serve the Emperor and fight the enemies of mankind by arriving on the battlefield to deliver a quick and decisive blow to the enemy and then quickly departing before their "allies" gratitude for the assistance turns to suspicion. They take the name from the Void Krakens that lurk in space preying on ships as they themselves survive off raiding (usually) derelict ships for supplies. Without legitimate access to Imperium logistics they have become increasingly renegade like in their attempts to survive and keep fighting for the Emperor.

Basically the idea is they are a tragic "chapter" that through (probably Tzeentch) warp shenanigans are put into a position where they can't properly rejoin the Imperium due to the IoM's massive paranoia about heresy and chaos corruption. They struggle to keep fighting for the Emperor they love but they must resort to more desperate acts to survive. Notably piracy, stealing from the dead bodies of other chapters, and abducting people to get recruits for new space marines. In a normal society they would of been able to rejoin after simply explaining what happened but the current IoM is too far gone to let reason prevail and instead its paranoia that dictates that they are heretics. The seeds of doubt have been planted in them and as they continue to struggle to serve a IoM that would hunt them down. They start to struggle with themselves and if they are truly loyal to the Emperor or if they should bother continuing the fighting the fight like this. All the while Tzeentch is probably smiling as he watches this unfold.

**casvalremdeikun**

Definitely Blood Angels. I love their duality. The Heroic Knight-in-Shining-Armor type Space Marines that degrade into crazed monsters. They have always been my favorite Chapter of Space Marines. If I had waited a few months to start the game, I would have just played them rather than both Blood Angels and Crimson Fists.

That said, I really like the Crimson Fists as well. Their fluff as being brought to the brink but coming back strong is cool. It really makes it so every model I have is meaningful, since they represent the Crimson Fists reforming.

**King Pariah**

My favorite chapters are the Exorcists, Raptors, Carcharodons and in close second, Silver Skulls and Red Scorpions. For me, it all boils down to the fluff although Exorcists and Red Scorpions got bonus points in my book for using Mk IV armor.

**master of ordinance**

All the dead ones in my opponents dead pile.

**TheMostWize**

Man so hard to decide. When I first started this game back in 99' or 2000 I was an avid hater of Space Marines. I disliked everything about them and would make fun of my friends for playing them. I was in 8th grade at this point maybe freshman year in high school. I played Dark Eldar exclusively.

As the years progressed I moved into Tyranids and Necrons but anything but Space Marines.

Needless to say I have done a complete 180 on the imperium. Space Marines as now hands down my favorite 'faction' in the game. Might have something to do with my time serving in the USMC. Could also be as I have gotten older there has been some sort of appeal to the heroism and general 'goodness' of them.

Either way I currently play Blood Angels, I have played Space Wolves and Dark Angels as well.

I would say if I had to pick 3 chapters it would be Blood Angels, Blood Ravens and Salamanders.

**Ir0njack**

My favorite marines are pre heresy Iron Warriors. Their narrative and style strikes a cord with me that no other legion or chapter really has been able to. They were the guys that took the mission no one else thought possible or wanted and excelled at it. The Iron Warriors should have be paraded through the streets and lauded as exemplars of duty and loyalty to the Imperium but instead were strung out across a thousand worlds as garrison troop while other legions soaked up the glory.

I like them because I think they are the most relatable of all the marines, they get down in the mud and dirt, crouching behind barricades and dying like your average joe before they break a fortress then make rush for the breach that make you and to cheer them on. Of all the Iron Warriors the character Barabas Dantioch represents what I love about the legion pre heresy and I WISH he had official rules and a model.

**StevetheDestroyeOfWorlds**

Dark Angels by far. I got into the game because of them (neighbor sold his whole collection to me for super cheap), love the fluff, Love all the books about them, love the internal synergy from actually playing them, and I just love everything about them.