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Hello!
Im thinking about starting to play Warhammer 40k and I kind of fell in love with chaos space marines.
However, they don't have a 7th edition codex which worries me. Anyone know if there is any work in progress for 7th edition and how far away it might be?
Otherwise I've been looking at Khorne Daemonkin, but it's hard to tell exactly what the difference is between them and the chaos space marines?
What units can be used in both of them? I love raptors for example, but I'm not sure Khorne uses them?
What difference is there in playstyle?
I would be happy for any kind of help I could get =)

Most of the CSM units are available to KDK, but must be marked or Daemons of Khorne.

The only units unavailable to KDK are sorcerers, cult troops, heavy support Havocs, and Obliterators. Not sure about dark apostles or warpsmiths....

In exchange they get to take all the Khorne Daemon units from the Daemon codex.


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If you don't mind missing those units, or like khorne and the color red, then KDK seem the better choice. Their big gimmick is the Blood tithe points you get from killing (or being killed) and the goodie rewards you can pick from using them.

6th Edition codecies work in 7th, but the CSM one is the worst there is. Rumor is a new codex this month, but that rumor popped out of nowhere and the reliable sources haven't agreed to it yet that I know of.

Most CSM units work in KhorneKin. If they have access to the Mark of Khorne or are a vehicle, they're prolly in both books with the exception of Kharn.

Playstyle varies wildly between how you build your army. Tank Legions, Charge and Assault, Nurgle laying down firepower while being tough to move, Slannesh striking faster and staying where they like but costing a premium and many many other ways to play. Depends what you like.

It's not that Chaos Space Marines are *bad* but they aren't exactly versatile, and there are plenty of auto includes.

Won a tourney tonight playing Spawn Rush. To be fair, my opponents were Admech (Spawn don't care about Grav) + Marines, Skyhammer Marines (Oh you want to drop down next to us and shoot us with Grav? FEEEED MEEEE) + Tau (Ignored the Tau...it was killpoints), and Chaos Daemons, which won't do very well when they're aiming for H2H, and they're wounding on 6s and I'm wounding on 2s.

They're playable, but only really if you spam the good units (Spawn, Maulerfiends, Autocannon Havocs, minimum Cultists, Lords and Sorcerers on Bikes, etc.)



IMO what makes CSM particularly good at this very snapshot in time is,

1) They're fast, especially for an army that doesn't benefit from other cheesy rules allowing them to move 3+ times per turn (Tau and Eldar), or assault from DS (Space Marines)
2) They run contrary to the meta. Right now, the meta is aggressive Melta weapons in your face, Grav weapons, etc. Spawn don't care about Melta Guns (1 wound lol), don't care about getting shot in the face with a ranged D weapon, and laugh at Grav. Meanwhile you're delivering an abomination of beatstick into the enemy when you make assault. 6 S9 Power Fist or S5 Lightning Claw attacks on the charge? Sure. 13 S6 AP2 Axe of Blind Fury attacks at I5? Skulls for the skull throne.

In a meta of shoot-shoot-shoot then run like a bitch (i.e., Eldar), Chaos Space Marines is one of the few manly factions left. If you win a game with Eldar, congratulations, you're playing Pay-To-Winhammer. CSM though you will actually have to use tactics to win, and when you do it will pay off well.

CSM are my primary army. I run a similar loadout of spawn, sorcerers, min cultist fodder and obj holders, and multiple single unit oblits, with fast support from either Heldrakes, or Raptors and bikers.

It's a fun army to play. I use two CAD detachments to make up for the lack of decent Formations. I also use the Crimson Slaughter supplement for the relics and FREE FEAR! that has actually helped out big in a game vs Orks recently.

CSM are basically meant to fight Space Marines and other elite type armies and tends to take people by surprise.

CSM are really REALLY cool. They focus on assault more than SM but have a lot of the same ranged weaponry.

While getting the typical SM bodies on bikes and as troops they also get heavy mech with very unique stat lines like the heldrake.

They are very versatile and while a lot of the current units are unplayable there is enough in the book to make lots of competitive armies. (Spell familiars are amazing now)

The best advice to give is just wait for the new dex. It's coming very soon. Our book came out BEFORE the latest Tau book and Tau are for SURE getting a new book this September. While that doesn't necessarily mean anything I would be surprised if we didn't see a new one before 2016.

Bide your time, wait to see what catches your interest.

CSM is fine but maybe you do not want to buy codex yet. Just get some models, paint them and learn basic rules.

 SharkoutofWata wrote:
6th Edition codecies work in 7th, but the CSM one is the worst there is. Rumor is a new codex this month, but that rumor popped out of nowhere and the reliable sources haven't agreed to it yet that I know of.

I have never heard that. Every rumour has stated Tau as the September release, with vague, less-reliable rumours of a Tzeentch book at the end of the year. CSM would likely be on the 2016 schedule.

CSM is an incredibly fun army. But on the lowest side of the strength table atm. I think its actually the oldest book now (except for sisters, but who counts them ).

The biggest misconception about CSM is that they are Space Marines with horns. Which is incorrect and anyone who tries to play them this way is gonna find themselves getting shot right off the table. The key thing to know about CSM is that they are fast. Between chaos spawn, maulerfiends, bikes, and other toys, they tend to get into peoples faces quickly. Which is the key to the army. It's ability to assault. With its key players, it can be in most assaults by turn two. Also, heldrakes are still some of the best air units in the game, even after their hard nerf.

Where the problem lies with CSM is that it is an extremely assaulty army... In one of the shootiest editions of the game. Factor that in along with the fact that champions or lords HAVE to challenge and the randomness of the boon table, It can be pretty frustrating to play them at times.

Overall though, CSM is still one of the most fun armies to play. There is so much lore and so many different ways to run the army, it's hard not to find a playstyle that suits you.

i have gone through damn near every faction in the game (i began with CSM like two years ago) and was like gak i need something else..i played IG,Necrons,tyranids(still play them) and realised how much i just enjoy chaos's fluff and style..i play demonkin currently and they are fun if you like to overdose on khorne and don't want to shoot anything. All i can say is its a challenge and keep your cheeks greased, all in all though even after the beatings i take on a regular basis..they are still my favorite.

Chaos rhinos with havoc launchers are one of the best things the Chaos codex has going.

I usually run 5 marines with a melta and a rhino as I find I get a lot more value out of them than I do of cultists of equiv value.