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Pretty much the subject title. How would a Space Marine spend his downtime? I can't imagine that they are always training against those drone things that they use.
Even the Emperors finest have to chillax, right? So how?

Prayer/meditation.

Add studies to the list, and does anyone know if they get proper sleep?

Yes, they get 4 hours a day.

I can see them playing racquetball and drinking mimosa

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:Pretty much the subject title. How would a Space Marine spend his downtime? I can't imagine that they are always training against those drone things that they use.
Even the Emperors finest have to chillax, right? So how?

Downtime? All fifteen minutes of it? Spacebook (space Facebook).

Finding out they have been lied to by the false Emperor.

Space Wolfs PARTY!!!!!

Rynsester wrote:Finding out they have been lied to by the false Emperor.

In response, sorry if I'm thread jacking, but what do the various chaos legions do for fun? One could easily guess for Khorne and Slaanesh, but Nurgle.......?

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Daily_rituals_of_a_Space_Marine
what down time?

Nurgle marines try to pick up daemonetts.

acekevin8412 wrote:

Rynsester wrote:Finding out they have been lied to by the false Emperor.

In response, sorry if I'm thread jacking, but what do the various chaos legions do for fun? One could easily guess for Khorne and Slaanesh, but Nurgle.......?

Nurgle would have more downtime, their god is apathy after all. Thousand sons rbric marines probably shutdown, or just sleep until they're called for battle.

Revenent Reiko wrote:http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Daily_rituals_of_a_Space_Marine
what down time?

Right. All fifteen minutes. If that.

Waffen-SS soldiers might be close to space marines. Might want to check out what they did. But then again... they might be too human.

Shayden wrote:

Revenent Reiko wrote:http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Daily_rituals_of_a_Space_Marine
what down time?

Right. All fifteen minutes. If that.

Yup, bad times for the Marines

The only thing i can think of using that time for is catching a few extra minutes of sleep; which may be invaluable, given their line of work.

Well not necessarily, Marines can go weeks without sleep, but i know what you mean, id certainly get some extra sleep!

I had read somewhere that Marines can go months without sleep. I think it was 3rd Ed codex that said that a strike force of marines went something like 200 days without sleep.
I may be wrong of course!
As for the chaos suggestion, that's a great question..... As has been stated, Khorne and Slaanesh are kinda obvious. But as for Nurgle, I really have no idea.....

I'm pretty sure it varies between chapters, meditation and prayer is common, as is caring for equipment and reading the codex and various other texts. Space wolves party, I think blood angels actually take hobbies usually somehting like fencing or art (I'm serious) and try to become perfect at it. Salamanders probably forge things. IFs scrimshaw bones, emperor knows why.

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:I had read somewhere that Marines can go months without sleep. I think it was 3rd Ed codex that said that a strike force of marines went something like 200 days without sleep.
I may be wrong of course!
As for the chaos suggestion, that's a great question..... As has been stated, Khorne and Slaanesh are kinda obvious. But as for Nurgle, I really have no idea.....

They can go months without sleep but they shouldn't. 4 hours a night keeps them at 100% heretic killing efficiency.

If they are Space Wolves, they drink motor-oil, eat barely cooked turkey/space-turkey legs, and listen to stories told by their brothers.

Thousand Sons study and make magicks.

A lot of their time they practice is cages with servitors, and I imagine spend plenty of time on their version of the firing range. I imagine they have strategy discussion and contemplation of the codex astartes, perhaps moving around spent bolter shell casings on a table for their version of squads, and heavy bolter shells for vehicles

Some of them clean and break down their own weapons, maybe aspiring techmarines are down in the hanger with all their strike force's vehicles, tinkering. Some old veterans probably train with newer battle brothers, in the cages or strategy discussion.

Their whole lives revolve around making battle, so they probably do all sorts of stuff getting ready for that. I imagine they have more than 15m per day to do so. They probably do a ton of training while they are in warp transit for months at a time.

@Daedalus, lol at the SWs!
see the link i posted for lexicanum, not all Chapters follow this but a lot of them do, even when in Warp transit

If ou read the HH it tells how they relax.
Well first of all they have their own fighting games where they fight with blades for fun.

Also in the first HH series thecharacter Loken relaxed by reading books and sleeping.

Also there are many ceremonys that Space marines have where they talk, drink, talk more, and drink more.

Well they also meditate a lot. But Space Marine are not just warriors that only think of killing they also like to study, learn more, appreciate art, hang out with friends.

that was pre-heresy though, the Codex Astartes is what dictates the majority of Chapters these days.
Although the Sallies do still spend time in the forges and the BAs spend time 'nippling' their wargear (i am a BA player so i can say that), while the SWs do whatever they want most of the time

downtime varies from chapter to chapter.


the codex only allows for 15 minutes of downtime, but this isn't a hard fast rule.

some chapters eliminate the downtime, others might increase it.


i would imagine some might play at sport(all related to fighting of course)

Mastication. Lots and lots of mastication.

Salamanders forge, or build stuff for/interact with the civilians/families.

Grey Templar wrote:downtime varies from chapter to chapter.


the codex only allows for 15 minutes of downtime, but this isn't a hard fast rule.

some chapters eliminate the downtime, others might increase it.


i would imagine some might play at sport(all related to fighting of course)

Yer as the codex says Gulliman put in 15 mins 'reflection time', which most chapters do, but many find it annoying. I think down time is a misnomer as a marines life is highly regimented, they don't sit around watching tv, if they are not training they are praying, eating, working in their specialist area, maintaing their armour, the only chapter that really has proper down time is the Space Wolves (they know how to party).

BluntmanDC wrote:

Grey Templar wrote:downtime varies from chapter to chapter.


the codex only allows for 15 minutes of downtime, but this isn't a hard fast rule.

some chapters eliminate the downtime, others might increase it.


i would imagine some might play at sport(all related to fighting of course)

Yer as the codex says Gulliman put in 15 mins 'reflection time', which most chapters do, but many find it annoying. I think down time is a misnomer as a marines life is highly regimented, they don't sit around watching tv, if they are not training they are praying, eating, working in their specialist area, maintaing their armour, the only chapter that really has proper down time is the Space Wolves (they know how to party).

you forgot the Lazy marines

That's probably a 'typical' chapter on a 'typical' day. At war is different and if you're a Salamander it's going to be different than if your an Ultramarine. More different if you're a Spacewolf again!

Edit: To answer the atual question - to 'chill' I guess they would pray or craft weapons or shoot targets or whatever.