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Does anyone know why GamesWorkshop loves ultramarines so much? I mean, there backround isn't really that interesting, they have no specialty (i.e. Salamanders-Fire Blood Angels- Assault), and there isn't anything cool about them (other than they are space marines). Sure, they held off a tyranid invasion, but other planets did that too, Even Iyanden did that and it isn't even a world. There colour scheme is kinda boring, unless you LOVE blue. So does anyone know why ultramarines get so much attention??

Because they are easy to paint for hundreds of store displays all over the world?

It's not so much that Ultramarines are so loved as much as the Codex Astartes is. The Space Marine Codex is just that: A Codex for a majority of the Marine chapters out there, including any chapter a player wishes to make from his own imagination. Ultramarines and all chapters who are like them in army composition are chosen by players who like "vanilla", and there's nothing wrong with that as it's probably one of the codices if not THE codex that most players will compare other armies against. So GW love towards Ultramarines extend out to all other chapters that adhere to the Codex Astartes - and that's a lot of chapters.

I agree, it seems like the Ultramarines are the generic template for the other 'Codex' chapters. But the flip side to that is that I have never seen an Ultramarines army fielded. All the SM players I know play a chapter with special rules. (Including me, sadly) But my choice is based solely on the fact that, as the original post said, the Ultramarines fluff is very dull.

the word ultra

I liken these threads to a child asking mommy and daddy why they love the "other" kid better.....

GW has taken a direction where they seem to champion a template army for any given army type....Cadians: I.G, Black Legion: C.S.M, Ulthwe / Siam Hann: Eldar, etc etc etc.....its just the way the cookie crumples.

If they had picked Blood Angels ( Which I believe they did in the distant past ) then people would no doubt ask the same question.

My return question to the OP: What does it matter if GW seems to support Ultramarines over all others?

They do this so they can have a consistent brand image. The same can be said for why Space Marines are the posterboys of 40k. They're consistent, identifiable, and distinctive without being alienating.

Not to mention they're one of the only morally good factions in 40k.

I really like ultras actually, and don't find them boring. A friend of mine - a very competitive player at that - plays ultras and his army is a real pleasure to face off against visually.

I'm with Delephont. Who cares? Ultras are the starter army, and you go from there. Big deal. It's not like you can't play something else if that catches your fancy.

Ultramarines copied from the tau though thats why there so cool.

...they're blue.

Cheese Elemental wrote:Not to mention they're one of the only morally good factions in 40k.

I didn't know you had Regeneration. Well, you must, ya stinkin' troll! :p

Because the ultra marine characters can kill ENTIRE hive worlds and command the might of the entire universe (Or something similar in the SM book)

Yet their rules are so weak :(

I cant stand UM because it seems all the really annoying fluff mongers play them and preach to us inferior non-UM players

Well I imagine the hate would lessen if the posterboy image were rotated a tad. If the marines changed each generation, people would be happy.

Cheese Elemental wrote:Not to mention they're one of the only morally good factions in 40k.

The Ultra's, the Sallies, and the Tau? Maybe the Eldar, I don't know much about them.

RustyKnight wrote:

Cheese Elemental wrote:Not to mention they're one of the only morally good factions in 40k.

The Ultra's, the Sallies, and the Tau? Maybe the Eldar, I don't know much about them.

Eh, the Eldar only care about what they choose to care about when it suits them.

RustyKnight wrote:

Cheese Elemental wrote:Not to mention they're one of the only morally good factions in 40k.

The Ultra's, the Sallies, and the Tau? Maybe the Eldar, I don't know much about them.

The Eldar aren't what I would call a morally good faction. They only care about themselves and will do anything to prevent the Eldar race from being harmed.

I personally love the color blue, but I feel that the Ultramarines color scheme takes it to a level where it's too boring.

I also remember thinking "What? The name of this chapter is Ultramarines? How cheesier can you get?" when I first started 40K.

IMHO the Relic guys made an excellent choice by going with Blood Ravens for their Dawn of War computer games.

I don't think I would have liked the game so much if the main stars were a bunch of all-blue futuristic soldiers called "Ultra" marines... would've reminded me painfully of the old Ultraman films back in the 70's.

There are two misconceptions about UM:

1)They are only played by newbie players. There are many veteran players that choose UM because of the versatility , or simply because they like the fluff. If you assume everyone playing UM is a newbie you are going to end up getting wrecked soon enough.

2)GW has some unknown reason for loving UM. They are easy to paint , easy to model (not a lot of scales, blood, robes, etc, just lots of blue armor), and easy to play, so any new player can pick them up, get an army ready very quickly and easily, and get into the hobby as fast as possible. The ultimate goal of GW is to get lots of new players, and keep them interested as long as possible, so UM are perfect for that. Once they get into the hobby they branch out to the other races/armies and spend more buying whole new armies to replace their UM. They win all the way to the bank with UM.

Airmaniac wrote:

The Eldar aren't what I would call a morally good faction. They only care about themselves and will do anything to prevent the Eldar race from being harmed.

I think the eldar are as close to neutral as it comes, but I do believe at their core they have good morals (ie they love one another, try to uphold justice in their craftworlds, try not to fall into excess, etc). They have to protect themselves because there are so few of them left ,plus they were chosen by the old ones to be the protectors of the universe (a role they still perform when the other races really need them) and to be the guardians of the black library. If they were to die off all the knowledge would be devoured by Ahriman and Tzeentch and it would probably be the end. So by protecting themselves, being reclusive, and only coming out when they are really needed they are protecting the universe.

Depends on which eldar.. The Biel Tan are as xenophobic and hateful as the space marines

Kirasu wrote:Depends on which eldar.. The Biel Tan are as xenophobic and hateful as the space marines

And that is why we love them.

Our local store (despite 1 or 2 little kids who think that Ultra's are the 'bestest best'(exact words )) aren't that big on Ultra's. For us, we're up to our necks in Salamnaders.....Go figure.




I personally don't mind Ultra's (Except for Calgar and Cassius who are imho the most boring spesh Characters ever created.......Oh wait, forgot Abaddon), I just wish they weren't as hyped up as they are.

Little lord Fauntleroy wrote:Calgar and Cassius who are imho the most boring spesh Characters ever created.......Oh wait, forgot Abaddon

What say you; Abaddon boring?!

You must be joking

RustyKnight wrote:

Cheese Elemental wrote:Not to mention they're one of the only morally good factions in 40k.

The Ultra's, the Sallies, and the Tau? Maybe the Eldar, I don't know much about them.

Note that I said one of the only morally good factions. Sallies are great guys, they protect civilians and stuff.

Tau are pretty evil, actually. They use mind-control on the Vespid and they don't give a damn about the Gue'vasa.

@Duece11-Everyone is alowed their own opinion, I know, but this is how I see it-Abaddon is angry. All the time. That's basically it, apart from Daddy being killed in the heresy and getting his "Ubah l33t weaponz" (To quote my cousin exactly.... Facepalm). The fact that most of us I think would agree his model scaling sucks is irrelavent .


Think of it this way-How many Black crusades have there been? 13. How many have gone to plan? 0. And who's been making them fail half the time? The leader Abaddon, because he has to fight everyone and everything becasue he's so angry all the time.




I've got no problem with you liking Abaddon, but I think that compared other SC's, he's just so 2-dimensional, and doesn't really have a reason for his actions in the background apart from the generic 'Death to the false Emprah' Shebang.

I heard that the reason that UM are the poster boys is because the C.E.O. of GW play's them

Halsfield nailed it.

They're easy to get into, easy to play, etc.

So what if they love UM? Does that make them a "Newbie" Faction? Hell no!

The UM just get the limelight, that aside, they're a perfectly fine chapter.

They never run out of gas cause they come from Ultramar.

One army was always going to end up the poster boys. Since Space Marines are the #1 seller, they'll be it by default. In Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition it was Blood Angels. For third it was Ultramarines, and it's remained so ever since.