Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

 Galef wrote:
And Raptors are green, so it would not be too hard to repaint my LS with a lighter drab green. I'll have to do some more research on Raptors, but my collection has almost no successor chapters and the ones I own have some official rules or characters or are prominently featured in other media (Blood Ravens in video games).
Raptors don't have GW rules or models. I don't count FW as it's too inconsistent from LGS to LGS and the rules and models are way too inconvenient and expensive to get.

But I am certainly getting a TH/SS Salamander Termie now. The heavy weapon Sallie will be retired from my collection and replaced with a SW Long Fang

I mean, kudos to your collection I think they are fab as they are... but if you're talking about tweaking things here and there, maybe consider swapping your current Templar for a mini with Assault Marine legs and melee/close combat weapons. And maybe throw in a squire-esque neophyte mini to stand with him?

 Galef wrote:
And Raptors are green, so it would not be too hard to repaint my LS with a lighter drab green. I'll have to do some more research on Raptors, but my collection has almost no successor chapters and the ones I own have some official rules or characters or are prominently featured in other media (Blood Ravens in video games).
Raptors don't have GW rules or models. I don't count FW as it's too inconsistent from LGS to LGS and the rules and models are way too inconvenient and expensive to get.

But I am certainly getting a TH/SS Salamander Termie now. The heavy weapon Sallie will be retired from my collection and replaced with a SW Long Fang

Raptors don't really have a single color scheme...they'll alter colors based on warzones.

Raptors also don't have any FW models. Lias Issodon(their Chapter Master) never got a release.

I also base "popularity" on what sets GW produces and thus acknowledges as major Chapters. The original 9 Legions are a given. Crimson Fists, Black Templars have plenty of upgrade kits, rules and a few characters.
Heck BTs used to have their own Codex.

I just took a look at the Deathwatch kill team sprue and it appears to also include shoulder pads for Blood Ravens, Flesh Tearers and....Raptors
Certainly food for thought on future models. But my case is currently full.

-

The shoulderpad on the Deathwatch Kill Team sprue is Raptors, but it also doubles for quite a few others.

Sadly they weren't too special in that regard.

 Kanluwen wrote:
The shoulderpad on the Deathwatch Kill Team sprue is Raptors, but it also doubles for quite a few others.

Sadly they weren't too special in that regard.

Do you mean how the Imperial Fist and Crismon fist icons are identical, aside from color?
What other chapter use that same eagle head icon as the Raptors?

-

 Galef wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
The shoulderpad on the Deathwatch Kill Team sprue is Raptors, but it also doubles for quite a few others.

Sadly they weren't too special in that regard.

Do you mean how the Imperial Fist and Crismon fist icons are identical, aside from color?
What other chapter use that same eagle head icon as the Raptors?

-

From the top of my head Mentors, Black Consuls, White Consuls all use the eagle head icon

Word bearers speciality is bible bashing.

I'm not sure if someone mentioned it already, but I'd like to add that the Ultramarines are a bit more than Codex Astartes generalists. They're famous for their ability to conquer corrupted planets and leave them as thriving civilizations instead of husks of dirt and bodies (like many other chapters). From Guilliman's expertise of politics and empire-building, the Ultramarines are better equipped to not only neutralize bad situations, but spin them into a beneficial asset.

 toco wrote:
Can somebody list the main features of the most used Space Marines chapters?

Imperial Fists are all about attacking in a siege?
Blood Angels are close combat assaulters?
...

Imperial fists are about control, they know how to handle defenses and siege assaults they are basically experts at security.

Blood Angels are the Vanguard of the Legions.

Raven Guard are covert assault / intelligence.

Dark Angels were general elitists, they had specialized wings and had older technologies to utlize.

Space Wolves were great at their job of execution killing space marines, and other dubious tasks, they were loyal glory hounds.

Ultramarines are the practicalists, having the numbers to rejuvante from most loses and have a tactical overview.

White Scars are the lightning assault, coup-de-grace force, they have an amazing ability to have dual abilities in what they can do.

Salamanders are the "HOld the line till it breaks!" being artificers and general idealists.

Iron Hands are the... um... Passionate group? They don't really have a role.

World Eaters were also a terror vanguard used originally as the 'emperor's hounds' often targeting enemy lines and sowing discord in it. (They originally were the emperor's hounds but they lost this role after angron returned as primarch)

Night Lords were the terror force, they just caused chaos with no rime or reason.

Iron Warriors specialized in siege tactics, and just being general cannon fodder. (also had artillery specialists)

Emperor's Children were the scapel able to puncture and attack the enemy at basically anyway though smaller in number they knew how to extract and assault positions expertly

Son's of Horus - Famous for their speartip strategies they always went for the throat strategy they were the best field commanders and tacticians in the entirety of the Legio Astartes

Death Guard - Attrition morons who could resist most plagues and terrible environments. Worst legion that suffered the most after their primarch joined them.

Alpha Legion or the secret legion they acted as covert ops, gathering and seeking intelligence, they had a vast array of intelligence appratuses originally maintained by Malcador before Alpharius and Omegon were found. Remained the same ever since.

Thousand Sons are the psy ops the of Legios only probably they made a deal of the devil to do so.

I think thats all the legions, I am forgetting one I feel like.

You forgot Word Bearers.

IMHO this is what the legions roles are, plus some chapters

DA - originally to just be space marines in the beginning however, once the other legions got going, specialised more into void operations and combined arms

EC - Out manoeuvring enemy forces and be exemplars of space marines

IW - siege lords from both sides of the walls, chaff, and ordinance specialists

WS - Hit and run and fast response

SW - reliable soldiers who destroyed everything with not much of a trace, all knowledge they find get destroyed

IF - Basically chaff custodians in their job, also void specialists

NL - Terror tactics and lightning assaults

BA - jump troops, melee specialists and vanguard

IH - Mechanised infantry, in both interpretations

WE - melee specialists, like the space wolves but less controllable

UM - empire builders and logistical specialists

DG - near unkillable infantry and chemical warfare specialists

TS - psyker specialists

LW/SH - vanguard/the spear tip

Salamanders - rearguard, flamers, and making master crafted gear

RG - assassination and freedom fighters

AL - intelligence and deep cover

Space sharks - acts like world eaters mixed with blood ravens

Minotaurs - space marine killers

Raptors - modern military tactics marines

Got the "Fire Drake" done. I'm still holding with the Landspeeder, even if there is some fluff about them not using them often. GW seems to portray then enough for me and it's one of the few small platforms that can have both Multi-melta and Heavy Flamer, which Salamanders are known for.

-

Not mentioned about Ultramarines so far is discipline. For Many editions now they've had rules that make them the most disciplined Space Marines. Leadership buffs, fall back and fire, morale auto-pass/fail from Calgar, Rites of Battle from Sicarius, things like that.

 Insectum7 wrote:
Not mentioned about Ultramarines so far is discipline. For Many editions now they've had rules that make them the most disciplined Space Marines. Leadership buffs, fall back and fire, morale auto-pass/fail from Calgar, Rites of Battle from Sicarius, things like that.

even in 8th they get +1 ldr from their chap tac.

 Maréchal des Logis Walter wrote:

tneva82 wrote:

 Maréchal des Logis Walter wrote:

Salamanders are somewhat pyromaniacs but also tend, if I recall correctly, to be protective towards civilians.

Also artificers. They are good weapon/armour smiths of their own.

So are Blood Angels actually whose weapons are said to be of great pieces of armament and armour, with rich ornaments.

Blood angels are artists and artisans, Salamanders are smiths and artificers

A Blood angel weapon will be beautiful, and an exceptional one will be a work of art - a perfect balance of form and function.
A Salamander weapon will be perfectly made, and an exceptional one will be a work of genius - a weapon that stands above it's fellows for some property that was unexpected.

Space Wolves were an intimidation force.

They were built to spread a fear of refusing the Emperor’s invitation to join his growing empire - You refuse the invitation you won’t be liberated by a heroic Space Marine army, you will be executed by the Emperor’s Wolves.

The reason Russ was so keen to stop Angron from using the butcher’s nails was that the World Eaters were becoming even more frightening than the Wolves.

 Dakka Wolf wrote:
Space Wolves were an intimidation force.

They were built to spread a fear of refusing the Emperor’s invitation to join his growing empire - You refuse the invitation you won’t be liberated by a heroic Space Marine army, you will be executed by the Emperor’s Wolves.

The reason Russ was so keen to stop Angron from using the butcher’s nails was that the World Eaters were becoming even more frightening than the Wolves.

yes and no... the space wolves worked because they where controled fury. the world eaters on the other hand...

BrianDavion wrote:

 Dakka Wolf wrote:
Space Wolves were an intimidation force.

They were built to spread a fear of refusing the Emperor’s invitation to join his growing empire - You refuse the invitation you won’t be liberated by a heroic Space Marine army, you will be executed by the Emperor’s Wolves.

The reason Russ was so keen to stop Angron from using the butcher’s nails was that the World Eaters were becoming even more frightening than the Wolves.

yes and no... the space wolves worked because they where controled fury. the world eaters on the other hand...

I never said more effective.
The Space Wolves could be negotiated with, unless you’d gone out of your way to offend Russ or the Imperium you could make a peaceful surrender. The World Eaters rarely left survivors to tell their story and made the Imperium seem more terrifying than oblivion.

As far as i know Dark Angels were originally skilled in everything. They had the skills of every chapter combined. Siege, combat, recon, defence, genocide, exterminatus you name it... they had a "wing" for every occasion. They were the first and most numerous legion. The emperor used them as a swiss army knife and using his experience with them created the more specialised legions. The siege wing got replaced by the iron warriors. The execution wing got replaced by the space wolfs etc. As the first legion got decimated in the rangdan xenocides and the emperor created specialized legions they started to get in line with the other legions but the wings stayed still for a few millenia after the heresy. Also with wast knowledge of tactics from the wings and with the aid of ancient tech granted to the first legin in tons from the emperor the Dark Angels were propably the most deadly legion pre heresy. Not to mention Lionel Johnson was propably the greatest strategist from all the primarchs. Well beside Guilliman but Guilliman always took time to prepare for a fight while Lionel used his military genius to quickly react to situations so i honor that more. Today you only have the Deathwing and Ravenwing left so they are specialized in heavy armour assault and deadly fast attacks.

Trunkello wrote:
As far as i know Dark Angels were originally skilled in everything. They had the skills of every chapter combined. Siege, combat, recon, defence, genocide, exterminatus you name it... they had a "wing" for every occasion. They were the first and most numerous legion. The emperor used them as a swiss army knife and using his experience with them created the more specialised legions. The siege wing got replaced by the iron warriors. The execution wing got replaced by the space wolfs etc. As the first legion got decimated in the rangdan xenocides and the emperor created specialized legions they started to get in line with the other legions but the wings stayed still for a few millenia after the heresy. Also with wast knowledge of tactics from the wings and with the aid of ancient tech granted to the first legin in tons from the emperor the Dark Angels were propably the most deadly legion pre heresy. Not to mention Lionel Johnson was propably the greatest strategist from all the primarchs. Well beside Guilliman but Guilliman always took time to prepare for a fight while Lionel used his military genius to quickly react to situations so i honor that more. Today you only have the Deathwing and Ravenwing left so they are specialized in heavy armour assault and deadly fast attacks.

A great summary for why I never liked Dark Angels. The "Oh, what's that? Your guys have [insert speciality and/or character trait here], huh? Yeah, well we've got that too, only moarer and betterer!" Angels, more like.