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So I was looking to make a custom Space Marine chapter, but have them play/organised etc to match the fluff. However, the SM codex doesn't really allow for *too* much customisation in this area so I was wondering if it's considered ok to use the codex rules for another chapter (Blood Angels, Space Wolves etc) in place of the SM codex? So use their special rules/army list just as if I was fielding one of those chapters, but obviously with colours etc for my custom chapter.

For those that might be interested, I was thinking of making an Iron Snakes army, possibly using the Wolf Guard of the Space Wolves to allow me to convert one of their shield and spear type units I read about on Lexicanum: every Wolf Guard can take a storm shield and power weapon (which will be a spear) and also because Space Wolves seem to have just a hint more customisation options in their wargear than the other chapters (though I haven't read the Black Templars codex as I have no access to one) which I think would help capture the essence of a fighting force made up of highly individualistic units (it of course helps that Space Wolves are quite similar in this regard).

As for the apothecary heavy side of the Iron Snakes, I obviously can't match that in game terms as no codex allows it, I initially had the thought of simply painting a model in apothecary colours, but with my consideration of Space Wolves I wondered if the role of Wolf Priests attached to the squads would be an idea. Seen as Iron Snakes attach an apothecary to each squad in order to harvest geneseed and are therefore a necessity of the Iron Snake's method of operation as opposed to a tactical consideration, I felt the role of the apothecaries should feel more akin to the previous editions' apothecaries in terms of gameplay, i.e. the apothecaries would have a greater impact on morale as the harvesters of geneseed from fallen marines than they would based on their healing abilities. Seen as the Wolf Priests fill the role in the Space Wolf chapter that apothecaries generally take, yet have a primary affect on morale I thought this might work nicely. The SW codex also allows for 4 HQ choices if I wanted to go crazy on 'apothecaries' but I reckoned that the Iron Snakes wouldn't field so many apothecaries for large formations, their position not being primarily a tactical consideration even if their typical role causes the chapter to field an unusually high number of them, even for large engagements.

I also wondered as to the use of Lone Wolves as 'apothecaries', their feel no pain rule (from the Glorious Death special rule) acting to take the place of current edition apothecary rules and their position as single unit soldiers might be some nice fluff in itself: you might expect apothecaries, normally attached permanently to a single unit, to be independent and travel between where they are needed when tasked with caring for a much larger force than usual. This wouldn't necessarily be too awkward in gameplay terms either, as the Lone Wolf/apothecaries would support squads anyway, representative of an apothecary aiding a squad who would likely need it's services in whatever action it is about to undertake.

Anyway, I have rambled considerably, but what do people think about how these would be accepted? As I said before, I would be using one of the codex rulebooks exactly as if fielding one of the chapters within it, but with the army fashioned/named after a different chapter.

Yeah it's allowed and SW could work in making Iron Snakes also the grey hunters have the right set of equipment to match the normal Iron Snake squads.
Basically it's counts-as which is a nice rule but make sure your opponent knows what's what otherwise he/she will get annoyed

Iron Snakes is best done by BAs.

you can run BP and CCW troops and can add in an Apothacary equivilant.

Don't run any Death Company or *Lawl-Batnipple*tm Sanguinary Guard/Sanguinor and you should be just ducky.

If they look like Space Marines, you can use any damn Space Marine codex you want.

Thanks all, another quick question though, I've read a few other posts about converting Iron Snakes on various forums and someone suggested using Chaos Space marines, I thought this would work but would be still quite a departure from what I'd assume acceptable - like it's one thing to use various space marine rules for a space marine chapter but another army's codex might be stretching it a bit.

Regardless though I thought the Khorne berserkers could make good stand-ins for Iron Snakes (CC wise) in terms of gameplay, their improved WS and attacks representing the Iron Snake's CC focus well. On top of that all the various Chaos troop choices would add a lot of variety and might mirror the independent squad nature of the chapter well.

I'm really wanting to know if you plucked some random 40k player and I explained my army to them would they refuse to play or are people generally ok with this sort of thing?

as long as you are consistant with your "counts as" there shouldn't be a problem.


Guys with shield and CCWs are normal CSMs with Bolter, BP and CCW.

Guys with Sea lances are Posessed.

and so on.