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Every time I read about rhinos in the fluff, they seem to be very..rare, I guess. Compared to how much we use them as players, at least. It doesn't seem realistic that every tactical unit in a company would have a rhino dedicated to them.

I was reading one of the books in the Ultramarines Omnibus (the one with the tyranids), and...well.. this:


I'm just talking about rhinos here. Chimeras seem to be astoundingly common, as do raiders and devilfish APCs. Rhinos seem even more impossibly rare for chaos, who has to steal everything to get anything done. The likelihood of a death guard army having rhinos seems ridiculous

I guess what you read in the books and will differ, due to all the different authors and styles and all. If it were me, i would say that i believe every tactical squad has a rhino. Perhaps one for 2 squads at the most

The non-literary fluff, meaning fluff from codices and the like, has always been clear that rhinos are astonishingly common for the marines. They're produced on forgeworlds and industrial worlds, as well as in chapter workshops.

Don't forget that it's not just marines that use them. Inquisitorial forces, ecclesiarchical forces, and the arbites all use them. Of course, back in the day, even IG used them, although that seems to be retconned.

Chaos forces still have production capacity, so they'd still have ready access.

Its even more silly for Dreds. Those are suppose to be super rare, only used in certain situations and all that jazz. Yet a dred bash is a somewhat common build.....odd.


No no no no, lets not send the scouts into the city over there thats full of nothing but lowly Ork boyz, no lets wake up the centuries old Drednaughts that we find incredibly sacred and massively respected, and make them go do it.

Just about every piece of Space Marine fluff involves a Dred being destroyed too, despite that apparently being a huge and historic deal for a Chapter.

Samus_aran115 wrote:Every time I read about rhinos in the fluff, they seem to be very..rare, I guess. Compared to how much we use them as players, at least. It doesn't seem realistic that every tactical unit in a company would have a rhino dedicated to them.
The likelihood of a death guard army having rhinos seems ridiculous

BaD FLUFF; stop reading it
Some authors just want their characters to walk.


Rhinos were always common transports.
The rhino is the basic chassis for so many variants, ( razorback, predators, vindicators, whirlwinds, etc) its unlikely this would be rare.
If you can't produce a rhino, how do you manage to have everything else?

Except for Deathguard, who liked to walk..


PS: GW did not told you Dreads respawn?

Harriticus wrote:Just about every piece of Space Marine fluff involves a Dred being destroyed too, despite that apparently being a huge and historic deal for a Chapter.

Haven't you ever seen a History Channel Station ID?

Space marines subscribe to that idea: "Making history, Every day."


On topic: Yes Rhinos are exceedingly common, almost to the same degree as Chimeras. This is also why the 2 are the base Chassis for a majority of their respective forces armored vehicles.

Well, i don't think the question is ever how common are Rhinos relative to other vehicles. Obviously as the base vehicle for most of the armory, the Rhino will always be more available than the rest.

The OP seems to be asking if Rhinos are, in practice, a limited resource like Terminator Armor or Landraiders.

I think the answer has to be a big no. The fluff has been clear that space marines have access to as many rhinos as they want, and Sisters, arbites, Inquisitorial stormtroopers, and other forces use them in big numbers as well.

That doesn't mean that in any given action, the marines will have plenty of Rhinos. Perhaps they drop podded in, and the T-hawk transporter could only bring a few rhinos. Maybe a few were already destroyed. Maybe they had initially dug in, but now needed to advance.

In World War II, there was no shortage of Sherman tanks, yet I'm sure in many, many firefights they didn't have as many as they'd like.

Polonius wrote:I think the answer has to be a big no. The fluff has been clear that space marines have access to as many rhinos as they want, and Sisters, arbites, Inquisitorial stormtroopers, and other forces use them in big numbers as well.

Yep, every Order of Battle for marines published by GW has been clear: Every squad in a chapter has a Rhino assigned for its use, as well as several more in the Armory.

Rhinos are as ubiquitous as Chimeras or Halo's Warthogs.

Rhino's are fairly common.

they are viewed as a somewhat priviledged type of transport as they are used by the Astartes.

the Inquisition, Arbites, and planetary governors use Rhinos quite often.


Chimera's are used by the IG because they are better for them.


Chimera's are IFVs or Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Rhino's are APCs or Armored Personell Carriers.

APCs are meant to transport troops to the fighting. IFVs are meant to transport troops to the fighting and stay there to provide fire support and emergency extraction.

2 different purposes.

Grey Templar wrote:APCs are meant to transport troops to the fighting. IFVs are meant to transport troops to the fighting and stay there to provide fire support and emergency extraction.

2 different purposes.

Did you steal that from my post on why do rhinos have storm bolters?

I know you didn't it is an obvious answer, I just felt like ing with you.

Honestly, that still makes rhinos pretty rare overall. One for every ten marines means a cap of roughly a hundred thousand in the Astartes, and both Inquisitorial forces and Sororitas are fairly small in the grand scheme of things too, each numbering maybe another few million. Compared to the Guard and their vehicles, Rhinos are much rarer than Leman Russes, and practically nonexistent compared to Chimeras.

In all honesty, it seems that the space marines' toys really aren't all that great or practical, and only used by them for reasons of tradition. The Guard has more of their main battle tanks than there are total Space Marines, there are maybe a few thousand suits of terminator armor in service, fewer than there are Titans, and Land Raiders are even rarer still. That doesn't say to me "these things are so awesome but hard to make," it screams "these things are horrendously impractical for their cost, enough to be outnumbered by Titans."

In Imperial Armour 1, the section on Rhinos says, 'Today, only the most trusted Imperial organisations have access to Rhinos. The technology used in their construction is too valuable to risk with any but the most loyal of troops. The Adeptus Astartes, Adeptus Sororitas, Adeptus Arbites and the Orders of the Inquisition all use Rhinos as there principle armoured transport vehicle.'

From the tone of the entire section it would seem they are numerous within only those select organisations so presumably quite rare in overall terms.

Yes, they're common. Arbites use them, and you'll find an Arbites presence on pretty much every planet in some form or other.

Melissia wrote:Yes, they're common. Arbites use them, and you'll find an Arbites presence on pretty much every planet in some form or other.

No, you won't. You'll find local organizations serving effectively the same purpose, with perhaps a single actual Arbites acting as a liaison with the Adeptus Arbites, unless it's an important planet. The local organizations are just referred to as "arbites" for convenience sake (per the footnotes in several Ciaphas Cain books, commenting on Cain referring to the local police as "arbites" with the above clarification). I doubt they'd get vehicles that aren't "trusted" to the Guard (who instead get vastly higher numbers of equivalent, but better armed and armored vehicles).

Yeah you will, even if there's just one actual Arbites on a planet, and you'll find at least one per planet. The Arbites enforces the laws of the Imperium as a whole, and outside of forgeworlds no planet is immune to these laws.

And yes... they do, in that particular series. There's only one Arbites in the book Duty Calls IIRC, and yet he had multiple Rhinos in his garage for the most trusted enforcers to use to patrol the city in times of emergency.

I had assumed that each company was equipped with enough Rhinos to move as a group while planetside. 100 soldiers is not exactly unheard of from a logistics standpoint, and an entire marine company is a military unit on a small strategic level.
This means between rhinos, raiders, and razors, enough transports for all of them would make sense if their deployment warranted it, but as their primary purpose is transportation (not always necessarily in a battle), they may not be seen deployed actually in the thick of fighting, like during a tabletop game for instance.
A SM chapter is a pretty valuable asset to the imperium, you'd think they would make sure they can get where they are needed. They are perhaps not all deployed if not needed in any particular battle area but I'm sure they would be available logistically, just not necessarily on a game board and 1500 points worth of guys.
I find it hard to believe that the Ultramarines Second Company moves from one city to the next with half of them walking, and air transport may not always be available.
Think of an armored column with tanks in the front, mechanized infantry in their transports being shuttled along, and artillery and more tanks bringing up the rear, with what? A bunch of guys plodding along miles behind huffing and puffing on foot to keep up?

Those enforcers are still "Arbites" they just happen to be from the planet in question.

the leader of the Arbites is usually an offworlder who has gone through special training and is tasked with maintaining and recruiting on that planet.


Kind of like how all Comissars are trained in central locations and never originate with their Regiment.

Grey Templar wrote:Those enforcers are still "Arbites" they just happen to be from the planet in question.

the leader of the Arbites is usually an offworlder who has gone through special training and is tasked with maintaining and recruiting on that planet.


Kind of like how all Comissars are trained in central locations and never originate with their Regiment.

It's made quite clear that they're entirely separate organizations from the Adeptus Arbites, even if they usually keep an Arbites liaison on hand. They're also not called "arbites" locally, even if offworlders (like Cain) call them that anyways, out of convenience.

Think of the difference between FBI agents and local cops, or perhaps more like Federal DEA operatives and local cops. The Imperium doesn't care about local criminal problems unless they're a problem on a larger scale too, and the Imperium leaves operation of local law enforcement up to the locals.

Ok. But then then the local auxilleries get to use rhinos, which is really the matter at hand.

Anyway, I think the better analogy is how in the old west there would be a single federal marshall in a county, and he would deputize locals as needed. The FBI/Local relationship gets tricky as they have differing jurisdictions. Both the Arbite and his enforcers are only concerned with Imperial law.

Probably almost every Imperial armed force will have a few. Even Renegades and Xenos use them as well. Orks probably see them as one of the most "Kustomisible" if I may say. Chaos marines will have access to Rhinos. Pirates and Rouge Traders possibly have a few as well. In DOW SS a Rhino is used to transport Key Bane-Blade parts. It’s also painted in Jungle Camouflage in a Urban Area

Polonius wrote:Ok. But then then the local auxilleries get to use rhinos, which is really the matter at hand.

Anyway, I think the better analogy is how in the old west there would be a single federal marshall in a county, and he would deputize locals as needed. The FBI/Local relationship gets tricky as they have differing jurisdictions. Both the Arbite and his enforcers are only concerned with Imperial law.

True, but the Arbites is concerned with galactic, sector, and subsector law while the enforcers are more concerned with planetary law unless the Arbites rounds them up for one of his duties.

Melissia wrote:

Polonius wrote:Ok. But then then the local auxilleries get to use rhinos, which is really the matter at hand.

Anyway, I think the better analogy is how in the old west there would be a single federal marshall in a county, and he would deputize locals as needed. The FBI/Local relationship gets tricky as they have differing jurisdictions. Both the Arbite and his enforcers are only concerned with Imperial law.

True, but the Arbites is concerned with galactic, sector, and subsector law while the enforcers are more concerned with planetary law unless the Arbites rounds them up for one of his duties.

I think local law enforcement is under the Arbites. Anyone the locals arrest can be taken or released (For whatever reason) by the Arbites, they are basically used as auxilleries...

Melissia wrote:Yeah you will, even if there's just one actual Arbites on a planet, and you'll find at least one per planet. The Arbites enforces the laws of the Imperium as a whole, and outside of forgeworlds no planet is immune to these laws.

Apart from Space Marine worlds and feral worlds (that don't even know about the IoM let alone would follow an arbite's orders).

Well, you know, the fluff's all bs.

Rinos are as common as the cold, you'll find them practicly every where there is an Imperial foot hold.

On Adeptus Arbites, or more precisely the Arbitators

Taken form the 2nd edition Codex Imperialis;

"...The Arbitators belong to a complex organisation - an army divided into many ranks and specialised roles. Its individulaul Precincts stretch across the galaxy. On many worlds the Arbitartors' fortified Courthouse is the only point of contact between that planet and the Imperium. Each Precinct is the base for an army, completly unto itself, led by Marshals of the Court, and supported by an array of highly trained warriors of justice. Patrol groups prowl the underways of city hives, shock troops break up the vicious queue wars which develop out side govermental buildings, execution teams hound the guilty throgh barren wastes and labyrinthine tunnels, and detectives sift the holo-records, tracking cyber-criminals through the computer matrix of the Administratum..."

I would liken them more like the FBI than your local PC Plod

Ribon Fox wrote:Rinos are as common as the cold, you'll find them practicly every where there is an Imperial foot hold.

On Adeptus Arbites, or more precisely the Arbitators

Taken form the 2nd edition Codex Imperialis;

"...The Arbitators belong to a complex organisation - an army divided into many ranks and specialised roles. Its individulaul Precincts stretch across the galaxy. On many worlds the Arbitartors' fortified Courthouse is the only point of contact between that planet and the Imperium. Each Precinct is the base for an army, completly unto itself, led by Marshals of the Court, and supported by an array of highly trained warriors of justice. Patrol groups prowl the underways of city hives, shock troops break up the vicious queue wars which develop out side govermental buildings, execution teams hound the guilty throgh barren wastes and labyrinthine tunnels, and detectives sift the holo-records, tracking cyber-criminals through the computer matrix of the Administratum..."

I would liken them more like the FBI than your local PC Plod

I would say they are more like an army.

Oooh, a new idea for TV shows; Necromunda Vice, Armageddon 5-0 and Terra Street Blues

It would be just gunfights...

purplefood wrote:It would be just gunfights...

With the occasional flash of mutant/xeno flesh to keep the ratings up