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What do you see in the Chaos Legions that captivates YOU? For example, I first fell in love with the Night Lords because of the terror based warfare that they engage in. Their fight is with the mind, not the body. Then I shifted to Word Bearers because the intense devotion to the Chaos Gods was a charm that no other legion seemed to have. Now I am constantly shifting between the big four, World Eaters, Emperor's Children, Death Guard, and World Eaters. All have elements that captivate me and to this day I can't put my finger on my favorite!

To all you Chaos (and maybe even non Chaos) players out there, which Legion is your favorite, and why so? What makes it so cool in your own opinion?

Justus wrote:Now I am constantly shifting between the big four, World Eaters, Emperor's Children, Death Guard, and World Eaters.

yes the big 4...
Anyways my favorite would have to be emperor's children because words can hurt too(especially when they are amplified a huge amount and can explode people).

Word Bearers. I explained it in detail a long while ago (damn, has it really been a year?), but to put it simply the twisted zealotry and the absolute loathing and contempt they reserve for the followers of the Corpse-Emperor really captivates me. Special mention mus go to the Iron Warriors though, because of all the Legions they are ther one I relate to the most.

Iron Warriors
Love the Tech and tactics along with colours and armour , the Hazard stripes and metalic colours go well with the mechanical and techno feeling of the Legion.
Alpha Legion
Intresting tactics and colours , good sence of mystery and secrecy. Possible loyalty to the Emperor also adds to the secrets of the mysterious Alpha Legion.

Death Guard! Cuz I love me some Nurgle!

Alpha Legion - just because of the book, Legion. A Chaos cult army, with CSM champs/hqs, would be a easy 'alternate' army from current Traitor Guard.

Iron Warriors, because caution stripes are fly as hell.

Thousand Sons - Because they are just some spirits trapped in armor..and I hear they like to party

World Eaters: Because Bolt Thrower did a great song about them, and the thought of troops filled with insatiable blood rage really feels the most Chaotic for me. I love the World Eaters.

I'm big on infantry, so CSM were perfect choice.

I love my swiss army knife obliterators.

Demon weapons just make me happy. Chaos in game form.

Possessed, I have no idea what's up with them until I roll at the start of the game.

CSM dreads, because shooting yourself can be fun too!

Power armor hordes? Sure. Add in fabius for kicks.

Edit: FFFFFFF now I realize what you asked. I read through the book and found a liking the The Purge, a faction related to death guard. Though I do like everything else.

The Emperors Children.

I own two copys of Fulgrim (One to read,one to save and keep perfect).

I love how what was once a noble quest for perfection turned into a perverted vision of of it.

Personally I do enjoy the grand wonder when you hear a wonderful piece of music or a work of art,so I can understand the torment of when it becomes boring and you desire even greater marvels.

I felt a connection straight away.

The Big four for me as well.

World Eaters: I initially disliked them because of the stereotypical "satan is evil" type image they had in 3.5 (what with the Daemons looking like classical demons and madness and whatnot) but they were my first army (not by choice, but by what I could afford at the time). They quickly grew on me though, nothing is more brutish and direct than a chainaxe to the face, and the hardships and betrayal that Angron suffered made him stand out, as one who truely had reason to turn traitor against the Emperor.

Death Guard was second, for the Zombie Appeal. Didn't really take off for me until the 4th ed book where PMs got FnP. However I always loved the fluff behind Typhus, and he was one of my fav models at the time (although to date I still dont own him). Ever since my Chaos Army fractured due to 4th ed, they've been the largest of my chaos warbands, being the only one actually able to field a stand-alone army (since the other ones either lack troops or an HQ).

Thousand Sons were the third one that I later fell in love with, mainly because of the Egyptian vibe (I was playing Yugioh at the time) Their fluff is also a tragedic one, and being able to field a whole army of 2 wound models backed by a sorcerer was really fun. Their relative nerf in the 5th was not welcomed by me.

Finally were the Emperor's Children. When I first started the game I was rather timid and didnt like actually looking at naked boobs all the time. However their decadence grew on me, especially how they cut straight to the chase about having fun rather than really go for anything. Then I read about the fall of Fulgrim and the origin of their name. Lucius as well was one of my fav characters at the time, mainly because he would lower his stats in accordance to what enemies he faced, which (while nowhere near practical) was really characterful.

That and the pink dudes attract ladies. I kid you not.

Special mention also goes to the Iron Warriors, who's style of combat departs from all other Space Marines at the time, given that they fielded enormous amounts of heavy weapons to pound the hell out of your opponent.

I'm all about World Eaters. When I was considering CSM, they were my first choice since I love the concept of tons of heavily armored berserkers that can take hits but when they get to you, you know that they did.

However, I went with Black Legion so I can use everything in the current CSM codex. However, that's not preventing me from fielding a World Eaters army as I just got an amazing deal for a ton of Berzerkers (20 models for $24. Hello 1500 point World Eaters!).

I dont actually play CSM...yet..

But the ones i love:

Death guard, well really Nurgle. Something about the plague marines, and the whole decay thing, as well as some of the conversion and paint opportunities available are temendous.

Alpha Legion, because of their colors and the whole, "are we really traitors, or are we loyal.. in our own special way?
thing they have.

Word bearers - holy heretics.

Iron Warriors - because siege warfare is cool.

Alpha Legion - sneaky and possibly loyal. Also they're all sparticus... er Alpharius/Omegon

Flawless host as they seem interesting from what I can gather.

Night Lords. The background for Konrad Curze is my favourite Primarch background. I love how straight-up grimdark they are, even pre-Heresy. And the lightning paint scheme is the best of the Chaos legions hands-down. I would for sure have Night Lords if I could paint lightning.

Black Legion, for having the cajones to get this party started.

I'm a fairly relaxed sort of guy, so to see an entire army so utterly motivated was captivating. The fact that they're so full of this genuine, venomous hatred for the imperium, mixed with a thorough enjoyment of war and a twist of self indulgence and corruption is like the best cocktail someone could describe to you. You know it'll taste amazing but too much is going to leave you suffering for it. An odd analogy and perhaps not best explained but hopefully you get the idea. I guess more succinctly they provide a chance to indulge in your own darker side, without necessarily going all Charles Manson on someone.

To me, what makes the Chaos Space Marines interesting as a whole is the Legions, their motivations, and their creation. This is how I see them, and what makes them interesting and attractive as a game faction.


They are the dark enemy borne from the Imperium's excesses at the climax of its birthing. It is the Legionnaires which the Imperium fears above all. They are a boogey man, nigh mythical for the most part, mentioned only in guarded whisper, all knowledged locked away in Inquisitorial archives and amongst the greatest secrets of the Adeptus Astartes, but when engaged in open conflict are the most terrible of the Imperium's foes.

The Legionnaires are the bitter traitors who built the Imperium with the blood and toil. It was their comrades and heroes who died to fulfill the dream of the Emperor, their sacrifices upon which the great edifice of the Imperium is based. They see themselves as the betrayed ones, having given their blood and their brothers to give life to what they see as the greatest lie ever perpetrated, and now see their entire existence as a lie, their sole remaining purpose is now to destroy that lie and free themselves from the shackles of the purpose of their creation. The Chaos Legions do not see themselves as betrayers, but rather the ones who simply realized they were being used and were entirely disposable, all simply to establish the greatest of scams in the history of the galaxy.

The specifics of the various grievances are varied. The Night Lords committed tacitly sanctioned atrocity in order to subjugate the more troubling areas of the galaxy and then were turned upon and discarded when this was no longer needed and could no longer be politically tolerated. The Iron Warriors were committed to the most brutal of sieges and never given time to rest or refit, doing all the setup and preparation only for other legions to gain all the credit and rewards of victory, doggedly sticking to their orders to garrison themselves thinly throughout the rough spots of the Imperium and stretch their forces to the breaking point while other Legions simply ignored such orders and expected the Iron Warriors to take their burden. All of this so that the supposed promise of progress and understanding could be twisted into a monolithic dictatorship to worship the Emperor in the bureaucratic hell of an oppressive religious state.

In their desperate search for anything to use against this horrifying realization and destroy their once beloved creator, they turned to dark power which only a few understood. They are not sustained by righteousness, honor or a noble agenda, but rather they fight the Long War out of little more than Hate. It is Hatred that drives them, Hatred that sustains them, and it is Hatred that informs their decisions. There is no possibility of peace, or of reconciliation with the Chaos Space Marines of the Traitor Legions, only the need to achieve the bloody vindication that their sense of Hate that arises from the closest of brothers being turned against one another and upon their creator fills them with, the Hate that explodes into being at the realization of everything one has sacrificed for being nothing but a fabrication and completely meaningless.

So, driven by Hate, they turned to the Warp, and the powers of Chaos. For many, Chaos is a powerful pantheon to be bargained with and satisfied in order to gain the power necessary to fuel the Long War against the Imperium, sustaining long millenia of warfare, bloodshed and Hate. For others, it provides the purpose which they lost when they turned against the Imperium, ultimately leading becoming servants of such Dark Powers in body and soul, sacrificing their sanity and self determination for purpose and a path upon which to put their talents to use.

In the end, all that awaits the Legionnaires is an ultimate destiny of Insanity and Damnation, most of them realize this, but they care not, so long as the power they gain upon that path leads to seeing the False Emperor and the lie that is the Imperium lies ruined and destroyed at their feet. In fact many fully embrace their fate, finding more value in the furtherance of the agenda of the Fell Powers of Chaos than they ever would have under the Emperor's banner.

From this perspective, the Chaos Space Marines are a very interesting faction. They have little of their own beyond their hate, self loathing and self destructive tendencies, being left only with the Long War, or descending into the madness of dedicated themselves entirely to the Chaos Gods. They see themselves as gods of old set loose upon the universe to wreak their havoc at will, but truly have no unified agenda, often even within their own ranks or even squads, beyond Hate. They are capable of achieving anything they desire, but desire only to satisfy their Hate their need for Vengeance.

Furthermore, with Chaos in general, there is very much a "self made" theme. Everything must be proved and earned. Amongst those high in the favor of Chaos, there are no cowards or weaklings, one achieves power and greatness through ones actions. To achieve greatness, one must prove it time and again in blood and fire. The mighty amongst the forces of Chaos lead from the front, they take the fight to their foes and seek out the strongest of their number to prove themselves the superior ones at great risk. There are no generals hiding in bunkers or, no leaders that were simply created already great (e.g. the Swarmlord) or naturally possess some sort of gift (Calgar, Njal, Grimnar, Draigo, etc) but rather there are those who proved themselves great and earned their greatness through their actions. Chaos rewards those who sacrifice everything for greatness, and those servants of Chaos who are powerful are so because they have sacrificed much and put themselves at dire risk time and time again.




This is what makes Chaos interesting and attractive. They are the worst of the worst, yet at the same time exemplify the best qualities all aspire to, and are driven to a path of damnation all can understand in one way or another. Which, in its own way, is rather noble.

Thousand Sons, they strike me as being more intelectual and logical than other legions. I also like the idea of a soul bonded to armor, no organs to damage and respawn abilities.

Gotta be the Iron Warriors for me:
Hazard stripes on vehicles and troops? Pshaw, madness! It'd look ridiculous on any Marine! BUT WAIT, who's this? An Iron Warrior? Why, that chap's wearing his hazard stripes on his power armour... and he looks BADASS. Sweet Mary, look at all those tanks he has! And the siege equipment, too! By Jove, this marine's got everything!

The IW's also have probably the most awesome battle cry. Aside from cool hazard stripes (which I cannot paint to save my life, so my IW's don't really have them ) the phrase "Iron Within, Iron Without" is just so...awesome.

Iron Warriors. All thanks to a book about Ultramarines.

I'm perssonaly a thousand sons fan, i feel so danm bad for Magnus, Horus tricked Russ into attacking, and then Magnus, arguably one of the Empreors most dedicated and loyal sons is thrown before his new patron tzeentch.

I just wonder how things would have been different, if Magnus just took the time to shoot over in a ship, things would have been fine .

My love of zombies and the grim humor is what first attracted me to Death Guard...

I love their combat style and the fact that ultimantly...Nurgle can not be defeated...sooner or later....everything falls to rot and decay.