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Hi folks. New to this forum, so I hope I've posted this question in the right place. I'm currently designing the livery for my Space Marine army, and am looking for some confirmation/answers to the stuff below. The main colour for the armour will be a dark purple.

First off, obviously the different elements of an army are drawn from the various companies of a chapter, so would I be right in thinking that each mini should have their company number or emblem, as well as a squad number?

Vets - Am I right in saying these should have white shoulder trim & helmet, with a Crux Terminatus on the shoulder in place of a squad icon/number such as an arrow for tactical? If so, where is it usual to put the squad number? Opposite pad, along with the company symbol?

Terminators - Likewise, these should feature white shoulder pad and helmet, with a crux in place of squad number?

Dreadnaughts - I've read differing accounts of dreads. My gut instinct is that as the venerated veteran warriors they are, they should be from the first company also - with white elements throughout the design, but other sources state they should be from 2-5th companies, with the colour schemes that this dictates.

Tactical/devestator squads and vehicles can obviously be from companies 2-9, and so I don't have a bunch of multi-coloured marines, I'll be mostly sticking to the 2nd company (gold). My confusion is coming from both squad and company number/icon. I'm thinking that I can put a squad number over the top of the squad type icon (e.g. a tactical arrow, with the squad number, such as squad 3 from 2nd company). Are the colour schemes/banners enough to show that they are from 2nd company, or should there be a varied symbology on the other shoulder pad to show which company they are from?

I'm probably overthinking this, but I want to get it right, or my latent OCD will prickle my brain!

Cheers.

Company is signified by the shoulder pad trim.
There is a guide in the codex as to what colour goes with what company but i can't remember it off of the top of my head.
Squad can be signified by a number of different things, you can choose what. It can be a numeral on the shoulder or a kneepad painted in a different colour.

Vets don't have the crux on normal armour unless it is a special suit of armour. They have the white helmet and trim yes. Vets are also not considered tactical marines, so no arrow i guess.
Terminators have the crux as standard. They also have the white helmet.

Dreadnaughts do no belong in any specific company but are attached when needed. They may have any manner of decoration depending on who they were in their previous life and their battle honours gained since they 'died'.

If you have the arrow on the shoulder then a numeral on the kneepad could be a good alternative if you don't want the shoulderpads to become too cluttered.
The company number is rarely displayed apart from the colour of trim.

Welcome to Dakka.

Thanks for the rapid response! Appreciate the help.

In general, Chapter Mark goes on the space marine's left shoulder. Unit/company markings go on their right. Like this:



Exceptions would be veterans and terminators with either Crux Terminatus or DeathWatch shoulder pads. Those go on the left shoulder, moving the Chapter to the right. Like these:




Something to distinguish between the companies is good. Trim on the shoulder pads, number on a shoulder, or even different helmet/backpack colors.

Vets should look different. Think lots of seals, Crux markings, and so on.

Venerable dreads are like normal dreads, only with more gold and silver paint and more seals.

If you don't want rainbow devastator squads, then put them all from the second company. Pick a color you like for their helmets, backpack, and/or shoulder pad trim to distinguish them.

Can't wait to see them!

Again, thanks a lot.

Your veteran color doesn't have to be white.

The only basic rule is that Veterens should have a distinguishing marker. the Codex Astartes says White or Red, but you could do anything you want.

My chapter is basic Codex Grey with Silver trim for the normal marines. Veterans wear Black armor with Silver helmets and trim(although Silver is a heraldric equivilant for white)

The only termies I have ever seen with white helmets are Ultramarines.

I did some of my Black Templar Terminators with bone white helmets, some red, but mostly black.

purplefood wrote:Vets don't have the crux on normal armour unless it is a special suit of armour. They have the white helmet and trim yes. Vets are also not considered tactical marines, so no arrow i guess.
Terminators have the crux as standard. They also have the white helmet.

The Crux serves both as a marker that the Marine has trained in the use of Terminator armour, and as a unit designator for Veteran squads.

That being said, Veterans' armour tends to be a little more variable, so squad markings aren't always consistent.

Dreadnaughts do no belong in any specific company but are attached when needed. They may have any manner of decoration depending on who they were in their previous life and their battle honours gained since they 'died'.

Dreadnoughts are traditionally assigned to the company they served with before being interred.

purplefood wrote:Company is signified by the shoulder pad trim.
There is a guide in the codex as to what colour goes with what company but i can't remember it off of the top of my head.
Squad can be signified by a number of different things, you can choose what. It can be a numeral on the shoulder or a kneepad painted in a different colour.

Vets don't have the crux on normal armour unless it is a special suit of armour. They have the white helmet and trim yes. Vets are also not considered tactical marines, so no arrow i guess.
Terminators have the crux as standard. They also have the white helmet.

Dreadnaughts do no belong in any specific company but are attached when needed. They may have any manner of decoration depending on who they were in their previous life and their battle honours gained since they 'died'.

If you have the arrow on the shoulder then a numeral on the kneepad could be a good alternative if you don't want the shoulderpads to become too cluttered.
The company number is rarely displayed apart from the colour of trim.

Welcome to Dakka.

Not completely true. As Insaniak said, Veterans may carry the Crux Terminatus as a mark of recognition. Think "Purple Heart". Also, Dreadnaughts are attached to the company in which the entombed Pilot was serving.

Keeping that in mind, nothing is set in stone, even for Codex Astartes following Chapters. The Dark Angels, for example, use their kneecaps for showing what company the Marine belongs to, instead of the usual pad trim marking. The Blood Angels denote what type of squad the marine belongs to by the colour of their helmet, as far as I recall.

Basically, when designing Veterans, just add a lot of extra details to them and you should be OK. Think scroll canisters, purity seals, tabard cloth, extra amount of grenades/ammunition packs and the like. Think of them as Individualists, since most of their equipment are ancient Chapter relics, handed down by the Chapter Masters and venerated as parts of the Chapter's history.

Also, most people I know draw their army from the standard set of Companies i.e the 1st Veteran, the 2nd Battle and the 10th Scout. If you check your Codex, you will notice that the 2nd Battle Company has access to most of the equipment you will ever use, and is filled by Tacticals, Assault and Devastator Marines.

Myself, I chose a different way - my 1st Company denotes their veterancy over the standard Blue Marines by having their armour halved or quartered with white, and I use a Deathwatch squad as my Sternguard Veterans - the Deathwatch are easily recognisable due to the black armour they are wearing.

As your bits box and your collection grow, you will eventually find a Golden Mean of doing things that will be good for you, your fluff and your squad recognition on the tabletop. As I said, nothing is set in stone, and while using the Space Marine Codex, you can have a variation of the standard suggested colours, if you chose to make a homebrew chapter instead of Ultramarines. Also, Backpack mounted banners may include Company/Squad markings, there should be pieces for that both in the Command Squad sprue and in the Tactical Marines box, if I recall correctly.

purplefood wrote:
Dreadnaughts do no belong in any specific company but are attached when needed. They may have any manner of decoration depending on who they were in their previous life and their battle honours gained since they 'died'.

Actually, it is traditional for Dreadnoughts to remain with the company they served in life(P16, right hand column, Codex: Space Marines)