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Hey guys, a couple of years back I bought the Battle for Macragge set and I intended to start playing 40k, I chose to go with the Space Marines but I have a problem; I can't decide what chapter to choose, I don't want to go with the Ultramarines since they're too common, do you guys have any suggestions?

Cant help you much if you dont provide additional information

What colour scheme do you like?
What fluff appeals to you?
What are you looking for in your Chapter?
Ever considered making your own?

I would hit up the Lexicanum wiki and scope it out for a couple hours, see what appeals to you.

Oh, and judging from the avatar you're using, why not Salamanders?

One of the more important things to ask yourself: How do you want to fight?

Fast, hard hitting?
Static gun line that mulches all in sight?
Close combat slaughter house?
Mobile, adaptable and well balance?
Ect, ect.

From there, you can narrow the field down incredibly.

The simple route is to pick a color.

If none of the colors appeal to you you'll end up painting a chapter of your own design.

Second is the tactics of your army. Deside on what suits you best, be it combat or ranged, or perhaps a neat idea that revolves around a single character you really like.

Thats about it. All space marine armies are fun. And they always get new stuff.

Grats on your choice to get into the game.

I feel that there is only one appropriate answer, one I usually reserve for Firearms forums, when the topic is along the lines of "What <insert equipment here> should I get for X?" -List stuff-...


All of them.

Seriously, go read lexicanum like an above poster said. Don't pay any heed to whether or not the chapter you wind up liking is "OP" "Common" "For noobs" or anything else. It's your money, and by the time all is said and done, probably a lot of it. Enjoy it.

Blatantly stolen from The Emperor's Champion over on B&C:

What's your favorite color?

What's your favorite shade of that color?

Do you prefer warm or cool color schemes?

What civilization in history are you most fond of?

Which of the following is most important to you (top 3)?:
Glory
Courage
Vengeance
Stealth
Forgiveness
Humanity
Ceremony
Ritual
Might
Skill
Honor
Perfection
Knowledge
Wisdom


Do you prefer Tanks, Speed, Mechanization, Infantry, Elites, Melee, or Shooting?

I'd personally recommend raven guard because I love them but it really depends what aspect of a chapter is most important to you, be it paint scheme, fluff, rules, etc.

Thanks for all the responses, I'd really like to go with a mixed army with all kinds of units. As for color scheme, I'd like something that's dark without being black. I've glanced at the Dark Angels and I'm really starting to like them.
Oh and about the Salamanders; I liked them but I think their color scheme is too bright.

Edit: I've decided to go with the Dark Angels, once again, thanks for all the tips!

Cool, so we can write out a lot of the weirder or more specialised chapters.

Dark Angels can be balanced, although I wouldn't call them a particularly strong CC army. You also have to deal with the fact that their rules currently have to be used with the addition of a printed FAQ, so they might not be the best for newcomers.

Sounds like you'd like some sort of standard Codex chapter, just one with a darker colour scheme. I had a look for schemes based on black or grey - the good thing about a lot of these grey schemes is that they can be painted a lot darker than they appear in the pictures.

Black Consuls - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Black_Consuls
Storm Warriors - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Storm_Warriors
Iron Lords - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Iron_Lords
Executioners - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Executioners
Relictors - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Relictors

Of course, as standard codex chapters, some of these don't have a lot of written history as yet - the Executioners and Relictors have the most, particularly since the Executioners are heavily involved in the Badab War. You could consider the lack of background material a good thing, since you can write your own, or you could want something more 'fleshed out'.

ArbitorIan wrote:Cool, so we can write out a lot of the weirder or more specialised chapters.

Dark Angels can be balanced, although I wouldn't call them a particularly strong CC army. You also have to deal with the fact that their rules currently have to be used with the addition of a printed FAQ, so they might not be the best for newcomers.

Sounds like you'd like some sort of standard Codex chapter, just one with a darker colour scheme. I had a look for schemes based on black or grey - the good thing about a lot of these grey schemes is that they can be painted a lot darker than they appear in the pictures.

Black Consuls - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Black_Consuls
Storm Warriors - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Storm_Warriors
Iron Lords - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Iron_Lords
Executioners - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Executioners
Relictors - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Relictors

Of course, as standard codex chapters, some of these don't have a lot of written history as yet - the Executioners and Relictors have the most, particularly since the Executioners are heavily involved in the Badab War. You could consider the lack of background material a good thing, since you can write your own, or you could want something more 'fleshed out'.

The Black Consuls seems like an even better alternative, thanks for the heads-up about DA not being good for a beginner. I really like the simple black armor with gold trim on the BC and I think it could be pretty good for me since I'm also a beginner at painting.

raven guard are black too!

Catfish9200 wrote:The Black Consuls seems like an even better alternative, thanks for the heads-up about DA not being good for a beginner. I really like the simple black armor with gold trim on the BC and I think it could be pretty good for me since I'm also a beginner at painting.

Cool.

You'd be surprised though - some single, brighter colours are actually much EASIER to paint than black. With black there are various techniques you can use to highlight it (since getting more 'pop' from your flat black primer is usually the problem) but they all require a fair bit of control.

With some of the brighter colours, a really good look can be achieved by spraypainting a base colour and then just using washes or dips on the majority of the model. With the added advantage that, if you choose to use brushwork on some areas, it's much easier to see what you're doing!!

I got a paint set today and painted an Ultramarine, it turned out surprisingly good and despite my earlier statement, I fell in love with the Ultramarines.

Catfish9200 wrote:I got a paint set today and painted an Ultramarine, it turned out surprisingly good and despite my earlier statement, I fell in love with the Ultramarines.

Now listen up here's a story about a little guy who lived in a blue house
and all day and all night and everything he see's is just blue like him, inside and out
blue his house with the blue little windows and a blue corvette and everything he see's is blue like him, himself 'cos he ain't got nobody to listen...

Sorry, me personally I am a firm believer in lore and RP so I went with BA for my SM army. I love the CC concept they have. Plus the paint scheme is great the black and red gives you a dark setting with that bright red blood look.