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This better fits this board due to it being more of a fluffy question.

What units in the vanilla Marine codex would be in the 1st Company of a chapter only? I know Chapter Master, all terminator units, and certain Dreadnoughts. Are there any others? I'm not sure about Chaplains or the Command Squad that Captains can bring with them.

The Chapter Master isn't a member of the 1st company. He's outside the company structure, as are Chaplains, Librarians and Techmarines, who are just assigned as needed.

In a standard Codex Chapter, the first company is just the Veterans, who can take to the field in power or terminator armour. They would have a Captain, and any Dreadnoughts who served in the 1st company at the time of their internment.

The Command Squad would be either additional, subbed directly to the Captain, or drawn from amongst the 1st Company.

Basically, what insaniak said. 1st Company units would be Terminator Squads, Terminator Assault Squads, Sternguard Veterans and Vanguard Veterans.

Though, I believe he is incorrect about Chaplains, depending on how much canon has shifted, this old Chapter Structure chart indicates that a 1st Company has a Captain, Chaplain, Apothecary & Standard Bearer in addition to the regular squads.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/c/ce/CodexOrganisation.jpg

Also, Companies 1 through 5 are often supported by detachments of the Reserve who provide additional forces for flanking or defensive manoeuvers as well as vehicle crews.

So in case you want to field your 1st as a strike force, feel free to add some more units from the Reserve Companies up to and including an entire armoured column if you want.

Second Company is the strike force, but 1st will be there occasionally. Thanks, Dakka.

On a related note, do normal companies have venerable dreadnoughts, or are all of them fielded in the first company?

My understanding is that dreads stay in the company they served in. Obviously a hero from the first company who is entombed in the sacred sarcophagus could be a venerable dread. But given enough years or service, could some chump from a line company stuck in a walking coffin attain venerable status? And if so, would he then be shuffled off to the 1st?

 Nevelon wrote:

A) But given enough years or service, could some chump from a line company stuck in a walking coffin attain venerable status?
B)And if so, would he then be shuffled off to the 1st?

a) If he serves well and long enough, venerable isn't out of reach. Its not a 1st company specific title.

b)Unlikely because the attachment to the original company is a consistant part of the chapter organization everywhere except SW.
Some chapters would use ven-dreads rather as advisors and maybe leaders of packs of dreads if they field a whole group of them at once.
But take a ven dread from a company? A venerable provides inspiration for the company and advice for the Captain. Why take that away?