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So, I've been looking for a little background on the Sternguard. Where would I find more information on them?

Fluff wise, where does the term 'Sternguard' come from?

Was it a famous battle or something?

Are they actual veterans of a specific fight/location, or is it just an honorific?

Do all Codex Marines have Sternguard?

If i remember right stern guard are part of 1st company with termies and chapter master.

Sternguard were introduced in the latest codex. Before that we just had veterans. The Vanguard are the veterans who favour close combat, they rush ahead and act as a vanguard, hence the name. The Sternguard stand back and kill from afar.
All veterans of the 1st company are either Vanguard close combat troops, or Sternguard ranged troops, unless they wear TDA, in which case they are divided into Terminator squads.

Sternguard are the ultimate tactical squad essentially.
They are the kind of guys who stand at the breach and hold back the hordes through sheer fire discipline and nothing else.

Bharring wrote:
So, I've been looking for a little background on the Sternguard. Where would I find more information on them?

Perhaps there is a more recent Space Marines novel that may have more background.

Fluff wise, where does the term 'Sternguard' come from?

It has nothing to do with "fluff". Stern = Rear, Guard = Defend/defence.

Was it a famous battle or something?

No.

Are they actual veterans of a specific fight/location, or is it just an honorific?

No, maybe.

Do all Codex Marines have Sternguard?

If the Ultramarines do... Yes.

"Sternguard" as a term is a new-fangled way of saying "Veteran Tactical Marines". This unit has its origins aaaaall the way back in 2nd ed and Codex Ultramarines (which like now can be used to represent the bulk of Marine Chapters). At that point, they didn't have Veteran Assault Marines - Blood Angels alone did, but they didn't have Veteran Tactical Marines as a result.

If you want fluff on the unit itself and how it operates, pick up a copy of Codex Space Marines and check out the bestiary entry for them.

While some aspects of sternguard have their roots in the Ultramarine tyranic war veterans of 4th edition, the concepts of marine vets is a core part of chapter organization from way back.

Every marine chapter that follows the codex keeps the bulk of it's veterans in the first company. Depending on their preference (and presumably needs of the chapter) they are grouped into shooty or close combat squads. Due to scarcity, not everyone can have terminator armor. CC vets are Vanguard, or assault terminators when they need to be. Shooty marines are tactical terminators or sternguard, as needs and gear dictates.

Thanks for the info.

Somehow, I never got the whole sternguard = 'stern' as in back 'guard' as in guard thing - I was curious if they came from a specific event, but it sounds like they didn't.

I have the codex, but the entry on Sternguard doesn't tell you much more than the statline/gear should already tell you.

I'm one of those 'but these are MY chapter' players ('Wings of Dawn' - codex marines), and I wanted to know if it made sense to call my Sternguard-rules-unit actually Sternguard, or if I should make something else up. Kind of like if I ever fielded Marneus's rules/model, it wouldn't actually be Marneus Calgar (but I'd still call him that in regards to communicating with my opponent).

Sounds like Sternguard are a part of Codex Astartes, and not something that only Ultramarines have.

I can't tell much about the in universe history of Sternguard, but, unless my memory is utterly decieving me, I can add some bits about the "in rules" precedessors of Sternguard. I'm sorry for the bunch of "maybe" in the following, but I don't own the codices and white dwarf issues the info was in, anymore.

The first Marine Veterans with special amunition where either the Ultramarine Tyranid (though with only one or two special amunition types) war Vetereans or the Deathwatch Kill Team (all amuntion types Sternguard carry, pretty much the same statline and combiweapon options, iirc). Deathwatch are the interesting part here, special squads of space marine veterans drawn from pretty much all chapters by the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition to do high risk operations. This even inculdes the likes Black Templars, Space Wolfes and Dark Angels, so chapters that don't tend to play well with others or by the rules.

The great amount of overlapp between Sternguard and Deathwatch makes it easy to draw a connection, if you want. I personally like to think of Sternguard as those veterans who completed their turn with the Deathwatch and keep the fighting style.

Deathwatch and Tyrannic War Vets WERE the first to have the special bolter ammo - there's not much in it but I believe Deathwatch were first. It's worth mentioning that Hellfire rounds have existed for longer, but as an alternate firing profile for Heavy Bolters only, so it's not really the same thing as it was back then.

However, in fluff terms Deathwatch and Sternguard are a million miles apart. You can happily have Sternguard that have never been anywhere near the Ordo Xenos, and there are plenty of Deathwatch who are as yet not experienced enough to join the ranks of the 1st company.
As well as this, the nature of the special ammunition is different. Deathwatch get theirs from Inquisition requisition and claiming alien tech, chemicals and poisons to use as they see fit. Sternguard ammo will be pre-approved, Chapter-sanctioned stuff most likely made by the Techmarines.

Of course, none of that stops you from fielding Deathwatch using Sternguard rules if you want...