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So with the new SM dex almost here I'm haveing a huge mental block on what chapter I would like to build. I'm currently reading everything I can find on each chapter that interest's me. So to the point of my post what is your favorite chapter and why? I would like to hear other people's reason's for likeing their favorite chapter. Even if you play a custom chapter and would like to explain why you did that I would appreciate it. Thanks guys!

I play Salamanders, although I started playing them mostly because green was the easiest color for me to paint. Still, after I got into them I got into their fluff and found out I liked them best anyway. They are one of the few Space Marine chapters to embody any kind of humility (and Nick Kyme does a great job showing their struggle with that) which appeals to me, since it's a nice change of pace.

I also dig the Space Sharks, because they embody a totally different side of the chivalric knight mythos that inform the Space Marine lore, which is the thuggish, hypocritical elite who brutally oppress the populace with fear and violence while taking what they want and burning the rest.

Imperial Fists and White Scars also have some great lore to them, for their stubbornness and nomad-warrior themes respectively. The Raven Guard are pretty awesome with their ghost warrior shtick, and in the long history of Games Workshop adverts, the Crimson Fists have some of the coolest posters imaginable.

(Lol, I'm probably not helping you narrow anything down, am I?)

In any event, I'm probably going to get an allied detachment of many of the chapters now. So I'm not in much of a better position than you.

ANGRY MARINES!

BECAUSE THEY'RE COOL AND THEY HAVE POWER DOORKNOBS IN POWER PILLOW CASES
AND YOU CAN MODEL MARINES THAT FLIP OFF YOUR OPPONENTS.

Link here: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Angry_Marines warning, NSFW

Excerpt:
"As to what occurred in the Angry Marine chambers, few can know, the only clue perhaps the jeering cry raised by the Angry Marines whenever they cross paths with the Ultramarines during campaigns. A nonsensical mantra of "STOP HITTING YOURSELF STOP HITTING YOURSELF", repeated ad infinitum. What such a bizarre and crude chant could mean, a scholar can only guess at. Ultimately, it is telling of the less than exemplary mental nature of non-codex Astartes."

 VeteranSgt.Ryokai wrote:
So with the new SM dex almost here I'm haveing a huge mental block on what chapter I would like to build. I'm currently reading everything I can find on each chapter that interest's me. So to the point of my post what is your favorite chapter and why? I would like to hear other people's reason's for likeing their favorite chapter. Even if you play a custom chapter and would like to explain why you did that I would appreciate it. Thanks guys!

While my first army will always have a special place in my heart (Ultramarines), I really like the fluff behind the Dark Angels. Lion El'Jonson is one of the only primarchs who are still living. He is currently sleeping in stasis in the heart of The Rock, under the supervision of The Watchers in The Dark. Only they & the emperor are aware of his existence. Additionally, Cypher a fallen angel of the Dark angels is one of the most mysterious characters in all of 40k. He possesses The Lion Sword of Lion El'Jonson but never wields it. He has been captured on more than one occasion & is mysteriously swept away by what many believe to be a chaos power. Cypher has been spotted many times over the years & appears to be moving closer to holy Terra. For what purpose? No one really knows. Some believe to kill the emperor, others believe to give the sword to the emperor to redeem The Fallen.

I feel your pain. I spent a month or more looking through material trying to pick a chapter. Honestly I think finding a successor chapter with a cool paint joband just enough background to make them interesting is the way to go. Thats why I chose the Silver Skulls. They are in every SM codex except 4th ed. And had just enough background to make them really inteinteresting but also allow for some creative freedom.

Then they got their own book and short stories, which luckily I made me like them even more.

I like the Space Wolves and the Salamanders.

If we're going less known chapters then its the Hawk Lords, The Scythes of the Emperor, The Mantis Warriors, The Angels Sanguine and the Celestial Lions.

The Scythes, The Mantis Warriors and the Lions have awesome fluff, The Angels Sanguine have an awesome colour scheme and the Hawk Lords are purple.

I've always liked the Dark Angels and their fling for secrecy to the point of sacrificing civilians to keep it.
I preferred it when they were American-Indian inspired but they are still great.

There are many too choose from and many with amazing background.

My favorite of the better known Chapters is the Imperial Fists.

There's a load of the official ones here

http://philipsibbering.com/blog/1000-chapters/1000-chapters-canon/gallery/page-11/#tabs

GW's old Armageddon 3 global campaign website has some cool background on some of the lesser known Chapters.

In particular, it made me appreciate the Celestial Lions - and as you can see from my signature, it even inspired one of my RPG characters.

I think the Lions "stand out" from the usual bunch of overdone, overhyped and semi-invulnerable poster boy Chapters in that they have a very tragic fate in their background which not only proves they are not immune to anything the universe throws at them, but also that honour and duty mean so much to them that they are willing to sacrifice everything for it. I also like their colour scheme and their "knightly" insignia a lot.

Don't get me wrong: the Lions are not alone in this, and there is quite a number of lesser known Chapters that also feel more realistic and grim to me - it's just the most prominent ones (not going to call names here, though I have a feeling most will be able to guess) that have been put on so high a pedestal that I find it difficult to sympathise with them. To me, a proper character needs to have flaws, and I translate this concept to 40k armies as well. This is a matter of taste, though, and arguably a large number of people likes their Marines to be EPIC with a capital E; living gods who can do no wrong, have to beat every foe, and weather any storm.

I started off as Imperial Fists, the lore is fantastic and they had a fun playstyle. Experts at siege warfare, and the story behind Captain Lysander really got me hooked on them to begin with.

I then got more involved in the general 40k lore via the online wikis (Lexicanum, 40k wikia etc.) and started to swing over to Salamanders. I bought the Tome of Fire books and really enjoyed how they are portrayed. The altruism, asthetics, homeworld, and style of combat were appealing in more of a broad sense than I had with the Fists. The history of the chapter, especially at the time of The Heresy and the events of Istvaan V really got me hooked on the story and had me sending my Imperial Fists to the stripping solution. To experience what they went through, and come out of it STILL embracing humanity they way that they do, is pretty damn epic.

Iron Knights. Coolest name a chapter can have. Also, Black Templar; both have a nice, medieval knight theme to them.

I settled on the Exorcists not too long ago. The Badab War books or other imperial armor, i find, are great for picking out some of the oddball chapters.

I'm a Space Wolves fan, personally. I dig on vikings, and along with the salamanders they seem to be among the only chapters that place any kind of value on human life. I'm also a fan of the antagonistic relationship they have with the Imperium proper.

What helped me pick a chapter that I love was the HH books. I started reading the dark angels novels and now I have 7-8k points of dark angels because I just think they are awesome