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Since I am pretty sure most people have at least a small army of Space Marines, I was wondering: What chapter is the most popular?
And what makes people choose a particular chapter? And do people mostly play 'default' chapters or do they invent their own?

So the question is: What chapter(s) do you play? And why did you choose this chapter? Was it the fluff? the colours? the heraldry?

Since there are too many chapters to list them all, I have listed only the First Founding chapters.
So if you play a Second or later Founding chapter, please select which First Founding chapter your chapter descends from. (for example: Black Templar players select Imperial Fists).
Please tell me about your chapter and the reason you chose or created it.

I voted ultramarines

Love the fluff (except the working with tau bits)

The independent characters are good ( even though some of the models suck. Looking at you sicarius/tigarus)

I HATE the colour though that's why mine are a really dark blue to help shake the "smurf" stigma

The White Scars are my primogenitors, although I have gone another path... we are the Mantis Warriors.

We are awesome, although the captain of the sixth company hasn't been quite the same since the master of the forge rebuilt half his body. Won't shut up about being an "Ally of Justice".

The Glacier Serpents are actually a rather mixed warband but the 'core', that is, the Inner Ring, consists of the original Thunder Dragon traitors. The Thunder Dragons, in turn, are Ultramarine descendants.

I voted Imperial Fists.

Hint: their Fists are crimson.

First it was Ultramarines, then it was Space Clow- ... I mean, a failed attempt at a homebrew chapter, then Salamanders.

My marines:

Pure Ultras, almost 2 companies, all either first or second. These guys are aloof and arrogant and they've earned it. Between them and their early foundings, they rule 500 worlds that are generally speaking the best places to live in the Imperium. Not only warriors, but philosophers, planetary governors, guard high commanders, architects, scientists, etc come from their ranks. With their own massive fleet, secure relations with Terra, the Inquisition, Titan, and Mars, they are without parallel in both influence and power among the SM. From the Great Crusade, Heresy, Scouring, Apostacy, Tyrannic Wars, Necron incursions, Damocles Crusade, and such they have amassed a combat record and battle history second to none. Blue is also so easy to paint and I like the contrast of "blue Romans" in space.

Templars/Crimson Fists: I'm a big fan of the second founding IFs. I like their Crusading, aggressive nature. Templars especially are an easy scheme to paint.

White Scars/Dark Angels: I have a massive bike force based off these guys. I'm mainly using DA aesthetic with WS rules. This is purely because of the cost of models and the best set of rules for tourney SM. That being said I really do like the look (mine are guardians of the covenant) and it gives me a strong chance against TauDar lists.

 Lobukia wrote:
My marines:

Pure Ultras, almost 2 companies, all either first or second. These guys are aloof and arrogant and they've earned it. Between them and their early foundings, they rule 500 worlds that are generally speaking the best places to live in the Imperium. Not only warriors, but philosophers, planetary governors, guard high commanders, architects, scientists, etc come from their ranks. With their own massive fleet, secure relations with Terra, the Inquisition, Titan, and Mars, they are without parallel in both influence and power among the SM. From the Great Crusade, Heresy, Scouring, Apostacy, Tyrannic Wars, Necron incursions, Damocles Crusade, and such they have amassed a combat record and battle history second to none. Blue is also so easy to paint and I like the contrast of "blue Romans" in space.

Templars/Crimson Fists: I'm a big fan of the second founding IFs. I like their Crusading, aggressive nature. Templars especially are an easy scheme to paint.

White Scars/Dark Angels: I have a massive bike force based off these guys. I'm mainly using DA aesthetic with WS rules. This is purely because of the cost of models and the best set of rules for tourney SM. That being said I really do like the look (mine are guardians of the covenant) and it gives me a strong chance against TauDar lists.

are your spehs ultras more influential than the ultramarines? Because that seems like far-fetched fluff and I think we both can agree on that.

My Crimson Templars are proud sons of Dorn.

i did the same thing I did when i created my own chaos marine army years ago. I refused to go with one of the "pre-set" armies and created my own with it's own color scheme..

My current armies are all tied together. Years ago, my D&D group cam up with out own city to base ourselves out of. The city was unofficially run by 2 separate gangs. One was the pinks (fewer in number but ultra rich with all the best equipment. Very snobby), the other was the yellows (poor greater in numbers and hard working).. Skip forward thousands of years and the world is in turmoil as that city is still under the control of the two fighting factions and as this is the capital of the world, there is planet wide strife.
Enter the Imperium. When they see what is going on, they take the side of the yellows because the pinks would not bend their neck enough to join the imperium. The yellows win out and are now the government controlled by the imperium.
The Inquisition heard of the planet and is interested in it for many reasons. One is a high concentration of psychers and another is the fact that the demi-human races developed on the world independently without the reasons they did on other planets.
One of the more radical sects of the inquisition set up a base there and brought along their "grey knights" that others call Radical Knights. There is also a space marine chapter based there now that is closely associated with this radical ect of the inquisition. Their radical knights draw from the local population and that chapter of marines just as the marines draw from the locals.

Colors-
Guard- Brown urban camo, copper/brass metal used in armor/weapons. yellow highlights/insignias.- sometimes, an inquisitor will serve as a commander and blue will be sen instead of yellow.
marines- Brown urban camo, copper/brass metal/weapons, blue shoulderpads, shinguards and breastplates. large flat open areas of armor.
radical knights- Identical to the marines, they share vehicles and such with both the guard and the marines.

Style-
the marines being drawn from the local population draw from the skills and tactics of the different areas. the ones from the frozen north area, fight a lot like the Space wolves and the ones from the plains fight like the white scars. This is a fancy way of saying that you never know which codex I might use from game to game. Lets me have one of each army without having to buy seperate models. of course specialist units, i would need to buy and mark somehow. Wolf rider models couldnt be used when i field a "blood angel army" and death company models couldnt be used in an "ultramarine army".

When allied or fighting alongside each other, they all look god together and appear cohesive.

Imperial fists, I love the lore of Dorn and Lysander. 3rd company

I voted Ultramarines as that is the Chapter I started the game with back in 2nd edition, and still love them.

But probably the force I am most proud of is my Legion of the Damned force created back in 3rd edition when you could take them as part of the "Cursed Founding" with rules from Chapter Approved. 2,000 points of custom painted models, where the heraldry on every single model is completely unique to it.

I also am working on an all-Terminator force representing the Blood Angels 1st Company, incorporating all the Space Hulk models as the first two squads. I love the fluff of how they are the purest of the Chapter when it comes to beating the Black rage.

Dark Angels- I almost have the full 3rd battle company. I am really interested in the fluff (the whole hunting fallen angels/hidden shame thing), and love the robed, sinister look and feel of the models.

Iron Hands- I am using these guys as the looooong distant descendant of my custom ally chapter. I have a whole back-story about them refusing to train chaplains and feeling more brotherly towards their techmarines, librarians, and apothecaries. Hardened warriors who drift with their fleet after losing their home planet to a Tyranid invasion. I am still fleshing out more details before building them up.

My army is descended from the Dark Angles.

Fluff

There was a planet that had been ravaged by 'the fallen' and then left abandoned. it's people starving and on the edge of madness, the planet itself was ruined. However the Dark Angles saw fit to rebuild the planet, they could not spare any front line forces to do this so they sent 'P company' to establish a garrison.

The 'P company' is not often talked about by the Dark Angles, it is the company where the marines are sent should they commit sin. This could be cowering in battle or not following the laws of the DA. Watched over by Brother Captain Macay and Chaplain Brunos, both fanatical devotes of the emperor. It is in 'P Company' that many Marines may have their sin absolved and be allowed to join the ranks again, however it is also in P Company that many marines die of shame, exhaustion or lose their life in the operations carried out by the company.

They are responsible for maintaining order on the planet, patrolling the planets orbit and holding the planet until a relive force can aid them, if one ever comes.

As they are a garrison (and a Penal one) the DA do not see them as top priority and so they receive very little in updated equipment, even their vehicles are old and are only used in dire circumstances.

For their sin they must paint their armour blue to shame them. They may paint their armour green again upon joining the ranks, however they must wear a blue helmet, to remind them and everyone else of their past.

They are painted a very dark blue with white lining. Shoulder pads are different colours and denote which squad the mdoel belongs to.

 Crimson wrote:


My Crimson Templars are proud sons of Dorn.

Wow! I love that colour scheme.

Iron hands, though I'm just starting with them

 Iron_Captain wrote:


So the question is: What chapter(s) do you play? And why did you choose this chapter? Was it the fluff? the colours? the heraldry?

Ultramarines.

Back when I started I picked Blood Angels. The reason for this was the sheet of transfers that came in my RTB01 box. We played 40k as a RPG back then, and I wanted to get a different color of marines, for if there were multiple forces in play. So I picked the Ultramarines for the color, and the fact that there were transfers in on of the other RTB01 boxes we had picked up. Not a whole lot of lore and fluff back then in the RT days. As I expanded my forces, I added to the Ultras, as I much preferred their color scheme. So when I made the change from “Random collection of minis for role playing” to “Army list” Ultras lead the way.

Started with a "unknown founding" Space Marine Chapter thus the first one isn't tied to anyone specific.
Their badge shows a Dragon and its color varies with function and rank. A Green-black army, using camo schemes ...

Added a few Chapters....

Templars at the Armageddon era of mini-codices. As Black Templars, they are descendants of the Imperial Fists SM Legion.
More black marines. Raven Guard and because Raven Guard they are just that.
Salamanders have no official successor.
Iron Hands; Index Astartes is to blame for the trifecta of Sallies, RG and IH. Again, just the name-keeper of the Legion.
Blood Angels. Yes unimaginatevly the BA themselves.
a successor of the DA, part of the unforgiven. Without a name....
a successor of the WS. The Sand Vipers are a bike army, a desert world their home base.
a 20+x founding standard chapter, the Crimson Swords are a rather new founding and don't have the equipment of their older brothers. ( UM ? )
a GKT strike team, expanded a bit when they got a shiny space knights plus silly walker dex.
squads of the legion of the Damned because I like the Models.
Deathwatch kill teams.
a few lap dogs of the Allfather... tried to find something interesting but somehow they don't feel right so... ( unfinished project ).

Got every former Space Marine Legion who stayed loyal represented at least once.

I am utterly torn between the Salamanders and Imperial Fists. I love both their colors and how they roll in battle. I just can't seem to choose one faction to paint.

My chapter of choice recently switched from blud revens to Astral Claws.

Why did I do this?
Mostly I did it because I wanted to try out metallic painting. I also like their color scheme so there's that. Another big factor was that I thought it'd be funny for Lufgt Huron to fight Huron Blackheart. I also liked the fluff of the chapter. It's somewhat tragic really.

The fluff:
They kill things good for Imperium. Imperium says, "Hey, good job guys! Guard this space portal thingie!". Astral claws do it but ask for help. Imperium goes, "No, man, can't has" and Astral Claws go "Fine! We'll just do it ourselves!". They do it and tell Imperium they aren't part of the club anymore. Imperium still sends guys to collect their membership fees but those guys are killed. Then they send in Space Marines to kill Astral Claws and they do. Astral Claws become space pirates and Lufgt Huron becomes space Blackbeard.

Thus goes the Badab war.

If only we knew more about the Blood Ravens.

I have always toyed with the 2nd edition idea from the Ultramarines codex about a crusade army, where in 2,000pts you might have representatives from three or more Chapters present.

I have my SM done up as Deathwatch, so I voted all

 Scipio Africanus wrote:


are your spehs ultras more influential than the ultramarines? Because that seems like far-fetched fluff and I think we both can agree on that.

Seriously? That there be canon bro. Funny how people forget how ultra the UM are and then complain that they're too good in the fluff.

Mentor Legion.

For science!

In my background they were created using alpha legion geneseed which is why they are slightly smaller than regular marines and often embed with guard regiments

 Lobukia wrote:

Seriously? That there be canon bro. Funny how people forget how ultra the UM are and then complain that they're too good in the fluff.

Ultramar is eight worlds. What are the rest 492?

I play Salamanders and an Ultramarine successor.

The Salamanders army was chosen by default. I wanted to play Imperial Fists when I started, but discovered to my woe that yellow was the hardest color to paint. So I switched tacks and decided to go with White Scars. (Guess what the second hardest color is? ) So then I switched to Salamanders, because no one at my local store played them, and green was quite easy to paint. And I discovered that I love them in the fluff, as well as the rules.

My Ultramarines successor is my prize-winning homemade chapter from the big Create a Chapter Kompetition we had here on Dakka a few years ago. I went with an Ultramarines successor because a vast majority of secondary chapters are supposed to be descended from the Ultras, and I didn't want to be all special-snowflakey. I figured I could make them unique and entertaining without having to have crazy parentage.

brother marcus wrote:

The independent characters are good ( even though some of the models suck. Looking at you sicarius/tigarus)

Sicarius, okay.

Tigirius "sucks" though? And here I thought the ability to reroll reserves was pretty great, and also take Divination in a codex that otherwise doesn't have it was worth it's weight in gold.

 SRSFACE wrote:

brother marcus wrote:

The independent characters are good ( even though some of the models suck. Looking at you sicarius/tigarus)

Sicarius, okay.

Tigirius "sucks" though? And here I thought the ability to reroll reserves was pretty great, and also take Divination in a codex that otherwise doesn't have it was worth it's weight in gold.

Hence why he said the MODELS suck, not their rules.

I never really thought Warhammer was gonna be interesting to me, till I started reading the SW codex, just the fluff bits. I was sold, but I detest the powder blue armor scheme that they use, and decided (through lack of skill at the time) that I wanted them to look better. So I went with a black base with a light blue detail, amongst other colors. I joke now and then that they went through the teleporter and got some black stuff all over their armor (Thanks RT) but now that I am getting a bit more serious into the game I decided that they were a lost company. One who never returned from a "Great Hunt" rumors of their re-entry from the warp spread to fenris and The Great wolf Himself and his faithful Champion (arjac) went personally to return this company to the Fang.

This is how I justify having the special characters in a non color scheme army.