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the tabletop probably isn't a great representation of how space marines would fight.

Casting aside obvious imbalances between the army books, 2 armies of equal points values should be more or less an even match.

How space marines would probably fight is not to seek out an even fight, but to stack odds so far in their favour that victory is a forgone conclusion.

the greatest strength of the Marines isn't necessarily the fact that they are super men, with awesome weapons and tough armour, but the fact that they are trained, and equipped, to fight wherever, and whenever they want. with aircraft capable of surviving punishing firepower, they can deploy to where they will do the most damage.

A standard marine deployment (in 40k terms) wouldn't be 2000 points of marines versus 2000 points of whatever, it would be more akin to 2000 points versus 200, or less.

30 guardsmen, or orks, or other xeno scum aren't going to be able to stop 40-50 marnies. they may wound a few, they may even get lucky and kill a few, but those 30 men are going to all be dead in short order, and before a counter attack can be mustered, the marines are gone, attacking somewhere else.

in 40k, just about the only time marines are accurately represented, in terms of fluff and on the tabletop, is when they fight Traitor Marines, or have a 'training session' against other loyalists.

Other battles fall prey to the destroyer of fluff known as 'game balance'