Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So, this is a common scenario for my 40k games, A 10 man squad of space marines is assaulted by / assaults / is attacked by enter whoever I happen to be fighting here and is eventually or instantly whittled down to a single model. This model happens to survive the whole game.

Would a space marine feel survivor's guilt at being the only one left standing? Does PTSD exist in the 41st millennium?

Note: This is being used for fluff and campaign purposes and also to satisfy my curiosity.

I'd imagine they do to an extent, depending upon how the Chapter comprises the individual squads. For example in the Space Wolves you have Lone Wolves, who are the sole survivors of their pack, and aim to join their pack in the afterlife by dying in battle

Depends on the marine, and the culture of the chapter as well.

See Iron Hands. Downright survivor's guilt/ptsd symptoms ten thousand years later.

Seeing as they're generally written paper thin, they usually either go rage mode or withdraw mode and nothing inbetween.

They have all the mental training and such to weistand that.

However hit a space wolf hard as they go from initiation to even as wolf lords and wolf guard together like brothers.
They have a very strong pack culture, a a brother will be missed

I'm going to reference star wars here, you have bee warned.

Cone troopers' only family is their brothers, and near the end of the war (the commandos at least) their sanity was hanging by a thread, and they were prone to 'loosing it' (IIRC that is what the term used is). Later, storm troopers are trained to ignore the dearths of their squad mates, if only to seem more intimidating. I assume that clones had similar training to this, and they still were driven over the edge by constant war and death. If clone trooper and space marine mental training can be compared (I think they can), then space marines could theoretically experience similar feelings. My understanding of this would be that most marines/clones don't get affected this way, but when it rains, it pours.

Anyone know canon references to this in the 40k realm?

BTW, thanks for such timely feedback!

Depends on who you ask.

The Imperium of Man would have you believe that PTSD doesn't exist in Space Marines, or any soldier of the Imperium for that matter.

After the Sabbat Worlds Crusade I spent a lot of time with "sole surviving" space marines, and let me tell you, they do suffer more than you could ever know. But with help from charities they are understanding their experiences and have a vast support network to call upon.

The Sheeple of the Imperium need to wake up and realise the lie.

Your Emporer does not care about you.

Actually, there's quite a few cases of Survivor's Guilt. It eats at Marines like Balthasar of the Dark Angels, who became the Company Master from Dark Vengeance because the former Master of the 5th died saving him from the Helbrute. The Captain of the Ultramarines 4th while Ventris was in exile and expected to die. I'm drawing a blank on more they all fit in the theme. But, at the end of the day, through faith and duty the survivor doesn't stray from what is expected of them, they are just in a sort of endless mourning about it.

Lone Wolves I think are a rare exception. But I think other Chapters also volunteer for the Deathwatch if they lose their squad. Can't remember where or even if I read that so take it with salt.

Major Major spoiler, don't read if you ever intend to read Ian Watson's Space Marine

There is several instences of Space Marines suffering, like any other human beeing, to mental illness caused by war and all that surround it. In the 40K published stories there is the entire concept of Lone Wolf who are Space Wolf who decide to seek death after the loss of their pack mates, the Death Company of the Blood Angels and successor that has a link to Sanguinous death and several exemples off various Space Marines suffering from grief severly. In my mind, the most notable exemple is an Apothicary of the Salamander who leaves his chapter do die in the wasteland surrounding their forteress after the death of his captain (it's also alluded that they were platonic lovers).

Space Marines, despite their psychological conditionning are still people with distinct personnality, ambitions and interests. So like many people, they can experience various degree of psychological pleasure and torments. While we have very little insight on the actual content of the Space Marine psychological training. I think it may be a little bit culturaly biaised to say that Space Marine hold their grief and suffering until it breaks and flod in a dramatic manner (though some evidence demonstrate that it's the case).

This is, in my opinion, a cultural trait we commonly associate with mental fortitude since the victorian era and we commonly refer to has flegmatism. This way of expressing or rather not expressing strong emotion in public isn't proof of a greater mental fortitude at all much like hiding a wound doesn't treat it. Psychological studies have demonstrated on numerous occasion how this cultural trait is harmful to society and individuals. In fact, it's extremely dangerous and can cause major mental health problem at medium and long term even without the added bonus of traumatic experience like war for individual never learn how to express their problems in a positive way. Yet expressing discomfort or pain, be it psychological or physical, is frequently seen has a weakness and Space Marine cannot be perceived has weak for it would break their myhtos.

We can assume that religion is used as a crutch and balm for most Space Marines when it comes to deal with stress, frustration and death. Considering they devote a long amount of time to spiritualism in a form or another and that all company must count one Chaplain whose duty is to lead them in these practice, it seems to me that Chapters are well equipped to provide a form of psychological and philosophical support to their brothers. Of course we can question the practical use of each chapter religious cult to help brothers in time of need, but that's another question.

I imagine they feel sorrow over the loss of their battle brothers but the training the Astartes go through would probably make something like survivors guilt far less common amongst the space marines of most chapters. I'm sure there are examples in the lore of Space Marines suffering from survivors guilt in different forms and in different capacities.

This is sort of a stretch, but the black rage in Blood Angels is sort of like PTSD. People who suffer PTSD in real life may be triggered in some way and think they are back in combat which can lead to them hurting themselves in others, but of course that would be an extreme case.

I do not remember has Cortez of Crimson Fist a survivor guilt. He was a lone survivor more than once. Cortez is one of main characters in a book named Rynn's World.

Captain Alessio Cortez - Master of the Charge and Captain of the 4th Company, Alessio Cortez rose through the ranks alongside Kantor and the two were close friends. Cortez fought in legendary actions such as the Battle of Steel Cross, the Defence of the Fortress Maladon and the Kardian Campaign. Cortez earned a reputation for being invulnerable amongst the Chapter's Battle-Brothers after he was the sole survivor of his squad in the battles for Kalaphax and Gamma VI Monserrat. Cortez was mourned greatly when he disappeared fighting Dark Eldar pirates and raiders in the Wheel of Fire, though many in the Chapter including Kantor believe that the legendarily invulnerable Astartes fights on still somewhere within the Webway. One of Cortez's most notable achievements was during the Battle of Steel Cross where he single-handedly slew an Ork Warlord and his bodyguard, having managed to disarm the Ork Warlord with a twist of his hips after the Ork's sword became stuck in Cortez's ribs.

I would say it depends on the chapter. Each marine chapter has a bit of brain washing, some more than others. We get zealots like DA, perfection dudes like ultramarines, and even more primitive brainwashing through SW.

SW, for example, have survivors guilt in the form of lone wolves. It isn't really that the survivor feels bad that his friends died, but rather feels cheated that he did not die with them. It causes him to search for death at the hands of a mighty foe.
Only a small few feel this way, while others celebrate their fallen friends with feasts.