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.

Pretty simple question for you guys. In this current edition, which standard Codex Space Marine Chapter do you think is the most popular and why? As it stands, I would have to say the White Scars. While I am planning on going Black Templars or Imperial Fists as those are my favorite Chapters, there are so many Bike armies these days it's hard to say otherwise imo.

White Scars.

Very good chapter tactics and Khan is a great choice for competitive marine gladius strike forces due to the bonuses he provides.

Hit and run on all your models is also very, very good.

Ultramarines. They're the poster boys of the Space Marines and, by extension, the poster boys of 40k.

MFW no Space Wolves in the poll.

LexOdin9 wrote:
MFW no Space Wolves in the poll.

since when are Space Wolves a CODEX chapter?

As much as I lament not voting for Black Templars, I had to vote for the Ultramarines because they are the poster boys of GW. If a player (regardless of whether they are a new GW customer and/or new fan of 40K), they will likely be introduced to the Ultramarines.

Within the 40K community, it is impossible to say considering it will depend entirely on the community in which your local GW/40K community is situated.

Yeah, it's the Ultramarines. Which is a load of crap because they're one of the most boring, but whatever is being shoved down your throat I guess.

The poll asks one question, the post asks another. Which is the "best" chapter? I'd have to say Salamanders from a lore/rule of cool standpoint. Which is the most popular? I'd have to say Ultramarines based off of what I've seen.

Ah, dammit I missed that. SO I answered the subject question in the poll, I'll answer the poll question in a post:

I love the Crimson Fists, personally. Their taciturn, stubborn nature mixed with the whole fallen heroes thing is awesome. I love the colour scheme as well, which is important when painting a hundred or so infantry and 15+ tanks

 EnTyme wrote:
The poll asks one question, the post asks another. Which is the "best" chapter? I'd have to say Salamanders from a lore/rule of cool standpoint. Which is the most popular? I'd have to say Ultramarines based off of what I've seen.

Fixed it lol. Best Codex Space Marine Chapter in 7th Edition.

 Ironwolf45 wrote:

 EnTyme wrote:
The poll asks one question, the post asks another. Which is the "best" chapter? I'd have to say Salamanders from a lore/rule of cool standpoint. Which is the most popular? I'd have to say Ultramarines based off of what I've seen.

Fixed it lol. Best Codex Space Marine Chapter in 7th Edition.

Well you might as well take Black Templars off the list, because they're definitely not it haha.

Regardless of whether it's "Most Popular?" Or "Best rules in 7th?", I'd still have to go with Ultras.

 IllumiNini wrote:

 Ironwolf45 wrote:

 EnTyme wrote:
The poll asks one question, the post asks another. Which is the "best" chapter? I'd have to say Salamanders from a lore/rule of cool standpoint. Which is the most popular? I'd have to say Ultramarines based off of what I've seen.

Fixed it lol. Best Codex Space Marine Chapter in 7th Edition.

Well you might as well take Black Templars off the list, because they're definitely not it haha.

Regardless of whether it's "Most Popular?" Or "Best rules in 7th?", I'd still have to go with Ultras.

They are on there because they are a Codex Chapter and they are still one of my favorites lol.

 Ironwolf45 wrote:
They are on there because they are a Codex Chapter and they are still one of my favorites lol.

Lol fair enough. But let's be honest: If you play them fluffy, their Chapter Tactics don't usually do them many favours. Biggest detriment: No Psykers.

 Lord Corellia wrote:
Yeah, it's the Ultramarines. Which is a load of crap because they're one of the most boring, but whatever is being shoved down your throat I guess.

Ultramarines aren't as boring as a lotta people think, the problem is they're often depicted as base line so we seldom get precise details about them beyond sweeping generalizations followed up by examples using the ultramarines.

The best chapter tactics in the game is the White Scars tactics.

My favorite chapter is a case of see my avatar.

White Scars have Khan, the Hunter's Eye, and Hit & Run. Ultramarinas have Tigurius and an extra doctrine use. I voted White Scars, but I can totally see the argument for Ultramarines.

For gameplay it's White Scars. Army wide hit and run is bananas while the space marine gladius/battle company rules lets you get enough tactical doctrines and such to still be decent in shooting. Hunters eye is a fine cheese topping to your already cheesy hit and run fondu.

Lore wise it's Black Templar (even though they aren't codex compliant) because while the rest of the space marines are too busy giving each other purity seals and polishing their bolters, the Templar are on a 10k+ year crusade to lay the smack down to heretics, mutants, witches, and xenos filth that are an affront to the Imperium and the Emperor. Also the entire concept of the Emperor's Champion is awesome and crusader squads are boss.

Black Templars aren't a Codex compliant chapter but okay.

If White Scars only came with Hit and Run, they'd still be the best codex marines.

It makes every high-level marine strategy monstrously better.

That they also come with everything else they get is just undercosted, over-powered icing.

Ultramarines. As good as the White Scars are, those Chapter Tactics are just nuts.

So where the Ultramarines are space romans and the Black Templars are space knights I always saw the Imperial Fists as the essential core of what the Space Marines are without the extra theming.

Is that an accurate appraisal? Or did I somehow miss that they're Space Canadians or something?

 Captain Joystick wrote:
So where the Ultramarines are space romans and the Black Templars are space knights I always saw the Imperial Fists as the essential core of what the Space Marines are without the extra theming.

Is that an accurate appraisal? Or did I somehow miss that they're Space Canadians or something?

The Imperial Fists are well-known for there excellent Molson and Poutine,

White scars tactics are highly overrated. Tactical marines with hit and run? Absolutely worthless. Scout on razorbacks - not bad but - is it better than 6+ FNP and IWND on every razorback? I'd have to say no - the army as a whole functions as a bullet sponge - Iron hands syenergize best. Lets also not kid ourselves - Ultra marine tactics are the best - unfortunately every chapter gets them for free in gladius strike force.

So in my opinion - Ironhands are the best in gladius and Ultramarine's are the best at running everything else.

As I play Black Templar's I found it hard not to vote for them.. so I did vote for them and continued crusading my way through the galaxy...

In all honesty I think White scars are the most popular... but I think the best may be Iron Hands with all the feel no pain on marines shenanigans and the cool stuff they got in the new expansion which I believe they have had before but I have no idea on that regard hard to get internet signal in space

As a side note.. being a Black Templar player is quite underwhelming as when I heard there was a new expansion for SM it brought with it the hype of new formations etc and when it came down to it every chapter excluding BT and CF got a new formation.. but we got warlord traits.. which the majority of the time I forget I even have.. some of the new formations look good and fit it with my personal style of play but where's my fighting company formation? Or relics?

Rant over

Black Templars in general got screwed over by GW for some reason and are no longer worth taking sadly. Hence why I will be most likely running mine with either IF or White Scars Chapter Tactics and the BA rules until they get fixed. Makes zero sense to me on why they would nerfed the BT's this badly but hopefully they will be back soon. My rant is over lol.

Keep it coming mates.

White Scars - Scout is excellent. The redeploy now happens after seize the initiative, this allows you to deploy extremely aggressively with little-no drawback. You also basically automatically get to the midfield with your entire objective secured army and force your opponent to fight their way onto objectives. In a game that's so focused on good deployment and high mobility, White Scars is a no-brainer. Additionally, the hit and run on the bikes can give you a modicum of safety against shooting armies, more so than FnP will ever offer you.

Ech, it cant be! The smurfs cant be one of the most popular!

Iron Hands. Best high-fives in this galaxy.

 Vankraken wrote:

while the rest of the space marines are too busy giving each other purity seals and polishing their bolters, the Templar are on a 10k+ year crusade to lay the smack down to heretics, mutants, witches, and xenos filth that are an affront to the Imperium and the Emperor. .

This seems like the kind of thing that only a person who likes the Black Templars would actually believe, lol.

So where the Ultramarines are space romans and the Black Templars are space knights I always saw the Imperial Fists as the essential core of what the Space Marines are without the extra theming.

Is that an accurate appraisal? Or did I somehow miss that they're Space Canadians or something?

"Space Romans" bling is a bit overstated on some of their models, but the Ultramarines have always struck me as the "Space Marines without Theme Sauce" chapter. Aside from crested helmets or the emergence of the gladius as the go-to Space Marine weapon, there's not much that is Greco-Roman about the Ultramarines or their characters themselves. The Imperial Fists have their silly "Masters of Fortifications" defensive trope that never made any sense to me, as a Space Marine Chapter is fundamentally disadvantaged in any kind of siege. The power of Space Marines is in mobility, adaptability, and the ability to focus large amounts of combat power on a fairly small footprint. Having Space Marines who specialize in "Defense" or "siege" is relatively silly. Both of those things are fairly wasted on Space Marine Chapters.

If anything, the Ultramarines being the "essential Space Marines" is all but confirmed by the fact that Codex: Space Marines is a direct descendant of the original Codex: Ultramarines book in 2nd Edition.

 Chef_of_Cadia wrote:
Black Templars aren't a Codex compliant chapter but okay.

Yes, they're not codex-compliant, but as far as they tabletop is concerned, they are a "Codex Chapter" because they lost their codex back in 4th or 5th edition and got rolled into the vanilla codex.