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.

As a person who started out with tau, and picked up grey knights, who's now beginning space marines, I find it rather shocking just how vast the options they have. I open up the list of fast attacks and the like they have on battle scribe and get blown away by the verity of options presented to me. Whilst this is exciting, I find myself wondering how one gets reigns on this beast. Every option in the army has so many alternatives, it's hard to cut out what's good and what isn't and to find a defined role for each option. This is further compounded by the fact that stuff like Devastators or tac (other units too) marines have a plethora of choices if you take into consideration the different roles the units can fill by simply jumping from five to ten man, and putting them in different transports with different load outs. It seems almost impossible to truly appreciate and enjoy an understanding of the entire codex when there are these many options floating around.

With this many options, I find myself getting different advice from different players on how to play. Everyone has their own way to play, their own experience, and the often contradictory help I get just lets me understand that very few people can actually get their mind around this codex's entire breath of options, me included. So, I'm left to wonder, is there too much to offer in codex space marines? Is perhaps the amount of options available too vast?

nope. not to vast at all. I can't speak for the Tau (beyond noting that they are a newer faction then Space Marines, introduced in about 3rd edition) but Grey Knights just have an absolutely tinsy armory. in a table top war game where configuing an army to your preferances and having a wide variaty of toys to paint up etc Marines are closer to ideal then not.

It wasn't vast even before and it has been cut down dramatically.

Most of the options available to Space Marines are kind of out-dated and rubbish, left behind by the meta.
Rather than updating marines GW brings out the new, bright and shiny to sell.

It's not that the armory is vast, it's how supposedly rare and/or priceless gear can be spammed in spades that seems odd to me.

Space marine codex is full of mostly very average to below average units. Most can be ignored. Fast attack can totally be ignored. Heavy support ignore everything except centurions and whirlwinds and thunder firecannons. Elites ignore everything that isn't sterngard. troops - ignore everything that isn't scouts/landspeeder storms. Thats if you want to play a CAD.

If formations are on the table then basically do exactly the opposite. Take the really bad units - tactical squads/assault sqauds/devestator sqauds. A free razorback just about makes up for how terrible these units are.

As far as the fluff is considered, keep in mind that there are many different Space Marine Chapters that can have their own separate methods and preferences for warfare. Not only in just the original Chapters of the Founding Legions, but in their Successor Chapters as well. Sure, each Chapter will have Predator tanks and Dreadnoughts, but Iron Hands have proportionately more than other Chapters. Sure, each Chapter will have Bikes, but White Scars will probably have more than other Chapters. In having so many options available, you get the chance to put your own spin on your Chapter of choice.

Yes, Space Marines have the most options for models of any of the armies, but that is because they are the most popular army, and so they will get the most support from GW. The oldest armies also have a lot of model support as well, in addition to the best selling armies (who get more newer kits).