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Let's say two squads of Loyalist Marines and Traitor Marines come across each other during a routine patrol, how do situations like this end up? Who usually wins these type of engagements?

If it depends on what chapter/legion, we'll use the Ultramarines and Word Bearers as an example.

I'm going to say loyalists, with a SERIOUS Cavet..

Your average traitgor marine is proably a recent one whose fallen, his unit size is likely smallish, he's strapped for resources, his armor may be in need of maintinace etc. all he's got to show for his treason is the freedom to do what he wants and major supply problems.

obviously though this changes when you discuss say.. a traitor legionarrie. whose got decent support, likely is filled to the gills with chaos gifts, and oodles of experiance

Given that both vary in quality it's a toss up. Generally though, the loyalists should in theory be a more cohesive fighting unit.

At the end of the day, to quote Littlefinger, "Chaos is ladder." Chasing the fickle glory of Chaos Gods would probably make or break that fight for the traitors.

In most of the cases, I would say the loyalist wins. Most Chaos Space Marines are of recent stock. Traitors seldom are the best of their own Chapters, they are ill disciplined and don't train as studiously as they used (or weren't trained as well as loyalist if they are born-traitor). Their equipment is probably more damaged. In your example, Ultramarines are pretty much known as the best and most prestigious Chapter of the entire Adeptus Astartes. Very few traitor can match their training and their dedication beside veterans of the Long War from a disciplined warband.

In a dead-even 'who would win?' engagement, the snarky answer is "whoever's book it is."

The more serious answer is that it depends on some additional factors. OG legion Marines are going to be wildly more experienced than the typical close-of-the-41st-milennium loyalist marine. The loyalist are far more likely to have modern equipment and to not be facing issues like resource starvation. The Chaos Marines are going to be more likely to have a sorcerer or some form of mutants among their ranks.

So it could go either way, and be entirely justified, depending on the narrative requirements of whoever is writing the scenario.

 Jazzylee wrote:
Let's say two squads of Loyalist Marines and Traitor Marines come across each other during a routine patrol, how do situations like this end up?

This part of the questions hasn't been answered and I think is quite interesting.

How would they meet? I guess with the traitors they may be raiding, or waging mini campaigns. Some may have limit supplies or followers or slaves and are on raiding missions. Otherwise I can imagine certain crusader style loyalist fleets venturing into daemon infested areas and coming across warbands and patrols.

Oftentimes in Video Games and books a patrol comes across some kind of corruption and goes to investigate and theres some kind of traitor conspiracy leading it all. Mostly because the planet or location is important, or a weak point in the materium/immaterium divide.

Ultramarines will win most fights because ultramarines. Word Bearers exist for players to paint red marines who don't khorne. And to get beat up by loyalist players. So, yea 10 times out of 10 ultramarines.

But seriously, your question cannot be answered. Take the following into consideration.

Loyalists tend to have...
"modern" tech, high morale and lots of support in way of equipment. Massive Plot armor depending on novel.

Renegade Marines tend to have....
Low support in way of equipment, poor morale (mostly) and may or may not outnumber loyalists (due to not having to follow the codex in squad sizes).

Traitor Legion Marines tend to have....
High Morale, "lower" tech (I say lower but more often than not 30k era equipment is better than "modern"), Marks of Chaos (this edition not withstanding), potential for summoning demons and will most likely outnumber the loyalists. Also, most will have far more experience and lastly has sorc's and are far more psyker based (depending on legion).

So with this in account Loyalists will almost always defeat renegades marines and Legion Marines SHOULD defeat loyalists but lack the potential plot armor in most books.

 Jimsolo wrote:
In a dead-even 'who would win?' engagement, the snarky answer is "whoever's book it is."

...

So it could go either way, and be entirely justified, depending on the narrative requirements of whoever is writing the scenario.

It's entirely this. ^^^

Every fight - LITERALLY every fight - from single combat to invading a system unfolds exactly as the author needs it to. Usually in an entirely freeform manner that doesn't touch upon or reference other events anywhere else in the universe.

It's not lazy writing, it's forging a narrative. Timelines are for losers.

In theory the traitors might break first because they lack discipline or are self interested, but word bearers might be particularly fanatical and fight to the last.

In theory, the loyalists might fight to the last to destroy every traitor but they also would have a duty to report the presence of unknown chaos marines on the planet and that might supercede. In that case the Ultras might try for a fighting withdrawal.

There are numerous narrative ways for this to play out that don't revolve around the loadout of the loyalists or whether the aspiring champion has any cool mutations that might swing the fight.

It's worth considering that both sides have strategic objectives that transcend a scrum in the middle of the book. While the loyalists are intent on killing the traitors, the traitors might be attempting to flee, or enact a ritual, or get on with their hobbies, or lure the loyalists away from something.