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I’m new to 40k, still learning all the lore etc.
I’m very slowly building enough of a force to play, (so far I have 5 terminators, getting a box of hellblasters next), and have my theme, paint scene, parent chapter and so on sorted.
What I need help with is, all the guides I read say to choose something your chapter excels in, but more importantly, a FLAW. That’s cool, I’m all for it, but is there a set list to choose from, or can a say they have, for example, that my guys have a rage that makes them drop all self preservation and just attack. And if I can use that, how do I implement it in a game. Do I have to explain it to my opponent or do I just play like that when it comes up, or are there discussions to be had beforehand and certain things will trigger it?
Thanks in advance

Nope, no actual rules for any of that.
So make up whatever background details you like.
And the only person who'll really care about these non-mechanical details of your army? Is YOU.

What you're opponent WILL care about?
Is what actual mechanics you're playing with.
●What detachment rules are you using? Gladius etc.
●What, if any, Chapter rules are you using - Blood Angels. Space Wolves, etc.

The closest you can get to rules for your enraged marines might be Blood Angels.
They have a bonus when they charge.

I think previous editions of the game did have more tools and structure to design your own subfaction, but here in 10th edition it's only what you see in the codex.
I see 4th ed's Space Marine codex had you choosing how divergent from the Codex Astartes your chapter is, and selecting good and bad traits accordingly. If anything you could use info like that for inspiration.

Oh ok, thanks. I was under the impression that you can ignore most of your parent chapter’s characteristics if you want, seeing as 2/3 are apparently from the ultramarines, or you don’t even have to know who your parent chapter is?

Indeed. While most Chapters adhere to the Codex Astartes as combat doctrines, how they interpret the more philosophical aspects varies wildly.

Some, like the Crimson Fists or Genesis Chapter, consider the Codex to be utterly sacred and deviation from its teachings to be unthinkable.
Others, such as the Dark Angels or White Scars, will see the Codex as a guideline for the basis of their doctrine and philosophy while adapting their own cultures to fit with the Codex or it with them.
Some, such as the Space Wolves and Black Templars, use the Codex as a doorstop and do what they want.

Chapter cultures are as shaped by their Primogenitor as they are the world they hail from.
For example, the Emperor's Spears are a Successor of the Ultramarines but have abandoned the ways of their forebears for the brutal lifestyle of the tribes of Nemeton, bearing ritual scars and often choosing to fight in close quarters with shock assaults to break their foe.

The fractured nature of Imperial record keeping and the brutal life of constant warfare means that Chapters may lose their entire history. The Blood Ravens are one such Chapter whose entire history before M37 is nonexistent. The Chapter desperately searches for clues to it's past and saw the coming of the Primaris as a chance to finally discover its Founder and potentially gain some glint of its history.

Yeah, I have basic ideas of a culture but have yet to learn about the universe and mapping of everything and to where I can place what I eventually come up with homeworld wise.
I’m basically doing a bear type theme and name, brown colour scheme which I’m pleased with so far, and I was going to have them come from Iron Hands stock and somewhat share their tech obsession with the limb replacement being optional or earned. Il be getting some hellblasters (they come with optional mechanical limbs I believe) tomorrow hopefully and maybe a tech marine if I can afford it. I figured this forum was a better way of checking these things, as I could ask in the local shop, but one dude is super helpful and the other is a bit arrogant and you never know whose going to be in, plus nobody in here is going to try to hard sell me.
Cheers

There are some generators out there that can give you everything from naming schemes to planet generators. I've used one when I did a small Deathwatch project during lockdown where each Marine was a custom Chapter all drawn from the same Founder.

GrimBear wrote:

What I need help with is, all the guides I read say to choose something your chapter excels in, but more importantly, a FLAW. That’s cool, I’m all for it, but is there a set list to choose from, or can a say they have, for example, that my guys have a rage that makes them drop all self preservation and just attack. And if I can use that, how do I implement it in a game.

By a Combination of rules, units and lore, essentially.

Rules: If your guys are cc oriented for example, space wolves or blood angels rules might be best fit.

Models: if your lore has your chapter being 'new' or having lost its homeworld and swag, it doesn't make much sense fielding an army loaded with terminators. If your lore has your chapter being frothing at the mouth berserkers I'd be surprised if your armies didn't focus on assault themed units.

Lore: go nuts - its a big universe and you won't be missed.

Space marine chapters are interesting and there is no 'right' way to define e the mixture between recruiting world(s) cultures, individual chapter character and their geneseed legacy - I've sometimes conceived the notion of what a chapter would be like thst used the space wolf geneseed but drew its recruits from.a tech heavy 'civilised' world. Would they go.all.pelt and wolf-noun or would different characteristics take prominence. Similarly chapter characteristics can change through the years and I'd argue chapters are often constantly reinventing and redefining themselves. All it takes is one campaign that results in mass casualties or the loss of a recruiting wotld and its associated culture and the next generation of recruits and leadership might go off in a totally different direction.

Go nut.

I think a lot can be taken from what ever the parent chapter is. Maybe overblowing one of it chapter traits, like lets say your marines REALLY follow the codex astartes, Or go the other way around, so that while the chapter is a scion of chapter X, it would be very hard to find (outside of game rules) similarities. The second option is, I think, the most open to lore writing or working with models. Maybe the chapter is "codex", but they come from a culture where dueling is part of daily life at every social level, so every hellblaster, intercepor will have a sword/ax etc A modeling choice, a lore choice, but doesn't have to be represented in the rules.

Maybe the chapter forces a specific cybernetic on all its members or you are only allowed to were the full chapter colours, if you join the 1st company. Or the other way around the 1st company is see as the "men outside" and the function (looks wise) more like BA Death Company or Deathwatch to regular line company members.

Maybe the chapter has some sort of trait that they over focus on. They gather relics or study/over study an opponent. Making them sometimes less focused on the mission and more on what ever the chapters deems as the "most important thing".

If I could advice something is that for enjoyment of the game it is better to have those, no game impacting choices, then those that are linked to rules. It is all fun to have to a trench fighters space marine chapters or a "dragoon" style marines, till an edition change makes that option to play no longer possible or very unfun.