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I am just wondering where some people stand when wanting to run a space marine chapter than isn't apart of the Imperium but doesn't side with Chaos (as in worships Chaos and therefore tainted by it). There are several legions that are commonly associated with Chaos but I don't think really should belong to CSM codex because the fluff doesn't add up. I think the Night Lords are prime example of this. Yes they are a traitor legion but they really don't side with Chaos, they just rebelled against the Imperium and have stayed free of Chaos taint. I would also put Alpha Legion in this same context even though they have cultists and have infiltrated almost anything, according to their novel in the Horus Heresy series, they truly aren't serving the will of Chaos but are actively trying to destroy it.
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On the other spectrum, the Soul Drinkers also fit into this category but in a different way since they went renegade post Heresy. I think there would be no argument that if one were to play a faction like Soul Drinkers that they would be covered under the Space Marine codex.

I am just curious where one would place these codex wise since an argument for the first 2 can definitely say that they are CSM since they are typically associated with that faction as they have always appeared in the CSM codex but I think one could make a strong argument to have them be played with regular Space Marine rules and even with Chapter Approved in use. I think that if they were to remain under CSM that they at least get a Supplemental codex seeing as they are widely different from your typical Chaos worshiper. They seem to deserve it more than the Black Legion who I have always seen as the vanilla of CSM.

For a Chapter of Space Marines not touched by Chaos, I would use the normal C:SM - as long as they lack a special supplement or variant army list dealing with their unique status, that is. Whether or not they are actually fighting for the Imperium does not matter ... the Adeptus Astartes are notoriously independent anyways, and with some Chapters one may get the impression that they fight against Imperial forces as often as they help them.

However, as for the specific cases you mentioned ...

"The Night Lords are masters of stealth, able to infiltrate a position quickly and silently. These arts appear to be innate to the legion, and come to the fore during the sick games they use to drive their prey into paroxysms of terror. Even before they turned to Chaos, the Night Lords adorned their armour with imagery of death; this is because they know that fear can be used as a weapon just as effectively as a chainsword or bolter. Given their predilection for picking on weaker foes, a fully-armoured Night Lords champion armed with a devastating array of weaponry is always more than a match for the foes he chooses to fight.
Night Lords are exceptionally versatile in their use of the forces of Chaos, employing the hell-spawned powers of each of the major Chaos deities with equal favour. It is just as likely that the Night Lords will be seen fighting alongside a group of foul Plague Marines as it is the warriors of the Thousand Sons. However, it has been ascertained that the Night Lords have nothing but scorn for faith in ail its forms, whether it be the fanatical bloodlust of the Khornate Berzerker or the devotion of the Imperial creed. The only authority they recognise is that of temporal power and material wealth."
- WD #260 Index Astartes : Night Lords

The Night Hunters may have a pure geneseed and detest religious worshop of Chaos, but they are working with its favours and powers, and pursue its goals, and thus qualify as CSM.

As for the Alpha Legion:

"While the Alpha legion does not reside in the Eye of Terror, and therefore is not plagued by the Warping effects of that maelstrom of insanity, there is still evidence of mutation in the gene-seed. If this was the case prior to the Heresy, it was kept concealed, but given the legion's predilection for secrecy that would not be surprising. During the Lethe Ambush, mutated Alpha Legion Space Marines hid their warped body parts, not out of shame, but so they could reveal them as they attacked - adding horror and revulsion to the shock of their sudden attack."
- WD #277 Index Astartes : Alpha Legion

I can't comment on the Soul Drinkers as I've not read anything about this particular Chapter, but generally I stick to how GW calls them, and/or what kind of adornment they bear on their armours. Since "canon" in 40k is a matter of interpretation and personal cherrypicking, however, and a number of official sources contradict anyways, there is always the option to ignore bits and pieces that do not fit into one's own preferences; an option that should probably be kept in mind if you like the idea of non-Chaos Night Lords and Alpha Legion more.

 Lynata wrote:


I can't comment on the Soul Drinkers as I've not read anything about this particular Chapter, but generally I stick to how GW calls them, and/or what kind of adornment they bear on their armours. Since "canon" in 40k is a matter of interpretation and personal cherrypicking, however, and a number of official sources contradict anyways, there is always the option to ignore bits and pieces that do not fit into one's own preferences; an option that should probably be kept in mind if you like the idea of non-Chaos Night Lords and Alpha Legion more.

I DID read the Soul Drinkers stuff, and I think I would probably run them as Chaos Marines. There's a whole lot of mutation going on there, and while they may not WORSHIP Chaos, they sure do seem willing to use some mighty Tzeentchy weapons.

However, in answer to the original question, it depends on the army. I wanted to run a Night Lords army based on Dembski-Bowden's books simply because a command squad would enable me to represent First Claw better than any options I saw in the Chaos book. Nevertheless, for the bulk of Night Lords, you should refer to Lynata's answer.

I think several chapters/legions/warbands could be equally well represented by either codex.

 Lynata wrote:
For a Chapter of Space Marines not touched by Chaos, I would use the normal C:SM - as long as they lack a special supplement or variant army list dealing with their unique status, that is. Whether or not they are actually fighting for the Imperium does not matter ... the Adeptus Astartes are notoriously independent anyways, and with some Chapters one may get the impression that they fight against Imperial forces as often as they help them.

Even if they are touched by Chaos. The current CSM dex is basically heldrakes and plague marines. If you dont want to run those, you should use the C:SM dex.

 Exergy wrote:

 Lynata wrote:
For a Chapter of Space Marines not touched by Chaos, I would use the normal C:SM - as long as they lack a special supplement or variant army list dealing with their unique status, that is. Whether or not they are actually fighting for the Imperium does not matter ... the Adeptus Astartes are notoriously independent anyways, and with some Chapters one may get the impression that they fight against Imperial forces as often as they help them.

Even if they are touched by Chaos. The current CSM dex is basically heldrakes and plague marines. If you dont want to run those, you should use the C:SM dex.

See this is probably my main problem with using the CSM codex for certain deemed Chaos armies like the Night Lords and the Alpha Legion which is why I almost would use the SM codex until when/if they would release supplements for these unique Chaos armies.

 Envihon wrote:

 Exergy wrote:

 Lynata wrote:
For a Chapter of Space Marines not touched by Chaos, I would use the normal C:SM - as long as they lack a special supplement or variant army list dealing with their unique status, that is. Whether or not they are actually fighting for the Imperium does not matter ... the Adeptus Astartes are notoriously independent anyways, and with some Chapters one may get the impression that they fight against Imperial forces as often as they help them.

Even if they are touched by Chaos. The current CSM dex is basically heldrakes and plague marines. If you dont want to run those, you should use the C:SM dex.

See this is probably my main problem with using the CSM codex for certain deemed Chaos armies like the Night Lords and the Alpha Legion which is why I almost would use the SM codex until when/if they would release supplements for these unique Chaos armies.

unfortunately I have no faith that the supplements would do anything to make Night Lords or Alpha Legion the least bit interesting. The CSM codex is a silly hodge podge of crappy units with bad fluff. The Black Legion Supplement is a terrible attempt to expand upon the CSM book onto the legion it is most easily used for and they failed there. There is no way to turn the CSM cultists into Alpha Legion operatives. They will remain canon fodder and the supplement is just going to make them more expensive. There is no way to make a proper night lords supplement out of the CSM book with everything basically already having fear, the problem is that fear is a useless rule thanks to ATSKNF and Fearless.

A good example of a legion that was not loyal to the IoM and uses the SM dex is the astral claws in the Badab War books from the Imperial Armour series (Forgeworld). They have a tyrant's legion list (seperate army list + IG tanks + small selection of SM units) but they also can be fielded as the astral claws (using the SM dex + special ICs).