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Hello all,

Have been unable to find any information regarding this topic so far, and this seems like the best place to look.

I was wondering if anybody had seen any examples of Imperial Guardsmen joining the Space Marines, and if such a thing were possible. I've tried to do my best to research the backgrounds of many chapter recruitment processes and I cannot seem to find any definitive rule as to whether a Guardsman or former Guardsman would be allowed to be selected to join the Adeptus Astartes. I know that adult males can join some chapters, as these chapters recruit from hive gangs and other assorted scum.

the Space Marines recruit quite young as they need to start putting implants in at an early age. so any guardsman would almost certinly to be old to begin the process. still the Imperium is a big place and the guard even more so. a world that had a practice of recruiting partiulcaly young people into the guard (say 12-13) might end up contributing someone to the Marines, but it would be a VERY VERY exceptional case.

proably a little more common would be stormtrooper trainees in the schola

I think around the time of DOW one of the 40k writers wrote that Angelos was a IG before he was a blood raven SM, though that probably isn't the actual canon.

Marines recruit 10 - 12 year old boys. The Biscopea and Ossmodula implants do not work if they are older.

So no. Or it would be really rare.

The only exception that I know of is in one of the Dawn of War novels by C.S. Goto. And the final result is a mutated monster (tentacles instead of hands) that is anyway accepted into the Blood Ravens chapter (!). This author has a reputation of ignoring the background of the setting though.

Possibly possible back in the early, Rogue Trader era of 40K, but not in the editions as published since then.

Some regiments recruit 12+ year olds, so I guess the Astartes would take in these kids who fought well in a battle.

The Astartes don't recruit out of random IG regiments. That's why they have homeworlds and vassal-worlds.

The Ultramarines recruited from participants of the Damocles Crusade (at least, I think it was them and not their children) and are canonically rumoured to have taken recruits from the 55th Alphic Hydras Scion regiment.

They didn't say the age of these recruits, though. Not sure they specified if they became space marines or serfs, either (though I think in the Damocles example it was specified that they did. Again, I'm not sure)

Which is nuts if you think about. The marines search for the "bravest warriors in the land," but are really just looking for child soldiers with compatable DNA. Essentially anyone could be a marine if compatible to the geneseed.

 Frazzled wrote:
Which is nuts if you think about. The marines search for the "bravest warriors in the land," but are really just looking for child soldiers with compatable DNA. Essentially anyone could be a marine if compatible to the geneseed.

Most Marine recruitment practices are much MUCH more brutal and stringent than that. Those 12 year olds that join those marines typically have to go through all sorts of death games, obstacle courses, and whatever else hell to get in.

Although there is one chapter that takes them in while they're babies (the feral people of that world offer their babies up to the sky gods and the apothecarians just test which of them are genetically compatible). I forget the name of that chapter though.

TiamatRoar wrote:
The Ultramarines recruited from participants of the Damocles Crusade (at least, I think it was them and not their children) and are canonically rumoured to have taken recruits from the 55th Alphic Hydras Scion regiment.

They didn't say the age of these recruits, though. Not sure they specified if they became space marines or serfs, either (though I think in the Damocles example it was specified that they did. Again, I'm not sure)

That makes no kind of sense, given what we know of the Ultramarines and their various Successor Chapters, though I won't claim that it isn't written that way. Of all the Marine Chapters, the UM certainly don't lack for recruitment resources.

Well yes. To calrify, my point is not that they don't have stringent training (run 12 year olds through obstacles courses to see which ne makes a good marine sounds equally stupid), but that in essence, anyone can be a candidate.

The UM also take the best from the 55th Alphic Hydras, but only the young ones, probably while they're still in the Schola Progenium

jackm01 wrote:
Hello all,

Have been unable to find any information regarding this topic so far, and this seems like the best place to look.

I was wondering if anybody had seen any examples of Imperial Guardsmen joining the Space Marines, and if such a thing were possible. I've tried to do my best to research the backgrounds of many chapter recruitment processes and I cannot seem to find any definitive rule as to whether a Guardsman or former Guardsman would be allowed to be selected to join the Adeptus Astartes. I know that adult males can join some chapters, as these chapters recruit from hive gangs and other assorted scum.

They'd have to be Whiteshields because Space Marines can only recruit from people in their early teens at latest.

The Alphic Hydras thing is canonically just a rumour, just so everyone is aware.

It didn't say anything about them being "the young ones" or "while they're still in the Schola Progenium". (you can find the Scion codex page in question in the General Discusions Alphic Hydras thread). Of course, that's the only logical explanation (and even that has holes), but just so people know, but it never explicitly said that.

I forget where someone posted the exact wording of the Damocles Crusade one but my memory is absolutely positive it flat out said the Ultramarines recruited from the survivors, my memory is slightly less certain it never said anything about "the young ones" or "their children", and my memory is a bit more uncertain than that that it specified "Space Marines" (in case it was open to interpretation that it was chapter serfs). Studio fluff, by the way (far as I can recall, at least)

Why an entire set of planets isn't enough to provide recruits for a 1,000 marine strong chapter that they still have room to draw recruits from IG regiments and Scions when, in the past, it could provide troops for one of the biggest legions of the Great Crusade is.... silly. I don't think the Horus Heresy devastated Ultramar THAT much

it's entirely possiable they where talking about the Ultramar PDF or something as well.which sounds odd until you realize that that unit is proably some of the best guardsmen in the Imperium given what we know about Ultramarine recruiting practices. we know they recruit out of basicly the local military academies. which means chances are every member of the Ultramar PDF was someone trying for the Marines. which means they'll likely have had some brutally unforgiving basic training, excellent instruction, and after they fail, likely a strong feeling of "something to prove"

 Frazzled wrote:
Well yes. To calrify, my point is not that they don't have stringent training (run 12 year olds through obstacles courses to see which ne makes a good marine sounds equally stupid), but that in essence, anyone can be a candidate.

When I say "obstacle course", I mean "trek across an entire continent of a death world." where possible "obstacles" include bears or arachnids the size of elephants (or larger), finding food and water to survive, disease, suns hot enough to scorch one to death, and natural disasters such as earth quakes and hurricanes, before meeting up with everyone else who managed to survive that and then fighting (possibly to the death) for one of a handful of limited recruitment slots. All of that is explicitly stated in various fluff sources for various Space Marine chapters, by the way (Blood Angels are one of many examples)

TiamatRoar wrote:
The Alphic Hydras thing is canonically just a rumour, just so everyone is aware.

It didn't say anything about them being "the young ones"

''some within the Ordo Tempestus whisper that some of the regiment best young Scions''

Is the exact quote.

 Bobthehero wrote:
The UM also take the best from the Alpha legion, but only the young ones, probably while they're still in the Schola Progenium

Fixed.

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Bobthehero wrote:
The UM also take the best from the Alpha legion, but only the young ones, probably while they're still in the Schola Progenium

Fixed.

This is all starting to sound a bit in the bad touch territory.

 Kain wrote:

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Bobthehero wrote:
The UM also take the best from the Alpha legion, but only the young ones, probably while they're still in the Schola Progenium

Fixed.

This is all starting to sound a bit in the bad touch territory.

.......What?Did I mispell ....the word I wrote and that's somehow changed into something dirty because I forgot a letter?

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Kain wrote:

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Bobthehero wrote:
The UM also take the best from the Alpha legion, but only the young ones, probably while they're still in the Schola Progenium

Fixed.

This is all starting to sound a bit in the bad touch territory.

.......What?Did I mispell ....the word I wrote and that's somehow changed into something dirty because I forgot a letter?

No but you could take that line out of context so easily.

 Bobthehero wrote:

TiamatRoar wrote:
The Alphic Hydras thing is canonically just a rumour, just so everyone is aware.

It didn't say anything about them being "the young ones"

''some within the Ordo Tempestus whisper that some of the regiment best young Scions''

Is the exact quote.

Oh, oops. I missed that.

Well, good to see them explicitly point that out, then. It does help/support the idea that it was for actual Space Marines, not PDF or whatever else.

...wow, though. I didn't know Scions left the academy so young. Although IIRC Space Marines can recruit people in their higher teens if they really have to. (or maybe just the Space Wolves do that nowadays? I forget)

Never mind, slow internet.

 Kain wrote:

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Kain wrote:

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Bobthehero wrote:
The UM also take the best from the Alpha legion, but only the young ones, probably while they're still in the Schola Progenium

Fixed.

This is all starting to sound a bit in the bad touch territory.

.......What?Did I mispell ....the word I wrote and that's somehow changed into something dirty because I forgot a letter?

No but you could take that line out of context so easily.

Lol'd.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

 Kain wrote:

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Kain wrote:

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Bobthehero wrote:
The UM also take the best from the Alpha legion, but only the young ones, probably while they're still in the Schola Progenium

Fixed.

This is all starting to sound a bit in the bad touch territory.

.......What?Did I mispell ....the word I wrote and that's somehow changed into something dirty because I forgot a letter?

No but you could take that line out of context so easily.

Oh my bossgodz I see it now.Kain....really....Wash your brain out with soap...or something.....

 Ashiraya wrote:

 Kain wrote:

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Kain wrote:

 Da krimson barun wrote:

 Bobthehero wrote:
The UM also take the best from the Alpha legion, but only the young ones, probably while they're still in the Schola Progenium

Fixed.

This is all starting to sound a bit in the bad touch territory.

.......What?Did I mispell ....the word I wrote and that's somehow changed into something dirty because I forgot a letter?

No but you could take that line out of context so easily.

Lol'd.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

To attract Alpha Legion aspirants, Ultramarine recruiters drive dodgy air-vans on known Alpha Legion worlds with offers of free candy.

Infuriated; Omegon has sent his most trusted lieutenant; Brother Kristoff Hanz to stem this tide.

I'm so boned in my next life for making this joke.

 Kain wrote:

I'm so boned in my next life for making this joke.

So you're going to be going for the free candy?

 Psienesis wrote:

 Kain wrote:

I'm so boned in my next life for making this joke.

So you're going to be going for the free candy?

Well hopefully not that kind of boned.