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Wanted to know people's opinions on which is more worthwhile to field.

Costing 15 more points, chosen have an extra attack (excluding the champion) and a tiny bit more leadership compared to typical chaos space marines. If you tack on quite a few more points they can also be equipped with a variety of special equipment, though i suppose if you were gonna do that you would go with a unit that didnt die so easily.

So what do yall think, is that extra attack and leadership worth the 15 extra points? Or would i be better off just taking chaos space marines?

Its better off taking Cultists.

Obvious answer? Take neither, replace them with either cultists or a cult marine unit that isn't thousand sons. To fit exactly into your question: chosen need to have a VERY specific role, and need to rush there to make up their points. Jam them in a rhino with plasma guns or melta to shoot up a tank. For cheap choices? Take chaos marines in rhinos to hold objectives, and hope they don't die

Like Spam said, I'd prefer Cultists (or if cult marines are available, Plague Marines).

If I were forced into one of the two, I'd go with Chosen. For a troop choice in Black Legion, you can pack up to 4 special weapons into the squad and go pewpew in a Rhino. Extremely expensive and fragile, but still pretty effective if you can't spare the slots for Havocs or don't have access to Plague Marine MSUs

Chosen pay too much for stats and equipment that just won't be used against even a competent opponent (LD9, 2 attacks, extra melee weapon). Those points saved can buy you more, well, stuff.

Plague Marines are still the better choice though.

Being told a lot to get cult stuff... specifically plague marines.

Being that im playing a nurgle based army, guess ill do that lol.

MSU plague marine squads with plasma are popular, but you can foot slog them too if you like. Also I suggest looking at the Purge detachment if you dotn want to take a chaos lord. With the requirements being an HQ and two elites I tend to take Necrosis two plague marine squads and four squads of 10 plague zombies for a starting point for my Nurgle marine armylist

The only real reason for Chosen is as Special Weapon Squads infiltrated by Huron/Ahriman or in Rhinos and that's only if you don't have HS slots for Havocs...

Clever Trick: Take the Cyphers Fallen Angels (I think that the name) and infiltrate 3 chosen units, alongside Huron to infiltrate d3 Meatshield/ Dedicated CC units. Can really catch an opponent off guard and is really the only viable alpha strike CSM has

Also, pray to the Dice gods you go first!

If you're playing Nurgle, then yes, Plague Marines all the way.

5 Chosen with 2 specials in a rhino are 7 points more than 5x plague marines with the same 2 specials in a rhino. To get the chosen to be troops, you have to pay the VotLW tax (which is already included on the plague marines) and miss out on the good relics like AoBF, Black Mace and Balestar.

Both can be troops, but plague marines are fearless, T5, get a 5+++ and 4+ poison on their CC weapons. Chosen get +1 attack, the ability to take 2 more specials (but you have to get out of your rhino for that, and that's certain death) and are I4 instead of I3.

I think it's fairly obvious why everyone takes PM's and nobody takes chosen.

I quite like chosen as a retinue with special weapons to pop transports before charging in. They don't loose an attack cause they still keep ccw. Furthermore, they can get a hidden power fist. I quite like that.

There is also a nice use of crymson slaughter choen as a special weapon platform with preferred enemy. Not cheap but not bad.

Cypher chosen can supplement an infiltration list very well.

They can be a reasonable replacement for csm troops in rhinos cause of specials and an extra attack if you're running black legion and don't go full min cultists for some reason.

Remember when that 15 extra points also grabbed you infiltrate?

Those were the slightly less awful days.

Chosen are pretty terrible, being incredibly expensive for what is essentially 1 extra attack. You still have to pay for the special weapons.

If you want a shooty unit, take havoks. They are cheaper and can take a lot of special weapons and a rhino.

If you want a MSU style tough unit, take plague marines. 5 guys with 2 PGs is pretty solid.

If you want bodies, take regular marines with few upgrades and special weapons. 10 guys.

If you want long range support, take Noise Marines with blastmaster (this isn't super competitive anymore but if you hate nurgle...).

If you just want an objective holder, or a cheap troops choice because CSM have pretty bad troops outside of one choice, take cultists. I'd suggest this one and load up on our better options (the FA and HS slots), but plague marines aren't terrible (though they aren't what they used to be).

Regular marines aren't awful, but they aren't great either. You can give them an additional CCW so they can accomplish something, but that is meta dependent. If your meta has a lot of power lists they will fall over and die.

You might want to give us an idea of your meta.

 Drasius wrote:
5 Chosen with 2 specials in a rhino are 7 points more than 5x plague marines with the same 2 specials in a rhino.

90 + 5*2 < 120

No, because in the end they are 19pt in 3+. If you want to leverage the extra attack, you give them some way overpriced power weapons (15pt a pop). Havocs are better if you want to give them ranged weapons - you can take one less weapon, but you're only paying 13pt a head. If you wish, give them VotLW, and they're at the same LD and with Hatred SMs.

Their price is also an artifact of how old their codex is.

Back then Space Marine Sternguards were 22 points a pop and Vanguards paid the same prices for those equipment.

If CSM ever do see an update, I'm willing to bet that those prices will be brought back in line.

 MechaEmperor7000 wrote:
Their price is also an artifact of how old their codex is.

Back then Space Marine Sternguards were 22 points a pop and Vanguards paid the same prices for those equipment.

If CSM ever do see an update, I'm willing to bet that those prices will be brought back in line.

I doubt it in regards to Chosen... Look at their closest equivalent - the Dark Angels Company Veterans - IIRC they still pay through the nose for their specialist close combat weapons, unlike the Vanguard Vets.

Besides, Chaos Marines identity is being Marines -10 in every way according to GW!

nareik wrote:

 Drasius wrote:
5 Chosen with 2 specials in a rhino are 7 points more than 5x plague marines with the same 2 specials in a rhino.

90 + 5*2 < 120

Did you even read the next sentance?

 Drasius wrote:
5 Chosen with 2 specials in a rhino are 7 points more than 5x plague marines with the same 2 specials in a rhino. To get the chosen to be troops, you have to pay the VotLW tax (which is already included on the plague marines) and miss out on the good relics like AoBF, Black Mace and Balestar.

From my own experience, cultists rarely get their points back, or manage to do anything meaningful.

10 man marine unit with a rhino, dozer blade, and havoc launcher and a las canon and melta / plasma gun work pretty well.

You have a long range mobile troop carrier that can fire a single lascannon shot from inside the tank and a 48 inch range small blast that is decent. Melta can come in handy for stuff that gets close and the las is good if they are going to sit on an objective.

Lastly 10 marines are much more durable than cultists and can usually contribute to the game.

Cultists contribute to the game by sitting in cover on an objective all game while also being the cheapest troop option that allows you toadd more daemons to your allies slots.

They aren't supposed to do anything :p

Also aren't snapshots a thing for heavy weapons being shot out of vehicles?

 Mozzyfuzzy wrote:
Cultists contribute to the game by sitting in cover on an objective all game while also being the cheapest troop option that allows you toadd more daemons to your allies slots.

They aren't supposed to do anything :p

Also aren't snapshots a thing for heavy weapons being shot out of vehicles?

I think that's only if the vehicle has moved more than 6, either way I need to check the rules to verify but I was thinking of using my marines like this. Usually I just have a melta and plasma or 2 of either weapon.

Edit: I only use cultists if I'm running a Oblitorators list where I just need to pay a troop tax since my friends who play tau/eldar/necrons/space wolves all insist I need to pay the troop tax and can't go unbound.

 Konrax wrote:
From my own experience, cultists rarely get their points back, or manage to do anything meaningful.

True, though they can occasionally hold an objective or something similar.
Really, cultists are there so you can remove the troop tax as lightly as possible.

 Konrax wrote:

10 man marine unit with a rhino, dozer blade, and havoc launcher and a las canon and melta / plasma gun work pretty well.

I run a similar set up but the lascannon is a bad idea. You are firing snap shots and the lascannon is really overpriced.
I would take 2 PG's or Meltas instead. The Havok launcher is solid and makes firing at the rhino not optional.

 Konrax wrote:

You have a long range mobile troop carrier that can fire a single lascannon shot from inside the tank and a 48 inch range small blast that is decent. Melta can come in handy for stuff that gets close and the las is good if they are going to sit on an objective.

Well, the Lascannon is snap shooting if the transport moves, so it's terrible. It'll hit one time the entire game, I really doubt it'll achieve anything. CSM really want to close with the enemy if possible, all of our best shooting is at midfield/rapid fire range.

 Konrax wrote:

Lastly 10 marines are much more durable than cultists and can usually contribute to the game.

For their points, it depends. Against PGs, for example, marines evaporate just as fast as cultists. Scat bikes don't care for the toughness, and if the cultists gtg in cover have nearly as good a save.
Contribute to the game, sure. That's not what cultists do though.

I agree the lascannon isn't point efficient on a marine unit, but if it lands one good hit it can make up the points of the entire unit.

Honestly there is so much huge stuff that sometimes you just need all the firepower you can get, and a rhino in the back usually gets ignored

I rarely have lascannons pay for themselves, but I can see it. I also use csm very aggressively. Too many armies outshoot us for me to sit back, but ymmv.

I still stick by plague zombies being a good investment if you take multiple small squads. Enemy shooting them down? Awesome, that's less bullets going to my important stuff. They get ignored? Then they tarpit the enemy unit for a turn or more and can also hold objectives well

I dig the zombies very much actually, but I play Tzeentch as my primary.

If only thousand Sons weren't.... garbage

I say Plague Marines for 5 man plus Rhino squads. If you're gonna max out to 10, CSM I think do a little better for less points. Chosen are okay, but like someone said, they really should be specialized, I.E. give em Meltas or Plasma, run em up in a Rhino and use em to tank hunt.

One of the problems with the CSM codex is that the other three marks are so all over the place that the MoN basically trumps everything since +1 Toughness is HUGE compared to a pitiful invul save, an extra attack, or even +1 Initiative (initiative is all or nothing since you're either higher than them or no. Toughness at least helps against different types of strength).

Mark of Slaanesh is used for only one thing: to get that delicious icon of FNP. It's a tax for a good item, just as the chaos lord tends to be a tax for good troop choices