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So, Space Marines are considered heroes by the ordinary people right? This massive, augmented gods of war who splash down, murder everything heretical in the closet kilometer, then run off after signing a few autographs in the form of chainsword carvings.

So, like all heroes, would they gain followers? Governors, grateful for the Imperial Fist force who cleared out an Ork infestation, donates a regiment of guardsmen to be used as Serfs or cannon fodder.
What happens to those men from the Recruitment worlds who can't quite cut it to be Space marines, do they have a Guardsmen Regiment?

I'm asking because I have a Imperial Fist Company, and a ton of AM siege weaponry. I'm already going to paint a Baneblade in Fist colours (If Perturabo could have one, its good enough for the Fists), I'm just wondering about the smaller artillery, like Wyverns and Basilisks. I doubt Siege masters like the IF would look over really good siege weapons simply because they belong to the AM. So would it be possible for the company to have a small retainer or regiment of ordinary guardsmen or Chapter Serfs to crew said artillery?

That's a big no-no after the Heresy. Space Marines don't get to be in charge of ordinary troops; it's all part of the Imperial checks and balances that prevent another Horus from gaining too much power (while keeping them from operating at the sort of efficiency they might need to save the Imperium). Which isn't to say that it doesn't happen, both officially and unofficially; the Guardsmen in the Space Marine game practically give Captain Titus operational command, since their own structure was devastated (Lieutenant Mira is still in charge, but she does do pretty much whatever he wants). The Tyrant's Legion basically did what you were talking about, but that was one of the reasons used to beat them with the Heresy Stick; conversely, the Ultramar PDF is basically the Ultramarine's private army and takes orders from them (although not to the extent of leaving the realm to fight alongside them), but that's okay because they have much better PR than the Astral Claws did

So it's not entirely out of the question, but it's the sort of thing that makes passing Inquisitors eye you speculatively, and I'm not sure the Fists would go for it. A Fists successor chapter could probably pull it off if they had particularly close ties to their recruiting world(s) if they weren't too blatant about it, but again, you'd get allied forces descending into coughing fits that sound suspiciously like the word 'heresy'.

For most in the Imperium, Space Marines are myths and legend. They are not celebrities or even that widely known, the closest real life comparison would be that Marines are angels to us. The only time you ever see them in almost all cases is when things have gone from 'bad' to 'catastrophe'.

Marine chapters have their own serfs and chapter support from non-Marines. As far as 'donating' Guardsmen, only a suicidal Governor would do something like that, as it would cut into their required tithe to the Guard, and doing that is a good way to get a bolt-pistol aspirin. As far as those who don't make the cut, 90% or so are dead, and the remainder are either serfs or lobotomized into servitors.

Would serfs ever crew vehicles? Or are they strictly maintenance only?

 Spinner wrote:
That's a big no-no after the Heresy. Space Marines don't get to be in charge of ordinary troops; it's all part of the Imperial checks and balances that prevent another Horus from gaining too much power (while keeping them from operating at the sort of efficiency they might need to save the Imperium).

Some Chapters do it, like the Ultramarines. They rule a pretty advanced realm of civilized worlds and as Governor, Lord Macragge, Marneus Calgar raises PDF regiments to defend the realm. Ofc, he does have a get-out-of-jail free pass for leading a heroic First Founding Chapter and tihiting regiments to the Imperial Guard even if he doesn't have to. I'm sure other Chapters on more civilized worlds also do this - after all, while a Chapter is powerful it can't sit around defending a single world and doing nothing else. Raising PDF if you're capable would be pretty much required IMO.

But warzones? No, marines do not automaticlly receive command rights for being marines. As Spinner said it is forbidden so as to not encourage a Chapter Master to build his own little Heresy or independent realm. What does happen (where the OP can use his nice guns) is that the leaders of Imperial forces arriving at a warzone hold council and decide who is going to be in charge if anyone. A legendary Chapter Master can and has been asked to take overall command, but he still commands only his own forces directly. The other groups are still under their own commanders though following the CMs battle plan.

Ofc, Marines are often so disdainful of "normal" humans that they don't send anyone, they just send a note explaining what targets they're going to hit so others can exploit the suddenly empty fortifications etc. Let the IG General be in command - he can clean up after the big boys.

Space marines dont ride into town and save the day like some sort of cowboy. There are so few space marines, spread so thin in the IoM they only get called in for the most dire of battles and campaigns. They make a huge difference, but not a total difference. So instead of a planet getting overrun and it's population taken away in slavors/eaten by nids/corrupted by chaos/exterminated by necrons; instead of that the planet turned into a war torn hellhole. Half the population dies and the infrastructure is crippled necessitating centuries of work to rebuilt.
There is no offerings of thanks from a people who no longer have food to eat or roofs over their head.

As mentioned, checks and balances. Last time stuff like that happened, you had the Badab War.

If I remember correctly, the 55th Alphic Hydra Tempestus Scion provide their best recruits to the Ultramarines. Whether this is a hidden-in-plain-sight Alpha Legion infiltration of the Ultramarines, á la Crimson Consuls, or not is not known. It's not quite what you're after though, because it doesn't really happen.

But hey, if you fancy using Basilisks, just switch to Iron Warriors with Renegade Guard allies

 ChazSexington wrote:


But hey, if you fancy using Basilisks, just switch to Iron Warriors with Renegade Guard allies

NEVER

The IG does coordinate with SM, but one doesn't order the other around. (Officially. If the 8-foot tall divine superhuman tells you to do something you probably do it, lord commissar or not.)

I think Dawn of War and Space Marine capture it perfectly. Most imperial factions will default to letting marines lead and will call them lord but Astartes have no formal control over an service they are not asked to reinforce. If an order came from higher that the marines arn't to be trusted or to kill them then the guard would fight them.