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So i'm writing a story in which the Blood Angels and a bunch of their successors get somewhat humiliated by a World Eater/Alpha Legion mixed warband. However, looking at some of the threads here and reading more into their lore, it seems like getting half the chapter wiped out is kind of the Blood Angels' shtick; they seem to be something of a chew-toy for the lore. Is that a correct impression, or do the Blood Angels have a respectable win/loss/Pyrrhic victory ratio in lore?

The Blood Angels are supposed to be tragic figures, having lost their Primarch in the Horus Heresy and suffering from the Flaw that drives them to live out his last moments confronting the Arch-Heretic Horus. They're supposed to take a beating before saving the day.

Also, they have a 10,000 year record of tearing the enemies of the Emperor into bloody shreds, and are currently lead by a guy that's survived 1,000 years leading the Chapter from the front.

 Nurglitch wrote:
The Blood Angels are supposed to be tragic figures, having lost their Primarch in the Horus Heresy and suffering from the Flaw that drives them to live out his last moments confronting the Arch-Heretic Horus. They're supposed to take a beating before saving the day.

Also, they have a 10,000 year record of tearing the enemies of the Emperor into bloody shreds, and are currently lead by a guy that's survived 1,000 years leading the Chapter from the front.

So by having them take heavy losses due to the enemy exploiting the Flaw I wouldn't be feeding into a cognitive dissonance (you know, "these guys are supposed to be great but they keep losing"), but rather playing into their themes. Good to know

 Danielle Rae wrote:
So i'm writing a story in which the Blood Angels and a bunch of their successors get somewhat humiliated by a World Eater/Alpha Legion mixed warband. However, looking at some of the threads here and reading more into their lore, it seems like getting half the chapter wiped out is kind of the Blood Angels' shtick; they seem to be something of a chew-toy for the lore. Is that a correct impression, or do the Blood Angels have a respectable win/loss/Pyrrhic victory ratio in lore?

Not compared to Elysian drop troops

Most everything aside from Cato Sicarius is a chew toy in this setting and I think Gulliman just pump faked him into the next segmentum to get rid of him for a while.

Tyranids say hello

Tyranids are the chewtoy in so much as they don't have any lore written by themselves, they don't have any mortal hero characters and they are, by and large, "faceless" even more so than Necrons (who nearly took the same title until they got personalities for their lords).

Heck the Swarm Lord - our most powerful and currently about the only major named "creature" that's individual within the Swarm; gets killed several times. Because its basically immortal so long as the Swarm survives he's an ideal chewing toy for new heroes to come and prove their strength by beating (or prove their weakness by being beaten).


Tyranids are GW's equivalent of zombies and nazis - a big bad evil that can be beaten and beaten and still keeps coming.

The Blood Angels managed to take 95% casualties (not sure if that's just casualties or actual fatalities) in early M41 in an ill-advised assault on a Space Hulk; I think that predates Dante's time as Master. Only the Crimson Fists, Lamenters and possibly the Scythes of the Emperor took similar casualties and carried on, I think (and before the Gathering Storm, the Scythes of the Emperor were pretty much doomed and the fate of the lamenters and Crimson Fists was unclear).

Dying heroically to save others is kinda their hat. Sang is essentially space Jesus and died for your sins, your welcome.


Also to be fair, the Imperial Fists and Space Wolves have also been pretty wrecked a few times, so they are not totally unique in a founding chapter getting hit hard.

Everyone has taken a beating, look at the Space Wolves and Cadia anyone that says they are specifically hard done by are just biased. They haven't taken anything more than all the other chapters.

What everyone's saying is true. All the factions in the game, let alone Space Marines take a good kicking every so often. Elysian Drop Troops get constantly smashed. The Salamanders don't even have official successors cos of Istvaan. The Imperial Fists were actually wiped out (hush hush). The Eldar have been getting their butts kicked for nigh on 10 thousand years. Etc etc. The victories we read about seem to be upward anomalies in the downward spiral that everyone is locked into.

Good to hear my story isn't beating a dead horse guys, at least no moreso than most. That's basically what I was worried about.

Coming back from apparent death fits the vampire theme.

-cough-Lamenters-cough-

If anyone could be considered the chew-toy of the Imperium it's the Lamenters.

To quote 1D4chan, "One of the most fethed-over Space Marine Chapters in Warhammer 40K history. Cursed to die horribly, turn to Chaos, or both in every single bit of fluff they appear in. You think the White Scars got fethed by Games Workshop? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think the Chaos Pretty Marines got owned hard by Angron? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think the Afriel Strain soldiers are cursed? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think that the Raven Guard, Salamanders, and Iron Hands got beaten horribly on Isstvan V? Nothing compared to the Lamenters.

They are truly the Unlucky Marines. But you know what? If there are good guys in W40k, then they are undoubtedly it. They have been endlessly persecuted by the very people they fight for, and they even fight their own nightmarish cynicism and despair; yet they still fight on because they refuse to abandon the innocent and the helpless, and it is their burning star that keeps hope alive for one more day in that dark world. "