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Basically, i'm looking for a term/rank/title to describe a Marine who is NOT a veteran (ie, not part of the 1st company, not a company veteran, they do not hold a crux terminator, they do not have terminator honours, ie) but at the same time NOT a 'generic' Line Marine?

I know many of the Horus Heresy books use terms like "line Astartes" or "line trooper" but i'm trying to find a level between "Line" and "Veteran".

Sergeant? There used to be a distinction between sergeants and veteran sergeants.

 Flinty wrote:
Sergeant? There used to be a distinction between sergeants and veteran sergeants.

I was thinking more below that tier. Like cpl or lcpl equivalent

What about the guys in Centurion Armour?

I don’t think there is one?

Marines are a close knit crew, they probably know the names of the guys who are at that level, and chat around the water cooler wondering when they are going to be tapped to do a tour in the first like we talk about athletes going pro/switching teams/etc.

In know in my own headcannon I have corporals who are the most senior marine in the squad next to the sarge who takes command of the back half of the squad if they need to combat squad into 2x5 men.

Kind of?

Once out the Scout Company, if in a Codex Compliant Chapter, you’ve a career path of sorts.

I may not have the order quite right, but if memory serves you’re first assigned to a Devastator Squad, then Assault Squad, before putting all your experience and new found knowledge to best use in a Tactical Squad.

Whilst I’m not sure if there are ranks among Battle Brothers, you can also be a Squad Leader, a second in command for when deploying as Combat Squads.

Memory entirely fails me on whether that’s an honorific title as a mark of experience, or whether it’s an ad-hoc role everyone will get a chance to fulfil in turn?

Squad Leader is just whoever the Sergeant trusts to be in charge. Could be the second most experienced Battle Brother or it could be (for lack of a better term) the Sergeants best bootlicker.

Honorifics are closer to the likes of Marksman's Honours that denote skill but not necessarily rank.

Individual Chapters might have specific titles relating to deeds or positions within the Squad as well.

I'd imagine this is something that is done by custom in every chapter, but isn't made clear by the Codex. Every organization has subtle ways to distinguish people in the same rank who have more skills or experience.

For Codex chapters, the progress through the reserve companies and into the battle companies is probably the best example of this. A 9th company devastator is technically the same rank as a 5th company tactical marine, but the latter is by definition far more experienced. In the setting of a chapter, A battle company line trooper would be seen as more capable than the median reserve company trooper. Likewise, tactical marines are generally more experienced or skilled than assault or devastator marines. So the quick answer to your question is that the term is "tactical trooper"

Due to the nature of combat squads, each ten man squad has a team leader or some other person who is the #2 in the squad. That position has always had the air of "assistant to the regional manager" in that its informal and limited in scope.

Finally, marines have a ton of honors, awards, and decorations that set them apart. We know marines have service studs, awards for markemenship, and other such things. I'm sure each chapter has some sort of term for a ranker with 300 years of service, a few mdeals, and a marksmanship title.

Maybe there's a special school that some Marines go to, where they avoid all the combat that comes with being a Devastator or Assault Marine.

And at the school they are taught Leadership and Tactics.

And when they are done with this special training, they are Lieutenants.

All done on merit it would seem. And generally by length of service.

Space Wolves are a notable exception, as simply showing you’ve massive cajones of prodigious size can see even a freshly converted Blood Claw appointed to the Wolf Guard.

Now, a recruit that shows a knack for leadership may be fast tracked in a way. After all, it doesn’t do to leave talent withering on the vine, especially when you’re the modest size of a Chapter, let alone Company.

Same with Apothecaries and Techmarines, to a lesser degree given they do get highly specialist training in an area they’ve shown a knack for.

 Nevelon wrote:
Marines are a close knit crew, they probably know the names of the guys who are at that level, and chat around the water cooler wondering when they are going to be tapped to do a tour in the first like we talk about athletes going pro/switching teams/etc.

My understanding is that one doesn't "do a tour in the First Company." Once you get to the First, you either stay there until you die, you get promoted to an actual position, or fail so egregiously they have no choice but to strip you of that honor.

The short answer to the original question is, "no." Outside of the wider roles (like Chaplain) there's nothing Codex-official between Sergeant and "hey, you." Any such titles or honorifics are Chapter-dependent and likely situational.

 BorderCountess wrote:

 Nevelon wrote:
Marines are a close knit crew, they probably know the names of the guys who are at that level, and chat around the water cooler wondering when they are going to be tapped to do a tour in the first like we talk about athletes going pro/switching teams/etc.

My understanding is that one doesn't "do a tour in the First Company." Once you get to the First, you either stay there until you die, you get promoted to an actual position, or fail so egregiously they have no choice but to strip you of that honor.

The short answer to the original question is, "no." Outside of the wider roles (like Chaplain) there's nothing Codex-official between Sergeant and "hey, you." Any such titles or honorifics are Chapter-dependent and likely situational.

I might be horribly wrong, but I thought some company vets, vet sarges in other companies (especially the 10th) did some time in the 1st.

If you are a marine who’s just good at killing, but not really good at leadership stuff, you eventually end up in the 1st and serve there until you get killed.

But if you are on the path of command, you get shuffled around to learn from others, get more experience,etc.

At the very least that’s my headcannon. Not sure it it has it’s roots anywhere in actual lore.

My recollection is that company veterans are waiting for a gap opening up in the 1st. I also thought that experience in the 1st company would then make it more likely to get cycled back out to become a company commander. There are various traditions about not allowing those promoted from the ranks to serve in the same formation.

May be some chapters might prefer that under certain circumstances, but others might need a stint as 1st company store being able to be considered for the roles the Dark Angels come to mind on that front. Company commanders would all be inducted into the Deathwing, and likely cycled. Through the 1st to compete their indoctrination.

Border Countess wrote:Once you get to the First, you either stay there until you die, you get promoted to an actual position...

I was including officer-level positions in this assumption, such as Captain and Lieutenant.