I find myself posting the same things over and over when giving advice on Chaos Space Marine Army lists. It seems many people prefer to play Cult Marines and nothing else in their lists. In this article I’m going to attempt a simple comparison, matching up regular Chaos Space Marines (henceforth referred to as CSM) versus anything else in the Codex that might attempt to fill the same role as them. Bear in mind that I’m taking the approach that the Codex was written to mix and match Chaos gods. It seems to me, to not use all the flavors when appropriate would be like choosing only to use two of your fingers. Remember that no matter what obscure, made-up word is next to a power, it can be modeled as something else. I’m also going off the assumption that even though I’m discussing multiple upgrades, the player is smart enough to pick and choose which ones are worth it together and not skyrocket the price of a squad. I hope to prove that ultimately you can have more CSM than you can anything else (besides Lesser Daemons) in this Codex and they can shine just as brightly as any other unit.
CSM vs. Khorne Berzerkers
Khorne Berzerkers are a popular choice due to the fluff about Khorne and the concept of an elite melee troop. Nothing is quite so satisfying a visual in the 40K universe as a bunch of power armored, chain-ax wielding psychopaths tearing through person after person. Let’s see how these bad boys stack up against the CSM.
What they have that CSM don’t:
Mark of Khorne/+1 Attack
Fearless
Furious Charge
+1 WS
What CSM have that they don’t:
Bolters!
Heavy Weapons, Special Weapons
Access to Squad Icons
For starters, the CSM may get an Icon of Khorne, equaling their attacks. In a 10-man squad this would cost half as much as the difference between a Berzerker and a CSM. Alternatively Icon of Chaos Glory grants an option for replacing Fearless, without the fear of having to take extra wounds in combat. Furious charge can be fun, though it goes away after 1 round of combat, assuming you even get the charge. A squad of CSM with Icon of Slaanesh will keep Initiative 5 until their Icon-bearer dies. The extra WS is the main thing I enjoy about Berzerkers as a choice. Any time an MEQ receives a bonus to its stat line is usually a good thing.
CSM have several of their own advantages over Berzerkers, starting with Bolters. The humble Bolter is nothing to be scoffed at, and also adds a whole level of tactical versatility. Squads that aren't quite in Charge range still have something to contribute by way of rapid fire in addition to their special weapons. While they have to take Leadership tests as normal, this can be a very good thing with No Retreat! lurking at the end of a bad combat. With a number of Heavy and, more importantly, Assault weapons to pick from, the CSM clearly win at range. With several viable Anti-tank options (including all of those available to Berzerkers), a small squad can kill a much bigger target. It should also be noted that a squad of CSM has all the protection a Berzerker squad has, except costs less.
Summary
While the Berzerkers fill one role in an army, CSM manage to fill a lot more than that, even if built in a similar way. I don’t advise taking Icon of Khorne and trying to build a Berzerker squad with Special weapons out of them, as this ends up increasing their price beyond what Berzerkers are only to still not have +1 WS. Instead try using Icon of Slaanesh for a cheap up-close upgrade and throwing some Flamers in. You’ll nearly pay for the Rhino in a 10-man squad with the points you save.
Note: A common tactic is to give Berzerkers a Land Raider transport. This diminishes any possible belief of cost-effectiveness as a moving Land Raider won’t be firing it’s ridiculously over-priced guns, and effectively serves as a very expensive Assault Ramp. Do yourself a favor and get over 6 Rhinos with these points instead and save your Heavy slot. Good day.
CSM vs. Thousand Sons
The Thousand Sons – the hollow husks of a chapter, and supreme agents of the Lord of Change. These guys draw their appeal from their look and their rich history. Improved Bolters certainly don’t hurt either.
What they have that CSM don’t:
4+ Invulnerable Save/Mark of Tzeentch
Fearless
Slow and Purposeful/The Sorcerer Commands
Inferno bolts (AP3 bolters)
Aspiring Sorcerer w/Psychic Powers and Force Weapon
What CSM have that they don’t:
Bolt Pistols (which is irrelevant when you consider what Slow and Purposeful does for their Bolters)
Grenades
The option of having a Champ
+1 A from Pistol/CC weapon
Heavy Weapons, Special Weapons
A squad Icon
Thousand Sons’ 4+ Invuln adds a good deal of survivability to them compared to CSM. While they both may claim a 4+ Cover save, unless it is denied for some reason or another, once either is in combat they can’t. I’ve already discussed Fearless, though I believe it suits the cause of a ranged squad much better than that of a melee one, unless that squad lacks integral anti-Walker weaponry and needs to hang tight until help arrive. Not only are they Slow and Purposeful, if the Sorcerer dies they get even slower and much less purposeful. However, Slow and Purposeful means that they can fire their Bolters at full effect before charging. In addition the Slow and Purposeful allows them to fire once up to 24" while on the move. Inferno Bolts eat MEQ up, and are really, really good at doing so as long as you deploy strategically to deny cover, use the Lash of Submission to draw units out of cover, or use a transport to deny cover. The Sorcerer that a squad gets is a compulsory choice and quite expensive, much like his powers. However, a comparable Aspiring Champion is 45 pts (Chaos Space Marine, Champion Upgrade, Power Weapon) without the 4+ Invulnerable save, Inferno Bolts or the Force Weapon, let alone the psychic powers. There is one fairly cheap power to choose from, but most of the others are incredibly pricey considering the model they are going on and what they do. Bear in mind that there are a few of the “uber powers” to choose from here, such as Gift of Chaos, which can possibly kill nearly anything in the game. The Force Weapon is a welcome if not slightly frivolous addition to their Sorcerer. Remember that the Sorcerer has the Mark of Tzeentch and therefore can use up to two psychic powers in a turn, allowing him to combine Warptime with his Force Weapon, Warptime with his Inferno Bolts, and use Gift of Chaos twice. Gift of Chaos is particularly nasty as the Aspiring Sorcerer is well insulated by the squad and its 4+ invulnerable save.
CSM have, in a few words, better close combat prowess by comparison to 1k Sons. The only edge they don’t have is a 4+ Invulnerable saving throw (and at best can receive a 5+ from Icon of Tzeentch for quite a bit too many points). The Inferno Bolters are better against Sv3+ and Sv4+, whereas the CSM Bolters are just as good against Sv5+ . In addition, their special weapons (Plasma Gun, Melta Gun, Flamethrower) come much cheaper than the Psychic powers, which makes up for their general lack of effect. The Melta Gun is an exception to this general lack, and allows a CSM to carry its own anti-tank weapons. You should only take a Bolt of Change on an Aspiring Sorcerer is you have no equivalent weapons elsewhere in your army.
Summary
The CSM are better than Thousand Sons at everything they do except for shooting at Marines without cover or getting shot by AP3- weapons, hit by Power Weapons in combat, and not running away. If you wish to take Thousand Sons, take them for the above reasons and they can serve you well, though at a premium with the added weight of a Sorcerer champ. Use them to tie down enemies that would slice and dice CSM and Plague Marines. Due to their extremely slow nature, always give Thousand Sons a transport.
CSM vs. Plague Marines
Plague Marines, the devoted followers of Father Nurgle; pale and putrecent, unwell and unwavering. Many of them also look pregnant. People love them for both their ick factor and their staying power.
What they have that CSM don’t:
Blight Grenades
Mark of Nurgle/ T4 (5) (I call this pretend toughness 5)
Fearless
Feel no Pain
Lower Initiative
Access to 2 Specials without requiring 10 models
What CSM have that they don’t:
Access to squad Icons
Access to long ranged weapons
Higher Initiative
Blight Grenades are wonderful little devices that it seems many people forget even exist until after the game they just played. Regardless, they help soften the blows Plague Marines receive in combat when they’re charged. Fearless suits their sit-and-take-hits nature very well. Plague Marines are just like riding bikes without the bikes, so all of the Toughness bonus without any of the mobility. This would be better if it were a true T5 as they would be more resistant to Instant Death, but if your opponent is aiming S8+ at infantry then he’s either not shooting your big, scary things, or infantry is all that’s left. Feel no Pain fits right in here, giving them ridiculous staying power and forcing an ultimatum of sorts between directing fire. They have all the important special weapon options and can handle anti-tank or anti-infantry quite well. Unfortunately, against S8+ AP3- weaponry they die just as easily as the more numerous CSM, so watch out for enemy Plasma weapons, and other weapons of mass destruction. Dreadnoughts will eat them alive.
First off, do not try taking a CSM squad with Icon of Nurgle unless it numbers 20 models. That’s about the only time you begin to see it be worth it to not get all the other bonuses Plague Marines get. If you want to benefit from the range advantage that CSM have, you're better off giving that Icon to a unit of Havocs. CSM have a heavy weapon and a higher Initiative, but the capacity for Plague Marines to soak up anti-infantry attacks can make up for this.
Summary
Plague Marines sit on objectives better than anything else in this Codex, unless assaulted by Terminators, Dreadnoughts, or Carnifexes, or shot by Demolisher Cannons, Battle Cannons, or Plasma Cannons. The one thing they miss out on compared to CSM is raw numbers and cost. If you are attempting to use Plague Marines in any way other than being purely short ranged and defensive, CSM do it better. They will get more shots, more attacks, and have more bodies. Just the difference between un-upgraded ten man squads is enough for 2 Rhinos and a Meltagun, or over half of another 10-man CSM squad.
CSM vs. Noise Marines
Noise Marines, the… yeah, I got nothin. They’re the guys who follow Slaanesh and everyone spammed in 4th edition. They also used to have guitars. How’s that?
What they have that CSM don’t:
+1 Init/Mark of Slaanesh
Fearless
Expensive but effective weapon upgrades
What CSM have that they don’t:
Cheaper but less effective and less pervasive weapon upgrades
Better anti-tank weapons
The bonus initiative just seems like a waste to me in a squad designed to have specialized guns. It’s about as synergetic as having two twin-linked Lascannons and an Assault ramp, but given that their weapon upgrades can all be fired on the move, and that their high Initiative can put some fear into enemy assault troops, their firepower and initiative complements each other well. Fearless suits their shooty nature well. Their weapons are fun and have a great personality. If they came auto-equipped with them they would be worth it, but the cost should be the turn off here. A Noise Marine with a Sonic blaster costs 1 and 2/3 a CSM. He gains range while moving and an extra shot while standing still. The Blastmaster seems overpriced for what it does, but many people forget that it can be used as an Assault weapon as well, and it remains a Pinning weapon. This versatility prevents the squad from having to be a static support squad so you can move them to take advantage of cover and acquire new targets. The Doom Siren is a great option for a squad that’s focusing on assault, though two regular flamers will usually do the same job against Sv5+ as it does for 5 less points. Conclusion: They can be equipped as a general purpose squad combining close combat hitting power with ranged hitting power, but will do so at a premium. Alternately, they can be specialized for a particular purpose and accomplish that purpose (shooting, assault, etc) for the right price. If you choose not to kit out the squad to keep them cheaper, then you end up paying 3 points a model for Fearless in a ten-man squad. If that’s worth it to you, then they’re worth taking.
The only thing CSM don’t boast here is that not all the squad members may be given a special weapon. Their specials are just as effective as the Noise Marine ones, however, and having fewer keeps the cost down. Once again, they have significantly better anti-tank. They are also just as survivable against shooting and I3- close combat attacks, and cost less.
Summary
Noise Marines kitted out will chew up hordes, and have a decent showing up close. CSM can do almost as well, but fall a little behind that regard, though their numbers and specials can even that out pretty quickly. Other than taking Noise Marine special weapons throughout the squad, CSM can do everything Noise Marines can for much cheaper.
CSM vs. Chosen Chaos Space Marines
Chosen are the Elite version of their little brothers, the CSM. Skilled in combat with hundreds of years of experience, they're armed to the teeth and can start the game right up in the enemy's face or behind his lines.
What they have that CSM don’t:
Infiltrate/Outflank
The opportunity to take up to five special weapons, or up to four special close combat weapons
Don’t need to be 10-strong to have multiple specials
What CSM have that they don’t:
Scoring
Chosen have a similar role to CSM, except that they can be more tailored to own a particular task. On that same note, every time I experiment with them, I get the same feeling as when I pay cover at a club so I can buy expensive drinks inside. You’ll pay a lot for one of these squads to do what you want it to, but it does it well enough. If you want them mounted in a Rhino they can either waste the 3 points a model you’re spend for Infiltrate and deploy normally or you can Outflank them. I personally don’t like Outflank because you never know if they’ll come in somewhere useful or not, and rather than tailoring the squad so that they’ll always be useful, I’ll just take the CSM and let the extra points pay for their Rhino.
Summary
If Infiltrate or Outflank is worth 3 points/model to you and you want an extra couple of Special weapons or Power Weapons, these guys are right up your ally. Your slightly expensive ally.
Note: Many of the exclusive upgrades Chosen CSM can take, Chaos Terminators can take for only a couple of points more and be far superior.
CSM vs. Havocs
“What, the Heavy squad?” No, not the “Heavy” squad. Havocs are the most uber CSM available. I’ll take a squad of these guys over Cult Marines any day.
What they have that CSM don’t:
2 more special weapons slots
More special weapon choices
What CSM has that they don’t:
Scoring
Don’t take a Heavy Slot
Havocs allow you more Assault weapons than a CSM could dream of in a single squad and cost nothing extra. 4 Flamers clock in at the cost of 1 Noise Marine and completely decimate light infantry, hordes and do real damage to heavy infantry. 4 Meltas will kill almost anything. I would leave the Heavy Weapons to Obliterators and tanks, as these guys as much more deadly as an Assault squad. The only downside on these guys is the use of a Heavy slot.
Summary
If you have a Heavy slot and enough scoring units for your point level, upgrade a CSM squad to Havocs and let them go to town.
