Espada Azul Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Help a curious frater out here. Has the estimated number of active Deathwatch battle-brothers been mentioned anywhere, in Studio material or in BL stories, or is it one of those details that are deliberately left nebulous, much like the manpower of the Grey Knights pre-Ward Codex? This is just a question that popped into my head while I was reading through Rites of Battle and the Deathwatch core rulebook, understand. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235069-numbers-of-the-deathwatch/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hinti Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 As far as I know, there is NO exact (or even exact) Number of Deathwatch Marines......as per Background DW-Marines came from Chapters (note plural!!) with close and long Ties with the Ordo Xenos/Inquisition..........No one knows how many, or wich Chapters that are (OK the Ordo Xenos will know ;) ) Fluffwise this is unknown........ But there is room for some Speculation....... My Opinion is: nothing more then ~1000 (even that is to much maybe).. But that is simply speculative..... Hinti Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235069-numbers-of-the-deathwatch/#findComment-2831164 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losfer Werds Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 As convoluted as the bureaucracy of the Imperium is, I don't even think the Ordos Xenos knows how many marines are currently seconded to the Deathwatch. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235069-numbers-of-the-deathwatch/#findComment-2831787 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelis Mortis Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 It's impossible to know. They are volunteered from their Chapters as needed. There is no way to even guess. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235069-numbers-of-the-deathwatch/#findComment-2831849 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffersonian000 Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Deathwatch Marines are assemble as needed, when needed, and from whichever Chapters are located near the assembling point. And that is it. Nothing more or less than that. If the Ordo Xenos needs an entire Chapter, they'll get one (but it won't be Deathwatch). For the OX, they tend to be mission specific and mission focused, which means a small team with individual members taken from several different Chapters (generally no two from the same Chapter). This allows them to bypass any inter-chapter friction that could occur between two or more rival Chapters. Also, the equipment is supplied by them to the Marines (custom build bolters, special ammo, AdMech supplied Rhinos, etc), with the Marines just supplying their own power armor. Their have been Dreadnoughts chosen for Deathwatch duty, as well as Librarians. Most of the time it'll be a team of 10-20 Marines, each from a different Chapter, led by a Captian, and joined by the OX Inqisitor who may also have a unit or more of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers to flesh out the strike force. Currently the easiest codex to use to build a Deathwatch Strike Team is the Space Marine codex. Simply take Sternguard as the Deathwatch Kill Team, Scouts as IST, either a Captain or Librarian as HQ, and a special character as a "counts-as" OX Inquisitor, while filling out the rest of the army to soot your needs. SJ Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235069-numbers-of-the-deathwatch/#findComment-2832696 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Espada Azul Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 I wasn't talking of building an actual Deathwatch army, but thinking of the ACTUAL number of Deathwatch marines puttering around in the galaxy in the 41st millennium. I'm thinking of around 1000+ marines as well (it was mentioned that 200 marines in a single watch fortress was a unique event, and fairly rare), but that would mean they're spread very thinly. For example, in the Jericho Reach (the setting of the Deathwatch RPG) circa 820.M41 there are barely a company's worth of marines spread across the various watch stations there. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/235069-numbers-of-the-deathwatch/#findComment-2832869 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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