What makes Chaos Space Marines unique?

[KurganFr]

I am currently working on converting 40K army lists to a different gaming system, and realised that I know very little about how people view Chaos Space Marines tactics from a fluff point of view. I know I will be asking a lot of questions, but I am really interested in how players conceptualise their CSM armies, as opposed to how the official fluff describes them or how the current army lists represent them. I am also aware that answers may differ between legions, so please feel free to comment on your own favourite legion.

 

What do you feel is the essence of a CSM army in the 41st millennium? This could be specific units, a philosophy of war, a set of strategies and tactics, or anything else.

 

Are CSM better individual warriors than their loyalist counterparts? Are they professional grizzled veterans all, or are their minds so distorted by demonic visions that their grasp on reality and military tactics is slipping? How do Khorne Berzerkers (or even Khârn) even begin to define a sound strategy for a campaign?

 

Are CSM more likely to fight and conduct surgical strikes in support of renegade Imperial Guard armies or cultist uprisings, or are they more likely to take to the field by themselves?

 

The core of CSM is still the same as loyalist armies: Tactical squads, Devastator squads, Assault squads, Terminator squads, bike squads, dreadnoughts, rhinos and predators. What makes these units quintessentially different in CSM legions compared to their loyalist counterparts? Should these units still be the core of a CSM army after 10,000 years of war?

 

What codex units best embody their ways of fighting? If Ultramarines are about balance, Imperial Guard are about firepower, Orks are about close combat, what should a CSM army's strengths and especially weaknesses be?

 

What impact do casualties have on a CSM legion's fighting ability? How do they gain new recruits?

 

Also, where do CSM get their equipment from? I don't know about you, but no matter how carefully maintained it is, I would not trust a 10,000-year old boltgun not to explode in my face when I fire it. Would you expect their equipment to be unreliable?

 

Thanks, and looking forward to some interesting discussions.

[Carrack]

A few thoughts on how I envision my own Black Legion Warband.

 

I. Structure

As a Chaos Warband, the Black Maw operates much more like a medieval army than a modern military force.

 

At the top of the warband is the Chaos Lord, Lord Carrack. He has certain feudal obligations to Abandon that he must meet, but much of the time he operates on his own, as long as his plans doesn't conflict with the Warmaster, and the tribute flows. In return for his service, Carrack can depend on the protection of the Black Legion's reputation, as an attack on Abaddon's vassal is essentially an attack on Abaddon, something that may cause an enemy to refrain from attacking. He can also requisition, trade, or purchase material support from the Legion at large.

 

Below Lord Carrack is his court of trusted advisors. These include the Dark Apostle Lavam, a Warpsmith, a pair of sorcerers and some of the Aspiring Champions that have served with him the longest. They benefit from being in court by getting power, influence, and better spoils, but have additional responsibilities to match. They also have the mixed blessing of being close in line for succession, and the scrutiny that that entails.

 

The rank and file CSM serve in squads lead by Aspiring Champions, not sergeants. This means a more informal chain of command. The Aspiring Champion serves as the squads champion in challenges and duels on and off the field of battle. He is respected by his squad mates for his prowess on the battlefield and his influence he wields in the warband, but not blindly followed merely because a codex says that the marine must follow orders of his sergeant. Like a medieval army, the CSM expect to be rewarded with the bounty of their conquest. Also like a medieval army, each CSM is required to serve Lord Carrack, for much of the year, but also has time to pursue his own goals, as long as they don't conflict with their lord's.

 

II. Veterans of the Long War

 

The core of the Black Maw Warband has been fighting for a very long time. They are quick to use dirty tricks, underhanded tactics and honor less strategies. They are jaded old soldiers who broke their most solemn vows in millennia past. It's not that they learned to know fear, although life in the Eye can teach that, it's just that they are too pragmatic for glorious over the top charges, and when they start taking casualties, they may decide to fight another day than die in glory. This pragmatism is tempered by the Dark Gods. The Dark Gods are real and give real rewards and real punishments. Cowards curry no favor with the Dark Gods.

 

III. Large Warband

 

Many other warbands I've read about tend to follow the great Night Lords trilogy example of an elite, but small pirate crew raiding the Imperium for supplies. I think it is also important to have larger warbands that actually pose long term threats to the Imperium for Chaos to be the ultimate villains that they are in the setting, and this is the direction I have taken my Warband.

 

The Black Maw is a large Warband. It boasts a fleet flagged by a Grand Cruiser and three other cruisers including one Astartes Strike Cruiser, as well as a ragtag assortment of pirate vessels and merchantmen that owe fealty to Lord Carrack. This means that the Black Maw is out conquering and holding worlds in the Imperium. As a conquering force, the Black Maw has its own infrastructure, they have a planet, Hell's Holdfast that serves as a pirate haven port and allows them to trade with and influence other renegades. They also manufacture much of their material and supplies. They even recruit CSM aspirants from the polar regions. They also, of course incorporate renegades from other legions and chapters in the Black Legion way.

[Aspiringchaoschampion]

Il give a few points from the point of view of my Khorne Warband

 

1 Structure

My "Chapter" follows a command structure of im the strongest you do what i say. It is lead by the Daemon Prince Goralar the Blood King. Back ground wise he is the chapters former chapter master and is now the Daemonic lord of the Crimson Wolves. Below him is Chaos Lord Kayron a Mercliess Slaughterer without compare in addition to several other lords champions warpsniths and apostles.

 

The rank and file marines are lead by Champions who are very litrally blood thirsty scoundrels of the worst kind yet strangely they hold the favor of khorne.

 

2 Recently turned Renegades

My marines are not from the Heresy but turned to Khorne due to the Abyssal crusade. While they may hate their loyalist cousins and consider them weak they dont care about the long war they care more about honour and earning the favor of khorne and spreading blood shed galaxy wide. Their sense of honour isnt normal though as long as they kill you "honourably" without using sorcery thats all they care about.

 

3 large warband

Mine are a large warband due to the fact that even before they turned officially they were unknowingly following Khornes creed. as such at the time of the crusade they were just over 1000 marines at full strength. While they took alot of their own geneseed with them and have had fabius bile make them more they are also not above taking other warbands of renegades and khorne followers and forcing them to join. My Chapters fleet includes 1 grand cruiser several battle barges in addition to other flying vehicles and transports they have acquired

[Kaldoth]

It all really depends on the army you're talking about, then further the warband associated with that Army. For example, take Iron Warriors. Since pre Heresy, they have been the foremost legion in strategy, tactics, efficiency and seige. No unnecessary cogs in the machine, no action without cause, everything has a purpose. Motivation? They were the overused, unrewarded, and stretched thin pre Heresy by the Emperor during the Great Crusade, despite a flawless battle record. Even Perturabo's brothers gave him very little credit or appreciation for his tactical insight during joint operations. Long story short, they were arguably the deadliest, ruthless, and cold legion when it came to warfare, and were spat on for it. So, they're bitter and hate the Imperium, especially their loyalist brothers. As far as Chaos within the legion, you have to look at the individual warband. Some of them go the way of the Night Lords, only using Chaos as a tool and nothing more. Others are devotes wholly to a particular god, though this seems to be less common an. Then there are other warbands who are in the middle.

 

If you want to get better insight into the legions and warbands of Chaos, just do what I find myself doing all the time and googling articles on the ones that interest you :)

 

Cheers,

 

-Kal