Soldier Marines - brainstorming phase

[Hrvat]

Ave Fratris! 

 

 

With the new edition just around the corner I got sucked back into 40k after a long pause since work on the 9th Age ate away most of my hobby time. Since the new background dropped in with Primaris, Guilliman and the warp rift/storm things I have decided it was time to get back and create my own faction for the upcoming edition that could easily incorporate all that is going on if I decided I wanted to do it but also to maintain some of the old feel 40k had which it has lost in the recent years. So I went up to the attic to bring down all the unopened boxes and started musing what to do with them. Flipping through all codici, rulebooks and WD's I decided to take a more down to earth approach towards Adeptus Astartes and do something that feels more modern and tangible from the usual things associated with the SM.

 

"Well, for starters, Space Marines are chosen as children, tortured by SCIENCE!, and then drafted into an eternity of being monastic murder machines whose sile purpose is to hold up the crumbling foundations of and omnicidal dystopia in the name of a rotting carcass that eats psykers like chiclets. They're emotionally stunted orphans who were brainwashed and weaponized before being unleashed on a galaxy where EVERYTHING is trying to kill them. They never even had a chance to be people before someone turned them into a gun instead" - Josh Reynolds

 

The above quote nicely captures what Space Marines are and my goal is to explore the evolution from that to something more humane but still doing what they do not because they are inhuman but because they are human. I know that might sound a bit dark at first, but that is the more grittier side of 40K I would like to explore. Space Marines an ordinary human could relate to and at the same time in them see the reflection of what men are capable of becoming both for ill and good. 

 

 

Since this is a brainstorming phase my thoughts and ideas are still a bit disconnected and jumbled and this where I am counting on you brothers to help me explore and refine them.

 

 

So the starting point is that this new force I would write, build, paint and play would not be just a pure Space Marine Chapter, but a Space Marine Force centred around a core which belonged to a Chapter and serves as their point of identity when dealing with other Imperial organisation. Therefore at this point neither the starting chapter or the force have a name. But for the ease of writing I will be using the word chapter for now.

 

What follows are my notes and I am eager to hear your thoughts on them.

 

 

- A young chapter belonging to the 26th founding without much history or traditions beyond those inherited from their primogenitors which have been fading since then

 

- A cynical outlook on life born out of above average interaction with Inquisition, Rogue Traders and especially Imperial Guard during their formative years

 

- At some point grow weary of their place in the world and have an internal strife between several factions, the factions that come on top becomes the core the force I will be building

 

- Whether there are any surviving members of any other faction I have not yet decided

 

- The chapter establishes its base of operation on a hive world in the "western" part of Segmentum Solar

 

- Worlds in the sectors near the hive world are marked as their "turf", in other words they hold themselves responsible for it

 

- Over the years as the chapter's strength waxes and wanes so does the "turf" expand and contract

 

- Recruiting is mostly done from the juvenile penal system and gangs of the hive world

 

- Marines establish and maintain a network that observes and in some ways controls the underworld of the hive world they as based at and of the worlds within their "turf"

 

- They as an organisation take part in various illegal activities through their surrogates or sometimes directly while also stamping illegal activities they find wrong

 

- Chapter's surrogates and assets are often in direct competition with various cults

 

- There is an ongoing competition/conflict with the Word Bearers, Alpha Legion and "Genestealers"

 

- When not acting on their own accord to safeguard their "turf" the chapter can be hired for various actions as long as it wouldn't bring them into conflict with any official Imperial force

 

- Favourite contractors are Rogue Traders

 

- Through their network they have called in a few favours to get their hands on Primaris stuff among the first but are still waiting for the dispatch to arrive - the distances are great

 

- Chapter when summoned officially for war (such as a call to arms by a Segmentum command, High Lords and so forth) follows the organisation structure of the Codex Astartes and the doctrines held within

 

- At other times the organisation is very fluid and regionally variable depending on the resources available to each "officer" there

 

- Chapter does not use heraldry and each marine is allowed to decorate and customise their armour depending on their taste and means, ranks are signified by tattoos on the neck below the ear while in battle that is not necessary as each member of the force knows his place

 

- Chapter does not have a standard colour scheme and armour will be repainted to suit the environment where they are fighting, the machine spirits are accustomed through multiple repaints even before their first action - the most common colours they are encountered in are army green, khaki and battleship grey

 

- Chapter accepts exiles from other chapters as long as they do not or have not broken any of the important postulates of the chapter such as association with chaos, killing a brother on purpose and so forth - there are many "stupid" rules governing other chapters in their eyes and they are more then welcome giving such marines a new home and purpose as long as they can assimilate into their new life

 

- Marines have regular R&R during which they can enjoy their spoils and interact with other humans making the sight of a marine on the worlds they use of R&R a far more common sight then elsewhere in the Imperium

 

- Chapter maintains regular "patrols" due to the size of the galaxy to ensure a more prompt reaction time in more remote parts of their "turf"

 

- Though things have been getting worse in the last decade or so the ripples of Cadia have not yet reached them in full due to the distances involved

 

 

 

The ranks within the force and rough equivalent in codex astartes

 

Recruit > Neophyte 

Private > Initiate

Corporal > Squad Leader  

Sergeant > Sergeant

Lieutenant > Veteran Sergeant 

Captain > Captain

Colonel > "senior" Captain

General > Chapter Master

 

 

Not sure how to incorporate Space Marine Veterans into this, since Veteran is treated as a rank among the SM.

 

 

 

Also to explain the space and time scale I am using for my personal setting I am using the old 40k measures. To help you understand I included them below :)

 

 

 

TIME DISPLACEMENT

The time differences between real space and warpspace are quite drastic. Not only does time pass at different rates in both kinds of space, but it also passes at very variable rates. Until a ship finishes its jump, it is impossible for a ship's crew to know exactly how long their journey has taken. Time passing in real space is referred to as real time. Time passing on board a spacecraft is referred to as warp time. The relationship between real time and warp time is shown on the chart below.

 

Light Years / Minimum Warp Time / Minimum Warp Time / Minimum Real Time / Maximum Real Time

1 / 2 mins / 6 mins / 43 mins / 4.5 hrs

5 / 7 mins / 30 mins / 3.5 hrs / 1 day

10 / 14 mins / 1 hr / 7 hrs / 2 days

50 / 1.25 hrs / 4.75 hrs / 1.5 days / 9 days

100 / 2.5 hrs / 9.5 hrs / 3 days / 3 weeks

500 / 12 hrs / 2 days / 2 weeks / 3 months

1000 / 1 day / 4 days / 1 month / 6 months

5000 / 5 days / 3 weeks / 5 months / 3 years

 

So, for example, a 100 light year jump will seem to take from 2.5 to 9.5 hours to a spaceship's crew, but between 3 days and 3 weeks will have passed in real space. These times do not include journey times out to and from jump points on the edge of the star systems. It takes from days to weeks of travel at sub-light speeds to reach a drop from the spaceship's starting planet, and a similar time to re-enter the destination system.

 

The Imperium is approximately 75 thousand light years from edge to edge. A journey of this length would take between 75 and 300 days in warp time, and between 6 years and 40 years real time.

 

With each sector being 200x200x200 ly you get the feeling that in best of case it take a week to reach from one side to another from one jump point to another and then a few more days/weeks between moving from a jump point into the inner parts of a star system. 

 

 

 

Ok that is it for now. Fire away gentlemen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Predator-joe]

I assume you have already read the DIY guides on this site for when you structure your chapter and if not then read them haha, now onto your stuff. I will answer/respond to what I can but things I don't mention it will either be because I dont know about it at all or forgot to mention or will tackle later. 

 

Is your internal strife of several factions mean your chapter had a civil war? If so be very careful how you phrase it as they could easily be classed as traitors and hunted down by the imperium even if the 'good guys' win the civil war. 

 

Its nice to see that they don't have fixed borders/ chapter size but would be good mention their current state/size as a reference for readers. 

 

I like how the chapter operates on their worlds but remember they are meant to be super soldiers and wouldn't do day to day tasks of the arbites/imperial guard/rogue traders etc

 

Its an interesting angle how they operate similarly to the inquisition, with spy networks, informants etc and would love to hear more on how that is achieved. It seems they would operate on kill team/deathwatch/ necromanda/armageddon level with very small squads. This could easily be linked to how they operate on larger scale (thinking like alpha legion) 

 

This is also a nice link to each marine being slightly different to all the others. I do question why would they operate as normal when there is a large scale conflict? Feels more appropriate for them to do what they already do but more of it or adopt tactics like the raven guard/raptors chapters. 

 

Accepting exiles is a very unique take on things too and see it as great way to tie in with their beliefs and their 'inquisitor' like approach. (thinking death watch again) 

 

R&R is interesting but don't go too deep into it, tying it with their beliefs is a good way t go about. When I made my chapter I researched the Raptors chapter and for their R&R they pretty much always go to the shooting range to perfect their marksmanship. So with your chapter it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to say they do their R&R with other things. 

 

As with the warp time and space thing I don't really have any knowledge on it or not sure how it ties in with the chapter but I will leave that for someone else to tackle who has more knowledge on it. 

 

Hope this all helps, most of this is me just spitballing ideas/thoughts so you are more than welcome to ignore all of it haha 

[VengefulJan]

I'm curious about their cynical and weary outlook on life. If this represents a correlation between them and their position as a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, then Chaplains would be of most importance to them as it is the Chaplains' duty to ensure that their faith, loyalty, and sense of duty/purpose is maintained. They are the servants of the Emperor who's sole purpose is to destroy the enemies of man till all enemies are slain. If they question about who they are, then it is the Chaplains' that will remind them of that purpose.

 

Spit ballin ideas here, you can have Veterans replaced with the name of Specialist, and their Veteran Sergeant dubbed as a Major. I do this the latter change for my Chapter of WWII Marines.

[Hrvat]

Thank you for your replies :)

 

 

 

 

I assume you have already read the DIY guides on this site for when you structure your chapter and if not then read them haha

 

Thank you for reminding me. It was fun reading back through it, last time I did was many years ago and I have forgot some parts and some segments are no longer up to date due to background changes, but since I am going to be making a more retro setting for my marines it will be helpful.

 

 

 

 

Is your internal strife of several factions mean your chapter had a civil war? If so be very careful how you phrase it as they could easily be classed as traitors and hunted down by the imperium even if the 'good guys' win the civil war. 

 

The idea is that there was some violence not necessary of the lethal kind or at least not on a major scale. A few dead or crippled at most.

 

 

 

 

Its nice to see that they don't have fixed borders/ chapter size but would be good mention their current state/size as a reference for readers. 

 

Hmmm I was more intended to be a bit vague on that point, leave it hanging in the air, but give an indication of several hundred marines, certainly less than a thousand due to the ongoing calamities.

 

 

I like how the chapter operates on their worlds but remember they are meant to be super soldiers and wouldn't do day to day tasks of the arbites/imperial guard/rogue traders etc

 

Its an interesting angle how they operate similarly to the inquisition, with spy networks, informants etc and would love to hear more on how that is achieved. It seems they would operate on kill team/deathwatch/ necromanda/armageddon level with very small squads. This could easily be linked to how they operate on larger scale (thinking like alpha legion) 

 

They wouldn't be doing the actions of those institutions, but in support of them. A squad of neophytes on a training mission being sent to assist the Arbitres of a Hive World, or a marine squad seconded to a rogue trader alongside with a Land Speeder as heavy reconisacne and enforcers/guards. Those sort of things. 

 

Yes I indeed plan to explore the Chapter's network and how they operate in the societies of the worlds they consider their own as an important part of the chapter culture. 

 

You are right about their operational size most often though I am not so sure they would operate the same on larger scale when required. Sure if it is seen as the best option they would but I do not intend to make it their trademark MO like that of the say Alpha Legion, they will operationally and in their teachings still be a Codex chapter. 

 

 

 

 I do question why would they operate as normal when there is a large scale conflict? Feels more appropriate for them to do what they already do but more of it or adopt tactics like the raven guard/raptors chapters. 

 

I was more hoping to explore the element of them not feeling in their own element in larger conflicts. They as a codex chapter would be taught how to do it and would probably do it acceptably well, but that doesn't mean they would feel 100% comfortable in these larger conflicts. Carrying on the "soldier" approach, they would you what they are taught as the best possible solution for each situation or in case of multiple solutions select the one they are most comfortable with to ensure the highest chance of success. If that would require a more stealth approach like the RG I don't see why not, but the focus should be on them being the students of the Codex even though their organisation need not follow it 100%.

 

 

 

R&R is interesting but don't go too deep into it, tying it with their beliefs is a good way t go about. When I made my chapter I researched the Raptors chapter and for their R&R they pretty much always go to the shooting range to perfect their marksmanship. So with your chapter it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to say they do their R&R with other things. 

 

Thinking how hulking murder machines would R&R is an interesting thought exercise and I was hoping to go outside the standard 40K grimdark feel and mix ancient greek like gymnasiums, with hunting lodges and spa centres. Just imagine a marine after a decade of service getting a month at a resort for some oily massages, pedicure, corrective surgery and a cold one with the boys enjoying testosteron filled activities and for special individuals maybe some other stuff like art, music and stuff - but sprinkled carefully.

 

 

 

 

I'm curious about their cynical and weary outlook on life. If this represents a correlation between them and their position as a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, then Chaplains would be of most importance to them as it is the Chaplains' duty to ensure that their faith, loyalty, and sense of duty/purpose is maintained. They are the servants of the Emperor who's sole purpose is to destroy the enemies of man till all enemies are slain. If they question about who they are, then it is the Chaplains' that will remind them of that purpose.

 

Weary would have been the original guys the current ones are just cynical and sarcastic. Think of people that would say "For the Emperor!" but not really mean it and that sort of things. They are devoid of idealism that can be found in many chapters and simply do what they do because they like what they do. 

 

As for the Chaplains I am not sure what to do with them. I have a feeling they in their codex form do not really have a place in this force. Will think a bit more on it.

 

 

 

 

Now it is time for the next stage of brainstorming. 

 

 

I used the Deathwatch Rites of Battle sourcebook to help me anchor my ideas into some broad categories

 

Rites of Selection: Survival of the Fittest

Why was the Chapter created: Strategic Prognostication

When was the Chapter created: 26th Founding (738.M41)

Gene Stock Purity: Pure

Demeanour: Suffer Not the Alien to Live

Chapter Flaw: Chapter Cult

 

Home World: Hive World

Dominant Terrain: Wasteland

Relationship: (In)Direct Rule

Chapter Organisation: Divergent

Combat Doctrine: Codex

 

Chapter Friends: Rogue Traders, Adeptus Mechanicus, Inquisition, Adeptus Arbites

Chapter Enemies: Alpha Legion Cults, Word Bearers Cults, Genestealer Cults

 

 

 

As of now I am not sure should primogenitor gene-seed play a role in what the chapter is. All I know is that I do not want the gene-seed to have influence on the way how the chapter acts meaning it should have no deficiencies. Based on the general feel of the chapter I am looking at Guilliman, Vulkan and Ferrus. Vulkan could be an interesting approach considering how different socially these marines would be from Salamanders. 

 

 

For the name I tried to think how would such marines consider themselves as well as those around them. So I went for something simple Chapter 986 - Iron Giants. 

 

 

Chapter Motto: "Semper fidelis, semper paratus, semper letalis."

 

Battle Cry: Leader proclaims "Semper Fi!" - marines respond "Ooorah!"

 

 

 

Companies are named after letters and because of that Veterans in the chapter are known as Alphas.

 

1st - Alpha Company

2nd - Bravo Company

3rd - Carbon Company

4th - Delta Company

5th - Echo Company

6th - Fire Company 

7th - Gama Company

 

HQ "honour guard" > Storm Bringers