Company structure and how it's working.

[kabaakaba]

I'm trying to figure out how a Space Marine company is structured. We have 100 fighters, and it's recommended to organize them in a 60/20/20 ratio. This isn't an ironclad rule, and we can adjust this ratio if necessary.

Tactical squads, assault squads, and Devastators used to be more or less clear. Then Cawl and Guilliman spawned a ton of variants. And now it's a bit complicated.

So we have brother Bob from 8th squad. Usually he is Intercessor. But when required became Heavy intercessor. But brother-captain said we need some plasma fire and he grab his plasmagun from arsenal, wear jump pack and he now inceptor. Do he now count as fire support? Or he still tactical? What if he rides a bike? Is he a assault? 

Also, who drives all our tanks, speeders? I mean it should be someone from our company and not some random Joe from 7th, right? Or not? If we on crusade with entire company, do brothers Bill and Bob who's now flying Stormravens absent in ground operation? Company have 5 tanks(idk how large crew is but at least 2, I think)  5 rhinos, few flyers. So the company will be short 20 men on foot? Or what? 

I understand that a company at full strength on the battlefield is something extraordinary. But still. 

[Felix Antipodes]

In my headcanon (and my DIY Chapter) all those extra bodies are provided by the Chapter Forge (ie Techmarines) or skilled Chapter serfs so as not to dilute the company’s fighting strength.

I don’t use flyers (since GW still refuse to give us a plastic Thunderhawk), so not sure where Brothers Bill & Bob and their Stormravens fit into the personnel logistics of the Chapter.  It may be that these pilots come out of the reserve companies as air assets are usually listed as add-ons, not part of a company inventory.

GW muddying the waters of company organisation when they added the Primaris has (IMHO) confused everyone bar the design team.

[jaxom]

Squads 1-6 are battleline squads. They can change their equipment to be Intercessors, Heavy Intercessors, or Infiltrators.

 

Squads 7 & 8 are close support squads. They can change their equipment to be Inveptors, Assault Marines (with or without jump packs), Outriders, or Incursors.

 

Squads 9 & 10 are heavy support squads. They can change their equipment to be Eradicators, Desolators, Hellblasters, Centurions, Aggressors, or Eliminators.

 

Vehicles can be crewed by members of the Chapter’s armory/forge or members of a company squad. Speeders for example are usually crewed by company while tanks are usually crewed by Astartes tech-adepts.

[Galron]

I would add aircraft are likely out of the Fleet/Taxi ship crew rather than the company itself. It would make far more logistical sense. 

 

Overall, dont get too caught up in the numerical details, its never been an exact number. A few extra here and there no one will really care. A few hundred more will raise some eye brows.

[kabaakaba]

Thanks guys, but what about librarium and armory and fleet? How large they are marines wise? I mean if tech-marines drives tanks so we have a lotta there. And how many librarians? And do astartes command ships in fleet? It's really feels like there is way more then 1000 marines per chapter

[jaxom]

A lot of that varies from Chapter to Chapter. The Codex-lore pieces usually include bits about how it’s 1000 brothers-under-arms and that the various HQ-level sub-organizations don’t count.

[RolandTHTG]

There's also usually stuff about the various companies being understrength, taking guys from the support companies to fill out the roster or add additional forces to the command. 

So 4th company, after losing 23 marines, reorganizes & promotes 3 reserve marines to fill out squads and grabs a squad from 7th and 8th to use as their trained special squads while keeping the veterans in tactical roles. So the captain has 100 marines under command, but 20 are still on the rolls of other companies, and will return after this deployment. 

Or if the new operation requires more, the fully replenished 4th company might have 2 squads from 6th assigned as outriders, 2 more squads from 7 & 8 worth to be various vehicle crews, and a squad of scouts for additional recon. So a "company-level" deployment under a Captain is actually 150 marines from 5 companies. 

[Ekim_Trub]

Might be worth taking into account that Guilliman revised the Codex Company structure to include 100 Vanguard into the 10th/Scout Company, which would swell their ranks to 200 Astartes, and take the Chapter up to 1100 "men under arms".

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

Or as they tell the Inquisition, a thousand men and a hundred scouts.

[jaxom]

11 hours ago, Ekim_Trub said:

Might be worth taking into account that Guilliman revised the Codex Company structure to include 100 Vanguard into the 10th/Scout Company, which would swell their ranks to 200 Astartes, and take the Chapter up to 1100 "men under arms".

The scenario @RolandTHTG describes makes it even more. Returned Guilliman's "this is totally what I meant all along, seriously" explanation of the Codex to get around the 1000 marine limit goes as such. Squads from Reserve Companies are formally attached to other Companies, removing them from the Reserve Company's pool of casualty replacements and the Codex is quite clear, says our Guilliman, that Reserve Companies must always be topped off to 100 to fulfill their role. So the 4th Company gains 3 new members and let's say 1  squad from the 7th and 1 squad from the 8th are attached to it as squads 11 and 12 - because they're specifically not replacements in @RolandTHTG's scenario. The 4th Company is nominally at 80 marines because two squads are not not members of Reserve Companies while attached to the 4th. The 4th Company would continue to intake new members until it was nominally 100 strong, ending up at actually 120. Meanwhile, the Reserve Companies, each lacking 10 marines would immediately attempt to fill those empty spots with "promoted" members of the 8th and 9th, respectively. It daisy chains to all the way to the 9th drawing in replacements from the 10th.

 

For a less off the cuff answer, see 

 

Edited August 19 by jaxom