Chaos Space Marines

In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, the Chaos Space Marines or Chaos Marines, are Space Marines who serve the Chaos Gods. They are also referred to as the Traitor Legions, primarily in background material written from the perspective of the Imperium.

History

The background shown in both Codex: Space Marines (Haines and McNeill, 2004) and Codex: Chaos Space Marines (Chambers et al., 2002) states that the Chaos Marine Legions were nine of the twenty Legions of Space Marines who fought in the Great Crusade for the Imperium of Man. At this time the Warmaster Horus, first among the Primarchs, and the Luna Wolves (later the "Sons of Horus") were corrupted by Chaos and instigated the galaxy-wide civil war known as the Horus Heresy.

Further background to the Chaos Space Marines is explored in detail in the 'Horus Heresy' series of novels. After the death of Horus and the end of the Heresy, the remnants of the nine Legions along with the other Imperial forces that had joined Horus escaped into an area of the galaxy known as the Eye of Terror. Due to the nature of Chaos, and the temporal instability of the Warp, the very same Chaos Marines who revolted against the Emperor continue to fight against the Imperium.

The Legions have kept their old names, with the exception of the Sons of Horus who were renamed the Black Legion by their new leader, Abaddon the Despoiler. Besides Horus, two other Chaos Primarchs were believed to have been killed during or shortly after the Heresy (Konrad Curze of the Night Lords and Alpharius of the Alpha Legion.) The seven surviving Primarchs have since become Daemon Princes. These daemonic Primarchs rarely take part in the affairs of their Legions or any part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. For example, Magnus the Red, Primarch of the Thousand Sons is the most powerful of all the Daemon Prince sorcerers. Yet he rarely enters the battlefield, even though prior to the Horus Heresy he always took part in his Legion's battles and was a determined warrior. Angron however, Primarch of the World Eaters, led an invasion force in what was to become the First War of Armageddon. Some of the Legions have pledged a particular loyalty to one of the four Great Chaos powers but the eight Blood Lords are loyal to Angron alone. The same is the case with the Death Guard, where the Primarch Mortarion's war council is known as the Lords of Decay. Abaddon the Despoiler has taken charge of the Son of Horus, now known as the Black Legion. Abaddon is the only Chaos Marine since Horus to be able to command the loyalty of all nine Traitor Legions, and has led thirteen Black Crusades against the Imperium of Man.

Gods of Chaos

Although those are the main Gods of Chaos, there are many more. Some haven't even been referred to. These are just the four Ruinous Powers. Also, these gods have their equal and opposite, and frequently battle each other. Nurgle and Tzeentch oppose each other, as Nurgle embodies the static and inevitability of death while Tzeentch is the personification of change and hope. Devotees of Slaanesh and Khorne frequently battle each other, since Khorne exists solely for the glory of combat – followers of Khorne favour might and brute strength over all, while Slaanesh exists solely for pleasure - The followers of Slaanesh embody excess in every way.

Forces of the Chaos Space Marines

Each of the Chaos Space Marine Legions fights using a different style of warfare; also, four of the nine are dedicated to one of the four major Chaos Gods. Codex: Chaos Space Marines (Thorpe, Cavatore et al., 2007) includes the current rules for fielding a Chaos Space Marine army in a game of Warhammer 40,000, 4th or 5th Edition. The previous Codex, published in 2003 for 3rd Edition, also includes rules for fielding the troops of the specific legions, but this Codex was designed for 3rd Edition and cannot be used with 5th Edition.

Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions (excluding the Red Corsairs) are as follows:

The legions are often featured in short stories and novels published by Games Workshop's publishing arm, The Black Library.

Since the Horus Heresy, many Space Marine Chapters have been corrupted in one way or another by Chaos. No specific rules exist for renegade chapters, allowing players to adapt other rules to represent their forces. According to the records of the Ordo Malleus (the body responsible for protecting the Imperium from Chaos and daemons), approximately 50 chapters have turned renegade after the Horus Heresy; however, the accuracy of this number is doubtful. Examples of given Space Marine chapters include the Sons of Malice, the Damned Company of Lord Caustos, the Violators, the Steel Cobras, the Thunder Barons, the Sons of Vengeance, the Silver Guards, and most notably the Astral Claws (known as the Red Corsairs since their rebellion).

Differences between Chaos Space Marines and Space Marines

The Chaos Space Marines have the same origins as the Space Marines. Due to their allegiance to Chaos, Chaos Marines can be mutated or willingly possessed (except for the Thousand Sons Rubric Marines), thus making themselves into monsters, faster or otherwise superior to the Space Marines and other inhabitants of the Warhammer 40k universe. Chaos Marines have extended lifespans due to the time-warping effects of the Eye of Terror, and the fact that space marines as a whole are unable to die of old age, and their millennia of experience gives them levels of mastery with more advanced skills and tactics that Loyalist Space Marines do not have. However, they are inhibited by their own anarchic nature, limited numbers, and constant infighting. If they were to organize and form an army equivalent to the tactical army of the Imperium, they would be a greater threat than they are now. Abaddon of the Black Legion seeks to unite all of the Chaos forces and lead them to a last Black Crusade against the Imperium.

Chaos Marines are equipped with the power armour and weapons they had when they initially betrayed the Imperium, which are broadly the same as those used by Space Marines (although some differences now exist). The current setting of the Warhammer 40,000 game is about 10,000 years after the Horus Heresy, and, while the Imperium has made some technological advancements, Chaos Marines have far more limited access to the handful of new inventions that have appeared on the galactic scene. For example, Iron Warriors are known for capturing and using Imperial tanks. This is not a strong differentiating factor though, as the Imperium merely replicates or rediscovers technology designed during the "Golden Age of Technology" (also known as the "Dark Age of Technology") and has very little understanding of it; thus there have been very few developments during the last 10,000 years.

Other tie-ins

References

    • Chambers, Andy; Haines, Pete; Hoare, Andy; Kelly, Phil; McNeill, Graham (2002). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Chaos Space Marines (2nd ed.). Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-322-5. 
    • Haines, Pete; McNeill, Graham (2004). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Space Marines (4th ed.). Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-526-0. 
    • Chambers, Andy; Haines, Pete; Hoare, Andy; Kelly, Phil; McNeill, Graham (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Eye of Terror (1st ed.). Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-398-5. 
    • Abnett, Dan (2004). Eisenhorn. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-156-0. 
    • McNeill, Graham (2004). Dead Sky, Black Sun. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-148-X. 
    • "Chaos Space Marines". Games Workshop. Retrieved 2006-03-01. 
    • Index Astartes: Emperor's Children, White Dwarf 255
    • "Codex Space Marines". Games Workshop. 2004. ISBN 1-84154-526-0. 
    • Ansell, Bryan; Brunton, Forrest, Priestley (1988). Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-869893-51-4. 
    • Abnett, Dan (2006). Horus Rising. Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-294-X. 
    • McNeill, Graham (2006). False Gods. Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-370-9. 
    • Counter, Ben (2006). Galaxy In Flames. Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-393-8. 
    • McNeill, Graham (2007). Fulgrim. Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-476-4. 
    • Merrett, Alan (2007). The Horus Heresy: Collected Visions. Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-425-X. 
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