Chaos Space Marines

File:Chaos Space Marines 4thedition codex.jpg

The cover of the 2007 edition of Codex: 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 original "First Founding" Legions of Space Marines who fought in the Great Crusade for the Imperium of Man. At this time Horus, Warmaster of the Imperial forces and Primarch of the Luna Wolves Legion (which was renamed the Sons of Horus in his honour), was corrupted by Chaos and instigated the galaxy-wide civil war known as the Horus Hersesy.

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 (those of the Alpha Legion and Night Lords). The six 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. Some of the Legions have pledged a particular loyalty to one of the four Great Chaos powers. The closest thing to a leader that has appeared among them is Abaddon the Despoiler. 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.

Differences between Chaos Space Marines and Space Marines

The Chaos Space Marines have the same origins as the Space Marines, thus have the same physical power. Due to their allegiance to Chaos, veteran Chaos Marines can be mutated, thus making them into Bunnys, faster or otherwise superior. Chaos Marines are also virtually immortal due to the time-warping effects of the Eye of Terror, whereby their millenia of experience afford them levels of mastery with advanced battlefield skills and tactics that younger Space Marines may not yet have.

They 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 differences now exist with jump packs etc). 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. In general, anything developed since the Heresy is unavailable to them unless it has been captured; for example, Iron Warriors are known for capturing and using Imperial tanks. While Chaos Space Marines have therefore mostly older technology, they compensate for this by having access to daemons and daemonic technology.

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 (Chambers et al, 2002) includes the current rules for fielding a Chaos Space Marine army in a game of Warhammer 40,000; it also includes rules for fielding any of the nine specific legions.

The nine Chaos Marine Legions are (in order of Founding):

• Emperor's Children (dedicated to Slaanesh)
• Iron Warriors (dedicated to Chaos Undivided)
• Night Lords (dedicated to Chaos Undivided)
• World Eaters (dedicated to Khorne)
• Death Guard (dedicated to Nurgle)
• Thousand Sons (dedicated to Tzeentch)
• Black Legion (dedicated to Chaos Undivided)
• Word Bearers (dedicated to Chaos Undivided)
• Alpha Legion (dedicated to Chaos Undivided)

There are also many humans and mutants who serve Chaos, and they are often used by the Chaos Marines to bolster their ranks. These traitors, mutants and heretics are collectively labelled the Lost and the Damned. Rules and background for these forces can be found in Codex: Eye of Terror (Chambers et al, 2003).

In addition, since the Horus Heresy, some Space Marine Chapters have been corrupted in one way or another by Chaos. Very little background information has been provided about these Chapters, and no specific rules exist for them, allowing players to adapt other rules to represent their forces. According to the records of Ordo Malleus approximately 50 chapters have turned renegade after the Horus Heresy. Examples include the Sons of Malice, the Damned Company of Lord Caustos, the Violators, the Thunder Barons, and the Astral Claws (known as the Red Corsairs since their rebellion).

See also

• Chaos Weapons, Equipment and Vehicles
• Vehicles of the Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)
• Vehicles of the Space Marines (Warhammer 40,000)

References

• Chambers, Andy (2002). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Chaos Space Marines (2nd Edition ed.). Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-322-5. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Haines, Pete (2004). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition ed.). Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-526-0. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Chambers, Andy (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Eye of Terror (1st Edition ed.). Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-398-5. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• 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.