Chaos Space Marines
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In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, the Chaos Space 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.
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[edit] Background
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 part of the twenty original "First Founding" Legions of Space Marines, fighting for the Imperium of Man during the Great Crusade. Horus, the Primarch of the Luna Wolves Legion (which was renamed the Sons of Horus in his honor), was corrupted by Chaos and led his Legion into worship of the Chaos Gods. Eight other Legions followed, for a total of nine. The betrayal of these Legions led to the epic galactic civil war called the Horus Heresy.
After their defeat in the Horus Heresy, the nine Legions escaped into an area of the galaxy known as the Eye of Terror, where they remain. The Sons of Horus were eventually renamed the Black Legion by their new leader, Abaddon the Despoiler; they still bear this name. Due to the nature of Chaos, the temporal instability of the Warp,and the immortality of each marine, the Chaos Marines who revolted against the Emperor continue to fight against the Imperium.
Some of the Primarchs, including Horus, were killed during or shortly after the Heresy. Many of those who survived have since become Daemon Princes. These daemonic Primarchs rarely take part in the affairs of their Legions or the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The closest thing to a leader the fractional Chaos Marines have 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.
[edit] Differences from Imperial Space Marines
Chaos Space Marines bear the same genetic enhancements as Imperial Space Marines, wear the same types of armor, and wield much of the same weaponry, meaning they are the equals of their Imperial counterparts. The timeline of the Warhammer 40,000 universe has advanced about 10,000 years since the Horus Heresy; the Imperium has had some technological advancement since, and has far greater access to material resources- therefore, Chaos Marines lack some of the more advanced technology employed by Imperial forces. Chaos Marines are able to make up for their lack of advanced technology by being able to include various types of daemons, and by being able to field a more veteran force, because Chaos Marines are virtually immortal- many Chaos Marines survived the Horus Heresy and still fight 10,000 years later in the continuity.
[edit] Current status
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:
- Black Legion
- Night Lords
- Word Bearers
- Alpha Legion
- Iron Warriors
- World Eaters
- Death Guard
- Emperor's Children
- Thousand Sons
[edit] The Lost and the Damned
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).
[edit] Post-Horus Heresy converts
Space Marines serving the Dark Gods are not exclusively represented by the nine original Traitor Legions; 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. 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).
[edit] References
- Chambers, Andy, Haines, Pete; Hoare, Andy; Kelly, Phil; and McNeill, Graham (2002). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Chaos Space Marines, 2nd Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-322-5.
- Haines, Pete, and McNeill, Graham (2004). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Space Marines, 4th Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-526-0.
- Chambers, Andy, Haines, Pete; Hoare, Andy; Kelly, Phil; and McNeill, Graham (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Eye of Terror, 1st Edition, 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 on 2006-03-01.
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