40K Factions According to Al: Part 1

The Grimdark future of the 41st Millennium may be a war zone but there is enough ridiculousness that you can make it light of it. Please note I will be talking about major factions and not diving too deep, this geek list would go on forever if I did all the Space Marine Chapters, Chaos Warbands etc. For this article we will look at the Imperium.

Having realised that Al looks a little like A.I. I will not be using A.I. in any way

Note: When I started this list it was still 9th Edition. Now that we're in the arse end of 10th Edition, some of the stats and rules may be wrong.

Imperial Agents

The Imperium of Man, led by the God Emperor of Mankind/Corpse Emperor* are the so called “Good Guys.” After 10,000 years of steady decline; since the events of the Horus Heresy (basically Emps was a bad dad and half his sons decided to give him the finger, Horus who was at the time his favourite tried to usurp Big E but ultimately failed) the Imperium fell into a state of disrepair, Religion replaced science and fear spread across Holy Terra (sounds familiar). the High Lords feared anything that would challenge their narrow minded view just as much as the feared losing what power they had, 10,000 years of steady decline was mixed with 10,000 years of corruption.

Imperial Agents are made of the following: -

Assassins - Officio Assassinorum. We Kill because we Care. Vindicare assassins will shoot you from 3 miles away, Culexus assassins are the anti-psyker specialist that no-one can stand to be around. Callidus assassins use the old “Mad Eye Moody” method of getting near their targets, whilst Eversor assassins are simply a one man combat squad out of their gourd on combat stimms. Venenum assassins will poison you before you know it, and the Vanus will steal your information and use it against you.

Inquisition - You’re the bad guy because we said so. 100% above the law and delivering you your daily dose of Exterminatus. Ordo Hereticus is more or less the Spanish Inquisition, Ordo Xenos are the Men in Black, Ordo Malleus are are like Van Helsing only with chainswords and Inferno Pistols.

Inquisitorial Agents - The kind of people an Inquisitor is likely to have as staff; may include Psykers, Gunmen, Blade Cultists, Mystics, Savants, Gun Servitors, nuts and gluten.

Adeptus Arbites - Space Cops, 40K's subtle nod of the head to 2000AD's Judge Dredd. Typically come in two forms, the Exaction Squad and the Subductor Squad. Exaction squads are designed to hunt down specific, and presumably dangerous, individuals. Subductor Squads are a bit like Riot Control, they come armed with Shock Mauls and Comat Shields.

Rogue Trader Entourage - Privateers of the Warhammer universe, little more than pirates. Each comes with their own crew, almost as fancy, if not fancier, than an Inquisitor's merry band of hangers on. Voidmen-at-Arms provide fire support, Breachers are specialists at breaking through wall, bulkheads and fortified lines. Rogue Traders also come with Death Cult Assassins, Lectro-Maesters (which actually do give the Mechanicus a woody), and Rejuvenat-Adepts who perform medical care and keep the Rogue Trader and their entourage looking young.

Notable Persons

Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn - An Ordo Xenos Inquisitor who starts of being as a puritan but decides it’s more fun being a shady inquisitor. Not that great on the tabletop, his Runestaff one of his better weapons, he does get to run a Daemonhost on the table and has a Feel No Pain on a 6

Inquisitor Katarina Greyfax - From the halls of the Ordo Hereticus comes Inquisitor Greyfax. Like Eisenhorn she is a psyker and suffers from overlooked stats. The best weapon she has is her power sword and she’s good at Deny the Witch tests and can ignore Look Out Sir.

Inquisitor Karamazov - A puritanical Hereticus inquisitor who thunders across the Imperium on a motorised throne; stomping on his foes and unleashing his puritanical fury from his multi-melta (a miniature fusion gun that shoots a blinding blast of heat tens of thousands of degrees in temperature). His multi-melta is by far his strongest weapon, dealing D6+2 damage at half range

Inquisitor Torquemada Coteaz - Another (sigh) psyker, Coteaz is never seen without his Psyber Eagle, which he could channel his warp powers through, he also takes to the battlefield with his Daemonhammer. His mighty hammer does comes with S6 AP-3 and deals 3 Damage. He, like the others, has been ignored by GW

Inquisitor Kyria Draxus - A radical Inquisitor, Kyria is most known for her psychic connection to her Wyvachs familiar, Shang. She also has an Aeldari Shuriken pistol named Diresinger, which comes with S4 AP0 2 Damage, unless you manage to roll a 6 in your wound rolls in which case it gets AP-3. She also has a Powerfist that has marginally better stats. Kyria’s only real benefit on the tabletop is the ability to select her target when she casts Smite, so long as they are within 18”

Eristede Kell: A Vindicare Assassin that formed part of the Execution Force tasked with snuffing out Horus Lupercal. An Epsilon-Dan (how do you get one of those, I’m only 2nd Dan) who failed in his task and became corrupted by the Ruinous Powers and ended up serving the Warmaster. In a mission to kill the Saint Euphrati Keeler, Kell ended up being bifurcated by Nathaniel Garro. In his spare time, Kell enjoyed flower arranging, tea parties, and crochet.

M’Shen: Possibly the most effective Callidus Assassin in history. M’Shen is the only known mortal to assassinate a Primarch. During the Horus Heresy’s endgame, M’Shen took a trip to Tsagualsa to walk the stunning beaches and take in the sights. M’Shen just happened to stumble upon the Night Lords and decided that it was her duty to snuff out Konrad Curze AKA the Nighthaunter AKA General Greaseball. The whereabouts of M’Shen are up for debate, some say she’s dead, others she’s on a beach somewhere sipping Mojitos.

The Garantine: From an Oort Cloud near the Perseus Null comes this deranged psychopath. Having killed everyone who lived on his asteroid before he could read, this mad marauder of mass murder was only a child when he was snatched up by the Eversor temple and given the Captain America treatment sans the Vita Rays. As part of the Execution Force tasked with executing the Arch-Traitor Horus, he ends up failing.

Iota: The Culexus Assassin attached to the Execution Force dispatched to slay Horus, maybe if they tried stand-up they would’ve succeeded, and ultimately she would end up as a smear on the pavement. Iota was a unique variant of the Culexus Temple, she was in fact a clone of a collection of Pariah genes mixed in a test tube. More akin to a xenos than a human, she was shunned by society which does nothing to boost her self-esteem but makes her desirable when it comes to giving psykers a bad day

If this were a movie it would be: Michael Bay’s Transformers series, Starts of well and kind of shoots itself in the foot with the unnecessary sequels that try to undo the damage done by the previous film.

If this were a TV Show it would be: Neon Genesis Evangelion

If this were a book it would be: The Hunger Games Trilogy (starts of good, gets a wee bit better and then divebombs towards the end)

If this were a country it would be: Russia, one guy in charge and if you don’t follow the rules you get “fixed” by one of the agencies at the leader’s disposal

Al’s Opinion: If you like xenophobic, technophobic, space Nazis then you’ll love the Imperium. About as “good” as wet fart, but probably the best out of a bad bunch. From a lore point of view it all makes sense when you try to justify the corrupting stagnation. The Emperor wanted a world of science and reason, the Imperium wants to put the blinkers on and pretend nothing is wrong.

On the Tabletop these factions are more support instead of mainstream; you can run Imperial Agents as a faction but the only way to do so would be to run them in conjuction with Grey Knights, Deathwatch, or Sisters of Battle. It would be nice to see them developed into something better than what they currently are but that is unlikely to happen.

Space Marines

The Space Marines are the Imperium’s scalpel, genetically engineered demigods and all round snappy dressers. They are the Emperor’s Angels and they show no fear, that is until the IRS show up to claim unpaid taxes. In the Grimdark future of the 41st Millennium; there are thousands upon thousands of chapters of Space Marines, all in one way or another tracing their family tree back to the first 20 Founding Legions.

The Adeptus Astartes are almost like armies of children, they give themselves daft titles (they call a Psyker, which is basically a wizard, a Librarian) and have lots of toys to play with (like storm bolters, meltaguns, and lascannons.)

Note: I’m including the Primarchs as an honorary mention, you can field 2 Imperial Primarchs and 4 Traitor Primarchs on the tabletop with a rumoured 2 more on the way.

Original 20 Legions

1: Dark Angels - King Arthur and the Knights Who Go Nay. The Dark Angels are your brooding, monastic knights with a knack for keeping secrets, such as the betrayal, incarceration, and release of heretics. And who can forget Cypher? This badass is listed as a renegade but no one actually knows if he’s loyal or not.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines

Azrael - Not your typical Archangel but a Dark Angel, in fact he is the Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master. He honestly has the worst luck. Just after crossing the Rubicon Primaris, the Rock is assaulted by Vashtorr the Arkifane seeking some Old Ones Tech. If you’re ever in doubt which Angel is Azrael, just looke for the one with the biggest wings on his helmet. The Dark Angels identify rank by wings on their helms.

2: Excommunicated - Bad Boys who were “erased” from records

3: See ScumChaos Space Marines for more information

4: Peter Petulant has taken his ball and gone home, you’ll find him in Chaos Space Marines

5: White Scars - Mongolian Speed Freaks. If you were to guess which Legion would turn traitor you would be forgiven for thinking White Scars, and rightly so. The White Scars not only rush into battle at Warp Factor 5, they laugh as they slaughter their enemies.

Chapter Master/Notable Space Marines

Qin Xa - The commander of Jaghatai Khan’s elite honour guard, the Keshig, whose death during the battle of Terra helped assure imperial victory

6: Space Wolves - Wolf Loving Space Vikings. Sons of Fenris who spend their time eating meat, drinking mead, telling tall tales and listening to Grand Magus. This is of course in between the fights. There’s nothing more they love to do than fight. Your average day for a Space Viking consists of Kill Something, Kill Something, Party Up, Kill Something, Kill Something, Party Up, Sleep, Repeat.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines

Logan Grimnar - Viscount Viking, the High King of Fenris. For 500 years he has battled across the galaxy, he has seen battle at Armageddon, during the 13th Black Crusade, and across the Dark Imperium to name a few battles. He can often be seen being carted around in a wolf drawn chariot. On the tabletop he comes with the Axe of Morkai which comes with S8 AP-3 3 Damage stats.

7: Imperial Fists - Fortnite Players of the Imperium. The Imperial Fists love building fortresses, and enjoying a bit of siege craft. However, the Imperial Fists are a little like the Dark Angels in a way. Where the DA like to Lord it over everyone that they are the 1st Legion, the Fists like to Lord it over everyone that they are the Praetorians of Terra and helped build the defences of the Imperial Palace. When not guarding Terra, or being tricked into assaulting a fortress of death, they like cruising the stars in their star fortress The Phalanx.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines

Tor Garadon - The Duke of Dour. Callisto born Tor Garadon spent his career as an Imperial Fist not seeking fame nor glory, instead just doing the job he was engineered for. However his many accolades eventually caught up with him and saw him get promoted to Captain of the 3rd Company. On the tabletop his Grav-Gun comes with S5 AP-3 D1 stats but does 2 damage if shooting a target with a Save of 3+. He also comes with The Hand of Defiance with S12 AP D3 stats

8: Currently terrorising the Chaos Space Marine section

9: Blood Angels - Space Vampires. Heralding from the radioactive wasteland that is Baal Secundus, these Space Marines are one of those Legions you would place money on when betting on who the traitors are. You would of course be wrong. Despite the cannibalistic savagery of the Blood Angels (yes they eat the flesh of those they beat in combat) and the habit of running into battle streaked with blood, they are loyal to big Emps. If you took Dracula and mixed him with Hannibal Lector you might just make the average Blood Angels battle brother’s pinkie finger. With the demise of Sanguinius, the Blood Angels now suffer from the Red Thirst and Black Rage. The Black Rage causes this afflicted to suffer from a maddening rage either before or during battle, which has the unfortunate side effect of a slow March towards death. Those suffering from the Rage have to paint their armour black, except from a red X, and can only be commanded by the Chaplains of the Legion. The Red Thirst, which can only be cured by a can of Tizer, gives each Angel a craving for battle and a need to spill blood. The Red Thirst, unlike the Black Rage, is caused by a flaw in the geneseed.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines

Lord Commander Dante - The oldest living Space Marine in the history of the Imperium because he’s a vampire and an absolute legend. Not only does he sleep in a coffin filled with the blood of his enemies, but he’s gone toe to toe with Tyranids and survived. He’s such a badass that Guilliman made him regent of Imperium Nihilus, which is like giving Delta Force control of Arkansas.

10: Iron Hands - Six Thousand Dollar Men. Thanks to the Necrodermis on the arms of Ferrus Manus, the Iron Hands have taken to replacing their flesh with bionics where possible, much the same way as the Tech-Priests of Mars. The Primarch however, thinks this is a big mistake as it begins to rob the Hands of what little humanity they had. Aside from constantly tending to their augmetics; the hands have been known to dabble with smithing and other weapon making skills, and on the battlefield the Hands take an approach that reflects their demeanour, a direct full frontal assault.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Sabak Wayland. There are many Iron Hands that could be on this list but most of them are as dull as dishwater, Sabak and Nykona Sharrowkyn of the Raven Guard attempted to assassinate the Posing Purple Primarch Pretty Boy, Fulgrim.

11: Nothing to see here

12: These drooling madmen are taking part in the World Burger Challenge on Skalathrax. If you want to take part in this Challenge see Chaos Space Marines for more information

13: Ultramarines - Posterboy Ultrasmurfs. When you mention Space Marines to most fans, they automatically think of the Ultramarines. You could say that GW have a knack for giving the Ultramarines a lot of attention and you’d be wrong. I’ll let you in a little secret, the Ultramarines get a lot of attention due to the Orks’ belief that blue is a lucky colour, why else would they have a movie with the vocal talents of John hurt and Terrance Stamp about them? The Ultramarines get a lot of hate from the the community which I personally think is unjustified. If you are going to have a poster boy, a noble Ultramarine is the way to go.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines

Marneus Calgar - Big Poppa Smurf. Chapter Master of the Ultramarines; went toe to toe with the Tyranid Swarmlord and lived to tell the tale, rumour has it he lost his arms in that fight. Takes to the field with a pair of Power Fists that come with S8 AP-3 D3 Damage.

Uriel Ventris - A captain who was given a death oath by Marneus Calgar for failing to uphold the Codex Astartes and sent on a quest to either reclaim his honour or die. Ended up being used as food inside a Daemonculaba. Escaped only to end up in the middle of a civil war on the world of Salinas before returning to his Chapter with his honour and a missing eye.

Varro Tigurius - Say what you want about the Ultramarines, Tigurius is a badass that very few Astartes can emulate. His status as a badass is second only to Ciaphas Cain and his stalwart aide, Jurgen. Why is Tigurius such a badass? He's the only imperial psyker to read the gestalt consciousness of the Tyranid Hive Mind and walk away unscathed. That's right, he read the mind of the big brain behind the bugs and was still able to complete the daily crossword in the Macragge Times. He was among the first Ultramarines to cross the Rubicon Primaris when Belisarius Cawl paid Ultramar a visit with Yvraine to resurrect Guilliman. A badass worthy of the word

14: At home enjoying Covid, Spanish Flu, and Space Aids. You’ll find them at 123 Chaos Space Marine Drive

15: With my mystical powers known as Sleight of Hand, I’ve moved these guys to Chaos Space Marines

16: Sons of Who? Check CSM, they might be in there

17: Off preaching to their fellow Chaos peeps

18: Salamanders - Pyromaniac Blacksmiths. Can’t say anymore than that. The Salamanders love their flamers and other pyroclastic weaponry, but have a respect for humanity instilled into them by Vulkan. They may have jet black skin and red eyes but they are decent guys, the sort who will pick up the tab at the bar.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: First Captain Artellus Numeon. There are a few notable Marines that could make this list such as Vulkan He’Stan; but Numeon was one of the few that believed Vulkan lived whilst all others including his fellow Primarchs, believed he was dead. After convincing the Ultramarines to let them brave the Ruinstorm, Numeon took Vulkan back to Nocturne and carried his “corpse” into the fires of Mt. Deathfire to offer himself up as a sacrifice to resurrect his Primarch. Needless to say this act of selflessness brought Vulkan back, too bad he decided to Foxtrot Oscar not long after

19: Raven Guard - Creepy Emo Guerilla Fighters. The masters of hit & run attacks and guerilla tactics. Just imagine the Vietcong but jacked up on all the steroids. These guys will infiltrate a planet, rattle up the locals to rebel against their leaders and then lay to waste anyone opposing them. When not infiltrating an enemy stronghold and setting up the Space Marine version of a Punji Stake pit, the Raven Guard can be seen honing their ability to “Wraith-Slip” in the halls of the Ravenspire; where they also like to pull on fluffy slippers whilst sipping on tea and eating Blue Ribbands. It is also compulsory for every battle brother to own a copy of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: My pick for MVRG would Nykona Sharrowkyn. Not only is he the badass that tried to snipe Fulgrim during the Heresy, but he survived long enough to teach Lucius of the Emperor’s Children who the better swordsman was, twice. Sharrowkyn is currently in a state of suspended animation, awaiting revival for a crucial mission and avoiding the IRS.

20: Alpha Legion - The Office of Unspecified Services - You tell me they’re not loyal. So secretive that not even they know what secrets are real secrets. Specialists in subterfuge, intelligence gathering, propaganda, and coercion. These guys could give global intelligence agencies a run for their money. One of the few Chapters to employ regular people as agents. The Alpha Legion have operatives everywhere, next time you’re at the barbers or the hairdressers you might want to think twice before speak, you never know who might be listening.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Save from Alpharius and Omegon, there is Ingo Pech. Pech was the 1st Company Captain until the end of the Heresy and was fighting for the Emperor up until an eventful encounter with John Grammaticus. John left Pech in the deepest depths of the Imperial Dungeons with a motion sensitive mine attached to him, promising he’d return to free him. Needless to say he is still there to this day, but on the upside, no one is going to beat him at musical statues

Notable Chapters

Black Templars - “No pity, no remorse, no sense of humour, no fear.” Nothing exemplifies the über-zealotry that encompasses the Imperium than the Black Templars. Helbrecht & Co see the Emperor as nothing short of a God and there is no force in the universe will make them change their mind, they even have a unit titled ‘The Emperor’s Champion’ which reeks of Self Aggrandisement to me.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: High Marshal Sigismund. Sigismund was born on Terra and is a fine example of the self-made marine. Being one of the youngest members of the Imperial Fists to be inducted in to the Templars brethren and would eventually become Marshal, of course in order to become Marshal he had to fight 200 of his battle brothers which ended with a fight against a Dreadnought. Sigismund, ever the badass, didn’t actually want the fame or glory of Marshal and only took the challenge to see if he could do it. After the heresy, Sigismund became the High Marshal of the newly formed Black Templars chapter and decided that he would lie in wait outside the Eye of Terror, waiting on the return of Abaddon. He would eventually get the chance to exact his revenge but would end up falling at the Despoiler’s feet.

Excoriators - Dorn’s Descendants, The “We Forgot they Existed” Fists. Another successor of the Imperial Fists alongside the Black Templars. One of the 20 Chapters that makes up the Astartes Praeses whose job it is to guard the Eye of Terror and prevent any heretics from escaping. Needless to say they have their work cut out for them seeing as the Eye has erupted in to the Cicatrix Maledictum. The Excoriators have War of the Beast, the Defence of Certus Minor, and the 13th Black Crusade listed on their honour rolls. The Excoriators have a genetic flaw called ‘Dorn’s Darkness’ which renders them in a palsy like sickness which is meant to represent the darkest point in Dorn’s life. The Excoriators are the featured Chapter in the Legion of the Damned novel

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Zachariah Kersh. Kersh is the current Chapter Master of the Excoriators and all round badass. Kersh was the Chapter Scourge (another word for Champion), battling at the side of the previous Chapter Master. He suffered a run of bad luck after failing to stop the Alpha Legion from stealing their Chapter banner, the Stigmartyr, and leaving Kersh branded a failure. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Kersh repeatedly suffered from Dorn’s Darkness. However, Kersh would go onto win the Feast of Blades and be elevated to the rank of Corpus Captain of the 5th Company. Kersh ended up being the sole survivor of his Company after the battle of Certus Minor when a Khornate Pilgrimage known as the Cholercaust chasing the Keeler Comet came to visit, but ended up as a smear on the ground thanks to the intervention of the Legion of the Damned.

Iron Snakes - The Grecian Marines, Ithaka’s Finest, The Not Quite Spartan Soldiers. A little known Chapter guarding the Reef Stars from invaders. An Ultramarines Successor with a different approach to Chapter structure. The Snakes don’t have any companies but are instead arranged at the squad level with each squad being named after the very first squad sergeant. The current sergeant of each squad can be clearly identified by their comically oversized pauldrons and the lightning claw typically worn on the left hand. The Snakes have a unique relationship with their planet of Ithaka, the Great Sea Wyrms are said to know to cast judgement on Astartes that have been convicted of crimes. Should a battle brother be convicted, they are tied to a stake on a cliff edge and left for 6 solar hours. If they are innocent the Great Wyrm will eat them, if still standing then the Astartes would be put to death by the Chapter. The Snakes also take their homeworld with them whenever out on a mission in the form of the waters of Ithaka, which they spill upon the soil of any world they land on. Another thing the Snakes do that most Chapters don't, their serfs are actually Chapter initiates. With the Chapter not having a scout company, they prefer to use the new members as serfs for maintaining armour, and other serf related duties. For more information, see the Brothers of the Snake novel by Dan Abnett, which paints the chapter as an isolated chapter cut off from the Imperium.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: The commander of Damocles Squad, Sergeant Priad. Single handedly beat the snot out of a Daemon that had infiltrated their Chapter House having possessed a fellow battle brother. Had the balls to deny an order and chose to free Apothecary Khiron from jail so that he could have his buddy in the squad.

Astral Claws - The Astral Claws are a 10th Founding Chapter with no known parent chapter that eventually turned traitor. The chapter's decent into madness began when the chapter appointed Lufgt Huron was appointed as Chapter Master. Huron decided being Chapter Master wasn't enough, he wanted to be King. The Astral Claws descended on the Badab Sector and forced the populace in subjugation. Upon learning of this, the Imperium began the Badab War to reclaim the sector from Huron's tyranny and like any good villain, Huron and the Astral Claws escaped to fight another day. They had a brief chat with their Public Relations battle-brothers and decided to rebrand their business. Gone was Lufgt Huron and the Astral Claws, in their wake stands Huron Blackheart and the Red Corsairs

Lamenters - The Lamenters are the Imperium’s least lucky Space Marine Chapter. Not only do they have a horrendous pattern on their shoulders, black & white checkerboard, giving them a taxicab look with their yellow armour. The love heart also doesn’t help. They’ve been brought to near extinction twice, once in the Badab War and the other at the hands of the Tyranids. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they became friends with the Astral Claws and were branded as traitors when the claws started playing for the other team. However, a small streak of luck saw them being given clemency and sentenced to a 100 year long Penitent Crusade. The Lamenters are a Blood Angels successor that was created during the 21st “Cursed” Founding. Unlike the other successors of the Blood Angels, the Lamenters do not suffer from the Black Rage or Red Thirst, which probably explains their misfortune.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Malakim Phoros. Not only did he struggle with keeping a lid on the Black Rage and helping Huron Blackheart secede from the Imperium, he has to deal with rumours that he is still dead. Of course there is no way to confirm he is still alive

Legion of the Damned - In the 36th Millennium a crack Space Marine Chapter was lost in the Warp during a routine mission. These men were soon transformed into fighting force the Imperium had never seen.

They promptly escaped the Warp to the Imperial Underworlds. Today still wanted by the High Lords of Terra, these Space Marines exist as soldiers of fortune.

If you have a problem,

If no one else can help

And if you can find them

Maybe you can hire the D-Team.

Believed to be the remnants of the Fire Hawks Chapter, the Legion of the Damned only appear to those who are in dire need of it. They appear out of nowhere and will disappear just as soon as the battle is finished. Their armour is jet black with flames around the wrists and ankles and have been seen using vehicles and dreadnoughts which leads many to think that they recruit space marines who have recently died in dishonourable ways. The only side piece of knowledge known about them is that they are connected to the Emperor’s Tarot. See Legion of the Damned novel for more information

Crimson Fists - The Sons of Dorn once again take to the stage, this time with blue armour with, funnily enough, crimson gauntlets. The fists have made a name for themselves in the field of Ork Krumpin’ and despite taking many losses over the millennia, are still going strong. After many years of star trekkin’ and Ork butt kicking, they managed to find a home in the shape of Rynn’s World, only to spend every waking minute clearing it of Orks. One of the fists’ most recent actions was the execution of the Marines Vigilant Chapter who had decided that they had had enough and didn’t want to fight no more.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Chapter Master Pedro Kantor AKA Lord Hellblade AKA Sinister Crimson Fister. A badass 350 years young. Defended Rynn’s World from Waaagh! Snagrod, led a boarding party on an Ork Kill Kroozer, and personally beat down two Ork Gargants (Ork equivalent of a Titan).

Carcharadon Astra - The space sharks are one of the Imperium’s most enigmatic chapters of Astartes. No one knows who they are a successor of, some suspect they are a Raven Guard successor and some think they are a Chimeric successor (one whose gene seed is a blend of chapters), rumour has it they are connected to the Second Legion. What’s so special about the Space Sharks? Their pallid skin, there jet black eyes, and they replenish their losses by pulling a Drukhari (they descend upon an imperial world and kidnap slaves, serfs, and anyone else). Of course they often do trade Archaeotech with the AdMech. A sort of Quid pro Quo if you like. Another reason to like the Space Sharks, they are led by a man named Tyberos the Red Wake. The Space Sharks don’t have a typical chapter structure

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Tyberos “the Red Wake.” Who else were you expecting? A giant of an Astartes, towering above his Void Brothers even outside of his modified Terminator Armour. He isn't just bigger than regular Astartes, he's bigger than a Primaris Marine, he's rumoured to be the height of a Primarch. Some think he is the second Primarch. He strides into battle wielding dual lightning claws named “Hunger & Slake”

Blood Ravens - Knowledge is power, he who has all the knowledge is all powerful. The Blood Ravens are an enigmatic Successor Chapter from an unspecified Primogenitor. There is talk that their heritage is closely linked to the Horus Heresy, many in the Imperium suspect Magnus as their gene-father, due to the large number of psykers in the Chapter. The Blood Ravens were featured in the Dawn of War series

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Chapter Master Azariah Vidya. What happens when your chapter loses its Chapter Master and Master of Sanctity during Gothic War? The Master of the Librarium steps up to the plate and takes command, that is how Vidya came to the role. Having already distinguished himself among the Blood Ravens becoming their chief psyker, his cool headed approach during the Gothic War had him further elevated to the role of Chapter Master. Since then he has become one of the most revered marines in the history of the Blood Ravens

Aurora Chapter - From the world of Firestorm comes this Ultramarines successor. Their biggest claim to fame, they come from an industrial world that would rival most Forge Worlds. Most of their notable campaigns come from the Era Indomitus. They were drab green armour and their chapter badge is a lower case Greek Alpha on its side in a white 12 pointed star.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: This chapter is so boring that no one stands out, even on the Wiki Page

Black Dragons - The Black Dragons are probably one of the coolest chapters in the Imperium. This Salamanders successor suffer from a genetic mutation in the Ossmodula organ that causes the marines to grow bony crests from their heads and huge bony blades from their arms (imagine Baraka from Mortal Kombat). Despite protestations from the Imperium, the Black Dragons still continue their heretical practices

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Captain Volos. The 2nd Company Captain led a mission to purge horny space elves Drukhari from a ship known as Absolution. Having suffered losses at the hands of the Drukhari, Volos managed to achieve his objective with the help of one of the human crew. The plan was to make the ship’s atmospheric system to push out pure oxygen, and upon completion of this task, Volos would command his Dreadnought to ignite the oxygen with a flamer. They lost the humans but still got the win.

Howling Griffons - Staunch traditionalists successors of the Ultramarines. This Chapter loves nothing more than upholding their Oaths of Moment and seeing it through to the end. They turn their oaths into promises and will seek to deliver said promises by any means necessary, or until that marine has been slain in battle. The my take to the field in red and yellow checkered pattern which screams Partick Thistle fan to me.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Chief Librarian Mercaeno was the chief librarian of the Howling Griffons. During the 13th Black Crusade, Mercaeno led an assault against Periclitor (a daemon prince with a sexual attraction to filter coffee) and his band of Chaos Space Marines. After the death of Chapter Master Orlando Furioso, Mercaeno managed to banish the daemon and turned his attention to the leader of the Soul Drinkers, Sarpedon. In the end a memo the Soul Drinkers, known as Eumenes, killed Mercaeno only to be snuffed out by Sarpedon

Celestial Lions - An Imperial Fist successor Chapter that got on the wrong side of the Inquisition. Despite their harrowing victory at Armageddon, which almost caused their downfall, they were singled out by a radical group of Inquisitors as an example of what happens when Astartes stands against the Inquisition. If not for their brothers, the Black Templars, they’d be another chapter lost to the sands of time

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Chapter Master Ekene Dubaku. This former Pride Leader, Sergeant to you and me, was one of the few NCOs that survived the Mannheim Gap massacre. Eventually rising to the lofty rank of Chapter Master, Dubaku helped in the rebuilding of their of Homeworld Elysium. His tenure wouldn’t last as a Callidus Assassin beheaded him

Angels Sanguine - These Sons of Sanguinius embody all that is good about the Adeptus Astartes. They have an impressive record of Heroism & Valour and are heralded across the Imperium, but alas the cloud of suspicion hovers over their heads. The Angels don’t exactly give off a trust me vibe. The Angels never remove their helmets, unless they are only in the company of their brothers. Serfs, High Lords of Terror, Amazon Delivery Drivers, Postal Workers, anyone not of the Chapter doesn’t get to see their faces, ever! Even their fellow sons of Sanguinius don’t get to see behind the mask. This is likely due to a mutation in their gene-seed, which also gives them an almighty thirst for Guinness blood.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Librarian Ashok, currently on loan to the Deathwatch. Before joining the Ordo Xenos’ SWAT team, he was part of a team chasing Tyranids on the world of Hegelian 9 where he and his fellow brothers succumbed to the Black Rage. After he managed to regain some semblance of control, he made it back to the Angels Sanguine’s Fortress Monastery whereupon he was strapped to a table in the basement on a timeout. After he was taken off timeout, he was given the Shroud of Lemartes, a swishy new cloak. After his loan to Deathwatch, he faced down three Zoanthropes (Tyranid Psykers) and survived.

Mentors - The Space Marines that teach other Space Marines how to be Space Marines. A chapter that despises most of the Imperium and shy away as often as possible. The Mentors have been known to send Veteran Squads to help when the Inquisition ask, of course this allows the Mentors to impart their wisdom on their cousins

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Lieutenant Commander Wolfgang Amadeus Kalus Incarius. Sent to Elara’s Veil to determine if the Emperor’s Spears and Celestial Lions were still loyal to the Emperor. After being injured in a fight against Chaos Cultists and a Chaos Space Marine war and known as “The Pure” he crossed the Rubicon Primaris in order to be saved. He has taken the name Vadhán and become a member of the Emperor’s Spears

Doom Eagles - A grimdark successor of the Ultramarines, these guys are all about stealth and speed. When they assault the enemy they rip ‘n tear them apart using swift strike after swift strike. They are notoriously pious and believe that they will die in service to the Emperor. They also love their dreadnoughts, it fits in with their “We are the Walking Dead” attitude

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Chapter Master Tulian Aquila. A veteran sergeant of the Ultramarines who served in defending Calth from the Word Bearers. After his appointment to Chapter Master during the Second Founding, his fatalist outlook on rubbed off on his fellow battle brothers

Charnel Guard - These Suspected Sons of Sanguinius are a bit of an oddball chapter. When not on campaign, or propping up their local Taco Bell, they seal themselves away in stasis units. This has the uncanny benefit of giving them an armoury of antiques. As part of the Triarchy, a trio of Blood Angels successor chapter, they scour Imperium Nihilus for enemies of the Emperor. Like many successor chapters, the Charnel Guard have a distinct mutation in their gene-seed. The mutation has led them to developing elongated eye teeth, grey skin, and giving them breath that could fell a grox is like a mix between ash and a rotten corpse, think Nosferatu in Vampire the Masquerade. They have a nice chapter logo; it’s a white vampire skull inside a black gothic cross on a field of maroon

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Chapter Master Zephon. Zephon was a Blood Angel who fought at the Battle of Terra and first Chapter Master of the Charnel Guard. He was recruited to help with the War in the Webway and suffered immune rejection of his cybernetic limbs, with a little help from Arkhan Land involving AI, Zephon eventually overcame this but records of his deeds are lost to the sands of time

Scythes of the Emperor - A successor of the Ultramarines. A chapter that traces its roots back to the Horus Heresy but was almost extinct as their homeworld of Sotha saw it become the playground of Hive Fleet Kraken. The Chapter had its own resurrection with the aid of Belisarius Cawl and his Primaris Marines. Before their fall at the hands of the nids, the Scythes were involved with stopping the traitors getting their hands on the Pharos Beacon.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Chapter Master Thrasius, Thrasius served the Scythes as Chapter Master until his end at the hands of a genestealer infestation on the world of Sotha.

Minotaurs - Possibly one of the most hated chapters of Astartes, unless you are the High Lords of Terra, and all this is because no one knows who their Primogenitor is and their love for Astartes on Astartes action. From the cursed 21st Founding; the Minotaurs attack their enemies en masse, with a xenophobic attitude that would make an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor look like an Ork Hugger. The Chapter very rarely dispatches single squads and companies to fight; instead the Chapter fights as one and they relish each chance to do so, especially against renegade and heretic Astartes. Other Chapters will eschew any chance to fight alongside the Minotaurs because of their attitudes and the fact that they only listen to the High Lords of Terra. The Minotaurs, despite their ways, look awesome. Their Terminator armour is the 40K equivalent of Spartan Armour from Ancient Greece, and all armours is given the Spartan bronze and red colour treatment. On the tabletop the Minotaurs don’t get much love; in fact it is recommended you play them as an Imperial Fists successor, which if you ask me is a roundabout way of saying they were an Iron Warriors successor. It’s about time that the Minotaurs got their own page in the Codex, maybe with 11th Edition being released this year the Minotaurs might see some love.

Chapter Master/Notable Marines: Chapter Master Asterion Moloch, the Brazen Warlord, the Spear of Judgment, Mr This is Sparta. This paranoid Astartes washes his hands in the blood of his enemies. He throws a volley of Krak grenades into the enemy horde killing dozens, then watching the grenades explode. Moloch takes to the field like a transhuman blender in the name of the Emperor.

I’ve included the Primarchs as it didn’t feel right leaving them out, especially as you can run 4 of them on the tabletop

Primarchs

1: Lion El’Jonson. Primarch of the Dark Angels - In the Rock, the Solemn Rock, the Lion sleeps tonight, Colonel Sanders, Al Da Rook. Currently storming Imperium Nihlus

2: This number cannot be reached right now, please try again later

3: The Phoenician isn’t here right now

4: Currently Ironing his armour

5: Jaghatai Khan. Primarch of the White Scars - Genghis “Harley Davidson” Khan, High Marshal of the Hit & Run.

6: Leman Russ. Primarch of the Space Wolves - The Emperor’s Hitman and quarterback for the Carolina Raging Wolves.

7: Rogal Dorn. Primarch of the Imperial Fists - If beige where a person

8: Can’t come to the phone right now as he’s dead

9: Sanguinius. Primarch of the Blood Angels - Alucard 2.0, Teen Angel, Psychic Bob, Absolute Legend

10: Ferrus Manus. Primarch of the Iron Hands - Mr Fist Bump, Head & Shoulders Spokesman, The Primarch GW forgot

11: I heard you were in an accident that wasn’t your fault?

12: Clipping his nails

13: Roboute Guilliman. Primarch of the Ultramarines - Rowboat Girlyman, Robutt Sillyman, Robot G-Man, The Imperium’s Biggest Boy Scout, the Grand Administrator, Captain Tax Collector, Mr Gets the Job Done

14: Currently hiding from his Grandpa

15: Currently on tour in Las Vegas

16: This Primarch does not exist

17: Currently penning his memoirs about his Ornithophobia

18: Vulkan. Primarch of the Salamanders - Mr Nice Guy, the Drukhari Destroyer, Lazarus J. Gilgamesh, Hot Stuff

19: Corvus Corax. Primarch of the Raven Guard - Edgar Allen Whoa Where’d he come from? Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Corax Knows! Jetpack Joyrider, Guerrilla God, The Crow.

20: Alpahrius Omegon. Primarch of the Alpha Legion - Prepare for Trouble, and make it Double

If this were a movie it would be: The James Bond series, so many different movies; and when they reboot it, it doesn’t make it any better

If this were a TV Show it would be: Are You Afraid of the Dark x Goosebumps/Eerie Indiana, no cannon storyline with tales all over the place

If this were a book it would be: The Encyclopaedia Brittanica, each volume is different from the last

If this were a country it would be: WW2 Axis and Allied Countries, all doing the same thing but slightly differently

Al’s Opinion: The ice cream of 40K, with 40K flavours for everyone. Can’t find one you like? Create one. That’s the beauty of palette swap soldiers. There is far more to the Space Marines, this is just the tip of the Iceberg. There are a few Chapters who have their own Codex (rulebook/player manual), such as Black Templars, Ultramarines, Deathwatch & Greyknights.

Space Marines can be pretty costly on the tabletop due to all the shiny toys; and if you collected a lot of Firstborn you’ll hate having to recollect the Primaris versions. That being said, Reivers, Aggressors, and Hellblasters.

Adeptus Custodes

The Golden Guardians of the Golden Throne. These genetically engineered super soldiers were created specifically by the emperor for their purposes of defending the throne. Unlike their Space Marine cousins, each of the Custodes is unique having been lovingly engineered by the emperor on the cellular level (I bet he used biomancy); and unlike the Astartes, they have no extra organs as each one of them is epitome of human evolution. They are skilled at what they do, and what they do is helping their opponents meet their maker. Each custodian has a name a mile long; every battle they undertake adds a new name to the list, making birthday and Christmas card writing a nightmare

Branches of the Custodes

Hykanatoi - The Spear slinging slashers of the Custodes, and the main force that defends the Imperial Palace.

Sentinel Guard - The defensive guard and linebackers of the Custodes

Hetaeron Guard - The Custodes equivalent to the 1%

Kataphraktoi - Golden boy racers who zip about on their jet bikes trying to pick up girls/guys/orks*

Moritoi - This unit is made up of all the wounded and crippled Custodians, but instead of a nice retirement villa on a verdant paradise planet, they’re stuffed in a metal box and slapped inside mobile suit/mech/giant fighting robot*

Tharanatoi - The terminator squad of the Custodes. Unlikely to walk up to you in leather and say “Come with me if you want to live” in a thick Austrian accent. More likely to walk up to you in what can only be described as a tank on legs and say “Your bones! Give them to me!”

Saggitarum Guard - Need an enemy taken out from afar but are too cheap to pay for a Vindicare assassin? Use one of these guys

Ephoroi - For information please dial 999 and ask for MI5, the man in black at your door is nothing to worry about

Venetari - The Custodes jump pack infantry squad, and the custodes’ champions in the high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault (no those aren’t jump packs, they are just really well defined back muscles)

Custodian Wardens - The SAS of the custodes

Vexilus Praetors - The standard bearers of the custodes. But they also wave flags, twirl ribbons and are really great majorettes

Warders of the Vault of Rython - The Freemasons of the Custodes

Dankanatoi - The Custodes version of Delta Force, created solely to hunt traitors during the Scouring (Post Heresy)

The Shadow Keepers - The Wardens of the imperium's version of Area 51, the Dark Cells. To be a Shadow Keeper you must pass four trials against actual Daemons without armour and weapons, and without submission. They must wrestle a Khornate Daemon to submission. They must win a staring contest with a Tzeentchian Daemon, Survive being a room with a daemon of Nurgle whilst it eats a 15 course meal of beans, and resist the temptations of a Slaaneshi daemon. If they can pass all that, their armour is transformed on the molecular level to become black instead of gold.

The Aquilan Shield - The job of the Aquilan Shield is to protect anyone demed "important ot the future of the Imperium." They appear as if by magic, whisk the person away to safety, and guard them around the clock. Or at least they do until that person is no longer important. It could be a High Lord of Terra or a lowly Trooper in the Astra Militarum, if the Doomscryers of Terra determine someone is of great importance, you can bet your bottom dollar that a giant in gold and purple is nearby.

Sisters of Silence - An all female fighting unit who are Anti-Psyker Specialists. They don’t speak (no jokes please), hence the silence part of their name, and accompany the Custodes on their missions. They are also the masters of the Black Ships, which scour the galaxy for psykers to plug into the Astronomican to keep Big Emps alive. The Sisters are actually their own separate branch of the Imperium, but on the tabletop they are lumbered with the Custodes as they haven’t got their own Codex, yet.

Fighting Techniques

Custodes are taught a series of powerful stances known as Martial Ka'tahs, which irks me as everyone keeps calling it Karate.

Kata means "Formal Technique" in Japanese, they have katas for everything including putting their shoes away. A kata is just a formal way to do things; whereas Katas in Martial Arts were designed to allow students to practice at home, far from useless.

These fighting styles can be adopted in unison by entire Shield Hosts, and each has a preferred Ka'tah they use in battle. By doing so, the Shield Hosts bring centuries of training to bear with violent precision. Legend has it they are all named after a hero from Terra's second millenium known as The Duke of Nukem.

• Calistus - The "My Portable Projectile Weapon is considerably larger than your Portable Projectile Weapon" Stance. Calls for the Custodes to keep up relentless fire while they advance against their enemies.
• Dacatarai - The "Your posterior is ground flora and I possess the relevant horticulural tool" stance. An aggressive Imperial fighting style that has been adapted for the Custodes' use. It allows Custodes to deal with hordes that vastly outnumber them by effortlessly managing their foes' ebb and flow. This prevents the Custodes from being overwhelmed by hordes. The Dread Host specialises in its use.
• Kaptaris - The "I see the recently deceased" stance. Has been optimised to trap enemy units in melee combat. This allows the Custodes to parry, deflect attacks, or prevent their foes from falling back from combat. Kaptaris is ideal for maintaining an upper hand by controlling the battlefield.
• Rendax - The "My sexual are organs are akin to steel" stance. Used when facing a large number of foes.
• Salvus - The "I see the recently deceased" stance. Used by Custodes in battles where they want to ensure their foes are killed (presumably, all of them).

Some Ka'tahs are only used by Blade Champions specifically, Blade Champions are the best of the best of the best of the best. They spend years perfecting these styles in the Imperial Palace's Colosseia Auris.

• Behemor - The "That looked like it hurt" stance. Clinical strikes prevent even the toughest hide or armoured hull from withstanding the Champion's blows.
• Hurricanis - The "Come and have some of what I am offering" stance. Lets a Champion carve their way through enemy ranks in a blur of blade and blood.
• Victus - The "Praise the Regent, attractive female" stance. Execution techniques that have been used by Champions to claim the lives of countless tyrants and warlords.

Notable Characters

Constantin Valdor - The first Captain-General of the Custodian Guard who formed the right hand of the Emperor during the Unification Wars. After the Emperor was plugged into the Golden Throne and used to power the Astronomicon, Valdor decided to leave Terra. Some say he still fights for the Emperor, some say he’s the King in Yellow (see the Bequin Trilogy), all we know is he is a badass. He comes complete with the Apollonian Spear which comes with S10 AP-5 D3+3 Damage, the only problem with Valdor is that he’s no longer playable on the table

Ra Endymion - A tribune that fought in the War in the Webway during the Horus Heresy. Ended up being the vessel for the Daemon Drach’nyen and ordered by the Emperor to run.

Trajann Valoris - The current Captain-General (what is with these Soviet Russia era ranks) of the Custodes. Not as impressive as Constantin Valdor, but worthy of his title. Takes to the field with the Watcher’s Axe which boasts S10 Ap-3 3 Damage stats.

Valerian & Aleya - Ant-Man & The Wasp, Cloak & Dagger, Dredd & Anderson. This dynamic duo are the Talons of the Emperor consisting of one custodian (Valerian) and one Silent Sister (Aleya). Aleya comes with her psychic null abilities and a blade call Somnus which comes with S6 AP-3 2 Damage. Valerian comes equipped with Gnosis which has S7 AP-4 2 Damage and has an ability to ignore abilities such as Armour of Contempt and Feel No Pain.

If this were a movie it would be: Spaceballs, brilliant and often overlooked

If this were a TV Show it would be: Most 80s cartoons, don’t come any better than that. Despite them being cheesy and questionable at best

If this were a book it would be: Frank Herbert’s Dune, it’s a masterpiece

If this were a country it would be: As if such a country existed, but if I had to pick one I’d say Denmark due to their Social Mobility Score

Al’s Opinion: The Emperor’s Golden Guardians. Protecting his decaying corpse 24/7. Ruthlessly efficient and worthy of the name Custodian. The fandom is divided between the Custodes at the minute; those who like the idea of female Custodes and those who are wrong don't, there is nothing in the lore that specifically prevents any of the Custodes being female (unlike the established Astartes lore) and I for one welcome the idea of a female Custodian, If you’re looking at playing the game, the Custodes are one of the cheaper armies to run, you don’t need a lot of units to field an army, they hit like tanks and are basically two colours.

*Delete as appropriate

Grey Knights

Chapter 666, the Slayers of the Beast. The Grey Knights are the special Space Marine forces that work with the Ordo Malleus. They are a ragtag chapter that consists only of Psykers (wizards). Each knight is specially trained and conditioned to resist the temptations of the immaterium, with their gene seed coming directly from the Emperor’s genome.

From their Fortress Monastery on Jupiter’s moon of Titan they descend onto the battlefield, slay the daemons and those possessed by daemons, before disappearing as if they were never there. Recruitment into this esteemed order sees potential candidates, male children with psyker potential, trekking all over Titan to prove they have the discipline and physical prowess to join the brotherhood. Not just one march across Titan, but two. The first is to test them to see if they have the physical resolve, the second is a march through the chemical cess pools of Xanadu. Here they see the bones of previous aspirants; whether they died from being too weak, or from the exploding shock collar around their neck. That's right, each aspirant must keep his immature powers in check lest his head be blown off. After the harrowing trek across a barely habitable moon, they undergo the elevation to Astartes, which involves implantation of an extra 19 organs (Grey Knights don't have Primaris, yet), and hypno-matic conditioning and training. The Grey Knights have the best facilities known to the Imperium for turning aspirants into Astartes.

However, in order to become a fully fledged Grey Knight, they must pass the 666 Rituals of Detestation to prove the Ruinous Powers cannot corrupt them in any way possible, and you thought your final exam was bad? If they pass they are implanted with hexagrammic and pentagrammic wards of purest Silver under their skin to protect them from any daemon.

They were created by Malcador the Sigillite in the closing days of the Horus Heresy, and can boast the fact that no brother has been corrupted by chaos. However, as cool as they might sound, they do tend to be the butt of a joke. Space Marines have Centurion Armour, think Ironman's Hulkbuster Armour, and if that wasn’t daft enough; the Grey Knights can field a Nemesis Dreadknight; whilst the name sounds cool, it looks like a giant baby carrier. Think the mech from the movie Avatar, but in 40K.

Fraters from different Maters

Like any good Space Marine Chapter, the Grey Knights arrange themselves neatly into Brotherhoods, each led by a Grand Master.

1st Brotherhood: The Swordbearers - Masters of the Grey Knight Armoury

2nd Brotherhood: The Blades of Victory - Masters of Rapid Assault

3rd Brotherhood: The Wardmakers - The Legends Brotherhood

4th Brotherhood: The Prescient Brethren - The Masters of Fortune Telling and Lottery Predictions.

5th Brotherhood: The Preservers - Guardians of the Sanctum Sanctorum (Does that mean Doctor Strange is secretly a Grey Knight?) where the Chapter keeps it's Dreadnoughts.

6th Brotherhood: The Rapiers - The Grey Knights' accounting department. They do not like sending out troops frivolously.

7th Brotherhood: The Exactors - The brotherhood that deals with the Inquisition to keep interactions to a minimum.

8th Brotherhood: The Silver Blades - The Grey Knights' equivalemt of a Scout Company. Most new brothers end up serving in the 8th when they begin their service.

If this were a movie it would be: The Matrix, great film spoiled by unnecessary sequels, or any film about killing demons

If this were a TV Show it would be: Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)

If this were a book it would be: To Kill a Mockingbird, the book was already good it didn’t need a sequel

If this were a country it would be: Vatican City, the Catholic Church likes its exorcists and the Grey Knights are the closest thing to an Exorcist in 40K (not including the Exorcist Chapter as they are supposed to be super secret)

Notable Characters:

Kaldor Draigo - The current Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights and current pain in the Warp’s posterior. He’s currently waiting for the time when his battle brothers desperately need him, and his Pepperoni Supreme pizza from Papa Johns. In M41, being the badass that he is, carved the name of his predecessor onto Mortarion’s heart. A feat the Plaguelord has vowed to avenge. Draigo currently scours the realm of Chaos like he's the motherfudging Doomslayer sticking it to the Warp Gods with his master crafted sword, The Titansword.

Supreme Grandmaster Janus - One of the original 8 members recruited by Malcador to help the order flourish. Starting life as Sergeant Revuel Arvida of the Thousand Sons where like his brothers, was a victim of the Flesh Change. Malcador kind of fixed this by binding Arvida with a shard of Magnus (part of Magnus’ shattered soul).

Grand Master Aldrik Voldus - Grand Master of the 3rd Brotherhood and Warden of the Librarius, making him both the boss and Chief Librarian of the Third Brotherhood. Voldus joined the Ultramarines in defence of Ultramar during the Plague Wars and was present for the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman.

Castellan Garran Crowe - Crowe is the head and brotherhood Champion of the Purifier Order. As head of the Purifiers he wields the Black Blade of Antwyr, a daemon infused blade that constantly tests Crowe’s resolve. In 10th his black blade with purple flames has 5 attacks, S6 AP-2 2 Damage stats and hits on a 2+. And it comes with Devastating Wounds which is great if you roll a lot of sixes. In 9th he had the ability to ignore being killed the first time it happened in game.

Al’s Opinion

The Grey Knights are a lot like action figures, they start of great but keep getting unnecessary add-ons. They are one of the cheaper armies with players only needing a few models to play a 500pt or 1000pt game, and super cheap to paint but be prepared for a half hour for every psychic phase. Grey Knights are also the only Space Marine faction that can run Terminators as a Battle Line unit, that's terminators as FRONT LINE INFANTRY! All thanks to their Martian friends on the moon of Deimos.

Deathwatch

Deathwatch are the special forces branch of the Ordo Xenos, and spend their days hunting down Xenos (that’s aliens to you and me). Each member is taken from their home chapters, their armour is painted black save for one shoulder, they are then given the sigil of the chapter and dispatched to carry out a specific mission. These missions can last from days to decades. The marines that make up Deathwatch can be press-ganged drafted for various reasons. Some are the last of their chapter, whilst their brothers laid down their lives, they were at the ice cream van or hiding under a rock. Some are using it as penance for a previous action that has brought shame upon them and their chapter. Some do it for the $h!ts and giggles. It doesn’t pay to be ET when Deathwatch are in the neighbourhood

In the lore there are a lot of mixed feelings. Some see it as an honour and dream of the day they are called up to serve, others see it as a stain on the honour of those that have served. Some return heroes, others return as pariahs. Some don't return at all, there are those who are lifelong Deathwatch members, preferring the simple "Hunt and Kill the Xenos" to the complicated politics of their home Chapter.

The Deathwatch are the only Space Marine force to fly about in the Corvus Blackstar. It is as fast as a drop pod, as manoeuvrable as a Stormtalon, and has the firepower of a Stormbird or Thunderhawk. It's part F-117 and part Blackhawk.

If this were a movie it would be: Aliens, as much as the Ordo Xenos could be considered the Men in Black (dibs on being Agent K), Deathwatch really are the 40K version of the Colonial Marines from Aliens (Ripley sold separately)

If this were a TV Show it would be: Power Rangers. A group of people defending humanity from evil space aliens, except they all wear black and carry bolt rifles

If this were a book it would be: Starship Troopers (especially if they are fighting’Nids)

If this were a country it would be: India, I’m basing this purely on the results of a World Population Review of the World’s Most Racist Countries

Notable Characters

Asger Warfist - AKA The Wolf Lord (you would think the Space Wolves had a wolf fetish or something). Warfist is a Deathwatch brother that originally comes from the Space Wolves. During the War of the Beast, Warfist and a team of Dark Angels ran missions for Lord Commander Koorland, eventually Koorland with kid establish the Deathwatch and appoint Warfist as the first Watch Commander.

Mordigael - Master of the Vigil of Watch Fortress of Erioch, and skilled son of Sanguinius. Modrigael is often described by his friends as having a statuesque appearance whilst being able to wield his charisma like a weapon. A veteran of Deathwatch service, AlucardMordigael has volunteered for duty no less than three times in his life. Currently he watches over the Jericho Reach

Watch Captain Artemis - Artemis started life as one of the Mortifactors and found himself drafted into the Deathwatch due to his ability to sense aliens and recognise alien incursions and influence on imperial worlds. Artemis and his Deathwatch allies defeated the K’nib but being a humble guy, he let the Imperial Guard take the credit. Currently he has a bionic arm after his was lost fighting tyranids

Al’s Opinion

Bit of a niche faction to run. You won’t encounter many Deathwatch players, especially with units like Mortarion and Roboute Guilliman on the field for their respective armies but with individual specialist Kill Teams, Deathwatch can be a nice army for anyone with a penchant for black & grey. Deathwatch's biggest problem is when GW try to shoehorn them into Imperial Agents along with Grey Knights and Sisters.

Adepta Sororitas

Sisters of Battle, Nuns with Guns, Heretic Shamers with Heavy Flamers, the Emperor’s Slaughter Daughters.

From a chequered past under the auspices of one Goge Vandire (Mr Bond villain) to the Ecclesiarchy’s Militant Arm and go to Faction for the Ordo Hereticus. The Sisters are living proof that you have to be really specific when making laws about armies. The sisters were created in a response to the High Lords of Terra stating that no branch of the Government were allowed to have ‘Men under Arms.’

The Sisters are one the most interesting factions, they are super zealous which pays off in battles. They believe the Emperor protects them, which by some miracle actually works (the power of belief hard at work). They have a lot of crazy units in the game, such as the Penitent Engine which is what they plug heretics into. They field all sorts of mad weapons, making them hugely fun to play on the table.

To become a Sister; one has to be an Orphan that is recruited into the Schola Progenium, which is like a fancy prep school for those destined to join either the Inquisition, Commissariat, Tempestus Scions, or shipped off to any department within the Imperium. Those identified by the Drill Abbess and those deemed worthy are sent to either Terra or Ophelia VII for training. When the novitiate completes her training, she is taken before the Cannoness and the Palatines who will dispatch the new sister to one of many Orders within the Sisterhood.

Order Up

Like the Space Marines, Astra Militarum, Custodes, the Adepta Sororitas have a large list of subdivisions known as Orders:-

Order of Our Martyred Lady - One of the largest Orders of Sisters, formed when Saint Katherine bit the dust, don’t worry she’s back to lead the sisters once again in the form of the Triumph of Saint Katherine (honestly look into it yourself. It’s about as mad as a purple Ork).

Order of the Argent Shroud - Like silver? Like jumping in the deep end before learning to swim? Like winging it? Then this is the Order for you. A sister of this order simply runs in to battle screaming "die" without so much of a care as to her personal safety. The Argent Shroud are so devout they believe the Emperor will protect them from harm, probably the Orkiest of the orders

The Order of the Black Sepulchre - If you know anything about this order please call 1-800-HERETIC, our agents are standing by. Not much is known about order

Order of the Bleeding Heart - Do you have sacred bones you want looked after? Call now for your free quote

The Order of the Bloody Rose - Specialists in herding enemies into kill zones and the rushing them with chainswords. With an angry appetite for violence, these sisters strategically move about the battlefield with a chess grandmaster’s precision, just don’t let them get you into checkmate

The Order of the Blue Robe - Not much is known about this order other than they like silver and blue but don’t like anime loving space communists

The Order of the Crimson Oath - They like Crimson, they like oaths, nuff said

The Order of the Ebon Chalice - One of the largest and most revered orders. Created in honour of Saint Alicia Dominica, the sister who purged Goge Vandire from his position after it was discovered he was a d*ck.

The Order of the Fiery Tear - Another minor order and not just a description of the morning after vindaloo curry night

The Order of the Glowing Chalice - Another minor order with little information, but the glowing chalice certainly would explain their fanatical devotion and martial prowess

The Order of the Sacred Rose - Formed in the wake of Goge Vandire’s summary execution by Alicia Dominica (seriously, how did no one figure out he was an evil b*stard with that name). They march into battle in perfect harmony, adapting to the enemy’s tactics. The sisters of this order believe they are conduits for the emperor’s divine will, you could say they are the orkiest sisters of the Adepta Sororitas

Order of the Thorn - A minor order who will turn their enemies into sausages, chops and many varieties of mince as they butcher their way through the enemy

Order of the Valorous Heart - This order believes that they must atone for the sins of the past when the sisters were at the beck and call of Goge Vandire. On the battlefield they seek to take out the enemy’s supply routes and infrastructure before delivering the killing blow

Order Vespila - The battle sisters equivalent of forensic unit, often tasked with the sanctification of fallen sisters and will sometimes be called out to disinter corpses

Orders Dialogus - A non combat order who specialise in languages both human and xenos. You need someone to translate Klingon into Sindarin? Get yourself a dialogus

Orders Famulous - The diplomats of the sisters, a bit like the Bene Gesserit from Dune but without the special powers and bald head

Orders Hospitallier - The medics of the sororitas, and relief aid

Orders Pronatus - Specialists in retrieving, studying, and repairing any relics the Ministorum values as important, so that tv remote you lost under the couch has now been taken by the Pronatus for studying

Orders Sabine - Need a primitive culture to worship the emperor and follow the imperial creed? Dispatch one of these sisters and they’ll get the job done

Notable Characters

Saint Alicia Dominica - The OG Sister of Battle, Founder of the Order of the Ebon Chalice, Bearer of the Grail of Ages, and Smiter of Goge Vandire. Without the work of Alicia Dominica, there would be no Sisters of Battle, she’s just that damned important. All Battle Sisters die their hair white in reverence of Alicia Dominica. She died on the battlefield on Fridewide’s World from a single lasgun shot to the heart, she did tank a few hundred hits beforehand making her death seem anticlimactic

Saint Katherine - The founder of the Order of the Fiery Heart and second-in command to Alicia Dominica. Said to bear a personal shield called the Praesidium Protectiva which contains a piece of the Emperor’s own power armour, a bit like the the Crux Terminatus on terminator plate. With fiery determination and a vengeful spirit, she led her sisters across the stars purging heretics wherever she went. Her ultimate fate saw her slain at the hands of the Witch-Cult of Mnestteus. During her life she was proclaimed a Living Saint and even after her death still takes to the battlefield, even death won’t stop her purging heretics

Saint Celestine - The Living Saint, the Emperor’s Daemon Princess, the Avenging Angel. Little is known about Celestine save that she was a Repentia in the Order of our Martyred Lady. Just goes to show what you can achieve with a little hard work and some Divine Intervention.

Morven Vahl -

If this were a movie it would be: Sister Act. What else was it going to be?

If this were a TV Show it would: The A-Team with a dash of the Vicar of Dibley

If this were a book it would be: Warrior Nun Areala

If this were a country it would be: Italy, India has a huge Nun populace but I didn’t want to use India twice, Italy was the next obvious choice

Al’s Opinion

The Sisters of Battle are in my Top 5 armies, in fact as soon as I have about 2000-2500pts of AdMech I’m going to start a Sisters army. They have mad units like the Exorcist (which is a Space Marine Rhino with a church pipe organ that shoots missiles, bringing songs of praise and death from above), the Triumph of Saint Katherine (a unit composed of a literal funeral procession), and the Repentia Squad (sisters who don gym gear and repent for their sins by attacking the enemy with reckless abandon, and a big old chainsword known as an Eviscerator)

The best part is if you kill and enemy or one of your sisters is slain in battle, you get to roll 1D6 for every unit, the make up your Miracle Dice. If you have a bad roll, you can substitute a die for a miracle die to get the favoured result.

I would recommend the Army to anyone who wants to start, just for the madness of the Miracle Dice

Adeptus Mechanicus

From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I claimed the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the blessed machine.

Their kind cling to your flesh as if it will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass that you call a temple will wither and you'll beg my kind to save you, but I am already saved. For the machine is immortal.

Even in death I serve the Omnissiah.

-Attributed to Magos Dominus Redilus circa M41.

Mechanical Monks from Mars, Cyborg Clerics from Cydonia, Religious Robots from the Red Planet.

The true lifeblood of the Imperium. Without the AdMech, the Imperium would grind to a halt. The ships of the Navis Imperialis, the armoury of an Astartes Chapter, the tanks of the Militarum. All of it requires the AdMech in order to function.

The AdMech prize knowledge above all else; they beleive that all knowledge is part of the Machine God, but they see discovery and innovation as heresy. Rank in the AdMech is determined by two things, how much knowledge the individual has and how much of their body has been replaced by bionics and machines. The Fabricator General of Mars is the boss but each Forge World has a degree of autonomy.

Typical hierarchy in the Mechanicum is as follows:-

1. Fabricator-General - The Boss, the Head Honcho, one of the High Lords of Terra.
2. Magos - The Magi are specialists in different areas of the Mechanicus, typically they are a wealth of knowledge and esoteric dogma. If they don't know it, it is likely not worth knowning. The highest rank within the Magi is Prime Hermeticon.
3. Logis - The Logi are the analysts, statisticians, accountants and anything else regarding numbers of the AdMech. Nothing ever happens without their say so. Everything that happens in the Mechanicus is usually been run through the bean counters to see if the ha an acceptable cost. They are engines of cold, hard logic and if their cost/benefit analysis is not favourable, don't expect them to approve of your request. The highest rank within the Logi is Lexico Arcanus.
4. Genetor - Genetors are specialists in all matters biological. From the Astartes physiology to Xenobiology, they will learn all they can and of course how they can best convert people to the path of the Machine God. The highest rank within the Genetors is Magos Biologis
5. Artisan - Tech-Priests that are really good at building stuff. They specialise in building everything and they are known for making truly magnificent works. From a humble Gamma Pistol to ships such as the Ark Mechanicus. The design and build the best gear. The highest rank of Artisan is known as a Forge Lord.
6. Electro-priest - These are the people who worship the "Motive Force" or as we like to call it, Electricity. They have a ton of Electoos implanted beneath their skin, on their skin, and anywhere they can fit one. The Electoos help a Tech-Priest manipulate their own electrical current. For the Electro-Priests, it means channeling it into lightning based weaponry and whatever they need to hold a Kraftwerk concert.
7. Enginseer - AdMech Junior Management. They have a wealth of knowledge and have great aspirations. Typically they are dispatched with military fleets to ensure that the proper rites are carried out and that all machines are treated with respect. If you don't have an enginseer on board your ship then you aren't going anywhere because only they know how to kick start the plasma reactors.
8. Transmechanic - The Kwik-Fit fitters of the AdMech. The specialise in repairing stuff and nothing else.
9. Lexmechanic - Fancy word for Librarian, as in books not psykers. They compile information into a data engine on a daily basis. The AdMech's admin staff.
10. Runepriest - Not the Space Wolves "Librarian" but an almost entry level Tech-Priest. Typically only in charge of things like On/Off buttons. If you contact your local Runepriest expect to hear the advice "Has thou chanted the repective litanies of deactivation anf activation?"
11. Menials - If you and I joined the AdMech, this would be us.
12. Servitors - Mindless Drones (do not ask how they are made, it is horrifying)

There are specialist ranks such as:-

• Dominus - The warfare specialist
• Explorator - Those who seek lost knowledge and Archeotech
• Juris - These are the Tech-Priests that hunt Tech-Priests who break from standard practice, the AdMech's version of Judge Dredd.

The AdMech being an autonomous branch of the Imperium have their own military force, the Skitarii. The forces of the Skitarii are just as augmented as the Tech-Priests that command them. The Titans have their own specialist Skitarii known as Secutarii. The Skitarii have some great units such as:-

• Onager Dunecrawler - Spider tank powered by a Skitarii Vanguard (a Skitarii that is a walking nuclear battery)
• Ironstriders - Chicken walkers that are coraled in a pen during periods of inactivity because the AdMech lost the instructions on how to turn them off and are too afraid to try.
• The Pteraxii - Batwinged flying units that are part Da Vinci wet dream and part Robocop. Great in 9th, not so good in 10th.

There are divisions within the AdMech:-

• Collegia Titanica: The AdMech branch that produces the Titans or "God Machines" for the Imperium
• Knight Houses: Imperial Knights will fall into two different camps, Questor Imperialis and Questor Mechanicus. Whilst the Questor Mechanicus is loyal to the Imperium, their loyalty is Forge World First, Imperium Second.
• Legio Cybernetica: The elite faction within the AdMech that monitors and maintains all the AdMech's robots.
• Centurio Ordinatus: An Ordinatus is a massive [insert expletive here] weapons platform. Each unique and it is the duty of the Centurio to make sure they are not only in good working order but impossible for the enemy to use.
• Ordo Reductor: They like big guns and they do not lie

Forging the Future

The AdMech has countless Forge Worlds across the galaxy. Some have been lost to Xenos, some to the Ruinous Powers but most are still on the side of the Imperium.

Graia: Not so much a Forge World but a ring of Iron that surrounds a planet. A network of void stations arranged in a perfect circle, Graia simply just enters the Warp only to emerge soon after near a resource rich planet for them to mine the hell out of. Graia is known to produce Warlord Class Titans, Vengeance Launchers (grenade launchers with sticky grenades), Hellhounds, Manticores, and the Rapier Laser Destroyer. Graia forces are garbed in the crimson of Mars but prefer to accentuate the crimson with red because it symbolises spilt blood. Graia are also known for their strong steely will, and their love of bingo

Agripinaa: Agripinaa was the chief supplier of arms and ammo to the late world of Cadia. The forces of this world believe it is their Machine God given duty to smack the forces of Chaos around believing that the Forge World's Iconography, which is a Cog with the greek letter Pi in the middle, symbolises their duty to stand guard against the Eye of Terror. Agripinaa produces the Leman Russ Eradicator, as well as a variation of the Mk.2 Autogun. Agripinaa forces can be seen sporting a dashing black set of robes with a cream/beige interior, which I am told on good authority is made from velour. Masters of Defensive warfare, Agripinaa often provide the Premier League with goalkeepers.

Lucius: Formerly a hollowed out barren husk of a planet (sounds like my mum), the AdMech come along and turn it into one of the most productive Forge Worlds in the Imperium. This buy-in-large is thanks to the artificial sun at the heart of the planet. The Tech-Priests of Lucius have adopted the the theme of light in most of their daily rituals, including the daily visit to the artificial beach to bask in the glow of their artificial sun. Lucian Tech-Priests are the only ones in the Imperium to sport a sun tan. Lucius has a unique way of entering the battlefield, they sport an artefact known as "The Solar Flare" which when used causes their forces to emerge from the warp in a flash of blinding light, making the enemy feel like they are staring into the sun itself. Lucius are also big fans of Mars, with their colours being the crimson of Mars but with black interior

Metalica: "Ceasing, Cease and Desist." Forge World Metalica like no other as its surface is completely covered in metal, even the atmosphere refuses to support life of any kind. Clearly an homage to the legendary Heavy Metal band Metallica, Metalica specialises in the manufacture of engines of mass destruction. Metalica's weapons have been engineered to be louder than the weapons made in other Forge Worlds so as to inform the enemy who is about to obliterate them. Vast war engines of the Legio Metalica will fight fire with fire; and have the enemy scream "Don't tread on me" as their creeping death reminds them that nothing else matters as they lie broken, beaten, and scarred as an unforgiven stain on the boot of Metalica's metal militia. Metalica take to the battlefield with robes of white, using the Relentless March dogma. The forge world also boasts the Mechanicus' best bionics in the galaxy, the Adamantine Arm. This bionic arm turns it's bearer into the Six-Million Dollar Skitarii. An arm powered by batteries of micro-servo engines and wrapped in a skin of Adamantium (near indestructible like it's Marvel namesake), a punch from this arm will not only connect with the enemy but will break the jaw of the guy three rows behind the target.

Ryza: The Furnace of Shackled Stars. Another unique Forge World in the Imperium, as all the Tech-Priests have replaced their blood with plasma (superheated gas) and their hearts with a plasma reactor, given the forge world its nickname. Ryza likes nothing more than to build a weapon and then see it in battle first hand to make sure that it works as intended, or to gather data for potential improvements. Ryza, if you hadn't guessed already, are specialists in Plasma Reactors and Plasma Weapons; and with copper flourishes on their weapons and bionics, Ryza sport a nifty orange and red combo making them look like a protestant march when they enter the battlefield. Their Red in Cog and Claw dogma leads to their Skitarii being specialist in Hand-to-Hand combat, or at least it makes them really big fans of close quarters combat

Stygies VIII: Of the Stygies Forge Worlds, Stygies VIII has outperformed every one from Stygies I to Stygies VII owing to its reputation for dabbling in Xenos technology. This has often seen them being hounded by marines of the Deathwatch. A funny little forge world, Stygies VIII believe that by understanding alien technologies (also known as xenogear) will make the technology of the imperium even better. Being the sole producer of Vanquisher Cannons, Stygies VIII is second only to Mars in its manufacture of munitions. With a radical Red & Black combo, Stygies VIII enters the battlefield with Shroud Protocols engaged preferring to fight with stealth instead of open warfare. Their radical relic is a gauntlet armed with an array of digital lasers (which are apparently better than the analogue lasers we had back in the day) which is said to be of Jokaero origin, but what Batmaeno's opinion on this is yet to be made apparent.

Notable Characters

Belisarius Cawl - What sort of AdMech fan would I be if this list didn't start with the Archmagos Domina Dominus Belisarius Cawl? Probably just an average fan tbh as there are other characters out there who are just as famous. Where to start? Cawl is to the AdMech like a DVD Remote for the original Xbox, you know you need it but you don't want to admit you need it. Cawl is a renegade and is often on the cusp of being labelled a Heretek, and is ambitious to a fault. Cawl also has an ego a mile wide and a superiority complex that would put most PC Gamers to shame. That aside, he is by far the most brilliant Tech-Priest that has ever graced the sands of Sacred Mars. Unlike most Tech-Priests who are too afraid to be innovative, Cawl does what he does for the fun of it and because he can. Cawl is the sort of person that if you took your car into his garage to get it serviced for an MOT (an annual inspection to determine if your car is roadworthy), you'd come back to find that it is now a hover car that runs on the tears of virgins and has howitzers instead of headlights. Cawl's ambitions are only concerned with the "Can I do this?" rather than "Should I do this?"

Cawl is a genius by any measure of the word. He has mastered every discipline of the Cult Mechanicus (Magi, Artisans, Genetors, Logi) and has the respect of many an imperial citizen, although very few actually trust him. He was the mastermind behind the Primaris Project, the creator of the Armour of Fate which keeps Guilliman alive, and is currently trying to recreate the Blackstone Pylons of the Necrontyr. Cawl's biggest weakness is his own hubris, he believes he can do anything and that failure isn't an option. His hubris has led him to failing to create new Blackstone Pylons and the theft of his "son" Alpha Primus, a potent Primaris Psyker who is believed to contain the genetic lineage a few traitor Primarchs, by Fabulous Bill. Even with his faults you can't help but like Cawl, well I like him, he has some of the coolest gear in the galaxy. On the tabletop he wields a gun known as "The Solar Atomiser" which comes with up to D6 attacks, Strength 14, AP-4, 3 damage. In the lore he has his own ship, the Zar-Quaesitor. Cawl is the bad boy the Admech needs.

Arkhan Land - There are few members of the Adeptus Mechanicus that have had as great an impact on the Imperium as Cawl but then everyone over looks the legacy of Arkhan Land. Land was a Technoarchaeologist of the Martian Mechanicum during the Great Crusade and his discoveries have earned him immortality as a result, and by immortality I mean his name will live on forever more. Land discovered the Standard Template Constructs for the Land Raider, the Landspeeder, the Land Crawler, and the Mars Universal Land Engine (MULE for short) which would form the basis of the Onager Dunecrawler.

During the Horus Heresy, Land managed to help the Blood Angel Zephon bond fully with his bionics (by using an AI but keep that one under your hat) as well as helping fortify the Eternity Gate during the Siege of Terra.

Oud Oudia Raskian - With a name that can only have been thought up during a game of Scrabble, Raskian is the current Fabricator-General of Mars. Despite having almost no impact whatsoever, has made the history books as a result of being part of the High Lords of Terra cabal that smuggled a Drukhari into the Imperial Palace as well as being part of the expedition of Commorragh to source spare parts for said throne.

Felicia Taybor - Perlian Tech-Priest Engineer and one time love interest of the great Commissar Ciaphas Cain. Had a prehensile tail that she could use as a seat.

If this were a movie it would be: Ghost in the Shell (the original Anime version, not the ScarJo version)

If this were a TV Show it would: Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners

If this were a book it would be: Neuromancer by William Gibson

If this were a Country it would be: Japan, the home of Cyberpunk

Al’s Opinion

AdMech are my current go to army because I love the aesthetics and the lore. They have so many fun ways to overcome the opponent and they have to perfect excuse for when you want to speak to your kitchen appliances. A must have for any 40k fan. If you’re a fan of steampunk, cyberpunk, and body horror then you’ll love the AdMech. A bit under represented on the tabletop; whether it be due to the balanced dataslate crippling them in game, or due to their low toughness or lack of versatility. They do have some nice weapons such as the Twin Cognis Lascannon with its Strength 9 AP-3 and D3+3 Damage, or Ferrumite cannon with Strength 8 AP-3 3 Damage what’s not to love?

Astra Militarum

The Imperial Guard, the Hammer of the Imperium, Cannon Fodder, the Armoured Farmers, the Human Sandbags, the Walking Dead, the Meatshield, Commissar Triggerhappy and the Bulletsponges. The Guard come in about as many flavours as ice cream. Each of them specialise in some aspect of warfare but will usually turn a hand to whatever they are needed for, in which case they should be the Adjustable Spanner of the Imperium (I'll be here all week).

In the millions of worlds that make up the imperium of man, usually each Hive Worlds will their own Regiment of Guards people. As part of membership to the imperium the hive worlds will have to provide a tithe of regiments to Terra.

Recruit is typically voluntary but conscription isn't all that unheard of throughout the Imperium. Many worlds see service in the guard as a natural way of life. There is no standard training across the Guard as every world has a niche and a specific method of training.

Guard Regiments

I'd need an article just for the Guard alone to list them all. So here's a list of the best known Regiments:-

Cadian Shock Troops: The poster boys of the Imperial Guard. The Guard equivalent of the Dallas Cowboys. If this is your favourite Guard regiment then you are likely to be either new to 40K and this is the only regiment you know, or you enjoy screaming “Cadia Stands” into the faces of everyone you meet. 75% of Cadia’s population is a serving member in the CDS. Children learned to strip a lasgun before they were taught to read, before the age of 10 most children are expected to be proficient in military drills, and before puberty all cadian children must undertake a survival trial during ‘The Month of Making.’

Catachan Jungle Fighters: If you have a thing for sweaty beefcakes then this is the regiment for you. Hailing from a death world where literally everything wants to kill you. The Catachans are a ruggedly robust regiment who, despite being bottom of the food chain, like nothing more than running out to kill animals the size of trains. Of course this is just for breakfast, lunch and dinner are a different kettle of fish. The Catachans are famous for having Commissars that “mysteriously vanish” never to be seen again. Some say the Catachans kill them, other say that they end up deep in the jungle, all we know is that Commissars are hesitant to be part of the regiment. Catachans are usually always spotted armed with a Lascarbine and a Combat Knife Machete.

Armageddon Steel Legion: Hailing from the polluted industrial wasteland of a world, known to you and me as Armageddon. Masters of Siege Warfare and Attrition, never seen without their signature yellow trench coats and gas masks. Favouring armoured transports and other vehicles over standard infantry units. The Steel Legion will often spend their time fending off orks, chaos, Jehovah’s witnesses, and over zealous charity organisations.

Elysian Drop Troops: From the planet Elysia come the Orbital Drop Shock Troops Elysian Drop Troops. Specialists in HALO jumps and Ship-to-Ship boarding, they train relentlessly on the Elysian Fields [Citation Needed]. The reason the EDT are so good at their jobs? They spend their days beating off [giggle] pirates and orks who set up bases on the multiple barren moons. Elysians will often leap out of their Valkyrie Transports, sometimes without a parachute, and drop into the battle screaming ‘Here I come to save the day’ to the tune of Metallica’s Battery. If you’ve got friends on Elysia, don’t be surprised of the drop in through the roof for a spot of tea

Vostroyan First Born: Imagine you are a planetary governor who has decided that they are going to stick two fingers up to the Imperium and supply no more troops, resources etc to the Imperial War Machine. Now imagine that the Imperium have landed and stuck a Demolisher Cannon up your back passage and fired it at the nearest mountain range. As punishment for saying no to the Emperor, each family on Vostroya must give their first born child to the military for the Astra Militarum's tithe. Want to be an artist or a musician? Well guess what? If you’re the first born in your family you can be both those things, so long as the music is gunfire and your paint is the blood of your enemies. The First Born have a sort of Russian Cossack vibe, so take sip of Vodka and assault your enemies as if they were the Light Brigade

Death Korps of Krieg: Are you unable to decide whether you want to die at the hands of a Xenos species, being eviscerated by Chaos, being shot at by traitors, or bombarded by radiation? Well I’ve got good news for you, you can join the Death Korps of Krieg and let your deployment decide. Krieg was initially a loyal world of the imperium until it was gripped by civil war. In order to repent for the actions of a few traitors, the people of Krieg nuked themselves to near oblivion. The Krieg regiments are experts of trench warfare (some say they are all born in trenches wearing a gas mask and wielding a shovel)and bear a striking resemblance to the Wehrmacht of Germany, gas masks and all, excluding the near skeletal horses. Krieg however often has the habit of killing the mood. Krieg can make everyone in a room manically depressed by presence alone. It doesn’t help that the Krieg are near suicidal, as reflected in their tithes to the Imperium. In fact Commissars have great difficulty in stopping Krieg guardsmen from rushing into the battle, especially given they are there to stop deserters (however, many a commissar has been executed for showing “cowardice”). Krieg send more than the required, and often asked, for. This has led the imperium to question how Krieg submits so many troops. The question of the age of some of the recruits has been asked, many of the people in the regiment are in fact are just three kids in a trench coat.

Mordian Iron Guard: The people live on the dark side of the planet Mordian, the guard regiment often gives the impression of people who would rather run away from the fight seeing as they spend most of their spare time marching in formation and polishing their boots. But these steely eyed warriors will gun down their opponents with ruthless precision, leaving plenty time for formation marching and boot polishing. The Mordians have a sort of hybrid between the US Marine Corp and Prussian Lützowches Freikorps with their pristine colourful uniforms.

Tallarn Desert Raiders: GW has a history of flagrant plagiarism being inspired by fantasy, science fiction, and real life. Sometimes their works can be a little on the nose, none more so than the Raiders of the Desert World of Las Vegas Tallarn. Everything about this regiment screams Lawrence of Arabia, honestly I’m surprised there is no named character called T.E. Lawrence (wait there is a character called Major Laurein Al-Fastra). From their uniforms to their swords, and the fact they have a horseback unit called Rough Riders (giggle), everything screams Mujahedeen. The resemblance is more than a little uncanny with the people who were part of the Arab Revolt in the First World War. The Tallarns are ruthlessly tough, and have every right to be. During the Horus Heresy, the Iron Warriors virus bombed the then Agri-world, scouring it of life save for a few pockets where people could hide. After months of gruelling combat, especially on a planet where not even bacteria grow, the Tallarn were successful in pushing the Chaos forces back. Ever since then they have lived in underground cities, which has made them experts at combat in enclosed spaces. But Chaos will be back, especially seeing as Tallarn has a chaos relic buried beneath the surface

Valhallan Ice Warriors: From the frozen world of my mum’s back garden Valhalla come the Ice Warriors. Specialists in cold warfare and Ork slaying, these are the Imperium’s go to regiment when they need to invade Hoth or any other frozen world or if there are any Orks that need krumpin’. Being from Valhalla, they’re not only dead good at cold weather warfare but they’re a dab hand in the Winter Olympics. A stubborn and stern people, the Ice Warriors assault the enemy with fanatical stoicism combining artillery strikes and waves of infantry. Even when their losing the battle, these cold hardened warriors never retreat, leading many other regiments to believe that ice rubs in their veins just as much as it covers there homeworld. The Valhallans resemble the Soviet Army from WW2 Electric Boogaloo. Should you ever face such stone faced warriors, be sure to pack your vodka.

Attilan Rough Riders: Never underestimate the GW writing team’s ability to find inspiration from history for Imperial Guard, the Attilan Rough Riders (surpressed laugh)are based on the Mongols and their infamous cavalry. I mean Attila is literally in the name of the regiment. From the barbaric world of Attilan, these barely civilised horsemen live up to their source of inspiration. Not only do these savage warriors supply the Imperium with some of the best elite cavalry units but they don’t bathe (apparently it insults the water spirits) which comes in handy when they ambush a Nurgle army. The only thing scarier than the Attilans is their horses. They are not only compact and incredibly resistant, but they are just as malicious as their riders. In fact, the riders often drink the blood of their horses in order to sustain themselves behind enemy lines.

Savlar Chem Dogs: Just when you thought you had seen everything, the Imperium has a regiment filled with dogs who fire lasguns. Not really, I’m just being silly. The Chem Dogs are one of the many Penal Legions in the Imperium. From the Toxic prison world of Savlar, these convicts are released upon the battlefield in exchange for reduced sentences and battlefield loot. If they break any laws however, straight back to Savlar. Like most Penal Legions, there is only one way to actually get out of prison, and that’s being used as a meat shield and/or bullet sponge.

Mordant Acid Dogs: The name may sound like a hybrid punk rock/jazz/rap band but they are in fact a guard regiment. Ripley’s Believe it or not they aren’t a penal legion like the Chem Dogs, but they are in fact an actual regiment. The world of Mordant is a hive world unlike any other, it’s a mining world where the populace live in subterranean tunnels. This environment leads to a lot of crime due to the fact the people in charge pay their labourers just enough for them to barely survive on (hmm sounds familiar) which leads people to form gangs to prey upon other residents in the bid to get more resources. The Mordant regiments are formed by those who have no desire to live under the thumb of greedy mining clans or those marked for death by one of the gangs. Coming from a mining world, the Acid Dogs are experts at tunnel warfare and will often be deployed to combat zones that require experts in enclosed spaces. The Acid Dogs don’t have a particular style, save a bit of Mad Max, most of their equipment is “liberated” from the fallen on whatever world they end up. Veterans will have amassed a nice collection of goodies from their years of service.

Maccabian Janissaries: The Janissaries of Maccabeus Quintus are an odd bunch. They are not only fanatical about service to the emperor but see military service as a pilgrimage to carry out his will. When accepted into a regiment, the Janissaries will refuse to return home, seeking out another pilgrimage when their service is no longer needed. Although they have no IRL equivalent, the Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire could be seen as a source of inspiration

Noctan Strike Forces: From the world of Noctan, which may or may not be a planet in perpetual darkness, come the Noctan Strike Force. Specialists in infiltration and guerrilla warfare. The Noctans take to the field with exceptional night vision. These guys and gals will sneak in and plant explosives, sowing mass confusion, misdirection, and a box of milk tray. Despite not getting the best gear like the Tempestus Scions, their night vision and skills make up the difference. Like other less popular guard regiments, the Noctans don’t have a real life equivalent but you could say they draw heavy inspiration from the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.

Jopnall Indentured Squadrons: Imagine if you were born in debt to the government. The Agri-World of Jopnall is just like that; everyone is born in debt. The only way to pay it off is to either borrow money from a local lord or join the guard. Being never short for recruits, Jopnall prefers a defensive form of warfare, letting the enemy walk into their ongoing barrage of lasfire

Kaledon Hunters: Another hardly known regiment. The regiment draws troops from some of the fiercest, if somewhat undisciplined, clans in the Imperium. Each regiment submitted to the Imperium comes from a single clan at any one time. Each regiment will try to outdo the other Kaledoni regiments to prove they are superior. The Kaledoni are experts in hunting and tracking, which makes them invaluable troops for the frontline. Despite not having an IRL equivalent, you can say that the Kaledoni draw inspiration from the Clans of Scotland

Tanith First & Only: Last but not least, we have the Tanith First & Only. When the Imperium asked the forest world if Tanith to submit regiments to the guard they were happy to comply. The biggest problem was what happened on the day they were due to submit their first three regiments. Having been tasked with ensuring smooth delivery of Tanith troops, Commissar Ibrahm Gaunt oversaw all the training of the Tanith recruits and at a ceremony to dedicate the first three Tanith regiments being submitted to the guard, Chaos attacked. Chaos quickly scoured the forest world sewing, well Chaos funnily enough, wherever they went. Gaunt decided that Tanith was a lost cause and escaped with just over a thousand Tanith troops, the first & only regiment Tanith would ever submit. The regiment would later gain the monicker of Gaunt's Ghosts partly due to their excellent stealth and recon skills, and partly due to the gloominess of the people in the regiment. After several successful campaigns, the T1&O found themselves running low on troops, and thanks to the generosity of Warmaster Macaroth, ended up being reinforced with troops from the Belladon 81st as well as the hive world of Verunhive. Of course this led to some friction between the different ethnicities but eventually the regiment managed to resolve their issues. Despite the Ghosts being primarily an infantry regiment; they excel in stealth, recon, scouting, and marksmanship, making them very valuable to the Imperium. The T1&O don't have an IRL equivalent, however a lot of their influence comes from the 95th Rifles in the series Sharpe (Sean Bean not included)

If this were a Movie it would be: 500g of Aliens, a tablespoon of Avatar, 1 litre of Starship Troopers, slowly roasted in the Edge of Tomorrow

If this were a TV show it would be: GI Joe meets Dad's Army

If this were a Book it would be: Human Defense Corps

If this were a country it would be: Scotland circa 12th to the 18th Century, lots of clans

Notable Guardsmen

Sly Marbo - Sly Marbo once won a staring contest with Necron. Sly Marbo once killed 5 Orks with a krak grenade, then it exploded. Flak Armour wears Sly Marbo for protection. The first name engraved on every Custodian’s armour is Sly Marbo. The One Man Army, the Catachan Wrecking Crew, Corporal Carpet Bomb. Sly Marbo is often deployed the same way an Eversor Assassin, dropped on a planet and give only one instruction “Kill.” Doesn’t matter if the enemy is a daemonic horde of the Blood God or the Green Tide of Ghazghkull Thraka, Sly Marbo will be there to greet them with a smile on his face and death in his arms. Sly Marbo in case you hadn’t noticed is named after Sly Stallone and his famous character Rambo.

Colonel “Iron Hand” Stracken - A Catachan badass who lost half his torso to a Miral Landshark. During the battle he was seen lobbing grenades whilst being attended to by Medicare personnel. His missing parts have been replaced by master crafted bionics. It’s is rumoured he has to go to his local Forge World for a service and tune-up every 5000 heartbeats.

Lord Castellan Ursarker Creed - From zero to hero. Creed is the epitome of the lifelong soldier. Starting out life as a regular Cadian Shocktrooper, Creed worked his way up the ranks to the point that the Cadian top brass had to invent one for him. Whereas the Cadians are known for their diligence to etiquette, Creed wanders the ranks of his troops with scuffed boots, and cigar ash flecked upon his rumpled uniform. Creed now spends his time in the galleries of Solemnace with the ultimate nerd, Trazyn the Infinite.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain - Hero of the Imperium. Cain’s heroic deeds are immortalised in his own novel series written by Sandy Mitchell. Often overlooked by fans who can only recognise Commissar Gaunt or Commissar Yarrick. Commissar Cain and his stalwart aide Ferik Jürgen are the 40K equivalent of Blackadder and Baldrick. Cain’s repeated attempts to save his own hide from oblivion has led to his numerous successes and his undeserved reputation.

Commissar Ibram Gaunt - Cain maybe the Hero of the Imperium, but the title of People’s Hero goes to Gaunt. Gaunt by a stroke of fate ended up being the CO of the Tanith First & Only. When Tanith was on the cusp of supplying the Imperium with its first ever regiment, Gaunt was there to oversee the process, and then Chaos struck. Tanith went the way of Polio and the Evening Newspaper, and Gaunt found himself being assigned to lead the ragtag group of survivors now given the monicker “Gaunt’s Ghosts” given their skills at recon, scouting, and basket weaving.

Commissar Sebastian Yarrick - Ol’ Bale Eye, Dr Claw, the Heroes of Hades Hive, Handy Manny. Yarrick was a Commissar on Armageddon during the Second and Third Wars for Armageddon. He lost an arm fighting Ugulhard in hand-to-hand combat. Upon beating Ugulhard he ripped the Power Klaw from the Ork’s dead body and had it fitted to his stump. Later he lost an eye and had a laser firing prosthetic eye fitted.

Nork Deddog - The galaxy’s greatest Ogryn. Nork is loyal to a fault and will carry out any order given, which usually ends up with him receiving another medal.

Al’s Opinion

What’s good about the guard? At the end of the day it is just ordinary people who have pretty big cahonies seeing as they face the many horrors the galaxy throws at them and still manage to get out of bed in the morning. What’s bad about the Guard? It takes an age for your average guard player to take a single turn. It’s probably just as bad as a Grey Knights psychic phase if not worse. The other big problem with the guard is that there are very few regiments available via GW, most regiments are either bought via Forge World or elsewhere on the net, sometimes just painting Cadian’s or Catachans in the paint scheme of the desired regiment. Guards are probably one of the most expensive armies to run, you need a lot of models and that’s before the extras such as named characters and vehicles. I’d recommend the guard to anyone with a taste for military history or for anyone who wants to play an army made up of everyday average joes.

Imperial Knights

Medieval Mechwarrior. The Armoured Corps. Ma Cross and the Battle Techs.

Imperial Knights are exactly what you think, giant suits of armour that can only be piloted by someone from a Noble House. Smaller than a titan but bigger than a dreadnaught, Knights storm over the battlefield annihilating the enemy and inspiring awe into your average imperial citizen. Imperial Knights fall into 3 categories, Questor Imperialis who serve the Imperium, Questor Mechanicus who are exclusive to the AdMech, and Freeblades who are the Warhammer equivalent of Ronin.

Knights are a great example of how Imperial Citizens can turn a piece of equipment into a weapon as most Knights were initially intended for use in the construction of human colonies on far off worlds. But if you remove one hand and replace it with a Volcano Cannon, you get a war suit. Of course the pilot doesn’t get off lightly; they spend their whole lives training, fighting, and generally being Knightly.

If this were a Book it would be: Mecha Samurai Empire, it’d be too easy to use Mecha Manga

If this were a TV Show it would be: Megas XLR. What? It’s awesome

If this were a Movie it would be: Pacific Rim, we haven’t got a decent live action Gundam movie

If this were a Country it would be: Holy Bretonnian Empire, it’s fictional but it’s the closest thing I could find that had knightly mechs

Notable Questor Mechanicus Knight Houses

These are just a few of the Houses that make up the Imperium’s Yellow Pages of Knights.

House Taranis - The First Knight House of Mars. This House, like people who shop in Waitrose, like nothing better than rubbing it in the faces of other Knightly Houses.

House Krast - The world of Chrysis was one of the earliest to be discovered during the great crusade and became a well stocked knightly world thanks to its proximity to Mars. Of course it wouldn’t be long before the world was visited upon by the forces of Warmaster Horus; and as a result, House Krast has dedicated themselves to wiping Chaos off the face of the galaxy

House Raven - One of the largest, if not the largest, Knightly House. Of course no one can explain why House Raven has so many knights and Knightly Houses and of course no one wants to look a gift horse in the mouth and just counts their blessings that House Raven is on the side of the Imperium.

Notable Questor Imperialis Knight Houses

House Cadmus - House Cadmus are the 40K equivalent of the upper class fox hunting aristocracy, however instead of hunting Basil Brush, they hunt the X-Men mutants on their home world of Raisa. The winners of the hunt get to rule the affairs of the House for a standard Terran year. The Knights of House Cadmus are currently engaged in a lengthy battle against the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Leviathan in defence of the Forgeworld Gryphonne IV. If they can’t beat the tyranid menace, they’ll never get back to their favourite pastime

House Griffith - This house is about as knightly as you get. House Griffith hold regular Jousting Duels on the Field of Adamantium. House Griffith like nothing more than to be up close and personal with the enemy and will ensure that their Knight-Errants are kitted out with the short range Thermal Cannon and a Chainsword. Fierce, proud, hot-headed, are all words used to describe House Griffith, has anyone checked them for signs of Warp taint? They have a Khornate kind of feel about them

House Hawkshroud - House Hawkshroud is by far the the most honourable of all Knightly Houses, or at least that’s what they believe. To Hawkshroud honour is the most important aspect of a Knight and no matter who the call to aid comes from, Hawkshroud will always oblige. Of course this leaves their homeworld defended by a skeleton force and should the enemy come knocking, House Hawkshroud could see their home destroyed as their far too honourable to call in their many favours.

House Terryn - House Terryn are renowned for their deeds on the battlefield as they routinely throw themselves into combat, the fact that they want to avoid the tedium of their daily lives at home has nothing to do with this. The House are also well known for their ceremonies, in fact they have a ceremony called the ‘Thousand Canticles of War Long Awaited’ which lasts 3 solar (Earth time)hours.

Lesser Known Knight Houses

Questor Imperialis

House Althalos - Of the thousands of minor houses, this one is one of the better known, and that’s saying something given their only notable campaign was the defence of Hexis Alpha.

House Mortan - Only slightly better known than House Althalos, House Mortan is one of few of Lesser houses that are of repute. They share a battle honour with Althalos in the defence of Hexis Alpha, but they have been an active participant in the Talledus War.

House Thalmus - See House Althalos, just change the name

House Dorath - It might sound like a Klingon sneeze but this House is one of the members of the fabled Order of Iron defending Forgeworld Stryken Primus

House Winterveil - All that’s known about this well known minor house is that they enjoy handing spanking the Drukhari

Freeblades

Amaranthine - Named to honour an Imperial Saint after aiding the defence of Romaric VII. This Freeblade is the strong silent type, it will hear the vox of any who needs help but doesn’t send any response. The Knight will listen to any orders in the midst of battle

Atgos the Silent - A little know Freeblade, all that’s known about them is that they form part of the Sabres of the Emperor, and are currently part of the retinue of Inquisitorex Countessa Bor’gia.

Auric Arachnus - This Golden Knight will often show up when needed the most and will disappear just as swiftly. It does however have a hobby of turning Tyranids into meat paste.

Blade of Finality - A little known Freeblade, all that’s known is they spanked the Red Corsairs.

Blade of Redemption - This Freeblade’s history is steeped in betrayal. They have however proven themselves invaluable against the Red Waaagh and it’s leader Grukk.

Blood Lord - Another mysterious Knight with little history other than that for an unknown reason Sir Marcel, the pilot, decided to leave House Octobus and remained in exile for a long period of time.

Crimson Glaives - Another unknown Freeblade. When the Aeldari attacked Tarvel III, the Three Musketeers Crimson Glaives appeared out of nowhere, gave the Aeldari a hidin’ and vanished soon after. All that is know is that there is a group of 3.

Canis Rex - When the Iron Warriors attacked Randoryn Alpha, they bowled over the ruling Knight House, House Cerberan, and took all prisoners for torturous reconditioning. Sir Hekhtur Cerberan was among those captured, but instead of breaking under pressure he prayed to the Emperor, in response to his prayers, Canis Rex freed Sir Hekhtur by smashing through the Iron Warriors’ prison like the Kool Aid Man. After seeing off the Iron Warriors, Sir Hekhtur gathered himself a merry band of Sacristans and stole an Imperial Ship with the intention of giving Chaos a black eye

Al’s Opinion

Knights are probably one of the cheapest armies in the game, in an ironic expensive kind of way. A knight paladin can cost up to 450 points, making your army small but tough. With 24 wounds and a variety of optional weapons from Ironstorm Missile Pod with its D6 attacks AP-1 2 Damage to the Stormspear Rocket Pod with its 3 Attacks AP-2 3 Damage. If you see a knight in your opponent’s line up you might want to run, especially if they are running 3. Knights are for people who have too much disposable income. In all honesty Knights are cool, I want one.