# Marine Chapter Organization Help



## Zion (May 31, 2011)

I wasn't sure if this was really a fluff bit so I decided to put it here.

As many (some/a few/maybe three people?) are aware I'm looking at building the Exorcists Chapter's 3rd Battle Company. And thanks to the recent Apoc book I know what that looks like...generally speaking.

The thing is that the formations given show the basic framework for the companies, but leave out the number of Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks a Company might possess. Plus there is a question about tanks, where they fall under the organization, and the support aircraft and the bikes...well you get the idea.

Now I've been toying with taking my little project further than a company, to maybe a few companies (like doing the 1st Company, and one of the Scout Companies) but when it comes to some of the options you can take in the codex....I don't know how they're supposed to fit in, and I'd kind of like to do an ENTIRE full company of Marines, maybe even 3...maybe even the full 12 company chapter with all the trimmings if I end up so inclined.

So my fellow Heretics, who knows were I can find the full organization setup for at least a full battle company?


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## iamtheeviltwin (Nov 12, 2012)

If you can get your hands on the 2ed codex (I think it is called Codex:Ultramarines) it has a pretty complete breakdown of the chapter company by company with support personnel and items (minus ones that didn't exist at the time like flyers). Pg 17 in the current SM codex also has a similar breakdown.

I think creating a single battle company, and then what units you want to move in from the 1st and 10th companies is the best way to go unless you really want to buy/build 200+ marines.


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

iamtheeviltwin said:


> If you can get your hands on the 2ed codex (I think it is called Codex:Ultramarines) it has a pretty complete breakdown of the chapter company by company with support personnel and items (minus ones that didn't exist at the time like flyers). Pg 17 in the current SM codex also has a similar breakdown.
> 
> I think creating a single battle company, and then what units you want to move in from the 1st and 10th companies is the best way to go unless you really want to buy/build 200+ marines.


3 companies is over 300 models not counting transports. 

I'm not jumping into all 12 companies at once, or even sure I want to do it yet. It's one of those things that sounds awesome and I may end up doing in chunks here and there. The big thing I want to know is which companies I should be marking things like the Predators belonging too since I don't know that info.

Also there are over 1,200 total of the Exorcists chapter (just counting Marines and scouts, not the guys in the support (Techmarines), Librarium or command channels). Tell me that wouldn't look awesome taking up a couple of tables. XD

EDIT: So I checked and I see that Ultramarines keep all the tanks in the Armory...is there a symbol for that?


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## AAAAAAAAARRRGGHH (Apr 17, 2009)

I'm pretty sure the 3rd edition SM codex included a pretty much complete overlook of the Ultramarines Chapters organisation.

If I can find the dex I might be able to send you a picture or something.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

The Codex Astartes states that the 1st Company is the Veteran Company; the 2nd-5th are the Battle Companies, the 6th and 7th are Tactical Reserves, the 8th is the Assault Reserve, the 9th is the Devastator Reserve, and the 10th is the Scout Company. Where heavier equipment is called into play, the Assault Squads in the Battle Companies are trained to fight as Bike Squads or as Land Speeder crews, in addition to their usual role as Assault Squads. The Devastators similarly can be drawn to operate tanks. However, it's more common to assign a squad from the 6th Tactical Reserve to operate as bikers, land speeder crews, and other heavy fast attack assets, and from the 7th Tactical Reserve to act as vehicle crews for Predators, Vindicators, etc drawn from the armoury. 

The Exorcists have the same general Chapter organization for their 1st-9th Companies, and I have to assume they'd draw from the reserve companies in the same way for strike forces. The only difference organizationally that the Exorcists have is that they maintain two additional Scout Companies on top of what the Codex requires because they have a drastically higher casualty rate for neophytes than the average Chapter does since they have this bizarre need to expose recruits to daemons, raw warp energy, and who knows what else...


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## revilo44 (Sep 17, 2010)

Your idea sounds Zion 
By the way I found this for you


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## Deneris (Jul 23, 2008)

The Son of Horus said:


> ... they maintain two additional Scout Companies on top of what the Codex requires because they have a drastically higher casualty rate for neophytes than the average Chapter does since they have this bizarre need to expose recruits to daemons, raw warp energy, and who knows what else...


...Such as demi-demons like Tawa and Serpion...


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## Chaplain-Grimaldus (Aug 4, 2013)

When it comes down to transports, each tactical and devastator squad is allocated a transport. Assault squads are allocated bikes or speeders. Though a rhino could be allocated.

Command squads also have rhinos.

Razorbacks, predators and other tanks are under the armoury an are broken down between the battle companies as campaigns dictate so it is totally up to you.

Drop pods are allocated to ships not companies. Seeing as each vessel was designed for the heresy era I imagine a ship has more than enough pods for a company.

Remember exorcists have 2 scout companies though I'm sure you know that anyway


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## Veteran Sergeant (May 17, 2012)

This was the Ultramarines Chapter org listed in the 3rd Ed Codex:


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## Veteran Sergeant (May 17, 2012)

Though it's important to take into account the fact that Games Workshop has been _notoriously_ inconsistent and also incomplete in their listings.
For example, the 3rd Ed Ultramarines list says all the vehicles have their own crew included. Of course, when you start doing the math, you realize it takes over four hundred Marines to crew all of those vehicles, which is more than the entire strength of the Reserve companies. And obviously the list of vehicles in any given chapter has increased over the years as we've added vehicles and flyers to the game.

So who really knows? Ultimately, a Chapter's strength is closer to 1,500 to 2,000. But they still stick to the 1,000 Battle Brothers number. So is it really 1,000, and the Chapters just have tons of unused vehicles sitting around all the time because their Marines split duties? Or is the 1,000 just the limit on the line strength for the infantry companies? 

GW leaves out a lot of that info because, well, it takes way too much effort to think about that kind of stuff, so they leave it to us the fans to debate it endlessly, lol.

Short answer: It's going to be impossible to truly represent an entire company, because we don't really know what that means.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Deneris said:


> ...Such as demi-demons like Tawa and Serpion...


You rang? :crazy:


I've always taken the 1,000 Marines to be line strength. If I recall correctly, tanks are crewed by the reserve guys same as bikes and speeders. And to be fair, how often does a chapter throw everything into mix all at once?


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

Veteran Sergeant said:


> This was the Ultramarines Chapter org listed in the 3rd Ed Codex:


I like that one a lot! They stopped mentioning how many support personnel they have in the current codex, a detail I rather missed because it adds flavor to the army. I really appreciate that, it's just the kind of thing I was looking for.



Veteran Sergeant said:


> Though it's important to take into account the fact that Games Workshop has been _notoriously_ inconsistent and also incomplete in their listings.
> For example, the 3rd Ed Ultramarines list says all the vehicles have their own crew included. Of course, when you start doing the math, you realize it takes over four hundred Marines to crew all of those vehicles, which is more than the entire strength of the Reserve companies. And obviously the list of vehicles in any given chapter has increased over the years as we've added vehicles and flyers to the game.
> 
> So who really knows? Ultimately, a Chapter's strength is closer to 1,500 to 2,000. But they still stick to the 1,000 Battle Brothers number. So is it really 1,000, and the Chapters just have tons of unused vehicles sitting around all the time because their Marines split duties? Or is the 1,000 just the limit on the line strength for the infantry companies?
> ...


Very true, but at least that image you have me a gives me a much better idea than before. I wonder if the armory should have it's own organizational symbol like a company, or if it's subdivided into sections that are extensions of each company.

And thanks again for that organizational picture, it's the kind of thing I was looking for. It helps a lot!

And thanks to everyone else who posted one too. They're all helpful, but I think that 3rd Ed one is the most detailed GW has ever bothered to be, which is why it's so helpful.


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