Poll: Would you join the Space Marines?

[Rogthgar]

So I really don't know anything about Warhammer 40K although it seems hella bad ass but with all the trailers for the game I was wondering if Space Marines were real would you join?

Just for the record, Space Marines are primarily recruited amongst the best of the best any given world has to offer, quite often little more than barbarians. Once picked, off they go to some hard ass boot camp, ritualized surgery and indoctrination.

I wouldn't join this if I knew what I was getting into, as I hate religious nut cases, and the Space Marines (the good ones) are all religious fanatics and xenophobes. But then again, in WH 40K, every race is out to exterminate all the others...save the Tau (but they are young).

However Chaos Marines are more there for the hell and fun of it and their gods happen to fairly more present than the Emperor. Sure they are sadistic butchers, but at least they are honest about it.

 

[archvile93]

No, because their egos are bigger than they are, and their xenophobia, genocidal tendencies, and general assholishness are second to none. But then no one in the 40k verse comes even remotely close to being anywhere slightly close to likable.

 

[Warboss Robgutz]

Tau. they have the whole utopia tolerance and unity thing going on. so at least i might get fed if i joined thier auxiliries.

 

[Frankster]

People saying yes either don't know space marine background or they are completely mental.

Now first we are going to work with the generous assumption you've succesfully passed your initial trials (usually deadly games against your fellow prospective space marines) and went through the pain of each various augmentation where they open you up and rearrange your insides all without anaesthetic.

Now you will spend the rest of your time switched between the following:
Trainning, praying and fighting the very worst the 40k universe has to offer, with a gruesome death guaranteed.
If you're "lucky" you'll be put in a dred upon death where you spend the rest of your existence locked up in a mobile sarcophagus, even a peaceful death is denied to you (and there's a good chance your soul will end up going to the warp to be tortured for all eternity btw).

Seriously, only worst fate is to join the IG.

Am I the only one who thinks that training regime to be absurd?
I know it's supposed to be cool for people reading about it and all.
But consider the sheer stupidity of any organisation that requires specially selected recruits and then subjects them to a training regime with a mortality rate that (judging by these other comments) approaches 90%. those that survive that have to survive as scouts before they can become full space marines. (I'll go with a 50% chance of that happening. but I fear I'm optimistic)

Let me do the math. for one space marine there were two scouts for those two scouts were twenty recruits.
this may not look like much but consider that during battle you will have to factor in losses and those need to be replenished. Given that the space marines are in constant battle we are talking about the requirement for a continuous stream of hundreds of recruits.
Where do they keep coming from?

(I am no Warhammer fan)

You got your facts right, space marines in 40k are relatively rare and precious for a reason, every time one dies the bell of heroes (massive belltower on earth) rings 12 times so the whole of earth can lament.
I imagine it must be constantly ringing.

Manpower ain't a problem though, iom counts planets and populations of billions as if they were pennies.

 

[theonecookie]

No, If I want to have power armor I at least want to look like I can move around in it. (I.E. MJOLNIR, Engineer/Advanced/Security, Nanosuit)

Your joking right you would be better of with and imperial flak jacket than with both those armors and they can't even protect you from a laspistol* nevermind a bolter*

*read semi-automatic 50.cal sunlight powered gun of death

*read semi-automatic 75.cal armor piercing rocket launcher

 

[Outcast107]

People saying yes either don't know space marine background or they are completely mental.

Now first we are going to work with the generous assumption you've succesfully passed your initial trials (usually deadly games against your fellow prospective space marines) and went through the pain of each various augmentation where they open you up and rearrange your insides all without anaesthetic.

Now you will spend the rest of your time switched between the following:
Trainning, praying and fighting the very worst the 40k universe has to offer, with a gruesome death guaranteed.
If you're "lucky" you'll be put in a dred upon death where you spend the rest of your existence locked up in a mobile sarcophagus, even a peaceful death is denied to you (and there's a good chance your soul will end up going to the warp to be tortured for all eternity btw).

Seriously, only worst fate is to join the IG.

Actually the worst fate of all is getting capture by chaos or Dark eldar. Mostly DE since they are sadistic bastards.

 

[Frankster]

Actually the worst fate of all is getting capture by chaos or Dark eldar. Mostly DE since they are sadistic bastards.

Agreed, but I count that as being part of the suckiness of being an sm/ig as those are fates very much likely to happen to you.
Chaos or De would love captive sm for sure, though you might get lucky in the case of sm/de and be used as gladiator in the pits, then it becomes little different to what you were doing normally, bouts of torture inbetween not withstanding.

 

[Outcast107]

Actually the worst fate of all is getting capture by chaos or Dark eldar. Mostly DE since they are sadistic bastards.

Agreed, but I count that as being part of the suckiness of being an sm/ig as those are fates very much likely to happen to you.
Chaos or De would love captive sm for sure, though you might get lucky in the case of sm/de and be used as gladiator in the pits, then it becomes little different to what you were doing normally, bouts of torture inbetween not withstanding.

At least for SM they can be gladiator. For IG Oh my god. Worst fate then death. For those who don't know, image the worst kind of torture you can think of. And times it by a hundred. This race gets off of torture and are always thinking new ways to dish out pain to the maxim way. They will keep you alive even though you would be dead through the kind of torture you go through though, with their crude tech they make sure you stay alive until they get bored with you and toss you away.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

No I wouldn't, even if I could. I don't know much about Warhammer 40k, but what I have read due to my growing interest is that, at the point in time the series is at, Humans have become xenophobic assholes who think that you are either a Human, or inferior. Personally, I absolutely hate that view, though that might be due to my love of a good alien.

EDIT: Due to the quotes that I have been getting, I think its best simply to not side with any of the races, and keep away from Warhammer in general.

 

[Outcast107]

snip

Well the reason for the hating of xeno is due to humans getting attack at most of the time by them. Eldar (Space Elves), Orks, Tyranids, Necrons (Undead Robot zombies),Dark Eldar (Elf pirates), and even Tau.

Also after the huge betryal of their own kind, they sort of have huge trust issues and view everyone outside of being human and who don't follow the emperor fully as traitors or enemies.

So in a way, its not their fault fully. But they are being assholes about it still.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

You should add another option for 'I am a woman.'

Apprently women can't be Space Marines...

Sigh...we can't even have female characters in fps games set in the future -.-

 

[CommanderKirov]

Nope.

Member of Ordo Hereticus on the other hand...

 

[Agarth]

If it meant I got a Chain-sword, Power Armor, and Bolter then I'm perfectly happy joining the space marines. Let's be perfectly honest, the Bolter fires rounds that EXPLODE INSIDE ITS TARGET. And the chain-sword, well I don't have to explain that at all now do I? Why wouldn't you want to be a space marine? Sure most space marines are smug assholes but I can look past that when they give me a Bolter and Chain-sword. The fun I'd have with a chain-sword....

 

[EvanJO]

I probably would. It would give you a serious sense of purpose and you get the opportunity to fight for Humanity in a harsh, unforgiving universe.

Either a Templar or an Ultramarine. Templars just run around the universe and constantly fuck shit up so you'd always have something to do while the Ultramarines have taken to protecting their star system and it's associated civilians. Both good causes.

Or a Grey Knight. Or an Inquisitor.

You should add another option for 'I am a woman.'

Apprently women can't be Space Marines...

Sigh...we can't even have female characters in fps games set in the future -.-

You can join the Sisters of Battle. Basically armed in the exact same way as a Marine just not with as many surgeries designed around making you into a Goliath.

 

[agentorange98]

cool my thread got to the side bar of the escapist, thanks everyone glad you liked it

 

[Frankster]

DELETED DUE TO HERESY

You're both right and wrong.

Right about iom being xenophobic assholes. But if you knew more about 40k you'd know it's for good reason. Before the current iom man did go through a star trek phase where it tried to be all buddy buddy with aliens. You know what happened?

At first sign of weakness aliens overran, conquered and enslaved the humans when they became isolated from each other due to catastrophic events making far flung travel and communications impossible.

That is the short story of what motivated the emperor's crusade that ultimately made humans the dominant power in 40k to the point they can be compared to the roman empire in that they achieved maximum expansion and subjugated all.

That said... Iom/xenos relations are complicated, eldar and iom are friendly on occasion and there's a friggin craftworld in the sol system (why iom hasn't blown it apart yet is anyones guess, you'd think they would do so out of fear at the very least) and the jokaero are one of the xenos races deemed acceptable by the iom as they present little threat to humans and can supply them with unique tech.

As for tau... Don't be deluded, they ain't as nice as you think.
That whole "for the greater good" is a facade and tau society is somewhat of an orwellian nightmare, especially if you're a human where you'll always be a second class citizen no matter what the propaganda tells you (lol all valude equally. Yeh you're definitly valued as meatshield for the tau firewarriors ^^), but worst of all, you'll be subtly brainwashed and conditioned to serve and die for your grey skinned masters who look down upon you for being a filthy gue'va.
And i'm not even going to bring up the tau ending of dark crusade where they sterilize humans (without telling them of course) so as to discreetly eliminate the humans they promised they "liberated".

Tau come with smiles and a dagger behind their back, they are worst then eldar in this regard (for them, eldar lives>any amount of human lives, they don't pretend otherwise).

 

[Outcast107]

You should add another option for 'I am a woman.'

Apprently women can't be Space Marines...

Sigh...we can't even have female characters in fps games set in the future -.-

What about the Sister of Battle? Their just as crazy (Or even more) as the space marine and just as badass. Wearing power armor and using some bolter type technology such as Heavy bolters and bolt pistols I believe.

 

[Deus mortuus est]

If i lived in the 40k universe and I were offered the chance? Maybe.

If it was before the Horus Heresy? Hell yea! Instead of fighting with a religious zeal, I'd fight to bring enlightenment to the misinformed masses. Pretty much what I do today, only with a bolter instead of a keyboard.

 

[EvanJO]

If i lived in the 40k universe and I were offered the chance? Maybe.

If it was before the Horus Heresy? Hell yea! Instead of fighting with a religious zeal, I'd fight to bring enlightenment to the misinformed masses. Pretty much what I do today, only with a bolter instead of a keyboard.

Tens of thousands of Space Marines storming planets with Imperial Navy support fighting alongside Rogal Dorn and fucking Magnus the Red.

That shit would be tits.

 

[Frankster]

You should add another option for 'I am a woman.'

Apprently women can't be Space Marines...

Sigh...we can't even have female characters in fps games set in the future -.-

Fluff wise for some reason the procedure is only possible on males alas.

But there is a viable female option: sisters of battle.

Besides your holy role in the eyes of others and looking awesome, you get similar gear to space marines (power armor+bolter) and get to invoke the emperor's blessings in battle.
It's not a bad alternative at all, and unlike sm you retain your humanity.

Better then being imperial guard that's for sure (mixed gender regiments and even all female regiments exist if you'd prefer that, but ig sucks for EVERYONE who joins).

For all their xenophobia humans in 40k have made great strides in gender equality, the sm are the main exception.

i was under the impression that the space marines were one of the few groups still clued in as to the fact the emperor isn't a deity. but from the posts here it seems I am wrong.

No you're right in most cases, individual beliefs vary according to chapter but generally space marines consider the emperor a man, not a god (which causes chagrin to the ecclesiarch, you should have seen what happened when they tried to convert the space wolves...).