Poll: Would you join the Space Marines?

[Valdus]

I would. I'm a male adult so there's a fair chance of being drafted into the guard if my homeworld is threatend. And these guys, fluff wise, have a life expentacny of something like 15 mins, so I'd take my chances as a supersoldier since fighting is likely inevitable.

 

[Tiger Sora]

Space Marines..... pff. I have a great job already within the Adaptus Mechanicus. I'm a steersman on a Battle Titan. I drive a damn Battle Titan and wouldn't change jobs unless I could be a Commissar. I'd be greater than Yarrak.

 

[Davidline]

You do not "join" the Space Marines. You are recruited out of populations of several trillions if you happen to possess the right characteristics, namely a near omnicidal lust for combat and the rough shape of a rather muscular flatbed truck. You also have to possess these characteristics as a child, becase adults tend to go completely insane from the transformation as opposed to only mostly insane. After being "recruited", you're put through several years of training in which you will, more often than not, die. If you don't, you're outfitted with several superfluous organs, genetically modified to make you an even more absurd specimen of manliness, and brainwashed into fanatically supporting the empire and its various conflicting ideologies. If you somehow manage to survive that, congratulations, you're a scout.

Yes to that. I would give up my body to fight for what I believe in, aka save the galaxy, samething in Halo, if I had the option, yes I would.

 

[Chappy]

Be a Space Marine? Not a chance I like my Witchblades and Eldar Mind war, the true psyker's you keep your petty Librarians

 

[Trillovinum]

snip

This may be true. Though we also have to remember that Space Marine are only allow a certain amount to join at a time. I believe it was a 1000 to a company? and depending how many worlds they get their soldiers they would easily resupply them.

I believe I covered that. it's not that there are no people to draw recruits from. It's that they're near impossible to find. their parameters are way to strict for them to kill off 90% of their recruits and still get enough replacements.

your company of a thousand would need 10.000 recruits. ten thousand "one in a million men".
It's just not feasible.
that's all I'm saying.

 

[blaize2010]

for the greater good. *ahem*

 

[tehfeen83]

Nah, it's the Guardsman's life for me. The very short Guardsman's life.

 

[kickyourass]

You do not "join" the Space Marines. You are recruited out of populations of several trillions if you happen to possess the right characteristics, namely a near omnicidal lust for combat and the rough shape of a rather muscular flatbed truck. You also have to possess these characteristics as a child, becase adults tend to go completely insane from the transformation as opposed to only mostly insane. After being "recruited", you're put through several years of training in which you will, more often than not, die. If you don't, you're outfitted with several superfluous organs, genetically modified to make you an even more absurd specimen of manliness, and brainwashed into fanatically supporting the empire and its various conflicting ideologies. If you somehow manage to survive that, congratulations, you're a scout.

For the above reasons I say NO! Not only no, but FUCK NO! I'd have more of a chance surviving as a guardsman, if only for the fact that if I position myself right, the enemy would probably run out of bullets shooting my 8 billion comrades before they got to me.

 

[Dragonsummoner]

If I was the act as an agent of the imperium, I would choose to be an Iquisitor as opposed to a space marine. They have greater freedom, and respect, than your average adaptus astartes (not considering a chapter-master or Space Wolves here). Sure, a space marine steps on the field and all the guardsmen are inspire, but Iquisitors can order planetary, even sector, governers around. While the marines do show emotion (primaraly rage and hatred at foes, comradeship with fellow marines, contempt for guardsmen), they are pretty restricted (again, excluding the Space Wolves Chapter). Inquistors can work alone, but they can also have teams if they wish to. Space Marines have to work in squads, save for the rare covert mission.

 

[Outcast107]

snip

This may be true. Though we also have to remember that Space Marine are only allow a certain amount to join at a time. I believe it was a 1000 to a company? and depending how many worlds they get their soldiers they would easily resupply them.

I believe I covered that. it's not that there are no people to draw recruits from. It's that they're near impossible to find. their parameters are way to strict for them to kill off 90% of their recruits and still get enough replacements.

your company of a thousand would need 10.000 recruits. ten thousand "one in a million men".
It's just not feasible.
that's all I'm saying.

Well i'm not sure if it would be around 90%. Probably more likely around 70% unless there somewhere where it tells of how many do survive. Still not a lot, but also do they count Scouts as part of the Company?

If not then it would explain how they can fill up the company as quickly as they do. They would have a large pool of scouts to choose from.

 

[SirFlamingLoboOfDoom]

My gosh guys. Do you know how big the 40k Galaxy is? If you looked at earth and tried to recruit some special forces how many wound you get out of 7 billion. A few if you are looking for the best of the best. Now do that x9000+

 

[Mangod]

Join the space marines? Nah, too dull for my tastes. That, and my next codex might get written by Matt "Jackhat" Ward.

I'd much rather be a sentient, genocidal fungus

 

[Pr1de]

snip

This may be true. Though we also have to remember that Space Marine are only allow a certain amount to join at a time. I believe it was a 1000 to a company? and depending how many worlds they get their soldiers they would easily resupply them.

Well in the end of DoW Dark Crusade they make a reference about how the space marine chapter Blood Raven loses many soldiers and their gene-seed which in turns ends the chapter. Of course, this is just a game and not really tied to much to the main story.

 

[ChupathingyX]

The imperial guard may be called "the backbone of the Imperium" but they aren't any good. the potential is there but their tactics just aren't up to snuff.
While their tanks are impressive (to their standards) they use them in the wrong way.

You'd be surprised what the Imperial Gaurd are capable of, if they're being led by the right commander, have the right tactics, the right ferocity or the meanest Commissars they can achieve quite a lot. You should never underestimate the power of the Gaurd.

There's a reason why after so many crusades Cadia still remains in control by the Imperial Gaurd, after all they are being led by Winston Churchill Ursarkar E. Creed.

From what I hear and read, it's the spacemarines that have to do the heavy lifting because the guard is getting slaughtered.

This picture seems relevant...

while this may be nice to set a story up, it does make the guard out as being rather incapable.

The Imperial Gaurd are capable of holding their own for quite a while, they are almost limitless and like I said before, the majority are rookies, but there are some elite units and the shiny tanks.

That said it also appears to me that the imperial guard is solely a defensive force.
That puts all the offensive work in the hands of the space marines. "the best defense is a good offense" and there aren't enough space marines to cover all the systems and simultaneously attack enemy targets.

Everyone in the Imperium is a defensive force, defense is all the Imperium have to survive. It's very difficult to handle endless waves of bloodthirsty orks, deceptive Eldar, marauding Dark Eldar, ravenous Tyranids, traitorous Chaos forces and Daemons, robot zombies and of course...

Spoiler: ...ideological Tau

you also mentioned plan B. destroying a world might work once or twice but you'll only end up shooting yourself in the foot.

That's why it's plan B. Exterminatus is only performed when it is absolutely necessary, usually to stop the Tyranids from infesting a world or stopping the spread of Chaos influence.

Or if you're the Death Korps of Krieg...they like blowing shit up.

The way I see it. The Imperium is on a losing streak and will succumb in time. the loss of all those worlds is impossible to recover from and eventually they'll be defeated.

No one's arguing that point, ever since the Horus Heresy things haven't been too well for the poor ol' Emperor.

 

[Trillovinum]

Well i'm not sure if it would be around 90%. Probably more likely around 70% unless there somewhere where it tells of how many do survive. Still not a lot, but also do they count Scouts as part of the Company?

If not then it would explain how they can fill up the company as quickly as they do. They would have a large pool of scouts to choose from.

That's the thing. from what I've read you start out as a recruit then become a scout and if you survive that you become a space marine.
This only lowers your chances of ever getting there by adding another life threatening step.

 

[Trillovinum]

This picture seems relevant...

you make a good point with all your arguments.
I only want to say something about these kinds of tactics.
every single image I see of the Imperial guard is of this line of infantrymen in the front with no cover "heroically" holding the line. IF there are tanks around they're just in the rear.

Then it's no big surprise you'll end up losing.

 

[Trillovinum]

My gosh guys. Do you know how big the 40k Galaxy is? If you looked at earth and tried to recruit some special forces how many wound you get out of 7 billion. A few if you are looking for the best of the best. Now do that x9000+

It's finding those people that's the impossible part. Just go searching 'by hand' in populations of millions.

 

[Morkel]

If I had lived in the Imperium, I am sure my greatest wish and secret fantasy would be to become a Space Marine.

The Space Marines, their role and work, cannot be taken out of context, so you really have to answer this thread's question in light of the culture of the 40K universe. If you are a loyal Imperial citizen, this means that the whole point of your existence is to serve and to die for the Emperor. Sacrifice, both personal and in a broader sense, is not so much a choice as a neccessity in the Imperium. That only one in every ten thousand or so survive the recruitment process is not a reason to not want to be a Space Marine. Neither is the forfeitment of sex and human contact, the horrors you are likely to experience or the hard and monotonous life. If your are a Space Marine, then you have reached the pinnacle of what a human can become, both in purpose and status. You will live and die a hero, a saint, and will be remembered for millennia after you have left this cruel galaxy to join your father, the Emperor.

However, as has been pointed out before, becoming a Space Marine is not a choice. It is a duty.

 

[Grubnar]

If the Adeptus Astartes were real? I presume that would mean their enemys are also real. That Humanity is beset on all sides by xenos, traitors and heretics. If that is the case the HELL YES I WOULD JOIN THEM!!

(I really do not think there is a chance in hell I would qualify, but I would be willing)

 

[The Code]

I wouldn't join the Space Marines. I'm too questioning, they're too dogmatic and fanatical, and I honestly don't like them. If I could, I'd rather serve as a Pariah or a Tomb Spyder under the Dragon or the Deceiver, maybe the Outsider. I just prefer the idea of serving as an ancient undead machine than a disposable brainwashed hunk of cannon fodder. Besides, Necrons have some of the most awesome tech. I'd much rather use a Gauss Flayer than have one used on me.

EDIT: I don't think serving under the Nightbringer would be all that great, as all I'd be tasked with is eradicating every form of life on a planet. If I did that, then there would be nothing and no one to mess with.