40K Deep Thought – Why Marines?
Today lets have a chat about those glory boys the Imperium, the Space Marines. In particular I want us to delve into their rise to power and the reasons why…
Once upon a time in a land far, far away called 1989 a new oddly named game came out called Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader. It was a big fancy hardcover detailing all the formative elements of galaxy of the 40th millennium. It covered everything from the Orks to the Eldar, the Tyranid menace and the Imperium of Man. Within that Imperium we got everything from Custodes, to Astropaths, Inquisitors, Imperial Guard and even a handful of pages on mankind’s super soldiers – something called the “Space Marines”
Fast forward 22 years and here we sit in 2010. More than a 1/3 of all the codices and for a long time the word on the street says that 50% of all 40k (some say all GW) sales are Space Marines. Clearly the Astartes struck a chord that even the design studio still can’t fathom. But its plain as day, that we wargamers are absolutely crazier than a sackful of weasels over 3+ armor.
The 60 million pound question is why?
There are armies that are better at almost every single thing a marine can do from toughness, to assault, to speed, to shooting, to lethality, yet nothing even holds a candle to the Marines.
Is it the visuals, the iconography, the backstory, the rules? The craziest thing of all is even I have succumbed with a gigantic Blood Angels, Death Guard, and Night Lords armies, easily running close to 500 minis. You would think I could come up with some rationale for why I am so gaga, but I can’t.
Hopefully you can – please illuminate us!
