How to Play Chaos Space Marines in Warhammer 40K
Today let’s take a look at some basics of how to play and get started with Warhammer 40k Chaos Space Marines in 10th Edition. The spiky armor dudes!
The Chaos Space Marines are the ancient remnants of the Traitors of the Horus Heresy. The different Legions fight with distinct style, but all fight with esoteric gear and the power of the Warp. As an army with a long history, they have an impressive roster of units.
Below we offer some tips on how to play the army and get started with the army.
Who Are The Chaos Space Marines?
The story of the Chaos Space Marines is well known. Ten thousand years ago, Horus, Warmaster of the Imperium and most trusted ‘son’ of the Emperor, fell to Chaos due to a conspiracy by the Word Bearers. Besides the Space Marine Legion under his direct command, the Sons of Horus, eight of his brother-Primarchs and their legions also joined him in the Horus Heresy against the Emperor.
Only when Horus was slain at the ultimate conflict of the Heresy, the Battle of Terra, was the rebellion broken and the defeated Traitor Legions hounded into the Eye of Terror, which remains both their prison and sanctuary to this day. The Chaos Space Marines have not forgotten their defeat in the Heresy, and for the last ten thousand years have waged the Long War against the Imperium.
Why Play Chaos Space Marines
This army brings competency in all phases of the game, just like their Loyalist counterparts. Compared to Loyalist Space marines, the CSMs are a bit more focused on melee combat. They also have wholly unique aspects, such as Cultist hordes, Daemons, and dedication to the dark gods of Chaos. If you like the big armoured dudes, but prefer an eeeeevil aesthetic, Chaos Space Marines might be the army for you.
Strengths of the Army
- Versatility, with a myriad of units.
- Close combat, with a wide variety of potent assault forces.
- Theme – all evil all the time, and full of armored spiky corruption.
Weakness of the Army
- Like most marines, an elite army with relatively few bodies unless you lean into the weak Chaos Cultists.
- Mobility, this is an army that isn’t about high speed.
Chaos Space Marines Army Rules
- Dark Pacts: This special rule allows a unit to pick from one of two buffs anytime it attacks, with a small risk a displeasing the Gods and taking some Mortal Wounds.
Chaos Space Marines Detachments
Veterans of the Long War
- Rules: Focus of Hatred grants army-wide re-rolls to hit against a specific unit picked each Command Phase.
- Enhancements: Most the these interact with and impact the unit chosen as the Focus of Hatred.
- Stratagems: Bringers of Despair gives a unit Fight First against the unit chosen as the Focus of Hatred.
Deceptors
- Rules: The “Alpha Legion” detachment has Masters of Misdirection, giving three units Infiltrate.
- Enhancements: My favorite here is Shroud of Obfuscation, as you don’t often get to pass out Lone Operative.
- Stratagems: Detonator is neat, making something that has a chance of blowing up on death do so automatically.
Renegade Raiders
- Rules: Raiders and Reavers gives all ranged weapon the Assault rule and improves the AP when targeting enemies on Objectives.
- Enhancements: Mark of the Hound is probably the winner here, granting 6″ Scout to a the bearers unit.
- Stratagems: Scour and Seize is extremely useful for the timely application of Precision shots.
Dread Talons
- Rules: The “Night Lords” guys. Terror Descends impacts enemy Battleshock tests.
- Enhancements: Warp-Fuelled Thrusters is really fun, letting a jump pack unit zoom back into the skies.
- Stratagems: Almost all of these also interact with Battleshock tests.
Fellhammer Siege-Host
- Rules: This one os pretty solid- Iron Fortitude gives -1 to wound against any weapon with a Strength greater than their Toughness. The big guns bounce off these guys.
- Enhancements: The Bastion Plate will make your already hard to hurt guys that much harder to shift.
- Stratagems: Gun down remnants with your Pitiless Cannonde (new band name, I call it).
Pactbound Zealots
- Rules: The Marks of Chaos rule gives all the flavor of dedicating your units to the Gods of Chaos.
- Enhancements: Pactbound Zealots have four enhancements, each locked to a certain Chaos Mark.
- Stratagems: Like the enhancements, the stratagems are mostly locked behind certain Marks, which is somewhat limiting.
Chaos Cult
- Rules: Desperate Devotion means your Cultists and Traitor Guardsmen (and Beastmen!) get their own Pacts. Traitor Guardsmen also gain Battleline.
- Enhancements: All the Enhancements here are locked to Dark Apostles or Damned unit. Better luck next time Chaos Lords!
- Stratagems: All of these are locked to Damned units.
Soulforged Warpack
- Rules: Debt to the Soul Forge means doing Pacts with Daemon Engines is craaazy good.
- Enhancements: Tempting Addendum is a stand out here for Daemon Engine re-rolls.
- Stratagems: Daemonic Possession is really neat because it lets you put the Daemon keyword on any vehicle and get the cool benefits of the detachment.
Key Faction Units To Know
The army has an immense unit roster. Knowing what units to take to make use of the Legion’s rules can be tricky. Here are some suggestions to get you off on the right track.
Leaders
Abaddon the Despoiler
The big baddie of Chaos Space Marine heroes. Abaddon is not only a preeminent beatstick, but he also offers a huge suite of aura buffs to friendly units.
Vashtorr the Arkifane
An Epic Hero and demigod, Vashtorr is great at accompanying and buffing units of Daemonic Vehicles, such as Forgefiends.
Fabius Bile
This insane doctor Epic Hero greatly enhances the unit he joins due to his deranged experiments.
Chaos Lord
The dark mirror of a Space Marine Captain, a Chaos Lord has a Chance For Glory, which allow it to dominate a single combat phase.
Dark Apostle
A great buffing character with Dark Zealotry. A Dark Aposlte can greatly increase the potency of one of your assault contingents.
Battleline
CSM Legionaries
The eponymous Battleline choice of the army will form a solid core. Always bring some for your tabletop raiding needs.
Cultist Mob
Your other Battleline option is very cheap, numerous, and not that good. But that’s fine, they don’t need to be. Thanks to For the Dark Gods they could be dead and still claiming an objective for you.
Other Units
Chaos Terminator Squad
Though they didn’t quite get as big a glow-up as their Imperial counterparts, Chaos Terminators are a solid unit. They get even more use out of Dark Pacts thanks to their Despoilers rule.
Havoc Squad
Heavy weapon toting Chaos Space marines that can pump out a lot of fire power. They can dish out a lot of punishment for such a small amount of models, but take care of them. Their low numbers are their greatest weakness.
Obliterators
Fleshmetal Guns are incredibly versatile and Warp Rift Firepower is guaranteed to surprise the enemy and means there is no hiding from them.
Accursed Cultists
These units are a bit tougher than normal Cultists, and also return slain models every phase.
Fellgor Beastmen
These units are cheap, fast, and decent on the charge. Don’t expect much and you won’t be disappointed.
Forgefiend
The Ectoplasm cannons of a Forefiend are very strong, even stronger when using Daemonic Ordnance.
Venomcrawler
This Daemon Engine is a nice medium threat at both range and in combat. A few together can be a real menace.
Helbrute
The Chaos Marine Dreadnought is a sight to behold. Able to pump out heavy firepower or tear things apart in combat. If it survives, that is. It’s certainly something your opponent can’t ignore.
Sample Chaos Space Marines Starter Army
Leaders
Dark Apostle. 3 Models. He is equipped with: bolt pistol; accursed crozius
Battleline
Legionaries. Ten Models. One Plasmagun. Every other model is equipped with: bolt pistol; boltgun
Legionaries. Five Models. Every other model is equipped with: bolt pistol; boltgun;
Cultists. Twenty Models.
Cultists. Twenty Models.
Other Units
Helbrute. One Model. It is equipped with: twin lascannon; helbrute fist.
Helbrute. One Model. It is equipped with: twin lascannon; helbrute fist.
Chaos Rhino. One Model.
How to Play Chaos Space Marines
Chaos Marines in many ways play like their Imperial counterparts, with a few wrinkles. Both a good all-rounders which can be effective in any phase of the game. Where Space Marines use Oath of the Moment, Chaos Marines get a similar effect from their Dark Pacts. While Space Marines have many more types of Marine, Chaos Marines have a much greater diversity of unit type, and much larger potential for horde play. This opens up some playstyles not available to the Loyalists.
For the Dark Gods!
