User blog:Sclera1/Space Marines (Warhammer 40,000)



In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000 created by Games Workshop, Space Marines are genetically modified superhuman soldiers, the elite warriors of the Imperium of Man. The Space Marines are the most popular playable army for the table-top miniature wargame based in the setting. Space Marines have been one of the starter armies in every box edition of Warhammer 40,000, Space Hulk, and Epic.

Gameplay mechanics
Space Marines are a playable army in the tabletop miniatures game. Because they are individually so powerful, their armies tend to be small, thus a player can buy and assemble a functional army for relatively little cost and effort. The simple colour scheme of the models makes them easy to paint. In terms of playing style, they are a versatile army that neither excels nor fails at any particular tactic, though certain Chapters do have variant rules. Individual units are typically not strongly specialised and can substitute in other roles, meaning mistakes and setbacks are easy to compensate for. Their tough armour means that they do not have to be manoeuvred as carefully as units of other armies (such as the frail Eldar). These qualities make them ideal for beginners.

Fictional origins
In the distant future, the Emperor of Mankind creates twenty Primarchs, genetically engineered superhumans possessing immense physical and psychic power. Each Primarch's genome serves as a template for a Legion of Space Marines.

During the late 30th millennium AD, the Emperor undertakes the Great Crusade and uses the Space Marine Legions to conquer the human-inhabited worlds of the galaxy, uniting them into the Imperium of Man. As the campaign draws to a close, a number of Primarchs and their Legions convert to the worship of the Chaos Gods and rebel against the Emperor. The rebels are ultimately defeated and banished, though they continue to harass the Imperium as Chaos Space Marines. The Emperor is critically wounded in battle and placed on permanent life-support. The Legions of Space Marines who remain loyal to him are restructured into smaller units, called Chapters, so as to make a future mass rebellion unlikely.

Creation of a Space Marine
Recruits are chosen from the best warriors among humanity. This makes Death Worlds and Feral Worlds prized recruiting grounds, as such harsh and primal conditions produce the best warriors. Some Hive Worlds are also considered ideal sources of potential recruits, as the population of lower habitation levels contain some of the most murderous characters in the Imperium; hive world gangs are frequently hunted down and captured for recruitment. Among the most valued traits in a recruit are aggression and killer instinct. Civilised worlds are more rarely recruited from.

Requirements
Recruits must be fairly young, because implants often do not become fully functional if the recipient has reached a certain level of physical maturity. They must be male because the zygotes are keyed to male hormones and tissue types. Only a small percentage of people are compatible to receive the implants and hypno-conditioning to turn them into Space Marines. Before the process of implantation begins, the potential recruit is tested for tissue and mental compatibility and subjected to psychological screening. If he proves successful in these tests, the recruit becomes a Neophyte. After the organ implantation process he becomes an Initiate. Throughout the implantation process, Space Marines must undergo various forms of conditioning in order for the implanted organs to activate, develop and become part of his physiology. Most recruits join the ranks as a Brother between the age of 16–18 years.

The 19 implanted organs are complicated, and because several of them only function in the presence of other implants, the removal, mutation, or failure of one organ can affect the functionality of others. Because of this, and the fact that each Chapter's gene-seed belongs to that Chapter alone, different Chapters display different characteristics and use different sets of implants and methods of implantation. For example, "Blood of Sanguinius" is administered to the Blood Angels only; and the Space Wolves are the only Space Marines with Canis Helix implants.

After these genetically engineered organs are implanted into the potential Space Marine, he undergoes years of indoctrination and harsh physical, psychical and mental training to burn out any source of weakness.

Implants
The following implants are used:


 * Phases 1-3 can be introduced at the same time, ideally between 10 and 14 years of age.
 * Phases 4 and 5 can be introduced at the same time, ideally between 12 and 14 years of age.
 * Hypnotherapy normally begins at phase 6, ideally sometime between 14 and 17 years of age.
 * Phases 7 to 9 are normally introduced simultaneously, ideally at a point between 14 and 16 years old. The following series of organs are also ideally implanted between the ages of 14 and 16.
 * Phases 14 and 15 may be introduced at the same time, ideally between 15 and 16 years of age. The remaining series of implants are then ideally introduced to the recipient between the ages of 16 and 18.

Conditioning
After these implantations and alterations to their bodies body, it is questionable whether Space Marines remain human.
 * Chemical Treatment. Until his initiation, a Space Marine must submit to constant tests and examinations. The newly implanted organs must be monitored very carefully, imbalances corrected, and any sign of maldevelopment treated. This chemical treatment is reduced after completion of the initiation process, but it never ends. Space Marines undergo periodic treatment for the rest of their lives in order to maintain a stable metabolism. Marine power armour suits contain monitoring equipment and drug dispensers to aid in this.
 * Hypnotherapy. As the super-enhanced body grows, the recipient must learn how to use his new abilities. Some of the implants, specifically the phase 6 and 10 implants, can only function once correct hypnotherapy has been administered. Hypnotherapy is not always as effective as chemical treatment, but it can have substantial results. If a Space Marine can be taught how to control his own metabolism, his dependence on drugs is lessened. The process is undertaken in a machine called a Hypnomat. Space Marines are placed in a state of hypnosis and subjected to visual and aural stimuli in order to awaken their minds to their unconscious metabolic processes.
 * Training. Physical training stimulates the implants and allows them to be tested for effectiveness.
 * Indoctrination. Just as their bodies receive 19 separate implants, so their minds are altered to release the latent powers within. These mental powers are, if anything, more extraordinary than even the physical powers described above. For example, a Space Marine can control his senses and nervous system to a remarkable degree, and can consequently endure pain that would kill an ordinary man. A Space Marine can also think and react at lightning speeds. Memory training is an important part of the indoctrination too. Some Space Marines develop photographic memories. Obviously, Space Marines vary in intelligence as do other men, and their individual mental abilities vary in degree.

Chapter structure
A typical Space Marine Chapter consists of about a thousand Space Marines, plus an unspecific number of Initiates and support staff. Each Chapter is led by a Chapter Master. Subordinate to him are Captains who command Companies of 100 Space Marines, which in turn are divided into Squads of 10 Space Marines led by Sergeants. Though small, each Space Marine Chapter is a fully integrated military machine, boasting naval and ground forces and a homeworld from which to draw supplies and recruits. Because they are seen as the chosen warriors of the Emperor, Space Marine Chapters are given a great deal of autonomy and legal dispensation. If a Chapter grows too large and powerful for the Imperium's liking, the government may order it fragmented into smaller Chapters.

Traitor Legions
Nine legions sided with Horus and the forces of Chaos during the Horus Heresy. After their defeat they fled into the Eye of Terror, becoming the Chaos Space Marines.

'Lost' Legions and Primarchs
Fictional works also depict two additional unnamed and undescribed First Founding Legions, Legions II and XI. In some literature the missing Primarchs and their Legions are listed as being "deleted from Imperial records". In The First Heretic, Magnus, Primarch of the Thousands Sons, rebukes Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers, for attempting to bring them up in conversation, reminding him that they (the Emperor and brother Primarchs) have all taken an oath not to discuss what happened. These chapters are also referenced in Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns wherein it is revealed that the two "deleted" legions were destroyed by the Space Wolves under orders from the Emperor in much the same way as the Wolves were ordered to destroy the Thousand Sons.

The only information Games Workshop has ever released that directly addresses them can be found in False Gods, Mechanicum, The First Heretic, Thousand Sons, Prospero Burns and The Lightning Tower (Dan Abnett).

Appearances
Space Marines are featured in:

Tabletop games

 * Rogue Trader.
 * Warhammer 40,000.
 * Space Marine.
 * Space Crusade (1992) and its sequel, Advanced Space Crusade.
 * Space Hulk.
 * Talisman in the Timescape expansion.
 * Battlefleet Gothic in the Armada expansion.
 * Inquisitor.
 * Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay in Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader and Death Watch''.

Video games

 * Space Hulk (MS-DOS 3.3 or higher, Amiga, PC-98) (1993) (Terminator-armoured Space Marines).
 * Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels (PC, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, 3DO)(1996) (sequel to Space Hulk).
 * Final Liberation: Warhammer Epic 40,000 (Microsoft Windows) (1997).
 * Chaos Gate (Microsoft Windows) (1998).
 * Rites of War (Microsoft Windows) (1999).
 * Fire Warrior (PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows) (2003).
 * Dawn of War (2004) and its expansion packs Winter Assault (2005), Dark Crusade (2006), and Soulstorm (2008).
 * Squad Command (2007).
 * Dawn of War II (2009) and its expansion packs Chaos Rising (2010) and Retribution (2011).
 * Space Marine (2011).
 * Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online (released 2013).

Movie

 * Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie