Review: Codex Space Marines

- with Greg 

When I decided to get back into playing 40k, I knew that I wanted to get another Space Marine force up and running. Many moons ago, I had a heap of Space Marines. They'd originally been painted as Blood Angels, and then they became Ultramarines. I can't remember how they ended up, but they were awesome!

It's pretty fitting that the first new Codex we see from Games Workshop covers off the mighty warriors of the Adeptus Astartes.

So, let's get the nitty-gritty out of the way first. Ordering the book via GW here in New Zealand is gonna set you back $99 but if you head on over to our good mates at Mighty Ape, they'll hook you up for just $85. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me!

The book itself is gorgeous. If you remember some of the old codexes from GW, they were very much to look at. This thing is amazing. It's glossy and the pictures are really vivid, which really helps with painting. It clocks in a 208 pages which in itself is huge, but you don't actually get to any of the lists or force information until you're 130 pages in. That's right, the first 129 pages are all fluff, pictures and more awesome story stuff! It's a great read!

There is information on individual chapters in here as well. The following chapters are covered off, each with their own characters and history in the book.

Ultramarines: The Sons of Guilliman are well represented with information and the chronicles of Ultramar held here.

White Scars: The savage followers of Jaghatai Khan feature here which is awesome to see!

Imperial Fists: The holders of the Legacy of Dorn.

Crimson Fists: Successors of the mighty Imperial Fists.

Black Templars: Devotees of the Emperor.

Salamanders: Fire and blood, the Sons of Vulkan.

Raven Guard: The stealth masters.

Iron Hands: The mechanical Marines.

Conspicuously missing are the Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Dark Angels and Deathwatch which can only lead me to surmise that they'll be getting their own tomes at some point in the near future.

Next up, we have the details of the weaponry and the troop types at the disposal of the Space Marines in these times, including the new Primaris developments such as the Intercessors, Inceptors and Hellblasters.

Characters for each of the Chapters listed are also included for you to field in your force. Famous names such a Marneus Calgar, Captain Lysander and High Marshal Helbrecht all have their own data sheets here for you.

From there, pretty much every Marine unit and weapon ever created has its own datasheet, filled with info on how you can take them in your force. The power levels are all included here as well. Tables for point values are listed in the back of the book.

Also included are new Chapter Tactics abilities for you to use in your forces. These are special abilities that only units with the <CHAPTER> keyword can use, for example, the Ultramarines have "Codex Discipline" which allows them to add 1 to their Leadership value and also allows them to fire after they've fallen back but at a -1 to hit. Pretty cool little ability there!

There are also new Stratagems, Warlord Traits and also new Chapter Relics which you can use in your force as well.





The Codex Space Marines is a must-have for any Marine player in my opinion. While you can still carry on using the Index: Imperium I, this book just gives you access to so much more strategic choice and also the extra fluff is awesome!