30K: Space Marine Legion Infantry Units

The Horus Heresy Space Marine armies sport some similarities to their 40K brethren, but make no mistake, they are their own beast entirely.

All 20 (or rather: 18) Legions are based on the same template detailed in the Crusade Army List. They all have access to the same basic infantry and vehicle choices – but note that this doesn't mean that they all fielded the same amounts of each type. Some unit types are less favored by certain Legions, while other Legions over-emphasized other unit types. As always, it all depends on your chosen Legion.

We've talked about some infantry units when we looked at the Betrayal at Calth Space Marines. But let's take a look at all of them.

HQ

• A Praetor is the standard way to even get a Rite of War, as your army needs a character with the "Master of the Legion" ability. Besides that, a Praetor is pretty analog to a 40K Chapter Master. The character in Terminator armour from the Betrayal at Calth box can be used as a Praetor.
• A Centurion meanwhile is more like a 40K Captain. Not very exciting in and on itself, but (!) they can take one of several specializations (in that case the Centurions are called "Consuls", by the way), turning them into Librarians, Chaplains, Masters of the Forge (called "Forge Lords" in 30K), Masters of Signals (who've got the Chapter Master's ability for orbital bombardment, among other things), and much more. There's even a Consul to get that precious "Master of the Legion" ability: the Delegatus. Note that this isn't in the Crusader Army List book currently available (although that will change very soon with the release of an updated version of said book). The character in Power Armour from the Betrayal at Calth box makes for a good Chaplain, by the way, and would be easy enough to convert to other Consul roles.
• A Command Squad of three Astartes (each with two wounds and WS 5!), including a banner that grants Fearless to nearby units. Because Morale is a big thing in 30K, this might be worthwile, depending on the Legion (the Death Guard, for instance, don't really need it).

Note that most HQs (some Consuls may differ) have the choice between Power Armour, Artificer Armour and Terminator Armour, as well as bikes and jet-bikes.

Elite

• The Veteran Tactical Squad is pretty much 40K's Tactical Squad: 5 to 10 guys, one special or heavy weapon per 5. But here's why the Veteran Tactical Squad deserves the "veteran" title: they have a choice between different special abilities, including Tank Hunter, Sniping and Outflanking. Equip them accordingly, but keep in mind that a squad with two viable targets (infantry and tanks, for instance) can't split their fire, and thus is losing some effectiveness.
• Not all Legions like the Destroyer Squad, as these are fighting dirty: Rad grenades and missiles, and poisonous Phospex Bombs are part of their (optional) armament. Apart from that, they're basically Assault squads. The more "righteous" Legions like the Ultramarines and the Imperial Fists, as well as the "nicer" Legions like the Salamanders will only sparringly use Destroyer Squads, if at all.
• You know 'em, you love 'em or hate 'em: Terminator Squads. These squads are scoring units, something that's not quite as plentiful in 30K as it is in 40K. This makes Terminators pretty much the toughest objective grabbers you can get. There are some notable differences to their 40K brethren, though. First and foremost, they can't automatically Deep Strike. This feature rather depends on your Rite of War. In addition, they've got the choice between different armour versions: Tartarus Terminator Armour grants them the ability to make Sweeping Advances, and Cathaphractii Terminator Armour is more sturdy (4+ invulnerability save instead of 5+).
• Techmarine Covenant and Apothecarion Detachment each granting you access to one to three Techmarines or Aphotecaries. The Apothecaries are attached to other units, with the expected benefits of granting that unit Feel No Pain. This is obviously a powerful choice, made even more powerful in the notoriously large squads of the 31st millenium. The usefulness of the Techmarines on the other hand is debateable (the Master of the Forge Consul is probably a better choice, but as usual that depends on your Legion and Rite of War).

Troops

• The mainstay of most Legion armies is the Tactical Squad. 10 to 20 Marines, with the smallest version able to get a Rhino (or, depending on your Rite of War, other Dedicated Transports). As is often the case in 30K, bigger is better, so go with 20-man-squads if possible. They have a fun special ability that lets them shoot twice in the same shooting phase, resulting in four shots per Marine at half distance thanks to Rapid Fire. 20 Marines, 4 shots per Marine equals 80 shots – wow! For maximum survivability, attach a Apothecary to the squad, resulting in a squad you don't just take because you have to.
• Isn't it strange that the Assault Squad is a Troop choice and not Fast Attack? Anyway, because they're way more expensive than Tactical Squads, this choice is sub-par in many instances (Legion and Rite of War notwithstanding).
• If any unit screams "31st Millenium!", it's the Breacher Siege Squad. This squad is just that little bit tougher than Tactical Squads. The fact that one in five can be equipped with a special weapn – which might actually complement the function of the squad, no less – is just icing on the cake. Still, they're more expensive, so you better have a good reason to field Breacher and not Tactical Squads.
• The real meat of the troop choices is the Tactical Support Squad. Think of it as a "Devastator Squad Jr.". Five to ten guys, all with the same special weapon, not clogging up a Heavy Support slot – what's not to love? Give them Meltaguns and go vehicle hunting. With Plasma Guns they're the bane of all Terminators. To counter other Marines, you've got two different Volkite weapons. And so on and so forth. Just note that the Rotor Cannons, which are probably the coolest weapon an Astartes can take, just doesn't cut it against other Legions. Flamers too will not go that far against fellow Marines, but, as usual, that depends on the Legion and/or Rite of War. Note that these squads are non-compulsory troop choices, so you can't just load up on Support Squads and call it an army.
• Back in the day there were no scouts. Instead the Legions had access to Recon Squads, which aren't initiates but full-blown Astartes. In case you have access to Deep Strinking Terminator squads (see above on a note about that) or artillery, these squads are especially great, because they can take Nuncio Voxes, nifty pieces of equipment (also available to Tactical Squads, among others, but Recon Squads can make just that much better use of it, thanks to their forward deployment) that make Deep Striking and artillery barrage more effective. Like Tactical Support Squads they are non-compulsory troop choices.

Fast Attack

• Seeker Squad are there to take out an independent character of your choice, but they might have their uses elsewhere, too. In fact, thanks to Precision Shot they're able to pin-point any special model in opposing units, be it the Heavy Weapon guy in a Veteran Tactical Squad or that pesky Apothecary in a 20 man Tactical Squad.
• Outrider Squads, Attack Bike Squadron and Jet-Bike Skyhunter Squadron are pretty much what you'd expect. Outriders behave more like Skout Bikers though (although they are as tough as normal Bikers), and both Attack Bike and Jet-Bike Squadrons bring the pain in farious flavours.

Heavy Support

• Named after this category, the Heavy Support Squad close up our list of infantry squads, because the Legions already knew that "Heavy Support" is best when done by heavier stuff than normal Marines. Still, the Heavy Support Squad is no pushover, as a) they all have the same Heavy Weapon (because mixing sucks in either Millenium anyway), b) this includes the Sergeant, and c) they can have up to 10 Marines. A 10-Marine-squad wielding nothing but Lascannons is scary indeed!

Lords of War

• For completeness' sake I'll quickly mention the Primarchs, as they kind of fit this category. In case you didn't know, a Primarch is to a Space Marine what a Space Marine is to an unaugmented human. They're even larger and more imposing than regular Astartes, and each one has an unique set of ability and equipment, and special rules which enhance his Legion's way of waging war. We'll talk about the Primarchs when we take a look at the different Legions, so for now it should suffice to know that these guys are available for games of 2,000 points and up.

Conclusion

So there you have it: all non-vehicle units available to all Legions. Again, your unit choices depend on both your Legion and your Rite of War. In most cases, Tactical Squads are a good foundation, but that might not always be the case – the Imperial Fist, for instance, have access to a Rite of War that forces them to take Breacher Squads as compulsory troop choices.

More so than 40K, 30K literally wants you to design a flavorful ("fluffy") army, so do yourself a favour and do just that.  But we'll talk more about that when we take a look at the different Legions.