RED ELF
INTRODUCTION

There is no peace among the stars, only an eternity of carnage
and slaughter and the laughter of thirsting gods.

Welcome, followers of the Dark Gods, to Codex: Chaos Space Marines. This tome has but one purpose: to teach you the mysteries of collecting, painting and gaming with a Chaos Space Marine army in Warhammer 40,000. For some of you this path leads to untold power and infamy, for others it holds nothing but endless damnation. Only your own prowess and the fickle favour of your Chaos god will determine which of these fates will be yours...

CHAOS SPACE MARINES

Ten thousand years ago the Imperium was racked by a terrible civil war called the Horus Heresy. The rebellion was led by Warmaster Horus, the most trusted of the Emperor's Primarchs, who had been led to believe by the Chaos gods that it was he, not the Emperor, who should be the leader of Humanity. Almost half of the Space Marine Legions of that time sided with Horus, plunging the Imperium into a terrible galaxy-wide war from which it has never fully recovered. The war ended with the death of Horus at the hands of the Emperor, but the Emperor himself was mortally wounded and is now only barely kept alive by a life-support unit called the Golden Throne. With the defeat of Horus, the surviving Space Marines that had followed him fled to the Eye of Terror - the greatest warp storm in the galaxy. The Chaos Space Marines of the Traitor Legions, as they are now called, lurk there to this day, consumed by their hatred of the Emperor, the Imperium and all Mankind. Twisted by continual contact with the Chaos gods, Chaos Space Marines have become a terrible canker that eats at the heart of the Imperium and they might, one day, have their revenge...

WHY COLLECT A CHAOS SPACE MARINE ARMY?

A Chaos Space Marine army is very similar to a normal Space Marine army: the bulk of its troops are elite and very tough, they wear excellent armour and are armed with a variety of devastating weaponry. The only real weakness of a Chaos Space Marine compared to his Imperial counterpart is that he has a (very sensible) desire to preserve his own skin and therefore does not benefit from the 'And They Shall Know No Fear' rule that prevents loyal Space Marines from running away.

Foг ten thousand years we have fought the Long War and our hatred still knows no succour. Those who have defied us shall feel the full wrath of Chaos..."

"DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR!"
"DEATH TO THE WEAKLING IMPERIUM OF MAN!"

On the other hand, a Chaos Space Marine army has access to an assortment of unique troop types not available to any other army. The most obvious of these are the myriad forms of Daemon that a Chaos Space Marine army can summon to help defeat their enemies. As Daemons must be kept in reserve, their points value is rather lower than their abilities would suggest and they make excellent assault troops with which to back up a Chaos Space Marine force. In addition to Daemons, there is a wide variety of Chaos Space Marines who follow weird and exotic cults and have exotic abilities to match. Examples of these include Khorne Berserkers, Plague Marines and Noise Marines amongst many others.

All of these different troop types have special skills and abilities at which they excel and that allow a Chaos Space Marine commander to build a force that perfectly suits his own style of play. If you dream of slashing your opponents down in frenzied close combat, then take lots of Daemons and Khorne Berserkers, while if you prefer the idea of wiping out your opponent through superior firepower then Obliterators and Noise Marines should be just the ticket!

Aside from battlefield ability, a Chaos Space Marine army has to be one of the best armies to choose in terms of modelling and painting. If you are new to the art of painting Citadel miniatures, then it is possible to paint a Chaos Space Marine army using only very simple techniques, which will still look great on the tabletop. If, on the other hand, you're an experienced painter then the army offers a wide range of troop types and colour schemes. Apart from painting, Chaos Space Marine armies are simply the best of all armies to choose if you enjoy converting models. As well as 'standard' conversions such as weapon or head swaps, there are all kinds of possibilities for making your own unique mutated or possessed models. The 'Eavy Metal showcase in the colour section of the Codex includes some examples of conversions the Studio's 'Eavy Metal team has come up with and these are really just the tip of the iceberg.

WHAT'S IN THIS BOOK
<Red Elf suggests you to buy it for yourself>


This book breaks down into two main sections, each of which illuminates a different aspect of creating your own Chaos Space Marine army and getting it into action.

The Army List. Tells you about the different characters, troops, weapons and vehicles available to Chaos Space Marines and how to work out an army for use in a Warhammer 40,000 game.

The Painting and Collecting Guide. Describes choosing an army, basic tactics, plus step by step details of assembling and painting models and vehicles. This section also shows examples of Chaos Space Marine colour schemes and markings, gives advice on choosing your own schemes and tips on modelling and converting.

A warp/realspace interface of immeasurable magnitude, the Eye of Terror is a realm of madness and despair, where skies weep blood, ancient stars burn in multicoloured flares and the whims of the Dark Gods of Chaos hold sway. Synonymous with discord, terror, ancient secrets and insanity, no other place in the galaxy fills the mind with such dread and foreboding.

The Eye of Terror is the largest refuge of the followers of the Old Gods, the birthplace of hideous Daemons: an anarchic abode of monstrous entities who eternally crave for dominance of the material world. From within its shifting bounds, the Traitor Legions strike forth in their countless raids and forays into Imperial space. Emerging from its tumultuous reaches, armies spill forth to enslave and destroy, in an everlasting war that has been waged for ten thousand years without mercy or abatement. Constant vigil must be kept, for many times over the millennia have the Emperor's enemies slipped past like assassins in the night, leaving millions dead and worlds ravaged before they slink back to their nightmarish fastnesses within the Eye of Terror.

The Eye of Terror distorts and shatters the psychic beacon of the Astronomican.

Surging waves of energy pulse up to a thousand light years from its heart, sweeping whole fleets thousands of light years off course or wiping them from existence in the blinking of an eye.

Of all approaches to the Eye of Terror, the area around the world of Cadia is most navigable, although still treacherous and uncertain. Why this is so cannot be fathomed, but many attribute this effect to the numerous alien artefacts, some larger than worlds, that lie in wilderness space around the region; or perhaps it is the ancient constructions on Cadia itself that somehow quiet the violent torrents of the Warp. Known as the Cadian Gate, this area is the most closely guarded of all regions in the Imperium. Orbital stations numbering in their hundreds hang in the depths of space and five thousand watch stations and listening posts can be found in planetary orbits and on otherwise deserted moons and asteroids, every eye and ear searching for some omen, some sign of impending doom and disaster.

Fully a thousand regiments of Imperial Guard stand at constant readiness to respond to an incursion and no less than ten Space Marine Chapters maintain their fortress monasteries close by to watch for any sign of invasion. Three Titan Legions wait for the call to arms and untold vessels of Battleflcet Obscuras constantly make patrols and sweeps of the thousands of nearby star systems.

And yet for all this watchfulness. Chaos cannot be held at bay. Lone vessels strike at Imperial shipping: agents slip through to spread their treacherous wisdom and creeds to the unfaithful who will listen: warbands constantly harry the Emperor's forces. Most terrifying of ill are the Black Crusades, when a mighty leader rises from the ranks of the Chaos Space Marines, uniting them in their unholy purpose. Ancient covenants and pacts with dark beings are made, in blood and Daemons are brought forth by archaic sorceries that would shrivel the mind of the uninitiated. These hosts break through the wards of the Imperium, killing and maiming all that lies in their path, revelling in unholy desecration, wanton savagery and bitter revenge. For every fleet and army turned back or destroyed, another ten lie in wait, waiting for the time when the vigil lapses, when the guards grow weary and the guns lie at rest. May that time never come - for if it docs, it will be the doom of Humanity.

Extract from the Galaxia Daemonica
Perpetua of Jerome
[By order of Inquisitor Dalma. 453.M35]