Since the very first version of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop battlegame was published in 1987 it has been the elite super-warriors known as the Space Marines who have most captured the imagination of those who play the game or read about the fictional world described therein. There is something both admirable and threatening about these macabre 'altered' human warriors, and their heroically tragic role in the fictional history of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, coupled with their incredible heraldic costumes has ensured their popularity. Today this is as high as ever as more people are introduced to the Warhammer 40,000 game and Games Workshop develops new opportunities to showcase the Space Marines' unique appeal.

Warhammer 40,000 is set in a grim far future. It is a time of unrelenting war as humanity strives to survive in the face of myriad threats, warmongering aliens, bloodthirsty daemons and misguided heretics threaten it at every turn. The Imperium of Mankind is humanity's last hope and the martial forces of the Emperor of Earth its only defence. Foremost amongst those defenders are the Space Marines the Adeptus Astartes, the Emperor's finest warriors.

Created in legend over ten thousand years ago, the Space Marines have been at the forefront of the endless struggle to survive. A single Space Marine is a formidable foe. He has been surgically and psychologically adapted to be the perfect human warrior and endowed with the best weapons and armour the Imperium can manufacture. He fights with a thousand or so brother Marines who comprise a regiment or Chapter as they are known. This relatively tiny military unit packs a mighty punch and throughout the galaxy the Space Marines are justly feared. There are estimated to be a thousand Chapters of Space Marines currently active across the vast tracts of the Imperium, however only the High Lords of Terra know for sure the exact number and status of these warriors. Space Marines are warrior monks utterly devoted and single minded in their duty, armed with the most powerful weapon of all: an unshakeable faith in the righteousness of their mission, and in the Emperor.

Insignium Astartes focuses on the uniforms and heraldry of these incredible future warriors. As we shall see each of the Chapters has a unique heraldic pattern of armour and markings. Each Chapter follows ancient traditions and rules that govern these patterns and colour schemes, and this book will hopefully provide an insight into some of these traditions. This will be particularly useful to miniature modellers and tabletop gamers as they seek to recreate Space Marines for their model collections, displays and miniature armies but will also interest all those who have ever been fasonated with humanity's greatest champions.