Niche Space Marine Chapter

It seems Space Marine has given me the, errrr, Space Marine bug.

I've dabbled with several chapters over the years:

A grey marine force, painted with a friend at start of 3rd.
I started Space Wolves.
I also started Crimson Fists.
I then started a chapter of my own making.
I dabbled with Howling Griffons.
I started and finished a Black Dragons army, won best painted and came 2nd at a tourney then went AWOL from the hobby for a few years.

I like Space Marines, not as much as the Dark Eldar but would like to start an army for them in the not too distant future.

It needs to be a niche, not unknown but rarely seen Chapter. Any ideas?

You could make post-Dornian Heresy Ultramarines. They might be Ultramarines, but their M16 Damocles armour makes it up for them. If you haven't checked the Dornian Heresy writings, you should really do.

For some fun conversions and painting you could make an army of the legion of the damned but don't actually use the rules for them.

Second or later Founding:

I would say:
Aurora are fairly well know and not seen to often
Genesis, the first successor chapter
Silver Skulls, my own beloved successor chapter with history back to the Rogue Trader books with a lot of background and fluff. I always thought head hunting space marines was cool. Involved in several major campaigns and is both planet based and has a chapter fleet.
Storm Lords, a White Scars successor
Raptors, they look really good with the dark green pattern, the blue and yellow are weak sauce
Relictors, neat opportunity to include a little bit of chaos bitz
Nova Marines, involved in a number of significant campaigns
Exorcists, like the Nova Marines, have been a lot of the major campaigns

First Founding:
post heresy
You don't see that many Imperial Fists or Raven Guard. The down side to raven guard is they look too much like templars.

White Scars are kind of a rarity as well.

Pre Heresy,
I think Luna Wolves are the least seen legion there is, and probablythe most famous of all the legion next to the smurfs.

Pre-Heresy Ive always liked Alpha Legion, if you are going fluffly they have normal guardsmen interwoven through their army, which would be cool for a set-piece army

First founding Ive always been found of Ravenguard, as you dont see it often

Others- I think Exorists is a pretty weird background for a marine army, an attempt at a new grey knight style army is interesting.

Aurora's are cool, I saw an army in a White Dwarf going back 10 years but some guy from my local used to collect them, that probably puts me off.
I've looked into Relictors, they have some interesting fluff but are quite well known.
Very intrigued by Scythes Of The Emperor but they've been done a lot.
Not overkeen on the other suggestions so far.
Not feeling to go heresy.

For me it goes rarity and name first, scheme second, fluff isn't important as such.

I play Purple Knights that may get Angry Marines paintjob in near future.

rainbow marines, everyone loves marines with rainbows on them or I think they are called rainbow warriors right now... whatevs, same difference

And the fire drakes seem cool, or whatever their name is, its the ones with like a greyish back armor, are from the cursed founding, and have bone spines growing out of their arms which they use as close combat weapons, also some can breath fire

If you like the green,
the Sons of Medusa are very rare. I don't think I have ever seen anyone do them. They are a iron Hands successor and are noted in the badaab campaign.

Imperial Harbingers are interesting, greysih armor with a yellow helmet
Imperial Paladins are also rare. They look like Templars but the armor is dark blue with a yellow iron cross. Could be used as templars or vaniila.

Here is list of canon (ie. one that were at least mentioned by GW/FW/BL) chapters, most with pictures.
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Pictorial_List_of_Space_Marine_Chapters_A-L
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Pictorial_List_of_Space_Marine_Chapters_M-Z

This one is kinda... cool...
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Flame_Falcons

Sigh...looks my space marine chapter is no longer cannon.

I had 2 that we accepted in the Build your own space marine chapter contest I can't remember how many years ago.

They were the Sin Eaters, a Imperial fist successor. Dark Blue and Green split pattern with a bone colored helmet
and the Sons of Cerberus, of unknown or questionable founding.Yellow Gold and Blue who had a foundness for doing things in groups of three. It was a unique chapter trait and was deemed a favored number for power and success.

Carcharodons, a.k.a. space sharks. They have background in Badab war books, and a fw special char, the red wake, that makes 1 assault terminator squad a troop choice. Grey with gold trim, older pattern gear.

Space sharks are not rare. There are a lot of them.

The new fluff is very enticing, but they are one of the more well known of the lesser chapters.

Didn't know they were common now. Did they explode in popularity with Badab war release?
Since I restarted playing this spring the only marine armies I have seen, in person, have been Storm Lords, Grey Knights, Ultramarines, and Night Lords. I heard some people locally played Space Wolves and Blood Angels, just never seen them. Only game I played in 4th edition was against Relictors, I'm probably in a bad position to judge how common chapters are played.

There are/were several dozen project logs on BnC, I think they doubled with the badaab books.

That being said, the least popular and still has some good bitz is the Raptors. Forge world makes conversion kits for them. I was thinking about doing them until I saw all the DE stuff coming out. needless to say, I still don't have any FW kits or otherwise for them. probably won't now since White Scars have captured my attention for my next marine project down the road somewhere.

I think Raptors would one of those really cool chapters to do that has neat fluff and is not that common.

I have way too much to do with DE to really consider any other 40k army for the next several years.

The only correct choice.

Disciples of Caliban are a Dark Angels successor I don't think I've seen played much. Iron Champions are a Chapter I've never seen played and never even knew about before today.

Scythes of the Emperor.

It has been decided. It's a pipeline plan though and I'll collect an army list, not the range as I have done with the Dark Eldar. Looking at doing the scouts like they looked in the 80's and Terminators with huge thunder scythes. Will be a nice distraction.

Aw, no Rainbow Marines?

Oh well, I like the idea you have for the Termies. Should turn out cool.

Haunter! wrote:

Aw, no Rainbow Marines?

Not bad, at first I actually expected something like this:


But that's good colour scheme.

That's a Love Marine, not a Rainbow Warrior.


http://www.philipsibbering.com/wh40k/10-06-01-reimage-rainbow-warriors.shtml

I was looking for that site before, but only just rediscovered it today.

I always loved Mentors (had a couple hang out as filler squads a lot in my early days of Imp. Fists and it was very fluffy) and The Lamentors (who used to have special rules to make winning with them harder as bad stuff would keep happening to you)

It has come again. I get it a few times a month, a calling to start Space Marines. I still can't decide. Help

just finish your black dragons. They would make for an interesting conversion options.

I know, thats what I am thinking. Need to write a list though.