Why are Space Marines so difficult to write?

I love writing background and original characters for my Warhammer 40,000 miniatures. Over the years, I created dozens of Astra Militarum regiments, Genestealer cults, T’au Septs and Chaos warbands. But there’s something I’ve always struggled with: Space Marines. Why are they so difficult to write? Let’s find out!

More than human, less than human

The warriors of the Adeptus Astartes, also known as Space Marines, are genetically engineered and mentally conditioned to become the perfect living weapon. They were once humans, but after years of brutal training and the implantation of special organs, they’re definitely more than that.

They’re stronger and faster than the best athletes. They’re taller than our war machines. Their wounds heal in an instant. They can survive the most toxic environments, even the vacuum of space. In short, they’re almost invincible. Add the best weapons and equipment the forty-first millennium has to offer on top of that, and you’ll get the strongest super-soldier of Science-Fiction.

Space Marines are transhumans, or more accurately, superhumans. That’s probably why they’re so entertaining at first glance, but you can only go so far with supreme strength, peak tactical intelligence and extreme resilience.

Fortunately enough, Space Marines are also less than human. They don’t experience feelings anymore, or only a few of them, like hate, but certainly not fear. They’re cut from their humanity quite early in their training. They abandon their names and most of their origins to become someone else, something else.

Most Space Marines are not individuals anymore. To me, they are tools or weapons. And as such, they have more in common with their Bolt rifle than with your average human. Thus, in traditional Warhammer fashion, they’re paradoxical. They’re more but also less than human, which makes them extremely tricky to write, or at least, to write right.

How do they sound like?

If you ever read a piece of Warhammer fiction, chances are that you’ve heard one or a few Space Marines talking. And the way they express themselves is really symptomatic of their trickiness.

Because most Space Marines sound bad. Which doesn’t mean Black Library authors and the Warhammer Studio can’t write them. But if you want to stay true to their nature, they have to sound weird, tacky, or just awful, really. After all, they’re probably closer to a robot than your typical human being.

Plus, Space Marines are usually unapologetic. Both in behaviour and in origins. According to Aaron Dembski-Bowden, my favourite Black Library author, when you create your own Space Marines, the point is to “make something that, to 21st Century eyes, looks a bit wacky, and showing that it’s credible in the insanity of 40K.”

There, you have it. Space Marines don’t have to sound cool or badass, although they can be, they have to sound absurd. And most Space Marines are, in fact, loonies. Just take a look at the name of their Chapters. My favourite example is probably the Carcharodons, which are also known as Space Sharks or Carcharodons Astra. They wear a shark-grey armour and a shark-shaped Chapter badge. And of course, they’re just as fast and brutal as a shark would be.

Flaws and faults

The dumber the better? Probably not. As funny as writing on the nose concepts and names can be, I believe Space Marines need more to feel properly fleshed out.

Your fan favourite Chapters are wacky and unapologetic for sure, but they’re also flawed. Their lineage or genetic material is corrupted or deficient. They choose the wrong side in a weird, complicated conflict. They offended the powerful leaders of an Imperial planet, system, or maybe the masters of the Imperium themselves. They’re hated by their recruiting planets, and so on.

In Warhammer 40,000, you can find hundred of examples of faults or wrongs to taint a Space Marine Chapter. Some are very light, according to our standards. But just like their names, thirthy-eight millenniums later, they become properly insane in proportions or consequences. Others are complex, or intimate, hidden or under investigation. But all of them tend to make for more intriguing Space Marines.

In a way, it’s cheating. You take something away from the ultimate weapon, and suddenly, it’s more interesting. But that’s probably a good rule of thumb for those who might want to create their own Space Marines Chapter. If there’s such a thing as an authentic Space Marine, he probably has some flaws. In short, write them brutally honest at first, and add weaknesses later.

I often did it the other way around, and my Marines ended up sounding like nostalgic poets trapped in the body shaped for war. And I guess it could be a thing in the crazy universe that is Warhammer 40,000, but something felt a bit off.

Chaos Space Marines

That something is called Chaos Space Marines, but I only realised that a few weeks ago. I’m currently collecting a Black Legion army, and I’ve always loved the perspective of the renegade Space Marines on the galaxy. And that showed through the ideas I had for own loyalists Chapters.

In a way, Chaos Space Marines are easier to write. Not that they’re not paradoxical as well, they definitely are, but their own little paradox is easier to grasp. Basically, they are right, but their methods are wrong. They like to think they worship the Chaos Gods to free humanity from the tyranny of the Imperium, but they always have another, more personal reason to fight.

To put it simply, where Space Marines are simultaneously less and more than humans, Chaos Space Marines are superhumans regaining their humanity. Because of that, the way they think and the way they talk can mimic ours. Because of that, their flaws and their faults become more apparent. And all of that makes them easier to write, at least for me.

Humans, after all

But forcing your homebrew Chapter to worship Chaos isn’t the only way to remind it of its humanity. One simple trick is to make your Space Marines remember a small part of their culture or their personality.

Again, most fan-favourite Chapters do that brilliantly. Take a look at Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s latest, for instance. In Spear of the Emperor, the author describes Space Marines that are both unapologetic and flawed, but they also remember their clannish roots. Indeed, the tribes of Nemeton, their homeworld, perdure in the Chapter’s organisation.

How much will a Space Marine remember from his first life is different from one Chapter to the other, but just like flaws, these memories are an effective way to add some personality to your force and its leaders. But choosing the right memories isn’t easy.

After all, there’s a real trauma in the making of a Space Marine. We’re talking about abducting children, changing their bodies and minds to create the perfect weapon. This comes at a cost. And with too many memories of their old lives, your warriors might feel like they’re not properly paying it.

Choose your archetype(s)

That said, you don’t have to be a sadist to make sure your Space Marines sound interesting. Choosing an archetype might help. Especially now that we have so many toys to play with.

Some said the introduction of Primaris Space Marines made the whole thing way too complicated, but I believe they’re actually a wonderful opportunity to make your own warriors even more intriguing.

Indeed, nowadays, you can learn more about your Chapter in a few questions only. Is your Chapter Primaris only? If not, how did they welcomed the new guys, if they’ve heard about the news at all? How did they learn about a Primarch rising from the dead? Which side of the Great Rift are they fighting? And so on! You get the idea: in no time, you can flesh out your very own chapter, without a massive knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 canon.

Even better, with new technologies comes new concepts to play with. The Mark X “Tacticus” armour is declined in many variants, and each of them can become an embodiment of your Chapter’s culture and history.

The diversity of their range, is actually what makes writing Primaris Space Marines so rewarding. You just have to choose your archetype, and find the appropriate miniatures to enforce it! That’s why we often picture the Raven Guard wearing the stealthy Phobos armour, for example.

Of course, you could choose an archetype long before the Primaris Space Marines, but translating it into your miniatures was probably more difficult, or at least, required more work. In 2021, your only worry will be to select which of the awesome minis (and the custom rules, for that matter) would embody your Chapter the best.

Conclusion

Finding balance and measure in your writing is always hard, especially when you’re inspired by an IP that is as crazy and lunatic as Warhammer 40,000. Of course, Space Marines, as the paragons of this universe, could only be just as ludicrous, which makes them both fun and quite tricky to write. Other factions are more forgiving, for sure, but probably because they’re less varied or less detailed, both in lore and models. On the contrary, Space Marines offer infinite possibilities, and yet, we all have an idea of what sounds right and off about them. Another paradox, but I hope this piece inspired you to create your very own Space Marines Chapter! In the meantime, tell me what you think of the observations below! Cheers!

• Space Marines are more but also less than human
• They have to sound crazy or unapologetic, kinda
• Flaws make them intriguing
• Memories give them flavour

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