A Thousand Points of Light: Space Marines (Revised 07/2006)  by Patrick Eibel
The Space Marine army is one of the most popular lists in the game. It is versatile, looks great, offers a wide range of excellent and cheap models, and is fairly easy to use. Warhammer 40,000 is a dynamic game, and the rules are always being revised and updated. To keep current with the latest releases, we have updated this article. Here a revised “generic” Space Marine list. 

Remember, this list--like all the others in this series--is meant for brand new players or for players looking to start a new army. This list is not meant to be a "killer" list for winning tournaments or trouncing people at the local gaming shop. Rather, it is a foundation that players can build upon as they desire.

What To Buy

• Terminator Captain blister: $15.00/£7
• Terminator Squad box : $50.00/£25
• Tactical Squad box: $35.00/£18
• Devastator Squad box: $45.00/£20
• Scout Squad box: $20.00/£10
• Two Assault Squad boxes: $50.00/£30
• Space Marine Dreadnought: $40.00/£25

All prices are from the Games Workshop website  as of June 2006 and may vary. Prices do not include taxes and are meant only as a guide.

1000-point list
Use the metal Terminator Captain as your Commander and assemble the plastic Terminators to fill out the Command Squad (heavy flamer, assault cannon, and storm bolter). You will have one Terminator left over, which you can save to add to the squad when you expand the army.  

Using the sprues from the Tactical Squad box and the Devastator Squad box, you can assemble all of the bolter Marines, heavy weapon troopers, and Sergeants for the three Tactical Squads. You will have extra heavy weapon bits and special weapons that you can use later to upgrade the squad. I have used a Devastator box to get to 15 Marines and get the lascannon bit, but you are welcome to buy a Combat Squad (only 5 Marines) and substitute another missile launcher for the lascannon. 

The Scouts, Dreadnought, and the Assault Marines will be pretty straightforward to assemble; just remember to not make two Assault Marine Sergeants and to make sure you model the correct weapons on the Scouts and Dreadnought.

• Space Marine Commander (Master) w/ power weapon, storm bolter, Terminator armor (120 points)
• Terminator Command Squad. Sergeant w/ storm bolter, power weapon; Terminator with assault cannon and power fist; Terminator w/ heavy flamer and power fist; Terminator with storm bolter and power fist (190 points)
• Dreadnought w/ assault cannon, extra armor (110 points)
• Tactical Squad. Four Marines w/ bolters; one w/ missile launcher (85 points)
• Tactical Squad. Four Marines w/ bolters; one w/ missile launcher (85 points)
• Tactical Squad. Four Marines w/ bolters; one w/ lascannon (90 points)
• Scout Squad. Four Scouts w/ bolters; one w/ heavy bolter (70 points)
• Assault Squad. Sergeant w/ power weapon and bolt pistol; nine Marines w/ close combat weapons and bolt pistols (250 points)

Tactics
This army list is designed to be versatile and effective against just about any opponent. I did not use any traits or a lot of wargear to really maximize the number of Marines in the list (the small Tactical Squads may give some people fits, but there are only so many points to go around). For this list, the Tactical Squads and Scout Squad provide fire support, while the Assault Squad and Terminators (if they can Deep Strike) provide mobility for either counterstriking or securing objectives. The Dreadnought can help in either a fire-support or an assault role. 

Related Pages
Introduction to the series
Other lists in this series
 

Originally posted June 2001. Revised July 2006. Used with permission.
 

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