Lex Verum Astartes I: Comprehending Scale

Hey everyone, and welcome back to Rites of Battle, and to the first official installment of my newest series, Lex Verum Astartes.  For those of you who haven't brushed up on your Latin, or are too lazy to hit up the Google Translation... this title roughly translates to "The True Warriors Project."  The goal of this series is to stop wishing that Space Marines were more like their fluff, and try my hand at making it a reality.

As one may expect, there are a lot of elements which require attention to make the shift from the currently existing Games Workshop interpretation of the Space Marine on the tabletop into that which we fans of the Space Marines want from them after reading any of the Black Library novels.  Breaking these elements down into manageable categories, the project I have in mind will focus on three major components...

The Lore

For me, its important to have story behind the models I play with.  As there is a myriad of established lore to be had on the creation of one of the Emperor's finest, I don't intend to "reinvent the wheel" for this section of my project.  Instead, I will compile what exists for immediate usage, and merge in some of my own lore (adhering to and expanding on the existing fluff, not altering it).  I then plan to create individual dataslate entries for the rules, units, and models I complete.  The finished product of all this will be a compendium of the three categories in the form of a standalone codex featuring the following:

• Compiled lore for the army

• Rules for using the codex, such as Army Special Rules, Unique Relics, Warlord Table, Unique Allies Matrix, etc.

• Rule Entries for each unit available to the codex

• A model section detailing and showcasing the conversion process, as well as finished models

The Rules

In order to make a Space Marine adhere more to their existing fluff, it is important to make them feel durable and powerful on the table top.  The rules for these models will be outlandishly more powerful than the current Space Marines, with heightened stats, rules for equipment, and of course adjusted points to compensate for these changes.  The end result should allow for an 1,850 point army to contain somewhere around ten Space Marine models along with one or two vehicles.  This should provide armies with a challenging opponent, while allowing the army itself to feel highly elite.

The Models

Lets face it, Space Marine models as they are now are not the correct size.  I wrote an article long ago discussing that very issue.  I feel it's now high time I stopped pointing it out as a problem and do what I can to address it.  As part of this project, I intend to create Adeptus Astartes models which stand at the appropriate scale relative to their human (Imperial Guard) counterparts.  I want to release these models alongside their respective dataslate entries as they are completed.  Once finished, I intent to have a slew of tru-scale Space Marine models at my disposal which are worthy of their unique and powerful rules.


I have been reading up and working on understanding the scale of Space Marines for some time now, and so I wanted to end with my first dataslate for the project.  These entries will contain pictures of completed conversions, rules for units, or lore behind the process.  I am working to mesh colorful character dialog with detailed information covering what I have learned.  This first entry will cover the basics of understanding the height and width conversions necessary for creating Verum Astartes models.  It shall be a long-lasting labor of love, and I am excited to get it underway.

Cheers!