WH40K : Space Marine - just how good?

[Mr. Oragahn]

A recent thread at SBC, pitting Space Marines of your choice against the Matrix' Sentinels, as a force sub for the defense of Zion (which makes its inhabitants Zionists *sigh*) had lots of people talking about how awesome the SMs were.
Some claims were that small numbers of SMs could mow down entire legions of Orks and even the grunt equivalent of Tyrannids.
But some dude claimed that it happened several times that SMs were pinned down by Imperial Guard soldiers, in a demonstration that mere humans could incapacitate a SM in some way, with no allusion of any fancy gizmo used then.
What's the story?

[l33telboi]

The depiction of the space marine changes a lot from source to source. The games probably depict them the weakest, as seen in these two cinematics. I've only read three novels so far, so I can't really comment much on that, except to say that the depictions in the novels are mostly in-line with the cinematics there, except that bolters are more powerful. Single shots on unarmored people usually end up with whatever body-part targeted exploding.

The threads on SB usually takes the highest showings and runs with that. Take for instance the 'marines can fall from orbit' thing in the thread there, in just the few novels I've read there have been multiple instances of marines falling to their deaths, and they certainly weren't dropped from orbit.

[The Dude]

A recent thread at SBC, pitting Space Marines of your choice against the Matrix' Sentinels, as a force sub for the defense of Zion (which makes its inhabitants Zionists *sigh*) had lots of people talking about how awesome the SMs were.
Some claims were that small numbers of SMs could mow down entire legions of Orks and even the grunt equivalent of Tyrannids.
But some dude claimed that it happened several times that SMs were pinned down by Imperial Guard soldiers, in a demonstration that mere humans could incapacitate a SM in some way, with no allusion of any fancy gizmo used then.
What's the story?

Like everything in WH40K the mileage varies wildly. The Iron Snakes for example do mow down huge numbers of Orks when they were prepared for it but earlier in the novel a Battle Brother gets pulled down my a large mob of cultists and they kill him, likely by getting through the armour joints.

I'm not sure what the sentinels are (those flying squids?) but that would be a better job for the IG and the Hydra tank. I can't recall off-hand if the SM's have a dedicated AA vehicle.

[The Dude]

Just to add to that, SM's are usually immune to things like lasgun/hellguns, stubbers, autocannons etc but the Guard has access to things like plasma, meltaguns and missile launchers which are more then enough to slag one.

SM's while certainly among the most capable in the WH40K universe aren't supposed to be engaging in slug matches with hundreds of thousands of opponents. Their akin to a modern special forces unit.

[User1350]

Just to add to that, SM's are usually immune to things like lasgun/hellguns, stubbers, autocannons etc but the Guard has access to things like plasma, meltaguns and missile launchers which are more then enough to slag one.

SM's while certainly among the most capable in the WH40K universe aren't supposed to be engaging in slug matches with hundreds of thousands of opponents. Their akin to a modern special forces unit.

Lasguns, stubbers, highly resistant. Autocannons tend to chew them up.

[The Dude]

Yeah your right, I can't recall which book, Storm of Iron maybe? One of the Chaos centric books anyways, a few of them get taken out quickly by one.