Battle for the Abyss has at long last provided some specific details with regard to Chapter organisation and makeup.

Now it needs to be remembered that the excerpt specifically talks about a Chapter from the Word Bearers Legion; however I see no reason why this would not represent the standard numeric makeup for chapters from any other Legion.

(Page 12)

Handy that that's the current system too.

Makes me wonder though.. The likes of 11th, 12th and so on. Were they larger chapters or was every company listed 1 to x regardless of its chapter.

eg.

Chapter 1
Companies 1-10

Chapter 2
Companies 11 to 20

Were chapters a 'parent' organisation or just a number of companies.

It would make more sense for me if it was:

Chapter 1, companies 1 to 10

Chapter 2, companies 1 to 10

etc...

Though the other method is equally valid.

Common sense is not so common :)

I prefer the obvious, but it's something to look out for. If a chapter has 10x100, then where do the post-tenth companies fit.

I'm sure that there must have been larger Chapters; but the excerpt suggests to me that a Chapter with 10 Companies each of a 100 men was probably the standard form.

If we use the template of the Wordbearers, then we know that there were certainly smaller sized Chapters. The Chapter of the Void was the smallest of the entire Legion numbering less than 700 Astartes. (Page 310-311).

So it would naturally follow that there were Chapters in various Legions that were either larger or smaller then the standard. In either case it would still make sense for these larger or smaller Chapters to be composed of Companies of 100 Astartes each.

A chapter could plausibly be (except maybe in the case of Ultramarines :rolleyes:) an ad-hoc formation formed for a specific task/warzone in a manner similar to the Black Templars Crusades. So a selection of companies would be selected from the pool of available formations with a specific mission in mind...

The companies would therefore be numbered on a separate scale.

Don't forget that some Legions eschewed the 'Chapter & Company' model and had instead something along the lines of Great Companies, like the Space Wolves.

But it does seem as though there were 'Codex' Legions and 'non-Codex' Legions, even before Guilliman wrote the official handbook.

Probably worthless but Galaxy in Flames - the Emperor's Children have 'over ten thousand' according to Tarvi.

I still find it strange though.

"I am Loken of the 10th Company"

"I am Khárn of the 8th Assault Company"

"I am Torgaddon of the 2nd Company"

But which Chapter lads? :P

Loken had at least 300 in his company, and maybe as much as 600.

Sounds more like a Great Company to me!

Surely you'd say;

Im am Kharn, XII Legio, 4th chapter, 2nd co.

(the company i like...its just made up)