The place of a Techmarine in 30K

[bluntblade]

So I'm writing a siege story for the Brotherhood of the Lost project, and opted to do it from the point of a Techmarine. So, especially within the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists but in general, where do Techmarines tend to fit? I have an idea of where he'll be during counter attacks on the siege lines and the quiet bits, but I'm not so certain about when they push forward. Would he be obliged to hang back, should he be part of a larger group, and if so what sort of unit?

[DavianCool]

Orchestrating artillery lines, fixing vehicles, holding barricades and fortifications etc.

[Corswain]

Yeah I don't think their role is all that much different to 40K. It depends on your overall plot though. Fallen Angels had a techmarine as part of an infiltration squad. Not the best story I know, but if you have the right reasons, your techmarine can be wherever you want him to be.

[bluntblade]

I haven't encountered any techs in 40k fluff either, to be honest. Except for an Iron Priest, who I only recall interacting with a single other space marine

[StruManChu]

The best place for a Techmarine in 30k is inside an Achilles-Alpha with a bunch of servitors rolling for HP repairs, providing you with an unstoppable rolling death machine of Phosphex and Choom.

 

That probably doesn't make for a hugely engaging narrative though.

[Forward Assist]

I see Techmarines as part of the logistics chain. The legionaries clear an objective and the Techmarines roll up during the aftermath with servitors laden with ammunition, power packs, spare parts, rations etc. They'd resupply squads so they were fit to fight on and then undertake repairs and maintenance on power armour and vehicles.

 

Whilst not a thrilling narrative perspective, perhaps it could be one to see a quick passage of battles, the Techmarine noting the faces of those who don't report in at the battle's end each time or remarking or a particularly bad mauling?

[Jareddm]

After reading Cybernetica, I feel like techmarines were even more outcast and ostracized in 30k than in 40k. If you think about the Machine Cult, in 40k the Adeptus Mechanicus is kept on a shorter leash, and are forced to be a bit more integrated with the rest of the Imperium, the same may be true of techmarines who, now operating in a much tighter unit, are at least somewhat more open with other marines.

 

By comparison, in 30k, the Mechanicum is even more insular and independent. It conjures images of Fabius Bile's lab or the Iron Warrior's Kheledakos and Lyssatra societies, whole cabals operating towards secret projects, the likes of which many in the legions may prefer to remain undiscovered.

[Lord Blackwood]

I write Godfrey , my forgelord as the master of an armored division.  I  got the idea after reading Tallaran Ironclad. 

[Calas Typhon]

As far as I remember, there were a few tech marines in a few books which dealt with the Dreadnaughts of the Legion and maintaining and fixing equipment*

 

There was an Imperial Fists Techmarine who it is refereed to have died pretty early in the siege of Hydra Cordatus during the opening segment of Angel Exterminatus whom fixed damaged equipment. As the Captain mentioned after a bolt round found its way to his face. Unless I am remembering Incorrectly.

 

The way I see it, They would play a role maintaining anything from Machinery to defence emplacements (Auto turrets to mine placement)

[lionofjudah]

I use techmarines to man my quad launchers, I think they are perfect in a support role in battle and I love to see the different mark of armor that they sport.

[bluntblade]

The best place for a Techmarine in 30k is inside an Achilles-Alpha with a bunch of servitors rolling for HP repairs, providing you with an unstoppable rolling death machine of Phosphex and Choom.

 

That probably doesn't make for a hugely engaging narrative though.

During an entrenched siege, though?

 

I write Godfrey , my forgelord as the master of an armored division. I got the idea after reading Tallaran Ironclad.

I'll take a look at your thread, then.

[Ironwrought Huw]

As much of a cop out answer it is, I think it really is dependent entirely on the legion and whatever equipment the techmarine has - so you pretty much have free reign over how you do it. I see the techmarine as a very open-ended role, a generic jack of all trades which has the potential to be further developed into one of several very specialised roles (which may also depend on the mission they're deployed on - if there are few vehicles, they probably won't be acting in a repair/support role). 

 

If you want a techmarine to be up in the thickest of the fighting, brawling with the best of them, you can. An additional limb (or several) that can punch through power armour can allow for some pretty dirty tricks in close combat - especially if the opponent doesn't consider them to be a threat because they're "just" a techmarine and therefore an "easy kill". Equally, if you want the techmarine to be in a support role, fighting only when absolutely unavoidable then that's certainly a viable option. In relation to your specific scenario I'll give 2 examples (purely fluffy, not tabletop). 

 

Firstly there's the option for the assault engineer/sapper/pioneer/demolitions expert. With a Graviton gun, a variety of explosives and clad in MK III armour, you have a character who actively takes part in front assaults against enemy strong points, or is just as effective fighting defensively, trying to prevent a breach of the line. Once the fighting has finished they take charge of the consolidation of captured ground, directing (or politely suggesting) where defensive positions should be sited and actively getting on with any necessary rebuilding of fortifications and repairing any equipment or vehicles. 

 

I quite like the idea of a techmarine (or squad of techmarines) all armed with Graviton guns and grenades, acting in an area denial role in Zone Mortallis, completely closing off entire corridors of the ship. Alternatively a techmarine attached to a squad, leading the charge into a trench system, suppressing the defenders and pointing out structural weak points for other legionaries to target. 

 

Secondly, there's the more passive, supporting role. With all the scanners, relays and vox/com options, you have your electronic warfare, signals and intelligence expert type (insert real world military trade of choice here). Maintaining the legion's vox network, intercepting enemey communications and jamming signals (there's an explicit mention of this in a passage relating to Alpha Legion in Index Astartes IV). This is the support officer role, who normally stays out of direct combat - mostly to protect their equipment, but also to ensure that they can get on with their duties without unneccessary distraction. Probably tries to remain fairly close to the commander. 

Add in a Conversion Beamer, and you now have a techmarine who can identify particular threats, pinpoint important targets and promptly neutralise them from a (relatively) safe range. 

[bluntblade]

Thanks, though it's started to get away from what I meant by "place". I'm really thinking about how the average Techmarine would be perceived by his peers during the Great Crusade.

 

I know my character's role, my real question is how others would treat him.

[crazyterran]

'Hello fellow Legionairre! I broke this in the last battle, fix it and/or give me a new one!'

[Lord Blackwood]

 

The best place for a Techmarine in 30k is inside an Achilles-Alpha with a bunch of servitors rolling for HP repairs, providing you with an unstoppable rolling death machine of Phosphex and Choom.

 

That probably doesn't make for a hugely engaging narrative though.

During an entrenched siege, though?

 

I write Godfrey , my forgelord as the master of an armored division. I got the idea after reading Tallaran Ironclad.

I'll take a look at your thread, then.

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/314998-the-scouring-and-the-birth-of-the-new-templar/?p=4357247

 

thats the relevant post so you dont have to sift through the entire thread. 

[bluntblade]

This is how it ended up. I'm not satisfied with the action (was juggling a lot of different things at the time, and I intend to go back and tweak it if I ever have time), but am rather pleased with how the Techies ended up: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/320524-brotherhood-of-the-lost-the-stories/page-3?do=findComment&comment=4487722