What If: Inqusition goes too far

[Aenir]

its an agent of the inquisition!!

Quick, assemble the Marines!!!

[Nabterayl]

no, but i am using the ideas for a campaign down the line perhaps

It all started when i had a discussion with my buddy who swore up and down that the Astartes would have NO chance vs the inqusition, which I disagreed with, but as we could not come to an agreement, I decided to ask the Knowlegeable posters of BOLS (and Melissa, the Resident Soritas )

PS: Is it possible Melissa is a Sister of Battle who got lost in the Warp and ended up here?

Heh. Your buddy is totally wrong ... in the "real world" of 40K. I mean, if he wants to have some kind of hypothetical grudge match, the Astartes have no chance against a single Inquisitor ... as long as that Inquisitor gets to induct whatever troops he wants

And in THIS corner, we have ... a million space marines!

<Cheers>

And in THIS corner, we have Inquisitor Bralok ... and one hundred billion Imperial Guardsmen! And the ENTIRE Battlefleet Obscuras! And six Titan Legions! And five hundred trillion civilians, each armed with his or her very own suicide pack. But wait, folks, he's just getting started. He also has ...

<Sound of a million space marine jaws hitting the floor>

[Aenir]

"the betting begins at 0/1000, a bet of 0 dollars on bender would win 1000 if he should win...still, very few takers!"


He was also mentioning that each inquisitor at any inquisitorial base would have as many storm troopers as a chapter, in addition, they would not be awed at the space marine mystique, as they are trained to fight chaos

Would you agree?

[crazyredpraetorian]

The SWs sent the Inquisition packing, once. I think the Inquisition knows which battles they can win and those that they can't.

[Sam]

Heh. Your buddy is totally wrong ... in the "real world" of 40K. I mean, if he wants to have some kind of hypothetical grudge match, the Astartes have no chance against a single Inquisitor ... as long as that Inquisitor gets to induct whatever troops he wants

And in THIS corner, we have ... a million space marines!

<Cheers>

And in THIS corner, we have Inquisitor Bralok ... and one hundred billion Imperial Guardsmen! And the ENTIRE Battlefleet Obscuras! And six Titan Legions! And five hundred trillion civilians, each armed with his or her very own suicide pack. But wait, folks, he's just getting started. He also has ...

<Sound of a million space marine jaws hitting the floor>

Going light on the Guardsmen, I see.

[Just_Me]

"the betting begins at 0/1000, a bet of 0 dollars on bender would win 1000 if he should win...still, very few takers!"


He was also mentioning that each inquisitor at any inquisitorial base would have as many storm troopers as a chapter, in addition, they would not be awed at the space marine mystique, as they are trained to fight chaos

Would you agree?

They could have that many (and a few most likely do), but probably not, at least not under their personal command. And even so, what of it? At one-to-one ratios in a stand-up fight Astartes trump everyone.

It is true they would regard the Astartes with less superstition than the average civilian, and would certainly be used to facing the gribbly horrors of a hostile universe, but at the same time he/she is likely to have a very real understanding of just how deadly an Astartes can be. Take Eisenhorn, just about the balliest guy ever, faced down giant monsters, battle titans, and Daemonhosts but still knew enough to instantly fell back at the prospect of engaging a single Chaos Marine in close combat.

[Nabterayl]

"the betting begins at 0/1000, a bet of 0 dollars on bender would win 1000 if he should win...still, very few takers!"


He was also mentioning that each inquisitor at any inquisitorial base would have as many storm troopers as a chapter, in addition, they would not be awed at the space marine mystique, as they are trained to fight chaos

Would you agree?

I don't think we have any idea how many storm troopers are at a given inquisitorial base. A whole regiment? A company? I'm sure there are bases that large and bases that small.

I do agree that inquisitors would not be "awed" by the space marine "mystique" - partially because they're trained to fight Chaos, but mostly just because they've seen more of the Imperium than 99% of its citizens. I mean, to be honest with you, I don't think storm troopers would be "awed" by the space marine "mystique," simply because they're trained to do the same jobs - space marines have advantages that storm troopers can't ever hope to have, but fundamentally, I think to a storm trooper, a space marine is just a really, really awesome fighting man. Not a sky god. Not an angel of death (except in a poetic sense). Just the finest warrior you're ever likely to meet. I think that's how an inquisitor would look at a space marine too.

Which means, as crazedredpraetorian says, an inquisitor would have plenty of respect for space marine opponents. It's hard to have respect for an opponent that you only half-jokingly view as a manifestation of God. Once you view that opponent as a mere man - a very hard, very driven, very dangerous man - then you can start having real respect for what they can do.

[Marshal2Crusaders]

Just a side comment for those whom overvalue the Astartes: don't let the arrogance of the Astartes get in the way of the simple fact that the Inquisition can, if it really wants to, destroy an Astartes chapter completely and utterly. It has done so in the past and it will do so in the future. The Marines are valuable, but the treason is a crime worse than heresy and punishment will come, even if not immediately or directly.

HA! Through treachery and surprise, never through open engagement. The Inquisition could never hope to openly oppose a Space Marine chapter so they use underhanded tactics, like the Pope on the Knights Templar.

[Aldramelech]

This is all a bit daft really. Its like saying "What would happen if the Royal Marines decided to attack the British Army?"
It ain't gonna happen........

Its the old "If Cavemen and Astronauts had a fight, who would win?" argument adapted to 40K.

[Melissia]

HA! Through treachery and surprise, never through open engagement. The Inquisition could never hope to openly oppose a Space Marine chapter so they use underhanded tactics, like the Pope on the Knights Templar.

For most chapters, all the Inquisition would have to do is manufacture a good enough reason and they'd be able to literally just wipe them off the face of history. I point towards the Flame Falcons as a good example, a group that was utterly wiped out by the Inquisition and the Grey Knights with only a handful escaping their wrath. The Relictors faced a similar fate as well. In fact, pretty much only the most famous and beloved of chapters-- such as the Space Wolves-- can openly defy the Inquisition and get away with it. If a bit of fluff tries to claim thta the Inquisition can do nothing against any Marine chapter, though, it's wrong. Even the Space Wolves could very well be attacked and decimated by the Inquisition, the difference is that the Inquisition sees it in its best interest NOT to do so because these chapters are politically protected, and doing so would drain a great deal of political resources and probably weaken the Inquisition's pull as a whole.

This is mostly speaking of the Inquisition as a group, which I should put out caveats that yes, there are some Inquisitors who are so extreme that they WOULD do this. But they generally don't last long and don't have as much political power and sway as the more intelligent ones.