While I played a few editions of WH40K back in the 90's, I never really cared for the system. Epic, on the other hand, I absolutely fell in love with. Because of this there may be some Epic concepts that are baked into my brain that don't really exist in (WH)40K background.

For example, marine companies being divided into three detachments. Maybe this isn't ture in WH40K?

In the past, I never worried much about what markings WH40K said should be on marines since they would mostly be invisible at arm's length on the gaming table. Instead I just used the basic armor color and something visible to distinguish the detachments. With my new (galacially developing) Dark Angel army, however, I'm actually trying to follow official marine markings as closely as possible.

The problem comes from finding ways to distinguish detachments. I can find nothing about Dark Angel detachment markings anywhere online. I can find company markings and squad markings, but no detachment markings. The same is true of every other marine chapter I've looked at. Are there any detachment markings, or do I have to make something up?

(Yes, I could use the squad markings and know that squads 1 thrugh 3 belong to the first detachment, etc, but even if I were to successfully paint the tiny gothic numbers, distinguishing between them on the table would require..... concentration.)

-Allen McCarley

No, they don't.

Codex organization

1st company: 10 Squads of Veterans, often in Terminator armor
2nd-5th Company: Battle Companies - 6 squads of Tacticals, 2 of Assault, 2 of Devestator (which just happens to be two TacDets, an AssaultDet, and a DevDet)
6th and 7th Companies: Reserve Companies - 10 Squads of Tacticals
8th Company: Reserve Company - 10 Squads of Assault
9th Company: Reserve Company - 10 squads of Devestator
10th Company: Scout Company - no fixed strength

You can divide all but 6-7th companies into neat detachments. I suggest using the company colors (which escape me for now) with a secondary color for those that include more than one of a type. For instance, red trim for 2nd company (I think) and either a black or white marking for first or second tactical detachment. Or use red, yellow blue, black, white for the various detachments in 8th or 9th Company.

_________________
SG

Ghost's Paint Blog, where everything goes that isn't something else.

they don't quite follow codex organisation though - what with the deathwing and ravening:

company markings can be found here (assuming you haven't already seen that S'Cipio)

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Dark_An ... JfnIsXA948

_________________
My shifting projects

Thanks for the great answers, guys!

-Allen McCarley

Yellow/Gold is the colour of the 2nd Companyin Codex Space Marien Chapters.
So for Codex Space Marines it could be appropate to have Tactical Detachment 1 with golden shoulder pad trims and Tactical Detachment 2 with yellow shoulder pad trims.

With Dark Angesl there it isn't that easy as they distinguish the Companies with symbols on their knee instead with shoulder pad trim colours.
Yet exchanging the knee pad symbol with metallic colours might work but still hard to discern in Epic's scale.

_________________
We are returned!
http://www.epic-wargaming.de/