Black Shield a no-brainer? I'm not really seeing the advantages. Sure: You get to mix-and-match patterns, mooch off everyone's pattern and spend Fate in some funky new ways, but at the cost of loosing out on any later access to Chapter skills and really rather serious role-playing disadvantages.

The Kill-marine is a no-brainer for anyone playing a Marine in an DH or RT game, but I don't feel it has a place in a DW game. To the point where I'd probably veto it as a player choice. It's clearly not really meant for group play. If you're playing as part of a kill-team, why try to play a class where the fluff constantly talks about how they don't work with other marines?

For me, the Forge-Master seems the easiest and obvious shoe-in for tech-marines. The other strong option is the 'if nothing else appeals' 1 Coy veteran simply due to essentially being free if you get enough good discounts there. It's not particularly 'kill'y, but offers great value for people looking to round out their skill set.

I wasn't refering to the Black Shield as a no-brainer for making a better marine without effort, but a shorter and easier way to make a marine "for a unique chapter" quicker and easier than the "make your chapter" rules.

As for the Kill-Marine, it's not only about working solo: They are trained to work alone because, when there is not enough battle-brothers to send a kill-team, they send a kill-marine.

By the way, it's the only option to build a character that has more options than destroying anything in front of him, and also one of the few explanations for being a sneaky marine.

I just realized a "must be" of sorts: The Forge Master. It costs 2000 XP to buy it, yet it comes with an Artesanal Armor (1200 XP if you buy it as signature Wargear... at rank 4, the same one the template requires). The forge master also gets a Power Axe (I was surprised it wasn't an Astartes-Pattern Omnisian Axe, but oh well), which is normally a 20 requisition item (Signature Wargear talent at rank 1, 500 XP), and a Servo-Harness (50 requisition => Signature Wargear (Hero), and the loss of 20 requisition from that one, which is a Rank 7 general advancement => 1500 XP).

So, requisition-wise, all Techmarines should buy that one, if only for the gear increase. Plus, it's AP 12 (14 with the Armour Monger talent, if he can devote a whole our per day to bless the armor... which is the Terminator Armor AP, by the way).

Hence me pointing out that it was an obvious shoe-in. As to why they might not want to take it: They might instead want to pick another advanced speciality (Champion, 1 Coy vet, Captain...), as you can only have one.

Yeah, but that really is the only reason a Tech wouldn't pick Forgemaster...

Several of the templates offer rank and position within the Deathwatch. Keepers have access to swathes of areas of Watch Fortresses for example. So many possibilities for when the internal politics kicks in.