Trying to decide on a Marine army - Wolves or Bulls?

[Wayniac]

In the summer I'm going to return to 40k after some 15 years of not playing. I've been giving a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of thought on what armies appeal to me and what I would be interested in playing. I plan to play almost exclusively for fluff/narrative, with little thought given to competitive beyond, obviously, not wanting to lose every game I play just by army choice.

I've narrowed down my choices, I think, to either the Space Wolves or the Minotaurs chapter. I brainstormed some pros/cons for each to help me decide, but I'm still having trouble:

MINOTAURS
Pros:

Awesome color scheme
I like Greek Mythology
Asterion Moloc looks ****ing awesome (Leonidas as a Space Marine? Hell yeah)
Always supported by virtue of being Space Marines
Unlikely to be played/unique
Easier to justify battles versus other Imperium players

Cons:

"Required" to use Moloc, no real flexibility in customizing the narrative
Still normal Space Marines playstyle
Can get expensive if using ForgeWorld (e.g. shoulderpads, Tartaros pattern Terminators)
3rd party bits needed to customize further (e.g. Spartan shields or helmets)
Not supported as an individual chapter outside of limited ForgeWorld products


SPACE WOLVES
Pros:

Army has a unique visual appearance
Lots of customization of characters/narrative
Models look cool with little or no conversions needed
Plays different to regular Marines
Supported by GW by virtue of being a "Big Four" chapter

Cons:

Forgeworld/3rd party bits would be helpful (e.g. Rhino doors)
Wolf wolf wolfy wolfy wolf wolf wolf
Relatively popular army, likely to be played
Hard(er) to justify games versus other Imperium players


Now, I am leaning towards Wolves mostly because what is really appealing to me is being able to theme my own force while still playing within the context of an army. For example, having a particular Great Company but having the flexibility to still make it "my" army with my own characters and the like. The Minotaurs don't really give me that since IIRC you need to take Moloc to get the benefit, so he's almost a requirement to play with. Also I am not a big fan of extensive conversions, and with the Wolves it looks like most everything I'd want to convert is easier to do and well provided for with the wolf bits available to still look like Space Wolves as opposed to just bronze/red Marines without using 3rd party bits.

Any help making up my mind would be appreciated :)

[Lord Manton]

Just to clarify, how is Moloc "required"? He's the Chapter Master, but there's nothing stopping you from making Captain Wayne, Sergeant Tim or any other characters. (At least that's what I gleaned from a quick google search)

The Minotaurs have their own chapter tactics. Admittedly they're for 6th Ed, but I think it's still official. You can just google the document.

By the sounds of things, you seem more excited by the Minotaurs than Wolves. If that's the case, and you're into narrative play, I'd go that route. It'll be more fulfilling and enjoyable than the 'runner up' choice.

[Charistoph]

Yeah, the Minotaurs Chapter Tactics can be found on this page (https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-US/Downloads;jsessionid=3B050FD0C86DEFDC211139E25EE48 64C?_requestid=9061598) here (https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/Warhammer_40000/Forge_World_Space_Marine_Chapter_Tactics_V2.pdf).

They can be interesting and fun. The Minotaurs are on page 7 near the end, and aren't very powerful, so I doubt that anyone will complain too much in you using them.

[40kGamer]

I'm partial to Wolves but the Minotaurs have tempted me quite a bit over the years. Make sure you're passionate about the project as it is a huge time investment. :)

[Cactus]

I'd go with Minotaurs myself. If you don't use them as Minotaurs, you can use them as any chapter you want, including Wolves.

[Mud Duck]

I think that I'd go the route that Cactus suggested: model and paint as Minotaurs, but set them up to be used as either or. Not sure where to find giant bulls for the wolf rider guys but still.....