What are some clever and fun ways to bypass the codex when it

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>>52164590
The Black Templars (used) to do it by always being on crusade. Since none of their elements ever really talked and were always engaged in action and thus always sustaining losses, their high numbers could be explained away as temporary preparation for future battles, or genuine miscommunication, assuming it was even discovered at all.

Another way to do it is with Chapter Serfs. The Codex Astartes deals exclusively with Space Marines. Marine Chapters can and often do have additional small armies made of serfs that man and defend their chapter fortresses. There's nothing saying you couldn't do that en-masse, except for issues with transporting them, that's when you run into trouble since the admech/nav houses/imp navy control space travel except for your small strike cruisers

>>52164638
could an Allied merchant or rouge trader pressed into helping through one type of intrigue or another to cart around IG class serf armies. and a friendly Magos or two could allow for outfitting them?

Making your chapter master the librarian or techmarine or chaplain or apothecary

Literally no laws

>>52164590
Simply having more marines. The rulebook stats that the Codex isn't heavily enforced and as long as you aren't legion building or doing something too shady, the Imperium probably won't care.

Lugft Huron annexed an entire sector under his chapter's personal control and the Imperium shrugged 'whatever' until he blew up the IRS fleet.

>>52164590
Fleet-based chapters are hard to track down, even more so for crusading fleets. Another option is to have anyone asking questions "disappeared", though not a good idea in the long run.

I forgot to mention that space wolves and grey knights don't really adhere to the codex, so it seems some chapters get special privileges.

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>>52164590
>bypass the codex when it comes to numbers
By order of the Emperor's =][=nquisition, you are under arrest.

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The best option is pretty much what's already been said - finding a way to spread out so your numbers won't get noticed. Fleet based, scattered crusades, etc.

You could always play Dark Angels and Legion-build by splitting off into a bunch of chapters - though of course, they don't get many chapters officially made because the High Lords of Terra don't really trust them.

>>52164889
Yes, all possible. Chapters have incredible leeway with how they run their affairs

>>52164590
Do like the Unforgiven do and just pretend that your various successor chapters aren't still taking orders from your CM (Supreme Grand Master is an awfully showy title for a single Chapter Master, after all). Additionally, refuse to disclose just how many marines make up your first and second companies (arguing that they are veteren formations and so are constantly shifting, preventing you from giving a detailed accounting of their Orders of Battle.

>>52168051
Supreme Grand Master makes more sense when you realize their term for Captains is Grand Master. It's like a Captain of Captains thing.

>>52168051
>>52168570
Chapter with Ranks based on KKK titles when?

The Grand Imperial Wizard will snuff out all the alien and mutant scum. HUMAN POWER