History BittersweetEnding / TabletopGames

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[BewareTheSuperman Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra Antediluvian]]'s [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. The world is swarmed with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]] during his long stay in the depths of the Atlantic Sea, and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, [[TheGoodKing Haqim]] turned the Middle East into a echo of Eden during the period in which he was alive, and with your help, [[MessianicArchetype Saulot]] has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians, namely [[BeastEss Ennoia]] and the Shaper (who might be the [[ProudBeauty Toreador Antediluvian]] in disguise) that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[BewareTheSuperman Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra Antediluvian]]'s [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]] during his long stay in the depths of the Atlantic Sea, and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, [[TheGoodKing Haqim]] turned the Middle East into a echo of Eden during the period in which he was alive, and with your help, [[MessianicArchetype Saulot]] has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians, namely [[BeastEss Ennoia]] and the Shaper (who might be the [[ProudBeauty Toreador Antediluvian]] in disguise) that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[BewareTheSuperman Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra Antediluvian]]'s [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]] during his long stay in the depths of the Atlantic Sea, and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, Haqim turned the Middle East into a echo of Eden during the period in which he was alive, and with your help, [[MessianicArchetype Saulot]] has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians, namely [[BeastEss Ennoia]] and the Shaper (who might be the [[ProudBeauty Toreador Antediluvian]] in disguise) that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[BewareTheSuperman Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra Antediluvian]]'s [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]] during his long stay in the depths of the Atlantic Sea, and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, [[MessianicArchetype Saulot]] has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians, namely [[BeastEss Ennoia]] and the Shaper (who might be the [[ProudBeauty Toreador Antediluvian]] in disguise) that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[BewareTheSuperman Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra Antediluvian]]'s [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]] during his long stay in the depths of the Atlantic Sea, and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, [[MessianicArchetype Saulot]] has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians, namely [[Beastess Ennoia]] and the Shaper (who might be the [[ProudBeauty Toreador Antediluvian]] in disguise) that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[BewareTheSuperman Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra Antediluvian]]'s [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]] during his long stay in the depths of the Atlantic Sea, and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, [[MessianicArchetype Saulot]] has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians, namely [[BeastMan Ennoia]] and the Shaper (who might be the [[ProudBeauty Toreador Antediluvian]] in disguise) that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[BewareTheSuperman Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra Antediluvian]]'s [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]] during his long stay in the depths of the Atlantic Sea, and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, [[MessianicArchetype Saulot]] has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians, namely [[BeastWoman Ennoia]] and the Shaper (who might be the [[Proud Beauty Toreador Antediluvian]] in disguise) that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[BewareTheSuperman Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra Antediluvian]]'s [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]] during his long stay in the depths of the Atlantic Sea, and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, [[MessianicArchetype Saulot]] has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians, namely Ennoia and the Shaper (who might be the Toreador Antediluvian in disguise) that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

** The game ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[PhysicalGod Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra]] Antediluvian's [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]], and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, Saulot has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

* ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'': You have spent years, perhaps centuries, as a reanimated collection of dead flesh. You've struggled to fulfill your Pilgrimage, created another of your kind, fought off the Pandorans, and fled from the hatred of humanity. Your reward? You lose all of the mighty powers you had, your durability and your strength. You are frail, weak, vulnerable. Your memories [[VictoryGuidedAmnesia may very well evaporate]]. You still have to live in the WorldOfDarkness, which is just as much of a CrapsackWorld as it sounds like, and now you have no defense against it. [[ToBecomeHuman You are human.]] You have a soul. Your journey is complete.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** The Battle for Macragge: Hive Fleet Behemoth was stopped...After it consumed hundreds of world, killed billions of people, and completely wiped out Ultramarines 1st company (1/10 of their fighting force). First Companies tend to hold the veterans and elites of the Chapter. And it was just the first of many Hive Fleets.
** The battle between Hive Fleet Kraken and the Eldar of Craftworld Iyanden. The Craftworld survived and Kraken was destroyed, but by the end, four-fifths of the population were dead [[note]]at least in the traditional sense: thanks to their soulstones, DeathIsCheap for the Eldar[[/note]], and Prince Yriel was bound to the dreaded [[ArtifactOfDeath Spear of Twilight]].

* ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[ApocalypseHow/{{Class2}} Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[PhysicalGod Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra]] Antediluvian's [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]], and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, Saulot has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''; this is likely the best ending the Player Characters can hope for in the apocalyptic scenarios presented in the ''Elder Evils'' Splat book. The [=PCs=] may manage to defeat the beast and SaveTheWorld, but given how each Elder Evil comes with a Sign that causes global cataclysms, there may not be much of the world left at that point. (The book does say they are meant to be used as finales for long-running campaigns.) For example, Atropus causes a worldwide zombie plague that causes undead to outnumber the living at worst, the Hulks of Zoretha cause a HatePlague that causes mortal beings to become enraged and fight each other, and Father Lymic freezes the world with endless night, destroying crops and wildlife and making any recovery a difficult task. What's more, two of them, Pandorym and Zargon, are not ''truly'' defeated, and the [=PCs=] must do something else to ensure that later.

** Another Tyranid example would be the battle between Hive Fleet Kraken and the Eldar of Craftworld Iyanden. The Craftworld survived and Kraken was destroyed, but by the end, four-fifths of the population were dead [[note]]at least in the traditional sense: thanks to their soulstones, DeathIsCheap for the Eldar[[/note]], and Prince Yriel was bound to the dreaded [[ArtifactOfDeath Spear of Twilight]].

** The Battle for Macragge: Hive Fleet Behemoth was stopped...After it consumed hundreds of world, killed billions of people, and completely wiped out Ultramarines 1st company(1/10 of their fighting force). And it was only a scouting party.
** That's just in the numeric sense. First Companies tend to hold the veterans and elites of the Chapter. An entire Company, the Tenth, is also composed of pre-Space Marine stage Scouts.
*** Behemoth wasn't really a scouting party, just the first of many.

* [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer40000}}The Battle for Macragge]]: Hive Fleet Behemoth was stopped...After it consumed hundreds of world, killed billions of people, and completely wiped out Ultramarines 1st company(1/10 of their fighting force). And it was only a scouting party.

* ''{{Exalted}}''. In second edition, the Sidereal Martial Art Obsidian Shards of Infinity Style actually has a charm that allows you to choose a bittersweet ending, forcing fate (i. e. the storyteller) to resolve the conflict in one of several different ways.

* ''PrometheanTheCreated'': You have spent years, perhaps centuries, as a reanimated collection of dead flesh. You've struggled to fulfill your Pilgrimage, created another of your kind, fought off the Pandorans, and fled from the hatred of humanity. Your reward? You lose all of the mighty powers you had, your durability and your strength. You are frail, weak, vulnerable. Your memories [[VictoryGuidedAmnesia may very well evaporate]]. You still have to live in the WorldOfDarkness, which is just as much of a CrapsackWorld as it sounds like, and now you have no defense against it. [[ToBecomeHuman You are human.]] You have a soul. Your journey is complete.

* ''TabletopGames/DungeonsAndDragons''; this is likely the best ending the Player Characters can hope for in the apocalyptic scenarios presented in the ''Elder Evils'' Splat book. The [=PCs=] may manage to defeat the beast and SaveTheWorld, but given how each Elder Evil comes with a Sign that causes global cataclysms, there may not be much of the world left at that point. (The book does say they are meant to be used as finales for long-running campaigns.) For example, Atropus causes a worldwide zombie plague that causes undead to outnumber the living at worst, the Hulks of Zoretha cause a HatePlague that causes mortal beings to become enraged and fight each other, and Father Lymic freezes the world with endless night, destroying crops and wildlife and making any recovery a difficult task. What's more, two of them, Pandorym and Zargon, are not ''truly'' defeated, and the [=PCs=] must do something else to ensure that later.

** In a scenario in which the Perfect Metis is sacrificed as a scion to the Defiler Wyrm, the player characters must rescue his tormented spirit from the Atrocity Realm and cleanse it in the silver lake of Erebus. The Perfect Metis dies, but his soul is finally at peace. To boot, this cleansing averts the Apocalypse by forcing the Defiler to retreat into the Deep Umbra.

** The second optional ending to the scenario involves you remaining a vampire; in part because God has decided to keep Caine suffering a little longer, you've been transformed into a second-generation vampire, and given the option of creating a new Kindred society alongside the emerging human nations. Still pretty gloomy, but at least you've got power on your side.

* ''PrometheanTheCreated'': You have spent years, perhaps centuries, as a reanimated collection of dead flesh. You've struggled to fulfill your Pilgrimage, created another of your kind, fought off the Pandorans, and fled from the hatred of humanity. Your reward? You lose all of the mighty powers you had, your durability and your strength. You are frail, weak, vulnerable. Your memories [[VictoryGuidedAmnesia may very well evaporate]]. [[ToBecomeHuman You are human.]] You have a soul. Your journey is complete.

* The Battle for Macragge(Warhammer 40k): Hive Fleet Behemoth was stopped...After it consumed hundreds of world, killed billions of people, and completely wiped out Ultramarines 1st company(1/10 of their fighting force). And it was only a scouting party.

* ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ApocalypseHow/Class2 Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[PhysicalGod Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra]] Antediluvian's [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]], and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, Saulot has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

* ''VampireTheMasquerade'' ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ApocalypseHow/Class2 Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[PhysicalGod Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra]] Antediluvian's [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]], and [[BodyHorror hideous mutants]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, Saulot has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

* ''VampireTheMasquerade'' ends this way in the fourth [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Gehenna]] scenario, "Crucible of God". Basically, a [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ApocalypseHow/Class2 Class 2 apocalypse]] has taken place: civilization has been pulverized by the war between humans and vampires and the rise of the [[PhysicalGod Antediluvians]] that followed; the environment has also suffered considerable damage- particularly during the [[LivingShadow Lasombra]] Antediluvian's [[TheNightThatNeverEnds reign of terror]]. Outside the relative safety of human settlements, the wilderness is swarming with bands of murderous psychopaths created during [[HiveMind Malkav's]] reign, along with giant ghoul animals bred by [[TheGrotesque Absimiliard]], and[[BodyHorror hideous mutants ]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower crafted]] by [[EldritchAbomination Tzimisce]]. On the upside, with your help, Saulot has been able to call down the wrath of God on Tzimisce and bring an end to the Curse of Caine; the few Antediluvians that managed to survive Gehenna and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend into godhood]] are benevolent enough to leave humanity alone; and though you've lost your immortality and your powers, you're no longer troubled by the Beast or hunger for blood, and you can help rebuild human society with a clean slate.

* ''PrometheanTheCreated'': You have spent years, perhaps centuries, as a reanimated collection of dead flesh. You've struggled to fulfill your Pilgrimage, created another of your kind, fought off the Pandorans, and fled from the hatred of humanity. Your reward? You lose all of the mighty powers you had, your durability and your strength. You are frail, weak, vulnerable. Your memories [[VictoryGuidedAmnesia may very well evaporate]]. [[ToBecomeHuman You are human.]] You have a soul. Your journey is complete.

*** Behemoth wasn't really a scouting party, just the first of many.

** That's just in the numeric sense. First Companies tend to hold the veterans and elites of the Chapter. An entire Company, the Tenth, is also composed of pre-Space Marine stage Scouts.

* The Battle for Macragge(Warhammer 40k): Hive Fleet Behemoth was stopped...After it consumed hundreds of world, killed billions of people, and completely wiped out Ultramarines 1st company(1/10 of their fighting force). And it was only a scouting party.