When I pick a new project, typically I go as far on the other end of the spectrum as possible. So, for me, that meant a very in-your-face force, much more geared toward assault and close quarters. For me, this naturally steered me toward one of two options; Tyranids or one of the space marine chapters with an exclusive Codex (Wolves, Dark Angels and Blood Angels). Upon discovering that a good friend of mine had just commenced a Tyranid project, that ruled out that army. It wasn't that he didn't want me to, or anything of that sort. But seeing as it was highly likely that I would play games against him and his new army, I didn't want to do that with an identical codex.
This left me with the Marine options. My main goal was to paint an army that would look great on the table, and I think all three had the potential to look great. The second goal was building an army that would challenge me to become a better player. The other goal I wanted was to settle on a 1500 point list and leave it at that. This is difficult for me because I always seem to find a way to build upon armies for ages after they're actually "finished". And, as we all know, you never truly finish an army...
I looked at Dark angels first. Dark Angels are split into three distinct parts; Ravenwing, Deathwing and 'normal marines' for lack of a better phrase. I didn't want a normal marine force. I had been there and done that several times. Firstly, with my Crimson Fists, then more recently with my 30k Salamander Legion. The more I looked at Deathwing, the more I saw similarities to my Grey Knight Army, which is very Terminator-heavy. This left Ravenwing. The models are fantastic, they get plenty of variety in speeders and bike units, but at the end of the day, it was an army that I had seen many times before. It was nothing new.
I moved pretty swiftly over Space Wolves. I'm sure that one day, I'll do a space wolf army as the models are exceptional, and there is a lot of character, but no matter how many lists I wrote, I kept finding myself building a list around a Thunder Wolf Cavalry unit, which is a very tired, worn out concept.
This left Blood Angels. I had always disliked Blood Angels; there was no good reason for this, they just never really did it for me. Not to mention when I first got into 40k with any kind of momentum, I had several bad experiences against unsavory players, who happened to be using Blood Angels. And though it was no fault of the codex, my mind associated that army with unpleasant games. But I like to consider myself to be pretty open-minded when it comes to the hobby, and after being challenged by one of my good mates to build Blood Angels and prove that they can be powerful if used correctly, my decision was made.
It should be noted that Blood Angels are widely considered as one of the weakest marine Codexes in the current meta, almost purely because they were one of the last codexes to arrive before the "Age of Decurions". That said, I was determined to find the strengths of this army, and use them to their fullest potential. This led me toward a Drop Pod/Deep Strike army. I've never used a drop pod army, but Blood Angels seemed like the perfect candidate. As it were a Blood Angel army, I definitely wanted to run some of those chapter-unique units; particularly Furioso Dreadnaughts and Sanguinary Guard.
I always start with Compulsary choices first. Two full tactical squads fit the bill. I planned on combat squadding straight out of the Drop Pod, so I gave each squad a meltagun and a combi-melta to go tank hunting, and a heavy flamer to deal with any infantry. This gives me versatility, and gives each combat squad a specific job that they can pursue without distraction. The heavy flamer was an easy choice, as it's an assault weapon in the "heavy weapon" slot, allowing me to remain aggressive and not shy away from assault if need be, while firing the whole time.
Next was a Furioso in a Drop Pod. I kitted him out with a Frag Cannon and a Heavy Flamer, giving him the ability to drop three mid-strength templates every turn, potentially causing horrific damage to any nearby footsloggers, while having the close combat prowess to punch a hole in just about anything.
Then came the big play. In a go-hard-or-go-home move that fully embraces the Blood Angel way, I invested in a 9-man unit of Sanguinary Guard, packing two power fists, and picking up a Chapter Banner. This squad is joined by a Sanguinary Priest with a jump pack and the Crown Angelic (Fear and -2 to enemy fear checks), a Librarian with a jump pack and Gallian's Staff (re-roll 1's to harness warp charges, 1's on the re-roll do a wound), and lastly, the O.G. Chapter Master himself, Commander Dante in all his brutal glory! This unit weighs in at 762 points, which is daunting, but it's one sturdy unit. having Feel No Pain, +1 to their weapon skill from the Priest, 2+ armour saves on all but the Libby and Priest, power fists, a few leadership toys, one of the toughest, scariest Space Marine characters out, and a nifty little banner that gives everyone in the unit +1 attack.
I'm interested to see how this unit goes on the table. It could be lethal, or it could catch a Vindicator Shell...
The Librarian was the last addition to this unit, and I think its a good one. Not only does it give me protection from psychic powers, but it unlocks a whole range of powers. I'm torn between Divinaton and Biomancy; usually, in this unit, Divination would be a no brainer, but given that this Librarian is actually gonna be in combat, and is already swinging at S6 with his staff, the combat buffs offered by Biomancy could be clutch! We'll see, I think lots of playtesting is required. And who knows, hopefully Blood Angels get access to these new Space Marine powers that are starting to surface...
This left me with 150 points. I weighed up taking another vanilla dreadnaught in a pod, but in the end, I took two individual Land Speeders with Heavy Bolters and Typhoon Missile Launchers. These give me even more mobility (if a little fragile) and some much needed long range fire power. I'm not against deep striking these into tight spots for some rear armour hits, and they actually get a buff for deep striking, thanks to ol' mate Dante. Handy!
So, I'd love to know your thoughts. Am I missing something crucial? Which Discipline is best on the Libby?
Thank's for reading,
Gabe
