Vanguard, SG or Honor Guard?

Today, I'm going to compare these three units and highlight the good and bad of each one.

Vanguard Vets for Blood Angels are simply better than their C:SM counterparts.  Not only are they cheaper, but they have Descent of Angels ontop of Heroic Intervention.  Vanguard Veterans can reliably come in at the right place and the right time to assault anything in the game.  They can take special pistols, carry power weapons and use meltabombs against those stationary artillery units.  The best thing about these guys is their ability to come down and turn the tide of battle instantly.  If you're stuck in combat with a squad that's wearing you down or if you're getting bombarded from afar from some artillery vehicle, Vanguard Veterans can save the day.

For these guys, I prefer a cheap and effective layout:

5x Vanguard Veterans (3x PW, 2x MB) = 205

Keep in mind that the squad leader already comes with a power weapon so you're only paying for 2 more.  For these guys, a Power Fist is another strong investment because of the 2 base attacks, but I prefer Power Weapons and Meltabombs instead.  The reason why is because they're supposed to act as a counter-charge element that can free up tarpits (near a FC/FNP bubble) or destroy non-moving vehicles.  This is why my cheap squad has 3 guys with power weapons.  The rest of your army should have fists already so I'm not really worried lack of S8 on these guys.


The big downside about VV is that they compete for the Fast Attack slot on the FOC.  I mean, if you look at it from a min-max perspective, which one would you rather take:  5 models that die like normal Marines that costs 165 points base, or a AV13 Fast Scouting Tank with TLAC and HBs for 145?  The choice is quite obvious here.

Next, we have Sanguinary Guard.  They come with 5 guys, 2+ armor saves and S4 AP4 Assault 2 wrist-mounted Bolters at 12" range.  The big thing to note is that every single one of these guys come with master-crafted two-handed power swords and 2 attacks each.  In the presence of our FC/FNP bubbles, these guys just dominate MEQ.

To take advantage of this, I personally like to go with this layout:

5x Sanguinary Guard (Chapter Banner) = 230

Yes, they can carry a Chapter Banner with them; thus increasing all of their attacks by +1 among other things.  This means that on the charge, they can put out 20 MC power weapon attacks.  If a FC bubble is anywhere near you, whatever you charge will normally die.  Keep in mind that Sanguinary Guard can also carry special pistols and take meltabombs as well.. but I think their true potential lies in the fact that they can slay most foes in close combat.  Since all their weapons are master-crafted, you get 5 re-rolls for misses so you don't really need a Chaplain.  Another good thing about these guys is that if you take Dante as your HQ, these guys become scoring.  With FNP nearby, it's almost impossible to kill these guys with anything short of AP2 weapons.

So what are the downsides to these guys?  They're really expensive in terms of PPM (points per model).  They cost the same as Terminators but they don't have invulnerable saves.  The 2+ AS is nice and the fact that they can fly is great, but if they get shot by plasma or melta they're going to go down.  At 40 points per model, you're going to hate yourself.  In a way, they function as Vanguard Veterans but without Heroic Intervention.

Last but not least, we have Honor Guard.  The great thing about these guys is that you can customize them to death.  Actually, the greatest thing about these guys is that they come with a Sanguinary Priest that can't be picked out in combat.  He's part of the squad, not an IC so he's really safe compared to the Elite versions.  HG are also pretty flexible in which you can take them in a Rhino or with Jump Packs.  Sure, you can take VV without JP, but why would you?  Why not take advantage of their true purpose and one of their Special Rules?  Anyways, HG can't HI or do anything especially cool unlike the VV or SG, but they can be customized to the needs of your army.  You can take a squad with Meltaguns, Plasma Guns or full Power Weapons.  This basically means you can customize your Honor Guard to be anti-tank, anti-heavy infantry or a dedicated CC unit.  Not only do they provide that valuable 6" FC/FNP bubble from an untargetable priest, but they can be specialized units customized to your army's needs.  Once you take any HQ, they are available at 115 points base and takes up no slot on the FOC.  The fact that they don't take up any slots means you can take them in any army.  This is great.  Once you start piling on the upgrades, their price will go up to what the VV and SG are.

An example of such a unit is:

5x Honor Guard (JP, 2x PW, 2x Meltaguns) = 215

Here you have a unit that provides a 6" bubble of awesome to the rest of your army as well as providing reliable anti-tank firepower.  If you wanted to, you can take Plasma Guns and make every infantry or MC on the field think twice before getting close to you.  Plasma Guns are actually pretty good on a unit with a 3+ armor save and FNP.  Death Guard players would be jealous of such a unit.  Another cool thing about Honor Guard you can take them without packs, stick them in a Razorback and ship them off to battle with your strongest melee HQ.  The unit is not too expensive and you have the option to take a Chapter Banner as well; further increasing the effectiveness of your HG and the IC attached to them.

The only real bad thing about HG is that in JP form, they're basically less armored SG.  AP3 weapons pose a threat to them (especially krak missiles) and they don't have the neat little features that make them really feared.  Honor Guard can't really play mindgames in the same way VV and SG can.  They're extremely effective and flexible, but their cost can go up fairly high depending on what you give them.

So there you have it folks.  The book comes out in less than a week and BA players have some difficult decisions to make.  Do you take the Turning Tide VV or the incredibly dangerous Sanguinary Guard?  What about the flexible capabilities of the Honor Guard in Jump Packs or riding in a Razorback?  It's to no surprise that this is one of the most frequently asked questions in the tacticas of Warseer and B&C.  I say they're all pretty good, with HG slightly ahead of the others most of the time because of its flexibility.  In the end, it's really up to each individual player to bring out their true potential.

Salamanders

"Into the fires of battle, unto the anvil of war!"

Battlecry of the Salamanders

Whenever you hear about Salamanders these days, you hear about Vulkan He'stan.  He is the current Forgefather for the Chapter, charged with finding the lost relics of his Primarch.  Being one of the First Founding Chapters, the Salamanders have served the Emperor with distinction for thousands of years.  They are known for their artisan craftsmanship and their use of heat-based weapons.  This should be no surprise as their homeworld of Nocturne is ridden with volcanic fire and violent radiation.  Weapons such as Flamers and Meltaguns are all commonly seen on the battlefield when the Salamanders are present.  Even Thunderhammers are expertly designed and perfectly balanced; fitting for the forge-born warriors of Nocturne.  By taking the Vulkan He'stan to battle, Space Marine players can truly enjoy the gifts of the forgefather.

Vulkan He'stan trades Chapter Tactics for something truly remarkable.  He makes all your fire-based weapons such as Flamers, Heavy Flamers, Meltaguns and Multi-meltas twin-linked.  Vulkan also makes all your Thunderhammers master-crafted.  The forgfather himself has Captain stats and has a 2+/3++ armor/invulnerable save.  He also comes with a MC Relic Blade (S6) and a built-in Heavy Flamer as well.  Because of this army-wide buff that Vulkan provides, Space Marine players can quickly take advantage of the most destructive weapons of mankind and use them with greater effect than other Marine Chapters.

With that in mind, it's not too difficult to construct a list that can take advantage of these bonuses and keep to the theme of the Salamanders Chapter.  The list below is the list that I constructed at 1750 points:

1750

Salamanders

HQ:

Vulkan He'stan = 190

TROOP:

10x Tacticals (Rhino, PF, Meltagun, MM) = 235

10x Tacticals (Rhino, PF, Meltagun, MM) = 235

10x Tacticals (Rhino, PF, Meltagun, MM) = 235

FA:

3x Land Speeders (MM/HF) = 210

ELITE:

Ironclad (Drop Pod, HF, IAL) = 195

5x TH/SS Terminators (LRR w/ MM) = 450

The list I have here is pretty cookie-cutter.  I take advantage of all the flamer and melta tech that I can while keeping the entire army mobile and aggressive.  Vulkan and his bodyguard of 5x TH/SS Terminators rides in a fluffy Redeemer w/ MM while the rest of the army pushes up next to it.  The 3 squads of 10x Tacticals in Rhinos carry Meltaguns/MM for anti-armor, but you can easily replace the meltaguns with flamers for an anti-horde metagame.  This would buy you the points to take a LRC as well, except I think S6 AP3 flamers are pretty fluffy for Salamanders.  Keep in mind that the Flamestorm Cannons from the LRR cannot benefit from Vulkan's re-roll.

Aside from the TH/SS and Tacticals pushing up the center, I have 3x Land Speeders with MM/HF that can either ride shotgun infront of the army or come in later from Deep Strike.  The reason why I have Land Speeders in my army over attack bikes is because they're extremely versatile in a Vulkan list.  They can take advantage of having both the Heavy Flamer and the Multi-melta; thus making them capable of dealing with anything on the table.  When deploying the speeders, putting them on the table early and turbo-boosting across the field provides another layer of threat in the first turn of the game.  If you choose to keep them in reserve and deep strike them later, they will mess with your opponents' head and hopefully screw up his deployment.  This is where the Ironclad comes in.  If he deploys poorly, you can hammer (get it?) the undefended portions of his army to bits with the full might of your army.  The Ironclad functions as a greater threat than normal Ironclads because his built-in meltagun and heavy flamer is now twin-linked.  Since your army is rather small and short-ranged, it's in your best interest to get within kill range as soon as possible.  This is not the type of army that you can sit back and shoot with.

There's a lot of Vulkan lists out there.  Some players like taking two LRCs with Hamminators, but a lot of people find that cheesy and boring to play with/against.  I personally like this list because I get to use the Ironclad and Land Speeders, but that's just personal preference.  Another idea that I had was a small squad of 5x Sternguard with Vulkan in a Rhino (or RB).  The Sternguard carries 2x Heavy Flamers and whatever you want (keep them cheap, mine's only 180 points) and Vulkan rides shotgun towards the enemy.  This is normally done with TH/SS Terminators in a LR pushing up next to it so the anti-tank fire goes to them.  The objective of this Sternguard squad is simple:  Turn everything that's living into ash.  With Vulkan, you have 3x twin-linked Heavy Flamer templates that can make a mockery of any infantry squad in the game.  I personally call this setup the "Dragon's Fire"; especially if you breath fire from the nostrils of the Rhino.  Keep in mind this is not the only way you can play Sternguard in a Vulkan list.  You can also opt to take 10 of them in a Drop Pod with Vulkan and combat squad them on the way down.  One squad can carry 2 Heavy Flamers with Vulkan and can act as a burn squad while the other half combi-meltas the crap out of transports.  Or you can go balls up and just combi-melta everything since you have re-rolls to everything.

Vulkan marines is one of the hardest lists out there for competitive C:SM builds.  Their twin-linked flamers and meltaguns makes a mockery out of infantry and tanks alike, and their TH/SS Terminators are better than other Chapters.  They can get a little boring to play because of their monotone playstyle, but that's why I suggest you change the lists up every once in a while.  Go with a mech army one game and switch it up with a alpha-strike Drop Pod army the next.  That way, you keep your opponents guessing and makes your game more enjoyable.

Raven Guard

"Victorus aut Mortis."

Battlecry of the Raven Guard

The Raven Guard are one of the original Space Marines Legions.  They are known for their hit and run tactics and their ability to strike unseen from the shadows.  Stealth and infiltration is their forte and their attacks are precise and focused.  By striking at their opponents weak points, they leave their opponents disorganized and confused; making them susceptible to the fury of the Space Marines.

My second thematic army from the C:SM Codex was the Raven Guard.  After playing Crimson Fists for a bit, I decided to needed to spice it up a bit.  After looking through the codex for some inspiration, I came along a Special Character named Kayvaan Shrike, Captain of the Raven Guard 3rd Company.  Being one of the more familiar names in Space Marine lore, I quickly looked over his special rules and noted what he can offer to the table.  The first thing I noticed about Shrike is that he trades Chapter Tactics for Fleet.  This makes the assault elements of your army even more deadly as they can close the distance and engage in battle much quicker.  The other thing to note about Shrike is that he can give him and the squad that he's in Infiltrate.  This means that regardless of where your opponents deploy, Shrike's squad can start 18" away from them (or 12" if they're out of LoS).  The ideas quickly started to pour into my head.  I needed an army that can have enormous first strike potential at the weaker points of my opponents' army.  The army needed to be precise like a surgeon's knife and hit hard like a hammer.  This is how I came up with my army list:

1750

Raven Guard

HQ:

Shrike = 195

TROOP:

10x Tacticals (Rhino, PF, Meltagun, PC) = 240

10x Tacticals (Rhino, PF, Meltagun, MM) = 235

10x Tacticals (DP, PF, Meltagun, MM) = 235

FA:

3x Scout Bikes (Beacon, MB) = 100

5x Vanguard Veterans (JP, 2x MB, 2x LC, PF) = 225

ELITE:

10x Sternguard (DP, 8x CbM) = 325

Ironclad Dreadnought (DP, HF, IAL) = 195

At first, I was tempted to take Assault Terminators as my infiltration unit, but they were unfluffy and couldn't guarantee I'll get into assault first turn.  My next option was 10-strong Assault Space Marines.. but I couldn't get the weapons layout I wanted in them.  My last option was the Vanguard Veterans.  Now if you guys ever seen me post on Warseer, you would know how much I hate VV.  They're completely overpriced in the C:SM Codex (not in BA) and are hardly worth the points most of the time.  They do, however, function perfectly as Shrike's elite, personally trained warriors known as Shrike's Wing.  The weapon layout consists of Jump Packs, 2x Meltabombs, the Sergeant carrying a Raven's Claw (regular Lightning Claw), another claw and a Power Fist.  Because they start out 18" away from the enemy (12" if deployment's in my favor), I can fly 12" first turn, Fleet and then charge my target.  This attack combined with my Scout Bike's Infiltration, Scout Move and Locator Beacon, puts 2 Drop Pods on top of my enemy's forces at the start of my turn.  Once the first wave sets down, my Bikes will turbo-boost to the next major objective:  Be it my opponent's exposed flank or a worthy objective, their locator beacon will be ready to guide my last pod of Tacticals.  During this mayhem, my Tacticals in Rhinos move into the firing lanes and prepare to assist their brothers.

It's to no surprise that I chose a Ironclad and Sternguard to go in the first wave with Shrike.  They represent amazing first strike potential and can follow up next turn with devastating results.  The layout for my Sternguard are 8x Combi-Meltas; designed to target and destroy the heaviest armor that my opponents can offer.  Keep in mind that though they replace Combat Tactics for Fleet, they can still combat squad into 2 squads of 5x Sternguard with 4 meltas a piece.  With the correct positioning, they will be able to melt armor and expose the inner troops to the rest of my army.  With that said, the Ironclad is equipped with Ironclad Assault Launchers (giving me offensive and defensive grenades), a meltagun of his own and a Heavy Flamer.  Let's just say he'll be following up the Sternguard's work with great enthusiasm.

The rest of my list is pretty standard.  Three Tactical squads; 2 in Rhinos and 1 in a Pod to contest and conquer objectives.  They will provide MM and PC fire from their locations and assist in whatever task Captain Shrike commands them.  The first turn will no doubt be the most brutal for my opponents. I've had players fold by turn 2 because the situational looked so grim for them.  First turn charge from Shrike and his Wing, an Ironclad Dreadnought on his flanks and Sternguard Veterans melting his transports puts my opponents in a rather.. uncomfortable position.  Keep in mind that Shrike doesn't always have to assault nearby the SG and the Ironclad.  They can comfortably assault enemy heavy weapon emplacements elsewhere, further splitting up my opponents retaliation fire and possibly exposing their rear armor.

A lot of fun can be had with this list.  I think by employing Scout Bikes, Drop Pods and the Vanguard Veterans, I was able to replicate the fighting ideals of the Raven Guard quite handsomely.  Their first strike potential is amazing and they break the traditional method of playing as Space Marines (moving as one).  A list like this is great every now and then to off people's game since everyone's used to playing vs. Vulkan Mech.  Speaking of which.. my next Chapter will be Salamanders.

Crimson Fists

"There is only the Emperor!"

"He is our shield and our protector!"
Warcry of the Crimson Fists

The first army that I started with in the C:SM codex was the Crimson Fists.  Being a Seconding Founding Chapter of the Imperial Fists, the Crimson Fists received its unyielding tenacity from the Primarch Rogal Dorn.  Lately, tragedy has befallen the Chapter and their Fortress Monastery on Rynn's World has been destroyed the Orks.  Though injured and severely outnumbered, Pedro Kantor, Chapter Master of the Crimson Fists rallied the remnants of his Chapter and fought courageously to purge the Ork invaders from Rynn's World.

Ingame, Pedro Kantor is actually one of the most price effective choices in the entire book.  He's a Chapter Master so he automatically has access to Honor Guard and Orbital Bombardment.  His special rules replaces the entire army's Chapter Tactics with Stubborn and Hold The Line!  Stubborn makes it so you always take morale checks at max leadership when you lose combat and Hold The Line! makes all your Sternguard Veterans count as scoring units.  Probably the biggest bonus that he offers is an amazing 12" aura of +1 attack to all friendly units within 12" called Inspiring Presence.  This is huge!  It makes your basic Marines fight like Veterans and your Veterans fight like gods.  This also effects Dreadnoughts so your Ironclads get 5 attacks on the charge.  Aside from that, he comes with a S4 AP4 Assault 4 Storm Bolter at BS5 and a Power Fist at WS6 and 3 attacks base.

The way I envisioned my Crimson Fists army was to be a list with Pedro Kantor leading a small but elite army capable of shattering the fiercest opponents.  Since most of the Chapter was wiped out when the Fortress Monastery was destroyed, they only have limited resources to play with.  This however, does not mean they can't be competitive.  With veteran squads carrying mankind's greatest weapons and one of the most courageous Chapter Masters to lead them, traitors and xenos alike will learn to fear the wrath of the Crimson Fists!

1750
Crimson Fists

HQ:
Pedro Kantor = 175
Librarian (TDA/SS) = 140

TROOP:
10x Tacticals (Rhino, PF, Meltagun, LC) = 245
10x Tacticals (Rhino, PF, Meltagun, PC) = 240

ELITE:
5x TH/SS Terminators (LR w/ MM) = 460
6x Sternguard (RB TLLC, 2x PC) = 245
6x Sternguard (RB TLLC, 2x PC) = 245

The first thing you'll notice here is the single Land Raider Godhammer pattern (to symbolize Rynn's Might) and the 2 squads of Sternguard Veterans.  Because the Crimson Fists cannot afford further losses to their already diminished Chapter, the army is designed to play defensively and take advantage of their expert weaponry, Stubborn and Pedro's 12" Inspiring Presence.

The Sternguard and their Razorbacks with TLLC will deploy close enough together to allow the rest of the army to assist them if needed.  Depending on player turn and board layout, Pedro will either deploy with them or inside the Land Raider.  On my opening volley, I should be able to shoot out 4 TLLC shots from the Land Raider and two Razorbacks, and a single Lascannon shot from the Tactical squad inside the Rhino.  If Pedro is allowed to deploy with the Sternguard, he will use his Orbital Barrage and hopefully bust open the heaviest transport available.  This will hopefully damage enemy transports and make them exposed to my next round of fire which will consist of 5 Plasma Cannon shots from the Sternguard and Tactical squads.  The Librarian with Terminator Armor and Storm Shield will probably have Avenger (S5 AP3 Template) and Vortex of Doom (12" S10 AP1 Blast) and he'll be assisting the counter-charge with the 5x TH/SS Terminators.  In the presence of Pedro's heroic presence, they will get 20x Thunderhammer attacks on the charge.  Easily capable of destroying most squads in one turn of combat.

I personally think I captured the theme of the Crimson Fists pretty well with this list.  I take advantage of Pedro's Hold the Line! rule that makes Sternguard scoring and at the same time I keep the list small and elite.  Once I am satisfied that I have done enough damage to my opponent's army, I will pack up my Sternguard squads in their dedicated RBs and make way to the closet objective.  They will camp there while the rest of my army assists with contesting or point control.

Three days, three Chapters

Over the next couple of days, I'll be revisiting the army lists that I've used for 5th Ed. Space Marines.  Space Marines was the first army that I started with 8 years ago and they're still my favorite.  When the new codex came out, I chose three thematic yet competitive ways to play the new book and I will cover one each day in the next three days.  Each list has a distinctive playstyle, true to the theme of the chapter they represent.  Those glorious heroes are the Crimson Fists, Raven Guard and Salamander Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes.  Enemies of the Imperium beware.

List synergy

A lot of the time I see people making lists that lack the synergy needed to carry out their battleplan.  You see lists that's supposed to be fast take slow units that slow the rest of the army down; or an army that takes too many reserves and it gets dissected on the field turn by turn.  This post will hopefully help people realize these issues and how to improve upon it.

Let's look at some example lists that preform well in battle and analyze why they work.

Eldar Castle list (Defensive):

Avatar

Eldrad

2x large units of Wraithguard

3x Wraithlords

A squad of counter-attacking Harlequins + Shadowseer

The entire army moves slow but the units here are incredibly resistant to damage.  The big to note about this list is that the army's movement speed is the same.  Everything moves as one, the tempo remains constant, and nothing is left stranded or out of reach of immediate assistance.  The Wraithguard, Avatar and Wraithlords are all really tough with their T6+ and 3+ saves.  Eldrad offers great protection to the army via zone wide psychic protection and Fortune on your units so you get that armor re-roll.  Your shooting is primarily short-ranged but with guide  your Wraithguards' no armor save instant death shots become really intimidating.  The main weakness of this army is CC, but that's why you have Harlequins with a Shadowseer hiding behind your Wraithguard as the ultimate counter-charging element.  Overall, this list favors a more defensive player's playstyle but has all the right tools to make it work.  It moves as one, shoots at one and reacts as one.

Blood Angels list (Offensive):

Chapter Master Seth

Honor Guard in RB

Librarian w/ JP in a squad of 10x flying ASM

2 more squads of ASM in a Rhino and Razorback

Corbulo with the ASM in the RB

Furioso Dreadnought in a Drop Pod

3x Baal Preds

This list functions in a mindset completely opposite to the Eldar castle list listed above.  This list is fast, completely geared towards assault and concentrated pressure.  Seth and his HG bodyguard turbos forward with the rest of the army while the Baal Preds lay down suppressing fire.  The Librarian and his squad of ASM flies behind the rest of the mechanized army, providing them with 4+ cover.  Everything moves at 12"+ and above; most elements moving at 18" and popping smoke because they want to reach combat ASAP.  Blood Angels excel at speed, close combat and extreme early game pressure.  You force the tempo of the game to change because of your speed and your opponents must react accordingly or be destroyed.  That's the entire purpose of a fast, hard-hitting army.  And that's exactly why stationary elements such as Devastators don't really work in a list like this.

Space Wolves list (Balanced):

Rune Priest

Arjac Rockfist

4x squads of Grey Hunters, 3 in Rhinos, 1 in LRC

2x squads of 6x Long Fangs with 5x ML

The advantage of Wolves is that they're a very balanced army.  At the same time, they're a very powerful army because they can do almost everything really well.  Space Wolves have strong elements of shooting, CC and psychic abilities; thus, they can build balanced lists better than most armies.  In short, they're basically C:SM who can shoot better and assault better.  The Long Fangs provide long range firepower and the 4x solid squads of Grey Hunters excel at close-range engagements.  The Rune Priest can support the field with long range attacks or medium range denial and Arjac Rockfist destroys most things in close combat.  Because of the army wide counter-attack special rule, Space Wolves can receive a charge just as well as charging into combat themselves.  This makes them an extremely flexible and powerful army.  Unlike most armies, Space Wolves don't need to force the tempo of the game to remain effective.

With these examples in mind, I hope it's easier to see what a good list should look like.  You need a list that can move together and take advantage of the strengths of your army.  If you have a fast list, don't take slow units that will slow the rest of it down.  Concentrate on the strengths of your book and play with units that'll take advantage of that.  Your strongest list will always be one that fits your playstyle.  That's simply because instinctively, you already played out the battle in your head before it even begun.  Yet another reason why copying winning tourney lists off the internet doesn't guarantee victory.

My Blood Angels unit bucket

So with the release of every new codex, I look through the book and find the best stuff and the worst stuff.  I erase all the garbage units (Chaos Spawn) in my head and concentrate on two sets of units; my competitive units and my fun units.  The competitive units are normally the best units in the codex; whether its because they're cost effective or just really good.  The fun units are the units that are fluffy, fun to take and mess around with, but I wouldn't take them in a serious game.  I completely understand that by dismissing the "garbage" units I throw out half of the units that I can possibly play.. but this is a money game in every sense of the word.  Maybe it's the RTS gamer in me that makes my use of resources so overly-critical, but I think anything with limited expenditure should be taken seriously.  It's all about being cost effective ingame, and in real life because you should only purchase models you know you'll use.

Before we continue, understand that these are my opinions on what the best choices are.  You don't have to agree, in fact, I encourage you don't.  That way, we can all engage in a wider spectrum of gameplay and playtest diversity.

Here is my competitive units bucket:

• Librarian w/ Jump pack or without.
• Reclusiarch w/ Jump pack or without; but I'd rather see him without to save points.
• Mephiston and Corbulo as the only worthwhile SCs.
• Honor Guard w/ either 2-3 PW or Special Weapons.  In a Razorback is best, but JP isn't too bad.
• 10x ASM w/ PF/Infernus, 2x Meltaguns or Flamers
• 10x ASM w/ PF, 2x Meltaguns or Flamers in a Rhino
• 5x ASM w/ a Meltagun, PF or PW in a Razorback w/ purposeful shooting.
• Sanguinary Priests; naked if possible, JP if you must, or TDA with Assault Terminators in an LRC.
• 5x Assault Terminators geared towards Furious Charge; 4x LC/1x TH/SS.  This obviously means you must take a LRC.
• Furioso Dreadnought in a Drop Pod with either Blood Talons, Fists, Librarian or Frag Cannon.  It's all good as long as he's in a pod.
• Vanguard Vets w/ Jump Packs, naked or with 1 more PW.
• Baal Predators w/ HB Sponsons
• Attack Bikes w/ MM
• Vindicators w/ Dozer Blades
• Predators w/ LC Sponsons

My fun bucket basically includes everything else.  Death Company has changed from a staple in our army to something more on the lines of fun.  You can't really expect a non-scoring unit that can't be controlled to be played competitively.  With that in mind, this basically sets Astorath, LeMartes, DC Dreads and other crazies in the same direction.  I guess Astorath not so much because he can still act as a army buffer.. but he's an army buffer based on chance.  Sanguinor costs a lot more but at least his sergeant buff and the +1A 6" bubble is constant.  But if you're really looking some SC fun, you might as well go with Seth and go with a Flesh Tearers army with the full DC crazy package.

Blood Angels are a fast moving, assault-based army that takes advantage of getting the charge (Furious Charge) and preventing return melee damage (FNP).  That is their hallmark in the new book and that's how I'm going to play them.  Tactical Squads and Devastators do not fit this mandate.  They are too stationary to carry out the needs of my army and thus they do not belong.  Keep in mind that this doesn't mean they are bad units.  The Tacticals have always been the same and the Devastator weapons are cheaper now so you have more options.  They just don't fit in with my particular playstyle.

Let's face it, a lot to this game is based on fun, but not always.  Take whatever units that floats your boat, but realize that some units out there are better choices than others.  I have my go-to unit bucket whenever I'm making a list and you probably have yours.  It makes list constructing a hell of a lot easier because you know all these units by cost, function and capability.  You will understand that a fast list requires fast units and you'll know which units to pick.  You will be able to envision the battleplan in your head with the units that you've chosen, thus improving the clarity of the lists' true purpose.  Making a resource list for yourself not only improves your organization but gives you focus when constructing your army.

Preferred Enemy

This post actually has nothing to do with the USR in the rule book, but rather what armies I prefer playing against.  I would consider myself the type of player that falls at the half way line between WAAC and fluffy.  The army lists that I write often contain a central theme and the units I pick have to fit that theme.  I'm also one of those players that enjoy fighting against enemies of the Imperium more so than other Marine Chapters.  I think it's more thematic when my Space Marines fight against treacherous Chaos Space Marines or the foul xenos scum that is Tyranids rather than fighting against Space Marines.  For this particular case, I would say that aesthetics of the game certainly outweighs how competitive the lists should be.  I don't think anyone I've encountered actually enjoys mirror matches on the table-top. I absolutely hate fighting SW vs. SW or BA vs. BA.  I mean, what's the point?  And it's incredibly frustrating when I see two of the same SCs on the field.  I would rather field a different army than face that.


Let me go through the armies available for us to fight and I'll blurb a short segment on why I enjoy fighting these armies over others.

Traitors and Heretics:

Chaos Space Marines

Chaos Daemons

I will never turn down a game against the forces of Chaos.  Not only do they need constant spanking since after the Horus Heresy but the fluff behind SM vs. CSMs is what got me started in 40K.  I believe the First Battle of Armageddon is the most epic battle ever fought and every game I have with Chaos is a minor reenactment of it.  I also love this matchup because I remember the absolute misery of fighting against dual lash lists back in 4th when all I had was footslogging Grey Knights.  Even though every game I played was pretty epic, it pained me horribly to see so many Marines die.  Chaos is, and always will be, mankind's greatest enemy.

Xenos Scum:

Tyranids

Orks

Necrons

Tau Empire

Dark Eldar

Eldar

This is pretty much in order right here.  Tyranids are the pinnacle of xenos scum and everyone else foreign or green goes under this list.  Orks are all over the place and they need to be weeded (literally), Necrons reminds me of wack-a-mole and the Tau Empire needs to stay on their side of the galaxy.  Eldar don't bother me that much because they're the "good" guys in the galaxy and I used to play them, but they're not manly enough compared to my Marines and needs to be sterilized.  Dark Eldar falls under the same category but they're even worse in terms of manliness.

Crazy People:

Witch Hunters

Black Templars

Even though Witch Hunters are part of the Inquisition, they need to be put in their place.  I just don't understand why everyone has to follow the same religious beliefs as they do.  The same applies to the Black Templar Chapter of Space Marines.  You can go around the universe on your silly crusades all you want, but stay out of my way when you do so.  Believe in whatever you want, but don't try to force your beliefs onto others.  If you have any questions, my bolter will be happy to answer.

Imperium:

Dark Angels

Blood Angels

Space Marines

Space Wolves

Imperial Guard

Daemonhunters

Aside from some fluffy battles such as Space Wolves vs. Dark Angels (Wolf and the Lion) or Blood Angels vs. Space Wolves (reenactment of Honor's End), I don't see a serious need to fight these armies.  Space Marines often get along fine with Imperial Guard.. unless they fall under the sway of Chaos or something.  Although a few grudge-matches are fun once in a while, the other Chapters can keep to themselves.

What about you guys?  Do you have a preferred matchup?  If so, which one?

Fear of the Darkness

Summoning the indescribable malice of the Warp, the Librarian unleashes a mighty wave of sheer terror, piercing every creature's soul with the horror of death and revealing their utter insignificance in the face of an uncaring universe.

- 4th Edition Space Marine Codex

One of the funniest psychic abilities I have seen in a long time is Fear of the Darkness in the upcoming BA Codex.  It's a psychic shooting attack at 24" that forces the enemy unit to make a morale check at -2 leadership.  If you fail the morale check, you immediately flee 2D6" towards your closest table edge.

While it might not look so hot at first compared to some of the other abilities, let's look at all the dirty things we can do with it.  That way, when you do it to your opponents, you can kindly guide them to the rulebook while they nerd rage.

The units is below half strength.

So you've just killed a bunch of units in the shooting phase with the rest of your army, setting them below the 50% mark in unit strength.  You decide to shoot them again with Fear of the Darkness.  Oh, you're not Fearless?  Have a nice jog to the edge of the table.  They are now broken and cannot rally for the rest of the game.

There are enemies within 6".

This one is huge.. especially since Blood Angels have Fast vehicles, Jump Infantry, Decent of Angels and Drop Pods up the wazoo.  You see a unit that's able to be feared and you don't want them coming back anytime soon.  You move your vehicles ahead of them (the average roll to flee on 2D6 is a 7") enough so next turn they can't rally next turn.  With your units being so fast, you can literally chase a healthy unit off the field if you wanted to.  This is sometimes better than fighting them.. especially when the odds are unfavorable.  What's even a greater pisser is when they flee within 6" of one of your Drop Pods and they can't rally because of it.  Yes, there is a monster lurking inside the shadowy depths of that empty drop pod.  Keep in mind that with Decent of Angels, you can reliably force your opponents to constantly fail his morale checks by dropping within 6" of him too.

Trapped!

This one is harder to pull off.. but I assure you, the results are well worth it.  Imagine this scenario:  You have a few tanks left on the field, your Librarian and his squad, and a ASM squad with Jump Packs.  He has a uber unit of killy CC death that you can't possibly kill in melee combat.  So what do you do?  You box him in with a Rhino on each side (Fast means 18" of vroom vroom) and fly behind his units with your ASM; spreading out as much as you can so you form that nice 2" of coherency, making sure his models can never touch 1" of yours.  Your Librarian's unit is in front and you close the box around him.  You force his morale check at -2 and if he fails, his entire unit is destroyed because he's completely surrounded.  Really?  Is this even legal?  Pg. 45 of the small rulebook says it is.  You would think this scenario is hard to accomplish, but every half decent BA list is going to have Fast vehicles, hopefully some Jump troops (normal troops work too.. but you might need a Run move) and a Librarian.  You can even pull this off with fewer units if the opportunity presents itself.  Fearless units just got that much better.

If you guys have any cool ideas, or if I made a mistake somewhere, please make a comment and let me know.