Playing Dark Angels: Building a Better Battleforce

One of the hallmarks of the very best players in 40k is their ability to bring an army that looks like a random sample of units from a codex, and continually trounce upon opponents of all skill levels. I don't consider myself quite that good at the moment, but I'd like to think I'm approaching that direction, especially with my primary army: Dark Angels. This actually isn't something that every codex is capable of, at least not in the most competitive scenes. Sure, great generals can take weak codices and do some significant things, but it's almost always due to vast amounts of player skill and an understanding of the army's strengths and weaknesses. Armies with better tools, more efficient tools, and multiple units with similar roles are much more able to pull this off. Right now, I'd probably limit just a few codices in the game to pulling this off really well. Space Marines, Necrons, Imperial Guard, and Dark Angels are the best, with Chaos Space Marines and Space Wolves coming in just behind them (in my opinion). Other codices are extremely competitive, but have very few competitive options.

So what's required to make and play one of these amazing "battleforce" armies? Let's take a look:

Chaos Space Marines with Necron Allies @ 1850

Another distraction on my path to finishing up that Dark Eldar series, this is an idea I had for Chaos Space Marines when another friend was curious about potential uses for allies and trying to figure out a list for CAGE. For this army, I would definitely try a counts-as approach, making all the Necron stuff similar to the new Daemonforged units.

Space Marine Bikes @ 1850

Part 2 of the Dark Eldar article is on the way, I promise. I haven't had much time to type it all up yet. I did, however, respond to someone in the 3++ Chatterbox today to give an idea of where I'd start for a bike-based list under 6th Edition. Here's what I had to say:

Playing Dark Eldar in 6th (Part 1): Hybridization

I've seen many people having trouble with Dark Eldar in 6th Edition, and for good reason. They are perhaps the most fragile army in the game. Orks have individual models that are more vulnerable, but their weight of numbers produces a durability all its own. So how do we go about utilizing this army to its fullest potential? Two things. First, we toss aside the full MSU lists we saw under 5th Edition. Second, we get a little Desperate! This is gonna be long, and spread into multiple posts, so bear with me!

Playing Dark Angels: Allies for Now

When it comes to building a competitive list for 40k, there are many factors you have to plan for in your army list. Most of these boil down to 2 things: mission type and opponent's army composition. 6th Edition has added a new unit type that has become difficult for the Dark Angels to work around: Fliers. There is simply not a unit in the codex with the durability and firepower to handle them on a competitive scale. Your army needs to be capable of dealing with 3-5 opposed fliers in a competitive setting. Sure, the infamous Cron Air (Necron Airforce) can pump out 8-10 fliers, but I expect it will be living a short lifespan and already has some hard counters in some of the more popular armies.

Combine this with an increase in infantry and plasma usage and, and the traditional Dark Angels army (Deathwing) starts having problems. We can increase this capability, but it really comes down to needing to branch out with allies to get the tools we need. When we do this, we find that rather than shoring up DA weaknesses, DAs make the better allies, as the core of Belial and 2 squads of terminators give other armies some great durability and combat-effective units. The army that makes best use of these units and covers our needs most is Imperial Guard. Here is a look at how we would run with Imperial Guard primary with Dark Angels as allies.

Chaos Space Marines @ 1850

I'm helping my friend Alex work up a list for Chaos Space Marines so he can learn the game and get some solid tactics under his belt. He's already got a decent CSM collection, so the following list uses some of the stuff he likes and gets enough shots and bodies on the field to deal with the major problems he might face.

Updating Grey Knights + IG @1850

I've been doing a good bit of playtesting with the Grey Knight + IG list recently posted, and I've been trying out various combinations. The following is the current incarnation, and is pretty well set to be what I am using for the 2013 Alabama CAGE Match provided Dark Angels doesn't give me something more awesome to work with.

You can see the list and my thoughts on it after the break.

Major News! First post for 6th Edition

I know it's been a while since I've posted up anything, but with all the changes going on in the world of 40k, I really didn't have much to add that others weren't already saying. I've also been analyzing the meta with various lists I've seen people discussing. I ran a successful GT last month which utilized double FOC available. I feel I have a solid enough grasp on the game right now to make some statements and lists.

I'm also starting up commission work, and I will soon be putting up lots of pictures of stuff that's in progress or completed. Right now I'm sticking to local work, so if you're anywhere near Rocket City, USA, check out The Foundry and ask about having RayJ do your commission!

With that in mind, here is my first truly competitive army list for 6th Edition. It has a major weakness in the fragility of its troops, but it puts out shots like nothing else. This list is built at 1850 using Grey Knights as the primary army, and Imperial Guard as an allied detachment.

painted by Lukas-the-Trickster

Primary Detachment

• 100 Inquisitor Coteaz
• 63 Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
  • 3 Warrior Acolytes
  • Razorback
    • Psybolt Ammunition
    • Searchlight
• 63 Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
  • 3 Warrior Acolytes
  • Razorback
    • Psybolt Ammunition
    • Searchlight
• 63 Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
  • 3 Warrior Acolytes
  • Razorback
    • Psybolt Ammunition
    • Searchlight
• 63 Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
  • 3 Warrior Acolytes
  • Razorback
    • Psybolt Ammunition
    • Searchlight
• 63 Inquisitorial Henchmen Warband
  • 3 Warrior Acolytes
  • Razorback
    • Psybolt Ammunition
    • Searchlight
• 136 Dreadnoguht
  • 2 TL Autocannons
  • Psybolt Ammo
  • Searchlight
• 136 Dreadnoguht
  • 2 TL Autocannons
  • Psybolt Ammo
  • Searchlight
• 136 Dreadnoguht
  • 2 TL Autocannons
  • Psybolt Ammo
  • Searchlight

Fortification

• 100 Aegis Defense Line
  • Quad Gun

Allied Detachment

• 70 Primaris Psyker
• 165 Psyker Battle Squad
  • 5 Sanction Psykers
  • Chimera
• 390 Infantry Platoon
  • [115] Platoon Command Squad
    • 4 Flamers
    • Krak Grenades
    • Meltabombs
    • Chimera
  • [125] Infantry Squad
    • Flamer
    • Autocannon
    • Power Axe
    • Meltabombs
    • Commissar
      • Power Axe
  • [80] Infantry Squad
    • Flamer
    • Autocannon
    • Power Axe
    • Meltabombs
  • [80] Infantry Squad
    • Flamer
    • Autocannon
    • Power Axe
    • Meltabombs
• 140 Vendetta
  • Heavy Bolter Sponsons
• 150 Ordinance Battery
  • 2 Griffons

Total: 1848/1850

The list should be pretty straight forward. Use the Platoon Command Squad as a sort of spearhead, usually riding along in the Vendetta. Their Chimera is great for blocking razorbacks and providing a backup transport for the Psykers.

Use Coteaz to man the Quad Gun, and pump S7 shots at anything that enters the table within 12 inches of him, on top of the 1 use of Skyfire/Interceptor each turn.

13 Vehicles is still going to be hard to mess with for most armies, provided you use the IG blob to block assaults properly. Depending on the enemy army, you may want the Primaris Psyker to roll up Biomancy for a chance at Iron Arm or Telepathy for Psychic Shriek. Keeping him with codex powers is also useful for the Lightning Arc.

Combat effectiveness outside the blob is going to be next to nil, along with squad survivability. This list is really relying on ranged firepower to pull most of the weight. Here's a weapon breakdown:

• 1 S* APd6 Large Blast
• 3 S9 AP2
• 12 S8 AP4 Twin-Linked
• 4 S7 AP4 Twin-Linked
• 6 S7 AP4
• 2 S6 AP4 Ordinance Barrage
• 15 S6 AP4 Twin-Linked
• 6 S6 AP-
• 18 S5 AP4
• 7 S4 AP5 Template
• 21 S3 AP- Rapid Fire
• 15 S3 AP- Pistol
• 4 Meltabombs
• 4 Krak Grenades
• 4 Power Axes
• 1 Force Stave
• 1 Nemesis Daemonhammer

Comments, suggestions for improvement, and general critique are all welcome. This list is designed around dealing with mass fliers and large infantry squads, while having enough troops to hold objectives late game.

Playing Dark Eldar: The Ulthwé Rapid Response Fleet (Revised)

The basics behind the list haven't changed much in the past few months, but there are some substantial changes in the details that affect gameplay a good bit. I have a long way to go before I hit the ceiling with Dark Eldar, so I should see marked improvement each time out. Right now this is where the army sits at 2000 points based on playtesting and my current ability to utilize the army.

A new project for 2012: Playing Dark Eldar

Hey look, only 4 months between updates! I've been doing a lot behind the scenes, and the end of 2011 was super busy for me. Didn't do much in the way of gaming at all, though I did take 2nd place in a local RTT with my Death Hammer Dark Angels in early December.

Since then I have been painting up my Ulthwé themed Dark Eldar at a slow but steady pace, and I'm gonna be breaking out with it during the 2012 tournament season, beginning with the Battle for Stones River in Murphreesboro, TN.

I'm playing the Dark Eldar in our local escalation league that started last week, and using those experiences to hone my deployment and movement strategies. this is especially important at the lower point values where certain armies can destroy my vehicle fleet by just thinking about it. I earned 3 out of 5 possible points for this round of the league, and will be using them to expand my territory on our 3-planet campaign map (using planetary empires). I started off with a spaceport, and I'm 2 tiles from a hive city (the closest i could start to one), and am on schedule for claiming the hive city at the end of the 2nd round.

Here is the list of upcoming events where you will be able to see my Dark Eldar army in action. I'm sure I will be adding to this list, but these events have been scheduled and paid for already.

The Foundry escalation league - Currently ongoing
Battle for Stones River 2012 - February 25
CAGE Match Finals 2012 - March 24-25 (Representing the Foundry)
The Kalm Before the Waaagh! - May 4-5
Warhammer 40k American Team Championship - July 14-15 (Representing the Foundry)

I will be making another post today explaining my current list and thought processes behind it, but I have some stuff to take care of first.

Works in Progress: Ulthwé Skiff Fleet

I've updated the highlighting used in the paint scheme shown on the Razorwing, and have done a lot of work on several of the other vehicles in the fleet. Here is the fleet being used for my 1000 point list in the escalation league (minus the second venom that comes in this week). The Raiders and Ravagers aren't complete yet, but most of them are far enough along to show the overall look the army will have. Enjoy the pics.

As you can see, there is still a lot of work to do, including touch-ups, but I think it's off to a good start.

Ulthwé Razorwing

Here is the first completed vehicle for my new Dark Eldar army. This will be used at the 1000-1500 point level in our upcoming Escalation league. I have replaced the Splinter Cannon with a Shuriken Cannon and replaced the Dark Lances with Bright Lances. Still needs to be sealed and have the gems all glossed up, but otherwise is ready to go. The last step will come when it stops raining and dries up a bit outside.

Comments and critiques are appreciated!

New Dark Eldar List

After going through lots of blogs and doing some research to make sure I understand the army properly, I've come up with a full 2000 point list ready for conversion. The force is going to be an Ulthwé rapid response unit, utilizing Dark Eldar rules. I won't bore you with the specifics on all the counts-as right now, but rest assured a lot of conversion is going into the force to make it work with the DE ruleset. I have done the modeling for my blaster warriors, sybarites, and haemonculi. I'll get some pictures up after they've been primed.

For now, I'd like to get some feedback on the list itself and see if there are any major improvements that can be made to it. It's very lean and likes to sit back and let the guns do the work, just the way Black Guardians would want it done. Here's how it looks right now:

Emerging from the darkness... and Embracing it!

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I've posted anything up here. I kinda felt like everything I had to say was being said better by other people for a while, and I don't like re-posting my material across different places (I do a lot of posting on the DA Forums at Bolter & Chainsword). I've decided to start updating things here a little more often. Not a lot, as I've still got a ton of other things going on, but I do have a new 40K project that could use a log of sorts.

So yesterday I was talking with Chumbalaya and some others over at 3++ Is the New Black, and got to thinking about how to make my old Eldar as Dark Eldar idea work. The problem we discovered back then was that the vehicles were the biggest problem for opponents to deal with. I don't like the Raider and Ravager, and most people have a hard time seeing the Wave Serpent properly filling that role.

What I've decided to try out is making a convertible Wave Serpent. The idea is to cut out the top of the wave serpent around the turret mount and make something similar to how you change between a rhino and a razorback. With that piece off, I can make room for a platform and some other things to make the wave serpent feel more like a skiff.

This will require heavy modification to the internal structure of the Wave Serpent, and I spent a good bit of time last night doing the initial prep work on a single Wave Serpent. I now have the ability to convert it between looking like a normal WS and having an open space in the rear. The next step is to figure out how I want to make the platform area and figure out what other details will work.

I definitely want to keep a mostly Eldar look. The army is being painted up as Ulthwé, so grabbing too many spiky bits and DE weapons will take the army out of theme. I'm going to be building all my units from Guardians, Dire Avengers, and Seer Councils. The idea rules-wise are that Power from Pain and Combat Drugs are really psychic powers. Haemunculi and Wracks will be Wraithguard-like units. I think it will work out pretty well and it gives me a chance to regularly use something other than my massive Space Marine collection.

I really am tired of waiting for the Eldar update, and I think this conversion will let me get the best of both worlds and avoid the flak from the gaming community. I'll get some pictures up by tomorrow to show off how I'm dealing with the conversion. I was pretty tired when I started last night and didn't think about doing pictures at that time.

As always, I'm open to feedback.

Being Gamist: A Way of Life Primer

I have talked in the past about how I think of myself as a Win At All Costs (WAAC) player, and my opinion on Counts-As Armies. Today I am going to give a solid foundation to the Being Gamist column and set up a basic understanding that will basically be required reading for articles going forward.

I have been actively gaming in TCGs/CCGs, RPGs, and Miniatures for at least 14 years now. Prior to that I have had plenty of experience with various pc and console video games (a passion I still find time to enjoy). I have had the opportunity to be a playtester in several of my favorite games and develop a strong relationship with many of the best game designers in the CCG/RPG industry.

The thing that keeps me coming back to all these different game systems is gaining a level of system mastery and truly understanding how everything works. This is a form of mental exercise that helps me both in other games as well as my profession, where I am a Web developer and software engineer.

Grey Knights: Hybrid MSU

It seems like everyone on the blogosphere is putting GKs into list-building mode and spewing out their ideas. Some of it looks solid, some of it looks like crap. Today I'm gonna show off my version, and we'll see where it ends up. I'm looking for some serious analysis in the comments to let me know if I'm just not getting it, but so far this looks promising.

The list comes first, with my thoughts afterwards:

Psyched up for Grey Knights

There's no need for me to really show off pictures, as GW has done all the work for us there. Head over to the GW Website and take a look through the Grey Knights list. Lots of cool things there.

What I can tell you is what I plan on doing with them in reference to my current Space Marine army, which I currently use with most space marine codices from time to time (though I mostly stick to Dark Angels). You see, back when I started playing about 3 1/2 years ago, I specifically set up my army to make use of multiple codices, including Witch Hunters and Daemonhunters. I even established my chapter's fluff based around the idea that space marines, guardsmen, and even power-armored humans fought together, and the entire chapter was high on psychic potential. The decision was completely gamist, but I came into the game to play. The universe is awesome, but the gameplay is what keeps me coming back.

The chapter's name is Platinum Angels, and they are a 3rd-founding successor of the Dark Angels. Their homeworld sits near a warp rift that for a time engulfed the planet. This has caused mutations and increased psychic potential, but also a natural resistance to warp phenomenon. I figure my chapter's almost as adept at fighting off demonic incursions as the actual Grey Knights :)

With the update to the Grey Knights and the removal of ally rules, I won't be able to mix Dark Angels with them anymore, but that is fine. I didn't do it often in the past, and the new rules might be too good when mixed with the recently updated Deathwing. I can do almost everything out of the GK book alone though!

What I WILL be doing, however, is grabbing up all the special weapon bits from the new GK stuff as I can. I have a set of 30+ robed veterans with magnetized arms that would perfectly fit as the elite power-armored GKs if I can get the weapons needed to be WYSIWYG.

A large chunk of my terminators are also magnetized, so I don't see any problems sprouting up there. They even have customized helmets that look like the older GK ones. Everone always asks me where I got my plastic Grey Knights when they see my models.

What I plan on purchasing immediately are the following models:

2 Nemesis Dreadknights
1 Grey Knight Terminator Box

With these bits (and some customization work) I will make a squad of Paladins and some fancy 'monstrous creatures'. I plan on sculpting up some robes for the paladin terminators. I'm unsure on the dreadknights; a part of me really wants to make at least one of them transform into something :)

My customized Belial model will serve just fine for Draigo. Since he is also magnetized I can easily equip him with sword and shield. This reminds me that I need to get pictures of my primary army pieces up. They are definitely coming soon, I just need to spend the time on getting that lightbox set up.

What stuff are you guys looking forward to? Do you see any pitfalls in my plans to integrate yet another codex into my space marine collection? As always, my stuff is going to be completely WYSIWYG. A couple special characters might have 'counts as' special weapons, but it will be very easy to tell what everything is. While I don't necessarily agree with the responses I got, I did learn a lot from my attempt at using Craftworld Eldar with the DE Codex.

Works in Progress: Ravenwing Bikers

As you are all likely aware from my recent post on Death Hammer, I am adding some Ravenwing Bikers to the list. About a year or so ago I stripped the paint off of all of my bikes when I decided to update them to my new painting style.

Now that I am actively using them in a list, I have serious incentive to get paint applied to the models. Tournament use is my number one motivator for getting models painted, and it's easy for that to happen when you purchase up more than 13,000 points in the span of only 3 years.

Below is the first squad which I have painted for this. Each one was done over the coarse of last week. I am waiting on some new resin bases from Iron Halo to completely finish of the squad, but it gives a good look at what is coming up for the army.

The pics are kinda low-quality. I'm gonna set up a better area for photographs and get my whole tournament army photographed. This was just a white towel draped over a chair to give me a good surface for the camera to work with.

In the test games since the last tournament, the bikers have performed very well, and complement the missile output almost perfectly. I've had them beat up some Tyranid MCs, ignoring the Feel No Pain bestowed by Catalyst. I've also had them run up against chaos space marines and adequately deal with plague marines and armor while my missiles dealt with the infantry. So far I'm very happy with their performance.

Give me your thoughts on the look of the bikes. I'm going for high quality tabletop. The technique is quick to paint but looks pretty good. I could spend a lot more time to get something amazing, but I'm just not that patient.

40K for Newbies: Remembering how it all began

Huntsville has had a large gaming crowd for as long as I've been here. We've consistently been home to players considered top in the world for many CCGs, including Magic: the Gathering, SW:CCG, ST:CCG, and LOTR:TCG. When I started playing 40K a little over 3 years ago, I had no idea exactly how many miniature wargamers the community had, but I soon found out: we have a ton.

The biggest problem in Huntsville, however has been a lack of a place to play. Lots of people just set up games at their homes or get access to the 1 or 2 tables at the local HobbyTown. Recently, however, the owner of The Deep, our local comic and CCG shop, has widened his stock to include miniatures and is now allowing some games to be set up in his store.

What this means is more exposure and an influx of new players for the most popular games (Warmachine, 40k, Fantasy). Talking with some of these newer players last night I realized just how different things are for me now that I am very well established in the game. It's easy to take large point values for granted. What I got to thinking about was how to adapt what I've learned for teaching newer players and to make their experiences as they increase in points all the more awesome.

I remember starting with 1000 point games, as many armies are just too inflexible or expensive to run at only 500 points and still use the FOC. Still, this is the points value that many players first get to rolling their dice on, and it's good to figure out what works at each points level.

For instance, I have a strong feeling that Mech Eldar can work very well at the 1000 point range. You can easily field 4 grav tanks (2 wave serpents, 2 prisms) and a few vypers and really have a nicely balanced force. This army is much more effective at the limited points level where its efficient vehicles can really shine.

So what I am going to be doing as I work up my new Grey Knights army is grow with them, but emphasize the importance of army planning, list building, and tactics the whole way. I figure I can use my vast space marine collection to set up some proxy games and allow these newer players to explore how they would like to expand their armies as well.

I don't quite have EVERY option available to space marines, but I do have most. I'm a little light on jumpers and scouts, but am rock solid on most other things. I even have stuff set up to use multiple codices, so I should really be able to help these guys out. It looks like it will be a lot of fun.

I've decided that for the first bit of 500 points I'll probably be using Eldar. They have several viable tactics at 500 points and once removed from their wave serpents will be relatively easy for opponents to defeat. It'll help reinforce the need for anti-transport and suppression weaponry as well as show how durable a squad gets when thrown in some armored transports.

I could see the store setting up 1000 point tournaments that would be fun and fast-paced. It'd be awesome to get through a game in an hour and run a 4-round tournament in under 5 hours. I think such an environment would do a lot to helping even veteran players develop their deployment, list building, and time management skills.

Death Hammer - Post Tournament Series

Over the last two weekends I have played in two tournaments. The first one was at 2000 points, and my army worked its way to a solid 2nd place finish. What is interesting is that I lost a game to the tournament winner, but I accumulated enough battle points in that loss to still make me the clear 2nd place finisher. If I had denied the opponent the primary objective in round 3 (my loss) that would have been a tournament win for me.

My second tournament was the Battle for Stones River which runs a points value of 1863. My army did pretty well there as well up until round 4 when I got my face handed to me by a really good Null Zone based list, again my only loss for the day. I'll admit I made some mistakes in that game, mostly due to my inexperience fighting against Null Zone. My opponent capitalized and that cost me a great finish. Next time I'll need to be a bit more aggressive and strike that librarian as early as possible. As it was, I let him sit around and force me to reroll a ton of saves all game, and that eventually led to a cascade of death upon my terminators in the later rounds.

Overall the two tournaments showed that the core of my list is solid. Mobility played a much bigger impact in the BFSR tournament, and I think I've worked up what is probably going to be my favorite list for the next month. At least until I get my hands on some Grey Knights stuff. I'm making a few changes to the list to add in some better armor threats and increase my mobility. I am still keeping the solid gunline mostly in tact though.

I am moving towards 3 Storm Shields per Deathwing squad in an attempt to increase close combat durability. I have run Belial with both the storm shield and the lightning claws. Both are perfectly valid options. The TH/SS will be better for tackling monstrous creatures, but the lightning claws are a great deterrent vs standard infantry.

here is the updated list:

130 Belial
- Lightning Claws OR Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield

290 Deathwing Command Squad
- 1 TH/SS/Cyclone
- 1 TH/SS/Standard Bearer
- 1 TH/SS/Apothecary
- 2 TH/SS

240 Deathwing Squad
- 1 Power Weapon & Storm Bolter
- 1 Chainfist & Storm Bolter
- 1 TH/SS/Cyclone
- 2 TH/SS

240 Deathwing Squad
- 1 Power Weapon & Storm Bolter
- 1 Chainfist & Storm Bolter
- 1 TH/SS/Cyclone
- 2 TH/SS

240 Deathwing Squad
- 1 Power Weapon & Storm Bolter
- 1 Chainfist & Storm Bolter
- 1 TH/SS/Cyclone
- 2 TH/SS

190 Ravenwing Attack Squadron
- 1 Sergeant
- 1 Meltagun & Bolt Pistol
- 1 Meltagun & Chainsword
- 1 Multi-Melta Attack Bike

190 Ravenwing Attack Squadron
- 1 Sergeant
- 1 Meltagun & Bolt Pistol
- 1 Meltagun & Chainsword
- 1 Multi-Melta Attack Bike

140 Ravenwing Attack Squadron
- 1 Sergeant
- 1 Meltagun & Bolt Pistol
- 1 Meltagun & Chainsword

170 Devastator Squad
- 1 Sergeant w/ Bolt pistol & Chainsword
- 4 Missile Launchers

170 Devastator Squad
- 1 Sergeant w/ Bolt pistol & Chainsword
- 4 Missile Launchers

Total: 2000 points.

What we end up here is a list with a LOT more mobility and the ability to inflict significant more damage to enemy armor. We basically trade 4 lascannons and 2 missile launchers for 6 meltaguns and 2 multi-meltas. We get the perfect mix between traditional double-wing and the original Death Hammer's gunline.

We do lose some close combat potential because we dropped a terminator squad, but we also increase the durability of the remaining squads a little bit to compensate. Our extra bolter shots are moved into the bikes. We have a nice little bit of duality in those squads, and if the bikes run out of juicy targets for meltaguns, the bolters do good against standard infantry.

While we also lose a durable scoring unit, we gain two fast ones. While they are relatively flimsy, the attack bikes are always scoring units for DA. I'd say be a little more aggressive with the 3-man bike units and be only SLIGHTLY more cautious with the attack bikes.

As for the terminator squads... Chainfists aren't as necessary with the inclusion of meltaguns, but they are very nice for dealing with walkers. Making a model or two in each squad wield lightning claws is not a bad idea either. This slight shift in the army layout doesn't need as much emphasis on terminators keeping storm bolters around. I think at this point it comes down to personal preference.

Please give me some feedback on these changes. I really like the way this list is shaping up!