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:

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.

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.

Taking 40k into Fantasy: Platinum Guard

The interwebs are all a-buzz with talk of the newest edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles since it hit shelves on Friday. I have never taken the time before to get acquainted with the ruleset, as the few games I had the opportunity to watch didn't hold my interest with the quick and completely lopsided combats, lack of terrain, and other such things happening on the tabletop in those games. I figured a new edition would be a great time to take a comprehensive look at the game and see if I like it, however.