Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey guys, I'm completely new to marines, and I'm starting off by using Blood Angels.

So far I haven't played a game as them, and this is my first list:


HQ - 300

Librarian (Epistolary)
-Sanguine Sword - Smite

Librarian (Epistolary)
-Sanguine Sword - Smite

Elites - 530

Chaplain
-Terminator Armor and Storm Bolter

Assault Terminators (10x)

Troops - 255

Tactical Squad (10x)
-Heavy Bolter
-Flamer

Scout Squad (5x)
-Sniper Rifles
-heavy Bolter

Fast Attack - 165

Vanguard Veteran Squad (5)
-Jump Packs

Total Points - 1250



I'm going to play an Ork player with this list. He will most likely field around 40-60 boys. He will definately bring super-nobs to the table. They come with 'eavy armor, cybork bodies, and a painboy. He will also probably take lootas and a Mek with a Shokk Attak Gun. I don't know what else he'll have.

As this is my first list, there is probably a lot that needs fixing.

All I have access to right now is:

Captain
2 Librarians
Chaplain
10 Terminators w/ whatever I want
25 Marines
5 Scouts
2 Rhinos
5 Assault Marines (which I was using as Vanguard Veterans)

I could also proxy a bunch of Drop Pods with plastic cups



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Is it that bad?

The general consensus is that Epistolarys are overcosted - stick to regular Librarians, and go with the following powers [90% of the time take] Shield of Sanguinius, and [switch off] Fear of Darkness, Blood Lance, Sword of Sanguinius, Unleashed Rage. Most tourney builds you will see Shield/Fear - the reason being you can easily herd people off the map.

If you look closely, you'll see that Shield of Sanguinius is used on your opponent's turn. Most of the above powers are used on your turn - meaning, an Epistolary is not needed, because you can always cast both powers even with a Librarian.

Also, I don't have a lot of time to comment on the rest of the list, but:

10 Termies is a bit much. Are any of them equipped with TH/SS for just 5 more points each? You really want to do that with at least 3-4.

Captains are bad with BAs - always take Librarians, as point for point, they are always better, and have force weapons.

Scouts - your mileage may vary. Personally I think they're bad in Blood Angel lists.

Tactical Squads - your mileage may vary. Blood Angels are an assault based codex - take Assault Squads! Take them with either x2 Melta or X2 flamer - you won't regret it. IMO you never take heavy bolters with BA.

And lastly, take Sanguinary Priests! They are only 50 points, and you can take 3 (usually all you need is 2) in ONE Elite Slot. They give anything in a bubble range FNP and Furious Charge. Attach them to your Assault Squads and let them rip.

Sorry I was a bit scatterbrained - I have to run in a bit. Basically, take a look at what makes Blood Angels Blood Angels. I listed a few above. You seem to be content for now to play them like Ultramarines, which is fine if it suits your style, but the BA have a lot of awesome tricks up their sleeve.

FYI you can use anything as a Sanguinary Priests - the models are very plain.

I wish I had something that could count as a sanguinary priest. I was going through their profile, as well as Corbulo, and together they would be extremely nasty. I still have plenty of marines without arms on, I'll just covert something to look like a priest...

I was going to attach the terminators to the Chaplain and then go rampaging assault. They would not only get to re-roll to hit, but also to wound, which seemed really nice. I was going to use them against the super-nobs... but if you think they aren't too good, I'll get something else for them.

Thanks for your advice Magnalon. I'm still sitting on the fence on whether to go BA or just the normal Space Marine Codex, so I didn't want to get models unique to either. I originally chose to do marines, and since I have the BA Codex, I was going to use the BA rules and play like vanilla marines, but now I'm reconsidering.


You say the Shield of Sanguinius is really good, but against this ork player, I don't think there will be any AP3/AP2 shooting attacks to justify the power. How would Rage and Sanguine Sword do on an epistolary? Because then on both turns I could churn out nasty assaults?

Seeing as Unleashed rage can do what a chaplain can normally do, how would this list do, tell me if the psychic power still need work please:


HQ - 215

Librarian
Fear of the Dark / The Sanguine Sword
Infernus Pistol (Points filler mostly)

Librarian
Fear of the Dark / The Sanguine Sword

Elites - 655

Assault Terminators (10x w/ lightning claws)

Sanguinary Priests (2 + Corbulo)
Jump Packs (Except for Corbulo)

Troops - 380

Assault Squad (10)

Assault Squad (10)

1250 on the dot. Marines are so beautiful.

The priests will attach to the assault squads. The librarian to the terminators. Corbulo will follow the terminators around making them near-invincible, and also making it so my Librarian doesn't need the one Rage psychic power. I had 15 points, so I gave a librarian an Infernus Pistol.

Anything counts as a Priest.

Look at the model online - he doesn't even have a Blood Chalice.

As Gwar said, just say it's in his pocket. If the normal model looks like a regular Marine, no one has any arguments against you - just paint them a bright red, different from your squads.

The profile doesn't really matter outside of the blood chalice. He's an IC that can be allocated to in close combat without an invunerable, but all you care about is that sweet 6" FNP and Furious Charge bubble. He gives your whole squad[s] that furious charge, and FNP while you're getting there.

They're staple for BA.

Keep in mind for the future that almost everything in the BA codex is competitive, but only a handful of builds in the Space Marine codex are competitive.

If you know you're only playing Orks, Fear of Darkness can be devastating. It makes them take a leadership test at -2 below their current rate, and they fall back - since they're not Marines, they aren't guaranteed to regroup.

Of course keep in mind that if they number 11, they're fearless, and it doesn't work at all. So if your opponent runs all 30 boy footslogging troops, Sanguine Sword and Unleashed Rage should be fine, but Blood Lance doesn't hurt.

You could go with:

Librarian - Unleashed Rage, Blood Lance
Librarian - Unleashed Rage, Blood Lance

If he takes Battlewagons, Lances don't hurt at all.

When you think about it, Orks don't have any MCs, so Strength 10 isn't always needed.

I was thinking about Strength 10 for the purposes of ID against nobs. They are tough to crack with all their saves and wounds normally. Then again, that would work for other things I want dead that have multiple wounds. Deffkoptas especially, but fear of the darkness would eliminate them really well....

This ork player NEVER takes really any vehicles. At most he will take 1 battlewagon and 1 trukk (as that is all he has), I figured that the meltaguns could make quick work of them... hopefully.

What do you think I should cut out for a second Librarian? Should I get rid of one of the priests, and make my current librarian not an epistolary so I can get another?


I just updated the second list a little bit.

Cut out the Epist, and a few points here and there, and you'll free up 100 for the second Librarian

Just a quick comment on the assault terminator thing:

They are currently considered the nastiest unit in the game. To quote a well known 40k guru Stelek when he was asked what is the nastiest unit in 40k: "Blood angels terminators with all their crazy-ass gak."

Take 10 THSS. Attach a librarian w/ unleash rage. Attack a sanguinary priest. Profit.

I just played a game against orks with this list.

The first turn I managed to eliminate his 500pt. Super-Nob unit with the assault terminators.

By turn 5, I tabled him.

I lost 4 terminators, about 5 assault marines, and a librarian.

The librarians did very little due to mob rule, and also due to boss-poles.

However, I am dazzled by how good BA are.

The terminators with Corbulo were just awesome. He rained down attacks, and I just walked through un-singed.


EDIT - Just won a second game against marines with this army. I added a vanguard veteran squad and some upgrades so that I could reach 1250. The terminators died hard to power weapons, but that was about the worst I got.

In the end, the librarians had made a full unit of marines and a full sternguard squad run off of the table. The guy conceded in the end, as he had two bikers and one land-speeder left, and I had most of my army.