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So one of my friends go inspired by this video http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/410663.page to start blood ravens but he wants to use the space wolves codex.
I don't have a problem with it, I think its a cool idea but do any of you see a problem in the future with it?

As long as the Equipment is WYSIWYG there should be no issues. (You may find one or two, but then just create some fluff making the blood ravens an offshoot of the Space Wolves and you should not have much problem).

Seems like a good way to do it, the fact that you require several HQs allows to portray some of the videogames' main characters (Bjrone / Davian Thule sounds awesome).

Just try to go as WYSIWYG as possible, most likely you will end up with Blood Ravens that like their axes and hammers a little too much

Why not? I am thinking of using BR with the BA codex from time time.

I don't see how you'd justify it, considering they're a codex chapter and should follow codex organization.

Um, they studied their opponent as they do, and determined that Codex Strategy won't cut it? Justifying TWC and Fenrisian Wloves is harder.

For Fenrisian wolves they could be intelligent natives that the BR plan to kill after they help against the primary target? Same for TWC.

Now now, the Blood Ravens aren't completely Codex Astrates Compliant (they have Psykers in all squads for starters), so its ok to pick a different Codex to play them.

I'm all for using the BW codex, but as long as it fits the fluff behind the Blood Ravens, having Thunderwolves cavalry and Fenrisian Wolves wouldn't be fluffy at all, so try to avoid it.

Other than that I think everything can be justified with BR fluff, even the Lone Wolves could be Marines who sided with Kyras not knowing we was tainted and are now looking for an honorable death to repent for their sins.

Brother SRM wrote:I don't see how you'd justify it, considering they're a codex chapter and should follow codex organization.

Easy:

A mutated Blood Ravens geneseed produced Blood Ravens that like to tame wolves, and ride them into battle, and have an affinity for runes.

Or: The Space wolves made a secret successor chapter called the Blood Ravens they tried to change the SW geneseed so it can make successor chapters, and the experiments are going well. They left them on Centius Prime for training.

As long as they have the proper equipment, go for it.

He can play using whichever rules he wants, it doesn't really matter.

I'd be far more offended by some bs justification (like the horrible examples above) than just "I like these rules and so I'm using them".

Dakkadood wrote:Now now, the Blood Ravens aren't completely Codex Astrates Compliant (they have Psykers in all squads for starters), so its ok to pick a different Codex to play them.

I'm all for using the BW codex, but as long as it fits the fluff behind the Blood Ravens, having Thunderwolves cavalry and Fenrisian Wolves wouldn't be fluffy at all, so try to avoid it.

Other than that I think everything can be justified with BR fluff, even the Lone Wolves could be Marines who sided with Kyras not knowing we was tainted and are now looking for an honorable death to repent for their sins.

Blood Ravens don't have psykers in all squads. They just have more librarians in the chapter.

And some of those are put into squads as Sgts or are Leaders like Captains.

This can also be represented by running 2 Librarians in your army instead of the typical 1 that most armies field. They're a codex chapter with about as much variation as the Ravenguard or Salamanders.

Well, if you really really wanted to push the psyker point home, you could use the Grey Knights codex, although then you have to justify all the additional equipment. Then again, Ravens are known for jacking artifacts and equipment.

You use BA for the psykernoughts but leave out stuff like.Death Company and special characters and just not use the Fast rule for vehicles and DoA. Count Red Thirst as something like emotional overdrive for tjeir enemy's defeat.

Deadshot wrote:Um, they studied their opponent as they do, and determined that Codex Strategy won't cut it?

and we all know how Space Marines, the vanguard warrior monks, steeped in tradition and ritual, of a monolithic theocratic buearacracy where entire worlds are lost for centuries based on data entry errors, especially Space Marines known as Codex adherent, are so ready to just drop it at will when it is no longer convenient, especially when it's there to provide the structure necessary to be adaptable to any foe.

If one is going to codex hop, be honest about it. There's no good background/fluff reason for the Blood Ravens to use the Space Wolves codex, nothing about the SW's "Marines...but BETTER" bonuses is really reflective of anything about the Blood Ravens at all. That hasn't stopped everyone and their dead mother from taking their C:SM/C:CSM/etc armies and playing them as SW's at most major tournaments, but lets not try and pretend its not about power. I'd imagine your friend will hop back to C:SM when it gets redone in 6th if it turns out to be more potent than SW's are now.

That said, there shouldn't be any gameplay issues, it's SW's in red/cream colors instead of blue/grey, so there's little reason for anyone to have a problem on that front. Just be honest about the reasons for doing so and it'll usually cause fewer issues than trying to make up fluff excuses that don't make sense.

Deadshot wrote:You use BA for the psykernoughts but leave out stuff like.Death Company and special characters and just not use the Fast rule for vehicles and DoA. Count Red Thirst as something like emotional overdrive for tjeir enemy's defeat.

The Blood Magpies steal everything, even The Red Thirst!

Personally I see the space wolves as just being completely different from other chapters and their rules represent that.. It would be kinda like using regular marines and calling them brothers of battle and then use the sisters of battle codex (power armour, boltguns.. problem?) if you want to play space wolves collect them. Not a big fan of using other codexes when there is one that is intended for you (and them being in the vanilla codex does imply that they are meant to be played by that codex)

but hey, it's your money and if your gaming buddies don't mind by all means do play them as wolves just don't be offended if people call you out for it using the wolves just because (according to most) their codex is stronger

It's a good idea but it would be far better to use Codex: BA instead.

Yeah, I'd also go with BA if I was going to do Blood Ravens, for the Librarian Dreads alone, never mind the rest.

In my opinion Blood Ravens are Blood Ravens. Grey Hunters aren't tactical marines. I'd find it odd to see a bunch of normal marines on the board who are supposed to be Space Wolves, but lack any characteristics of being Space Wolves. It seems kind of ridiculous to do this idea, but no one at a tournament will really mind. I just find it lazy when people do that.

Well...
1st. This will be his first army and he likes space wolves.
2nd. He wants to us them as blood ravens because he has played DoW and likes them.
3rd. He really has no idea about the Strength of the Space wolves codex.
4th. He will be using the Space wolves Models, so they wont look like a Tac squad they will look like a Red/tan Space wolf.

So thats it really.

Cool with me then! If he's using Space Wolves colored as Blood Ravens, I wouldn't care.

Ok then ill give him the Go ahead then.

I think Codex: Marines fits them more adequately.

Having said that, he's free to use whatever rules he wants, and as long as it seems fun and fluffy, go for it!