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Here's my army

Please give advice.

* I split the squad with combat tactics

Wrong codex firstly, just BA it will make you happier.

Not sure how serious you are, play smaller battles first.

I do not like either HQ. Just get a librarian like everyone else.

Tactical squads in rhinos, mostly with combimelta, melta, ML some with flamers and maybe other heavy weapons, are probably a reasonable idea right now.

Scouts really ought to all carry sniper rifles and camo cloaks, then help yourself to Telion.

Termies will want a CML.
Give the dread a heavy flamer and a drop pod, else get TLautocannon arms off forgeworld.

Assault squads really do not do it for me. They be all right now?

Speeders should be ok, I have no idea how to set up these.

Just bring 3 stormtalons and make yourself happy.

Dev. squads are not great. Bring some preds or vindis, they will work better with your rhinos and dreads and mech.

MFletch wrote:I do not like either HQ. Just get a librarian like everyone else.

Got to disagree with you on this point, not necessarily because you're wrong, but simply "because that's what everyone else does" is bad advice.

OP - collect what you're happy with; the Army Commander represents you so be happy with your choice.

I run a Librarian myself and I can't tell you how annoying it is to lose wounds to PotW (I have seriously bad dice rolls and have yet to kill anything with him!)

As for the speeders, I run mine with multi meltas and heavy flamers. That gives me a unit that can horde hunt AND tank hunt. Or better yet, pop a transport and flame up what's left over.

MFletch wrote:then help yourself to Telion.

Can you take Codex upgrade characters (or any character for that matter) if using a non Codex chapter? I didn't think you could, as you'd be crossing 2 rule books?

First thing that you should know is that this is an army that I have been trying to salvage from the first few years of my wargamming experience. In those years, this is how I built my army .... OH!, that looks cool! I'll take it. Then I started to realize that I wanted to turn into a more fast attack army. So that's why their is a lot of odds and ends such as the scouts without the snipers and the plethora of tactical squads. A few things (1) about my HQ: My captain is from the AOBR set that I got in the dark years of my gaming. I also want to exchange him with a chaplain in a jumppack so my assault squads can get the bonus. I would get the stormtalons, but they're 50 bucks a set... the last question i want to ask is what my elites should be, since neither terminators or dreadnoughts are fast unless you deepstrike or use a drop pod.

2600 is an unusual point total, you playing a game at this level, or is it just the value of all the minis you own?

The wargear and equipment options make a huge deal. As written it looks like you have a jack of all trades, flexible army. Almost no armor, and your scoring units are not very mobile. Gunline with a solid quick response force in the form of the speeders and assault marines.

I assume by the fact that you chose Raven Guard, you want a fast moving, assault capable army, hitting where your opponent doesn't expect it, and then redeploying away before getting hit back?

Going on that assumption, my first suggestion is more transports. Everything should teleport, drop, jump or ride into battle. Footslogging is for chumps who want to be cut off and die. That's mostly a thematic choice, nothing wrong with actually having lines of infantry. I also make exceptions for infiltrating scouts, we'll assume that they were on the battlefield before things started.

What are your speeders loaded up with? You don't have a lot of anti-tank. Some MMs here for cracking the big guys, or typhoons with HBs for general use.

Devastators don't say "Raven Guard" to me, but do fill a role. I'd drop them from the list once you get more mobile anti tank firepower.

A chaplain would be a good addition to your jump squads; I always field them together myself. You might want to get a jump pack for your captain and have him hang with the other squad. Or just put him in a rhino with a tac squad. I do think chapter masters are overpriced, but the orbital bombardment might be nice to have in 6th (I'm thinking of people holed up in fortresses)

While the elite picks are not fast themselves, with drop pods or teleportation, they do fit in with "fast" armies. They are just chilling back on the battle barge waiting for the call, while the mobile troops do all the zooming across the planet. If you want an elite to ride with the troops, I'd recommend a 6 man sternguard in a razorback. Or a full 10 in a rhino, depending on cash/point budgets.

kitch102 wrote:

MFletch wrote:I do not like either HQ. Just get a librarian like everyone else.

Got to disagree with you on this point, not necessarily because you're wrong, but simply "because that's what everyone else does" is bad advice.

Firstly if you can never put words in my mouth, I can speak for myself thank you.

I am pointing out an observation, not a reason for my choice.
Just as my suggestion coincides with one the most popular selections doesn't make my advice any less valid.

Chill dude, I'm not the kind of guy to put words in anyones mouth, so relax. Woo-sah and all that.

My point was merely that saying "this is what everyone else does" takes the fun out of it for the collector. I didn't say it makes your recommendation invalid - it's good advice as the Libby is (for most people) a strong HQ - though there are benefits to be had from the Chapter Master that the Libby doesn't have (orbital bombardment, can't kill himself by trying to use a special ability blah blah blah).

Don't think I was being disrespectful, I have just have a different view to you is all. Nothing wrong with that.

Thanks Nevelon, and I am planning to get more drop pods.

What are people's thoughts on doing Raven Guard as "counts as" BA with appropriate restrictions?

This way you can get assault marines as troops, storm ravens for transport/air cover, and the usual speeders, drop pods, etc. to fit their fluff/theme?

By adopting some self-imposed restrictions (no BA-specific choices like death co., always defaulting to rulebook psychic powers so as to not take BA-specific powers, etc.) on what you take it seems you could use the BA codex to make a RG army that looks and plays just like their fluff describes them.

"Red thirst" on assault squads cold just as easily represent hardened/grizzled marines individually chosen for their combat ferocity by the force's commander, etc.

If everything was modelled/painted as proper Raven Guard and self-imposed rrestrctions followed would people be bothered by this?

Thoughts?

Personally, I don't have a problem with running RG on a BA Codex. However, I can see where some disagree with it.

Some of those that disagree with it, do so on the basis of the temptation to expand beyond the shared BA/SM stuff and into the BA specific stuff. Looking at the stuff in the BA codex, OMG, how great it would be to field it, and one may succumb to the "Red Thirst" if you will (ie, the temptation). If you're a fluff player, most of the BA specific stuff doesn't fit the RG fluff.

If you're only playing casually, bring Shadow Captain Korvydae (IA8) to allow the RG to play to the fluff. He allows Assault Marines to be taken as troops, but you must bring at least 1 Scout squad. Jump infantry still scatter the full 2D6", but careful planning of your Deep Strikes can help with that.

Alternatively, you could play 4th ed RG (casual gaming only). Assault squads could be taken as both Fast Attack and Elites. Assault squads had to take Furious Charge at 3 points per model, FC was optional on the Fast Attack Assault Squads. As a Drawback, all Dedicated Transports ate up a Fast Attack slot, and you could only take 0-1 Heavy Tanks (IE Land Raiders).

Thank you all for giving me the advice!