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Pretty much explained in the title...
Thinking of running a bike list but never tried anything like it and wondering what do's and don't's there are, which chapter would be better, what to run with bikes to compliment list?

Like the look of DA (don't have codex, only standard) but not sure how strong pure ravenwing are?
White scars seem popular but again know nothing about them...

Any help appreciated :-)

A very rough generalization of the two options would be: Ravenwing = quality White Scars = quantity. I still think that you could get the best results when you combine a bit of both, maybe something like this:

Dark Angels: Codex (2015) (Ravenwing Strike Force)

Fast Attack

Ravenwing Bike Squad
2x Grav Gun, 3x Ravenwing Biker
Ravenwing Sergeant
Combi-Grav

Ravenwing Bike Squad
2x Meltagun, 2x Ravenwing Biker
Ravenwing Sergeant
Combi-Melta

Ravenwing Bike Squad
2x Grav Gun, 3x Ravenwing Biker
Ravenwing Sergeant
Combi-Grav

Ravenwing Darkshroud
Battle of Signus Prime, Heavy Bolter

Ravenwing Darkshroud
Heavy Bolter

Elites

Ravenwing Command Squad
5x Black Knight, Ravenwing Apothecary, Ravenwing Champion, Ravenwing Company Banner, Ravenwing Grenade Launcher
HQ
Interrogator-Chaplain
Auspex, Melta Bomb
Power Armour
Bolt Pistol, Mace of Redemption, Space Marine Bike

Sammael
Corvex (Jetbike)

Space Marines: Codex (2015) (Formation Detachment)

Chapter Tactics *
White Scars

Formation
Librarius Conclave

Librarian
Mastery Level 2
Power Armour
Bolt Pistol, Force Sword, Space Marine Bike
Librarian
Mastery Level 2
Power Armour
Bolt Pistol, Force Sword, Space Marine Bike
Librarian
Mastery Level 2
Power Armour
Bolt Pistol, Force Sword, Space Marine Bike

Space Marines: Codex (2015) (Allied Detachment)

Chapter Tactics *
White Scars

HQ

Captain
Chapter Master
Artificer Armour
Digital Weapons, Space Marine Bike, The Shield Eternal, Thunder Hammer

Troops

Scout Squad
4x Close Combat Weapon, 4x Scouts
Scout Sergeant
Bolt Pistol, Close Combat Weapon

You could either have all the librarians go with the command squad and buff it to become a proper deathstar or you could spread them out in the RW bike squads. That way the librarians confer skilled rider to the bike squads. If these units are close enough to either of the darkshrouds they have a 2+ rerollable jink. Most likely this list could be improved a lot, hope this gave you something to think about. Using the Interrogator-Chaplain in the RW strike force might not be strictly RAW but I don't care honestly.

Definitely DA!

SG

Most chapters actually make good use of Bikers. Ultramarines and Imperial Fists less so, but even then they'll still do good work.

I'm painting my marines Red. They go faster, and I can switch off between Rampagers (WS) Red Talons (IH) and Genesis Chapter (UM) Chapter Tactics for different flavors without feeling too dirty. They are Second Founding after all.

UM Doctrines benefits the Plasma bikes I'm stuck with after converting Dark Vengeance.

White Scars are pretty fun with Khan due to the increased mobility and ability to cover the whole board, however they tend to lack a really tough distraction unit.

Iron Hands (Clan Raukaan in particular) can offer a very durable and mobile death star if you want to try it out. Chapter Master with a Thunder Hammer/Power Fist, Artificer Armor, Gorgon's Chain, and Bike can escort a Stormshield/Power Fist command squad for an excellent distraction unit. I'm currently testing a build that utilizes this unit with Sammael for Hit and Run/Scout.

Thanks for the replies I've had a go at building a white scars list think I need to get the DA codex and have a look at that properly though... With a bike army what's a good heavy weapon addition I could use?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here's the list for 1750pts


++ Space Marines: Codex (2015) (Combined Arms Detachment) (1749pts) ++

Chapter Tactics * [White Scars]

+ HQ (150pts) +

Kor'sarro Khan (150pts) [Moondrakkan]

+ Elites (195pts) +

Sternguard Veteran Squad (195pts)
Drop Pod [Storm Bolter]
Veteran [Combi-melta]
Veteran [Combi-melta]
Veteran Sergeant [Chainsword, Combi-melta]
Veteran with Special/Heavy Weapon [Meltagun]
Veteran with Special/Heavy Weapon [Meltagun]

+ Troops (644pts) +

Bike Squad (124pts)
Biker Sergeant [Combi-grav]
Space Marine Biker [Bolt Pistol]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Grav-gun, Twin-Linked Boltgun]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Grav-gun, Twin-Linked Boltgun]

Bike Squad (124pts)
Biker Sergeant [Combi-grav]
Space Marine Biker [Bolt Pistol]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Grav-gun, Twin-Linked Boltgun]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Grav-gun, Twin-Linked Boltgun]

Bike Squad (164pts)
Attack Bike [Bolt Pistol, Multi-melta]
Biker Sergeant [Combi-melta]
Space Marine Biker [Bolt Pistol]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Meltagun, Twin-Linked Boltgun]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Meltagun, Twin-Linked Boltgun]

Bike Squad (139pts)
Attack Bike [Bolt Pistol, Heavy Bolter]
Biker Sergeant [Combi-flamer]
Space Marine Biker [Bolt Pistol]
Space Marine Biker [Bolt Pistol]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Flamer, Twin-Linked Boltgun]

Bike Squad (93pts)
Biker Sergeant [Chainsword]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Grav-gun, Twin-Linked Boltgun]
Space Marine Biker with Special Weapon [Grav-gun, Twin-Linked Boltgun]

+ Fast Attack (310pts) +

Drop Pod (50pts) [Deathwind Launcher]

Stormtalon Gunship (130pts) [Typhoon Missle Launcher]

Stormtalon Gunship (130pts) [Typhoon Missle Launcher]

+ Heavy Support (450pts) +

Centurion Devastator Squad (250pts)
Centurion [Grav-cannon and Grav-amp, Hurricane Bolter]
Centurion [Grav-cannon and Grav-amp, Hurricane Bolter]
Centurion Sergeant [Grav-cannon and Grav-amp, Hurricane Bolter, Omniscope]

Thunderfire Cannons (100pts) [Thunderfire Cannon]

Thunderfire Cannons (100pts) [Thunderfire Cannon]

Sternguard and cents in pods, not sure weather to go grav or las on cents

Idea is nice fast bike army with various options, some air support, melta in a pod, cents in a pod and TFC's at the back

Idea is for fun / semi comp games take all comers list?

Still need a look at DA codex but this is the first idea....

:-)

If you check out the DA Codex (which I recommend), I'd personally suggest checking out Ravenwing Black Knights.
Badass bikers with Skilled Rider as default, a special S+1 AP- Rending CCW, Bolt Pistol for +1 Attack, and they swap the typical Twin-Linked Boltgun for a Plasma Talon (Twin-Linked Plasma Gun with slightly less range, clear improvement there!) or sometimes a handy Grenade Launcher (not as good at popping armor but lots of utility, most recommend having exactly one per Black Knight Squad/RWCS). They're the primary component of the aforementioned Ravenwing Command Squad so you'd get some anyway but I point them out again because most DA players take them over normal Ravenwing Bike Squads now that they always share the same slot (except for Ravenwing Command Squads in the Elites slot). The normal ones still have their uses but if you're going to run White Scars AND Ravenwing then you might want to let the White Scars take care of your ordinary bike fix since they can still take them as Troops, though they would lose some stuff that way so consider it carefully.
If you run Ravenwing, remember to get a Darkshroud for enhanced Jink goodness!
If you get enough Bikes, you might consider what else you might like to have in your army as while Bikes are awesome they can only do so much. The Ravenwing fliers would be fluffy but not necessarily potent, having a White Scars CAD really opens your options that way though quite a lot of it wouldn't be remotely fluffy.

P.S. If you have an issue with either color scheme they both have successor chapters to get different ones. In fact Dark Angels successors are almost all just "Dark Angels with different colors and a personality quirk" (unlike normal Dangles they use the same scheme for normal units, Bikes AND Terminators).

Pure Ravenwing is extremely good but not really balanced. Their weak points include; lack of board control (ie many of the tougher melee units or large numbers can take board control from them), no ignore cover, poor long range anti tank, and limited anti infantry options. Even token allies though can fix this by taking some auxiliary anti air, long range anti tank, and some ignore cover. IMO IG actually fill these gaps really well. Really RW make amazing allies and if forgeworld marks their flyers as RW then they will be top tier without any reservations.

White Scars make much more balanced lists however they are less obvious in their use and play style. The strength of WS is that they can take their bikers units as ObjSec troops in a CAD with either cheap or great HQs and all of the wonderful toys a SM CAD has to work with.This means they don't lack for ignore cover, board control units, long range anti tank, etc. If not taking any allies then IMO the WS CAD biker army is the strongest option and also the most balanced and well rounded option.

The other SM codex chapters can also do biker armies. They are strictly worse than WS at it but a single unit in a gladius or 2 biker units to fill min troops is usually a good use of pts. Red Hunters and Iron Hands are interesting examples of this as they make great CAD or allies detachments. Thus a very good way to fulfill min troops is 0-1 TAC squad in drop pod + 1-2 bike squads.

I would suggest dropping the sternguard and combi weapons on some of the sergeants for a command squad with grav all around. That way you can escort khan with decent amount of bikes behind him. Also, unless you're playing against vehicle spam, those grav centurions will make quick work of any vehicle you come across, making meltas unnecessary.

Even gives you an opportunity for a beta strike with an out flanking grav bike unit.

Sounds good I'll look at some options and get another list up :-)

Yeah, IH make an interesting choice for an IC with the Shield Eternal, command squad with apothecary to give them 4+ FNP. I wouldn't use those tactics for a whole bike army, but I'm not sure I'd build a bike army without something that tough.