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Hi all,

So I recently purchased some Black Templars off my mate for £30. I have around 1500 points' worth. I wouldn't have chosen Black Templars for a marine chapter as their chapter tactics are pretty meh and you can't take crusader squads in a gladius detachment, but he has already stuck the upgrade packs on and there are some sword brethren too.

The main problem is that he has already glued the initiates/tacticals in boltgun configuration. I like to play wysiwyg where I can, but this means their loadout is suboptimal for crusader squads.

What do you guys think I should do to make the most of them?

Play a successor chapter with its own color scheme and forget about using the crusader squads.

I suppose I could go Gladius and rationalise that my tacs are crusaders without the neophytes.

Id also go with the successor chapter. You can strip paint where necessary, and shave off the chapter symbols as well.

Chop some arms off, or use different chapter tactics.

 WarbossDakka wrote:
Id also go with the successor chapter. You can strip paint where necessary, and shave off the chapter symbols as well.

Stripping the paint shouldn't be too much of an issue as they're barely beyond the black undercoat, but I'd be a bit nervous about shaving the chapter markings off.

Use a successor chapter.

one based of imperial fists since they used to use the same iconography.

Or keep them as Black Templar and go extreme MSU; Crusader squads are Tactical Squads with better loadout options after all. Sure you wont get Free Transports from a dual Demi-Company Gladius, but what you do get is a Special and Heavy in 5 man squads (ie you can put a Gravgun and Grav Cannon in a 5man squad). Drop Pod them in next to stuff and go bonkers with grav spam from relatively cheap squads.

I mean its not fluffy at all, but it could be fairly effective.

 GoonBandito wrote:
Or keep them as Black Templar and go extreme MSU; Crusader squads are Tactical Squads with better loadout options after all. Sure you wont get Free Transports from a dual Demi-Company Gladius, but what you do get is a Special and Heavy in 5 man squads (ie you can put a Gravgun and Grav Cannon in a 5man squad). Drop Pod them in next to stuff and go bonkers with grav spam from relatively cheap squads.

I mean its not fluffy at all, but it could be fairly effective.

If each squad is lead by a Sword Brother with a melee loadout, I don't see why it wouldn't fit the fluff. A crusading force that hasn't recruited in a while wouldn't have neophytes.
Or, keep the neophytes as cheaper ablative wounds and the turn after you drop and unleash grav, lose a few squires and then rage on into melee.
Actually, this seems pretty Black Templar to me after all!

Drop in the middle of the enemy, shoot a few times, then enter a frothing rage and throw yourselves full force into the foe.

 Krusha wrote:
Hi all,

So I recently purchased some Black Templars off my mate for £30. I have around 1500 points' worth. I wouldn't have chosen Black Templars for a marine chapter as their cheaper tactics are pretty meh and you can't take crusader squads in a gladius detachment, but he has already stuck the upgrade packs on and there are some sword brethren too.

The main problem is that he has already glued the initiates/tacticals in boltgun configuration. I like to play wysiwyg where I can, but this means their loadout is suboptimal for crusader squads.

What do you guys think I should do to make the most of them?

Dunk them in simple green for a week, strip the paint and repaint as your chosen chapter.

The fact that everyone has boltguns makes things easier. You don't even have to strip off arms and weapons to give them the appropriate weapons loadout.

I second the strip and repaint. I'm having a ton of fun doing it right now with my up-and-coming White Scars. You'll probably lose some arms and guns in the process depending on what they were assembled with, so you may get some control over the wargear anyway.

Run the Siege Assault list. You can turn those marines into Terminators+.

I really want to make a black templar army. What would you say is the best way to do this. I could go Gladius but I still want to be somewhat true to the chapter

Hello, fellow black templar!

Well, i think the best way for you to maintain the classic black templars army is to use those marines as las-plas squads, which been with us since we had our codex.

It it a 5-man crusader squad with bolters, plasma gun and lascannon in rhino only for 140 points. It is really annoying for your opponent and a very good homescoring unit. take 1 or 2.

Also i'm using crusader squads with melee weapons, melta and combi-melta on droppods as melta-dpor for enemy lines. The ususally blow up some tanks on the first turn, and is anyone survives the next turn they can charge and make some damage, or at least keep that dtupid artillery occupied for 1-2 turns.

As core for your army use LR crusader with full packed honour guards, chapalain and emperor's champion - this squad is really cool in melee and can kill stuff. Throw there one ordo xenos inquisitor with grenades for hallarity, as you EC insta-kills enemy units with T4.

Full crusader squads with inquisitors and BA priests for fnp.

Put a Jump Pack on the Sang Priest for re-roll charge ranges!

As a long time Black Templar player that still slaps crusader squads in my lists, I never run initiates. They're fluffy, but they don't add a bunch. My crusader squads are shooty, 5-man, special/heavy weapons in a rhino.

If I want to assault something, I still rely on terminators jumping out of a land raider. I am putting together a bike squad lead by a chaplain.

That should tell you how competitive I am, though. (Not very)

Best of luck! Paint your minis!

For your initiates with bolters, look on ebay for scout squad Bolt Pistol and CCW arms, snap off your existing arms, and BAM, you have your initiates for your crusader squads if you really want them.

Alternatively, run them as a scout squad with bolters and infiltrate them on an objective.