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.

Codex: Space Marines provides rules for the Black Templars as a faction, Angels of Death is an expansion that provides them with unique Warlord Traits and some extra formations. If you're interested in a fast or heavily-mechanized force Angels of Death is worth a look, otherwise it doesn't really help.

(That said the Black Templars' Warlord Trait table is the only place the 'run forward on failing a Morale test' rule survives today, so it might be worth grabbing for nostalgia if nothing else)

 Gashrog wrote:

 JNAProductions wrote:
though, since they lack Librarians, they're probably one of the weakest Space Marine chapters..

Also if you actually want to take Crusader squads you're forced to take them as a CAD, there's no way to include them in any of the decurion formations.

Just went and looked over this, and it seems to be so. I would be entirely okay with allowing a Black Templars army to take Crusader squads in place of Tactical squads in formations, but your playgroup may have a different answer.

 malamis wrote:

 AnomanderRake wrote:

 Gashrog wrote:

 JNAProductions wrote:
though, since they lack Librarians, they're probably one of the weakest Space Marine chapters..

Also if you actually want to take Crusader squads you're forced to take them as a CAD, there's no way to include them in any of the decurion formations.

Just went and looked over this, and it seems to be so. I would be entirely okay with allowing a Black Templars army to take Crusader squads in place of Tactical squads in formations, but your playgroup may have a different answer.

The rebuttal to that is 'Free Landraiders in a gladius'

Gladius specifies free Rhinos, Razorbacks, or Drop Pods, fortunately, not free Dedicated Transports in general. On review of formations if 'Tactical Squad' can be replaced with 'Crusader Squad' there are very few further patches necessary (the only one I've found is letting the Stormlance Company's squads start embarked on Land Raiders).

Would probably be better if the BT had their own formations and their own metadetachments but it's not a bad stopgap houserule.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

locarno24 wrote:
...To be honest, if you want a formation/detachment for an army that doesn't have one, just dig out the old apocalypse datasheets. Few of them are that overpowered these days...

Started taking a look through Apocalypse out of curiosity. There aren't many that the BT would find interesting; beyond the usual armoured-squadron suspects that have been overwritten by normal-game formations there's one that makes Rhinos/Razorbacks into Assault Vehicles, that doesn't really help an army that can take Land Raider Dedicated Transports.

(Also the only Apocalypse formation I've found that would be particularly OP in normal 40k is the Dreamwalker Squadron, though that lets Wraithknights move and charge +5" with WS/BS9, so it's hard to top in that regard.)