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Not quite sure where the best place for this to be is, so here it is.

Over the years, I picked up a couple of DA Deathwing squads (the first one because at the time GW only made terminators in the DA flavor - or at least that's all my shop carried). Within the past year or two, I picked up a couple DVDA sets and a codex really cheap. After that, I had a full DA army without much effort. They've treated me well, but I just can't get that into them.

Am I missing something about their fluff (so far, I've only finished their codex)? Some aspect of their play style? Maybe I don't like marines in robes? Trade them in for Pretty Marines? Help?

Dark Angels are not for everyone. What are you into? What is your play style? Maybe you don't like the colour scheme or the play style.

To me marines is robes is cool even though it doesn't make any sense. I think it looks awesome. I love the story behind DA. I love the fluff. They are really a Legion but only act like they are chapters so they don't raise the eye of the Inquisition. Read the fluff about Azreal, you should see a line that says he is the Master of all the Unforgiven not just the "Dark Angels". This just reinforces what we have been saying for the last 2 or 3 editions.

As to why you don't like them only you can answer. Like I said, is it their play style? Colours? Maybe you want the Space Marine toys instead with better rules? Since you said they treated you well, I am guessing you have won quite a few games with them or they have given you lots of joy playing them.

What are you really looking for when you play them?

Maybe you just don't like losing every game? I used to play dark angels, and i loved their models and fluff. I just hated being at a disadvantage to pretty much everything else.

in b4 "but the bolter banner is really great."

No, it's a gimmick at best.

Just take SM allies with your DA if you´re having trouble. You can play and paint them with the Dark Angels colourtheme anyway.

A Smashf*****r scouting with Ravenwing -bikers, for one, is a nice thing to have.

I was never a big fan of just "green" as an army scheme, it's not terribly exciting to paint or look at, regardless of how I like the Dark Angels.

There is, however, a solution if one finds the aesthetic lacking; Successor chapters. There's only like 4 official ones, but really, you can justify most schemes within the framework of a successor, or allied other codexes to represent idiosyncrasies and whatnot to make them more your own. That's what I'm going to be doing fairly soon myself; I've got a pile of inherited Dark Angel stuff, but really don't care for painting a bunch of dark green Marines, so I've puttered around with the Bolter and Chainsword Marine Painter (which while out-of-date and used the old GW paint range, is still a useful tool, if you just google the name it should come up), and have more or less come to something I find much more interesting.

Also, screw trying to paint bone Deathwing; while I find flat green boring, I find bone simply ugly. Besides, technically, only the Dark Angels proper use that colour for their 1st company.

I've never been a fan of their fluff: "ohh noes, half of us were mean once, and now we are secret and ass-holes and emo"

Their rules are pretty good, and some neat ideas (deathwing and ravenwing), but their colors are lacking.

For me, they are the opposite of what I like: great rules, but eh design and fluff.

The main issue with DA is for the past few codexes they have always been subpar ... I started collecting DA but painted them up as a custom chapter after the new C:SM book hit. The last codex they pretty much used DA as a way to balance out the new book which sucks since it left DA as being mostly overcost and with less toys.

Overall DA does have some strengths in the codex but they are mainly gimmicks that can be countered.

Full ravenwing - works really well and does objective secure MSU better than anyone (full squad of bikes + MM attack bike + speeder - combat squad the bikes / attack bike is a separate unit / speeder is separate) take sammy and a libby, run 2 command squads with one bolter banner and one with ravenwing (these are black knights stat / wargear wise anyway), and fill the rest with MSU bikes and you can decimate people in maelstrom missions.

Land Raider Spam - my favorite - at 1500 points take a libby, command squad with bolter banner (extends from the LRC hull 12"), 2 tactical squads (naked), and 3 land raider crusaders - you now have 72 twin-linked bolter shots per turn just from the land raider crusaders and 152 bolter shots a turn if the tacticals embark .... add in PFG shennigans for more fun/cheese.

Full deathwing - I really wished it worked and I have big B and 40 terminators i've tried to work with and they are just too costly.

mixing and match greenwing / doublewing can work for some people but they codex is just lacking when compared to C:SM .... Ravenwing can be really good but it takes someone who knows how the abuse the msu playstyle and bike movement.

My suggestion would be to paint your army up as a custom unforgiven chapter and use either the C:SM or DA codex as you feel like.

OomieCrusha wrote:
I picked up a couple DVDA sets

Ouch.

Davor wrote:
Dark Angels are not for everyone. What are you into? What is your play style? Maybe you don't like the colour scheme or the play style.

To me marines is robes is cool even though it doesn't make any sense.

How much sense do you really expect from 40k

Without really trying, I have 4-5 squads of deathwing, Belial, Azrael, libbies, a chaplain, some tactical squads, devastators, 15 or so bikes (some DVDA, some bikes with Ravenwing upgrade sprues, some unassemble bikes), an assault bike, a command squad, a pair of dreadnoughts, a few venerables, a couple unassembled vehicles (land raiders, a vindicator), a still NIB SM Strike Force. Oh, and an armorcast warhound.

All of these were instances of just finding a really great deal even though I wasn't really looking for them. So far, I feel like I haven't had much luck getting the synergy I'm hoping for. Deepstriking Belial in with a squad of termies has been fun, but in a way it's almost too disruptive.

There have been some conflicting statements about how competitive Dark Angels are. Any reason for / against?

 Veteran Sergeant wrote:

OomieCrusha wrote:
I picked up a couple DVDA sets

Ouch.

Yeah. Either no one at GW's seen Orgazmo, or someone charismatic or influential has and managed to troll the whole company.

With a forums name of OomieCrusha, it seems to me that Orks are probably more what you are looking for.

SYKOJAK wrote:
With a forums name of OomieCrusha, it seems to me that Orks are probably more what you are looking for.

Oh. I already have 7-10k (and growing) and a friend has challenged me to a 15-20k battle over the summer. His Imperium vs whatever I bring. Due to moves / house renovations my orks are not that accessible, but my DA was; hence trying to find ways to make them work.

 Veteran Sergeant wrote:

OomieCrusha wrote:
I picked up a couple DVDA sets

Ouch.

Had to comment, but not safe to comment. Giggling like a schoolgirl... er.... wait a minute.

One of the best players I know has a DA army and he wins a lot of games. So it's not all bad.

The thing about DA armies is they mostly consist of elite troops who are good at specific things. Bikers get there fast, and Terminators are hard to kill. This actually puts you at an advantage in Maelstrom of War missions, where commanding a few tactical objectives can be much more important than kill points for a victory.

The thing I keep coming back to is the Librarians, they have access to some nice disciplines. Look to them as a way to buff already good troops.

I love their terminators honestly. For 4 extra points you get fearless, split fire, death wing assault, vengeful strike, and the ability to mix assault and tactical terminators. Other than being one wound mods I love dark Angel terminators. Rave wing I'm not a fan of however. Other than black knights anyways. And their normal dudes have stubborn as their chapter tactics. Not impressed. Other than that there's their special things like nephillims, lsv, and some special characters like Zeke, and azrael who don't synergize well.

They shouldn't pay the extra 4 points is the problem. That ends up being a freaking 20 more points for a minimum squad. That's another Plasma Gun and Melta Bomb.

OP: There is an easy solution if the problem is the current codex, use the SM book instead.

You can try different chapter tactics, and get access to the new toys, which will help diversify your games and hopefully breath new life into your army.

 Big Blind Bill wrote:
OP: There is an easy solution if the problem is the current codex, use the SM book instead.

You can try different chapter tactics, and get access to the new toys, which will help diversify your games and hopefully breath new life into your army.

Then you are Fallen.

 Big Blind Bill wrote:
OP: There is an easy solution if the problem is the current codex, use the SM book instead.

You can try different chapter tactics, and get access to the new toys, which will help diversify your games and hopefully breath new life into your army.

And this is why the Dark Angels and every other space marine codex other than Codex: Space Marines is at a disadvantage. Want to play Ravenwing? Derp, take Khan and your SM bikes are better than Ravenwing. Want to play Deathwing? Take Lysander and have way more options plus cheaper termies. Want to play Greenwing? Codex: Space Marines. Want a Nephilim/Dark Talon? Lol, Storm Raven is better with transport capacity and the Storm Talon has better shooting and is cheaper.

Until Codex: Space Marines has Chapter-specific advantages removed from it, there is no advantage to the Dark Angels codex. Play them because you like the fluff and the models or play Codex: Space Marines.

 the_Armyman wrote:

 Big Blind Bill wrote:
OP: There is an easy solution if the problem is the current codex, use the SM book instead.

You can try different chapter tactics, and get access to the new toys, which will help diversify your games and hopefully breath new life into your army.

Until Codex: Space Marines has Chapter-specific advantages removed from it, there is no advantage to the Dark Angels codex. Play them because you like the fluff and the models or play Codex: Space Marines.

Or you could use DA models, because you like them and the fluff, but just use Codex: SM rules for them. DA are still power armoured marines at the end of the day.

I've given my RW models grav guns and use them as whitescars. I like the DA look more than whitescars so am happy to use the models, but I'm sick of wraithknights and other big MC's that plasma struggles to handle, so the grav guns are a great solution.