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Looking to return so thought a space marine army would be a good easy army to return on. I've always like blood Angels but hear in the current meta their a bit blah and now a more vanilla chapter like ultramarines or another space marine chapter would do better having access to thunderfire cannon and grav centurions and the like while loosing out to the more dedicated assault units of the blood Angels apparently the vanilla chapters still do better. Could someone list some pros and cons of some of the other chapters rather than blood Angels. Many thanks.

As someone who has both here is what I think.
Vanilla:
Pros:
ore options (Stormtalons, Centurions, Land Speeder Storms, Thunderfire Cannons, the Flak Tanks)
Better options (better Scouts, Dreadnoughts, Devastators, cheaper Terminators)
Better Relics
Bike Squad Troops
Gladius Strike Force
Much more robust support
White Scars and Grav Bikes are a match made in heaven
Access to Telepathy Discipline
Cons:
Not very many. It does get kind of boring painting the same PA bodies over and over again

Blood Angels:
Pros:
Death Company
Sanguinary Priests
Fast Tanks
Access to Sanguinary Discipline
Kits looks very awesome. Lots of little details you are only going to find on SM kits like Vanguard Veterans or Sternguard. Blood Angels kits all look very unique and special.
Cons:
The last balanced codex before the 7.5 codexes
Spend more points to get the same thing
No big formation like the Gladius, Scarblade, or Talon Strike Forces
They took away Assault Marine Troops, FA Baal Predators with Scout, and Death Company Troops
Assault kinda sucks in this edition. And since that is the BA forte, you are probably going to be disappointed.

Thanks for that. I think a vanilla chapter looks like the way to go then

munnster wrote:
Thanks for that. I think a vanilla chapter looks like the way to go then

If you make your own chapter, you could run them as whatever you feel like at the time. A lot of the Chapter Tactics are interchangeable.

I'll just paint them any chapter colour I like then. If I paint them blue like ultramarines theirs nothing stopping me saying their imperial fists or what ever other chapter I want then really.

munnster wrote:
I'll just paint them any chapter colour I like then. If I paint them blue like ultramarines theirs nothing stopping me saying their imperial fists or what ever other chapter I want then really.

Correct. Some people may raise some eyebrows, but nothing in the rules says you need to field Blue Marines as Ultramarine.

Especially seeing as the Crimson Fists are blue and use the Imperial Fists Chapter Tactic.

 AlmightyWalrus wrote:
Especially seeing as the Crimson Fists are blue and use the Imperial Fists Chapter Tactic.

We're dark blue though. Not smurf blue.

Just to take it more extreme, the Exorcists chapter specifically uses any Tactics game to game while still being Exorcists. You get the special Exorcist character AND the characters from whatever Chapter you choose to use.

I think Blood Angels are an exception but you MIGHT be able to make Chapter Tactics (Lamenters), and Lamenters rules are Blood Angel rules. You would have to check that on your own to make sure it's okay since I'm going off the memory of something I don't use.

The Lamenters' Chapter Tactic is just the BA rules.

If you like both SM and BA and want to field a balanced army, you can take two detachments, the BA one for assaulting units (death co.) and mobility (fast transports and fast predator), the SM for supporting fire (centurions, thunderfire, grav bike).

White Scars and Iron Hands may be two CT good to be played with BA units.

If you want to run Blood Angels, just run Raven Guard as Blood Angels. They are better in almost every way. You will only be missing out on a small amount of units that are actually worth taking in BA, but you will gain stuff like T1 assault out of Deep Strike, and better Scouts and dreads. Just avoid units that BA can't take, such as Centurions. That way if GW does get around to making BA not suck, you will still have a usable army.

 casvalremdeikun wrote:
If you want to run Blood Angels, just run Raven Guard as Blood Angels. They are better in almost every way. You will only be missing out on a small amount of units that are actually worth taking in BA, but you will gain stuff like T1 assault out of Deep Strike, and better Scouts and dreads. Just avoid units that BA can't take, such as Centurions. That way if GW does get around to making BA not suck, you will still have a usable army.

Quote
Very good advise.

 casvalremdeikun wrote:
If you want to run Blood Angels, just run Raven Guard as Blood Angels. They are better in almost every way. You will only be missing out on a small amount of units that are actually worth taking in BA, but you will gain stuff like T1 assault out of Deep Strike, and better Scouts and dreads. Just avoid units that BA can't take, such as Centurions. That way if GW does get around to making BA not suck, you will still have a usable army.

Seconded.

As much as I hate to admit it, you'll get much more mileage out of vanilla Chapter Tactics plus access to more versatile units and formations. As a BA player to the core, I am insanely jealous of the Skyhammer Formation. BUT. . . running a DanteStar, while expensive and definitely a 1 trick pony, is loads of fun especially when they get to mix it up. And Death Company are still straight up cash money.

I am a BA player as well, but my army is 90% unable to follow my own advice.