Horus Heresy Previews - Angelus Seminar Notes

The Angelus Seminar closed out the Horus Heresy Weekender.

Forge World Releases Blood Angel Upgrades

The Blood Angels are here!  And they are looking good!

Blood Angels Legion Heads Upgrade Set £11.50 ($17.75)

 

Blood Angels Legion Torsos Upgrade Set £11.50 ($17.75)

Blood Angel Shoulder pads sold in sets of 10 for £9.50 ($14.65)

 

Blood Angels Legion MkII Shoulder Pads 

Blood Angels Legion MkIII Shoulder Pads 

 Blood Angels Legion MkIV Shoulder Pads 

 

Love these shoulder pads.  The MK III are spectacular!  I have a 40K Blood Angels army, so will be adding these to them to make them more 30K.

Loken

Herald of Sanguinius Audio Book for Blood Angels

The Blood Angels get a Horus Heresy audio book!

Blood Angels Codex Arrives!

Baal Secundus on facebook posted stats from the new Codex.

40K Blood Angel Codex Rules

New rules for the Blood Angels are leaking out.

New Blood Angels Terminators & Librarian

New Blood Angels are coming.

New Blood Angel Terminator Captain

A new Blood Angel Captain model is coming!

30k Hobby Blog - Blood Angels

A new blog series on Blood Angels.

Blood Angels Get Digital Release Coming

 

The Blood Angels are getting a digital codex soon!

Mephiston get Black Library Limited Edition

Mephiston is getting the full Black Library treatment with a new limited edition, signed and numbered novella.

Bloodquest and Captain Leonatos return!

 

The Black Library has announced the return of Captain Leonatos and the classic "Bloodquest" series in the audio book "Bloodquest" Prisoners of the Eye of Terror".

Per the Black Library:

Travelling the Eye of Terror in search of a stolen artefact, a band of Blood Angels exiles encounter another group of Space Marines on a similar quest – but is all as it seems? 

Bloodquest was a series of  graphic novels by Games Workshop that followed Caotain Leonatos who was banished from the Blood Angels after he lost the Blade Encarmine in a battle with Orks.  He and a small groups of Blood Angels travel to the Eye of Terror to recover the Blade Encarmine.

You can still buy the original graphic novel at The Black Library

Blood Angels face the Horus Heresy in Fear to Tread

James Swallow will be taking on the Blood Angels in the latest Horus Heresy novel announced, "Fear To Tread".  The book will be released in September, 2012.

We assume this is the book where the Blood Angels  we get to see the epic battle between Sanguinius and Ka'Bandha, I mean, since that is the big painting on the cover!

From The Black Library:

Since the earliest days of the Great Crusade, Sanguinius – angelic primarch of the IXth Legion – was ever among the closest and most loyal of Horus’s brothers. But the Blood Angels have long kept their true nature hidden from the rest of the Imperium, and when the Warmaster hints that the key to their salvation may lie in the ruins of a conquered world, the sons of Sanguinius race to claim it. Now, as the revelation of their betrayal dawns and the traitors’ hand is revealed, the Blood Angels must face all the warp-spawned armies of Chaos, as well their own personal daemons, upon the blasted plains of Signus Prime...

For a complete list of upcoming Horus Heresy novels go here.

Loken

Dantewing 1500 point Tournament List

 

In honor of the 25th Anniversary of 40K, the Los Angeles Games Workshop Battle Bunker is having a whole host of events, including a 1500 point 40K Tournament on Saturday (February 25th).  As any of you who know me know, I only play Apocalypse (OK, I did play in the Adepticon Team Tournament last year and had a blast).  So playing only 1500 points is daunting to me.  What?  I can't take 10 units of troops, 8 Land Raiders and my Reaver Titan?  :-)

So to really have some fun, I decided to bring a small Blood Angels force centered around Commander Dante with Honor Guard, Sanguinary Guard and Assault Squads.  Here is the list.  31 models total!

Dante  225 points

Honor Guard  (5) 345 points

Sanguinary Noviatiate (1)

Honor Guard (4)  4x Storm Shields, 3x Metal Gun, 1x Power Fist, Melta Bombs, Chapter Banner

Sanguinary Guard  (5) 285 points

5x Infernus Pistols, 1x Power Fist, Death Masks

Sanguinary Guard  (5) 285 points

5x Infernus Pistols, 1x Power Fist, Death Masks

Assault Squad  (10) 230 points

2x Flamer

Sgt w/ Power Fist, Combat Shield

Assault Squad  (5) 130 points

1x Plasma Pistol

Sgt w/ Plasma Pistol

So will this list do well?  Who the hell cares?  I want to have fun!  I want to show up, make my opponent's think "This is going to be a short game" and then, well, make it a short game!  Because one way or another, I am either going to kick ass or get wiped off the board. 

PROS

1.  5 units, 4 are troops.  Sanguinary Guard are Troops with Dante in the army.

2.  Lots of close up AT.  Honor Guard (melta gun x 4), 2x Sanguinary Guard (infernus pistols x5)

3.  Hard hitting CC army.

4.  Looks cool on the table.  :-)

CONS

1.  Only 5 units

2.  Only 31 models

3.  VERY fragile army

So what's my plan?

Well, if my opponent gets first turn, everything goes in reserve.  So no first turn worries.  I only have 5 units to come in, all by Deep Strike.  All have Jump packs and Descent of Angels.  So they come in pretty close to where I want them.  Dante and his Honor Guard will arrive with Tactical Precision, so they won't scatter.  So the honor guard with 4 Melta guns arrive where they want, blow up the biggest, baddest tank, and then absorb a lot of fire power since they have Storm Shields.  The bad news is they only have a 3+ armor save, where as Sanguinary Guard have a 2+ but no invulnerable save.

Of course the army will kick ass in close combat.  I just have to GET into close combat.

What else is cool?

I will actually be able to fit this entire list in my Battlefoam PACK 216.

And here you go, packed and ready to go!

So I aill post a battle report tomorrow.  Wish me luck.  No matter what, I will have fun.

Loken

Gamesday 2012 Exclusive Miniature revealed!

Thanks to ZAlpha on Warseer for his info.  You can see the original post and thread here.  This information is in the new White Dwarf.

The exclusive Games Workshop Games Day figure is an awesome piece as it represents a miniature version of the classic John Blanche Warhammer 40,000 second edition cover art of the Blood Angel Sgt.

Sanctimonia Cruor Fellblade

An awesome video on a Fellblade using Tom McBride's parts.

Random Thoughts, The Death Company......and a cool Pic

Well, played a small, 8,000 point per side Apoc game at the Broadside Bash Tournament yesterday the game ended at 1:30, and we learned a few things. It was 8,000 points of Necrons/IG vs. my Blood Angels and David's Angels of Absolution. (No Flyers or Superheavies in our side, he had a Baneblade)

Some thoughts:

1) Always look up rules if there is any question and don't feel like someone is questioning your integrity.  

When someone questions a rule, or something in my codex, I like to show them where it is, or have them show me where it is.  It just makes us all better players.  Look, I have zero problem admitting when I am wrong about a rule. Just show me! I think it is a good habit for us all to be able to refer to where a rule is. So many times we whip out the rulebook and look up a rule and we say "OH, OK", and we are both satisfied!

2) The new Objective Scoring rules are so much more fun.

We keep playing with this system, where you score objectives every player turn after Turn 1, and it keeps proving how much more fun it makes the game.  The intensity is up, and it prevents people from hanging back and loading everything into reserve. 

3) Mobility cannot be over-rated.

Players do not think about their Force Comp on a large table. We had an AWESOME table last night that was 10' x 6' and filled with Dave's terrain. Problem was, the other guy only had two units racing across the table to get 3 objectives. And he didn't even start moving them till Turn 2.

4) Playing with just Codex forces is just as fun. 

David and I both had nothing but standard stuff. No Super Heavies, Flyers, Titans, and it was a blast.  I had one formation, the Death Company, David had none.

5) Basic Sternguard are under-rated

Oh we all love Sternguard combi-melta spam, but Hellfire rounds took out BOTH C'Tan last night and in the last game I played, an Avatar. 

6) The Death Company Formation is INSANE

I fielded this 1,200 point formation last night.  30 Death Company, 20 with Jump Packs, Asorath and a Chaplain.  Two DC Dreads with Blood Talons.  Let's just say I don't fear the Green Tide.  This formation will cut through anything like butter.  The ability to reroll EVERYTHING and then get extra attacks, is just crazy-good.

And you Eldar players have been getting some love lately and are about to get more.  IA 11 should be a great book and will see the release of the Eldar Phantom Titan from Forgeworld.

Blood Angel Apocalypse Formations - Sanguinary Guard

The second of the Battle Formations from White Dwarf 373 is Dante's Sanguine Host.  This is a formation that boggles the mind how nasty it is.  Every bit as intimidating as The Death Company, this unit is capable of assaulting the turn it arrives and basically won't scatter!  Who needs Vanguard Veterans with "Heroic Intervention"?

Dante's Sanguine Host  75 points + models

Formation:

Dante

1 Honor Guard

2-4 Squads of Sanguinary Guard

As with The Death Company formation, the special rules make this expensive force worth every point.

Deep Striking Force, says that after you Deep Strike Dante (using his Tactical Precision which allows him not to scatter), all other units are placed within 6" of him, and also do not scatter. 

Angels of Death is a special rule that states that units cannot shoot or run the turn they arrive, but they CAN assault.


So, this formation is very nasty and can take out multiple annoying units the turn it arrives.  It will not scatter so you basically decide where it shows up.  You can't shoot, which is one of the best things about Sanguinary Guard....Infernus pistols!  But as soon as you wipe out that annoying unit, you can jump around blasting the big stuff.

Now of course in order to be able to actually field this unit, you need to buy 4 boxes of Sanguinary Guard and then make a Blood Angels Honor Guard.  This is actually a fun project and I already am working on it.  I actually built my Blood Angel Honor Guard with jump packs and it is being painted by Toby Wearing, a phenominal painter who has done most of my Crimson Templar / Templars Sanguine armies.  Now I just need to buy 3 more boxes of Sanguinary Guard!

Alec

Blood Angel Apocalypse Formations - WD 373

Well, the new White Dwarf has a ton about Blood Angels, including 4 battle formations for Apocalypse and a whole battle report.  As a Blood Angel player myself, I am already working on building up enough forces to field these formations.  

These White Dwarf articles are a great way for GW to keep Apocalypse in the forefront of 40K gaming.  I was actually quite disappointed that GW didn't publish formations for the Dark Eldar.  If you are going to release a new codex, you need to release new formations for that codex. 

 

So let's take a look at the Blood Angels formations.  Today I will just look at the first (and potentially nastiest) one, The Death Company!

The Death Company  200 points + models

Formation:

Astorath

1+ Chaplains

0-1 Death Company Tycho

3+ Death Copany squads (1 squad must include Lemartes)

2-4 Death Company Dreadnoughts

Now the most important of this (as with most formations) is the special rules.  The first, Strike Force, says that after you Deep Strike Astorath, all other units are placed within 6" of him, but do not scatter.  Very useful for crowded tables.  

The second rule is absolutely GRIM.  Bloodrage states that "For each unsaved wound caused by a unit in this formation in close combat, it can immediately make another attack.  If this attack causes an unsaved wound, you may make another attack, and so on."

This is basically the Blood Talon rule for Death Company Dreadnoughts being applied to your basic Death Company dudes.

HOLY WIPEOUT BATMAN!    This rule is absolutely insane.  I cannot possibly imagine how any unit survives being charged by the Death Company here.  And considering that there is basically no limit to the number of Death Company in this formation, this formation could wipe out a Green Tide with ease.

It would be interesting to take some of your Death Company in Drop Pods and some with Jump Packs.  After they have arrived, they can act independantly, so could charge multiple targets.  The Dreadnoughts of course need to be in Drop Pods.....Lucius pattern Drop Pods if I have anything to say about it!

Which brings me to the basic tactics for this formation.  Your put your Dreads in Lucius pattern Drop Pods.  They land with everything else, but since they can assault the turn they land, the Dreads tie up the opponent until the next turn when the Death Company can charge.

Let the carnage begin!

Alec

Stormraven to be a Flyer!

Well, it is confirmed, the Blood Angel Stormraven will be a flyer based on a Datasheet that will be out in the new White Dwarf.  This means that the Valkyrie has some company in the skies over Apocalypse battlefields.  

This will have a huge impact on the game.  For while the Valkyrie (and its more deadly brother the Vendetta) are awesome in their own right, a Stormraven, even at twice the cost, is just WAY more effective.  

1)  The Stormraven is an assault vehicle.  Coupel this with the fact that it is screaming mad Blood Angels assaulting out of it and this is one mean ship.

2)  In addition to the 12 models a Valkyrie/Vendetta carries, the Stormraven carries a Dreadnaught!

3)  The Weaponry or the Stormraven is more impressive and can soften up a target before the Blood Angels assault.

4)  The Stormraven has Ceramite Plating, so melta weapons (now the AT of choice) do not get a bonus.

5)  The Stormraven can carry Jump Troops!  Death Company Jump Troops assaulting out of the Stormraven......tasty.

With the rumored "summer of flyers" and maybe even a new book adding flyers to 40K, the game of Apocalypse is in transition to full integration of flyers.  That means more races with flyers, more AA, and hopefully less whining about the effectiveness of flyers in Apocalypse.

It is easy to see the Dark Eldar skimmers being made flyers shortly as they are legit aircraft too.

Embrace the horror people, flyers are the way of the future.

Alec

Blood Angels on Advance Order!

Well the time is coming near!  The Blood Angels second wave is up today on advance order at the Games Workshop website.

 

And the Furioso Dreadnought which gives you three different styles.