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Greetings all! So I am in the process of finishing my "try hard" Dark Angels army. By that I mean putting great bases on them, doing squad and company markings, the whole nine yards. The end goal is to reconstruct the 5th Company with the units that I have. However, I did run across something that puzzled me. The new DA codex has an entire section about the livery of the Dark Angels, providing information on company colors and the location of squad markings, battle honors, etc yet it did not have any information on the livery of the Deathwing. I ran across an article on the 40k Wiki that shows three different types of Deathwing Knight "markings" with three different color schemes that would be featured on the left knee pad. The Wiki did not explain what each of those meant or what they signified. Thus my question in short is, do Deathwing Knights have their own version of company markings to signify different brotherhoods? If so, is this information that is present in previous codexes and just didn't make the transition to 8th ed.? Or is the information on the Wiki accurate? Thanks in advance guys, and I apologize if this has been answered/addressed elsewhere!

My second game of 8th edition. Deathwing vs Orks. We're both still learning the rules so mistakes were made (like forgetting to use CP's) We played 1500 pts because it's better to start lower. One funny thing: Altough both lists were 1500 pts (ish), the ork list had 20+ power level difference. My List: Battalion detachment Belial Chaplain in TDA: Crozius and SB Apothecary Ancient 2x 5 DW terminators with AC 1x 5 DW Knights 3x5 scouts with sniper rifles Ork list The mission was the relic. I deployed Scouts, Apothecary and Standard bearer, kept rest in reserve. I managed to steal the Initiative, so I moved only the terminator characters. The DWK appered close to the relic, with the Characters close by. The game was shakey in the beggining because the DWK took the brunt of the fighting. They managed to survive with the relic, always retreating and with the rest of the DW making a wall between them and the relic. I managed to face the mobs one at a time with Terminator shooting, Belial CC prowess and re-rolls and Ancient extra attack. Overview Scouts. Those pesky Sniper rifles took out both HQ's, a couple of storm boyz and some wounds in Trukk, Warbikes and other boyz. Thanks to Belial re-rolls the accuracy was kept high.. Apothecary: He healed single wounds and revived 3 dead terminators. He is definately a keeper in this sort of army because every model count. Ancient. Not only he was a force to be reckoned with in CC, giving the extra attack to the rest of the Terminators. DW terminators: AC was ace and at 12" those 4 SB shots made dents, paired with re-rolls from Belial. In CC they were no slouches . Belial: Buffed the army and everything he touched in CC, melted. Chaplain: Gave re-rolls to Belial and other squads and pulled his weight in CC. DW knights. They only soaked fire. I missed them not having firepower. I see no reason to have them instead of normal terminators at this moment. Maybe because they had to keep relic safe and I didn't want to risk them, but in such a small army, the Firepower of another DW squad would have helped much more. Having 2 wounds per terminators makes them more resilient but stuff like missile launchers have to be cleared from the table because they'll make short work of multi-wounds. All in all a fun game to learn 8th Ed. Thanks for reading.

Another Friday, another week in the books, and another brand-new Glacial Geek Battle Report! https://youtu.be/eV84ocmLPbw This week my Deathwing take on the Sisters of Battle! Belial strode towards the Teleportarium, his ceramite boots banging loudly against the metal floor. He drew his Sword of Secrets and readied his Storm Bolter as he stepped up onto the platform. He readied himself with the squad of Deathwing Knights arrayed around him checking their weapons. A chapter serf ran into the room with a missive, "Sir, we have been hailed again by the Adeptus Sororitas forces on the planet's surface!" Belial glared at the man, "I made my intentions clear, we are not to respond to their hails until after our mission is over." The surf backed away a half a step, withering under the gaze of the Dark Angel's First Company Master, "Y-yes sir, but this hail seemed more important sir." Belial narrowed his eyes, "What could be so important that it would make you think that I would change my mind?" The serf cleared his throat, "Sir, this hail is coming from the Living Saint, Saint Celestine herself!" Belial paused for a moment, taken for a second with the news, "My orders still stand, no communications with them until we are done here." "Yes sir!" The serf responded as he turned and ran off. Belial stood there for a moment, thinking about the presence of the Living Saint herself being here and what that might mean. "Power coils are fully charged, sir!" called out the Techmarine manning the controls. Belial looked at him and nodded, "Send us down there, Brother." Will the Dark Angels be able to retrieve the information they need, or will Celestine lead her forces against them and stop their mission? Watch and find out!

Just thought I’d open up the discussion on this (again...) in light of the Warhammer Community article here - https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/12/15/secret-orders-of-the-dark-angels-dec-15gw-homepage-post-3/ What I specifically wanted to discuss is, are these descritptions canon now? It’s just a copy/paste job from the unnoficial Lexicanum website, which is a first from GW, to my knowledge. Lexicanum (unofficial site) has had these descriptions up for at least a year now and thye’re mostly based on speculation and some educated guesses, at least regarding the Firewing, Ironwing and Stormwing. It just seems like an odd thing for GW to back. Why legitimise an unofficial (unless I’ve missed something) website’s lore? What’s your take? Edit: made some changes to try and make things a little clearer. Maybe it’s appropriate that a thread about the DA secret organisation is a bit confusing. :)

This topic is about The Eye of Ezekiel, but strictly speaking it's not limited to it. I want to talk about this novel, but also what it means where Black Library writing is concerned. I like to think I'm objective in the criticism or praise I offer to the various authors and novels that feature in Black Library. I don't forget that writing fiction is very difficult venture, and doing so for a living is even harder. I don't believe that I come as knowing better. With that in mind, I try to avoid verdicts like, "this story is bad," or, "this author is poor." I know what I like, but I also recognize that everyone has their own cup of tea, if you will. With all that having been said, I think this verdict is harsh but fair: The Eye of Ezekiel is lazy. It feels less like an original story and more like running a bunch of names through a Warhammer 40k Siege Story checklist. It demands that its reader just go along with the ride and never question the numerous inconsistencies that pop up throughout. The author's need to advance the plot trumps the story being consistent or believable (within the context of the setting, of course). Character growth is minimal. I've seen some readers defend similar, earlier entries in the Space Marine Battles series. "They're aimed at a specific audience," I'm told. "They're a specific genre and we shouldn't ask for them to be something they're not." Again, I accept that different folks have different tastes, but this nonetheless feels like kind of a cop-out. I don't see the point in apologizing for what feels like playing it safe and recycling tropes. Space Marine Battles novels and a deep plot with nuanced characters are not mutually exclusive concepts. I can think of no better example of what a SBM entry can be than Helsreach. The wonderful thing about that novel is that the war for Armageddon - itself one of the most prominent conflicts of the setting - simply serves as the backdrop for the actual story, which is about exploring who Grimaldus is. The truly frustrating thing about The Eye of Ezekiel is that it's clear C.Z. Dunn was capable of coming up with a far more interesting story. The loss of Ezekiel's precognitive powers, the manner in which they were taken, and the struggle to cope with their absence in the midst of war make for a much deeper proposition than what we got. The bionic artifact Ezekiel inherits - and, more specifically, the way it seems to... attach itself to individuals with certain abilities - is likewise not something we often see in this genre. Ultimately, these hooks (and others besides) took a back seat to a mailed-in, by-the-numbers conflict that we've seen play out in dozens other Black Library novels, featuring the same bland stereotypes. The Eye of Ezekiel, as most know, is about the eponymous Librarian and the battle he and the Dark Angels Fifth Company wage on the planet Honoria against a greenskin invasion. They are compelled to do so by Arch Magos Diezen, who has called upon an ancient treaty between their Chapter and the Adeptus Mechanicus. SPOILERS FOLLOW! Much of the novel takes place within or around Aurelianum, the capital of Honoria. Dunn makes an attempt at distinguishing this bastion of mankind from other places in the Warhammer 40k universe, but in practice it is no different than most every other fortress shown in most every other story about most every other siege fought in this universe. Honoria is a planet that has been cut off from the Imperium for ten millennia. It's human inhabitants have been preparing for war for all that time. In the process, the Honorians raised fortresses of incredible scale. Eighty percent of the planet is covered by fortresses like Aurelianum, making Honoria's surface a sort of cityscape geared around war and the industry needed to sustain it. Nary a word is "wasted" in showing exactly how dystopian, militaristic, and outright bizarre a society would be after preparing for a war that didn't come for ten thousand years, though. We are not introduced to a single Honorian, and are never given an idea of how they think. As is the case with every other Honorian city-fortress, Aurelianum can only be approached by trench systems that extend for kilometers beyond gates that are topped by weapons arrays that can be (actual quote from the novel) "whatever they need to be." That's not an exaggeration; in their introduction sequence, these weapon arrays seamlessly transition from blasting a large asteroid entering the planet's atmosphere to striking a company-size Ork element on the planet's surface, kilometers away. These weapons arrays, incidentally, are why Diezen brought the Dark Angels to Honoria. He could not care less about the human inhabitants; the weapons that protect their cities are of a type unknown to the rest of the Impeirum, and the Arch-Magos is desperate to save them from destruction. None of the above matters, though. All the artifices of man that are meant to make Honoria distinct end up being nothing more than a MacGuffin. The fortresses of Honoria might cover 80-something percent of the planet's surface, but all of the Orks conveniently manage to land outside the walls. The height of the walls doesn't matter, because the Orks simply use giant bulldozers to pile their dead high enough to climb over them. The magic automated tower weapon arrays don't matter, because when Groblinik decides to drive a captured Land Raider up to one of the gates as an improvised battering ram, the author demands they don't do anything about it. I mean, forget high action; more than anything else, this is what that particular scene brought to mind: Making matters worse, the narrative of the battle is confusing and/or contradicts itself at several key points. A particularly glaring instance of this coincides with one of the major turning points in the campaign. Despite suffering the loss of Master Zadakiel and Interrogator-Chaplain Puriel in the initial battle, the Dark Angels are able to repel the Orks from the mighty walls of Aurelianum without significant casualties. Groblinik's subsequent willingness to sacrifice countless numbers of his Orks doesn't surprise the Dark Angels, but they are nonetheless unable to ascertain his actual plan. It is only after it is reported - almost as an afterthought - that one of the city's fortress-gates isn't responding that the Dark Angels notice - by sense of smell - that the Forge associated with that sector of Aurelianum has been restarted. When the Dark Angels send a strike force to investigate, they discover that tens of thousands of Orks somehow infiltrated the capital, managed to gain access to one of its Forges, and started up production without anyone so much as sounding an alarm. By the time the Dark Angels respond, the Orks have produced an army's worth of giant bulldozers. Their purpose? To stack the countless bodies of Orks outside the walls of Aurelianum, so that the rest of their horde can use them as massive ramparts with which to climb over. No mention is ever made how these Orks infiltrated Aurelianum to begin with. No mention is ever made as to why the Orks didn't simply attack en masse through the compromised gate, either. Point of fact, no mention is ever made as to what happened with that gate to begin with! That shouldn't come as a surprise, though, because this is well after Groblinik already used a Land Raider to batter down another gate, remember? What happened to THAT gate? How did the Dark Angels and the Astra Militarum contain that breach? Who knows? But that's the thing about The Eye of Ezekiel and other books like it. Forget about nuanced storylines that challenge how you view this universe or the characters that inhabit it. This story doesn't even bother with explaining how or why things are happening. What passes for the big challenge to our protagonists is Orks bulldozing dead Orks into piles big enough to climb over 100-meter walls. It's considered thematically apropos for that faction, and that's all that matters. Whether the concept itself is absurd, or the steps taken to set up up sensical, is irrelevant. When it's not focused on the battle for Aurelianum, the novel turns its attention to Captain Ladbon Antilov, a Vostroyan officer determined to rescue his lover Marita, and protect her from the Orkish invasion. It is an underwhelming story, at best, and is undermined by the fact that we can all guess Antilov's true purpose by the crude augmetic eye he wears and his own secret precognitive powers. Sadly, the characters that populate this story don't get much better treatment than the plot itself. Take Danatheum, for instance. Despite Ezekiel's incomprehensible might, Danathaeum holds the office of Chief Librarin by virtue of his experience. That, in and of itself, is just fine, but for whatever reason Dunn felt like he to really make their dynamic different, and thus has Danatheum inform us that he is "outstripped in power" by even the most recent recruit of the Dark Angels' Librarius. Thus, the second-most important position in the Chapter, if not the Unforgiven as a whole, is held by a warrior whose greatest asset is tenure. Mind you, it's not a case of Ezekiel being almighty but young and rash; he is around four hundred and fifty years old at this point. It would be one thing if Ezekiel had yet to prove trustworthy enough to the Inner Circle, but no such context or back story is given. In fact, Danatheum argues the contrary. 
Ezekiel himself becomes victim of the need to ham-fistedly push the Dark Angel theme of secrecy. He keeps secret the fact that he has lost his divination powers, despite the fact that we are constantly reminded how important they are to his Chapter and how they wage war. Turmiel, the Lexicanium whose powers Ezekiel uses as a crutch also feels comfortable keeping this secret, even though both of them know he's right less than half the time. The worst part of this is that Ezekiel's diminished state is only really used when he inevitably makes bad decision after bad decision. It never leads to any real conflict; not between him and the warriors who put faith in his abilities, nor internally (in the sense of him feeling guilt for the consequences of his choices). Where it all comes apart for both characters is the very end. Danatheum reveals he knew from the beginning that Ezekiel had lost his precognitive powers. He nonetheless sent him to Honoria, knowing full well that he would be a detriment and a danger to his fellow officers, none of whom knew what he was dealing with. 
Really, where Dunn does his best work is with the Vostroyan Firstborn. None of the squad he uses as a supporting cast is a particularly strong character, and most of them are little more than the one distinctive trait the author bestowed on them (one is Astartes-tall, another is an albino, another is a mute, and so on). Some very apropos concepts are introduced, however. For instance, there are of course Vostroyans in their regiments who aren't firstborn; regardless of the reason for their enlistment, though, they are seen as lesser. Arguably the character with the most potential other than Ezekiel himself is the Vostroyan Allix, Ladbon's second-in-command. Allix is also easily the most wasted character of them all. Allix appears to be nothing more than an aggressive Guardsman who enjoys Ladbon's confidence until we get nearly to the end of novel, at which point we find out that Allix is really a she. More to the point, Allix is a she who mutilated herself - or had herself mutilated, removing her breasts so that she could pose as a man. The reason for this? To protect her two older brothers (one mentally handicapped; the other "prone to fits") from the Vostroyan Tithe. It is arguably the most powerful reveal other than Ezekiel's, and made me wonder why an author capable of dropping that kind of bomb was wasting his time and mine with the banal, boring concepts that make up so much of the rest of the novel. 
Anyways, to the action itself. As you might expect from a Space Marine Battles novel, combat occupies a central place in the story. Like the setting, though, the fighting is more or less a collection of 40k-specific tropes. We see this from the moment the Dark Angels arrive at Honoria. No sooner does the Sword of Caliban translate to real space than things start getting questionable. The Imperial Navy is outnumbered ten to one, so Master Zadakiel orders them to withdraw lest they be annihilated. Unmolested, the Orks mass their fleet and proceed with the invasion of Honoria. Once the Orks make themselves busy with landing their forces, the Imperials counterattack and succeed in annihilating the xenos fleet - to the point where they run out of targets. Subsequently, nothing happens. The endless millions of Orks are stuck out in the open for days before they finally gain entry to Aurelianum, but none of the Imperial vessels make a move against them. Hold on to this for later. Soon after, Groblinik reveals himself to be a formidable, cunning, and surprisingly augmented warlord. I was left with mixed emotions by the way he dispatched both Master Zadakiel and Interrogator-Chaplain Puriel. On the one hand, the battle is written in a way where the characters' actions feel fluid and dynamic. On the other hand, the effectiveness of their attacks feels arbitrary. There were better ways, I think, of demonstrating Groblinik's overwhelming physicality than by him shrugging off a power fist to the face, especially when he then proceeds to tear apart power armour by hand. Making matters worse is that both Dark Angels ultimately lost their duel by underestimating Groblinik. Zadakiel can perhaps be forgiven; Puriel, who steps in to save the Company Master after watching the entirety of their duel, cannot. From there, we get a lot of passive accounts of the fighting on and around the walls of Honoria. In detailing them, Dunn commits a sin I find in too many Warhammer 40k novels. That is to say, that while technology is technically present, it is dumbed down and ineffective to the point where the battles are no different than what you'd see in, e.g., The Lord of the Rings movies. No matter how much Dunn tries to impress us with the unique and devastating defenses of Aurelianum, in practice it feels like you're reading about the battle for Minas Tirith - not a place with weapons capable of shooting down spaceships. 
Sadly, the combat action that held the most potential - the infiltration of the Forge captured by the Orks - is either handled rather lazily. Dunn tasks Techmarine Serpicus with letting us know that the Forge will be too loud for the Orks to hear bolter fire. It's a convenient excuse and removes the need to write something rich with tension. 
Still later, as the Orks use their newly-manufactured army of giant bulldozers to pile their dead into ramparts capable of reaching to the top of 100-meter walls, another reveal is somewhat lazily thrown at us. Honoria's defenses can track ships in orbit, but apparently neither they nor the returned Imperial fleet are aware that the Orks also landed a massive aerial force that inexplicably failed to attack earlier in the novel. Dunn employs this Orkish air force rather awkwardly. As is typical with Orks or Tyranids, this air force is conveniently numberless: there are enough to win. It's also conveniently vague: the author does not feel the need to dress it up with anything other than an impression of the entire sky being covered by aircraft. The Ork pilots eventually do destroy all the Honorian weapon arrays of the outer perimeter in "off-camera action," but the only one we see them taking out they do so by accident. That same air force is, of course, unable to take out the fewer weapon arrays of the inner ring of Aurelianum's fortifications. This reinforces another typical 40k trope: the author decides at what range war can be effectively fought, and both the minimums and maximums depend on what he needs done. Making matters worse, as the novel grinds on it feels as if Dunn is losing patience with his own story. In earlier sequences, there is a real effort in trying to show the danger a single Ork can pose to a squad of veteran Guardsmen. The story stays consistent on that count up until two thirds through, where the killing of this previously fearsome enemy starts becoming an afterthought. By the time we get to the end, the action is on auto-pilot: Marita, Honorian nurse and resident sniper, is dropping Orks left and right with her lasgun.
 Again, I don't know why any of this is. Dunn handles Groblinik's penultimate and ultimate duels with skill. Balthasar fights the Ork warlord the way Puriel probably should have - shrewdly and with respect for a foe who has revealed himself to be more than he seemed - and when he nonetheless loses it doesn't feel like author's fiat. When Ezekiel enters the fray for the final battle, Dunn truly captures how mighty the future Chief Librarian is. It's all too short, and feels kind of like an afterthought compared to the first duels, but you see Ezekiel's power on display in many different ways. Ironically, when the decisive battle is fought and won, the Dark Angels reach out to their fleet and order them to start bombarding the retreating Orks. Why was this not possible earlier? Simply put, because it doesn't serve the story. It's another instance of dismissing parts of the setting rather than trying to integrate them in the story. 
The Eye of Ezekiel ends with several interesting moments. Some, as is the case with most Dark Angels fiction, simply raise more questions. Are Ezekiel's powers his own now, for instance? Are they a product of the Eye, or something more sinister? Other moments make me wonder if there was a better tale that could have been told altogether. When the destiny of Marita's baby is revealed, it struck me that such a confluence of fates could have played a larger role throughout the book. There's no buildup to it, or any foreshadowing regarding the importance of the pregnancy. In the end, it feels like something special tacked on to something that wasn't. And, finally, it couldn't have been a Dark Angels novel without mention of one of the Fallen. For whatever reason, the treaty between Dark Angels and Mechanicum isn't reason enough to bring the Unforgiven to the defense of Honoria. Arch Magos Diezen also happens to have pict footage of a Fallen in action. He tries to use this evidence to have Techmarine Serpicus - who, unbeknownst to him, is the one Dark Angel officer there that doesn't know of the Fallen - to do his bidding. Of course, Diezen has decided to commit blackmail without any sort of failsafe plan, conveniently confessing to Serpicus that he has no other copy of that footage elsewhere right before the Techmarine executes him.
 I don't know what drives novels like The Eye of Ezekiel. I think the easy and obvious answer is that Black Library doesn't mind having a certain number of titles that are just mailed in. That's not to say that I don't think Dunn can write a good yarn. There are several times in The Eye of Ezekiel where he showed he is capable of writing something far better. The fact that so many of the more boring, contrived tropes he employed are also prevalent is so many other novels does lead me to believe, however, that the use of stock material, themes, and concepts is tolerated and perhaps even expected. This is problematic to me. I know the Warhammer 40k setting is based on a game. I know that much of said setting finds its origins in often absurd material. I know that much of the current material is itself absurd. I know that much of what is sold needs to take into account a young customer base just as much - if not more so - than an older one. Nonetheless, I don't believe that this is the setting's ceiling. I think it's unfortunate that we have less books like Helsreach or the Path of Heaven and more books that give rote service to the setting. I don't believe that a teenager would rather read about future space war rendered down to the lowest common denominator than complex characters and nuanced plot lines. The Eye of Ezekiel could have been something special, with ties to even more special things to come. Instead, I'm sad to say it feels only a little more memorable than the paragraph-sized Codex timeline entry it was based on.

Hi all. Thought I’d start a log of what I’m doing (a WIP thread if you like), if not to provide wider exposure to my creations to you guys, then to help me keep track of what I need to do and also keep motivated to actually finish things!! So, I’ve been a collector since I was knee high to a Squat. Been involved in the GW hobby systems for well over 20 years now, and in that time my interest levels have peaked and troughed. Prior to the 6th Ed launch my last copy of the 40k game system was 2nd Edition, with Dark Millennium. Since the start though I have been true to the first legion - my beloved Dark Angels. Back then I even collected PA models!! ;-) Over the last 2 years I have been slowly growing my Deathwing force. I have a few things painted but generally I spend my time on conversion's, then dream of what they could look like with paint on them. I also haven’t played a game since 2nd Ed. I'm much more of a hobbyist than a gamer. Last count I had a meagre 93 Terminators (plastic) several HQ's (all in TDA), one LRC, one Godhammer, a converted Pred Executioner and a Mk1 WhirlWind. I also have a selection of RW and Greenwing, the DV forces (x2) a couple of Bike squads with Attack Bikes, a Storm Talon converted to be my Nephelim (counts as of course, just need to add the rotor blades from my crashed RC Helicopter so its more of the Apache gunship I want it to be). So presently I have a few examples to show you guys, feedback on everything is appreciated and one of the main reasons I am posting them! :-) First up is a couple WIP pics of the Chapy that (somehow) won Grotsmashers Kit-Bash Chapy challenge: Pic link died I have actually made some changes to him since, a few extra layers on the cloak has given it alot more depth, and some hightlighting of the Black with a wash over the top has given the armour more life. I'll try to remember to get more recent pics soon! And something I have been working on over the weekend: My take on a Storm Eagle - DA Styleeeeee Pic link died I still have a way to go on this thing - spent Saturday getting it to here - no GS out as of yet as I still need to chop a few things add a few things then tidy up etc. Its been sat in my mind as a concept for a while - and after receiving a gift voucher for my birthday i treated myself to the Storm Raven kit. I already had 2 of the Chapter house extension kits (as i wasnt sure if just one would be long enough) and had ordered from various bitz sites off the net most of the other little bits you see here and there. I do atleast have the MM at the front, the Vengeance Missiles under the front wings, and the 2 x TL LasCannons on the rear wings. If i ever wanted to use it as a Storm Raven I can either take out the front Missiles and replace with the Storm Bolters from the Nephelim / Dark Talon, the Lascannons will just have to be single TL, and the MM can stay as is or i can pop them out and addin either the HB's or the Typhoon Launcher. To be honest - It'll be a Storm Eagle now and forever but i've built it from a players perspective just in case :-) OK and last but by no means least - Belial. With 6th Ed. came my latest incarnation of our leader. Now the gun and sword are (IMO) the optimal load out: Pic link died So thanks for getting this far (those that did!). I hope some of what I have done / do looks good enough (its hard to compared to some of the tallent on show on this site!!) I'll be updating this sporadically; but will welcome any questions and criticism (gun barrel holes will be drilled out ;-) ). Peace out Brothers!

Hi everybody ! The first mini of my Ravenwing is ...Sephiroth, my Investigator, Gardian of Souls. http://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/13/17/29/53/dsc07825.jpg http://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/13/17/29/53/dsc07826.jpg http://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/13/17/29/53/dsc07827.jpg http://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/13/17/29/53/dsc07828.jpg I see you... http://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/13/17/29/53/dsc07829.jpg The First Strike Squadron : 3 Calibanit's battle brother : http://i79.servimg.com/u/f79/13/17/29/53/dsc08013.jpg http://i79.servimg.com/u/f79/13/17/29/53/dsc08010.jpg http://i79.servimg.com/u/f79/13/17/29/53/dsc08011.jpg http://i79.servimg.com/u/f79/13/17/29/53/dsc08012.jpg http://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/13/17/29/53/dsc07910.jpg Calibanit Heraldic : http://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/13/17/29/53/dsc07912.jpg

From 775 to 777.M41 the Segmentum Solar was beset by wars and insurrection. Renegades and aliens took advantage, contributing to the rising anarchy. As part of the force sent to end the so-called Fourth Quadrant Rebellion, the Dark Angels were one of four chapters that deployed their full might. The industrial colonies on Derren's World suffered an unusually high frequency of psychic phenomena, witchcraft and sporadic demonic incursion. For eighteen months the forces of the XVIIth Grensvan Dragoons, Ordo Hereticus, Ordo Malleus and the Dark Angels fought shoulder to shoulder against the most insidious enemies of mankind. The official records remain sealed by the Ordo Malleus, existing only in a securely warded vault on Titan. But even they do not tell the whole story. Other tales have been suppressed by other authorities. This is one of them. My friend Robin and I have been meaning to have a large-ish (ie more than 2000 points) game between my Dark Angels and his Imperial Guard for some time. When our schedules aligned and we set the date I hinted that I'd bought the Cypher dataslate and could provide the model too. We agreed to bring 2500 point forces and randomly select one of Cypher's Altar of War missions on the day. The Hunt was on! http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1001_zpsae78506c.jpg Supreme Grand Master Azrael Techmarine Mendeas with servo-harness 5 Deathwing Knights Venerable dreadnought Varon with multi-melta, power fist and heavy flamer Drop pod Squad Shael: 5 Deathwing terminators with heavy flamer, pair of lightning claws, chainfist, thunder hammer and storm shield Squad Matthias: 7 Deathwing terminators with cyclone missile launcher, chainfist, pair of lightning claws, thunder hammer and storm shield Squad Jericho: 6 Ravenwing bikes with 2 meltaguns, veteran sergeant with power maul; land speeder with heavy bolter, typhoon missile launcher; attack bike with multi-melta Land raider with dozer blade, multi-melta, Deathwing vehicle Land raider with multi-melta, Deathwing vehicle Land raider crusader with multi-melta, Deathwing vehicle We rolled mission 1, Turn the Tide. This required Robin to split his army in two. One contingent, of my choosing, would be deployed with Cypher. The second contingent would arrive from reserve at the start of turn 4. Each side would earn one victory point per enemy unit destroyed . I would earn six VPs for wiping out the first contingent by the end of the game or Robin would earn six VPs if I did not. Cypher's special rules also offered up to three VPs to either side so there was a lot to play for. Night fighting would be in effect for the first turn. The sentinel was switched from one group to the other at the last minute, which is why it's in the wrong photo. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1002_zps34009237.jpg Imperial Guard main force Company command squad in a chimera 5 stormtroopers with 2 plasma guns Platoon command squad and two infantry squads, in chimeras Heavy weapon squad with 3 lascannon weapon teams Veteran squad with meltaguns, in a chimera [these seem to be missing from the photo] Leman Russ executioner with all the plasma http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1003_zps4a391e2b.jpg Imperial Guard reinforcements Allied Ordo Malleus Inquisitor with power armour and a force sword 5 stormtroopers with 2 meltaguns Platoon command squad and two infantry squads, in chimeras Heavy weapon squad with 3 autocannon weapon teams Veteran squad with some plasma guns, in a chimera Allied Grey Knights, in a land raider Scout sentinel with lascannon I chose the contingent containing the leman russ executioner and lascannon heavy weapon squad to be deployed, reasoning that I could get the drop on one or both of these and neutralise them early. Robin sensibly castled up behind the tower in his corner and Cypher joined the company command squad in their chimera. The lascannon teams occupied the top floor of the tower and the storm-troopers with plasma guns held the bridge to their left. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1006_zpsf80c1bfe.jpg Let's call the top of this photo north, which means I'm advancing from the south-east. Dark Angels turn 1 The Consecrators' land raider and the crusader carrying Azrael, squad Matthias and techmarine Mendeas moved north up the road. The Deathwing knights in their land raider, unwilling to queue, swung to the west side of the large ruin in the centre of the table. With the roar of retro-thrusters a drop pod slammed down behind the leman russ and venerable dreadnought Varon stepped out. Firing his multimelta at the tank's rear he succeeded only in immobilising it. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1007_zps8669542c.jpg http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1011_zpsf542c120.jpg Imperial Guard turn 1 Company command issued an order to bring down the lead land raider and three searing beams flared in the darkness, followed by the longer-lived illumination of an explosion as the lead land raider was destroyed. As the dust settled the scene was lit for a third time as the Leman Russ executioner eliminated all but one of the terminators it had carried. Cypher and the company command squad poured fire into Varon and wrecked the ancient chassis. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1012_zps697eb8a2.jpg Dark Angels turn 2 The lone terminator hefted his heavy flamer and began his solitary walk towards enemy lines. The crusader passed him, guns blazing at the storm-troopers and causing the two survivors to break and run. Lascannon fire from the last land raider slew two of the lascannon weapon-teams and the survivor also fled. Squad Jericho arrived from the north to finish what the dreadnought had started, their two meltaguns wrecking the leman russ. Meanwhile the attack bike moved as swiftly as possible from the south and the land speeder typhoon dropped in to the east, trying to line up flanking shots on the line of chimeras. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1014_zps98a79004.jpg http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1013_zpsa92d313b.jpg Imperial Guard turn 2 The heavy weapon team rallied and moved back up the tower. Disgracefully the storm-troopers did not and retreated further. Cypher continued to direct a stream of fire from the command squad, this time at the Ravenwing. The nearby infantry squads and their transports added their own shots and the six bikes fell. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1016_zpsaeea2ceb.jpg Dark Angels turn 3 The front ramp of the crusader hit the ground with a bang and Azrael led the charge, leaving techmarine Mendeas behind to continue repairs. Azrael and squad Matthias destroyed a chimera and the squad inside before consolidating towards Cypher. The surviving marine from squad Shael saw a way to avoid being shot with many multilasers and embarked on the crusader through the side door. On the western flank the Deathwing knights advanced in their land raider, the attack bike just behind. The bike lost a wound to a dangerous terrain test here which, in hindsight, I didn't have to take. After turbo-boosting the 4+ jink is as good as the 4+ cover save from the ruins. This mistake would cost me later. Another chimera exploded under a fusillade of laser and melta fire, only the missile team surviving the inferno. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1018_zps4d94b29b.jpg Imperial Guard turn 3 The missile team fell back to the table edge and regrouped - in this scenario models in Cypher's army cannot fall back off the table before turn 4. Responding to the land raider, a veteran squad equipped with meltaguns disembarked from their chimera. They disabled the tank's right sponson but did nothing to delay the knights. Both surviving chimeras and Cypher's unit poured everything they could into Azrael and squad Matthias on their left, downing three. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1019_zpsa8354a8f.jpg Dark Angels turn 4 The Deathwing knights charged from their land raider. The overwatching meltaguns hit home but the energy was dissipated by the knights' shields and they unsurprisingly crushed the veteran soldiers. One of the land raiders finally finished off the lascannon weapon team in the tower while the attack bike failed to hit Cypher's chimera. Azrael and squad Matthias wrecked the empty chimera in assault but made slow progress towards Cypher. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1020_zps44f01bad.jpg Imperial Guard turn 4 Reinforcements arrive, including four chimeras, a sentinel and a land raider carrying a Grey Knights strike squad and Ordo Xenos inquisitor! A squad of storm-troopers dropped in behind my crusader, two meltaguns were trained on the engine block and another tank exploded. The techmarine and terminator inside were unscathed but the two storm-troopers who had succeeded so well were immolated in the fireball! Cypher's tank backed into the north west corner while the newly arrived chimeras focussed their fire, reducing Azrael's unit to one marine with lightning claws. The Deathwing knights also came under intense fire but none fell. The attack bike was not so fortunate and suffered one wound. After taking one from the dangerous terrain test in turn 3 this was enough to remove my most threatening anti-tank unit. We appear to have made a mistake here and allowed the Grey Knights to charge after arriving from reserve. I only noticed when I couldn't make sense of the photos! It didn't help them however as I was able to precision strike the one model with an AP2 demon hammer before he could attack. None of the Deathwing knights failed an armour save. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/SAM_1021_zps6c7789ee.jpg Dark Angels turn 5 Azrael and friend joined the Deathwing knights and swiftly silenced the agents of the Inquisition, while my land raider immobilised theirs. The lone terminator with the heavy flamer finally got to unleash it on the storm-troopers in the centre of the battlefield, despatching the last one with his power fist in the assault phase. The techmarine assaulted a chimera and methodically wrecked it with his two servo arms, the platoon command squad tumbling from the back. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/20140201_173131_zpsba38e42d.jpg Imperial Guard turn 5 Once again the Imperial Guard trained their guns on Azrael, killing the marine with him and leaving the Supreme Grand Master on one wound. The now de-mechanised command squad fired their grenade launchers at the land speeder to no effect. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/20140201_174219_zps2006ff4d.jpg Dark Angels turn 6 Azrael joined the Deathwing knights and they surged forwards, wrecking another chimera in close combat. The techmarine unleashed his flamer and boltgun on the exposed command squad but the officer survived. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/20140201_180019_zpsa1833301.jpg Imperial Guard turn 6 Robin fired everything he had at my dwindling force: one land speeder, one techmarine, one terminator, one land raider, Azrael on one wound and one unwounded Deathwing knight unit. Lots of opportunities to focus fire and pick up some VPs! One of the knights fell but bad dice ensured that the easy victory points remained out of reach. The officer on his own just ran as far from the techmarine as he could. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/20140201_180308_zpsf6a8d787.jpg Dark Angels turn 7 Techmarine Mendeas moved behind a chimera and played his plasma cutter beam across its rear. The tank exploded and between that and the terminator's heavy flamer nobody survived. Azrael and the knights declared a multi-charge against the disembarked infantry squad and Cypher's chimera. The infantry squad was wiped out but two knights failed to even glance the chimera's armour! Imperial Guard turn 7 The lone terminator from squad Shael was brought down by the scout sentinel. Autocannon fire from the heavy weapons teams wrecked the land speeder. Azrael and the knights continued to resist all Cypher's firepower. http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/Cactus-/Turn the Tide/20140201_182953_zps7317ab09.jpg Cypher remained at large and a bloody toll had been paid by the Imperium for the Unforgiven's grim quest, but who had won? I had destroyed 6 chimeras, one heavy weapon squad, two storm-trooper squads, one platoon command squad, two veteran squads, two infantry squads and a leman russ for a total of 15 VPs. I had lost two land raiders, two Deathwing squads, one dreadnought, one land speeder, one attack bike and a Ravenwing squadron, giving Robin 8 VPs. He earned another 6 because I had not destroyed all of the first contingent. Cypher still being active was worth D3 VPs and Robin rolled... 1. After seven turns and more exploding tanks than I can count we had drawn with 15 victory points each. [Edit] Included details of the opposing army! With thanks to Alan Bligh for the Fourth Quadrant Rebellion.

So I was taking some pictures of my army, wanting to collect it in one spot and thought with the amount of time I have put into playing, building and painting this army, it seemed only right to do a blog. +++++++++++ Prot's Everything Dark Angels +++++++++++++++ "Fear not the heretic, nor the xenos for the Lion walks with us." Droxus Attalium - Dark Angels Librarian.. Contents: Notes: Most games are 1850 unless otherwise noted. Most games are played with a traditional force org, using the Maelstrom mission with various set ups all using the main rulebook unless otherwise noted. The "Green Room": Strategies and Tactica of the Dark Angels: + Prot's Az'Eke Bomb Drop Pod Tactica + >Link to Article and Batreps< This is a hot link to my Tactica on using the Az'eke Bomb strategy in 7th edition 40k. it includes Batreps using variations of this list. + Ravenwing Tactica in 7th Edition + >Link to Article< I attempt to stat a Ravenwing Tactica discussion. There's quite a breakdown here of things to consider, but it could still use a bit of help from the forum. I played Ravenwing almost exclusively in 6th, and still do so in 7th but not as often as I prefer mixing it up now. + A Logical Discussion Comparing the Dark Angels Codex Vs. the Space Marine Codex in 7th edition+ >Link to Discussion< This thread could have went either way, but I found it to be a great resource when all was said and done. It goes to show the different experiences brought to the table when discussing our shortcomings and advantages compared to our Astartes Brothers. Batreps (usually includes photos): + Three for One! Three Az'eke Bomb Batreps (relisted from the strategy Tactica Above)+ >Link< These are the three batreps used for the article in the Az'eke bomb post. All at 1850, vs different opponents, in Maelstrom with pictures. + Belial Based Foot List Vs. Nids + >Link to Batrep< An incredibly close game. Belial is challenged like never before in a deathmatch with the omnipotent Swarmlord! + Belial Leads a Multi-wing Force Against a Misguided Astra Militarum + >Link to Batrep< A difficult match up for heavy infantry based lists, but the Emperor favours the bold. + Deathwing w/Dual Landraiders Vs. Tau + >Link to Batrep< A very difficult army to beat in 7th. NOTE: No pictures (sorry!). This is one of my first attempts at dual LR in Dark Angels. + Az'eke Bomb 2.0 vs Bugtown+ >Link to Batrep< Yet another Az'eke Bomb based batrep Vs the dirty bugs with pics as usual. Pictures, Fiction, WIP's,etc. + Dark Shroud + Complete + >Link to Pictures< + Deathwing Terminators: Squad1 + Complete + >Link to Pictures< + Dark Angels Veteran Squad1 + Complete + >Link to Pictures< + Balthasar (Counts as Azrael) + Complete + <Link to Pictures< + Turmeil (Counts as Ezekeil) +Complete+ <Link to Pictures> Misc Articles and Reviews + A new chapter in 7th edition+: A quick shot of my LE Codex: +Link+