Using Space Marine Battleforce with Blood Angels

[Tro_lee boy]

Hey B+C Community

 

I'm new to 40k and have decided to play blood angels. I have the space marines from an AoBR box set and am thinking about buying the space marine battleforce. It looks like good value and I like most of the units but don't know what I'm going to do with 25 tactical marines.

 

I was planing on converting the combat squad into something else but don't know what. I'm fairly limited on funds so can't do anything too expensive. I was thinking about devestators but I would need to buy heavy weapons. Also thinking about Assault squad but don't have 2 close combat arms for them.

 

Any Ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks

[DrummingBerserker21]

I bought the battleforce, and have been using the tactical's as Sternguard, tactical marines, and devastator marines. While the assault marine is seen as ideal, tactical marines are still valid, you just have to use them in combination w/ assault marines to maximize their potential. I love playing them as Sternguard, as it has forced my opponent to either avoid the area where my Sternguard are, or he concentrates so much fire on them that my assault forces are left untouched. Just something to think about! So what I'm driving at is that I'd buy the battleforce, but wouldn't buy any more tactical marines afterward. I find my 25-30 marines to be more than enough for all shooting purposes, and they are very nice to have in bigger games or just to mix things up.

[shatter]

Yarp, it's a bit of a conundrum, trying to use the big box sets for BA.

 

Does one listen to netlisting and trash the tactical or does one make do with the potential for plastic value?

 

*sigh*

 

I'd seriously think about the builds you actually want to utilize and build accordingly. Not much point in saving money on models you don't want to use unless you're part of a larger community with lots of opportunity to trade for what you want...

 

Another way is to go nuts online for second hand models.

 

I've noticed over the last 6 months a fairly popular spread in investment by buying in squad boxes.

1 coupla assault boxes -base bodies for BA armies, jump packs and a few specials

2 a DC box -base bodies for BA armies plus special BA specific weapons plus BA 'bling' to spread throughout assault models (above) plus more jump packs... these models are very handsome. (AoBR tacticals are quite nice models and can work nicely as bolter DC with a little bling from a box)

3 Sanguinary guard box - Special bodies, Special weapons and more BA bling, more jump packs

4 Assault termie box. - Especially with the AoBR box termies. One can remove those tactical termie arms and use the assault boxes redundant arms to make 10 assault terminators total; 5 with thunderhammer and stormshield, 5 with dual lightning claws.

 

Buy rare earth magnets (they're cheap!) to make your jump packs interchangeable with regular power packs. Very useful in keeping your model count low (and cheap) but possible list variance high.

I'd buy rides for guys after the first 30 guys are done... and that should be on a whole other payday.

 

Good luck bud.

[Tro_lee boy]

Thanks for the advice. I think that I will leave the combat squad until I have more bitz and will probably turn them into sternguard. I don't like the idea of shooty DC (like bolter ones) because with rage they are geared up for combat anyway. I'll save my bolters for cheaper units (points wise).

 

Another question on the same topic, what would you use the scouts for. I am thinking about gearing them up for tank busting with melta-bombs. Is this how you use them or would you say to convert them to sniper rifle scouts.

 

Thanks for the quick response btw.

[shatter]

I like snipers to pin infantry and hurt/slow transports to aid application of assaulters. Sadly a mere 5 models aint particularly usefull unless to carry a homer (cheaply).

 

melta bombs? i can't see that being easy to accomplish without great investment, ie. a ride. They're vulnerable to pretty much everything on their way forward.

 

By the way, DC are relentless. For DC models that have single Power Fists, Thunder Hammers or Lightning Claws, you may as well use a boltgun on the other hand. Having some bolter DC mixed in can help with wound allocation as well as give you something to shoot with should your opponent manage to lead them around by the nose-rage.

[Tro_lee boy]

I was thinking about using my mb scouts by infiltrating them 18" something big (land raider, monolith, hammerhead etc), scout moving to 12" move and assault (run if needed) and get a free mb on it. What are your opinions on that.