Deathwatch

[Tech-Priest]

Doing a Deathwatch army and was wondering what peoples thoughts were on playing them by Grey Knight rules

 

Pros:

 

-Can include Inquisitor & Henchmen (thinking maybe some enslaved xenos for the Henchmen)

-Psybolt ammo upgrades and Psycannon make a good substitution for Deathwatch ammo upgrades and Heavy Bolter with suspensors (rules wise)

 

Cons:

-only way to explain psychic powers is stolen alien tech?

-prefer the bolter and chainsword look vs. Halberd and storm bolter

[Freman Bloodglaive]

To be honest I'd see Deathwatch represented better by the Codex Space Marines.

 

Elite Deathwatch would be represented by Sternguard and maybe Vanguard.

[thornz]

Cons:

-only way to explain psychic powers is stolen alien tech?

-prefer the bolter and chainsword look vs. Halberd and storm bolter

I'm making a Deathwatch Army as well, in one of the Black Library books ( I forget which one ) they state that usually a Deathwatch team includes a Librarian, sometimes 2 on special occasions, so they very accuratly represent the psychic abbilities fo the Gery knights.

 

Re the NFWeapons, I just put Powerswords/hammers/halberds on all my models to represent the diversity, the only thing is that power firsts have to represent hammers.

 

I think the GK Codex BEST represents the Deathwatch fluff & acutal game play, I mean we have Chamber militant ordo Xenos inquisitors including a SC for them!. I know people say Vanilla Marine Sternguard + Vanguard, or CSM but they are wrong or misinformed on what the deathwatch actually are & how they work.

 

The only trouble I have with the GK Codex representing Deathwatch is the Storm Bolters. you could argue the awseomness of the MK4 Pattern with Targeter + Different types of ammo being similar the playstye of a SB all day. I think they are similar in that aspect so don't see a major difference, as long as you make your opponents aware of the WYSIWYG issues eg: MK4+T Bolters = SB, Power Fists = NFHammer, HS+Suspendors = Psycannons... you shousld be alright, and no one I have ever met has a problem playing against my amy of the best looking space marine models in the game.

[Brother Dylan]

I believe in the rpg suggested squad leaders are librarians or tactical marines, as deathwatch squads are typically led by either a captain or librarian. So that explains the squad powers.

[Darkchild130]

All over it, I am doing the same, in fact I said this as soon as I laid eyes on the GK codex!

 

I will be using a high amount of strike squads with psycannons and psybolts to represent suspensor HBs and special ammo, with an Inq as my HQ, dreads in heavy support with a 10 man purgation squad for good measure.

 

The only discrepency is the psychic powers, I guess a bit of creative interpretation will be needed.

 

Darkchild

[JaqTaar]

I know people say Vanilla Marine Sternguard + Vanguard, or CSM but they are wrong or misinformed on what the deathwatch actually are & how they work.

 

I wouldn't go that far. Looking at it isolated from the rest of the codex, the Sternguard are the best way to represent a DW kill-team. It's not perfect but it comes pretty close. The problem is the lack of units with a human profile to represent Inquisitors and henchmen. Which the GK list offers, so it's a good way to make an Ordo Xenos army. But you certainly will have to do more counts-as-explaining than with the Sternguard.

[Tech-Priest]

Also in my opinion deathwatch are some of the best of the best

 

While the sternguard fit my idea of them rules wise they are only elite choices and to field an army you need to include selections that may not fit as well.

 

Thinking about a completely PAGK and dreadnought army... No vehicles, no terminators, etc... Just elite marines supported by thier entombed battle brothers, and lead by a inquisitor

[Brother Dylan]

I know people say Vanilla Marine Sternguard + Vanguard, or CSM but they are wrong or misinformed on what the deathwatch actually are & how they work.

 

I wouldn't go that far. Looking at it isolated from the rest of the codex, the Sternguard are the best way to represent a DW kill-team. It's not perfect but it comes pretty close. The problem is the lack of units with a human profile to represent Inquisitors and henchmen. Which the GK list offers, so it's a good way to make an Ordo Xenos army. But you certainly will have to do more counts-as-explaining than with the Sternguard.

 

You can still ally a witch hunters inquisitor to a space marine army, not sure if you can ally their stormtroopers though.

[Growler67]

The difficulty in gaming applications is that DeathWatch isn't represented in any Codex. They are Chapter Approved. The best "representation/translation" in gaming terms is as stated above = C:SM Sternguard. I've asked a few times, and have quit due to apparent outright dismissal, whether or not anything will ever be released in Codex form. In one of the early "GK Inside information" threads there was mention of an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Lord and the Wargear goodies they may take. I got no direct reply to my questions so I stopped asking.

 

The GK are Ordo Malleus. The SoB are representative of Ordo Hereticus. There is not a Codex that represents the Ordo Xenos.

 

However one chooses to homebrew a DeathWatch Kill-Team or Company or whatever is completely up to the individual. Whether or not they can back up their creation from a fluff perspective depends on how they write it up and whom and how they play them. If it's friendly games then so be it. If it is in a tournement environement, good luck.

 

Until GW actually releases something other than a couple of pages in a Chapter Approved Alaminac or a brief article in WD, questions will continue to abound. Maybe they wish it to be and remain clouded in mystery, who knows. I have many problems with GW and the way they do things. Sometimes one can only shake their head and take a break. Other times one can just continue to hope.

 

As for the modeling, there are some things that are known. They look like Astartes in all respects with the exception of painting. The Chapter/Company pauldron that usually resides on the left shoulder is moved to the right so that of the DeathWatch my be placed there. Very little is mentioned about variant types of armor. Perhaps the best source would be to have a look at the RPG Rulebook.

[little brother]

I am working on the same thing.

 

I don't like the sternguard option for a number of reasons. The heavy bolter with suspensors was never included in the codex and the only options were the heavy flamers, combi weapons and flamers etc. The Index astartes article also allowed you to upgrade a model to a veteran and equip them with power weapons which you can't do with sternguard. You can't get an inquisitor and henchman in the list either.

 

I am going to have a pair of 5 man strike squads and a 5 man interceptor squad (with converted jump packs), a pair of dreadnoughts and a stormraven.

Psycannon can be deathwatch heavy bolters. Incinerators are heavy flamers with enhanced fuel. Each squad can have a librarian model in it to take care of the psychic powers. force weapons are power weapons with poison. i will use sternguard style bolters for the storm bolters. Fortitude on the vehicles can be advanced inertial dampers.

 

Then a coteaz stand in can bring along 3 squads of henchman (Van saar and enforcer models from necromunda that have been gathering dust for years).

 

That white dwarf model in a space suit is going to be a demiurg weaponsmith to stand in for the jokaero or a techmarine. I havent decided which yet.

 

I think it is doable and I get to use a load of models that haven't seen the light of day for years.

[Mortis Crux]

I am considering C:Grey Knights - Deathwatch too; A special detachment of Deathwatch.

Code Name: Space Marines Who Stare at Goats :P I think it explains everything - don't you :)