Should a DC transport always be black?

[DarkMark]

Hi,

Can any one point me to where it says that a DC transport must be painted black? I've had a cursory look through the codex, but can't see anything. I know the reason for troops, but why transports too?

 

From a hobby point of view its a great idea to break up the monotony of painting red. However, from a gaming perspective, more than the great big red crosses, it marks the unit for the opponent. I can't imagine for example, say, an eldar player informing you which aspect warriors are found in which transport by painting them appropriately, so why do we?

 

Rule of cool states Death Company look superb in their rides, but is it just historical or foolhardy?

[CrimsonMajick]

1. It looks cool

2. Change in paint scheme

3. Intimidation

4. A warning to friendlies to watch themselves

5. The Imperium of Man is not concerned with singling these transports out to our enemies since all xenos are inferior to humanity and therefore must be colorblind as well.

 

That last one may not be accurate.

 

But do you HAVE to paint it black? Not that I am aware of. I didn't have a rhino ready to go and borrowed a friends (ultramarine blue). I told my opponents that it was from the less-well-known sub chapter of the Blood Angels.... the Blue Bloods! heh...

[DominicJ]

You don't have to paint your dc black.....

[DominicJ]

You don't have to paint your dc black.....

[Pistorius]

I can't imagine for example, say, an eldar player informing you which aspect warriors are found in which transport by painting them appropriately, so why do we?

 

I have a friend who has done just that with his Eldar army. It looks awesome!

[MadGreek]

It provides a little variance in color, which is nice. You can add some black to your regular vehicles, and your main color to your DC vehicles to tie everything together. And who says the DC vehicle HAS to carry your DC? Maybe the CREW as taken some kind of vow, or is doing some kind of penance, so there vehicle is black, but the DC, there in the OTHER vehicle over there ->

 

Just saying.

[himkano]

On a separate, although I do not have my rulebook with me, I believe you DO have to tell your opponent which units are in which transports, as part of the deployment (including eldar aspect warriors). I know you do in most tournaments, so that you can't just pull whatever unit is most convenient out of the closest transport.

 

This applies to the OP because then it doesn't matter what color you paint your transport (I painted a black rhino for my DC, and now I wish I hadn't, because a couple of games was all it took to convince me to NOT put DC in a Rhino), and the DC doesn't own the Stormraven, it belongs to the chapter, and is just giving DC a ride.

[ryanmcc]

Himkano you're right bud, pg. 118 "A Note on Secrecy" states what you said.

 

But for OP you've got to think like the times. In our age we try for every advantage when it comes to our military and life and death. But in the year 40k they think more of honor and glory, like feudal Japan. Wearing bright red armour isnt exactly the smartest move either :P

 

I can't recall any official fluff ever stating that they have to be black (i looked in the 1998 supplement and the WD print-dex). But they have always been presented that way in the pictures and in novels. If you want to think of it functionally maybe they do it to differentiate them on the battle field? If they see black armour the captain knows he cannot give them orders.

 

-Ryan

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

I say no and personally think that the idea of painting a transport to carry one unit, one time is patently ridiculous. From a tabletop perspective, I don't always field my DC in the same transport and if the DC aren't using a given transport I often put another unit in it instead.

 

Of course, I came to this realisation after having spent over a week painting my Redeemer in DC livery...

[DominicJ]

Ryan

We do have official fluff that some chapters paint DC and SG White

 

And fluff isnt rules.

You can field blue DC and Black blood angels, who use wolf motifs not blood wings.

 

The only relevent rule is WYSIWYG

All that demands is that DC can be quickly and easily differentiated by the other side

[Axira]

I think that Black DC transports would be cool, but you do not by any means paint your army in a way that you do not like!

[RebG]

I'm (personally) not a big fan of Land Raiders, Razorbacks and Stormravens painted up black though dont mind Rhinos. LR's and SR's seem a bit too big/rare/important to repaint jist to stick half a dozen psychos in for a single mission. I can see them have a spare Rhino lying around though for those occasions of taking the crazies to war...

[ryanmcc]

Ryan

We do have official fluff that some chapters paint DC and SG White

 

And fluff isnt rules.

You can field blue DC and Black blood angels, who use wolf motifs not blood wings.

 

The only relevent rule is WYSIWYG

All that demands is that DC can be quickly and easily differentiated by the other side

 

Dominic, his question was for painting dc black, not white.

 

Fluff isnt rules youre right, but you cant say the game isnt based off fluff. Nothing in the rules says that the DC have to be differentiated from the others quickly and easily either, but we all do anyway

 

I agree completely with RebG thats exactly how I view the chapter would do things as well, although i don't begrudge a player that does make the DC raider lol +1 for cool factor.

-Ryan

[SnorriSnorrison]

You don't have to paint your DC transports black(unless you're a 'Stones fan!), but it definitely looks very cool!

 

I'm not a supporter of black Land Raiders and Stormravens, however. Sure, looks nice and all...but they are very rare vehicles and will probably not painted black for one occasion or assigned delivery the Death Company. That's my POV. Read the story of Aphael's assault on that forge world taken by a Waaagh!, where Moriar(I think it was him) was transported in Aphael's assigned Stormraven. Now Moriar is a DC dread, but there's nothing that hints towards the image of a Black 'raven.

 

 

If you field them in a Rhino or a Razorback, I'd definitely go for black paint with red crosses. Anything else I'd paint in a simple Blood Angels or successor colour scheme.

 

 

 

Snorri

[Darklighter]

I can only ever remember reading about death company painting a Rhino and I believe it was a whole squad that fell at once and they painted their own Rhino (back when every Tac squad was issued with one). I don't remember the source and it's been a long time so I might be wrong. From the feel of it though It's second edition info.

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

I have to say, though, a Land Raider in Death Company colours does look very awesome. I'm planning on painting one of my Landraiders black just for that coolness factor, even though it's not all that fiscally responsible.

 

Seems to me that repainting a vehicle wouldn't be that hard or time consuming, so from a fluff perspective I see no reason why they couldn't paint a Land Raider black for one mission. But also see why they might not.

 

Are death company vehicles crewed by regular, non-Black Rage afflicted techmarines?

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Would you give the keys to a Land Raider or Stormraven to someone who finds it hard to distinguish friend and foe?

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

LOL. Good point! I might even put that in my sig ...

[SGK]

Or you could just paint some doors death company colours and magnetize them only using hose doors when ferrying round our sable brethren. there is a land raider on the cover of epic Armageddon that has done just that black side doors red Saltaires the rest red

[Pascalnz]

you don't let a nutter drive it for heavens sakes!!!, you hand the keys to a nic techmarine who drives it keeping the nutters locked up inside:)!

 

Sr's, wierdly arn't that rare, they have like 50 per chapter. I'm pretty sure Astorath might have one painted up or Lemmy might have one painted to honour him and scar the pants off the enemy:)

[DarkMark]

Or you could just paint some doors death company colours and magnetize them only using hose doors when ferrying round our sable brethren. there is a land raider on the cover of epic Armageddon that has done just that black side doors red Saltaires the rest red

 

I'm leaning towards that idea for now at least. I roll with the 5th so, in any case, the red and black fit very nicely regardless. :)

 

I think trying to 'hide' a DC unit in red is a little beardy, but as has been pointed out there's nothing officially laid down the black. It certainly makes for an interesting discussion either way. For those of us with a more modest motor pool its a little harder to justify the black transport/ s.

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

You can't hide anything. You have to tell your opponent where the DC are if they begin embarked.

[SnorriSnorrison]

you don't let a nutter drive it for heavens sakes!!!, you hand the keys to a nic techmarine who drives it keeping the nutters locked up inside:)!

 

Sr's, wierdly arn't that rare, they have like 50 per chapter. I'm pretty sure Astorath might have one painted up or Lemmy might have one painted to honour him and scar the pants off the enemy:)

 

'Rare' means that they are not always assigned to a company, they are at first chapter property and are granted by the armoury as aerial support or re-deployment vehicles for campaigns, so probably 3-5 are on the field, depending on the importance of the mission. The strike force's tactical abilities would be severely limited if only one of the SRs is permanently assigned to transport the DC and therefore painted black and red.

 

Otherwise, yeah DC don't drive. They'd not even know what to do with that Rhino controls, maybe they'd destroy them because some blinky buttons looked like the eye of Horus. :)

 

 

 

Snorri

[Sabadin]

Of course you paint it black, that way your opponent pumps everything he has into it...instead of the red transport your DC are actually riding in :)

[MrCalistarius]

You can't hide anything. You have to tell your opponent where the DC are if they begin embarked.

 

Check page 118 of the rulebook, the "note on secrecy" as others have posted earlier, all depends on the gaming group, like mine for instance where we need to write down what units are whe and reveal it when the unit disembarks, (to prevent beardy things like squads moving where they are needed on the feild), but other then that its place a transport on the tagle, oppenent asks if/what is in the transport, my response is usually, depending on the transport, "a unit" or "some squads".