Black Legion: A Supplemental Review

[Tenebris]

I think that BL is better to be used as an ally rather than the main army. I have spent some time devising lists with the BL as the main army and each time I was quite horrified by the heavy tax that an army wide VotLW is. On average if you field Terminators and units that are not our poor CSM the Veterans upgrade can mean very well a drop in points that equals almost an Obliterator and a Mutilator and this is heavy IMO, with a very poor return value. 

 

On the other side thinks like a Dark Apostle and Cultists make for a great BL ally force, too bad that they have noting screaming Black Legion about them and their same job is done way better by the cheap Daemonettes and a Herald of Slaanesh for a similar point cost. 

 

I have also seen the benefits of an additional Obliterator squad, a Forgefiend or a Maulerfiend but alas I think that the more we rely on allies the more we diminish our main army, cutting the points where they are needed, like in our Troops and Elite section. 

 

All in all I struggle to find the real benefits of a CSM army allied with another CSM army. I think the loyalist will do this much better due to the diverse chapter traits. Imagine the main army as Ultramarines with the Tactical doctrine allied with an Iron Hand army with Rhinos that have It Will not Die!, or a Raven Guard outflaniknf army. I think that this new ally model is better suited to other books. The Daemons are still better allies in the long run. 

[Damienhell]

Sorry for being a newb but that artefact that gave ml and nova power, does it need los to hit a unit? Or every single unit within range got hit by it regardless of los?

[Brother Aiwass]

No, don't need LOS to hit.

[Tenebris]

My interpretation of the Overwhelming Force (Chaos Space Marine Tide) type army in the army list section. I plan to do one for Heart of the Legion (Chosen) and The Tip of the Spear (Chaos Terminators) army types. 

 

While the new fluff is great and Abaddon made a superb comeback as a truly inspiring and vicious Warmaster, a worthy bearer of this grand title, I lament the lack of fluff for Black Legion lords in general (by definition us). While we can say that our warband has fought as one of the many in the Black Crusades and in the various battles of the Black Legion I hungered for more names, more timeline dates, more warbands and more color schemes. A thing that this supplement failed to provide imo. We have four umbrella warbands, one for each of the Chaos gods and one made form faliures and the other from possessed. 

 

Same for the artefacts, I was hoping for something more tangible, more useful and certainly more affordable. 

 

In short while the supplement is lacking in rule terms, it is lacking also in the hobby aspect. With Iyaden you had tons of various color schemes for the ancient Craftworld houses while the BL book did not deliver this.

 

On a side note I loved the minor citations of Luna Wolves and Horus followers and the possibility to run them as separate warbands. 

[Brother Aiwass]

Yes, the thrice-cursed warbands are indeed a great opportunity for modellers & painters. Rules-wise is a bit lackluster but at least is 'workable'.