Dismounted Ravenwing

[darkangel1030]

Hey all. I was thinking about knocking up a squad of company vets to use as dismounted RBK, like in the Ravenwing novel. I was planning on making them a rhino or razorback, and paining it black with ravenwing iconography. But I'm not sure if that is legit fluff wise. Would the ravenwing maintain an amount of rhino varients at all, or just borrow from another company if the need arose? Thanks, take care.

[shabbadoo]

No, the 2nd Company does not maintain Rhinos or other battlefield transports; at least the ones that are in the codex.  The 2nd Company could very well maintain Thunderhawk Gunships and Space Marine Strike Cruisers in 2nd Company colors.  I think the point here would be that the dismounted Ravenwing are riding in Rhinos requisitioned from some other Company.  Basically, they are making use of Chapter resources according to their need.  The Ravenwing could very much be fielded dismounted so as to help out in terrain that bikes cannot be taken into, or where they won't function, such as when attacking enemy forces in swamps, mountains, or the void of space.  In that case though, a Rhino wouldn't be getting in there either... 

[Brother dean]

I dont believe there are any dismounted Ravenwing in the novel...  There are some squads of 5th company attached but they really only show two RW members off their bike for any length of time.  One because he lost a leg and the other because he was looking for a radio.

[Chaplain Lucifer]

I dont believe there are any dismounted Ravenwing in the novel...  There are some squads of 5th company attached but they really only show two RW members off their bike for any length of time.  One because he lost a leg and the other because he was looking for a radio.

In the final attack, all of the ravenwing dismounts because bikes couldnt get to the enemy fortress. In any case that should be the exception, not the rule so fluffwise I don't think it has much sense to have a RW squad dismounted or even on a rhino.

[march10k]

Yeah...they dismount only in the most extreme circumstances...ridiculously, they stay on their bikes when boarding an enemy-held starbase!!!  (hey, if that's okay, why can't they drive up to the upper floors of a ruin on the tabletop?)

[Brother dean]

 

I dont believe there are any dismounted Ravenwing in the novel...  There are some squads of 5th company attached but they really only show two RW members off their bike for any length of time.  One because he lost a leg and the other because he was looking for a radio.

In the final attack, all of the ravenwing dismounts because bikes couldnt get to the enemy fortress. In any case that should be the exception, not the rule so fluffwise I don't think it has   much sense to have a RW squad dismounted or even on a rhino.

I admit it's been a bit since I read it but didnt they just get off the bikes to run into the building to grab the Governer?  Didnt they crash the gate mounted?

 

fine...  I guess I am reading it again...  If I can stomach the product placement...

[FerociousBeast]

Nope, they spend a long time climbing the mountain sans bikes. Land Speeder Storms would have come in handy on that attack!

[imustbedreamin]

 

 

I dont believe there are any dismounted Ravenwing in the novel...  There are some squads of 5th company attached but they really only show two RW members off their bike for any length of time.  One because he lost a leg and the other because he was looking for a radio.

In the final attack, all of the ravenwing dismounts because bikes couldnt get to the enemy fortress. In any case that should be the exception, not the rule so fluffwise I don't think it has   much sense to have a RW squad dismounted or even on a rhino.

I admit it's been a bit since I read it but didnt they just get off the bikes to run into the building to grab the Governer?  Didnt they crash the gate mounted?

 

fine...  I guess I am reading it again...  If I can stomach the product placement...

 

product placement?

[Brother dean]

 

 

 

I dont believe there are any dismounted Ravenwing in the novel...  There are some squads of 5th company attached but they really only show two RW members off their bike for any length of time.  One because he lost a leg and the other because he was looking for a radio.

In the final attack, all of the ravenwing dismounts because bikes couldnt get to the enemy fortress. In any case that should be the exception, not the rule so fluffwise I don't think it has   much sense to have a RW squad dismounted or even on a rhino.

I admit it's been a bit since I read it but didnt they just get off the bikes to run into the building to grab the Governer?  Didnt they crash the gate mounted?

 

fine...  I guess I am reading it again...  If I can stomach the product placement...

 

product placement?

paraphrased: "The Nephilim swooped in and rippled off BlackSword missiles causing much mayhem and death among the rebellious guardsmen with their Avenger Autocannons..."   

 

In the first few chapters, EVERY new ravenwing toy is specifically detailed and shown to be super effective by name (Nephilim, Dark Talon, Dark Shroud, LS Vengeance, Plasma storm battery, Blacksword missiles, etc) regardless of the actual in game effects...  That goes away for the most part later in the book but for the first bit, after you are made aware of it, it becomes painfully obvious.  I know they are just in business to sell toys but it could have been a bit more subtle...

 

 

 

Since the next book is DW oriented I imagine that DWKnights and Command squads and Plasma will get their day in the sun

 

 

*Disclaimer.  I own a Nephilim/Dark Talon and a supa speeda and I love them but seeing the way Gav handles them in the book is just like seeing Tony Stark praise Oracle in Iron Man 1 & 2.  It pulls you out of the story for a second and breaks your suspension of disbelief...

[imustbedreamin]

aha....gotcha.......didn't notice much to be honest but im sure i will on the re read.

[Gillyfish]

*Ahem* Going back to the matter in hand, you could depict them dismounted using tactical squad rules, but leaving them all bolter armed, but it would be unusual. Might be an interesting theme though.

[Brother dean]

*Ahem* Going back to the matter in hand, you could depict them dismounted using tactical squad rules, but leaving them all bolter armed, but it would be unusual. Might be an interesting theme though.

Well the Meltas and Plasmas are all hand carried so you could pick one of those up in a Tac squad...    I think a Vets squad would do you better because I see dismounted RW with pistols and chainswords and maybe two special weapons.

[Augustus]

Dismounted Assault squad? Not very effective though

[Gillyfish]

Probably not efficient, no, but it might fit the theme.

[Brother-Sergeant Bohemond]

I would not be too surprised to see them dismounted at some point in the 10,000 years they have existed...

[Lord Commander Scrymgeour]

Sounds awesome, do it!

[Pyro X]

if you can get the RW shoulders or the transfers (or just really good at painting them, I think they wold make a really nice looking army. And if your really bored and can place stuff on a base well, you could magnetize the feet onto a bike base with bike and dismounted model. I think it would look cool if you can pull it off.

[darkangel1030]

Thanks all for the replies. I know it probably doesnt happen that often(ever), I just wanted to do something a bit different with the comp vets box, rhino, and ravenwing bits I have around. Take care

[Kasper_Hawser]

You know, historically there are such things as Dragoons. These are mainly infantry that travel by horse but later dismount and fight on foot with all the weapons they packed on the horse, giving them (at the time) mobility as well as versatility to do their missions. Although some would argue that it is against the fluff for Ravenwing to dismount for their bikes under any circumstances, I believe the realities of war would force the Ravenwing to occasionally dismount in their efforts to catch the Fallen. You can't very well bring your bike into the narrow corridors of a space hulk or base installation. You could even argue that it doesn't make them less mobile, they just adapted to the situation like the Space Marines they're supposed to be. Whatever heavy or special weapons that was attached to the bike they can still carry around.

[pueriexdeus]

Checking my brain-stem implant; I seem to remember a story where a Squad of RW did dismount to conduct some mission, recon, snatch??? I dont remember. Leaving a lone SM to guard the bikes.

[ValourousHeart]

 

*Ahem* Going back to the matter in hand, you could depict them dismounted using tactical squad rules, but leaving them all bolter armed, but it would be unusual. Might be an interesting theme though.

Well the Meltas and Plasmas are all hand carried so you could pick one of those up in a Tac squad...    I think a Vets squad would do you better because I see dismounted RW with pistols and chainswords and maybe two special weapons.

pri

 

 

Whatever heavy or special weapons that was attached to the bike they can still carry around.

 

I had a similar thought for a dismounted RW squadron.  The back story I usually run with is that my RW are either heading to the primary objective and encountered some resistance along the way... Hence why the DW aren't with them.

 

Conversely I say that they have just completed the primary objective and are now trying to break away to the extraction site.... and again the run into some resistance.  For this story my thought for a dismounted RW squad was a group that got their bikes shot out from under them.  Maybe they ran into a mine field or something that they spotted soon enough to get themselves clear but had to ditch the bikes.

 

I figured that you could arm them with anything that could reasonably be salvaged from the squadron.  So bolters, bolt pistols, ccw, special melee weapon for the sarg, plasma, melta and flamer.  If it was based on the RWAS they could have had a speeder or attack bike with them and so that opens up the option for a Heavy Bolter, Multi-melta or Heavy Flamer.  A missile launcher is possible due to the TML, but just doesn't make sense to me.

 

If the squad was based on RWBK and you are using Vets to represent them on foot, you could hand out a lot of combi-plasma.  Perhaps you could just flip a switch and eject the plasma talon and call it plasma gun.  But in my mind you would have to break it off the bike and rig it to fire like a normal gun... which considering it is plasma could be tricky.  And you might damage the weapon, meaning you may only get one good shot with it... which is what combi-weapons give you rule wise.

 

Anyway those were my thoughts on weapon choice.  I would say that with my back story they wouldn't get a transport, but they could get a defense line.

[Kasper_Hawser]

Well, I wouldn't go too far as to rip the plasma talons of a RWBK bike. Bear in mind that in the age of the Imperium, technology is viewed as a sort of magic, jury rigging or modification of any machine is "an insult to the machine spirit". Idiots. Then again, my thoughts is that detaching the heavy weapon of an Attack Bike is more logical and easier to do. My logic is that the twin linked bolters and plasma talons are built into the bike and therfore cannot be detached easily. The Multi Melta, Heavy Bolter and Missile Launcher on the attack bike however, looks like an attachment that can easily be broken off.

 

Either way, normal Imperium doctrine frowns upon tinkering with weapons, unless it is maintenance. Only techmarines can supposedly do so without "angering the machine spirit". Again, idiots. Even the Space Wolves don't do it, and they don't care what everyone thinks.

 

Special weapons like plasma guns, flamers and meltas on the other hand, are simply held by the bikers and therefore can be carried off anytime they dismount.

[Terrahawk]

Even though this isn't something that happens very often, I love the idea! Fluff be damned, do it man!

And at the end of the day, despite their specialization, the Ravenwing are still members of the Adeptus Astartes, masters of warfare in all its forms. If the Inner Circle tells them to go snatch that Fal... uhm traitor with a Rhino from another company, they'll do just that. Naturally the Rhino is re-painted for the duration of the mission, as not to bring dishonour upon our sacred Hunt.

[[TA]Typher]

Well despite that it's seldom done in the fluff, it would be cool to see a tac unit painted up like ravenwing. I find it tough to believe that they would be so tactically inflexible that they would never dismount when it would be prudent to do so. I'd imaging that they wouldn't be picked for this mission if that was the primary method of travel, but missions change even if you don't want them to.

 

I'd also think that a chapter that was usually in several different places at once, and may not have all the resources they need (IE footsloggers), might dismount some troops to complete that task. If we just use the books written so far as the only method of how the DA operate I think we are casting too narrow of a view on them. For example if we look at the US military we can see that sometimes resources get shifted in times of need. If you were a cook or a diesel mechanic you might be on a combat patrol if logistics demanded it. I find that a 1000 man chapter might have to adapt similarly as they have even less resources.

 

While footslogging might not be perferable or common, I find it hard to believe that it was the only option. With that said the book, Ravenwing shows that they sometimes drag some normal tac units around with them to conduct these missions. So, as long as they kept doing this they probably wouldn't have to dismount.

[Isiah]

I have no problem with dismounted Ravenwing bikers - fluffwise or in game play. Be cool to see some models painted up as footslogging RW. Maybe looking a bit glum-faced at having to walk :p.

 

Cheers

I