Dark Angles 8th Company

[darker.tlx]

I'm painting my DA army

Greenwing : 6 tactical squads (5 painted so far) - 2 Devastator Squads

Ravenwing : 2 full attack squads - 1 Command Squad - Sammael with Sabreclaw - Librarian biker (Nothing painted)

Deathwing : 4 Deathwing Squads (Nothing painted)

 

I also have 2 Assault Squads and a Chapelain, already painted, because I liked the models, and I bought them in 5th ed. era.

Problem is : Assault DA don't seem to be very popular now.

So I had the following idea : what about making them 8th company with black shoulder pads (with green rims), and use them as allies, using Blood Angels codex ?

 

Will it be legal ? And would it be enought to make them stand apart only using a different shoulder pad color ?

 

It would allow me to have scoring Jump packs Marines, and perhaps later even a Stormraven + Furioso Dread.

I could use white painted models as Sanguinary Priest, since they are more or less apothecaries.

 

Thanks for your replies

[elmo]

Assault marines arn't that bad, they just take up a fast attack slot which we can use for something better.

 

There is nothing wrong with you painting your blood angel allies any colour you want as long as you stick to the BA codex rules. Afterall they are your little plastic men ;)

 

For making them stand apart you could paint a red rim on the base but this may detract from the overall effect. Red and green armour tends to look like an Xmas tree unless you are careful so a black/green mix may be the way to go. I don't think that just one pad would be enough to make them stand out on the table. How about larger areas of black such as a quarter or half/half scheme such as legs black, torso green or similar?

[Master Avoghai]

Well, rather than 8th company, I plan to play the other chapters traits as successor chapters.

For example, I plan to play blood angels as angels of vengeance or Iron hands as Consecrators.

 

Because it's easier for my opponent to identify what is DA and what is allies if the colors are different.

[Disciple of Caliban Sgt]

That is true Avoghai.

 

To the Op. I've though about doing the 8th company bit and honestly as long as you don't use Death Company or Sang Guard I don't see why you couldn't do a DA 8th company out of Assault Squads etc. If you are just using it to spam the other units though (really want Death Company etc) then I'd say find a green paint scheme you like.

 

I've found if you want to do something "fluffy" like making an 8th company using all the best units from the codex you use to represent kind of kills the "fluff" part of it and makes you seem more a WAAC player.

 

But if you do use the "realistic and fluffy" units that DA would have from BA codex I find most people of the similar mind set have a great game and good times.

 

DoC

[darker.tlx]

I really like the jump pack Marines and Chappy. Reasons for Blood Angels rules is to get scoring flying units (maybe with melta or plasma guns that our squads don't have), usable options for CC Chappy (PF + Crosius for example). Death Company and Sanginary guard are good, but I don't plan to include them would be a little too much... Same for the uber BA HQ. Stormraven is something else, since it opens a lot of new options that we dont' have for air assault. Shame I find it so ugly... Reason for 8th company is to keep visual identity.

[Master Avoghai]

Reason for 8th company is to keep visual identity.

... But it leads to visual mistake and troubles when your opponent needs to know who does what.

Making them successor keeps a fluff and visual coherency (they re all unforgiven) and a quick identification of the specific rules for each squad

[Disciple of Caliban Sgt]

As far as plasma gun and melta's I don't see that being a problem as all chapters have that and we of the First probably more than most. I even think the Stormraven could be included since there is the "stormwing dataslate" or whatever it's called. Plus I cannot for the life of me see a fluff reason why DA don't have a Stormraven. Real world its because they want us buying DA flyers but other than that can't figure it out.

 

Anyway Chappies and Reclusiarchs are in both books so once again not seeing a problem from my perspective. I just use a Successor Chapter (Pretty hard to tell by my name I'm sure) and say that the Veterans don't always use Termi armor because unlike the DA we don't have quite enough to spread around. A bit of a stretch but not unreasonable I think. So Darker when you want to use Vanguard Vets if you use some kind of Successor it seems an easy fit. Or name them some kind of honor guard etc.

[Bryan Blaire]

The Storm Raven is new tech. It doesn't fit into the restrictively tradition-laden Dark Angels' methods of combat and therefore finds no use in their Armory.

 

The DA/Unforgiven have never requisitioned the plans.

 

You can make up all sorts of reasons why they wouldn't, much as you can do for almost any Chapter.

 

Maybe the DA just like Thunderhawks or drop pods more.

[Azoriel]

But the nephillim and dark talon aren't old technologies either, nor are the landspeeder vengeance and darkshroud.  I would agree that the justifications for exclusion are flexible, though I wouldn't use a dogged adherrance to tradition as one of them, esp. when you're talking about the guys who produced the land raider aries and use company veterans.

[Bryan Blaire]

Well, the Vengeance is 5K years old, and the Darkshroud uses statues from Caliban's fall. Those are both older than some currently existing Chapters. The Nephilim and Dark Talon I chalk up to the fact that they "fit" how the Dark Angels fight and that the engines were discovered while hunting for the Fallen, something that would probably engender some "loving" by the Inner Circle. After all, tools to hunt the Fallen better found while hunting a Fallen, how fortuitous and in keeping with our traditions. ;)

 

The Storm Raven was just released tech, and the implication behind it is it was released somewhat in desperation, not because the Mechanicus actually wanted to. It has no tradition to it at all and fits in a position reserved for other units, like the Thunderhawk, which isn't brand new.

 

The Land Raider Ares was stated to have been created specifically because of the Hunt as well, and in conjunction with the Deathwing, because they couldn't do their traditional tactic of simply teleporting into the stronghold.

 

The Company Veterans may or may not be a new thing. I realize they were introduced with a new Codex some years ago, but at the same time, there is no information given on when they came into being in the game time-line. It's like Centurions, it's almost a case of "but they've always been here".

[Azoriel]

The company veterans, being an ad hoc formation that come and go depending on conditions imposed, I view as not so much part of any tradition as it is the DA's willingness to flex with circumstances as the need arises.  Kinda like how the Lion orders his guys muddy their surplices in Descent of Angels, or the use of librarians post-Nikea.

The current codex states that the Ravenwing are more than willing to embrace new technology and often do so with open arms.  I suppose you could counter by saying that the Mechanium doesn't trust the Dark Angels, and so would tell them "no Storm Ravens for you", though Storm Ravens (if available) would still serve a role any time the Dark Angels would need insert forces into tight areas were teleportation isn't an option.

 

To your credit, though, the current codex does also state all other companies outside the Ravenwing tend to be extremely mistrustful of strange gear.  Conversely, I also suppose the Dark Angels would also be mistrustful of any gear they couldn't reproduce/resupply/replace by way of their own factories (which is what brought the Hunter-class destroyer into being).