Tricky

[Helias_Tancred]

Could I put a regular tactical squad in a blood company rhino?

 

Would I have to announce that to my opponent, as to who is in the Rhino at the start of the game?

 

 

(have the BA and SM Codices, getting the 40k core rules next weekend ... heh)

 

 

[ElectricPaladin]

Could I put a regular tactical squad in a blood company rhino?

Would I have to announce that to my opponent, as to who is in the Rhino at the start of the game?

A rhino is a rhino is a rhino. They all have the same rules. You can paint your rhinos however you like, and many players chose to paint the rhinos (or storm ravens, or land raiders) that carry their death company in a death company scheme. It's not required. So, there's no such thing as a "death company rhino." What there is, is "rhino I painted black so it matches the death company I like to put in it."

Additionally, which squad is in which transport is open information.

Now, if you wanted to be a hole with no friends, you could have a rhino you've painted black, put a tactical squad in it, and try to avoid telling your opponent which squad is there - ie. don't volunteer the information, but be honest if he asks. But then you'd be playing a nasty game of "gotcha" rather than the noble game of Warhammer 40k, and if you come to my FLGS with that bull, I'm going to throw dice at you while shouting "unclean, unclean!"

[Inquisitor Eisenhorn]

We're talking about blood angels, not Alpha Legion! From a background perspective, the BA wouldn't do that. From a rules perspective, it sort of flouts the WYSIWYG principle, but even a bit further. Consider, if you have a Dante model, and then suddenly were like, hah! Psyche! He's really Mephiston! Wouldn't go over very well.

 

The only way it would be acceptable is if it were part of some home brew narrative of a Trojan horse style Hail Mary that Dante concocted, but in that case, you would be informing your opponent of that narrative, so the element of surprise wouldn't be there.

 

So basically, no.

[sockwithaticket]

There's no reason you can't, but as a show of good faith to the opponent it would be best to let them know it's only got a Tactical squad in it, such a distinctive paint scheme as the Death Company's sets up a certain expectation as to the contents of the vehicle and it's just good form to let that person know if you're subverting those reasonable expectations.

If the shoe was on the other foot (Death Company in a Rhino with regular Blood Angel Colours), I would say that, unless the opponent asks, there's no reason to tell them. I wouldn't expect an Eldar player to tell me there are Banshees in generically painted Wave Serpent #1 and Fire Dragons in generically painted Wave Serpent #2 unless I specifically enquired as to their contents.

[Lucien Eilam]

There's no facility in 40k to conceal which transport contains which unit. You deploy units. You can say you're deploying it inside a transport, but you're still telling your opponent which unit you're deploying.

[Helias_Tancred]

Thanks all. Makes sense. BTW for $85 how are the core rules? Awesome graphics, fluff, and the rules in it? I'm looking to finally get it this Friday and I'm hoping I have something to keep me busy reading for a good while.

 

And I definitely understand the nobility/integrity aspect of the game with the open information rule. That makes sense too. I'm Blood Angels not Alpha Legion ;)

[Xenith]

The big rule book is great if you don't already have a lot, or know the fluff sources in there.

Otherwise, picking up a small rulebook from the dark vengeance set or stormclaw or such allows me to spend less money on rules, and more on models!

All depends on what you want, really

[Helias_Tancred]

I thought the rules that came with dark vengeance was not a "complete" version of the rules? I was told it was WH40k rules lite.

 

 

Ok so I'm looking on eBay and seeing a handful of rulebooks for sale from the Dark Vengeance set and the Stormclaw set. Several say the paperback rules are 168 pages ... so I'm guessing they are paperback version of the WH40K rules? THE complete rules needed to play?

 

I thought the only complete version was the $85 set at my LFGS?

[shandwen]

The dark vengence rulebook contains all the rules, just not the artwork and fluff material. So you really dont need the big one, and can spend more on plactic-crack.

[Red-beard]

Tiberius, there is no rules reason why you can't use a black rhino for regular tac marines. In a show of good gamesmanship, just have a lone tac marine model standing on the roof of the rhino while the unit is embarked. That way it will be very clear in everyone's mind what unit is in that rhino.

[Xenith]

Indeed, the big book contains more pictures, background etc.

 

The small rulebook is 'just the rules', but still contains all of them.