Formations and Detachments

[appledipper69]

Are/can formations be a part of a detachment? For example, the new Deathstorm Blood Angels formation gives benefits if you take the units they describe, but the formation happens to include 1 HQ, 2 Troops, and 1 Elite. Would this mean that they would benefit from a warlord trait reroll and objecive secured in addition to the formation benefits or would I have to pick between one of the two benefit options?

[Brother Casman]

Formations are a special type of Detachment and all of your units can only belong to one detachment. So, in this case, it's pick one set of benefits or the other, but not both. Check the Rulebook: page 118 for the Detachment rules, and the note on Formations on page 121.

[Kristoff]

Formations are Detachments all on their own, and a unit can only belong to one detachment.

[Daybreak]

I just want to confirm, since I'm new to this "list building in 7th" thing, how this works.  Could I take a Space Wolves CAD (say, a Wolf Lord and two squads of Grey Hunters) and then add a Blood Angel formation to it?  I'm thinking in particular of the upcoming Blood Rain Strike Force from WD #47 (1 DC Squad, 1 VV Squad, 1 ASM Squad, 1 Furioso, 1 Stormraven).  Does it not matter that the Formation has no HQ?

 

Could I then add (if I have the points for it) a Blood Angel Allied Detachment?  Say, Mephiston and some Tactical Marines?

[Kristoff]

Yes, so long as the BA AD does not have your Warlord in it (part of the Allied Detachment restrictions).

 

And no, Formations do not need an HQ. They need what is on their list, no less, and most times, no more (some Formations will allow a Dedicated Transport).

 

Also keep in mind that most Formations do not grant Objective Secured, even if they carry Troop units. It is very rare beyond the Combined Arms and Allied Detachments.

[tsijben]

For the purpose of rules I have one advice: Replace the word 'Formation' with 'Detachment', because Formations are Detachments.

And replace 'Primary Detachment' with 'Detachment that has your Warlord'.

That will answer 99% of most questions and issues.

 

When you build a Battle-forged army you can take an infinite amount of Detachments as long as you don't break any rules.

Some of those rules are:

-Cannot contain your Warlord (allied detachment)

-Must be of another Faction than your Warlord (allied detachment)

-May only contain units of Faction X (a lot of them!)

 

So you can take a CAD of Space Wolves.

And then a Detachment of Blood Angels.

And even an Inquisitorial Detachment.

 

But you can't put Space Wolves in the Blood Angel-Detachment.

And if the Wolf Lord is your Warlord, you cannot take a Space Wolves Allied Detachment.

[Gentlemanloser]

Except you can use Formations in an Unbound Army, that has no Detachments.

 

Well, apart from the Primary Detachment made from the Warlords Faction...

[tsijben]

That's the 1%, because that is my estimate of the amount of people who play Unbound and have questions ;)

Any non-Unbound question could be handled with what I said, right?

[Jacinda]

Except you can use Formations in an Unbound Army, that has no Detachments.

Can you point me to where this is stated? Really, that's a question because I'm not sure. It seems like it should work this way but all I see is "pick any models" and that's about it. If we can use formations, can we also make unbound CAD's?

[Brother Casman]

There's a box on page 121 of the paper BRB that explains how formations interact with Unbound armies.

[Jacinda]

*blush*

How did I not see that? I knew I was missing something.

[Kristoff]

The odd part is that it also says that those detachments which cannot be in Unbound also do not benefit from Command Benefits.

 

I prefer to look at it that each Faction in Unbound is in a detachment, but not a Detachment. The main reason has to do with how Chapter Tactics work.