Advice on getting the most out of the Blood Angels

[Varyn]

Hi there everyone

 

I have recently got back into 40k after a long break, (I was playing back in 2nd edition!). I have a small Imperial Fists army I have been working on and I have decided that I'd like to return to my first army back in the 90's, the Blood Angels!

 

My initial plans are to combine the two chapters in a small force and I was hoping to get some advice on which units to add to my imperial fists to complement them best.

 

I have these models so far, (I know this isn't the army list section so I'll keep it brief)

 

Imperial Fists:

 

10 Sternguard

20 Tactical Marines

Rifleman Dreadnought

Stormtalon

Razorback

Landspeeder

Librarian in PA

 

Blood Angels:

10 Death Company

Terminator Librarian

Executioner captain with jump pack

 

Am I better off sticking to standard FoC to get objective secured for both detatchments? I understand that I will need to take a HQ and 2 troops for my Imperial Fists as well as an HQ and 1 troop choice for the Blood Angels detatchment, is it worth the trade off?

 

I was considering using the 10 DC marines with jump packs with either the captain or librarian in power armour as an aggressive CC unit, I guess with scouts as my troops, whilst my Imperial Fists soften the enemy up from afar.

 

FYI; I'll be playing against Dark Eldar, with the usual mix of raiders, wytches, kabalites and a couple of fliers.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Karhedron]

If you don't already have some, I would get some Centurions for your Imperial Fists as they bring the massed Grav that BAs lack. They can also ride in a spare BA Drop Pod from the Fast attack section if you need to get them close to the action in a hurry. Alternatively you can give them lascannons/missile launchers and benefit from Tank Hunters.

 

I would go for CAD for the Imperial fists to give you some Objective Secured Troop choices. For Blood Angels, I would definitely opt for the Baal Strike Force in order to get the +1I for your units on the charge as this allows them to strike before the majority of their opponents and at the same time as basic Eldar troops which is a real bonus. DC with Jump packs and a character do make for a great hammer unit. To support them I would look at other combat-oriented units which the codex is full of. CCW Scouts are cheap (if a little fragile) but can fill your Troops section handily. Have a look at some of the Elite jump pack units and other ways to bring the fight to the Dark Eldar quickly. Raiders are fragile at the best of times and can be quickly knocked out of the sky if assaulted by a squad with krak grenades.

 

Take a look at some of the formations of Vanguard, Sternguard and/or Assault squads in White Dwarf 47 and Exterminatus. Many of them lack the +1I bonus but gain other advantages to make up for it. You will need to balance how the various bonuses work and which ones will suit your overall army best.

 

My overall impression of the BA codex is that its strength lies in massed power armoured infantry moving quickly to bring the fight to the enemy. Normally I would recommend some guys carrying a couple of melta guns and infernus pistols in pods that that might be overkill for BE vehicles.