Librarius Conclave with Command Squads?

[DarkAngeal]

I have a question regarding dark angels Librarius Conclave formation. I believe that you can take command squads for each librarian in the formation. Of course there's a limit of 1 command squad of each type per army, so you could end up with 1 command squad, 1 ravenwing Command squad, and 1 deathwing command squad. Is that correct?

[Prot]

Well assuming you can take the command squads (honestly I didn't think you could but I stopped trying the Conclave soon after it came out at Christmas).... I always thought to take a Ravenwing Command squad, you needed a RW HQ, to take a DW command squad, you needed a DW HQ, etc, etc.

[DarkAngeal]

Exactly! You could put 1 libbie on a bike, thus unlocking a ravenwing Command squad, 1 in terminator armour to unlock the deathwing, and ezekiel unlocks the power armour squad!

[Solrac]

Formations were written with the new 40k Format in mind.

 

Let's use the Blood Angels Codex as an example. All of their non-FOC (Force Orginisation Chart i.e the way the DA codex is now) got rolled into a category e.g Command Squads are now an Elite Choice, Techmarines are a HQ choice etc.

 

So if BAs have a Formation that says:

0 - 1 Chaplain

1 Captain

0 - 2 Tac Squads

2 - 6 Assault Squads

 

That means you may only take that many of those choices within your selection for that specific formation, usually to get bonuses.

 

So when we look at the Librarius Conclave Formation, it was written to be future proof which means it will follow the force selection rules that WILL BE. So where it says it must contain:

Ezekiel

2 - 5 Librarians

 

This means that within that specific formation that's all you can take, no non-FOC extras. So if lets says you were to build a 500 point list using just this formation, it means you can only take the listed nothing extra regardless of what your codex says because that's how formations  work, you make the choices from the ones listed only. A Formation is a legal choice and does not make it unbound as an Army can be seen as multiple formations and detachments all taken together. You don't have to use a CAD as that is also a detachment.

 

For those that still get confused (and you see it all the time), this is the main difference between a Detachment and a Formation:

Detachment = X amount of broad choices e.g you must take 1 HQ, 2 Troops and X optional choices etc etc and you fill them as you see fit.

Formation = Specific choices e.g In this Formation you MUST take 1 Chaplin, 2 Tactical Squads, 10 Assault squads. Its specific. You cant take 10 bike squads instead because that's not allowed within that formation.

You can have multiple Formations within a Detachment (like Necrons) but you never have Detachments within Detachments.

 

However, currently Rules as Written in the DA dex says you may take a Command Squad for each HQ in your Army and a Deathwing or Ravenwing Command squad for every HQ in Termie Armour or on a Bike so current RAW it has created a Grey area. With formations in mind this means you cant put them in a specific Formation because the Formation doesn't say you can also include Command Squads, however, If you take a CAD + Librarius Conclave where the CAD is not specific and those two combined is "Your Army" that does technically mean that all these extra Command Squads you can take can be slotted into the CAD. Just keep in mind our DA dex will look like the BA dex eventually where our command squads will be elites choices etc so some people might be in a huff if you take Ezekiel and 5 Libbies on bikes in the Conclave then your CAD has 1 Libby on a bike, 2 Tac squads, 6 Ravenwing Command Squads and 7 Normal Command Squads. Looks a bit ridiculous if you ask me.

 

Some of the older 6th edition Codex's (Tau and Farsight Enclaves comes to mind) they have amended the wording from Army to each Detachment in the Errata. If they do this you definitely wouldn't be able to do the above as the CAD and the Librarius Conclave or not in the same Detachment therefore in your CAD you can't put in the choices of a different Detachment.

 

As always when there is a transitioning of rules it's always good to check with you opponent if they are ok with it (or a TO if you are going to a Tournament) before you play. If they are cool with it, then do it otherwise as always they are well within their rights to not play you just like if you made an unbound army with 8 Riptides.

[DarkAngeal]

Thanks so much for that fantastic and thorough answer, you answered all my questions