Making the Blood Angels Battle-Company Work

[Dont-Be-Haten]

'Lo All,

I've been brainstorming lately on how to field the Blood Angels' Battle Company in a game and how to make it work to my play style. I realize that our formation is very lack luster, but for the "rule of cool" I'd like to field it, even if its just once, to see how it holds up.

First we can look at the requirements.
1 Cappy
1 Chappy
1 Command Squad
6 Tactical's
2 Assault Squads
2 Devi's
1 Death Company Squad

1 Dread
1 Furioso Dread

It nets you a re-roll on lord trait, Objective Secured, and The Red Thirst, which are very lack luster to our Cousins by comparisons. But This thread isn't meant to lament on our have-nots. It is to positively dialogue a way to make this work for anyone who might be inclined to try this out one day, even if just for fun.

So what do we know? Before any upgrades of any kind this formation sits at 1335 points. So depending on how many points in a game you play, this is either be too many points for you to work with, or right at your usual games.

Personally I've been fooling around with some war gear options here and there, but I feel like this formation really needs to be played at 1850 or more. @1750 you're going to have 415 points to work with for upgrades and war gear, and I feel like you're going to give up too much for it to really have much viability. 

So the first thing I've noticed is how hard it is in breaking away from being much more liberal with points spending for a more conservative list. I want to have a strong melee oriented captain, but I also don't want a Hero Hammer captain that's worth all the points, because honestly in taking this formation, you simply can't afford to. 

Speaking of Captains, let's look at 2 load outs I have thought about running for him.

2nd Captain Alucard 130
Captain
Power Armor
Relic Blade
Grav-Pistol

4th Captain Sethaniel 135
Captain
Power Armor
Valour's Edge
Digital Weapons
Grav-Pistol

Each one is very similar in that they are hitting fairly hard, while having the capabilities of swinging before MCs, or TEQs. I, like others in discussion on the topic, feel that the Valour's Edge while a great AP2 @ I is just lacking in strength. After the first round of combat you are striking at Initiative, but trying to wound at Strength 4 instead of 5. Thus causing fewer wounds, and creating prolonged combats. In comparison, while the Relic Blade is only AP3 you are striking at S6(7) at initiative and are mathematically causing more wounds, and would not benefit as greatly from digital weapons. The Grav-Pistol in both cases allows for some AP2 and the chance at concussing a MC or other character that might be on equal or greater initiative. I chose simple Power armor for 2 reasons, firstly any Grav-weaponry that targets the captain and his unit will be wounding on 3s anyway, since it is the majority of the armor saves, secondly anything Hero Killer in close combat is going to ignore a 2+ anyways, so keep to keep it simple you forgo artificer armor, this puts you in an area where you have to choose your combats more carefully. I would like to take a storm shield, but it is just too many points in this formation at 1850 (Anything above 1850 I think would fine to take the storm shield.) 

The Chaplain in my opinion is the better option for a warlord. As he also works as a great force multiplier for the Death Company and comes with a power weapon stock.

This is my personal Chaplain that I recently finished painting for the ETL V. Alternatively the Veritas Vitae is better used here and is cheaper. Obviously you don't have to run a plasma pistol here and the 3-5 melta bombs you save could go else where, but this is how I've modeled mine and I really love the Fury of Baal, actually, but obviously both of these HQs are subjective and it really depends on your own play styles. I'd just rather not lose my Chaplain to a gets hot roll, and the model already has a plasma pistol, seems a shame to not WYSIWYG it.

Hazriel, the Oathsworn 130
Chaplain
Power Armor
Jump Pack
Fury of Baal

Hazriel the Rage Bearer 135
Chaplain

Power Armor
Jump Pack
Plasma Pistol
Veritas Vitae

The Command Squad is a bit vexing as you have to take it. At first, I found myself leaving this unit in particular to be last on my upgrades, mainly because I don't use them very often. But then I thought to myself, how can I utilize this unit since we only get 3 special weapons? Ultimately I decided to treat this as the phalanx for the captain and purchased 3 storm shields. I thought about taking 3 melta guns instead as a meltacide squad with some survivability but again this is all preference. to keep it simple and cheap I fitted them more for close combat, as the captain and champion are your work horses, and the noviate can always lob grenades as needed.

Command Squad Novein 130
Storm Shields x3

The 6 tactical squads are a huge glare when looking at the grander scheme of things. I personally love tactical marines even if I feel this specific formation calls for more than I normally would field, one of the points of me wanting to play this formation is to do something I normally would not.

Squad Ryner 90
Tactical Squad
Las Cannon

Squad Novos 90
Tactical Squad
Las Cannon

The first two squads I chose to play a pseudo devastator role, Since they are Objective Secured I felt like I could hold these lads back near an objective/beside the devastators for lack of a better word tactically to split fire at other targets.

Squad Artemis 90
Hand Flamer
Heavy Flamer

Squad Hermes 90
Hand Flamer
Heavy Flamer

The second batch of squads have heavy flamers, because of the heavy flamer being unique to us, and they really help once we fill out the gaps left with the points.

Squad Grail 95
Combi-Grav
Grav-Gun

Squad Chalice 95
Combi-Grav
Grav-Gun

While I realize Melta would work better here, I chose Grav just because I feel like this list needs a bit of it. I would have no problem dropping the grav weapons for melta however and it would also give us 2 more meltabombs worth of points to work with. However; even on tactical squads grav-guns still perform fairly well, and if you stand still then great Salvo 2/3 and all that.

Next are our two assault squads. For simplicity I chose to run them with Melta guns for obvious reasons. I haven't however decided how to take them. Do I want to take them in Rhinos or with Drop pods? Or do I want to skim them up the board with jump packs. This is something I haven't decided on yet, however for the time being they sit at a combined 210 points.

Assault Squad Garius 105
Melta Guns x2

Assault Squad Marius 105
Melta Guns x2

Next up are the two Devastator Squads. These guys were a hard one for me because of course I want all the heavy weapons on them. I broke down some of Codex: Blood Angels weaknesses and strengths, and as much as I would like these squads  with Multi-Meltas, I felt like we don't really have that luxury in this build and so I opted for Lascannons for extra range and S9.

Devastator Squad Andrith 110
Las Cannon x2

Devastator Squad Gwent 110
Las Cannon x2

I really like the double las cannon here. Part of me feels like for 20 more points Flak Missiles on Missile Launchers wouldn't be terrible, but for extra Strength 9 and range I chose Las Cannons.

The Death company is straight forward and standard, I just can't not take at least 1 power fist and jump packs with these guys. 

The Lost
Death Company 140
Jump Packs
Power Fist


Now to our much improved Dreadnought selections.

Hayden the Unyielding 125
Dreadnought
Twin-Linked Las Cannon

Caladris the Furion 130
Furioso Dreadnought
Frag Cannon
Melta Gun

I really like the utility our regular dread brings now, and without restrictions, I wouldn't have a problem playing him with the Multi-Melta in a Pod for 10 more points, but I chose for the range and to have a counter assault unit to protect my back field. This doubles of the Furioso Dreadnought. 

And now to where we sit with the rest of our points. As it is right now, at this moment the points total is around 1625-1635. at 1850 we have roughly 225 points to work with for drop pods, tanks, or buffing up unit sizes. If you all are still with me to this point, how can we utilize these last 225 points (Give or take) to really make this list feel like it can achieve something? The way it looks, to me at least, is a very fun list for a casual game. Obviously there is tons of leeway to this list, and you aren't bound by what I like to play, but I feel like this is a great starting point and would love the rest of the communities input!

Everything being said, I think this list is still playable at 1750 you just may have to treat one or more of your tactical squads as pseudo-scouts and just have them camp objectives, with no upgrades of any kind, or at least that's what I would do.
 

[Charlo]

I did this exact thread a few months back brother - even tried to expand it to Dante's Avenging host.

 

I know you do not wish to lament as to what we don't get for our battle company but I'm afraid there is no other way to look at this, especially considering our bonuses:

• Obj Sec
• Red Thirst

What a vanilla one or DA one gets (not included wolves due to non-codex organisation):

• Obj Sec
• Two uses of tactical doctrine/ BS4 Overwatch
• FREE Transports to the tune of about 500points which add up to a lot of free shooting/ cheap, mobile, twin linked heavy weapons.

Taking this thinking further, how do these bonuses play out in game terms... Well, our unique one of +1I is only ever used for a single round of a combat per game, maybe 2 or 3. Count to this, the doctrines are active multiple turns with a stronger effect AND in the shooting phase, the strongest phase of the game. BS4 overwatch is every assault phase and 90% of the time will happen when being assault. Free Transports are game long and provide untold benefits.

 

Then the list you propose, look at the Tac squads - you've outfitted them perfectly, I can't fault your logic... But what are they gaining from being in a Battle Company? +1I to a Lascannon armed marine who never wanted to move anyway.

 

Sadly - you can do everything a battle company can, and better with a CAD and BSF with a lot less minimum points (2 HQ & Four Troops that can be cheap scouts) and you get to spread around the Obj Sec and Red Thirst where it would be needed better. Then again, in terms of Obj sec it still can't compete with a vanilla BC.

 

The formation just doesn't work at the moment, it's broken - until we get an updated version with Free Tansports and a couple more themed abilities it's not worth looking into outside of a fluff game. Personally, I have fingers crossed for assault Rhinos - but I can see it being ignoring disordered charges like the Flesh Tearer Demi-Company lite thing.

[Dont-Be-Haten]

This is strictly for a funsees game. I've been trying to figure out what to do with the 225 points. Rhinos and Razorbacks for everyone? Drop pods? I think there is something exciting about the challenge. I'm not super concerned with what the cousin's get when approaching this beast. But thanks for the advice Charlo!

[NTaW]

Even when it's strictly for fun I'd still play a BSF over our Company. You can still take the same makeup of core choices, being 6 Tacs 2 Assault and 2 Devs, but you can choose your own Elites and HQ instead. Plus as Charlo pointed out you can split between two since you're rocking two HQs and plenty of Troops anyway: lascannon Tacs in a CAD and heavy flamer Tacs in a BSF (or however you want to break it up).

 

Using rules that GW didn't even seem to think about isn't very fun to me I guess. Same goes for pretty much every Formation (possible exceptions for the Archangels Detachment and Strike Force Mortalis) we've been offered thus far. This saddens me because I have a Battle Company (as per Codex Astartes requirements) of Blood Angels just waiting for their proper turn on the table.

[Dont-Be-Haten]

I don't have a problem doing that. This strictly a challenge to myself. To see if I can make it work. I do like the idea of both obj secured and red thirst in one go though without having to ally and confusing units for my opponent.