Getting Started?

[t-dog1996]

So having played Blood Angels in 40k for close to 10 years now I finally want to give them a go in Heresy. My question is how do I get started? I've already bought the main rulebook, and obviously I'll need some minis, but I'm pretty confused about which books I need to buy. I know there's the new Malevolence book, but as I understand it just that alone plus the rulebook won't be enough to play. Do I even need it straight off the bat? Given how expensive Heresy is I want to work my way into it slowly, starting off with a small army and building up to a proper force, so I won't be looking to get Sanguinius etc straight away. There seem to be quite a few different Horus Heresy books, some of which seem like they might be out of date. All I need to know is which book(s) I need to buy that will give me a basic army list and hopefully a couple of Blood Angels-specific rules to get me started. Thanks all!

[Brofist]

Hey man! Welcome to the Heresy.

 

The cheapest way to get started is to buy the LA:AOD army list (legiones astartes: age of darkness army list) to use with your red rulebook. The army list has all the generic legion units along with rites of war. From there you'll need to decide on your HQ and a couple of troops choices. These will depend a lot on what sort of army you want to build, so I would just get the book, read through it, and figure out what looks cool. Unfortunately Malevolence has the rules for the blood angles inside of it, but with some google fu you should be able to find your specific legion rules to help with army list building. That's all you really need to get started.

[Vykes]

Aye, Brofists got the meat of it right there, T-dog.  Book wise he's exactly right, and a quick google fu search definitely does bring up the special units and rules that you need to really start at least list-building.  As for playing the game and army building, well, you are Blood Angels which leaves ya in a pretty good position: it's a lot more accepted that Angels, Scars, and Fists can at least get away with using some of their 40K mk. VI-VII kit, especially just starting out.  So you can always start playing right away and change 'em out for other era units as you see fit (and snag the needed rulebooks, or perhaps even the foretold updated legion book whenever that decides to show up, as you start to build your company). 

 

Out of curiosity, whatcha got in your collection?  It might help you aim towards one of the rites of war (generic or IX legion specific, which can help further narrow down the number of choices you need to make right off the bat).  

[t-dog1996]

Hey thanks for the info guys, much appreciated. I have now picked up the AOD Army List book as well (bought the ebook. I'm a fan of physical gaming books but carrying them around can be a pain).

 

Very little of my present Blood Angels army would be useful in Heresy. I do have some MkIII marines that I've been using as Sternguard Veterans for my 40k army, and I suppose some of my characters could make the switch, but apart from that it's mainly Scouts, unique Dreadnoughts and Death Company! One thing I do have is an abundance of drop pods that formed the core of my army in 7th edition but are basically useless now. I look forward to being able to use them again in heresy.

 

Having done some google fu I definitely want to go for the Day of Revelation Rite of War. A whole bunch of jump infantry arriving on turn 1 backed up by some close ranged firepower in the aforementioned drop pods sounds awesome.

 

As for getting started with an army, I have a bit of starting capital to get me going so I reckon the best idea would probably be for me to get a Blood Angels Praetor and 2 Assault Squads to get me going, then I can branch out. That sound like a plan?

[carlisimo]

You might not find much use for those Drop Pods - they can’t be taken in a normal army. There’s a Rite of War (Orbital Assault) that opens them up as an option, but it isn’t one that Blood Angels players tend to take.

 

FW doesn’t make it easy to start. As good as the power armored Praetor model is, most players would’ve wanted him to have a jump pack… which you can’t buy separately, either. (Not from FW, anyway - look elsewhere - and check the thread here about jump packs.) But yeah, Praetor + 2 Assault Squads is the best way to start. I like 15-man squads with apothecaries and maxed out power axes (1 in 3).

 

When you start to expand, I’d say a jump pack-based Blood Angels army isn’t going to find much use for Crimson Paladins, their special terminator unit; Assault-oriented Terminators are always going to be a step behind in that kind of army. (Regular Terminators with shooty upgrades would come in handy, mopping up and taking objectives behind your front line.) All the other special units are great, with the caveat that after the latest FAQ/Errata (on the WH community website), Angel’s Tears are best taken as a shooty unit because regular Destroyers are better in melee.

[battle captain corpus]

Most of the book requirements have been well covered by the above posters, nice work chaps! The only other advice I’d offer would be that just start small, as with any hobby project if you go big ASAP you can maybe get daunted very quickly. Start with a small squad, add a little narrative and go from there.

 

BCC

[lokkorex]

Might just be repeating what others have already but whatever, here's my two cents:

 

-the age of darkness rulebook, for y'know, them rules.

-the legiones astartes army list, for the basic astartes rules to get you going.

 

-1 hq+2 troops+something cool or something to support your hq and troops so far, or maybe plug a gap in combat capabilities.

 

Since you're picking blood angels and are going for the day of revealation row(if i remember what it does correctly, ba spiced assault marine spam correct?), 2 10-man squads of assault legionnaries would propably be the go-to compulsory troops. If fw prices scare you, get sanguinary guard jump packs from bitz stores or ebay, and add them to the mk.iv plastics, or you could mix 'em up with any mk.v or mk.vi bitz you may like.

 

Compulsory hq consist of several choices: forge-lord, praetor, chaplain, siege-breaker, delegatus, and propably a whole lot of others i can't remember.

Praetors and delegatus open up row choices, fyi.

 

As for support, a dread is always cool, and the plastic contemptor is easily obtainable, or you could pick one of the fw variants, or even a leviathan and stick him in a pod.

 

For expanding, the malevolence book contains the ba legion rules for now, but the age of darkness legions book will hopefullt be updated sometime in the future as well.

[battle captain corpus]

Also you’re quite lucky in the fact that GW, especially with the BA kits, have given you plenty of crossover minis. Various marks of armour etc. :)

 

BCC

[Imren]

Get the 40k sanguinary guard box for your 30k army, you probably know that box better than most players, I just want to remind you that those mkIV jump packs in plastic is a great source of jump packs for your 30k praetor in power armour, also the nipply torsos will work great for your veteran sergeants in MkIV armour.