Ulrik's Raven Guard: The StormCrows; de Villta Veiðin

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I've come back to 40k after a long hiatus. My Imperial Guard no longer seems as fun to play in 8th edition (so many models, and Cadians punish mobility, and Krieg are far too limited). So I've decided to do the Raven Guard army I'd wanted to do since Primaris dropped.

 

My Force is shaping up pretty quickly, I've got Primaris Kayvaan Shrike and 2 Invictor Tactical Warsuits on the way, as well as two boxes of scouts to bolster the scouts I already have. I'll be purchasing some 20 Intercessors, 5 Hellblasters, and 6 Aggressors, as well as a Phobos Librarian from a friend who lost interest in RG, and wants to focus on World Eaters. I also have a couple of Start Collecting Vanguard Space Marine boxes, that gives me two Lieutenants, 20 Infiltrators, 6 Suppressors, and 6 Eliminators. I also had shrike's old model and about 16 assault marines (which need some conversion work). I also have 2 Stormtalon Gunships, and a Storm Raven (which I also bought some hurricane bolters for because the guy who built it didn't want them...?).

 

I don't intend to grow the collection a ton, not beyond grabbing up the rest of the Primaris stuff my friend has (6 Inceptors, a Redemptor, 10 Rievers, a bunch of Characters).

 

As you can guess, I'm focused on a scouting force of alternate deployment shenanigans. I wanted to do third company, but I'm not exactly sure where Primaris Marines fit in terms of the tactical structure of the Codex Astartes. Do I just do red trim on all my pauldrons? Obviously the Scouts are 10th Company, and don't have special colors like that. 

 

Also, I have several space wolf bolt pistols and chain swords which I will have to use to convert my assault marines, and was wondering how you'd fluff the use of those bits, since they'll be rather difficult to convert. I was thinking that they got them from a campaign where they came to support the Wolves and ended up having to salvage weapons from the fallen Space Wolf warriors.

 

I'll update this when I get to building and painting.

 

Edit: I have done a renaming. The Chapter Formerly Known As The Red Ravens will now be called the StormCrows. and their Nom De Guerre is now Villta Veiðin.

Edited June 3, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[WAR]

If you are planning on going 10th company heavy no trim needed (scouts and Phobos units)

 

The rest would follow standard company formations as Primaris units are being moved into each company which is now 20 squads not 10.

 

And Welcome to the Ravenspire

Edited April 30, 2020 by war009

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

If you are planning on going 10th company heavy no trim needed (scouts and Phobos units)

So Phobos units are 10th company? I'm seeing a lot of Phobos guys painted in Battle Company Colors (all the GW display are painted with gold trim, indicating 2nd Company). I've also seen some stuff saying that the Vanguard go in the 10th Company, but I guess they get moved to whatever company needs them?

 

 

The rest would follow standard company formations as Primaris units are being moved into each company which is now 20 squads not 10.

 Right the Intercessors definitely get the red trim. Do aggressors fall under the 1st company? Are suppressors a different company as well? It's a bit confusing because it doesn't seem like the Lore on the Codex Astartes has caught up with the new fluff.

 

 

And Welcome to the Ravenspire

Thank you brother! I've been wanting to do this for a while, and Wrath and Glory Kind got me back into 40k. That and I moved back to a town where there's more opportunity to play.

 

 

[WAR]

Correct Phobos/ vanguard will move per need

 

And I can’t remember off the top of my head what battle line that aggressors fall under but are elites. Like how Reivers are elites but have fast attack markings

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Correct Phobos/ vanguard will move per need

 

And I can’t remember off the top of my head what battle line that aggressors fall under but are elites. Like how Reivers are elites but have fast attack markings

So I think I'll just paint most of my guys as 3rd Company. Mostly because I want a splash of color to break up the monotony of painting black. Also I think that technically Aggressors are fire support, just like Suppressors and Eliminators. So I guess they'd technically fall in with the devastator squads?

 

Also, why were Jump pack devastators never a thing before?

[duz_]

Well there's a face I haven't seen in a while

 

Welcome to the Ravenspire Ulrik! Although I may have to report your desertion to the commissariat

 

Better make those RG look good ;)

 

 

Looks like you'll have a sizable force to start with :tu:

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Well there's a face I haven't seen in a while

I've been busy with a lot of other things. Haven't really had much time for wargaming, and what wargaming I have been doing was focused on Bolt Action.

 

 

Welcome to the Ravenspire Ulrik! Although I may have to report your desertion to the commissariat

Thanks. I did not desert, I have been on "extended campaign". Also, I think my new friends of the Adeptus Astartes might take exception to a commissar's bolt pistol... In all seriousness, I still have my Imperial Guard, I still love them, but I can't really seem to have fun with a 2k list. I can't do enough, and I can't play the kind of list I'd like at those levels.

 

 

Better make those RG look good

I'll do my level best. Been getting good at using the old air brush, so it shouldn't be too hard.

 

 

Looks like you'll have a sizable force to start with

That's the plan. Just enough stuff to be able to experiment with some fun 2k lists. I'll also be able to fill out to 5k so I can play team Apoc, which should be fun.

 

[Hiroitchi]

Funny thing about MKX armor, it’s designed to be modular and can be adjusted by need of the force. A lot of the Primaris are trained in the 10th using the Phobos Variant, but it’s plausible other companies might require some of their squads to for Vanguard forces for the company like depicted with Shadowspear.

[Dracos]

I knows it’s silly .... because Space Marine .... but I can see the Primaris Chapters training paths being largely guided on what armor types the Marine in question has even certified for. Can’t train to use the assault bolter unless you’re certified in Gravis Armor. No Phobos qualification? No grav-chute training for you pal. ;)

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I knows it’s silly .... because Space Marine .... but I can see the Primaris Chapters training paths being largely guided on what armor types the Marine in question has even certified for. Can’t train to use the assault bolter unless you’re certified in Gravis Armor. No Phobos qualification? No grav-chute training for you pal.

I think it's the other way around. You need grav chute training before you can get your phobos armor. The idea of pushing scout armored initiates out of a stormraven with grav chutes on is hilarious to me.

 

"If those crazy guardsmen can do it, so can you initiate, you're a space marine!"

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So, I do have a couple of questions, can you use the Strike from the Shadows strategem more than once? Can I use it twice to deep strike multiple units of aggressors, or is a one and done sort of thing?

 

Also, I'm struggling a bit with how to deliver heavy assault elements, or even what I want for assault elements. I really like Terminators and land raiders, not as much as I used to, but a bunch of LC termies in a land raider seems like a fun and fluffy rapid assault element.

 

Or should I be looking elsewhere? I'm not a competitive player, I just want to have fun.

[thewarriorhunter]

TFtS is in Deployment so you can use it more than once, just understand that it's deep strike at the cost of 1 CP so you can't bring those units in until T2 (I made that mistake thinking it was T1).

 

I don't think it was answered but Aggressors fall under Fire-Support.

 

Lastly if you're playing for fun and think a land raider full of terminators is fun then go for it. Race will probably sniff his way into the thread if that happens.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I think that deep striking aggressors T2 is a decent way to use them, turn the opponent back on himself, if I can get them behind him.

 

What I think is fun is playing an army the way the lore says they work. Infiltrating and first strike is fun.

 

Land raiders are iconic SM vehicles and I’m just trying to figure out how that fits.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I have started building my Phobos marines, and have set my unbuilt scouts, needs repair scouts, and assault marines, aside for the moment, as the Phobos guys are the ones are going to be the core of my army.

 

I'm trying to get my guys built fast, but also trying to make sure that they don't have flash or mold lines all over them, so it's a bit of a balancing act. I'm almost done with one of my start collecting boxes, and I'll need to get my Storm Talons and Storm Raven in some purple power to soak, so I can re paint them. I also need to get my Hurricane bolters attached to the Storm Raven so that I can re-prime.

 

I've got some work to do ahead of me, as I still have my assault marines that I need to finish up. I need to get some more assault marines to round out two squads of them. I'm probably going top run them as basic Vanguards to smash into infantry blobs.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I've run into a bit of a snag: First Founding or Successor?

 

I have yet to start painting my new army, and I'm a bit torn. On one hand I really like the Raven Guard fluff and the emphasis on stealth and guerrilla tactics. On the other, I really like the Successors like Carcharodons and Raptors.

 

I used to play Space Wolves, but the Army just got boring. GW played up the wolf bit too much, and when they introduced wulfen models and rules, it killed my interest in the army. It felt like my entire army had been invalidated in one go.

 

Naturally, I also have a lot of Space Wolves bits, that are going to be difficult to completely de-wolf, and a successor chapter seems like it would be easier to justify using those bits.

I'm a huge Norse history and mythology nerd, and I figured if I were going to do a successor chapter, I'd want it to be themed more Norse like, with the Raven (as in Huginn and Muninn, Odin's two ravens who bring him news of Midgard) being a focal point rather than wolves.  For a Norse themed RG successor I'd focus on the Ravens and Odin and their connections to seeking knowledge (Seekers of lost knowledge, maybe the Imperial Truth?), as well as playing on the Historical connection of the Norse to the Byzantine Emperors (The Varangian Guard, from Old Norse: Væringjar, lit. "Sworn Men").

 

I'd want to play the army as a raiding force. They use stealth to get into position before launching rapid and brutal assaults. Experts at circumventing fortifications and breaking entrenchments. I'm basically theorizing a hybrid of Carcharodons and Raptors with an actual Norse flair.

 

Does this sound interesting? Or does it sound like the weird hodegepodge of space marine chapters that it feels like when I put words to print?

 

[Dracos]

Nope. Sounds like the beginnings of a good DIY Chapter. My head when the direction of Odin's Ravens couple sentences before you mentioned him. Seems likea perfect way to blend old and new. Definitely look into a color scheme that supports your concept. Maybe primarily black with a secondary use of Space Wolf Grey?

 

Good Luck I look forwatd to see where your headed.

[thewarriorhunter]

I think you need to go for it and DIY yourself a chapter. Your themes are similar to mine (I just tried finding my post with the backstory but couldn't, but they start showing up here: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/339466-deployment-of-the-spectral-sicarii-homebrew-rg/page-17?do=findComment&comment=5164003).

 

In not so ancient as your history there was a radical sect of Jewish assassins called the Sicarii. They're mission was to overthrow the Roman Empire and they used stealth and subterfuge. I took that and ran with a successor chapter of my own called the Spectral Sicarii. They're successor of the Raven Guard but mostly forgotten about. They forge their own was to accomplish their goals. They hate the Emperor and Chaos but place brother warriors on a pedestal. I'm envision them similar to you: brutal tactics that accomplish the mission, regardless of who stands in the way. I'm still up in the air if I run them with RG rules or build my own. Rles wise Master Artisans is incredibly strong but part of me feels that's a little cheesy and I'm still struggling internally with that choice

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I was actually going to do a dark grey scheme, with dark red accents. My first company veterans would mirror the Raven Guard a bit, with the arms and helmet being that dark red.

 

Being a Codex compliant chapter, the pauldron trim would indicate the company.

 

I wanted to do dark grey, like they were stained by ash, because one of the ancient German words for the Vikings was “Ascomanni” meaning “Ashmen”. So I thought that would be a cool muted color to play around with.

 

Odin is also a psychopomp, like the grim reaper, and is associated with many hosts of the dead, including the Wild Hunt, which is sometimes called the “Odinsjakt”. I think that using their stealth they might appear almost like ominous specters, and with The Emperor being viewed as a god (especially one of knowledge, like Odin) theming them around the Wild hunt could be really cool.

 

My theme for scouts would have their armor be a little more black than the fully armored marines (while scout Sgts would be somewhere in between) indicating their lack of “seasoning”, ie; not as much ash has collected on their armor. Their fatigues would be colored like the tunics and trousers they would have worn in their villages, browns and khakis for the pants and dark blues, greens, and reds for the tunics.

 

For chapter tactics, I would basically pick from 2 of 3, depending on the focus of the list. If I were running more Assault elements I’d pick stealthy and Hungry For battle, for more shooting focus, it would be stealthy and long range marksmen. Of course picking Raven Guard successor to get access to that sweet reliquary.

 

I’m also keen on the idea that Their chapter master was chosen from the librarius, because that makes sense for a knowledge focused chapter, and the librarians would be more like Shamans. It would be cool to have them possess a higher incidence of Psykers and a correspondingly larger librarius, than most chapters, due to their search for knowledge and exposure to the arcane powers of the warp. Of course that would only reflect on the tabletop as me taking more librarians.

[duz_]

Grey and red sounds like a good colour combo what grey though?

[thewarriorhunter]

I like the grey/red as well, especially if they're darker colors. The grey could be dark like ash and the deep red like burning embers before they turn to ash.

[WAR]

This sounds interesting and I like the idea.

 

I feel that the scout Sgt is a full marine that has returned to the 10th to train the recruits.

 

Examples:

-In my CF they had dual red fists or a single red fist while the squad had no red fists.

-In my Raptors the scout Sgts are always marked as a veteran.

-My planned 10th co. Exorcists army idea was scout sgts were to have power weapons and storm bolters but mk4 chests and back packs. (Support army for inquisition/ grey knights)

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Grey and red sounds like a good colour combo what grey though?

I was going to base in black, and then shade up to something like German Heer grey (similar to the color that German tanks were painted). 1st Company veterans would have blood red helmets and arms with white trim on the pauldrons. Veteran Sgts would have red helmets with a grey stripe on the vent (or a red mask in the case of my Phobos Sgts). For their emblem I'm thinking that a red version of the standard Raven Guard emblem would be appropriate, to show their link to the XIX legion (I'd fluff them as a second founding chapter) but I'd want to include a Valknut somewhere on their armor as well. Battlefield role badges would be in black on the grey pauldrons.

 

I like the grey/red as well, especially if they're darker colors. The grey could be dark like ash and the deep red like burning embers before they turn to ash.

I do plan for it to be a very dark color scheme. I kinda want it to be similar to the Grey of Heresy era Space Wolves (who I am drawing a bit of inspiration from) I'm kinda My concept is that the 1st company is the heavy assault company, made up of only the most bloody handed veterans (hence the red arms and helmets). It marks them as the the most violent warriors in the chapter, men who thrive in the close quarters brawling of the lightning fast raids on enemy fortifications. The scheme is supposed to be reminiscent of the aftermath of their raids, leaving "naught but ash and blood" in their wake.

 

 

This sounds interesting and I like the idea.

Thanks. I'm having fun with it. Space wolves got a bit stuffy since they didn't have the option for successor chapters and were really restricted in how they played.

 

 

I feel that the scout Sgt is a full marine that has returned to the 10th to train the recruits.

That's fair. I actually like that idea, so my scout sgts will have fully grey armor. I'll give my CC scout Sgts red gauntlets to nod that they should be from the 1st company. I kind like that idea.

 

Only the 1st company would be the brutal melee combat focused force. Everyone could do it, but the 1st company revels in it, and the red arms are earned by reputation. As the Marine passes through the different phases of training, those that excel at melee combat in the assault squads, and earn the reputation for battle rage, get the red arms, and upon being accepted by the first company they get the red helmet. 

 

They would share the same pigmentation aberration that the Raven Guard do, black hair, eyes, and grey flesh. I think that would add to the spectral image I'm trying to accomplish. I would have them be ardent defenders of humanity, and the battle rage idea is more about certain marines having a more direct approach to problems, preferring speed and violence rather than stealth and surprise, and the Captains and chapter master knowing how to balance those elements to achieve victory.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Now I just need to work out a name for the Chapter. I'm thinking either a reference to the Wild Hunt (Odinsjakt, or Wilde Jakt) or a reference to Hel(l)'s Ravens which dole out divine punishment (heljar hrafnar).

 

I'm really bad at naming things...

[Dracos]

Ghost Riders

Shadow Riders

Shadow Hunters

 

Yeah comimg up with names is tough if you like it meshing with your lore and color scheme. 

 

 

Corax Black is a really dark grey or a greyish black depending on your perspective I guess. I like a liberal drybrush over the black on most of my models weapons.

 

 

PS: Sounds like a unit or two of Primaris bikers would be very thematic for this army.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Dracos

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Ghost Riders

Shadow Riders

Shadow Hunters

 

Yeah comimg up with names is tough if you like it meshing with your lore and color scheme.

I'm going to settle on Red Ravens. Simple name from the fact that I want to just recolor the Raven Guard Emblem, and have it be a holdover from the second founding, when they were split from the original XIX legion. They keep very much the same proclivities, but will have adopted traditions from the various worlds they have recruited from.

 

But because I'm me, I'm not just going to call them that. I translated the words into Icelandic (the closest living language to Old Norse) and got Rauðir Hrafnar. That will be the official name the Chapter is known by, though they will refer to themselves variously as the Vildes Jakten, or Heljar Hrafnar, as those would be names used by the people of the worlds they recruit from.

 

I'm going to say that they're a fleet based chapter, that recruits from a few worlds of various types throughout the Donorian sector that borders the Segmentum Solar and Segmentum Tempestus, and maintains citadels on the worlds they recruit from as well as having a Fortress Monastery on a death world where they train their aspirants. They use a decentralized command structure, just like their Raven Guard Primogenitors, which makes them very flexible, and it makes it nigh-impossible to figure out just where they'll show up, given that each battle company maintains a small fleet of vessels which allow them a great deal of mobility. The first and tenth companies operate as detachments, sending their forces with the battle companies, to provide them with support.

 

The Vildes Jakten makes extensive use of the new Primaris Marines, as they were consistently under-strength prior to the Indomitus Crusade. Being that The Chapter recruited so close to Terra, the infusion of fresh blood from Terra was universally welcomed. Further ingratiating the Primaris Marines to the Vildes Jakten is the revision in tactical doctrine which accompanied the Phobos Armored Vanguard. The ability to deploy undetected without sacrificing armor was seen as an almost magical boon.

 

I'm still working out fluff. And how I want the army to play.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Ulrik_Ironfist