9th Ed Raven Guard Successor Crusade (500-2000pts)

[Alcyon]

I'm co-running a crusade campaign with my new gaming group, and we're doing an escalation campaign. 1 PL is about 20 pts and so 1 RP = 100pts so you potentially could have a 3k OoB by the end if you didn't spend your RP on anything else. The metagame is pretty diverse, roughly thus:

• 2x Necrons
• 4x Loyalist Space Marines incl. Blood Angels (mix of Primaris?)
• Death Guard
• 2xOrks
• Custodes
• Sisters
• Knights/Mechanicus
• Thousand Sons
• Tau
• Astra Militarum

We're doing 1000pt Orders of Battle to start, with the following missions and escalation tiers:

• 3 Combat Patrol missions at 500pts
• 3 Incursions at 750pts
• the other 3 Incursions at 1k
• 3 Strike Force missions at 1500
• the final 3 Strike Force at 2k

The core of the list is shooty with some objective holding elements; I may take a page from Lukoi's book and trying to orient play along the long end of the boards, and I'm also taking after Riddlesworth's Bolter Fusillades obsession given that my Captain(s) are hanging out with non-bolter units.

 

I'm not running many snipers (one) and I think with the incoming RG CT nerf hitting rapid fire weapons particularly hard (can't fire two shots at 15" and stay outside 18" range for Dense Cover), the RG CT and super doctrine doesn't do me as much good as Stealthy plus another one. I'm tempted to take Rapid Assault but the Hellblasters are the only guys with assault weapons right now.

 

The core of the list is this 495pt patrol. I'm using the Captain (and optionally Infiltrators) to block deep strike and charge shenanigans and to prevent the Hellblasters offing themselves. I can use Concealed Positions to put him slightly forward of my DZ and then the Infiltrators stratagem to move the Hellblasters up to join him before turn 1.

 

I did some math and I think 2 shots at 24" with the ability to shoot and advance is better than wounding t4 on a 2+ when overcharged; there's not much Primaris in the meta. I could be convinced otherwise, though - I'm modelling them as Rapid Fire and I doubt anyone will care if I opt for either one as long as I don't change it without paying RP. The stupid little square boxes on top look awful.

• Captain in Phobos Armour w/ Ex Tenebris (-1 RP)
• 3x Eradicators (or 5x Infiltrators)
• 5x Veteran Intercessors w/ Power Fist (-1 RP)
• 5x Hellblasters w/ Assault Plasma Incinerators

At 750 points, I'm adding Outriders to give me some more anti-infantry and mobility. At this point we'll be getting 6 CP to start with, and none have to be spend on pre-game upgrades, so I'm thinking of using Stranglehold and keeping the rest around for See, but Remain Unseen for performing actions, Deadly Prize, Transhuman Physiology, Skilled Riders, False Flight, etc. something like that.

• 3x Outriders
• 5x Infiltrators (or 3x Eradicators if not added before)

1k brings in an Invictor to join the Outriders in supporting a forward Infiltrator squad as well as a Judiciar with Master of Ambush to deploy the Veteran Intercessors to a forward objective and protect them from charges. Mathhammer says him plus the PF sergeant and the rest of the boys, on top of shooting, should be able to pulp 5 Sanguinary Guard before they get to attack back, even on the charge. 

• Judiciar with Master of Ambush (-1 RP) and maybe Storm of Fire
• Invictor Tactical Warsuit

At 1500pts I want to max out the Hellblasters and Intercessors, and add a couple more squads. I think it's important to do this now while I can still buy Fresh Recruits with RP, as I'll lose that ability once they get 16 Experience Points and become Battle-Hardened. With 1 point for every game (9), 1 for every third unit killed and 3 if Marked for Greatness, I think that's a serious risk.

 

A big squad of Veteran Intercessors also lets me make the best use of Rapid Fire, Steady Advance, Gene-wrought Might, False Flight and Honour the Chapter now that we'll be getting 9 CP to start.

Honestly I don't love Suppressors but I think I have a bit of an autocannon hole in my list, and they should be more effective at higher points levels with their 48" range than they've been so far in smaller games. 

• +5 Veteran Intercessors
• +5 Hellblasters
• 3x Suppressors
• 5x Infiltrators

Then finally at 2000pts, a long way off, but I'm thinking I'll expand to a second Patrol - there's no need right now, I could just run a Battalion, but at this point we'll be three months into the campaign and I expect the new Space Marine codex to be out, limiting us to 1 Captain per detachment. We should also have the new Smash Chaplain hopefully with his bonus attacks on the charge.

I'm planning to bring the Centurions and CM along with SftS as a counterpunch, though they could easily start on the board if people get wise to zoning out their side of the table. I based the points cost for the Chaplain on the Legends Bike version so as it stands now, I have room to add an Apothecary to help protect the Centurions, but might not depending.

• Outrider Chaplain w/ Master of Sanctity, Wise Orator & Swift & Deadly, Exhortation of Rage & Mantra of Strength, and Benediction of Fury
• Primaris Captain w/ Chapter Master, Power Sword, Bellicos Bolt Rifle
• 3x Centurion Devastators w/ Grav-Cannons and Centurion Missile Launchers
• Primaris Apothecary w/ Chief Apothecary, Father of the Future

Generally the overall plan is to largely abandon my deployment zone and try to form a few castles on mid-board objectives, with overlapping fields of fire so they can support each other. I have almost 50 multi-wound models on the table by 2k and I hope they'll be resilient enough with Stealthy and have enough damage output to earn primaries and deny my opponent.

 

I'd love alternate ideas for Chapter Tactics, feedback on the efficacy of Invictors, Suppressors and Outriders, and any ideas on units I maybe haven't considered yet. I've looked at Terminators but so far rejected them in favour of stronger characters coming in at the end. Thanks for reading if you got this far!

[Lukoi]

Are these Crusade Campaigns in the BRB? I've yet to bust out my indom boxes to read the books (I know, sacrilege), but just haven't needed to as of yet.

[Alcyon]

They are, yeah. I got TTS by the way, got my first game of the crusade tomorrow afternoon. Would love to play you sometime!

[Lukoi]

Let us k ow how the Crusade plays out, and while I doubt I'd offer you that much of a challenge, I'd definitely be down for some TTS matchups when time permits.

[Alcyon]

Oh I think you're overestimating my abilities. I might sound like I have a lot of theory but I've played maybe two games of 9th, and my experience before that was when I was a kid more than a decade ago. 

 

We played the 1st game of the Crusade, Sweep & Clear at 500pts, and I got stomped. I wrote about it briefly in one of the other threads but basically I wasn't aggressive enough and stayed in Light Cover for no reason. I ran two squads, a Captain and a Judiciar and I think I would've been way better off going with an Infiltrator Squad over the latter - they could've screened my DZ and held an objective while the other guys moved forward to take the midboard. Instead my Intercessors got shot up by Destroyers and left the Judiciar to die ignominiously to mortal wounds at the hands of self-destructing Indomitus Scarabs.