Help Building a Dark angels Tactical Squad

[Macragge-T]

I am a painter who doesn't play warhammer. Someday I may like to change this tho, and I'd like to build my current models within the bounds of game rules and feasibility of "points" as I construct my marines. I really can't wait to paint (Dark Angels Theme) but I'm at a bit of a road block.

 

These boxes come with so many weapons, "If you chose this for a marine, you can't chose that".. "This accessory or transfer is only meant for a sargent or has a specific game functionality", so many variables to consider before that glue touches the plastic that it's frustrating. This game is seriously not meant for people completely new to painting, wargamming, and model building I'm discovering. It's like you need to log 100 hrs of warhammer lore and knowledge before you even attempt to build these troops. Please help, I can't wait too paint but can't do that till these models are built. My beginners anxiety is holding me back tho.. "What if I build a tactical squad that isn't rule compliant or that just plain sucks?"

 

(The point,lol):

Since there arent a few examples of pre-built squads included in the box (aside from the front of the box, which manages to leave out all of the cool weapons included I've noticed), can someone please provide me with a template squad to build that is both rule compliant and decent enough for table play someday? Example: build five marines. 1. Arm with bolter. 2 arm with bolter and chainsword, 3. Arm with missile launcher 4 arm with bolter, etc.

 

I really want to make two squads, five each. Can both be lead by a sargent? Can a sarg of a five man squad have the banner, a powerfist, and a chainsword?

 

Sargent 2 I want to give the combi weapon to. Can he sport a secondary weapon from the box?

 

Please help a super noob.

Edited September 21, 2021 by Macragge-T

[Closet Skeleton]

A full tactical squad is 9 marines, 1 sergeant. 1 marine gets a special weapon (flamer, meltagun, grav-gun, plasma gun) 1 gets a heavy weapon (heavy bolter, missile launcher, plasma cannon, grav cannon, lascannon, multi melta). Sergeant can have 2 weapons, any of the melee weapons and either a bolter, combi weapon or one of the pistols. If a tactical squad is under 10 strong it can have either a special weapon or a heavy weapon but not both. Heavy weapons other than the missile launcher are in the Devastators kit which has 2 of most things so plenty of spare (unless you want grav cannons since it only has 1 of those).

 

Sergeants can have back banners (they don't do anything) and two pistols or two melee weapons but not two bolt guns (combi or normal). Regular tactical marines can't use melee weapons other than pistols and knives.

 

A Combat squad is two tactical squads split into 5 man teams, so only one will have a sergeant but models can be assigned to either team freely and both teams of 5 will share the same squad number with the tactical squad they split from. 5 Man tactical squads do exist and always have sergeants and unique squad numbers. My combat squads have banners on the non-sergeant team leader but that's based on a long out of print book so can be ignored as can banners entirely.

 

None of the non-weapon accessories in the tactical squad box do anything. Bolt gun marines are assumed to have a basic melee weapon, pistol and grenades no matter how they're modeled.

 

This game is seriously not meant for people completely new to painting, wargamming, and model building I'm discovering. It's like you need to log 100 hrs of warhammer lore and knowledge before you even attempt to build these troops.
 

 

This is why some of the beginner kits have no options in them.

Edited September 21, 2021 by Closet Skeleton

[phandaal]

 

This game is seriously not meant for people completely new to painting, wargamming, and model building I'm discovering. It's like you need to log 100 hrs of warhammer lore and knowledge before you even attempt to build these troops.

 

 

This is why some of the beginner kits have no options in them.

 

If someone has never seen the inside of a box of Space Marines before and want to assemble the ideal squad from a rules standpoint, guess it could be confusing.

 

Then again plenty of folks pick this game up and just kinda "go for it" with their first units.

[nusphigor]

I agree. The best loadout to build your miniatures is the one you like because the rules change all the time and what's good at this moment might not be the next year, but you'll still have the same minis (probably).

If you just want to paint, then don't get stressed by loadouts and just do what seems best for you. In the end this is a hobby and hobbies are to enjoy, not to get stressed about them.

[Halandaar]

Will try to make it as simple as possible:

• The minimum squad size is 5 so you can build either a single 10-man squad or two 5-man squads from the kit
• Each Squad has a Sergeant, so if you're building two squads you can make two Sergeants
• A Sergeant can have two weapons, only one of which is allowed to be a Boltgun or Combi-Bolter, otherwise he can mix and match.
• Each Squad can have one Marine armed with a special weapon (Flamer, Grav-Gun, Melta Gun or Plasma Gun) OR Heavy Weapon (Missile Launcher), unless you made a single 10-man squad in which case you can take both.
• Every other model is limited to a Boltgun. In rules terms they also carry Bolt Pistols and Grenades but you don't have to model those on if you don't want to, and the knives included in the kit don't serve an in-game purpose and are just to look cool, so use them wherever you like.
• The back banner serves no in-game purpose so you can completely ignore it if you prefer. Newer kits don't even include them.

As far as picking the optimal loadout goes, don't stress about it and pick the stuff you find the coolest. The rules and points costs on particular weapons can change from one edition of the game to the next, so whats considered "good" now might not be in three years time. That said, part of the Dark Angels "theme" is a big focus on Plasma weapons, so you might want to choose the Plasma Pistol for the Sergeant and a Marine with a Plasma Gun if you really want to lean into that theme.

[XeonDragon]

Halandaar's advice is awesome. I'll only add this. If it were me I'd be building a squad of 10 as follows:

 

1. Sergeant with chain sword and combi-plasma, because whilst rules change dark angles and plasma is a thing and has been a thing for many editions.
2. Build 1 marine with a plasma gun
3. Build 1 marine with a plasma cannon
4. Build 7 marines with bolters.

Alternatively, I would build 2 x 5 man squads as follows:

 

1. Sergeant with chain sword and combi-plasma
2. 3 marines with bolters
3. Heavy weapon marine (1 plasma cannon and then either missile launcher or grav cannon on the other)

I'm suggesting grav cannons and missile launchers as they are both very flexible weapons at the moment, but have been for a while. Missile launchers have range, can do some anti-tank/monster work as well as anti-hordes as they have two types of missiles. Grav cannons are in a really good spot right now with an extra shot and extra AP compared to heavy bolters, and are great at anti-heavy/elite infantry but can also do work against hordes and pitch in against tanks/monsters. Plus I think grav cannons look way cool, so also keep open the option of just picking the weapons you think are coolest :)

 

Will try to make it as simple as possible:

• The minimum squad size is 5 so you can build either a single 10-man squad or two 5-man squads from the kit
• Each Squad has a Sergeant, so if you're building two squads you can make two Sergeants
• A Sergeant can have two weapons, only one of which is allowed to be a Boltgun or Combi-Bolter, otherwise he can mix and match.
• Each Squad can have one Marine armed with a special weapon (Flamer, Grav-Gun, Melta Gun or Plasma Gun) OR Heavy Weapon (Missile Launcher), unless you made a single 10-man squad in which case you can take both.
• Every other model is limited to a Boltgun. In rules terms they also carry Bolt Pistols and Grenades but you don't have to model those on if you don't want to, and the knives included in the kit don't serve an in-game purpose and are just to look cool, so use them wherever you like.
• The back banner serves no in-game purpose so you can completely ignore it if you prefer. Newer kits don't even include them.

As far as picking the optimal loadout goes, don't stress about it and pick the stuff you find the coolest. The rules and points costs on particular weapons can change from one edition of the game to the next, so whats considered "good" now might not be in three years time. That said, part of the Dark Angels "theme" is a big focus on Plasma weapons, so you might want to choose the Plasma Pistol for the Sergeant and a Marine with a Plasma Gun if you really want to lean into that theme.

[MegaVolt87]

Well yes if you care about rules validity/ effectiveness then obviously you will have to do some homework. Also if you had the SM codex you could answer most of those questions in 5 minutes as far as valid squad comp and the instructions even say what is what, eg you won't mix up a plasma gun with a melta gun, its clearly indicated in the instructions which is which, at the end of the booklet. The game meta is still up in the air as most of the other factions still lack a 9th edition codex. Buy what you like, grow your collection because one day it won't matter what happens because you already have it painted on the shelf to use when the meta shifts. *nods to primaris tank owners*. 

[Halandaar]

I'm suggesting grav cannons and missile launchers as they are both very flexible weapons at the moment, but have been for a while. Missile launchers have range, can do some anti-tank/monster work as well as anti-hordes as they have two types of missiles. Grav cannons are in a really good spot right now with an extra shot and extra AP compared to heavy bolters, and are great at anti-heavy/elite infantry but can also do work against hordes and pitch in against tanks/monsters. Plus I think grav cannons look way cool, so also keep open the option of just picking the weapons you think are coolest

 

Just focusing on this for the benefit of the OP in case it's unclear; in rules terms the Tactical Squad has access to a bunch of other heavy weapons that aren't included in the kit. If you wanted to build them with a Grav Cannon as XeonDragon suggests, you need to either get yourself a Devastator Squad box (which includes all the different heavy weapons) or see if you can get the components separately (i.e. from eBay or similar).

[Macragge-T]

I really appreciate the help you guys! This is everything I needed to read all in one place. With what I'm seeing I should have this army glued and ready for painting by the end of the dAY.

 

I'm busy reading all the responses right now.

 

I'm not sure if this next question was answered here yet or not..

 

I really like the Brown Dark Angels Robes. I'm planning to eventually use green stuff on a few of these troops as well but wondering, are the robes are only worn by higher ranked Dark Angels or can they be worn by the simple infantry as well?

[XeonDragon]

Good pick up, sorry about that. With that in mind, e-bay and bits store are excellent for customising models. 

 

 

I'm suggesting grav cannons and missile launchers as they are both very flexible weapons at the moment, but have been for a while. Missile launchers have range, can do some anti-tank/monster work as well as anti-hordes as they have two types of missiles. Grav cannons are in a really good spot right now with an extra shot and extra AP compared to heavy bolters, and are great at anti-heavy/elite infantry but can also do work against hordes and pitch in against tanks/monsters. Plus I think grav cannons look way cool, so also keep open the option of just picking the weapons you think are coolest

 

Just focusing on this for the benefit of the OP in case it's unclear; in rules terms the Tactical Squad has access to a bunch of other heavy weapons that aren't included in the kit. If you wanted to build them with a Grav Cannon as XeonDragon suggests, you need to either get yourself a Devastator Squad box (which includes all the different heavy weapons) or see if you can get the components separately (i.e. from eBay or similar).

 

[Interrogator Stobz]

I really appreciate the help you guys! This is everything I needed to read all in one place. With what I'm seeing I should have this army glued and ready for painting by the end of the dAY.

 

I'm busy reading all the responses right now.

 

I'm not sure if this next question was answered here yet or not..

 

I really like the Brown Dark Angels Robes. I'm planning to eventually use green stuff on a few of these troops as well but wondering, are the robes are only worn by higher ranked Dark Angels or can they be worn by the simple infantry as well?

The robes can be worn by any Dark Angel, and they can signify any part if the fluff you want.

As for acquiring them, the Veteran box has five. Now they can be used for Veterans or you can use them as Tacticals or as I do to indicate the Sergeants.

The Veteran box iirc has a few more weapon options too.

 

The choice is yours.