I bet everyone is so excited with the release of the new Space Marines codex! I know I am! I got all my Ultramarines mostly painted and all I been waiting for is the new hotness to bring them on par with armies like Necrons and Eldar.

If you got your copy over the weekend, it seems like Space Marines will have no trouble holding their own against anyone.

Adding to everyone's joy is the imminent release of the new Dark Angel codex, which for the first time shouldn't be a crap fest it has always been, finally being released after Space Marine codex not just before.

Replacing the Dark Angels slot as crappy step child though...

Vaguely I remember another Power Armour army that came out not so long ago?

Can you? Let me take a second to look up the name... OH yes Blood Angels. Wasn't it like less than six months ago? They even got their own campaigns, right? So at the very least they didn't lack content, but what about the substance?

It seems like the Blood Angels got lost in between two GW design paths. The latest codexes all focus on a new form of army organization simplistically referred to as Decurion in reference to it's first appearance found in the Necron codex.  The Blood Angels represent the old guard of 7th edition books.

Here is the real rub, before I get into all the ways GW screwed the pooch on this one, it comes down to timing. In the past players would "live" with a codex being outdated because they knew things were always on large cycles typically about five years often tied to a new rules set. Sometimes in these long gaps between codexes, GW would even FAQ things, rewriting whole units in order to bring them up to date with identical units in other codexes.

What we though have seen in the last year is a hyper release schedule, zero FAQs, and in 2015 new codexes on steroids. Doesn't necessarily have to be a problem, when armies are so different from each other when it comes to unit types. This isn't the case with Blood Angels and Space Marines. Here is the list of exactly the same units getting preferential treatment in the new Space Marine codex.

  • Techmarines - 2 Wounds
  • Scout Squads - BS/WS Boost
  • Vanguard Vets - Re-roll Charge Distances
  • Dreadnaughts - Four Attacks
  • Terminators - Cheaper
  • Assault Marines - Access to Eviscerators & Discount Options
  • Scout Bikers - BS/WS Boost
  • Land Speeders - Cheaper
  • Devastator Squads - Grav Weapons
  • Take most tanks as squadrons with special bonuses.
  • Decurion style Detachment

 

I am sure I am missing a few more.

The verdict though is a lot of standard units are just out right better in the Space Marine codex, and that doesn't even get into Combat Doctrines plus Chapter Tactics combos. Personally, the worse offensive has to be the Space Marines still being able to take Bikes as Troops.

It is only terrible for one reason: WHY DON'T BLOOD ANGELS GET ASSAULT SQUADS AS TROOPS ANYMORE!?!

At the time it happened I wasn't too upset because the recent trend had been FoC manipulation removal. In fact, everyone just assumed Bikes would get the same treatment and maybe get thrown a Formation bone for the trouble. Instead, in typical GW behavior, throw out consistency at your earliest convenience. Blood Angels didn't even get a Sternguard Pedro Kantor, fix providing some way to make Assault squads at least Objective Secured. 

So what is a Blood Angel player to do?

Nothing really, but suck it up or become the Drop Pod supply depot for every other Imperial army. If the rapid release holds up maybe you get another codex in two years, in the meantime though you can always use your Blood Angels as counts as Space Marines, surely you won't die from choking on those tears.

Warning

Meat for Meta is rated editorial nonsense. These articles are meant to complain about some group, somewhere, that is playing the game for all the wrong reasons or simply to just make fun of 40k nerd rage.