Sorry it's been a while but I've had a break from gaming for the last few months (although I have been playing Magic the Gathering). But now I'm back and raring to go and roll some dice! So much so, I've signed myself up to the March 2013 Games Workshops Throne of Skulls event for Warhammer 40K!
The story behind this is quite simple - I've grown a bit bored with Warhammer at the moment and that's mainly down to how the current comp systems being used have made preparing for events a bit stale. Being at an tournament and playing games and socializing was fun, but often the run up was a bit dull and tedious, as you would often see the same sort of lists doing the rounds. So my plan was to try a Warhammer Fantasy Throne of Skulls to see if that injected any fun back for me, but I found myself writing similar lists which I was getting bored with and even with the prospect of starting a new army, I couldn't shake what I was doing. So as a change and that I have some 40K stuff to paint up, I thought I would try the 40K version.
I haven't 100% decided on what I am taking but I am looking at Dark Angels. I'm looking at these mainly because they are rumored to be getting a new codex soon, plus I have the Dark Vengeance set. With the random missions in mind, I've tried picking an army which is aggressive but flexible. This has been quite difficult as whilst I have casually looked at the new 6th edition rules, I haven't played a game yet. Eventually I decided upon the following....
HQ
Azrael
Ezekiel
Command Squad
with Dark Angels Chapter Banner, Plasma Pistol, 2 Power Mauls, 2 Meltaguns and Drop Pod
Troops
10 Man Tactical Squad
with Missile Launcher
5 Man Tactical Squad
with Meltagun and Razorback
5 Man Tactical Squad
with Meltagun and Razorback
5 Man Tactical Squad
with Meltagun and Razorback
Fast Attack
Ravenwing Landspeeder with Typhoon Missile Launcher
Ravenwing Landspeeder with Typhoon Missile Launcher
Fortifications
Aegis Defence Lines with Quad-gun
The idea behind the army is fairly simple. Azrael, Ezekiel and the Command Squad are my hammer unit. Azrael gives the unit a 4+ Inv save and is actually quite a beatstick in combat due to being S6 with his Sword and having loads of attacks (his base value, also boosted by the Chapter Banner). Ezekiel helps the unit by being able to buff them with his powers as well as having a Force Sword to hand (but I need to remember that he is only Mastery Level one, so can only buff or use the Sword at full power each turn). The Command Squad rounds things off by being able to take on tanks or high toughness creatures.
The rest of the army is designed to be flexible by being able to move around the board taking out targets and capturing objectives. The large Tactical Squad is to man the Defense Line and use the Quad Gun and Missile Launcher for anything they can shoot at.
I'm not super happy with this army though. I think the concept is fine (although other marine codexes would be better suited) but I'm not sure how 'good' this army would be (especially considering it could be useless in a few weeks). My main worry is how transports work at the moment, because if you shake/stun a transport, the effect is still applied to the transported squad when they disembark (40K FAQ), and that would mean changing the army a bit to try and make better use of the Tactical Squads.
So have you had any joy with a similar hammer unit or army? Or do you have some suggestions about what I can change (again considering the new book may be out soon)?