Blood Angel Tactics

In this section we will be looking at the Blood Angel Space Marine army ant their tactics.

News! The new Blood Angel Codex has been released. These pages are being updated with the new 2010 Codex rules.

What is different about the Blood Angels?

Hopefully you have become familiar with the Codex (Ultra Marine) Space Marines before you get here, so we will look at how the Blood Angel Space Marines work.

Assault Army

The main difference that makes the Blood Angel Space marine and the regular Space Marine army, is that the Blood Angels are much more assault and close combat specialists.

This assault speciality shows in several ways. First off they are faster than regular marines. Assault squads are troop choices, Land Raiders can be taken as dedicated transport, Dreadnoughts have been moved from elite to Heavy support, you can upgrade a full squadron of Land Speeders to Typhoons, and there is a new addition to the Space Marine transport choices the 'Stormraven Gunship'.

The next way that the Blood Angels that the Blood Angels display their close combat speciality is in the 'Red Thirst' special rule. This gives 1 in 6 of your troops the 'Furious Charge' special rule.

Blood Angel HQ Tactics

As the Blood Angel chapter has been around for a while, there are a number of special character available. Be careful with special characters, they come with a number of special rules, and the points cost will be increased because of them. If you do not use these special rules, either because you for get about them, or because you do not get the chance, then these points will be wasted!

Commander Dante

Chapter Master Gabriel Seth

Astorath the Grim

The Sanguinor, Exemplar of the Host

Mephiston, Lord of Death

Captain Tycho

Librarian

Reclusiarch (Chaplin)

Blood Angel Elite Tactics

The Elite section of a 40k army list is usually where you find the specialists of the army list.

Chaplin

Sanguinary Guard

Furioso Dreadnought

Terminator Squad

Terminator Assault Squad

Techmarine

Sternguard Veteran Squad

Sanguinary Priest

Blood Angel Troop Tactics

The Tactical squads are subject to the 'Red Thirst' Blood Angel special rule, so one in six squads will have extra close combat skills. The thing is that you will not know which squads (or how many) until the game starts. This means that the wise money is on keeping the options open by keeping the tactical squads light and flexible. Opting out of the heavy weapon option and supplying the squads with rhinos ( or other troop carriers ).

Tactical Squad

The Tactical Squad are very similar to the 'Codex' Tactical squads.

The Tactical squads are subject to the 'Red Thirst' Blood Angel special rule, so one in six squads will have extra close combat skills. The thing is that you will not know which squads (or how many) until the game starts. This means that the wise money is on keeping the options open by keeping the tactical squads light and flexible. Opting out of the heavy weapon option and supplying the squads with rhinos ( or other troop carriers ).

Death Company

The Death Company is a unique unit available to the Blood Angel Space Marines.

You can only have one Death Company in your army, but you can have anywhere from 3 to 30 Death Companies marines in the squad! As a large squad and with the increased stat's, and the 'Feel no Pain' the Death Companies can deal out a lot of pain when they are assaulting.

Be careful with the cost of the Death Company squads. The basic cost is 33% higher than the basic Tactical Marine, and you need add transport or Jet pack costs on top of this to get the best from the squad.

Death Company Dreadnought

If you field a squad of Death Company you can field a Death Company Dreadnought. And the larger the Death Company, the more Death Company Dreadnoughts you can field! This means that you could field an army that is virtually completely made of Death Company.

Scout Squad

Assault squads can make good assault troops. The do not have the armour of the Tactical Marine, but they get all the sneaky tactics.

> Also see: Sneeky Tactics

Assault Squad

Unlike the other Space Marine armies in the Blood Angel army the Assault Squad is a troop choice. This means that you could field an army of all jet pack wearing marines.

You do not need to give your Assault jet packs, and not doing so will make the Assault Squad alot more predictable. The down side of this is that the Assault squad will be more pradictable to your opponant as well.

If you loose the jet packs the Assault squad does not get cheaper, but you do get a discount off a transport

Blood Angel Fast Attack Tactics

The Blood Angel army has a full set of fast attack choices, just as you would expect from an assault specialist army.

Vanguard Veteran Squad

Land Speeder Squadron

Baal Predator

Attack Bike Squad

Bike Squad

Scout Bike Squad

Blood Angel Heavy Support Tactics

Even assault specialist armies need some heavy support.

Dreadnought

Stormraven Gunship

Predator

Devastator Squad

The Devastator squads are good flexible heavy weapon choices, but in the Blood Angel army, with the 'Red Thirst' special rule, the points may best be spent on troop choices and add a tank or two.

Vindicator

Whirlwind

The Whirlwind sits at odds with the Blood Angel army. The nature of the Blood angels is that they are an army on the move, and usually that movement is forward. The Whirlwind usually works better sitting on the back lines thining out the troops of the various hord armies.