Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.5/5 stars, rounded down. The rules are really rather good, and some of the best in the game in my (biased) opinion. Your mileage (and builds) may vary.
The Dark Angels are the First Legion and hold a lot of the organization of the initial formations over compared to other legions. Horus saw to it that they were well out of the way when the Heresy began. They soon rejoined and were drawn into the Thramas conflicts with the Night Lords. Unleashing their forbidden weaponry, they would eventually crush them, but were unable to head back to Terra and instead found themselves at the side of Sanguinius and Guilliman in Ultramar. They set about countering the traitors and this would lead them to destroy many strong holds including Barbarus of the Death Guard and Chemos of the Emperor's Children. Purging galore in fact. Then they realized they could also get back to Terra. But were a touch late, because reasons.
Legion Rules Review.
I think the key thing to acknowledge about the Dark Angels legion is that they are pretty much a Swiss Army Knife. This is also why I'm reviewing this legion last - it can be as mutable as the Alpha Legion and just as interesting.
They can do lots of different things, sometimes at the same time, and no two constructions of this legion that you face will ever quite be the same. Okay, you could say that about any legion, but with the Dark Angels it is much more magnified and exaggerated. It can play in lots of delicious ways!
This is in turn reflected by the core rule: The Hexagrammaton. All units have to choose one of 6 special rules!
(a) Stormwing. +1 to hit with bolters (including combi's and pistols, and even in a reaction). This is the obvious default choice for your tactical squads. Its fairly outrageous the output that this can cause! Other legions will weep.
(b) Deathwing. +1 to hit with most varieties of swords. This is awesome for your close combat sword wielding squads in any type of armour! Or +1S if you are a ramming vehicle (you won't really take this most of the time I guess).
(c) Dreadwing. S-1 from incoming flames, plasma, volkite, and phosphex. Also reduction in effectiveness (to wound) of poison and force weapons. Great for those objective sitters, and units that you want to hang around a touch longer (perhaps backline ones like heavy support).
(d) Ironwing. Re-roll 1's to hit against vehicles. Snap shot at BS=2 if you are a vehicle. Default choice for tank hunters, and all of your tanks. Don't underestimate BS=2 on your vehicles - it can be awesome.
(e) Firewing. Get +1 to wound against independent characters. This rule is for your warlord hunters and for those precise snipers.
(f) Ravenwing. +1 to running distances will make the White Scars blush. Cavalry get re-rolls to shrouded. But vehicles get +2 movement at cruising speed. Put it on your bikes. And then think if you're facing White Scars and if so put it on your vehicles too - it will really upset them.
Arsenal of the First Legion gives access to the armoury, Scions of the Hekatonystika yields the Paladin consul upgrade, and The First Legion rule gives the warlord traits.
Advanced Reaction.
The Angels of Death reaction gives fearless and fear when charged if a Ld test is passed at a level of 2. Otherwise its fear at level 1 and stubborn if failed. This is a cool reaction and can be used in a protective sense, but also in a durability sense to tar pit enemies further when required (in fact, this style of play is one I wholly recommend to you all).
Difference to First Edition.
All change! Goodness me, its hard to draw a parallel. I will say that I think they're tremendously improved though!
heheheheeh well we Angels are the BEST at everything !!!
ReplyDeleteseriously though what I LOVE about the 1st is how customizable they can be (a bit like Elder armies but with SM stats). You do however have to play each to its strengths e.g. If you've got a Heavy Support Squad with anti-tank weapons, you've effectively got a 1/2 chance of the weapon being twin-linked.
OF course combined with the Rites of War (which I'm sure you'll cover soon) these can be even more interesting with the attached bonuses. One thing you forgot to mention is that if an independent character and a unit have different rules, then you MUST chose one rule which applies to both of them for the entirety of that turn.
For example My Warlord is Firewing but his Deathwing Companions are Deathwing, well given he's got a Paragon Blade for +2 strength so that 1+ to wound isn't going to be useful most of the time. However a +1 to hit ...... ah that's brilliant.
Whilst I am less down on the Alpha Legion changes than you are, I do feel a bit sad that it really feels like the Dark Angels do a lot more of what we did last edition (along with Raven Guard to a degree), with all the flexibility. Add to this a character (Marduk Sedras) who happens to give everything around him Preferred Enemy for the entire game (and not just, a turn!), and it can feel a little bit like our toys got given to someone else.
ReplyDeleteI should also point out that the B2 snap shots for vehicles is in addition to re-rolling 1s. Think about it a Talon of Contemptor Dreadnoughts with one Gravis Lascannon eac. That's 6 (effectively) twin-linked strength 9 AP2 shots. Enough to give most other vehicles nightmares.
ReplyDeleteI think you have both said it all better than I can!
ReplyDeleteI'm still a bit sad about the Alphas, Rob. Getting over it slowly!