XIX Legion: Living Tactica v3.0 (11/7/16)

Raven Guard Legion Tactica: The Legion and Units Part One v3.0 (11/7/16)

Change Log v2.1:
Updated Recon Marines

Change Log v2.2:
Updated Recon Marines

Change Log v3.0 Huge Red Book update 

Raven Guard were my first army back when I started Warhammer. When the Horus Heresy expansion came out I instantly fell in love with it. I knew the day would come for Raven Guard to get their legion tactics and units. When they came I could not have been happier. I'll be drafting this up and posting them as more eyes can help point out errors and the like. Now this obviously isn't the be-all-end-all of a Raven Guard tactica but I've done some research and played a fair amount of games. So it should at least serve as a starting point.

Before I begin, allow me to paint the Raven Guard mindset for those unfamiliar or new to the XIXth Legion:

While World Eaters go after anything that moves, Emperors Children find the most grandiose way they can to dance around their opponent, Imperial Fists seek the Warlord and other worthy opponents, we Sons of Corax exploit weakness. Fighting fair is for the glory seekers. We are about getting the job done efficiently and quickly. We may not have the biggest Death Star or the toughest units but we are really, really good at killing anything better than any other legion. Our Rite of War is perfect for alpha strikes. Our unique units, rules for superior positioning and mobility are perfect for applying the correct counter to your opponents units when and where you want.

In terms of game-mechanics the RG legion is one of the two most adaptable and variable Legion list. The other being Alpha Legion. The RG list strengths lie in it's ability to hit what you want, with the most effective unit for the job when you want to. The options for doing so are numerous. While you can reasonably expect certain things from other legions, especially when they take a RoW, a Raven guard list can vary wildly while still being strong at hitting first and hard. They can be a shock-tactics style list with numerous Drop Pods supported by infiltrated units, a mechanized infantry list with infiltrating rhinos, or a infantry based list where everything is perfectly infiltrated to ambush your opponent. Or any combination of those tactics. All from the same Rite of War: The Decapitation Strike.

Let's start with the basics.

Legion Rules

Army-wide Furious Charge for anything in Terminator Armor, with a Jump Pack or on a bike and Infiltrate and Fleet for all infantry(Jump included) makes for a highly adaptable army that hits hard from unseen quarters.

“The First Axiom of Stealth is to be other than where the enemy believes you to be. ” -Corvus Corax

Infiltrate is a deadly advantage. This means heavy Support Squads with optimal cover and firing angles, or Destroyers getting up close and personal.

“The First Axiom of Victory is to be other than where the enemy desire you to be.” -Corvus Corax

Apart from traditional “sneak guys in” it allows for mechanized armies, anything that's in a dedicated transport, to get into great positions and keep mobility.

Furious Charge for the heavy hitters is simple yet brutal.

Our Rite of War is stellar; Decapitation Strike easily among the best. Being able to re-roll the die to determine who goes first from Predatory Strike is highly advantageous and plays well to the armies strengths. Preferred Enemy Independent Characters makes enemy HQ units think twice about exposing themselves. Deathstorms moving to elites helps with the fact we only get one Heavy Support slot, but that's minimal.

The true gold lies in most units ability to take Drop Pods as dedicated transports. Seekers in Pods can wipe out entire units, especially when equipped with combi-weapons. Tactical Support squads armed with Plasmaguns can make for a more economical version. Legion Drop Pods also don't force occupants out like their 40k equivalents. So units that come down have ablative AV12 to help keep them safe from retaliatory fire, or from getting fragged by any Deathstorms you dropped down with them.

Alternatively you can take advantage of Predatory Strike in a more ambush-oriented list. Infiltrate things like Quad Mortar Rapiers, Sniper Mor Deythan, Seekers and such.

The only limits are the hard ones, only one Consul and one Heavy Support. The requirement to have more units with the infantry type than tanks will never get in your way.

Where as you know you'll see breachers and/or warders in an IF RoW list for example; the RG RoW is less predictable. Almost every unit can benefit from the combined buffs from the Legion rules and our RoW. Our unique ones even more so. The only thing you can reasonably expect from a Raven Guard list is that it will exploit any weakness that it can. And when it does it will do so with precision, power, and without mercy.

The Armory of the Raven is extensive and deadly. For the cost of a Melta Bomb Cameleoline offers Stealth to ICs and Infravisors gives out Night Vision to any character. Raven's Talons are Master Crafted Lightning Claws with Rending. Any LC or pair can be upgraded to them for the cost of two Melta Bombs. These are what Shrike has in 40k.

The Fractal Harrow Blade is at first glance pretty standard; S+1 AP3 Rending, Bloody Ruin(wounds by the bearer are doubled for combat resolution). Our relic is unique, even among relics, in that it is one of the few melee weapons that have a passive ability. The bearer need only have it equipped to have the effect of Bloody Ruin take place. This means a character can have this and an AP2 weapon and choose which to use for the current fight.

Now let's get to specifics. Corax made sure that his legion was adaptable and could function independently when needed. Keep in mind the XIXth was a full legion with access to all the goodies any other legion could field. So in this tactica I'm going to discuss units and ways to utilize them in tandem with our rules to their maximum potential. Usually with our RoW in mind. There will be other times when you don't use it, but with so many benefits and few drawbacks it's always worth considering when possible. Alternatively you might want forgo stealth and just field a dozen tanks in an amored spearhead and use the Onslaught FOC. Use whatever you learn here as a spring board and go for it.

HQ's

Praetor – Standard beatstick character. Not much to be said here. A Paragon Blade equipped Praetor with the Harrow Blade will make units disappear quickly. Strike Captain Maun will likely be the go-to for unlocking our RoW and you'll see why.

Centurions – As our Rite of War only allows one Consul choice even the generic Centurion can prove to be deadly if you need to throw in a few more one-man force multipliers.

Consuls -

• Chaplain – A normal Chaplain but with Fearless at a premium and ATSKNF non-existant they are even better in 30k. Plus their Crozium can be an axe, sword or maul. One of the stronger choices for RG, especially attached to Dark Furies or Terminators. Bonus points for taking the Fractal Harrow Blade to destroy units in CC or Void Shield Harness to negate most Overwatch.
• Vigilator – Not only are they fluffy, but can dish out Sabotage! attacks. While RG already have infiltrate, his scout armor upgrade is less mandatory for this Consul.
• Moritat – The Raven Guard, especially Terran-Born XIXth legionaries, were notorious for brutal and effective strikes. The RG were among the first to deploy Moritats and they fit well with the list. Infiltrate and Scout can put them in prime position to Chain Fire some unsuspecting units.
  

  • With the double nerf'ing of Chainfire Overheat and max of 12 hits Moritats are now terrible. I suggest house ruling the removal of Overheat and keeping the max 12 hits. What made them OP before was being able to get more than 12 shots. They average 5 hits with a max of 12 withotu the overheat rule anyway.
• Siege Breaker – They combo well with infiltrated Heavy Support squads for premiere shots on armor and the added Tank Hunter bonus.
• Master of Signal – His bombardment and ability to dish out +1BS is nice, but competition for the sole Consul slot in a RG list is high.
• Champion – A bruiser plain and simple. A Chaplain would serve you better for Fearless and Zealot. Other legions make better use of Champions.
• Forge Lord – His ability to take Rad Grenades goes well with Furious Charge on our Terminator and Jump Units. Furious Charge, plus a power axe with Rad Grenades can double-out FnP on marine units and cut bloody swathes through W2 terminators and Tactical Blobs with attached Apothecaries. If you wanted some Castellax, he can take a Cortex controller and unlock them. Which offers some of the toughest and dangerous units to support the back or midfield.
• Librarian – Another solid choice for any RG list. Telepathy is extremely effective in 30k. It's ability to break or rally units is game-wining. Not to mention it's primaris power is deadly and can “fired” at separate target from the unit. It's alpha strike potential and buffs/debuffs make for a deadly and adaptable addition to any forward unit.
• Primus Medicae – A good unit for any list. With the addition of relics, namely our unique one and the Nanyte Blaster, any IC can be turned into an offensive element. This made the PM from a less optimized Consul for RG style warfare to one that can always be considered.
• Praevian – Masters of Automata. They form a unit with your choice of Battle-Class automata(Only Castellax and Vorax at this time). If he hits a target with a shooting attack he gives the automata Preferred Enemy against it(remember each different weapon is resolved individually and consecutively so take a combi-bolter for him and have him shoot first). Each legion confers their unique rules or part of it to the unit. For RG the automata gain Infiltrate and Scout. Surprise Castellax with Targeting Arrays and Darkfire cannons for 2+ rerollable accuracy anyone? Brutal. Infiltrating Vorax in Zone Mort or a Raid mission wouldn't be too bad either.
• Delegatus – The guy you call in, give him anything he asks for, and let him go to town. He can take a RoW and has no limit on gear options. Build your own budget Praetor essentially. Designed for smaller games like Zone Mortalis and Strategic Raid missions. The possibilities are endless. Though take note: he uses up the one available consul slot we have for our RoW. 
• Heralds: No lies; they're pretty bad. 2VP(Form Slay the Warlord and Fallen Honor) to buff one units WS to 5? Not worth it at all.

Strike Captain Maun – He is, in a word, synergy. He sports an average HQ statline. Despite his fluff you don't want him getting to close in the mix unless he's supported by a lot of units. He only has a power sword and no invulnerable. It's his other gear and special rules that make him great. His warlord trait allows one to re-roll failed reserve rolls for deepstriking units. It also gives any unit that disembarks from a deepstriking transport Counter-Attack. The second wave of a Drop Pod Assault is almost guaranteed to come in. It gets better, his unique vox allows friendly units to deepstrike without scatter in an 18” bubble and re-roll failed seize the initiative rolls. Drop Pods full of Seekers or Plasma Support Squads land around him and deliver enemy units from their mortal coils. Flyers too, such as Lightnings and Fire Raptors, deepstrike perfectly to get the best angles on their targets.

Moritat-Prime Kaedes Nex – The king of Moritats. Which is not to be taken lightly. He has the typical Moritat rules, but with BS6, a 5++ and Shroud Bombs, and can never join another unit. His name translates to “Murder and Death” and if that's not enough reason to taken him sports two Fulcrum Hand Cannons. They are AP4 bolt pistols with rending and concussive. He also can wield them in CC like Cypher. The recent nerf to Plasma Pistol Moritats, this makes him one of two Moritats that have anything close to reliable AP2 for chain firing. The other being an Alpha Legion Moritat with their relic pistol. Similar to Seekers, he gets to chose a unit as his prey, an enemy HQ or Elites choice, if he kills the unit or causes a wound in the phase they are killed you score an additional Victory Point. He has a unique way of deploying as well. He get's to deploy within 18” of his chosen prey so long as he is out of line of sight for any enemy unit. This special deployment circumvents things like Augery Scanners and Djinn-Sight that would normally prevent a unit to get close in deployment. Should he be deployed this way he has Shrouded, which goes well with his Stealth from Cameleoline. Placing him well, coupled with a pod full of Seekers, can almost guarantee 2+ Victory Points on your first turn. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of him in Zone Mortalis either. Especially if there's void combat(+1 to rending).

• With the Moritat Nerf of hitting a max of 12 times he is a lot worse for the wear. At the very least he doesn't have the Lone Killer rule so he does indeed benefit from RoWs and things like Psychic powers.

Elites

Apothecaries are straight-forward buff characters. As RG you will be evasive and mobile, so Apothecaries will likely only serve you well in Zone Mortalis games or special missions such Planetstrike that have a chance for high casualties.

• Now that they can get packs and bikes, as well as join any unit comprised of Legiones Astartes they've gotten a lot better. 

The Flesh over Steel rule limits the amount of tanks we field; as such; other units will win out for consideration before Techmarines as the RG list caters to offense rather than defense.

Rapier batteries are points efficient and deadly. Since the crew has the Legiones Astartes rule RG can infiltrate them and put some hurt on a unit. The frag shells(AI) and shatter shells(AT) from a Quad Mortar are equally deadly for their intended targets and having both makes Rapiers highly adaptable. Taking graviton rapiers can dish out haywire, useful for the age of flare shields and armoured ceramite.

Legion Veteran Tactical squads are the “build your death squad” type of unit. They have a wide arsenal of weapons to choose from, both ranged and melee, and have the Veteran Tactics rule which allows you to choose a USR from the following list and apply it to them: Fearless, Furious Charge, Sniper, Outflank and Tank Hunters. Fearless and Sniper are popular choices. Their benefits being obvious. What makes them better as Raven Guard is how they are used. Drop Pods from Decapitation Strike can put them in positions to clear or take objectives as they're scoring. Sniper also helps put the hurt on non-vehicle units. Always wounding on a 4+, unless their weapons strength would wound on a better score thanks to the recent FAQ, with AP2 on a 6 makes them a threat even to the mighty Castellax. With Precision shots thanks to sniper they can even pick out Apothecaries and Vexilia bearers. Or even Independent Characters; combined with Preferred Enemy from our RoW makes them a threat to everything living. They can also take a Darkwing Pattern Storm Eagle as a dedicated Transport.

• With their rules buffs and points reduction they're the best troop/scoring unit in the game. Plus they can all take drop pods and combiflamers with sniper for Mor Deythan lite in Decapitation Strike.

There's not much to say about Terminators that hasn't been said in a generic tactica. Furious Charge and access to Ravens Talons gives us a leg up in combat. A Darkwing as a dedicated transport without the need of a RoW will help them get where they need to go and perhaps blind a unit before charging them. When the fists fly having Furious Charge doesn't make a lot of difference when punching other terminators or even bikes, but it does when hitting high AV and automata like Castellax and Thanatar.

• The addition of Tartaros armor has made them more appealing. Being able to sweep is huge. Especially in Zone Mortalis where they can run and overwatch, potentially at full BS.

Destroyers: a vastly misunderstood and underestimated unit. Being Raven Guard makes them extremely effective. Whether it's infiltrating them close or using Rad Grenades and Furious Charge if equipped with Jump Packs, they will inflict maximum casualties. They also have access to a Land Raider Proteus as a dedicated transport, another under-appreciated unit. Now lets apply some XIXth thinking: While it doesn't have an Assault Ramp it can take an Explorator Augury Web. It drops the capacity to 8 but gives it Scout and can give -1 to enemy reserves or allow you to re-roll any reserve roll you make. Manipulating reserves can be game-winning, if Maun is your warlord than you can just keep it in disruptor mode as your reserves are likely deepstriking. The Scout ability goes well with infiltrating the Destroyers in the Proteus. They can infiltrate 12-18” away, Scout 12”, disembark 6” and toss a Phosphex Bomb and unleash some Rad Missiles on some poor unit. Since you Scouted you can't assault and won't miss that Assault Ramp. The Proteus also has two lascannons and can take a multimelta to pop a light or medium transport to allow the Destroyers to get to the meaty insides. Bonus points for attaching a Moritat or an IC with a Nanyte Blaster. This can be extremely effective in the new Strategic Raider Missions or in Zone Mortalis, minus the Land Raider of course.

• The were skipped in the new Red Book update as said by one of the designers. So many units got better AND cheaper that it would be a shame to not houserule them cheaper. I recommend Veteran squad pricing(You trade A2 and a Veteran tactic for dual bolt pistols and rad grenades) then 35 points for squad wide jump packs. That at least makes them decent, if a bit underwhelming.

Mor Deythan, the Shadow Masters. Easily my favorite unit in the game. Coming stock with Stealth, Scoring, BS5, Scout, and Fatal Strike. Fatal Strike is a once per game ability that Twin Links their attacks and grants them rending, in the case of sniper rifles becoming AP2 on a 5+. They can be kitted out to do anything; they must take a combi-weapon, shotgun or sniper rifles and 1in3 can take a Missile launcher with Suspensor Web with Frag/Krak, meltagun, flamer or volkite charger. If you want anti-GEQ/MEQ look no further than combi-flamers. Twin-Linking a template weapon effectively gives them shred, with ignores cover from being a template weapon and rending they will do serious damage. Combi-Plasmas will give you coverage against a large variety of units. The MLs with webs, while only having the range of a bolter, are great for shooting from the hatch of an infiltrated and scouted rhino or hitting hard and fast in games of Zone Mortalis. Speaking of Zone Mortalis: Mor Deythan are at their deadliest in it. Blast and template weapons have shred so you can save the Fatal Strike for the best unit. Void warfare improves rending of S4+ weapons by 1, so when you Fatal Strike something you'll rend on a 5+. Imagine that on some combi-flamers? The MLs are also nice has frag missiles have obvious benefits, added Pinning in void warfare, but can also be used to take out the two toughest units in ZM from a distance: Dreadnoughts and Doors.

They are also also be made to be better Recon Marines when equipped with sniper rifles. They come base with Stealth, Infiltrate, BS5 and can Fatal Strike something. All while being cheaper than an identically equipped Recon squad.

Dreads and Contemptors. I'm going to put them all together because the RG Legion doesn't offer much in the way of direct buffs, but they can be made to synergize well with RG strike tactics. The Anvillus Drop Pod is key. It can deepstrike(perhaps in Mauns 18” bubble?), flatout 18”, then next turn move 6”, the dread disembarks 6” and then charges 2-12” inches. If you ever wanted to get a dread in the best place to punch something, this is how. Mortis pattern dreads aren't a bad option but will likely only make it in an infiltration-based RG list.

• Contemptor Cortus are amazing for one reason: Initiative 5 chainfists. Cheaper and better in CC than contemptors they are top notch.

Leviathans: Quality but expensive, especially in pods. Watch out for armies that like AT with interceptor; the Levy may not die but getting forced to snap fire will neuter it.

Fast Attack

Dark Furies

I had already written a blurb on them so I'll include them in this part.

These guys are infantry shredders. Each is equipped with a Jump Pack and pair of Lightning Claws. The Sarge, The Chooser of the Slain, has a 2+ and Ravens Talons. They automatically get a 5+ cover any turn they deepstrike, have Furious Charge and get +1 initiative on the charge. Each marine can also upgrade their claws to talons for some Master Crafted re-rolls on hits and Rending. New book gave them all Talons for free. Welcome to die. Ten of them can put some hurt on all but the toughest of units. I've had success attaching a Chaplain with a Void Shield Harness to them. Fearless and Zealot alone is a great buff to them, but when you add a layer of ablative AV12 they can be deadly and hard to kill. The AV12 will negate things like potential Fury of the Legions and Overwatch. I recommend Deep Striking them so your Infiltrated/podded units can take out or maim anything that can easily pop the AV12 bubble before your Furies arrive. Then proceed to sweep all your opponents scoring off the board in bloody melee while your Mor Deythan, Seekers and Destroyers kill the tougher units.

Our Dark Furies are also surprisingly points efficient(even more so with the free Talon upgrade), especially for being a Jump Pack-equipped unit in 30k. Initially each Fury costs only 5 points more than the price of a pair of Lightning Claws. That extra 25 points over 5 pairs of claws goes towards 5 marines, each equipped with a jump pack, a 5+ auto-cover when they Deep Strike, +1S and +1I on the charge and a Sarg that has WS5, 2+ and Ravens Talons. The Sarge alone is worth 20 of those 25 extra points, if not all 25 from added WS5. You get each additional marine(who has a jump pack, claws and special rules) for the price of just the claws. And when you equip them with Talons they are still at-cost for their melee weapons alone. So in actuality what that 5 points pays for is for all four of the initial marines, the auto 5+ cover, +1S /+1I on the charge and the WS5 on the sarge. All that for the 5 points? Glorious.

Raven Guard Legion Tactica: The Legion and Units Part Two v2

Troops

Tactical Squads will be the meat of many lists. Especially under the Decapitation Strike RoW. They're tried and true. They can infiltrate up close, if you're lucky, 12” and Fury of the Legion something turn one. Or put them in a rhino and infiltrate or outflank them. Infiltrate them with a vox to bring down flyers and Furies accurately if needed. Alternatively if you pod them in remember that 30k pods don't force occupants out upon landing.

• Now even cheaper

It's hard to justify Recon Marines when Mor Deythan are so good. If you already have RMs you could use them as sniper Mor Deythan. They are so much better and cheaper in almost every situation. The reason is the Support Squad rule, it really hurts them. If it weren't for this rule I would be tempted to take them over normal Tacs because they have access to Cameleoline, Scout, and Shroud Bombs. But since they can't be your compulsory troops, spending points on them is not easy.

An alternate tactic is to load them up with meltabombs and take a Storm Eagle as a Dedicated Transport. With Outflank and Acute Senses they can tear up backfield vehicles and units.

Avoid Breachers outside Zone Mortalis. Other legions do them better in normal games. Use the points you save on taking Tac marines to buy more or optimize your alpha strike potential elsewhere.

Assault marines are crazy expensive. They will probably get a rework as they seem like they were the result of old rules back when they scope of the game was smaller. Dark Furies are the way to go. If you're going for thematics go for it, otherwise they are too expensive.

• The got their rework and have massively reduced points. They are stellar now. Use tacs and caliver support squads for your backfield objectives and AMs for mid and opponents objectives.

Tactical Support squads can be a great addition to any legion. With RGs ability to alpha strike through infiltrate on foot or in rhinos and pods they can really put the hurt on first before taking casualties like other armies that have to march them up the field. I can't emphasize enough how much of a boon it is to be able to cherry pick units to go in drop pods like in 40k with Decapitation Strike. Night Lords gets something similar but is not as expansive as the RG selection of eligible units.

• I recommend calivers for great midfield support for your AMs.

Fast Attack

It's hard for me to make a list that does not have a pod full of combi-plas Seekers. I was always a fan of drop podding Sternguard back in 5^th and it carried on through 6^th until I converted my 40k RG to 30k. Their Marked for Death rule combined with a drop pod and combi-plas can see just about anything short of Storm Shield Termis and AV13+ disappear in a brilliant flash of light.

Outriders aren't typical bikes. With scout, and by extension outflank, they have some great deployment options that can supplement the RG playstyle well. They're also one of the few units that that don't come with a sarge and are at-cost when you buy the squad. Stock with TL bolters the whole unit can purchase TL Plasmaguns instead. A unit or two of these can harass backfield units via outflank or help in an initial push when scouting. Every three can also take a power weapon to take advantage of furious charge and augment their CC ability. If used well they can take out enemy fire support units like Iron Havocs, Heavy Support Squads and the like. They can also each buy a meltabomb to take out enemy artillery and other backfield vehicles if they don't pop them with plasma fire first.

• Use the Recon Company RoW to give them a 2+ jink turn one after scouting. Equip with meltabombs and go tank hunting.

A unit I haven't seen much of, Attack Bikes are like your normal 40k variants but have an option to take an autocannon. Nothing really special here, the price of two autocannon bikes will cost more than one predator tank and have the same amount of shots but have T5 instead of AV13. But they are Fast Attack instead of Heavy Support.

Sky Hunter Jetbikes are a contested unit. Arguably better than Outriders for a few points more per bike after an initial unit “tax”. They trade Scout for jetbike status and a 2+ armor save as of the little red books. If Outriders are light skirmishers, hit and run tactics, then Sky Hunters are heavy skirmishers. They can deepstrike in close, looking at you Maun, and unleash a copius amount of heavy bolter fire. One in three can swap out their HB; Volkite Culverins are a good option to supplement their anti-personnel capabilities. More jink friendly too as at least they can be snap-shotted. Plasmacannons can help with groups of terminators or other beefy infantry units, but are more reliant on alpha striking, which as RG is easier to do. Ignore the Multi-Melta as anything worth protecting will have armoured ceramite. They too can take melta bombs, but only the sarge can take a CC weapon. Putting in a Primus Med with the Nanyte blaster would keep them alive longer and help improve their anti personnel abilities.

The Lightning is a versatile craft with a large selection of weapon and upgrade options. When equipped with 4 Kraken Penetrator Missiles, meltabomb missiles essentially, nothing beats it at taking down anything with armoured ceramite or a large amount of hull points. The stories of Lightnings taking down Spartans and Knights in one round of shooting is true. With optional Strafing Run and Tank Hunter upgrades you'll be hard pressed to find anything better. The incoming Deredeo Dread can and will put a hurt on Lightnings, but thanks to being RG you have a good chance at taking it out turn one with infiltrated/scouted units or a pod of plasma. Then using Maun's 18” bubble or infiltrated vox's to deep strike a Lightning or two in prime positions to take out you opponents armor in a destructive alpha-strike.

Tarantula Sentry Guns are interesting, but perhaps better served for more static gunline armies with emphasis on defense. Can't be infiltrated like Rapiers and their limited firing modes are a hindrance outside of defending a key location.

I mentioned the Anvillus earlier. There's not much else it offers beyond being a great transport option for a Dread. Perhaps if you wanted to keep a squad of Mor Deythan or Destroyer mobile but save points from taking a Darkwing. Though the Darkwing will usually serve you better from it's stealth, machine spirit and weapons.

Speeders in 30k have access to volkite culverins, havoc launchers and graviton guns. These options will serve you the best in a RG list should you desire to take them. With culverins and havoc launchers they can lay down firepower from a distance and retain mobility using cover to their advantage in order to avoid jinking. Alternatively you can equip them with graviton guns for mobile haywire. I recommend deepstriking them as they are fragile and the graviton weapon is a blast, so no snap firing it after jinking. A unit of 5 can take out a Spartan a turn and keep going, but it is expensive at 325 points. Use them as support units to make sure they aren't alone if there are threats around. Or if you do send them off make sure they aren't overexposed.

Storm Eagles are a good transport option, but with the option to take a Darkwing it's hard to decide between the two. The Darkwing is 25 more points over a lascannon-equipped Eagle but has Stealth and Outflank but a decrease in capacity to 16. It's launcher also fires Eclipse missiles which are Blind and Concussive but are S4 instead of 5. Blind got nerfed from a test every time a unit is hit by a Blind weapon to one test at the end of the phase. Still useful but no longer great as it shot twice. The Darkwing is more survivable with a 3+ jink but dishes out less fire power and holds fewer bodies. For clandestine operations in heavily contested areas(I.E. You want to insert a single unit like Mor Deythan to strike a unit) the Darkwings stealth will serve you best, plus it's a dedicated transport for Vets, Termis and Mor Deythan by default where as an eagle needs a RoW that's not Decap Strike or eats up valuable fast Attack slots.

Javelins are the slightly bigger brothers to standard speeders. AV11 keeps them safe from Fury of the Legion attacks, but are still fragile speeders. Stock with outflank and TL Cyclone Missile launchers they are great at light and medium AT and light anti-personnel. Each one can take two Hunter Killer Missiles for a few points so really rack up the S8 missiles. Between deepstrike, their speed, and outflank they have good deployment options that work well with the flexible RG playstyle.

• Now cheaper with Strafing run and gravwash. Quality but never start them on the table and beware deredeos.

Heavy Support

Deathstorms are brutal with the latest FAQ. When they come down thanks to the FAQ they effectively shoot d3 times at each and every unit within 12” at BS2(less concerning with blasts). Their frag launchers are S5 with pinning and the turn they come down force rerolls of successful pinning tests. With troops able to stay inside pods in 30k, Deathstorms are always a great way to accompany an initial drop pod wave. Krak launchers are expensive and even though they shoot twice, so effectively d3x2 times when they come down, it's still at BS2. The frag launchers have a lot more to offer. Decap Strike allows you to take them as Elites where competition for slots is fierce. The sole Heavy Support slot is also usually taken by something like a Fire Raptor.

Speaking of Heavy Support and Fire Raptors. There's not much else that works so well in our sole Heavy Support slot. It's a gunship and it does it's job well. Avoid Hellstrike missiles as they're Ordnance, and any other upgrade that is not reaper Autocannon Batteries. Always take them, they're cheap and effective. Deepstriking them in zooming mode is a great way to maximize all of it's weapons firing arcs and place shots exactly where you want them. Four tempest rockets can put the hurt on things like rhinos, speeders and bikes while the avenger cannon mulches some infantry and the twin AC turrets unload on whatever else needs shooting. It's a whirlwind of weapons-fire.

If you're in need of some AT power in a slower ambush-oriented list an infiltrated Heavy Support Squad with Missile Launchers or Lascannons can get some great shots in the opening game turns. Attach a Siege Breaker for Tank Hunters if you want to maximize their potential.

Compared to Fire Raptors and HS Squads; Predators lose out. The ability to squadron helps with the one HS slot but their points add up and they don't really offer much in a RG list that something else can't do better. Raptors are more mobile and harder to kill while retaining great firepower. HS Squads trade the mobility but will have superior firing angles due to infiltrate. Land Raiders are in the same boat as Predators. A single Vindicator won't do much either.

Artillery Squadrons can be useful in an ambush list if you infiltrate a vox in key locations. The basilisk and medusa are your best bet. The first trades mobility for great range and will benefit heavily from a vox is a great position. Medusas can be great for pushing the line and taking out hard targets for other forward units, but aren't the toughest vehicles around. Their 36” isn't small so be sure to take advantage of barrage and a vox and keep them behind cover.

Rams would be a good contender for out one HS slot, but with a Darkwing as a DT for Terminators it's hard to justify it in a Decap Strike list. Pride of the Legion lists are a different story; Go to town with those Deliverers.

The two Sicaran variants are great, but their draw back for RG is that they can't be taken as a squadron. One by itself is limited compared to the Raptor that can target 4 different units. In a non-DS list they are fast, well armored and hit hard, and so complement the RG style of play.

Derdeos are the new heavy weapon dreads. With stock S8 sunder autocannons and interceptor they are premier AA. Stay out of their LoS.

Sky Slayers are the attack bike version of Schimitars. Each gets a heavy weapon. Good, but Fire Raptors exist for the sole HS slot in Decap Strike.

Lord of War

Corvus Corax, The Raven Lord, The Deliverer. The big man himself. There's a lot to cover with him. So I'll divide him into three parts: The Man, The Force, and Tactics.

The Man

He Sports a good Primarch stat line 6's mostly with WS/I 7 and a 2+/5++. He's also one of the most expensive Primarchs. This is because he's a beatstick and army buffer. He doesn't slack in either of these. He also has old school furious charge: +1S/I on the charge. And of course Hit and Run.

His gear:

Two Archaeotech pistols

Shroud Bombs: Never doubt how clutch these can be.

Korvydine Pinions: A jump pack that gives him auto-d3 S5 AP3 HoW attacks, reroll scatter from deepstrike, and is always 'delayed' upon mishap

The Sable Armor: Enemies mishap on any double when they scatter within 12” of him and teleport homers/locator beacons etc don't work near him.

The Panoply of the Raven Lord: He is a walking armory. His attacks are AP2 with Shred, Blind, Fighting style and two-handed. Every combat he can choose one of three stances:

1. Death Strike: Auto-wounds on a 5+ and has +3 to armor pen
2. Shadow Walk: Enemies suffer a -1 to hit him
3. Scourge: +d3 attacks

Blind got nerf'd into the ground so he won't go toe-to-toe with other primarchs well. Combining Shadow Walk and Blind made even his brothers hit him on 6's in CC. It's not like the XIX to fight fair anyway. I'll get into anti-primarch tactics later.

He can also 'disappear' from the battlefield and enter ongoing reserves at the beginning of his controllers game turn. Even from combat so long as his initiative is higher than his opponent.

The Force

When he is present he gives all RG Acute Senses and a 6” run. If he is alone and not the closest unit to an enemy unit, and that unit isn't a primarch, psyker, or daemon then only snap shots can be fired at him. That's right. Mobility and high evasiveness.

I mentioned he shouldn't go toe-to-toe with his brother primarchs, but literally anything else is fair-game. On the charge he has effectively 7 S10 AP2 attacks against vehicles. With scourge and the pinions he has d3 S5 AP3 attacks, and 7+d3 S7 A2 shred and blind attacks against infantry. He can kill upwards of 10 tactical marines on the charge. Even a 20 marine blob will fold against him. They will break and he will sweep them. Even if your opponent manages to stay, Corax will finish them off. Then if you positioned yourself correctly, only snap shots will be coming at him.

Tactics

Bait and Switch: Lure your opponents biggest baddest CC unit with Corax going solo. Anything brave enough to face him will probably have a primarch and/or TH/SS or the like. Lure them in close and out in the open and then pull a vanishing act. Disappear using his Shadowed Lord rule then cut them down with your shooting. Or destroy their transport and leave them hanging.

Cometh the Shadow: Keep him alone to make use of his solo-sneaky rule. Combo him with speeders, flyers(so they need skyfire or are hitting on 6's as well), or the like. Then drive him into an enemy flank. You don't need to kill off a squad, just maim them and let your shooting finish them off. Use Shadow Walk to keep him alive(most units will be hitting him on a 6) and Hit and Run at the end of your opponents turn.

Typhon. This thing is brutal. If you've read it's entry you know how devastating it can be. What most don't realize is that it's a super heavy so it can move 12” and fire everything. Any super heavy tank can be a good force multiplier because of this rule. It's just up to taste to choose which one you want so I won't go into detail.

One of the iconic RG vehicles: the Thunderhawk. Big, fast, well armed, can transport a lot. It can hold multiple units with a capacity of 30. Dreads count as 10 and it can also hold bike and hump units. With the assault vehicle rule you can load it up and deliver a large amount of pain. It's points cost won't let it in smaller games using the Age of Darkness rules.

• More Baneblade chassis got added to the LoW list, namely the Stormsword, a 36"(Effective 48") S10 ignores cover 10" blast. A bigger better Typhon, with a modest points increase.

Special Mission Types v1

Planet Strike

Being the Attacker is extremely favorable. Imagine a squad of Dark Furies assaulting turn one due to the Shock Tactics rule? Opt for the Attacker Force Chart. Mission Specific FOCs are some of the rare non-AoD charts that allow Rites of War. Mor Deythan, Seekers, Dark Furies, and Destroyers can put some serious hurt in this game mode.

The Attacker FOC, and the Defender FOC too, allow you to choose a unit to auto-pass or fail a reserve roll each turn. This lets you keep, for example, a unit of Dark Furies in reserve until Maun is in place so they can use his Nightfall Vox for accurate deepstrike. They can then assault thanks to the Shock Tactics rule. Don't forget: anything with a Jump Pack gets Furious Charge due to RG legion rules.

Attacking or defending, the XIXth legion is always on the offensive.

Maun isn't called The Master of Descent for no reason. He absolutely thrives in this mission. Attacker or Defender his rules and buffs will see use.

As for attacker stratagems I recommend:

• Dawn Assault for Night Fighting first turn. Load up on those infravisors and cameleoline.
• Gremlin Curse to keep your opponents shooting down. Combined with the above makes for some great defense while you're on the offense.
• Ground Observer. More accurate firestorms. Plus it's fluffy.

Defender:

• Rapid Reinforcements. Between Maun almost guaranteeing Pods and Flyers; this guarantees things like Dark Furies and Destroyers to come down within Mauns 18” bubble, shoot and assault. Absolutely brutal.
• Krak Mines. What's not to like?
• Ammunition Stores. Your assaults and deepstriking are accurate. Why not your shooting as well?

Cities of Death

The new Cities of Death got streamlined from the old version. Now it's essentially a a series of urban themed maelstrom missions on a table with 6+ medium and/or large ruins with special deployment maps.

Infiltrating no longer requires a stratagem to use so go nuts. The XIXth methods of war are perfectly suited for dense urban terrain. Mor Deythan infiltrating and scouting around hunting targets, Dark Furies stalking the roof tops, drop pods and gunships descending from above.

Speed and positioning are key to any maelstrom mission. In CoD the unique objectives include securing ruins, purging them of enemy occupants, or securing the right one. High alpha lists will do well here. Deathstorm drop pods will be devastating.

Terrain is dense and urban. Make use of cover and cameleoline. Cameleoline on Praevians with Castellax tat have Targeting Arrays will do very well here. Plus since he has a Cortex Controller you could take Vorax for some outflanking/scouting killer bug-bots.

Fire Raptors and Darkwings can use the buildings for cover and stalk the ruins. The Darkwings are especially dangerous if they're transporting units like Mor Deythan.

Quad mortar rapiers will do well with infiltrated Vox for LoS. Their frag shells can pin an entrenched force to give you the edge when attacking into occupied spaces.

City Fights

If Cities of Death is an Urban Maelstrom of War mission series then City Fights are the Urban Eternal War Missions. This means predetermined objectives like holding buildings, destroying them, killing infantry, or taking objective markers and so on.

Mobility is good, but infiltrate is the real winner here. Some of the deployment options are restrictive so having infiltrate makes RG a nightmare for your opponent.

The Incursion FOC grants objective secured to troops and infantry units interceptor if they are within 6” of a vehicle at the cost of no RoWs. A dreadnought talon with escorting infantry stalking through the cityscape come to mind.