GENERAL STRATEGY & TACTICS

COMMAND PRIMUS By ( Shadow Guard )

This article has been reproduced with kind permission from the author.  It's use here is not intended as a challenge to the original authors copyright and is reproduced here for the sole purpose of enhancing the Dark Angel spirit and the warhammer 40,000 experience

Command Primus: "How to create and lead your first Dark Angels Army" Introduction: The recent revision to the Codex: Dark Angels, and the upcoming Eye of Terror world wide campaign looming, has resulted in many new recruits to the Dark Angels fold. Commanding a battle force of the Dark Angels Spacemarines is no easy task for the new comer to our hobby. With the three complete army lists and a myriad of potentially devastating units at their disposal, the choices a new commander has to make can be bewildering. This article is intended to guide a newcomer to the hobby, through the process of creating a well balanced Dark Angel army from scratch and then expanding it in a step-wise manner. General Overview: The main aim is to create a well balanced Dark Angels army that would perform reasonably well against any opponent and under any scenarios. Learning to use a well balanced army (as opposed to one tailored to face a particular opponent or scenario) is the best way to develop good generalship and sportsmanship. The Codex Dark Angels allows the creation of three separate army lists. A full Deathwing army composed of Deathwing terminators, dreadnoughts and landraiders is a definite challenge to command. The second army is the Ravenwing army, which consists entirely of bikes, attack bikes and landspeeders. Although this army usually fields more models than the Deathwing, it is nevertheless also a challenge, especially for the newcomer. The ideal army to lead in to battle for the first time is one made up from the Battle Company list, and it is this that we will be focussing on. Financial Management: Most of the newcomers to the hobby would be dependant on their parents or their hard earned wages to make ends meet while you pursue the hobby. This particular hobby, while very rewarding in a great many ways, can also be somewhat of a financial burden. So, if you are indeed a newcomer, I would advice you to play a few games, using a spacemarine army before you actually make any purchases, so that you can get a feel for whether you like the way the Dark Angels play. There are a great many Gamesworkshop outlets scattered around the major cities of the world, and even more hobby shops which support the game. You can get involved in a lot of participation games where the models are provided by the outlets, or join a friend if he allows you to use some of his armies. This hobby is generally populated by people who are forever trying to introduce it to others, so you shouldn't have any problem tying your hand out at a few games before you actually start purchasing your army. Specific Aims: When creating a balanced army one has to address several critical issues as follows: Firepower: The Dark Angels are generally thought to be a fire-power based army although they are as versatile as an Codex Spacemarine army. An army that is able to unleash a solid hail of fire at their opponent is one of the basic requirements of this list. This should include a good balance of high strength long range anti-tank fire power to destroy enemy transports and reduce the effectiveness of the enemy's long range fire. In addition it should also have a good capacity for medium range anti-infantry firepower to whittle down the large hordes of enemy who are trying to close with you. Staying Power: In a battlefield where you will almost always be outnumbered, it is essential to have enough numbers of troops to absorb casualties and yet hold your battle line. Large, full strength squads from your troop choices are the ideal choice for this. Mobility: Even in a predominantly firepower based army, mobility is also essential. To stay still is to die on the battlefields of the 40th Millennium. Your force must contain enough mobility to perform a number of functions. These include, threatening the enemy's flank, responding to the enemy's movement, exploiting a weak point in the enemy's line and finally to take and hold an objective. Counter Assault: Regardless of how much firepower you maintain, and how effectively your marines target the enemy, at some point in the battle they are going to make it to your lines. When this happens, you must have a suitably powerful unit or units to counter assault and throw them back. Conversely sometimes you need to advance in to the teeth of the enemy to claim the objective. You must aim to have at least one but preferably two units capable of moving and counter attacking the enemy effectively. Minimize Expenditure: The hobby costs money. For the newcomer this can be an overwhelming experience as their carefully hoarded reserve of holiday money disappears rapidly. This article will also address the most economical way to create this balanced army list. Historical background (Fluff): More than any other Spacemarine army, the Dark Angels legion and their Unforgiven chapters have a very rich and enigmatic background. The secrecy surrounding their millennia long quest adds to the mysterious nature of the chapter. Maintaining the background within the creation of your army will make the outcome a lot more flavourful and your games more enjoyable. Do not try to create armies simply tailored to win. Win with an army that is full of character. That is the ultimate enjoyment of the hobby.

Warhammer 40,000 Boxed Set  Contents and cost ITEM                                              Cost when bought individually Rule Book                                                  £ 25.00 Blast templates x 3                                     £ 3.00 Measure sticks x 2                                      -------- Spacemarine Tactical Squad (10 men)          £ 15.00 Spacemarine landpseeder                            £ 15.00 Dark Eldar Warriors                                     (£ 15.00) Ruined Building Sprue                                 (£ 6.00) Trees Sprue                                                (£ 3.00) Total                                                          £ 58.00 (£82.00)

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Stage I: Getting Started  First Acquisitions: I will assume that you are a newcomer who has little experience in the game and has made no previous purchase as yet. Every army list in the codexes of warhammer 40K has a minimum requirement for its composition. This is made up of one headquarters unit choice and two troop unit choices. However in order to play a reasonable sized game, and enjoy its variations, you would need to purchase additional units. So this is where we will begin. To play the game, you will need the Warhammer 40,000 Rule book, three templates (blast template, ordnance blast template and flamer template) and at least one measure stick. In addition you will need to buy the codex spacemarines and the codex Dark Angels. So we now look at your first purchase, and you can't go far from the Warhammer 40,000 Boxed set. As you can see if you were to buy the individual components for just the spacemarine army it would cost you £ 58.00, while the total cost of all the content is £ 82.00. You get all this for £ 50.00 if you buy the boxed set. There is no better bargain buy for the beginner to start with.