Shown here is Strike Force Annihilus that Richard Chambers deployed at the Sydney Grand Tournament in 2001 with great success. His entire army can be seen in the Legionsof the Unforgiven section - Strike Force Annihilus.

TACTICA DEATHWING By Richard Chambers ( Annihilus )

TThis article has been reproduced with kind permission from the author. An edited version appeared in the Australian White Dwarf magazine, # 262. 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 he Dark Angel spirrit and the warhammer 40,000 experience.

But trust me, they ain't so friendly.  Dreadnoughts are great vehicles and absolutely have one of the best bang to buck ratios in the game.  A 135 point Dreadnought armed with a twin-linked lascannon and missile launcher, which has moved 6" has a better chance of killing an enemy vehicle than a 250 point Land Raider under the same circumstances.  An excellent one hit/one kill weapon platform.  The Dreadnought is bought as an ELITE choice, is relatively cheap, can be deployed in numerous varieties and adapted to a multitude of roles.  Here, I would argue is the one occasion where you can use specialisation in your Deathwing Army.  I like to take two Dreadnoughts and fit them out for two very different roles.  The first choice is the Dreadnought outlined above.  This vehicle can lurk up the back of the battlefield and with its two 48" weapons it can reach out and touch whatever it wants.  In many games this Dreadnought holds my deployment zone, or attacks up one flank, alone.  It has always performed well.  Apart from the Land Raider, this Dreadnought provides your army with its best anti-tank capabilities. The other Dreadnought is used as another line breaker, and mine is armed with the traditional assault cannon (which has become a theme within my army), a storm bolter and the Dreadnought close combat weapon.  This vehicle is great for tying up enemy squads, shredding tanks and much, much more.  I have seen and envied other weapons fit-outs and would like to add plasma cannon and auto-cannon equipped Dreadnoughts to my First Company.  Any Dreadnought can play a significant role as a force multiplier. Well that's it for our Deathwing Army.  What about the other HQ choices I hear you cry.  Well as I stated earlier, I generally feel that having the Master of the Deathwing is quite enough in this small army.  I love Dark Angel's Librarians, but their greatest asset, the "Weaken Resolve" psychic power can not always be utilised to best effect in an army that can not pursue opponents who flee.  Using this power to force cross-fires as part of a deep striking attack is an option, but a risky one due to the random nature of the timing of the arrivals and locations of the dropzones.  The Interrogator Chaplain and Command Squads are both terrific choices as well, but just don't fit into my 1500 point army. So how to finish up?  For a small army you have a load of options.  If you take all Terminators it means you can deep strike your whole army or you may have to walk across the battlefield.  But you can take almost 25 models, which for the Deathwing is luxury!  Adding a couple of Dreadnoughts means less models, but still allows you to deep strike while increasing the toughness, firepower and flexibility of your army.  Add a couple of Land Raiders and you'll have even less models, but your force multipliers will stack up more in your favour and allow you to plunge your Deathwing force deep into the heart of your enemy.  Keep it small, keep it tight and keep driving forward.

TACTICA DEATHWING

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EXAMPLE OF A 1500 POINT DEATHWING ARMY HQ Gabriel  Grand Master of the Deathwing with Terminator armour,                     storm bolter and the Sword of Secrets ELITES Dreadnought  Venerari (The Revered) with twin-linked lascannon and                     missile launcher Dreadnought  Remiel with assault cannon, storm bolter, Dreadnought                     Close combat weapon, extra armour and smoke launchers TROOPS Deathwing Terminator Squad  Adonai with 1 sergeant, 2 lightning                      claws, 1 storm bolter & chainfist and 1 heavy flamer & power fist Deathwing Terminator Squad  Damas with 1 sergeant, 1 lightning                      claws, 1 storm bolter & chainfist and 2 assault cannon & power fist HEAVY SUPPORT Land Raider  Malignus with 2 twin-linked lascannon, twin-linked heavy                     bolters, searchlight and smoke launchers Land Raider Crusader  Annihilus with 2 "hurricane" pattern bolters,                     twin-linked assault cannon, multimelta, pintle-mounted storm bolter and smoke launchers TOTAL COST:

150 135 113 275 305 254 268 1500 Points

Shown here is Strike Force Annihilus that Richard Chambers deployed at the Sydney Grand Tournament in 2001 with great success. His entire army can be seen in the Legionsof the Unforgiven section - Strike Force Annihilus.