Honor Guard WIP

In my current attempt to get my Angels Sanguine army inside regs with the current Blood Angels Codex, I have the beginnings of an Honor Guard. Here you will see one Sanguinary Novitiate and two Honor Guard Marines. The Marines are awaiting their meltaguns. The Novitiate awaits a left arm with chainsword. I fully expect these to come in this week from a GW internet order.

 I have a decision to make about the Honor Guard: I will either run 4 meltaguns or 3 meltaguns and 1 flamer. Let me know what you think. I will run the Honor Guard with Dante in Reserve. They will drop in blast mech with the meltaguns and infernus pistol via Tactical Precision. The purpose behind the flamer would obviously be to soften up infantry for the assault. I have yet to make a final decision on this one. Let me know what you think. Is the flamer worth putting in this unit for versatility, or is the greater benefit having 5 Melta shots instead of 4?
A little note about the modeling: this Honor Guard was modeled and wargear chosen under the previous codex. As a result, I had to pop off some arms and weapons, etc. to make room for the meltaguns.

As these models never made it beyond priming in my first Blood Angels / Angels Sanguine army, I was able to easily put on the CD plastic for the Urban Bases. This makes me laugh a little, because Dante has the original sand bases which I made. Dante will be the 'odd man out' when I finish the Honor Guard with urban bases.

On another note, I rode around looking for 3 separate GW Independent Retailers that are located within a 20 minute drive from home. I did this in an attempt to find a place to play some 40k. My trip had the following results: One store is a toy store which has a small selection of GW models and starter paint sets. Another had the GPS leading me to an overgrown field under an Autostrade overpass. I couldn't find the store anywhere. However, I had the address in the GPS correctly. The third has a bit of promise. They were not open when I arrived, and there were no hours posted. However, the sign and exterior looks like a place which is still in business and a place where games are actually played. I will attempt to make contact with place again. Mean while, I am still searching for anyone who plays 40k.

A Vision of Terminators

I really want to build a list that surrounds the following unit combination:

-5 Terminators with Lightning Claws
-Land Raider for Transport
-Dante tucked in behind the Land Raider until the time to strike

I really like the idea of the Terminators with the long Land Raider charging distance being supported by Dante. With Dante close by, they will get Preferred Enemy.

As a result, they will be rerolling to hit and rerolling to wound.
If I can keep Corbulo and the DC close, then they would be under the effect of Furious Charge, Preferred Enemy, Lightning Claws, and the long Land Raider charge.

The only problem is that this unit is a huge points sink. I still want to build a list around it and give it try!

For the Emperor and Sanguinius

I continue to be impressed with Dante in the games that I play. He is a really strong model on the table. The only times that he has been killed in games have been when I left him hanging out for Lascannon blasts (or something else that causes instant death).

Don't get me wrong, I do not mind if he dies in games. I just want him to cause as much havoc as possible until at least the 4th or 5th turn. I have been able to keep him out of sight in the early game until I get him stuck in close combat.

I have posted some pictures up that I took of Dante locked in mortal combat with the Eldar Seer Council and Autarch in my most recent game. Dante felled the foul Xenos killing the Farseer and causing the Autarch to flee the field.

One disappointment that I continue to have is the Attack Bikes. I love the idea of them, but they have not been as impressive on the table. I thought that two really fast Multimeltas zipping around the table would mean vehicle destruction for my opponents. However, in 3 full games, 2 multimelta attack bikes has equaled one destroyed prism cannon.

I will continue to use them. I cannot give up or change the list until I have at least played 5 games. After 5 games with the current list, I will be able to make a better judgment.

I honestly think that many gamers make too many rash and hasty decisions, switching their lists up before they have played enough to understand what works.

Lord Commander Dante

"Commander Dante is one of the most experienced and able
Space Marine Chapter Masters and has ruled over the Blood
Angels for over a thousand years." -Codex Blood Angels

Dante is a very powerful model on the table. It has been my experience that Dante has the power to change the outcome of the battle. He excels at gathering kill points. He can lead your primary assault units into the heart of the enemy. From your opponents perspective, he cannot be ignored. He excels at reacting to and stopping your opponents attempts to achieve their plans on the battlefield.

The most effective method of using Dante is to keep him near Corbulo. The combination of Preferred Enemy and Furious Charge on a model with 6 attacks on the charge is tremendously effective.

If you are not using Dante, I encourage you to try it. You will not be disappointed.

If you are like me, then you are playing Blood Angels because they wreck stuff in assaults. I guarantee you that Dante wrecks stuff in the assault phase. It is just bonus that he has a melta-gun pistol.