Updating My Blood Angels for 6th Edition

I set out a goal to finish up my unpainted Blood Angels models for the "Lost Worlds" slow-grow league at Gamer's Sanctuary. We are at the halfway point and it has been a lot of fun so far. I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of player turnout each week.

I have been negligent on getting my fluff written on the forums, but I have done some hobby work recently and wanted to share some of my thoughts on Blood Angels in 6th edition. My Blood Angels collection has expanded in points beyond my Tau army now (BA4eva just doesn't sound right though!).  I did not realize how much stuff I had until I started to look through what was still unpainted.   Marine models are just so common in the re-sale bin that I think half of my army was bought used. I did pick up a few "new" things recently and got some painting done. Incoming pics...





So 6th edition has been around awhile now and common Internet wisdom has the Blood Angels dropping down the 40k power scale.   Feel-no-pain isn't as reliable, Furious Charge isn't so good, Razorspam/mech is bad, everyone else has vehicles that go flat-out now.... etc, etc.

Not a lot of good advice out there to find.   I know what has been working for me though.   Death company has been solid for me so far, and Land Raiders for some reason seem to be surviving whole games.  BA Stormravens are still good.  Also, we have one of the few remaining assault-from-reserve units in Vanguard Vets.   So it's not all gloom and doom.

I originally painted up my Blood Angels with 1st company colors (lots of gold on the red and black, white skull on shoulder).   However, for the campaign, I purchased the one remaining special character missing from my collection, Captain Tycho.  Captain Tycho did get a slight boost for 6th in that his digital weapon attacks at initiative and ignores armor which is pretty rare now.   I painted him in standard golden nipple armor not the Death Company version.   The printed 3rd company banner turned out pretty good.

The background fluff I have for the campaign is that 1st company has been dispatched to track down a mysterious transmission from a MIA 3rd company unit on the "Lost World" of Nyos.   The transmission contained a coded message from Captain Tycho, who in the BA Codex fluff died long ago fighting Orks.

So will 1st company find who sent the message?   Could Captain Tycho have survived through the warp?   And how was he cured from the Black Rage to coherently send a message?

The league is actually an escalation in points each week, and we are just getting past the patrol clash missions.   So far, I have faced two different Dark Eldar players and Josh's speed freak orks.   Part of my painting goal has been finishing up a full unit of Sternguard.  In the small points games I have been running them on foot with a Librarian with divination (prescience) which of course Vanilla marines don't have access to.   I converted a lot of them from some Black Reach marines and just added storm bolter clips to their guns.   I modeled up two with missile launches as well.   Sternguard are such a versatile unit that provide great shooting support for assault marines troops.

Planning ahead for higher points games, I plan on taking a rarely used special character.   I think Brother Corbulo is definitely worth his points in 6th edition.  I plan on attaching him to the Sternguard and put him out front to absorb fire.   He has essentially a 2+ invuln save versus non insta-death weapons and can use look out sir for those.   Plus he has that once a game re roll for added survivability.   I actually stripped the paint off and repainted him as Corbulo and not just a counts-as Sanguinary priest.

Last but not least, I finished up a common model seen on the battlefields of 6th edition.   The Aegis Defense line doesn't exactly fit my fluff for a mobile assault force, but I cannot deny it's usefulness.   I modeled up a Quad gun and Icarus lascannon option.   I find sticking a minimum unit of scouts there works as the Sergeant at least has BS4 to operate the gun and hopefully shoot down a flier.

So that's it for now.   I still have some shooty Terminators and a honor guard to finish before the end of the league.

Keep up the fight Blood Angels players.   For Sanguinius!!!