Give me doctrines or give me death!
Here at Dank Lists Wargaming, we strive to make things as dank as possible. When Games Workshop sells an army called "Dark Angels," it did not take long for us to christen them one of our unofficial mascots, "Dank Angels." Any list I've ever built in Battlescribe makes some reference to that moniker when it involves Dark Angels especially my Spaces Wolves-Dark Angels list that's aptly named "Howling Dank."
With the release of the updated Space Marine codex and all its new tools for Marine players, I would like to share some conjectures I developed recently in anticipation of an updated "Dank" Angels codex in the not too distant future. For this article, I will focus specifically on something that I believe will bring uniqueness and narrative back to the Dark Angels, combat doctrines.
Combat doctrines, as I understand them in the new Space Marine codex, give a player 3 stages of buffs that they may choose to use during a game. The player starts in the first stage and after one battle round, the player may choose to stay in their current doctrine or proceed on to the next one. Once a player moves from one stage to another, it blocks the previous stage from being used again and unlocks the next stage that may be chosen on the next battle round. Currently, the first stage gives -1 AP to Heavy and Grenade weapons. The second stage gives -1AP to Rapid Fire and Assault weapons. The final stage gives -1 AP to Pistol and Melee weapons. All of these buffs would benefit a Dark Angels army as much as it does a regular Space Marine army, but I feel that Games Workshop will miss an opportunity to be creative and push the envelop on what Warhammer 40,000 could be. I would love to see the following 3 combat doctrines make it into the the 8.5 Codex for Dark Angels: "On the Wings;" "Purify;" and "Capture the Fallen."
I want to see Dark Angels get a turn 1 combat doctrine that buffs both the Deathwing and the Ravenwing which I named, "On the Wings." My idea consists of two parts centered around the "Ravenwing" and "Deathwing" keywords. First, keyword "Ravenwing Biker" units receive a pregame scout move. Second, "Deathwing" units either arrive from tactical reserves turn one but must be wholly within 6" of a "Ravenwing Biker" unit. I would not mind it simulating disembarkment where the the "Deathwing" units come in at the start of the movement phase instead of the end and thus not benefit from the movement of the "Ravenwing Biker" during the movement phase. Deathwing Terminators brought me into the 1st Legion and I believe a return to their old turn 1 deepstrike rules would help make them relevant again. Additionally, the reliance on the Ravenwing Bikers to reach maximum efficiency reflects their coordinated attacks referenced in the Dark Angels Codex.
Turn 2, I would like the option to buff the third and final wing of the Dark Angels army, the Greenwing. I want to see "Plasma" weapons to get an additional shot at half range in something I call, "Purify." Helblasters would come out ahead clearly here as well as the Ravenwing Black Knights. Deathwing Terminators who got to deepstrike in close would get an additional shot on their Plasma Cannons along with Dreadnoughts. Don't worry Primaris fans, I didn't forget Fast Attack slot where plasma-toting Inceptors reside. I admit giving this ability to all weapon types might over do it and I would settle for "Rapid Fire" and "Assault" weapons exclusively getting this buff. On the other hand, company veterans with plasma pistols getting 2 shots in close combat would reduce many opponents to cinders. If it's not an additional shot, I wouldn't mind seeing a rule that prevents Plasma weapons from overheating or possibly an additional strength. Access to plus 1 damage already exists and damage 4 plasma just seems too unlikely.
Going into turn 3, the Dark Angels' narrative and close combat capture my imagination with the doctrine codenamed, "Capture the Fallen." This doctrine would generate a command point for a Dark Angels player if they kill a "Chaos." The command point generation would go up to D3 if the Chaos character possesses the "Fallen" keyword. I know that Dark Angels already possess several means to get back command points through a warlord trait and the "Mind Raid" spell but I think this would make a fun, narrative way for Dark Angels to get command points back without committing too many resources to it. I would take a command point for an enemy character killed regardless of the keyword if offered but I feel it wouldn't feel right.
In these 3 doctrines I outlined, "On the Wings;" "Purify;" and "Capture the Fallen," I expressed my desire for Games Workshop to come up with something more than a copy and paste of the Space Marine Codex. I understand that factions like Dark Angels don't follow the Codex Astartes but they do possess their own doctrine of how to fight. I believe the best way for Games Workshop to express the unique fighting style of the Dark Angels should come in the form of something equal to or similar to what I delineated above. I want to see something where the Deathwing and Ravenwing work together. I want to see plasma weapons get a buff so the normal marines get some love. Finally, I want the primary mission of any Dark Angels commander incorporated into every game of Warhammer 40,000; the capture of the Fallen or the acquisition of intelligence that leads to their apprehension. If Dark Angels get anything in this manner for a combat doctrine, I will pull them out of storage in a heartbeat.
Bailey
Comments