Current Project: Updating a Raven Guard Army for 40k

Raven Guard are the new hotness because they have fantastic chapter tactics in 8th edition. Personally I’ve been playing Raven Guard since they were not this awesome. I turned the Assault on Black Reach army box into the start of a Raven Guard army back near the beginning of 5th edition. So, you could say I’ve played Raven Guard since before they were cool. How hipster of me.

Why Raven Guard?

Admittedly, I'm not a big 40k guy. I like the game and the miniatures, but Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar are my hobby and gaming jam. I have some minis for Dark Eldar, Word Bearers, and, of course, Raven Guard. I've tried playing all three of them at least once this edition, and I think I may have won one game. I don't play enough, and make pretty bad lists for fluff reasons. Because I don't play much and don't really know the game like I do Age of Sigmar, I'm hoping restarting my 40k hobby with Raven Guard will bring back my passion for the Grim Dark.

Also, I think the new Vanguard marines from Shadowspear are crazy fluffy for Raven Guard, and they look awesome.

The bulk of my current Raven Guard collection was started with a core of the Assault on Black Reach, and relied heavily on ye olde drop pod tactics from 5-7th edition. The force was pretty well balanced then, but the game has changed quite a bit since those days.  Let’s talk about the changes I’m making to my Raven Guard collection.

On the Chopping Block

Pretty much my entire painted collection will likely be shelved.
  • Drop Pods - I own three, and am glad I never got around to purchasing the next three I had planned. Most things that want to be dropped in don’t need an over-costed ride to do so. I have plans to turn my old models into LED lamps. I can't imagine there being any real use for them ever again.
  • Tactical Marines - sorry, chaps, you’re old news now that Primaris are a thing.
  • Assault Marines - This pains me so much, but I just don’t see a role for them. They’re not great at assaulting, no longer receive any special Raven Guard boosts, and I’d rather have more troops that benefit from that sweet, sweet chapter tactic.

What Stays in the Army?

Classic.
  • Kayvaan Shrike - A Space Marine Chapter master that doesn't eat CP? Don't mind if I do!
  • Vanguard Veterans - I have to have at least one unit with Lightning Claws, because Raven Guard reasons. Plus, they are one of the few units in the book that have some hitting power in close combat. Hopefully we’ll see some Primaris assault units some day.
  • Stormtalon Gunships x 2 - Dakka and anti-armor from the skies.
  • Scout Snipers - may be eventually dropped, but for now, they fill up troop slots, and can threaten soft characters
  • Contemptor Dreadnought - might get an upgrade to Redemptor, but for now, he stays.
  • Devastator Squad with Missiles - I don't have Hellblasters yet. These'll provide a nice fire base until I do.

The New Hotness being added:

The new hotness.

  • Shadowspear. All of it. It’s Raven Guard: The Box Set. I may want duplicates of some of the units in my final Primaris Raven Guard army, but I think I want to wait for the full multipart kits and updates to the Space Marine book before committing more. I want to purchase the army once.
  • Reivers: While not optimal, I think they’ll be great at harassing and dropping on unprotected objectives. They have Phobos Armor, and look cool.
  • Inceptors: Likely plasma, but I’m not opposed to trying the dakka variety.
  • A primaris conversion of Kayvaan Shrike to represent his ascendancy to the position of Chapter Master.
Blue tack mock-up of my planned Shrike conversion.

The first 1000 points

Built mostly around adding to the Shadowspear box, here’s my first 1000 points, now in progress:
  • Phobos Captain - I really like his warlord traits, and he's a little cheapter than Shrike at such a low points level.
  • Phobos Librarian - He's a psyker that can make my Eliminators impossible to target. 
  • Infiltrator x 5 - Troops and anti-deep strike.
  • Sniper Scout x 5 - more troops
  • Sniper Scout x 5
  • Vanguard Vet x 5
  • Suppressors
  • Eliminators
  • Stormtalon
For CP, we’ve got a batallion. Infiltrators to take objectives and prevent deep striking shenanigans, Sniper scouts for sitting on rear objectives and harassing characters. Vanguard Vets to slice and dice soft targets. For fire support, there’s Eliminators, Suppressors (who will help the Vanguard assault their target), plus a Stormtalon Gunship.

So, there’s the plan. The first task is going to be getting the first 1000 points to at least table-top, so that they army reads as being fully painted. Then, I’ll work on finishing highlights and painting everything to my standard. I’ll share what that means exactly in the coming weeks. In mean time, heres the test model for my Phobos wearing Raven Guard: 

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