Hmmm..

I've been looking for assault armies, and hear Blood Angels is where it is at, but am leary about the whole Death Company bit... Any experienced Blood Angels players out there able to give me any tips on construction, and etc..? This will be my first non-Chaos venture.

[luciuseternal]

I have played bloodangels for about 12 years.
Now while bloodangles are a good close combat army, I actually think Space Wolves and Black Templars are slightly better due to the more Power weapon options available to their squads.
Don't get me wrong I would still go for bloodangels all the time.
Now reference your concern about the Death Company.
The only time the death company is unfairly obtained is from cheesy bloodangels players. What I mean is some players will pay for a marine/scout marine with terminator honours and no other upgrades so if they go into the Death Company they can have a free power weapon or fist.
So if you take a naked marine/scout marine with terminators don't give him the free power weapon.
When I play my first two choices are Furioso dreadnought and Bhaal predator because only the bloodangels can have them so is very fluffy.
I class the bloodangels as a fast medium to close range fire power army with good close combat ability. The close combat would be excelent if the tactical squads could have bolt pistols, but I prefer that they stay as they are with bolters because it make them different from other close combat marine armies.

I believe there is two ways to go about making a blood angles army. You can go jump pack heavy or armoured.

Jump pack heavy.
1 x Chaplain with jump pack attached Death Company
1 x Veteran Assault marines
1 x Fast Attack Jump pack marines
backed up with minimum 2 x tactical marines with 1 flamer only in Rhino for close fire support
Then add in a Furioso and Bhaal another Dread for long range support and a couple of landspeeders you have a good basis for an army.

Armoured Company (1500 pts)
This was using the old rules but still is viable option.
Chaplain and death company in Rhino
2 x tactical squad with flamer in Rhino
2 x tactical squad with missile launcher and plasma gun in razorbacks
1 x fast attack jump pack marines
2 x dread (1 furioso)
Bhaal
rest of points in landspeaders

This list is from memory so might be slightly wrong. Came 3RD in one tourney
due number of vehicles and heavy fire power. One army by turn three had no heavy weapons left that could hurt my vehicles.

Last thing my favourite unit Landspeeders.
At the moment alot of people use the tornado varient with assault cannons
for its ability to hurt troops with good mass fire power and its chance to take out vehilcles.
I still prefer multi melta sqn with 2-3 landspeeders who are excellent at taking out vehicles.
I prefer to specialise my units for a specific task either anti armour or troops

hoped this helped

Jeavo

[Inquisitor Rosenadel]

I know one mistake I made when collecting my Blood Angels was not enough assault squads. I had 4 tactical squads instead(!). So I finally made an Honour Guard, which most often serves as as assault squad because I usually don't play enough points to warrant an Honour Guard.

Landspeeders are good. I have not used a Baal Predator, but I intend on getting one. I would also suggest a Predator Annihilator with las sponsons for tank-busting. Always take more than 1 dread because 1 will get destroyed. Always. Expect it to be the Furioso, too.

I'll take these into account, but I'm not a big landspeeder fan... They just don't seem to be much my style. I'd prefer another unit of bodies rather than a force of landspeeders. I'm an infantry man when it comes down to it. Right now I am trying to evaluate points, whats worth what. I just straight up need to read the codex staring me in the face I get. I should have an army list turned out sometime today!

[DeAd_cOmMaNdO]

well this army won the GT heats in my area a few months back:

2 baals
6 heavy bolter attack bikes
2 jp chaplains
2 scout squads
2 tactical squads

all DC taken from squads were sergeants. it kicked every armies bootie, including a very starcannon heavy eldar army.

its not you typical BA fare, though the 2 jump pack chaplian are a mighty good close combat unit.

[experiment 626]

personally i'd avoid taking any devastators as they'll run fowards at least once per game on average... and having such an expensive squad running instead of shooting is very fustrating! (though amuzing for your opponent!!!)

termies make a great fire support unit for blood angels as they can move and fire. the down side being that if any of them go to the death company, it's a huge pts hit...

i honestly think veteran assault marines are over-priced for what you get, especially as regular assault marines can take flamers now anyways...

a baal predator or 2 are increadably scary - even for meq's simply because they now throw out upto 12 shots/turn!

hope this helps!
cheers!

No way to make a link work... You can try it, here (http://www.filelodge.com/files/room1...ompany%202.pdf) If you want. Will try to get a more reliable and less crappy way to view it up soon.

[Levin]

No way are templars better at cc than blood angels... every model in BA's has furious charge, enough said. Also, Templars can't take vet. sargs, and thus, don't get any additional power weapon attacks. They can give a regular marine a single power weapon or fist, but no sarges. Blood Angels win, hands down as the best CC marines. The wolves are a close second, but with the ability to take all the special weapons in the squads, they seem like a more well rounded list than pure assault.

[Perturabo]

When I had my Blood Angels Army I never took any Devastators becasue as said above they would always end up running forward,to this end I also didnt take heavy weapons in my tactical squads either.I used razorbacks to give them any fire support they needed and used assault Squads to bolster my anti tank abilities (Meltabombs anyone?).
I Always took a Baal predator because they are fantastic and look cool too,though I usualy went for the Heavy bolter sponsons rather than heavy flamers!A chaplain is essential because aside from the free death company (never turn down free Marines) he would give some control over where my Death Company went-theres nothing worse than seeing them charge into a tank that they cant kill!i also favoured the free jetpacks for the death Company rather than the Rhino for obvious reasons!

[hairyyahoo]

i don't have much experience fighting with blood angle but i can tell you a bit about fighting against them.

blood angles are scary in an assult. as mentioned above they all have furious charge so generally lay the smackdown before the enemy gets to hit back. even other MEqs need to be warey of this. the extra movement of the black rage roll often helps get them into combat before the enemy can react to them.

death company show up regular blood angles in combat in the same way that marines show up guard! all the benefits of furious charge, armed for combat, feel no pain, fearless and more often that not lead by a chaplin these guys are true killers. many opponents will waste huge ammounts of fire trying to drop the death company, leaving the rest of you army relativley unmolested. the death company will frequently survive the torrents of fire long enough to get their chain swords wet too.

if you can spare the points and are fighting MEqs then an honour guard is a nasty lil bundle o death. S5 I5 power weapons are not a good way to make new friends. only engage small units with these guys though or they risk getting swamped.