Well I have been pondering the potential for
Allies over the last few days just to see what I can have along side my Ultramarines.
For me allies don't provide a method of filling potential gaps in a forces strengths, although this may end up being a side result I admit, but rather they provide a chance to make truly fluff filled armies that look nice, fit well and are fun to play with regardless of anything else.
The main ones I can see being a nice combo for my Marines are:
Space Marines and Imperial Guard - Battle Brothers.
Kind of an obvious one really. There are countless occasions the two forces have fought together as well as countless forces that regularly fight together. So collecting a matching force that is fluffy and fun would be fairly easy.
For me allies don't provide a method of filling potential gaps in a forces strengths, although this may end up being a side result I admit, but rather they provide a chance to make truly fluff filled armies that look nice, fit well and are fun to play with regardless of anything else.
The main ones I can see being a nice combo for my Marines are:
Space Marines and Imperial Guard - Battle Brothers.
Kind of an obvious one really. There are countless occasions the two forces have fought together as well as countless forces that regularly fight together. So collecting a matching force that is fluffy and fun would be fairly easy.
Not to
mention the fact that an Imperial Guard army with its rank and file bolstered by the
Astartes at key points looks amazing on the tabletop.
For my Ultramarines this gives me a chance to field an Ultramar PDF force along side my marines, or possibly my marines along side the PDF.
Space Marines and Blood Angels - Battle Brothers.
For me this combo isn't for actually fielding some Blood Angels in my army. But rather to add some more units to my Ultramarines using the rules for the Blood Angels to keep it more to fluff. For example, take my Assault marines as troops to assault and capture that objective as they would in battle. Or to take Death Company not for the rage filled mental cases that they are but rather to be the fearless, unstoppable might of an elite veteran unit.
Some real potential for this mix. Especially if you take some Priests to be your Apothecary's. Something the Space Marine codex is seriously lacking for no reason at all.
EDIT: Red thirst is a massive issue - how did I over look this? Terrible of me there folks sorry. Not sure how I'd explain that one from a fluff point of view...
Space Marines and Space Wolves - Battle Brothers.
The main reason for this being something I would consider is again not to field some of their units as Space Wolves, but rather to field more of my own force with the elements I think are missing fluff wise. The main one being Tactical Squads that are actually Tactical; taking Grey Hunters as Tactical Marines so they can do what they are meant to be able to do, multiple special weapons, combat blades etc.
EDIT: I has been pointed out to me that you do run into some issues with Space Wolves in that some units are VERY un-codex. Which is easily sorted by not taking them. As for counter-charge and acute senses, they are more of a problem and despite acute senses been explained by helm sensors I can't really get around counter-charge being a smidge un-codex. Hmm.
Space Marines and (cant believe I am actually saying this) Grey Knights - Allies of Convenience.
Before you jump on the "BUT YOU HATE THEM YOU HYPOCRITE" wagon. I am aware. However the allies rules allows you to use Grey Knights as Grey Knights should be used. Not as a MASSIVE army in their own right; fielding every single bit of rare and mystical equipment they possess. But rather as a small, here to murder the heretics and daemons, strike force that is simply there because they need to be. Not out of any real care to assist you with your bigger plans.
This also kind of takes away from the OP of the Grey Knights by not having an entire army of them, but just a squad or two. Which is never bad.
Space Marines and Tau - Battle Brothers.
Now many people have slated the choice of GW to make these two forces Battle Brothers instead of Allies of Convenience. Which to be fair I can see for pretty much ALL Marines armies, except for mine. As far as I know (basically from my own reading, correct me if I am wrong) the Ultramarines are the only army to really have a real history with Tau, mainly due to location.
Yes we have fought against them a few times. But there is a healthy respect from the commanders, and there is no real conquests against them. We have even allied with them when it came up and its not something that is so hated as to never happen again if the need arises. So for my army, I can see the logic behind taking some Tau units as an allied force that can be fully integrated. I don't think I would stick IC's in with the opposite army despite having the option but I don't see why a Librarian couldn't cast a buff on a squad of fire warriors in the heat of battle to keep his allies from being killed.
So these are my favorites at present for potential allies.
Whats everyone's thinking for their armies?
Space Marines and Blood Angels - Battle Brothers.
For me this combo isn't for actually fielding some Blood Angels in my army. But rather to add some more units to my Ultramarines using the rules for the Blood Angels to keep it more to fluff. For example, take my Assault marines as troops to assault and capture that objective as they would in battle. Or to take Death Company not for the rage filled mental cases that they are but rather to be the fearless, unstoppable might of an elite veteran unit.
Some real potential for this mix. Especially if you take some Priests to be your Apothecary's. Something the Space Marine codex is seriously lacking for no reason at all.
EDIT: Red thirst is a massive issue - how did I over look this? Terrible of me there folks sorry. Not sure how I'd explain that one from a fluff point of view...
Space Marines and Space Wolves - Battle Brothers.
The main reason for this being something I would consider is again not to field some of their units as Space Wolves, but rather to field more of my own force with the elements I think are missing fluff wise. The main one being Tactical Squads that are actually Tactical; taking Grey Hunters as Tactical Marines so they can do what they are meant to be able to do, multiple special weapons, combat blades etc.
EDIT: I has been pointed out to me that you do run into some issues with Space Wolves in that some units are VERY un-codex. Which is easily sorted by not taking them. As for counter-charge and acute senses, they are more of a problem and despite acute senses been explained by helm sensors I can't really get around counter-charge being a smidge un-codex. Hmm.
Space Marines and (cant believe I am actually saying this) Grey Knights - Allies of Convenience.
Before you jump on the "BUT YOU HATE THEM YOU HYPOCRITE" wagon. I am aware. However the allies rules allows you to use Grey Knights as Grey Knights should be used. Not as a MASSIVE army in their own right; fielding every single bit of rare and mystical equipment they possess. But rather as a small, here to murder the heretics and daemons, strike force that is simply there because they need to be. Not out of any real care to assist you with your bigger plans.
This also kind of takes away from the OP of the Grey Knights by not having an entire army of them, but just a squad or two. Which is never bad.
Space Marines and Tau - Battle Brothers.
Now many people have slated the choice of GW to make these two forces Battle Brothers instead of Allies of Convenience. Which to be fair I can see for pretty much ALL Marines armies, except for mine. As far as I know (basically from my own reading, correct me if I am wrong) the Ultramarines are the only army to really have a real history with Tau, mainly due to location.
Yes we have fought against them a few times. But there is a healthy respect from the commanders, and there is no real conquests against them. We have even allied with them when it came up and its not something that is so hated as to never happen again if the need arises. So for my army, I can see the logic behind taking some Tau units as an allied force that can be fully integrated. I don't think I would stick IC's in with the opposite army despite having the option but I don't see why a Librarian couldn't cast a buff on a squad of fire warriors in the heat of battle to keep his allies from being killed.
So these are my favorites at present for potential allies.
Whats everyone's thinking for their armies?
It's not something I've really looked at tbh. With DE and Nids its not really an issue, My Necrons play pretty well by themselves so i guess it only leaves the Eldar but tbh Im waiting for the new dex to see if they are any good.
ReplyDeleteI guess with SM or Imperial Guard it fits in more with the Fluff.
Eldar could use the Tau I guess as they have worked together in the past fluff wise