From the Spire: Battlefield Birmingham 17 Pre Engagement Report

First up I've decided to headline each post I make about my new army 'From the Spire'...

And secondly, this weekend is my first event with my Raven Guard. Although it is a custom chapter and eventually I settled on the name Shadow Raptors. 

So what's the list for the weekend?

Glad you asked. Here it is:

Team: COLD STEEL MERCENARIES

Player: Alex West

Command Points: 13 (9 at start of deployment)

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Marines) [1,442pts] ++

**Chapter Selection**: Long-range Marksmen, Master Artisans, Raptors, Raven Guard Successor

Strategem: Token of Brotherhood [-1CP]

Strategem: Relic of the Chapter [-1CP]

+ HQ +

Lias Issodon [150pts]

Primaris Lieutenant Kaphorn Solaq [70pts] Master-crafted auto bolt rifle, Token of Brotherhood, Relic of the Chapter - Ex Tenebris

+ Troops +

Scout Squad Saserys [130pts] 10 x Sniper rifles

Scout Squad Shykos [65pts] 5 x Sniper rifles

Scout Squad Tyris [65pts] 5 x Sniper rifles

+ Elites +

Centurion Assault Squad Rescydic [312pts] 6 x Hurricane bolters

Centurion Assault Squad Korvaedyn [208pts] 4 x Hurricane bolters

+ Heavy Support +

Centurion Devastator Squad Qeld [350pts] 5 x Grav-cannons and grav-amps, 5 x Hurricane bolters

Techmarine Aethon Torvaec & Thunderfire Cannon [92pts]

++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Marines) [556pts] ++

**Chapter Selection**: Long-range Marksmen, Master Artisans, Raven Guard Successor

Strategem: Master of Sanctity [-1CP]

Stratagem: Master of the Trifold Path [-1CP]

+ HQ +

Captain Kasovar Moradus [143pts] Jump Pack, Storm shield, Thunder hammer, Free Warlord Trait - Master of Ambush, , Master of the Trifold Path - Shadowmaster, Free Relic - Master-Crafted Weapon

Chaplain Vorys Ordane [92pts] Litany of Hate, Catechism of Fire, Canticle of Hate, Swift as the Raven, Stormbolter, Jump Pack, Master of Sanctity

+ Troops +

Infiltrator Squad Drysk [110pts]

Infiltrator Squad Kasmoryn [110pts]

Intercessor Squad Kyphan [101pts] 5 x Stalker Bolt Rifles, 1 x Thunderhammer on Intercessor Sergeant

++ Total: [121 PL, 1,999pts, -4CP] ++

What am I expecting from the weekend?

Well here's the thing. I have played Space Wolves pretty much exclusively for 20 (yes I did say 20!!) years. 

I have had 7 games since I decided to start using pure Raven Guard successors. 

There is so much to learn, both about my army and how opponents armies interact with mine. What strengths do I need to watch out for, what weaknesses can I exploit etc etc. 

So really I want to play 5 different armies and even if I get my ass kicked in all my games that's fine because I just want to learn all I can so eventually I'll start to get half decent with the army.

One of the things I love about the army is it's flexibility. It doesn't have to do the same thing every time and it seems to have an answer to every situation. The flip side of course is you have to know what, when and how to deploy said answer...

The other thing I love about the army is it really reminds of my Wolves from way back when. When they were really good. They used to dominate mid range shooting and combat. They'd never outshoot you at long range. And they wouldn't psyker you off the table. But once they got into mid range and closer they would give you a lot of trouble. This army seems the same, even more so with the forced cycling through tactical doctrines post errata. 

Anyway just thought I'd share my list and whatnot before the big event. I'm planning on doing a bat rep afterwards, a debrief if you will.