Hey everyone, Reecius here from Frontline Gaming to share some thoughts on the new--and so cool--Raven Guard Talon Strike Force detachment! Be sure to check out the Tactics Corner for more great articles.
First of all, what the heck am I talking about? I am
referring to the new rules for Raven Guard Space Marines in the Warzone Damocles: Kauyon
campaign book. Beyond having amazing artwork and engaging fluff, it also has
some absolutely awesome rules in it, too!
It contains new material for not only the Raven Guard, but
also Tau and White Scars, too. However, we're going to look at the Raven Guard
specifically in this article series.
First of all, I have to say that I really love this new
detachment! It not only provides a fun, unique play style but it also
represents the Raven Guard on the tabletop the way the fluff indicates they
would play. It also lets me play some of my favorite units in 40K: Scouts,
Assault, Devastator and Tactical Marines. That's a home run in my book!
How does it do this? With a combo of some slick special
rules. First of all, the "Decurion" style detachment that frames the
army: the Talon Strike Force. Let's get to it.
It is very similar to the Gladius Strike Force in the Space
Marine codex and as a matter of fact, you can use it with a Battle Demi-Company
if you want to, although the Pinion Battle Demi-Company is the Ravne Guard
specific core formation. In the Talon Strike Force, you do not gain the
benefits of the Company Support and Codex Astartes command benefits (free
transports if you take two Battle
Demi-Companies or access to all of the Combat Doctrines). You do, however, gain
some pretty incredible abilities that are very Raven Guardish!
The first command benefit is Extensive Planning. This is
INCREDIBLE. I cannot underscore the power of this command benefit enough. It
lets you reroll the mission table, deployment roll and first turn roll. WOW! That
is so good and so cool. While it doesn't actually damage the enemy, it allows
the tactically minded general strategic advantage by increasing the odds that
he or she gets to dictate the terms of the battle which is very cool and very
true to Raven Guard fluff, too.
The second command benefit is Know When to Strike. This is
also so cool! It allows you to attempt to bring reserves in on turn 1 on a 4+. The
ability to fully null-deploy after choosing the mission, deployment zone and
first or second turn is awesome. The utility of this rule on its own is incredible
but when combined with some of the other formations out there available in the
Talon Strike Force, it really takes on a new dimension of efficacy. You can
attack on a weak flank, from multiple threat vectors, go after undefended
objectives, etc. It provides adaptability and the opportunity to lay traps,
which is super fun.
Lastly, you get the final command benefit of the detachment:
Know When to Fade, which allows you to choose to fail morale checks. Again, too
cool. Fits the Raven Guard fluff and it is very useful to be able to choose to
bug out when the going gets tough, or to set up false feints and leave an enemy
unit in a poor position, ready to get pounced on by other units. Due to ATSKNF,
falling back is often nothing but a benefit with very little risk unless you're
near a board edge or subject to the Trapped! special rule.
The Talon Strike Force requires the usual 1-2 core
formations, 1+ auxiliary formations and 0-2 command selections, and all units
within it must be Raven Guard. Beyond many of the usual suspects from the Space
Marine codex, it also gives you a ton of very cool formation options, which we
will cover as this series progresses!
Here's a video of a live game from our Twitch channel wherein I
play the Talon Strike Force vs. the new Tau Hunter Contingent. Check it out if
you are curious to see it in action!
