Blood Ravens, Chapter Tactics ?

[Deadlift]

So after doing about 8 different trial colour schemes for my next marine army, I have come down to Blood Ravens. I really liked the chapter since dawn of war and as much as I love the Iron Hands, I just think black armour and my painting style don't mix.

Anyway grabbed a box of tacticals yesterday and I'm about to wade in properly with painting.

Got an escalation campaign coming up next month starting with kill team, now after reading the new codex and as much blurb as I can get on the blood ravens, which set of chapter tactics suits them ? Obviously as their founding chapter is a closely guarded secret I am free to choose. Just wondering what traits would "fit" them best.

[Tyrendian]

only thing that really comes to my mind are Ultramarines, because of Tiggy - Blood Ravens don't really have too distinct a fighting style afaik, so I'd just go with the generalist one because it has the best psyker in the book...

[Tynskel]

well, I find it silly to base your army around just taking Tigurius.

You should read up on the lore:
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Blood_Ravens#.UjRqYhboCAM

[Tyrendian]

well, I find it silly to base your army around just taking Tigurius.

You should read up on the lore:
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Blood_Ravens#.UjRqYhboCAM

Nothing new in there - we just don't know. And since they don't really have any distinct combat doctrine besides using more Librarians than usual (which does kinda hint at Thousand Sons, but that hardly helps us here...), I was suggesting just using the most generalist Chapter Tactic (the Ultramarines one is basically "adapt to changing circumstances", which works with mostly any and all Astartes). Tigurius is just a bonus that kinda fits with the fluff.
Also depends on how you want to play your army though - Blood Ravens would probably be able to field a Biker heavy force with the apropriate tactics (i.e. White Scars) if they (or in this case you) wanted to...

[Paulo187]

The beauty of choosing the Blood Ravens is that you can actually switch Chapter Tactics from game to game. I say that you try all of the Chapter Tactics first and then decide. But if I had to make a choice I would mostly go with the Ultramarines since Tigurius is just too good.

[KingCronan]

Ya i have to agree Ultras just because the ravens have no defined combat doctrine. They seem to be a very standard Codex chapter in every way they operate other than their high use of librarians. Pick Ultras and field Tiggy and another librarian and then fill in the rest with whatever you want! :)

[Patrick Boyle]

well, I find it silly to base your army around just taking Tigurius.

You should read up on the lore:
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Blood_Ravens#.UjRqYhboCAM

The lore where they use their large pool of prescient Librarians to plan out precision strikes against their enemies? ;) I find it hard to find a better general match up than what lets them take Tigurius(which as a bonus lets them take a Sgt. Cyrus standin in Telion). But as others have said you can do whatever you want. Any marine player can really and no one should really object, but in a strictly theme-y sense chapters of unknown founding have some leeway there from fluff nuts. I have some IF tactics builds I'm thinking of for my Blood Ravens too, as I was using Pedro Kantor to represent Sgt. Tarkus through a lot of 5th ed. Yes I know that seems a bit odd but hey, his Sternguard and stubborn buffs seemed to fit Tarkus' gameplay functionality so I ran with it.

[Tyrendian]

[...] as I was using Pedro Kantor to represent Sgt. Tarkus through a lot of 5th ed. Yes I know that seems a bit odd but hey, his Sternguard and stubborn buffs seemed to fit Tarkus' gameplay functionality so I ran with it.

slight change of rank... but it does fit :) and hey why not^^

[Cap'nSmurfs]

Blood Ravens are, broadly, a Codex-compliant chapter. They have a slight quirk in that they have lots of Librarians and allow them to have prominent positions. Ultramarines Chapter Tactics, though, personally.

[David Crossley]

Raven Guard would be a good fit, since part of the fluff of the Blood Ravens has them carefully planning their attacks and striking at the right place at the right time, which isn't too far from what the Raven Guard do themselves. Plus it's not altogether clear that in a post-DOW2 Retribution Blood Ravens chapter, that Angelos and Diomedes would continue to tolerate secret masters and librarian shenanigans given the lengths they had to go to to cleanse their chapter, and Angelos's own history with both Isador and Kyras.

[generalchaos34]

It wouldnt be too hard to use any of the chapter tactics you want. Iron Hands? Their extra psykerness has led the average marine to be able to tap into the warp for some extra resiliency. It Will Not Die? Just thank Martellus, and speaking of him, IWND on a venerable dread = Thule! Alternatively, Imperial fists would be just as good, you would have a good all around shooting and you could take Lysander as Angelos. Or, what the other guy said, I would go with Crimson fists and run Pedro as commander Hairgel. Either way, you have alot of options. But personally I would take Ultramarines and run Tigurius as Jonah Orion, telion as Cyrus, angelos as Calgar, and Sicarius as Commander Hairgel. Oh, plus you can run Chronos as Martellus.

[Deadlift]

Some great ideas here guys, thanks. I have to nail it down to one trait at 1st as we're doing an escalation campaign. Starting with kill team. I'm likely to start with Sternguard (love the new models) so I think it's either Ultras or Fists.

[kire]

Keep in mind you can't combine the IF trait with special ammo

[Learn2Eel]

The only problem I have with taking Blood Ravens through the Space Marine codex is that there is no Chapter Tactics (Thousand Sons) so you may want to wait for them to be done in the Horus Heresy books.

:p

But really, you could justify any of the available Chapter Tactics for use with Blood Ravens in some form. Just pick what you want. Personally, I would go with Imperial Fists or Ultramarines.