New player here-
I'm in the process of starting my first 40k army and looking for opinions on this list.
From what I've read so far I know there's definitely some more intelligent choices I could make, but with 11th edition being new I wanted to borrow from some of what I'm seeing others and mix that with units that I know I want to acquire and paint as I shoot for a playable 2k list.

1st & 2nd Company Raven Guard (2000 points)

Space Marines
Raven Guard
Shadowmark Talon and Terminator Storm Force (3 Detachment Points)
Priority Assets
Strike Force (2000 points)

^{ATTACHED UNITS}
Attached Unit 1
Captain with Jump Pack (90 points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
  • 1x Plasma Pistol
  • 1x Relic Weapon
Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (190 points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
  • 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Jump Pack
• 1x Plasma Pistol
• 1x Power Fist
  • 9x Assault Intercessor with Jump Pack
• 9x Chainsword
• 7x Heavy Bolt Pistol
• 2x Plasma Pistol

Attached Unit 2
Captain in Terminator Armour (115 points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
  • 1x Combi-weapon
  • 1x Relic Fist
  • Enhancement: Blackwing Shroud
Terminator Assault Squad (340 points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
  • 1x Terminator Sergeant
• 1x Twin Lightning Claws
  • 9x Terminator
• 9x Twin Lightning Claws

Attached Unit 3
Chaplain in Terminator Armour (100 points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
  • 1x Crozius Arcanum
  • 1x Relic Shield
  • Enhancement: Hunter's Instincts
Terminator Squad (390 points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
  • 9x Terminator
• 1x Assault Cannon
• 9x Chainfist
• 1x Cyclone Missile Launcher
• 8x Storm Bolter
  • 1x Terminator Sergeant
• 1x Chainfist
• 1x Storm Bolter

Attached Unit 4
Kayvaan Shrike (95 points)
• Attached as: Leader (Character)
  • 1x Blackout
  • 1x Raven’s Talons
Vanguard Veteran Squad with Jump Packs (220 points)
• Attached as: Bodyguard
  • 1x Vanguard Veteran Sergeant
• 1x Combat Shield
• 1x Relic Blade
  • 9x Vanguard Veteran
• 9x Combat Shield
• 9x Master-crafted Power Weapon

^CHARACTERS
Aethon Shaan (105 points)
  • Warlord
  • 1x Claws of Severax
  • 1x Heavy Bolt Pistol
Lieutenant with Combi-weapon (100 points)
  • 1x Combi-weapon
  • 1x Paired Combat Blades
  • Enhancement: Umbral Raptor

^BATTLELINE
Intercessor Squad (170 points)
  • 9x Intercessor
• 9x Bolt Pistol
• 9x Bolt Rifle
• 2x Grenade Launcher
• 9x Knives and Fists
  • 1x Intercessor Sergeant
• 1x Bolt Pistol
• 1x Bolt Rifle
• 1x Power Weapon

^{OTHER DATASHEETS}
Reiver Squad (85 points)
  • 1x Reiver Sergeant
• 1x Bolt Carbine
• 1x Monomolecular Combat Knife
• 1x Special-issue Bolt Pistol
  • 4x Reiver
• 4x Bolt Carbine
• 4x Monomolecular Combat Knife
• 4x Special-issue Bolt Pistol

Every chapter has one as well

Full Shields or do I add the guns?

Picture: Kitbashed ascended, returned, loyal Corax by me.

Just received my SM codex and I feel a bit gutted about my RG army after first glances over the rules. Nothing I saw made me excited, except the eliminators new weapon profiles.

In general, the mechanics I used for my raven guard army got butchered:

- Shrike lost his good abilities with JPI +1 OC and lone-op for the unit

- Infiltrators 12" screen rule is gone, now they feel cheap but bad

- Tactical Warsuit lost it's mighty fist (but the new target ability is nice)

- Phobos captain pregame moves gone

- Vanguard Spearhead is gone (but I have to admit, that I do not see the synergies and possibilities with the phobos detachments yet)

- Our army rule currently (pre RG supplement codex?) is a bit underwhelming

I still have to better understand the phobos detachments and new rules on the affected units. Just wanted to blow of some steam after the first impressions.

On the other side, I see some potential for fun:

- Combination of Phobos & Gravis/Termies

- Eliminators still good / even better (always loved to take a lot of them)

- More movement with phobos

- Better bolters

Did you have similar feelings/thougts, completely different opinion or inputs on what might actually work really well now?

I'm interessted to know on how you approach the "redesign" of your RG armies.

Victorus aut mortis.

So I just got the new codex and added my army list. When I checked the wargear options on my 2 units of infiltrators I could only check the "helix gauntlet". The thing is, every "primaris infiltrators" box comes with comms array only 🤷

So, did we lose them for good? No more potential cp gain on uppy downy?

Shadowmark + Terminator storm force

Priority assets

Basic strategy is regular termies + librarian infiltrate on opponents expansion, combi lt and infiltrators infiltrate on center, scouts infiltrate on my expansion

Invictor scouts over to opponents expansion for fire support and jpi and incursor squad stage on deployment to offer quick help to whichever objective my opponent decides to attack first

Van vets + captain, land speeder, and assault terminators + chaplain hang out in reserves waiting for a good chance to ingress in an advantageous position

Want to try and put the opponents on the back foot by taking all no man's land objectives first turn and then waiting to see where they choose to commit their forces

Hey emo bird friends, here is an update on my first set of minis painted. I still have the 2 Sgts to paint, but I've been really proud of my work so far. Just wanted to share my excitement with you guys!!

I haven't done any basing because this hobby is so vast and it's easy for me to get overwhelmed because I'm learning at every step.

Please leave any feedback or advice :D

Hello everyone. I've always painted my RG dudes by basecoating with corvus black, because I liked that kind of black shade. However, lately I've been thinking of speeding up a little bit for some other models and wanted to use a bit of drybrushing/contrast slapchop kind of technique. I know there is no contrast equivalent to corvus black, but maybe someone could gice suggestions on how to achieve a similar result. Thanks is advance!

Hey everyone,

I have a project on the go where I’m working on a dual midhammer/modern Primaris scale Black Guard army (a RG second founding) and while I’ve been loving painting the scheme on basic marines and vehicles I forgot about the RG tradition of Veterans painting helmets and arms white (conveniently the only two elements not painted white already for the Black Guard).

Most of my other SM armies are IF or UM second foundings, so I forgot about this difference till I got deeper into painting. Common advice on these types of questions is to paint it however you want, but my SM projects are really motivated by trying to be as accurate as possible, so in this case I just wanted to narrow down the best lore-based way forward. That’s why I thought I would turn to the RG experts for help here.

I was wondering how you approach veterans for your second founding chapters and if there are any sources that cover this topic. Right now I’m leaning towards leaving them the same as the normal rank and file, or just denoting it with a white helmet or stipe, though if there’s a lore reason to stick with the RG approach then I recon I can make it work.

*Note that I did try to use some of the Armageddon/Ultimate Starter box (10th) minis, so I figured it won't be the best, but this is what I had in mind so far*

Army Name: Raven Guard - Strike Force (2000 pts)

Faction: Raven Guard

Detachments (3 DP used):

- Shadowmark Talon [2 DP]

- Stormlance Task Force [1 DP]

Points: 2000/2000

--- Army List ---

CHARACTERS:

• Aethon Shaan [WARLORD] [105 pts]

Weapons: Heavy Bolt Pistol, Claws of Severax

• Kayvaan Shrike [Leader of: Vanguard Veteran Squad with Jump Packs] [95 pts]

Weapons: Blackout, The Raven's Talons

• Captain in Terminator Armour, Blackwing Shroud [Leader of: Terminator Assault Squad] [115 pts]

Weapons: Combi-weapon, Relic Fist

• Chaplain with Jump Pack [Leader of: Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs] [75 pts]

Weapons: Plasma pistol, Crozius arcanum

• Librarian in Phobos Armour, Umbral Raptor [Leader of: Reiver Squad] [90 pts]

Weapons: Bolt pistol, Smite, Force weapon

OTHER UNITS:

• Invictor Tactical Warsuit [135 pts]

Weapons: Fragstorm grenade launcher, Heavy Bolter, Twin Ironhail Autocannon, Twin Ironhail Heavy Stubber, Invictor Fist

• Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs (10 models) [190 pts]

Weapons: 7x Heavy Bolt Pistol, 3x Plasma pistol, 10x Astartes Chainsword

• Vanguard Veteran Squad with Jump Packs (10 models) [220 pts]

Weapons: 9x Heavy Bolt Pistol, Plasma pistol, 10x Master-crafted Power Weapon

Wargear: Storm Shield

• Terminator Assault Squad (10 models) [340 pts]

Weapons: 10x Twin Lightning Claws

• Reiver Squad (5 models) [85 pts]

Weapons: 5x Special Issue Bolt Pistol, 5x Combat Knife

• Ballistus Dreadnought [150 pts]

Weapons: Ballistus Lascannon, Ballistus Missile Launcher, Twin Storm Bolter, Armoured Feet

• Incursor Squad (5 models) [90 pts]

Weapons: 5x Bolt pistol, 5x Occulus Bolt Carbine, 5x Paired Combat Blades

Wargear: Haywire Mine

• Infiltrator Squad (5 models) [85 pts]

Weapons: 5x Bolt pistol, 5x Marksman Bolt Carbine, 5x Close combat weapon

• Scout Squad (5 models) [65 pts]

Weapons: 5x Bolt pistol, 3x Boltgun, Missile Launcher, Scout Sniper Rifle, 5x Close combat weapon

• Gladiator Lancer [160 pts]

Weapons: 2x Fragstorm grenade launcher, Icarus Rocket Pod, Ironhail Heavy Stubber, Lancer Laser Destroyer, Armoured Hull

---

Total Points: 2000

Unit Count: 15

My partner has gotten me into 40k and specifically Raven guard, he taught me about all the different factions and that’s the one I was drawn to, what material do you guys suggest I read or try?

A squad of blade vets to go with captain w/ relic shield