Alpha Legion: Rules 2 - Units

As I hinted last week, this week is about what units to use. Specifically, I'll be talking about units that strike me as fitting well with the overall infiltration/assassination theme of the army in terms of rules. These will all end up being modeled like Headhunters and other Alpha Legion marines, of course, but may use rules discussed below. 

Chosen, Fallen, and Cypher:
I feel like Chosen are the classic Alpha Legion go-to for elite troops, and they are a notch up  over standard Chaos Marines since they have improved leadership and an extra attack. They also have access to more special, heavy, and melee weapons. Especially now that combi-weapons are no longer one-use only, you can get up to six plasma guns in one squad! Unfortunately, their ability to infiltrate did not carry over from 7th edition. Combined with the Alpha Legion stratagem (to be discussed later) they could make for a devastating alpha strike, which is apparently the best strategy in this edition. The Black Legion trait would also work well, allowing them to maintain highly mobile firepower.

The Fallen are almost exactly Chosen, with the addition of the "Fallen Angels" special rule, which gives them improved shooting if they don't move and means they never lose more than one model to morale. I like the last part a lot since operating behind enemy lines would require a lot of psychological resistance and a determination to see the mission through. Cypher used to be more unique for being able to shoot his pistols in melee, a more general ability whose new rules actually make him worse now since he cannot shoot them in the opponent's Fight phase, but he still gives hit re-rolls to Fallen, even when they move. Cypher and the Fallen also do not negate the rules that give Legion Traits to other units, they can be used alongside Alpha Legion or Black Legion. They just don't get the Legion Trait or keyword.

Noise Marines:

A perhaps surprising entry on this list, I think Noise Marines actually suit the idea of Headhunters and using the Alpha Legion trait quite well. They can all take sonic blasters and can therefore maintain a highly mobile firebase if need be. The 24" range of the weapons also means they can make good use of the Alpha Legion trait by maintaining the maximum number of shots while staying more than 12" away. They can also dish out a couple S8 Dd3 shots with blastmasters if they don't advance. Finally, the ability to shoot once more before becoming a casualty is awesome and is, to me, a better representation of the toughness and grittiness of a covert operator.

Berzerkers, Raptors, and Warp Talons:

These units are grouped together since I don't think of Headhunters as primarily melee units. However, Headhunters use whatever methods are necessary to achieve their objectives, so surely melee must be a part of that equation at times. Berzerkers are a strong melee unit, especially combined with a Dark Apostle for re-rolls and a Sorcerer using Warptime to move them closer to their target, as others have pointed out. Raptors and Warp Talons can fall out of the sky, which is now effectively the same as infiltrating, and again with a Chaplain and Sorcerer, could be deadly. These three units would represent Headhunters that have snuck into position and are springing upon the enemy from concealed positions (using the Alpha Legion stratagem for the Berzerkers) with their power knives and pistols.

Intercessors: 

As much as I am purposefully trying to stay away from Primaris marines, Intercessors actually seem pretty appealing. They come standard with a gun that has AP -1 and a 30" range, but it's rapid fire, so it needs to be 15" away to get its full effectiveness. The real reason this unit has been given consideration is the option to take the 36" range, AP-2 stalker bolt rifles. Decent AP and ability to stay more than 12" away with full effectiveness mean this is a troop choice that could feel more like an elites choice but can still give me that +3 Command Points for a Battalion.

Sternguard:

Sternguard started in my mind as the foremost (loyalist) choice for representing headhunters. They have a solid anti-infantry weapon in the AP -2 bolter they carry, and decent access to special weapons. Unfortunately, their weapons work best at 12", which means that they are not the best at taking advantage of the Raven Guard (Alpha Legion) tactic, but as covered in the first rules post, there are others that fit the Alpha Legion style. There is also a stratagem that gives their bolters +1 on wound rolls, so that's neat.

Scouts and Telion:
Scouts aren't yet full space marines, but their stats might fool you. They can also infiltrate, carry sniper rifles, and equip cameleoline cloaks. They sound a lot like headhunters, who have even been known to wear lighter armor in order to better infiltrate a tightly secured area. And the range of sniper rifles allows them to take full advantage of the Raven Guard tactic. The problem is that I have used them, and they don't seem like they are the most effective. The sniper rifle has no AP, and the mortal wounds on 6 just didn't seem to happen often enough to be worth it. Telion helps a lot by giving +1 to hit to a whole unit of scouts, and Quietus does D3 damage when it gets through. Unfortunately using Telion precludes using the Raven Guard trait, but perhaps I should at least give scouts another chance.

Reivers:
Again, trying to stay away from Primaris marines, but Reviers seem like an excellent fit for the more melee-oriented version of headhunters that Berzerkers, Raptors and Warp Talons fill in Chaos lists. They have means of infiltrating, either by deep striking or entering from a board edge, and have two attacks each. I'm conflicted about whether to give them combat knives or bolt carbines, but bolt carbines seem like a good idea to give them some run-and-gun ability if they need to hop between objectives. Plus, they give -1 leadership to enemy units within 3", which as discussed in relation to the Night Lords trait, could easily represent the headhunters using hallucinogenic weapons and psychological warfare.

Deathwatch Veterans:
I have briefly mentioned using Deathwatch before and the main reason is that Deathwatch veterans are like a more versatile version of Sternguard, but have the additional benefit of being troops. They have retained their special ammunition and plethora of weapons options which I like for representing well-equipped headhunters. The Deathwatch rules in the index aren't anything to write home about, but if the updates in Chapter Approved 2017 are anything to go by, then the Deathwatch will be an excellent representation of the Alpha Legion army I am trying to build, full of options, elite troops, and maneuverability options like the Beacon Angelis when they finally get a codex.

I am still playing with lists, but in the end, there is a high probability that all of the units above will show up in one or more lists that I try out on the tabletop. Why stick to one interpretation; the inspiration for this army certainly doesn't! Next rules discussion will cover stratagems and relics, and then I will get to some lists!

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