Here are my first two black shield marauders. They’re still in progress – I need to figure out some insignia. I’d rather not have any at all, to really give that treacherous black ops look. But I think they need something. I’m thinking maybe just some kill-markings, and lightning bolts on the shoulder pads of the Terran-born soldiers.
Anyway this is a surprisingly fun project for me: the first space marine force I’ve built since the early 1990s. That means the last time I painted a space marine, Kurt Cobain was alive. And the Heresy-era armour and weapons remind me of an even earlier time, when I played Rogue Trader – probably incorrectly – with a couple of friends who had even less idea of what was going on than I did.
But anyway, enough reminiscing. My problem now is, which unit to get next? I’m building these guys step by step as a small force to fight alongside my hive gang militia. I have two squads of blackshield marauders, one outfitted for assault with shotguns and power swords, the other for tank hunting with lascutters and an autocannon. But I don’t know what to build next. I have room for one more unit in my little list, and since my local community are big fans of Centurion mode that means infantry, speeders, or walkers only. So this is my shortlist:
Seeker squad These guys really fit the black ops feel of my army. They’re expert marks-marines (BS5) with a variety of specialist ammo and preferred enemy against one enemy unit, chosen at the start of the game. Headhunters with bolters are a good fit, especially since no-one else in my army has a bolter. In an astartes force that just… seems wrong.
Tactical support squad with meltaguns Not a very competitive choice, the internet says. Hard to use well, but I can deepstrike them. Basically they’re Eldar Fire Dragons in marine form, and if Eldar players can do it, so can I. But the best reason to take them: twelve year old me heartily approves of a whole squad of meltaguns. It’s something he always wanted to do and was never allowed.
Terminators Come on, everyone loves termies. They’re a classic unit, and if I’m going with marines I may as well field some terminators while I’m at it. Plus the Tartaros amour looks amazing.
Dreadnought You know what else everyone loves? Dreadies. A good centrepiece model might be the way to go, and he can pack some heavier weaponry too.
It’s just a really hard decision. Anyone out there got an opinion?
Warp Signal 
April 25th, 2018 at 12:27 pm
Dreadnought. C’mon, who doesn’t love an angry washing machine.
I’d say go for lightning bolts- there should be plenty on Space marine transfers, so nabbing a few off marine player shouldn’t be that hard.
As for story, perhaps they had a wounded vet and decided to loot an enemy dread- yank the previous occupant out, pop your vet into the shell and now Robert is your father’s brother.
April 28th, 2018 at 6:59 pm
Yeah, you’re probably right. Dreadnoughts are objectively the greatest. I might go for a contemptor-cortus, which is an unstable contemptor that has been modified without proper mechanicum sanction. They’re not as skilled or reliable as a regular contemptor but they can overcharge their atomic reactor to get a variety of fun effects!