40K: Blood Angels Doomed?
The Sons of Sanguinius are in a whole world of hurt – It’s looking grim for the Blood Angels in 8th Edition.
Games Workshop revealed the new Galaxy Map a couple weeks ago. Folks had be speculating on what that meant for the state of the galaxy – planets had shifted, worlds were missing, and folks were concerned. A short time after that Games Workshop addressed some of those issues with the Q&A session. The reason major home planets like Medusa were missing? “The Map was too crowded.”
That’s a totally reasonable explanation, the map is really crowded. However, that makes me start to wonder about the significance of the planets that ARE on the map. After all, they had to have some criteria of what planets/systems should be on the map considering they had to make some cuts…
Then, earlier this week, they talked about the Cicatrix Maledictum – aka Gork’s Grin, aka the Warpscar. One phrase in particular stood out to me:
“To those on the Terran side, it is a tainted scar across the sky. To those unfortunates on the far side, it is far worse…”
Well that certainly sounds ominous! So I had a look to see if there were any planet’s I’d consider to be pretty major that fell on that dreaded “other side” and there were a couple. Valhalla, Mordian, and Attila were all home worlds of famous regiments of the Old School Imperial Guard. Those units/models aren’t really “around” from GW at this point. Now that they are on the “other side” it’s not looking good for them either.
But there was one planet in particular that it seems like Games Workshop wanted to point out in particular:
Yeah – Baal is cut off from the Imperium, too. We haven’t really heard much from them since Traitor’s Hate/Angel’s Blade. Plus they had that whole throw down with the Tyranids and the Shield of Baal Campaign (that also involved some Necron intervention/assistance).
Yep – still canon
So how are the Blood Angels doomed? Well now they are cut off, surrounded by xenos, and they still have their own problems to deal with. That whole Black Rage thing is still around and they are hemorrhaging Marines with all the constant fighting. Basically, they are being bled dry and it’s not looking up for them. Heck, even in the Indomitus video Games Workshop mentions all those chapters that have be “lost in valiant duty or driven to destruction” and who did they use as the poster-boys:
The Space Wolves! Now, I’m not saying they haven’t taken some lumps, but they are at least on the right side of the galaxy to get support…
Now I’m not writing off the Blood Angels just yet. They have Commander Dante, the oldest Space Marine alive (except Guilliman is back and technically even older) and they also have Mephiston who may hold the key to overcoming the Black Rage. But they can’t be everywhere at once, right? I’m not sure what 8th Edition holds for the Blood Angels, but I am hoping some of these narrative arcs to get resolved one way or the other.
On some level, I have this gut feeling they are going to make it – they are Space Marines! How rare is it for a chapter to get completely wiped out. And, they are one of the “Big Four” that have their own model line and have had codexes in the past. Then again, GW has killed off an entire game’s setting before and having a MAJOR Space Marine chapter be the sacrificial lamb that gets 8th moving would be a pretty big move. The idea is crazy, but it’s also feasible. I could totally see GW doing just that thing. Maybe that’s what is so frightening/exciting about it!
So what do you think? Are the Blood Angels going to make it and hold out until help arrives? Or will GW take them to the brink and then give them a nudge off the edge?
