Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Deathwatch (section)

==Why Play Deathwatch==
[[File:Codex Deathwatch Cover.jpg|300px|right|thumb|]]
The battle-brothers of the Deathwatch are the foremost xenos hunters in the Imperium. They are a black-clad brotherhood of noble warriors, bound by ancient oaths to defend Mankind from the alien, no matter its form. Hand-picked from the breadth of the Adeptus Astartes for their expertise in the slaughter of xenos threats, each of those who have joined the Long Vigil is a hero, tempered in the furnace of conflict and girded for battle with an arsenal of specialist weaponry. When the Watch Companies of the Deathwatch go to war en masse, there is no alien in the expanse of the galaxy that they cannot overcome.

Reasons why they're [[awesome]]:
*'''Operators operating operationally''' - The Deathwatch is the Imperium's premier xenos-hunting special forces, and as a result get the best gear.
*'''Codex: [[Your Dudes]]''' - The relatively small model count and composition of many different chapters allows for great modelling and character opportunities. More so than any other army - you can really individualize each model, as they are all experienced veterans from different chapters. Trade bits with other Marine players to make each model stand out. Run your Kill-team from the [[Deathwatch (RPG)|Deathwatch RPG]] as part of your army!
*'''Awesome paint scheme''' - Because Black and Silver is the new Black.
*'''MSU Shenanigans''' - Deathwatch can run Terminators, Vanguard Veterans and Bikers in smaller squad sizes than normal. While this was done to accomodate the assorted "mixed" Kill Team formations, you could theoretically run a bunch of "solo" Terminators with Cyclone Missile Launchers if it tickles your fancy.
*'''Quick and easy to get onto the table''' - The simple (but awesome) paint scheme, combined with the low model count, means Deathwatch are [[Necrons|one]] [[Grey Knights|of]] the fastest armies to get built, painted, and battle-ready. And, if you like to play Sternguard and Vanguard veterans as [[Counts As|count as]] Deathwatch, you likely already have the beginnings of a kill-team or two ready to go.
*'''Easy access to AP3/2''' - Special Issue Ammunition, combined with Mission Tactics to re-roll 1s, means you will crush other MEQ armies with Vengeance Rounds, and Frag Cannons are absolutely lethal, especially when you can take 4 of them in a unit to absolutely destroy heavy Vehicles or TEQ.
*'''Sternguard - The Army''' - Your bare-bones Troops are among the best in the game and can handle anything from light infantry to MEQs to light vehicles with just their bolters and grenades. Two attacks each, too, so they are on par with Grey Hunters in melee. This versatility is costly, but it also means you are a bit less reliant on Special Weapons.
*'''[[Indrick Boreale|STEEL RAIN]]''' - With formations, you can easily give the majority of your army the ability to Deep Strike. Otherwise, mass Drop Pods is a preferrable deployment option for this army both because of its tremendous alpha-strike potential and its need to be precisely [[Just as Planned|in the right place at the right time]] to be able to make a difference.
*'''[[X-Com|X-Com]]''' is your favorite video game and you want a 40k army like it. Assemble a squad of six, call your Blackstar the Skyranger, and play [[Kill_Team#Warhammer_40.000:_Kill_Team_Digital_Supplement|the Kill-team supplement]] against vile xenos threatening the Imperium. Deploying Inquisitor Bradford is '''NOT''' optional.
*You want to tailor your list against 4+ armies and say that it's fluffy.

Reasons why they're not awesome:
*'''Low model count''' - Just like the Grey Knights, each model is extremely expensive, even when compared to other Space Marine chapters. You will be outnumbered, possibly easily outmaneuvered, and are much easier to table than most armies. Also, given widespread access to AP3/AP2 in this edition, a 2+ or 3+ save won't do you any good, you can only make so many Storm Shield saves (and keep in mind those drive the point cost up further) with [[Eldar|Bladestorm]]/[[Tau|Plasma]] flying about. In addition, with Boltguns, Lasguns, and Pulse Rifles, there's only so many 2+/3+ Armor saves you can make anyway.
*'''Mediocre long-range shooting''' - While you do have Razorbacks, Land Raiders, and Missile Launchers, you're not really interested in sticking far back, you want to get up in your opponent's face and use Special Ammo or Frag Cannons or Shotguns and the like. This means that an army with long range shooting (Guard/Tau/Ad Mech) will likely have the advantage at longer distances. This is counter-balanced by the fact that all of your units can Deep Strike if you use the Black Spear Strike Force.
*'''No tanks''' - the only tanks you have are Razorbacks and Land Raiders. The Deathwatch lack all of the other armored toys the regular marines have.
*'''No Objective Secured''' - there are no formations with ObSec for this army, period. They are not here to hold objectives, they are here to kill. But this means a clever opponent can out-play you by taking points. You can take a CAD with Deathwatch, but the comparative mediocrity of just having Mission Tactics as opposed to Deep Striking Kill-teams with a cornucopia of rerolls makes it barely worth it. Always play to the mission and use allies to hold objectives for you.
*'''Marines on foot''' - Other than the Corvus Blackstar, Rhino, and Landraider variants, Death Watch have little in the way of mobility. Combine the attraction of large squads with limited transport options and you begin to find 6" movement is not enough without excellent placement.
*'''Bland Formations/Mission Tactics''' - Although Deathwatch are the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, one can joke they really fight on behalf of the Ordo Xerox. Their Mission Tactics are all copypaste "reroll 1s to hit versus X", and all their formations are either "reroll 1s to wound", or "reroll to wound versus X". 
*'''Missing Content''' - Unlike the [[Deathwatch_(RPG)]], there are no Devastators(only Dreadnoughts and Land Raiders have the big guns), Champions, Techmarines, Kill-Marines, Apothecaries or Keepers. Nor is there the option to take Scout Armor. While only Bolters and Stalkers have Special Ammunition. Chapter-specific Specialties are impossible without taking allies. There are numerous hints this was a "rushjob" codex, from Deathwatch HQs not getting Bikes, to the [[Fail|Bane Bolts Relic having a profile for Stalker Boltguns despite HQs not having any way to take a Stalker Bolt Gun!]] One of the more controversial aspects was how Deathwatch Veterans could (according to their Armory) take both Shotguns and Boltguns, only for it to be clarified otherwise in the FAQ.