At this point, all base on rumours, strong rumours, but still...pinch of salt!
Grand Master's have a special ability which means at the start of the game they can give D3 units a single special rule: Scoring, Scout, Counter Attack or re-roll "to-wounds" of 1. We had hoped that he would be able to give scout the Stormravens; moving 24" before the game begun and getting a 4+ cover save. As it turns out this wasn't to be, GMs can only confer the special rule to non-vehicle units, and the scout ability is only inherited by dedicated transports, which the Stormraven is not.
At this point I was demoralised, my vision for my army had faded and I was considering not taking them at all, until I looked at the other options.
In my Vanilla Space Marine army I love taking Riflemen Dreadnoughts (2 twin-linked autocannons). These units are fantastically effect. They're AV 12/12/10 and weigh in at 125 points. Suddenly the Stormraven didn't seem so bad. Its 80 points more sure, but for this was get a fast skimmer with AV 12 all round, immune to melta, immune (on psychic test) to stunned/shaken, we start with a multi-melta and lascannon, 24" move with cover save, AND we can always fire 1 extra weapon (at a different target) thanks to the machine spirit. On top of that it can carry 12 men and a dreadnought. Oh yeah and it has an assault ramp!
So if you don't trust a AV 12 unit that everything can see (almost all of the time) to transport you're men, that make great gun-boats. It can move 6 inches and fire its multi-melta, lascannon and psi-strike missile. (one at a different target if desired) it can move 12 inches and fire it's MM at one unit and its lascannon at another. Or you could pelt it 24" across the table, gaining a 4+ cover save and unloading its MM into the side of a heavy tank. Facing hordes? upgrade the MM to a typhoon missile launcher and take the hurricane bolter sponsons. Now you can move 12" across terrain, use machine spirit to pop a transport with the lascannon then use psi-strike missile, 2 frag missile from typhoon (S4 - defensive weapon) and the 2 hurricane bolters (S4 - defensive weapons) on a vulnerable infanty squad. Don't forget the Stormraven's got Fortitude, so it can still perform all of this maneuvers even if it's taken a stunned or shaken result in the previous turn!
That's a pretty handy unit. At this point remember it can also transport men. (and dreadnoughts). Take some Grey Knight Strike Squads with personal teleporters, move 24" across the board to pop some tanks with your multi-melta, drop the GKSSs off on an objective on the way (who won't scatter because of personal teleporters). Roll up the "Dawn of War" mission mean your men cannot start in a non-dedicated transport? No worries, your GKSSs have teleporters so can still get to combat fairly quickly!
Oh I see, you have non-teleporting combat men and you want to take safely into combat to take advantage of that assault ramp? Take a librarian with "The Shrouding" in the Stormraven (gives all units within 6" of the librarian the Stealth rule and grants 6+ cover save in the open). Suddenly your Stormraven, and other units (aka, other Stormravens) in an 18" diameter get a 5+ cover save! Move 24" flat out to fire your MMs at tanks, and you are rewarded with a 3+ cover save! 3++, immune to metla and effectively immune to stunned/shaken? Sounds like a safe unit to me! (especially when taking multiple Stormravens and blocking LOS to your precious one!)
So all in all the Stormraven can fulfilled a range of functions... safe transport, horde killer, objective contester, transport popper; heck even Land Raider hunter! This is 205 points? I'll take 3!
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