My list isn’t working. Most notably, it’s not working well against Blood Angels, especially the deep striking variety. Changes are obviously required, but the question is, what changes? And are the weaknesses limited to just a few unit choices, or is it an overall playstyle issue?

Let’s look at my current 1500-point list:

HQ: Commander Shas’el (130 pts)
1 Commander Shas’el (Cyclic Ion Blaster; Hard-wired Drone Controller; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Plasma Rifle; Targeting Array)
2 Shield Drones (Shield Generator)

Elite: Fireknife Team (186 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuits (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Deathrain Team (94 pts)
2 Crisis Battlesuits (Flamer; Twin Linked Missile Pod)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Fast Attack: Pathfinder (145 pts)
5 Pathfinders (Pulse Carbine x5)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Marker Beacon; Disruption Pod)

Fast Attack: Piranha Light Skimmer (150 pts)
2 Piranha Light Skimmers (Fusion Blaster x2; Disruption Pod x2; Targeting Array x2)

Heavy Support: Railhead (165 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Heavy Support: Railhead (165 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Total: 1500 Points

On the surface, there are a lot of solid choices here, with units that can deal with many different kinds of threats. My HQ and the Fireknife suits are killer against marines. The Deathrain suits (and the Fireknife suits, to an extent) are good against light armor and transports. The Hammerheads can deal with both heavier armored threats  and clumps of infantry. The Piranhas can also handle heavy armor, and can do so before the heavy armor gets me within range. Finally, the Fire Warriors provide objective control and ancillary fire against weaker targets. Meanwhile, the Pathfinders aren’t there to do damage or handle threats; they exist solely to help other units do their jobs more effectively. Everyone has a job to do, and they can do it decently well.

However, play experience is starting to show that what’s there just isn’t enough. Or at least, not enough of any one thing. For example, there aren’t enough low-AP anti-infantry weapons in the list. What’s there can be devastating, but it’s also insufficient to do more than put a few wounds on a unit. Wiping the unit out isn’t likely in one round, and that’s what this army needs to be able to do – focus-fire on a unit and kill it outright, removing it as a threat. At the same time, there’s not enough heavy armor killers on the table. With two railguns and two fusion blasters, all of which are attached to vehicles that can (and often do) get one-shot-killed, one bad turn can ruin my day. At the same time, other units aren’t contributing enough. The Fire Warriors are required, but they’re not providing much that’s useful. I need them for the list, and I need them for objectives, but I’m not convinced that I need so many of them. The Pathfinders are questionable as well; yes, their markerlights are useful, it’s true, but I rarely get more than a turn or two out of them.

The Tau’s strength is in their Elite choices – namely, Crisis Suits – and in their Heavy Support choices – Hammerheads and Broadsides. I need to maximize my list’s usage of those slots, and to make room other units will have to end up on the chopping block. So, what’s likely to go?

• Fire Warrior Squad #3: Common wisdom is to run at least 3 troops choices in a 1500-point list. However, that assumes that your troops are likely to accomplish much on the table. If you’re planning on keeping them in reserves (and thus off the table for at least a turn), I think you can run only two with relative safety. Hopefully, your opponent will be too busy dealing with the rest of your army to focus on the Fire Warriors, who aren’t likely to contribute much more than being warm bodies on an objective.
• Pathfinders: This is more a personal choice than one dictated by objective unit value. I know there are people who swear by Pathfinders and get a lot of utility out of them. While I’ve had battles where they’ve definitely been helpful, I don’t know if I can say that any of them have been game-changing. In a larger game, I’d still hang onto them (and probably run an 8-man unit), but for me, I just don’t think there’s room for them in my 1500-point lists.
• Piranhas: Cutting these is a much more painful decision than the others so far. I like these. I’ve gotten some good use out of them. However, they’re just too fragile to enemy fire, and it’s a rare occasion where they survive the entire game. They’re very fast, and they have a decent gun, but when they slow down and get close to a target, it opens them up to too much enemy fire to be survivable. With a larger point list, this would be one of the first things to go back in.
• Railhead #2 (maybe): Railgun Hammerheads are great. However, with some of the changes I’m considering, having two of them may be redundant. This is something that’s on the block if I need to spare the points.

Now that I know what I’m cutting, what am I going to put in instead?

• Fireknife Team #2: Fireknife (Plasma Rifle/Missile Pod/Multi-tracker) suits have been the multi-tool in my arsenal. They tear marines apart, they’re good against light vehicles, and they’ve got maneuverability and survivability going for them. They have weapons that will wound just about anything and ignore armor and Feel No Pain, but still have enough range to be used at a safe distance. There’s not enough that I can say about them, and given the number of Marine armies in my playgroup, taking more is a good thing.
• Broadside Team: As I’ve said, one of the downsides of vehicles is that they can be taken out with one shot. Broadsides do not have this weakness; yes, they can be doubled-out, but even then you’ve only taken out one member of the team. A team of three Broadsides, with two shield drones for good measure, can take a great deal of punishment and dish it out in return. I can safely pull one Railhead without losing much in the way of anti-vehicle power.
• Ionhead: With these two additions, there aren’t quite enough points for two Railgun Hammerheads. However, replacing the Railgun with an Ion Cannon on one of the Hammerheads shaves off just enough points to fit in, and allows for a few other goodies, like a Smart Missile System and a Target Lock. I get more anti-marine firepower that’s still decent against lighter vehicles/side and rear armor, all in a nice maneuverable package.

Here’s the new list:

HQ: Commander Shas’el (130 pts)
1 Commander Shas’el (Cyclic Ion Blaster; Hard-wired Drone Controller; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Plasma Rifle; Targeting Array)
2 Shield Drones (Shield Generator)

Elite: Fireknife Team (186 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuits (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Fireknife Team (186 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuits (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Deathrain Team (94 pts)
2 Crisis Battlesuits (Flamer; Twin Linked Missile Pod)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Heavy Support: Railhead (165 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Heavy Support: Ionhead (145 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Ion Cannon; Smart Missile Systems; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker; Target Lock)

Heavy Support: Broadside Team (280 pts)
1 Broadside Battlesuit (Team Leader; Targeting Array; Hard-Wired Target Lock; Hard-Wired Drone Controller)
2 Broadside Battlesuits (Targeting Array x2)
2 Shield Drones (Shield Generator)

Total: 1496 Points

Like the previous list, I have tools to handle a bit of everything. However, the difference is that this time, I have enough redundancy and overlap in capability that losing one unit doesn’t remove my ability to do what that unit does. I can safely put some elements in reserve, for example, because there’s more available that can do what they do. Also, by focusing more on battlesuits than on vehicles, I lessen my list’s vulnerability to their general fragility. I’ve also managed to trim 6 kill points off of the list – I’ve gone from 19 to 13, which is a much more comfortable number to field.

I’ll be getting in some games this weekend, so I’ll field this list and keep you all updated on how it performs!

With my Tau, I know what I want. I knew I wanted to play Mechanized Tau when I got into the game originally, and over the past two years I’ve continued that trend. Sure, I have a few static elements, such as Broadsides, but I’ve always had a clear vision in my mind of how I want my Tau armies to be built and how I want them to play out. With Chaos, though, I’m amazingly fickle and indecisive. The codex is just so very different that, as I’ve mentioned in the past, it takes a lot of adjustment for me to get a good feel for it. There are just so many options and ways to play it that I haven’t been able to decide on just one way.

That said, it does seem like I jumped to playing a Khorne list rather quickly. Well, there’s a reason for that. The person from whom I bought my (mostly) unassembled Chaos collection had been working on a Khornite CSM army before he moved on to other games, so half of it was already put together. This gave me an easy springboard to playing Chaos Marines. Even the Defiler with the extra close combat weapons was something he was already building towards, with extra CCW bits neatly packaged and set aside. For my second Chaos army, though, I want something that I put together myself. Deciding on that hasn’t been nearly as cut-and-dry. At first, I was looking at playing a Tzeentch army, mostly because I had an Ahriman already painted and playable. Next, I leaned towards playing a Black Legion list, partly because I had Abaddon and partly because it was easy. However, after kicking around some ideas and putting a little bit of deep thought into it, I’ve finally made my decision.

Slaanesh.

Well, Emperor’s Children/Slaanesh-themed CSMs, anyway. There’s something about the sheer excess, fluff-wise, that appeals to my Chaos sensibilities. It’s bright and garish and in your face, much like Khorne, but for very different reasons. It’s also an interesting hybrid between the pure assault-iness of Khorne and the pure shootiness of the Tau. I think there’s a lot of fun modeling and painting opportunities as well. Of course, the most important question is, what can I build? Here’s what I’ve pieced together so far:

HQ: Chaos Sorcerer (1#, 155 pts)
1 Chaos Sorcerer @ 155 pts (Mark of Slaanesh; Familiar; Lash of Submission; Warptime)

Elite: Possessed (7#, 241 pts)
5 Possessed @ 241 pts (Icon of Slaanesh)
1 Possessed Champion
1 Rhino (Daemonic Possession)

Troops: Noise Marines (7#, 270 pts)
5 Noise Marines @ 270 pts (Sonic Blaster x4; Blastmaster)
1 Noise Champion (Doom Siren; Sonic Blaster; Power Weapon)
1 Rhino

Troops: Chaos Space Marines (11#, 265 pts)
9 Chaos Space Marines @ 265 pts (Icon of Slaanesh; Plasmagun x2)
1 Aspiring Champion (Power Weapon)
1 Rhino

Troops: Chaos Space Marines (11#, 265 pts)
9 Chaos Space Marines @ 265 pts (Icon of Slaanesh; Meltagun x2)
1 Aspiring Champion (Power Fist)
1 Rhino

Heavy Support: Obliterators (2#, 150 pts)
2 Obliterators @ 150 pts

Heavy Support: Obliterators (2#, 150 pts)
2 Obliterators @ 150 pts

Total: 1496 points

On one hand, the list satisfies my fluff quota. I’m running units of 6, the magic number of Slaanesh, I’m using Lash of Submission, and my one possessed Rhino is full of possessed marines. On the other hand, it still feels solid and fits my play style. The whole thing is mechanized (with the Sorcerer riding shotgun with the Possessed) apart from the Oblits, and each troop squad has its job. The melta squad hunts down armor, while the plasma squad focuses on those low Armor Save/Feel No Pain units that tend to be a thorn in my side. Meanwhile, the Noise Marines focus on killing standard troops, and the Oblits just provide whatever’s needed at the moment.

The best part about this list, though, is that I’m probably 85% there; I have almost everything I need to build this list. To complete this army, I would need to buy a box of Noise Marines, an fourth Obliterator, and 2 more Rhinos. I could probably use 2 more Rhinos after that, so that everything will eventually be modeled as Slaaneshi, but for now I can borrow the Rhinos from the Berzerkers. For around $100, I could get the last few components for this army and get it thrown together.

Now, eventually I may replace the Sorcerer with a Slaanesh Daemon Prince with wings and Lash of Submission – the point cost is the same – but I don’t have a Daemon Prince model, and I wouldn’t know where to begin to model one. For now, the Sorcerer and his possessed posse will serve my purposes. I’m sure this list will shift over time, but I think it’s a good base to start from.

Now, I just need to throw my Abaddon up on eBay…

Image © Games Workshop.

One of the things I was glad to see return to 5th Edition with the release of the Battle Missions book was Kill Team. Low point-value games seem to get overlooked, so it’s nice to see support for something as low as 200 points made official. Granted, the new version of Kill Team has been greatly stripped down from its 4th Edition version – no more brute squads or mutable rules – but the new version is much easier to run. However, that doesn’t mean that a proper list for it is easy to just throw together. There’s the low point budget, an abbreviated force organization chart to deal with – 1 elite, 2 troop, and 1 fast attack slot – and a focus on individually specialized units.

Not all units in the appropriate slots in the Tau codex are equally suited for Kill Teams, however. Here are the units that I wouldn’t run for a Kill Team:

• Fire Warriors. Sure, you can run 2 squads of  10 Fire Warriors as a kill team force. Unfortunately, that’s about as interesting as they’re going to get. There’s no flexibility in Fire Warriors, since they can’t change up their weapon choices apart from choosing carbines or rifles. You can take a Devilfish, which helps somewhat, but if you’re wanting to take a transport, Pathfinders are a better choice.
• Crisis Suits. On one hand, if you want to build specialists with different weapon loadouts, there’s no better choice in the codex. Unfortunately, they’re not cheap; 3 suits could easily fill up your entire 200-point budget with little to spare. Considering that you risk losing a Kill Team mission once you lose half your models, there’s not much room for error, and providing so few targets makes it easy for your opponent to focus-fire them down. At most, I might run a monat suit alongside some other choice.
• Vespid. They’re not good for much of anything, and Kill Team doesn’t change that. They have even less weapon flexibility than Fire Warriors, and their Jump Infantry/Fleet status doesn’t help their effectiveness at all, other than helping them run away.

On the other side of the spectrum are the units that I think would work in a Kill Team:

• Stealth Suits. You get the armor save and jet pack abilities of crisis suits and the extra defense of their stealth generation field, all for a much more reasonable price thanks to the free burst cannons. You can also upgrade to a fusion blaster, although the shorter range is risky due to the risk of assault. I wouldn’t necessarily run a list entirely of Stealth Suits, but in combination with another choice, you could have a solid team.
• Pathfinders. In Kill Team, these are effectively better Fire Warriors. They’re better equipped, thanks to their markerlights, and they have the option for rail rifles as well. They also can take a Scout move, which can help you get a better position for targeting your opponent’s team. The mandatory Devilfish takes up enough points to ensure that you won’t running anything other than Pathfinders, but it can also net you two Gun Drones, which gives you a total of 3 extra models for determining your loss condition.
• Gun Drones. Assuming you haven’t taken any Pathfinders, taking a unit of these can help fill out some points nicely. They get the jump-shoot-jump benefits of being jet pack infantry and have better initiative than Fire Warriors should they get caught in assault. It’s two points more expensive per drone to take them as a stand-alone unit, rather than as wargear with a drone controller, but they have the added benefit of not being tied to a controlling model. If you lose your non-drone units, you don’t start losing drones automatically.
• Kroot. Kroot were made for Kill Team, I think. They’ve got a fair amount of variety as far as what can be put inside a Kroot unit. You’ve got your standard kroot for all-around utility, you’ve got kroot hounds for assault, a krootox for some heavier support, and you can even throw in a shaper. In the Kill Team environment, the shaper actually makes sense: with his 3 wounds he’ll be tougher than most enemy models, and by giving him Eternal Warrior as a specialist you keep him from getting doubled-out. Kroot also have the benefit of being cheap; you can easily fit 18-21 models into your team, and that includes a little bit of everything. Take a Krootox (since outflanking isn’t an issue), give him Relentless, and let him pick off the enemy at range (since he can hit the entire 4′x4′ table) while your Kroot and hounds close in for closer kills with their superior numbers.

I’ve got a few Kill Team lists that I’m playing around with, and I hope to test them in the next few weeks or so. I especially want to try the Kroot list, although I’d need to get a few things (like Kroot Hounds, a Krootox, a Shaper, and some more Kroot) before I can build it. For Pathfinders, I’d need some Rail Rifles. In the meantime, I’ll try out a Stealth Suit list and see how it goes. Here’s what I’m looking at:

Elite: Stealthsuits (4#, 140 pts)
3 Stealthsuits (Burst Cannon x3)
1 Team Leader (Burst Cannon; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Markerlight;) – Feel No Pain specialist

Fast Attack: Gun Drone Squadron (5#, 60 pts)
5 Gun Drone Squadron

Total: 200 points

I’m up in the air on the markerlight, since its hits are only going to be usable by one figure per turn. I could downgrade the team leader and get an extra gun drone instead. First, though, I need to test it out and see how it goes.

So, what are your opinions on Tau in the Kill Team environment? What would your ideal Kill Team be?

Image © Games Workshop.

Last Friday, Old Shatter Hands discussed how to fit markerlights into his current army list, inspired by a run of horrible luck. I can sympathize; lately, my dice have been betraying me at key moments. It’s also one of the weaknesses of the Tau; sure, we have fantastic guns, but we just don’t seem to have the ballistic skill to utilize them effectively. The solution for this is to add markerlights to our armies, allowing us to do things like raise our BS and drop those pesky cover saves. It’s not a perfect solution, though – they’re expensive and slow (thanks to being heavy weapons), and there’s only a few ways to fit them into an army. I’ve discussed the two primary ones – Pathfinders and Stealth Suits – and it’s no secret that I’m not fond of Pathfinders. However, one of the hallmarks of the Tau army is fluidity and adaptability, so it’s no good to be stuck in my ways. If I want to fit in markerlights, Pathfinders are the least-expensive solution.

With that in mind, I re-examined my current Tau list, and discovered that I can fit in a unit of 5 Pathfinders if I drop my commander’s bodyguards:

HQ: Commander Shas’el (130 pts)
1 Commander Shas’el (Cyclic Ion Blaster; Hard-wired Drone Controller; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Plasma Rifle; Targeting Array)
2 Shield Drones (Shield Generator)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (186 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuits (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (94 pts)
2 Crisis Battlesuits (Flamer; Twin Linked Missile Pod)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Fast Attack: Pathfinder (145 pts)
5 Pathfinders (Pulse Carbine x5)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Marker Beacon; Disruption Pod)

Fast Attack: Piranha Light Skimmer (150 pts)
2 Piranha Light Skimmers (Fusion Blaster x2; Disruption Pod x2; Targeting Array x2)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (165 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Targeting Array; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (165 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Targeting Array; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Total Roster Cost: 1500 points

It’s a simple change, accomplishes what I want, and doesn’t hurt my killing ability – in fact, it probably enhances it greatly. It also gives me a great bait unit; people seem to hate Pathfinders with a passion. My one concern is that it adds three killpoints to the army (‘finders, their Devilfish, and the drones). I could drop the Devilfish from one of the Fire Warrior teams, which would free up some points for smart missiles, seeker missiles, or the like, but I dislike using the Pathfinder ‘fish as a taxi. It slows down the momentum of the game more than I like, and leaves a small unit of FWs out in the open for a turn or two.

I think I’ll give this list a try on my next game; we’ll see if I spoke too soon on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of Pathfinders. I have a feeling that I may be eating some crow soon…

Image © Games Workshop

Black, of course!

As I prepare to get back to assembling and painting my Chaos armies, I’ve been trying to piece together a Black Legion list. I have Abaddon, and I’d really like to use him, simply because he is a beast of a character. Sure, he’s got a massive point cost, but I think he’s survivable enough to make it worthwhile, especially if you throw him in with some like-minded Terminators. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

HQ: Abaddon the Despoiler (275 pts)
1 Abaddon the Despoiler

Elite: Terminators (170 pts)
4 Terminators (Lightning Claw x4; Combi-melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Troops: Chaos Space Marines (255 pts)
9 Chaos Space Marines (Icon of Chaos Glory; Meltagun x2)
1 Aspiring Champion (Power Fist)
1 Rhino

Troops: Chaos Space Marines (255 pts)
9 Chaos Space Marines (Icon of Chaos Glory; Meltagun x2)
1 Aspiring Champion (Power Fist)
1 Rhino

Troops: Chaos Space Marines (245 pts)
9 Chaos Space Marines (Icon of Chaos Glory; Flamer x2)
1 Aspiring Champion (Power Fist)
1 Rhino

Heavy Support: Defiler (150 pts)
1 Defiler (Reaper Autocannon; Twin Linked Heavy Flamer)

Heavy Support: Obliterators (150 pts)
2 Obliterators

Total Cost: 1500 points

The general idea is to run up the CSMs in their Rhinos, supporting them with fire from the Defiler and Obliterators, and get them into some key positions. When Abaddon and his Terminators come in from reserve, they’ll pick whichever squad is most appropriately placed and make use of their icon to come in without scattering. The rest pretty much speaks for itself.

As always, comments and critiques are welcome! In the meantime, I’m going to need to track down more left-arm lightning claws for my Terminators.

HQ: Commander Shas’el (274 pts)
1 Commander Shas’el(Cyclic Ion Blaster; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Plasma Rifle; Targeting Array)
2 Crisis Bodyguards (Hard-wired Drone Controller; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Plasma Rifle; Twin Linked Burst Cannon)
2 Shield Drones

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (186 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuits (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (94 pts)
2 Crisis Battlesuit (Flamer; Twin Linked Missile Pod)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Fast Attack: Piranha Light Skimmer Squadron (150 pts)
2 Piranha Light Skimmers (Fusion Blaster; Gun Drones x2; Disruption Pod, Targeting Array)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (165 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (165 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Total Roster Cost: 1499

Changes include:

• Trading Gun Drones for Shield Drones. The HQ unit’s drones have been switched out. More survivability will allow that unit to keep doing what it does longer, and to absorb fire that could otherwise one-shot the Crisis Suits.
• Merging the Piranhas into one squadron. I lose the ability to split them off, but this keeps their firepower concentrated, meaning they’re more likely to kill their targets. It also cuts two kill points from the list.
• Targeting arrays on the Piranhas. These are going to be my seek-and-destroy vehicle hunters. I want their shots to count as much as possible.
• Streamlining the Hammerheads. These changes are all paid for by trimming points off of the Hammerheads. I’ve switched both to using twin burst cannons, and I’ve removed the target locks. Sholto brought up a good point; I’m going to be moving these things 12″ whenever I can; a target lock does no good when I’m only going to be firing the railgun each turn.

One point of contention seems to be the Crisis Suit bodyguards in the HQ unit. Let me explain why I have them the way I do. This is an infantry-hunting unit, and I want to keep it between 12 and 18″ away from its targets at all times. The command suit is well-equipped for this thanks to the CIB’s 18″ range and the plasma’s 24″/12″ rapid fire range. I wanted to run other suits that would compliment it, so I went with burst cannons and plasma rifles, which have the same ranges. I twin-linked the burst cannons because it’s cheaper than a targeting array; no, it doesn’t help the plasma, but I couldn’t afford to help the plasma. Now, if I could figure out a different loadout that could accomplish the same goal for the same cost or less, I’d love to try it. If nothing else, I could switch out one suit for the new loadout, which would help with wound allocation. Suggestions are welcome!

So, I’ve made a hybrid of his list and mine, which I can hopefully try out in a few practice games before the tournament itself:

HQ: Commander Shas’el (264 pts)
1 Commander Shas’el(Cyclic Ion Blaster; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Plasma Rifle; Targeting Array)
2 Crisis Bodyguards (Hard-wired Drone Controller; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Plasma Rifle; Twin Linked Burst Cannon)
2 Gun Drones

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (186 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuits (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (94 pts)
2 Crisis Battlesuit (Flamer; Twin Linked Missile Pod)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (155 pts)
6 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle x6)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Fast Attack: Piranha Light Skimmer (70 pts)
1 Piranha Light Skimmer (Fusion Blaster; Gun Drones x2; Disruption Pod)

Fast Attack: Piranha Light Skimmer (70 pts)
1 Piranha Light Skimmer (Fusion Blaster; Gun Drones x2; Disruption Pod)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (170 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Two Burst Cannons; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker; Target Lock)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (180 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Smart Missile System; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker; Target Lock)

Total Roster Cost: 1499

On a side note, I ordered two Devilfish sprues from The War Store, so I should have three ‘fish available for my Fire Warriors by the 23rd. Everything’s falling into place for the tournament! I may not have everything painted, or even primed (curse you, winter temperatures!), but since it’s not a requirement for this tournament, I think I’ll manage.

My 1500-point Khorne list is basically just an extension of my 1000-point list, with 5 Terminators and a Land Raider added to fill out the extra 500 points.

HQ: Chaos Terminator Lord (1#, 160 pts)
(Mark of Khorne; Combi-melta; Blood Feeder)

Elite: Terminators (4#, 185 pts)
3 Terminators (Icon of Khorne; Power Weapon x3; Combi-flamer x2; Heavy Flamer x1)
1 Terminator Champion (Lightning Claws (pair) x1)

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (9#, 253 pts)
7 Khorne Berzerkers
1 Skull Champion (Bolt Pistol; Power Fist)
1 Rhino (Combi-flamer)

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (9#, 268 pts)
7 Khorne Berzerkers
1 Skull Champion (Power Fist; Plasma Pistol)
1 Rhino (Combi-flamer)

Fast Attack: Raptors (8#, 255 pts)
7 Raptors (Icon of Khorne; Meltagun x2)
1 Aspiring Champion (Lightning Claws (pair))

Heavy Support: Defiler (1#, 150 pts)
(Dreadnought CCW x4)

Heavy Support: Land Raider (1#, 220 pts)

Total Roster Cost: 1491

I suppose I should look at swapping the Terminators for a unit of Berzerkers as an alternate list, but I at least want to see what kind of havoc the Termies can cause on the field. Worst case scenario is that I can always save them for a 1750-point list.

HQ: Commander Shas’el (4#, 259 pts)
1 Commander Shas’el (Cyclic Ion Blaster; Plasma Rifle; Targeting Array; Hard-wired Multi-tracker; Hard-wired Drone Controller; Shield Drone)
2 Crisis Bodyguard (Plasma Rifle; Twin Linked Burst Cannon; Hard-wired Multi-tracker)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (2#, 94 pts)
2 Crisis Battlesuit (Flamer; Twin Linked Missile Pod)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (3#, 186 pts)
3 Crisis Battlesuit (Missile Pod; Plasma Rifle; Multi-Tracker)

Elite: Crisis Battlesuit (3#, 171 pts)
1 Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader; Fusion Blaster; Plasma Rifle; Targeting Array; Hard-wired Multi-tracker)
2 Crisis Battlesuit (Flamer; Twin Linked Fusion Blaster)

Troops: Fire Warrior (15#, 215 pts)
12 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Troops: Fire Warrior (15#, 215 pts)
12 Fire Warriors (Pulse Rifle)
1 Devilfish (Gun Drones; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 180 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Smart Missile System; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker; Target Lock)

Heavy Support: Hammerhead Gunship (1#, 180 pts)
1 Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun; Smart Missile System; Disruption Pod; Multi-Tracker; Target Lock)

Total Roster Cost: 1500

Feel free to pick it apart and make suggestions. Just remember the idea behind it – killing is more important than capturing. Our units aren’t hardy enough to be defensive, so we have to be completely on the ranged offensive.

Fortunately, I found an alternative to the Chaos Terminator Lord (which I still plan on using in larger armies) in the above mini (GW’s picture, not mine), which I found floating in the collection I recently acquired. He comes in cheaper than Kharn, and serves as a good substitute for a Skull Champion in a group of Berzerkers. His equipment set-up is a bit static, but still workable. Here’s what I’ve managed to throw together:

HQ: Chaos Lord (1#, 145 pts)
1 Chaos Lord (Power Fist; Combi-melta; Melta Bombs; Personal Icon*; Mark of Khorne)

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (8#, 192 pts)
7 Khorne Berzerkers
1 Rhino (Combi-flamer)

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (9#, 258 pts)
7 Khorne Berzerkers
1 Skull Champion (Power Fist; Melta Bombs)
1 Rhino (Combi-flamer)

Fast Attack: Raptors (8#, 255 pts)
7 Raptors (Meltagun x2; Icon of Khorne)
1 Aspiring Champion (Lightning Claws (pair); Melta Bombs)

Heavy Support: Defiler (1#, 150 pts)
1 Defiler @  (Dreadnought CCW x4)

* I had 5 points left over and nothing useful to buy with it.

I still have to assemble all of these, except for the Berzerkers. Still, I think it’ll be a good list for getting a feel for a Khornite assault-y army before I grow it to 1500 points.