Thursday, April 23, 2009

1500 Mixed Company

So here is a prototype of my 1500 list; it's mostly an expansion upon the concepts in my 1000 point list combined with some of the lessons I learned from my 2k game. List first, tactics/choice defense second.

Company Command Squad
-Regimental Standard
-3 Plasma Guns
-Master of the Fleet
-Carapace Armor
-melta bombs
Total: 165

Troops (770)

Infantry Platoon (460)

Platoon Command Squad
-3 flamers, 1 heavy flamer
Chimera (Hvy flamer turret, hvy bolter hull)

Infantry Squad
-autocannon
-grenade launcher
-Commissar
Infantry Squad
-autocannon
-grenade launcher
Infantry Squad
-autocannon
-grenade launcher

Mortar HWS
Mortar HWS

Vet Squad
-3 melta guns
-Chimera w/ turret multilaser and hull hvy bolter

Vet Squad
-3 melta guns
-Chimera w/ turret multilaser and hull hvy bolter

Fast Attack (215)

Spearhead Sentinel (aka Stompy Jr.)
-Plasmacannon
Spearhead Sentinel
-Lascannon
Spearhead Sentinel
-Lascannon

Heavy Support (340)
Leman Russ w/ 3 HB (aka the Poorly Planned Purchase)
Leman Russ w/ 3 HB

The named units are the ones that have proven themselves worthy of honorifica in battle.

So, general strategy:
HQ stands around giving out orders to my infantry clump and taking lethal potshots at anything that strays to close. The rerollable leadership should keep the line steady and the officer of the fleet will harry enemy reserves. In the endgame (if they are still alive) they move out to conduct search and destroy missions against tough targets like terminators. The HQ is expendable in the end game- as long as they keep the BID and FRFSRF in the early to mid game and have taken some baddies with them, they have done their duty.

PCS at first stays home and does counter charge/ speed bump duty. With the chimera they should be able to create a wall of at least 10" around which the enemy will either have to move or assault through flamery death. This is the main reason I went for the turret heavy flamer, as then the chimera can stretch out the long way and still roast enemy troops. If the PCS survives it will run out and try to claim an objective or go snipe hunting.

My big troop blob comes out in either a single or two clumps. This way I can choose multiple targets for BID fire, with the larger clump holding on to the commissar to ensure that the orders get through. Deployment will be inside cover if possible. When the going gets tough, the squishy guard FRFSRF and try to kill as many xenos as possible.

The vet squads careen out of the gate and go hunting for enemy vehicles/MCs while supporting fire from the rest of the army distracts the enemy. If they survive to late game they go out objective/tough target hunting depending on the mission.

Sentinels hang back around the firebase for the early game firing lascannon potshots at vehicles and MCs; Stompy Jr, He Who Held the Tyranids at Bay, will try out his new plasma cannon against M and TEQs/ MCs and light vehicles. When assaulters get too close the sentinels will perform tarpit duty, hopefully slowing the enemy down enough to squeak by for the win. If this doesn't happen, they will wander out to contest enemy objectives, specializing in assaulting to pull units off of objectives. I will have to watch out for hidden power fists, but pretty much anything else will be locked in combat forever.

And finally the LRBTs stay still and nuke the crap out of anything that walks that they can see, preferred targets being those that have 3+ or 4+ saves. They will also try to shield the squishy infantry which are hopefully on top of an objective.

Changes I might make are switching around Stompy Jr.'s weaponry to a heavy flamer/lascannon; upgrading the LRBTs to lascannon turret; and screwing around with the choices that I have made for my CCS. I wish I could get a power fist into my troop blob, as right now if an MC or dreadnought attacks I'm toast, but apparently that isn't an option in this codex. I might try to sneak some in the vet/platoon command/company command squads to mitigate this unfortunate circumstance if it becomes too prevalent. Heck, maybe a priest would be a welcome addition (albeit an extra kill point).

Battle will be commencing on Saturday hopefully, so I'll keep tinkering with it until then. Check back soon to see some pics of how my army is being all gussied up for war. Comments and criticisms of the list/ tactics are of course always welcome and encouraged.

4 comments:

Hudson said...

Since it sounds you're planning on keeping the PCS Chimera minding the gun line, I'd suggest using a turret multi-las/hull heavy bolter. You probably won't be moving it (much) so you should be able to use both to hit things at range. I'd go with hull heavy flamers on the Vet squad chimeras since those guys are going to want to get close to employ the meltas anyway.

Admiral Drax said...

mounted meltavets! mounted meltavets!

What a brilliant idea, mate - and so damned cheap!I'm going to have a play with some more ideas tonight...

Admiral Drax said...

can your blob troop sergeants take any melta bombs?

Max said...

I think I will switch to the long ranged Chimera for the PCS, but I'm going to keep the melta chimeras on long range as well. The reason for this is that then the chimera has a chance of actually hurting the targets that the melta squad is going after, i.e. mcs and vehicles. I prefer to make units that eliminate one specific enemy rather than multi task.

As for the melta bombs on serg's, I can but it costs 5 points per. I much prefer having the long range anti-tank to assaulters. And I don't think that melta bombs work on MCs, though I may be wrong.