500pts Campaign Mission 1

[lippy]

hi guys,

Playing a campaign at my flgs.
The campaign has a special rule where we have an Advisor (for the narrative) throughout. He's a free model (pts wise) with basic space marine stats and can be given 1 of 5 different disciplines: Lvl1 psyker; Medic who grant 5+ FNP to unit; warrior (+1 Ws, BS, A, I); scout (camogear, +1 to seize intitiative); Tech (servo arm). He also can get some specific upgrades but they're changeable for each mission.

Mission 1s rules have come out.
Summary:
500pts;
No flyers,
Vehicles only armour values 33 or under (like kill team)
No Hq (the advisor is the hq choice for this mission)
Map split into 1/4s;
Victory conditions is each quarter is worth 1VP if you control it by the end of the game;

My list options:

Veteran Squad: Grenadiers; 2× plasma gun; + 1 Veteran Sergeant 105
• Chimera
Platoon Command Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Platoon Commander 40
• Infantry Squad: flamer; Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Sergeant 65
• Infantry Squad: flamer; Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Sergeant 65

1 Scout Sentinel: autocannon 40
1 Scout Sentinel: autocannon 40

1 Wyvern: camo netting 80

500 points

Veteran Squad: Veteran Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Veteran Sergeant
Veteran Squad: Veteran Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Veteran Sergeant
Veteran Squad: Veteran Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Veteran Sergeant
Veteran Squad: 2× plasma gun; + 1 Veteran Sergeant
• Chimera

1 Scout Sentinel
1 Scout Sentinel

1 Wyvern

500 points

Platoon Command Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Platoon Commander
• Infantry Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Sergeant
• Infantry Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Sergeant
• 30 Conscripts
• Commissar
Veteran Squad: 2× meltagun; + 1 Veteran Sergeant
• Chimera

1 Wyvern: camo netting

500 points

What do you think?
I think my advisors is going to be the either the Scout, Psyker or Medic as Don't do assaulting, servo arms are situational.

I like the second list the best for this mission, as a lot of bodies and the scout sentinels will do well with outflanking imo.

What do you reckon?

[tallarncommander]

Any of the lists would work well, but I'd say go with the third list--I've found lately that platoons, chimera-mounted troops, and conscripts really complement each other nicely. They respectively bring static firepower/home objective guarding, mobility, and mid-field board control.

Good luck!

[cdrwattz]

Hey, I agree with the tallarn commander. I don't really have enough guardsmen to run full strength platoons and I'm not a huge fan of bs3. I run a lot of Vets. That being said I think the third list is the a good mix. Especially the wyvern. Hide and protect that sucker!!

Let us know how your games go.

-Cdr.Wattz-

[lippy]

Thanks for the input guys.

Playtested the list against a dark eldar player, but not the same mission.

chose list 3 - I whittled him down to 1 remaining model, his advisor who was just badass. We ended the game there, leaving her to return to the warp to seek revenge further into the campaign. its all about the narrative you see... but I still don't want to be tabled every time!

Anyway... since realised that the mission states 'No HQ'. Meaning I cannot take a Commissar or a Priest.
So, I've changed the 3rd list to:
Platoon Command Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Platoon Commander
• Infantry Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Sergeant
• Infantry Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Sergeant
• 30 Conscripts
Veteran Squad: grenadiers; 2× plasmagun; + 1 Veteran Sergeant
• Chimera

1 Wyvern: camo netting

500 points

Would you still take this over the others, even though the conscripts are going to run away the moment they get shot? I can't order them to get back in the fight as Im not allowed to take a ccs...

[cdrwattz]

Wow man, of course! They are apart of the HQ section... didn't even think about that.

That conscript squad is defiantly not worth it with out any proper LD protection. I'd drop it for something else. You could fit in a veteran squad with camo cloaks and a las cannon for the same points as 30 conscripts. Obviously they have totally different uses but just as an example.
I just know if I saw a squad of thirty guardsmen with no leadership id just shoot it until it failed a leadership test...

But yeah maybe have a think about.

-Cdr.Wattz-

[lippy]

Yeah, I totally didn't think about them as being HQ choices and more Platoon upgrades!

So now I'm thinking of scions instead, as the mission is about capturing and holding each corner of the board so they may be able to come in late and steal a corner...

And I also like scions as they seem to do a job for me every time.

However, there is a condition for using deep strike in this mission
Any models deploying via deep strike will always scatter. Any rules that reduce scatter cannot be used. Anything that reduces scatter to avoid mishap, you must instead increase the scatter to avoid the obstacle.

Can't decide if this means Move Through Cover is allowed here or not

[tallarncommander]

Oops, I didn't catch that no HQ rule either--I should've read your original post more closely. I agree with Commander Watz that conscripts without a priest (or commissar) are not worth it.

Replacing the conscripts with a small scion squad would be a fun choice. I see the moves through cover as a way to avoid taking dangerous terrain tests when deep-striking rather than a scatter reduction technique, but that's just my two cents. Scions might be fun and, hey, they're a sacrificial unit anyway so who cares if they scatter.

-IG, "We are many. They are few."

[cdrwattz]

Scions are a bit of a throw away unit. I always try to make room in my army for a squad of five with two melts guns for tank hunting (which comes to the same point coast as 30 conscripts ). I have them take out heaps of vehicles with the occasional scatter too far away or mishap and once or twice failed to hit and/or pen. It's risky but... no risk no reward. Move through cover is great on them because you can deep strike them into cover (not impassable terrain) without worrying about taking dangerous tests.

Good Luck. Let us know how you far with the new list.

-Cdr.Wattz-

[lippy]

Hi guys,

So I played this list in the campaign as intended.
• Infantry Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Sergeant
• Infantry Squad: Heavy Weapons Team (autocannon); + 1 Sergeant

Veteran Squad: grenadiers; 2× plasmagun; + 1 Veteran Sergeant
• Chimera

• Tempestus Scions; 2 x plasmagun; + 1 Tempestor

1 Wyvern: camo netting

Only managed to get in two games of the campaign (I'm slightly ignorant to other armies at the moment so forgive me for not knowing every units name).
Game 1. Grey Knights
1 x sqd troops, stdrd loadouts I believe.
2 x 5man Termies. 1 had a thund hammer, the other a missile launcher of sorts.

I lost, but only just. my guys spent about a 3 turns locked in combat which I was really pleased about. the board was heavy with cover, not many shooting galleries. He popped my chimera first turn though which sucked.
Scions kept me in it by deepstriking late on which helped, but his combat eventually wiped my platoon. he owned 2 quadrants to my 1. we contested the other. Seriously struggled to cause wounds on him, which made me think I didn't have enough guns or AP2, but that was the mission's rules IMO.


Game 2: Skitarii
3 x troop units with sniper rifles (perhaps one may have been elites but they all look the same to me at the moment lol)
3 x Dune walkers.
These guys can shoot like hell!
Again the board was full of cover with barely any line of sight (massive boulders creating Canyons), and a river through the middle. luckily he played a very static game, which I think was hid downfall having learnt about their assaulting skills. I won this 3-1 with my chimera and scions claiming the extra corners.
Move Move Move/fwds 4 the emperor were MVP here, and the wyvern taking out his snipers.

all in all. it was a balanced list that had endurance. it did lack manoeuvrability (had the scions come in earlier I would've been stuffed I think)... but then again we always are lacking there aren't we?