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Hello,

I'm looking to begin a force of marines and I am pretty much completely lost.

+ My goal is a force of Mechanized Infantry.
+ Not sure about a specific chapter yet, but I want the fluff to fit the theme.
+ I currently have the Calth boxed set and a FW Sicaran Battle Tank on the way.
+ FW models are viable options*

I was about to place my next order for a Land Raider and 2x Razorbacks (magnetized as Rhinos) but I'd like to get some feedback before moving forward.

With that said, I'm really not sure about how all the different detachments, FOC's, etc actually work. My interest for this project is purely from a fluff/hobby perspective, and not so much "competitive." Building up from 2x Troops and an HQ is simple and makes since with what I currently have. All these formations make it confusing!


So, my question is what should I get next?
Thank you!

A Librarian might be good to help out your troops, a termy one might go nicely with the BaC termies (same could be said for a termy chaplain). After that I would look into some Fast Attack options. Something like a Storm Talon would go nicely, or since you're into forge world, a Fire Raptor Gunship might be worth looking into as well. Maybe some bikers, they mesh well with most lists.. It also helps to know what chapter you're building, or, if you're making your own chapter, what chapter tactics you're using. Hope that helps a bit.

If you are going for Mech. Infantry then I assume you want fast mobile troop choices. You might want to look into White Scars as a chapter or at least their chapter tactics.

There aren't Razorbacks during the Heresy... so I assume you're using those for 40k as well.

Skip the Land Raider and get a Spartan for not much a price different you get a much better tank and can transport the full sized squads that perform better in 30k.

You need to decide which legion appeals to you as most of the legion specific units are better versions of the generic version. The starting point should be whether you want to go loyalist or traitor.

As far as mechanized infantry goes... The next book will give us the Rites of War (like formations but not formations) for the remaining legions... One of the Dark Angel's Rites is supposedly the "Iron Wing" which was a tank and mechanized infantry Dark Angel army in the Heresy set version of Epic 40k.

It really depends on whether you want to run them with 30k, 40k, or both. If you plan on 30k, pick up the red books from FW that contain all the units and most of the legions. It can definitely be confusing at first, but you will get the hang of it.

30k has no razorbacks as stated, but there are rhinos. I would buy the 30k Deimos pattern Rhinos, and if you want to run them as razorbacks in 40k you can buy the Lascannon/plasma turrets.

I agree with aka_mythos, get a Land Raider Spartan, your new Terminators and HQ will enjoy the ride.

Personally, what I plan on doing is building up a heresy era Space Marine force with all heresy era marines, a Fire Raptor, 3 Rhinos, a Spartan and a Sicaran. I'm going to add in Drop Pods and Razorback turrets so that I can also run a 40k Battle Company. That way I have the flexibility to play any kind or marines I like. Oh, and I am going to run 30k Alpha Legion, and per the fluff I'm going to be open to any of the Chapter Tactics that I feel like running.

Ignore me, I need to read the OP more carefully in future!

Speaking from a 40k POV:

A lot of what to build towards depends on the chapter you pick.

You probably want to build towards the demi-company. It’s a very fluffy formation, and pretty balanced on the table. That said, with a FW Sicarian tank, you are going to need to use a CAD.

The way formations detachments work is a little finicky, but not hard. Pick one you want to use, and fill all the required slots. Then take stuff for any optional slots. Remember you can only take things it tells you are options (some are more restrictive then others). If you have points left, pick another formation/detachment you like, and repeat until you run out of points.

In general, you need a way to get scoring units to objectives, and to be able to deal with different threats on the table. Building towards a mechanized list, you should have no problem getting to objectives, so you just need to make sure you have a diverse amount of firepower. You need something for hordes, light/heavy armor, flyers, and monstrous creatures. How and where you get this firepower is up to you.

Land Raiders make nice centerpieces visually, and assault terminators are a decent unit (more so with TH/SS, but you don’t get those in 30k plastic) but it’s a huge chunk of points. Getting a version with a 12+ cargo will let you put your HQ in there with them.

Two full tac squads in rhinos is a solid core for a mech list. Some scouts in a LSS make nice outriders, and if you need troops for a CAD can fill the role well and cheaply.

I like a good dollop of FA in my mech lists. These are the screening units for the armored column. Bikes work well, but so do speeders or a talon flying air cover.

You can’t have mech without a few good tanks. You have one, but grabbing more is good.

Thanks for the replies. This is for a 40k, and I still haven't narrowed down the chapter. I'll be picking based on fluff and paint scheme.

 Nevelon wrote:
Speaking from a 40k POV:

A lot of what to build towards depends on the chapter you pick...with a FW Sicarian tank, you are going to need to use a CAD.

Combined Arms Detachment seems to make sense, and allows for a nice variety of options.

 Nevelon wrote:
You need something for hordes, light/heavy armor, flyers, and monstrous creatures. How and where you get this firepower is up to you.

With a Sicaran, what are some additional suggestions? Are Devastators viable, or should I consider armoured alternatives? Could a Land Raider possibly be dual purposed as both transport and heavy support? Perhaps a flyer would be a solid option as well. I'd prefer to have multi-purpose options that are effective (or can be magnetized to be) against a variety of enemies.

 Nevelon wrote:
Land Raiders make nice centerpieces visually, and assault terminators are a decent unit (more so with TH/SS, but you don’t get those in 30k plastic) but it’s a huge chunk of points. Getting a version with a 12+ cargo will let you put your HQ in there with them.

Perhaps a LR would be a nice addition. I was thinking the Standard variant would be ideal, but what about FW alternatives?

 Nevelon wrote:
Two full tac squads in rhinos is a solid core for a mech list. Some scouts in a LSS make nice outriders, and if you need troops for a CAD can fill the role well and cheaply.

I think 2x Razorbacks (magnetized weapons and Rhino) would be a solid addition.

 Nevelon wrote:
I like a good dollop of FA in my mech lists. These are the screening units for the armored column. Bikes work well, but so do speeders or a talon flying air cover.

This is where I'm really uncertain about what to get. Is some FA pretty essential? I was thinking that some extra fire support would be as effective (if not more) than lightly armed units moving out ahead.

 Nevelon wrote:
You can’t have mech without a few good tanks. You have one, but grabbing more is good.

I absolutely LOVE the Sicaran, and it's apparently viable vs pretty much everything that could come my way (air, armor, heavy infantry). Compared to a Predator, I don't really see much of a reason not to take it. What would be a nice couple options?

- Do Devastators fit anywhere into a Mech Infantry list, or would the role be better filled by armor variants?
- Dreadnaughts?
- What about FW Artillery? Quad mortar, Laser Destoyer.
- Thunder Fire Cannon?

 War Kitten wrote:
A Librarian might be good to help out your troops, a termy one might go nicely with the BaC termies (same could be said for a termy chaplain). After that I would look into some Fast Attack options. Something like a Storm Talon would go nicely, or since you're into forge world, a Fire Raptor Gunship might be worth looking into as well. Maybe some bikers, they mesh well with most lists.. It also helps to know what chapter you're building, or, if you're making your own chapter, what chapter tactics you're using. Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks for the reply. I really haven't considered other HQ options, so this is very interesting. A Command Squad in a Razorback seems like it fits the theme very well, but I've only briefly browsed my options.

Thanks again!

Devastators work fine in a mech list, buy them a razorback dedicated transport, give it a twin linked lascannon and use it to snipe stuff. Can't attest to the effectiveness of quad mortars/rapiers, but I've heard that both of them can do some work. Thunder Fire cannons can be lethal depending on the foe.

Devastators absolutely do work, you can fire two weapons out of a top hatch of a Rhino. A lot of players run a Devsstator squad with two heavy weapons in a Rhino. Grav cannons (40k only) are brutal, and Multi-Meltas work as well.

A lot depends on what you like, and how attached to your theme you are. And how competitive you want to be.

Dev squads work well. Some better then others. There are pros and cons to taking a 4xLC dev squad vs. a TLLC/LC pred. Both fill the long range anti-tank role.

I love my old school LR with the TLLCs. I will admit that it’s very jack-of-all-trades, where you pay a lot of points for a lot of features, some of which are contradictory. The LRR/C are more focused; they are battlefield taxis. I’m not very well versed on the FW ones

FA picks are not essential. I’m an Ultramarine. I’m not happy unless I’ve got something from every FOC slot on the table. Balanced, flexible force and all that. There are a number of nice things to be found here though. Stormtalons are quality birds, doing a decent job of air superiority and also good vs. medium armor. Bikes are very good in this addition, and a good place to get either some fast melta to deal with tanks, or grav guns to deal with MCs. Speeders are versatile weapon platforms, and can be kitted out for a number of roles. 2xMM to pop tanks, or TML/HB to sit back and toss fire downrange.

Dreads can work in a mech list, as all the armor saturation will help keep them alive. I dislike the image of them jogging to keep up, so tend not to include them in mech themed lists (barring hybrid drop lists)

TFCs are really good. The only reason I’d not take them would, again, be for theme. Whirlwinds fill a similar role, and feel like a better match for the army. Mechanically not as efficient as the TFC though.

You should look into formations. There are a number that involve tanks. Remember you can take them in addition to a CAD, so they can be useful for freeing up slots. For example, if you wanted to add some anti-horde firepower, you could take the suppression force (one speeder, 2 WWs) so you would have your HS slots free for more treads.