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Hello all!
So, after taking a break for a few years I come back to see the Priesthood of Mars is finally represented on the tabletop with some pretty cool stuff! Unfortunately Im pretty unfamiliar with them as far as how they actually work in the field, and the lack of transports kind of throws me off, but they seem mobile in their own way. So here's what I was thinking:

x5 Skitarii Rangers, infoslave skull, omnispex, refractor field, x2 transuranic arquebus.

x8 Skitarii Vanguard, radium carbine, refractor field, omnispex, x2 plasma calivers.

x8 Skitarii Vanguard, radium carbine, refractor field, omnispex, x2 plasma calivers.

x1 Sydonian Dragoon, taser lance, phosphor serpentia.

x1 Onager Dunecrawler, neutron laser/cognis heavy stubber , cognis heavy stubber, smoke launcher.

x1 Onager Dunecrawler, twin linked heavy phosphor blaster, cognis heavy stubber, smoke launcher.

So, it seems good on paper, decent firepower at good ranges, anti troop and anti tank. I havent gotten any models, but I think this could be a good start. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
-Z

The transport thing is an annoying problem which will hopefully be fixed at some point but it does encourage a different playstyle which makes things more interesting. Being able to scout your whole army forwads then get 9' dunestrider moves is also great at catching other people off guard so they don't lack too much in mobility, you just have to be clever about it.

As far as the list goes it looks very similar to what i'd bring at 750. I'm not sure about the two 8 man vanguard units, personally i'd take one of 10 with 3 plasmas (make this you're warlords units so the plasmas get preferred enemy and reroll 1's to avoid all the gets hot).

Then reduce the other to a 5 man squad. You may want to reconsider putting plasma on both, calivers have a 50/50 chance of getting hot each time they shoot so with a couple of bad rolls you've lost 10% of your points in 2 special weapons, personally i'd change them up to arc rifles, you save a lot of points and it stops you relying on one dunecrawler for anti armour.
(you could actually save enough points this way to get another dragoon if you wanted)

The only other thing you may want to change after playing a bit is the second dunecrawlers armament, the phosphor blasters are expensive for what they do and may not work well at this level.

I've realised as i wrote that i basically just designed what i'd run at 750 but because skitarii are so limited unit choice wise you tend to end up with similar armies. It's all a matter of personal preference but there are some things like 3 plasmas in your warlords unit that work so well every skitarii player uses it.

Oh and if you buy models makesure to get the start collecting box, infact if you get two you'll have everything you need except a dragoon and it's way cheaper!

Welcome to the skitarii legions!

Thanks for the reply and the suggestions! Out of curiosity, I didn't notice an HQ option for Skitarii, so what would I do, ally in a Dominus from the "start collecting box"?
Im ok with the idea of a full squad of Vanguard with 3 plasma and a smaller support squad with arc rifles to take down armor.
As far as Onagers go, I don't believe I'll be fighting any fliers, so I didn't think the Icarus array would be necessary, so would going with a Neutron Blaster each be the better way to go? I was looking a the multiple shot low AP on the Phosphor Blaster, it seemed appealing haha!

Thanks again!
-Z

Skitarii don't require an HQ. But since you have everything else, you might consider the Dominus Maniple formation in that Start Collecting box. But only in larger games; at 750 you want as many boys and units as possible.

So, after digging into the list a bit more, Ive taken into account your suggestions and ended up with something like this:

Dominus Maniple:
Tech-Priest Dominus, volkite blaster, macrostubber, conversion field

x10 Skitarii Vanguard, alpha with refractor field, x2 plasma calivers

x1 Onager Dunecrawler, twin linked heavy phosphor blaster, cognis heavy stubber, smoke launcher.

Unbound list:
x5 Skitarii Vanguard, alpha with refractor field, x2 arc rifle

x5 Skitarii Rangers, omnispex, x2 transuranic arquebus

x1 Sydonian Dragoon, taser lance

x1 Onager Dunecrawler, eradication beamer

This is 750 exactly, and doesn't feel like a bad list ( on paper haha) Id have liked a second weapon on the second Dunecrawler, but I think it'll be fine.

Any thoughts?
thanks!
-Z

Out of the two i definitely prefer the second but there's a detachment called the skitarii maniple you need to take advantage of, it's like a CAD specially for skitarii without HQ and uses the following setup:

Compulsory:
2 Troops

Optional:
6 troops
4 elites
2 fast attack
2 heavy support

On the second list you can already field the unbound section as a skitarii maniple.

However at 750 points i'd personally drop the dominus and run one larger maniple.
With the points you save you could give the 2nd onager the neutron laser and heavy stubber, add a 3rd plasma cal, and still have enough for a 2nd dragoon (or maybe ironstrider).

Those are awesome suggestions! I will definitely see about getting those extras once i get a core of models going haha!

Any suggestions or info about ad mech/Skitarii at 1000pts or 1500pts or higher?

Does the army hold steady or do they struggle? Would allies come in handy, aside from some kind of Knight, that was an auto-include haha!

Thanks for the feedback!
-Z