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Before I start, this is not a thread asking for a 'how to' guide. I've been wargaming for 20 years, mostly with WHFB/40K and I used to work for GW for a while - so I've written a fair few lists down the years .

While browsing through the army list and tactics threads here on dakka, one thing that has stood out is the variety of approaches people take to army design, so I thought I'd start a thread asking how different players go about it (apologies if this has been done before )

For myself, I always like a theme for the army and will usually come up with an idea/background/colour schemes etc before I start writing a list.
I'll then go through the options and make a preliminary selection of units that are 'in' or 'out' (e.g. in a deep strking SM force, drop pod equipped tac marines and dreads, assault troops and speeders would be 'in', LRC's probably 'out'!)

I always try to design to 'standard' points values too (1500 for 40K, 2000 for WHFB) - partly because its easier to find opponents, mostly because larger armies cost more! What I tend to find is that what I would like to include sends me over budget on pts so I then trim down the list until the pts fit.


Does anyone else do it like this?
And how do you do yours....?

I start with the concept - Footslogging orks.
Then I look for the backbone - 100 boys, 4 units, 4 PKs.
Then I look for "what isn't listed in all the normal lists on the net but I think can work well" and add that. Kannons and grots as troops
And then, what does my list do poorly and how can I help it. Lootas.
Then, what stuff just looks fun. Big Meks with SAGs...

So, start with a theme. Get the backbone. Add some unusual units. Add some efficient units. Add something that you don't see often.

I load up armybuilder and start clicking until I get to the right point value. Then I hope I have the models I clicked and maybe start over.

Or, perhaps, more seriously, I start with a concept, but then I'll ask what purpose does this unit serve within the concept. Then I ask, is there something else that serves the same purpose better?

Purposes can be widely varied though. One purpose is to have fun. Another purpose might be to look good, especially if there's a tournament with painting scores.

Then playtest and note what worked well, and what didn't. Start to shift things around. Cut units that consistently underperform, or that never accomplish what you wanted them to, tweak options to address perceived weaknesses, and so on.

I usually write mine with a Pen.

Couldn't resist.

Anyway, I just think of the theme or idea for the list and what I want the main part of it to be. Like for my guard, I decided I wanted a lot of tanks. So, I figure out the points for everything I want, and then add stuff to support it with what's left. Play a couple of games, and then tweak it depending on how good it does, maybe just change some wargear around or whatever.

So in my guard army, I have 2 hellhounds, 1 russ, 1 demolisher and 1 basilisk. Then I have my HQ unit plus an inquisitor both in chimeras, and I have 2 platoons w/ 2 squads each, 2 units of stormtroopers (using Grenadiers so they're troop choices) and 2 units of vets. in 2000 pts.

Now I feel like I have more than enough tanks, but instead of removing them I'm just adding more squads to my platoons. I have a baneblade for 3000 pt games so I just need 500 pts worth of more men. In a guard army that'll be a lot more guys

I wrote my sisters of battle list after reading the codex AND getting soulstorm

I loved the St Celestine fluff but since she dies in it... I didn't really want to use her. Soulstorm gave me a different Idea...

Basically the sisters army I run comes from a covenent where they have been trying to see what they would need to produce another living saint. They have a radical inquisitor who has been doing experiments on the orphans to genetically figure out what they would need to produce another "saint"

My army has 4 units of sisters in rhinos each unit being painted with a different hair color (genetically seperated), an inquisitor (duh) with an callidus to kill any experiments that go wrong, a unit of retributors (again different hair), 2 exorcists, a cannoness and surprise! St celestine. I run her not as the special character (but using her rules), she is my living saint that has been Bred.

So I used fluff to write my list at first. After that I have been working to make it competitive.

I call them the Covenent Mendel

My orks I run for fun and usually make a list with crazy things such as Old Zog wort : )

Tau... I tried to do the fish o Fury list but they just weren't as much fun as the Orks which I do crazy things with or the Sisters that have a story behind them

I tend to find a model I really like and theme an army around it. End up buying a battalion set or seeing if I can get a cheap bundle from somewhere and work up the core choices out of whats availble then take whatever tanks I have, use half for one conversion and the other half for something else, trying to include 'key' features so they can be easily recognised, e.g. battle knight = leman russ so it has a battle cannon and three heavy bolters. My hell ound will be a walker with four legs, but the main feature will be a fuel tank and big flame thrower. My lists tend to start with what I like, add in what I need to make it legal, and then fill in the points and make a creation to represent the new slot, e.g. upcoming storm troopers made from cadian spares but with extra equipment to 'bulk them out make them look hard'. Probably just use standard lasguns but beef them up a bit. My lists are usually for fun and centre around one or two slightly mad or fun choices, with the rest added to suport/bulk out/fill required foc slots.

It depends what the list is for.

For fun games (which I play the most) it comes down to a theme and models I like. It may sound silly, but if I don't like a model's look, now matter how awesome the rules may be, I won't play with it. This is why I still don't play with lootas (crazy I know, everyone else tells me the models are great).

If I'm playing a more competitive game it comes down to my own concept of what works then research (internet lurking) and play testing. This is much more boring so consequently I do it less.

I nearly always start with the cool stuff that I want, then fill out the compulsories and then plug any gaps.

I start brain storming when I'm painting. The single model I'm painting is always in the list and I'm always planning on giving it something very specific that will fit the list's gaps or just be totally awesome looking to my friends. This is kind of hard when I'm painting some run of the mill troop. When I'm painting those guys I usually think of their entire unit, their purpose and look together on the battle field. When I paint the bigger guys like Demon Princes, Obliterators, and sorcerers I brain storm lists really fast and write them out on a note card I have at my table when I take breaks.

Fluff and themes, either in appearance or in purpose, and usually in an attempt to do something no one else (at least in my area) is doing or to at least do it a different way.

I'll start with a unit that, for whatever reason, takes my fancy. Most recent example is 'I want to field Plague Marines and a GUO'.

In some cases it's just because I like the unit, some cases I want to see if I can build an effective list around that unit, and in some cases it's just because I want to use a new model.

In the Plague Marine/GUO example above it was a case of 'new models'. I recently put together (most) of a Death Guard army, just needing a few FW items and a couple more Plague Bearers to complete it.

I also wanted to try out Spawn, simply because I have 6 of them, haven't used them yet and wanted to see what they do.

So I made a list with Plague Marines, a GUO and Spawn, and then filled out the rest to make those choices work.


Sometimes I'll deviate from this, but that's usually with specific armies (my Inquisitorial forces). They're based around a character (current one is Inquisitor Lord Cassius Seiko and Inquisitrix Keira Jade), so I'll just make forces that fit with them and ensure that they'll either be the first into combat (in Seiko's case) or never see combat (in Jade's case - she's a coward).

BYE

First, I get the general concept of the army; in my case, footsloggin' marines.
Second, I choose what my backbone troops and my HQ will be.
Third, I add squad and HQ options.
Last comes the colour scheme and theming

I look for broken, I mean, killer, combos that will devastate my opponent with little skill or real effort on my part. Then I will throw the rule book at him when he gets mad and thus possibly sabotaging our friendship. Oh wait, thats the people I hate...

Me, I look for things that strike me as fun. Yes, a bloodthirster in my eyes is a big ball of fun. As are squigs and fanatics. The fact that fanatics can possibly turn back round and wipe out my own guys only adds to the charm. Its a risk Im willing to take to have 3 of them crush through your Knights.

Also, I try and play balanced. Usually a fighty lord choice, and 2 magic-y heroes. Though I play Orcs I dont usually go the Horde route and have a unit of everything. And a rock lobba, cause my ability to call guess range weaponry has earned quite a bit of fear from my friends.

I once wrote up a 3000pt Army List I named "The Dream Team" which had both Azhag and Grimgor. I played it once against some dwarfs. I won. Azhag was a giant target. my giant took out all but 1 slayer from a whole unit, and Grimgor's unit had an enitre rank wiped out by a very impressive cannon shot. But it was fun. Oh and I even had a goblin unit NOT flee. Good times...

Math - find the best bang for the buck/point and take as many of them as possible

I try to include at least one 'fun' unit that may not be the most point efficient but is still interesting to play. Normally it's something that requires a combo to set up and might not be a stand out unit in and of itself.

Several things are the core backbone of any army I make:

Redundant Units: At least double up of any kind of unit. No unit should be solo in it's use since a single pie plate can wipe one off the face of the earth. Doubling up = better chance to get what you want done.
Lots of Troops. They hold objectives really well and don't cost a whole lot (generally). They put down good fire power and concentrated fire ALWAYS does the trick.
No one trick pony armies. This is a game of chance, and if you plan MUST have something happen correctly, it's a bad plan.
Units MUST support units.
Mobile army is better than a static one.
Don't put too many points into one unit.


With that in mind, this is how I make my BA list.

Start off with some long ranged support. 2 10man tac squads with heavy weapons and Razorbacks w/twin linked laz cannons. Cheap long ranged fire power.
Couple of 10 man tac squads in rhinos. These are moving shields for my assaulters
Couple of 10 man assaulters with vet sgts/pf.

Next up elites
DC w/jp
Maybe scouts wtih sniper rifles.

HQ:
Generally Dante or the named Chappy. Not too many points spent here since I don't care if they die or not.

Fast attacks:
Lands speeders to soften up the enemy for my assaulters
Land speeder with MM/FL. The grabber of table quarters.

Heavy:
Baal
Whirlwind (at least one). Keep them moving and off footed. Nothing like messing with their plans.

Result. Lots of units with lots of support.

I put an army together that I think will be fun to play against, not that is necessarily the strongest list that I can assemble.

I have over 8000pts of both Eldar and Marines, and can choose from most of the units in both of them, but I like to get some use from all of my units, so I'll rotate choices every so often.

I also don't usually proxy units I don't have. I tend to buy units that I like the look or sound of, not based on statistical percentages of how good they *should* be. Yes, this means I have a few 'less than stellar' performing units in my armies, but the game's more about the social aspects for me than the win at any cost attitude.

Chimera_Calvin wrote:How do YOU write an Army list?

Fisrt, I put on my wife's undies. Then... wait... what?


Ghidorah

As a wussy Tau player, this is what I do now...

First, picking the main philosophy of battle.... Mont'ka(Lure, ambush, divide and conquere) or Kau'yon(mobile, torrents of focus fire?)
Second, balancing out your weaponry...(Unless you wana kill a specific army)
Then I'd have my cadre divided into three different divisions.. Stationary fire power, mobile fire power, flanking fire power.

Mont'ka would lean more towards mobile and flanking. So the main firing out put would be the Hammerheads and jumping/DS battlesuits.
For example: Rail-head and Ion-head. Both with multi trackers and burst cannon(additional upgrades can be purchased later should there be aditional points left)
Battle suits would gear up with your preferences. After these slots are filled. You may start filling the trooper slots with as many fire warriors/devil fish as you can(I don't use kroots.. )


Kau'yon tactic usually involves baits and stionary fire power。 First you need something that would prove to be a very attractive bait. XV88 broadsides fit in just perfectly. They are slow and packs a great punch. Most of the enemies would want them dead ASAP. Now we have the cheese, let's set the rat traps. We need things pack a punch and to be able to slow down the enemies and deny them of their trophies. Sniper drones and battle suits are good at this roll, fill them in. And the last, spring of the trap... Mounted fire warriors. Nothing is more upsetting to a deep striking infantry squad to see 2 fully loaded devil fishes suddenly charging in and unload 2 squads of fire warriors with rains of impulse fire.

So the easy way to do this is to pick your core units, then the essential units, and additional wargears for upgrades.

Huh, well. First I decide on what I want to do with that army, be it gunline, horde, assault, mechanised, or something similar.


Then I generally choose the army that best fits that specific role and has the coolest models/fluff to back it up. (so if I want mechanised I usually go tau or eldar)

Then I look at the army list and see which units excel at what role. Seeing as I almost always try to run take all comers lists I generally only have the core of my army being the theme I want it to be, then I take a percentage and use them to fill supporting roles. (like my tac vets in my DAs army, I have them set up with bolters and power swords so they can shoot with the line then counter assault if needed)

Then I write the list, see how much it costs in money at varying point levels then buy the boxes build them and then wait a year before finally painting them.

Then I start over.

First and formost, I try and find a style of play I want... Assualty, shooty, then Ill try and find a single unit or IC that is going to possibly be a game breaker. Then I fill the gaps as needed around that unit!

Freaka

I guess I usually come up with the basic idea, the one line description: all infantry IG horde, drop pod marines, mobile marine firepower, whatever.

I figure out what units work best, and include them. Then I fill in with what I know i'll need (anti-tank, countercharge, whatever) that the main thing doesn't do. Then I'll either trim down to the target size (usually sacraficing the initial theme elements rahter then the later essentials) or fluff up to the target size (usually by adding generally useful units).

I tend to play around a lot with army builder, but having a palette of units that I know and love (a las/plas IG platoon runs 270pts, for example) I can jot out interesting lists pretty much anywhere.