Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Okay,

A while ago I posted up a thread asking for ideas for a Fabius bile theme force, and had all sorts of responses.

The list below is the first list I am remotely happy with at first glance though there are some obvious weaknesses. I want it to be competitive yet be able to be themed in with Bile. Before people go off at me about why Plague Marines are better then non-cult troops, well I don't give a stuff cause I feel +1 sometimes +2 (5 or 6) strength and initiative 4 outweighs the strength 4 and initiative 3 of the Plague Marines with an Icon of Nurgle. Anyways, feedback wanted and go go strength 10 powerfists on the Enhanced Champs.


1500pt Fabius Bile Force:

Fabius Bile 160pts

9 Enhanced CSM 162, incl. 1 Champ 15, powerfist 25, Incl. Icon of Slaanesh 20, Plasma gun 15, meltagun 10, Rhino 35 = 282pts.

9 Enhanced CSM 162, incl. 1 Champ 15, powerfist 25, Incl. Icon of Slaanesh 20, Plasma gun 15, meltagun 10, Rhino 35 = 282pts.

10 Enhanced CSM 162, incl. 1 Champ 15, powerfist 25, Incl. Icon of Nurgle 50, 2 meltaguns 20, Rhino 35 = 325pts.

Defiler, Battle Cannon, 2 additional Combat arms = 150pts.

Defiler, Battle Cannon, 2 additional Combat arms = 150pts.

Defiler, Battle Cannon, 2 additional Combat arms = 150pts.

Total Points = 1,499pts.

So, the list is mechanised fully, the defilers can all fleet and pack a basic 5 strength 10 Dread Attacks as well as the battle cannons for long range support. The 3 Powerfists in the army are at strength 10 thanks to the enhanced metabolism of the marines under Bile's treatment. The first list dropped a Defiler and add a slaaneshi marine and 2 units of 5 lesser demons, what are your thoughts on this as an alternative force costing 1,497pts? I'd like some constructive feedback as well as advice on what to add in the 250pt expansion to 1,750pts.

Cheers,

Auretious Taak.

Honestly, I belive that if you are going for a bile force you need to maximize the efficiency of Bile's special ability, i.e. give mark of khorne to your enhanced csm, that way they get more str5-6 attacks for your buck.

Mark of Khorne for sure, plus make them 20 strong. Large squads of fearless marines are tough enough, and you can't even charge them because they will put the hurt on you bad!

Keep in mind you can't take two special weapons unless the squads are 10 strong or more. That's the hardest issue for me - how to get full squads in Rhinos and still find a spot for Fabius! I usually swap out one Enhanced squad for a unit of 8 Possessed to do that.

tzeentchling wrote:Keep in mind you can't take two special weapons unless the squads are 10 strong or more. That's the hardest issue for me - how to get full squads in Rhinos and still find a spot for Fabius! I usually swap out one Enhanced squad for a unit of 8 Possessed to do that.

Thankyou for pointing that out to me Tzeentchling, when I originally made the lists there were 10 CSM's in each unit. I guess I'll upgrade the rhino's to have a combi-weapon or the Champs. How do the Possessed stack up as a whole? Their ability having to be rolled for AFTER deployment is frustrating in 5th where scouting becomes something much more useful when you can deploy in reserve as an example, and the randomness of it all seems a bit...yeah. If I drop a unit of Slaaneshi marines for the Possessed how would that fair? I'd be down a Troops unit which leaves me a bit shy for objective grabbing...

Sushicaddy and Whitedragon,

I had on another forum someone swear by the unit of 20 on foot with an icon of Nurgle, Fearless marines are nasty normally but a unit of 20 with strength and Toughness 5 is horrendous was the thought there. I honestly didn't think of 20 with an Icon of Khorne.

Icons are iffy, in so far as it is highly contentious which ones you do take. I like the str/T 5 Nurgle marines, that's fairly nasty, and the Slaaneshi ones strike before most opponents which can be a surprise to eldar aspect/Tyranid warriors et al., Maybe if I took a unit with an Icon of Khorne in there instead of a Slaaneshi unit, then I'd have more flexibility again. Oh and for a 250 pt expansion, I was think 2 Dreadnoughts with twin lascannons, and missile launchers, could be amusing, I keep seeing them going crazy and killing my defilers though, lol. An addition 250 pts to 2,000pts would give me a slaaneshi lord with demon weapon and a Plasma cannon/heavy flamer dreadnought...

Thoughts?

Auretious Taak.

P.S. What are your preferred Fabius Bile builds?

I haven't really played with it too much, but honestly with a Fabius Bile list I don't really care. It's not exactly the most competitive list to start with! Too much depends on a few rolls at the beginning of the game.

tzeentchling wrote:I haven't really played with it too much, but honestly with a Fabius Bile list I don't really care. It's not exactly the most competitive list to start with! Too much depends on a few rolls at the beginning of the game.

Lets analyze those roles shall we? For 3 pts a model your units get a minimum base strength 5 and become fearless, something that unmarked units don't have which can be quite a debilitating limitation in the new combat rules when one combat goes very far wrong. Once in a while we get strength 6 as base, but strength 5 is what we work off of. Now, the bad side of it all is we roll a dice at the beginning of the game to see who dies and who is fin, a 1 in 6 chance of losing 1 in 3 marines before the game begins and a 1 in 6 chance of losing 1 marine a turn. This is a 2 in 6 or rather 1 in 3 chance that a unit will take something bad to it all. An average Bile force is packing about 3 units of enhanced marines, so 1 of those units a game will lose models. Units of 10 on a roll of 1 will lose 3-4 marines, on a roll of a 6 they'll lose 4+ average of 5 odd guys inside of the game. So An average army at 1500-1750pts is losing 5 enhanced marines each game to it's own machinations, a mere 90 pts down the drain to increase the basic combat effectiveness as well as survivbility of the entire enhanced army itself.

So how is this uncompetitive I ask you?


We've been messing with 500 pt expansions to take the list from 1,500pts to 2,000pts, and whilst a Slaaneshi lord with demon weapon and 3 Dreadnoughts is damned amusing and adds massively to the mechanised force itself, I came up with a big unit that either hits damned hard or is a massive points sink. A unit of 10 Terminators (300), with twin lightning claws (100) all Champions (100) with an icon of Khorne (30), gives a force of 10 twin lightning claw armed termies with 5 attacks each, 6 on the charge, re-rolling to wound with power weapon attacks. at strength 4. This unit churns out 50 attacks and 60 on the charge...the high survivability of the unit is definitely an attractive point, and they can deepstrike onto the icons my Enhanced Marines are packing also...It's an interesting little addition as the enemy has to decide between quite a large number of very potent threats if they ignore one there's another to deal with.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Auretious Taak.

How about 1 squad of berzerkers say 9 of them for Fabius retinue. Fearless, extra attacks and then you don't worry about getting 10 in the squad. So these are Fabius "stable" bodyguards.

I toyed with the terminators... I think 10 khorne champs with 2 LCs is overkill. 50 PW attacks... Only thing that walks through that is
maybe a few orcs from a maxed out mob. If you do it, make it 2 units of 5.

Otherwise, I would think about standards with mark of slaanesh and combi-meltas. That covers you for anti-tank and 5 initiative means you are going first most of the time. 10 PW attacks that go first (15 if you make them champions) sounds nasty.

DAaddict wrote:How about 1 squad of berzerkers say 9 of them for Fabius retinue. Fearless, extra attacks and then you don't worry about getting 10 in the squad. So these are Fabius "stable" bodyguards.

The berserkers only come into their own when they charge though, sure they are initiative and strength 5, but as soon as they are charged, they are still only initiative and strength 4. Quoting fearless is irrelevent as Bile's enhanced marines become fearless. I think I'll just drop him either in a unit with an icon of khorne or the icon of slaanesh.

I toyed with the terminators... I think 10 khorne champs with 2 LCs is overkill. 50 PW attacks... Only thing that walks through that is
maybe a few orcs from a maxed out mob. If you do it, make it 2 units of 5.

Oh Yeah! It's 60 PW attacks on the charge remember! whether 2 units or 1, not sure, the thing is 2 units needs a second icon which is 2 more enhanced marines dropped culling the scoring units further.

Otherwise, I would think about standards with mark of slaanesh and combi-meltas. That covers you for anti-tank and 5 initiative means you are going first most of the time. 10 PW attacks that go first (15 if you make them champions) sounds nasty

I have been discussing the unit withs everal people and one suggestion was take out of the 10, 2 witha heavy flamer and a chainfist so as they can duelly deal with massed infantry when the opportunity arises, but also give the unit much needed anti-tank in the form of 3-4 strength 8 chainfist attacks each. 15 PW attacks at initiative 5 is good especially as they are lightning claws, but I'm still undecided there. I think I'm still taken by the fact an opponent has to decide between 3 rhino born scoring units that are solid, or 3 defilers equally good in all fields of war, or a unit of "They have HOW MANY ATTACKS!" Terminators. Hmmm, it will need fiddling with and playtesting between the different options. I just wish I had time right now to sit down and play a game! Uni is 4 weeks from exams and I'm busy as so it's frustrating to say the least.

Thanks for your response DAaddict,

Auretious Taak.