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Getting ready for my first game of WH40K 5e. Going up against MEQ.

Here's what I'm planning on running. C&C's welcome.

Broodlord (feeder tendrils and toxin sac) - 83 (potentially outflanks or follows spinegaunts)
Retinue of 8 genestealers (toxin sacs) - 152

8 Genestealers - 128

12 Spineguants (Spinefist, toxin sacs, without number) - 132 (screens genestealers and MCs)

11 Spineguants (Spinefist, toxin sacs, without number) - 121 (sit on back objective)

Dakkafex (2 x TLD, enhanced senses) - 113
Sniperfex (venom cannon, barbed strangler, enhanced senses) - 148 (anti tank/vehicle)

Hive Tyrant (Enhanced senses, toxin sacs, 2x twin-linked devourers) - 121

Total = 998

Thoughts. I have 3 monsterous creatures, which may be overkill, but I think I am light on shooting AT. I could swap the dakkafex for a CC fex. I could also swap out the 2 gaunt units for a larger hormagaunt unit for faster CC action. I'm running fairly vanilla genestealers because that's the way they're modelled, but I'm not opposed to giving them scything talons or scuttling. If they outflank though, I only have the single synapse creature in the backfield.

i would get more genestealers and homergaumts cos they go best in cc

I could trade the spinegaunts for a large unit of unenhanced termagaunts to provide a fast moving screen for the stealers and MCs.

thats a good idea as ypu want to be in cc as soon as possible without losing half your unit so i would screen them with spinegaunts and trade the other spine gaunts for homergaunts or genestealers beecause nids are rubbish at shooting

Seems like you are spending a lot on spinegaunts. If you remove the Toxin Sacs and without number, how many more gaunts could you field? You specify that one unit is going to sit in the backfield and hold objectives. Maybe trim that unit down and funnel the points into another squad or more goodies for the rest of your army. If you cut all the extras on the Gaunts you could field 50 of them instead of 23... though you may not own that many. Especially if you are utilizing a gaunt screen, cheap 5 pt. spinegaunts is the way to go. Its possibly a good idea to use without number so they can come back to life and claim an objective, but that hurts your Kill points and you have to worry about Synapse as well.

I like Flesh Hooks or Feeder Tendrils on genestealers. Since they are such cheap/effective upgrades I find it to be a waste to not just pay the point for one of them.

Another way to cut points:

The Broodlord is a monster, but running him and a unit of 8 genestealers is costing you about 23% of your army, so maybe consider dropping the Broodlord (or maybe just dropping 2 Stealers, or dropping the Toxin Sacs on everyone, replacing them with Flesh Hooks possibly) and investing in Zoanthropes for AT and Synapse, or maybe another Fex, or some more Stealers. I personally like the BL and would use him if I wasn't going to run 2x Tyrants.

Good points. If I drop all of the goodies on the spineguants, I can make 3 squads of 15 and bump each unit of genestealers up to 10. That brings me up to 995 points. I'll take a look at the feeder tendrils for the genestealers.

If you are keeping some units back to hold objectives yuo preferably need synapse with them. With the tyrants short range gun he will need to be advancing.

Keep 1 group of gaunts without number so they can keep respawning to take your own objective again and again. Trim all the gaunts down to only have spinefists, and consider putting 1 zoanthrope in to hold the back field while keeping the gaunts in line.

So if it were me my list would look something like this

Tyrant with 2x TL devourers
enhanced senses
Toxin Sacs

Broodlord + retinue (same as you have them)

dakkafex

8 stealers

10 spinefist gaunts

10 spinefist gaunts

12 spinefist gaunts (WoN)

gunfex

zoanthrope (synapse, warp blast)

990 pts and it provides pretty much what you have in your list, but with a bit more stability for your little guys. Also provides a way to hold onto objectives at the back field. This gives you 10 pts free to upgrade your stealers a bit too (flesh hooks or feeder tendrils). Hope it helps!

Broodlord (feeder tendrils and toxin sac) - 83 (potentially outflanks or follows spinegaunts)
Retinue of 8 genestealers (toxin sacs) - 152

8 Genestealers - (rending claws and feeder tendrils) - 136

17 Spineguants (Spinefist) - 85 (screens genestealers and MCs)

12 Spineguants (Spinefist, WON) - 96 (sits back on objective)

Dakkafex (2 x TLD, enhanced senses) - 113
Sniperfex (venom cannon, barbed strangler, enhanced senses) - 148 (anti tank/vehicle)

Hive Tyrant (Enhanced senses, toxin sacs, 2x twin-linked devourers) - 121

Zoanthrope (Warp Field, Warp Blast, Synapse) - 65

Total = 999

This gives me 3 synapse creatures and adds some extra AT in the form of the Zoanthroope. I maxed out at 30 spinegaunts, because I only have 32 of them. If I understand the feeder tendrils rule correctly, I don't need to give them to the retinue, because the Broodlord already has them and they would be within 2" of him.

Correct about the tendrils. In your list I would really give the zoanthrope synpase...That way he can't be IDed by a lascannon or similar. I would also give your spinegaunts that sit on the objective WoN. That way they can keep coming back, or move up front to start then come back in near your objective once they are wiped out.

Also aren't 15 spinegaunts 75 pts?

Oops, you are right. 5 pts per spine guant and I forgot the points for synapse. The spinegaunts to the rear did have WON costed in.

Looks good. Let us know how it plays.

This worked out pretty well. We pulled a Dawn of War mission with 4 objectives and we choose to set up first. I started out with my Broodlord + retinue and a large unit of Spineguants on the left flank with the second unit of Genestealers starting off in cover in the middle.

On my first turn, I placed a sniperfex on a hill to anchor my right flank, small unit of spinegaunts + zoanthrope went up the middle to secure my objectives, and the remaining MCs' followed up the left flank.

Things went pretty well. The Genestealer unit in the middle took down a squad and half of marines before getting wiped out by a unit coming from reserved. The large Spineguant unit got wiped out in HTH, but allowed the Broodlord to countercharge and take out another squad of marines. I didn't take fleshhooks for the stealers, which hurt me during the charge, but this will be rectified for next time.

The last squad of marines, coming in from reserves, got pummelled by shooting from a dakkafex, dakka tyrant, and the sniperfex.

In hindsight, fleshhooks are definately in and I need to think about how I move my figures (for instance, moving them up to the second floor, which wasted inches), and I need to make sure my big creatures aren't giving away free shots (tyrant took a lascannon shot)

Ifurita wrote:
Sniperfex (venom cannon, barbed strangler, enhanced senses) - 148 (anti tank/vehicle)

I'm convinced Venom cannons are a waste since they can only achieve glancing hits against most vehicles. the Carnifex strength is already enough to instant kill most character models. Its anti-vehicle role should be in HTH.
Zoanthropes are an excellent choice for anti-tank weapons. You might look into shaving off a few gaunts and dumping the venom cannon for another one.

i played a 1000 pts the other day and i used
winged cc tyrant
broodlord with 5 man retinue
6 genestealers with scuttlers
3 squads of 8 terma Gautns WaN
1 zoey to stay with most gaunts
1 sniper fex
1 BS scyth fex and 4 warriors with DS and 1 BS
pretty decent list i thought

I'd Try:
Flyrant, 2 TL devourers
32 Hormagaunts
32 Hormagaunts
CC Fex
CC Fex
Should come to about 1000.
The Hormagaunts charge forward into close conmbat, supported by the Tyrant for Synapse. Carnifexes run up the field and try to get in CC with vehicles/Teq's, they should be run with Talons and Crushing Claws.
Hope that helps you, my Freind runs a similar list and it owns most people, all those attacks in CC combuned with a Charging CC Fex = Many dead models. make sure you can kill what you Charge with the Guants though, as they don't come back and you only have 64 models. Flyrant kills most stuff at range, and can charge if absolutely necessary to assist those many Gaunts. aside from the cost in $$, this is a very good list, and can quite easily take on Small elite armmies through sheer numbers. Against orks and other Hordes, you might want to swap one CC fex for a BS Fex.
VH

Eldar Vampire Hunter wrote:I'd Try:
Flyrant, 2 TL devourers
32 Hormagaunts
32 Hormagaunts
CC Fex
CC Fex
Should come to about 1000.
The Hormagaunts charge forward into close conmbat, supported by the Tyrant for Synapse. Carnifexes run up the field and try to get in CC with vehicles/Teq's, they should be run with Talons and Crushing Claws.
Hope that helps you, my Freind runs a similar list and it owns most people, all those attacks in CC combuned with a Charging CC Fex = Many dead models. make sure you can kill what you Charge with the Guants though, as they don't come back and you only have 64 models. Flyrant kills most stuff at range, and can charge if absolutely necessary to assist those many Gaunts. aside from the cost in $$, this is a very good list, and can quite easily take on Small elite armmies through sheer numbers. Against orks and other Hordes, you might want to swap one CC fex for a BS Fex.
VH

Your army is dead in 1 turn vs a decent player though :( they focus the tyrant and you no longer have synapse and your gaunts are doing nothing.


Also post above that commented on a sniper fex being pointless vs a tank? I wouldnt consider a constant barrage of crew shaken/stunned/weap destroyed all that bad. Youre neutralising a tank each turn without issue whilst being able to move still.