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I'm just getting into the game, picked up my codex, but wanted a decent list before rushing out and spending lotsa money on crappy old models. I expect to be running into lots of space marines and tyranids, and some eldar. also maybe some tau.

HQ

CCS - 195
4x plasma
Astropath
Chimera

Elites

Marbo - XX

Psyker Battle Squad - 165
9x Psyker
Chimera

Troops

PCS - 175
Al-Rahim
4x Flamer
Chimera (w/ 2x HF free)

Squad - 120
Autocannon
Grenade Launcher
Chimera

Squad - 120
Autocannon
Grenade Launcher
Chimera

Vets - 130
(shotguns free)
3x Melta
Demolitions

Fast Attack

Vendetta - XXX

Banewolf - XXX
(hull HF, or leave it HB?)

Heavy Support

Leman Russ Executioner - 250
Plasma Sponsons
Camo Netting
Leman Russ Battle Tank - 210
Plasma Sponsons
Camo Netting

2x Hydra - XXX

Medusa - 140
Bastion-Breacher Shells

Total: 1980

what do I do with this extra 20?

35 scoring squishies(albeit in Chimeras) is not a lot of bodies for guard.

Plasma Sponsons on a LRMBT is not the optimal choice; go with either 3 Heavy Bolters Or Lascannon and no Sponsons.

every thing else looks pretty good.

So, what would you recommend cutting if I were to put more scoring units in? I know 35 in four units is very few (and if I lose those Chimeras, I am screwed), but 1) they're all outflanking, so if I'm lucky, I'll be able to blow up most of the dangerous Chimera-busters before the troops roll in from the side and 2) it's all a tradeoff between the squishies and the big guns...
That being said, would it be worth it to field four squads, and just leave them out of Chimeras? (or maybe two SWS for taking advantage of that weak side armor?) It just seems like they're not going to make it very far onto the board without Chimeras before they die.

In a squad with the Executioner, the Russ is only going to be firing at plasma-friendly targets, anyway. It's basic function is to allow me to allocate single hits on it instead of the LRX, or two of three hits on it instead of the LRX, etc. basically, it's a bodyguard, at which point, I figured the question was whether to take plamas or no sponsons at all. And I figured both the tanks are better off with hull HB, just because they're going to be shooting at a lot of Horde, but now I'm not so sure. Two las would let me turn those two against MCs and even light transports pretty effectively. Thoughts?
So, yes, in isolation, a LRBT should carry 3xHB or plain Las, but that's not really what this one is meant to do.

Alright, here it goes:

Why 9 psykers? 6 is enough to lower to LD to 4 at the max, and to wound MEQs on 2's with soulstorm. Take 8 if you want to instant death MEQs.

Next, I'm not sure about the autocannons in Al'Rahem's platoon. They'll come in turn 2 (at best), won't fire for a turn, so they'll only start kicking turn 3. Say what you will, but that's a lot of utility lost there. I'd drop these to save points.

Also, I'm not really a fan of banewolves. They're only useful against marines, but hellhounds will still kill marines reasonably well with the autohitting template and S6. I'd suggest swapping for one of those.

I'd also drop the second Russ and consider dropping Camo Netting as well. I see what you want with the "bodyguard", but, meh. AV14 with a cover save is survivable enough. Plus, dropping 210 points to make a 250 point unit more survivable doesn't seem like a good use of resources to me. The rest of heavy support is fine.

With those 20 points left over (if you still end up having exactly 20), consider carapace armor on your CCS. It'll mitigate plasma overheats a little and prevent them from being killed by bolter fire. Alternatively, stick some heavy stubbers on your Hydras.

Hope I helped

It looks pretty good for a first time player, the banewolf being pretty good if you are playing marines alot.

So, how about dropping the LRBT and switching AC/GL for no HW/melta? (leaves 240 pts free)
Then, I add two more infantry-chimera squads with meltas (115 apiece = 230)
Drop a Psyker (down to 8) (10 pts saved = 20 free)
Take Carapace on the CCS.

Now I've got 6 different squads that score, and don't even need to hop out of their Chimeras!

Alternately, add only one inf-chi-melta, switch Al-Rahim's Chimera for a Valk, and add a plasma SWS (means I don't get carapace, after all)
(still 6 scoring)

Thoughts? Is melta actually the right weapon here? Even at 12", S8 is gonna put some hurt on most side armors. Plasma is going to get hot too often to be acutally useful, but was I right the first time with the GLs?

Also, rules question: would adding another CCS with another Astropath add another +1 to Reserves and let me re-roll Outflanking a second time? if so, is that worth it? (imagine dropping the LRBT, switching the squads, dropping a Psyker, and adding in another 195 pt CCS. and then spending the spare 45 on, say, upgrading Al-Rahim's Chimera to a Valk)

To the rules question, no.

I like your revisions, but I'm unsure about adding to Al'Rahem's platoon - 3 chimeras outflanking is already pretty good.

With 230 points - hmm. Perhaps take a second Medusa (I'm not convinced on bastion breachers, by the way), that way one of them can pop smoke while the other fires, to get them cover. Medusas are fragile and high profile targets, so that might be useful. Or maybe take a hellhound instead, those are always useful. Up to you what to do with them, really.

Melta-Vet-Detta?
if they don't take Demolitions, it only costs 230, and does count as an extra scoring unit... do you think that 4 is too few, and would 5 be enough?

though I do like your idea with the 2xMedusa. and the breachers are there basically because I was only planning on using them to pop tanks from range.

drop LRBT+1Psyker, add medusa, add 3xplasma SWS, add carapace to the CCS? that gives me 5 scoring again (in theory)
or drop LRBT+2Psykers, add medusa, add 3xmelta SWS, upgrade Al-Rahim to a Valk?

Eh, I'd argue scoring units aren't really as important as people say. Really, you only need maybe 3 - hold one or two objectives, and contest the rest.

240 points - how about some more veterans in chimeras, and maybe a platoon? You want something to give cover to your more expensive vehicles.

a static platoon would look like, what?

PCS - 105
4x Flamer
Chimera (2xHF)

Squad - 65
AC
GL

Squad - 65

AC
GL

that's 235 pts (and the PCS can actually make a 18" run and knock something off its objective with 4xHF, then steal it for itself)

the only thing that I'd be worried about with that is that all those SM bolters that couldn't touch my Chimeras all of a sudden have a nice, squishy target to shoot. that platoon is simply gonna die.

Right, but anti-infantry weapons simply don't have the reach to hit the platoon (with the notable exception of missile launchers).

A 4-melta PCS still has the same hit ratio as a 3-melta vet squad for 30 points cheaper, and a squad of 30 Guardsmen with a Commissar will almost never flee and prevent all the shenanigans mech armies are vulnerable to, like alpha strikes from Vendettas or Deffkoptas, outflanking Wolf Scouts, that sort of thing.

If you prefer not to have anything on foot, just get some chimeras with cheap squads in them to stick in front of your other tanks. You want the cover saves they'll give you.

(Also, in the platoon example you gave, you never want a dual-HF chimera. You can only fire one if you move, and your opponent has to fairly stupid if he stays still and lets you fire both to good effect. ML/HF is a good configuration.)

so, what would you think of 2 scout sentinels guarding, say, the LRX? they run 70pts and two standing in front will give it 4+ (actually, 3+ because of Camo Netting) even if they're wrecked (but not exploded). if they get into CC, so, okay, they're not going to be amazing, but they'll stop those Genestealers for a turn. And, on my turn, I could potentially use Weaken Resolve, win the Assault (1 model is more than 0 models!) and make them run away.

only can field one, though, so I need something else...

10 ratlings + Comissar Lord = 170

1) 4+ cover = 3+ cover. I imagine it'll be pretty hard to kill 13 wounds with 3+.
2) At the end of the game, give them the Incoming! order, and that goes up to 2+ cover. if they happened to be parked next to an objective, no one's knocking them off of it.
3) Fire on my Target = 2.6 wounds on a (Sv5) unit hiding in cover. 2.2 on a Sv4.
4) Bring it Down! (testing at Ld 10, remember) = 8.9 hits = 1.5 wounds on a Sv2 MC, 2 on a Sv3
5) Combining either of those two with Weaken Resolve from the PBS = auto-pinning the unit (or MC!) that gets too close.

As for 'protecting' the Hydras, if it ever gets to be too much of a problem, turn the big guns on the unfortunate unit, and throw on the 2x hull HB as well. they will die pretty fast.

Alternately, what do you think about three Penal Legions to guard the three HS? they aren't so bad in CC, and might serve well to finish off a unit already weakened on its long hike across the board.

Eh, I'm not really a fan of Ratlings (having to buy a character too boost their LD isn't great - I personally don't think you should go to Mount Doom and back to get those Space Hobbits working), and the good thing about the Penal Legion - outflanking - is lost guarding your heavy support.

You have 3 heavy support slots that need defending (you only need to cover one Hydra to get the squadron the cover save) and 2 chimeras there already, so I'd say just get one more mounted unit to park in front of your third heavy choice and then maybe use the leftover points on whatever else you like.

Ratlings: they get a lot of crap, but I don't really understand why. for 170 pts, you can get, what? a Russ? Meltavets in a Chimera? a Bassie? granted, the rats won't win the game all by themselves, but they're priced fairly for what they do, and 13 wounds with 3+ just aren't going to die without some serious effort. and if you infiltrate properly, they might be able to run (or Move! Move! Move!) to contest an objective in the last turn. and if my opponent wants to spend his turn shooting at them, or wants to take two assault units off the main charge to flush them out, well, that's force not pointed at the parts that are key to my army.

Do I expect them to be amazing? No. Do I expect them to kill 170 points every game? No. Do I expect them to come out of nowhere and contest an objective sometimes? Yeah. Do I also expect them to die a lot? Yeah. Do I expect them to be cost-effective? Well, at 170, it's not hard to be.

I'd think about using a Primus Psyker instead of a Commissar Lord, you'll test on a leadership 9, and he'd be able to contribute to their shooting. If their near a CCS with a regimental standard, they'll be able to re-roll moral tests like they would with a Commissar. They loose stubborn, but if their in close combat, they've already failed.

And you can still use Ratlings even if you hate the fluff. Just take IG with sniper rifles and for a "Counts as".

Eh, I'm actually rethinking the rats altogether. After a good night's sleep, I've decided that the other point options @ ~170 would do a lot better.

Instead, I was thinking of Vets in a Chimera with 3xPlasma + Lascannon (180 pts) ;
Giving Carapace to the CCS and that ^ Plamsa-Vet Squad (50 pts, total of 230) ;
Leaving me with 10.

What do you think, HB sponsons for the Vendetta, plasma pistol for the Vet Sarge, Pintle SB (and where?), or extra Psyker? (so the squad doesn't become useless after Perils of the Warp)

No offense HG, but this thread is getting confusing to follow, because you're considering so many different options. I think you should post a new list or make it clear that you updated the first one. I'd comment on it, but I'm not sure what you have included or taken out any more...

Yeah I'm agreeing with murdog, it's all confusing now, lots of what is being said is really good and makes a lot of sense.

You just need to gather it all up and put it into a solid list.

Then it will be great for games and adjusting easily.

This might be a dumb thing to point out (sorry!) but I missed if you mentioned it... if you attach an IC to the ratlings (who i love, vs certain armies), you cant infiltrate them anymore, which does kind of cut out on their coolest feature.

A lot of people examine these things in a vacuum. Sure, ratlings might not be the greatest for 170 points but... what if you already have your heavy / fast slot filled and you dont want to go into squadrons? In a case like that they might seem a lot better.

Anyways, I ramble.