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So my friends and I are playing an apoc game in a week or so. Now I am stuck with a particular situation. My teammate (since we are playing 2 2v2 games) isn't going to be able to come. Now while this kinda sucks it means that I will be able to write both lists and control everything.

Now this is my question, since I have never played SM (at least not since last edition) I have no clue what good formations, assests, etc. This also applies to CSM, which is my army of choice. And just to give some back ground info, I'm bringing a Plague Tower of Nurgle, and 2 Doomsday Devices. Also I'm squaring off against Blood Angels and IG. So, please, any help will...well help. Thanks in advance.

Advice #1: Just avoid the Doomsday devices, they're.....not good. At all.

Second, several formations are decent for chaos. The chaos conclave is by far the best one, giving you a wide spread of Disruptor Beacon power. Downside is you need lots of characters and lots of chosen or terminators to field it.

For marines, the standard chapter strike force or what have you from the main apoc book is a good one. I believe it gives Careful Planning and Hold at All Costs, which will make every infantry unit you have into a scoring unit. There's also a drop pod formation from Apoc: Reloaded but I don't know if you have access to that one.

As for assets, a good one for chaos is the Chaos Altar, which gives a bonus to invulnerable saves within 12", and if you have none gives a 6+ invul - yes for vehicles too.

Blood Angels can take a lot of 2+ saves, so stay away from Orbital Bombardments.

Blind Barrage makes a line of LOS-blocking for one turn. Use it to shut down the IG for a turn.

Vortex Grenade asset + Lash of Submission = hilarity.

What Spellbound is referring to is the "Battle Company" Formation. It gives you Hold At All Costs, Careful Planning, and Orbital Bombardment as bonus assets. The formation costs 200 points, in addition to the models, and is in my opinion gets you the most for your points. I don't know how many points you plan on playing, but the formation would need close to 3000 points for the list to be effective.

If you're playing with about 2000 points per player, then the Masters of the Chapters Formation would be the formation I take. The formation includes Marneus Calgar (or a regular Chapter Master), 4 SM Captains, and either a Command Squad or Terminator Squad. The formation gives Precision Strike, Orbital Bombardment, Surgical Raids, and Ambush. Each asset applies to a Captain, and the only condition in order for the assets to work is that the corresponding Captain must be attached with the Chapter Master in the same unit.

I actually plan to use this Formation in an upcoming Apoc game next year. I had commissioned a friend to make Marneus' personal Land Raider (as depicted out of the codex), and plan to use the Formation with the Land Raider. Pics will definitely follow.

Another formation that I like a lot is the Ancient Assault Force (from Imperial Armor). It's a formation that uses 3 of any Dreadnought, plus a Techmarine. The formation costs 50 points, in addition to models, and gives you the Flank March asset.

As for general assets to take, here're my suggestions:

Hammer Blow - If you know you're facing against any Super Heavies (and not bringing any of your own).

Vital Objective - If you're bringing enough scoring units to hold objectives firmly, this is pretty close to a no-brainer.

Hold At All Costs - If you're not bringing enough scoring units, this will make all of your infantry scoring units, even at 50% unit capacity.

Flank March - One of my personal favorites. When used correctly, this can be a devastating asset. Combine it with Careful Planning, and it's that much more effective.

Legion Relic - Only use this if you have a character with Eternal Warrior (Calgar and Abbadon are both good choices). It's a gamble of an asset, but really fun to use.

Good luck and have fun!