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So, to cut a long story sort of short, I'm coming back to the hobby after a year and a bit, and was trying to come up with a bit of a fluffy list that would hopefully prove competitive enough not to get completely trounced all day long whilst still being fun to play. So a few days ago I was looking at the models I had and had the idea of a recon style force of (relatively) light infanty backed up by some armour. I scribbled a rough list down on the back of an envelope a few days ago. Some refinement and padding to bring it to 1500 and I've pulled this together. Feel free to pick over it and give me some tips to improve it, as I've not tried it on the table and so am unsure as to how effective it'll prove to be.

CCS w/ Master of Ordnance and Chimera- 135

Infantry Platoon - 260
PCS w/ 4x Flamer
3x Infantry Squad w/ Lascannon

Infantry Platoon - 280
PCS w/ 4x Flamer
3x Infantry Squad w/ Autocannon
Special Weapons Squad w/ 3x Sniper Rifle

Veteran Squad w/ 3x metla - 100

Armoured Sentinel Squadron - 140
2x Lascannon

Armoured Sentinel Squadron - 120
2x Autocannon

Valkyrie w/ Rocket Pods - 130

Leman Russ Exterminator w/ HB Sponsons - 170

Manticore - 160

All in that should be 1495, unless my maths are borked.

Add weapons to the CCS. Master of ordnance sounds good but generally misses when I tried it!

Don't put heavy weapons in infantry squads unless you intend for them to stay still. General idea is to blob them up, add commisar and power weapons and get moving. You can use las/auto as HWS if you need them.

Don't like expensive armoured sentinels. Prefer to keep them simple and without armour and they can then scout.

Maybe look at charactor such as Al'Raheim for the ability to outflank an infantry squad as well.

Prefer vendetta to valkyrie.

Vendetta, big time. Lascannons will come in handy big time

I don't see how this list is fluffy. It's a combination of tanks, skimmers, horde, elite shock troops, recon, mechanized, and artillery.

If the fluff was "well, the commander had to pull together what scattered remnants of other units he had nearby" then it would be fluffy, but as is?

I'd say a fluffy recon force would only be fluffy if EVERYTHING either outflanked or at least had scouts.

ruminator wrote:Add weapons to the CCS. Master of ordnance sounds good but generally misses when I tried it!

Don't put heavy weapons in infantry squads unless you intend for them to stay still. General idea is to blob them up, add commisar and power weapons and get moving. You can use las/auto as HWS if you need them.

Don't like expensive armoured sentinels. Prefer to keep them simple and without armour and they can then scout.

Maybe look at charactor such as Al'Raheim for the ability to outflank an infantry squad as well.

Prefer vendetta to valkyrie.

I'm considering trying to replicate the 'fire and manoeuvre' method of advancing troops, with half of the infantry squads providing support. I'm not a massive fan of the idea behind blobbing infantry as it's a massive investments points-wise in something that seems more likely to be a tar-pit unit. I'm also more a fan of being able to use 'just enough' fire-power to kill something with one or two squads rather than overkilling it.

I might try a blob in one of my next few games though, just to see if it makes as big a difference as people say it does

I did consider using Scout Sent's, but decided the armour bonus was

I did look at getting some out-flanking through a character, but couldn't see where to cut the points in the list to afford one.

The fact it's a Valk rather than a Vendetta comes down to what I've got assembled right now, and I'm with you all the way that the Vendetta would be better so much so that's it'll be the next major change to the force come payday.

skycapt44 wrote:Vendetta, big time. Lascannons will come in handy big time

As above, the Valk's there because it's what I have, even though the Vendetta looks like a much better option, and this is a reminder that I should really plan a list before I start gluing things together. Still, I figure I'll get some use out of the Valk in higher points games.

Ailaros wrote:I don't see how this list is fluffy. It's a combination of tanks, skimmers, horde, elite shock troops, recon, mechanized, and artillery.

If the fluff was "well, the commander had to pull together what scattered remnants of other units he had nearby" then it would be fluffy, but as is?

I'd say a fluffy recon force would only be fluffy if EVERYTHING either outflanked or at least had scouts.

Fluff-wise, I should've probably explained my reasoning rather than just throwing the phrase 'semi-fluffy' out there. It comes down to how I'd initially deploy the force to represent the smaller recon force, which will usually be the AC Sentinel squadron, CCS and an infantry platoon, whilst keeping everything else in reserve, playing it that the armour, Valk, etc. is the result, almost as you say, of the commander calling back to back and saying "we're engaging the enemy, send us whatever support you can as soon as you can". This will probably take away from some of the competitiveness of the list, but I don't see it doing my tourny work anyway, it's more something for the battles at a flgs.

i'd prefer Ratlings to the SWS with snipers, you get better BS and almost twice as many shots. oh they can scout and infiltrate too.