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Hello Dakka! Here is my first attempt at a mech guard list, I would like to make it semi-competitive but not too much that my friends will not want to play with me. Constructive criticism is appreciated.

Will20017

HQ

CCS (175pts)
-Standard
-Medi Pack
-Melta
-Vox
-Power Sword
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Troops

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Fast Attack

Vendetta (130pts)

Valkyrie (140pts)
-Rocket Pods
-Heavy Bolters

Heavy Support

Manticore (160pts)

Manticore (160pts)

Leman Russ Squadron (385pts)

Vanquisher
-Lascannon
-Plasma Cannon Sponsons

Leman Russ Battle Tank
-Lascannon
-Heavy Stubber

Total 2000pts


NB
1) I did not really want to squadron the Russes but was forced to due to the force organisation chart.
2) The CCS is not ideal but I would like to keep it like that since that was the original box of metal figures which I prefer to keep in the same squad.
3) Sponsons, stubbers etc. were only really added in to fill in points

Will20017

Think your friends will allow you to proxy the CCS? Becuase right now its just sucking up points. I'd drop all the voxes. When you're inside a chimera you cant take orders so thats wasted. Also you'll constantly be on the move so I'd drop the autocannons. Swap Hull HB on chimeras for Hull HF. Drop the vanquisher, its a pointsink that'll barely, if ever, do any significant damage. Points left over I would get a 2nd vendetta and maybe some melta storms

kenshin620 wrote:Think your friends will allow you to proxy the CCS? Becuase right now its just sucking up points. I'd drop all the voxes. When you're inside a chimera you cant take orders so thats wasted. Also you'll constantly be on the move so I'd drop the autocannons. Swap Hull HB on chimeras for Hull HF. Drop the vanquisher, its a pointsink that'll barely, if ever, do any significant damage. Points left over I would get a 2nd vendetta and maybe some melta storms

Sorry but I don't know what a melta storm is, would you be kind enough as to enlighten me?

Will20017

PS

Would the autocannons and voxes not be helpful if the squad were forced to disembark due to a damaged chimera?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Sorry for double posting, but I was wondering if I should ditch the russes altogether and get another manticore and vendetta, as well as having more points left over to maybe get someting else. What does everyone think?

Will20017

Ok you have a great core list, vox's with only 1 ccs is useless really.
the CCS is best off with 4 plasmas to use their BS 4, Vanquishers are blah best off with standard battle cannon with las cannon combo. I tired a shooty list once 4 plasma vets w auto Chimera w/ML stubber and HB, their job is too make a wall of firepower and designed not to move just to turn then run melta vets on the sides with Chimera w/ML and hf to armor hunt. each chimera can pump out 2 ST7 3 ST6 3 ST5 3 ST4 at 48-36 inchs and the plasmas for anything that gets closer for a price of 185 points....that gives me a guardgasum

dinnermeat wrote:Ok you have a great core list, vox's with only 1 ccs is useless really.
the CCS is best off with 4 plasmas to use their BS 4, Vanquishers are blah best off with standard battle cannon with las cannon combo. I tired a shooty list once 4 plasma vets w auto Chimera w/ML stubber and HB, their job is too make a wall of firepower and designed not to move just to turn then run melta vets on the sides with Chimera w/ML and hf to armor hunt. each chimera can pump out 2 ST7 3 ST6 3 ST5 3 ST4 at 48-36 inchs and the plasmas for anything that gets closer for a price of 185 points....that gives me a guardgasum

Thanks, I'll have to try that. Ermm....the strategy not the...ermmm....

Here is a little diagram of 3 lists I have drawn up:


Sorry about the image quality, remember, if you cannot read it, then try zooming in or double clicking it to see a larger image in the gallery.

Will20017

Aaahh once you get 40 plus dice in your hand you'll guard in your pants, happens to us all.

Lists looks good if you really want to run a Vanquisher give it a las or multi melta sides and Pask.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Aaahh once you get 40 plus dice in your hand you'll guard in your pants, happens to us all.

Lists looks good if you really want to run a Vanquisher give it a las or multi melta sides and Pask.

I have shot marines with over 50 shots and killed two or three of them. Vehicles with a BS 3 and standard Guard with BS 3 do not hit that often, then there is the wounds, then the armor saves (if any). If volleys of shots really did that much, everyone would use Punishers.

As for your troops in the Chimeras, if they are blown up, every troop inside has to make a 5+ armor save to not be killed. Then those that survive need to make a moral check minus the wounds the squad took, meaning that squad will probably break if it is not totally wipped out.

Sponsons on Russes are not a great choice as you will probably want them to move up with the Chimeras. If they move you can only fire the turret and one other weapon (plus defensive weapons). If you want to keep the Vanq, your choice.

I like putting troops in Vendettas (and Valks) to make them scoring. I don't like suiciding them, as I consider the 3 TL LCs to valuable. If you can get 130pts freed up and 3 Vendettas/Valks, you can buy a PCS and two PISs. Now on turn 4-5 you can zoom out to contest or capture enemy objectives. This way you can also sit your Vendettas in your back area on your home objective and shoot away and not waste a melta Vet unit.

CCS... The Med pack, Vox, and power weapon is less than ideal. If you insist on the Medic, at least get plasmaguns for it.

Vets... I can't do anything but stress what has been mentioned already. Can't receive Orders in vehicles and can't faire heavy weapons if you move. You want to ram these units down your opponent's throats.

Good luck, I hope this helps!

BlkTom wrote:I have shot marines with over 50 shots and killed two or three of them. Vehicles with a BS 3 and standard Guard with BS 3 do not hit that often, then there is the wounds, then the armor saves (if any). If volleys of shots really did that much, everyone would use Punishers.

As for your troops in the Chimeras, if they are blown up, every troop inside has to make a 5+ armor save to not be killed. Then those that survive need to make a moral check minus the wounds the squad took, meaning that squad will probably break if it is not totally wipped out.

Sponsons on Russes are not a great choice as you will probably want them to move up with the Chimeras. If they move you can only fire the turret and one other weapon (plus defensive weapons). If you want to keep the Vanq, your choice.

I like putting troops in Vendettas (and Valks) to make them scoring. I don't like suiciding them, as I consider the 3 TL LCs to valuable. If you can get 130pts freed up and 3 Vendettas/Valks, you can buy a PCS and two PISs. Now on turn 4-5 you can zoom out to contest or capture enemy objectives. This way you can also sit your Vendettas in your back area on your home objective and shoot away and not waste a melta Vet unit.

CCS... The Med pack, Vox, and power weapon is less than ideal. If you insist on the Medic, at least get plasmaguns for it.

Vets... I can't do anything but stress what has been mentioned already. Can't receive Orders in vehicles and can't faire heavy weapons if you move. You want to ram these units down your opponent's throats.

Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thanks for the advice, so do you think I should ditch the russes and get valks like in the 1st army in the diagram?

Will20017

I am having a hard time reading those diagrams, much less getting accurate numbers and points from it. Plus from what I can tell, the Vets still have Voxs and ACs.

Re-print a new list like your first post, but do it with some of the changes you have decided to make. You make the first attempt and now people will have a better idea of what to work with with you.

Here is the revised list.

HQ

CCS (175pts)
-Standard
-Medi Pack
-Melta
-Vox
-Power Sword
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Troops

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Veteran Squad (170pts)
-3xMelta
-Vox
-Autocannon
-Chimera w/ML and HB

Fast Attack

Vendetta (130pts)

Vendetta (130pts)

Valkyrie (140pts)
-Rocket Pods
-Heavy Bolters

Heavy Support

Manticore (160pts)

Manticore (160pts)

Manticore (160pts)


Total 1905pts

Thank you everyone for the advice on this list.

I realise they may not be the bets spent points, but, for what I have available to me in physical resources, I am stuck with the autocannons and voxes, so I will have to continue to keep themwithin the squads.

The main problem I have with this list is that I am left with 95pts spare, aside giving everyone upgrades, are there any units you would recommend (Bearing in mind that I have no FA or HS choices left)

Will20017

Just to add my 2 bits of advice.

I use a Mech Guard force, so i would advise that you take a platoon of Mech Infantry. personally i take it like so

PCS - 215pts
Power Fist (thats just what i use)
Commissar (Power Weapon)
Medic
Vox
Flamer
Standard
Krak Grenades
Chimera (with Hunter Killer)

(x5) Infantry Squad - 150pts (each)
Power Weapon
Melta Bombs (dont really know why have put melta bombs into the infantry squads)
Flamer/Grenade Launcher
Vox
Krak Grenades
Chimera (Hunter Killer)

this comes to 965pts in total (granted i do tweak the list depending on who i fight)

Now, as is plainly obvious, you lose the BS4 of the Veterans, and the Meltas and the Autocannon, and it costs 110pts more than what you use. However, you gain a 6th Chimera and a CC PCS (i equip the squad with a CCW and Laspistol)

If you stick with the Vets in Chimeras, your opponent will just destroy the tank, and worst case, he explodes it. your squad has a very high chance of dying miserably in the explosion, and then it will have to walk the rest of the table to its target, that is unless it runs away after the explosion.
The beauty of using a normal Infantry squad is that it can run away if that happens, its of little value to you. Plus, when you think about it, where it counts, there isint much difference between a Vet and a normal infantryman in game, besides the meltaguns and BS4.

As for the rest of the army, you can have 2 Vendettas (a Vendetta and a Valkyrie isint the best) and mount 2 Vet Squads in them. That way you have 2 fast moving anti tank squads in anti tank flyers.

And as for HS. i would use a Battle tank, (it a good alround tank) and a Executioner (best for taking out Termies and other Heavy Infantry, and knowing that most if not all 40k players play Marines, or something just as tough, it comes in handy). the Vanquisher is ok, but unless you have Pask and Multi Melta Sponsons on it, it becomes quite useless. As for the Manticores.....never used them, so i dont know how useful they are.


oh and where voxes are concerned.... keep them they will alwways come in handy when you want to make an order go through.

I realise they may not be the bets spent points, but, for what I have available to me in physical resources, I am stuck with the autocannons and voxes, so I will have to continue to keep themwithin the squads.

The main problem I have with this list is that I am left with 95pts spare, aside giving everyone upgrades, are there any units you would recommend (Bearing in mind that I have no FA or HS choices left)

Will20017

You /should/ pull them out if your doing Mech. Chimera Melta Vets are all about rushing forward. Mech is not camping a location and shooting your AC out of the back. And you can't give Orders to units in vehicles, so you need to pull the Voxs. But if you want "I would like to make it semi-competitive but not too much that my friends will not want to play with me." You can't sabatoge your list to the point of foolishness... then all your doing is insulting your friends by saying that thier lists are so bad you can only fight them straight up with a handicap.

If you can't pull the ACs and the Voxs, ditch the Chimeras and give your Vets Grenadiers and/or Sentries. Proxie your Copany Commander for Creed and your Standard for Kell so you can make the full use of Orders. Put them in Camo Cloaks and sit them back with the Vets. Use Bastonne and Harker (or Proxie them) to fill out more points. Since it seems you don't have any other troops at all, that is the best we have to work with.

As for the Heavys... go two squads of 2 Manticores and throw in two Russes in a squad.

Heck... Keep the Chimeras and run them as empty vehicles just to assault the enemy or a 'Chimera wall' to protect your Manticores. Use the Chimeras to 'screen' your Russes while your vets sit back and cover your home objective or slowly move up to claim objectives. You can even have a Chimera or two rigged up as nothing but Heavy Flamers to burn troops out of cover.

As for the Heavys... go two squads of 2 Manticores and throw in two Russes in a squad.

You /can/ make this work, but you can't do it as a pure Mech army because you don't have enough troops to make your squads properly filled out.

BlkTom wrote:

I realise they may not be the bets spent points, but, for what I have available to me in physical resources, I am stuck with the autocannons and voxes, so I will have to continue to keep themwithin the squads.

The main problem I have with this list is that I am left with 95pts spare, aside giving everyone upgrades, are there any units you would recommend (Bearing in mind that I have no FA or HS choices left)

Will20017

You /should/ pull them out if your doing Mech. Chimera Melta Vets are all about rushing forward. Mech is not camping a location and shooting your AC out of the back. And you can't give Orders to units in vehicles, so you need to pull the Voxs. But if you want "I would like to make it semi-competitive but not too much that my friends will not want to play with me." You can't sabatoge your list to the point of foolishness... then all your doing is insulting your friends by saying that thier lists are so bad you can only fight them straight up with a handicap.

If you can't pull the ACs and the Voxs, ditch the Chimeras and give your Vets Grenadiers and/or Sentries. Proxie your Copany Commander for Creed and your Standard for Kell so you can make the full use of Orders. Put them in Camo Cloaks and sit them back with the Vets. Use Bastonne and Harker (or Proxie them) to fill out more points. Since it seems you don't have any other troops at all, that is the best we have to work with.

As for the Heavys... go two squads of 2 Manticores and throw in two Russes in a squad.

Heck... Keep the Chimeras and run them as empty vehicles just to assault the enemy or a 'Chimera wall' to protect your Manticores. Use the Chimeras to 'screen' your Russes while your vets sit back and cover your home objective or slowly move up to claim objectives. You can even have a Chimera or two rigged up as nothing but Heavy Flamers to burn troops out of cover.

As for the Heavys... go two squads of 2 Manticores and throw in two Russes in a squad.

You /can/ make this work, but you can't do it as a pure Mech army because you don't have enough troops to make your squads properly filled out.

Again thank you very much for the advice, so you suggest that I get a few more men to fill out where the autocannons/voxes were..hmmm...I may be able to afford a few men so we will have to see, then what do you propose I do with th epoints? Another squad of vets? And finally, when you say russes, do you mean standard or of a different type?

Many thanks

Will20017


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I have come up with a way to spend some of the left over points, make use of the voxes and increase hit rate of my footmen. The forgeworld long range scanner, I could do a conversion myself to save money but this would be helpful since it :
1) Fits into the left over HQ choice in my army
2) Allows a unit within 12" TO re-roll all misses on a roll of 4+
3) Grants this ability to units with voxes over an unlimited range!

What is your opinion on this?

Will20017

I do not touch Forge World unique units as it is not in the codex. As far as I am concerned it doesn't exsist.

I have no opinion on it because if you want to run it in a tourny you probably will not be allowed to use it. You will need to run it past your friends for friendly games as well. Don't be shocked if that after the first game they say no because it sounds to be to good to be true.

Again thank you very much for the advice, so you suggest that I get a few more men to fill out where the autocannons/voxes were..hmmm...I may be able to afford a few men so we will have to see, then what do you propose I do with th epoints? Another squad of vets? And finally, when you say russes, do you mean standard or of a different type?

Yes, 10-20 more basic lasgun infantry and one more heavy weapon team and you can even do a blob or two and two HWSs with Melta SWSs.

As for Russes I am saying what ever you want to use. All tanks are BS 3 and anything with a blast marker can scatter, but they are big and draw fire. If you want a good all around tank the basic LRBT or the Executioner does a fine job. The Executioner can not hurt AV 14 though. Any Ordnance weapons get to roll two dice for armor penetration shots (you only keep one though, the highest) and the Vanquisher is a 72" melta gun, but people do not like it is alot of points to pay for a BS 3 shot that is a coin flip for actually hitting.

At the end of the day the tanks you use are based off of what you want to do with them. There is no magic one golden tank, but the basic tank is not terrible.