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I want to start off saying I love my Chaos Army (2500 Pts). But I am starting to wonder if I am going to ever be able to win a game (played 10 games and I have won 3 out of the 10). I don't mind losing but my last 3 games have been horrible. Now there have been some things going against me like I am new and still learning and maybe I just need to keep playing and get the hang of it and luck is a big factor. My last game was against a GK army (I didn't expect to win). To just give you an idea of how the game went, it was like a baby getting punched in the face by a professional boxer. So anyways the whole point of this is should I shelf my Chaos and try my hand at another army? I know its hard to say because a lot of it depends on luck as well but damn. Honestly its just not that fun getting completely wiped out after 3 straight games. Thoughts?

If you want, you could post your list/available models and we can see if there's anything *glaringly* 'wrong'?
I'd try not to get disheartened after a few bad games, but it's true that older codices are at a disadvantage and a MeQ Codex would struggle against Grey Knights too, particularly if assault-based.

There's no harm in trying another army and it can be great to branch out and try new things, but there may be other solutions...
Hell, if your opponents would let you, there's a Chaos Space Marine Fandex somewhere on this forum which you could use.

Maybe start a small force. If you really wanted to, you could sell your army and use the money to start a new force.

Personally, I would keep the army.

Well, by your own admission, you haven't been playing for very long.

40k is not a game you pick up, learn the rules of within a week and become good at in a month.

It took me a couple of years before I was savvy enough with how my army and other armies worked to reliably win, and most of the better players in the circle I game with have similar experience.

Not only that, but Chaos aren't a very good codex at the moment; they're badly in need of an update. So thats against you too.

But having said all that. Hey. You've played 10 games & won 3 of them. That's respectable for someone who is new.

Now, you say you're getting defeated often, but the question is, what are you learning from those defeats? If you played the same grey knight player again, on the same board with the same lists, would you play a better game? If the answer is yes, then don't worry, keep doing what you're doing & you'll learn from experience.

If the answer is no, & you don't understand why you lost, then (forgive me if I'm wrong, you did say you were new) it sounds like you need a better grasp of how the game works. The rule-system is very complex & to grasp what is tactically viable requires a water tight knowledge of the rules, & that's stuff you won't get overnight. A lot of rules only come up in certain scenarios & as a new player, it might be that you have to have those specific things come up in your games before you remember them every time and can use that knowledge to play the game better.

How long exactly have you been playing?

Also, list building is an invaluable skill, and thats where the intranets comes in. The fact of the matter is, some units in some codices are just bad & shouldn't be taken. Taking poor units will weaken your game, & this is especially pronounced in older codices like Chaos space marines, who are at a disadvantage against newer codices (for example GK). That however, is not to say you can't win against GK (or any other army) you can; if you have the tactical experience & a good list. I would suggest having a look in the army list forum here on Dakka & maybe asking a few queries of your own as regards to your own CSM list.

As you say aswell, luck is a big part of 40k, for better or for worse. Some games the dice are against you, even if you make the best decisions you can make. It's the nature of the game.

If you want to play a game where you can stomp your opponents into the floor and win every time, you -can- do that in 40k. But you need the experience, the knowledge of the rules and an excellent army list to do it consistently.

Sounds to me like you're just a bit disheartened 'cos you're on a losing streak. If you really like the game, stick at it & eventually you'll get better. Bone up on your rules knowledge, find out what makes a good chaos list, examine your games afterwards; discuss them with your opponents & learn from them. Find out what other armies can field & what you need to do to deal with them if they crop up in your games. Thats the best advice I can give you.

Current Army (roughly) are as follows:

Abbadon
1 Chaos Lord
1 Demon Prince
1 Defiler
2 Dreadnoughts
1 Rhino
1 Obliterator
5 Terminators
10 Thousand Sons
12-20 Khorne Berzerkers
20-30 Plague Marines (not sure exactly how many)
5 Raptors

Not sure if that is all my list at the moment I can't be sure.

Fight against GK I used the following:

Chaos Lord
Berzerkers
Thousand Sons
Both Dreads

Again I felt I didn't have a chance of winning against the GK but I didn't even take out one of his guys it was sad.

Yeah there is a small problem with your list. Obliterators, Plague Marines, and Lash Princes are the only things that are really keeping CSM alive in the current metagame. A good list at 1500 (just an estimate) is

Lash Daemon Prince

3-4 5-man Plague Squads(2 squads w/ Plas, 2 w/ Melta)

Roughly 4 Obliterators

and then maybe some Khorne Berzerkers(2 squads)

Also a key thing for CSM is RHINOs, RHINOs, and more RHINOs. They are what keep your guys from being shot apart by loyalist scum.

I have been playing for about 2 months. I have learned some things from my losses definitely but I think I still have a lot of rules and Information I need to keep learning no doubt. I love 40K so I will keep playing and will most likely keep going with Chaos. Thankfully I do have some cool guys to play with so I guess I will just keep going and check out some lists I should use and see if it improves. I am not looking to dominate I prefer a nice close intense game and I have had only one but it was the best time I have had so far.

The Plague/Lash/Obliterator list isn't the only viable Chaos list out there, but admittedly, it is the most forgiving and possibly most competitive, I'd say.

-----

OP, I think a problem you'll face is that the meta-game as a whole is very mechanised-orientated and Chaos in particular really play best when mechanised IMHO, it helps keep your units, safe, mobile and rapidly into range or objectives; key things for any army, let alone Chaos.
As you only have a single rhino, this could be difficult. Honestly, I feel your list (i don't know about your own abilities, local area etc. so this is just judging the list) would struggle without some additional investments, namely/mostly rhinos. These are pretty cheap and readily available second-hand (ebay) however.
If you put your troops in some rhinos and rushed them to the enemy, supported by some (winged) Daemon Prince(s) or Abbadib & co, whilst support by some defiler(s), Obliterator(s) and Dreadnought(s), it could work I'd imagine, but I really think you will struggle without additional purchases; rhinos in particular...

Dreads are an awful problem for chaos, with a 1/3 chance of turning on your own troops, they really aren't strong for competitive play because of the randomness.

You can make some decent lists with what you have, but realistically don't expect to be placing with any chaos army.

For around a 1500 point game i suggest you look at running around 3 squads of 7 plague marines, 2 squads of 8 bersekers, and fill out the list with the DP, termi's, oblit, and defiler. ( That is probably closer to a 1750 point list) .

That is all i can suggest with your current available models. Also think about other tactics you could use, like DS the termi's to a personal icon on a aspiring champion that is in a rhino to get them up close quickly.

I find that it's hard, as a new player, to compete with some of the guys who have been doing this for ten years or more. I also think it takes a long time to know your army inside and out. Patience, research, and losing a bunch. That's what it takes to win. I'd recommend trying to do some research into other codices, though. Reading some of my opponents' rules has helped me immensely.

I almost always play as chaos because they're my fav army. I make troop selections based on which models I like the best and go from there, results be damned. If you like Chaos keep at it, if you really care about winning over enjoying the game, you probably just need practice.

Thanks everyone for the advice I will be using a lot of what you say to see if it can help me out. I will probably be buying some rhinos and obliterators first as that seems to be a common theme. I feel a lot better about things. Honestly I like Chaos Dreads they add a bit of excitement and unpredictability to the game and they can do a good amount of damage you just have to place them so they don't totally screw you over if you roll a 6. Again I want to thank everyone it has helped quite a bit and I will try some strategies I haven't even thought of doing before.