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Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




So im buying CSM soon,debating on what to buy, what are some good builds to start with on low point games?
   
Made in ie
Mutated Chosen Chaos Marine





In low point games, Daemons Princes tend to wreck faces. Also, there's a section called '40k tactics' you could check out.

Arguing with some people is like playing chess with a pigeon. You can play the best chess in the world, but at the end of the day the pigeon will still knock all the pieces off the board and then gak all over it. 
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka






Lincolnshire, UK

The battleforce is a pretty good place to start with Chaos Space Marines, just use the possessed for additional bitz rather than an independent unit.
A general rule with Chaos Space Marines is the rhinos/mechanised is the best route to take, the fast attack section is best avoided and the Heavy Support section is best supported.

Enlist as a virtual Ultramarine! Click here for my Chaos Gate (PC) thread.

"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of."
- Roboute Guilliman

"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now."
- Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut




Just Dave wrote:The battleforce is a pretty good place to start with Chaos Space Marines, just use the possessed for additional bitz rather than an independent unit.
A general rule with Chaos Space Marines is the rhinos/mechanised is the best route to take, the fast attack section is best avoided and the Heavy Support section is best supported.


Meh, no it isn't. Possessed and Khorne Berserkers are...suboptimal.

Regarding the op's question,

Since CSM is a weak codex atm you can't waste too many points on crap.
I therefore suggest an msu approach ( 5csm, melter, champion, combimelter, rhino with havoc launcher or combiweapon ) with perhaps 3 autolaspredators (cheaper than the equivalent firepower in Oblits ). Upgrade the csms to plaque marines if you have spare points. Others prefer 10csm squads with two melters in rhinos but i think that 85 points for a second melter are a bit steep. Take champions only when you realy realy need them ( like in the msu variant ) and leave the powerfists at home ( they simply cost too much ). For the ten men squad a chaos glory standard is worth a thought.
Berserkers, while truly good in cc, lack a good delivery system. 1k sons are overpriced. Noise Marines are interesting so shouldn't be completely ruled out and Plaque marines are good but rather expensive.
Princes are a rather good hq choice but with wings ( mobility! ) and the mark of nurgle ( T6 is realy needed ) they get somewhat expensive. The warptime nerf hurt them and they are difficult to hide.
Sometimes the sucky lord with a simple combimelter might be the better, because considerably cheaper, choice. Defilers are too large and too thinly armoured to be worth it ( especialy since they take a heavy slot ), Dreads are unreliable, Terminators are worth a thought ( cheap combiweapons! ), Possessed would be ok if you could actualy chose what special ability they get (sadly you can't which makes them meh ).
Chosen are a good but expensive way to get lots of special weapons and in a certain way so are Havocs ( just that havocs compete in the heavy slot which makes them bad ).
Spawn are a waste of points. They share the throne of suck with Aun'va from the Tau codex. Chaos Landraiders lack the machinespirit rule and thunderhammer termies to ride in them which is sad.

This should cover most of it i think.
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka






Lincolnshire, UK

KingDeath wrote:
Just Dave wrote:The battleforce is a pretty good place to start with Chaos Space Marines, just use the possessed for additional bitz rather than an independent unit.
A general rule with Chaos Space Marines is the rhinos/mechanised is the best route to take, the fast attack section is best avoided and the Heavy Support section is best supported.


Meh, no it isn't. Possessed and Khorne Berserkers are...suboptimal.


As I said; you shouldn't use the Possessed as a unit, but for adding bits to the units within the army; providing 5 extra bodies and lots of extra character.
As for Bezerkers; they're a good unit. Simple as that really, get them (and a Skull Champion w/ Powerfist) into close combat and they'll make a mess. As for delivery, put them in a rhino and rush it forwards, or if you're really needing an assault vehicle, then a Land Raider will do IMHO.

The battleforce is a good place to start; giving you the mandatory choices (a Sorcerer is easy to make with the parts) for a discount.

Enlist as a virtual Ultramarine! Click here for my Chaos Gate (PC) thread.

"It is the great irony of the Legiones Astartes: engineered to kill to achieve a victory of peace that they can then be no part of."
- Roboute Guilliman

"As I recall, your face was tortured. Imagine that - the Master of the Wolves, his ferocity twisted into grief. And yet you still carried out your duty. You always did what was asked of you. So loyal. So tenacious. Truly you were the attack dog of the Emperor. You took no pleasure in what you did. I knew that then, and I know it now. But all things change, my brother. I'm not the same as I was, and you're... well, let us not mention where you are now."
- Magnus the Red, to a statue of Leman Russ
 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut



Beaver Dam, WI

2 Rhinos
2 Boxes of CSM
1 Demon Prince

That is a core you are going to have no matter what you decide to do with your CSM long term. Rhinos are so cheap points wise and provide such protection, you would be foolish not to plan on rhinoing up your force. 2 boxes of CSM or Emp Children or Berzerkers or Plague Marnines or 1000 Sons provide you with two troop choices and will form the basis of your growing army. A demon prince - at this point in time is the superior HQ choice but if you want a sorcerer or chaos lord, you could do that instead. This should give you about a 600 point core and then you can expand it whatever way your heart desires.

1000 pts is a good starting point to shoot for. At that point level, I would decide whether I want to go shooty or close combat and then cheap or cost is no object.

For example say you like berzerkers.

Kharn @200
3 units of 8 berzerkers in rhinos @200 each
1 Las sponson predator @150
Now spend your spare points on bits for aspiring champions.

2 boxes of berzerkers @ $70
3 Rhinos @ $90
1 PRedator @ $40
1 Kharn @ $20
Total @ $220.

A shooty list
1 Demon Prince @150
2 x CSM @200 each
6 x Obliterators @450 total

1 DP @ $35
2 Rhinos @ $60
2 CSM @ $70
6 Oblits @ $120
Total $285

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/02/16 15:49:06


2000
2000
WIP
3000
8000 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut




Just Dave wrote:
KingDeath wrote:
Just Dave wrote:The battleforce is a pretty good place to start with Chaos Space Marines, just use the possessed for additional bitz rather than an independent unit.
A general rule with Chaos Space Marines is the rhinos/mechanised is the best route to take, the fast attack section is best avoided and the Heavy Support section is best supported.


Meh, no it isn't. Possessed and Khorne Berserkers are...suboptimal.


As for Bezerkers; they're a good unit. Simple as that really, get them (and a Skull Champion w/ Powerfist) into close combat and they'll make a mess. As for delivery, put them in a rhino and rush it forwards, or if you're really needing an assault vehicle, then a Land Raider will do IMHO.


But getting them into cc is quite messy without an assault/ open toped vehicle. The Landraider is in no way a solution for that problem. It takes a heavy slot ( which you simply cannot afford to waste), it is expensive and wont even shoot for the first one or two rounds since it needs to move to get the Berserkers into battle. I therefore think that the Berserkers, which are ok by themselfs, aren't worth taking.
Of course this makes buying the battleforce inefficient since two csm boxes + a rhino cost slightly less and do not include any wasted units ( unless you realy care for the extra bits of course ).
   
Made in ca
Longtime Dakkanaut




ryuubeoulve wrote:So im buying CSM soon,debating on what to buy, what are some good builds to start with on low point games?


i would wait. i have a feeling they will be redone soon.
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka






Glasgow, Scotland

I seem to spam this link in these threads.....: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Chaos_Space_Marines

Despite it being a subsidary of 4chan, 1d4 has some really great tactica articles for all of the major 40k armies (and isn't really all that afraid of telling you which units are down right terrible).

   
 
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