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Hi Dakka,

I started playing necrons a couple of months ago and just read something on Dakka which is making think I've been playing them really wrong.

So, in the codex there is the normal list of characteristics. i.e. S3T3W3I2A4.

Is that for a BASE or Per Scarab? I have been playing per scarab, and assumed that a base was normally 4 (cos that is what GW puts on the sprue) for a total PER BASE of 20 attacks on the charge.

If it is per base, presumably I can have just two or three scarab model per base and get the characteristics? (just to stretch them out a bit more)

If you mean per scarab as that profile for each scarab you load onto the base, then that is not correct. What would stop someone from putting 100 scarabs on a base and claiming 400 attacks per base?

The correct way to play it is like every other unit. One base per scarab you purchased.

so if you purchased 10 scarabs as a unit, you get 10 bases and that profile 10 times.

This works the same way with any unit/model. If you put 2 warriors on one base, would you expect to be able to take two wounds without purchasing the extra warrior?

The number of actual scarabs on the base has no bearing on anything, you could model them with one scarab per base, or 15 per base, and the stats would not change.

Thanks. That of course is perfectly logical now I actually think about it.

No wonder my scarabs were soooo effective!

dear god running squads of 10 scarabs must have been amazing for you....nothing like 200 attacks on the charge

Actually, 100 attacks for 5 bases was sufficient. I didn't have enough bases to make a unit of 10 (started with a battle force)

I couldn't understand why anyone wanted 10 bases.

Given this, I don't understand why people overstuff a scarab base??? Much more cost effective to only have 3 to a base - also, there is somewhere to put the wound dice marker.

They overstuff for looks. But mostly (IME) they model them three to a base.

I just pried off the fourth one on each of my scarabs. Wasn't sure if it was coshure to have only three when I started. If you ever want to run a proper swarm, especially with spider backup, you'll be greatful for any extra base you can squeak out.

"Kosher". It's a hebrew word.

MarkCron wrote:Actually, 100 attacks for 5 bases was sufficient. I didn't have enough bases to make a unit of 10 (started with a battle force)

I couldn't understand why anyone wanted 10 bases.

Given this, I don't understand why people overstuff a scarab base??? Much more cost effective to only have 3 to a base - also, there is somewhere to put the wound dice marker.

My god, I wish I could see your opponents faces when you used your scarabs. 12 wounds and 16 attacks per base

Actually, as they knew I was bringing scarabs there were a lot of template weapons - vulnerable to templates takes on a whole new meaning when they were scoring hits for each scarab! Particularly the whole ID thing. So, in the end, there were only a couple of moments!

Thats just fun, they might die stupidly quickly but by god help your opponent if they get where they want to go.

Yep. Once I used Zahndrek to buff them with FC, then sent them after some troops. Only three bases made it in, but 60 attacks with S4 made short work!

Of course by your old logic one frag missile could kill the whole base easy.