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My local group's planning on doing a 500 pt league, for a bit of 6th learning fun, and I was thinking about running SM. Must conform to force chart, no specials. We are encouraged to build a force for a narrative, building units further down the line.
So, I've been toying with a Scout-based force - the logical first thrust of any marine force. HQ is most challenging, but if nothing else a Libby gives me a chance to play with the new psychic rules if I wish. Epistolary feels like a bit of a fragile waste, but anything else seems to me to lack real utility. Force dome is always handy, machine curse is vile in 6th, null zone neat too.

HQ
150: Epistolary Librarian

Troops
115 - Scout Squad x5 (SR x4, ML, Camo Cloaks x5), teleport homer
100 - Scout Squad x5 (SR x4, ML, Camo Cloaks x5)
85 - Scout Squad x5 (CB x4,BP x4,HB

Fast Attack
50 - Land Speeder Storm (HB)

500

A variation is to swap down the psychics for another bare-bones scout squad or storm, and/or maybe lose the homer/hb for a pf. Thoughts gratefully received!
Graven

The 50 points for the Epistolary upgrade is a lot. I don't think it's worth it in 2,000 point lists, and in a 500 point list your points are precious.

The homer is on a home camping unit. If you are going to keep it, I'd move it to the more aggressively deployed CC scout unit. But at this point, I'd drop it. You have two things that can use it; the storm and a GoI librarian. I doubt you'd get the functionality to justify its price.

When you talk of building a force, can you swap things around as you grow, or are you locking in units/wargear for the duration now? I could see taking a homer now, knowing that it's going to be critical to your 1500 list, even though is not worth it at 500.

I'd drop the HB form the CC squad, and give the sarge melta bombs at the very least.

Have you looked at scout bikers? You can get a reasonably well equipped squad for around 100 points depending on how many whistle and bells you go for. They are a nice mesh of mobility, firepower, and special rules.

In small pt games, you need numbers. I'd downgrade the Librarian to integrate another LSS.

Thanks for the input guys. Although narrative we can swap units around.
How about:
Ok so following on from your suggestions, how about:

500

HQ: MotF (or Libby, maybe!) on a Bike: 135 pts
Tp: 5 scouts, srg PW & MB : 95 (in LS Storm)
Tp: 5 scouts, sniper rifles, camo: 100
FA: 3 scout bikes, 2 AGL, cluster, serg - pw, mb 115
FA: LS Storm, HB: 50
Total: 500 pts

How's that?

inmygravenimage wrote:Thanks for the input guys. Although narrative we can swap units around.
How about:
Ok so following on from your suggestions, how about:

500

HQ: MotF (or Libby, maybe!) on a Bike: 135 pts
Tp: 5 scouts, srg PW & MB : 95 (in LS Storm)
Tp: 5 scouts, sniper rifles, camo: 100
FA: 3 scout bikes, 2 AGL, cluster, serg - pw, mb 115
FA: LS Storm, HB: 50
Total: 500 pts

How's that?

ML/HB in the sniper squad? It looks like you spent the points, but didn't list it.

If you go with a MotF on a bike, you should really scrape the points together to give him the beamer. I've never fielded a Lib on a bike, not sure what powers to give him. Avenger and machine curse? Roll them off the new charts?

Anyway you go with it, looks to be a fun little list.

Oh, yeah, I originally had a ml on that list. I know, i love motf on a bike with c-Beamer, but
1) can't find the point (though I suppose it's only 10 now!)
2) not sure if, on the small scale of 500, boards will be big enough to justify it - better to team him with scouts and get hitting.

500 points I would field my bikes. Just putting that on the record.

Now 5th edition is over I do mind saying that the secretly awesome unit in the vanilla codex was....scout bikers. Well done at home if you got that.

If you as many camo cloaked sniper scouts you should be able to hang in there to win enough objectives

The main issue with your list for me is what to do with the librarian. This could be where scout bikers help. He would gain scout. This will give you some mobility and some t5 models.

Those would be my two routes.