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I initially started my IG army as a supplement to my Necrons. Now they're starting to come into their own, and in order to be legit, I need a second troop choice.

What I have so far:

Primaris Psyker
Veteran Squad (2 flamers, 1 grenade launcher, Sgt. with plasma pistol and power weapon)
Chimera (multi-laser, hull heavy flamer, pintle storm bolter)
Leman Russ Vanquisher (hull lascannon, sponson plasma cannons, pintle storm bolter)
Valkyrie (lascannon, MRP's, heavy bolters)

I usually put the Veteran Squad in the Chimera or the Valkyrie.

What I'm planning to get:
1-2 more Vanquishers
1-3 Leman Russ Punishers
1-3 Basilisk/Hydra/Manticore (not sure which yet)
1-2 more Valkyrie/Vendettas (I like the fliers, but I'm trying to keep it friendly and not spam Vendettas)
1-3 Sentinels
More Chimeras

Essentially, I'm running a mech list, but I need troops to meet the minimum requirement as well as to claim objectives (assuming they don't get squished first). Should I go with another Veteran Squad? If so, what are the best options for them, keeping in mind that they'll mostly be shooting out of a Chimera or zooming around in a flier? Or should I go with a different troop choice and load them all into Chimeras?

I would get another Vet Squad.

You're going to need more than one more vet squad at that level. If you're going mech I would definitely get a few more vet squads at the least. Then I would get as much plasma and melta as possible. You can either go direct to GW, who makes resin plasma and meta guns, or 3rd party (victoria lamb makes cool meltas and Max Mini makes a plasma look alike) You can also go super creative and start buying up plasma and inferno pistols and make your own version by snipping the end off your extra flamers you'll have.

Your only other option would be a platoon, but based on what you're thinking about getting I wouldn't see that being an effective choice.

I agree. For you, a vet squad is going to be better than anything else, and two vet squads is going to be better than one.

Thanks for the replies. I'll ask around at my FLGS, someone may have some plasma/melta bits I can trade for.

And BTW, have you seen my Vanquisher? I've been jokingly referring to it as "MrMoustaffa's snowmobile".

I have a TANK named after me?

That was the last thing I expected to see today

Also, it looks awesome man, great job on the weathering and mud around the tracks. I wish I could paint that well!

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
I have a TANK named after me?

That was the last thing I expected to see today

Also, it looks awesome man, great job on the weathering and mud around the tracks. I wish I could paint that well!

Congrats, you are internet famous!

And yes, a second vet squad would help you a lot. Although, if you wanted to branch out, a platoon is a brick and is an excellent investment.

 Happygrunt wrote:

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
I have a TANK named after me?

That was the last thing I expected to see today

Also, it looks awesome man, great job on the weathering and mud around the tracks. I wish I could paint that well!

Congrats, you are internet famous!

And yes, a second vet squad would help you a lot. Although, if you wanted to branch out, a platoon is a brick and is an excellent investment.

I considered doing a platoon in chimeras, but as I understand the rules... you can issue orders from a vehicle, but cannot receive them in a vehicle. In that case, platoons would just end up being expensive chimeras for me :(

wfischer wrote:

 Happygrunt wrote:

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
I have a TANK named after me?

That was the last thing I expected to see today

Also, it looks awesome man, great job on the weathering and mud around the tracks. I wish I could paint that well!

Congrats, you are internet famous!

And yes, a second vet squad would help you a lot. Although, if you wanted to branch out, a platoon is a brick and is an excellent investment.

I considered doing a platoon in chimeras, but as I understand the rules... you can issue orders from a vehicle, but cannot receive them in a vehicle. In that case, platoons would just end up being expensive chimeras for me :(

Oh, sorry, I missed the part about your list being mech. A foot platoon is what I meant.

wfischer wrote:I considered doing a platoon in chimeras, but as I understand the rules... you can issue orders from a vehicle, but cannot receive them in a vehicle. In that case, platoons would just end up being expensive chimeras for me :(

It's true that they can't take orders while embarked, but you can still do an armored fist style of guard. Meched platoons provide fewer special weapons, but they are also cheaper, which means more chimera heavy weapons, more scoring units, and more AV12 to saturate the table.

Plus, Al'Rahem can outflank 6 squads in chimeras. Harker or creed can only bring on one.

 Ailaros wrote:

wfischer wrote:I considered doing a platoon in chimeras, but as I understand the rules... you can issue orders from a vehicle, but cannot receive them in a vehicle. In that case, platoons would just end up being expensive chimeras for me :(

It's true that they can't take orders while embarked, but you can still do an armored fist style of guard. Meched platoons provide fewer special weapons, but they are also cheaper, which means more chimera heavy weapons, more scoring units, and more AV12 to saturate the table.

Plus, Al'Rahem can outflank 6 squads in chimeras. Harker or creed can only bring on one.

Armored fists (platoons) and Leafblower (vets) work very differently. Armored fists is a much more gunline style. You park a literal wall of chimeras in your deployment and just hammer the enemy at range. I would give each squad a heavy weapon like an autocannon, so you're firing a heavy bolter, multilaser, and autocannon from each chimera every turn. I'd still throw in a vet squad or two just as a backup, but the armored fist style can get you a ridiculous amount of AV 12 if you play it right.

And if you REALLY want to be evil, buy an aegis defense line. Know what's worse than trying to kill a wall of av 12 chimeras at range? Killing a wall of AV 12 with at least a +4 cover save no matter what.

Get another veteran squad. And fix your current one, flamers and grenade launchers are terrible. Veteran squads get either 3x melta or 3x plasma.

Take penal legionnaires! /brick'd

I'd take a penal legion squad if I were you.....

In all honesty, you should get either 2 squads of vets, or start making an infantry platoon with loads of autocannons.

Just finished my Chimera this evening (which I actually started before the Vanquisher). Have some pics:

Looking good.

I just had a thought: Can a Veteran Weapons Team shoot their heavy weapon out of a Chimera's hatch if the Chimera moved?

If so, is there a "best" choice for the team, or is it pretty much just preference/situational?

wfischer wrote:
I just had a thought: Can a Veteran Weapons Team shoot their heavy weapon out of a Chimera's hatch if the Chimera moved?

If so, is there a "best" choice for the team, or is it pretty much just preference/situational?

Of course they can, but only snap-fire. Still snap-firing a heavy weapon is better than shooting a lasgun in most cases.

I rarely take heavy weapons on my Vets. They've moving too much to make the most of them. If I have say 20pts left over I'll slap 2 auto-cannons on a couple of squads for the hell of it. Also it makes the most of the FAQ where your weapons can wound to the max range of the longest range weapon fired (so when I shoot my 24" plasma guns, they can still wound members of that unit 24.1"+ away if I have an autocannon in there).

Edit: However, if you're making a static mech list, I'd probably go with Lascannons. You get the most bang for your buck with those Str:9 Ap:2 monsters.

 Griddlelol wrote:
Also it makes the most of the FAQ where your weapons can wound to the max range of the longest range weapon fired (so when I shoot my 24" plasma guns, they can still wound members of that unit 24.1"+ away if I have an autocannon in there).

This is very important. For 10 points you can add an AC and allow your vets to move within 23.999" of exactly one model but still wound everything in the unit. If you don't have the AC you have to come in closer to make sure you don't waste any shots. And hey, you might even hit something with the AC.

What are people's thoughts on Manticores? str10 and the potential for 4 large blasts per shot makes me want one (or 3), 160 points and BS3 gives me pause though.

wfischer wrote:
What are people's thoughts on Manticores? str10 and the potential for 4 large blasts per shot

3 large blasts.

Also, they're great. I highly recommend at least one. They're good at killing swathes of hordes, and if there's no horde for you to murder, st:10 means you can chip away comfortably at hull points of those tough AV:13 and AV:14 vehicles.

Manticores are good for if you're not willing to invest very many points in artillery. They can do most things decently enough, and you can't put them in squadrons.

If you're willing to throw more points at them, though, then you're going to be better off taking squadrons of regular artillery as they'll do whatever you're wanting to do better.

Pretty much the only thing the manticore does uniquely well is to handle spam armies. Hordes of spread-out infantry, and parking lot mech armies, and the like.

So I went ahead with another vet squad, and modeled them with 3x plasma. I've played them in 3 or 4 games now and I have to say... they've killed themselves more than anything else, even with the upgraded armor saves. I don't mind though, IG is my "fun" army.

wfischer wrote:
So I went ahead with another vet squad, and modeled them with 3x plasma. I've played them in 3 or 4 games now and I have to say... they've killed themselves more than anything else, even with the upgraded armor saves. I don't mind though, IG is my "fun" army.

I don't even remember how many of Plasma Gunners have killed themselves. I usually run 4 Plasma Vet Squads at 2k, 2 Melta Vet Squads and 2 Company Command Squads (1 w/ 4x Plasma, 1 w/ 4x Melta)

wfischer wrote:
So I went ahead with another vet squad, and modeled them with 3x plasma. I've played them in 3 or 4 games now and I have to say... they've killed themselves more than anything else, even with the upgraded armor saves. I don't mind though, IG is my "fun" army.

Welcome to IG plasma. One little trick I learned is that occasionally you DONT want to fire them. As in, if you have a rhino in range this turn, but you know next turn a terminator squad is going to show up, just shoot your other weapons at the rhino. No point in risking your guys blowing themselves up to kill a rhino when they need to be alive to kill those termies next turn.

Thats a rare circumstance, but one that's worth remembering. Other than "dont shoot till you're ready to loose them" they're fairly point and click. Just point them at bad people and they make them go away. Plus it never hurts to have a melta squad or two who can shoot all they want and not kill themselves

Yeah, I found that, shot for shot, the lasguns were doing better. Probably because they stuck around longer, of course...

Still, I get a kick out of killing things with flashlights

wfischer wrote:
Yeah, I found that, shot for shot, the lasguns were doing better. Probably because they stuck around longer, of course...

Still, I get a kick out of killing things with flashlights

Flashlights are definetly WH40Ks best Terminator killers.

Mohoc wrote:

wfischer wrote:
Yeah, I found that, shot for shot, the lasguns were doing better. Probably because they stuck around longer, of course...

Still, I get a kick out of killing things with flashlights

Flashlights are definetly WH40Ks best Terminator killers.

At least the most satisfying. Nothing beats the look on an opponent's face when he loses terminators to flashlight overwatch.