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An Arbites army has been in my mind on and off for quite some time. Unfortunately, every time I decide to attempt one, something else pops up and the idead gets shelved. Recently, I read a couple of BL stuff while suffering on bus rides which had some Arbites action and the old itch of mine surfaced. So I dug up my old half compiled notes, spent some time to check if there were any new stuff and sat down to compile a list to build my army on. I know there are at least 2 decent fan-project Artbites lists that are 6th ed compatible but none of the stuff fit completely to what I thought Arbites would be. Therefore, I sat down and compiled (as shown in the books and codex fluff) what Arbites personnel are , what gear and machines they have access to, what tactics they use and so on. And I ran headfirst into a serious problem that stops me cold. Please read the following explanation and give me your thoughts;

Personnel fielded by an Arbites force usually fall into 3 tiers of 3 categories;

"Enforcers" are the local enforcement agency. Their force structure is generally patterned on the Arbites structure and they are ,on average, professional/equipped enough to deal with regular crime and low level riots. Their reliability varies from planet to planet due to local (personal) ties, recruitment pool and ties to local politics. Except a few major Precincts, most of the Arbites strong points on an average planet is staffed by them.
*Enforcer is the generic term for organizations that generally use large amounts of force, like a Planetary Reagent's bullyboys or the patrols of Hive/Forge words with humogous populations.

Next tier of troops are not Arbites troops at all. Now and then, Arbites need additional bodies to man cordons, barricades and check points to so they can concentrate their manpower to deal with thorny cases, so it is not too uncommon to see a platoon or three of local PDF infantry mobilised to man such points or some PDF LemanRusses spearheading / decoying an attack (with some Arbites units to provide directions). These guys are basically the Allied IC detachments and use the appropriate rules.
*I put the PDF on the second tier because despite their lack of experience, they generally have access to/bring bigger firepower to the conflict.

On the top tier, we have the real Arbites personnel. These servants of the Emperor use the same tactics and organisation as their "Enforcer" cadres (although they have access to better equipment). Depending on the importance of the planet and size of the local population, the Arbites presence can range from a single Arbirator (in extreme cases) to a 60 man Operation Base (minimum deployment for normal backwaters) to sprawling installations like "The Wall" (that is the LAW) on the Forge World/Fleet Base Hydraphur. As they may have to face everything from scrumball Hooligans to Genestealer Cults during their duties, a typical Arbites Armory contains a vast array of choices.

Enforcer Armory:
Shock Maul* / Suppression Shield / Auto Pistol / Shotgun / Autogun / Heavy Stubber / Sniper Rifle / Grenade Launcher

Arbites Armory:
Power Maul* / Suppression Shield / Bolt Pistol / Shotgun / Boltgun / Heavy Bolter / Sniper Rifle / Grenade Launcher


And here I run into a serious problem. No matter the source, every piece of fluff agree on the fact that the Power Maul is the badge of office and an Arbites always carries his Maul in addition to his other gear (Shock Maul for Enforcers, 50/50 for Enforcer Characters). Which drives the point per character insane.
For a basic Arbitror, Veteran + Carapace + Shield is already at 15 points on vanilla prices, adding an additional 10 (old IG) or 15 (6th DA) points per model on top really hurts the army size. Any suggestions?

----End of Part 1. Next Stop; Vehicles and Force Organisation----

You would probably get better replies posting this in suggested rules - not that this is exactly a "wrong" place to put it, or anything.

Having power weapons on every single Troop would be overkill anyway - it's one thing on Grey Knights, who are priced to suit, quite another to find it amongst the ranks of a normal 40k militia. Instead, create your own maul weapon! "Shock Maul" seems like a good place to start, maybe make it a much weaker version... say for instance, Strength +1 in combat, no AP, and Concussive, for 3 or 4 points a model. Then of course the squad leader can buy a power maul if you so wish.

Concussive I feel would give the unit something unique and give them a bit of an edge in close combat against other basic, non-assault units - this ties in with the usual default Arbites weapon, the shotgun, keeping with the close range theme.

Some of the other choices need a bit of spreading out so you've got a bit of individuality to units. For instance, make Sniper units Heavy Support and perhaps give them the option for a missile launcher. Have an Armoury unit in Elites that can fully arm up with Grenade Launchers and Heavy Stubbers but make it maximum 5 men. This will keep your core units armed with core weapons as well.

My apologies for being so late to reply, I managed to steal the Dark Heresy books (Arbites supplement as well as the core book) from a friend and also managed to dig my copies of Shira Calpurnia books to hunt for more details but as expected of this project, RL had a nasty spike of time consuming incidents so I was a bit occupied .

Despite the Power Maul points problem, I don't think I can drop it from Arbites personnel as it is just too iconic and widespread. Although , the fluff offer a couple of drawbacks that may balance the Power Weapon Blob issue. Individual models are pretty powerful and relatively cheap but the army options are severely limited, with no organic las / plas / arty options and limited number of missile and melta options. They are quite durable while they are standing still with shields locked these guys are a nightmare to dislodge especially with regular shooting or melee but this leads to a distinct lack of mobility and extreme vulnerability to templates

The average Arbites trooper comes equipped with Carapace Armor, Suppression Shield, Shotgun, Power Maul, Frag, Krak and Blind grenades,
Each (5 man) team has an option to replace Shotgun&Shield of a single Trooper with Grenade Launcher or Flamer.


The basic troop is the Arbites "xxx" Squad. On paper there are many different squad types (patrol, combat, shock to name a few) but in reality, (except shock and castigator squads) these names only express what special weapons (if any) these squads carry.

Arbites Squad
1 Proctor Senioris (Replaces a Proctor)
1-4 Arbites Teams
0-4 Specialist Teams
0-2 Heavy Support Teams

Arbites Team:
Each Arbites Team consists of 1 Proctor and 4 Arbitrators.
Trooper / Proctor: WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld8 Sv4+/5++
Proctor Senioris : WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld9 Sv4+/5++

Carapace Armor, Suppression Shield, Arbites Shotgun, Power Maul, Grenades
One Arbitrator in each team may replace his shotgun and shield with a grenade launcher or flamer
Any Arbitrator equipped with Arbites Shotguns may replace them with Boltguns

Shield Wall : +1T when at least 4 shield equipped models are in base to base touching formation.
Multiple Lines: Arbites Teams are trained to work together and in chaotic riot conditions, filling the openings in shield wall regardless of force organisation. Routed team/squad's path can fall back to existing standing teams/squads, and bolster that unit.

Specialist Teams:
An Arbites Squad can be accompanied by 1 Specialist Team per Arbites Team.

Marksman Unit : WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld8 Sv4+ (Sniper & Spotter)
Carapace Armor, Suppression Shield, Sniper Rifle, Spotter Scope, Power Maul, Grenades

Cyber-Mastiff Handler: WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld8 Sv4+ (Handler) / (Cyber-Mastiff)
Carapace Armor, Suppression Shield, Arbites Shotgun, Power Maul, Leash Interface

Grapplehawk Handler: WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld8 Sv4+ (Handler) / (Grapplehawk)
Carapace Armor, Suppression Shield, Arbites Shotgun, Power Maul, Leash Interface

Verispex Adept : WS3 BS3 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld8 Sv5+ (Tech Adept&Tech Adept)
Light Carapace Armor, Suppression Shield, Stubber Pistol, Power Maul, Auspex

Medicae : WS3 BS3 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld8 Sv4+ (Medic & Medic)
Carapace Armor, Suppression Shield, Stubber Pistol, Power Maul, Medikit


Heavy Support Teams:
An Arbites Squad can be accompanied by 1 Heavy Support Team per 2 Arbites Team (rounded up)

Heavy Support Team: WS4 BS4 S3 T3 W2 I3 A1 Ld8 Sv4+
Carapace Armor, Suppression Shield, Heavy Stubber, Power Maul, Grenades
May exchange Heavy Stubber for a Heavy Bolter or a Breaching Ram

Breaching Ram: S6 AP2 always goes last
This power ram is a heavy tube with a pair of long handles running down each side of its length. Inside the tube is a potent power field connected to a piston, the head of which is often sculpted to resemble an Imperial Aquila. Held by two Arbitrators, who swing it against a door or even a wall, the Bakka-patternPower Ram drives the piston forward, surrounded by the flickering energies of the disruption field. The weapon is powerful enough to blow most doors clean off their hinges, and is more than capable of knocking holes in solid brick walls in seconds.

Nope. Not buying that these unenhanced humans are the equal of Space Marines in WS, BS, and Ld. I'd say keep the WS4, as clashing with rioters is their deal, and lower the BS to 3 for everyone but the Senioris, and lower the Ld to 7 for Troopers and 8 for the Senioris. Also you weren't specific about which grenades. I'd say frag and defensive were an appropriate loadout.

To be fair, their normal BS would be around 3.5 even with the extremely harsh tech supported training regimens (arbites have access to danger room training and combat servitor dummies) but they also have access to executioner shells (basically guided ammo) so I think BS4 is a realistic portrayal.

Ld is a similar issue of different parts, These guys (and gals) are described as unflappable as the sisters. Add their very reliable and multi-tiered vox network and dispatch controllers, I do think they justify their score.

Grenades:
Arbitrators have krak, frag and blind (defensive) grenades. In the fluff, they also have smoke but I don't think any infantry have it in 6th?
Edit: Ah, you were talking about the marksman team? you are right they are frag & blind.



*Btw, the above stats are for true Arbirators. The planetary Enforcerers are much worse and they don't have access to power weapons

S3 BS3 S3 T3 W1 I3 A1 Ld7 Sv4+/5++ (Squad leader Ld8)

Carapace
Shock Maul (Aka close combat weapon)
Suppression Shield
Standard Shotgun
F,B Grenades

To be fair, their normal BS would be around 3.5 even with the extremely harsh tech supported training regimens (arbites have access to danger room training and combat servitor dummies) but they also have access to executioner shells (basically guided ammo) so I think BS4 is a realistic portrayal.

So does the IG.

The best Arbites unit should be the equal of IG vets imo. It equates to about the same amount of combat experience, just a different style.

BTW, for your power maul problem, just create a special "Arbities power maul" and make it different 9ie toned down) from the standard power maul.