Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I will be finishing up my guard army soon, and I'm looking for another army to do. After so many years of painting guard (So. Many. Models.) I'm looking to put together an army, but I want it to be as small as possible.

Which army would you go with for a minimum of models?

I'm not looking for a super competitive list. I really just want something small, fun, and easy to paint. this will be used for games against friends in a friendly setting.

I was thinking chaos. Is there a way to do this with a CSM Nurgle army?

I'd like to do non-imperium if possible.

What are some good options for a small, decently effective, non-imperial force? 20-30 models is ideal.

Eldar Iyanden army might be a good idea.
Spiritseer(s) as HQ, 4x5 Wraithguard (some or all of them in Serpents) and a Wraithknight or two.

Knights, 4 are 1500 5 are 1850ish. Other choices are draigowing and Iyanden which I'd say would look pretty nice and likely have an easier time picking up a game than the knights.

I'd say grey knights, but they're imperial. If you're doing a small army and want to concentrate on the models, why not do a conversion project or counts-as??

A lot of people do pre-heresy Thousand Sons as Grey Knights. Or a Mechanicum Knight army with a tech priest allied in?

You might be able to get the Nurgle army down low if you use lots of massive daemon engines, but I'm not sure that helps as it's still a lot to paint...

3 helldrakes, 3 defilers, 3 hell brutes, 2 basic plague marine squads and a lord would get you to 1750.

Farsight Enclave could do this too with an all-suits-army even without quad riptides.

Depends on what you mean by "small" army.
If it's just the model count, you could go with a nidzilla army. They are all over 100 points each, so once you remove the troops (5X2 min for genestealer) you'll have less then 20 model for sure.

As mentioned above, Eldar is a good one. You don't even need the supplement. Just run the normal codex with 2-3 Squads of Wraithguard/blades in serpeants. A wraithlord/knight or two and a spirit seer. Easy to pain, as well.

Tyranids are great fun to play as a minimal-models army.

Foot list:

Swarmlord and a guard - 335
Prime with upgrades -150

Warriors x5 -150
Warriors x5 -150
Warriors x5 -150

Venomthropes - 3x single -135

Three Tyrannofexes - 525

Leaves room for upgrades, magnetize the Tyrannofexes, warriors and Prime and you'll have tons of options for different loadouts. Great army to play, super fun, and fluffy. Also not unfun to play against, which can be a plus.

Wraith-guy Eldar, Grey Knights, or Demons. (I think you can spam big demons in order to meet your requirements.)

Dark Angels - Deathwing or Ravenwing spring to mind.

Tyranid Godzilla lists have very few models, look cool, allow you to let your creative (digestive) juices flowing.

Farsight lists let you play Robot Wars with minimal model count.

Chaos with daemonic allies could have a low model count.

Imperial Knights are just like Farsight lists, but more noble and less heretically tainted by xenos scum.

GK Paladin lists have about 4 models.

SBG wrote:
Tyranids are great fun to play as a minimal-models army.

Foot list:

Swarmlord and a guard - 335
Prime with upgrades -150

Warriors x5 -150
Warriors x5 -150
Warriors x5 -150

Venomthropes - 3x single -135

Three Tyrannofexes - 525

Leaves room for upgrades, magnetize the Tyrannofexes, warriors and Prime and you'll have tons of options for different loadouts. Great army to play, super fun, and fluffy. Also not unfun to play against, which can be a plus.

At first as was: "WTF is that list" but the more i look at it, the more i'm curious and it seems like a really fun list to try. No synapse problems it seems. I'll have to try it to see if spamming medium squads of warrior work well.

This was exactly why I started a Tau army (while I wait for a new Ork codex anyway!). Good variety of models and interesting to play so far, though I'm only at a thousand points. Still, with the battleforce box, an extra box of fire warriors, a box of pathfinders, a box of crisis suits, and a broadside, it's well over a thousand points for about three hundred fifty bucks (even at inflated Canadian prices). Model count: 44, plus a light vehicle and a dozen or so of the drones. Points total: About 1500 if you count one of the crisis units as commander and bodyguard.

Good variety and fun to paint so far.