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.

Hi all! I'm new to the forums, lurking for the past couple of months, and I'm just getting into competitive play. I would like to build a competitive 1850 point crimson slaughter army. I have a couple of starter sets to get me going (Dark Vengeance and the old attack force [CSM, Possessed, Rhino, Bikes]). I know this won't be the best, but this is my starter army and will give me something to work from. Thank you for any advice you would be willing to give in advance!

Are you just getting into playing in general, or just competitive play? That would help us give you some more specific pointers. Either way some of the best stuff in the codex are the bikes, heldrakes, your heavy supports, and cultists. Other than plague marines and termies, most of your elite choices are a little over-priced but not terrible. Most people will rant and rave against regular chaos space marines, but I think they can be made to work.

Basically if you're wanting to get into competitive play then you're going to want to go minimal with troops (basically just some cultists), bring some plague marines and/or bikes for objectives camping and contesting, and heldrakes and heavy supports to toast your opponents units. Most people will bring a Nurgle lord to make their Plague marines scoring. theres obviously alot more to it than that, but that is the basic aim you're going to want.

Another good idea would be to look into taking stuff from the daemons codex as allies. Daemons and Chaos space marines compliments each other VERY well.

I'm new to the hobby in general. I guess I should say I'm looking for an army list that I can play and enjoy while I learn the greater nuances of the game. Here is what I have, again mostly Dark Vengeance and a Starter Box Set:

Crimson Slaughter Lord x1
Sorcerer x1

CSM x10
CSM x10
Cultist x10
Cultist x10
Possessed x5

Chosen x6
Helbrute w/ Multi-Melta and Power Fist

Bikes x3
Rhino x1

Theres nothing there terrible, but the possessed and combat chosen dont work particularly well (especially from a rhino)

Things you can do: make the hellbrute and cultists a hellcult, for free fearless.
Modify your possessed and chosen to be plaguemarines.(Brave modeller only)

Do you have the crimson slaughter supplement? It has some nice items.

The lord on foot just doesn't work for me. A bike is best, but he can easily be modified to have a jump pack (especially if your possessed have wings). He can then join a unit of spawn (nurgle spawn are best) which is a very good unit. Spawn are also quite easy to convert from other large models, which could save some cash.
give the bikes meltaguns to make a tank hunter unit. Consider investing in antitank, such as oblitorators (mark of nurgle) or predators.
if you want to keep the chosen/possessed then a full unit in a landraider is probably best

Since I had started with Dark Vengeance and painted up my army already, I went and splurged for the Crimson Slaughter supplement. Should I be focusing my forces on Nurgle/plague units?

Nurgle and plague units are probably the best of the three (we dont talk aboit the fourth anymore) marks, all you really need is a green wash over fleshy parts to turn your units nurgle to give their skin a sickly green look.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh and also if your looking for competitiveness always remember the heldrake

Only be focused on that if you really like it. Go with what you think is coolest honestly. That's going to be your best bet to get the most mileage out of your army. You don't need nurgle stuff in order to be competitive, it's just that those are the most forgiving units to use in the codex, and they are the easiest to figure out. There's no huge trick you gotta know with them, they are really tough. I doesn't matter too much what situation you are in, that toughness will help.

My favorites are the demon engines in the codex, so I run big blobs of chaos marines on foot, forgefiends, helbrutes, and heldrakes all led by warpsmiths. Is it super competitive? No. Is it fun and look crazy cool on the table? You better believe it!

The crimson slaughter supplement makes the possessed pretty good, so I wouldn't be too scared to use them with that. Chosen are better as a shooty unit IMO. Mainly because if they get into CC with an enemy unit, CC geared Chosen are gonna obliterate the unit in one assault phase, then they get to sit in the open and get blasted to bits in your opponents following turn.

With crimson slaughter your possessed are troops, and they get some pretty awesome abilities, if you want to take advantage of that you can go for a list like.

Hq-Chaos lord with Prophet of the voice, daemonheart, blade of the relentless, bike, MoK-185

Troops-possessed MoK x20-580 (biker lord rides here)
Troops-cultists-50*5=250 (objective grabbers)

Fast-heldrake flamer/autocannon-170*3=510 (these are your AA)

Heavy- oblits MoN x2-152*2=304

This comes to 1829, with the few points left over you can add what ever.

Thanks all for the feedback! I do honestly really like the look of death guard and plague units, so hearing that they also play well, I may head down that path.