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So I may end up buying some painted AM if I can find them for a good price just to have an opponent for my Tyranids to face (there aren't any 40K players around here), but I'd want the opponent to be fluff-based since I would be playing narrative-driven campaigns.

I obviously want to start small, with a 750 point AM list. I want it to be the type of force that you'd find guarding a communications array in the outer fringes of Imperium-controlled space, since i'd be pitting it against my own fluff-based 750 point list of vanguard organisms. The goal of the vanguard organisms would be to destroy the communications array so their prey couldn't warn the rest of the planet.

Thanks in advance

you could go company command with platoons holding a line and do the cinematic starship troopers (maybe with a couple of hellounds to flush out the bugs.)

Well if since it is imperium controlled space and they are already defending some flavor of an outpost they would be still be relatively well armed but depending on the situation might of been chumped for heavy weaponry or just haven't been resupplied in a while (damn you bureaucracy) so probably will only have las based equipment left at most (as those can be recharged sustainably)

Id say CCS, Infantry platoon, Vets, a unit of Scout or Armored Sentinels, a wyvern or two, and a russ at best. should be something like 600 points leaving you 150 for upgrades.
Edit: Oh and probably a ADL or a Bastion

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm hesitant about adding tanks to the 750 list because my 'nid list is only vanguard organisms (genestealers, lictors + deathleaper, and prime) and doesn't really have any reliable anti-armor weapons. For this first mission I'm actually kinda going for a Predator/Predators feel. It's just the vanguard organisms crashing onto the planet, so nobody knows they're there. Since the AM don't know the Tyranids have arrived, I'm thinking that the 750 AM force would just basically be a bunch of guard that are stationed there to make sure the equipment is working okay and to warn the main station (command center or whatever) if they encounter any enemies. I'm gonna have to come up with rules to represent that the AM aren't aware the 'nids are there, to make for a more realistic "first contact" scenario.
Once I have that list, I would be expanding the list to contain more heavy weapons/vehicles, although since this is meant to be an outer Imperium world I don't think they'd have access to a massive amount of heavy firepower. I can detail my ideas for the stages/missions of the campaign (although I may never get to play it since there's nobody around here who plays 40K), but since that doesn't relate to the topic at hand I'll hold back.
I will say that my goal is to essentially use campaigns to write the story of my Hive Fleet Laelaps, (the dog from Greek mythology who was always destined to catch/overcome his prey, suitably niddy), this being the first world it consumed. With every planet consumed, I'd increase the size of my fleet and thus the scale of battles it would be engaging in (attacking isolated outposts like now at first, then into bigger and more well-defended targets). It would be pretty much a never-ending story.

Well like i said, even if an outpost world they would get a ok supply run occasionally. you could fluff it as they are a bit forgotten and shipments have been delayed but unless its specifically a very war torn area they would still be OK supplied. But if this is an outpost of an outpost planet, at best the outskirts on the planet would basically be a bastion with a com relay, a few scout sentinels, a Platoon in basic AFV (chimeras or taroxs) that shifts between a primary base and there every few weeks probably. depending on the terrain but in general most Infantry will be hanging out with flamers and auto cannons probably not Las cannons or bolter type weapons as IIRC needs some more dedicated manufatoriums.

That works perfectly. I'm trying to decide what type of world it should be, but that's not important right now. I'm fine with them getting more tanks later in the campaign, so it'll probably be a world that does get some okay supply runs, but on the outposts of the outpost world I'm thinking just some infantrymen and sentinels - maybe something about whatever terrain I choose makes it far too difficult to station a tank at the outpost.

I'd suggest maybe a Sentinel and a Chimera, but IG without even one tank is not IG at all. Other than that, a Lord Commissar and two platoons is fluffy. Keep it light and maybe add one other Commissar depending on points to set up a political officer chain of command in the outpost. If I remember the AV, a group of Stealers can glance a Chimera to death and I know for sure that a Broodlord can.

Adding a Bastion to the IG force will take up some of their points but also serve as the 'home base' of your little recon unit.

Patrol base would probably be a platoon to hold the fort whilst vets in Taurox plus some scout sentinels do the patrolling


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This may work against your nids a bit but (at least in real life) a patrol base should have a few mortar base-plates to support the guys on patrol so that'd mean either a HWS with mortars or a wyvern (will be useful later in the campaign as well so you're not wasting models.

If you just want to give them bare-bones combat outpost then instead of the bastion give them an AGL (to simulate modern hesco-bases) and a quadgun (give them a chance vs flyers). Then have the comms relay as an objective in the centre. A good scenario would be they have to guard the comms relay until a message can get sent out. Or call the comms relay a homing beacon and they have to hold out until a Scion platoon can show up (say they are available from Turn 4 onwards if guard control the relay). Sounds like an awesome idea though hope it goes well for you

Thanks, everyone! I may end up actually going through with this, especially if I can find reasonably priced, decently-painted AM minis.

I do like the idea of a few mortars, and I'm definitely thinking that Sentinels are a good way to go. It'll be mostly infantry, but a few walkers and maybe some light armor. I think I will give them a quad gun. Did you mean ADL?

The AM player's goal is to send a warning message back to the main base - the Tyranids' goal is to destroy the Communications Array. I'm thinking of having there be something a bit like the old Kill Team sentry type stuff to represent the fact that the enemy doesn't know that there are Tyranids lurking around.

Careful with having to destroy it, if shooting is available the game can get over real quickly with a few lucky shots.

Well, my 'nid list is only vanguard creatures so the only things capable of shooting are the Tyranid Prime (probably will change that though), and the Lictors/Deathleaper (flesh hooks). I'd come up with a rule for the 'nids in this scenario that basically makes it so that shooting is highly discouraged in the beginning of the game (if the AM hear the shots they know something's up). Not sure if I'm actually gonna go through with this, since I'll have to buy the AM army myself since there aren't any local players, but only time will tell.

If you're building a fluffy AM garrison you should decide what sort of troops were rotated to/assigned to defend the fort or firebase, or whatever.

Fluffy builds as follows:

Veteran heavy (rotated to a backwater for rest/reward in a campaign.):

CCS - Outfit the vets however you want, probably a flamer or two, a plasma or melta, and a heavy weapons team. Would probably have a banner and/or a medic, depending on your fluff reasons.

Veteran Squads - Two to three. For fluff reasons I'd probably choose two doctrines that work well together and give them to every squad. Weapons wise, probably a mixture of shotguns and lasguns (again, we're talking fluff here), and an assortment of plasmas, meltas, flamers, or heavy weapons teams.

Vehicles - Chimeras, for a small contingent you would probably want two, three if you want to push it. CCS would have their own, as is custom and you'd have a second for aggressive patrols - in order to keep up with the Sentinels.

Sentinels - Scouts and keep the armament light, maybe autocannons or missiles, or even stock multi lasers if you want.

Other - I wouldn't go so far as to put Russes with these guys, or even a Hellhound chassis. Air support would be nil for a contingent of this size too, so no 'dettas or Valkyries. Although, I think it would be cool to have maybe a beat up hellhound that the platoon has, sort of like the platoon's mascot or something.


If you're going a less veteran-specific sort of fluffy...

CCS - Grenade launchers and flamers, banner and a vox caster.

Troops - Infantry platoon with two extra squads, combine them so they're two squads of twenty with one PCS. Give the PCS grenade launchers and flamers, no banner, a medic, and a vox. Infantry squads get vox's and flamers or grenade launchers. Also, pick a special weapons squad, give them whatever you want (maybe take two?), a Heavy weapons squad or two and give them a mixture of weapons.

Vehicles - A single chimera, three scout sentinels. Light on armament.

Other - Same deal with the Veteran one, flex as you see fit.

This is how I would work my lists doing what you're trying to do, might help, might not.

Sorry for the delay, I was asking friends of mine if they'd be willing to try playing 40K if I bought a second army. I did find someone who said maybe, although they're rather busy at the moment. Here's what I came up with based on the above comment:

HQ:

Company Command Squad:
-Vox caster
-Regimental standard
-2x grenade launchers
-2x flamers
100 pts
Troops:

Infantry Platoon:
-Platoon Command Squad
-Medic
-Vox caster
-2x grenade launchers
-2x flamers
-4x infantry squads
-2x Vox caster
-1x grenade launcher
-1x flamer
-Special weapons squad:
-2x plasma guns
-Special weapons squad:
-1x plasma gun
-Heavy weapons squad:
-2x Heavy bolter (20 points)
-Lascannon (20 points)
480 points
Dedicated transport:
Chimera:
-1x heavy flamer
65 points

Fast Attack:

-3x Scout Sentinels
105 points

Do you guys think a list with 15 genestealers with a broodlord (1 unit of 5, 1 unit of 10 with BL), a tyranid prime with lash whip, bonesword, and deathspitter (although I may change that to another CC weapon, since ranged weapons would most likely alert the guardsmen to their presence which is something they want to avoid), 3 lictors, and the deathleaper would be able to deal with that kind of list? I find it funny that this will be one of the few cases where a 'nid player has considerably fewer models on the table than his opponent xD

I still need to come up with rules for this scenario, but that's for another time. First things first - I need to find somewhere to buy painted AM models from this list for a decent price