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'm currently finishing up the paint for my small Iron Warriors CSM army, and now I'm considering adding some diversity to the collection.

As of now I have the Dark Vengance Limited with all the CSM contents, 30 CSM, 3 Rhinos, 2 Vindicators, and 3 Oblits. I bought this primarily as a modeling project, but plan on getting them on the table sooner than later for a few games.
What I'm wondering is, while keeping in the general theme of Iron Warriors, what would you, dear CSM players, consider a must have addition to this collection that would see good returns on the table as well?

As an aside, I'm planning on doing allied lists with my wifes small collection of Daemons. She has the following. Herald Chariot Tzeentch, Exalted Chariot Slaanesh, Changling, Herald of Tzeench on Disk, Daemon Prince, 10 Horrors, 20 Daemonettes, 20 Plague bearers, 10 Seekers, 6 Fiends, and a Soul Grinder.

What would be your top picks from the Daemons to ally with the CSM?

Thanks so much for your opinions.

2 hell drakes, a land raider, chaos termies, predators, theres all kinds of good stuff out there. Id start there. You cant go wrong with thousand sons if you already got some tzeentch daemons. Also instead of a soul grinder run another daemon prince. Soul grinder looks awesome but just doesnt perform to its points cost.

I dont go with beserkers, noise marines, the new hellbrute model (i like the dreadnaught model better), or mutilators. Just dont like those.

For iron warriors, I'd definitely recommend some maulerfiends. They're sort of the ultimate fortress assault unit, and they're also machines, to boot. That or some regular tanks like the vindicator (which is specifically IW fluffy), or some allied traitor guard artillery (likewise).

You also can't go wrong with just more iron warriors, either. 13 point bolters with a bunch of special weapons can't go wrong. Or terminators, which I see you don't have yet, but probably should.

Maulerfiends look awesome in Iron Warriors colours, aguy in my group has two. A Warpsmith would be keeping with the theme as well.

IMO no iron warriors army is complete without at least one Basilisk from the AM book. It will mean you'll have to go unbound unless you want to pay the HQ & Troops tax for an allied detachment.

definatly get a warp smith, it's proably the most fluffy unit in the book for IWs

While the mauler and forge fiends are good units, assuming you're using a single Combined Arms Detachment, your heavy support slots are full. I'd focus my attention on the fast attack choices. and luckly you've got a number of units in there that are solid picks. There is of course the legendary Helldrake (which is proably a good pick as you'll want something for the air) but Chaos Bikers and Chaos Spawn are also pretty damned good too.

So, everyone keeps mentioning the Warpsmith, and I will probably end up getting one for sake of fluff, but what about it's performance on the table? Would I ever take it over a Chaos Lord? Maybe in addition to a Chaos Lord?

Also, I like the idea of Fiends, but not sure if I should go shooty or choppy. Any preferences?

Lastly, I adore Bikes, and have 20 of them for my Ork army. How do they fare in the CSM?

Do you guys till like Helldrakes since the 45 degree nerf?

Thanks all for your suggestions.

Warpsmiths are like all the other non-lord choices. They're weaker, but they do a better job buffing the rest of your army. In this case, they don't do as much damage, but they reduce enemy cover saves and fix your own vehicles. Like how a dark apostle is weaker, but passes out fearless and hatred and mutation rerolls and how a sorcerer is weaker, but has psychic powers to buff/debuff.

I'm not certain why it's a particularly fluffy choice for iron warriors, though. They're not Iron Hands, nor are they the opposite of them (they're the opposite of Imperial Fists). They're experts in taking fortifications by seige and assault, that's their schtick, not being all super-machine-mechbots. Yes, Iron Warriors do have more vehicles, and so it makes sense to have warpsmiths to keep them running, but it's a by-product of their love of artillery and demolisher cannons, nothing more.

Anyways, take a warpsmith for said practical reasons if you have a bunch of vehicles, or if you just want to. I'd also try and get opponent's permission to allow him access to a bike (which he, almost as a typo, can't take - the only CSM HQ who can't), because that makes them a bit more useful for their meager repair abilities, and it would look SUPER cool.

As for bikes in general, bikes are sort of bikes, at least, once you leave the world of orks. You don't get as good of basic shooting (merely twin-linked bolters) or as good of cover, but you do get more survivability and more versatile weapon options. If you liked bikes with orks, you'll probably still like them with CSM. They just don't have nob bikers or an equivalent, sadly enough.

I didn't like the helldrake before it got fixed to work correctly, and I still don't like them now. Some people claimed that they made the rest of the codex redundant, but they got it backwards. The rest of the codex makes helldrakes redundant. There really isn't anything you can do with a helldrake that you can't already bring with your troops choices.

Take them if you like the model, but they're sort of a waste of an FA slot, especially given all the movement restrictions they have on them being fliers.

I would personally expect an Iron Warriors army to have the following:

Plenty of standard Chaos Space Marines with bolters
Plenty of Havocs with Missile Launchers / Lascannons

Defilers for the Battle Cannon artillery
Vindicators to roll forwards flanked by rhinos to take punishing firepower forwards

Maulerfiends for taking out vehicles and fortifications

Aegis Defence Line for your troops to bunker in

Raptors for assaulting one a breach has been made in the defence

Terminators

Warp Smiths for repairs (these guys are generally not popular but their rules actually make them fairly useful - don't overlook the 2+ save with 4 attacks (+2 from mechatendriles) meltagun and flamer as standard with the option to give toys such as an Aura of Dark Glory / Burning Brand of Skalthrax to him.

Cultists for manning the ADL guns and generally being a meat shield

depends if you want to win or you like the awesome csm models. If it's the former then 3 heldrakes and 2 more oblit squads. And likely some plague marines if you're willing to break from the IW theme (fair call if not, IW are awesome).

I have almost one of everything from the book as i generally just like the models. My fav is the maulerfiend and i also really like the lord of skulls (although ironically it's awful in cc).

I started out in much the same fashion, with an iron warriors painting project, however after hitting the table realized you're pretty limited in value for money units in the codex, and thus it rules out having your cake and eating it to with a fluffy list. Example thousand sons.

The Soul Grinder is, imo, a must when you ally in Daemons, it's a lot better than the defiler with it's AV13.

You may want to consider getting some havoks.

GrafWattenburg wrote:
The Soul Grinder is, imo, a must when you ally in Daemons, it's a lot better than the defiler with it's AV13.

Yep. That's actually a huge reason why I want to ally in Daemons. I think the Defiler is just a terrible looking model. The Grinder so quite a bit better looking, and better rules.

Thanks all for the advice. Looking to grow this army in a week or two and will take you all up on your suggestions.