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've been playing CSM for a little while now and just recently fell in love with the Crimson Slaughter codex. My local meta has me seeing 1600pt games somewhat frequently, usually against Space Wolves. I'm shooting for an all-purpose list that does well in assault.

HQ:
Sorcerer - 190
Mastery level 3
Force axe
Bike
Slaughter's Horns
Daemonheart

Troops:
20x Chaos Space Marines - 423 w/ rhino
MoS
Icon of Excess
Extra CCWs
Dedicated Rhino w/ dirge caster and havoc - 52

Elites:
10x Plague Marines - 292 (w/ rhino)
Dedicated Rhino w/ dirge caster and havoc - 52

Fast Attack:
Heldrake w/ baleflamer - 170
5x Chaos Spawn w/ MoN - 180

Heavy Support:
Chaos Predator w/ autocannon, bolter sponsons, havoc launcher - 107
3x Obliterators MoN - 228

The basic plan would be to run the spawn and sorcerer together, with the latter attempting to roll both endurance and iron arm on biomancy. Both marine units would be dedicated to objectives, with the rhino dedicated to the normal marines acting as support and cover.

I also have access to berserkers, a helbrute, a maulerfiend w/ lasher tenrils, possessed, terminators and raptors.

Usually this list would be used as part of a team game, but I'd like to be able to stand alone if need be. I'm interested to hear what you think!

So are 20 csm running behind a rhino?

You need another troop for it to be a legal list.

Yeah missing a troop. Also no way can you have 400 pts pt marines hanging back on an objective. Secondly, no way ever ever do you let your 400 pts of marines not have a way to be fearless. Heck they are only ld9, a loud noise and they'll be gone.

Yeah that would be the plan, that rhino could act as cover and when needed use the dirge caster to cancel nearby overwatch.

And that's a good point, I actually forgot about that when I changed my old list over to this one. If I ditched the "unused" rhino in favor of a cultist squad, I could run one of those for roughly the same cost. Alternatively I could split the 20 marines into 10 marines each and give them each an icon, but that seems inefficient. Final option would be some budgeting to find room for a chaos lord with MoN to make the plague marines troop choices. Any suggestions?

Biomancy is a good "lore" to choose from, though when it fails to make your Sorcerer a combat beast, or worse, hurts you in the process due to Perils, your Warlord is toast. Not to treat this as a determining factor to play per say, but if you've ever played Dawn of War II, the Chaos Sorcerer is a "support" commander, not offensive (aka Chaos Lord wannabe), haha. He can eat his spinach in a pinch, but shouldn't look for trouble with two wounds...

I see the three Havoc launchers and consider how much could be shaved off the CSM squad also to buy something more intimidating, like a Vindicator, or even another Predator for anti-infantry.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Take Typhus to make your Plague Marines a Troops choice; he's essentially a Chaos Lord and Sorcerer combined but with some limited options and he won't be able to join your MoS unit... but you have a nice unit of Chaos Spawn, or take some Chaos Cultists as Plague Zombies.

All a bunch of good points. Maybe I could switch the sorcerer out for a nurgle biker lord? To be honest I don't really like the idea of gambling on the powers working out either, this was going to be my first attempt at using psykers.

How should I make the marines fearless? I was actually debating that for a while, especially because that unit has a nasty habit of attracting large-scale firepower most times it hits the table. My old tactic was Nurgle marines with an icon of vengeance and that worked wonders, I was thinking I5 and FNP would make the marines really great against a large wolf pack, something I have to fight regularly.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
So you're saying take Typhus instead of a lord or sorcerer? Would I be running him with the spawn or the plague marines? I feel like he'd slow the spawn down.