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Hello all, my name is Fred.

I'm new on the forums, and I'm looking for some advice regarding my army. I don't know if I'm posting this in the right place, correct me if so. English isn't my native language, so I apologize for my "hiccups". I played DoW, read the Imperial Knight codex and I have a rulebook. I have some additional knowledge from here and there, but thats all. (I know a lil' about the lore too)
Some of my friends got into the game a little while ago, and they asked me if I want to join them. 40k may will be a hobby for me, but for now, I'm just pre-buy, and still didn't make up my mind on my army/units.

First of all. I will play the game for fun so competitive games doesn't concern me. At the start the army cost range should be around 750. Don't get me wrong, I don't want an army list, just some advice. I think the "few but though" suits me well.

Secondly. I really like the Imperial Knight and the Dreadnought models. Also the wraith(something) mech like units. And tanks. I was thinking about an unbound, only (x) army, my friends are OK with it. The IK primary army starts at 1100~ so thats overshot, not to mention that they doesnt seem to be really good on their own. (Note: I haven't read the rulebook yet so please correct me if I'm wrong) Also they are expensive. While the Leman Russ's look good stat-wise, I think they would be either UP or OP, depending on my enemy's configuration. Dreadnought. THIS guy was, is, and probably will be the best looking model from the whole 40k. At least for me. I'm really thinking about using Dreadnoughts, I'm just not familiar with all the rules yet. I don't know much (anything, really) about the eldars, so if playing only wraithstuff is fun/versitale/not op or up, I would also consider them. I need advice and/or more knowledge here.

Third. Using infantry is below me. I dont like the models of the IG, Daemons, Tyranids. I may even continue. Orks are orks, I am neutral here. While the jumppack and tactical Space Marines are more than accaptable, I dont like the bikers and the terminator armours. (Blood Angels are used by my brother, so they are a nogo) And the vehicles here are just plain ugly. So please, don't recommend any of these instead of the models mentioned above. (Maybe later on, I will play Eldars, cuz they appeal to me, especially the hover tanks, but lets just stick to the big guys for now)

Last but not least. Since I did not read the rules, I don't know much about unbound armies. There are no FOC, so all of the units are what they are(?) This means that, for example, all Dreadnoughts are elites? Also, who could score? Or how does this work?

I'm looking forward to any and all replies and I really hope I wont get much hate.

I recommend choosing a space marine force, such as normal space marines who have access to all the kinds of dreadnoughts and/or blood angels as your army. These two can focus on dreadnoughts very well. You can also ally them in normal games, so you don't need to play unbound to include them and imperial knights.

It sounds like you want to play a mechanized army. As said, I recommend reading about the forces, though at this time blood angels have some of the best vehicles simply due to having the "Fast" rule.

Read up more about the 40k background at the http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Main_Page

Aside from that, simply pick either normal space marines and/or blood angels as your force and build from there. Just take units you like and enjoy.

If you want I buy the models you love, and your mates are happy with you having a random assortment of units, then go for it.

I personally would do what juraigamer said, and make a space marine chapter, focus on Dreadnoughts, and then ally a Knight of need be.

If you chose space wolves, your HQ can be a dreadnought, they have two named Dreadnoughts.

Space Wolves are also good if you take the supplement, Then you must take 1 HQ and 2 Elite rather then 1 HQ and 2 Troops. Plus you can take an extra 6 Elite I think.. Meaning 8 Elite, So you can litterly build an army of Dreadnoughts (Bjorn for HQ, And then 8 Dreads as your 8 Elites)

Thanks for the replies.
Blood Angels are used by my brother, as I mentioned, so they will be frequent opponents. Two, almost same army against each other sounds... yuck. Both fluff and tactic wise.
The reason I'd use unbound is to play only one type of unit, with different ugrades. I dont know why, I'm just fixated on that.
That said, I like the idea of Merellin. Not just cuz of the full dread army, but also, cuz I enjoy the wolf theme. I could build up from that. However I have 2 questions: 1. dreads could score? 2. Space wolves doesnt have to use 2 HQs?

Also, what about the eldar mechs?

Dreadnoughts are scoring unit (as almost all units in 7th ed. are), they can never be taken as troops though so can never have the Objective secured SR. But with the Champions of Fenris detachment (that Merellin talks about) you will not have that SR anyway.

No, you only have to have 1 HQ.

With a SW dreadnought army I suggest that you get a couple of drop pods as well (well, 1, 3 or 5, due to how drop pods work), that will let you deep strike your melee dreads (SW Venerable dreads with Axe and Shield are great). If you like the idea of Wolfrider Space marines, you could easily combine this idea with a unit of fast Thunder Wolf Cavalry and an Iron priest on a wolf mount that can go around and try to repair dreads.

PiszkosFred wrote:
Hello all, my name is Fred.

I'm new on the forums, and I'm looking for some advice regarding my army. I don't know if I'm posting this in the right place, correct me if so. English isn't my native language, so I apologize for my "hiccups". I played DoW, read the Imperial Knight codex and I have a rulebook. I have some additional knowledge from here and there, but thats all. (I know a lil' about the lore too)
Some of my friends got into the game a little while ago, and they asked me if I want to join them. 40k may will be a hobby for me, but for now, I'm just pre-buy, and still didn't make up my mind on my army/units.

First of all. I will play the game for fun so competitive games doesn't concern me. At the start the army cost range should be around 750. Don't get me wrong, I don't want an army list, just some advice. I think the "few but though" suits me well.

Secondly. I really like the Imperial Knight and the Dreadnought models. Also the wraith(something) mech like units. And tanks. I was thinking about an unbound, only (x) army, my friends are OK with it. The IK primary army starts at 1100~ so thats overshot, not to mention that they doesnt seem to be really good on their own. (Note: I haven't read the rulebook yet so please correct me if I'm wrong) Also they are expensive. While the Leman Russ's look good stat-wise, I think they would be either UP or OP, depending on my enemy's configuration. Dreadnought. THIS guy was, is, and probably will be the best looking model from the whole 40k. At least for me. I'm really thinking about using Dreadnoughts, I'm just not familiar with all the rules yet. I don't know much (anything, really) about the eldars, so if playing only wraithstuff is fun/versitale/not op or up, I would also consider them. I need advice and/or more knowledge here.

Third. Using infantry is below me. I dont like the models of the IG, Daemons, Tyranids. I may even continue. Orks are orks, I am neutral here. While the jumppack and tactical Space Marines are more than accaptable, I dont like the bikers and the terminator armours. (Blood Angels are used by my brother, so they are a nogo) And the vehicles here are just plain ugly. So please, don't recommend any of these instead of the models mentioned above. (Maybe later on, I will play Eldars, cuz they appeal to me, especially the hover tanks, but lets just stick to the big guys for now)

Last but not least. Since I did not read the rules, I don't know much about unbound armies. There are no FOC, so all of the units are what they are(?) This means that, for example, all Dreadnoughts are elites? Also, who could score? Or how does this work?

I'm looking forward to any and all replies and I really hope I wont get much hate.

Dont build the army as Unbound nor with Forge World or the Escalation type stuff. That will maximize how many tournaments as well as casual games you can find. Branch out later if you want. Dont do it first.

Also Im confused on what advice you DO want here but from what i gather, you're open tio army suggestions. One army that has a lot of striking non-infantry type models is actually the Ork Killer Kans and their Def Dredd buddies. Crazy robots all over with some meganobs to keep em company if you want relatively fewer infantry models.

As for Wraith armies: they are middle of the road. there is no army that can just "roll them". They have tools for everything and now with the Dark Eldar Formations, you can take Talos as allies and have the Talos Unit to deep strike flawlessly while the Wraith Knights and a few Wraithguard rampage alongside them for shooting and eventually to join in the bloody melee. Only trouble with Wraith Armies is, they tend to be smaller in number of units and that can be a problem if ou want to play maelstrom missions. And Maelstrom missions are FUN. Wraith armies can also fight alongside some Tau Riptides. Lots of options, really.

Grey Knight DreadKnights alongside Space Marine allied drop pod dreads could be really fun if you like the Dreadnoughts that much. i feel the Dreadknight is one of the more fearsome and mobile giants you can take and mobility matters not only in normal missions but also in Maelstrom missions.

My last thought on this subject: battle Forged armies CAN be made of as many DETACHMENTS as your meta allows. So It could be possible to do a Pentient Engine/Dreadnought/Dreadknight/IG Scout Sintinel type of force with very few infantry and all very much able to mostly work together!

Eldar wraith army can work well, especially if you're willing to take some gravtanks. And yes, you can even have wraithguard/blades as troops if you have a Spiritseer as your HQ, so it is possible to make a battlefrorged wraith army.

However, you seem to like various imperial vehicles such as SM dreadnoughts, Imperial Knights and Leman Russ tanks. While technically you could ally any of these with Eldar, there are certain rules limitations which makes such an alliance not as solid, not to mention that background-wise it makes little sense.

I'd recommend choosing the Space Marine faction you like the most (and remember, you can just invent your own chapter) and build around that (As mentioned, Space Wolves are probably the best choice if you want a lot of Dreads.) Then you can ally an Imperial Knight to your marines, and maybe even some Imperial Guard to bring some Leman Russ tanks. If you go with the Wolves, you can then use some leftover bits to customise your Knights and IG to make them fit the theme. Maybe they're all part of Fenris's defence force under the Command of a Space Wolf hero?

I'm acutally searching for an "army" consisting of 3-6 single (maybe 2) type of units, that can be outfitted with different weaponry. (So, while I do like all those models, it doesn't necessarily mean I want to field them all at once.)
I thought I can only achive this with unbound armies, but those SW dreads gonna work out great for me. Thank you for your ides nonetheless.

For what its worth Chaos Space Marines have lots of walkers, and in 2 slots so you could conceivably field 6 walkers in a single battle-forged organization chart. If you are willing to pony up a few extra dollars, you could get the dataslate with helbrute formations and field a squad of 5, deepstrike 3, and/or give one cultist body armor.

I'm sure you could use the dreadnought model if you don't like the helbrute models.

PiszkosFred wrote:
At the start the army cost range should be around 750.

Secondly. I really like the Imperial Knight and the Dreadnought models. Also the wraith(something) mech like units. And tanks.

I don't know much (anything, really) about the eldars, so if playing only wraithstuff is fun/versitale/not op or up, I would also consider them.

Third. While the jumppack and tactical Space Marines are more than accaptable, I dont like the bikers and the terminator armours. And the vehicles here are just plain ugly.

Welcome! Get what you like - that's what 40k7 is all about!

You can take 1 Knight and 1 Dread to start your army. If you like tanks, consider a Space Marine Vindicator.

Eldar are a very different range, with very different rules. If you're starting out, try to keep things simpler so you don't get overwhelmed. You can always add them after you get used to playing Knight + Dread.

If you add some Assault Marine with Jump Packs and Tactical Marines, plus some sort of commander, and you'll have 750-1000 pts of stuff to play with at any given time. No need for Bikes or Terminators - don't like them, don't get them. Not sure which vehicles you don't like, but Knight + Dread(s) + Assault Marines + Tactical Marines is a perfectly acceptable army. Go for it!

I made up my mind on the SW CoF. I ordered some models already, but I have to ask something before going all dread. (while this is still my intention)
Is this gonna take out the fun for either me or my opponent? I know they can use a wide variety of weapons, so going up against a semi-well combined army may not be a problem. But fighting against just dreads might get boring(?)
Also, and I dont really know the rules yet, all units in my enemies' army would be able to hit/dmg/kill my dreads? I'm talking about Tau and BA here.

all dread armiees can be handled. There are always mismatches possible when you go extreme to one side, but nonetheless, I dont think a dread army is crazy or anything.

All-Dreads might be a bit boring, so I'd recommend you (eventually) add those other units: Imperial Knight Titan / Dreadknight; Assault Marines & Tactical Marines. Just a unit of each to spice things up a bit.

gruntl wrote:
Dreadnoughts are scoring unit (as almost all units in 7th ed. are), they can never be taken as troops though so can never have the Objective secured SR. But with the Champions of Fenris detachment (that Merellin talks about) you will not have that SR anyway.

No, you only have to have 1 HQ.

With a SW dreadnought army I suggest that you get a couple of drop pods as well (well, 1, 3 or 5, due to how drop pods work), that will let you deep strike your melee dreads (SW Venerable dreads with Axe and Shield are great). If you like the idea of Wolfrider Space marines, you could easily combine this idea with a unit of fast Thunder Wolf Cavalry and an Iron priest on a wolf mount that can go around and try to repair dreads.

Id say you have two solid options.

Option 1: SW dread heavy army with IK allies.

Option 2: Lyanden Eldar army. (Lyanden is a codex supplement for the Eldar). The Lyanden craft world was almost entirely killed off as I recall so to survive they use almost exclusively wraith troops. So your army would be mostly Wraith guard, blades, lords and knights.

I would advise against an all-knight force. I doubt you or your buddies will have a good time. You'll only get to play 1 or 2 models in your whole army and basically after you easily win a couple times your friends will learn how to kill the knights and you'll always lose, as your army has no flexibility. If you want an elite but tough force, look into Lyanden.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

PiszkosFred wrote:
I made up my mind on the SW CoF. I ordered some models already, but I have to ask something before going all dread. (while this is still my intention)
Is this gonna take out the fun for either me or my opponent? I know they can use a wide variety of weapons, so going up against a semi-well combined army may not be a problem. But fighting against just dreads might get boring(?)
Also, and I dont really know the rules yet, all units in my enemies' army would be able to hit/dmg/kill my dreads? I'm talking about Tau and BA here.

So, couple things with your dreads. 1) invest in some magnets. Dreadnoughts are one of the best models in the game for magnetizable arms, so you can have all the special weapons in the box and swap them out.

2) with any stacked (Just one type of model) you risk making what's sometimes called a "cheese build" where your chances to win depend more on your opponent not knowing what to expect than your being good at the game. It's like, some units are made to kill infantry, shooting lots of not very strong attacks, and some are made to kill tanks. A Dreadnought is like a tank. So if you face am opponent with a list ready to fight a mix of tanks and infantry then you'll have an advantage, but if your opponent knows you've got just dreads they'll show up with just tank killing weapons and you won't have a chance.

3) your major concern will be dealing with the fact that your list lacks a lot of fire. Dreadnoughts are sturdy, versatile, and can destroy things in close combat as well as at range-so compared to units that do only one thing, Dreadnoughts are worse at it. For instance Drwsdnoughts may take a weapon called a Lascannon, a strong one shot anti tank weapon. For the points cost of a Dreadnought though, I can take two Imperial Guard infantry squads, and give each of them a Lascannon of their own-the same weapon on your dreadnought, two for the price of one! The difference is though the imperial guard Lascannons are carried by weaker models who are bad at close combat. They are only good at shooting, so if the Dreadnought tried to fight them in a shooting contest, the Guards would easily win.

wow guys, this was helpful. I will take 3 dreads + 1 IK for my first game. (I will have those models by next week, i hope) after that I may invest in some wolf riders, maybe some infantry. I still dont have the SW codex+ supplement so im not sure should I get. thank you again for your replies.