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Here is my very beginner Astra Militarum list

let me know if you see any fatal flaws right off the back

constructive criticism welcome



+++ Astra Militarum -starter 850 (850pts) +++

++ Astra Militarum: Codex (2014) (Combined Arms Detachment) ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Ministorum Priest

+ HQ +

Company Command Squad [Flak Armour, 4x Veteran w/ Lasgun]
····Company Commander [Close Combat Weapon, Flak Armour, Laspistol, Orders]

+ Troops +

Infantry Platoon
····Conscripts [20x Conscript]
····Infantry Squad [9x Guardsman]
········Sergeant [Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol]
····Infantry Squad [9x Guardsman]
········Sergeant [Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol]
····Platoon Command Squad [4x Guardsman w/ Lasgun]
········Platoon Commander [Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol, Orders]

Veterans [Flak Armour for Squad, 5x Veteran w/ Lasgun, 2x Veteran w/ Plasma Gun]
····Chimera [Heavy Bolter, Multi-laser]
····Veteran Lascannon Team [Lasgun]
····Veteran Sergeant [Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol]

+ Fast Attack +

Scout Sentinel Squadron
····Scout Sentinel [Autocannon, Hunter-killer Missile]
····Scout Sentinel [Autocannon, Hunter-killer Missile]

Vendetta Squadron
····Vendetta [2x Twin-linked Lascannons]

+ Heavy Support +

Wyvern Battery
····Wyvern [Heavy Bolter]

Wyvern Battery
····Wyvern [Heavy Bolter]

Created with BattleScribe (http://www.battlescribe.net)

Looks good to me as a starting point

It's not a bad starting list, but I have a few general recommendations:

If your going to take a infantry platoon its best to take everything it offers HWTs (autocannons are best), special weapon teams, multiple infantry squads and conscripts. If down the road you build a larger army off the current list you have you can do that. That uses all the platoon has to offer, generally otherwise people take mechanized veterans only. So Platoons aren't as good in lower point armies.

your infantry platoon is small so the conscripts aren't that effective of a meat shield because they're not protecting much, you could run 3 infantry squads with a flamer each instead of the conscripts. You should try and use that one special weapon for each infantry squad because it can help, the best is the flamer the grenade launcher just isn't really worth it. If you plan to run the infantry squads as a blob any one charging it could take up to 5 flamer (if 5 squads) overwatch attacks... so yay flamers!

The veterans in the chimera are a bit awkward having shorter range plasma guns and a lasgcannon they have to lug around. Your also limited on the number of veterans that can fire out of the top hatch of the chimera, i believe its 2 but I'm unsure. So that kind of leaves either the plasma guns a bit pointless or the lascannon since only i believe one can shoot out. Also when they dismount if the lascannon fires they cannot move and get the plasma guns in range. You could split up the plasma guns and give them to the veterans and give the lascannon to your company command squad to give the veterans high mobility and better efficiency, then the lascannon is still firing at BS4.

The HQ could use a chimera otherwise its not hard to kill them off to get that one point, but at 850 points its hard to give them one.

If you haven't gotten models yet or need more the Cadian defense force is 23% cheaper than per-model purchases, so thats always a good way to go and gives you what you need in your list except the leman russ.

thanks for the input,

my thoughts behind the small platoon was basically this:

20 conscripts to help wrap the wyverns, maybe help buffer a back corner against outflankers - priest with conscripts

the other 2 squads and platoon command to either help fight weak infantry if there are any (hopefully wyverns can destroy them), or take nearby objectives

basically its entire purpose is to give me units to take objectives, to really max it out as you're suggesting at this point level seems like i'd need to skim the vendetta and maybe a wyvern, and from everything i've read, wyverns cant be beat point wise investment for infantry killing, and the vendettas seem needed to me for mobility and heavy hitting power in this small list.

i am new to Astra militarum though, so please dont take this as i dont want your opinions, i just wanted to say what my reasoning was, and do you agree or would you think dropping the vendetta and wyvern worth more blob and heavy weapons teams?

Yea your plans for the platoon make sense and can work, you can't really build a full platoon in a 850 point list as I noted so a platoon in smaller point games aren't as good. The conscripts would be good to wrap around the wyverns or use against flanking units, but they're not best used as back field units, but at 850 points not a bad idea. They're most common use is a meat shield for an advancing platoon or around leman russes to prevent close combat.

The problem with breaking up the infantry squads is you lose the bonus of the blob, and they're not very mobile. They have a 5+ armor save so they're dead against bolters and many other weapons, so they need cover, but if your running them out in the open to grab an objective they're very exposed. That's why generally grenadier veterans or mechanized veterans are better for objective grabbing. While platoon infantry squads are better in a blob behind conscripts or a gun line behind a aegis defense line.

Your list isn't bad at all and I didn't mean for you to drop almost everything and take a full platoon lol... but generally platoons are at they're strongest full, so they're better in larger point armies. To really get the most out of a platoon is to use orders as often as possible on as many units as possible and to keep them in cover. Just keep in mind a single infantry squad is not very reliable on their own to hold an objective. So generally that's why mechanized veterans are better in smaller point armies where you cant have a big platoon.

The vendetta and wyverns are good choices for good anti armor and anti infantry. The veterans squad i would recommend not taking a lascannon because it just kills their mobility and only so much can fire out of the chimera, you could give it to the company command squad since it has great range. If your planning on using your infantry squads to hold objectives, they really need cover and a flamer can really help against close combat and infantry especially while they're in the cover.

cool, i'll look at droping or moving the lascannon, that makes sense to not have to stop

and the flamers make sense, maybe i can find a way to squeeze a couple in, would make dealing with CC a little easier