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Hey, guys, I picked up Betrayal at Calth, as well as some sprues from a friend containing one more of all the combi-weapons, power weapons, chain weapons, and heavy weapons. I don't really have a preference for Codex, since I haven't bought any yet, but does anyone have some ideas for a list? It comes with a Captain in terminator with a pistol and chain fist, a Chaplain with Cronium and Plasma Pistol, 30 legion marines, 5 cataphracci termies, and 1 contemptor dreadnought.

What for 40k?

why not some red scorpions.

Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't specify that when I posted, wasn't thinking about how they're 30k models. Red Scorpions? I haven't looked at forge world guys.

Yeah IIRC they use a lot of mk4 armor.

other options is to kit bash them with chaos stuff for a emperors children or sons of horus kinda army.

or otherwise iirc as night lords as well.

I cant recall if there was a loyalist chapter that used a lot of mk4 off the top of my head.

How much more do you want to add to it?

How do you feel about drop pods vs. rhinos?

I’d suggest breaking up the 30 PA guys into tac/dev/assault squads.

10 man tac - HB/Plasma, c-plas
5 man tac - melta, c-melta
5 man tac - melta, c-melta
5 man dev (3 MLs, 4 if you get one from elsewhere)
5 man assault (2 flamers, power sword sarge)

(alternitively, take the 5 extra guys from the first squad and make them sternguard/command squad)

This gives you enough to make a battle demi-company, the cornerstone of a formation based SM list.

I don't like Rhinos for the sole reason that I think they're hideous, I don't plan to add much more right now, but any suggestions for the future would be welcome. I do love Dreadnoughts, though, if that helps.

My suggestion would be to look into drop pods. Basic marines in power armor are not as rugged as the fluff would have you believe. If you try to footslog your way across the table, you are going to get shot up badly. Transports are key. As you don’t like rhinos, that kinda restricts you to pods.

Any suggestions on chapter tactics? I would say Salamander, Iron Hands, or Ultramarines are the best for what I have?

Carcharodons are big fans of Mk IV and have the ability to take a unit of Assault Terminators as troops when you take Tyberus.

For codex only stuff I'd say an Assault oriented chapter like the White Scars or the Raven Guard would likely fit the look the best but Crimson Fists could be equally as fun since there are a few decent options for the Sons of Dorn.

For a basic BaC box, I’d probably go with Imperial Fists CT from the ones in the main codex.

You are relying mostly on MLs for long range AV. Tank hunter will help. You are also spamming a lot of bolters, so the drill will help.

Ultras and Iron Hands are also decent generic CTs.

What would you recommend on using the Cataphractii and the Contemptor? I'm just using BAC for a cheap army until I can afford/ have time to build and paint my planned army of BA. Paid 100 bucks for the BAC and got the extra weapons from a friend, couldn't pass it up.

Well, if you can get a hold of a handful of heavy guns to make a proper devestator team, and a few jump packs to make an assault squad-you can use that as a basis for a demi-company, and later expand further to a true strike force.

If you are not adverse to the idea, magnets are your friend. At least for the dread. I think doing the terminators is not viable.

If I had to glue an arm to the dread, it would be the assault cannon. It’s more generically useful. The MM only really works well drop podded in. For just wandering up the table, the AsC is better. And if you use it as an actual contemptor, the kheres is much better.

The terminators are a bit harder to work with. Are you counts-asing then as normal terminators, or using the rules from the Angels of Death book?

If normal, I think tactical terminators is probably your better bet. Assault terminators really want some TH/SS guys mixed in, to both hit harder and tank wounds. You don’t get those in the kit. So 5 guys, sarge with a SB/Power sword, one guy with the flamer/fist, probably one guy with a chainfist, and two basic sb/fist guys rounding out the squad.

Going with the rules from AoD opens up a lot more options. The big question, is what you want from them? I’d lean them towards close combat. While they don’t have a storm shield, 2+/4++ is a respectable save. I’d probably replace the two basic guys in the squad above with a pair of 2xLC guys. Sarge should get the grenade harness, and maybe swap his weapons around, that’s a hard choice.

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To refine BoomWolf’s post above: While jump packs on assault squads are generally a good idea, I’ve had reasonable success with them on foot as well. And by “of foot” I really mean getting out of a drop pod. So JPs are not mandatory for them. I would either magnetize, or just tack on their backpacks, for if/when you pick up some jump packs. They get a lot of work both on foot and in the air.

I think I'm going to build a stern hammer formation of IF, and build up from that.