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Can you play any thing under 1000 points but above a kill team say 500 points here's my army[img]

Yes. There are no bounds on point limits. Theoretically, you could play a 30-point game. Or a 9,000,000 point game. Or a game that doesn't use points at all (see the rulebook)

 Verviedi wrote:
Yes. There are no bounds on point limits. Theoretically, you could play a 30-point game. Or a 9,000,000 point game. Or a game that doesn't use points at all (see the rulebook)

That is not completely true, every 40k army has a specific make up, so there will be a minimum cost. AOS doesn’t as far as i know, you can always implement house rules.

 Jehan-reznor wrote:

 Verviedi wrote:
Yes. There are no bounds on point limits. Theoretically, you could play a 30-point game. Or a 9,000,000 point game. Or a game that doesn't use points at all (see the rulebook)

That is not completely true, every 40k army has a specific make up, so there will be a minimum cost. AOS doesn’t as far as i know, you can always implement house rules.

Unbound. Okay that still has minimum point level for minimum sized unit but then again so does AOS.

 Jehan-reznor wrote:

 Verviedi wrote:
Yes. There are no bounds on point limits. Theoretically, you could play a 30-point game. Or a 9,000,000 point game. Or a game that doesn't use points at all (see the rulebook)

That is not completely true, every 40k army has a specific make up, so there will be a minimum cost. AOS doesn’t as far as i know, you can always implement house rules.

Given 40k army selection rules are actually only a recommendation*** you can technically play a game with as little as 1 of the cheapest models you can find.


***obviously it's a recommendation everyone follows, but still it's only a recommendation.

We play 500/750 points per player with 2 to 3 players per side regularly.
Sometimes it's cool and fun, sometimes people include powerhouses like a unit of Wulfen in it and it sucks.

So while playable, it's only fun with a like-minded opponent. The balance issues of 40k are way more obvious at this point level.

Obviously there is the Kill Team box that is based upon 200points a side.

I've played 750 points at a tournament and I found it very enjoyable. Some consideration might be needed for force organisation charts but if you get a table with plenty of terrain you will find it plays well.

GW used to have Combat Patrol rules for games of 400 points in earlier editions.
You can find a fan-made variant for 7th ed. here:

http://www.40kforums.com/vb/showthread.php/47384-Combat-Patrol-(400pts)-for-7th-Ed

You can play at any points value you like. Go for it, and have fun!

Personally, I'm a big fan of smaller games (about 500-1000 pts) – you can bang through them nice and quickly, and don't need a massive table.

The ork codex is fun to use at low point levels due to the wide variety of low cost build possible to them.
However most players I know of prefer to play larger games as their regular game size and see low point games as a fun variation. So you might not be able to play as many games as you perhaps would like to play if your local players are anything like the local players over here.

You cna, but I'd suggest a 4'x4' table instead of the usual 6'x4'.

You sure can! I also recommend checking out Kill Team, which is a 200-point match with a few different rules from the base game. In Kill Team, models don't stay in unit coherency, so each guy acts independently, making it a fun little skirmish battle.

I too shake with excitement with anything approaching orks, would it be possible to get some clearer pictures of your vehicles? From what I can make out they seem pretty awesome!

I kinda want to see what a game with unlimited points limits would look like.

But then I realized I've seen that.

It's called Apocalypse.

My local store has done that before, citing the fact that points limits are technically optional. It looks a lot like 40k.

Lower point games aren't so much harder to balance, it's just hard to adapt your thinking to a game where each unit has a higher value.

Yeah, you can take a 300 ponit unit, but when it receives focus fire, and dies, you lost nearly a third of your army.

Also for small games it makes sense to use Hammer & Anvil, so you don't get obliterated turn 1. There's more depth for you to work with, in the deployment zone.

6x1 is 6 square feet, and no matter how far back you go, you're in range of anything 36"+
4x2 is 8 square feet, and you can be out of range for most things under 48" before you get your first turn.

My recommendation - try checking out KillTeam Heralds of Ruin. It is essentially 40k game with 250 points limit and custom rules for smaller skirmishes.

As much as I love what the HoR team has done, its such SUCH a weighty rules set, that I would recommend either 500-1000 point normal matches, or 200 Kill Team mateys any day!

I don't want to hijack this thread, but is it possible to play killteam under 200 points or is that the standard? E.g. 50pts - 100points acceptable? Also outside of HoR, do you have to pick full units or can you pick X points worth of different models like AOS Regiments of Renown?

Back on topic yes 500 points is a good way to start an army. For me I pick units because I like the models, then I build a historic/fluff reason for it, after that I tally points up. I have never played more than 1000 points games because I like them quick, simple and above all fun.

If someone hasn't already mentioned it, GW even published an updated rule set for Kill Team which are only 200 point battles.

SG

Actually 500 point games are very possible. The get started boxes ship with a formation that can easily make it to 500 points.

For example, the Ultramarines box:

1x Venerable Dreadnought /w TWLLC + Heavy Flamer
1x Captain in Terminator Armour /w Sword + Storm Bolter (if you're not buying the get started box, just put a shield on him instead of a bolter, "shield eternal," and replace the sword with a Thunder hammer.
1x 10 man TAC Squad; 5 with sword+pistol; combat squad them and have the other 5 with boltguns + plasma gun & heavy of your choice. Put your captain with the melee and play it safe with the others using the dreadnought for cover.

The only thing you don't have in the get started box that you'd need would be:
1) a shield bit
2) a thunderhammer bit
3) any heavy weapon other than missile launcher

I'm sure you could find those lying around or trade for them easily.

Read your rulebook.

Orks are quite playable at really low points. If you're returning or new to the game, the local players will probably be more than happy to hammer our a small list to play with you. Also, as Marmatag pointed out, it can kind of shake up their thinking. I find it fun to find ways to make my army versatile. Walkers can actually be a threat at this low a point value.

There was an old set of rules for 400 point battles in the 4th edition codex which tried to limit the amount of unbalance in lower points games. Much of it is now incooporated into homebrew killteam rules. It included things like:

No 2+ saves
No models with >2 wounds
No vehicles with >33 total armour (front, rear and 1 side)
No psykers
No MCs

These go a long way to curb the excess that might otherwise occur (think 2 Riptides at 400 points) but certainly punish some armies harder than others (Imperial Knights, Grey Knights etc).

As others have said though, most of the enjoyment from small games comes from like minded players with similar goals and enjoyment. Sure, it's possible to make broken combos at low points, but who really wins or gains anything from that?

You can play the game at any points level you like. Due to time constraints we quite often play at 500 to 650 points in our works league.
Interestingly I find that IG and Orks are far more powerful in lower points games.
Play the way you and your opponents want to play, have fun

Kill Team and Combat Patrol are small formats using 40k rules.
We usually play at 1000 points, to get a game done in the 4 hours we get at the club. Set-up and pack-up takes time, too.

c. 500 pt games are quick and fun, and a good way to teach new players.

I usually give them a couple of tac squads in rhinos and a captain, and field some nids against it (walking tyrant, warriors, some gaunts and gants, maybe some genestealers).

skip the psychic phase, mysterious objectives, night fighting, etc. and play maelstrom (it's fun).

Yeah just run a CAD you can get under 500 easy.

You can but if you wanted to have any fun you'd have to cap it. Having played in the GW school league, a 600pt warhammer 40 tournement where eveyone tries to bring as much cheese as they can in 600pts, there has to be some restrictions.

I'd probably say no summoning, no fliers, not AV 14 on more than 1 side, no Lords of war and arguably no unique characters. Enforce 1 HQ and 1 troop but don't enforce CAD 2 troops, because 2 troops and a HQ leaves very little choice for exciting things.

Sure its possible.
Just make sure that your opponents are on the same page. Show each other your lists and discuss what is too powerful. This is always important in 40k, but especially so at the small points level.
As a bare recommendation - For under a thousand points, stick to an allied detachment, no LOW/Superheavies/etc.
For kill team... the GW rules again don't work without agreement between players. Make people stick to >50% infantry models is a good start.