So I just ran out of steam on my Astra Militarum force. My Guard are as Guard as I need them to be. They die well for the Emperor; now it's time to work on something else.
Dakka, I find myself torn.
I cannot decide what to work on next, but I know what qualities I am looking for. I want an army with an interesting/odd/questionably canon backstory, one with lots of conversion opportunities and one that can be fielded alongside my Guardsmen (even if the guard are wearing their "cultist" hats that day). These are the ideas I've come up with so far:
Gretchin Revolutionary Committee
Idea: Rebel grot army of fanatics
amp'ed upped on a special serum and the idea of freedom.
Pros: By far the most amusing option.
Cons: Best represented by "counts as" Astra Militarum (my best guess is Valhallans) and I'm starting this project because I'm all guarded out.
Squat Heavy Infantry
Idea: Exo-suit based force of Space Dwarf bad-asses.
Pros: Allows me to field a very different take on a "space marine" army. Starting with Kharadron Overlords.
Cons: Limited model selection that actually works well with Squat theme.
Sons of Malice/Null Knights
Idea: Heresy Era gear, chaos-ed up with added horned helmets, worshiping a chaos god that probably isn't canon.
Pros: Fun conversions and horrifying to the point of silliness fluff.
Cons: Expensive conversions and limited unit selections (chaos (un)divided only), which cuts out some of the best Chaos options.
Chaos Renegade Misfits
Idea: A undivided warband of Chaos Space Marines whose only unifying theme is that each squad is radically themed.
Pros: Endless conversion options.
Cons: Least interesting backstory; kind of just another Chaos force.
So what do you think? Do any of those stand out as particularly awesome? Is there another army I should be building?
Help me Dakka! You're my only hope!