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I'm building a Scion army out of mostly start collecting boxes (4) and I'd like some feedback on how it looks and if it functions half decently. I'll post my strategy with it after. Just remember, the goal is to basically have an army from the SC boxes.


Battalion detachment ( +3 CP)

HQ - 90
( 45 ) Tempestor Prime - chainsword, tempestus command rod
( 45 ) Tempestor Prime - chainsword, tempestus command rod

troops - 210
( 62 ) Tempestus Scions - x5 - 2 hotshot volley guns
( 74 ) Tempestus Scions - x5 - 2 plasma guns
( 74 ) Tempestus Scions - x5 - 2 plasma guns

Elite - 278
( 88 ) Tempestus Command Squad - x4 - 4 plasma guns
( 64 ) Tempestus Command Squad - x4 - 4 hot shot volley guns
( 126 ) Bullgryns - x3 - shield + club

Dedicated Transport - 422
( 116 ) Taurox Prime - storm bolter, 2 hot shot volley guns, taurox gatling cannon
( 116 ) Taurox Prime - storm bolter, 2 hot shot volley guns, taurox gatling cannon
( 116 ) Taurox Prime - storm bolter, 2 hot shot volley guns, taurox gatling cannon
( 74 ) Taurox - 2 autocannons

total - 1000

I would like to have more plasma guns, but I think I have the max that comes with 4 boxes (2 per). I'm planning on dropping the volley guns in some centrally located terrain and shoot stuff, while the other stuff will jump in or drive in the tauroxes. The goal with the tauroxes is mostly just lots of dice throwing and hoping for the best. The plasma command squad and the two regular squads will hopefully take out some tougher stuff. Given the limitations I'm setting on myself, this looks pretty solid for scions.

The odd duck here is the Bullgryns. I love the big oafs, I really do. Take three of them with a shield and a club, throw them in the taurox, and just beeline straight for the nearest thing they can smash. These guys provide a little close combat support and offer up a nice target so my primes and jumping scions don't take all the heat. The big question for these guys is what shield do I take with them? +2 armour sounds grea, but 4+ invulnerable would help against a lot of things too. really, this is the only unit that doesn't require the start collecting scion box set and is just me taking something I really like. I'm hoping they're half decent, but I want them either way, really.

Does this seem like a reasonable 1000 points? I will be getting Eisenhorn when he comes out and I'm hoping to make a stormtrooper army for him and this is the base for it. What other inquisition units could I throw in as the army grows? assassins, maybe? Thoughts?

The biggest issue you're going to come across when running pure-Scions is durability. I've been running pure-Scions for several months and have learned the hard way. The deep-striking Plasma/Melta command squads just aren't worth it. They're great when included as a suicide throw away to a main Guard or Marine force, but when running pure Scions, it is way too many points to invest in four dudes that are T3 with a 4+ save. They'll often not kill their target or get screened out and then die. You really can't afford to lose 100 points so easily. It's better to run multiple 5-man teams with 2 special weapons to spread your threats out. Lately I've been mixing the special weapons (1 Plasma, 1 Volley). Again, it just diversifies your threats and doesn't concentrate too many points in a single unit

Bullgryns are fantastic add-ons to Scions. They bring much needed durability and assault. I think they're better than Terminators this edition or at least equivalent. I would mix the shields. One Brute and two Slab works well.

You need some long range high strength shooting. I would put Autocannons on those Tauroxes. I would also run a mix of Missile Launcher and Gatling load-outs. In my experience, the Missile Launcher version usually performs better, but that could just be my local meta. They're both good and compliment each other nicely.

I hope this helps.

durability is definitely an issue I've been considering. They're T3 4+ saves and I don't really have a lot of guys for the points. I figured the plasma command squad would more or less suicide into something big that needs to die asap (probably dropping the prime nearby to give them rerolls for 1s to prevent overheating) because I'm worried that I just don't have the alpha strike potential to deal with some bigger baddies. A land raider would ruin my day, for example.

i'm glad you think the bullgrns are a solid choice because i love the models. It will certainly give people something to think about, especially when you consider it close combat power in an AM army.

While I was planning on dropping the plasma squad in to alpha something, the volley guns were just going to drop somewhere that would give them some cover and a good line of sight to stuff and hopefully just sit there shooting the whole game. Deep striking in other squads would hopefully put pressure down so they aren't considered a priority target. They're not really a heavy hitter except on things like guardsmen or similar and kind of space marines.

Taurox primes are pretty fast with 14" move, so I was thinking charging forward would give them a lot of threat area (38") and with the sheer number of shots I should be able to down stuff. The question, I guess, is should I use 3 of them? If I want autocannons, I'll have to find points for them somewhere, but 90 S4 shots at 24" range is an awful lot.

I'm definitely thinking about changing out the command squads. 2 more squads with plasma instead of 4 all in one would keep my plasma on the table longer. I do want to keep the volley gun squad because I just like it.

Thanks for the input! Lots to think about now.

edit - i have messed around a bit with battlescribe and I think I found a list that is a reasonable replacement for the one in the OP. Check it out.



a few more bodies this way, though I lose my all volley gun squad, but it'll be harder to take all my weapons out in one go.

On paper the Plasma Command Squad should be able to put down everything, but the targets you're typically going after are high wound high toughness single models that you wound on 3. To boot, these targets usually have an invulnerable save. From my experience, the Plasma Command Squad just does't get the job done.

Taurox Primes are fast, but if you move you're -1 to hit. Now only 50% are hitting. Now you're wounding most things on 3 or 4. Another 30-50% do not get through. Volley Guns might knick a dude or two, but the Gatling and Storm Bolter have no damage modifier. Not a problem against Conscripts, Cultists or Termagants, but anything with an armour save will ruin your day. These numbers only assume you're shooting at infantry. If you're up against vehicles, your Gatling Roxes do nothing. Next, they only have a 24" range, which gets you in position for a next turn charge with lots of strategems that are out there or a hard hitting shooting salvo from your opponent's entire army. The Missile Launcher, on the other hand, can sit back at 48" firing frag or krak. It can hurt vehicles or infantry and is much harder to touch. It also doesn't need to move, so you're hitting on 3s.Anyway, a mix of Gatling and Missile is crucial in my opinion.

Hey I just wanted to add that if I was facing this, I would gamble and try to kill 3-4 in each squad to try and efficiently use the morale rules.

Not sure how you can stop that apart fromcommissars but getting the commissars to the deep strikers is a different story