Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey all, I've been trying to get into the hobby for awhile now and have recently started really making an effort to start in earnest. I've been around wargames for years but have never played much and have never played 40k. After going through the rules, reading the AM Codex and getting some ideas here or there I have a pretty solid idea of what I want to do for my first 500 points. I'm not necessarily trying to make a completely min/maxed army here, just would like to know if it's something that isn't complete trash and that I can build off of while I get familiar with the game.
One thing going in that I've been kind of unsure about it whether Vox Casters are worth it for my regular infantry squads. I've heard people say they aren't but I figured it could benefit since I'm mostly taking infantry. Anyway, here's the list:

Battalion Detachment, +3CP Astra Militarum. 26PL 499pts
HQ
Company Commander
Tempestor Prime

Troops
Infantry Squad - 10 Guardsmen - Vox-Caster, Flamer, Lascannon
Infantry Squad - 10 Guardsmen - Vox-Caster, Flamer, Lascannon
Infantry Squad - 10 Guardsmen - Vox-Caster, Flamer, Lascannon
Militarum Tempestus Scions - 5 Units - 2xPlasma guns

Fast Attack
Hellhound - Inferno Cannon, Heavy Bolter, Heavy Stubber

Heavy Support
Heavy Weapons Squad - 3x Mortar teams

I'd appreciate your feedback!

It's just that you're not usually that separated to need a vox caster and if you are, it's often a larger game where you'll likely have multiple commanders anyway.

I don't think the scions help all that much. Have you considered regiment, warlord trait and relics? For a twist of yours could try

2 Company commanders 60
Platoon commander 20
Special weapons team 3 plasmaguns 45
3 Infantry squads, Lascannon, plasmagun 201
1 infantry squad 40
Hellhound, inferno cannon, heavy bolter 101
HWT mortars 33
500

Cadian, Grand strategist on a commander and dagger of tu'sakh on the platoon commander. Stationary cadian lascannons are pretty accurate. You could run flamers instead of plasmaguns but I figure your hellhound has fire duty covered already. Replacing the scions with the SWT plasmaguns you can get a similar effectiveness with the dagger. Reserve them and the platoon commander in deployment then pop up in the backfield. Not quite as flexible as scions but a lot cheaper and I'd say more deadly as theyve 3 plasmaguns, plus with cadian regiment they nearly hit as well as the scions under orders.

Ah that makes sense. I'll admit, I wasn't thinking too much about relics so that was quite a glaring oversight on my part. I am a sucker for Scions but if dropping them can get me another squad with which to drown the enemy in then it seems worth it, maybe I can find a place for them after I start growing my army further. Thanks for your insight!

I’m not convinced that dropping the Scions makes sense though. In a 500 point match those plasma guns will cut down a 200 point elite squad pretty fast and the alpha strike forces opponent to think much harder about their deployment. The hellhound is what feels out of place to me. Advancing by itself it will just die and more infantry squads with some flamers (or whatever) would seem a better value to me.

I dont think the scions would pull that much, a likely outcome is they drop and kill 2-3 space marines between them, and then get wiped by the remainder of the squad next turn. You need a certain number of them to be able to come in together and wipe out a target in a turn, least the retaliation does more than your first attack.
The hellhound is a bit out but not terrible, you'd likely hold it back rather than advance it solo. But you could drop it to get 2 more infantry squads with flamers and add a third flamer to the bare infantry squad for the same points. Would likely be a bit better.