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So for the first time ever I find myself with actual disposable income to play with. I've wanted to build and collect my own 40k army since I was twelve...so here goes! Even though I don't own a single model or lick of paint yet, I'm the sort of person who wants to know exactly where things are going, and make sure I don't "waste" any money on models that aren't going to make the final cut. I'm aiming at 2000 points for some reason. I've only ever played a couple of games using friends models. I've tried to keep up with lore and rules changes as the years have gone by but it hasn't been that easy so forgive me any mistakes I've made with list building. I'm not looking to win any tournaments and I'm not looking for the strongest list - what I really want is a fighting chance to win anytime I put my army on the table, against any opponent. Anyway, enough pointless chatter - on to the list!

Battalion Detachment 5CP, Chaos Space Marines, Alpha Legion

HQ:
2xSorcerer with jump pack. One of them has a combi bolter.

Troops:
28 cultists with brutal assault weapons.
2x10 cultists with autoguns.



Battalion Detachment 5CP, Chaos Space Marines, Alpha Legion

HQ:
1 Dark Apostle with Black Mace
1 Exalted Champion with the Blade of the Hydra (-1CP)

Troops:
27 cultists with brutal assault weapons.
2x10 cultists with autoguns.

Elites:
5 Terminators with combi-meltas and power axes



Vanguard Detachment 1CP, Renegades and Heretics

HQ:
Renegade Commander

Elites:
3x5 Marauder Squads (Stalkers) with 2 plasma guns each

Dedicated Transports:
3 Chimeras with 2 heavy bolters each

Heavy Support:
1 Leman Russ Punisher with heavy bolter
2 Leman Russ Battle Tanks with a lascannon each



Ok that's everything! The theme I'm going for is a small group of elite alpha legion (Termies and characters) infiltrating an Imperial World and inciting rebellion (cultists) and even hiring mercenaries (the renegade marauders in chimeras and Leman Russes).

I don't know how effective the cultists will be but they are one part of the army that I really don't want to change too much. For one thing a mass of relatively cheap models will provide excellent opportunity for me to practice both building and painting.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hey man, welome to your first 40k army!

Couple of thoughts. I would make your cultist blob 40 man to get the best out of tide of traitors. You could either run 2x 40 man blobs or just one.

If you're running alpha legion you also want to run them with autoguns rather than brutal assault weapons. The renegades and heretics stuff looks ok to me but I play more csm and daemons.

I would change your HQs a little. You don't need a jump pack on your sorcerers, also you should take one with Terminator armour to drop in with your termies.

Whatever you do, I would wait for the codex "update" with the new Vigilus Book. Rumours say that cultists willl not benefit from any strats anymore etc. So I'd wait a little before you fully commit

Thanks for the replies!

Good idea about the 40 man blob that definitely makes sense to maximise tide of traitors. Btw I read somewhere that this stratagem can only be used once per battle, is that true? It's a shame if it is.

I was planning to use the alpha stratagem to infiltrate the big blobs of cultists up in my opponents faces and then use their autopistols and charge. With the apostle/exalted champion they get rerolls of wounds/hits in fight phase and with psyker support too I figured they could do some real damage -is this just a pipe dream? Are they better off just rapid firing with autoguns rather than trying to melee it up with brutal assault weapons?

What is this vigilus book? Is it a new codex for CSM? or Heretics? Sorry for the ignorance! Still trying to get caught up with everything...

As a mostly R&H player i don't see the need for your marauders for having 3 chimeras and stalker.
Take heretek for mobile units instead.

The Vigilus book is a campaign update and also at the same time a update to the csm codex.

Shooting is better then melee due to the fact that the opponent can't fight back generally so autoguns are better.

Tide of traitors is one use only.

I see...so if I want to keep updated I'll have to buy this book in addition to the CSM codex?

Are chimeras not good then? Should I use some other transport for my marauders?

Thanks again for the help

KingFerret wrote:
I see...so if I want to keep updated I'll have to buy this book in addition to the CSM codex?

Are chimeras not good then? Should I use some other transport for my marauders?

Thanks again for the help

No but you won't get access to special stuff. So I would recommend it.


Chimeras are decent for your 08/15 match but not competitive. Basically in your average match they are good sturdy little things but there is no reason to throw "stalker" marauders in there. Because heretek will be better for that cqc situation.

The problem is that marauders don't need a metal box to be effective, stalker gives them a alltime on -1 to hit and 3+sv if in cover, they are a 6 ppm model, that ignores morale 5/6 times. They are the equivalent of light infantry that way.

You could consider making the R&H detachment a battlion with some of your cultists.
The R&H have a very abusable Enforcer who could keep your cultists from running away (if you aren't going for optimal Tide of Traitors build on them

Grim Squeaker wrote:
You could consider making the R&H detachment a battlion with some of your cultists.
The R&H have a very abusable Enforcer who could keep your cultists from running away (if you aren't going for optimal Tide of Traitors build on them

No, IF you really want to abuse the enforcer make them into mutants, because R&H cultists are even worse then their CSM counterpard due to random LD and more importantly capped at 30, instead of 40 models.