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Hey all, so I finally took the 30k plunge as I've found a great deal on some 30k Admech. I know games at my area are normally played at around 3000 points so I'd like to make a list at that level.

I was thinking Ordo Reductor as I've picked up:

-Tech-priest on Abeyant
-2 squads of 3 Thallax with the Lightning Guns
-3 Domitar
-Krios tank with Lightning Cannon
-The Transport, i think it's the Triaros
-Ullator

I think that's about 2k in points there, I've also got a bit of 40k admech I could probably use?

Any help making a functioning Ordo Reductor list based off those models would be greatly appreciated, thank you

The 40k AdMech has very little overlap; you can use the Tech-Priests and Skitarii Vanguard (as Secutarii with rad-carbines), but I think that's it.

Bare minimum that selection of models is 1205pts (plus the Ordinatus, which is 1,025pts so you need to be playing a 4,100pt game before you can actually use it), you might get to 1,500pts with upgrades but there aren't that many you can take on those models. You're a bit short of anti-armour as is, Domitars can punch vehicles down if they make it into combat but none of your guns are better than S7. I'd suggest working in a Magos Dominus (for a redundant cortex controller, support for the Domitars, and an extra anti-tank gun) and more Thallax/some Thallax special weapons to bring it up to 2k.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
The 40k AdMech has very little overlap; you can use the Tech-Priests and Skitarii Vanguard (as Secutarii with rad-carbines), but I think that's it.

Bare minimum that selection of models is 1205pts (plus the Ordinatus, which is 1,025pts so you need to be playing a 4,100pt game before you can actually use it), you might get to 1,500pts with upgrades but there aren't that many you can take on those models. You're a bit short of anti-armour as is, Domitars can punch vehicles down if they make it into combat but none of your guns are better than S7. I'd suggest working in a Magos Dominus (for a redundant cortex controller, support for the Domitars, and an extra anti-tank gun) and more Thallax/some Thallax special weapons to bring it up to 2k.

Thanks for that. forgot about the 1/4pt rule. I've got plenty of characters to use and using the Skitarii as Secutarii will also work.

What unit would you recommend adding in for more Anti-Tank? And what special weapons will work best for the Thallax?

You could run a Leviathan detachment with the Ulator, but that aside (because it's kinda mean):

For the Thallax if you go Reductor, adding chainblades, ferrox, and meltabombs will give you some good CC punch as well as anti-tank.

Ordo Reductor Artillery Tank Battery also has some of the best artillery in the game, since their medusae have phosphex while retaining the ability to fire normal shells (unlike the SM list that has to replace the normal shells with phosphex and cannot choose both).

Other good sources of anti-tank are an Ordinator with a photon thruster (lance + armorbane is great), the Krios Venator (4 Ordnance lascannons on a fast platform that can flank the enemy) and multimelta thallax. One unit of them will make your meta start bringing Armored Ceramite, but that's a huge chunk of points and the multimelta can still pick on thinly-armored vehicles like Rhinos, predators, basically anything not AV-14, especially with the Destructor augment. Plus, the short range synergizes well with deep-strike (since jet pack troopers are relentless, the MM can be fired after deepstriking/on the move), and the Thallax can fire and then leap out of danger with their jetpack move.

Alright so I bumped the list size up to 4100, because if I take out the Ulator, Psyarkana, and a few upgrades its exactly 3000pts

Crusade List:

---HQ--- 505pts
-Magos Reductor
--Archmagos Reductor
--Djinn-Skein
--Machinator Array
--Photon Thruster
--Abeyant
--Augury Scanner
--Cortex Controller
--Cyber-Familiar
--Lucifex
--Photon Gauntlet

-Magos Prime
--Ordinator
--Cortex Controller
--Cyber Familiar
--Photon Thruster
--Corposant Staff
--Lucifex

---Troops---1325pts
-Castellax Maniple (x3)
--3x Castellax
--3x Darkfire Cannon, 3x Shock Chargers, 6x Bolters
--Enhanced Targeting Arrays

-Secutarii Peltast Phalanx (x20)
--10 Radium Carbine
--9 Galvanic Caster with Kinetic Hammer shot
--Alpha: Galvanic Caster, Volkite Serpentia, Augury Scanner, Omnispex, Refractor Field, Shatersphere Grenade
-----Triaros Armoured Conveyor
------Blessed Autosimulacra, Extra Armour, Psyarkana: Armatus Necrotechnica

-Thallax Squad (x3)
--Multi Melta
--Melta Bombs
--3 Heavy Chainblades
--Ferrox

-Thallax Squad (x3)
--Multi Melta
--Melta Bombs
--3 Heavy Chainblades
--Ferrox

---Elite--- 555pts
-Domitar Maniple (x3)
--Flak Missiles
--Frag Missiles

---Heavy Supports--- 640pts
-Krios Battle Tank
--Anbaric Claw
--Extra Armour
--2x Volkite Sentinels

-Ordo Reductor Artillery Battery (x3)
--Medusa Siege Cannons
--3x Machine Spirit
--3x Siege Plating

---Lord of War--- 1075pts
-Ordinatus Ullator

Is this a viable list? I think the only thing it lacks is bdies, but do the Automata make up for that? Again thanks for the help

I think it's viable, certainly. As with anything 30k, actually playing matters more than lists typically.

Thank you for the help, hopefully I'll have it all painted and on the table in a couple weeks.

If I decide to expand, are there certain units I should avoid? Like ones that are either too powerful or too weak?

 Kharne the Befriender wrote:
...If I decide to expand, are there certain units I should avoid? Like ones that are either too powerful or too weak?

I don't think anything in the Mechanicum is bad. As to units to avoid once you get towards the 4,000pt end anything goes, but people tend to be annoyed at lower points by haywire-spam (drill-riding Hoplites, grav-Myrmidons, Vultarax) since they glance out heavy armour too easily, and cover-ignoring/reducing low-AP templates and phosphex (Knight-Acheron, Thanatar, phosphex Medusae) since they make it effectively impossible to play a non-mechanized army. Both are manageable in small quantities but can be problematic if you take a lot of them.

Also be careful of Scoria. He's specifically built to kill Primarchs, and should be treated like a Primarch (check with your opponent before using him, and avoid taking him in small games unless you really want to do Primarch v. Primarch matches), despite being a 275pt HQ choice.

And be careful of trying Legio Cybernetica in small games. A Legion force has to be pretty aggressively tailored to fight six Castellax at a thousand points.

The only error i can see is the Thallax can't take upgrades to the lightning gun while using a Ferrox augment.
Other wise you're all good.

The only objectively 'bad' choice in the Mechanicum book is the Arvus Orbital Shuttle but people love seeing them fielded them anyway.
The standard Krios battle tank maybe?
I know Scyllax can be very situational but not 'bad' by any stretch.

Missed the Ferrox bit, gives me more room for upgrades then.

I appreciate the advice you two, thanks for the help

I just wanted to pitch a Thallax loadout to you a sec

The sweep-and-clear squad; a photon thruster three 'borg squad to plonk front and centre using the 24" radius bubble of "no infiltrators" to keep your DZ clear.

I pretty much start every Ordo Reductor army list with that unit!

Oh that does sound enticing

I think the Photon Thruster likes the Destructor augment so much that I try to field one larger squad to schlepp them into and out of LOS, and use either plasma/no augments or Ferrox for the 3-model perimeter teams.

I second the photon thruster thallax. I’ve got a saggitar and it frightens people at 2500, at 4000 people will have something to deal with an ordinatus. Vultuax are also good AA. I like myrmadon destructors with photon thrusters for anti-terminator work and people don’t pay as much attention to them as a Thanatar.