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Trying to come up with a 2000 point allcommers list in SW I am a bit stumped when it comes to troops.

Space Wolves Grey Hunters and Blood Claws are far superior to the regular tactical squad IMHO. However, all of these troops eat up such a big point in the armylist!Is it better to skimp on trooops and just take small intergressor squads? A small 5 man unit with grenade launcher for 105 comes to mind.

If a list has tactical marines (or grey hunters, blood claws) then a transports needs to enter the picture. Drop pod, Rhino razorback. Such a unit with transport easaly eats up around 300 points. The problem I see with that is that the points are much better used elsewhere. Terminators, bikes of all stripes, long range support etc. all seem much better. Is this just me? Also, if you ever run unto a 2 wound weapon (plasma comes to mind) then they will just be eating up your power armoured marines like a slot machine in las vegas eats coins!


What is your advice for troops? Running a small minimum number, or have bigger squads for them?

Well it depends on the job you want them to accomplish. If they are a sit back on your own line and hold objectives type unit intercessors (or heavy once they show up) would probably be the best answer. If they are to move up and grab a midfield objective I like grey hunters because you get access to a lot of plasma options. If the unit is for making an assault then blood claws work really well in a drop pod with a chaplain. This can be a lot of points but it also can be valuable if your taking line breaker (thats 3 units from 1 drop pod to help get it) or engage on all fronts (no one likes having to go deal with an empty drop pod that isn't doing anything but give you vp).

Personally my all comers list takes a drop pod with 8 blood claws, a wolf priest (chaplain), and Lucas the trickster. Its an investment but the fact it can drop t1 makes my opponent have to screen their back field from start of t1 instead of not having to worry about it until t2. They also make a good support unit if a flank looks like its going to get overwhelmed after deployment and you need backup. I also take a few squads of grey hunters, squads of 6 (wgbl with combi plasma, gh w/ plasma, all with chain swords) as mid field objective holders and 2 intercessor squads with stalker bolt rifles for back field holding. I use cyberwolves to help screen my back field (yea they die very easily but I put them behind obscuring terrain and they are just there to put a bubble of no deep strike, for 15pts they do their job well enough to make it worth mentioning) so they don't ever get targeted except by guard players who waste mortar shots on them which I also find funny.

9th is a game of movement and objective holding at this point. For this reason I like our troop options, we have some good objective secured choices to pick from. Yes the other toys are cool too but in the end terminators can't hold an objective as well as grey hunters. Terms are better used moving up the field to kill something off an objective for someone else to hold.

Well thank you for a long and thorough awnser. It gave me a lot to chew on.

Perhaps I am starting listbuilding in the wrong end. I am raking all the cool toys I want and then go 'Crap, I need some troops ad well.' The way you sugest it is starting with troops and then build around them, or at least keep them in mind when building the list.

By the time I take the units I want (Thunder Wolf lord, thunder wolf cavalery, bjorn, wulfen dreadnought, redemtor dreadnought) I am thinking 'they need some long tange support so I can get inisiative in the fight. And then there are now points left except for token interscessor troops.

Mind you the last time I played SW was in 5th edition. Without long range support you could not dictate the battle. Long range weapons or fast engages means that you can force the opponent to have to respond to you. Back then Long Fangs was the only viable cheap long range support. My instinct tells me to get those, but I have no proof to back up that instinct. In fact eradicators or attack bikes are probably better. Heck, even attack bikes in a bike squadron can be good. In combat for us.

I am rabling on here. Having a hard time to nail down any commitment to any list so far.

The cyber wolf screenings are a great catch. Real good for 15 points if you are not using the fast attack slots!

yeah def start around troops. I mean marine troops now are GREAT. as a SW plkayer IMHO grey hunters and intercessors are both worth talking about, grey hunters have chainswords which means they get 2 AP -1 attacks now, so they will outperform intercessors in melee, intercessors generally outperform your grey hunters in shooting. so for a SW player I'd decide if you wanted to have better shooting or better melee. (I'd lean towards better shooting myself, but it's very much a CHOICE)

honestly, all the stuff you had in 5th edition'll proably work just fine right now.

I'd hold off any new PURCHASES until the supplement arrives in about a week