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Of my three armies (Cadians, Sisters of Battle and Drukhari), I especially enjoy playing Drukhari. No static battleline or taking potshots from cover—you zip around in hovering transports and keep your opponent on their back foot by swiftly applying pressure wherever you see weakness. Even when I lose, I'm always having a blast when I'm playing Drukhari.

Orks and knights.

I don't think I haver ever met a SoB player unhappy about their army. But I have only the expiriance of 8th and 9th, so it is only 4 years. And it is based on the expiriance of 2 stores and polish forums, with some store events sprinkled in.

I've had two armies in 8th/9th, my Orks and my AdMech with Knights. My orks are a hold-over from my teenage years and I haven't really felt a strong sense of theme with them. It's harder for me to get excited for them. That affects the gameplay because I can't settle in and learn to play a good list.

My AdMech and Knights, however, are all theme. I started with the idea of replicating the depiction of Skitarii in the novel Titanicus (my favourite). That let me focus in on learning to maximize particular units, and build a coherent army around that. They've since taken on a life of their own, with their own lore, and the army's gone undefeated at my local league. In terms of play, the army is heinously fast and demands decisive use of temporary buffs and distance management. If everything goes well, my opponents feel like they never had a chance.

Now I'm finishing up a thousand points of Iyanden Eldar. I haven't played any games with them yet, but they're going to be my army for a new 2 month league. I'm not worried about it because no matter how they play, they look good and have an identity I enjoy.

Heafstaag wrote:
Orks and knights.

Interesting. I'd always assumed Knights were boring to play, since your turns are very short due to your extremely low model count. What do you find interesting about playing them?

Based on 7th because 8th and 9th have been dreadfully dull to play regardless of win/losing.

I enjoy the playing my Tau the most regardless of the list due to how I enjoy playing a combined arms style army. I tended to field a lot of Fire Warriors supported with Pathfinders, Marker Drones, Broadsides, and sometimes a Hammerhead while I also use Crisis Suits to be my precision strike force to drop in and either shred high value targets using Plasma/CIBs or take out valuable vehicles with Fusion Blasters. Basically I love having stuff like Markerlights being used to support other unit's shooting and the risk/reward nature of deep striking Crisis Suits doing into the thick of it. I also enjoyed utilizing my Fire Warriors to not only control ground and shoot the enemy but to position them to protect each other and soak charges to protect the rest of the force. Having the Tau playing in such a way where they are willing to sacrifice themselves if needed to achieve success fits the Tau theme of selfless devotion to their cause.

Orks didn't give me as much joy when playing random lists but I did enjoy certain lists a lot. In particular my "BlitzWaaagh" list is probably my favorite list in all of 40k which was 5 Battlewagons (formation that gave them scout), 3 Dakkajets, 2 units of Slugga Boyz, Tank Bustas, MANz, and a full unit of Flash Gitz. All of this lead by a Mega Armored Warboss with his lucky OP rerolls stick. Basically the nature of the list is that an AV 14 wall is presented to the enemy as the Bwagons can use their scout move to shift away from major threats as needed and make the enemy shooting very ineffective turn 1 while the Killkannons (on 3 of the wagons) plus the shooting elements in the army can plink away on turn 1. Turn 2 is when the WAAAGH gets popped and most stuff unloads to rush in. Jets fly in to dakka down backfield and flyer threats while the front lines are assaulted. I usually get my Gitz Wagon fortified in some mid field ruins to turn it into a heavy armor battle bunker which makes for a surprisingly difficult to shift shooting threat (Gitz who can RNG 50% of the time just melt MEQs usually catches the opponent off guard the first time they delete a unit and then put the fear of Gork into them for the rest of the game).

If my Wagons don't get horribly destroyed before they unload then the game gets really crazy with Ork units being mostly able to rest the enemy lines and target priority becomes a lot more difficult to determine for the enemy. The Killkannons are often overlooked in how destructive those AP3 pie plates can be. Granted there are some armies that can just completely roll the army (Str D in regular 40k was a mistake) but a lot of armies at the time tends to not have a lot of good answers to AV14 as it wasn't a meta thing to need to snipe AV14 at range but instead to get up close with Melta Guns (which tended to happen moreso around turn 2-3). The ability to negate a lot of the higher volume of fire weapons and anti infantry guns on turn one meant that a good chunk of my melee force could actually close the distance enough to get chopping. Dakkajets are fragile but when the front lines are being swamped with melee threats and the jets got a round of shooting against backfield targets then it was often the case that the enemy anti air was diminished enough to allow the jets to remain a threat to some degree or draw enough fire to at least buy more time.

Lastly there are my Space Marine force which I generally always found myself using Scouts + Speeder Storms, Sternguard, and Vanguard Vets a lot of the time. I hated Tactical Marines so I never fielded them if I could avoid it and tended to always deliver my force in drop pods (vets moved up the field with their jump packs trying to hide behind LOS blockers. The Speeder Storms with their blinding large blast weapon was often times overlooked as being able to throw a pie plate with the chance to blind at multiple units could really weaken an enemy's shooting and the speeders where dirt cheap to field so they often came close to making their points cost even just drawing fire. While ineffective, I just enjoyed using my Vets and equiped a fairly large amount of them with lances. They are trash power weapons (better than swords on the charge which isn't saying much) but they could hit hard and I've had a few instances of them completely devastating units but it was generally difficult to get good targets for them. Sternguard where my bread and butter in every list with their crazy strong special ammo making them effective against a wide variety of threats. I love them so much that I built my army's headcanon around them using Sternguard as their Tactical Marine equivalent.

Armies that have viable shooting and melee options. Too often are shooting based armies unable, or punished for moving up the table; denying you a more aggressive play style.

I love playing my Salamanders. No matter what happens dice wise always have fun*.



*fun - may include: losing horribly, not making that 4" charge, barely winning etc...

Guard. Tanks and guns go brr.

If I want to have a game that is fun and little else I play a list thats almost [or all, depending on the edition and such] tanks and guns. Boom!

Even better if I can get my friends to do the same.

Orks, no matter what I field and no matter who I play it's always a fun time with that army.

2nd choice would be World Eaters / Khorne Daemons, another faction where losing is still a victory as long as there is gratuitous violence involved.

Harlequins. I'm not good at playing them so I often lose, but they have so many fun and interesting rules, options and stratagems.

Due to their insane movement shenanigans, I feel like they play like no other faction in the game.

30k Alpha Legion. They don't have the punch or the deathstars of the more obvious Legions, but they have an incredible pile of bizarre and unexpected things to do (between stealing your opponent's successful Reserves rolls, Infiltrating things that couldn't normally be Infiltrated, the Alpharius shell game, using other peoples' unique units...). No two games are ever the same, and even when I lose the other person will often leave the table scratching their head about what just happened; it's bizarre, funny, unpredictable, and very characterful.

Honorable mention to 30k Daemons, where your opponent still scores on the mission you rolled but you've got a completely different primary mission. Playing as or against them, and win or lose, it's always a fast-paced madcap adventure of not quite being sure what's going on.

My true answer is: Whatever army I'm fielding that game.
Presently here in 9th that's alot of Necrons.
I've loved playing these guys, whatever the result, since the day they were released way back in 2e. 9th is no different.

But I've also got SW, SM dreadnoughts, & SoB handy.
And I've got several Imperial Knights in the cabinet that've never yet hit the table (they're just a modeling/painting project from a few years back - I assume I can form these into a legal force)
I'm also building a Drukahri free Drukahri army that should be ready Dec/Jan.

I also have a vast inventory of stuff in storage. I could field almost anything I want....
The thing is? 8th/9th just doesn't inspire me to make the effort to dig it out.
So the forces I've already got close at hand + my growing #of Talos/Cronos, will suffice until next edition.

Very easily its clowns for me, extremely fast, hit like a truck, tons of trick, and immediate existence failure if you play poorly. Even talking about makes me want to ditch all my current projects and start playing them solo again

Nurgle Daemons. Giggling Lil Nurglings for Troops. Poxbringers puking on people. And Plague Drones with their PROOOOOBES!

Always had a fun time.

"You're killing lil babies!"

Gores wrote:
Very easily its clowns for me, extremely fast, hit like a truck, tons of trick, and immediate existence failure if you play poorly. Even talking about makes me want to ditch all my current projects and start playing them solo again

I just wish they had a wider model lineup, or (and this is what it really should be) had a special rule that meant including a harlequins detachment in a craftworld/drukhari army doesn't break faction rules.

It won't happen, because GW are removing incentives for soup from everyone, regardless of how sensible/fluffy it would be. Unfortunate really.

Alternatively, they could open up some craftworld models for use in harlequins. There used to be a harlequin wraithlord, once upon a time. In fact just adding that back in would pretty much make my entire year.

I always love playing my Guard. I'll never collect another army.

Every defeat is a moral victory. They're there to hold the line and take as many of the enemy out as they can. If they win, that's just a bonus. Then they do as the Guard always do, they lick their wounds and move onto the next conflict.

-Guardsman- wrote:

Heafstaag wrote:
Orks and knights.

Interesting. I'd always assumed Knights were boring to play, since your turns are very short due to your extremely low model count. What do you find interesting about playing them?

That they are big stompy robots! Haha!

I haven't played them since the first couple months of 9th, but I enjoy how every model matters, every target is important, and move is important. Its in contrast to other armies I play, such as orks, and previously guard where there are tons and tons of models, and lots of redundancies in your list.

I'll second that. The principle appeal is it's a giant robot that kills whole squads in one volley. Short turns and a low model count are also an appeal, but it's not like Knights are simple to use. To be efficient, you've got to get in and start stepping on people as much as shooting them. Base 12" move sounds great, but the Knights get caught up on terrain a lot, so you need to be intelligent and plan ahead.

Knights are also cool because you can take a lot of relics and warlord traits. Typically every Knight in an army does, in fact. Hell, the Freeblade Company rules let you go wild with this customization. Every Knight has special qualities and heroic burdens too. It's a very customizable and thematic army, where there are no red shirt grunts.

I love my 'Nids, and my Chaos.

'Nids just because they've always been my first love in 40K (alongside my Ultras), and Chaos just because they're the easiest one to come up with cool characters and stories for.

I always found my DG fun to play, because of its many playstyles and forgiving gameplay, my opponents hated them though because of FNP . Haven't played them in 9th yet.

My opponents liked me playing the Purge more. Despite having more firepower and being faster than DG at least things died. For me they're not as fun to play in 9th so far, because units are too expensive while being extremely squishy compared to other Marines.

-Guardsman- wrote:

Heafstaag wrote:
Orks and knights.

Interesting. I'd always assumed Knights were boring to play, since your turns are very short due to your extremely low model count. What do you find interesting about playing them?

Seeing 40k keeps getting slower and slower with more bookkeeping and auras and rules to keep track ff that's actually plus!


And playtime starts to remind of reqular armies of 2nd-5th editions.

I love the inexorable, terminator-heavy playstyle of my Death Guard. Win or lose, every game is fun.

Niiru wrote:

Gores wrote:
Very easily its clowns for me, extremely fast, hit like a truck, tons of trick, and immediate existence failure if you play poorly. Even talking about makes me want to ditch all my current projects and start playing them solo again

I just wish they had a wider model lineup, or (and this is what it really should be) had a special rule that meant including a harlequins detachment in a craftworld/drukhari army doesn't break faction rules.

It won't happen, because GW are removing incentives for soup from everyone, regardless of how sensible/fluffy it would be. Unfortunate really.

Alternatively, they could open up some craftworld models for use in harlequins. There used to be a harlequin wraithlord, once upon a time. In fact just adding that back in would pretty much make my entire year.

I actually personally want none of those things! I've 0 interest in taking ally's in any form and I'd rather all the design space go towards making cool clowns do cool clown things. I'd definitely take more unique models though!

Orks and Thousand Sons/Tzeentch.

orks are and just always have been great fun, basically the only time theyre a bit sad is when theyre (frequently) just the designated losers of the edition and all their units objectively just suck ass.

Tzeentch/Tsons just because having a ton of customization and flexibility with your psychic powers is crazy entertaining. The appeal for me of the army has always kind of been "Wacky Wizards!" so I'm really hyped for the amount you can make your sorcerors unique and cool in the new dex. Finally: actual rules for all the different crazy bits in the exalted sorceror kit!

Jarms48 wrote:
I always love playing my Guard. I'll never collect another army.

Every defeat is a moral victory. They're there to hold the line and take as many of the enemy out as they can. If they win, that's just a bonus. Then they do as the Guard always do, they lick their wounds and move onto the next conflict.

I don't play Guard but if I ever did I think I'd have the same mindset. There's quite a lot of appeal as being the ordinary Joe, holding the line to keep your homeworlds safe.

Never play to win but have a good time with the bro...

Using 3rd edition rules, it would have to be Craftworlds and Tyranids.

Modern 40K with open play, I'm in the process of preparing Harlequins and Chaos Knights...if GW would kindly hurry up with the codices!

Every single army in every single wargame i've played. IMO the fun doesnt come from the army itself but from the mood there is while playing, and i always try to make the game have a good mood

Gores wrote:

Niiru wrote:

Gores wrote:
Very easily its clowns for me, extremely fast, hit like a truck, tons of trick, and immediate existence failure if you play poorly. Even talking about makes me want to ditch all my current projects and start playing them solo again

I just wish they had a wider model lineup, or (and this is what it really should be) had a special rule that meant including a harlequins detachment in a craftworld/drukhari army doesn't break faction rules.

It won't happen, because GW are removing incentives for soup from everyone, regardless of how sensible/fluffy it would be. Unfortunate really.

Alternatively, they could open up some craftworld models for use in harlequins. There used to be a harlequin wraithlord, once upon a time. In fact just adding that back in would pretty much make my entire year.

I actually personally want none of those things! I've 0 interest in taking ally's in any form and I'd rather all the design space go towards making cool clowns do cool clown things. I'd definitely take more unique models though!

It's GW though, so the chances of Elves getting new units is... slim. This edition may be the most likely time, considering GW have actually put out new/updated models for most armies so far, but you never can tell with GW.

We'll see! I hear we have at least a few models coming down the pipe. I hear coming down that same pipe would is the clowns being subsumed back into the craftworld codex, which would make me just.. incredibly sad. Unless we keep a codex's amount of rules, I guess, then fine!