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.

hello dakka,

I'm looking at starting up a chaos army and I'm wondering how useful the models included in the new starter set would be for me. I don't have the old CSM codex (waiting for the new one), so it's hard for me to judge. my first impression of the starter set was "that's a lot of cultists, but where are all my chaos space marines?" I would primarily be buying the set for the chaos units. I do have a C:SM army, but the DA units in the starter set are so pimped out with DA symbols that I'm not sure I'd get much use out of them. I'm guessing they'd end up on ebay.

so, for a new chaos player, do you think the units in the start set are a worthwhile investment? some of the models look gorgeous, I just don't know how useful for they are in a typical CSM army. would I be better off with something like the chaos battleforce?

You can't make an army from the chaos side (only hq and elites choise there) but I don't think it's too hard to push the angels ovet the edge.

I would say it`s very worthwhile. i have a feeling also cultists will be as big a part of the new chaos dex as marines

Pretty sure cultists will be troops if they match marks with HQ.

I would say yes. The lord alone is worth the investment (SO SEXY IMO) not to mention the chosen and hell brute. I'm waiting for the new dex to make a judgement on the cultists.

You can also just paint up the Dark Angel marines as your chaos marines, so I would say you are pretty well set up with the new set

In general the stuff out of starter sets is bad and never , if rarely used at least as marines goes . chosen have an odd mix of weapons + their stats seem to be rather crapy . the lord has a sword and no combi , but a plas pistol so would have to be converted . the brute is a renamed dread , so if the the rumors about new walkers [so also new kits] are true ,then GW is going to want chaos players buy the new stuff and last , but not least multi melta without a drop pod sucks. cultists would realy have to be cheap/have great options to be worth it and fact that chaos players are getting 2x10 and not 1x20 would force people to get 2-3 boxs of starter sets ,
the set is ok if someone wants to start , but to actualy use the stuff to get a good army is not a good idea. GW would be stupid to put good stuff inside a set like that and not make people buy new[higher priced] kits and models.

You can definitely convert the DA into CSM. Bingo, ultra cheap CSMs.

Check out my tutorial if you like, but it was primarily reposing the SMs in the AOBR kit. Just replace the SM bits in the tutorial with CSM bits and you're good to go.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/429607.page
Dark Vengeance should be similar, but I'll try and get my hands on it so I can convert it myself.

Got it saturday. Really worth it. Converting regular space marines into chaos is easy as breathing. So you'll get a lot with the new starter.

I'd considered the conversion angle, but looking at the sprues from some video reviews, the DA models have DA iconography all over the place that looks like it'd be a pain to remove. how do you deal with that?

 varl wrote:
I'd considered the conversion angle, but looking at the sprues from some video reviews, the DA models have DA iconography all over the place that looks like it'd be a pain to remove. how do you deal with that?

Paint them black instead of green and call them "the fallen"

I'd considered the conversion angle, but looking at the sprues from some video reviews, the DA models have DA iconography all over the place that looks like it'd be a pain to remove. how do you deal with that?

Be creative, use a clipper to destroy the Icons...you have battle damage and can paint the gouges with silver/metal with some weathering, or you could use green stuff to create tentacles or growths or what have you (you get the idea) The great thing about Chaos is that you literally have no limit beyond your imagination

you make a mistake with the green stuff and it's overflowing a little? ..psh that's not a mistake...that's his mutations overflowing from his armour, as for the gouging his armour I've taken Khorne Berzerkers and clipped off all the Khorne iconography and used the aforementioned technique to make CC Slaanesh Marines...after all not every marine will have his armour pristine by the end of the battle, good luck and happy converting

Yes, Go for it

Welcome to Chaos
Arihiman

What Rogue said, destroy the icons on the armor. It's what fluff CSM's do, they destroy the aquillas.

To convert the loyalists into chaos you could use a small nail file to remove the icons.

You could even purchase some cult upgrade forgeworld kits and use a small grinder or hobby knife to remove enough material for them to fit neatly.

Its a great kit, the chosen are much nicer than any of the old marine sculpts. You could use the chosen as aspiring champions in normal units. They are modeled with various forms of power weapons, axe, maul, sword, power fist, and twin claws. Pretty much any option you want.

so, for a new chaos player, do you think the units in the start set are a worthwhile investment? some of the models look gorgeous, I just don't know how useful for they are in a typical CSM army. would I be better off with something like the chaos battleforce?

not realy . the loyalist part isnt realy useful . you cant use plasma cannons , terminators are with powerfists and dont have combi weapons , there are bikes . the chaos side isnt much better either . The chaos lord has a sword so thats ap3 from the start . the chosen are miss geared , your never going to use a mauls, lc and ax in the same unit . you wont use them as asp champions either because LC cost too much , ax are ap1 and mauls are good only if you tailor against nids or orcs. We have no idea how much cultists will cost and what upgrades they will have , but the assault ones are going to be viable as IG penal legioneries without FnP in 6th ed. The shoty ones maybe be good , but thats only half of the ones in the box and to make them work your probably going to need 30-40 of them . So unless you dont care what your army does and if it works or if it doesnt then it realy isnt worth to buy the set . Maybe buy parts from it o ebay or drop to a GW/FLGS on the day it hits store to trade/buy chaos of people .

I play chaos and most of the DA I'm keeping as is for the sake of homebrew fluff:

They double as infiltrating scouts upon planets with Marine presence upon them and as "faith breakers" upon planets that have seen little or no space marines, landing on the planet only to raise hell which encourages the residents of said planet to lose faith in the imperium allowing the main contingent of CSM an easier time at swaying the planet towards chaos.

Simply paint them as fallen angels, hey presto! Chaos marines

Makumba wrote:

so, for a new chaos player, do you think the units in the start set are a worthwhile investment? some of the models look gorgeous, I just don't know how useful for they are in a typical CSM army. would I be better off with something like the chaos battleforce?

not realy . the loyalist part isnt realy useful . you cant use plasma cannons , terminators are with powerfists and dont have combi weapons , there are bikes . the chaos side isnt much better either . The chaos lord has a sword so thats ap3 from the start . the chosen are miss geared , your never going to use a mauls, lc and ax in the same unit . you wont use them as asp champions either because LC cost too much , ax are ap1 and mauls are good only if you tailor against nids or orcs. We have no idea how much cultists will cost and what upgrades they will have , but the assault ones are going to be viable as IG penal legioneries without FnP in 6th ed. The shoty ones maybe be good , but thats only half of the ones in the box and to make them work your probably going to need 30-40 of them . So unless you dont care what your army does and if it works or if it doesnt then it realy isnt worth to buy the set . Maybe buy parts from it o ebay or drop to a GW/FLGS on the day it hits store to trade/buy chaos of people .

Chaos can make use of all the loyalist stuff as they have bikes, terminators, and chaos space marines. It takes very little creativity to chaos them up. I made a bunch of combi-meltas buying the 5 melta gun kit from GW, filing down the bottom part, and gluing the melta bit on top the bolter. The chaos bikes are fairly plain except for a topknot and a chaos symbol on the gas tank. With the extra heads supplied in the boxes and a decal or some free hand painting the bikes would easily convert.

As for the point cost, I'm sure the new chaos book is going to balance out the gear choices, and we don't even know how the daemon weapons are going to work. It might be very beneficial to have one of each model, which you get in the kit and they all look fantastic.

I appreciate all the feedback

for the short term, I picked up the chosen models off ebay because they look damn fine and I want to paint them even if I never use them :p I'll hold off on making a decision on the full starter set until the new codex comes out and I can educate myself on how all the units work.

The LE chaplain looks perfect as a dark apostle (if they are in the new dex)

 Battle Brother Lucifer wrote:
The LE chaplain looks perfect as a dark apostle (if they are in the new dex)

Rumours are saying not only are they in, but they have a bubble effect that buffs Cultists. So converting one to a Dark Apostle seems like a good option with the cultists in the starter.