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What do you keep in mind when you field your army. Do you field it based on fluff? Or do you prefer to have more functional troops that tend to be worth the points they cost?

Personally, I like the idea of having my army more thematic rather than be "smartly" built, such as an army of CSM dedicated strictly to nurgle (cultists with mark of nurgle, plague hulk of nurgle over defiler, etc) and excluding any other type of unit, despite how "unwise" it might be fielding certain troops over others.

However, I've yet to really get my feet wet in this game. I haven't played any games yet, and I definitely haven't felt the crushing defeat of a game lost due to poor troop choices. So while I might be pretty star struck with the idea of fielding an army based on "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" or "PLAGUE FOR THE PLAGUE LORD!," I'm sure that could change pretty drastically when I've lost quite a few times.

So how about everyone else? Do you try to keep your army as thematic as possible? Or is a functional list with a higher possibility of victory more your concern?

Also, go ahead and say if you were one or the other at some point before, but changed after becoming more of a veteran at the game.

I have a Thousand Sons army - which I think speaks volumes about my mentality.

- It seems I like self-punishment more than the Slaaneshi, but boy do I look regal with the Rubrics

I have a tyranid army and for me, it boils down to having to talk things out with my opponents.

If we both agree to do stuff thats fun and fluffy, cool beans, the warriors and hormagaunts come out to play.

If its cuthroat, hhheeellllllooo flyng circus.

I honestly kinda hate the fact that fluffy can't equal functional. I would so rather be feilding warrior hordes and monsters like the haruspex over seeing how many flyrants I can fit into a list.

A bit of both.

When I put a list together there are a number of factors in determining what comes off the shelf. One of the primary things is getting fresh paint on the table for it’s debut, or dusting off an older mini that’s not seen battle in ages. Once I have the “star” units of the list, I build around them, both for theme and mechanics. Do the must-haves suggest a list style? What gaps do they leave in a TAC build? I use the rest of my points to shore up any weaknesses.

And sometimes I cut out some of the things I want, if I’m trying to incorporate too many things into one list.

Marines are a flexible enough organization that pretty much anything I’m putting on the table is going to be fluffy. That said, I do try to keep that in mind when building. I do feel a little bad when I don’t have a couple of tac squads on the table. When that does happen, it’s probably because I’m doing a bike or scout themed list though.

lonestarr777 wrote:
I have a tyranid army and for me, it boils down to having to talk things out with my opponents.

If we both agree to do stuff thats fun and fluffy, cool beans, the warriors and hormagaunts come out to play.

If its cuthroat, hhheeellllllooo flyng circus.

I honestly kinda hate the fact that fluffy can't equal functional. I would so rather be feilding warrior hordes and monsters like the haruspex over seeing how many flyrants I can fit into a list.

Probably the most unfortunate thing here, units being made to sacrifice functionality to keep within the fluff. You'd think they'd balance the game more so that people would be more than excited to field what they want, rather than what they have to.

I don't really have an army per se. I don't take one list and refine it until I think it's perfect. I make a new list for every game I play, although I will try to draw lessons out of previous lists if applicable.
When I do make a list though, it's something in-between. I start with a theme that I want to go for, which might lock me out of certain units. Personal preference will lock me out of certain units too. But I still strive to optimize within what's left.
I generally frown on nurgle and very rarely take nurgle units, simply because i'm not a big fan fluff wise. I also hate the hell turkey. I realise they are good units, but I don't care. If at all possible I avoid allies. Super-friends lists make me cringe lol.

On the other hand, I enjoy Black Legion, but I haven't really fielded any possessed yet even though they kinda are a Black Legion thing. I don't like them as a unit. I have a hard time using Termies too. I dislike using them as a suicide squad because of fluff reasons, but I also tend to avoid them because of how weak they are otherwise. At the same, I really like to take them though. I often start adding them to a list only to remove them later cuz they just don't cut it.

So yea, I kind of need my lists to be fluffy or match a theme, but I also can't take subpar units unless they really roll with the theme. Having said that though, if I end up being on a loosing streak I tend to shift towards taking efficient units. So it's kind of a cycle lol. I start fluffy and then gradually get more competitive only to go more fluffy again and so on. Although instead of going more competitive, I might also end up playing different armies for a bit.

Occasionally though I want to try weird stuff lol. Like an all nurgle sorcerer list to kill units by reducing toughness to 0 or a game of " how far can you buff your lord with gifts"

Roknar wrote:
I also hate the hell turkey.

What on earth is that?

Heldrake

Function. All day, everyday, twice on tuesdays. BA really have no other choice.

 VictorVonTzeentch wrote:
Heldrake

This.

I just go for the Grand Effect (my definition of the Grand Effect is the most points,which sometimes results in me putting too many points into one model).

 KaptinBadrukk wrote:
I just go for the Grand Effect (my definition of the Grand Effect is the most points,which sometimes results in me putting too many points into one model).

I like that idea a lot as well, but only if all of the points used makes the unit that much more difficult to kill as well. A damn shame to have a unit that costs a good chunk of your army's points die within the first couple of turns.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 VictorVonTzeentch wrote:
Heldrake

Ah k, yeah I'm not very fond of how that thing looks. Sad, since it's apparently one of the more awesome units that utilize flamers with great effect, and I thoroughly enjoy flamers.

Try to maintain a balance.

Im a fluffy guy so for me it makes senses that you have more troops, then other things, unlike people who try to field 2x5 dudes in their mandatory troops choices and all the rest is elite/AR/HS.

I still use CSm squads that supports Zerkers squads, supported by cultists and while Hounds and Deamons go take the brunt with tanks/walkers giving supporting fire and trying to take out their opponents counter parts, while my HQ's hunts down ennemy HQ's to kill them in single combat.

Function all the way, I'll make up my own fluff for the list later.

 Tinkrr wrote:
Function all the way, I'll make up my own fluff for the list later.

This.

Someone earlier said they disapproved of Chaos Terminators as a suicide unit because fluff. WELL if Abbadon decided to make them them do that as punishment (seeing as he's not all that bright), it suddenly makes sense.

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Tinkrr wrote:
Function all the way, I'll make up my own fluff for the list later.

This.

Someone earlier said they disapproved of Chaos Terminators as a suicide unit because fluff. WELL if Abbadon decided to make them them do that as punishment (seeing as he's not all that bright), it suddenly makes sense.

This sounds like it should be a forum game - someone posts an alliance or unit combination and the next person has to make up some fluff for it to exist.

Like.. slaanesh cultists squads allied with Sisters of Battle

 Wulfmar wrote:
I have a Thousand Sons army - which I think speaks volumes about my mentality.

- It seems I like self-punishment more than the Slaaneshi, but boy do I look regal with the Rubrics

It ain't just Thousand Sons brother! Tzeentch Daemons are just as woeful nowadays as 7th has nuked most of our damage potential due the Psychic phase changes.

I build/convert & play based on theme and telling a story. Unfortunately, if you're a Chaos player, you're apparently just not worthy of being treated equally to everyone else, unless you like Nurgle.
It works out okay'ish if you can find people who understand that Chaos has been turned into a running joke and are willing to field equally handi-capped armies against you. Unfortunately, I find that Loyalists players in general just don't care and are easily the biggest hypocrites to be found within the wider community.
I actually get more sympathy from the local Eldar players than I do any of the Loyalists for feth's sake! (and according to the intertubes, all Eldar players are just raging d-bag TFG's who only play Scatbikes + Wraith spam... )

Tzeentch has been a bottom feeder for well over a decade now. So yeah, apparently we're secretly even more pain fueled than Slaanesh is!

I suppose they remind him of how he has no arms.
But I prefer to think of them as the elite of the elite, just one step short of becoming chaos lords themselves. And their armour is a highly coveted item that you wouldn't just throw away that easy.
The problem is that in fluff terms it would be a deadly deep strike assault that Black Legion specializes in (and survives). But in game terms it's a complete suicide move for a throw away unit. It just doesn't sit right with me lol.
Maybe with a full sized unit, but...who takes a full unit of termies? lol

Now that my codex can do it, Fluff comes first. I like playing lists of legions of Necron infantry, or Canoptek units backed by crazed Destroyers and Flayed Ones. Or tons of vehicles. Or maybe even silver tide backed by a monolith and an Obelisk.

It also happens that a lot of these lists are very functional and do well on the table.

50/50. I like function, but I keep it fluffy in that I don't spam the best units

I'd say fluffy generally. I won't play my eldar without a squad of dire avengers, nor will I play my scorpions without plenty of tacticals with apothecaries leading them. After getting those core units, I'll generally just try to play a different army to what I played the last time, throwing in as large a variety of troops as I can. Another constant is my wraithlord. I nearly always have him in my eldar lists, he's probably my favourite model. Should name him and get some back-story really...

I learned to not care about winning to field my fluff armies. Like legit battle companies that have full tactical squads (rather than just the bare minimum).

My favourite one that I'm working on right now is Fabius Bile's Mutant Menagerie. It consists of Bile, 2 squads of cultists, 1 maxed out squad of "Enhanced" Csm, Chaos Spawns, and likely large mutant beasts standing in for Forge Fiends and Maulerfiends. None of the choices synergize but it's all for the sake of appearances.

I generally pick a theme (Mechanised Tau, Thousand Sons, Rapid Deployment Marines etc) and build on that around the core units using fluff as a guide but picking suitable units to try and plug holes.

Taking thousand sons? Well, some daemonically possessed vindicators should be available to cover +2 saves and a small allied contingent of Tz daemons is nice for board control. Taking rapid deployment marines? No tanks, but podded units are fine, so your "heavy support" now comes from things like speeders, a raven and podded dreads.

Sacrificing mechanics for fluff is fine, but optimising within the fluff is something that everyone should do to an extent I think.

I lean towards fluff and modelling. For example, If i don't like the way unit looks I won't field it. Cents currently fall into that category for me.

Kinda both, but a little more edged towards the function aspect. Luckily playing Orks makes this pretty easy as more often than not redundancy to a specific theme works very well in terms of gameplay.

If I know my opponent I'll talk to them first as I prefer to go more towards the fluff. If I was going to a store to play, I would definitely way more towards functionality as I like to have a chance to win when I play

I like to run lists with a theme. Tomorrow I'll be running a Militarum Tempestus list of Inquisitorial Storm Troopers backed up by an Inquisitor and some retinues with Razorbacks. I'll probably throw in a Callidus Assassin for fun. It'll likely get curb-stomped, but it'll look pretty cool!

A mix of both. I take units i lioke but change themm to their most effective form.

tyranid warriors become shrikes instead
Carnifexes carry devourers around
and yes the mighty tyrant flies around shooting.

Still always bring 20-30 gaunts i need my swarm of claws.

 Wulfmar wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Tinkrr wrote:
Function all the way, I'll make up my own fluff for the list later.

This.

Someone earlier said they disapproved of Chaos Terminators as a suicide unit because fluff. WELL if Abbadon decided to make them them do that as punishment (seeing as he's not all that bright), it suddenly makes sense.

This sounds like it should be a forum game - someone posts an alliance or unit combination and the next person has to make up some fluff for it to exist.

Like.. slaanesh cultists squads allied with Sisters of Battle

Go ahead and get it posted!

 Wulfmar wrote:

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:

 Tinkrr wrote:
Function all the way, I'll make up my own fluff for the list later.

This.

Someone earlier said they disapproved of Chaos Terminators as a suicide unit because fluff. WELL if Abbadon decided to make them them do that as punishment (seeing as he's not all that bright), it suddenly makes sense.

This sounds like it should be a forum game - someone posts an alliance or unit combination and the next person has to make up some fluff for it to exist.

Like.. slaanesh cultists squads allied with Sisters of Battle

Girls just want to have fun?

Bring your angsty teenage daughter to work day?

Midochlorians?