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Ok, so I have plenty of questions about 30k but I don't want to start a bunch of threads as I think of them. So I'll use this one and I'm sure this thread will help others who have the same questions.
The legions I'm interested in are DG, IW, SoH, AL, SW(When they release), and TS(When they also release). Here's the deluge:

-What Legions are more prone to using what kind of unit? i.e. dreadnaughts, drop pods, tanks, etc.

-Can I build a viable legion using only models that are compatible with 40k?

-I know SoH are CC oriented, AL are infiltraitorspun, IW are mainly vehicles?, DG are swathes of infantry. Is that correct? (We'll have to wait until this weekend for the TS and SW)

-What are the Legion specific RoW? What do they do?

-I know that all Legions are very balanced, but what Legion (If any) has the best Legion specific units when paired with their RoW?

-What units should I avoid? What units are more common?

-What vehicle upgrades work best on what vehicles? What is the best way to kit a Sergeant? A Centurion? A Praetor?

-In order to own a well rounded army, how many points should I collect? How many points are normally played in a regular match? In an Apocalypse game?

-Are Primarchs necessary? What do they do so well besides being combat monsters? Are named characters useful?

-What books contain what Legions? What books contain the rules for 30k?

-So all Legions have at least some amount of everything, but what Legions were more prone to fielding what units?

I'm sorry for all the questions. These are all I have for now, if I think of any more I'll post here.
Thanks ahead for any feedback you can provide. Hopefully this thread will help others

1: Most legions will seldom entirely eschrew the use of a unit. Salamanders won't use destroyers for example. Death guard in fluff prefer infantry units over vehicles with the exception of spartans, dreadnaughts, and vindicators. Iron hands like their tanks. In general though use what is fun for you.

2. I suppose it is possible to build a legion while restricting yourself to units which are used by 40k marines, though I don't see it being the most optimal.

3. Alpha legion are probably better described as spec ops. The other threes' rules do favour what you describe.

4. Every legion has a specific rite of war. I don't really feel like running through each and every one. You can look at 1d4 chan's legion tactica page for that.

5. Again I will refer you to 1d4 chan's legion tactica page.

6. This isn't 40k where being competitive is the obsession. Use what you like and it will probably be okay. 30k is the most balanced game in GW's history.

7. Primarchs are nice, but not necessary. ear in mind you can't run them under 2000 points as with any lord of war in 30k. Each one is different. For example angernon is 100% pure beat stick, while other such as alpharius probably won't win a duel with another primarch, but acts to buff his whole army. Some named charcters are better than others, but I can't think of one that us completely useless. I use them pretty often when it suits me.

8. The red books will have the most up to date rules for the legions. Currently out of print but the new edition is due out within a month of now. For fluff and such it's spread out across the black books.

9. Death guard fielded a LOT of terminators; Iron Hands fielded a lot of armour, Imperial fists like their boarding marines; there probably is more but it's late here and I'm tired.

The legion with the best unique units would be Alpha Legion
Because you can take other legions unique units and make them better if you take the RoW

What Legions are more prone to using what kind of unit? i.e. dreadnaughts, drop pods, tanks, etc. All legions use everything. There is fluff for Night Lord heavy armor companies. So in this respect you can do what you want.

-Can I build a viable legion using only models that are compatible with 40k? For chaos yes, mostly for the 20 man blobs. For regular marines, maybe depending on if you go marine heavy with rhinos and swap pred turrets. You can make a very generalist space marine or chaos army with most of a 30k army. You miss out on a lot of rules and will have to have some extra special weapon guys because they never exactly port over.

-I know SoH are CC oriented, AL are infiltraitorspun, IW are mainly vehicles?, DG are swathes of infantry. Is that correct? (We'll have to wait until this weekend for the TS and SW) No.

-SoH maybe be oriented towards hand to hand but they are not a hand to hand army any more than Fists or Alpha Legion. They have an ok special rule that benefits them on occasion but nothing to base the army around. They do have a couple great hand to hand units so they do lean in that direction, but just like in 40k, they really are the generalist legion.

-Alpha Legion is not the infiltrating legion. Its the swiss army knife legion. You can make it infiltrate, or outflank, or scout, or even into a hand to hand army with counter attack or furious charge(I think they get those last two for mutable tactics).

-Raven Guard are the infiltrating +hand to hand army.

-IW rules benefit terminator and infantry blobs plodding across the field under the cover of heavy weapons squads and cyclone terminator squads. They ignore morale checks from shooting and reroll pinning. The RoW gives extra armor, but the RoW isn't worth using.

-DG- someone else will have to inform you on them, never paid them a second glance. I dislike how they screwed up the fluff on them when they rewrote the Heresy from the older fluff.


-What are the Legion specific RoW? What do they do? Don't remember what SoH does. AL forces you to only pick infiltrating or deepstriking infantry units or mount them in transports if I remember. Its a point of contention that mutable tactics ignores this since you pick your list before the game and you pick your tactics at set up. It does let you steal a unique unit from another legion. Get a ruling from your group since the rules are still fuzzy on this.

-I know that all Legions are very balanced, but what Legion (If any) has the best Legion specific units when paired with their RoW? SoH has reavers which obviously works with their Black Reaving RoW. AL has any unique unit you want with the RoWs major drawback. DG has some cool terminators but I am not sure on what their RoW does. IW's RoW has its share of downsides but it does let you bring 4 heavy slots which is cool since they have the best Heavy weapon squad in the game. The only legion specific RoW I use for my three legions is the Night Lords one. I don't use a RoW at all for my AL or IW.

-What units should I avoid? What units are more common? Recon squads are fairly points inefficient. Headhunters are ok but not worth it compared to Seekers. Assault squads are nice being able to have 20 guys, but far too expensive and are looking at 400+ points for the one unit. Tacticals are the most common for the obvious reason that they are compulsory and the other two compulsory choices are less than stellar. I find Typhons and rapiers a crutch that many players lean on and while I have a typhon,I haven't even put it together yet.

-What vehicle upgrades work best on what vehicles? What is the best way to kit a Sergeant? A Centurion? A Praetor?
If its an expensive vehicle, then Armored Ceramite and Flare Shields when available. I occasionally put a havoc launcher on my rhinos as kind of a poor man's whirlwind, I know salamanders put heavy flamers on theirs and its common to see heavy bolters as well. Other than that, I find myself too strapped for points for most vehicle upgrades. For a sergeant in a tactical blob, I give him Artificer armor, melta bombs, and a power fist. I usually do not upgrade my other sergeants with anything aside from artificer armor and melta bombs. Centurion and Praetor equipment varies wildly to what your role is for them.

-In order to own a well rounded army, how many points should I collect? How many points are normally played in a regular match? In an Apocalypse game? Look for 2500 to be a normal 30k game. Apoc is its own animal. We play 3500 point games all the time and don't call them Apoc.

-Are Primarchs necessary? What do they do so well besides being combat monsters? Are named characters useful? No. Some buff your army. I rarely use a primarch even in 3500 point games. Special characters are very useful and many of them open up new tactics, warlord traits, or unit types to your army. A couple are just beatstick characters who don't really do anything for your army aside from looking cool and taking names.

-What books contain what Legions? What books contain the rules for 30k? The two red books which might or might not be out of print or in between print runs, or getting updated are your go to books.

-So all Legions have at least some amount of everything, but what Legions were more prone to fielding what units? See question one.

Thanks for the feedback guys this has really helped

I'll make sure to check out that tactica page

So, FW is having the Horus Heresy Weekender...

Will they release rules for the Thousand Sons?

Will we see TS Contemptor Dreadnaughts/ Vehicle Doors?

What do you think will be released this weekend?

 Kharne the Befriender wrote:
So, FW is having the Horus Heresy Weekender...

Will they release rules for the Thousand Sons?

Will we see TS Contemptor Dreadnaughts/ Vehicle Doors?

What do you think will be released this weekend?

we've already seen the TS contemptor, and a few other TS upgrade kits, and no, no rules so far, we're gonna have to wait until book 7 if we want any actual rules.

How does the Contemptor look? Does it do the TS justice?

And how long do you think before the book comes out?

 Kharne the Befriender wrote:
How does the Contemptor look? Does it do the TS justice?

And how long do you think before the book comes out?

we'll be lucky if we get book 7 by the end of the year. Also, I think it does, as many do believe the model looks good.