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I've been wanting to get into 30k lately and I want to build a 3rd legion force. My best option is of course bac, and everything is good but I don't know what to do with the tacticals. I know that emperors children are the elite perfectionists so it's hard to see them employing big tactical squads, just because it seems less "elegant". I want this force to be very fluff focused and I really don't want to butcher that, so if anyone could tell me if emperors children did field big squads (because they seem really effective) that'd be nice. I like eidilon, palatine blades, and flyers. The main idea is fast and hard hitting. Probably eidilon with a jump pack with a 10 man blade squad with some sabres and spears. Maybe pheonix termies in a land raider/spartan/storm eagle? I really don't know where to go with this so I thought asking for dakkas help would be useful. I wanted to use bikes, maybe a predator but no hulking behemoths of tanks. A smaller force like 2000 points is the goal. A test list or advice is very, very welcomed thanks in advance!

So a good friend of mine runs a list typically like this.

Fulgrim

Eidelon
Master of Signal

Palatine Blades
Apothecary

10 Man Tactical in Rhino
20 Man Tactical

5 Man Jetbike
Xyphon
Dreadclaw

Deredeo
Sicaran
Fire Raptor

This is a relative approximation, since he tends to swap a lot of things out. But he runs the 20 man, puts the apothecary in there, and will run Fulgrim and Eidolon in it. It is incredibly scary, and I just try to shoot the ever living bejeezus out of it, and feed small sacrificial units to Fulgrim, since I don't have any Primarch yet to go toe to toe with him.

EC are pretty scary in Close Combat, especially when Fulgrim is in play, given their bonuses to overrun rolls and the like. Despite DA having solid CC bonuses, I shy away from close combat with him, if at all possible.

Whether Traitor (powerful special characters such as Fulgrim) or Loyalist (Orphans of Betrayal buffs), Emperor's Children are frightening opponents in melee combat, especially in challenges.

Today my Word Bearers lost for the first time, facing a list using the latter to its utmost. They are no joke.

Ah, so melee does seem the way to go, I always thought of doing it you guys just solidified it . @djones520 good to know that the big blogs of tacs work out well. Thanks for the advice guys. From bac I was thinking running them as 2 15 man tacticals from the 30 you get, I know some people make support squads and stuff but I feel like 2 15 man squads provides a strong back bone. Thoughts?

I prefer to keep it to 10 man squads with Vexilla, Additional CCWs, and a Phoenix Spear on the Sergeant if I have the points. Phoenix Spear is great for poking at sergeants not only first, but at AP2, excellent for getting rid of those pesky buggers. Smaller squads grant you greater felxibility and allows you to take on more targets simultaneously.
Should you go for 10 man squads I'd recommend the other 10 marines split into a Tactical Support Squad with Plasma and a Heavy Support Squad with Missile Launchers. (Go on BitzBox or a similar site and buy the extras).

Buy Rhinos as soon as you can. Get mobile, it's what Emperor's Children are good at.

Nobody's asked the question of whether we should let him join?

I mean, is he good enough?

I want this force to be very fluff focused and I really don't want to butcher that, so if anyone could tell me if emperors children did field big squads (because they seem really effective) that'd be nice.

They did. Remember that 'big formations' and 'massed troops' in 30k means shoving an entire line company or more in a massed charge across open ground. The Emperor's children didn't do that sort of thing (more a World Eaters thing) but a 20-man squad was quite normal, even for them. They'd generally use maneuver to bring power to a point, but 15-20 man squads are 'standard' rather than the exception, in this era.

2 15 man squads is a nice tough force to form a defensive line. With Crusader, and especially with the extra speed from Maru Skara, you can be in the middle of the board by turn 2 without needing transports. Dig into cover on objectives, and lay down fire whilst the elites win you the battle.

Fast moving elites - palatines, destroyers, or whatever, can hit like hell, and Eidolon with a jump pack is amazing. Getting an I6 thunder hammer on the charge means he can pulp most astartes opponents before they can even lift their weapons.

Always go for the big tacttical blobs as a base, make 2x 15 with extra cc and vexila aiming to increase each to 20 at a later date. deffinetly give the sergeants phoenix spears for the +1 str and ap2 on the charge because your sergeant is going to challenge and hes gonna need ap2 and that is going to give him +1 initiative and your whole squad is going to get +1 initiative for charging so the the sarge will be initiative 6 and as such he will attack before preators and centurions/consuls.

as to the fluff question: EVERY legion had, and frequently fielded, 20-man tactical squads, it was the core troop of the legion. the number of them only really depended on the size of the legion.

 TheManWithNoPlan wrote:


Buy Rhinos as soon as you can. Get mobile, it's what Emperor's Children are good at.

I thought about that, but wouldn't you benefit more from the larger squads because of the min squad "tax"?

And thanks to everyone, I'll go ahead with the Tacticals plan and give my sarge a pheonix spear, and everyone else ccw's. Seems the most effective.

My journey into the horus heresy is probably gonna go a lot better thanks to you guys!

Quick ot question, where to get phoenix spears

 Fruzzle wrote:
Quick ot question, where to get phoenix spears

Use the halberds from Grey Knights, or Spears from high/dark elf troops.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer30k/comments/43w37o/looking_for_spear_bits_to_make_emperors_children/

 FeindusMaximus wrote:

 Fruzzle wrote:
Quick ot question, where to get phoenix spears

Use the halberds from Grey Knights, or Spears from high/dark elf troops.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer30k/comments/43w37o/looking_for_spear_bits_to_make_emperors_children/

Here too:
http://anvilindustry.co.uk/The-Armoury/Close-Combat-Weapons/Double-Handed-Glaive