To be frank I'm honestly not too big a fan of the Infiltrator or Rustalker models but when it comes to everything else in the Skitarii miniature range I'm a huge fan of them. The Cognis Manipulaters are a little pricey however I've had really good luck with them over the 10 or so games that I've been able to play test the Skitarii and when I eventually expand my collection of them I'm sure I will try to utilize other options.
Yeah the models aren't the standard of the rest, (i think ironstriders and vanguard are the some of the best in any army right now) but i love the infiltrators ability to get right in the enemies face, if you can tie up an opponents shooty units with them early on it gives you that time to get across the board which is where i find i take most losses.
I like the manipulators and having it will not die can be really useful, i only tend to equip them when i take squadrons because you can put it on the front one to make them much more resilient. The only time i've used it in combat i was amazed when it took down a space wolf dreadnought but i expect that was a one off. If they were cheaper i'd definitely take them but like when you have 4 that's a whole new onager you could get for those points!
I am running 2 Skitarii Maniples which is allowing me to take that many Heavy Support choices. Honestly I have never tried the formation and I am somewhat hesitant in doing so. The ability to outflank potentially can get them into the fight a lot faster however they would still have to wait until turn two before charging or even worse I could fail the reserve role and have a decent chunk of my Army off the table. I've actually had a lot of success just putting them at the edge of my Deployment Zone and running them forward because of how fast they are, however I definitely will have the means to try out the Formation, have you used it personally?
I expect it depends on your meta how well it works, i like it because it gives you more table control and makes it harder for your opponent to plan a counter effectivley. With such a
CC oriented list it could also be useful as it stops the other side just deploying right at the back of their zone and getting an extra turns shooting (could be especially effective against tau battlesuits and eldar because it means they can't run away). I have used it and it's generally worked out very well, however it's been at a much lower points cost because i'd usually use min units of dragoons and 2/3 ballistari, i agree yours could be a different story and it would be a risk if it didn't come on, The only thing to do is try it and see, i try and use cover where i can so the turn they come on they don't get shot to pieces, one of the great things about your list is the opponents enemy anti armour units will be swamped with targets so outflankers will have some pressure taken off.
One of the things you could try is change a few unit sizes and put min units in the formation, the opponent will focus their fire on the bigger units but yours can still put pressure on his flank.
Are you referring to them having the Identity Confirmed Special Rule? It's definitely not a bad idea I am running them in the squads of 2 however due to the large number of Mechanized Infantry lists at my store (Gladius, Ork Trukks, IG Chimeras ect.) I have found splitting them into three squads really expands my flexibility in dealing with multiple targets.
I couldn't remember the name of the rule, makes sense if that's what your facing, i see quite a few
TEQ command squads and warlords and so my mixed las/auto ballistari can really hammer them in the first two turns when i'm using +2/3bs, if they outflank early it also lets you get line of sight if the warlords hiding behind something.
I have actually found giving the Alpha an Arc Pistol to be complete Overkill in almost every time I've used them. I totally agree with running 2 squads of 10 or at least one Squad of 10 with the Alpha but since I need four squads to run 2 Maniples figured it was the best way how to get to that point as cheaply as possible. I am also considering running Vanguard instead of Rangers however I think the Rangers fit the "Outrider/Scout/Cavalry" theme more.
It is overkill quite often but i get so annoyed when things have one hull point left that extra shot does come in really useful sometimes, especially if it stops that land raider shooting next turn. Totally makes sense if you're running two maniples, the one thing vanguard could add is using thier -1 T in
cc, could make your dragoons more effective. It's reliant on getting them in combat though which is a bit of a slog on foot, it may be worth trying replacing one ranger squad with a no upgrade vanguard and then upping your warlords unit to 10 models?
When I sold my Tau to pay for a surgery I did not expect my insurance to do as well as it did and I had a decent chunk of change left over. That combined with trading some of my Tau I already have nine out of the 18 I need and should have the other 9 within the year. And in the games I have played playtesting this list it has often been the case, this list is surprisingly durable and hits like a ton of bricks. Granted I haven't played against Tau or any true gunline armies yet, I feel that they will kick this Army's ass but will have to check it out to be sure.
19th Krieg Siege Army 7500pts.
40k/HH Night Lords 5000pts.
Orks Waaaghmacht Spearhead 2500pts.
