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Okay guys, I have the Mechanicum book (and the Knight!) but Really need some guidance! I think I've narrowed down that I'd like to take the following for an Ordo Reductor army list:


Lord of War: Knight-Atrapos
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-IE/Mechanicum-Cerastus-Knight-Atrapos

HQ: Archmagos Reductor
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-IE/Mechanicum-Magos-Macrotek-Enginseer-Servo-automata

Bodyguard: Scyllax
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-IE/Scyllax-Guardian-Automata-Covenant

Troops: Thallax - using models from Anvil Industries for these
http://anvilindustry.co.uk/AFTERLIFE/Unity-Council/Warden-Mech

Fast: Usarax
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-IE/Mechanicum-Ursarax-FW

And possibly Tarantula sentry guns or an Avenger, if helpful for anti-air

Elite: None? Or possibly a Domitar
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-IE/Mechanicum-Domitar-Battle-automata

Heavy: Ordo Reductor Artillery Tank Battery - Can I use the Krios tank for these? Could also go directly with Krios if that makes sense
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-IE/Mechanicum-Krios-Battle-Tank


Basically I need help figuring out how to make the above into an army list, that doesn't totally suck and plays well. I think a knight backed up by a few tanks looks good, with Thallax jumping around and shooting and maybe a single unit of Usarax and Domitar just to mix things up? Obviously steering clear of most of the siege-automata, but I don't want to go TOO tank heavy, and don't mind the look of the Domitar if it's decent (although I don't think it is from my rules reading so far!).

Any advice or links to other threads with similar lists is greatly appreciated!!

I'm sure nobody is going to mind you proxying a tank or two, but you are totally allowed to use krios in an Ordo Reductor list.
My 'list building advice' is - if it looks cool or follows some aspect of a bit of the fluff then it's awesome in my book.
The key positive about mechanicum forces is the tailoring which can be done - consider your typical opponent and the forces they will be using; this will give you trends to follow in weapon/equipment choices.
If you fight mostly infantry forces then phased-plasma fusil thallax are your friend.
Giving thallax cohorts a meltabomb each can really panic the vehicle-heavy opponent for very little points.
I can totally recommend getting four cohorts of thallax into a list, one to deploy normally in the centre of your deployment zone to keep infiltrators out (cough>alpha legion<cough) and the other three go into reserve to deepstrike behind enemy vehicles and troops (people always put artificer armour guys in the front). Phased plasma weapon for anti-troop, multi-melta and destructor augment for vehicle strikes; but do not underestimate how handy the lightning gun is when paired with the destructor augment.
Not amazing, just nice and handy; shred helps deal with GW dice bias vs troops and rending shots can throw a rock under the contemtor-dread apple-cart too when teamed with the destructor augment.
But if you don't really want to do tanks, the Ordo Reductor probably isn't best suited to you i recon.

The atrapos is probably the best knight available as of now but the Acastus knight porphirion will have that title away from it upon arrival.

Any use? i hope so!

I use a Glaive for my LoW to take advantage of the Reductor tank rules. They have access to their own variants of every Heresy Era imperial superheavy tank, so if you have one you like that isn't mechanicum, that can be another reason to play Reductor.

Something like that?

Hmm, yeah I guess not wanting to take too many tanks and Ordo Reductor don't mix

What I really like is the Knight and a bunch of Thallax, supported by a few Krios. Something like:

Magos with Scyllax bodyguard (possibly Calleb Decima)
15 Thallax (not sure if 5 units is best, or some larger units - with one small one getting the skyfire upgrade?)
2 Krios Venator
Knight-Atrapos
Tech-priest Auxillia (seems important to repair the Knight's weapons?)

I think that should come out to somewhere around 2000 depending on upgrades, and I'd also like to be able to run it at 1850. It's just that there's so many crazy options on how to equip things that I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around it!

----

Took me so long to type that that I got ninja'ed by Ankhalagon by 40 minutes! See what I posted here, I think this is a clearer picture of what I want to make a list around

 RiTides wrote:
Hmm, yeah I guess not wanting to take too many tanks and Ordo Reductor don't mix
Depends on the Archmagos. Some like mine don´t like Automata and Knights that much. Some don´t use many tanks and prefer assault-tactics....
What I really like is the Knight and a bunch of Thallax, supported by a few Krios. Something like:
The Problem with under 2k is, there is no LoW-slot avaiable.
Magos with Scyllax bodyguard (possibly Calleb Decima)
A generic Archmagos is more flexible. Just saying.
15 Thallax (not sure if 5 units is best, or some larger units - with one small one getting the skyfire upgrade?)
I prefer units of 6 with 2 special weapons. Expensive, but scary and efficient. And the Ikarian-upgrade shifts them into the heavy support, that can cause trouble. Quad-gun-Tarantulas or Whirlwind Hyperios are better for that job.
2 Krios Venator
Knight-Atrapos
Tech-priest Auxillia (seems important to repair the Knight?)
Two Engineseers with a bunch of Servo-arm-automata....
Seems like that should come out to 1900 or so, and I'd like to build a list to 1850 expandable to 2000. It's just that there's so many crazy options on how to equip things that I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around it!
Yeah, it can be quite overwhelming at first.
----

Took me so long to type that that I got ninja'ed by Ankhalagon by 40 minutes! See what I posted here, I think this is a clearer picture of what I want to make a list around

Inline.

Well you don't necessarily have to take tanks with the matrix of ruin i suppose, but one of the really cool perks of it is the tanks becoming scoring units inside the enemy DZ as well as ignoring terrain penalties.

On the not needing tanks front, i have a quirky/fun 2000 point matrix of ruin list i'm slowly building up to which is nothing but 33 thallax and an archmagos.


Recently i have seen the merit of many small cohorts of thallax to harass and split up enemy return fire, but 4 potentially rending and 6 AP3 shots is pretty good with the thallax djinn-sight against standard marines; the 3 unit cohort version can't be relied upon to trigger leadership tests like the 6 unit cohort can.

For Lords of War when running under 2K - does Matrix of Ruin allow this, or is there absolutely no way to run that Knight at 1850? If it's not allowed under any circumstances below 2K that torpedos the army right there!

Edit: Ninja'ed again, that's a crazy list Donlad!

Ordo Reductor is pretty much the Mechanicum Tank and Artillery force. They seem to be geared towards, in the backstories at least, excessive destruction and bombardment. As mentioned above, the Matrix of Ruin is really worth it in that gives you scoring tanks and extra heavy support slots. I'm building up my own Reductor force which will look like:

1 Magos
3 Myrmidons in Triarios
15 Thallax across three cohorts
3 Krios Venator
2 Krios
1 Minotaur
1 Macrocarid (When it's released)
1 Ordinatus (soon!)

If you're looking to field just Thallax and Knights, then maybe hold out until Book VII: Inferno arrives. It's suspected to have Skitarii and, if it does then I'm sure a new variant list for the Mechanicum will appear, probably something along the lines of giant walkers flanked by masses of infantry if the recent Skitarii releases mean anything.

This will be my next list to test.....

I like your lists, thanks guys . And I think you're right zed, what I had in mind is probably more appropriate for the next book. It's a very cool army, and I'm surprised at how varied builds can be even with the current options!

Needs moar Medusas with Phosphex...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I've been pondering an archmagos with a rad furnace, rad grenades, scyllax bodyguard all in a triaros to zip them around tearing down T and massacring (it stacks).

Or you stick them in a Macrocarid Explorator with Iradiation Engines....
Or you stick the Archmagos with Radfurnace in a squad of Myrmidon Destructors and pack them in a Triaros...
Both is realy sick.

I always love a thread that talks about my favorite metal-head siege breakers

You know, I thought of something.... How would a unit of POTMS baskilisks work with an archmagos behind them/buffing them? They all get +1 on the damage chart to make them AP2 against vehicles, and you can have a cyber skull or something providing LOS to really high up in a ruin or something and just rain hell down on the enemy it'd be like a cheaper medusa battery that has long range!

also a question on POTMS: let's say i'm tagetting a squadron of vindicators. Can I shoot the first template on the lead vindicator, the second shot using POTMS on the second one and the third on the last one so I don't have to use the multiple barrage rules?

As long as each shot after has PoTMS it's kosher - you can choose not to fire a weapon as part of a barrage but without good ol' PoTMS they would be forfeited shots.
Seems to me the only drawbacks are the drop in strength (not like it matters too much) and the 36" minimum range for direct fire shots (which, as you point out is resolved with cyber-occularis).

 SirDonlad wrote:
As long as each shot after has PoTMS it's kosher - you can choose not to fire a weapon as part of a barrage but without good ol' PoTMS they would be forfeited shots.
Seems to me the only drawbacks are the drop in strength (not like it matters too much) and the 36" minimum range for direct fire shots (which, as you point out is resolved with cyber-occularis).

awesome, so that would be a cool idea in like Apoc or something, but after playing with points the only weakness with this is the fact that this may need a 200pt archmagos to do right ( archmagos reductor, dijjin-skein and cyber-occularis minimum) and it may eat into yet more points if you wanna give him a power fist or something.

You'd get a lot of respect for not going for the ultimate option though!

 SirDonlad wrote:
You'd get a lot of respect for not going for the ultimate option though!

what do you mean?

Also: An Archmagos Reductor can buff only one weapon per shooting phase. And Basilisks are nice, but when you realy want to scare the hell out of oponents, use 3 Mars-collossus Bombards...
Obviously, artillery batteries always with PotMS.

 Ankhalagon wrote:
Also: An Archmagos Reductor can buff only one weapon per shooting phase. And Basilisks are nice, but when you realy want to scare the hell out of oponents, use 3 Mars-collossus Bombards...
Obviously, artillery batteries always with PotMS.

ohhh so only one tank will get buffed?

Welllll.... balls. I thought it was the whole squad still would be awesome for a krios venator tank or just one medusa or something

 Tiger9gamer wrote:

 Ankhalagon wrote:
Also: An Archmagos Reductor can buff only one weapon per shooting phase. And Basilisks are nice, but when you realy want to scare the hell out of oponents, use 3 Mars-collossus Bombards...
Obviously, artillery batteries always with PotMS.

ohhh so only one tank will get buffed?

Welllll.... balls. I thought it was the whole squad still would be awesome for a krios venator tank or just one medusa or something

Most of the time he buffs a conversion beamer in his bodyguard. When a tank must die fast, like a Manticore in my latest game....
Well, I have warned him not to shoot my tanks with that thing....

 Tiger9gamer wrote:

 SirDonlad wrote:
You'd get a lot of respect for not going for the ultimate option though!

what do you mean?

Ah, i meant that normally people will take the medusae every time - S10 AP2 barrage or poisoned AP3 phosphex lays down serious hurt on just about any target and if my opponent clearly had the ability to do multiple medusa's but takes basilisks instead, i know that they are in it for fun and fluff which wins some of my respect - commitment to fairness and equality without bias wins the rest.

>dismounts<

poisoned AP3 phosphex

Medusa phosphex is actually AP2
The QL canisters are AP3, though

Chapter Master Zoidberg wrote:

poisoned AP3 phosphex

Medusa phosphex is actually AP2
The QL canisters are AP3, though

Gahhh!!

Thank you!

Taking a good choice isn't cheesy, taking a good choice and spamming it is.

I expect people with marines to field quadphos, I don't expect to see all elite choices occupied by them, I would expect a Reductor army to field Medphos, I would not expect to see all HS slots occupied by them.

I may not minmax by any stretch and believe in the rule of cool when it comes to models before rules, but I'm not going to purposely avoid a solid option in favor of a less solid one. HH/30k is boundless with power and good options anyway, that's why it's halfway balanced compared to any other GW game.

Fair enough and a good point - but i found that i don't really need more than a single medusa to do the damage i want to a squad!

I really don't like 'overkill' is my thing - i hate deleting a unit in a single round of shooting and i also dislike having units deleted without having done anything.

I prefer it when a unit gets to shoot back - payback with diminished return fire is 'right' and 'proper' to me

 SirDonlad wrote:
Fair enough and a good point - but i found that i don't really need more than a single medusa to do the damage i want to a squad!

I really don't like 'overkill' is my thing - i hate deleting a unit in a single round of shooting and i also dislike having units deleted without having done anything.

I prefer it when a unit gets to shoot back - payback with diminished return fire is 'right' and 'proper' to me

As long as you have the luxury of opponents who feel likewise, that's well and good and I get that it would provide a more rich and involving meal of a game, especially after you've a)paid FW price for the product and b)taken time to painstakingly build and paint them.

I can tell you, as someone who's play narrative, friendly at home, pick up and tourney games of 40k principally, both in the UK and the States, that the mentality for all is very different and that the nationality also plays a significant factor, Americans 'play to win' and don't have the same sense of 'gentlemanly warfare' us Brits do, even in friendly games, the expectation is that you come with a list designed to have definite strengths. The WM/H 'play like you got a pair' catchphrase is an example of this.

I learned this the hard way on coming to the States and repeatedly showing up for friendly games with my orks and getting rolled by dual lash princes, necron flyer spam and other such powerlists, until I threw my lot in and brought triple rolla wagons and lootas to the board and taught some lessons.

For me, it's like the faster zebra and smarter lion thing, guy starts bringing mobs of medusa with phosphex, I start bringing long range antitank and outflank/infiltrating face smushers. 30k, far more than 40k, allows, or so it seems to me, an easy path to step up counters to repeated abuse of individual tactics.

The armies that seem to do well, on average, in 30k, are built along balanced lines of mixing a bit of everything in. Reliance on one trick doesn't work like it does in 40k, unless you get lucky and go all scissors and your opponent goes all paper.

I prefer strong units that are hard to kill mostly... that's why I like cybernetica so far I guess!

But I agree, taking too many medusas could be a freindship breaker. I once had a guy say he would stop playing me for a while because I brought POTMS vindi's against his nightlords! (He got iron warriors and face rolled me a few times in revenge though)

I would have to see how this army plays out, but I am trying to aim for a massed tank rush of demolisher cannons as a tactic. My opponents love killing vindi's after all, but how would they deal with 6 of them all at once?

Still, love me some synergy. Having an Archmagos reductor buffing a Krios venator's weapon while providing LOS for a medusa/earth shaker battery while the opponent deals with an assault squadron of demolisher tanks and also dodging fire from fast as heck thallax sounds so darn awesome in a way few armies of the imperium can match!


gah, I need to buy more tanks... always more tanks!

I'm working on an Ordo force, and you don't need tanks. The "ignores ruins, trenches, etc" for movement works really well with thallax and ursarax. No more difficult terrain checks while moving about and getting stuck in. It helps that both are good looking models.

I plan to throw in a Thanatar, Grav Myrmadons and a unit of Vindicator class artillery tanks as the HS.

I just have this image of the tanks bursting through a wall to drop rounds directly into the midst of my opponents line.

Of course the new mechanicum land raiders also look super cool, and I may trade up when all is said and done.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:

Spoiler:

 SirDonlad wrote:
Fair enough and a good point - but i found that i don't really need more than a single medusa to do the damage i want to a squad!

I really don't like 'overkill' is my thing - i hate deleting a unit in a single round of shooting and i also dislike having units deleted without having done anything.

I prefer it when a unit gets to shoot back - payback with diminished return fire is 'right' and 'proper' to me

As long as you have the luxury of opponents who feel likewise, that's well and good and I get that it would provide a more rich and involving meal of a game, especially after you've a)paid FW price for the product and b)taken time to painstakingly build and paint them.

I can tell you, as someone who's play narrative, friendly at home, pick up and tourney games of 40k principally, both in the UK and the States, that the mentality for all is very different and that the nationality also plays a significant factor, Americans 'play to win' and don't have the same sense of 'gentlemanly warfare' us Brits do, even in friendly games, the expectation is that you come with a list designed to have definite strengths. The WM/H 'play like you got a pair' catchphrase is an example of this.

I learned this the hard way on coming to the States and repeatedly showing up for friendly games with my orks and getting rolled by dual lash princes, necron flyer spam and other such powerlists, until I threw my lot in and brought triple rolla wagons and lootas to the board and taught some lessons.

For me, it's like the faster zebra and smarter lion thing, guy starts bringing mobs of medusa with phosphex, I start bringing long range antitank and outflank/infiltrating face smushers. 30k, far more than 40k, allows, or so it seems to me, an easy path to step up counters to repeated abuse of individual tactics.

The armies that seem to do well, on average, in 30k, are built along balanced lines of mixing a bit of everything in. Reliance on one trick doesn't work like it does in 40k, unless you get lucky and go all scissors and your opponent goes all paper.

Oh man, i hate an arms race. avoided MtG because of that!
I'm doing an eagles wrath list with my marines because air-cav have the best theme music and the battle scenes from starwars where the clone trooper reinforcements get deployed are epic.

The thallax and terrain thing keeps surprising me - i forget i ignore terrain effects and penalties every game!