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Hello everyone, recently Horus heresy has gotten really popular at my FLGS and an escalation league has been declared with the plan of it starting in December. As I already have a sizable Skitarii army I have decided to add a force of 30k to compliment them with some awesome robots. The only rules are we cannot take our best standard HQ choice (No Praetors for example) and that it must be painted and the starting point value will be 1250 points increasing by 250 every few weeks. This is a first attempt at a Mechanicum list for me so let me know what you guys think and thanks for posting!

HQ:

-Magos Dominus
*w/ Cyber Familiar

TROOPS:

-x3 Thallax

-x3 Thallax

-x2 Castellax
*w/ x2 Flamers Each, Mauler Bolt Cannons, Enhanced Targeting Array

-x1 Castellax
*w/ x2 Bolters, Darkfire Cannon, Enhanced Targeting Array

-x1 Castellax
*w/ x2 Bolters, Darkfire Cannon, Enhanced Targeting Array

FAST ATTACK:

-x3 Vorax
*w/ x3 Rad Cleansers, Rotor Cannons, Bio Ammunition, Frag Grenades, Enhanced Targeting Array

TOTAL ARMY: 1250 POINTS

You could merge the two single-Castellax to a second unit and play Cybernetica Battlecohort....
And 3 naked Thallax are pretty useless. Think about putting a Machinator Array on the Dominus.

The thing about the mechanicum is that it is a highly tuneable force - we have the tools to beat any enemy in 30k but those tools are very specific in their focus.

The structure of your force is likely to be shaped by the opponents you have in this event and how 'well' you do is going to be a matter of luck based on what units the opponent brings.

You may want to squeeze in a small blob of thralls with the rite of pure thought because they can camp on a 'home objective' and not run away when some get removed.
I second the machinator array for the HQ since instant death is a real cheap way to reliably give away a victory point for 'slay the warlord'.

Lastly - you've put an awful lot of points into those vorax! (315pts i make it for that unit)

I'm looking at that list, and I know I sure as heck wouldn't've come up with it; certainly down to my preferred play styles. (Not because that list is utter shyte - which it isn't, don't get me wrong).

What I see here is a relatively blind blunder into a stale, basic standard low-end Tac list. Predictable choices, and I'm seeing a suggestion of a lack of research into the capabilities of the army.
(I don't expect everyone to delve head first into a codex and scuba the thing to oblivion, but it does help)

- With Thallax; the unit it's taken me longest to suss, I find it's either Go Big or Go Home with them: Their upgrades are marvellous, and only get better the larger the unit. Remember that disciplines like Ferrox and Empyrean are cost By Unit, not model, so their point efficiency goes up the larger the unit.
What you seem to be doing with those 2 naked squads is just peeping for some easy high-mobility scouting jobbies, and whilst they can certainly do that, they won't be managing much else.
Honestly, for much less points, I'd say it's just better to sprint a blob or two of AdSec about the place.

When considering a unit, I send my mind into the swirling madness of how the unit would think. What does the unit do? How best to capture that essence?
Also makes list building all that more enjoyable; well worth reading the lore of all these things on the Wikia.

- Those Castellax are definitely being used as a conventional "Heavy support", but really they should be used with more of the "Support" bit taken to heart.
Got Blinding lances and a Pinning machine gun? I'd abuse that with some serious mélée business, namely a bunch of Ferrox Thallax with Chainblades.
I also see that the 2 bots with the Darkfire are your primary anti-vehicle doodads. The only time I field non-mélée anti-armour is when I run pure Skitarii, otherwise, I'm ramming stuff down my opponent's throat, abusing the fact that vehicles are appauling in CC.
Domitar, Arlatax, Jetpack'd Magos with Corposant Staves... That's my go-to anti-armour.
The Magos we have available can be right tough barstools; don't be afraid to go all-out on your Warlord, and make him someone that pulls their weight on the battlefield.

- As for the Vorax; on their own merit, there's alot you can do with that load out. Problem is, the rest of your list doesn't properly support them.
--------

So, how would I change this list?

1 Archmagos Dominus
w/ Cyber-Familiar, Machinator Array, The Cortica Primus.
[225 pts]

1 3-man Castellax Maniple
w/ Darkfire Cannons.
[375 pts]

1 3-man Vorax Maniple
w/ Frag Grenades, Bio-Corrosive rounds.
[240 pts]

1 6-man Thallax Cohort
w/ Chainblades, Ferrox.
[310 pts]

2 10-man Adsecularis Covenants
w/ The Right of Pure Thought.
[100 pts]

Builing on what Donald and Ankh said.

Field this as an Onslaught organisation (the one where your enemy hears you coming) Cybernetica Cohort.
Get a souped up Dominus, +1 Initative for the robots, 24" range on the cortex controller, and thus 24" range on Cyberthurgy attempts.

Attatch the Dominus to the Castellax unit, fiddle about with Cyberthurgy rites as you see fit (but keep in mind that, whilst the Primus relic doesn apply it to all robots in a unit, does see you take a -1 for each robot to your leadership test roll).
I'd typically operate this in a Deathstar fashion, but the list still holds the capability to go off one unit to one problem.
Blind some poor git with the Darkfire, send in the Vorax and Thallax, rinse and repeat. Simple.

Don't need Rad Cleansers AND Bio Rounds on Vorax. Enough anti-infantry as it is with the Rotor cannons; best keeping those juicy S7 Lightning Guns to the tough cookies, and some anti-armour.
The Thallax will be doing 4 attacks each on the charge; 24 S7 chainblade strikes is going to hack stuff to bits, even against A13 vehicles (but remember that CC attacks on vehicles is always to the rear arnour).
If you're faced with some A14, there's always the Darkfire and Rite of Destruction.

The Cortica Primus.

That thing is a campaign-only, though.

Are you going to escalate to Taghmata, Cybernetica, or Reductor?

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Are you going to escalate to Taghmata, Cybernetica, or Reductor?

Now that I have finally looked through the Red Book I am definitely leaning towards Legio Cybernetica, I like the idea of using Castellax as Troops. And I still am on the fence about Thallax, and aren't the Enchanced Targeting Arrays a little to good to pass up?

 gmaleron wrote:

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Are you going to escalate to Taghmata, Cybernetica, or Reductor?

Now that I have finally looked through the Red Book I am definitely leaning towards Legio Cybernetica, I like the idea of using Castellax as Troops. And I still am on the fence about Thallax, and aren't the Enchanced Targeting Arrays a little to good to pass up?

No. they are a little pricey. Especially when you put them on every possible Automata in the list.

If you wanna play Thallax, the best ways are:
Close cobat: Ferrox and heavy chainblades, squad of 5+.
Ranged: 2+ special weapons, squad of 6+.

I actually differ on ETAs. They are good on every shooting Automata.

Legio Cybernetica will be difficult to play since they lack scoring units in most iterations - automata are pricey, so saving points to have meaningful scoring troops is a hard challenge to overcome. Deciding between, say, 3 ETAs and one unit of 10 Adseculari is a hard decision!

I'm not such a fan of ETA's on Darkfire Castellax. It's a Heavy 2 anyway, and only needs Hits to force a blind test, not like you can force multiple tests on the same unit either. Seems like an uneccessary 45 point sink in this context.
I'd definitely take them if I gave the Castellax Multi-Meltas, though.

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Deciding between, say, 3 ETAs and one unit of 10 Adseculari is a hard decision!

I second that.
------

What size boards will you be playing on, by the way?

I find the ETA's almost always a must-have if you want Castellax shooting to be worthwhile. The bonus to hit, and the penalty to their cover save, is often too good to pass up.

 Buddingsquaw wrote:
I'm not such a fan of ETA's on Darkfire Castellax. It's a Heavy 2 anyway, and only needs Hits to force a blind test, not like you can force multiple tests on the same unit either. Seems like an uneccessary 45 point sink in this context.
I'd definitely take them if I gave the Castellax Multi-Meltas, though.

 Unit1126PLL wrote:
Deciding between, say, 3 ETAs and one unit of 10 Adseculari is a hard decision!

I second that.
------
What size boards will you be playing on, by the way?

For the most part standard 6x4, maybe 4x4 at this point value but we will see. And personally I am actually a big fan of the Enhanced Targeting Arrays and just feel they are to good to pass up, hitting on 2's all the time seems awesome. A few more questions for you guys:

-Seen that a common tactic is taking x20 Tech Thralls with the Rite of pure thought, a sound tactic?
-Multiple Thanatars worth it? Debating taking x2 or maybe a few Krios Tanks
-I am definitely interested in the yet to be released Vultarax since it has Haywire, any idea when or what book it comes out in?

-Seen that a common tactic is taking x20 Tech Thralls with the Rite of pure thought, a sound tactic?

I do that every game..... If you wanna camp on an opjective. Or the Triaros-clowncar-tactic....

-Multiple Thanatars worth it? Debating taking x2 or maybe a few Krios Tanks

Depends. Or: How fast can you run away.....! A Thanatar is nice and fun. 3-9 are just crazy.....

-I am definitely interested in the yet to be released Vultarax since it has Haywire, any idea when or what book it comes out in?

Inferno. Maybe there will be experimental rules before that book.

 gmaleron wrote:


-Seen that a common tactic is taking x20 Tech Thralls with the Rite of pure thought, a sound tactic?

yes and no (numbers wise) - you put them down somewhere out of the way with an objective as close to your own table edge as possible for a simple and points efficient VP.
So the opponent should have better stuff to worry about than them in which case the squad only needs the base 10 dudes.

But i end up doing the 20 man unit thing myself just in case my opponent does try to take the objective or piss on my cheap cyborg party.
But i also use 'revenant alchemistry' for the FNP and stuff a combined engineer/lachrimallus tech-preist auxillia in a nearby macrocarid/triaros to boost that.
It's fun going the whole hog and using a magos prime lacyraemarta to get destroyed thrall units back on a 5+