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Okay, so i had a idea today but have no idea on how to achieve it. I want to build a Astra Militarum list at 1850 pts that focuses on dropping in troops from valkyries to secure objectives and using forgeworld flyers to annihilate armour and infantry. I would love if you guys know how to make a list like this.


Thanks in advance,
Archon.

Well, you're definitely going to want to reach for the Emperor's Spear formation from the cadia book for that purpose. The ability to get rid of scatter from the deep strike lets you use Obsec to your advantage to snag objectives.

Your basic troop unit IMO should be either a CCS or a Vet squad carrying flamers or meltas and equipped with 4+ save armor. If you wanted to bring some allied support and stay fluffy, there's the Valkyrie from the new Imperial Agents codex that could carry an inquisitor+Warband and also gets you an IC version of a master of the fleet.

You're likely to be null deploying because, duh, you're all flyers, so what I would do is give the MoF his own imperial bunker, and every game try to stick it either out of line of sight or at least with a decent cover save. For added security, maybe get a minimum ratling squad to hide as well, just in case your opponent has tons of long range anti tank that can blow away your bunker turn 1.

I think you'd rarely have to worry about getting tabled if you were smart with blocking your lines of sight, and then turn 2, get those 2+ reserves rolling and bring in the air cav! It wouldn't be the worlds most competitive list but it'd be super fun.

I also recommend checking out the Elysian and D-99 rules in IA3 (the Taros Campaign) and IA4 (the Anphelion project) respectively.

Both give access to Vultures (think 40k's Apache gunship) and Elysians also give you Sky Talons (Valkyrie vehicle transporters) and Imperial Navy fighter support, namely, Lightnings, Thunderbolts and Avengers.

Elysians also have rules for Tauros (different to Taurox, the transports) which are a bit like attack buggies. And Drop Sentinels, which are a bit like Scout Sentinels except rather than having Scout, they have deep strike. Both of these can be transported in Valkyries.
Oh and for a laugh they have the Cyclops, which is a little remote demolitions vehicle (if you've ever heard of Germany's Goliath in WWII, it's that).

D-99 have some pretty cool units, a unit composed entirely of snipers, a unit composed entirely of flamers, and/or a unit composed entirely of melta/plasma gunners.

Unfortunately these are reasonably old rules being from 6th and certainly before formations, so it's CAD or Allies only for them, discuss with your opponent(s) if they would be the same faction or a different one to Imperial Guard. However I would lean towards different faction.

This is something that I've always dreamt of doing myself, damn my lack of funds!
I've got all the fluff written out for them and everything.
The First Cretacian Reavers, airbourne regiment, hunting partners to Knight House Rapax.

What about a list like this? 1850 pts

CAD:
HQ: Company command squad,3 plasma, standard-120pts in chimera with dozer blades-70pts
Troops:
1:Veterans,3 plasma,grenadiers-120pts in chimera with dozer blades-70pts
2:Veterans,3 plasma,grenadiers-120pts (1)
3:Veterans,3 meltas,demolitions-120pts(2)
4:Veterans,3 meltas,demolitions-120pts(3)
Fast attack:
1: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts
2: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts
3: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155 pts
Heavy support
1: Avenger strike fighter, autocannons-180pts

Emperor's spear:
1: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (1) Veterans transport
2: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (2) Veterans transport
3: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (3) Veterans transport

I would play the formation from the Militarum Tempestus book... 4 Valkyries and 4 units of scions and a commissar... they get T/L when they land and some other cool things

 ArchonofCorinth wrote:
What about a list like this? 1850 pts

CAD:
HQ: Company command squad,3 plasma, standard-120pts in chimera with dozer blades-70pts
Troops:
1:Veterans,3 plasma,grenadiers-120pts in chimera with dozer blades-70pts
2:Veterans,3 plasma,grenadiers-120pts (1)
3:Veterans,3 meltas,demolitions-120pts(2)
4:Veterans,3 meltas,demolitions-120pts(3)
Fast attack:
1: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts
2: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts
3: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155 pts
Heavy support
1: Avenger strike fighter, autocannons-180pts

Emperor's spear:
1: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (1) Veterans transport
2: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (2) Veterans transport
3: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (3) Veterans transport

Not enough anti-tank IMO. If you had any way to swap a valk for a vendetta which can carry a ccs with flamers and heavy flamer, that would probably help you. I find grenadiers to be better than demolitions 9 times out of 10 (demolitions tend to blow themselves up).

Any time I'm running a heavy reserve list like this, whatever board presence I have at the start is suuuuper minimal. Your ccs and chimera vets are going to get absolutely pasted most games. Something like a CCS with a master of the fleet in a comms relay imperial bunker would be similar points to one of your squads, but they'd be this little block of AV14 you could just plop down out of sight if possible, and their only job would be to survive one turn and try to stretch to 2 so they could get your reserves on. Alternatively remember that Codex Imperial Agents had the one valkyrie, one master of the fleet with Independent Character detachment. You could drop the chimera vet squad, gear the CCS for combat with flamers and heavy flamers or more melta guns and it would allow you to swap one of your emp spear valkyries for vendettas. Then, you can just worry about hiding the master of the fleet (probably in a bunker) and have his whole job be surviving to call in the cavalry, and you've got 3 veteran squads coming on from valkyries and 1 CCS coming on from the vendetta.

Your biggest problem is obviously going to be scoring, but I think your strategy can be to scour the enemy presence from a whole section of the board and try to take control of several objectives on your kickass turn 2, and then slowly work your way from there, planning for your second turn of attack to be whatever section of the board all your planes can reach with their 90 degree turn.

 ArchonofCorinth wrote:
What about a list like this? 1850 pts

CAD:
HQ: Company command squad,3 plasma, standard-120pts in chimera with dozer blades-70pts
Troops:
1:Veterans,3 plasma,grenadiers-120pts in chimera with dozer blades-70pts
2:Veterans,3 plasma,grenadiers-120pts (1)
3:Veterans,3 meltas,demolitions-120pts(2)
4:Veterans,3 meltas,demolitions-120pts(3)
Fast attack:
1: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts
2: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts
3: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155 pts
Heavy support
1: Avenger strike fighter, autocannons-180pts

Emperor's spear:
1: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (1) Veterans transport
2: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (2) Veterans transport
3: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods,heavy bolter sponsons-155 pts (3) Veterans transport

I would use something close to this as it has a bit more flexibility in my mind and better FMC/Flyer killing power.

The skyshield allows 2 good options for not getting killed turn 1.

Option 1: deploy it with the walls up and put the vets in chimera and vets with camo cloaks on it for a 4++ on all of them and cover.
Option 2: Deploy it with the walls down and start the game with a Valkyrie on it, place the vets in chimera and vets with camo cloaks out of LOS or in the best positions you can find.

Very fluffy for a flyer list, and either option pretty much ensures you won't be shot off the board turn 1.

CAD:
HQ:
Company command squad, 4xmelta, -100pts (1)
Company command squad, 4xmelta, -100pts (2)

Troops:
1:Veterans, 3x melta, grenadiers-100pts (3)
2:Veterans, 3x melta, grenadiers-100pts (4)
3:Veterans, 1x Lascannon, 2x melta-100pts in Chimera -65pts
4:Veterans, 1x Lascannon, 1x melta- 90pts in Chimera -65pts

Fast attack:
1: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts
2: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts
3: Vulture gunship,punisher gatling cannon-155pts

Heavy support
1: Avenger strike fighter, autocannons-180pts

Fortification
Skyshield Landing Pad-75pts

Emperor's spear:
1: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods-135 pts (3) Veterans transport
2: Valkyrie, multilaser,rocket pods-135 pts (4) Veterans transport
3: VendettaX2 -340 pts (1 and 2) Company Command squads transports

How do you take Vultures and Chimeras in the same list?
I didn't think Vultures existed anywhere independent of Elysians or D-99.

As odd as this sounds, the only other difficult piece here is only the Avenger has Skyfire. So for having a boatload of flyers, you only have one thing that can attack other flyers. Luckily, I doubt you'll run into a lot of issue along those lines, but still.

If points allow, I'd also look at the Imperial Navy detachment in Codex: Imperial Agents for a Fleet Officer with Vendetta to help out your reserve rolls.

 IronMaster wrote:
As odd as this sounds, the only other difficult piece here is only the Avenger has Skyfire. So for having a boatload of flyers, you only have one thing that can attack other flyers. Luckily, I doubt you'll run into a lot of issue along those lines, but still.

If points allow, I'd also look at the Imperial Navy detachment in Codex: Imperial Agents for a Fleet Officer with Vendetta to help out your reserve rolls.

I thought all zooming flyers had the choice to use skyfire or not, the Avenger having it on it's profile is a disadvantage because that would mean it can't effectively engage ground targets.

I was getting the rules and points from Imperial Armour Aeronautica.