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Hi all, I've built up various small ad mech forces over the past year to run as allied detachments with my various other imperial forces mainly because I like the models. I've gotten to the stage where I think I can field about 2000pts if I combine them together. Now I understand that I could likely field most of this in a war convocation but I generally play more relaxed games with friends rather than tournaments and feel the war con is a little over the top, plus I don't quite have the right models.

I'm looking for a little advice on how I can run things and more importantly tactics that work well with them. The models I've got consist of the following: an imperial knight (fully mag'ed), 4 kastelans + tech priest Dom (for the cohort cyber) the start collecting skitarii and some infiltrator's and a set of extra vanguard.

I knocked together the following list which uses them all (would need an ironstrider but i like the model).

Cohort Cybernetica

Tech Priest Dominus Autocaduceus of Arkan Land, Conversion Field 140
2 Kastelan Robots + Datasmith 2x Phosphor Blast, 2x TL Phosphor Blaster 320
2 Kastelan Robots + Datasmith 1x Phosphor Blast, 1x TL Phosphor Blaster 305

Dominus Maniple

Tech Priest Dominus Conversion Field, Phosphor Serpenta 115
5 Skitari Rangers 65
Onager Dunecrawler Neutron Lazer, Cognis Stubber 120

Skitari Maniple

5 Skitari Vanguard 55
10 Skitari Vanguard 3x Arc Rifle, Arc Pistol, Omnispex 165
6 Sicaran Infiltrators Conversion Field, Omniscient Mask 250
Sydonian Dragoon 45

Oathsworn Knight

Imperial Knight Warden Melta gun, Stormspear Missile Pod 420


Total 2000


The spare tech priest Dom would tank for the large squad of vanguard and I have the knight and the Kastelan's forming two large killy blocks, I know it's not ideal but is it workable?

Any advise you can give when running this kind of Admech list would be gratefully recieved as I'm a little new to using them.

I know you didn't ask for roster advice, but those Vanguard need special weapons to be effective.

In most games your tactics will resolve around the Cohort Cybernetica. In the first and maybe second turn, march them up into the center of the board where they have line of sight onto three or four objectives. Then plant their heels with the shooty protocol. Now nothing smaller than a super-heavy can safely contest those objectives. Always choose to go second against jetbikes or other armies that can race onto objectives at the last turn. You'll want to max the Phosphor on those robots; four of them without fists still hit harder than anything smaller than a super-heavy.

That leaves other objectives and tougher units to your Imperial Knight. Some games will see him protecting the Cohort Cybernetica while in others he'll charge at objectives the Cohort can't see.

Those two heavy hitting units are the majority of your points and can solve most of your problems. But two units can contest only two objectives, and your Knight is vulnerable charging forward in some games. So the rest of your army should focus on contesting the remaining objectives and also protecting the Knight. Skitarii Dragoons are perhaps the best AdMech unit to fill both of these roles.

 axisofentropy wrote:
I know you didn't ask for roster advice, but those Vanguard need special weapons to be effective.

If you mean arc rifles, that would make them more effective against vehicles and less effective against infantry. If you mean plasma, the plasma should never ever be taken outside of war convo. Four vanguard > one vanguard with plasma.

Real News wrote:

 axisofentropy wrote:
I know you didn't ask for roster advice, but those Vanguard need special weapons to be effective.

If you mean arc rifles, that would make them more effective against vehicles and less effective against infantry. If you mean plasma, the plasma should never ever be taken outside of war convo. Four vanguard > one vanguard with plasma.

entierly disagree on the less effective against infantry. They are str 6 a 5. They deal more wounds to the unit that could help wipe them out and they wound reliably against MEQ's, and instant kill against Guard. all it takes is one failed invuln save and it's bye bye lord commisar!

Tiger9gamer is correct it is not a waste at all to put Arc Rifles in your Vanguard squads, they are very effective. Have to remember your guys are going to be getting in close meaning that there is greater chance for them to get into rapid fire range allowing them to put out a good number of shots along with the rest of the squad. And while the rest of the squad armed with Radium Carbines will need Fives or Sixes to wound anything over T4 you will be able to wound larger targets much easier.