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My local gaming store is starting a 30k escalation league and I want to play Custodes.

I already own a bunch of Custodes stuff, both 30 and 40k.

I have:

20 unassembled custodes troops, 5 guys with spears

Ixion Hale, 3 jetbikes, 3 contemptor dreads, only 1 assembled with sword and shield, 2 still on sprue, one with sword and shield and one with the giant spear.

Trajann Valoris, 2 boxes of Allarus, and (on order will have by saturday) 2 boxes of Jet bikes and 2 boxes of wardens, and 2 land raiders.

One of the things I like about custodes is that a lot of it can be used for either 30 or 40k.

So, for the league, my plan so far is:

Shield Captain (made from the Wardens kits once I have them)
4 regular custodes with spears
a Pallas Grav-attack tank (the only thing I don't own yet)
495 points.

for the second batch
3 jetbikes
Contempter dread with sword and shield.
(left over points will add teleporting homers to the 4 dudes and shield captain)
500 pts

That's my first two steps. after that I'm not sure what to do. I'll probably need another unit of troops pretty soon and I've got that covered. Am I better off with getting a couple of tanks next or adding dedicated transports? I really need some advice about what I'll need to buy for my 1500 and 2000 pt lists. I don't have to keep everything I use at lower levels so its not just about adding, I can also switch out units.

I'm also building a 2k point 40k army. I magnatize the weapons on the contemptors so I can switch out the weapons for 40k use (the plastic contemptor sucks balls.) so I can use troops and dreads for both armies. I just wish more of the cool 30k custodes stuff was still usable in 40k.

Anyway, I welcome advice from other custodes players.

Keep in mind those terminators and jetbikes are going to need some hefty converting to fit into 30k.

tneva82 wrote:
Keep in mind those terminators and jetbikes are going to need some hefty converting to fit into 30k.

I have 3 30k jetbikes already. But my group has already agreed that proxies are okay. But, I'm not planning on using the Allarus Terminators in the 30k army. I'll buy the appropriate forgeworld models.

tneva82 wrote:
Keep in mind those terminators and jetbikes are going to need some hefty converting to fit into 30k.

Honestly they really would not. They have the 30k vibe pretty well IMO. The bikes are smaller but meh.

Terminators are smaller, both are carrying wrong weapons. Good luck scratch building proper looking weapons.

What's the word on detachment restrictions? Your proposed week 2 list is 1HQ/1Troop/2FA/1HS, they might insist on you fielding two Troops at some stage.

I'd say build the Achillus (spear-Dread) over the Galatus; he's a lot more versatile for small games (las-pulsar and the two wrist guns, as opposed to the Galatus' one flamer).

Transports aren't essential, but personally I think the Caladius renders the Pallas kind of pointless under the current rules. For 135pts (over the 85pt Pallas) you get the same main gun plus a Lastrum bolt cannon, twice the hull points, better front/side armour, and the transport capacity; in practice one Caladius is cheaper and tougher than two Pallas, and hits harder against light vehicles/non-vehicle targets, and gets you the transport capacity.

Fitting pure Custodes into 500pts is kind of brutal (minimum one HQ/two Troops is 520pts). A Shield-Captain, three Guards, and a Caladius is 490pts, add one Adrasite spear or get the Shield-Captain his Cyber-Familiar and it might be workable. Add another Guard squad and a Contemptor-Achillus for week 2 and you have a hundred points for an extra Guard and more wargear, then start bringing jetbikes in for week 3?

tneva82 wrote:
Terminators are smaller, both are carrying wrong weapons. Good luck scratch building proper looking weapons.

I wont need to. When I field 30k terminators I'll use the correct forgeworld models. I'm only using the vanilla custodes and the contemptor dreads with magnatized weapons in both armies. Everything else will be either 30k or 40k specific.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
What's the word on detachment restrictions? Your proposed week 2 list is 1HQ/1Troop/2FA/1HS, they might insist on you fielding two Troops at some stage.

I'd say build the Achillus (spear-Dread) over the Galatus; he's a lot more versatile for small games (las-pulsar and the two wrist guns, as opposed to the Galatus' one flamer).

Transports aren't essential, but personally I think the Caladius renders the Pallas kind of pointless under the current rules. For 135pts (over the 85pt Pallas) you get the same main gun plus a Lastrum bolt cannon, twice the hull points, better front/side armour, and the transport capacity; in practice one Caladius is cheaper and tougher than two Pallas, and hits harder against light vehicles/non-vehicle targets, and gets you the transport capacity.

It took me forever to work out that you were confusing the Caladius with the Coronus (why do so many of these stupid names have to be so similar)
The Caladius is the 195 pt tank with the Iliastus accelerator cannon, the Coronus is the troop carrier.

 AnomanderRake wrote:

Fitting pure Custodes into 500pts is kind of brutal (minimum one HQ/two Troops is 520pts). A Shield-Captain, three Guards, and a Caladius is 490pts, add one Adrasite spear or get the Shield-Captain his Cyber-Familiar and it might be workable. Add another Guard squad and a Contemptor-Achillus for week 2 and you have a hundred points for an extra Guard and more wargear, then start bringing jetbikes in for week 3?

That is constructive advice. Truth is I won't be able to speak to the organizer until tomorrow about specifics for this league, but the last escalation league we ran was

At 500 - 1 HQ under 200 pts and one troop with no tanks, fliers, or transports (0-1 of anything else)
at 1000 - 1 HQ (no restrictions) 1 troop, no tanks or fliers. (0-2 of anything else)
at 1500 - 1 HQ, 2 troops, no fliers, regular force org as you like.
at 2000 - Regular force org, anything goes.

this worked out pretty well and the games were mostly fought with lots of city terrain or Zone Mortalis for 500-1000pt games and open terrain after that. Most of the players were happy enough that this will probably be how we run this one.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
What's the word on detachment restrictions? Your proposed week 2 list is 1HQ/1Troop/2FA/1HS, they might insist on you fielding two Troops at some stage.

I'd say build the Achillus (spear-Dread) over the Galatus; he's a lot more versatile for small games (las-pulsar and the two wrist guns, as opposed to the Galatus' one flamer).

Transports aren't essential, but personally I think the Caladius renders the Pallas kind of pointless under the current rules. For 135pts (over the 85pt Pallas) you get the same main gun plus a Lastrum bolt cannon, twice the hull points, better front/side armour, and the transport capacity; in practice one Caladius is cheaper and tougher than two Pallas, and hits harder against light vehicles/non-vehicle targets, and gets you the transport capacity.

It took me forever to work out that you were confusing the Caladius with the Coronus (why do so many of these stupid names have to be so similar)
The Caladius is the 195 pt tank with the Iliastus accelerator cannon, the Coronus is the troop carrier.

Gah. Names. Yes. Sorry. Trying to talk about the transport there.

 AnomanderRake wrote:

Fitting pure Custodes into 500pts is kind of brutal (minimum one HQ/two Troops is 520pts). A Shield-Captain, three Guards, and a Caladius is 490pts, add one Adrasite spear or get the Shield-Captain his Cyber-Familiar and it might be workable. Add another Guard squad and a Contemptor-Achillus for week 2 and you have a hundred points for an extra Guard and more wargear, then start bringing jetbikes in for week 3?

That is constructive advice. Truth is I won't be able to speak to the organizer until tomorrow about specifics for this league, but the last escalation league we ran was

At 500 - 1 HQ under 200 pts and one troop with no tanks, fliers, or transports (0-1 of anything else)
at 1000 - 1 HQ (no restrictions) 1 troop, no tanks or fliers. (0-2 of anything else)
at 1500 - 1 HQ, 2 troops, no fliers, regular force org as you like.
at 2000 - Regular force org, anything goes.

this worked out pretty well and the games were mostly fought with lots of city terrain or Zone Mortalis for 500-1000pt games and open terrain after that. Most of the players were happy enough that this will probably be how we run this one.

Got it. The Pallas certainly makes 500pts a less irritating points level, but I'm still not sure I'd recommend getting one if you don't already have it given how much better the Coronus is at doing the same set of things. You also mitigate the major weakness of your infantry (short effective range) with the extra 36"-range gun.