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So ive recently acquired a sizeable Deathwatch force on the cheap. Based on what I have read in the codex and what the fine folks on the internet say , there are some serious holes to be plugged to make this army viable. That said im really wanting to keep it as a primarily Deathwatch army, as I really like the fluff and the over all look. It seems that artillery is a solution to the problem but I know little about what imperial guard brings to the table and was looking for some guidance as to what would be an effective artillery base to add into the army. For a 2k point list im looking to include maybe 500 to 600 points of ig to make the magic happen. If I could squeeze in a battalion into that point allotment that would be great but really I just need advice on what would be a good addition to my force to cover all my bases.

for reference this is what I have'

70 x veterans with assorted load outs
20 x terminators
20 x bikers assorted load outs
20 x vanguard vets
3 x dreadnaughts magnetized
2 x corvus blackstars magnetized
5 x assault cannon razorbacks
1 x land raider magnetized
1 x watch master
1 x captain artemis
1 x librarian

(load outs aren't an issue on the troops because included in the deal was a mess of bits as well as my own large bitz bin)

I am looking to do the same thing, but a bit reversed with the guard being the primary force and the Deathwatch being the ally force. I find bringing some tanks would is always a good option. My personal favorite is the Forgeworld conqueror tank. That thing is just my single favorite unit in the game for how versatile and reliable it is. If you are specifically looking to stick with artillery you have the option of the Basilisk or the manticore. The Basilisk is about 40 or so points cheaper if my memory serves me correctly, but only gets 1d6 shots (You roll 2d6 and discard the lowest for number of shots) at s9 ap-3 d3 damage compared to the straight up 2d6 s10 ap-2 d3 damage of the manticore, but it can only fire up to four times before it runs out of missiles.

Both are really solid and arguments can be made for both. If you are looking to keep it cheap perhaps considering three basilisks for around 324 points or so. They can be squadroned for one drop and then you can easily throw in a small battalion of 3 infantry squads and two HQs. If you want to be especially cheaky make a company commander your warlord and give him Kurov's Aquila and the grand stratageist trait to farm command points far more effectively than the Deathwatch warlord trait can do.

I was listening to the longwar podcast and they were kicking around the idea of using 12 motar teams. is this in any way better than rolling with tanks?

 CR1MS0NJ1HAD wrote:
I was listening to the longwar podcast and they were kicking around the idea of using 12 motar teams. is this in any way better than rolling with tanks?

Deathwatch have anti Infantry/horde covered. Between SIA storm Bolters, aggressors that can teleport into ideal range, and bikes. Their gaps are ranged AT, screening, and board control. I guess if you really needed to double down on anti horde, you could bring the mortars along, but Basilisks/Manticores/Russes are IMO much better complementing units.

Also, rule of 3 means you're down to 9 mortar teams now unless you stick more in infantry squads.

So far though, I've been doing fine in store pick up games with min battalion + 2 Manticores or just min battalion of guard for the CP Regen.

aaahhhhh well I appreciate clearing up the confusion. in my years of on and off playing ive never played ig. this is new ground for me. so if you had to choose between basilisks and manticores wich would you say would get the most bang for the buck?

RogueApiary wrote:

 CR1MS0NJ1HAD wrote:
I was listening to the longwar podcast and they were kicking around the idea of using 12 motar teams. is this in any way better than rolling with tanks?

Deathwatch have anti Infantry/horde covered. Between SIA storm Bolters, aggressors that can teleport into ideal range, and bikes. Their gaps are ranged AT, screening, and board control. I guess if you really needed to double down on anti horde, you could bring the mortars along, but Basilisks/Manticores/Russes are IMO much better complementing units.

Also, rule of 3 means you're down to 9 mortar teams now unless you stick more in infantry squads.

So far though, I've been doing fine in store pick up games with min battalion + 2 Manticores or just min battalion of guard for the CP Regen.

With that said and done, just bringing in ×9 Mortars and a Commander is less than 150 points for an extra CP and access to that Kurov relic. Not a terrible deal if you ask me.

 CR1MS0NJ1HAD wrote:
aaahhhhh well I appreciate clearing up the confusion. in my years of on and off playing ive never played ig. this is new ground for me. so if you had to choose between basilisks and manticores wich would you say would get the most bang for the buck?

I made a topic on that as well and it was very divided. There are very good cases to be made for both. What it comes down to is do you see yourself still needing your artillery past turn 4? If so basilisk wins easily. You can have 4 basilisks for every three manitcores and thus more models. but they are much harder to hide behind terrain than manticores are. Personally I prefer basilisks.