Tallarn Commander wrote:Diezel,

This looks like a fun, fluffy list. It will be less effective than more orthodox IG lists (e.g. mechvets, hybrid, or foot), but you should win some of your games.

You have 3 main weaknesses with this list:

Problem 1: Until Al’Rahem’s platoon and your 2 flyers with their squads show up it looks like you have a pretty small force on the board with only about 3 tanks, a flyer, and a very small number of troopers containing a total of a little over a dozen ranged heavy weapons. This means shooty opponents will dominate you in the early game and assaulty opponents will reach your lines with impunity.

Solution: Drop all 3 vet squads (dismounted vets without transports in a list of this nature really won’t help you much unless they have heavy weapons) and buy an el cheapo-31 trooper autocannon-grenade launcher blob and stick it in front of your other units. Let the opponent chew on the blob while you are waiting for Al’Rahem to arrive.

Problem 2: I love Al’Rahem for fluff reasons (I do play an all-Tallarn army after all). However, he is more of a fun unit rather than an effective unit. First, since he always has to outflank that is a significant amount of firepower you must lose until mid-game. Second, experienced opponents will know he has to outflank and will deploy accordingly (e.g. in the center of his DZ but with enough mobility to strike at your outflanking elements) and then chew him up when he comes on. Against folks who have never faced Al’Rahem you’ll have a blast though.

Solution: There is no solution to this problem (unless GW makes the Al’Rahem flank optional).

Problem 3: Chimeras. Whenever I mount up Al’Rahem’s platoon, those Chimeras outflank, do a little bit of damage and provide a bit more mobility, and then on the opponent’s turn my AFVs start going up like Roman Candles. Thus, I’ve had more luck with a dismounted massed 32-trooper blob (including Comissar Guderian and Priestess Badra) rolling around the enemy backfield with Al’Rahem hanging out behind them screaming orders.

Solution: Drop the Chimeras and go dismounted. Use the points to buy a 3rd PIS and commie for your Patrol Platoon. With Al’Rahem screaming “Move! Move! Move!” you’ll be surprised at how much you don’t miss the exploding Chimeras.

Thus, I recommend the following
1.) Kit your CCS out with plasmas rather than meltas—you need the ranged firepower more since you’ll be sitting back with your heavy armor and one of your vendees screaming “Patrol Platoon, what is your ETA!!??? Explain the reason for your delay, over!!!” into your vox.
2.) Give your Al’Rahem platoon meltaguns rather than grenade launcher. Trust me they’ll be more effective this way. While you’re at it make sure to give the Patrol Platoon PCS and a PIS voxes and toss in a commie into an Al’Rahem platoon line squad. Oh yeah, also toss in meltabombs on your PIS sergeants since this gives you at least a snowballs chance to eliminate tarpitting enemy dreads.
3.) Drop all 3 vet squads and toss in a cheap auto-grenade tarpit blob (3 PIS, 1 PCS) platoon with commie and vox.
4.) Depending on your local meta you might consider swapping out the plasmas on the 2 stormie squads for meltas. If your meta is not vehicle-heavy (my local meta of Rockville, MD, USA) is vehicle heavy) then keep the plasmas. Double-tapping vehicle rear armor with deep-striking plasma up close is nice in theory, but Murphy’s Law says ya scatter to the side of that enemy vehicle and now your plasmas aren’t cutting it. At least that’s what happens to my Desert Eagles and Desert Falcons stormtrooper squads.
5.) Drop both Al'Rahem platoon PIS chimeras and add a 3rd PIS and a commie to the platoon.

Of course, take this all with a grain of salt. I hope this helps.


Good luck!

Tallarn Commander

IG, “We are many. They are few.”