[Epic] First SM list

[kharn_the_betrayer]

OK here is my first epic list. C&C please. I know it isn't much, but what I can assemble from a minimum purchase to learn the rules.

 

1 Tactical formation with Supreme Commander

3 Tactical formations

1 assult formations

 

 

Thx

 

KtB

[Honda]

KtB,

 

Excellent! Another Epic player.

 

A couple of things to think about:

 

1. Your force as defined is definitely workable, although you might consider subbing a devestator formation in for one tactical and try that in some of your games. The additional firepower and range can be helpful.

 

2. Unlike in 40K, SMs are the toughest list to learn to use. Why? Because the list excels at stealing the initiative, getting into FF range and staying more mobile than your opponent. If you try to slug it out with your formations against anothers, you will lose. The list rewards aggressive, but not foolish play. Take advantage of your Strategy rating of 1 and your higher armor saves as much as you can. Target "key" opposing units and take them out. A "key" unit is something that has an ability that is better than your core units. Once you have eliminated them, then their chaff will then struggle against your superior capabilities.

 

3. Attrition is not your friend, so when you do attack, use as much of your force as possible to concentrate on a part of theirs and eliminate it. Don't leave stragglers, they will come back to haunt you. Systematically and methodically dismantle the opponents forces. Develop your list into strike forces and learn how to use them to support each other. For example, in my list below, my terminators are a strike package and can operate in support of my drops or to take out (or engage) a separate force.

 

4. Be prepared to experience some defeats on the way to understanding how the SM list operates. Again, it does not play like the other lists.

 

5. Personal opinion time B)

 

Consider going to an all drop pod force at some point in the future. What you have now is great for learning the mechanics of the game, but part of the power of the SM list is being able to show up anywhere on the board and whack part of the opponents force. My typical 3000 pt list looks like:

 

Landing Craft

1 x Tac, 3 x Rzrbacks, 2 x Rhino, 1 x Hunter

2 x Terminators

Strike Cruiser

1 x Tacticals, 2 x Dreads

1 x Tactical, 3 x Rhino, 1 x Hunter

Supreme Commander

1 x Devastator, 1 x Dread, 1 x Librarian

1 x Chaplain

 

I hope that helps.

[dieseldinosaur]

KtB,

 

Agree, Nice to see some other Epic payers out there.. :D :D :D

Your list looks perfect as a way of learning the rules, not to much to clutter you up. Just straight forward gameplay and tactics

 

Honda's got some good points there. I would have a few more ( Some ) Assault marines in the Ranks though. ;)

 

 

 

Honda

 

If I may be so bold as to offer a bit of advice on the Drop Pod front, Don't buy any minis for your drop force until you are sure that is the way you want to go. Their deployment can range from great to disaster. It can be disheartening to have a good slice of your troops killed without firing a shot. ;) .

 

Any Net Epic players out There ?????

 

DD

[Honda]

@DD,

 

I wholeheartedly agree that the drop list is not for the faint of heart and that it is an aggressive, albeit brutal, approach to playing the SMs. It punishes the timid player and struggles with other lists that have a high degree of mobility (e.g. Eldar).

 

That being said, it is the list I play, regardless of whether I'm playing a pick up game or tournament. If it were a bolter, it would feel perfectly balanced in my hand, if that makes sense. I think it has something to do with personality style (e.g. Daredevil is still my favorite comic character...that is, the Frank Miller version). It's also how I play my 40K space marines. I have somewhere on the order of 10,000 points of Epic space marines, painted in the same livery as my 40K chapter. It is the toughest list, of an already tough list to play well because it relies so heavily on taking the initiative and keeping it for the majority of the game.

 

Now, I have played Mud Marines (i.e. no airborne or spaceborne assets) and they are a little more forgiving, certainly a lot of fun and challenging to play, but my drop list is my list of choice, the one I play every chance I get.

 

BTW, Houston is going to be resurrecting Epic before too long. It's just too much fun to play.

[GR00V3R]

@Honda

 

Thank you for your article here about starting out as a Marines player--I have been struggling (badly) in my first few games, so your advice was gratefully received. <_<

 

I am particularly struggling against the Eldar. Their mobility is a real problem, and--despite now having a better grasp of the rules and using combined arms task forces--I just can't seem to tackle them. The prisms tend to hammer my Land Raiders while staying out of my range. Also, at some point in the game, the Avatar and a huge bunch of his mates invariable launch out of a warp gate and turn my poor Ultrasmurfs into so much power-armoured goo. :S

 

I have all of the units in your exaple 3,000pts list, but I'm unsure how you would go about using them on the table top. For example, would you drop the pod-based Tacticals and Devs early in the game or on Turn 3? What about the Transport Craft with its Tacticals, Razorbacks, Rhinos and AA? How would you employ your Terminators (mine invariably get whumped as soon as they arrive--usually losing the Initiative roll that turn [damn you, dice gods!] doesn't help, of course)? :blink:

 

I realise I'm asking a lot of questions, but I'm hoping you have the time to set me and my poor Ultrasmurfs on The Righteous Path.

 

Thanks in advance. <_<

 

Cheers!

Mark