Great Company Composition

[Torvald Stormblood]

Hello folks!

First post here but long time lurker. So I've started collecting a Space Wolves army this year and I'm loving 'em. So much so I've realized that I've got more points worth of models than any of my friends who've been collecting their armies for a couple years now. LOL Anyhow, I figured I might as well build a whole Great Company since I'm more than half way there already!!!

 

Now first thing first is deciding what troops will be in my great company. Now I let me start off that I don't see my great company as focusing into any particular area. I want a solid all-rounder. The first reason for this is that I want to have a lot of variety in my list making possibilities out of my models. Second reason, really there's nothing I don't like in the Space Wolves army (except maybe Dreadnoughts). Now also I want this list to be reasonably fluffy and I want it to make sense. I want people to say: yeah that really could be a great company! In the end I hope to be able to field all these models in a crazy Apocalypse game in a year or two (let's be realistic, this is gonna take a while...)

 

Now without further ado, here is my first draft:

 

Squads details

 

• 5 squads of 5 Grey Hunters with 1 Wolf Guard in Las/
  TL
  Plas Razorbacks
  
  
• 4 squads of 10 Grey Hunters in Drop Pods
  
  
• 2 squads of 5 Grey Hunters with 1 Wolf Guard and 1 Rune Priest in Drop Pods
  
  
• 1 squad of 10 Wolf Guards with 1 Wolf Priest and 1 Wolf Lord (Ragnar) in Land Raider Redeemer
  
  
• 1 squad of 15 Blood Claws with 1 Wolf Priest in Land Raider Crusader
  
  
• 1 squad of 15 Blood Claws with 1 Wolf Guard, 1 Wolf Priest and 1 Wolf Guard Battle Leader
  
  
• 1 squad of 10 Sky Claws with 1 Wolf Priest and 1 Wolf Guard Battle Leader
  
  
• 2 squads of 10 Scouts with 1 Wolf Guard and 1 Wolf Guard Battle Leader
  
  
• 3 squads of 5 Long Fangs with 1 Rune Priest in Las/
  TL
  Plas Razorbacks
  
  
• 1 squad of 5 Thunderwolf Cavalry with 1 Wolf Lord
  
  
• 2 Dreadnoughts in Drop Pods
  
  
• 1 Venerable Dreadnought in Drop Pod
  
  
• 2 Whirlwinds
  
  
• 1 Predator
  
  
• 3 Land Speeder Typhoons
  
  
• 2 Land Speeder Tornados
  
  

 

Army Summary

 

• 75 Grey Hunters
  
  
• 20 Wolf Guards
  
  
• 5 Thunderwolves
  
  
• 15 Long Fangs
  
  
• 30 Blood Claws
  
  
• 10 Sky Claws
  
  
• 20 Wolf Scouts
  
  
• 6 Drop Pods
  
  
• 3 Dreadnought Drop Pods
  
  
• 8 Razorbacks
  
  
• 3 Land Speeder Typhoon
  
  
• 2 Land Speeder Tornado
  
  
• 2 Whirlwinds
  
  
• 1 Predator
  
  
• 1 Land Raider Crusader
  
  
• 1 Land Raider Redeemer
  
  
• 2 Dreadnoughts
  
  
• 1 Venerable Dreadnought
  
  
• 4 Wolf Priests (1 with jump pack)
  
  
• 5 Rune Priests
  
  
• 4 Wolf Guard Battle Leaders (1 with jump pack)
  
  
• 2 Wolf Lords (1 on thunderwolf)

  
  

Now I tried to have a pretty balanced ratio of Bloodclaws/Swiftclaws to Grey Hunters/Scouts to Long Fangs/Wolf Guards/Thunderwolves. (40:95:40) This feels more balanced to me than having many many more of one or the other.

 

Also I wanted to have quite a few vehicules but again have a good variety of light transports, fast transports, heavy transports, battle tanks, fast skimmers and dreadnoughts (8 : 9 : 2 : 3 : 5 : 3)

 

Finally concerning Characters I'm not too sure really as I feel that 15 is quite a bit many.

 

The two units I didn't include are Bikes as they don't appeal to me and Wolves as there's really no good models for them. I"d love to add a pack or two of wolves somewhere down the road and have the TWL join them rather than the TWC.

 

What do you all think?

[Blitzkreig]

Nice first draft..... One thing to remeber about Great Companies is that while they don't HAVE to specialise in one thatre of warfare, they TEND to because it is how their Wolf Lord prefers to operate. For example Logan Grimnar has more Wolf Guard than most, Erik Morkai favours scouts, Gunnar Red-Moon likes his Long Fangs etc....

 

Now as for you characters, 15 isn't really too many in a Great Company, remember that the Priesthoods aren't actually a part of the Great Compnay but are just on loan from Grimnar's. As for Wolf Guard Battle Leaders, you could have your entire Wolf Guard each leading a splinter strike force in a given campaign because the Wolf Lord deems it neccesary. Battle Leader isn't a fixed rank, it is something the Wolf Lord bestows as he sees neccesary.

 

I myslef am attempting a project like this, so best of luck to you!

[JimmyGuyy]

I'm sure theres plenty of lore gurus out there that can link you to several other examples of such endeavors. I can recall at least one example in the past ( white dwarf, I believe) where an accomplished painter did exactly this; modeling an entire company. I myself have always been interested in the chapter make-ups as I have watched the lore grow over the last 3 codices. I think Blitz points out the important details of established lore for the various stylized chapters. Figure out what your play style is about and model your company around that. Best of luck.