Small army building tips needed!

[Lithanial]

After spending far too long designing large lists that would be good fun to play but I never build I want to set my sights on a marine list that will be small enough to manage. I am looking in the range of 750 points but am having great difficulty actually creating a list I like - the chief problem with this is the HQ slot!

 

By the time you have taken your 2 compulsory troops choices at least half of your points are taken (lets say 350-450) and you have two options; scouts or tac squads. Since the scouts infiltrate then you cannot have your HQ with them but a tac squad Rhino does not have the capacity to squeeze in your HQ either, so by the time you have your HQ and two troops there are not many points to give them a unit - and you still need to pick up some anti-tank units since a few missile launchers alone won't cut it.

 

So how do you fit an HQ in that will be effective while not eating up all the rest of your points on an escort?

[Possessed Marine]

You could combat squad a tac squad & put your HQ & combat squad into a razorback with lascannons. That's the two-fold answer to escorting your HQ & adding in that extra anti-tank punch. Or you could just pop your HQ & a tac squad into a drop-pod & arm the tacs with melta weapons. Either way works out fine at that points level, however if you go with the first option, then you've got five dudes standing around in the open. But you can just move them up behind one of the transports. :)

[chapter master 454]

The main thing to remember is that you won't have to deal with such things like tanks as much and other such big-game. Your leader doesn't need to be uber nor does your troops, heck I once threw together a 1000point army that had only 3 tacticals with rhinos. The HQ choice was just a simple chapter master who stood with one of tacticals who ere on the objective while the other 2 went of to claim glory. The game ended in victory for me, my chapter master contesting an objective while keeping space wolves at bay while the others had manage to over-run the enemy position (funnily, one squads rhino got destroyed and lost their heavy weapons dude in the fire and so after having recieved back-up from the othe tactical, took their rhino and proceded to over run the position while the others used their heavy weapon to lay down fire. Was very weird having a fluid change like that).

 

In 750 I would say missle launchers and plasma guns will do well along with power sword equiped sarges. While tacticals are jack of all trades, in small games they will hurt nicely because none of the masters of the trades truely appear in force to give you too much of a head-ache. Was funny though...3 marine bikers over the course of a 6 turn combat patrol ground down 2 war-walkers. In short: smaller the games, the bigger an impact marines have without needing to compensate for lacking areas (which is to say very few!).

[Lithanial]

I get that there will be less armour and the like but you still need contingency for that one guy who decides bringing a land-raider is great fun.

 

Combat squadding a tac and leaving 5 guys behind is a no go for me too as I want the flexibility of being able to have everyone mounted if able - the closest to that I would go is a 5 man tac in razor with no special or heavy. A drop pod strikes me as a bad idea too as you do not have the numbers in the list to properly support them once deployed.

 

About as far as I have got with the list currently is as follows.

 

10 Man Tactical squad w/ Plasma gun, Missile launcher & Rhino [215pts]

8 Man Scouts w/ Bolters & heavy bolter [124pts]

 

Predator Annihilator w/ Heavy bolter Sponsons [130pts]

 

[Total 469pts]

 

The tacs and predator compliment each other well and the scouts are a cheap but effective way to fill up the second slot as well as provide an advance terrain grab - Equally all units have the room to expand via upgrades depending on the rest of the list (eg, I am debating if Telion would be a good choice since at this points level picking off a heavy weapon or two could cripple an army)

[Ryjak]

In a small game, you don't need to attach your HQ to a squad, he can just bring his own. Remember that Command Squad a Captain can get? Two Tac Squads with Rhinos and a Captain, Command Squad, and Transport can hit 750 pretty easily. Or you could just stick your Captain on a Bike or give him a Jump Pack, and use some Rhinos for cover. Or get a MotF with a Conversion Beamer. Heck, a lone Chapter Master could be fun... just hang out, and drop an Orbital Bombardment somewhere.

 

Or if you want more wizbang units, you'll have to go cheaper on Troops. A small Scout Squad is pretty cheap, but it's also somewhat useless. At least give them Camo Cloaks so they can survive Objective Camping.

[Arikel]

In small games combat squadding might actually be necessary, as you will have very few bodies on the field. Taking a tac squad with missile launcher, meltagun and a razor back gives you a flexible long range squad, a short range anti armor squad, and some extra anti infantry power from the heavy bolters. You can get additional firepower by upgrading the sergeant or the razorback. The Long range squad never has to mount up as it can sit back in your deployment area and touch almost anything on the field with it's primary weapon. You don't need to do this with every squad, but you might want to consider it for at least one of yer tacs.

 

For an Hq, this would depend on taste and what units you end up with. A captain with relic blade is cheap(ish) and can damage almost any unit in the game(generally hitting on 3's and wounding on 2's), he adds the killy to a tac squads survivability in close combat. A chaplain might offer better a force multiplier if you bring an assault squad. Libby's I don't know about, but some of thsoe powers do look awesome;)

[Lithanial]

Thinking of HQ's for this level is still bugging me but I have a few ideas.

 

1, Go with a 6th company theme and a Biker Captain.

2, Give a Librarian Terminator armour and Storm shield and have him teleport about blasting things - If I am careful he shouldn't die.

3, Stick a MotF with combi-plasma in a 5 man Razor tac.

 

Trying to sort out what my favourite is considering i want to keep things mechanized.

[mowglie]

Yeah, fitting a HQ into a small list is a pain - especially at 500 points.

 

It's not so bad at 750 though:-

 

100 - Librarian

190 - Sternguard (5 models, Combi-meltas, Razorback)

230 - Tactical Squad (10 models, Fist, Flamer, Missile Launcher)

230 - Tactical Squad (10 models, Fist, Flamer, Missile Launcher)

 

Naked Librarian + 5 naked Sternguard in a Razorback is only 265 - pretty good core choice.