How to equip your tried and true CSM squads

[Zhukov]

The unit struggled, I did get feedback from this board (The Jeske) recommending not to mix the Autocannon and melta gun. I have to admit he was correct, the unit was confused as to what to do much of the game.

 

I don't really understand at the moment why that setup for failed for you indeed either... If you take that setup, you need to do it with a thought behind it. Just taking it because someone (in this case me) says so doesn't work. I can guess what went wrong though... Plasma/Autocannon is much simpler to 'understand': Stand and shoot. Duality like the AC/meltagun is indeed not great at anything, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Why? Because the reason to take it is redundancy. I'm trying to avoid auto-lose matchups. I try to optimise lists for an allcomers environment. 6 Oblits don't cut it as Anti-tank against too many armies. But taking Plasma/Autocannon squads makes me play a crappy gunline, not to mention you'll be lacking Melta.

 

Did you put a combimelta on the champ btw? Because that's what I suggested, not AC/meltagun only. And powerswords suck. What are you getting hit by that your Powerfist has to take a wound every time before he strikes?! In either case, powerswords are not a good solution to this problem; reasons for this are given 678 times already on this or other fora.

 

Also: How many games did you play with this setup? What was your whole list? Simply dismissing something without proper testing and without proper arguments isn't really helpfull to anybody. I had people claiming certain units suck, just to find out that it was the total list their fault. Example: I remember people claiming Princes suck because they get shot down before doing anything. Looking at how the rest of his list was largely non-Mechanized I was not surprised: He had nothing to exploit the fact that people shot at his Princes.

[BDS]

Here is the list I ran. A thread with pics is in the Choas List section:

 

<<<<The 12 Days of Chaos>>>>

 

12 Lesser Deamons…156

 

11 Lesser Deamons…143

 

10 Chaos Marines, 1 melta gun, 1 auto cannon icon of chaos glory, PF champ…220

 

9 Thousand Sons, Sorcerer, doom bolt…254

 

8 Bezerkers, Pwr Fist…208

 

7 Plague marines, 2 melta guns, PF…221

 

6 Havocs, 3 auto cannons, Icon of chaos glory...160

 

5 Chosen, Icon of Chaos Glory, 3 Melta guns…130

 

4 Chaos Term, HF, 2 combi melta, power fist, Icon of chaos glory…155

 

3 chaos bikers, 2 melta guns, Icon of chaos glory…129

 

2 spawn…80

 

1 Sorcerer (Solomon Trukk's twin..Sliskus Trukk), Term armor, Mark of Slaanesh, Lash...140

 

…1996

 

@zhukov

 

K. Maybe its the way I read your post after a hard days work, but it came off a bit demeaning. But, hey, its the internet afterall.

 

I do 'understand' the unit in all it's possibilities. However, I probably could have phrased my comment better.

 

I played the above list in a three round tournament versus DP Logan Wing, Sisters of Battle, and Space Marines. I generally found the unit a bit out of position too many times for my taste. Of course, playing an infantry based list will cause that more often.

 

However, due to the game objectives and missions this unit was moving almost every turn and when the auto cannon did shoot..I rolled poorly or my opponent rolled well with cover saves adding insult to injury.

 

Believe me, and you should after looking at the above list, I am not a "every unit in my list" must be maximized type of guy. I just feel for the way I play a unit that can remain on the move and double tap meltas with a few more bodies on the ground feels a bit more natural.

 

The AC/PG unit speaks objective holder to me and would have gotten off more shots in my games playing to it's strengths, same with the dual melta.

 

More shots at the right targets genearlly yields better results, me thinks.

 

In addition you can see in the list that swapping two Lesser Deamons for 2 CSM's will keep the theme and equal exactly 2000 points, and was my thought process.

 

Thanks,

 

BDS

[Zhukov]

Being critical isn't always demeaning right? In any case, I don't think I meant it that way. I'm just questioning the credibility of your conclusions.

 

My question stands: Why did you include that squad? Which reasons? Why that setup and not a different one?

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

expanding my Thousand Sons to 1500pts, I have decided though that another Squad of Thousand Sons would be too expensive both in pts and £, and so decided to take a chaos Space marine squad, how does this set up fare?:

10 Chaos Space marines with Icon of Tzeentch, Aspiring Champion with power weapon, one Plasma gun and a missile launcher in a rhino

would this be okay? would a autocannon be a better weapon then the missile launcher, the idea is to start in the rhino, using the plasma and missile launcher/atocannon (depends which I use) to try and crack open transports to allow my sons (who are also in rhinos, one aspiring sorcerer has bolt of change whilst the other squad has the sorcere with bolt of change joined to it) and to try and bail the sons out of combat with other marines if possible.

would this be okay? I want to keep the icon of Tzeentch as it is a thousand Sons/ tzeentch army.

[Zhukov]

Autocannon for transport busting. It has better odds of doing something up to and including Av12, which includes all transports.

[Hyaenidae]

Autocannon for transport busting. It has better odds of doing something up to and including Av12, which includes all transports.

 

I'll vouch for this. I usually face Mech orks and Mech Imp Guard (two good friends of mine), and I run two squads equipped with AC/Plasma. They pretty much smoke whatever vehicle (being ork trukks or Chimeras) crosses their line of sight.