Building a chaos army

[regallmighty]

Hey guys, i am new on this form and pretty new to Warhammer 40K, i am starting a Chaos army and was wondering what I buy first? I have picked Tzeentch as my god. I am looking to build a 1000 point army at first

[Castiel]

Hey guys, i am new on this form and pretty new to Warhammer 40K, i am starting a Chaos army and was wondering what I buy first? I have picked Tzeentch as my god. I am looking to build a 1000 point army at first

 

Hello and welcome!

 

If you are looking to discuss army building there is a section further down the home page for this where lots of people will share with you their 2 cents on what to get.

 

On to my two cents: to start I'd by th platic termi lord and a box of plastic csms to start. This lets you get a good core to start your army (if its Tzeentch I'd make a termi sorceror and CSMs with Mark of Tzeentch). You may also want to consider Thousand Sons as your troops and Ahriman as your leader (both dedicated to Tzeentch).

 

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

Castiel

[awfulawful]

Welcome to the game and the boards, heretic scum.

 

The absolute first things to buy are the rule book and a codex for your army. Before you buy or build any models, spend some time with the codex and do some reading in the CSM army list section of the board. See what other people have to say about particular units and lists, and ask questions as they come to you.

 

That will help you decide on an army that you like in terms of play style, fluff and look. Then you can bring it to the table so that the loyal servants of the Emperor can purge your vileness with bolt, blade and flame.

 

Have fun!

[Castiel]

Welcome to the game and the boards, heretic scum.

 

The absolute first things to buy are the rule book and a codex for your army. Before you buy or build any models, spend some time with the codex and do some reading in the CSM army list section of the board. See what other people have to say about particular units and lists, and ask questions as they come to you.

 

That will help you decide on an army that you like in terms of play style, fluff and look. Then you can bring it to the table so that the loyal servants of the Emperor can purge your vileness with bolt, blade and flame.

 

Have fun!

 

Oh yeah, the codex is kinda important! :D

 

As for the purging, it's not gonna happen!

 

DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR! ;)

[Chaos Lord Shamrockius]

Welcome... I've run a Tzeentch-y list recently and found it pretty good going but it needs supporting with anti-tank as the Psychic powers that are good against armour are pretty expensive and you run the risk of "perils of the warp"... I personally had good luck with this but I do understand the trouble. A CSM squad of 10 with IoT and 2 Meltas, a Sorcerer Lord and a squad of 1kSons are a good start and is the base of the Force Org Chart. In time, you'll need to look at something to lay down cover fire... And this depends on how "fluffy" you want to go. Obliterators, Defilers and heavy armour aren't particularly seen as being very fluffy for 1kSons. However, there are some great conversion options out there for stuff that will look great in 1kSons colours. Or you could always join them with other Legion units that will cover that for you (maybe an Iron Warriors alliegance for your heavy support).

 

To get an idea of how the Legion was set up in its infancy, check out A Thousand Sons... it's a great read. But that will depend on whether you want to run a "Thousand Sons" army or just a Renegades/Legion list with a Tzeentchy theme.

 

Best of luck, and we are sure that the heretics will always win out... just maybe not with this Codex.

[Menkeroth]

And i want to add my 2 cents :)

 

Codex and RuleBook're necessary, as it was said. But what's about the army...

 

As it was mentioned, it's very important what army you want. If Thousand Sons, so it's squads of them with Ahriman/Daemon Prince of Tzeentch and vehicles; if it's another servants of the Architect of Fates, than you have more options. As for me, i collect a whole Chapter devoted to the Changer of the Ways and my concept is:

Daemon Prince of Tzeentch

Sorcerer of Tzeentch

CSM with Icon of Tzeentch

May be Chosen or Terminators with IoT

Vehicles

 

So it depends only on you. Our fluff consists of many good ideas how to build our own armies and for this purpose you can even use loyalists :)

 

And our time will come! Though we won't be so as strong as the loyalists, but... our new codex that will surely be in winter in the 6th edition will surely be great! Await, brothers, and we will destroy the rotten Imperium of Man! And as Archaon in FB says, than a new Order will rise from the ashes! And we will rule! :)

So Let the Galaxy burn in flame! And, as it was said, DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR! ))

[Hyaenidae]

The real question you have to ask yourself is 'Did I choose Tzeentch, or was I guided to that decision?'

 

Joking aside, both Shamrockius and Menkeroth make excellent points, really it comes down to you choosing either a Thousand Son list, or a Tzeentchian worship list. More than anything though, build what sounds like fun to you. If you build something fun that you love, you'll keep coming back to it, even if you get curb-stomped. Good luck on your build!

[the jeske]

I would like to say playtest a bit before buying the actual stuff . you may not like what you get using tzeench stuff.

 

 

generaly chaos looks like this . DPs are the only good HQ . squads have to use rhinos most of the time . if csm then 2 specials and an asp champ with a fist . oblits are the best hvy support . we dont realy have FA , same goes for elites .

 

Icons are bad in general and IoT is up there with IoN as one of those that does nothing . +5 inv durning shoting is nothing comparing to the normal +4cover save . And in hth stuff like IoK or even IoCU helps a lot more .

 

1ksons cost a lot , lack anti tank and unless in rapid fire range arent that great . also the +4 cover everywhere doesnt make them better.

[Menkeroth]

Jeske, we know your opinion well, but you continue to praise the sporthammer. D'ya so like Stepan that you always praise to him? WH is no sport. It's a hobby and no matter what you and other sportsmen think about.

Perhaps i will crush your ideals but old schemes don't work now. For BA, SW and esp. GK our obli-lash is no rival. But it's loyalists. To crush another enemies we needn't it. Your C.O.

 

And i fully agree with 1000heathens. Collect what you want and like and Tzeentch will reward you!

[the jeske]

Tzeentch will reward you!

you do know that he doesnt realy exist right ?

 

am just giving rough guidlines here. it is possible to make a first time army with stuff you think is "cool'' , spend cash on it [and w40k is not a skirmish system it costs a lot] and then find out that the stuff that is "cool" isnt realy playable .

 

 

I dont know why regallmighty wants to start a tzeench based army , I dont know if he knows that counts as is a fully supported rule by GW [there are better armies to make psyker armies out there] . all I know he is new . Saying play what you want is all nice and good , but not if regall finds out the hard way about the state of tzeench stuff in the chaos dex.

It has also nothing to do with tournament play [i would then be saying .spam pms zerkers and DPs] , I just pointed out why the IoT is bad and that 1ksons ap3 they maybe arent as OP as regall may think they are .

[Menkeroth]

you do know that he doesnt realy exist right ?

We talk about WH, right? And if so, than in WH he exists) Collecting WH (both 40k and FB) we should remember that without its features it's only miniatures. Our sporthammer-gamers low this great and unique universe to the usual and timid game like MTG. Keep it in mind, brother.

 

am just giving rough guidlines here

You do it in every thread and all this guidelines're the same.

the stuff that is "cool" isnt realy playable .

It's wrong.Conan ,what's best in life? All is playable but in no equal measures. Tournaments're another situation and in them Stepan's already won. So we can care not for it.

And even DPs, berzerkers and plague marines won't help us against loyalists or new Dark Eldar.

Короче, ты уныл, так что хватит засорять трэд.

1k Sons are pretty good covering the rest of the army though it's expensive, of course. And so the IoT - with 15-20 csm it's pretty well.

[the jeske]

All is playable but in no equal measures.

to not get in to chaos stuff. ask the BAs how many of them use captins

 

 

You do it in every thread and all this guidelines're the same.

is it my foult that people dont use the search function on the forum ?

 

Keep it in mind, brother.

am not your brother just because your from donetsk.

[darth_giles]

is it my foult that people dont use the search function on the forum ?

This isn't RGMW where everything has already been discussed to death and people have to beg the regulars for permission to ask a relevant question if they can't find what they're looking for in the archives. Not everybody is building a list for 'Ard Boyz and their questionable rules calls. A list that kicks butt at one game store might collapse at another because of variances in tactics.

 

And, to quote a very wise part of World of Warcraft, "The end of wisdom is the beginning of theorycrafting."

am not your brother just because your from donetsk.

Quoth the King of Babylon to the King of Egypt, "I just seized Gaza from you, brother."

 

Quoth the King of Egypt, "Don't you brother me!"

 

 

Oh, and who the heck is Stepan?

[Menkeroth]

is it my foult that people dont use the search function on the forum ?

It's already answered, but i can also say that you fault is that you're ghost, just a ghost (or spectre) even in your metagame. So... *deleted by mod*

 

 

darth_giles

Nothing to add <_<

 

And Stepan... If shortly, it's the best gamer in WH in Russia and Ukraine.

 

*per B&C rules*

In regards to No Chat or Leet speak -- The B&C is an English speaking board, therefore the language you should be posting in is English. While we understand that not everyone speaks English as their first language, posters should make every attempt to post in a legible manner. Posts that are clearly written are usually going to get more replies in the long run.

 

Please keep it to English, thanks!

[Jacinda]

Hey guys, i am new on this form and pretty new to Warhammer 40K, i am starting a Chaos army and was wondering what I buy first? I have picked Tzeentch as my god. I am looking to build a 1000 point army at first

Hiya, Reg.

 

First off, you do not have to choose a specific lord of chaos like we once did. Other than fluff and painting, there is no advantage of going all Tzeentch or Khorne or whatever. I used to run Black Legion which encompasses all flavors of chaos and is led by Abaddon the Defiler. I took all the plasma weapons I could carry. It was a hoot. Plasma weapons will wound your models 1 out of 6 shots and the same can be said for Abaddon's sword in close combat. The weapons are efective but also risky to use. Fun and fluffy but not reliable for tourneyments.

 

(TL;DR version: 1Ksons, CSM, Ahriman, 2 or 3 oblits, second HQ, rhinos)

 

So you want to go with the path of sorcery? Might as well start off with a unit of Thousand Sons. These guys are shooty only (well, they can do close combat but they suck at it) so they will be support for your close combat troops. You will need a unit of 10 chaos space marines for CC. Put a powerfist on the sargent, two models get a meltagun (or one with melta and one with a flamer) and everyone else gets bolters. You will notice that all the models have a pistol in a holster. This is their bolt pistol. All basic marines have boltguns, bolt pistols and a close combat weapon like a knife. If you want to go with WYSIWYG (and you really need to try) then any weapon they have needs to be seen on the model. If you build the models with a chainsword and pistol in their hand, then there will not be a bolter on the model. Some people will call you on that and not let you shoot rapidfire with the bolters. It is a small, minor point but something to consider.

 

With two troop units, you will need a HQ. Get Ahriman if you want to really push the Tzeentch list. After Ahriman, you will need a couple of chaos spawn and possibly another chaos sorceror for a second HQ. Chaos sorcerors have a power called "Gift of Chaos" that has a chance of turning an enemy into a spawn. Read the description in the codex for how to use it. It has a better chance of working on weaker enemies, but it alos has the possibility of taking any non-vehicle in the game out of play; you will need several characters able to cast GoC to get a good potential for the second. But with 3 scorcerors, it is a sure bet that every other turn you will be creating a spawn no matter what. It is more fluff than effecency tho, so you can feel free to pass it up for something more reliable.

 

After that, get obliterators (aka Oblits). I know they are expensive but for heavy support there is nothing better. Get two to start with. 9 is all you will ever need but that is a long way out.

 

That should put you at about 1000 points. Your additions after that need to be vehicles. A pair of rhinos for transportation would be great. Followed by maybe a terminator squad, bikers, more marines or more oblits.

 

I hope that helps. Have fun.

[Brother Ambroz]

I'd say get a few squads of thousand sons if you're wanting to go Tzeentchian. Then it's really up to you, I'd recommend one DP even for fun lists. Then I'd say either Ahriman or make up your own Sorceror. Get Rhinos for your Tsons and if you really wanna be fluffy get a couple predators. Tsons don't usually use oblits, although you could make up your own fluff as to why they're with your warband. Alternatively you could use Defilers which are fun, but pretty pricey IRL to buy (65$ now?!?!). One option alot of Tson players are going with now is building units of chosen equipped with plasma guns/melta guns and modeling them as casting spells for counts-as plas/melta. Just a few ideas for ya. :woot:

[Panda_]

All basic marines have boltguns, bolt pistols and a close combat weapon like a knife. If you want to go with WYSIWYG (and you really need to try) then any weapon they have needs to be seen on the model. If you build the models with a chainsword and pistol in their hand, then there will not be a bolter on the model. Some people will call you on that and not let you shoot rapidfire with the bolters. It is a small, minor point but something to consider.

Well, for WYSIWYG you'll need to represent every option applied to your models. Want to change a scout's bolter ? Represent the new option. Some Combiweapon ? Represent it. From what I've seen, stock equipment (grenades, pistols) don't have to be represented every time.

[darth_giles]

Well, for WYSIWYG you'll need to represent every option applied to your models. Want to change a scout's bolter ? Represent the new option. Some Combiweapon ? Represent it. From what I've seen, stock equipment (grenades, pistols) don't have to be represented every time.

So how would you model a bolter on a figure that already has a BP and CCW? CSMs have all three by default.

[Menkeroth]

Yes, and GW also make their models either with CCW and BP or with bolter. It just represents variety of wargear they have.

[Seahawk]

Basic equipment that comes with the model, in general, does not need to be modeled. Any upgrades taken, however, must be visible on the model.

 

This leaves some leeway in how you build your toys; for instance, I have mixed models in my CSM units, some carrying their bolter, some holding BP/CCW, and some holding a bolter and BP or CCW.

[Kevlarshark]

QUOTE (regallmighty @ Aug 13 2011, 09:11 AM)

Hey guys, i am new on this form and pretty new to Warhammer 40K, i am starting a Chaos army and was wondering what I buy first? I have picked Tzeentch as my god. I am looking to build a 1000 point army at first

 

 

Tzeentch is an interesting choice, you have tonnes of cool fluff to draw on and the bright gold and blue colour scheme looks very impressive on the table top...never mind the possibility

of excellent conversions.

 

When I build an army I always start with the Leader and work down, It helps me define the character of the force and work out some neat little things to include as I go.

 

You probably want to decide if you want to build a "fluffy" background accurate list or a more competitive list. I advise using a more fluffy list as Tzeentch suits this more story driven approach.

 

Then look into troops and Heavy support.

 

Reading "A Thousand Sons" by Graham McNeil might give you some inspiration.

[Jacinda]

Well, for WYSIWYG you'll need to represent every option applied to your models. Want to change a scout's bolter ? Represent the new option. Some Combiweapon ? Represent it. From what I've seen, stock equipment (grenades, pistols) don't have to be represented every time.

So how would you model a bolter on a figure that already has a BP and CCW? CSMs have all three by default.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/JustinKase/GoldenEagles/Tactical/Tactical-Painted-Sarge_Bolter_Auspex-Right.jpg

 

I really should not have brought it up. There are very few examples of marines that do not get the full compliment of weapons. Khorne Berserkers for instance. And almost no one ever questions a group of mixed posed marines about them all having bolters, pistols and a CCW. But it is never stated in any rule that basic equipment is assumed when doing WYSIWIG for tournements. And yes, I have run across such yahoos before that complained to the TO because I was firing weapons that were not modeled. It is rare, but it can happen.

[minigun762]

I tend to see more Thousand Sons armies out there instead of Tzeentchian warbands, but neither of them are very common. However Tz-icon marines would give you some good excuses for using the awesome possessed bits to represent the mutations and ever-changing favor of their dark god.