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Need an Army Builder for my Space Wolves


Beef

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Not trying to be sarky or snide with this comment but what do you get with an army builder that you don't with just a bog standard excel sheet and the codex? Is it really that much quicker?

 

Well.. when you load a points value template into Army Builder, it highlights FOC discrepancies like too many Elites or Duplicate RP psychic powers... or simple, overlooked things like a Long Fang without a heavy weapon, etc.

 

Then the print out gives you a special ability index for all of your units, like a breakdown of A Glorious Death for Lone Wolves, or just which HQ have invuln. saves.

 

I know it's stuff that most know already and/or find referencing the codex just as easy, but it's nice and convenient and make referencing everything so much simpler. Imagine having every single rule or wargear item as well as model stats and FOC comp. and breakdowns for a 3000+ army listed in 5 or 6 meager pages instead of toting a codex and rulebook and errata and hand-written/spreadsheet army list. Maybe it's lazy, but it's oh so nice...

Well, I have my own spreadsheet where I have a page dedicated to the following:

Reminders of rules I forget + Special abilities

A list of all the models I own for the relevant army

Unit compositions/load outs I use often

750, 1000, 1500, 1750, 2000, 2500, 3000 points armies, each page has a number of themed armies

10000 points Apocalypse army

Apocalypse Formations that are relevant for me

 

It may not point out when something is illegal, but given the many combinations we can have, I suspect it would be absurdly difficult to get that functionality into an excel spreadsheet...

Not trying to be sarky or snide with this comment but what do you get with an army builder that you don't with just a bog standard excel sheet and the codex? Is it really that much quicker?

 

 

Well for somebody who has not played a game since 4th edition and seeing as I have a tournament to go to beginning of October It would be best If i had help from an Army builder type software. I have never needed it in over 15 years of playing but right now I dont want to worry about calculations and instead focus on painting an army up with as few models as possible.

Pick an army.... any Army...

 

 

http://www.alice40k.tripod.com/calculators.html

 

 

Gota be careful with these though. They will allow you to add options that are not legal. Like 5 meltaguns per squad. So you have to know what each squad can have.

I am pretty happy with my army builder, the software program called army builder. Really helps when thinking army comp and allows easy manipulation of where to put your points.

Where do you get it?

 

Here

 

 

Yeah just downloaded their demo, Its reasonably good,

Not to be a pain but personnally i hate to go to a tournament and a guy hands me a peice of paper with a unit title and a point cost. I'm sure your points are added right, I just want to see: Ws, BS, str, etc. and any special rules I may need to ask you to clarify before I get hammered by them. Army builder is great easy to use but most of all it creates clear and good lists for your opponents to see. If you can afford these overpriced pieces of plastic I think you can afford the program too imho.

 

G

Pick an army.... any Army...

 

 

http://www.alice40k.tripod.com/calculators.html

 

 

Gota be careful with these though. They will allow you to add options that are not legal. Like 5 meltaguns per squad. So you have to know what each squad can have.

 

Thanks! This is perfect, I like being able to dink around with different options and see on going point totals

Army builder rocks. I have been using it for tournys here in the states for 7 or 8 years.

 

In fact one organizer for a con we use to go to always put hand writen lists in his Army builder to double check the points. Then you could just hand the sheet over. Realy speeds things up and you know the guy is on the up and up with you.

 

And it's fun to make lists with it and try them out. See what ideas you can come up with.

I used Army Builder for many, many, years. Very handy program, but imperfect. They do a pretty good job at staying on top of updates, but every now and then they'd get something wrong, and there is (or at least was) no option to over-ride what they provide in the database files.

 

A few years back, I just decided to create an excel document for each of the armies that I play (Space Wolves, Grey Knights, and Orks). I keep an army list on a tab, and then when I want to do a new one, I just copy the tab, then start editing the new sheet. I've got a master list of all of the units that I own for each army, so creating new lists is just a matter of copy-and-paste, and every now and then adjusting points for a unit based on selecting different options. I've found that my printed out lists are far more easy to read than what I could get with Army Builder.

 

I've been so pleased with my own Excel-based product, that I didn't even bother to upgrade to the latest Army Builder software version; no point in spending the money when I don't use it anymore.

 

Regards,

 

V

meh, I use access... got a database with all the models I own (both fantasy and 40k, any army) and several forms in which I make armylists. simply open the right form (40k space wolves, 40k Dark Eldar, 40k Eldar, 40k Tyrannids, Fantasy Vampire Counts, Fantasy Wood Elves, Fantasy High Elves, Fantasy Lizardmen, Fantasy Bretonnia, Fantasy Warriors of Chaos, Fantasy Kislev, Fantasy Dwarves, Fantasy Skaven, 40k Apocalypse and Fantasy Legendary Battles)

 

and add units. I still have to adapt it to incorporate the latest edition rules for Fantasy, but other than that, with Access, you're perfectly capable of including and excluding any special rulings or restictions you might have, or impose yourself on the army.

If you have time and know-how all those adhoc efforts are great ideas, and probably. I don't have time. Time=money, and the cost of AB is small potatoes v/s me hemming and hawing on my own programs. I really enjoy using AB. Nothing will be perfect, and you own programs could contain errors. So everything should always be double checked against the codex/Erratas/FAQs.
i personally love army builder.

one program lets me work and play around with my Wolves, Raven Guard and LotR armies. too easy.

 

WLK

 

Right, that's the other benefit. If you have more than one army you don't have to re-create each time. (time=money). It also lets you look at enemy lists and how you would build/ play them as part of intelligence gathering.

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