New To Chaos

[Horus722]

I am new to the game and new to Chaos. I have a Codex and I have a feel for what I want to put out on the board. I want to use the crazy stuff in the list to create chaos and have fun. Lords with Dweapons, Chaos Dreads, and I'm even thinking of throwing in some Possessed. But beside all that I can't pick a legion I like. I like the AL for its crazy insurgency war. I also like the Word Bearers because they have a philosophical feel to them. I also like the Night Lords for their color scheme and use of terror tactics and hit and run. I need some help deciding.

[darth_giles]

Nihm, can we get a sticky started already? :P

 

Ultimately, its a question of whose fluff you prefer since all legions are the Black Legion unless we can get some kind of codex update.

[Horus722]

Now I feel dumb :P I guess this question gets asked more times than not.

[Bearingtheword]

Nah, don't feel dumb for asking a question....

 

Yes, it is a frequently asked question by those who are interested in chaos but aren't sure which way to take their armies, no biggie really. Just take a few minutes and browse through the threads and see what you find. You might find you can answer your question that way.

 

Sadly, at least for now, what DG has said is true. Our current codex lacks in many ways. (and there are tons of threads on that as well)

 

;)

 

~BtW

[Yogi]

Chaos isn't legions anymore. It is warbands.

 

A warband can be anything you want it to be.

 

You could create a warband with Alpha legion infiltrators (chosen marines), aligned/manipulating a Word Bearer host (Possessed, Grunt marines) who are in turn backed up by dispossessed cynical Night Lords (Raptor cult).

 

Or you could go with common wisdom and build a warband of one parent legion.

 

Neither is wrong.

 

Easiest way IMO if none of the choices call out to you is to paint a test marine of all three Legions, and whichever looks best choose that.

 

Warning: The chaos codex generates bitter hatred against shiny Imperial codex's. I personally don't recommend the Chaos codex if you are competitive.

[Hellios]

I would say the three important things to consider are... fluff, rules and hobby...

 

So by fluff I mean what background do you like the most? Including things like colour scheme.

 

By rules... I mean eh rules... So for example some people play chaos armies but use other codices... It is very possible to switch between codices as and when you want with a little bit of thought to keep things interesting. However this isn't a requirement and if you enjoy the chaos codex then sticking with that is cool!.

 

By hobby I mean painting and converting... actually making your army... This is partially related to fluff... but some colour schemes are harder than others... So say you liked the Imperial fists background but think painting a nice yellow army would take too much time for you to do... Well you could go with an imperial fist successor with a different colour scheme but the same kind of theme.

 

If you are happy to use the chaos codex and anything in it... well that's great... rules sorted! You already know some of the legions you like... So ask yourself which has the background I find most appealing and which colour scheme/army theme would be the most enjoyable to create... Then make a decision.

[Hytanthas]

Chaos isn't legions anymore. It is warbands.

 

A warband can be anything you want it to be.

 

You could create a warband with Alpha legion infiltrators (chosen marines), aligned/manipulating a Word Bearer host (Possessed, Grunt marines) who are in turn backed up by dispossessed cynical Night Lords (Raptor cult).

 

Or you could go with common wisdom and build a warband of one parent legion.

 

Neither is wrong.

 

Easiest way IMO if none of the choices call out to you is to paint a test marine of all three Legions, and whichever looks best choose that.

 

Warning: The chaos codex generates bitter hatred against shiny Imperial codex's. I personally don't recommend the Chaos codex if you are competitive.

 

 

All of this is true. +1 on the post.

 

I have iron warriors fight along side word bearers and the fallen. its fun and fluffy.

[incinerator950]

Chaos isn't legions anymore. It is warbands.

 

A warband can be anything you want it to be.

 

You could create a warband with Alpha legion infiltrators (chosen marines), aligned/manipulating a Word Bearer host (Possessed, Grunt marines) who are in turn backed up by dispossessed cynical Night Lords (Raptor cult).

 

Or you could go with common wisdom and build a warband of one parent legion.

 

Neither is wrong.

 

Easiest way IMO if none of the choices call out to you is to paint a test marine of all three Legions, and whichever looks best choose that.

 

Warning: The chaos codex generates bitter hatred against shiny Imperial codex's. I personally don't recommend the Chaos codex if you are competitive.

 

This, but while a good portion of the community attempts to accept it and try to work around it, a lot of people were incredibly furious after having to shelve entire armies. Kinda disappointing to the competitive players when all they do is Super Demonbomb or Lash-Prince/Raider launch. Another problem is the new codex almost killed sales, as no one is really interesting in buying more Chaos Marines unless they really like the Army, or they're buying Forge World/Custom DIY models.

 

It's really sad when you consistently see players shelving their codex to use Counts as for Space Furries (Wolves), sometimes Orks, or even new Grey Knights.

[darth_giles]

This, but while a good portion of the community attempts to accept it and try to work around it, a lot of people were incredibly furious after having to shelve entire armies. Kinda disappointing to the competitive players when all they do is Super Demonbomb or Lash-Prince/Raider launch. Another problem is the new codex almost killed sales, as no one is really interesting in buying more Chaos Marines unless they really like the Army, or they're buying Forge World/Custom DIY models.

 

It's really sad when you consistently see players shelving their codex to use Counts as for Space Furries (Wolves), sometimes Orks, or even new Grey Knights.

The trouble was, all people were doing before the new codex was Super Daemonbombing, usually with Bloodletters. Which in itself was response to the rules for vehicles having been changed to make assault armies far less viable than what they had been, what with forced dismounting and all that. Which seems to have been a reaction to the fact that several armies- notably the World Eaters- were extremely powerful in CC and required a lot of tactical thought to beat. Or a suit-heavy Tau list, but those weren't and still aren't too common.

[Hellios]

This, but while a good portion of the community attempts to accept it and try to work around it, a lot of people were incredibly furious after having to shelve entire armies. Kinda disappointing to the competitive players when all they do is Super Demonbomb or Lash-Prince/Raider launch. Another problem is the new codex almost killed sales, as no one is really interesting in buying more Chaos Marines unless they really like the Army, or they're buying Forge World/Custom DIY models.

 

It's really sad when you consistently see players shelving their codex to use Counts as for Space Furries (Wolves), sometimes Orks, or even new Grey Knights.

The trouble was, all people were doing before the new codex was Super Daemonbombing, usually with Bloodletters. Which in itself was response to the rules for vehicles having been changed to make assault armies far less viable than what they had been, what with forced dismounting and all that. Which seems to have been a reaction to the fact that several armies- notably the World Eaters- were extremely powerful in CC and required a lot of tactical thought to beat. Or a suit-heavy Tau list, but those weren't and still aren't too common.

 

Don't forget the Iron Warriors lists I always hear people complain about XD.

[Kristoff]

This, but while a good portion of the community attempts to accept it and try to work around it, a lot of people were incredibly furious after having to shelve entire armies. Kinda disappointing to the competitive players when all they do is Super Demonbomb or Lash-Prince/Raider launch. Another problem is the new codex almost killed sales, as no one is really interesting in buying more Chaos Marines unless they really like the Army, or they're buying Forge World/Custom DIY models.

 

It's really sad when you consistently see players shelving their codex to use Counts as for Space Furries (Wolves), sometimes Orks, or even new Grey Knights.

The trouble was, all people were doing before the new codex was Super Daemonbombing, usually with Bloodletters. Which in itself was response to the rules for vehicles having been changed to make assault armies far less viable than what they had been, what with forced dismounting and all that. Which seems to have been a reaction to the fact that several armies- notably the World Eaters- were extremely powerful in CC and required a lot of tactical thought to beat. Or a suit-heavy Tau list, but those weren't and still aren't too common.

 

Don't forget the Iron Warriors lists I always hear people complain about XD.

 

Still no reason to reduce the characters to caricatures, and leave most of the Legions to be represented by only one or two units on the field.

[Sviar]

First of welcome to Chaos Horus722

 

If you browse through the threads you will see that there is many ways to play CSM, the only thing most of us have in common is that we make use of Oblits, I prefer to deepstrike mine though. They are cheap and effective, so if you have not purchased them I recommend that you do. I always recommend taking an defiler, but hey thats just me. My first army was the Black legion for many reasons- it was easy to paint and who does not like Horus and the models look great when fully painted.

5:th edition lets us mix different troops. Before you could not(if my memory serves me right) mix lets say thousen sons with Khorne beserkers, now you can. The best thing about undivided is that they are cheaper then a regular SM and they have both bolter and CC weapons, while the regular SM don´t.

 

I really drifted off topic :D . After all these years you can still once in a while find your self get carried away when you talk about CSM, and I hope that you can find that same enjoyment. As for wich legion to choose read the fluff and some BL books and before you know it some legion is inspiring you more than the rest of them.

[incinerator950]

This, but while a good portion of the community attempts to accept it and try to work around it, a lot of people were incredibly furious after having to shelve entire armies. Kinda disappointing to the competitive players when all they do is Super Demonbomb or Lash-Prince/Raider launch. Another problem is the new codex almost killed sales, as no one is really interesting in buying more Chaos Marines unless they really like the Army, or they're buying Forge World/Custom DIY models.

 

It's really sad when you consistently see players shelving their codex to use Counts as for Space Furries (Wolves), sometimes Orks, or even new Grey Knights.

The trouble was, all people were doing before the new codex was Super Daemonbombing, usually with Bloodletters. Which in itself was response to the rules for vehicles having been changed to make assault armies far less viable than what they had been, what with forced dismounting and all that. Which seems to have been a reaction to the fact that several armies- notably the World Eaters- were extremely powerful in CC and required a lot of tactical thought to beat. Or a suit-heavy Tau list, but those weren't and still aren't too common.

 

Don't forget the Iron Warriors lists I always hear people complain about XD.

 

This doesn't equate to the fact Black Legion was still more powerful then these two. Also, people use Lash Princes to push enemy infantry into disembarking units directly from Assault Vehicles, so the connection that is made here is that it still isn't fixed.

 

Last I checked Demonboming with the new codex still works, and can still annoy the hell out of players. Doesn't justifying reducing Chaos down to the point people don't want to either buy normal GW stock gear or even play their old ones (or the fact a lot of armies were shelved).

[minigun762]

If possible let us keep focused on helping our newest member and refrain from beating the zombified horse that is our codex.

[darth_giles]

ANYway, the Word Bearers are good if you like painting red, but can be challenging if you don't have an airbrush.

[Warsmith Aznable]

ANYway, the Word Bearers are good if you like painting red, but can be challenging if you don't have an airbrush.

 

This angle is definitely something to consider. Some colors are less forgiving and more aggravating to apply than others.

 

As for choosing between the Legions, there is the old stand-by of picking up some related novels and seeing if any of them excite your imagination enough to choose one Legion over the other.

 

-or-

 

You might try painting examples of each Legion you want to try and see what results you like best, or if during the modeling and painting something about a particular Legion really grabs your fancy. I find that during the process of modeling a unit whatever idea I had going in mutates as I "get to know" the actual members of the unit. If you start off with the basic troops you might get an idea about what sort of HQ would be in charge of them. Then you make that HQ and you think what sort of warband he would lead. Then you have a clearer idea of how things should go down when you're making the elite and support units, as well as what types of vehicles fit the flavor of what you've developed.

[Dammeron]

Best thing you could do is pick up as much background material as possible: the Liber Chaotica, for some in depth analyses of the Greast Powers and philosophy of Chaos, the HH books that explore the characters of particular legions, as well as browsing the miniatures and armies people have already concocted here on the B and C to see what appeals in terms of imagery, ethos etc.

 

Though the current codex is extremely lack lustre, and has effectively killed any character Chaos has on the battlefield (for the love of Slaanesh, pick up an old copy of the last codex; do not use this one as a measure of how Chaos Space Marines should be), it is still entirely possible for you to create an exquisitely characterful force of your own in terms of its constitutent miniatures, background etc. If none of the established Legions appeal, simply concoct a splinter faction, cult, or renegade chapter of your own. My own Serpents Children, for example, are the product of a rogue Inquisitor's tampering with forbidden gene seed (that of the Emperors Children and Thousand Sons) in an attempt to replicate the Emperors original experiments and produce a species of Space Marine more reflective of the humanity they are made to serve. Of course, the whole thing goes horribly Frankenstein, and the Serpents Children end up going rogue, falling into the bosom of Chaos, etc etc. It can be alot of fun creating your own colour scheme, heraldry, history et al.

 

Again, do NOT take the current codex as gospel or as the measure of Chaos. If you can, get your hands on some old Chaos codicies, if only for the background they contain. I'd advise the previous codex (3.5) and the Second Ed codex in particular. IF you can find them, the original, hardback RoC books are also superb reads, though much of the background they contain is now redundant.