[HH1.0] Iron Hands Tactics

[WolfOfHorus]

Ironically, (a fast attack based army is the best army in dealing with Necrons. And that's what IH limits.

 

I see this from an WE perspective, so take it with a grain of salt. Melee and Artillery are key to fighting Necrons, Thud guns can almost always take care of Necron vehicles and 20 man tac squads can move to secure mid field and effectively engage Warriors, while are Bikes grabbing side objectives.

 

Watch out for tarpits though, namely Praetorians Cryptek Spiders, don't focus them merely guide towards your expendable Tac squads and never take Dreadnoughts or large quantities of Vehicles, you know why.

 

Though, I suppose AP4 chainaxes can save my bacon, you have T5 infantry and T6 bikes. I'd use the limited amount you can take, like Jetbikes.

Edited October 30, 2015 by WolfOfHorus

[Memento Of Prospero]

The first thing we need to know is what point level this game be. This changes many dynamics when building an army. 

[WolfOfHorus]

I'd guess 1850 to 2000.

[Emperors Teeth]

My bad - 1250 moving up to 1500pts. Original post ammended. We're slowly upping our games from the 1k we've been playing at for years with various armies until we hit 1.5-2k lists, 250pts at a time.

 

My currently available non-vehicle units are:

Iron-Father in Terminator Armour (no arms yet lol...)

Master of Signals

2 Rapier Platforms with Graviton Cannons

20 man Tactical Squad with Vox, Vexilla & Sergeant

20 man Tactical Squad with Vox, Vexilla & Sergeant

10 man Tactical Support Squad with Volkite Calivers; Sergeant has a power fist and Augury Scanner instead.

10 man Heavy Support Squad with Missile Launchers; Sergeant also has an Augury Scanner

10 man Heavy Support Squad with Volkite Culverin; Sergeant also has an Augury Scanner

5 man Heavy Support Squad with Lascannon; Sergeant also has an Augury Scanner

 

...but I did just get payed

Edited October 30, 2015 by Emperors Teeth

[WolfOfHorus]

That's rough for you. Legion starts to get good at 1850. I'd say a squad of Jet Bikes with either Plasma or Volkite. Screw Rhinos and Dreads, get Thud guns.

 

EDIT: I'd load up on Volkite and Marines, Grav Rapiers on going to help you here, proxy them as Thud guns.

Edited October 30, 2015 by WolfOfHorus

[Emperors Teeth]

There's scarcely any local, friendly Legion players and the rare few games I get these days are almost always against these Necrons or soon, a new player's Dark Eldar unless the new box set turns them do the light side of the force ;).

 

Alrighty. I'll try proxying the Rapiers (better build the second, then!). A bit of math-hammer suggests 2 will do to start with. What about pairing them with a couple of Laser Destroyers to punch through that initial Quantum Shield and drop the AV down to 11? Too much? Can the Quad Launchers do it alone?

 

...jetbikes are tricky. I really want some, but I was hoping a future White Scars release would yield mk2 marines on Bullock jetbikes, as I have no mkIV marines anywhere in my army!

[WolfOfHorus]

Realistically you'd want 4. But since your playing at a low points level you can afford to split them into two units of 1. Honestly with Necrons AP2-1 is overkill, Thud guns bring the pain while multitasking.

 

Do you have any Apothecaries?

 

KromLech offers MK2 legs for Bikes. Not sure if they work for Jet Bikes but I can pm you the link.

Edited October 30, 2015 by WolfOfHorus

[Brofist]

You can do fine at 1500 and up, but lower will be tough. What kind of heavy armor do you have? For an HQ somebody like Orth in a Sicaran would do you well against necrons.

 

One of the players in my group played necrons before he switched to 30k. The things he had the hardest time dealing with were blobs of T5 infantry, fury of the legion, T8 thudd guns, castallax with darkfire cannons (blind checks), or outflanking vorax. All of those, save the vorax, leave you with a problem of mobility- you can offset this outflanking a rhino squad, deep striking thallax, or taking bikes as WolfOfHorus suggests.

[Theredknight]

How about a skyshield?

You can fit a deredeo, and 2 separate hvy weapon squads on there, with apothecaries and master of signal/siege consul guy.

Take that foul 40k Xenos army

Keep it furled and you have a massive 3+ invuln save, and fnp, plus you can orbital strike and give a unit tank hunter and one bs5.. Take a unit of volkites and one of autocannons and watch those barges drop out the sky. Stick a sicaran on there and then the bugger can't jink.

Be remorseless, 40k has gotten worse and worse with the unbalancing rules and stupid formations. Smash him relentlessly with firepower from 10'000 years ago.

[Memento Of Prospero]

2 HQs at that point level is a mistake. You probably don't need a RoW either, so Orth is a solid pick.

 

Volkites are great to deal with necrons. Rhino for mobility or pods, your pick. Gauss weapons are just as effective against a rhino or a landraider in this case.

[Slips]

You can also spam a Decent amount of S8+ Meaning you're at least reducing their BS 'Save' by -1 and its usually Ap4+ so its one less save to worry about.

 

A Deredeo, even though its AV, has 48" on its BS5, S8 Ap4 Twin-Linked Gun meaning you can easily outrange the 'Crons. Additionally has, with missiles, 3 60" BS5 S6 AP3 Pinning Shots.

 

Couple that with a Sicaran who also has some pretty weighty 48" Shooting, Thudd Guns, potentially Medusae and Volkites and you can bring some pretty nasty stuff to bear that, due to their limited range, will possibly have a tough time dealing with.

 

Consider:

 

Hidden Content

 

+++ 1500 You Crons! (1500pts) +++

 

++ Legiones Astartes: Crusade Army List (Age of Darkness) (1500pts) ++

 

+ HQ (80pts) +

 

Spearhead-Centurion Castrmen Orth (80pts)

 

+ Troops (460pts) +

 

Legion Tactical Squad (230pts) [Legion Rhino Armoured Carrier, 9x Legion Tactical Space Marines, Legion Vexilla, Nuncio-Vox]

··Legion Tactical Sergeant [Artificer Armour, Melta Bombs, Power Weapon]

 

Legion Tactical Squad (230pts) [Legion Rhino Armoured Carrier, 9x Legion Tactical Space Marines, Legion Vexilla, Nuncio-Vox]

··Legion Tactical Sergeant [Artificer Armour, Melta Bombs, Power Weapon]

 

+ Elites (240pts) +

 

Legion Rapier Weapons Battery (120pts)

··Legion Rapier Weapons Battery [Quad Mortar ('Thud Gun')]

··Legion Rapier Weapons Battery [Quad Mortar ('Thud Gun')]

 

Legion Rapier Weapons Battery (120pts)

··Legion Rapier Weapons Battery [Quad Mortar ('Thud Gun')]

··Legion Rapier Weapons Battery [Quad Mortar ('Thud Gun')]

 

+ Heavy Support (720pts) +

 

Deredeo Pattern Dreadnought (220pts) [Aiolos Missile Launcher]

 

Legion Heavy Support Squad (345pts) [9x Legion Space Marines, Volkite Culverin]

··Legion Sergeant [Artificer Armour]

 

Legion Sicaran Battle Tank (155pts) [Heavy Bolters]

 

+ Legion +

 

Legion Astartes [X: Iron Hands]

 

 

Gives you a pretty disgusting amount of S8 Shooting (4 from the Deredeo, 16 from the Rapiers), Skyfire/Interceptor, Jink Negation, 40 S6 Deflagrate Shots at 45", 2+ Saves on your Sarges to tank if ap3 is present, Mobile and Tough PA Bodies being effectively T5 vs Shooting, Nunci-Voxii to Spot for Barrage Weapons (ie Frag Shells from the Mortars if you opt to not shoot Shatter) for potentially 16 3" S5 Ap5 Pinning, Barrage shots.

 

I would have like to slot in a Siege Breaker in Cataphractii to give the Culverin Squad Tank Hunter and Slow & Purposeful (this is up for debate) but, the points were a bit too tight.

 

The Sheer amount of Long Range Dakka should give your Necron enemy some pause. I would have liked to give the HSS an Augury Scanner to give them Interceptor and an Infiltrate Deny Bubble but, eh.

 

Between the S8 Sunder on the Deredeo and Rapiers and the Sicarans S7 Rending Shots (that ignore Jink) should make it easy-peasy for you to pop any of their Transports.

[Caillum]

^^ This. Pretty much sums up what I was writing! :)

[Brofist]

+1 for the list Slipstreams came up with. My only feedback would be- don't be scared to run head-of-the-gorgon as you don't loose anything and gain some nice perks such as outflank. I'd also run one 20 man blob and one outflanking rhino, but that's just personal preference. Solid list for your purposes either way.

[Emperors Teeth]

Wow, that's some quality assistance! Thanks very much! I'm gonna have to go back and re-read it all in detail a few times to absorb it all!

I won't use a Cataphractii character to try and get Relentless... I can't believe they neglected to reprint the armour's rule in full! I also won't be using a Skyshield as I don't have one or intend to get one. I do have an old FW Defence Line though, so that might suffice to start with. I have some nice Fortified sections that would fit Rapiers nicely. I think I have an old FW ammo dump, too... hmmm, that might be amazing.
 

4 Rapier Quad Guns might be a big outlay in one go, so I'll proxy 2 for our next game and probably order a pair of real ones along with a third Grav one for when I play 30k. I'll definitely use the Volkite Culverin squad. I also have a Deredeo, which was going to be a replacement for the Kheres Mortis Contemptor I'd be using to make him cry, previously.

 

I didn't have much luck with 10-man Tactical Squads in Rhinos coming on from Reserve last time we played. They don't pack enough of a punch after dismounting to make a difference. Larger ones on foot have unnerved him in the past, though, but I appreciate I'll be losing out on mobility there.

 

Regarding Darklances - I'd been considering this for some time. Against my tank army, without a doubt the most dangerous thing in his army was the large blobs of Necron Warriors. Individual Castellax or a small unit of Thallax with Photon weapons seemed an ideal way to blunt them without having to wipe them out.

 

How about Veteran or Terminator squads with a nice selection of power weapons? Power Mauls seem amazing as a melee weapon against basic Warriors, and Swords would be excellent against almost anything else bar his Overlord. Gorgon Terminators seem like they'd be a nightmare for him to deal with in any quantity as baring a couple nasty melee units and the Doomsday Ark, he's not really got much AP2.

Edited October 31, 2015 by Emperors Teeth

[helterskelter]

Tooling up a veteran squad can be a pricey business. Gorgon terminators might be a consideration. Easy to represent, pretty much wear 40k terminator armour if you need to reduce your monetary cost. Suitably tough and cause blind tests on successful saves

[Brofist]

Agreed. At low point levels veterans aren't cheap enough to really justify against a 40K army. Terminators... how are they getting anywhere? That's why I really do recommend an outflanking rhino. They have no goal except to contest or score some mid/backfield objective. Without something like that you'll have a really static list. Totes cool if that's what you want though. I love blobs myself.

[Emperors Teeth]

I'm gonna go with the following:

 

HQ

Castrmen Orth (80)

 

Troops

Tactical Squad (265); 18 men + Legion Vexilla

inc. Sergeant with Artificer Armour, Power Weapon, Melta Bombs

 

Tactical Squad (215); 10 men + Legion Vexilla

inc. Sergeant + Power Weapon, Melta Bombs

inc. Rhino + Dozer Blade

 

Elites

Rapier Battery (120); 2 platforms + 2 Quad Guns

 

Heavy Support

Heavy Support Squad (350); 10 men + Volkite Culverin

inc. Sergeant + Artificer Armour, Augury Scanner

 

Deredeo Dreadnought (230) + Aiolos Missile Launcher

 

Sicaran Battle Tank (180) + Lascannon Sponsons, Dozer Blade

 

Fortifications

Aegis Defence Line (70) + Ammunition Dump

 

I recognise it's not quite as hard-hitting as the above, but I can field it with minimal proxying. If I place the Ammo Dump carefully, I may be able to use it to re-roll 1's for the Rapiers and perhaps even the Heavy squad, too. That should scare him. I can castle up and hopefully draw him in while that lone Rhino goes and does its thing. Orth is a wild-card in that he doesn't fit in with the rest of the army, much like the Rhino Squad. I'll use him to run interference rather than place him in the battle line.

[nightwrench]

Good afternoon.

 

New to the 10th but I am re-engergized into the hobby.  Been pushing space somthing across a table since 1994.  I have wanted to play 30k from afar last few years and I have jumped in both feet.  Liquidated a few 40k armies to start a 30k IH force.

 

We have a group of 4-7 starting or have started in 30k and we let our 40k friends join us in a campaign we are starting.  I would like to build a list that does not rely on a Spartan.  All of the other players (3 DG, 1 Sallie (soon to be ultramarines), RG, IW, SW, WB) mainly use a Spartan.  I would like to buck the trend.

 

I am getting ready to do some additional purchases but right now I have.  Some of the FW stuff was for my now defunct Raptors 40k army.

 

Conversion for Mor or Forge Lord

Conversion for Orth.

Centerurion or Preator (not done and will be magnitized)

 

10 tac mk2

20 breachers

5 heavy with volkite or can be support with plasma or melta guns (have 5 of all)

3 rhinos

2 land raiders

1 Sicaran

2 apoths

1 Caestus

1 Dearedo

3 rapiers laser destroyers

10 Cat Terms

enough parts to make 5-10 more mk3 marines (bought some legs from Kromlech and iron hands chests from FW)

2 old style bubble top preds from 1992 (lol they are back, plan to convert to have plasma cannons)

1 Typhon

1 Demios Rapier Vindicator

1 Spartan

 

I have about 150 I can spend and I need shoulder pads.  My first thought is Gorgons or Ferrus.  I also am toying with a Annuvillus pattern claw with melta bomb vets, quad mortars , 3 grav cannons or a Venator.

 

I also comtemplated 3 siege wrecker bots with the pravian as they would be super annoying to move from mid field.

[RandomMarine]

Ferris and 10 gorgons in a spartan is fairly beast

[helterskelter]

For 150 you can get ferrus, 5 gorgons and a couple of sets of shoulder pads with room for shipping.

[Leman Russ SW]

Looking at your list you seem very light on troops. I would get the new GW plastic box plus Ferrus.  You could use the Terminators to cover a command squad, you can easily make a plastic apoc from a plastic mk4 and an arm from the 40k command squad.  The apoc can attach to the command squad and give Ferrus FnP.  The rest of the Mk 4's you can build as either regular Tac marines, vets or special and heavy support squads.  You also get a contemptor and some characters you can play with.

[Hesh Kadesh]

Sadly you cannot use a Terminator command Squad with Ferrus. Only Horus and Perturabo are equipped with Termunator Armour.

 

And randommarine, chap said he'd like to play without crutching on a spartan.

 

If your opponents are, pick up a 6x graviton cannons. Flat out nopes Spartans and their only counter to it is to take more or loiter behind cover while you spam difficult terrain pie plates everywhere.

 

If you are set on Ferrus and Gorgons these don't fit in a Dreadvlaw, you need a Kharybdis. Which are amazing but you are sinking 860pts into basocally notSpartan Spartan. They do the same thing (Turn 2 assault) trading Graviton weakness for weakness vs mass AA (2 Deredeo's can be a pain).

 

Typhons are also better against most all comers and a S10 7" AP1 Ignores cover plate is ace. At 370pts with armoured ceramite and running blessed autosimulcra (don't outflank) it is pretty resilient.

 

Some mechanicum allies spamming tehhpriests with servitors turn it into a firebase bar none (well, short of a Warhound anyway).

 

Combining Grav spam with a typhon just nopes many death stars. With Sallies many run something like a Firedrake doomstar in a spartan. Grav kills spartan, firedrakes debus, get splatted by typhon instagibbing those failing their save. They might have move through cover but the Rite sucks which gives that. The unit is now moving 1d6" a turn with no shooting. Typhon turns attention to other scoring units which are faster amd actually having impact on the game.

 

Dependent on how much money the other players have to spend on evolving their tactics this might be less fun for your opponents, especially those who don't have access to Drop Pod based rules without needing to change the entire list.

[Leman Russ SW]

The command squad can be bought for an Iron Father in Terminator armour though and Ferrus attacked to it.  Sorry I didn't make that clear in the first post.

Edited November 7, 2015 by Leman Russ SW

[Memento Of Prospero]

As mentioned earlier, you need more troops to before you start teching out.

 

The spartan is an iconic heresy piece, and it just fits so well into iron hands forces with our rite of war. Hells yeah outflank.

 

After you've acquired more troops, I would look to invest in some choice dreadnoughts amd maybe a landraider proteus or two.

[Raktra]

Hey look, now it's me asking for the advice. IS THE WORLD ON ITS HEAD?!

*cough* I mean.

So! I want some Castellax to go with my Praevian, but I dunno what gear to give them. My usual lists have decent anti-tank, mainly in the form of multiple Sicarans, so should I just stick with basic big guns instead of the Darkfire? The Praevian himself has a power fist, artificer armour, boarding shield and combi-flamer. When I've got extra points, a void shield harness.