The Legion for you... Community Assistance Thread

[Aalz]

I'm okay with fielding most units, but I'm hesitant to get too many vehicles. I've had to struggle with a Rhino chassis once before and I'd rather not have to go through that torture again. I wouldn't mind getting some jump infantry, heavy infantry, bikes/infiltrators, and a few key vehicles to support. I know the Destroyer Squads are expensive points-wise, but damn do they look nice. I'm not so much looking to build an effective and competitive army, I've always gone for what I liked. I like the Havocs with autocannons (A dream come true). I wouldn't mind some terminators, but I also love the Outrider Seeker Squads (I think this is the right name for the much cooler FW bikes), Breacher Squads, etc.

 

It seems like most people are set on Iron Warriors, but what other Legions are not afraid to change up tactics? Also, anyone have any idea what the least played Legions are?

[apologist]

 

 

It seems like most people are set on Iron Warriors, but what other Legions are not afraid to change up tactics?

Very few are so single-minded as to admit only one way of war – even the more 'tactically conservative' like Death Guard, Imperial Fists or World Eaters do occasionally move out of their comfort zone. Those noted as particularly flexible and creative tactically are the Sons of Horus, Emperor's Children, Ultramarines and Raven Guard. Oddly enough, the Alpha Legion seem curiously unwilling not to do things in any way other than the most clandestine and labyrinthine!

 

 

 

Also, anyone have any idea what the least played Legions are?

I'd hazard a guess at White Scars, Salamanders and (oddly enough) Blood Angels. All of the traitor Legions seem to have pretty healthy followings, but a lot of the Imperial factions suffer from the fact they're either unpopular or too popular (and hence people don't want a second army) in 40k.

 

That's pure conjecture, though.

[Aalz]

Really? The Blood Angels? I would assume they had a pretty healthy following, given the fact they're a separate codex. Huh.. I'm a fan of both the White Scars and the Salamanders, admittedly more the former than the latter. And I do like the Raven Guard, even if Deliverance was not.. One of my favorite Horus Heresy books. I also at one point considered doing the Ultramarines, but modelling the faction that would eventually turn into the Mortifactors. Lots of different ideas, I'd have to consider ways to model White Scars. Though I also enjoy the Death Guard before the fall and they seem a good fit for a less vehicle focused Legion, although I find their lack of assault packs is disturbing.

 

So a list would be..

White Scars - Bikes, assault packs, tactical marines

Salamanders - Pyroclasts..

Raven Guard - Assault Packs, Seeker Squads

Ultramortifcators - Breacher Squads, Assault Packs, etc.

Death Guard - Grave Wardens, Breacher Squads, Destroyer Squads?

[Operative]

Hey I'm planning on taking my first steps into the HH by creating an Alpha Legion force, I just need a few pointers and some help from the community. So I've got a few questions:

 

Does anyone have any information on how to paint a purple colour scheme?

Does anyone know any good bits for infantry conversions?

Is combining armour variants a good idea? (Pics appreciated)

With what units should I start?

[Hyaenidae]

Bam: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298727-march-of-the-legions-xx-legion/

 

And bam: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/299907-march-of-the-legions-xx-completions/

[Aalz]

So after some thinking I realized I've been going about this the wrong way. Also read back to see how other people decided on their Legions and got feedback.

 

So.. In terms of RPG's I tend to play the classic sword and board warrior first, though in games allowing more freedom (Elder Scrolls) I always pack a bow. In Dark Heresy and other pen n' paper RPG's, I tend to go for Scum first, Assassin second, and Priest third. Not big into wizards and sorcerers, even though Magnus is one of my favorite primarchs.

I'm a fan of the Night Lords, love their fluff and armor colors.

Also the White Scars, their fluff is great though I admit I'm a bit leery of white.

I like the Alpha Legion's tactics.

Iron Warriors pre-heresy fluff is great and I have experience using metallic colors.

Also while not fans of the Primarchs, I like the Raven Guard, the Death Guard, and to a point the Ultramarines and IF.

 

In strategy games I value versatility and mobility and though I do play for fun and to win, the most enjoyment I get is from playing mind games with opponents. Any game this can prove the case. If I can bait and flank, I will. If I can hit from an unexpected angle, I will. I'm also a fan of turtling up and funneling opponents into traps and ambushes. In shooter games, I'm a driver or I'm a knifer (These two activities are the most entertaining to me). Not afraid to fall back to gain an advantage in any game.

 

So.. Anyone? Thoughts? Recommendations? It should be known I'm not a fan of Space Wolves, Blood Angels, or Dark Angels. My local game group also has an Iron Hands player, and a Thousand Sons/Salamander player as well.

[Operative]

It sounds like you would be well suited to play a Night Lords Army.

If as you say your a fan of sneaky whilst brutal methods of war then the Night Lords really fill both these roles. As they are a legion that aren't afraid to get their hands dirty in close combat whilst still utilising tactics such as ambushes and obviously psychological warfare.

 

If They're the way you would like to go then I suggest you think about what sort of theme you want for your army. For example you could choose to create a murderous warband of headhunters or an illusive rogue company that continue to pascify worlds oblivious to the Horus heresy (that could potentially be loyalist).

 

They're just 2 examples of routes you could take I'f you want to choose a NL army

[Slips]

You also said you liked "Sword & Board" gameplay. You consider the Imperial Fists or Ultramarines? Maybe Raven Guard, Emperors Children or Blood Angels so that you could do something White Scar like without having to paint predominantly white Miniatures?

 

Don't forget, Variant Schemes are a Thing. So if you want to to White Scars, you could paint them another color and have white as a supporting part of the scheme.

 

Its what I did with my Imperial Fists; I painted them predominantly Black with Yellow Shoulders (and other bits).

[1ncarnadine]

Well it sounds like you've already got people playing loyalists, so why not narrow it down and go for a traitor force? That'd be more or less AL, IW, NL and DG according to your preferences. I won't go into the IW, I think their case has been made pretty well already, and I'm not sure the DG are really the kind of legion you're looking for due to not being too flexible. It's hard not to take their RoW due to rad grenades being awesome and their slow, short-ranged, special terminator units tend to rely on huge transports like Spartans a lot. I think you mentioned not wanting to go too vehicle heavy so that could be an issue.

 

If you really like mind games and versatility, the Alpha Legion sounds like the way you want to go. They'll run just about any plan as long as it's at least slightly too overcomplicated or ambitious, and in both game and fluff terms that means you can easily justify just about any kind of force make-up. Their legion rules even let you pick a special rule before the game so your opponent never quite knows exactly what you're about. The only thing bringing down the AL right now is a lack of model support. Right now there are just a few shoulder pads and a Contemptor is on the way. However, AL forces look fine and even appropriate being pretty bare-bones, and if you do want some cool modelling opportunities there is always the scale/hydra motif or the link-in-the-chain imagery. When Alpharius does get released you will in fact have the ultimate force to mess with your opponent's head. 

 

I think you have a handle on the NL fluff, so I'll talk tabletop. Night Lords tend to run a mobile force (deep strike/infiltrate is common) and recently got a nifty buff to their RoW which gives you better odds of night fighting and a possible early assault initiative bonus, plus precision strikes/shots with their terror squads which is always nice. Plus they do have some really nice model support and upcoming awesome Curze and Sevatar models. And I guess lots of Fear, although Fear is actually useless against that Salamanders player, which kind of sucks. 

 

I'm also going to suggest the Sons of Horus. This would tend to make you the arch bad-guy unless you go loyalist/luna wolves, could be fun if you like being the villain in campaigns/scenarios though. SoH lists tend to be pretty in-your-face, with deep striking and outflanking keeping an opponent on their toes. Reavers are pretty sick, and Horus is called the Warmaster for a reason. Fluff-wise they are very well-equipped, brutally efficient warriors. They get stuff done, fast, often through savage and creative means. Armies that tend towards assault forces like the SoH and NL aren't always easy to play but very rewarding when things go well. Having all the cool goodies thanks to Horus jacking all the best equipment for his Legion means it is once again very easy to justify lots of army builds. Super-heavies/tanks? No problem. Jump pack or orbital assault? Right on. Terminator assault force? Very fluffy and can be fun with all the deep strike shenanigans the SoH can pull. All of the basic rites of war fit the SoH pretty well, on top of having their own special RoW. So that's cool.

[Kol Saresk]

Speaking as a Night Lords follower, sounds like the VIIIth is perfect.

 

The Night Lords are a bit more versatile than some(no one here) gives them credit. Primarily, they are shock assault. They hit fast and hard, creating confusion and panic. Amidst that confusion, they do their dirty deeds done dirt cheap and then pull back.

 

But they can also be the patient sniper, the saboteur, the trickster psyker who makes people kill each other like a puppeteer. It can even be the straightforward warrior who enjoys crippling his opponents so he might deal the coup de grace on those he believes are worthy of a swift death. Or it might be the morose executioner who simply wades into battle while cutting down all who oppose him without a second thought in the name of punishment.

 

And the analogies go on and on.

 

But from the sounds of it, you seem to like the same approach I do, which is more a raider approach. Hit fast, hit hard and when the going gets tough, run like a little :cuss, turn around and hit hard again and again and again until there's no one left to hit. Which fits perfect for the Lords of the Night. :D

[Aalz]

I find myself leaning towards the Night Lords, they are one Legion that hasn't ever dropped out of the list of those being considered. I also find that given their character, it becomes very easy to diversify squads. Though I am intrigued, I admit that I have never really given the Sons of Horus any attention. I always avoided them since they were always the favored Legion with the favored Primarch, who then thanks to the urging of one particular Word Bearer, became the main antagonist to the Emperor. Horus felt too big of a character for me to enjoy, so I have always glossed over him and his Legion. Though I will admit, there are two Sons of Horus/Luna Wolves I like. Qruze and of course, Horus Aximand. I also enjoy their aesthetic appeal, but do I like them more than the Night Lords? Hrm..

And I have also given the Raven Guard and Ultramarines some thought, the former a tad more seriously considered than the latter. As far as Emperor's Children, I love the Palatine Blade models as well as purple but.. I have a Mega Nob attempting to impersonate the Kool-Aid Man if he were purple that makes me err away from one of my favorite colors when it comes to painting. Maybe I have just been layering the purple on too thick. 

 

I dislike the Blood Angels, afraid to say. Though I love the Flesh Tearers and Lamenters!

 

And as far as variant schemes go, I know that players make their models rock some crazy good variants but I'm unsure. I like the paint schemes of the White Scars and Imperial Fists, so while I would vary them up slightly.. I would try my hardest to keep a fair share of white on there. Just unsure if I can deal with the layering and relayering to make it seem.. Well, like it actually belongson the model.

[Huggtand]

Have you considered the space wolves? You can’t go more "Sword & Board" than that!

They should have everything you want like sneaky hunters, swift and brutal strike teams, Rune Priests (who actually are not pyskers at all) and of course the executioner angle.

Can’t go wrong with the Vlka Fenryka

[apologist]

 

 

I find myself leaning towards the Night Lords, they are one Legion that hasn't ever dropped out of the list of those being considered. [...]Horus felt too big of a character for me to enjoy, so I have always glossed over him and his Legion. [...] I also enjoy [the Sons of Horus'] aesthetic appeal, but do I like them more than the Night Lords? Hrm..

 

Operative, LetsYouDown and Kol_Saresk have all outlined why Night Lords sound like the ones for you, and I'd echo their advice. If they've never dropped out of contention, they're probably the ones you like best. From what you've said, I think the versatility of Night Lords – in that while they have a favoured set of tactics, they remain tactically (as well as morally!) flexible, so you have almost the full list of options, from all vehicles to all infantry, and everything in between. 

 

My only real addendum is to remember that there's nothing stopping you from using particular models you like, whatever label they have on them. My Ultramarines, for example, have weapons, components and even whole models taken from completely different ranges, and even companies. With a little bit of conversion, paintwork, or simply by combining them with appropriate pieces, you can create models that are unrecognisable as their original alignment. I imagine the Sons of Horus Reaver models would look fantastic with Night Lords colours and shoulder pads, as would the Palatine Blades. A lick of paint will give you all you need to create some unique Night Lords; and combining them with parts from the Night Lords upgrade kits (or just standard models) will help to integrate them into a cohesive force.

 

Even if you don't wish to take that approach, the Horus Heresy is a massive canvas – there are doubtless endless battlegrounds where a unit or two of Sons of Horus took to the field alongside a Night Lords strikeforce. Isstvan and Terra are two examples, but making up your own small campaign – perhaps vital to the galactic war, perhaps forgotten by all save the combatants – is part of the fun of the setting. Taking this approach gives you a great opportunity to change colour schemes and have a break from just one Legion.

[Slips]

Well, Konrad Curze is out for Sale today..sooo...take it as a sign?

[Aalz]

Right? He does look good, I'm a fan of his armor and he made a mess of those Astartes. Now if only I could see Jaghatai or some Keshig Teraminators to banish any remaining doubts. I suppose for now I could grab some Night Lords to model and slowly build up, since the White Scars probably won't see any love rules-wise for a year and model-wise.. Sadness. I suppose coming down to it, they are my favorite two Legions. 

 

Edit: And I suppose I'm still considering the White Scars alongside the Night Lords is because while they may not be as focused on terrorizing their enemies, they also focus on hitting fast, hitting hard, and then vanishing before anyone can retaliate. It was in fact, one of their key philosophies.

[Slips]

They're Solar Auxilia (took me and others a while too since its only in the block of text).

 

And I'm in the same boat waiting for White Scars too.

[Memento Of Prospero]

Afternoon brothers!

 

As my Iron Hands are rolling along cheerfully, I am considering starting a traitor legion after the holidays to alternate back and forth with, just to break the monotony of constantly painting Black (doing a friend's Raven Guard as well!)

 

At first I thought of the Emperor's Children, a great opposite to my Tenth, which I could diorama once I claim a mancave as my own. However, I hate Fulgrim's guts so much, that he might as well be a real fellon that ran over my grand mother on christmas eve while drunk driving.

 

Then, I was thinking about The World Eaters. They have a very different playstyle from my Iron Hands and Khârn is awesome. My main issue that that they have a fetish for MKII armour, which I already have plenty of in my Iron Hands. They also have a very limiting Rite of War.

 

My last pick was the Alpha Legion, but these guys are overplayed, over hyped and kinda ruin the heresy fluff with their lame over the top james bond scenes.

 

Feel free to suggest any traitor legion you would think is fitting, as I am open to suggestions to get myself in gear and started soon.

[Aalz]

Well as you stated the Emperor's Children are an excellent counterpart to your Iron Hands, but if you hate Fulgrim as much as I do (Despite how awesome the Palatine Blades look).. I would suggest Death Guard! Mk. III and Mk. Iv armor, for one. Chemical weapon awesomeness for two. On top of that I'vr always liked the idea of Iron Hands facing off against the Death Guard. Gears and Grit against Grit and Guts.

 

Bionic Astartes against an army of Infantry who boast their tenacity and ability to survive. Not to mention.. Grave Wardens? Beautiful. You could even go back and do them as the Dusk Raiders before they met Mortarion, if you wanted to switch up the color schemes. Maybe even a veteran Terrain unit (Rare for infantrymen in the Death Guard, less so for their pilots/drivers) with their arms painted red as was the Dusk Raider's paint scheme.

[1ncarnadine]

I'll push the Sons of Horus again for the heck of it, partly because beyond Fulgrim the next best person to blame for the death of Ferrus Manus is probably Horus. The Iron Hands do seem to go through a lot of effort to kill him in Vengeful Spirit too. They're mostly in MkIV armour and MkIV sub-patterns so it presents a very different modeling opportunity as well, on top of tending to be a more mobile, close-combat infantry focused army vs a shooty/tanks force.

 

Also maybe it's just me but I thought the Iron Hands were all about MkIII, not MkII? All of FW's Iron Hands kit are in Iron Armour aren't they? MkII does look cool with bionic stuff though. I think the World Eaters take whatever they can get but a ton of the armies I've seen use a lot of MkIV and even MkV. I would even be a little surprised if we don't see a Legion MkV marine kit somewhere down the line, or maybe a World Eaters upgrade kit #2 for MkV. Khârn is even already in MkV armour... just sayin'.

 

The Word Bearers seem to have a ton of MkIV as well, and will probably hop on the MkV train too. Same goes for Night Lords. Death Guard and Iron Warriors are both classically MkII/III due to suitability for attrition doctrines. The Death Guard dreadnought is even pretty much Contemptor MkII (But it is awesome). Thousand Sons = ??? and you didn't want to run AL or EL, so I think that's it.

 

Edit: Ooo, oo, another option, you could do a traitor splinter of a loyalist legion. And harkening back to Apologist's point, you don't have to let the classic imagery of a legion draw you in too much. If you want to go your own way with your slice of a legion, go ahead and make it your own! The Death Guard might normally run a lot of MkIII but maybe your army has a different supply line from the regular and took a bunch of MkIV and had to refit, etc etc. Have fun with it :)

[Kol Saresk]

Right? He does look good, I'm a fan of his armor and he made a mess of those Astartes. Now if only I could see Jaghatai or some Keshig Teraminators to banish any remaining doubts. I suppose for now I could grab some Night Lords to model and slowly build up, since the White Scars probably won't see any love rules-wise for a year and model-wise.. Sadness. I suppose coming down to it, they are my favorite two Legions.

 

Edit: And I suppose I'm still considering the White Scars alongside the Night Lords is because while they may not be as focused on terrorizing their enemies, they also focus on hitting fast, hitting hard, and then vanishing before anyone can retaliate. It was in fact, one of their key philosophies.

Could do a group made up of social misfits and outcasts from both Legions.

[Slips]

Misfits from the Night Lords? Isn't that all of them? :p

 

Outcasts, I can see. You could make the White Scars the group that Split From the Legion to join Horus (iirc, there is such a split)

[Leonite]

Hark brothers! I have finally gotten the actual books for myself and, after deliberation, managed to whittle it down to two major legions to pick between... mainly out of what I liked best out of them and the want to have a vibrant colour scheme as opposed to the mostly dark one I have planned for my Chaos army.

 

So brothers, tell me your thoughts on the following two picks for legions! I have posted potential army lists in the appropriate section in my old topic.

 

-The World Eaters: While the fluff does interest me, that's not what won me over to them. It was Khârn, the White and Blue Colour Scheme, and the wonderful Red Butcher models. Plus, the idea of playing a Company that is post Istavaan, but has the commander trying to control their rage, is interesting to me. Like, instead of letting his men lose themselves to the rage, he tries to have them control it. The fact that Red Butchers are part of the Army says just how well that works.

 

-The Imperial Fists: This one is even less for the fluff (not a fan of Dorn) and more because my plans already have lots of Tactical marines with bolters. Well, that and the fact that the only other place I'll use yellow is in my Thousand Sons units.

[Slips]

You know where I stand on this matter. Dorn, Sigismund, Templar, awesome kits (that still aren't out yet, cmon FW and a pretty baller Contemptor!

...though don't let this badge confuse you

...still need to figure out how to align images in signatures @_@

[Aalz]

Well I'm fairly certain I'll be going Night Lords, perhaps make a primarily Terran Claw. Already have a few ideas for squads. I'm also thinking though and please do chime in, that the Reavers from the SoH could make some good White Scars. Perhaps greenstuff pelts across the shoulders and waist, with the spikes going through?

[Slips]

Hmmmm, I can see it; just use the Eye of Horus emblem as a sign of the Warrior Lodges (even though they didn't truly catch on within the White Scars, iirc)

 

If you're thinking Terran Night Lords, look up BCK's Crimson Sons for some inspiration.