[HH1.0] Emperor's Children Tactica

[Caustic63]

I suppose my soft spot for the Emperor's Children comes from 4th edition, back when bolters could seriously harm most things in high enough quantity and Space Marines felt a little weak. I bought the Chaos Space Marines codex and was stunned at the variety and options Chaos had over their vanilla brethren - You mean I can upgrade my marines to have +1 A, I, W, or T? It seemed pretty cool at the time, but what caught my eye was the book of Slaanesh in particular.

 

That section was an explosion of Sonic Weapons (bolters you could move and double or triple shoot with *gasp*), Combat Drugs, and neat upgrades. Nowadays however the tables have sort of turned in 40k, with Space Marines having all the variety in free Chapter Tactics and Chaos having been stripped of nearly all unique legion special rules and selections. It is kind of discouraging, but then of course there is 30K!

 

The purpose of this post is to talk about the Emperor's Children as they were in the Horus Heresy and more specifically the different tactics they can employ which make them effective versus the other legions.

 

Admittedly it's not as easy to see what makes the EC so good when you have other 'heavy-hitter' legions like Iron Hands (-1 S to ranged weapons and FNP is a highly effective combination on MEQs and TEQs), Imperial Fists (+1 BS Bolt weapons and Tank Hunter devestators), Salamanders (Artificer Armour troops with Flamers/Meltaguns, Storm Shields, Eternal Warrior and Mastercrafted!) and Alpha Legion (Infitrate EVERYONE!) but after a lot of thought I think I've sorted it out.

 

...

 

There seems to be a consistant theme throughout the Emperor's Children of Combat Resolution Bonuses, Initaitive bonuses, speed increases, and sporadic (but still present) non-Unwieldy AP2 in close combat. Naturally almost all of these gear the Legion towards Close Combat, which would be BAD in 40K where many armies can outfight you (since you're still just marines with some perks in most cases) but in 30K since it's for the most part MEQ on MEQ its sort of okay.

 

With some of the upgrades and improvements that have been applied to 30K with the release of new books, there's actually a new angle that can be played quite effectively - Outflanking + reliable reserves. This particular combination comes to fruitition when using the legion's unique Rite of War the Maru Skara.

 

The ability to have reserves arrive exactly when you plan them to is invaluable, and having Outflank means you can set up some pretty devestating ambushes to catch more stationary gun-based opponents off-guard. I could write a whole article on the Maru Skara and the application of it, but instead I'm going to move to the next most important point:

 

Fulgrim.

 

Amongst his brothers, Fulgrim is arguably one of the best Primarchs in the game. With the upgrade he can take a Mastercrafted Paragon Blade (which also has higher chance to ID) which is pretty much a no-brainer, and so armed is statistically likely to kill any other Primarch in the game in a one on one battle (except Horus, who can wear him down and kill him over many turns). This is just a perk however, not his main draw - the big benefits to taking Fulgrim in your EC army are:

 

1) You can choose his Warlord Trait from the BRB or Crusade Army List. This opens up a whole pandoras box of army building options... you can have Master of the Ambush Fulgrim to press in your Bikes/Marines, Fighty Fulgrim with Coordinated Assault, Shooty Fulgrim with Target Priority, or even Victory Fulgrim with Legendary Fighter (you can count on your opponents refusing pretty much every challenge though...)

2) Reroll Reserves - as if the Maru Skara isn't enough reserves shenanigans, you can ensure everything else arrives right on time too!

3) Combat Resolution Bonus - stacks nicely with Rylanor's Aura for a +3 bonus. If you can't get enough of this, Paladin of Glory Fulgrim increases it to +4. So basically unless you completely whif versus World Eats you are unlikely to lose too many combats...

 

Later I'll talk about the unique units and potential army lists in more detail, but for now I'd like some more experienced EC players to chime in. Are you out there?

[Elazar The Glorified]

Fulgrim can only choose a Warlord trait from the HH Legion list or the Strategic list in the BRB so for me you're looking at Infiltrating or maybe Conqueror of Cities depending on what your terrain is like.

 

I'm still only just getting started with my EC but agree in theory. I'm building my list around the bonus initiative, the combat modifiers and the Maru Skara to maximise on what we have that other Legions don't. My Hidden Blade currently penciled in as a Ravenwing Battleforce essentially - Outrider Squad, Attack Bike and Land Speeder with probably a biker character in there to make sure they have plenty of punch.

With the changes to challenges in 7th the EC +1 Initiative got better. I'm generally throwing my sergeants into challenges as the characters are already going first with sonic shriekers so it's an extra couple of attacks before the main I4 combat step to help slightly reduce the amount of damage that you'll be taking back. Especially helpful against Night Lords etc to stop them outnumbering you before they get to attack for example

Edited October 7, 2014 by Elazar The Glorified

[Theredknight]

Ah a good thread! Iv not long started collecting ec, played one or two test games. My opponents are most of the other legions. So this could be good advice.

 

Maru skara is invaluable and as my outflank force I have currently 2 units of x3 jetbikes (mm)and a primaris strike fighter. I may change one to volkite instead but will play test.

 

This coupled with my kharbydis ensures I am in their faces t2, minimising the amount of fire I'm

Taking across the board and neutralising (hopefully) any armour from the rear or sides.

 

I can have a blob of 18 Tac marines (bp,cs) apothecary and champion then supported by my flankers, jump packs with eidolon or rhino bound support units.

 

The resilience of the assault claw leaves it to fly about and harrass or anti air afterwards.

If my enemy has minimal anti air they then have 2 targets to choose from rather than one.

 

My sgts Are generally fists, But considering changing to spears..will play a bit first.

 

Is that generally what you guys do?

[Caustic63]

Glad to see some responses!

 

I'm going to continue this article by writing about how to play the Emperor's Children both the way the fluff says to, and the way that is most practical given their special rules, weaknesses and bonuses.

 

How the Book Says Emperor's Children are meant to play:

 

The Emperor's Children are the third legion mentioned in the first book Betrayal (how fitting, given they are the 3rd legion) and their tactics are surprisingly open, given their preference towards perfection of all facets of war. Nothing is above them from raiding and guerilla warfare to all out armoured assaults, but even Fulgrim has his favourite units and tactics and by extension these are used most often by his subordinates and commanders. The legion favours speed over strength, endurance, or even firepower reasoning that 'he who is most mobile always holds the initiative in battle'. To this end, Jetbikes are numerous within the Emperor's Children as are Jump Packs, Land Speeders and Combat Aircraft. Prior to the battle every detail is considered and accounted for, and every deployment is carefully planned out in advance and orcastrated in perfect order. This philosiphy means that the Emperor's Children can occassionally be thrown into confusion however in the event that certain pieces of the master plan fail to come together. Where heavy weapons are used, Lascannons are preferred with 'Sun Killer' units of Heavy Support squads being commonly used to deal with enemy armour and elite troops from a distance.

 

To summarize the above, a strictly 'fluff' oriented Emperor's Children army could contain the following units:

 

- Fulgrim ~ like I said before, an amazing Primarch especially given his fairly low price tag.

 

- Eidolon (typically with Jump Pack) or a Jump Pack/Jet Bike Praetor equipped for CC with a Paragon Blade & Sonic Shrieker

- Centurion w Jump Pack/Jet Bike & Sonic Shrieker, always a Consul such as a Chaplain, Champion, or Primus Medicae

- Command Squad with Jump Packs or Jet Bikes, typically with Charnabal Sabre/Power Sword combo but others possible

 

- Palantine Blades either in a Land Raider, a Stormbird, or out of a Drop Pod (replaces CC Vets or Destroyers mostly)

- Phoenix Terminators in a Land Raider, Stormbird, or Spartan (replaces Terminators for the most part)

- Apothecarion Detachment (of course)

- Dreadnaughts & Contemptors in either TL Lascannon/Power Fist or TL Lascannon x2 arrangement, Contemptors favoured for speed, Mortis also good.

- Rylanor if you are able to take him (ie it's not Angels Wraith) provides some amazing AoE bonuses for combat troops, though it would be nice to have the option to change up his weapon loadout...

 

- Tactical Squads and Tactical Support Squads, both fair game either on Foot, in a Stormbird, or rarely in a Pod

- Assault Squads are no doubt the favoured Troops choice, having the most to gain from the Initiative bonuses of the EC with an attached character.

 

- Seeker Squads are not as common, but nonetheless could appear

- Skyhunters are almost mandatory, nearly every EC list should contain these Jetbikes!

- Land Speeders and Javelin Speeders are welcome with the latter in Lascannon formation being the best version

- Outriders are awesome, Melta or Plasma versions please!

- Stormbirds are of course in the pile of favoured units, add TL Lascannons to the wings for bonus fluff adherence.

- Attack bikes are never a bad choice, specially if you are running Maru Skara (but unfortunately you can't use them in Angel's Wraith )

- Primaris Fighters seem a little weak and expensive, but coming in from the flanks they can do some serious damage.

 

- Deathstorm Drop Pods are probably not Fulgrim's favourite toys (and he's a guy you don't want to piss off) but it could be a cheap HS slot filler...

- Lascannon Heavy Support Squads for the above mentioned reasons

- Kakophoni are a strange and often unreliable choice, but when they work they can be devestating! Stubborn Heavys ftw!

- Fire Raptor gunships definately take the cake for this slot, and are an all around amazing option though they tend to make your wallet cry...

- Caestus Rams and Karibdyis Claws are creative ways to deliver combat troops, especially the Caestus & Chaplain Phoenix Terms combo.

- Sicarian Tanks are tough and have a lot of firepower, but more importantly they're also fast... so Fulgrim likes them.

 

Alright so this pretty much covers the 'fluffy' side of what you might expect to see in an Emperor's Children army. In the next post I'll delve into the more practical side of playing ECs, including the implications of their special rules to how they function on the board and things to keep in mind when you are writing up lists and planning your execution of them in the next battle (in minute detail I would expect!).

 

P.S. As a side note, I don't have a high opinion of Saul Tarvitz as an effective character to lead an EC army. He leans more towards a dug in and defensive force which makes him great to lead an EC army using the Castellan Force Org Chart, but this style doesn't play well to the legion's bonuses which are more geared towards speed and initiative. Not to mention also that he simply isn't a very good character compared to a geared up vanilla Praetor/Centurion or Eidolon...

Edited October 9, 2014 by Caustic63

[Theredknight]

Cool post! I play fluffy then, I love the precision striking, with the perfect application of force and units supporting each other.

Fire raptor is on my list to get, the only change I'd make is lascannons are darned expensive, so I'd take any hs troops with ml and flakk, makes them more versatile and covers your back board with anti air!

I haven't tried tarvitz yet, I guess I'd play him for fluff reasons. And because I love the first 3 hh books :-)

[Elazar The Glorified]

In defence of Saul Tarvitz, he's fairly cheap by Praetor standards for getting access to a Rite of War in smaller games and in bigger games he's probably not especially defensive as Fulgrim is likely to be your warlord but I agree that at that point Eidolon or a custom Praetor (or a Centurion even) add a bit more to the army. Still, it's Saul Tarvitz!

[Theredknight]

Elazar- which unit would you put him in with? He can't have a jp, so maybe blob of Tac marines with bp and cs?

[Elazar The Glorified]

Yeah tacticals maybe a tactical support etc if you have one. I don't think he adds enough to go with a squad that's focus is on assault but to a firebase / counter-attacking unit I think he's of some use.

 

As I see it our speciality lies in combat modifiers that make the winnable assaults a landslide to hopefully break your opponent quickly and cut them down in the sweeping advance. Or in making the combats that we should lose into manageable losses (so taking the morale check on the highest Ld we can) or even turning them into draws or minor wins. What we ideally want is our opponent getting caught up on those squishier targets thanks to the modifiers etc and allowing our elites / fast mobile units / open blade to neutralise the biggest threats and then help with the counter-attacking, mopping up where the tactical squads etc are containing what's left.

 

In the smaller games, without Fulgrim, Saul is a juicy target to draw in those charges, his high leadership helps you to stay in the fight and counter attack with the change to 7th can really turn a comfortable assault for your opponent into a much closer affair and that's where we want our opponent so that we can get the +1 and the reroll from Rylanor etc and hold our opponent and next turn another squad (Palatine Blades etc) can launch the counter-attack.

 

In bigger games he loses a lot I think because you probably don't want to be hanging back so much and he's not likely to be your warlord (and you'll likely have Fulgrim for accessing the Rite of War too) but at about the same points cost as a tooled out Legion Champion he could still be useful but certainly hard to ever see him as optimal. If they ever give us a mini for him I think he'd probably be ran as Centurion more often in all honesty

[Theredknight]

Veteran tacticals any good? I'd consider them with heavy bolters pimping out in a rhino supporting Tac cc squad.

 

Also the scorpius. With a nuncio in a blob squad you have a decent range of ap3 death there. Anyone tried them out?

 

I think that legion games come into their own at around 2500/3 k. So you can be a bit less generic.

[Caustic63]

The argument that Saul Tarvitz is good for cheap access to Rites of War is a bit shallow, given that you could take a Praetor (with better BS and one more Attack) with a Combi-Weapon, Charnbal Sabre, and Refractor Field for cheaper then Tarvitz and have almost the same unit minus the Sniper Rifle and guaranteed Warlord Trait. This doesn't mean Tarvitz is bad, but it does mean that his uses are limited to specific defensive builds. A good example of this would be running with a Tactical Squad in a Defense Line, which leads directly into my next article:

 

How Emperor's Children actually play in the tabletop game (Part One):

 

I won't get into how to play a generic Legion Army from the Crusade list as this topic is covered pretty thoroughly elseware. In this article, I'll talk specifically about the Emperor's Children abilities, special rules, and weaknesses on the tabletop. I'll begin the discussion based around a vanilla Emperor's Children army... that is, an army that uses no Rites of War to customize its function. In theory you could use any type of unit in this sort of list and use any of the variant Force Organizational Charts introduced in the second volume, and this is the idea I'm going to take forward in this tactica.

 

To start with Emperor's Children get the Crusader special rule which comes with two separate benefits that are useful to a mobility based army, and they are the ability to move quickly while running and greatly increasing your chances to sweep defeated opponents. This rule applies the best to Jump Infantry and Infantry models who get both bonuses, while Terminators only get the run bonus and Bikes only get the Sweep bonus. However, some units like models in Cataphractii armor get no benefit at all so naturally they should be avoided in your EC lists if you wish to make the most of playing this legion. Given that your Infantry are so mobile, a hidden benefit to enhanced run distances is you have an easier time claiming objectives at the end of the game.

 

Martial Pride is a bit of a double edged sword now, where previously it was just a straight up drawback. Prior to the update I was of the opinion that Emperor's Children didn't gain enough for being forced into challenges (and being heavily penalized in morale if their character loses) compared to the newer legions like the Imperial Fists, but since they added the Initiative bonus things are a bit more balanced. Be that as it may, this rule heavily encourages you to kit your sergeants for close combat which is always something to consider when building your lists.

 

For more mobile units such as Assault Squads, Jump Palatines and Jetbikes which are more likely to get the charge in the Phoenix Power Spear and Meltabombs combo is pretty decent as it ensures you can take advantage of your special rules while remaining prepared to face almost all threats in close combat. For slower and more passive squads (and therefore less likely to get the charge off) Power Spears don't make sense over conventional Power Axes or Power Fists. Since you're fighting almost exclusively other Legions, its wise to keep in mind that most of the time in challenges you'll be fighting opponents in Artificer Armour given it's abundance throughout the army so some access to AP2 is almost a necessity.

 

So if you're running Vanilla Emperor's Children (no Rites of War) there isn't much point to running a Praetor in your army unless you want his command squad to provide a Fearless anchor for your army. Lord Commander Eidolon is the possible exception to this rule, given his useful warlord trait for aggressive lists and uncommon ability to wreck most opponents the turn he charges (his Thunderous Charge ability actually means Unwieldy, I called Forge World and asked them about it). This of course means you should be taking Centurions aka Consuls!

 

Eying the list of potential Consuls, three choices stand out to me as the most effective for an Emperor's Children army. These are Chaplains, Primus Medics, and Masters of Signal. Chaplains are absolutely exceptional for ECs and almost essential to some units to ensure they are effective when they most need to be in the first round of combat. They also make your squad Fearless, come with a free power weapon (which can be any type!) that doesn't replace your other weapons, and can take a Sonic Shrieker to boost your entire squads Initiative. Given all these benefits, an Emperor's Children player can be excused for taking more then one. Primus Medics also come with a free CCW which means you can go Power Spear/Axe/Needle Pistol or Power Spear/Charnabal/Needle Pistol without issue in addition to the FNP benefits.  Masters of Signal are good in almost any legion army, but especially for Emperor's Children because you'll likely have a number of Deep Striking units that can use his aura of no scatter. He also has the not small benefits of Interceptor, Ballistic Skill Boost, and Artillery Strike which aren't to be understated.

 

In Part Two, I'll explore the importance of deciding whether to play either aggressively and defensively with a vanilla Emperor's Children Army and the techniques and strategies one can use to play the most effectively, as well as some pitfalls newer players tend to fall into when creating Warhammer 40k/30k armies in general. Also, I'll be putting together some sample lists in the 2K to 2.5K range featuring a Saul Tarvitz Castellan list and a more aggressive Eidolon list.

 

See you then, and thank you for reading!

Edited October 10, 2014 by Caustic63

[Theredknight]

Keep up the good work! I think il re arm my tactical sgts now!!

[Theredknight]

If not taking Maru skara, what row meshs best, if using a chaplain? I'd love to do a charmosian conversion..with magnetised head of course lol

[Caustic63]

If not taking Maru skara, what row meshs best, if using a chaplain? I'd love to do a charmosian conversion..with magnetised head of course lol

 

If you are talking specifically about using a Chaplain in an Emperor's Children Army, the best Rite of War in my opinion would be Angel's Wraith, but I'll get into that discussion once I'm done putting together my vanilla tactica first. Liberal use of Hit and Run on your Jump Pack troops would allow for not only escape from unwanted combats (for example, an Assault Squad in a long combat with Red Butchers) but it would also allow you to have more 'first rounds' of combat to maximize the bonuses of Hatred, Sonic Shriekers, Phoenix Power Spears, and of course the additional attacks :).  Angel's Wraith does come with some pretty heavy drawbacks though, which is why I'm going to cover rights of war seperately.

[Sanct]

 

 

 Chaplain ... can take a Sonic Shrieker to boost your entire squads Initiative. 

 

Wait, don't shriekers boost the model that has them not the entire squad?

[Bowlzee]

 

 

 

 Chaplain ... can take a Sonic Shrieker to boost your entire squads Initiative. 

 

Wait, don't shriekers boost the model that has them not the entire squad?

 

 

You are correct Sanct, it's only the model that benefits.

 

The rules state, any model or unit equipped with a Sonic Shrieker gains +1 init on the turn they assault. It implies Independent Characters (model), or Palatine Blades and Phoenix Terminators (unit).

[Caustic63]

 

 

 

 

 Chaplain ... can take a Sonic Shrieker to boost your entire squads Initiative. 

 

Wait, don't shriekers boost the model that has them not the entire squad?

 

 

You are correct Sanct, it's only the model that benefits.

 

The rules state, any model or unit equipped with a Sonic Shrieker gains +1 init on the turn they assault. It implies Independent Characters (model), or Palatine Blades and Phoenix Terminators (unit).

 

 

This is a great conversation to have here in this tactica! The rule literally reads:

 

"A model or unit equipped with a Sonic Shrieker gains +1 Initiative on the first turn of an assault,"

 

The key phrase to be pulled from this is: "A unit equipped with a Sonic Shrieker,"

 

If the rules were written with the implication you say they are, would it not have made sense to simply write it as:

 

"A model equipped with a Sonic Shrieker gains +1 Initiative on the first turn of an assault" ?

 

Since Phoenix Terminators and Palatine Blades can equip the entire unit with Shriekers, wouldn't the above writing make more sense since all the models in the unit would have them?

 

Because the key phrase I pulled above exists in the rules as written, it seems to me to be perfectly legal for a single independant character model with a shrieker to boost his entire unit's characteristic. As a precident, in the Death Guard if you run 'The Reaping' Rite of War you gain the option to equip "Any character or Independant character" with Rad Grenades.

 

Under the rules for Rad Grenades it specifically states: "During a turn in which a unit equipped with rad grenades launches an assault, or is themselves assaulted, ..."

 

So if your interpretation is used for this case as well, "a unit equipped with rad grenades" needs to have ALL models equipped with said upgrade for the rules to function which isn't correct in my opinion, since it would then be entirely useless to give any characters this upgrade at all unless they are running solo or with Destroyers.

 

Back to the Sonic Shriekers, the main reason why Phoenix Terminators and Palatine Blades can take them as a whole unit as opposed to only the Champion/Prefector is to ensure that the bonuses aren't lost if said character dies, as they would be in a Reaping Death Guard list.

 

As a general rule when planning and playing my lists I favour using RAW (rules as written) instead of RAI (rules as intended or rules as implied) but considering the differences in interpretation that can arise its important to discuss your views with your opponent before the game starts to avoid any unncessary hastles. Also, in some instances where there is no clear answer available I tend to call Forge World to have them clear it up. Perhaps this could be used in this case?

[UltraCaptain]

I think it is hard to pull that one mr. It is an upgrade given to an individual model. Like saying a character with power weapon gives all members power weapons.

[Bowlzee]

Caustic63 does raise an interesting point. I have sent Forgeworld an email to clarify for us :)

[Sanct]

Casutic63 says:

"stuff"

 

I had all these rules I was rereading but realised it all said join unit so I'm just gonna stick with it seeming gamey in my books.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Sanct

[Caustic63]

Caustic63 does raise an interesting point. I have sent Forgeworld an email to clarify for us

 

Hey I'm curious, did Forgeworld ever reply to your email? In my experience, you have to call Forgeworld to get an answer to rules questions.

[Bowlzee]

 

Caustic63 does raise an interesting point. I have sent Forgeworld an email to clarify for us

 

Hey I'm curious, did Forgeworld ever reply to your email? In my experience, you have to call Forgeworld to get an answer to rules questions.

 

 

Not yet, I'm guessing everyone was busy with Warhammer Fest?

[Caustic63]

I've decided that before I start playing around with Rites of War and Variant Force Org Charts, I'll begin with a basic Emperor's Children Army that makes the most of their army bonuses and unique units while remaining 'competitive' and following the fluff reasonably well. This creates an interesting set of constraints, but like it says in HH1 the Emperor's Children liked to prove their perfection in any and all facets of war so you don't need to be a strict as I am when collecting your own force.

@ 2500 points

HQ:                 

Legion Centurion                
> Consul - Chaplain (Power Axe)                
> Phoenix Power Spear                
> Combat Shield & Artificer Armour                
> Jump Pack                
> Sonic Shrieker & Meltabombs                150

Legion Centurion                
> Consul - Master of Signal                
> Power Sword, Power Axe                
> Refractor Field & Artificer Armour                
> Sonic Shrieker & Meltabombs                145

Troops:                

Legion Tactical Squad (x15)                
> Sergeant w Artificer Armour, Meltabombs,                
and Power Fist                
> Legion Vexilla                                        240

Legion Tactical Squad (x15)                
> Sergeant w Artificer Armour, Meltabombs,                
and Power Fist                
> Legion Vexilla                                        240

Elites:                

Palantine Blades (x10)                
> Prefector w Phoenix Power Spear, MBs                
> Jump Packs                                
> Phoenix Power Spear (x2)                370

Contemptor Mortis Dreadnaught                
> Two Twin-linked Lascannons                185

Fast Attack:                

Legion Jetbike Skyhunter Squadron (x6)                
> Sergeant w Phoenix Power Spear                
> Multimelta (x2)                
> Meltabombs                                        320

Legion Javelin Land Speeder Squadron (x2)                
> TL Cyclone Missile Launcher (x2)
> Heavy Bolter (x2)                
> Hunter-killer Missile (x4)                            170

Legion Outrider Squad (x5)                
> TL Plasmagun (x5)                        275

Heavy Support:                

Sicarian Battle Tank                
> Lascannon Sponsons                        175

Fire Raptor Gunship                
> Reaper Autocannon Battery
> Hellstrike Missiles                             230

ARMY TOTAL                                        2500


***********

This Emperor's Children army is based around two important pillars: Speed and Aggression.  All fast attack slots are full, while even the Elites and Heavy Support selections remain fairly mobile minus the necessities such as the Mortis Contemptor Dreadnaught.  A few options highly favour deployment via tricks such as Outflanking and Reserves, and these strategems should be used and practiced to the utmost since they become even more prevalent (and reliable) the longer your play Emperor's Children and the more experienced you become with using various Rites of War and unique characters.

In this army the Chaplain is attached to the Palantine Blades to grant them a suite of boosts which enhance their already formidable abilities in close combat. Hatred allows them to hit more accurately during the first round of combat when it really matters (especially if they got the charge off) while Fearless ensures they will fight to the bitter end and the Sonic Shrieker gives the unit that all important initiative boost that the Emperor's Children are so well known for (until I hear a response from Forge World to the contrary, this is how I will continue to play it since its RAW).

Like Mother Theresa, the Master of Signal is welcome almost anywhere... but his skills are best applied inside a Tactical Squad and preferably within close range of the Sicarian to ensure high accuracy when you need it most. Realistically I could drop him for a pair of Apothecaries and some CCWs for the tactical squads (which is a highly reasonable position to take) but given how character driven the Emperor's Children bonuses are not to mention his high overall usefulness I'm confident I made the right choice. However, I'm open to change given some more experience with the list.

The Tactical Squads are present in the list instead of Assault Squads due to pure economic reasons... Tacticals are really cheap and are quite serviceable in terms of mobility (thanks to Crusader) and firepower (thanks to fury of the legion). In order to justify taking Assault Squads you either need great special rules for close combat ***cough World Eaters cough*** or a great support and a good plan. I think the reason why their cost is so high has to do with the fact 30K is balanced more towards large infantry squads with high susceptibility to sweeping advances. In this sort of environment, Assault Squads (especially with Power Weapons) can cause a LOT of damage to your army when they beat you by 3-4 wounds and then run you down when you flee.

Like the World Eaters, the Emperor's Children do close combat too except their is markedly different on the tabletop. Where World Eaters simply get a tide of combat oriented special rules (at significant costs like losing control of your troops for short periods of time), Emperor's Children rely on high mobility, reliable reserves, high initiative and combat resolution bonuses to win the day. A good example of the latter is a Tactical Squad with nearby Fulgrim (Paladin of Glory) in a unit of Phoenix Terminators and nearby Rylanor.  This unit gets a stunning +4 to their combat resolution score AND wins ties! It is perfectly possible to do no damage at all, win combat, and then sweep your opponent!

Anyway in this list there is no Fulgrim, Phoenix Terminators, or Rylanor so it doesn't make sense to make use of Assault Squads without the proper Rites of War to enhance them (which is a topic for another article).

On the topic of my Fast Attack selections, its important to note that rather then try and spam one weapon type I settled on making sure that each category is covered so I have a reasonably balanced army able to take on a variety of foes (which is key if you aren't using a Rite of War to specialize). You have the Melta focused Jetbikes, the Missile Focused Javelins, and the Plasma Outriders. The Lascannon Dreadnaught & Sicarian should be able to handle any enemy vehicle threats while remaining fairly resilient themselves, while the Fire Raptor is like Malala Yousefzai... very effective at ensuring your girly opponents receive an education they won't soon forget!

In the next article I'll discuss different Rites of War and how to use them effectively with the Emperor's Children special rules. Thanks for reading!

Edited October 23, 2014 by Caustic63

[Bowlzee]

Finally got the response from Forgeworld:

 

 

Hi there.

 

Only the model with the Sonic Shrieker gains the +1 initiative.

If there is anything further we can do to assist you, or if you have any queries about the information we have requested or provided, please telephone us.

Regards,

Forge World

[Caustic63]

Clock another one up to the poor quality of Forgeworld's editing/writing staff.

 

At least this change maintains the core strengths of Palantine Blades and Phoenix Terminators, but it is undeniably a nerf that harms the effectiveness of the Emperor's Children as a whole. Upon hearing the news Fulgrim cut off Eidolon's head (again), so I think I'll wait until he calms down before I continue the tactica.

[Raktra]

Clock another one up to the poor quality of Forgeworld's editing/writing staff.

 

At least this change maintains the core strengths of Palantine Blades and Phoenix Terminators, but it is undeniably a nerf that harms the effectiveness of the Emperor's Children as a whole. Upon hearing the news Fulgrim cut off Eidolon's head (again), so I think I'll wait until he calms down before I continue the tactica.

Do you really think that people were actually doing this though? Discounting yourself, obviously. It's the same as when 'Nid players used to claim Acid Blood hit every enemy model in combat.