Building My Wolves

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

In a very short time, I have amassed a sizeable collection of space wolves, but I really am having a hard time building my force into something fun and usable. 

 

I don't really have enough tanks to do a full mechanized list, nor do I have enough drop pods to do a full drop pod list. I have a ton of toys, but not very many boys.

 

All told I have:

HQ:

Logan Grimnar (metal)

Logan Grimnar w/stormrider (magnetized)

Arjac Rockfist

Ulrik the Slayer

2 Krom Dragongaze

Lukas the Trickster

Rune Priest

Wolf Lord/Wolf Guard Battle Leader in Power armour

 

35 Power Armour (20 grey hunters, 10 wolf guard, 5 blood claws)

15 Terminators

5 Scouts

10 Jump Marines

3 Thunderwolf Cavalry

 

3 Drop Pods

2 Stormtalons

1 Stormraven

1 Stormfang Gunship

1 Stormwolf Transport

1 Land Raider

1 Land Raider Crusader

3 razorbacks/rhinos

1 Predator

1 Vindicator

5 Dreadnoughts

 

I use my special character models as generic leaders, I love the models, but I don't like using named characters because then no one can complain about how it gave me an edge.

 

I have a few ideas on how to use this stuff. My big problem is, I don't have a theme really, because my favourite delivery method (Air Assault) is difficult to pull off. So Without buying more models, how do I build a list to take advantage of my armoury?

 

[BigC76900]

if you have the champions of fenris book i would try some of the formations you have enough for a few of em. me personally i rely on gh squads in rhinos and long fang fire support, ive been experimenting with terminator based armys with some success. perhaps you can use your storm wolf/fang as support for land raiders with terminators loaded and putting gh squads in rhinos for objective capping.

[Rune_Priest_Rhapsody]

Well, to me it looks as if you have the beginnings to a grand company of wolves!!

 

I think you should look at the packs you have and their role on the battlefield. I see many great builds that can be both fun and ferocious. Believe you, me, I am a sucker for thematics and fluff over anything but I have also come to realize that with the models you have now, you will be thankful to have them in the future, once you have figured your niche out!!

 

As far as an air assault goes, I cannot help you out. Maybe combine the drop pods you have with some StormGrrrs. How many points do you play??!! I see well over enough points to make anywhere from 1k to 3k point lists.

 

End of Line

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Usually it's around 1500-2500pts. I like large point games, 3k and up, but they just take too long. I've been working on some lists, but it mostly boils down to not knowing what to fill my drop pods with. I have been experimenting with all deep strike lists, but it's a bit difficult. A friend built me a list where I use 5 pods (borrowing 2 of his) 3 dreads, and 2 squads of grey hunters in drop pods. I do have the champions of fenris book, and have played around with some of the formations, in fact I set out to do those formations specifically, with some back up from a company of the great wolf detachment. I also have the components for the astartes storm wing, for some good air support. I'm one squad of terminators shy of arjac's shield brothers, and an iron priest and Njal away from the war council. Other than that I have all the models for the other formations. The benefits that the formations give are pretty cool, but there's a ton of named character spam in them, so it doesn't sit well with me. Mostly because the game is supposed to be about my guys, and there are enough folks that would cry foul about named characters in my community. Still though, they wouldn't have stats if GW didn't intend for them to be played.  

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I have a few more additions to my list, I think I can add about 25 more power armour (about 15 or so armed with BP/CS, so wolf guard or blood claws) and about 15 more terminators, plus I have some conversion work, which will result in some long fangs. In addition, I'll have a terminator armoured librarian, to use as a rune priest. I have some conversion work and bit bashing on the terminators, but that will give me at least 5 TH/SS termies to run Arjac's Shieldbrothers. I could probably use the Terminator librarian to stand in for Njal, until I get his model, but I now have darn near every model needed for all of the formations, save for the Iron Priest, and he can probably be made easily enough. I'll also have some more scouts and some fenrisian wolves, 4 of them. I'm getting infantry, because I have more toys than boys and I need more blobs to throw at my opponents.

 

Still the question remains. I need to build an effective list. 

 

Big thing is I have no Idea what to fill my Drop pods with, and whether or not, I really need more of them. 3-5 seems to be what people suggest, but I don't know what to put in them. Do I put melta/flamer dreads in them, or melta squads? Do I use them for an alfa strike, or to grab objectives? I only have three pods, so figuring out what to do with them is critical. Maybe I run three wolf guard thunderstrikes, so I get four units in first turn, and two more from reserves. Five Units first turn If I throw in void claws for reserve roll manipulation. 

 

Some of my friends have helped me with tactical thinking, and I know I need to force my opponent to chose what to go after, by presenting him multiple credible threats, but I don't precisely know how to do that with what I have. I don't know how to make my lists threatening, since my tactical indoctrination doesn't seem to translate well to the tabletop.

[Z00Z]

I'd definitely look to thunderstrike formation with combi's if you looking to get good pressure drop pod assaults going. I recently played a game where I dropped 10 combi-plasma WG and 5 TDA 3SS/TH, 1 AC+claw, 1 SB+CF and a TDA RP in the middle of a turtled Tau lord with suit bodyguards, a rifle-GK dread, a squad of GK in PA and a riptide. 3 rounds later the rifle dread, tau lord and suits and PA squad were off the table with wolves suffering the loss of 3 termies, the RP and 5 PA WG. The riptide was down to 2 wounds. 

 

rolling 20 plasma rounds on exiting the DP with re-roll is no joke. The accompanying WG TDA provided a nice cover save to the PA unit and tanked an incredible amount for both units. 

 

I was very happy with this formation, I'd consider it with your current list. They got all their points back and some, and more importantly, took all the tide,rifle-dread and suits focus off the charging up the table TWC that slaughtered 2 units and a knight.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

The official tally for my infantry is

 

~71 power armour 

~34 Terminators

15 Scouts

5 Long fangs (5 more awaiting conversion)

 

I've added a 6th dreadnought. This brings me into apoc points levels, If I take everything. 

 

I'm very seriously considering running three Wolf Guard Thunderstrikes, to take full advantage of the drop pod assault and putting the most units I can down in one go.

In addition, I am only two models shy of having the entire super-formation from CoF. It feels like a milestone. My wolves need only two more drop pods and two more squads of long fangs, and one more vindicator, and of course the two missing models for the War Council, and then I may be able to call my wolves completed...

 

...For now...