Mechanised Chaos

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

Can it work? I'm revisiting my Thousand sons and revamping them as all mechanised, so all squads in rhinos, vindicator and predators in heavy support, dreadnoughts (and once forgeworld get round to prospero, contemptors)  and maybe a land raider based terminator squad at higher levels in elites, with maybe a bike squadin fast attack, the plan being everything bar the predators going full out first turn, blowing smoke depending if no enemey is in range, with the dreads and predators covering fire.
Can the Chaos codex do it though? 

[Aspiringchaoschampion]

I think it can right now I'm running a hybrid list but I'm looking at running full mech myself

[Lucio]

So your plan for the first turn is to not inflict any damage on the enemy what-so-ever, in the hopes that being closer achieves what exactly?

There's nothing wrong with a mechanised fast attack army, but given you've got Thousand Sons who'se hallmark abilities let them fire on the move, and that they have difficulty defending in assault due to lack of overwatch, there doesn't seem to be much benefit towards closing with the enemy.

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

The predators and dreadnoughts would fire in the first turn, and whilst the lack of overwatch does hurt Thousand sons, the increased mobility does give me the oppertunity to choose where on the board I engage him, and to focus my spells and troops into one area.

The Ap 3 boltguns sadly tend to not do that much outside of rapid fire, too many things have either 2+ or tougnness 5+, even T4 means your likely to not get that many wounds, so just driving around lobbing witchfires doesn't seem that bad a loss, and they have no more ability to fire on the move then anyother bolter using unit (slow and purposfull does nothing but drag the unit down, if they could have taken heavy bolters and autocannons with enchanted amunition it could have been cool but alas no).

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

Depending on the cost and stats of the new Mechanicus walkers, I'm thinking they could be a cool "dark mechanicus allied force maybe.

[SyNidus]

There's a player in my local meta who has been running mech-1k sons since CSM 3.5, and it has been devastating in all cases. It's really good and with the right support, I reckon you could do a lot of damage. I'm of the opinion that mech is the only way to run 1k sons.

[bozo69pd]

I think to win I have seen ahriman as the Warlord infiltrate some full squads of thousand sons in their rhinos right next to key targets to eliminate on turn 1. Especially if you get first turn you may cripple them enough to just focus fire big threats down. He obviously preferred fighting space marine variants to maximize the ap3. There was also a player at one of the NOVA tourneys I think who did this same thing knowing that a majority of players would be marines (bikerstars) and combined with a little pink horror summoning was also able to mass on objectives as well.

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

There's a player in my local meta who has been running mech-1k sons since CSM 3.5, and it has been devastating in all cases. It's really good and with the right support, I reckon you could do a lot of damage. I'm of the opinion that mech is the only way to run 1k sons.

What kind of support does he use? Whilst the units I was planning on using were predators with either sponson option, a vindicator and a couple of dreadnoughts and at bigger games a land raider and term squad, i've been thinking maybe some bikers and then allied lord of change and horrors or adepts mechanics, for backyard holding and getting another big target out there. 

could a Warpsmith, maybe with the scrolls of magnus be an idea to try and keep the tanks moving? Also how have people found the likes of fiends and drakes as a possible alternative to predators?