[HH1.0] Mechanicum Tactica

[Confused Word Bearer]

So a couple things I learned early on using the servitor posses.

- I don't think there's a reason to take them as a bodyguard instead of just an elite unit. That way, you can give them the Lacyraemarta upgrade for FnP, which is what you want for ablative wounds.

- Each Magos in that unit gets a techno-arcana choice. So if you spent a few points on a second one instead of the upgrades like Magos auxila and cyber familiars on a unit that is going to chucked under the bus for your Archmagos anyway... you'd have plenty of points for a second adept to take enginseer, giving you two servo-arm adepts and thus two 2+ repair rolls to keep those Macrocarids rolling at full steam. That's on top of the T5 5+ FnP servitors.

- probs want to max out the servitors where you can. As long as you have the transport capacity, you want as many in there as possible. They're only 10pts for powerfist guys.

-Lastly, a third possibility for the Archmagos I have been playing with recently. Graviton Imploder in a unit of 3-4 Myrmidon destructors with grav imploders. They give him preferred enemy and they are hilariously effective at knocking stuff over. I've been using them in a Triaros instead of a macro, but they're great either way.

Ever wanted to crush a Primarch like a beer can? :lol:

Wait, forgot to mention that with the Enginseer Magos and the six Servo-Automata plus the Archmagos on an Abeyant means that it would fill the Explorator's transport capacity, as Abeyants are Very Bulky, which makes them count as 3 models, right? Which would mean 1+6+3=10.

 

Giving him a Graviton Imploder and Myrmidon Destructors with them sounds pretty cool, actually, though it'd cause him to have to lose his Machinator Array, which means that he wouldn't have +1T and no 3+ Battlesmith roll either.

 

Hmmmm....

 

There is zero reason for him to have melta bombs. Djinn Skein is not mandatory either. Abeyant is also optional but very nice.

And those Auxilia squads are a terrible waste of points. They can't do anything except repair which is useless if a tank is killed in one turn. You're better off bringing another tank than repair squads. Also, Reductor without their unique artillery is a waste of time IMO, you could do better with just Taghmata in that case for more Magos options.

Yeah, I was pretty tired when I wrote up this list, will definitely remove the melta bombs. Djinn Skein seems cool, and the Abeyant is quite nice to have on him.

 

You're probably right about the repair squads, but 2+ repair rolls on top of 6+ Blessed Autosimulacra on an AV14 all around vehicle with Flare Shields just feels hilarious. I'm using Reductor as it both makes the tanks scoring, and for all the other bonuses, like ignoring dangerous terrain and such. I didn't put in the unique artillery because I just don't really feel lke it, in all honesty. I think the regular Mechanicum vehicles are cooler, even if they might not be as good.

 

You both bring up good points! I was tired when I wrote this, so I'll take your advice into consideration when I rewrite this list.

 

Edit: Completely forgot the rest of my post.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Warsmith Krast

[Terminus]

My preferred build for ablative auxilia are reductor auxilia with conversion beamers and then just naked servitors to stand in the way. ~300 points gives you 3 tank-hunting conversion beamers, and the Magos' beamer is AP0.

[Guardbuddy]

My preferred build for ablative auxilia are reductor auxilia with conversion beamers and then just naked servitors to stand in the way. ~300 points gives you 3 tank-hunting conversion beamers, and the Magos' beamer is AP0.

I might be reading my book wrong, but I don't see how the Magos' conversion beamer can become AP0.  I'm just here scratching my head a bit confused.  I would definitely try to mimic that in my list if I can get that working, it sounds awesome.  

[Flint13]

The best range on the Beamer is str10ap1. The Archmagos Reductor's Master of Destruction gives him an additional +1 on the penetrating hit chart for a total of +3

[Guardbuddy]

The best range on the Beamer is str10ap1. The Archmagos Reductor's Master of Destruction gives him an additional +1 on the penetrating hit chart for a total of +3

Ahhh okay!  That makes more sense.  Thanks.  

[Flint13]

It's a pretty great special rule.

 

Too, you can "gift" those Master of Destruction bonuses to one heavy or ordinance weapon within 6" which can be spectacular. As if Krios Venators weren't nasty enough :lol:

 

Honestly, the conversion beamers are probably one of the best places in the army you can use it.

Edited November 14, 2016 by Flint13

[The Traitor]

Hi there! I've recently starterd being interested in 30k mechanicum, so I read their army list and have to admit that I really like their rules at first sight, and their models are surely gorgeous, so may start an army or at least an allied detachment in a near future. My question is... What's people's opinion on Scyllax? Are they a good troops option? Do they really need a transport to work? Specially on a cybernetica list, where you already need to buy two units of castellax to fill your troop slots, I don't know if they'll fare well, but if I start an army I'll probably bring them anyways as I love their fluff and the modelling possibilities that they offer (tentacles...).

[Terminus]

They make cool looking servitors and may get some play in Zone Mortalis with all their flames options. We don't have Assault transports to take advantage of them. I did once put a Magos with rad grenades in with them into a dreadclaw for fun, they did petty well but poor saves saw them die as quickly as they killed. T2 Space Marines are funny, as are T4 Primarchs.

[The Traitor]

Hmmm yes, that is what I feared, and about the dreadclaw, they're not letting any more in my local store to deploy inside allied transports since the GW first draft FAQs, they say that the rule was already unclear and I've desisted in arguing more... But what about kitting them with rotor cannons? With relentless a unit of 8 could fire 32 S3 shots per turn while moving to the enemy thanks to relentless and maybe even drawing some attention from the big robots and taking some objectives.

[Terminus]

Well, it's not an allied transport when I used it.  You can take up to 3 dreadclaws as a Lord of War choice (Suborbital Strike Wing) and they all arrive at the same time.  They do give up an extra VP each, but it may be worth it.  It's not something I ever see discussed.

[The Traitor]

Wow, I didn't knew that... I think that it may very well be worth it because:

- dreadclaws don't usually get killed in my experience, usually the enemy tries to focus on whats inside, and being AV12 flyers that don't mind jinking they're pretty durable, so VP shouldn't be an issue. Also reapairable with battlesmith.

- for other armies they can potentially free FA slots, which may be disputed.

- Scyllax could make great use of a fast assault vehicle in my opinion, and other mechanicum units have the same problem.

- dreadclaws are pretty good units so it's never a bad thing to get access to them.

Can't beleive I hadn't noticed this before...

[Terminus]

Legions can't take them as LOWs because they are already available in the army list. Maybe Auxilia or Militia would drop Ogryns with them? Mechanicum has the most to gain.

 

If you wanted to go cheap, you could do:

 

Myrmidon Prime - familiar, rad grenades, power fist, MC chainfist, 2 graviton guns or plasma fusils - 195-205

8x Scyllax - 6 enhanced arrays, 2 graviton guns or plasma guns - 325-335

 

Pretty hefty, to be honest, at over 500 points before transport, but it wrecks shop. Toughness 5, W2, fearless, hatred everything, -2 to enemy toughness, and either uber anti-tank or blistering AP3/2 fire.  Could even throw a photon thruster onto the Prime to force blind checks.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Terminus

[Charlo]

Something posted over in the Ad Mech (yes I know that is technically a swear word here but...) section that I think we can all enjoy.

 

My audio receptors have been filled with it all day.

 

All credit to The Psycho

 

 

Lyrics

Hidden Content

 

011101110110000101110010...

Mind receptors witness glory from the burning of the flame
The fires of the forge are like the trumpets which proclaim
Our engines at full power, your destruction is our aim
Our Truth has come online

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3)
Our Truth has come online

With heat and iron and industry we'll purge you from this world
You will sunder, melt, and shatter from the bolts of wrath we've hurled
And upon your ruined end, our blood red banners stand unfurled
Our Might has come online

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3)
Our Might has come online

Traitor, Xeno, Heretek, they are as one to us
We will scorch them from existence with our engines devious
Our hate for them encoded into every bolt and truss
Our Wrath has come online

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3)
Our Wrath has come online

Titans striding forward, Ordinatii by the score
They are drowning out blasphemers 'neath their great mechanic roar
Tradition is our bulwark, it endures forever more
Our Victory comes online

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3)
Our Victory comes online

Deus est machina (X3)
Machina

Engage the linkage, Omnissiah (X3)
Our Victory comes online

011101110110000101110010...

Edited November 17, 2016 by Charlo

[Terminus]

Yeah, I was pretty tired when I wrote up this list, will definitely remove the melta bombs. Djinn Skein seems cool, and the Abeyant is quite nice to have on him.

 

You're probably right about the repair squads, but 2+ repair rolls on top of 6+ Blessed Autosimulacra on an AV14 all around vehicle with Flare Shields just feels hilarious. I'm using Reductor as it both makes the tanks scoring, and for all the other bonuses, like ignoring dangerous terrain and such. I didn't put in the unique artillery because I just don't really feel lke it, in all honesty. I think the regular Mechanicum vehicles are cooler, even if they might not be as good.

 

Eh, Krios Venators are definitely top 3 for best tanks in game, so I wouldn't sweat it too much. By the way, you only ignore terrain if it's ruins/city-related, so you'd still stumble over trees and the like.  And the Tanks are scoring only if you are playing Matrix of Ruin, and only in the enemy's deployment zone (where you want to keep most of your tanks away from, except for the Macrocarid).

[Guardbuddy]

As awesome as Krios Venators are on paper, I have had the worst luck in my life with them for every single game EVER.  4 shots hitting on 3s?  Oh well, you got three 1s or 2s.  And then proceed to fail the ordnance pen.  There was this game recently where I had two of them shoot at a Spartan and combined, they only did a single hull point whereas the two Castellax with Darkfire cannons besides them stripped the remaining 3 instantly.  /endrant.  Just horribly unlucky on my part, but I still take them every game because goodness, that utility and speed from those things are enormous.  Even if they don't kill, they certainly make people take note of it.  In that same game where they failed to kill the Spartan, I positioned one in front of this chokepoint where a mass blob of 30 or so World Eater tacs were coming from.  Baited them and made them charge it, wrecking it but now they were all stuck behind in such a blobby position stuck between two buildings whereafter next turn a Thanatar dropped a biiiig pie plate on their heads nailing almost all of them.  

 

 

Aaaanyhow, that's enough of ranting and stories.  Going to get myself a Macrocarid explorator soon, paint it rather quickly with an airbrush.  Going to test how the whole flare shield, dual irradiation engines + graviton imploder works in my local meta.  People are very infantry/dreadnought heavy so it'll definitely be interesting.

[Flint13]

Spartans aren't the greatest target for Krioses unless you can catch a side angle. Anything with a flare shield on AV14 tends to neuter the pulsar-fusil. But feel you on the BS4 though. It kinda feels like BS 2 some days, eh? XD

 

Have you given a photon-thruster Ordinator Magos a try? He's pretty entertaining. I use him in a posse of 6 Destructor Thallax. They do mean things to Spartans.

 

The Macrocarid won't disappoint. It has pretty much everything you could ask for. Irrad engines are truly a gift from the Omnissiah to remind the biological masses who their betters are.

[Guardbuddy]

Spartans aren't the greatest target for Krioses unless you can catch a side angle. Anything with a flare shield on AV14 tends to neuter the pulsar-fusil. But feel you on the BS4 though. It kinda feels like BS 2 some days, eh? XD

 

Have you given a photon-thruster Ordinator Magos a try? He's pretty entertaining. I use him in a posse of 6 Destructor Thallax. They do mean things to Spartans.

 

The Macrocarid won't disappoint. It has pretty much everything you could ask for. Irrad engines are truly a gift from the Omnissiah to remind the biological masses who their betters are.

Haha yeah, BS4, I never know how it will treat me.  Funny thing is, the Spartan wasn't even flare shielded!  But oh well.  

I haven't tried a Photon thruster ordinator magos, but it sounds like something new so it'll definitely give it a shot the next time I try it out!  And as for the Macrocarid, I agree 100% with that sentiment.  It feels like it is plugging a hole that the Mechanicum was lacking for a while.  It is also an excellent anti-horde vehicle!

[Flint13]

So the Ordinator Magos is pretty great.

 

They key points are a master crafted photon thruster and an abeyant/jet pack for Relentless. The photon thruster is a lance weapon, so you only ever need a 7 (average on 2d6) to at least glance a spartan through its Flareshield. Also kudos for playing the one person ever to not flareshield a spartan! XD

 

I keep mine Magos in a Destructor Thallax posse for ablative wounds, the extra few chances at glancing hits and tank hunter, which is conferred to the Magos.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Flint13

[SydonianDragoon404]

Hey uh, Flint, you may want to take a look at the Lance rule buddy. It's not melta so I don't know what you're on about with rolling 2d6. 

[Slips]

Hey uh, Flint, you may want to take a look at the Lance rule buddy. It's not melta so I don't know what you're on about with rolling 2d6. 

The Archmagos would also have Armourbane in this instance iirc.

[disease]

Well, it's not an allied transport when I used it.  You can take up to 3 dreadclaws as a Lord of War choice (Suborbital Strike Wing) and they all arrive at the same time.  They do give up an extra VP each, but it may be worth it.  It's not something I ever see discussed.

 

 

Wow, I didn't knew that... I think that it may very well be worth it because:

- dreadclaws don't usually get killed in my experience, usually the enemy tries to focus on whats inside, and being AV12 flyers that don't mind jinking they're pretty durable, so VP shouldn't be an issue. Also reapairable with battlesmith.

- for other armies they can potentially free FA slots, which may be disputed.

- Scyllax could make great use of a fast assault vehicle in my opinion, and other mechanicum units have the same problem.

- dreadclaws are pretty good units so it's never a bad thing to get access to them.

Can't beleive I hadn't noticed this before...

 

 

Unless I am missing something -  i see the only choices for sub orbital stike to be marauder bomber, marauder destoyer, thunderbolt, lightning, avenger.  Also, the fluff states that sub orbital wings consist of fighters and bombers launched from ships in low orbit. 

Admech would need a special rule to bypass that?

[1ncarnadine]

 

Unless I am missing something -  i see the only choices for sub orbital stike to be marauder bomber, marauder destoyer, thunderbolt, lightning, avenger.  Also, the fluff states that sub orbital wings consist of fighters and bombers launched from ships in low orbit. 

Admech would need a special rule to bypass that?

 

 

 

That's probably how they intend the Sub-orbital Wing to function, but RAW those are only the LA:AoDAL redbook restrictions. People will still argue that the Mechanicum are different, as the LA:AoDAL list includes things like the Avenger Strike Fighter that the Mechanicum get as a regular FA choice. 

 

That said, it generally gets a pass anyway. I imagine there are very, very few Mechanicum players running SOWs w/ Dreadclaws. And then the Mechanicum don't have many non-Monstrous Creature assault units, and the ones they do have that want an assault transport aren't really that mind-blowing.

Edited November 20, 2016 by LetsYouDown

[SydonianDragoon404]

 

Hey uh, Flint, you may want to take a look at the Lance rule buddy. It's not melta so I don't know what you're on about with rolling 2d6. 

The Archmagos would also have Armourbane in this instance iirc.

 

 

Oh, I had no idea! That sounds like fun. 

[Reclusiarch Darius]

It's the catchall choice really. You pay for moderate firepower and a box for your tech dudes.

 

It can have intercepting Irad Engines though so that's fun. 

That's the thing though. Triaros already does that, and it doesn't eat Heavy slots or cost 240pts for the standard flare shield+Armoured Ceramite combo. Mechanicum are just always so tight on points in all three lists variants, I feel like we need to avoid splurging. Model is gorgeous though, FW hit it out of the park design wise. 

I always forget it has an Augury Scanner. Would be pretty amusing to douse some Veterans hopping out of a pod. 

Darius, you're just an endless fount of negativity sprouting from nonsense, aren't you? A spartan is something like 75 points more while having worse guns. Sicarans outgun it? What? Gibberish. 

Actually its about 100pts more, assuming you take flare shield+ceramite on both vehicles. Still better though, has HP5, 25 vs 10 capacity, and its an Assault Vehicle. Also, even with max lascannons, the Macroarid is still a worse gun platform because the Spartan can move 6" and fire 4x twin-linked lascannon shots, Macroarid only fires two twin-linked and one Snap Firing when moving 6". 

Sicarians outgun it because they have the accelerator autocannon. I thought that would have been obvious? 

I like it personally. But I don't feel the need to streamline my lists to the nines. Iradiation engines and grab imploder will ruin most things days. But what do I know?

Irradiation engines are going to bounce off TDA a fair bit (probably still kill a few with sheer saves but not reliably), and they do nothing to vehicles. And a single grav-imploder isn't going to do enough. The reason its a beast on Destructors is they bring several and with Preferred Enemy its effectively re-rolling to hit and wound. 

Each Magos in that unit gets a techno-arcana choice. So if you spent a few points on a second one instead of the upgrades like Magos auxila and cyber familiars on a unit that is going to chucked under the bus for your Archmagos anyway... you'd have plenty of points for a second adept to take enginseer, giving you two servo-arm adepts and thus two 2+ repair rolls to keep those Macrocarids rolling at full steam. That's on top of the T5 5+ FnP servitors. 

 

Are you allowed to mix Techno-Arcana in the same Tech-Auxilia squad? 

'Each Tech-Priest Auxilia must choose one of the following Techno-Arcana which applies to the unit'

I always assumed that meant both Adepts have to pick the same Arcana. Can they select different ones? That's pretty sweet if so. 

Aaaanyhow, that's enough of ranting and stories.  Going to get myself a Macrocarid explorator soon, paint it rather quickly with an airbrush.  Going to test how the whole flare shield, dual irradiation engines + graviton imploder works in my local meta.  People are very infantry/dreadnought heavy so it'll definitely be interesting.

 

Definitely will work a lot better if you fight infantry lists. Watch out for Cortus-Contemptors and Leviathans though, the former is very fast when it wants to be and will chainfist you dead. The latter tends to get podded Turn 1 next to you and the 4+ invul is annoying. 

That said, it generally gets a pass anyway. I imagine there are very, very few Mechanicum players running SOWs w/ Dreadclaws. And then the Mechanicum don't have many non-Monstrous Creature assault units, and the ones they do have that want an assault transport aren't really that mind-blowing.

 

It's questionable legality anyway, and I think we have better uses for the Lord of War slot. War Machine detachment for example. Legion players already whine about grav Secutors demolishing their Spartans and imploder Destructors crumpling Primarchs. Getting that in drop pods would be a bit much I think. Triaros is fine and almost same price as a Dreadclaw anyway. 

Edited November 20, 2016 by Reclusiarch Darius

[Mango Polo]

I have to admit that the more time passes, the more I want to repurpose my cybernetica to ordo reductor. I'm hoping Inferno can turn that around.