[HH1.0] Mechanicum Tactica

[DarkSidhe]

Isnt the Karacnos mortar also fleshbane? So wounding on a 2+.... Edited April 21, 2017 by DarkSidhe

[SockMonkey]

It's the AP4 that makes it :cusse in a PA setting. Sure if you need to kill mortals why not. Think it was a big miss for the unit. Maybe they will make it upgradable in the red book update.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

I'd prefer they FAQ the mortar to AP3. Also the lightning sentinels need 24" range, 18" is pathetic. 

[Demonknight]

I apologize in advance if I am asking too many "noob" questions and rambling. :)

 

I have been a veteran of WH40K for decades , but fell in love with Horus Hersey as soon as I read my first novel years ago. All of the rich background stories created by many great authors that sucked you into that time frame and kept you coming back for more even though you knew the ultimate outcome. 

 

I have always had a soft spot for the Mechanicum, but I am not sure how to build a descent force or where to start. I love converting/ painting etc. I have built a IH force as well as Luna Wolves, blood angel, Death Guard and Knights armies. I played then sold them all. I always felt as though I was missing something.

 

My passion is Mechanicum and all the background/ conversions they offer. I have made titans out of foam core (even an emperator titan) and enjoyed the carnage they cause on the field of battle. I want to make an army that will be my crowning achievement/ complete my quest. Something to keep and admire. 

 

I am looking for suggestions on a semi competitive force that I can expand on (2,500 - 20,000+ pts). I want to include titans of all sizes as well as infantry, tanks and all the other great units that make the Mechanicum awsome. I am looking to this great forum to help me in this endeavor. Any comments, suggestions, advice is greatly appreciated.

[Niightcloak]

you should pick a type of mechanicum for starters, so either Legio Cybernetica, Ordo Reductor or the Taghmata altough you can of course mix and match the larger your collection becomes
if you like tanks and thallax start with Reductor, if you like Castellax and Thanatar start with Cybernetica

 

cool think about Reductor is their Reductor Artillery tanks which have no models and a vast multitude of loadouts so you can custom build quite a few different tanks there

 

to be honest almost everything in the mechanicum list has its use although there are of course better choices but nothing is really wasted (even tough some units are less useful against astartes which usually end up being your most likely opponent), so just pick models you like to be honest ;)

[Reclusiarch Darius]

I apologize in advance if I am asking too many "noob" questions and rambling. 

 

I have been a veteran of WH40K for decades , but fell in love with Horus Hersey as soon as I read my first novel years ago. All of the rich background stories created by many great authors that sucked you into that time frame and kept you coming back for more even though you knew the ultimate outcome. 

 

I have always had a soft spot for the Mechanicum, but I am not sure how to build a descent force or where to start. I love converting/ painting etc. I have built a IH force as well as Luna Wolves, blood angel, Death Guard and Knights armies. I played then sold them all. I always felt as though I was missing something.

 

My passion is Mechanicum and all the background/ conversions they offer. I have made titans out of foam core (even an emperator titan) and enjoyed the carnage they cause on the field of battle. I want to make an army that will be my crowning achievement/ complete my quest. Something to keep and admire. 

 

I am looking for suggestions on a semi competitive force that I can expand on (2,500 - 20,000+ pts). I want to include titans of all sizes as well as infantry, tanks and all the other great units that make the Mechanicum awsome. I am looking to this great forum to help me in this endeavor. Any comments, suggestions, advice is greatly appreciated.

 

 

In 30k Mechanicum come in three distinct flavours. 

 

Taghmata tends to go infantry heavy, and makes the best use of Myrmidons (as they aren't competing with better options for points). Your Arch-Magos has a big impact on the kind of list you run, so carefully read the Magos Prime unit entry (always upgrade to Arch-Magos, you can only really afford one Prime anyway and it massively boosts his statline). The doctrine you select then informs what kind of list you want to take, and who he'll wanna roll with. 

 

Cybernetica is for running all the robots. Your HQ slot is either three Domini, or two Domini and Scoria/Satarael. Everything else should be robots, to maximise the Cohort bonuses. The only outstanding robot class with no model is the Arlatax, otherwise they're pretty fleshed out. 

 

Reductor is for tank enthusiasts. The Matrix of Ruin FOC variant gives you four Heavy slots, which you'll want to fill with Krios Venator squadrons and Reductor Artillery squadrons. Thallax are your Troops tax, but they're okay in such an armour-heavy list. 

 

Trying to run mixed lists tends to give mixed results. Mechanicum benefit most when you really focus on one of the three streams. I'd go as far as saying don't take robots outside of Cybernetica, and don't run Myrmidons outside of Taghmata. 

[LtDan]

I'm running a reductor list with myrmidon heavy list. Don't always have to use the artillery to get the bonus from it. The extra heavy choice, moves through cover and the badass hq are winners for me.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

I'm running a reductor list with myrmidon heavy list. Don't always have to use the artillery to get the bonus from it. The extra heavy choice, moves through cover and the badass hq are winners for me. 

 

You don't have to, but I'd advise against it. Simply because like with Cybernetica, Myrmidons don't benefit much from the Reductor bonuses. Scoring tanks rewards investment in Krios Venators and Medusas. 

 

Ignoring difficult and dangerous terrain is very nice though. I just think points can be an issue, Mechanicum are consistently point-starved compared to Legion. 

[LtDan]

O I totally get that just my plan is

 

2 destructor squads with grav and irad in triaros

2 sec squads with grav in kitted up macroanid (one outflanking and one scouting)

Then maxing out thallax and ursarax(with fists) deepstriking everywhere into terrain causing chaos.

Reductor archmagos kitted out for combat goes with one destructor squad..

Coordinator with thruster and jet with thallax.

Just thought be different way to play them and a bit of fun.

I play alot of outflanking vet pride lists in my meta with not alot of air.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Myrmidons are fantastic at wrecking Sniper Vet heavy lists. Especially irad-engine, you'll vape entire squads with a good angle. 

 

Thallax are kinda meh, Ursarax I've seen do well until they lose a combat and get run down with ease. Ld8 and I2 is a pain. 

[LtDan]

Yeah I know thallax are meh but I like them lol. They had a good game jumping around with thrusters.

Ursarax I use to smash tanks

[Withershadow]

Myrmidons totally work as Reductor. Remember you only score in the enemy's deployment zone, and I hope you aren't driving your artillery into their deployment zone.

 

Myrmidons definitely benefit from having an extra slot so you can take several flavors and still have room for some Macrocarids or Krios tanks. Triaros and Macrocarids are more likely to be in a position to score.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Krios Venators like flanking up the sides and raining shots into weaker facings. Medusas however yeah you'd be camping with them. 

 

Hmmm, I forgot Reductor tanks only score in enemy DZ. 

[LtDan]

Exactly why I think my plan will work. Drive the tanks straight at them. Smash the pain trains into there lines. Unload cargo. Triaros score while myrmidons kill.

[Withershadow]

I hope you mean the pain train smashing literally. People always forget about the Triaros' shock ram.

[LtDan]

Yeah I literally mean ramming everything.

[Purge the Daemon]

Siege plated demolished cannons / medusa guns can actually run into the enemy deployment zone as long as you can protect side facings.

[LtDan]

Can see that working if careful with your facings

[Reclusiarch Darius]

So I'm more or less finished with my Legio Cybernetica for now (Arlatax still to come, but otherwise I have a full inventory). 

 

My next planned force is a Myrmidon Cult. Just wondering if anyone has experience running a Myrmidon heavy list? What is the optimal investment? I definitely plan to have 2 Destructor squads (might leave the last Heavy slot open for Krios Venators), but what about Secutors? My initial plan is grav gun+plasma fusil, just so I'm not caught about by either mech or infantry-heavy lists. The squad tax for Myrmidons is pretty heavy due to the mandatory Lords, so do people find a couple of bigger squads better than min 3-4 man? Should I just shoot for one Secutor squad to roll with my Arch-Myrmidax, or is two fine?

 

Destructors I keep switching around loadouts because their options are so good. I'm thinking currently I'll do one squad with a photon thruster on the Lord, and then volkite culverins in a bunker (the thruster is to snipe AA Sergeants). Then probably another squad packing grav-imploder, with one rad-engine to handle hordes and vape things with Wall of Death on Overwatch. 

 

I'm also constantly tossing up between Triaros and Arvus Lighters. The former starts on table and from what I've seen they don't die unless hit by Haywire or substantial anti-tank. The latter can be wrecked by AA, but so many 30k lists I see lack any Interceptor or AA. Would be cool if Myrmidons could get the Arvus as a dedicated. The other issue is that I probably need to invest in a Djinn-Skein on my Arch-Myrmidax if I go the Arvus route, both for the 2+ Reserves roll and for the no-scatter Deepstrike aura. 

 

My biggest concern with Myrmidons is taking out Demolisher cannon and Medusa cannon before they splat them. Seen that happen in too many games to Thallax and Ursarax. In Cybernetica I have Vultarax. I'm thinking maybe some Hoplites in an Arvus to suicide in the backfield? They're cheap and annoying, and also double as Superheavy insurance. 

[Withershadow]

Just for variety's sake, my list has 3 squads of Myrmidons.  Two destroyer units (one with graviton imploders, one with irad cleansers), and a Secutor unit with grav.  Transports are two Triaros and a Macrocarid (archmagos reductor rides in macrocarid and gives it AP1 tank hunting lascannons).  Last slot is wildcard slot for Medusae or a Krios squadron. 

[LtDan]

I run mix squads of grav and irad destructors in triaros and a grav secutor squad in a macro. As said ill be running as reductor so then take extra macro loaded with grav secs to outflank. Thallax as troops grabing objects deepstriking with the reroll from the macro ex array. HQ reductor arch and a myrmidax

Anything str10 blast kill it first!!

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Cool, thanks for the responses guys. I have one Triaros already, so I think I'll get another then a Macroarid. That should probably be enough transports for now. 

[LtDan]

Sounds like a good start

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Had my Xana Cybernetica face down loyalist Cybernetica yesterday. 2.5k, Shatterstrike mission and table quarters. 

 

My list was:

- 3x Domini w/infravisors

- 3x maniples of 2x Darkfire Castellax, arrays, frags, one siege wrecker

- 6x Vorax w/bio rounds, frags

- 2x Vultarax

- 2x solo Thanatars

 

Loyalist Cybernetica was roughly

- Arch-Dominus w/machinator array

- Dominus

- 2x maniples of 3x Mauler Castellax, arrays, all with power blades

- 2x squads of 4x Thallax, one multi-melta, Destructor augment

- 3x Vorax w/bio rounds

- 6x Destructors w/photo thruster

- Thanatar w/Paragon

 

He won deployment roll off, I failed Seize.

Turn 1 was pretty uneventful, he took a wound off one Darkfire Castellax (massed maulers do hurt), Destructors did another wound I think (passed my Blind test though thankfully, as it was a unit without a Dominus). Turn 1 for me got pretty bloody, I wiped out a big chunk of the advancing Thallax (double tapping the Thanatars actually paid off), and the bees killed a Destructor.

Turn 2 I lost a Castellax and lost a few wounds here and there on other maniples. I managed to Outflank my Vorax next to his Destructors, and annihilated them down to the Lord and a surviving Destructor on one wound (bio rounds are a hell of a drug, especially when you fire 48 of them). Bees shot up his Vorax (who had ended up on the wrong side) and did a few wounds (they're supremely useless with no tanks to slay, once the Arlatax comes out I'm definitely benching them). I wasted my Cybertheurgy trying to get Robo-Mindwar to happen, the one time it succeeded I rolled a 2 and he rolled a 6. 

Turn 3 his maulers kept chewing away at me, took the survivor of the first maniple down to a single wound (luckily it was the siege wrecker too). Destructors got annoyed at the mantis bots killing them, shot them and charged (survived Overwatch, but power blades killed the 1 wound Destructor, Lord made all his invuls and killed a Vorax though). Unfortunately, he failed his charge rolls on his Castellax squads. In my Turn 3, I moved in and dogpiled the maniple advancing on my left with all five Castellax (I buffed with 'Celerity' two of the siege wreckers to have Initiative 6). Vorax cleaned up the Lord and advanced on the Thanatar. My two Thanatars fired onto the right side Mauler maniple and actually killed a Castellax outright (very good landings on the blasts on my part, and his invuls were average). 

 

At this point we called it, he'd lost on attrition and I could get enough on denial units in his DZ to get the win. The mirror match is interesting though, first game I've fought an army with comparable robot count. Mauler cannon en masse does do damage, and against Marines by his own admission they are a wrecking ball. Sniper Vets and other PA units are popular in my Legion playerbase locally, so I might look at trying out a Mauler maniple before the Arlatax makes them moot. 

 

As a side note, the previous day I was fighting Custodes and Salamanders. Vorax Outflanked and murdered three Guardians outright with bio rounds, some truly unlucky armour saves on his part. Sadly, Shield-Captains are just unstoppable and I was paragon bladed into the Shadow Realm with anything he touched. Never ever charge Custodes, just gun them down at range. The 3+ re-rollable invul needs a nerf though, its off the chain. 

[LtDan]

I've got my 3k reductor list sorted I was talking about. I only need to finish building couple bit and it be done.

 

Archmagos reductor. Familiar,rad,phosphex bomb,4 occuli, mc chainfist,machina array,abeyant,djinn skein,scanner

 

Thallax x3 plasma,chain blades

Thallax x3 plasma, chain blades

Thallax x3 thruster descructors

Thallax x3 thruster descructors

 

Ursarax x5 all fists

 

4 secutors all grav

 

5 descructors 3grav 2 irad

4 descructors 2grav 2 irad

 

Trairos. Blessed

Trairos. Blessed

 

Macroanid imploder,irad,aux drive,ceremite,flare, exploritor array

 

3000.

 

Plan is myrmidons all rush forward at targets. Descructors in Triaros and secs in macro. Thallax and ursarax deep strike in cover hopefully to get into position with the reroll from the macro. What you guys think?