tailored lists fighting nids, mods please check this.

[spafe]

Hi comrades. I have a bit of a strange pair of games coming up and would like your help. Before I get into this, I am aware nids are outside the remit of the board, so if a mod could check over this and wipe it if its too close to the line that's fine.

 

Okay, with that out the way, I have planned a pair of games against a nid army. I know his first list, and need to tailor to counter it, then in the second game I need a list that he will tailor his nids to fight. Then we combine both scores and see who did best.

 

So I'm after 2 things, firstly advice on how to counter the nid list I'll post, and secondly a hardy guard list that makes life as difficult as possible for the nids to tailor against.

 

I'll start with his list, and give a very brief description of what elements in it do (we jointly came up (with the list while discussing their dex so I know the rational behind units).

 

deathleaper formation (deathleaper and 5 other lictors)

swarmlord with 2 guard

2 indivual venomthorpes

30 gaunts

tervigon

sporecyst

12 devil guants in tyranocyt

dakka fex in tyrancyt

dakka fex in tyrancyt

2 mucolid spores (troop ones)

 

So the lictor stuff and sporecyst infiltrate, the swarmlord moves forwards with his guards and mobile cover save, the tervi cretes even more distractions and because of the swarm you get +1 on reserves, with accuracy from the lictors the pods all appear (2 chucking out 10 pie plates between em and the other having venom cannons), all the while the sporecyst provides support fire and creates more distracting units.

 

It's 2k list, and I need to tailor a guard list to beat it quickly and by a large margin as he can tailor in the second game. I am thinking large platoons of men, screened with consripts and backed up by lots of heavy weapon squads, basically bulk out to push his deepstrikers back, and maybe some small units of ratlings to try and force his infiltrators back too. in my head I'm thinking tanks are a no go with htose fexs still being str 9 in combat and the large amount of mid sized bugs close up.

 

Or do you think that mech is the way forwards as it also has a lot of dakka and pie paltes which could threaten inf... I'm torn. I basically have enough inf to do any load outs, set ups and combinations, but only have 2 bassies, 5 chrimeras, 2 demolishers and 4 russes, as my motor pool, along with 2 armoured and 3 scout sentinals. I also have enough stormies to do about 70+ of them, although I think with the high amount of ap4 and low str of their shots they might not be the best choice against the bugs.

 

Due to the formation rules for reducing LD of an enemy leader, I think psykers might be a bad shout, although maybe 2 ccs's so he can only reduce one and I can have commisars in both to mean I still ge torders off reasonably well...

 

Okay, that's my thoughts so far for the first game. The second... well I just need to bring stuff that nids will find it hard to tailor against. I am aware this is an up hill battle, but I'm therefore thinking a very middle of the road approach, try and get 2 big conscript blobs in, and plenty of tanks so he cant just take anti inf or anti tank. technically I could ally in (ravenguard, blood angels, blood ravens, grey knights or inq stuff) but it feels a little rude considering he has no real allies (his other armies are tau and space wolves...). But I don't think any of those forces really jump out as a great addition to just trying to hold the line as guard.

 

Thoughts, help, and criticism wanted, welcome and appreciated! and as I said at top, if this is too much xeno for these boards then feel free to melta it mods!

 

[WarriorFish]

Discussion of xenos is fine for tactical discussion as long as it remains as such. Anything straying into outright xenos talk will be met with the bolt pistol without hesitation.

 

I'm a little out of date on my nid knowledge, so I can't say much for latest tricks and such but the core should still be the same. You need numbers to weather the storm and to focus on two capabilities; one to handle the hordes and the other the MCs. You can also add flyer combat ability to that list now.

 

Against the hordes templates, ignoring cover - this is what you need along with plenty of dice to back them up. A good role for your infantry as they protect your valuable units that do the real killing. Against the bigger xenos it's about hitting hard, and quickly. This is usually achieved through weight of fire, so plenty of pie plates or plasma guns for example.

 

For your army, taking some Russes sounds good. What sort do you have? The standard Russ will be useful to turn its hand to any foe with a big, powerful blast marker. An Executioner to splat down the tough ones will be worth considering too, as well as an Eradicator or two if you have them. A couple of Wyverns (counts as with Bassies?) would do very well in getting the gribbly ones off your back.

[spafe]

I have a demolisher with side plasma cannons (hull heavy bolter), a demo with side meltaguns (hull las), 2 russes with hull las and side bolters, and a russ with hull las no sponsons.

 

I don't have any flyers, not a big fan of them in 40k games tbh.

 

I've made a rough list, for what I think will do well, and the plan behind it:

 

ccs, 2 plasma guns, banner (use bs4 on the plasma, try to order myself to ignore cover and drive off lictors)

ccs 3 plasma, same again.

3 ratlings, to drive back infiltrators

3 ratlings

platoon:

30 consripts

3 squads with heavy bolter and flamer

2 squads with nade launcher and autocannons

psc with 4 flamers

 

vet unit, 3 plasma, demolitions, chrimera

vet unit, 3 plasma, demolitions, chrimera

 

2 armoured sents with autocannons

3 scout with multi lasers

 

demolisher with side plasma cannons

2 russ with side bolters

2 wyrvns

 

The tanks get wrapped up by the inf squads while the concripts get thrown into fexes or similar to tie them up, inf squads with flamers go up front to dissuade charges, sentinals run around trying to stay out of trouble and putting high volume of fire down range. the vets ran damage control jumpingout and blasting big critters as they appear. ccs's provide orders and extra bs 4 plasma. the banner in the first unit trys to keep the rest of the inf from running.

 

Honestly not really sure if I'd need to change anything to then be an all comers list for when he trys to tailor against me either, as its a good mix of stuff to fight whatever he brings. anything you guys think I could improve?

 

Oh and just remembered, that death leaper is only ever snap fired at, so I figure dthe conscripts and the flamers should be able to hurt him some.

[Lukash_]

Save yourself those sponson points on Ordnance Russes. They snapfire if you shoot the main gun. Personally I'd drop one of the MBTs for an Eradicator, but the choice is yours. I'd get rid of the Heavy Bolters on your infantry squads in favor of more autocannons, or maybe even missile launchers if you have them.

 

If you add one more Armored Sentinel you could run them as the Recon Company from Mont'ka.

[spafe]

Is it okay to have a MBT and an eradicator in the same squadron? I can put a suitable turret on the top of the tank for any variant, the only ones fixed are the demolishers.

 

sadly I have the bolter sponsons on the models for 2 out of the 4 russes (not including the demolishers), so at most I could have 2 without... which now I look I would only be using 2 hulls...

 

I have approx. 15 of each heavy weapon apart from mortars (only 6 of them), so can out fit with any heavy weapon. Do you not think its worth having some squads using the lasguns and mass of shots with heavy bolters to keep the little guys numbers in check from the tervigon and spore mine generator?

 

Also any thoughts on dedicated heavy weapon teams? I suspect they would be insta killed too quickly by the plethora of str 6 shots out there, but am not sure...

 

oh, and sadly for now I don't have any extra sentinels, although it will likely be a month or 2 until we get these games in so might have to invest in an extra one if they are worth it, I do like sentinels... what does the formation do? (just a quick overview, obvs cant put rules on here)

[WarriorFish]

You can mix and match freely in squadrons yes, but most don't as there's not usually much to gain from different Russes. You'd be better off than most as nids don't have AVs to worry about, but Eradicators are fiendishly efficient killers of 4+ and worse saves so I don't think there's a huge amount to gain by tagging them together.

 

You'll want plenty of troopers either way, HBs are sadly lacking but perhaps less so against nids. I'd not take them as HWSs against nids, but perhaps that would free your infantry up to be cheaper and more mobile?

[Akrim]

What kind of mission? I think you have quite a few points that could be better allocated:

 

-Sponsons are wasted on ordnance tanks, ditch them if you can.

-An Aegis would be good if you're going heavy on infantry.

-Vets: Very expensive squads but meltabombs are great vs MCs, use wisely.

-The rest isn't bad, a Priest is very handy to have with the Conscripts so you can tie up nasty creatures.

[spafe]

Mission is unknown yet, but will likely be rolled for before the game. So being able to cover all bases ideally. I figure Kp games the nid list will either suffer from lots of little units and generating more will only further hamper them (all those indivual lictors, spore mines and small termaguant units are easy targets!), and I can blob up my guard if I need to to reduce mine. moving out to claim... that's where I think I'll struggle.

 

okay, based on stuff here, both MBT become eradicators, and lose the sponsons. This gives me 100 points to spend, getting a priest for the conscripts... then what to do with the remainder? Not a fan of aegis, and don't actually have one, we tend to play on city fight boards so cover isn't lacking though.

 

maybe an extra chrimera for my pcs to ride in? then they can jump out and unleash flamers en mass on something? or maybe as a curve ball, some rough riders? would they be worthwhile for a quick counter charge? My default would be another guard squad but since I've maxed out this platoon, maybe an autocannon or heavy bolter HWS?

[Akrim]

I always recommend Chimeras for CCS, even just for a static bunker. If you'll be advancing Veterans and such, not a bad idea to have them mobile.

 

Sponsons are fine on Eradicators as the Nova cannon isn't ordnance so they can all fire normally.

 

Ah your Demolisher warms my heart, back in 3/4th Ed I ran a Demo/Plas religiously, loved that tank. I would lose the Plasma sponsons now though, can't snap fire blasts.

[lionofjudah]

As many templates as possible. Those nids are coming at you and wanting to eat you biomass... Don't let them get close.

Any meltas for a squad of vets? A drive by meltavet into the big nasties might ruin some days.

Can you fit in another wyrven?? I've not used one but everything I've read says 'ANTINID'.

I concur on the no sponsons on the russes.

Commissar and priest in the conscripts might be good as well.

Best of luck

[greycat]

How about allying in an order xenos inquisitor with 3 servo skulls, its fluffy, cheap and can block his infiltrators quite nicely

[Emicus]

Anti-air for the inevitable Flyrants, Plasma for the big nasties and Wyverns for deleting everything that isn't either flying or a big nasty. That's the ticket!

Your models and how you prefer to get said items into your list is up to you.

[spafe]

@greycat, that's a brilliant idea! Can force his lictors back and is so in keeping with the back story (intial list is the nid landing while guard are fully prepared so I get to list tailor, second one is nid adapting to fight what the guard have). So a xenos inq makes perfect sense for being there.

 

I'll work some more on a list over the next week or so, then might even get round to getting it out of the boxes and getting some pics/any painting done that's still to be done for it. Cheers for all the help guys, proper getting the 40k bug again after necromunda campaign has wound up.

[greycat]

No problem, it wasnt a stroke of genius though, ive been planning on adding a xenos inquisitor to my xeno hunting space marine army.

 

I believe its only around 40pts for a naked inquisitor and 3 skulls

[RADU LYKAN]

a few conversion beamer blasts might help if you do go the inquisitor route?