Looking for Build Advice, Word Bearers Army

[The Steed of Champions]

Greetings fellow heresy gamers!

 

I am starting up a 30k Word Bearers army. I play word bearers in 40k and have a sizeable force; with BaC and Prospero out now I have been purchasing units to build. Most of my army is still new on sprue and I am looking for some advice on how to build certain aspects of my force.

 

Naturally, as both a 40k chaos player and a Word Bearer fanatic, I am looking to run most of their legion specific units (Gal Vorbak, the Mhara Gal, Zardu Layak, etc) because I think they are great models.

 

My questions for how to build my force have to do with the specifics of each unit.

 

For example, I have recently purchased a 10 Tartaros Terminators from the Prospero box but I am not sure how to equip them. I want to use the Tartaros Pattern for the ability to Sweeping Advance (to take advantage of the Cut Them Down rule) but I'm not sure how they should be equipped. Does anyone else have advice in this regard?

 

 

[God-Potato of Mankind]

I believe the latest RoW allows Gal Vorbak as troops. The older one allows use of Ashen Circle, though I always found them to be a bit meh visually, ruleswise and less "Chaosy" which is why I'd play WB to start with. 

 

@ Terminatrs:

 

Do you want anti-vehicle Terminators? If so, fists & chainfists and/or combi-meltas

 

If you want anti-infantry? Try claws and combi-flamers. 

 

Anti-TEQ? Fists/Hammers and combi-plasma. 

 

You can sort of hybridise anti-TEQ and anti-vehicle, but I'd steer clear of claws/flamers in that. 

 

@ General list building

What kind of army do you want? I believe Word Bearers favour drop assaults, looking at their RoW, but as a Legion they can do it all reliably. 

 

I think they'd also do well with an allied cult militia, or lots of daemon summoning stuff. 

[The Steed of Champions]

Thanks for the advice!

 

As far as the army style I want to run, I'm still up in the air on that. I would love to do a drop assault army since I can't really do that in 40k but I also don't want to get shoe-horned into a specific army style so early on. If it helps, I can list all of the things I have access to:

 

Units built

• 9 Gal Vorbak, 1 Dark Martyr w/ Powerfist
• 5 Cataphractii w/ Powerfists and Combibolters
• 10 Destroyers w/ Jump Packs (2 Rad-Missiles, Leader has Power sword)
• 10 Painted Legionnaires with bolters (painted in pre-heresy grey, probably going to use them as Tacticals)
• 10 Legionnaires with bolters & CCW (plan on using as Tacticals)
• 1 Sicaran Battle Tank
• 1 Mhara Gal Dreadnaught
• 2 Rhinos

Units Not Built

• 2 Apothecaries
• 1 Spartan Assault Tank
• 40 Mk IV Marines from BaC
• 5 Cataphractii
• 10 Tartaros
• 10 Mk III Marines from BoP

[God-Potato of Mankind]

Most lists, excluding soecific built ROW lists, require a troop tax of two tacticals.

 

So 2x10 Tacticals with Rhinos is considered a basic minimum.

 

You could try loading the Tartaros or Gal Vorbak into the Spartan with an HQ, to make a great assault deathstar.

 

Gal Vorbak/Terminators also work well in a dreadclaw. So you could load up the remaining Terminators in drop pods.

 

Destroyers are cool but overcosted for wgat they do.

 

Sicaran could provide support to the Rhinos while they grab objectives, Spartan charges the scariest thing on the board. Pod down some pain where needed.

 

With lots of power armour bodies you could also look at making somr tactical or heavy support squads or veterans. They are all great units, equip to taste.

[The Steed of Champions]

Awesome!

 

I love the idea of Terminators or Gal Vorbak riding up the field to crush some loyalists!

 

I also have a chaplain and praetor from the BaC starter

 

I intend on making a squad of 10 veterans with 5 combi-flamers in a rhino with the marksmen rule. The lore reasoning being that the veterans perform a similar role to the ashen circle, burning down things of cultural significance and "cleansing" the area of imperial taint.

 

I'm tempted to look into getting some volkite calivers (the longer ranged rifles, but not the heavy support ones) to fit with this theme.

 

I'm thinking of running with the theme of fire, volkite, and maybe phosphex to eradicate the loyalists, does this seem feasible? I want to stick with the lore while also being somewhat competitive.

[Lord Asvaldir]

Most lists, excluding soecific built ROW lists, require a troop tax of two tacticals.

 

So 2x10 Tacticals with Rhinos is considered a basic minimum.

 

 

While that's true, the 2x tacticals tax is something I almost always try to avoid, and it's pretty easy to get around. 

 

Veterans with combi flamers and marksmen are awesome, definetly a worthwhile idea to use. I'd also take two special weapons in the unit, probably heavy flamers if you want to stick with the flamer heavy theme, or if you want more versatility plasma guns and missile launchers both work well in a marksmen unit. 

 

Veterans with flamer, support squads with volkite calivers and phosphex are all good choices, you just have to consider that they all do the same thing: murder infantry, so you'll need to balance that out with some anti armor options. 

[The Steed of Champions]

That's a great point Lord Asvaldir!

 

I expect to be facing a good amount of armor. I am thinking about getting a Leviathan dreadnaught but I'm still on the fence about that one fluff-wise.

 

So If I go 2 tac squads, 1 volkite caliver support squad, and 1 veteran squad with a handful of combi flamers for my infantry units, where should I look for anti-armor?

 

I have a Sicaran but I'm afraid that won't cut it. I can equip some terminators for armor hunting but they need to be up close to do so... 

[DuskRaider]

Large tactical units work well with Word Bearers' Legion rules, and it's also quite fluffy for the army. As far as equipping Terminators, that's up to you... I built my Cataphractii with all Twin-Lightning Claws since at that time B@C was the only box out, I didn't feel like committing to buying any Terminators through FW, and the theme of my Word Bearers force was fanatics who managed to escape Calth (so they're World Eaters-level nutters). With the Prospero box, I've equipped my Tartaros with Power / Chain Fists and Combi-Plasma Bolters, which still works out well because they can use their extra mobility to hopefully punch holes in tanks and whatnot.

[The Steed of Champions]

Do large tactical units tend to be worthwhile though? My regular opponents are likely to be Alpha Legion, Imperial Fists, Blood Angels, and maybe Salamanders. I don't want to hurt my chances at close games by taking units that don't serve much purpose. I do, however, still want to follow the fluff and large squads are much more fluffy IMO. I don't plan on running triple leviathans or tons of artillery because in my mind that's not how I envision the Word Bearers operating.

 

I have enough miniatures to make x2 20 man tac squads and I could even attach apothecaries to them but without a transport aren't they just gluttons for punishment?

 

So far I have 5 Cataphractii modeled with combi-bolters and power fists. I have another sprue of 5; perhaps I will consider adding combi-plasma and 3 chain fists to the other 5.

 

If I equip the Cataphractii primarily for anti-tank/TEQ, I guess I can equip the Tartaros mainly for anti-MEQ?

 

Thanks for all of the advice everyone, I greatly appreciate it!

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Has anybody had success with dark channeling and tactical squads ?

[DuskRaider]

Dark Channeling is a gamble... everything is pretty good for the most part, but if you do roll a 6 and they become Daemons, say goodbye to that Apothecary since he can't be in the squad.

 

A large blob of Marines with hidden gems like Apothecaries, Chaplains, Champions etc. can be nasty. The problem is templates. I tend not to really worry about it since I'm also fielding Gal Vorbak, Mhara Gals, and other nasties on the board as well. Another idea is using an Army of Dark Compliance force. It's extreme fluffy for Word Bearers, can protect your Troops with meat shields, and Cultists can be absolutely horrific in CC with the right provenances. I would never just take large squads anyhow, you have to have something to back them up.