Thoughts on Future Additions?

[Marshal Arthur]

I'm coming to a point where I'm happy with the size of my crusade but like to consider possible future additions. That said I have no clue what to add and was wondering what my fellow crusaders find lacking in my army. Right now I have the following:

 

-1 Helbrecht/Captain/Chapter Master with power sword/relic blade

-1 Emperor's Champion

-1 Captain/Lieutenant with master crafted boltgun and chainsword

-1 Captain in terminator armor with thunder hammer and storm shield

-1 Chaplain in terminator armor with storm bolter and crozius

-2 Land Raider Crusaders

-2 Rhino/Razorbacks

-1 Drop Pod

-1 Stormraven (unassembled)

-1 Venerable Dreadnought

 

-8 Initiates with boltguns

-8 Initiates with chainswords and bolt pistols

-4 Initiates with plasmaguns

-2 Initiates with lascannons (unassembled)

-2 Initiates with heavy bolters

-1 Initate with meltagun

-1 Initiate with multi-melta

-1 Initiate with power fist

-2 Initiates with power swords

-2 Initiates with power axes

 

-5 Assault Terminators with thunder hammers and storm shields.

 

-4 Sword Brothers with combi-plasmas

-1 Sword Brother with combi-melta

-3 Sword Brothers with thunder hammers and bolt pistols

-4 Sword Brothers with power swords and plasma pistols

-2 Sword Brothers with power axes and bolt pistols

-2 Sword Brothers with chainswords and storm shields

 

-6 scouts with boltguns

-4 scouts with shotguns

-3 scouts with combat blade and bolt pistol

-2 scouts with heavy bolters

 

I prefer infantry based strategies which is why all my vehicles are transports and would like to keep things that way but I'm willing to try something different if needed. I usually run my crusader squads as MSU units with one larger chainsword squad with a thunder hammer sergeant and a couple company vet squads made of the melee sword brethren. Any ideas on what it could use?

[SWORD BROTHER RYAN]

I don't see any Fast Attack choices. Is that just an oversight, or do you not have any bikes, jump packers, land speeders? That's about the only thing I see that really needs adding.

 

Of course, you could also deal a bit more on the Heavy Support side. I get it that you like the transports, but sometimes you need a bigger hammer to hit a larger nail.

[Marshal Arthur]

That's not an oversight. I do have five jump packs lying around but have no bodies to attach them to at the moment. I'm not a hunge fan of many of the fast attack choices but have considered adding either bikes or land speeders, although I would probably kitbash the speeders a bit to close the cockpit. Any preferences between those two? As for armor I agree I could use a little more fire power. Do you think more dreadnoughts could fill the heavy role (technically elite but you get the idea) or do I need some dedicated tanks? Or would devastator marines suffice?

[Marshal Arthur]

My main opponents right now are Tau and Death Guard. One uses all suits and fire warriors because he hates painting vehicles and the other one has an army built almost entirely of death guard infantry so I haven't needed much heavy support as of yet (although the Death Guard player is adding the new Death Guard tanks once they're released). Regardless I do like the idea of a well rounded fighting force to play pick up games and face any new armies my friends build.

[Kisada]

Magnetize the jump packs and the backpacks of some initiates and sword brothers?

[SWORD BROTHER RYAN]

If your opponents are gathering tanks in the future, or just weak in that area, then I would most definitely give serious thought to either Predators or Vindicators in order to give their lines a serious hurting before your units get into CC. If you do go this way, definitely add the pintle-mounted SB to pick off the enemy as they get close to these heavy hitters, or guard them with a CC unit if able (I'm not, so the PMSB comes in quite handy). 

 

On the other side, I would probably suggest Bikes over the LS simply from an aesthetic POV. I like the look of the bikers, and have had a great amount of success with mine since adding them. I fully intend to acquire a full squad in the future, but 3 do some serious hurting as is. They also have the ability to have extra HH weapons, such as BP or CS, whatever your flavor of fight is. Mine have a Gravgun, Combi-melta, and BP individually, and they come in handy. Adding CS to them would give you that extra attack in CC. In my experience, the LS is kind of weak if rushed, but the enemy thinks twice about rushing a mean looking bike!

[Marshal Arthur]

Thanks for the input! I like vindicators but they're not looking too good this edition so I'll probably get predators if I go the armor route. I'll definitely add some bikes in the future and I agree they look better than speeders and are very threatening. I can't decide if I want to go melta or grav on the bikes though?

[Ebon Hand]

I like melta on bikes because you can move 20 inches and still fire them. It's pretty nice.

[Firepower]

Magnets ;)

 

Unfortunately you're not wrong about Vindis. Anything with random shots and damage without a set number as well like 3+d3 is underwhelming.

[Jacques Corbin]

Get an Ironclad Dreadnought, and do the Magnet thing. At T8, they are so good! I built mine to punch vehicles to death. The Chainfist is 4 damage, and swung at full WS, unlike the Seismic Hammer. If you have a Chaplain or Marshal nearby, go Hurricane Bolters all the way, as either character's buff nullifies the loss of his Wrecker rule. Also, his Assault Launchers are an auto include for the cost of a melta bomb.

 

Get a Stalker/Hunter kit. Do y'all see all the units that have the <FLY> keyword?! Craftworlds are just over the horizon. That means skimmer tanks, jet bikes, etc. What about when the T'au Codex drops? Again, all their vehicles fly, their suits fly. Also, this is another T8 vehicle.

 

For BT Bikers, Meltaguns ×2, Combi-Melta, and 2 with Chainswords.

[Marshal Arthur]

Thanks for the replies. I like the idea of an ironclad and it'll pair really well with my Stormraven. As for the stalker and hunter I remember that last edition it was best to combat flyers with flyers, is that still true this edition of should I go for ground based anti air over storm hawks? I'm definitely going for melta bikers now, rushing to get up close and personal seems very Templar, especially when wielding weapons that cleanse in holy fire (more or less).

[SWORD BROTHER RYAN]

I personally can't speak to flier-vs-flier. Most opponents see my SR, ST, &/or SH and fly for the open skies! I have an SR kitted out with the AC, MM, and Hurricane Bolters (I call it the "Sky Raider") with the ability to press fit the PC or LC on top and press fit the HB in the nose (I don't have much luck with missiles, so I don't use that option), my ST has LC and AC, and I magnetized the Lastalon and Icarus Stormcannon on my SH and press-fit cowling weapons to differentiate according to need. I never went too much with ground air support, and my air power is daunting for our varied enemies. I recently fought a game against DE, and my air power was the highlight of the fight, even in hover-mode. I'd say stick with the air power until proven otherwise.

[Firepower]

Talons just got almost unforgivably expensive with the new dex though. Especially with their handicap against hitting non-fly targets.

 

Hunters look interesting but I wouldn't invest in the kit unless flyers were a regular problem in my meta. A pair of Hunters sharing a Lieutenant aura has the potential to knock big holes in flyers, but again, it's a purely random damage value, so I'd lean towards the Stalker.

 

As for Ironclads, it's important to aim them at the right targets. Multiwound beasties and vehicles are lunch meat, but it just doesn't have enough attacks to wade through most infantry squads.

Edited October 4, 2017 by Firepower

[Stefan]

I was wondering if kitting out the ironclad with dual heavy flamers and assault launchers would be enough to munch through infantry mobs, or is it just too random with the d6 and I should keep the storm bolters?  

[Firepower]

A Hurricane is most reliable I think, but you can only take a Flamer or Melta then, because it replaces the arm with the Storm. I'd probably go Flamer. I'd still focus all that shooting into tough targets rather than swarms though. Also, don't forget the HK missiles. ;) Edited October 5, 2017 by Firepower

[Marshal van Trapp]

I mean if you are worried about infantry gumming up the ironclad use a screening squad to intercept harass units or use the hurricane bolters, those chew through light infantry

[Firepower]

It's not so much a matter of worrying about tar pits as it is knowing what to aim the Ironclad at for best results. Of course you can always unload the Hurricane on a nearby Guard squad on your way to smashing the nearest tank open or pasting Ogryns if you feel the need, but I'd generally leave the squishy stuff to our massive supply of other infantry slayers. Edited October 5, 2017 by Firepower

[Marshal Arthur]

I imagine if you use a stormraven to transport the ironclad then you can kit it out for some anti-infantry shooting. A couple hurricane bolters and twin assault cannons can do more than enough damage to discourage light infantry while the ironclad goes to town on harder targets. So far after I assemble and paint my stormraven I think I'll grab bikes and an ironclad. Probably not anytime soon since I promised myself not to buy anything this year, but by Christmas I can get my hands on some more plastic crack.

[Firepower]

Always magnetize vehicle/dreads. It's worth the extra effort. ;)

 

Let me know if you need any guidance on that subject.

[Jacques Corbin]

Always magnetize vehicle/dreads. It's worth the extra effort. ;)

 

Let me know if you need any guidance on that subject.

Ooooo, is your Stormraven done??? I wanna see!

[Jacques Corbin]

Graia Ad Mech? I mean, they have a Stratagem that also denies on a 4+. In matched play, there is the one use of a stratagem per phase rule, BUT if your allied faction has a stratagem of their own that does the exact same thing, then yeah, go for it!