New to the game

[T06-A]

Hi!

 

New to the game and the hobby - I’m sure this has been covered a million times however, after doing my dest at Google-Fu on the forum...haven’t found anything I thought answered my question so here it is guys, yet again;

 

Want to create my own chapter and fluff.

 

Has to be loyalists.

 

Want Primaris Marines.

 

As much hack-n-slash as possible.

 

Suggestions on what chapter and rules to base my army list on?

 

I have thought about BA’s, FT’s, SW’s, BT’s etc but being new AND the drop of 8th edition...thought I’d better ask the pros.

 

Fire away guys, let me know what CC centric rules to base my home made chapter on and why - I will do my upmost to compare the rules for the ones you recommend

[Kinstryfe]

Hello, welcome to 40k.

 

I feel bad that I don't have a whole lot of experience with the hack and slash since my limited 8th marine experience has been with Ultras terminators, but I didn't want your topic to be overlooked. The way I see it, you can reasonably include primaris pretty much anywhere, though they are fairly well geared towards shooting at the moment. One possibility for you to consider is that a lot of the options are pretty similar across the various lists, so there's no downside while you're getting started working out your color scheme and all that that you couldn't start work on some intercessors or a tactical squad or other common elements while you hash out exactly what rule set you'll be playing by. One other thing to add is that, in most cases, armies with a codex will be more powerful than index lists, so Blood Angels and Space Wolves may be at a slight disadvantage until they get their own update.

 

The other good thing to ask yourself is what kind of hack and slash you want. Do you see yourself liking the idea of wolf cavalry and wulfen like a Space Wolves list? Or lots of jump pack assault marines and vanguard like the Raven Guard or Blood Angels may use? Massed assault terminators like Death Wing? You'll find certain chapter tactics and lists may be more beneficial to certain troop selections, and if you have an affinity for certain models, it may help people give you advice that suits them.

 

Also, any ideas for your chapter name and colors yet?

[Tyberos the Red Wake]

Raven Guard. They'll get you in close at the start of the game, close enough to almost certainly begin swinging on turn one. And if this doesn't work, you can always back off and get a defensive boost. Not necessarily melee-oriented, but still the strongest bonuses available for any chapter, melee included.

 

I would hold off on BA/FT until their codex, same with SW. However, I predict both to be strong melee options. BT bonus also looks very good on paper, but I suspect it will be very lackluster on the table. You'll basically have no bonus at all on turns you aren't charging, and also on turns where you have easy charges. Meanwhile any other chapter would have given you bonuses that would always be on and useful, even if you're not charging. Salamanders is a strong one as well, having re-rolls in every squad, multiple times a turn.

 

Hope we get more Primaris melee models in the future. Reivers are cool but are a bit weak, and Aggressors and Inceptors are great but don't actually use melee weapons to do damage.

[Claws and Effect]

Aggressors can do melee, but it's more "punch and smash" than "hack and slash".

 

The only time they should be doing that though is to mop up the last of what their shooting doesn't kill.

[Mileposter]

I'm gonna be the odd one out: I'd typically recommend NOT creating your own chapter if you're brand new to the game. Creating a Chapter of quality is something that can take a lot of time and effort to get right. Get used to the game. Learn a bit about this world you've stepped into. Garner what you can about the crafting. Then build a Chapter.

 

Not to that said walkabout takes very long, mind. Just I'm usually one to recommend caution - come into a project with both eyes open.

 

In regards to your stated interests, Primaris Marines don't do "Hack and Slash". Reivers are about as close you can get with that, and even then, iffy at best. Your best bet for Hack and Slash units are Vanguard Veterans, Terminators, Crusaders, or Dreadnoughts. Raven Guard will do you very well if you want to focus on Vanguards and Terminators, Dark Angels or Blood Angels if you want to focus more primarily on Terminators, Iron Hands if you want to go all-in on Dreadnoughts (doesn't sound like you do, though), and - of course - there's always the most hack and slash Chapter ever with the Black Templars.

 

Space Wolves can do really good Hack and Slash, and are definitely worth the honorable mention because of their different style, but creating a successor chapter of Space Wolves is... Not always looked upon favorably.

 

Of the bunch, I'd say that the Black Templars have the most customization in their Hack And Slash, and their rules are not bad at all. Raven Guard probably are second best if you want to sprinkle some shenanigans on top (and who doesn't like shenanigans?) but their rules have less focus on the Hack and Slash.

 

That's my take, anyway. Happy to poke ideas as your project shapes up in whatever direction you take!

[Brother Captain Spud]

Ad above Primaris dont really have CC specialist units yet i tbe way BAs BTs Wolves etc do so you may mot get what you want yet... But any of those armies can still be brutal even sans Primaris marines.

[BluejayJunior]

I chose Blood Angels when I started (which was with 8th). I liked the theme of the army and they get some cool unique units. Plus I really liked their lore/background and think Sanguinius is one of the coolest Primarchs. 

They get Death Company, Sanguinary Guard, Furioso and Librarian Dreadnoughts. Which are all decent close combat units. The Sanguinary Guard and Librarian Dreadnought are my two favorite units. 

However, since they don't have their Codex, they are outshined by other Chapters at the moment and aren't necessarily the most competitive. That may or may not matter to you, depending on the people you play and how competitive you want to be. It doesn't bother me too much and the store I play at isn't super competitive either. But be aware of that aspect. 

I agree with Pentharian to be patient about starting your own chapter. Give yourself time to learn about the universe and your chapter. I am working on making my army a successor of the Blood Angels. I've got some ideas, but I am waiting until the Codex comes out before I hammer out all of the details. 

[Stoic Raptor]

For hack and slash, it's hard with an all-Primaris army.  You have to rely on Rievers and Chapter Tactics.  Take your time, look over the Codex, think about what traits appeal to you and give it a go.  If you don't like one chapter's tactics after trying them out, use a different one.  That's the nice thing about homebrew Successors.

[T06-A]

Thank you for all the help guys - just to clarify one thing about the Primaries;

 

After driving over an IED I sustained neurological damage and therefore my hands are constantly shaking, more or less depending on time of day, weather, physical activity etc so...not a must, they just seemed easier to paint?

 

That being said - the community at my local store has agreed to help me with play testing the different SM chapters mentioned and the GW employees are willing to help me paint whatever chapter I want to start collecting

 

Carcharodons, using Raven Guard rules, and the BA/FT is my current favorites...like the backgrounds of them, like how they look on the table etc so...

 

Thank you again guys for all the support and ideas, this whole community is GREAT!

[MayorDaley]

Totally off-topic, but thank you for your service.

 

Without guys like you, we wouldn't be able to play with our plastic war dollies.

 

Cheers

Edited October 25, 2017 by MayorDaley

[Claws and Effect]

Go with Carcharodons!

 

If you're going to dive in headfirst, their Chapter Master is one of the most brutal close combat guys out there. Look up Tyberos the Red Wake. You can get him from Forge World.

 

If you go with Carcharodons, make sure to stop by the Raven Guard subforum and say hi.

[Frater Cornelius]

If you want to go Primaris, you may be in for a rough time. They aren't exactly stellar in a book that leaves a lot to be desired. Doesn't stop me or anyone else playing them though

Now then, melee Marines. My first instinct would be SW as they are the ones who can make it work very well (sorry BA ). Between Thunderwolf Cav, better movement from Wulfen and very solid psychic powers to support your advance, they can make bumrush lists work, even with Aggressors.
However, we all know that SW are
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/209/105/7b2.jpeg


As such, I'll offer advice on the SM book. There are two prominent options. Black Templars, our resident psychopaths, and Raven Guard. While the former is fairly set in stone, the latter opens up creative freedom by picking a successor. As mentioned, Carcharodons are rather melee focused and are presumed to be RG successors.

Why do both of those work? Well, BT get re-roll on their charge as Crusader Squads. Can't say much more, because I do not play them. I can offer plenty of advice on RG though. Their -1 hit trait is very good at allowing slower units like Dreads to live longer while advancing, while their Stratagems allows them to get units real close. A combination of classicMarines and Primaris would be best. Get some Aggressors and Assault Cents close with the Stratagem, deep strike in some Assault Terminators and Reivers, infiltrate some melee Scouts while units like Intercessors and Dreads move across the board into chopping range while providing fire support. It is a bit out of the box, but it can certainly work. While most units will not withstand the sheer brute force of TWC or Wulfen (outside of the Assault Terminators), most of your units will take apart ranged specialists or at least force them to retreat.

If playing RG, you can also adopt more cunning strategies to leversge superior SM shooting to your advantage. Have some melee specialists, but most hybrid units and some fire support like Predators. This will allow you greater tactical freedom.

Edited October 26, 2017 by Frater Cornelius