Thousand Sons in Kill team

[hushrong]

Unpainted minis is never a concern but understand if you like making reports with completed goodies. I always love seeing good eye candy! I understand even more if there are new folks to the game system. When my friends started playing it was a ton of questions, double checking the book, and making weird whooping noises. I'd know that it wouldn't make for a great video.

 

If worse comes to worse convert some legs for the chicken man? It doesn't even matter where they came from as he does work for Tzeentch. :)

[yergerjo]

My tzaangors are all old fantasy beastmen, Gors and Ungors.

[Prot]

So bad news... I didn't actually get to play my Thousand Sons.... 

 

 

 

I brought out all the missfits of 40K and got some more games in, but time ran short, and I never got the Sons out...

 

This was the table I put together for up to 4 players: Basically two boards, my terrain that came in the box set, and some spare stuff I had from Armageddon:

 

 

More pics if anyone's interested : http://prot40k.blog/2018/08/11/kill-team-and-deathwatch-update-miss-fits-unite/

 

 so aside from assembly and losing Tzaangor legs, I don't have a great Thousand Sons Kill Team story! Hopefully this weekend.

[Archaeinox]

For the first few days after I received my store copy of Kill Team I was using 3-4 Tzaangors in my lists. I quickly dropped them and haven't looked back. 

 

All-Rubricae lists are pretty viable. Be sure each Rubric Marine has another within 2" and make one of them which will be doing something important a Veteran for the purpose of Nerve Tests because they hurt bad.

[WarriorFish]

I've crafted a draft Kill Team, Rubrics are expensive so it's hard to use all the points so I've got this:

 

Hidden Content

++ Kill Team List (Thousand Sons) [91pts] ++

+ Configuration +

List Configuration: Matched Play: Kill Team

+ Leader +

Aspiring Sorcerer [18pts]: Leader, Warpflame pistol

+ Specialists +

Rubric Marine [21pts]: Combat, Icon of Flame, Warpflamer

Rubric Marine Gunner [20pts]: Soulreaper Cannon, Veteran

+ Non-specialists +

Rubric Marine [16pts]: Inferno boltgun

Rubric Marine [16pts]: Inferno boltgun

 

I've not read the rules in detail yet, so this is very much a first draft from initial skims and could be quite off but five MEQs seems a good number? Dotted some upgrades around but even with 9pts floating I thought best not to squander range too much with warpflamers? I did consider two specialist SRCs and equipping a non-specialist with a flamer but it seemed a bit lopsided.

 

Feedback most welcome, as I'll be using my list for a model painting goal

[Raven1]

I have found the Soul Reaper cannon to be less than optimal. My next game i plan to run all warpflamers. Try a warpflamer with demolition specialism it allows +1 to-wound when target is in cover.

[Panzer]

I've crafted a draft Kill Team, Rubrics are expensive so it's hard to use all the points so I've got this:

 

Hidden Content

++ Kill Team List (Thousand Sons) [91pts] ++

 

+ Configuration +

 

List Configuration: Matched Play: Kill Team

 

+ Leader +

 

Aspiring Sorcerer [18pts]: Leader, Warpflame pistol

 

+ Specialists +

 

Rubric Marine [21pts]: Combat, Icon of Flame, Warpflamer

 

Rubric Marine Gunner [20pts]: Soulreaper Cannon, Veteran

 

+ Non-specialists +

 

Rubric Marine [16pts]: Inferno boltgun

 

Rubric Marine [16pts]: Inferno boltgun

 

I've not read the rules in detail yet, so this is very much a first draft from initial skims and could be quite off but five MEQs seems a good number? Dotted some upgrades around but even with 9pts floating I thought best not to squander range too much with warpflamers? I did consider two specialist SRCs and equipping a non-specialist with a flamer but it seemed a bit lopsided.

 

Feedback most welcome, as I'll be using my list for a model painting goal

 

Some optimizations that I'd recommend would be:

• turn your Soulreaper Gunner into a Demolitions specialist. Demolitions give you +1 to wound against targets in cover (and the same against any target for 1CP). That way you can wound anything on a 2+ and even Plague Marines on a 2+ if they are in cover.
• Combat does nothing for your warpflamer guy. +1A is really uninteresting unless you can get a ton of attacks or have a proper melee weapon and Rubrics have neither. This one could be your Veteran for the free move/advance before the game begins for 1CP. Alternatively you could make him your Demolitions specialist for the same reason as above.
• (in a campaign it would be interesting to make your Soulreaper Gunner into a Heavy for the double shooting Tactic and the Suppressor trait)
• Split your Icon and your warpflamer. You have two regular Rubrics with nothing interesting to them. Give one of them the Icon and your opponent won't be able to take your warpflamer and Icon out in one go. Your Kill Team will also look more interesting that way imo.
• Since you still have 9p left you could just add a Twistbray Combat/Zealot specialist unless you really want to stick to a Rubrics-only team. An additional model would mean that you're at 6 models so you only have to do break tests after 4 dead/injured models instead of after 3.

Edited August 15, 2018 by sfPanzer

[WarriorFish]

Thanks, I was kind of stuck with the specialist trait on the flamer guy as Sons don't have all the options so I figured maybe making him a bit punchy might help him out when opponents (probably) want to get into combat to stop him torching everything :P No goats for me, at least for now as I want to focus on Rubrics and won't be looking at other options until much later (if at all).

[Xenith]

Sweet, glad to know TS only kill teams are both possible and viable.

 

I think I'll be easing into my new army this way. 

[Prot]

I still have mixed feelings about Tzaangors. They are meaty, but still I consider them a side note to the story, and not the main course.

 

My list has 2 in it so far. I typically use them to screen and eat bullets.

 

I agree on the Soulreaper cannon. As mentioned TS can't take a big part in 'heavy' so why not make it easier to wound? It's worked in my limited games with Thousand Sons KT.

 

I am about 20 hours into Ahriman (I forgot how difficult his stuff was to paint)... and if I finish him I'm going to use him as an aspiring Sorc in KT. lol (It will hark back to that old novel where he was adrift with a warband trying to suppress his powers for a while (we all know how that worked out!)

[Cognium]

So, played my first game of kill team ( and first game of 40k in generally actually...) and I have learned a few things.
1. People tend to get really salty at my bolters being ap -2..  I guess my local meta doesnt have alot of sons players..
2. I get a semi dirty look if I inform them I can boost my psychic range to 18'inch for 2 cp.
3. Missile launchers are rather painful (read deadly) to my sorcerers overall health...
4. Life tends to go sideways if my rubrics have flesh wounds.. (sand wounds...?) 

 

Overall fun, just need to be more mindful of my limitations since I dislike our goat options. So all I had were 5 marines vs the 8 generic marines I was facing.. with alot of weapons.. 

[WarriorFish]

I'm planning on getting a Rubric KT going soon, but from my experiences I think Sons will make for one of the toughest lists. That means heavier weaponry will be essential to take out first to protect yourself, but as you mention you'll only get five models in so numbers will be against you and easier said than done. So maybe one of the toughest but probably not the easiest to play, keeping your Sorcerer safe will be important and the only way to do that is avoiding being seen.

 

Missing out on Transhuman Physiology is sad, but KT can allow for some finer rules to represent the lore and this is compensated for nicely by All is Dust I reckon As a final note; my Marine flamer did sterling work so I'm keen to find out how much more a warp flamer can do...

[Kilofix]

Man, these guys are really hard to kill without high AP / multi wound weapons (which aren’t that plentiful in KT).

[Cognium]

It did dawn on me that for the cost of having the reaper cannon in my list, I could just have an extra rubricae, so there are options I didnt think about. I need to play smarter, not harder. with built in AP-2 and rather tough dudes vs single wound weapons, I could do okay if I alternate my load outs depending on the situation, sometimes I may want the flamers and the cannon, or flamers and some bolters.  Options do exists..I just have to be creative.

[Panzer]

Man, these guys are really hard to kill without high AP / multi wound weapons (which aren’t that plentiful in KT).

 

Yeah they are basically 1 wound Terminators in Kill Team. ^^

[Xenith]

So what would work better:

 

Sorcerer with 5x Rubrics, inferno boltguns, warpflame pistol, Icon - 99pts

Sorcerer with 4x Rubrics, 2x Warpflamer, 1x Soulreaper, icon - 94pts

 

I'm actually thinking the 5 plain rubrics would work. 2 rubrics get as many shots as 1 with warpflamer shingami soulreaper at 12", or are the benefots from Gunner/one stratagem affecting 4 shots too great?

Edited August 27, 2018 by Xenith

[WarriorFish]

I think it's worth a try, while the SRC with some appropriate buffs could do good work it's still at 24" range and probably just makes him as much of a target as your Sorcerer. Extra numbers for such an elite team will be useful too.

[Xenith]

Yea, adding double shots alone is only one half of the Lanchester square law. Adding the extra wound too makes them 2x as hard to kill, and 4x as effective overall, which is nice. 

 

6 Rubrics shouldnt be too much of a conversion challenge!

[brother_b]

You will eventually need to add tzaangors if you play in a campaign. Each time your specialist levels up the points cost of the model rises. A level 0 is no points increase, level 2 is +4, level 3 is +8 etc.

 

Also your fireteams increase in price as you level.

 

To fill out the points you'll need some cheaper bodies in the form of Tzaangors.

[Cognium]

oh right...fireteams have point costs..  Its times like this I wish we could use Cultists. seems a bit odd we cant. I guess mechanically the Tzaangors do the same job. I do dislike our goat chicken men but Im gonna have to get over it. Comms are too good to not have with a soulreaper cannon.

[Kilofix]

I feel like with rather small battlefields / boards, where it is often quick and easy for the opponent to close in, it doesn’t hurt to have a couple of melee oriented bird men (crow men?). The Rubrics themselves are not that easy to take down in melee, but they don’t hit back very hard either with no Bolt Pistol, no AP and only 1 attack.

[Prot]

There's a strategy I am using small stuff... Tzaangors to keep between my shooty stuff and assaulters. I use them as 'Obscurity' as well. There is value in using them just for that reason.

[Xenith]

Dredging this back up, my local club are planning on running a KT campaign, and I'd like to run my Sons, seeing as they'll be shelved in 9th for 40k while I work on my 'Nids.

 

Who's using what and is it working?

[WarriorFish]

What a coincidence I was only thinking about my Sons KT games earlier today. Or rather surely this is Tzeentch's will? :P I don't think KT has changed much since before, so the experiences and the like above should still be useful :tu: I think having numbers is good for a smaller team where you can, and warp flamers are great :D

 

I'll be interested in hearing more also as I think some KT might be worth trying to get back on the cards soon :)

[Prot]

KT has always been fun with Death Guard and Thousand Sons for me. 

 

But as much as I've been playing 9th ed, I have to admit I haven't done any KT games!