Help me start the reactor

[Feral_80]

Greetings fellow principes,
 
I finally grabbed a Titan Battlegroup and a couple of Knight Lancers, and I am in the process of assembling the models. I have read the AT rules, but never played before and I am still quite confused. No idea yet of what Titandeath contains except for the extra houses. 
 
I have chosen to paint a custom legio, also to allow it to be fielded following any (mostly loyalist) rules since I have no idea which one suits my style best - as I do not have a style yet!
 
So here are the noobs questions:
 

• what game size can I aim at with 1 Warlord, 1 Reaver, 2 Warhounds and 2 Knights, and which formations (if any) can I afford with this? I'd prefer not to buy many more models before we get some new sculpts, but I could add a box if it is really worth and allows me to field a formation/play at a more popular points level.
• by the way: where do I get profiles and points cost for these models and weapons?  I am a bit puzzled by the absence of a codex.
• considering I am magnetizing all weapons, which configurations would you suggest for a balanced army?
• there seem to be no Command Terminal pack for the Battlegroup bundle. Am I supposed to buy each titan/knight chassis terminal separately and get a lot of spare (i.e. useless) terminals, e.g. getting 5x Warlord terminals in one pack? And what about weapon cards?
• basically, any good advice for a noob will be very helpful

 
And here is a (poor) wip picture of my borning tiny legio.

 

So far I have built and painted these guys, which still miss a basing and opaque varnish. I am...ok with the results, neither super happy nor disappointed.

 

The basic idea was a white/blue livery with nmm body and nmm golden trim, with each model featuring a personal checks/stripes motif, i.e. the blue/grey on the Reaver and the white/violet on the Hounds. As one of my first attempts at nmm I am moderately happy, but I am not that sure at all that, to my taste, it is worth the fuss and time it requires over a normal metallic dark gold.

For the warlord, I am considering switching to a bone-coloured trim and use yellow for the personal livery.

 

Any suggestion?

 

[Reyner]

Grab the rule box - that will give you the Terminals and weapon cards you need for the Battlegroup (you get 2 of each terminal in the rule box) and the rule book will explain what armies and stuff you can make. All the points are actually on the terminals and weapon cards :) You can have an Axiom Maniple with the Battlegroup box and then the Knights are just their own little selection, but hot damn you got them painted up quite and they look ace! 

[Mendi Warrior]

They look great! The checks and stripes are very well done  I also like the subtle angle change you made to the Reaver's toe.

 

As the knights are Cerastus knights, you would need to add one pack of the knights command terminals to what Reyner is recommending.

 

If you add a Reaver you can field a complete Axiom maniple, but you already have the minimum required for it to be legit.

 

If you acquire an additional Reaver, I would suggest getting the one with the chainfist, which has just been released. Or wait until the Horus Heresy Weekender as it is likely there will be some reveals then.

 

Don't hesitate to browse through the various posts and project logs within the AT sub-forum.

[apologist]

• what game size can I aim at with 1 Warlord, 1 Reaver, 2 Warhounds and 2 Knights, and which formations (if any) can I afford with this? I'd prefer not to buy many more models before we get some new sculpts, but I could add a box if it is really worth and allows me to field a formation/play at a more popular points level.

With the proviso that I don't think Matched Play should be seen as the default, somewhere between 1,250 and 2,000pts is a 'normal game'. The models you have will be perfect for that; forming an 'Axiom' maniple (1 of each type, with the Warhound as an expansion of the Maniple and the Knights effectively as 'allies')

• by the way: where do I get profiles and points cost for these models and weapons?  I am a bit puzzled by the absence of a codex.

This is all dealt with on the weapon cards and Command Terminals, which come in the rules box.

• considering I am magnetizing all weapons, which configurations would you suggest for a balanced army?

Therein lies the challenge! There's no simple answer to this. Weapon selection is a very personal decision. As a general rule, you want some weapons to strip shields and some to deal more powerful blows. This obviously varies depending on your and your opponents' armies, mission and so forth. Some people prefer to specialise their Titans; others to field generalists. My suggestion is to simply try using the weapons that come with the models to test things out while you learn the ropes; leaning on aesthetics to make any decisions. 

• there seem to be no Command Terminal pack for the Battlegroup bundle. Am I supposed to buy each titan/knight chassis terminal separately and get a lot of spare (i.e. useless) terminals, e.g. getting 5x Warlord terminals in one pack? And what about weapon cards?

The rules box will give you a smattering of everything (except Cerastus knights); and beyond that, you can probably scour second-hand stuff or swaps.

• basically, any good advice for a noob will be very helpful

Relating to my earlier note; don't feel you need to get caught up in a tournament mentality. The game is flexible enough to deal with asymmetic forces; so my suggestion is to build the models you want (yours are looking lovely already!) and try them out. You can always refine later if you feel you want to.

[Mandragola]

As others have said, the new version reaver and the rule box are probably the main thing on your “to buy” list the rules especially, as the box comes with all the terminals, weapon and stratagem cards, dice and templates that you need.

 

I’d also strongly recommend the titandeath book not long after. It has loads of great content.

 

And finally you might consider a second warlord. If so, get the plasma cannon one. Or possibly just order the (pretty expensive) weapon sprue. I’d definitely put this option last on my list, especially since new weapons are likely to come out before long anyway. This warlord wouldn’t fit into your Axiom maniple, but there are other maniple options available.

 

Great work on your titans so far.

[Feral_80]

Many thanks for the info guys. I think I can get another Reaver after I finish with these. Possibly by the time the Warlord is finished something else will come out.

 

I'll put the rules box up for next order. The Cerastus terminal thing is a bit annoying, and I guess new weapons like the warlord's and reaver's most recent kits must also be purchased separately? Ah well...hopefully some friends will be willing to share.

 

Not interested in competitive scenarios, just happy to try something different with new toys :)

 

I will post some updates, the knights are probably next.

[Cpt. Bannockburn]

 I guess new weapons like the warlord's and reaver's most recent kits must also be purchased separately?

 

You're in luck there, their weapon cards are in the core rules. 

[Achinadav]

Cerastus terminal is also in the December 2018 issue of WD, with permission to photocopy for personal use. I intend to glue it on some decently thick poster board and call in a good yin.

 

Your titans look lovely, I think you should be very pleased with them. I really like the violet on the 'hounds.

[Parweke]

great looking engines here.

 

like others have said, add melta reaver and rules set (+ titandeath) and your good to go