Shoulder Pads, Battle Roles, and Demi Companies.

[Tacitus]

First some background - we all remember that the various companies in a Chapter used to swap units with each other - technically to forge the bonds of brotherhood, but also for spying on each other (sort of) and Chapter politics - like Agrippan in the Fall of Damnos.  

 

The Fluff Battle Role (On the Shoulder Pads) and the Codex Datasheet Battle Role are now often not the same.  Terminators have the Elite Shoulder Pad Icon and Elite Codex role, but Aggressors have Heavy Support shoulders and Elite Datasheets.  Incursors and Assault Intercessors are Troops with a Close Support Shoulderpad. 

 

So I made lists trying to both follow the FOC lists, and count shoulderpads with the theory that each company would donate a squad or two to Guilliman's reintue plus the Chapter Command would be with him so roughly - 15-30 Battleline, 5-10 Close Support, 5-10 Heavy Support shoulderpads based on points cost and some wiggle room assuming most companies don't send troops.   This is how I ended up with the G/Bladeguard/Aggressor setup.  I had forgotten this for a while, but it came back to me again recently so I've been checking my lists.

 

One of the nice things about that, is it puts you at about 50 Marine bodies plus characters- 5 per company 10 companies, 50 bodies.  One of the reasons I sometimes slough off Battlefield (Tactical) roles down to 15 or so is that it doesn't leave a lot of room for vehicles and such that the Chapter Armory would also donate to Guilliman's retinue. 

 

Has this occured to anyone else?  How do your lists turn out when counting shoulderpads?  One of the things I like about it is both the extra little challenge to balance two different but parallel consistency checks, and when I follow it I usually end up with a body heavy but effective list.

 

After cleaning up and re-working my normal'ish list with that in mind I came up with this and 40 points left - and I'm thinking of just hanging out here until the new Desolators come out and we get a datasheet for them.  5 Desolators might balance 5 Aggressors for 10 Heavy Support Better.  Eradicators used to be there, but I can fit 30 Troops shoulders now so I kinda went that way until we get the new units. 

Spoiler

++ Arks of Omen Detachment (Imperium - Adeptus Astartes - Ultramarines) [118 PL, 4CP, 1,960pts] ++

+ Configuration +

**Chapter Selector**: Ultramarines

Arks of Omen Compulsory Type: Elites

Battle Size [6CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) 

Detachment Command Cost

Game Type: 5. Chapter Approved: Arks of Omen

+ HQ +

Chief Librarian Tigurius [7 PL, 120pts]

Primaris Chaplain [6 PL, 95pts]: Chapter Command:  Master of Sanctity, Litany of Hate

+ Troops +

Assault Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 85pts]
. 4x Assault Intercessor: 4x Astartes Chainsword, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Heavy Bolt Pistol
. Assault Intercessor Sgt: Plasma pistol, Power fist

Heavy Intercessor Squad [7 PL, 115pts]: Heavy bolt rifle, Heavy bolter
. 4x Heavy Intercessor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Heavy Intercessor Sergeant

Heavy Intercessor Squad [7 PL, 115pts]: Heavy bolt rifle, Heavy bolter
. 4x Heavy Intercessor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Heavy Intercessor Sergeant

Incursor Squad [5 PL, 90pts]
. 4x Incursor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Occulus bolt carbine, 4x Paired combat blades
. Incursor Sergeant

Infiltrator Squad [6 PL, 100pts]: Helix gauntlet
. 4x Infiltrator: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Marksman bolt carbine
. Infiltrator Sergeant

Infiltrator Squad [6 PL, 100pts]: Helix gauntlet
. 4x Infiltrator: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Marksman bolt carbine
. Infiltrator Sergeant

Intercessor Squad [10 PL, 180pts]: 2x Astartes Grenade Launcher, Bolt rifle
. 9x Intercessor: 9x Bolt pistol, 9x Frag & Krak grenades
. Intercessor Sergeant: Power sword

+ Elites +

Aggressor Squad [12 PL, 150pts]: 4x Aggressor, Aggressor Sergeant
. Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets/Fragstorm Grenade Launcher

Bladeguard Veteran Squad [10 PL, 175pts]
. 4x Bladeguard Veteran: 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Heavy Bolt Pistol, 4x Master-crafted power sword, 4x Storm Shield
. Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant: Plasma pistol

Primaris Ancient [5 PL, -2CP, 85pts]: Chapter Command: Chapter Ancient, Power sword, Rites of War, Standard of Macragge Inviolate, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter, Stratagem: Relic of the Chapter

Primaris Apothecary [5 PL, -2CP, 100pts]: Acquittal, Chapter Command:  Chief Apothecary, Selfless Healer, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter, Stratagem: Relic of the Chapter

+ Heavy Support +

Hellblaster Squad [8 PL, 150pts]: Plasma incinerator
. 4x Hellblaster: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Hellblaster Sergeant: Bolt pistol

+ Lord of War +

Roboute Guilliman [19 PL, 2CP, 300pts]: Nobility Made Manifest, Stratagem: Warlord Trait, Warlord

++ Total: [118 PL, 4CP, 1,960pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

 

[Tacitus]

And as I think about it - how would you design this theme?  5 marines from each of the Battle Companies, or would you include the reserve/training companies?  I mean both work, and if I want to include Chapter Armory Units it would just be the Battle Companies to free up points for the Armory.  But what would you do? 

[jaxom]

Oh man, this is a throwback. About a year ago I went through a theorycrafting phase of building a demi-company guidelines with similar guidelines.

 

The HQ was pretty much whichever mix of three you wanted to use.

 

Battle Line

Two 10x squads of Intercessors

One 10x squad of Infiltrators

 

Each of these is a whole, discrete squad. You could split split them into squads of 5 if you wanted extra Sergeants for weapon options. Depending on the force org chart, this was the three-six troop choices.

 

Close Support

One 6x squad  of Inceptors

One 3x squad of Outriders

One 1x Invictor Warsuit

 

These make up the one close support squad in the demi-company. The ten Marines are split between two fast attack choices and an elite choice.

 

Fire Support

One 3x squad of Eliminators

One 4x squad of Eradicators

One 3x squad of Eradicators

 

The Fire Support is the hardest to make work, because you're stuck with 10 Hellblasters, or having to do a multi-squad jank instead of combat squading. Aggressors, Eliminators, Suppressors, and Eradicators are multiples of three and there's no non-armoury vehicle I could think of to put the spare Marine in, hence the 4x and 3x Eradicator split.

 

This will run you about 1600-1700 points, with the HQs, plenty of room for a few tanks from the armoury or some additional units from a Reserve Company.

 

8 hours ago, Tacitus said:

And as I think about it - how would you design this theme?  5 marines from each of the Battle Companies, or would you include the reserve/training companies?  I mean both work, and if I want to include Chapter Armory Units it would just be the Battle Companies to free up points for the Armory.  But what would you do? 

 

For the Primarch Returned? Definitely a squad from every company in the Chapter. Having written that, I'm not sure that's possible at 2,000 points; or at least not possible using full squads. And, one quick experiment later, I was wrong. Mind you I used the cheapest options I could think of for each Company, but also strove for full squads.

• 1st Company - 6x Bladeguard Veterans
• 2nd - 5th Companies - Battle Line: 10x Intercessors each
• 6 & 7 Companies - Battle Line Reserve: 10x Intercessors each (easily swappable for for smaller units of Outriders or Storm Speeders, as appropriate for the former and latter, but you may not get 10 Marines from each Company then)
• 8th Company - Close Support Reserve: 10x Assault Intercessors
• 9th Company - Fire Support Reserve: three 3x Eliminators (not 10 Marines, but it's also 75 points less than 10 Hellblasters)
• 10th Company - Vanguard: 10x Incursors
• Total Cost: 1865

Bring the squad sizes down to MSU, drop an Elimintor Squad, toss in the Primarch, and you're at 1270 pts.

[Tacitus]

I didn't go full squads - 

A) Because it drives me batty to have non-5/10's kind of like it did for you trying to make 10 with an Invictor.

B) Because in my theory each Company only sends the best of their best in something like a Top Gun rotation. 

 

I ended up with Chapter Command:

Chief Libby (Tiggy)

Master of Sanctity (DIY - Primaris)

Chief Apothecary

Chapter Ancient

(No Room for Chapter Champion and no way to make a Primaris one as I'm pretty much doing Primaris only- he's off protecting Marneus this week I guess)

 

1st Company:  5 Bladeguard Vets

2nd Company:  5 Heavy Intercessors

3rd Copmpany: 5 Intercessors

4th Company: 5 Heavy Intercessors

5th Company: 5 Intercessors

6th Company: 5 Assault Intercessors

7th Company: 5 Incursors

8th Company: 5 Aggressors

9th Company: 5 Eradicators

10th Company: 5 Infiltrators.

 

Its not quite a full Demi-company- 5 Crux pads, 20 Tactical Pads, 10 Assault Pads, 10 Dev Pads - But I like the Chapter Command more than I like exactly 30 Tactical pads.   Once we get Desolators, and maybe a Primaris Champion choice we'll see what that does.