Getting Started with Astartes

[jaxom]

Welcome to the Legiones Astartes

 

If you are reading this circa 2024 then there's a decent chance you bought the core boxset and have the following models:

- 2x Legion Command Squads
- 8x Tactical Legionaries Squads
- 2x Legion Terminators Squads
- 2x Assault Marines Squads
- 2x Support Legionaries with Plasma Guns Squads
- 2x Support Legionaries with Missile Launchers Squads
- 4x Contemptor Dreadnoughts
- 2x Sicaran Tanks
- 3x Predator Tanks

 

But what can you do with all these miniatures?

 

Models are organized into detachments or used to upgrade detachments.

Quote

Detachment: The Legions Imperialis infantry version of a squad in 40k. Vehicles may instead be in a squadron or talon. A detachment consists of one type of model. Upgrades can add different, other models to the detachment.

 

The models, when organized into detachments give you the following:

- 2x Legion Command Squads

- 2x Legion Tactical Detachments

- 1x Legion Terminator Upgrade

- 1x Assault Marine Upgrade

- 1x Plasma Support Upgrade

- 1x Heavy Support with Missile Launchers Upgrade

- 1x Legion Dreadnought Talon

- 1x Legion Predator Squadron

- 1x Legion Sicarus Squadron

Note how some of those are Upgrades. The way the sprue is cut, those options don't have enough models to make their own Detachment. For example, a Legion Tactical Detachment consists of 4 Tactical Marine models and a Legion Plasma Support Detachment consists of 4 Plasma Marine models. A Legion Tactical Detachment can be upgraded to include 2 Legion Plasma Marine models.

 

Detachments are organized into formations, you cannot just make a list out of the units you like.

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Formation: A game legal combination of detachments. Each formation has required detachments and optional detachments. 

 

The core box models are (according to Designer Commentary) meant to be used as an introductory, mixed formation - Legion Astranii Class Augmented Spearhead - to expose players to different unit types, rules, and interactions. The formation is not meant for matched play without your opponents permission. There are enough detachments to build all the compulsory detachments for two Legion Astranii Class Augmented Spearhead. The optional detachments and upgrades can be distributed to balance out points. Here are examples:

 

Army 1

Spoiler

Detachment Type	Fulfilled By...
Compulsory Legion Headquarters	Legion Command Squad
Compulsory Legion Core	Legion Tactical Detachment w/Two Upgrades
Compulsory Legion Battle Tank	Legion Predator Squadron
Compulsory Solar Headquarters	Auxilia Tactical Command
Compulsory Solar Core	Auxilia Lasrifle Tercio w/Veletarii Upgrade (2 models), Charonite Ogryns Upgrade (2 models), and Auxiliaries with Flamers Upgrade (2 models)
Compulsory Solar Battle Tank	Malcador Tank Squadron
Optional Legion Support	Legion Dreadnought Talon
Optional Solar Vanguard	None
	Total: 516 points

 

Army 2

Spoiler

Detachment Type	Fulfilled By...
Compulsory Legion Headquarters	Legion Command Squad
Compulsory Legion Core	Legion Tactical Detachment w/Two Upgrades
Compulsory Legion Battle Tank	Legion Sicaran Squadron
Compulsory Solar Headquarters	Legate Commander Detachment
Compulsory Solar Core	Auxilia Lasrifle Tercio w/Veletarii Upgrade (2 models), Charonite Ogryns Upgrade (2 models), and Auxiliaries with Flamers Upgrade (2 models)
Compulsory Solar Battle Tank	Leman Russ Tank Squadron
Optional Legion Support	None
Optional Solar Vanguard	Auxilia Aethon Heavy Sentinel Patrol with Aethon Heavy Sentinel Upgrade (2 models)
	Total: 515 points

 

Each army list has the same basic layout. You get to play with all the infantry options, you get one set of smaller tanks and one set of larger tanks, and you get one of the walkers.You could play around with the upgrades, put all the Auxilia upgrades into one list and then put both sets of walkers in the other list; you’ve got options. Add a Warhound to both lists to experiment with titans. They may skew the gameplay experience, being about 40% of the points per side at this point. 

But what if you want to do matched play, or off-loaded the Solar Auxilia, or vice-versa, on-loaded the Astartes?
 
The good news is that the core box does give such a matched play legal combination; the ubiquitous Legion Demi-Company. The Legion Demi-Company requires 1 Headquarters, 2 Core, and 1 Support detachments.

 

Spoiler

Detachment Type	Fulfilled By...
Compulsory Legion Headquarters	Legion Command Squad
Compulsory Legion Core	Legion Tactical Detachment w/Two Upgrades
Compulsory Legion Core	Legion Tactical Detachment w/Two Upgrades
Compulsory Legion Support	Legion Dreadnought Talon

 

This leaves the following leftovers:
- 1x Legion Terminator Upgrade

- 1x Assault Marine Upgrade

- 1x Plasma Support Upgrade

- 1x Heavy Support with Missile Launchers Upgrade
- 1x Legion Predator Squadron

- 1x Legion Sicarus Squadron

 

The upgrades can be attached to the Legion Tactical Detachments. Each Legion Tactical Detachment can include one of each upgrade. You don’t have multiples of either (or they could be their own Detachment) so you can put your upgrades wherever you’d like. You might want to put the missile launchers with one detachment to sit on a backfield objective and use their longer range to affect the battle and make your other detachment a big hammer. At this point feel free to experiment!

 

What about the tanks? Well, that’s the bad news. Legion Demi-companies can only take one battle tank detachment; you’re either leaving the Sicarans or the Predators out. The other option would be adding a Legion Armoured Company to your list. The Legion Armoured Company would put your tanks in their own, separate formation. Unfortunately, there’s more bad news. The compulsory detachments for it are two battle tank detachments and a heavy armour detachment. You’ll have to pick up a Kratos Heavy Tank Squadron box to do it. That’s not a bad addition to your Astartes, but it is an addition. Assuming you do, your list would look something like this:

Spoiler

Detachment Type	Fulfilled By...
Compulsory Legion Headquarters (LDC)	Legion Command Squad
Compulsory Legion Core (LDC)	Legion Tactical Detachment w/Zero to Four Upgrades
Compulsory Legion Core (LDC)	Legion Tactical Detachment w/w/Four to Zero Upgrades
Compulsory Legion Support (LDC)	Legion Dreadnought Talon
Compulsory Battle Tank (LAC)	Legion Sicaran Squadron
Compulsory Battle Tank (LAC)	Legion Predator Squadron
Compulsory Heavy Armour (LAC)	Legion Kratos Squadron w/Kratos Upgrade (2 models)
	Total Points: 702

Congratulations, you now have enough points to finish out a 1,000 point list with 30% from another faction! Fill those remaining 298 points with Solar Auxilia from the core box. 
Here’s one way to do it with a Solar Auxilia Sub-Cohort:

Spoiler

Detachment Type	Fulfilled By...
Compulsory Headquarters	Auxilia Tactical Command
Compulsory Core	Auxilia Lasrifle Tercio (optional: one 12 point upgrade)
Compulsory Core	Auxilia Lasrifle Tercio
Compulsory Support	Auxilia Ogryn Charonite Section
Optional Battle Tank	Malcador Tank Squadron (Leman Russ if you didn't take the Tercio upgrade)

That gets you to 999 points.

Or, if you and your opponent are okay with bending the rules, kick it up to 1,032 points with one of the Warhound Titans from the core box.

Edited November 29, 2023 by jaxom
Tried something different for the tables; it basically worked

[LameBeard]

This is exactly what I needed to know except the tables are not showing on my phone?

[jaxom]

I'm having the same issue. I think it's because the B&C doesn't do BBCode anymore. I'll have to see if I can find a different way to do tables.

[jaxom]

4 hours ago, LameBeard said:

This is exactly what I needed to know except the tables are not showing on my phone?

I mostly fixed the table issue. Some of them still have some weirdness with the second row background color, but they should all be readable.

[jaxom]

An expansion option for people with air assets (or interested in purchasing them) is the Legion Aerial Assault Formation.You’ll need models from the core set and Storm Eagles and Thunderhawks (Thunderhawks at least).

The minimum detachment requirements for the Formation can be covered by:

 

Requirement	Detachment
HQ	Legion Command Squad
Core	Legion Tactical Detachment
Core	Legion Tactical Detachment
Support	Legion Dreadnought Talon

However, the Formation required that all models Fly or have a transport with Fly. The Formation’s special rule helps with this. You can take Storm Eagles and Thunderhawks as Dedicated Transports. Each Thunderhawk can transport up to 8 models, with Walkers (your Dreadnoughts) counting as two models. Each Storm Eagle can transport up to 5 models. The minimum number of transports you will need are two Storm Eagles and one Thunderhawk (one box for each; SEs are 2 per box and TH is 1 per box). The dreadnoughts go in the Thunderhawk and the Tactical Detachments and Command Squad go in the Storm Eagles. The total is 515 points. 

 

If you want to work in the other core box set models, you’ll need more transports. Assault Marines and Terminators take up two spots in Storm Eagles. An additional Storm Eagle box will get you space for many of your upgrade models while having flexibility about how you want to construct your detachments. Here are two examples, one with separating Upgrades by range and the other fitting in as many upgrades as possible.

 

Requirement	Detachment
HQ	Legion Command Squad
Core	Legion Tactical Detachment with Plasma Support Upgrade (2 models)
Dedicated Transport	2x Storm Eagles
Core	Legion Tactical Detachment with Heavy Support Upgrade (2 models)
Dedicated Transport	2x Storm Eagles
Support	Legion Dreadnought Talon
Dedicated Transport	Thunderhawk

 745 points total

 

Requirement	Detachment
HQ	Legion Command Squad
Core	Legion Tactical Detachment with Plasma Support Upgrade (2 models) and Heavy Support Upgrade (2 models)
Dedicated Transport	2x Storm Eagles
Core	Legion Tactical Detachment with Assault Marine Upgrade or Terminator Upgrade (2 models)
Dedicated Transport	2x Storm Eagles
Support	Legion Dreadnought Talon
Dedicated Transport	Thunderhawk

 757 or 760 points total

 

If you picked up Kratos box to complete a Legion Armoured Company then you can use it with the Legion Aerial Assault Formation. This nets you a list around 1130 points; enough for 70% of a 1500 point list. The remaining 370 points can be filled (for the short term until you expand your Marine collection) with Solar Auxilia or Warhounds from the core box set.
 

[Sky Potato]

Dude, any chance you can leave the text in default or black? White text is absolutely unreadable on mobile format, so I can’t see any of your army lists.