Plumbing the depths: looking at the Mechanicum leak

[apologist]

Thought I'd take a look at the upcoming Mechanicum box to see if we can work out with some degree of likelihood what the sprues will contain. Here's the leak:

 

 

 

... and the nearest equivalent seems to be the recent Battle Group boxes. Here's the Space Marine one:

 

This contains:

• - 1x Kratos Heavy Tank Squadron:
  • - 4x Kratos heavy tanks, weapon options, and accessories
• - 1x Rhino Transport Detachment:
  • - 10x Rhinos, weapon options, and accessories
• - 1x Legiones Astartes Support:
  • - 2x Leviathan Siege Dreadnoughts with cyclonic melta lance
  • - 2x Leviathan Siege Dreadnoughts with Leviathan storm cannon
  • - 2x Deredeo Dreadnoughts with anvilus autocannon battery
  • - 2x Deredeo Dreadnoughts with hellfire plasma cannonade
  • - 2x Legion Rapier with laser destroyer array
  • - 2x Legion Rapier with quad launcher
  • - 2x Legion Tarantula with Tarantula lascannon battery
  • - 2x Legion Tarantula with hyperios air-defence missile launcher
• - 1x Legiones Astartes Infantry:
  • - 2x Legion Command Squads
  • - 8x Tactical Legionary bases
  • - 2x Legion Terminator bases
  • - 2x Assault Marine bases
  • - 2x Support Legionaries with plasma guns bases
  • - 2x Support Legionaries with missile launchers bases
  • - 4x Contemptor Dreadnoughts
• - 1x Legion Fast Attack:
  • - 4x Outriders bases
  • - 6x Scimitar Jetbikes bases
  • - 4x Javelins
  • - 4x Land Speeders

 

The Solar Auxilia equivalent contains

• - 1x Baneblade Squadron:
  • - 2x Baneblade super-heavy tanks, weapon options, and accessories
• - 1x Solar Auxilia Support:
  • - 4x Solar Auxilia Rapier with quad launcher
  • - 4x Solar Auxilia Rapier with laser destroyer array
  • - 4x Solar Auxilia Rapier with mole mortar
  • - 4x Solar Auxilia Cyclops
  • - 6x Solar Auxilia Tarantula with Tarantula lascannon battery
  • - 6x Solar Auxilia Tarantula with hyperios air-defence missile launcher
• - 1x Solar Auxilia Infantry:
  • - 2x Legate Commander bases (which can alternately be built as Auxilia Tactical Command bases)
  • - 8x Solar Auxilia bases
  • - 4x Veletarii bases
  • - 4x Solar Auxiliaries with flamers bases
  • - 4x Charonite Ogryn bases
  • - 4x Aethon Heavy Sentinels
• - 1x Dracosan Transport Detachment:
  • - 6x Dracosans, weapon options, and accessories
• - 1x Leman Russ Strike Squadron:
  • - 8x Leman Russ tanks, weapon options, and accessories

 

... or in short, both contains five boxes worth for £110.00.

 

I think it reasonable to assume that the leaked box is an equivalent Battle Group, and likewise is made up of five boxes. My guess is that we have something along the lines of:

 

• - 1x Mechanicum Support:
  • - 2x Tech-priest Auxilia bases
  • - 2x Myrmidon Secutor Host bases
  • - 2x Domitar Battle-automata Maniple bases
  • - 4x Myrmidon Destructor Host bases
  • - 4 x Ursurax Cohort bases
  • - 2x Vorax Battle-automata Maniple bases
  • - 2x Arlatax Battle-automata Maniple bases
• - 1x Mechanicum Infantry:
  • - 2x Archmagos Prime on Abeyant
  • - 10x Adsecularis Tech-thrall Covenant bases
  • - 8x Thallax Cohort bases
  • - 4x Castellax Battle-automata Maniple bases
• - 1x Dracosan Transport Detachment:
  • - 4x Triaros Armoured Conveyors, weapon options, and accessories
• - 1x Thanatar Siege-Automata Maniple:

- 8x Thanatar Siege-automata, weapon options, and accessories

• - 1x Vulturax Stratos-automata Squadron:
  • - 2x Vultarax Stratos-automata, weapon options, and accessories

 

These are based on the model we've seen followed for the Solar Auxilia and Legiones Astartes – the basic stuff collected in one box (Mechanicum infantry); the specialist/support stuff collected in a second infantry box. Vehicles in their own sets. My hesitation on this is the Vulturax, which seem a bit thin for a box of their own. An alternative take:

• - 1x Mechanicum Support:
  • - 2x Tech-priest Auxilia bases
  • - 2x Myrmidon Secutor Host bases
  • - 2x Domitar Battle-automata Maniple bases
  • - 4x Myrmidon Destructor Host bases
  • - 2x Vorax Battle-automata Maniple bases
• - 1x Mechanicum Infantry:
  • - 2x Archmagos Prime on Abeyant
  • - 10x Adsecularis Tech-thrall Covenant bases
  • - 8x Thallax Cohort bases
  • - 4x Castellax Battle-automata Maniple bases
• - 1x Dracosan Transport Detachment:
  • - 4x Triaros Armoured Conveyors, weapon options, and accessories
• - 1x Thanatar Siege-Automata Maniple:

- 8x Thanatar Siege-automata, weapon options, and accessories

• - 1x Mechanicum Fast Attack:
  • - 2x Vultarax Stratos-automata, weapon options, and accessories
  • - 2x Arlatax Battle-automata Maniple bases
  • - 4 x Ursurax Cohort base

... but I think that would make for a rather thin sprue. Other flyers have tended to be two to a sprue; so perhaps this is a half-box?

 

A third option is for this to simply involve fewer boxes:

• - 1x Mechanicum Automata:
  • - 8x Thallax Cohort bases
  • - 4x Castellax Battle-automata Maniple bases
  • - 2x Domitar Battle-automata Maniple bases
  • - 4 x Ursurax Cohort bases
  • - 2x Vorax Battle-automata Maniple bases
  • - 2x Arlatax Battle-automata Maniple bases
• - 1x Mechanicum Support Infantry:
  • - 2x Archmagos Prime on Abeyant
  • - 2x Tech-priest Auxilia bases
  • - 10x Adsecularis Tech-thrall Covenant bases
  • - 2x Myrmidon Secutor Host bases
  • - 4x Myrmidon Destructor Host base
  • - 2x Vultarax Stratos-automata, weapon options, and accessories
• - 1x Dracosan Transport Detachment:
  • - 4x Triaros Armoured Conveyors, weapon options, and accessories
• - 1x Thanatar Siege-Automata Maniple:

- 8x Thanatar Siege-automata, weapon options, and accessories

 

Equivalent images courtesy of the ever-awesome ChaosBunker.de

 

 

 

[Crablezworth]

It's 5 sprue types/boxes equiv, price point I think will be the same as well. Haven't heard any specifics about book 4 though. 

 

I'm happy with the models, but concerned about them adding a third faction before even finishing the first 2, there are still formations from the rulebook you can't even fill out on both sides, still no light armour for solar aux and no artillery or super heavies for marines. Also super concerned with balance, I feel like they've tossed around the ruleset so much to different people or groups that it will be very difficult to believe they somehow nailed point costs with mechanicum that just eluded them with the other 2 armies. More stuff with no faq just seems like they're really pushing it. 

[Interrogator Stobz]

Oh there's zero chance that they have got the rules balanced,  this isn't AT.

 

But I am super glad for the new faction, the bits missing from Solar and SM can wait. Do they ever really finish a faction?

 

We need more than an FAQ, we need a 2.0 like Kill Team just got.

[Crablezworth]

"the bits missing from Solar and SM can wait. " I don't think they can tbh, literally the first formations in existence can't even be filled out after 3 books, that's something no one can really hide, its making it really hard to retain players and recruit more. Tallarn book without marine super heavies also made very little sense. 

 

I'll probably grab the box if it's the same price as the boxed armies, I feel like if only those had come out earlier it would have been a bit easier to pull new players in as a lot of people don't love the content of the starter box comparatively if they just want to do one faction. 

 

Maybe mechanicum will bring in more players, the thread on r legions imperialis had like 44k views so maybe everyone was just waiting for this. In truth i was hoping they'd just be an allied faction but I guess the upside of them seemingly being a third faction it might push the needle on people who were wishing li was set in 40k so there'd be xenos factions again. Really hoping custodes aren't a 4th faction though, allied sure. 

Edited September 23 by Crablezworth

[Mendi Warrior]

I did a similar exercise which can be found here: speculation about individual boxes

 

I do believe we are seeing the equivalent of 3 individual boxes: 1 of infantry, 1 of battle-automatas, and 1 of transport (4 x Triaros).

 

I'm still unsure about the Thanatar, as I firstly thought they would be in a dedicated Thanatar box but I think the sprues would be a bit light if there are only Thanatars on them. 8 models on 2 sprues, they are larger than Leviathan dreadnoughts but don't, imho, fill the same space as 8 Leman Russ tanks. Alternatively, could they be 8 on a single sprue and hence be half of what we would get in an individual box? Maybe, but imho still a bit light.

 

Similarly I think the numbers of Vorax and Vulturax models (respectively 6 and 2, likely multi-parts) are not numerous enough to fill a single sprue, which makes me believe they are not part of a specific fast attack box. Even when adding the Ursarax, I still think that would be quite light.

 

I think it is more clearcut for the Triaros. There are 4 of them, I see 2 per sprue. Maybe including a variant? Hence, one individual box with 4 models.

 

Infantry: 26 stands, 92 individual models. If we include the Domitar, we get 28 stands, 94 individual models.

• Tech-Thrall
  • 10 stands - 50 models
• Thallax
  • 8 stands - 24 models
• Tech-Priest
  • 2 stands - 6 models
• Myrmidon Secutor
  • 2 stands - 4 models
• Myrmidon
  • 4 stands - 8 models

Battle-Automata: 26 stands, 46 individual models. Remove 2 stands, 2 individual models if the Domitar is infantry.

• Domitar
  • 2 stands - 2 models
• Castellax
  • 4 stands - 12 models
• Ursarax
  • 4 stands - 12 models
• Vorax
  • 2 stands - 6 models
• Arlatax
  • 2 stands - 2 models
• Archmagos
  • 2 stands - 2 models
• Thanatar
  • 8 stands - 8 models
• Vulturax
  • 2 stands - 2 models

The battlegroup boxes are still available from GW (I checked UK and Belgium), they also show as stock: 10+ on Wayland's website (I didn't checked other third party retailers). Hence, I do believe they don't sell like hot cakes, which might warrant GW trying a smaller box format for LI. Something around GBP 65?

 

Whichever happens, I'm very excited to see these models and I'll be adding some to my collection/armies 

[DuskRaider]

I actually really like that it seems Ad Mech will field walkers / robots more than tanks, it should give them a unique feel on the battlefield. Not to say that I expect them to totally askew battle tank equivalents for Cybernetica, but it is refreshing to see that the new faction won’t be the same blueprint as the other two. 
 

I'm curious to see if this box set will have the ability to field something viable from the get. Obviously there’s not 2,000+ there, but I do wonder if a couple of these boxes will give you a good list. 

[Interrogator Stobz]

 

"the bits missing from Solar and SM can wait. " I don't think they can tbh, literally the first formations in existence can't even be filled out after 3 books, that's something no one can really hide, its making it really hard to retain players and recruit more. Tallarn book without marine super heavies also made very little sense. 

 

I'll probably grab the box if it's the same price as the boxed armies, I feel like if only those had come out earlier it would have been a bit easier to pull new players in as a lot of people don't love the content of the starter box comparatively if they just want to do one faction. 

 

Maybe mechanicum will bring in more players, the thread on r legions imperialis had like 44k views so maybe everyone was just waiting for this. In truth i was hoping they'd just be an allied faction but I guess the upside of them seemingly being a third faction it might push the needle on people who were wishing li was set in 40k so there'd be xenos factions again. Really hoping custodes aren't a 4th faction though, allied sure. 

Happy to agree to disagree on our opinions 

Our hobby masters at GeeDub practically never finish a faction, in any game, so my opinion is always to add a variety of factions instead. 

 

 

I actually really like that it seems Ad Mech will field walkers / robots more than tanks, it should give them a unique feel on the battlefield. Not to say that I expect them to totally askew battle tank equivalents for Cybernetica, but it is refreshing to see that the new faction won’t be the same blueprint as the other two. 
 

I'm curious to see if this box set will have the ability to field something viable from the get. Obviously there’s not 2,000+ there, but I do wonder if a couple of these boxes will give you a good list. 

Really looking forward to adding whatever this comes out as points wise to my Boys 3600pt Solar force...

Then when Astartes Super Heavies arrive I'll add them to mine to keep the points close.

[apologist]

I think there's a balance to be struck between bringing out enough of a faction to allow for variety within army lists, and bringing out more factions to allow for variety within the broader game. 

 

The Marine list, for example, is now mature, and can stand to have their release rate slow down. After all, it's nice to have something new every six months or so, if for nothing other than to inject a bit of variety. It'd be terribly sad to think that you'd never get another release. (With that said, the release approach GW took was a bit odd – three different transports before the main battle tank, and no superheavies yet. Better to have released, say, the Fellblade alongside the Rhinos, and then later the Glaive alongside Drop Pods etc.)

 

Very much agree with @DuskRaider's point that it's nice to see a faction with more emphasis on walkers. I dig tanks personally, but it's cool to face different challenges. :)

[Interrogator Stobz]

Yep, adding a bit every now and then is, for me at least, a more sustainable and enjoyable way to get toys. It keeps the juices flowing. 

My AT collection is complete, which feels awesome; and despite it being GeeDubs best ever game, my interest is waning due to that same completeness. 

 

Now, trying to skew this back onto your topic; having a single box to get us started on Dark Mechanicum feels like a great deal compared with buying individual boxes.

And forcing a few units which may be sub optimal into the mix is for me at least a great way to get variety onto the table.

 

The thing I really like about LI, is that the rules are so inconsistent that we get to enjoy house ruling heaps of stuff, these will undoubtedly need it ... 

Damn, back off track already 

[Crablezworth]

 

Happy to agree to disagree on our opinions 

Our hobby masters at GeeDub practically never finish a faction, in any game, so my opinion is always to add a variety of factions instead. 

 

Really looking forward to adding whatever this comes out as points wise to my Boys 3600pt Solar force...

Then when Astartes Super Heavies arrive I'll add them to mine to keep the points close.

 

One unit type seems to rule the game, so until the core is fixed variety doesn't do anything but make the sea of infantry a worse problem. Space marinse not having a single piece of artillery or super heavies isn't fixed by adding mechanicum, it's extra disappointing seeing as legion represents about 18 sub factions, so for them to not even be able to take artillery is a problem. 

[Crablezworth]

 

I think there's a balance to be struck between bringing out enough of a faction to allow for variety within army lists, and bringing out more factions to allow for variety within the broader game. 

 

The Marine list, for example, is now mature, and can stand to have their release rate slow down. After all, it's nice to have something new every six months or so, if for nothing other than to inject a bit of variety. It'd be terribly sad to think that you'd never get another release. (With that said, the release approach GW took was a bit odd – three different transports before the main battle tank, and no superheavies yet. Better to have released, say, the Fellblade alongside the Rhinos, and then later the Glaive alongside Drop Pods etc.)

 

Very much agree with @DuskRaider's point that it's nice to see a faction with more emphasis on walkers. I dig tanks personally, but it's cool to face different challenges. :)

 

Not after the delays, we're now waiting on book 4 and it actually scares me people would defend not being able to fill out formations from book 1 after 4-5 books. 

 

And a faction focusing on less than combined arms isn't good for a game where infantry are currently badly in need of fixing IMO. Krios will also be coming out. 

Edited September 24 by Crablezworth

[apologist]

I've been vocal in my dislike for the way GW have handled the release order – but I think it's stretching the point a bit to say that you can't fill out formations from book 1. You can't max them out, sure, but there are none that are unusable in some form – as was the case on release.

 

Would I like everything for all factions now? Of course. Realistically, however, releases are a zero sum game. In my opinion a new faction is going to be more exciting for the game as a whole than additional Astartes and Solar Auxilia releases – we'll get new people getting involved, and existing players will have another faction to fight against. 

 

Because there's a finite release schedule, I think growing pains are inevitable in a new game like this; and to GW the balance is either 'consolidate existing players by filling out existing options' or 'attract new players by releasing something novel'.

 

For better or worse, the things that are missing tend to either be less iconic for the factions (Astartes artillery/superheavies and Solar Auxilia light tanks, for example), or somewhat overlap existing releases in their role. Just look at the missing Marines stuff (list is based on the Age of Darkness army list) – and consider which ones don't have a close analogue:

• Infantry
  • Close Combat Terminators
  • Destroyer Squads
  • Breacher Squad
  • Recon Squad
  • Scout Squad
  • Seeker Squad
• Transports
  • Dreadclaw Drop Pod
  • Kharybdis Assault Claw
• Armour/Artillery
  • Predator (Flamestorm Cannon, Plasma, Hvy Conversion, Magna-Melta, Graviton, Volkite, Neutron Blaster)
  • Sicaran Venator
  • Vindicator
  • Whirlwind Scorpius
  • Arquitors
  • Damocles Rhino
• Superheavy Armour
  • Cerberus
  • Typhon
  • Glaive
  • Fellblade
  • Falchion
  • Mastodon
• Flyer
  • Sokar Stormbird

 

The ones that jump out? The Superheavies – and I'd be startled if the expansion that brings out the Mechanicum doesn't include at least one of those.

[Crablezworth]

If book 4 can tick the last 3 boxes in terms of missing unit types the game will be better for it. I'm excited about mechanicum but as much as I like the models I'm really scared as to the quality of the rules and how many more books it will take to fill out that new faction. I'm just concerned again that we'll never get a faq/errata if they keep adding to the pile and bloat doesn't hide rot. I don't love how many incentives need to shift to make the game less infantry spammy, fog of war is cool but its going to be difficult to have opponents want to play with it every game to shift incentives away from infantry to other units types. I guess I just want the game and the army construction to function better before they add more factions. 

 

Other than krios/krios venator, what other units would still be down the line for mechanicum other than like an ordinatus? If they can get most of the new faction in one book it will be a good thing and a upside to playing mechanicum, but also strains things for he other 2 factions. So if the missing units are in the same book, awesome, but it still feels like a compendium hopefully would be on the horizon. 

[apologist]

Absolutely agree with what you're saying here, @Crablezworth; I really hope there's a substantial and meaningful FAQ, or even a 'v1.5' update delivered through something like the Adeptus Titanicus Matched Play Guide. I do find Legions fun to play, looking at it objectively, the rules are hopelessly mired in numerous problems. :(

 

Fgcussing on the cool little models (for a dose of positivity!), here's what's in the Age of Darkness Mechanicum list at 40k scale. What's in this leak is in bold, and I've marked things that seem unlikely to me to see release at Epic scale  (mostly owing to being individual characters) with an *: 

 

HQ

• Archmagos Prime*
• Archmagos Prime on Abeyant
• Magos Dominus

 

Troops

• Tech-thrall Covenant
• Thallax Cohort
• Scyllax Guardian Automata*
• Castellax

 

Elites

• Tech-priest Auxilia
• Enginseer*
• Arcuitor Magisterium*
• Domitars
• Myrmidon Secutors

 

Transports

• Triaros Armoured Conveyor

 

Fast Attack

• Arlatax
• Ursarax
• Vorax
• Vulturax

 

Heavy Support

• Thanatar Siege-Automata
• Myrmidon Destructors
• Karacnos Assault Tank
• Krios
• Krios Venator

 

Mechanicum Knights

• Knight Moirax
• Questoris Knight Styrix
• Questoris Knight Magaera

 

 

As you can see, there's not a whole lot that's not coming out in this initial release! The Karacnos and Krios seem shoe-ins, and the Knights are also likely.

Edited September 24 by apologist

[Crablezworth]

Is it possible the karacnos is an alternate build of the triaros box/sprue? I've heard direct rumours that krios has been seen and I assume that's a dual kit. 

[apologist]

Possible; though the precedent for LI seems to be that even very similar units (cf Leman Russ) get separate boxes.

 

Oh, and a potential addition to the list above are the Secutarii (Titan Guard) – three more options there, and ones that would find a natural place in Legions scale. :)

 

[vadersson]

Do knight households have any special units?  They might be another potential expansion with the Mechanicum.  
 

I am super geek3d about the box set and getting a Mechanicum army.  Maybe GW will create new stuff in both 28 and epic scale.  They are still making new stuff for Ad Mech, so why not for the Mechanicum.

[Crablezworth]

 

Do knight households have any special units?  They might be another potential expansion with the Mechanicum.  
 

I am super geek3d about the box set and getting a Mechanicum army.  Maybe GW will create new stuff in both 28 and epic scale.  They are still making new stuff for Ad Mech, so why not for the Mechanicum.

 

Not currently, it's possible some of the knights exist as options in mechanicum formations but that's pure speculation. I'm sorta hoping that's not the case but if it means being able to say run armigers without them being tied to the hip of a larger knight that might be a good thing. 

[Mendi Warrior]

Based on today's article, I'm proposing the following split per individual box:

 

One box of Infantry: 32 stands, 110 individual models.

 

- Adsecularis Tech-Thralls
10 stands - 50 models
- Thallax cohorts
8 stands - 24 models
- Ursarax cohorts
4 stands - 12 models
- Archmagos on Abeyant
2 stands - 2 models
- Myrmidon Secutors
2 stands - 4 models
- Myrmidon Destructors
4 stands - 8 models
- Tech-Priest Auxilia
2 stands - 10 models

 

One box of Battle-Automata: 20 stands, 32 individual models.

 

- Castellax
4 stands - 12 models
- Thanatar
8 stands - 8 models
- Domitar
2 stands - 2 models
- Vorax
2 stands - 6 models
- Arlatax
2 stands - 2 models
- Vulturax
2 stands - 2 models

 

And the 4 Triaros as one box of armoured transports.

[Mendi Warrior]

For what it is worth, I compared the pictures of the core set box and Astartes battlegroup box with the Mechanicum one. It is not perfect as the boxes are oriented differently. I used the small front edge as a guide.

 

Assuming the box is of a similar format, it seems to be thinner than the ones for the core set and Astartes battlegroup.

 

Still just speculation so far but I am even more convinced we have the equivalent of 3 individual boxes in there.

 

Edited Thursday at 05:53 PM by Mendi Warrior

[apologist]

You could well be onto a very good point – and it would also explain both the lower numbers of overall models (146 to 160/164), and the lack of a 'big thing' like the Baneblades. Good spot!

[Crablezworth]

Well, objectively there are fewer tanks, and those tend to be the least efficient in terms of components and sprue size. I believe there are 8 thanatars, but I doubt they'd take as much space as a tank would, likely fewer components. From my understanding, though I'm not sure of the total amount of sprues in the box, I believe it's 5 different sprues but some are duplicated. Solar aux battlegrouo has the baneblades and dracosans, legion battlegroup kratos and rhinos, so there are 8-10 fewer tanks in the mechanicum one. 

[Mandragola]

There's no way all those infantry and robots are on one sprue. We know there's only two of each sprue at most, based on the domitars and the jumpy ones, which we get two of. If the robots are remotely like the dreadnoughts they'll have multiple parts and each take up a lot of sprue. It would be bizarre for the robot sprue to have four thanatars and one domitar on, so thanatars must have their own sprue.

 

That makes it four sprues: People, robots, thanatars, tanks.