Chaos Space Marines Tactica

[Learn2Eel]

I'm not sure how well the list does or even if it is still used but the 'Khorne Rush' Chaos Space Marine list certainly still works as far as I can tell. My tip is don't even bother with Berzerkers, and instead just take regular Chaos Space Marines in Rhinos equipped with extra close combat weapons as well as the bolters. This is similar to how pre-heresy World Eaters used to fight; they only dropped their boltguns once they made it into combat. Equip your squads with double plasma or double melta as you see fit, and either use a converted to Khorne Huron Blackheart to infiltrate them forward, or mount them in Rhinos with Dirge Casters. Employ two or more Maulerfiends to deal with heavy tanks and even certain squads. Use multiple squads of either Khorne Bikers or markless Spawn to support the Maulerfiends. Employ one or more Juggernaught mounted Chaos Lords, one with the Axe, and the other with the Burning Brand if you so choose. Depending on how Forge World handles the Dreadclaw, you are possibly allowed to assault out of those as well.

Undoubtedly, the army list is made so much better with the inclusion of Khorne Daemons; though Bloodletters aren't that great, they can move up behind your Rhinos and provide light melee support. What really adds to the threat potential of the list is, if you preserve your theme - i.e. no CSM Daemon Princes of Nurgle with the Black Mace - are Flesh Hounds with a Khorne Herald on a Juggernaught giving them the Grimoire. As well, a Soul Grinder is always an astute purchase. Daemons are a buff army and unsupported Flesh Hounds, while still great, will die when concentrated on, so I would recommend the Herald over a Bloodthirster. However, if you play big enough games where you can take a second Allied detachment, just take both, or add in another Hound unit with a Herald! A Bloodthirster paired up with a CSM Daemon Prince with either the Black Mace or, for fluffy lists, the Axe will be pretty brutal, particularly when the rest of your army is also going to be getting into combat by turn two pretty easily.

Basically, you Scout/Infiltrate forward with your stuff, move up quickly with the Maulerfiends and Bikes/Spawn, and get either first turn or second turn charges off across almost the entirety of your army. It won't work against certain armies, but Flesh Hounds with an attached Herald equipped with a Grimoire can steamroll almost anything they come across. Use the Maulerfiends, and really the rest of your army, to deal with anything else. I hope that helps!

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

So far for daemons i have roughly 56 letters i have my 10 metal hounds skull taker The nice thing about the letters is i almost have 3 commands. What i was thinking of doing with them was simply using them to support my CSM elements. I know that they can be very squishy which is not something i like but i can deal with. I hear you on heralds but was thinking of trying karanak i was thinking about scouting him and a group of hounds they should be able to get off a 2nd turn charge at the latest with the possible first turn charge if i go 2nd.

I try to build competitive and fluffy armies so i will make some changes i already have 2 units of csm equipped just like that their in rhinos 2xplas champ with combi plas. its a nice little unit but can easily get expensive. that's why i was thinking that the letters would come in handy. daemons are so cheap that its easy to drop 500-600 on an allied detachment and end up with 50-60 models when all is said and done.

unfortunately i do not have any of the newer forge and maulers i barely was able to get the helldrake... i spent months trying to figure out a conversion before i would even touch that ugly monstrosity that fakes being a drake. but anyhow what i do have for heavies is 2 preds a land raider unit of khorne converted oblits and a teeth of khorne auto cannon unit


If its in the collection its converted up with a world eater's theme lol.
I keep trying to figure out if i want to bring in my 2 raptor units to help get off earlier assaults. its just a question of running out of slots or points. I keep thinking once my biker lord is completed that i will run him and kharn but it just a points issue for me. trying to squeeze in everything that i need and having points for add ons. What I'm struggling with is taking icon's to make my units fearless esp for the csm squads. I don't need them running after loosing combat and getting killed.

[Learn2Eel]

That's fair enough, and I love the Khorne dedication! Just an FYI, if you use Karanak - and he is pretty useful - a trick I've seen is to use him to Scout forward either a big unit of Bloodletters or a unit of Bloodcrushers. Ain't nobody got time for turn one/two charging Khorne Daemons! Do you have a Juggernaught model for Skulltaker? He is ridiculously scary on one of those.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

Well when we broke apart chaos for the club i am in i kind of snatched up nurgle and khone so ya those are my 2 primary armies for chaos lots of forgeworld mixed in and now finally adding in daemons. just Trying to wrap my head around how much Daemons to do. and i believe i have enough points to try running them both way's with each force being unique. i'm not convinced on the idea of horde chaos but i believe i may just try it. possibly running them behind mosterous creatures and lots of walker types for armour. trying out zhufor but not really impressed with his warlord trait nor with his ability to take a termi unit i never have issues with elites lol...

Right now i am working on my khorne mainly but in the build and painting process for my death guard just finished adding in my 2nd plague drone. very very excited to use them. also hopefully tonight i should be able to put on the arms for my 4th death guard squad and yes i am paranoid so all my units run in incriments of 7-8 depending on the power even just recently got ahold of 2 6 man noise marine squads and 1 unit of T-sons all super cheap so now i gotta pick up another unit and a noise marine lord and ill be able to run those as well... but not going to be running them together kharn would kill me if he had to allie with EC or T-sons lol

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

okay wondering what your thoughts were when it comes down to icon of vengeance vs naked vs vets? for me it might simply be the fear of having them lose combat then have them get munched or break at a time that i need them to hold. that and having marines get run down in combat is just silly... but somehow possible with chaos so ya. thoughts?

[MrBo]

okay wondering what your thoughts were when it comes down to icon of vengeance vs naked vs vets? for me it might simply be the fear of having them lose combat then have them get munched or break at a time that i need them to hold. that and having marines get run down in combat is just silly... but somehow possible with chaos so ya. thoughts?

the icon is just way too susceptible to precision shots to be relied on, if it costed any less i would take it anyways, but as it stands i dont.
i always factor in vets and MoN in all my costs.

[Lord Krungharr]

I have yet to have had my Icon of Vengeance, or any Icon, Precisely Shot to death. Actually that is pretty surprising. But if they're in Rhinos or Land Raiders first, then placed in the rear of a squad, they won't get shot by other means. Plus with all the other fast units coming at the enemies of Chaos these days, rarely do they get to go for the lowly Troops squads. And for the major rush Troops, don't we always have a nice Fearless HQ in there anyway? VOLTW is pretty good, but not super duper good. MoN is okay, but I just go for Plague Marines by then....you factor in FNP, Fearless, comes with pistol and a poison CCW, almost always worth the points.

Regarding the Flesh Hounds in a Huron list, I do like having a Jugger Herald with them, but a Bloodthirster is so potent I think he's worth it. The Hounds can easily tar-pit almost any unit, and usually end up killing at least 2 units without a Jugger Herald, who really doesn't increase their survivability. If the Herald has a Grimoire, it doesn't benefit himself anyway. Sometimes it's better to Grimoire a Maulerfiend

Berzerkers can be worth the points too, though Khorne Marines come in close. Again the cult Troops come with the CCW, Fearless, and Zerks are WS5 w Furious Charge, and get an Icon of Wrath for 10 points cheaper I think. I'm starting to favor chainaxes to some extent with all the Tau and Eldar and Necrons around. Infiltrating 20 Berzerkers and Blessing them with sorcery would be pretty awesome, though not pure Khorne. Khorne CSM and Tzeentch Daemons actually make quite a potent pairing. Same thing with Bloodletters too, though they need the Grimoire big time; I feel the AP3 helps to make up for the base 1 attack, and their AP2 at I4 champion.

I love running mono-god lists, but there's no denying a synergistic cooperation between gods can be vastly more competitive. Of course a double FOC game opens up many more possibilities. Or you could just run like 60 Hounds with 8 Jugger Heralds !

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

Ya i hear you on that one. i keep looking at my icon bearer and wondering if it's not just for the best to leave him with out his icon and save the point. But some how they always make it into my list the 2 of them is enough for a naked cultist squad so i'd have another troop choice but i find cultists to be utterly lacking... much rather prefer to allie with Some of the vraks lists they are more like blood pact then the rable that cultists are. i just can't picutre them as anything more then cannon fodder and a cheap screening unit.

As for the mono comments ya maybe i'm to old school but i like mono lists. my world eaters do not play will with themselves let alone with others. so i tend to run mono lists that stick to fluff as much as i can. No they are not always the most competetive thing out there but if im having fun my opponents not havng a nervous break down then im good.

my only problem is yes CSM marked with khorne and the CCW are berserker light but for their points i can take fearless berserkers i loose out on the shooting but i gain alot in fearless.

As for the chain axes ya i will never leave home with out a few of them. one i already have them modeled on half my berserkers but their uses are so aparent in this edition. When you do manage to make it into combat watching most opponents go.... you took chain axes? is worth it. Watching firewarriors and eldar go down with out a save is well worth their costs. you just drop a guy and spread out the axe loving and suddenly your assault unit tears most other units apart.

Right now im tinkering with a new list idea it has yet to be fielded so not sure how i feel about it game play wise but i think it will be fun to play.

2x10 csm plasma rhino
7 berserkers LR kharn
Biiker lord 7 bikers plasma
2 preds ac/lc
heldrake

not alot of units but they come in at under 1850 the previous list i had was similar but didnt have the lord and it was fun to play. and had a fighting chance.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

After a break in 40k i got in a game with my world eaters list against the new smurfs. 2k purge the alien with vanguard for deployment. list was as follows
7 berserkers kharn in a land raider with a dirge and dozer
2x 10 csm mok with dual plasma and combi plas power weapon on champs in rhinos with dirge
7 csm mok bikers 2 plas power weapon champ
biker lord mok pw sigil
2 preds ac/lc
2 drakes

can say the drakes didnt show up until the last turn. they really didnt dp much by that point the game was in the end game phase anyhow. my lord lives kharn died was kinda mad about that one but oh well. learned that i'm going to give the axe a shot on the lord and see how that goes. not sure but i think that AOBR will be interesting on a bike character. i want to see how he fares in this set up. he is slightly more expensive then i would have liked but with a power weapon a sword at that the last one stayed in combat for ages with up to 40 marines. so i'm going to give that a shot and see how that works.
I have to say that the whole drake fear thing is hopefully subsiding. at this point the smurf player knew what was coming and how to avoid them. so even when they did turn up they were bale to flame a unit before they were screwed anyhow.

[Elkubik]

I have a quick question. I am, hopefully, going to school's league this year, as such I need a competitive army. my current list is:
Chaos lord (MoN, Terminator armour, comi-melta)
2x plague marines (5 per squad, 2x meltaguns)

But I need a fast attack unit to keep him busy whilst I advance; now my question is:

Should i use the Heldrake, or raptors? I have been reading reviews on multiple sites, and asking friends, but I cannot make my mind up,

thanks a lot