[2000] - Astra Militarum - Take on All Comers

[Akaiyou]

I am new to Astra Militarum (yep forcing myself to get used to not calling them IG) i'm trying to build some good solid Astra Militarum lists for take on all comers. Played for the first time yesterday (thrusday) using a variety of lists (3 games, 3 diff lists) finishing W:1, L:2. My first game had a list very similar to the one you will see below and i won that one, extremely pleased with how everything performed except when the commisar executed my psyker. And then lost when a close game using a larger blob of guard, and a third game using 12 leman russes unbound. So i took my first list which i won with and edited it a bit to plug any holes...now I would like for you all to take a look and tell me what you think and specially if you can spot any glaring weaknesses with it. Playing competitively but not to attend any tournaments.



2000 Pts - Codex: Astra Militarum Roster - Flash Mob - 2000 Veterans

: Combined Arms Detachment
1 Primaris Psyker, 75 pts (Force Stave; Mastery 2)

1 Company Command Squad, 205 pts
4 Veteran (Lasgun x4; Vox-caster; Regimental standard)
1 Company Commander (Power Fist; Carapace Armour; Camo gear; Warlord)
1 Chimera (Heavy Bolter; Multilaser; Heavy Stubber; Camo netting)

1 Veteran Squad, 175 pts
9 Veteran (Meltagun x3)
1 Veteran Sergeant
1 Chimera (Heavy Flamer; Multilaser; Heavy Stubber; Camo netting)

1 Veteran Squad, 175 pts
9 Veteran (Meltagun x3)
1 Veteran Sergeant
1 Chimera (Heavy Flamer; Multilaser; Heavy Stubber; Camo netting)

1 Veteran Squad, 175 pts
9 Veteran (Meltagun x3)
1 Veteran Sergeant
1 Chimera (Heavy Flamer; Multilaser; Heavy Stubber; Camo netting)

1 Infantry Platoon, 430 pts
0 Platoon Command Squad
4 Guardsman (Flamer x4)
1 Platoon Commander

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1; Vox-caster)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

1 Vendetta Squadron, 340 pts
1 Vendetta
1 Vendetta

1 Vendetta Squadron, 340 pts
1 Vendetta
1 Vendetta

1 Aegis Defence Line, 85 pts (Gun Emplacement with Icarus Lascannon)

Total Roster Cost: 2000

Note: I combine squads the infantry platoon and stick them behind the defense line for 2+ cover (Get back in the fight after), Primaris psyker joining that squad and casting divination on it. Vendettas to take care of any air nuisances, and veterans to be mobile objective takers/tank hunters. All the flamers is to deal with any potential hordes and to discourage assaults.

[Akaiyou]

This is my secondary choice for take on all comers, but i feel the lack of meltaguns can seriously hurt me but there is more ranged fire power in the forms of added lascannons to hopefully compensate.

2000 Pts - Codex: Astra Militarum Roster - Flash Mob - 2000

: Combined Arms Detachment (122#, 2000 pts)
1 Primaris Psyker, 75 pts (Force Stave; Mastery 2)

1 Company Command Squad, 80 pts
4 Veteran (Vox-caster; Regimental standard)
1 Company Commander (Warlord)

1 Infantry Platoon, 515 pts
0 Platoon Command Squad
4 Guardsman (Flamer x2; Grenade launcher x2)
1 Platoon Commander
1 Chimera (Heavy Flamer; Multilaser; Heavy Stubber; Camo netting)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1; Vox-caster)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

1 Infantry Platoon, 515 pts
0 Platoon Command Squad
4 Guardsman (Flamer x2; Grenade launcher x2)
1 Platoon Commander
1 Chimera (Heavy Flamer; Multilaser; Heavy Stubber; Camo netting)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1; Vox-caster)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

0 Infantry Squad
7 Guardsman (Flamer x1)
1 Sergeant
1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon)

1 Vendetta Squadron, 170 pts
1 Vendetta

1 Vendetta Squadron, 170 pts
1 Vendetta

1 Vendetta Squadron, 170 pts
1 Vendetta

1 Imperial Strongpoint, 305 pts
1 Aegis Defence Line (Gun Emplacement with Icarus Lascannon)
1 Imperial Bastion (Void Shield; Gun Emplacement with Icarus Lascannon)
1 Aegis Defence Line (Gun Emplacement with Icarus Lascannon)

Total Roster Cost: 2000

[Katharon]

First off, I deduct one point from you for daring to bend to GW in calling them anything other than the Imperial Guard. ("It's for your own good." Commissar pulls the trigger of his bolt pistol. BLAMM!!)

Ok, onto your first list:

1) Company Command Squad. The Regimental Standard, I've found, is really not all that useful. It's just not. Better to save those points for other things, like giving your 4 veterans in the unit plasma guns, melta guns, or sniper rifles. Your company commander also doesn't really need anything beyond the camo cloak; he's suppose to be sitting behind the battle line and dishing out orders left and right, so equipping him with a power fist that he is not likely to use until you've pretty much already lost the game is a waste of points. Again, better to equip your veterans in the unit with special weapons instead. You have them in a Chimera, which is fine. This also means you don't need to give anyone in the unit carapace armour, since the Chimera is better at that anyways. Also, you should add a Master of Ordnance. Nothing like a free Basilisk artillery large pie plate each round to help take out something big and heavy.

2)Veteran Squad Troop Choices Those three squads look pretty good, though I'd suggest maybe giving on plasma instead of melta, just to give yourself some variety and better MC reduction.

3) Platoon While it is very tempting to have a combined squad with five heavy weapon in it, that limits your ability to split fire between targets. Even the order that allows you to give a unit Split Fire only counts towards one heavy weapon firing at a different target than the other four. Far better to split your heavy weapons away, into the Heavy Weapon Squads. Sitting them in cover with a decent angle is usually enough. Your combined squad should be used as a tarpit, meant to intercept and either las-flash something to death, or take it down in close combat with kraks or bayonets. Adding a Priest to this mob will make them awesome and capable of really sticking in the fight until late game.

4) Vendetta One vendetta is usually enough. Two gets you dirty looks from disgruntled players. I'd drop one in favor of getting a Leman Russ tank or two out there.

5) Aegis Defence Line Far better to take the Quad Gun over the Icarus Lascannon. You can do more damage with more shots, than face the chance of missing with a single shot.


Onto your second list:

1) Company Command Squad Again, what's with the standard? It's not really that useful, so drop it. Also, why did the Chimera get moved from the Company Commander to a Platoon commander? Sorry, but far better for your commander to have protection than the platoon commander. Unless of course you plan on sticking your commander in the Bastion. In which case, that's OK. But if you want the most out of your CC, you really should have him mobile in a Chimera. Just mho.

2) Infantry Platoons Since I can see where you're going with the Strongpoint and it's plethora of ADLs, I'll just note that it's OK. I don't agree with putting heavy weapons in Combined Squads, but as long as you keep them inside the ADL, it works.

3) Vendettas Three vendettas gets you a swift kick to the nads...usually. That or a few middle fingers flipped your way.

4) Imperial Strongpoint Again, the Quad Guns will work so much better for you in this set up. You have enough lascannons between the Vendettas and your Platoons that the extra points required for the Icarus Lascannons is just wasteful. You could use those points to instead add a Tech Priest or a Priest, who can then man the weapon turret of a Quad Gun.

[Akaiyou]

Thanks a lot for the breakdown there.

Got a few things to say

1. Quad Guns are hard to come by or even kitbash. And the ADLs brought some which i used to make Psyriflemen Dreadnoughts (infact the only reason i bought ADLs was for that purpose lol) so I kitbashed some lascannon turrets which were easy enough to make and called it an icarus lascannon. I personally hate or rather should say dislike proxy, i accept kitbashing/modeling when you don't have the legit item but proxies annoy me most of the time and i try to avoid it so even if i totally agree with you that quad guns would be awesome. I will have to stick to my [icarus] guns.

2. I'm new to astra militarum.....yes astra militarum. Tried the regimental standard in 2 of the 3 games i played and it came handy in that one turn of that one game. So yes i can see why you say it is not all that useful but i think i mostly didn't need it because i was packing so many commisars in my units that i passed my tests easily. Unlike orks these blobs don't become fearless so how do i keep them in line and prevent retreats that could lead to an early game loss without some control over morale? Am i overlooking something? I think without commisars the standard does become useful, even if i agree that it can be a big waste of pts.

3. Splitting the heavy weapons i tried in my second game and they just ended up targetted and vaporized early on in the game. My blobs are build to camp at my lines the range is too useful not to keep it in the blob of 50.

4. My friend who is my regular opponent uses Space Marine Stormwing Formation + Imperial Knight Errant in every list he builds. Oh and he plays Iron Hands (used to be Raven Guard infact his entire army is painted as ravenguard, but you know...ravenguard just arent' as good as Iron Hands sooo someone switched primarchs on the low low lol) So i feel no qualms tossing 3 or 4 vendettas at him, i try to kill the imperial knight ASAP every game.

5. I completely agree with everything else you said and there will be changes. Specially to CCS equipment

[Katharon]

Thanks a lot for the breakdown there.

Got a few things to say

1. Quad Guns are hard to come by or even kitbash. And the ADLs brought some which i used to make Psyriflemen Dreadnoughts (infact the only reason i bought ADLs was for that purpose lol) so I kitbashed some lascannon turrets which were easy enough to make and called it an icarus lascannon. I personally hate or rather should say dislike proxy, i accept kitbashing/modeling when you don't have the legit item but proxies annoy me most of the time and i try to avoid it so even if i totally agree with you that quad guns would be awesome. I will have to stick to my [icarus] guns.

Ah, I see. I guess there's no helping it...but I would say that if you built that many lascannons for your platoons, you should have some autocannon spare bits lying around that you could use to kit-bash a quad gun or three.

2. I'm new to astra militarum.....yes astra militarum. Tried the regimental standard in 2 of the 3 games i played and it came handy in that one turn of that one game. So yes i can see why you say it is not all that useful but i think i mostly didn't need it because i was packing so many commisars in my units that i passed my tests easily. Unlike orks these blobs don't become fearless so how do i keep them in line and prevent retreats that could lead to an early game loss without some control over morale? Am i overlooking something? I think without commisars the standard does become useful, even if i agree that it can be a big waste of pts.

*BLAM!!!* "I grant thee the Emperor's Mercy."

Generally the best way is to use Priests or Commissars in blobs. Priests are better, because you don't have to execute a sergeant each time they happen to fail a test. The extra benefits that they have for close combat with their War Hymns is whats really cool. That said, there's nothing wrong with sticking a run-of-the-mill commissar into a blob. But again, the real purpose behind that is so that, if need be, they have the leadership value and special rules to let them get stuck into close combat and really have staying power.

Blobs are good for cracking off huge fusillades of lasgun fire and then dropping bayonets for the charge. They act as buffers and roving interdiction units, which is why I've learned to never put heavy weapon squads into them.

Also, as a Guard player, you eventually just have to realize that your men are going to break and run more often than other armies. It's why we have orders like "Get Back In The Fight!".

3. Splitting the heavy weapons i tried in my second game and they just ended up targetted and vaporized early on in the game. My blobs are build to camp at my lines the range is too useful not to keep it in the blob of 50.

A legit strategy for some, but at the same time I'd say it's also dangerous. This means your enemy gets to focus the vast majority of his firepower against a single unit instead of having to split fire between several different units. I don't know how much terrain or what types you normally play the game with, but I can say that you need to work on deployment and use cover likes your a fat kid hugging a gummie bear.

It's also always a nice little strategy to put a HWS inside of a Chimera and turn it into a bunker.

4. My friend who is my regular opponent uses Space Marine Stormwing Formation + Imperial Knight Errant in every list he builds. Oh and he plays Iron Hands (used to be Raven Guard infact his entire army is painted as ravenguard, but you know...ravenguard just arent' as good as Iron Hands sooo someone switched primarchs on the low low lol) So i feel no qualms tossing 3 or 4 vendettas at him, i try to kill the imperial knight ASAP every game.

Ouch...yeah, he needs a swift kick to the nads pre-game every time if he's running that. It's cool to run on occasion, but if you're facing that kind of list every-damned-time....that's just annoying. Certainly would take the fun out of it for me. But as long as he's a fair player and accepts losses for what they are, then maybe he's not such a bad guy. I don't know him, so you'll have to be the judge of that.

That said, take those Vendettas and blast that thing to hell and back. I'd also suggest taking a Vindicare Assassin.

5. I completely agree with everything else you said and there will be changes. Specially to CCS equipment

Just remember to have fun. If something doesn't work one game, try it a few times, and if it continues failing then go onto the next.

[Akaiyou]

The autocannons went into making autocannon wielding chaos space marine havocs (I play almost every 40k army).

Wish I had a priest. Any convertion tips?

I might post up a thread later asking for some list building ideas with a detailed list of everything in my AM inventory. So I can get some out of the box ideas to play with, or just something that isn't narrowed by my own perceptions.

And yeah my friend is a cool guy we both play to win and bring in muscle, but yeah he's doing iron hands which I have found extremely annoying with their feel no pain, it will not die, and chapter master nut crusher with his eternal shield. It's a hard won fight every game. Feels real good when I kill the knight turn 1 or 2 but any time I don't it is damn near unstoppable so I need my armies to stay at super saiyan level to take it out and then deal with chapter master mc hammer while being harrashed by stormwing formation

[Katharon]

Priest conversion tips? Not too many. I'd almost suggest getting a box of the Fantasy, Empire "flagellants." They are much more visually in line with a warrior Ministorum priest than some of the 40K models.