I've been trying to get Demitra to agree to gradually build a new army with me, 250 points at a time, from 500-1,750 points. Things are looking pretty good on that front, and I know where I want my army to end up (see the last post), but what should I start with?
We'll be starting with Combat Patrols. For anybody who doesn't know, Combat Patrol was a game option from the 4th edition rulebook (originally introduced in an article titled "40k In 40 Minutes" in White Dwarf) that takes place on a 4' x 4' board (so that buys me some time to make those last two sections). The restrictions on units is pretty tight (no 2+ saves, no more than 2 Wounds, etc.) but the Force Organization Chart is altered. HQs are 0-1, Troops are 1-6, and the rest of the FOC looks the same as usual. The question is what my little baby raiding force should look like.
I'm positive I'll be fielding a unit of Kabalite Warriors. These are my firebase, and they'll be my main source of anti-armor. Of course I'm probably going to be facing Orks, so fat lot of good Dark Lances will do me. If I do face any Trukks, however, they'll die QUICKLY. The confusion arises at the remaining couple of hundred points. Without my army construction software close at hand I can't be sure how many points I have remaining, but it's 200+ for sure.
I want to use Incubi. I really do. The models are gorgeous, they're absolute butchers in melee, and they're going to be amazing at uprooting anything squatting on objectives. The trade-off is that I'll be left with only a single scoring unit. This may or may not be a problem. Depending on if we end up using the 4th edition scenario or the 5th edition ones, this could put me at a serious disadvantage. Ten Dark Eldar with no leader and especially no close combat weapons is a very exposed squad. As nightmarish as the Incubi are, I just can't expect them to hold everything on the board in check.
The alternative is Wyches. There's never any harm in taking a second Troops choice, but this one is little more than an Agoniser delivery system, with the remaining avalanche of attacks probably pattering off whatever they assault due to either high Toughness or good Armor Saves (or both).
I also need to look forward to the future. As soon as we enter the 750 point level, I'll need a second Troops choice, as well as an HQ. The HQ is simple enough- a single Archon. He won't be quite as tooled up as he would be at later levels, carrying an Agoniser and Shadowfield only (no need for Combat Drugs or a Huskblade), but he still eats up a fair few points. The second Troops choice may end up having to be as small as a ground-bound Kabalite Warrior squad, and a Dark Eldar unit without its ride is usually pretty dead.
No matter what I'm probably going to go with the same paint scheme as my Battlefleet Gothic fleet. I like the way these colors bring a model together. The models' skin will be brown (Scorched Brown > Vermin Fur > Snakebite Leather to be exact) while their hair will be white. I've already used this color scheme on some Dark Elf miniatures, and the result is quite striking.
I'll be going for a sort of "comic book" feel, with the shading and highlights sharp and defined. This is a very deliberate system which really makes the miniatures pop off the table, and compliments the models' already "supervillain" look. I will be keeping metallics dark and to a minimum. Some parts of the models' guns and knives, but Agonisers and Klaives will have more of a polished obsidian look, shiny and with deep blue highlights. The paint scheme is going to look striking as vibrant purples, whites, and greens offset deep blacks. Hopefully I'll be able to get this show on the road pretty soon.
My next post will probably be sample army lists.
For now, however, back to the G. W. site to lust after those sweet, sweet Incubi...
You know I'm a big fan of the slow-growth concept, so I'm certainly game. I do want a bit of time off though, where I don't have any painting schedule to keep to.
ReplyDeleteOn the rules front, have you looked at Killzone? I hear about it across the interpodwebcastnets and it's supposedly an updated combat patrol. Your recap of combat patrol makes me think it wouldn't work well with what I want to do with Grey Knights: lots of terminators. PA troops will be part of the list, but a smallish support part and not the focal point, so if I went the GK route it would kinda handcuff me in the early going. I don't know if Killzone does anything differently, but it's something to look at.
http://galaxyinflames.blogspot.com/
I broke out the Ork book last night and remembered what frustrated me about that book in the first place, but that's a topic for a blog post.
Balls, forgot to mention I have some DE stuff that you're welcome to. It's all the old 3rd edition style, but parts is parts. I have a raider, some wyches, and some warriors.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so keen on the Killzone concept. It changes too many of the rules for my taste. Should you indeed decide to go with Combat Patrol, we may be able to work something out (if you indeed go with Grey Knights) since I'd be playing Dark Eldar (who are pretty damn good at offing elite infantry), but at low point values there are reasons for excluding Terminators, Land Raiders, and Carnifexes.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about starting any new armies soon. I'll be posting my 500 point list soon, but let's suffice it to say that the $200 worth of models will be a little while in the coming.
As far as the Dark Eldar models go, thanks, but no thanks. The look of the models is just too jarringly different. Plus, the Kabalites don't have a Dark Lance, and the only reason their squads are in my army is for fire support and late game objective grabbing.