Not That I Am, But If I Did II

The NOVA Open.

No entry has kicked up as much dust on my blog as when I ranted about how insanely expensive it is to attend this event. The organizer even went as far as to post on my comments section as to how his event was not overpriced and how people came from far and wide to attend. That is not the point of this post.

What this post is about is points. In particular 1,850 points, which between Adepticon and the NOVA Open seems to be the tournament standard point allowance.

Now, were I a wealthier man I would not think twice about entering the tournament, but seeing as I am poor that is an objective for a later date.

...But a man can dream...

It is that dream which has inspired me to add 100 points more to my original army list. It is this dream which has led me to a leaner, meaner (according to DakkaDakka any way) Chaos Space Marine army. My parts arrived today, and tomorrow the frenzy of assembly begins!

What, you ask, is my destination with this force?

HQ
Sorcerer (warlord) w/ force sword, mastery level 3 (telepathy)- 110 pts.
Chaos Lord w/ lightning claw, melta bombs, The Burning Brand of Skalathrax- 115 pts.

TROOPS
14 Chaos Cultists; Chaos Cultist Champion (15 models)- 70 pts.
14 Chaos Cultists w/ 14 autoguns: Chaos Cultist Champion (15 models)- 84 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.

FAST ATTACK
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.

HEAVY SUPPORT
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion (5 models)- 115 pts.
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion (5 models)- 115 pts.
2 Obliterators- 140 pts.

TOTAL
1,849 pts.

Now, some explanation may be required. Optimally I wouldn't take the 14 points worth of autoguns on the Chaos Cultists. Their job is to squat on objectives and/or to die horribly. Why arm them? Because that's what they've got, and I'm a WYSIWYG nut. Besides, I'm not really hurting for points in this list those points would most likely go toward giving out some more melta bombs, but why bother giving them to things like the Havocs in the first place? I mean, if they're getting charged all they can really do is fire off one last volley and commend their souls to the Dark Gods. They're doomed if they're in melee.

Along the same lines, I stripped the Cultists of their flamers. There is no reason for them to be toting them around. I've found that they die so quickly that they lose their ability to fire before I get a shot off. Waste of 5 points per squad right there.

Then there are the Chaos Space Marines. They've kept their plasma guns, but the aspiring champions are toned down. Since they wander off and challenge everything and every one, they need to strike at initiative rather than dropping down to 1 and just waiting to get chopped to bits. The Strength 5 AP 2 is super keen, but what does it matter if he never gets to use it? Melta bombs have been included to ward off Monstrous Creatures and Walkers.

Heldrakes? They're Heldrakes. No explanation required.

I'm stubbornly keeping the Havocs with Autocannons. The wall of fire, and 48" range just (in my opinion) makes them too valuable to drop. The extra dudes are all gone, since there's not much reason to keep ten bolters when for the same price I can have two Obliterators. If the Havocs are taking fire they're not long for this world any way. Those Strength 7 AP 4 shots are death to Tau and lighter infantry, wound MEQ models on a 2+, and can rapidly strip vehicles (even flyers with their volume of fire) of Hull Points. That's my reasoning.

The Obliterators? I'm actually afraid they're a waste of points. Every anti-tank weapon on the board is going to be pointed straight at them, and I'm pretty sure they'll disappear very, very quickly if I'm not super careful with them. I'm not too used to having to treat Oblits gingerly, so this will be an adventure for me.

Finally, my HQs. My Chaos Lord retains a similar weapons loadout to his previous one, but as with every other unit in the army, his fat has been cut. He's now a Burning Brand of Skalathrax delivery system, not much more. The lightning claw is there as a last resort- but I honestly don't expect to see him live too long once people realize what he's capable of. I'm trying to figure out how to model on the Brand, and I saw one idea I like. Use a Chaos Terminator heavy flamer, cut off the barrels, and replace them with something else. If I had one I'd use a Chaos Vehicle Sprue gargoyle head, but no such luck. I'll have to root through my bits to find something fitting.

Then there's my new warlord, the Chaos Sorcerer. I'm going to use the plastic Warriors of Chaos sorcerer mini and tweak it. He's going to get a head swap for a Chaos Marine head (I'm even thinking maybe one of the wolf's head helmets I have laying around) and he's going to lose his staff since force staves suck and are useless. I want to replace it with a severed head (like on the Space Ork Boyz or Zombie frames) but that's something I'd have to trade for. Something equally greusome would work out just fine. He'll also get a bolt pistol holster on his right hip, and a Chaos Marine backpack. After that he should more than look the part.

So, yeah. It's a fairly optimized all-comers list Between the Sorcerer, the Chaos Lord, and the scratch-built Obliterators (tweaked from various left over weapon bits and using Chaos Terminators as a base), I should have plenty of conversions for people to ooh and ah over. All the ingredients needed for a top-tier tournament army. Of course, my painting could always use improvement, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.

That's the aim of my army for now. Hope you're looking forward to seeing my stuff as I'm looking forward to building it.