Counts As Again: Adeptus Mechanicus

Firstly, Ladies, Gentlemen, Unicorns, Ears of Corn, Unicrons, Unicyclists and indeterminate 'Others' - let us celebrate.  From this day forward, there shall be no more Guest Articles by the hip-hop hipster from MindWar FTW, TheKingElessar.  Yay! #Celebrate, good times, come on!#


On the other hand, he's now joined this ad-hoc assemblage of writing talent, and will be vomiting his thoughts directly into your brainpan via the medium of your screen here, as well as his own 'blog'.  Enjoy!*

With that established, let's move on to what I feel is an important thing to get over introductorily.  I'm not here to rain on everyone else's parade, there is a tremendous collection of talent already here, and I have my own moderately successful blog to look after.  I have no interest on stealing thunder (or any other weather-related metaphors) by posting as regularly as, say, AbusePuppy.  I'm not in any way saying that if I did my articles would automagically be better than the others' and make them feel and look bad...but I'm not interested in taking that chance.  :p  I much prefer to be a sort of ad-hoc personage, floating in and out, probably once a week or every other week, and applying a liberal dose of awesome to the proceedings before swanning off to troll the comments section.  Mostly, I will be posting as and when I have something I genuinely care about to express - and this whole kerfuffle about Counts As is something I care about very much.

I cannot truly explain why it is that I not only have no beef with Counts-As (though, as a Vegetarian, I have no beef anywhere) but actively enjoy it, and see it as a delightful facet of our Hobby.

It is a little-known fact that I aspire to increase my Ork collection to literally epic proportions, so much so that I can literally field an army from ANY Codex, using Ork models.  Is this in order to 'band-wagon jump' and play the most powerful lists imaginable? Hell no.  It's because it's pinking cool.  I WANT to spend hundreds of hours converting the pink out of ThunderBoar Cavalry, out of mechanical spiders a la Wild Wild West that carry Tellyporta arrays to be Tervigons, Stormboyz decked up in Artificier armour and carrying Glaive Encarmine equivalents, and much, MUCH more.

Counts As is a way in which we can simply take the ethos and spirit of the game system to a new level, to do things that otherwise may be impossible.  My first take on it on this Blog was a calculated attempt to do something that could be recreated in its 'parent' Codex, but to do it arguably better.  In some ways, yes, it was worse - but the Librarian was FAR better than a generic Farseer, and the DreadKnight is sooooooo much better than a Wraithlord it makes my tongue itch.  (No, that doesn't make sense, even to me.  Surrealism is cool, right? Right??)

A lot of people don't seem to get that Counts As is a way to get the most out of our Hobby - and not in a purely Competitive sense.  Sure, I don't see much point in spending a lot of money on a list that is definably Uncompetitive - Warhams is Srs Bsns, and Toy Soldiers Is Expensive - but my Counts As forces are FAR more likely to be Semi-Competitive, because what I'm aiming to do is promote a THEME.  An IDEA behind a list, perhaps seizing on some obscure piece of background, perhaps taking something larger.  maybe, just MAYBE, sometimes it's an accidental or deliberate deviation from 'established' fluff - and that is okay too.  Games Workshop actively promotes such things, y'know.  What, you thought they didn't know about Doc Thunder and his Female Space Marines? "So much fear and doubt, over so small a thing" [I figure playing up to my name by including LotR quotes will be funny for me, if no-one else.  Deal with it. :) ] - If GW knows about them (and we can FAIRLY assume they do) and haven't sued the guy? I think it's pretty fair to say they couldn't care less, and maybe think it's cool.

*Ahem*

I DO tend to ramble a bit - so let's get on with the show.  I think Counts As is a way for players to explore the Universe, to come up with strange new worlds, and new civilisations.  To boldly go, where no modeller has gone before (as far as they know!)

With that in mind, please enjoy this distinctly Not-Made-For-Competitiveness'-Sake Adeptus Mechanicus Army list derived from (you guessed it!!11!) the Grey Knights Codex! [Why this Codex? It is new., and has a bunch of options. Oh, and the number of Servitors, Techmarines, new technology, mixture of vehicles available, Skitarii being better represented by Acolytes than by Guardsmen, etc etc etc...]

First, we take Inquisitor Torquemada CountAs.  I know a lot of you are sick of him...grow up.  He's good, and carries an Unlock, making a multitude of builds only viable via his inclusion - get used to seeing him.  Variety is good for a codex's longevity (see creaking Eldar and CSM) and even for the short term, as it makes playing against the exact same list twice unlikely.

With him selected, let's begin with our two 'homebase' Troops, our defensive ones.  Stelek's 4+2 system is a very solid basis for an army's core, so why don't we see if that is viable?

Henchmen:
3 Servitors [Multi-Melta] 2 Jokaero, 2 Crusaders, Chimera [ML/HB] - 185

Now, these units aren't anywhere near as resilient as a Tactical Squad, for most of the cost.  However, they do have increased damage output (by 400%, vs vehicles, and in MM range) and a much better Transport.  We have chosen the shootier one, for two reasons:
Jokaero carry a Heavy Flamer
The Chimera has a top hatch

Oh, and a third reason - it plans to move maybe once a game. Duh. lol

With two of these units, we need to look towards some advance units, idealy also in Chimeras, thereby to minimise the problems with their Side Armour, and worsen enemy Target Priority - also, because these units will NOT have Jokaero, and just might need that Flamer.

Henchmen:
4 Death Cult Assassins [Shut it Arch! :p] 3 Warrior Acolytes [Carapace Armour, Storm Bolter], 3 Warrior Acolytes [Meltagun] Chimera [ML/HF] - 190

Why 10 models? To allow a good selection from the hatch, to keep enough alive when they bail out, and to make them not terrible enough when supporting the DCA in assault - something likely inevitable.  Why not 12? Well, we want these squads to represent something - the personal bodyguard of a reasonably high up Magos.  Best way to do this is to attach an Independent Character, but it cannot be an Inquisitor, as we need those to negate the Mindlock of our two Servitor-toting units.  Who then? What unit could possibly fill this void, support the Assassins in combat, and hopefully carry a little bit of punch himself?

Techmarines!

Nemesis Force Halberd, Stormbolter, Rad, Blind and Psychotrope Grenades - 128

Yeah, this guy is PRETTY expensive, but he also adds a lot.  Not least? Giving the whole unit And They Shall know no Fear is a pretty big boon, after everything else! (Note, while I thought of this immediately upon reading the Codex, Stelek did indeed mention the idea before me.  Please restrict the gasps of amazed surprise and lavish praise in deference to his scoop.)

With three Techmarines available to the army, and the theme of the army being...um...TechPriests, we take three, and as a result shift our expectations of the number of forward units.  Why would we want to take 4 of the above unit when only three can benefit from our awesomesauce addition?  Who knows.  Let's take an interlude to work out how many points we've spent...while I'm doing that, you can enjoy this classic song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK2tWVj6lXw - back? Ok.  We've invested 1424 thus far, and have a grand total of 5 units to deploy, in Chimeras.  We have 3 advance units, and 2 fire support...so let's go to Heavy Support, and invert this.

We have a couple options here, and there's no question a couple Inquisitorial Land Raiders would be hilarious...but let's go instead for a Dreadknight, to represent a small Knight Paladin (90's Epic unit) and a couple of Dreadnoughts for Fire Support.  Adding to the number of AV12 units in the army? Also a plus.

Let's go bog standard for the Dreadnoughts, with Psyflemen...but model them with Cyclones or something.

Dreadnought:
TL Autocannon, TL Autocannon, Psybolt Ammo. - 135

Then, we take a Close Combat monster in the Dreadknight -

Dreadknight:
Teleporter, Sword - 230

Taking us now to 1924...and we forgot that Inquisitor! Gasp.  Let's think - what is he there to do? Well, we are literally buying him to make the unit more reliable in it's shooting.  A Psycannon would be nice, but is too expensive as it stands.  It also offers diminished returns vs the MMs we will also be firing if in range, so...let's look among the various options open to the 3 Inquisitors...is there anything that makes shooting more accurate or reliable? Yes indeed, the humble Psyocculum.  Granted, this won't be useful ALL the time, but it will help remove nasties like Seer Council, Tervigons, Deamon Princes, and 'other' Grey Knights.  Let's give him a Servo Skull too - as much for Scout Blocking as anything else, given our lack of Blasts and Deep Strikers.

Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor:
Psyocculum, Servo Skull - 53

A Null Rod would be lovely, but we cannot afford it and a Skull, so...With 1977 spent, we have 23 points to play with, and aim for a couple extra bodies in the Servitor units, simply to increase the unit's lifespan under fire.  By adding 2 Warrior Acolytes to each with Bolters that's 20 points, leaving us 3 we sadly cannot spend terrifically well - another Servo Skull, may as well.

The finished list then?

Inquisitor Torquemada CountsAs - 100

Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor:
Psyocculum, 2 Servo Skulls - 56

Techmarine:

Nemesis Force Halberd, Stormbolter, Rad, Blind and Psychotrope Grenades - 128

Techmarine:

Nemesis Force Halberd, Stormbolter, Rad, Blind and Psychotrope Grenades - 128

Techmarine:

Nemesis Force Halberd, Stormbolter, Rad, Blind and Psychotrope Grenades - 128

Henchmen:

3 Servitors [Multi-Melta] 2 Jokaero, 2 Crusaders, Chimera [ML/HB] - 185

Henchmen:

3 Servitors [Multi-Melta] 2 Jokaero, 2 Crusaders, Chimera [ML/HB] - 185

Henchmen:

4 Death Cult Assassins, 3 Warrior Acolytes [Carapace Armour, Storm Bolter], 3 Warrior Acolytes [Meltagun] Chimera [ML/HF] - 190

Henchmen:

4 Death Cult Assassins, 3 Warrior Acolytes [Carapace Armour, Storm Bolter], 3 Warrior Acolytes [Meltagun] Chimera [ML/HF] - 190

Henchmen:

4 Death Cult Assassins, 3 Warrior Acolytes [Carapace Armour, Storm Bolter], 3 Warrior Acolytes [Meltagun] Chimera [ML/HF] - 190

Dreadnought:

TL Autocannon, TL Autocannon, Psybolt Ammo. - 135

Dreadnought:

TL Autocannon, TL Autocannon, Psybolt Ammo. - 135

Dreadknight:

Personal Teleporter, Nemesis Greatsword - 230

I feel that appropriately covers the personal retinue of an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator Expedition pretty well.  Dissention, where constructive, is welcomed.  :)

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* - Yes, he fully intends to continue talking in the third person as I see fit, and to change in the middle of sentences without warning.  Why not? If nothing else, it keeps it interesting to read. You should seek help.