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| Action Figure Heaven |
"Kirby,
I am a longtime reader of your blog, and the owner of a small fluff-blog of my own. Let me first say I like your site (congrats on the new domain!) and you've helped me, if not play better, then at least realize why I sometimes play so poorly. One of the features I have run a couple of times now on my blog is a "how to build a fluffy ____ army." Partly because I like your email in feature, and partly because I secretly want to promote my little fluff blog on some high-profile sites, I would like to submit my "How to: Crimson Fists" list. I don't know if there's a format you prefer for armylist submissions, or if there is some initiation ritual involving goat's blood and double-fifteen dominoes before I can do an email-in list, but here it is. Tell me what you think, and if you find it interesting enough, share it with the people!
The list, without my fluff preamble.
Crimson Fists 2000
HQ: 290
Pedro Kantor - 175
This is an obvious buy for a Crimson Fists theme list. He makes Sternguard scoring, which represents the fact that even veteran marines in the Fists have to sometimes handle the nitty gritty gruntwork. Put him in a Pod with a Sternguard Squad and then realize that rhymes.
Master of the Forge, Power Axe - 115
With 2 power fists, 3 power weapons (+1 on the charge), a flamer, and a plasma pistol, there's pretty much nothing this guy can't somehow threaten. Stick him with a Sternguard squad and watch him go. In addition, he bolsters a ruin that you can stick some sniper scouts in for 2+ cover goodness.
Running total: 290
Elites: 780
2 of these: 10 Sternguard, 6 combi-meltas, Drop Pod - 315
With the ability to combat squad out of a drop pod, this unit can either come in early in the game and suicide-melta, or it can be pulled from reserves to crack that annoying "assault squad in land raider holding objective" that can really screw up your game.
Dreadnought, Multimelta, Heavy Flamer, Drop Pod - 150 each
The standard loadout for a Dreadnought, this guy is an all-purpose troubleshooter. You got trouble, he shoots it.
Running total:1070
Troops: 410
10 Scouts, snipers, Telion, Missile - 190
If you're gonna spring for the [ahem] points for camo cloaks, you might as well spend the extra [ahem] and get Telion. He's able to directly assign the wounds he deals, which is great, or lend his mighty-impressive BS of 6 to a missile launcher. Since the Fists need the best scouts they can get, and Telion's famous for training scouts, it makes sense that they might borrow him from Papa Smurf for a while.
2 of these: 5 Scouts, Sgt Power Fist/Combi-Melta, BP/CCWs - 110
The classic melee scout configuration, these guys will go in your Land Speeder Storms. They have a couple potential uses, which I will explain when the Storm entry comes up.
Running total: 1480
Fast Attack: 430
10 Scout Bikers, 3 Grenade Launchers, Locator Beacon, Power Fist, cluster mines - 300
These guys do a few things for you:
1) Bring a Locator Beacon that, combined with Scout move and Turbo-Boost, can give you precision deep striking even for your Drop Pod Assault. Suddenly, two Dreadnoughts, a bike squad, and two five-man Tank Destroyer scout squads in the middle of the foe on turn 1. Can combat squad, putting grenades in one squad and sergeant in another for more flexibility.
2) Outflank for side armour hits with 6 astartes grenades. Take that, chimeras!
3) Against infantry-heavy units, like footguard and Kroot bubble-wrap, get two or three squads into an assault and bog them down with t5/4+ which, while hardly the greatest stats in the game, are certainly nothing to sneeze at - especially against the kinds of bubble wrap you'll be wanting to pop.
2 of these: Land Speeder Storm, Multimelta - 65 each
Stick a CC scout squad in each of these. Alpha Strike with them (scout move 24 + move 12 + disembark 2 + assault 6 = 44" threat range with multimelta, combi-melta, 3 power fists = some dead tonks, and if there are juicy guardvets inside, some dead guardvets) or deepstrike them around a locator beacon for heat-seeking fury!
Running total: 1910
Heavy Support:
Predator Destructor, Heavy Bolters, Dozer Blade
Bog-standard dakkapred, plus a Dozer Blade because: 1) looks freakin cool and 2) where else are you gonna spend those 5 points?
Thanks a bunch.
- FerrusFair"
I'll critique this from a competitive standpoint though obviously there are some things which I'll gloss over because of the fluff.
Sternguard - I prefer these guys in Rhinos or Razorbacks. Drop Pods are nice but can really leave them exposed unless you drop empty Pods T1 and allow them to come into the game as normal reserves. This is possible with the...
Master of the Forge - you're not maximising his abilities here. 2+ cover for Telion scouts is great but you want to grab some Dreadnoughts as well. Since you're using Sternguard in your Elites taking them as Heavy Support isn't going to be an issue and allows you to get those extra Pods to drop before the Sternguard arrive (or at the least, gives you the option on what comes in first). The Dreadnoughts are more capable of starting on the board so don't need to come in the pods.
Melee Scouts + Storms - are bad I'm afraid. They barely scare backfield units with WS3 and the BS3 from the Storm reduces its utility a lot. I'd prefer to see normal Speeders here.
Scout Bikers - same as above. You don't really need the beacon as you can buy beacons on the Pods and they aren't going to mishap unless off the table. A small squad is okay and can fit the scout theme you have going but spending a massive amount of points on them isn't really necessary.
Dakka Pred - good
Personally I'd drop the Melee Scouts + Storms and Bikes for an extra Sternguard squad and Dreadnought in Heavy Support as this gives you those Podding options if you want to keep the Drop Pods. Grab another small Scout squad with snipers + missile for your second mandatory Troop. Any spare points go into Land Speeders for saturation, mobility and fast heavy weapons. This fully utilises the MotF + Pedro combination and gives the army more tactical flexibility.
Not sure how it goes on the fluff front though and if you didn't want the competitive critique, well now you have it :P (whilst keeping the Pedro theme).
