Positive thinking. Let's start with mutants!

[Hansisaf]

As this is a topic about positive thinking :)

 

Renegades Heavy Weapons teams: 3pts per model for 2 Wounds each is cheaper and better than militia. Still only Bs 5+, but...

Give them a Heavy stubber and you've got yourself a Heavy 3 36" S4 AP0 D1 weapon with 2W for a meager 7pts.

Give them a Heavy bolter and you've got yourself a Heavy 3 36" S5 AP-1 D1 for 11pts.

 

Pretty easy to spam also :)

[Akrim]

Not bad but youre more efficient with mortars, no need for LOS either.

[Kinstryfe]

Giant mortar line hiding behind cover indescriminantly shelling things? :Looks for 60mm bases for dusty mortar crews: yes please.

 

If you have enough guns, bs5+ isn't that big a deal...

[Hansisaf]

[..]

If you have enough guns, bs5+ isn't that big a deal...

True, ask Orks :)

[Akrim]

At the end of the day its one of those units you just hope to get lucky with. Statistically you only stand to inflict a couple wounds depending on your target.

 

As it stands our Militia equivilent units are basically meat shields for the big guns, which massed mortar teams could do well enough. Hopefully FW does right and give Militia a basic human statline.

[GreaterChickenofTzeentch]

At the end of the day its one of those units you just hope to get lucky with. Statistically you only stand to inflict a couple wounds depending on your target.

 

As it stands our Militia equivilent units are basically meat shields for the big guns, which massed mortar teams could do well enough. Hopefully FW does right and give Militia a basic human statline.

Well, the new Renegade cultists are now very usable if you want WS/BS 4+ meatshields. Since Enforcers were fixed, they can come in huge units and not go anywhere.

 

Also, if you want to hold a line, Fallen actually have a purpose in an army like this. They have rock hard leadership, heavy mid-range firepower that rerolls 1's if they plant their feet, and they can get bonuses from Imperial fortifications like the Wall of Martyrs stuff that looks for the "Imperium" keyword.

 

Shell the enemy half to death with BS 4+ Basilisks, Laser Destroyers, and Wyverns, and then they have to close......right into the Plasma/Power Fist Hell of the Fallen.

[GreaterChickenofTzeentch]

Just noticed that Renegade Flamers are 2pts cheaper than CSM, so a Renegade Cultist squad with 3 of them will have a minor discount over an equivalent CSM one.

 

Regarding fluff and/or integration with CSM, there are some amazing things we can do here to represent the variety of crazy folks that hang out with CSM:

 

Thousand Son Thrall Wizards? Supreme Command Detachment full of Malefic Lords and Psyker Covens (bonus points for using it as an excuse to throw in an TS Lord of War like....say....Magnus? Or maybe the Super Chicken Aetos'Rau'Keres?)

 

Alpha Legion Cultists are covered by their CSM Cultists and the buffs they can get from their CSM brethren. However, a Vanguard Detachment full of Marauders or Disciples (esp. Stalker Marauders) does a bang up job of representing their elite operators. Even "In it for the Money" isn't a problem, because SF folks are huge investments and often have other objectives that they will shift to instead of being tied down in a firefight they're likely to lose. They'll stick hard despite casualties until that 1 comes up, and then they're out. No problem.

 

Iron Warriors Slave Soldiers? Hello Battalion full of Renegade Cultists backed by Enforcers, big guns, and IW HQ's and specialists. Very easy to build a "Stage 1" IW army where they use bombardments and disposable bodies to wear the enemy down before committing actual CSM.

 

Dark Mechanicus? Field as many Hellwrights from the Forces of Chaos Index as you want, plus crazy modified Ogryn, Mutant Rabble with bionic parts, and Heretek Marauders, plus as many Daemon Engines, Knights, or Titans as you care to put on the table.

 

Ironically, we're limited in the ability to represent Blood Pact because we don't have Grenadiers anymore (no carapace units with Covenants or hotshot guns), but regular BP infantry and air support would be fine, plus you can easily throw in CSM Daemon Engines or Helbrutes as Stalk Tanks.

 

All in all, not bad.

Edited July 17, 2017 by GreaterChickenofTzeentch

[micahwc]

Marauders with Heretek option gives them carapace armor.

[GreaterChickenofTzeentch]

Marauders with Heretek option gives them carapace armor.

Correct, but Marauders can't have Covenants or Hotshot Lasguns. Blood Pact Grenadiers were Khorne worshippers with the same kit as Stormtroopers (Carapace plus hotshot).