Blackshields ~3k holes and growth thoughts

[rustic folio]

This basic force represents pretty much everything I've collected for this force over the last few years. I haven't had the opportunity to play, and I know I have weaknesses in the collection (shooting, generally, but specifically anti-armor and flier). I'm trying, for stupid headcanon reasons, to avoid lots of super-advanced technologies, these guys are a broken, scavenger force that is gradually becoming a sort of Proto-Legion of the Damned, with more emphasis on Vengeance and Axe-murder than saving the day.

I'm mostly looking for thoughts on additions to what is primarily a pile of guys with axes, and a handful of dreads, and still on the fence about Pariah armor and bolters, whether they're worth the trade-off when my goal is to get up close and apply axes.

A slight correction to the Mortifactor's companion dreads, they have a Dread CCW instead of a twin linked heavy bolter. So, dread ccw and dread chainfist + melta. The chainfists in the terminator blob are also not on the heavy flamer guy, but they're present in the squad. Combi-weapons are all Combi Grenade launchers.

[ashen shore]

I was wondering what awoke me from my slumber, a blackshields has called for help.

[ashen shore]

Well may I ask what you consider super high tech and also, pariah ain't worth it at all, unless it's the flamers those are decent.

[rustic folio]

At the moment, the soft-banned tech list is: volkite, fancy terminator suits, jetbikes, and non-boxdreads beyond the three I have currently (they're old mr.peanut metals).

[ashen shore]

Hmmm 🤔

Land speeders be fine?

[rustic folio]

Yeah. I have one, kitted as multimelta/havok/HK missile, but on its own I hadn't been thinking about including it.

[ashen shore]

Cataphractii would be good fluf wise since it's the oldest terminator armour

Tartaros and indomitus especially indomitus are newer

Or are your termies already indomitus?

As in modeling wise

[rustic folio]

My thought was that since indomitus is the simplest to maintain, they've raided some IW discarded test suits and actually managed to keep them combat ready.

[ashen shore]

Honestly indomitus is not necessarily easier to maintain its just less I am going to slap as much armour on me termie as possible

Cause that's the idea behind cataphractii

But thats my thoughts on it

[rustic folio]

Mine are Indomitus, as modeled, modestly-de-chaos-ed new style chaos terminators.

[ashen shore]

Ah, then we can work with that

Hmmm do you have Lascannon arms for your dreads?

The Mortis dread would really benefit from Lascannon arms

It's a chunk of points but that means it will help with anti tank

And air

your terminators might want transport or deep strike , indomitus is to slow to move up the board on its own due to not having run

you can get deep strike / infiltrate through war lord traits if that is a problem

[rustic folio]

They're Mr. Peanuts, but my twin Kheres is on an arm that I had to build, so a pair of lascannons could be doable. This is an oooooold picture. There's a shorty that has the ranged weapons loadout, and the two tall boys are melee

[ashen shore]

i would suggest a plane for more anti air or more mortis dreads maybe a box boy, missile launchers or lascannons will do well against most things

[rustic folio]

I had considered going with Tartarus suits, and rebuilding them a bit as psuedo-saturnine terminators.

[ashen shore]

they be looking goof

[rustic folio]

But that's a lot of either old metal or printed bits/whole models.

[ashen shore]

personally i think they are more cataphractii just cause of pauldron size

butt i wil say tartarros will make it look quite nice

i have seen some amazing conversions

Also your marauders don't have transports do they 😅

[rustic folio]

Found a more recent set of the dreads

[ashen shore]

Ah right the dreads, if you do put lascannon arms on the Mortis contemptor consider putting the khrese auto cannon on the melee dreads instead or maybe a second melee arm

[rustic folio]

No, my guys pretty much hoof it across the board (in my mind) at the moment, the only reason I've been thinking about pariah armor, with fear/fleet/rage and the ability to move+run+snap they could at least get around a bit.

[ashen shore]

Dreads usually do well specialized at a certain task

[ashen shore]

If your hoofing across the board your best beat without transports is jet packs or infiltrate my dude

It's possible with a warlord trait but you will have to ask your opponent if you may just straight up pick the trait when you play

[rustic folio]

Gotcha

[ashen shore]

Master of ambush is the warlord trait you want if you want marauders and not assault marines

[rustic folio]

The only transports that can move the blobs all at once would be.. like.. Spartans.

[ashen shore]

Thats 3 non-vehicle units and your warlord infiltrating

[ashen shore]

Yep

Or stromlords

Grab vox's on your marauders so you can deep strike the land speeders

[rustic folio]

Spartans would add a nice pile of lascannons, but, that's a lot of throw to be running up with the axe-blob

[ashen shore]

They can still out flank if needed but deep strike will definitely get em where you want em

Land speeder are great anti tank

Also might let your termies get closer let off a salvo of their combi metlas on something heavy

[rustic folio]

Should I look at regular land speeders, or try to source Javelins?

[ashen shore]

Both are good, it's more up to preference, normal landspeeders are good if you give them a graviton gun and melta anything more is a bonus, the javelin hits more reliably and you can take either missiles or lascannons along with a multi melta and anything more is up to you

Also don't forgot a plane or Mortis box dread would nice for anti air and tank

Having just one source of anti air is dangerous

People have brought single deredeos and they usually get shaken from artillery fire before the planes come in to kill them, same thing can happen to a mortis so watch out

[rustic folio]

I’ll see what I can do for javelins, their missile option is better for the same points than a MM+havoc+2x HK missile standard speeder, though the standard speeders fit the theme better.

I have a deredeo as well, but it’s slotted into my 40k salamanders

[ashen shore]

I usually run garviton instead of havocs on my normal landspeeders makes them quite good anti tank without the need for hunter killers

[ashen shore]

Ah fuck I forgot to actually ping others, the more wisdom the better

<@&877304638460796948>

[vale star]

Ello ello ello

[ashen shore]

Ello

The list is up top, it's made up from his current physical models, any ideas an recommendations to add to or tweak

[vale star]

Ok so this is looking pretty tasty

Ive run a very similar marauder setup in the past and my suggestion would be drop all the bolters for laslocks

Thats an immediate 96 points you can play with

Even now when I'm using gene-bulked I never take bolters, at 2ppm theyre just not worth it

And especially now you're BS3 from the berserkers

The only other thing I will say, as this is from personal experience from 5 games this weekend, is that you really need to keep the Marauders away from dreads

I had 2 20 man squads swept by contemptors

[rustic folio]

I'll keep that in mind, I'll have to bash one-handed replacements from something. my current setup is a custom gun that's set up be able to fill for pariah bolter/bolter/shotgun.

some sort of chunky heavy laspistol-thing might do.