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Author Topic: Chaplain Swordwind's Biel-Tan Strike Force, 2000 pts  (Read 4157 times)

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Offline Chaplain Swordwind

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Chaplain Swordwind's Biel-Tan Strike Force, 2000 pts
« on: February 4, 2008, 12:52:13 AM »
HQ:
Autarch w/Jetbike, Laser Lance, Mandiblasters & Fusion Gun.
140 pts

Farseer w/ Jetbike, Runes of Warding, Singing Spear & Doom.
128 pts

Troops:
Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults.
167 pts

Wave Serpent w/ T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
130 pts

Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults.
167 pts

Wave Serpent w/ T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
130 pts

Elite:
Howling Banshees x 10.  Exarch w/ Executioner’s Sword.
182 pts

Wave Serpent w/ T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
130 pts

Fire Dragons x 6.  Exarch w/ Dragon’s Breath Flamer & Crack Shot.
113 pts

Fast Attack:
Shining Spears x4.  Exarch w/ Withdraw.
177 pts

Warp Spiders x6.  Exarch w/ Dual Death Spinner & Withdraw.
164 pts

Heavy Support:
Falcon w/ Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines, Holo-Fields & Spirit Stones.
185 pts

Fire Prism w/ Vectored Engines, Holo-Fields & Spirit Stones.
180 pts

Total:  1993 pts

58 Infantry Models (62 Wounds)
5 Skimmer Tanks
8 Scoring Units
« Last Edit: March 27, 2008, 10:07:43 AM by Chaplain Swordwind »
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Offline Chaplain Swordwind

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches.
« Reply #1 on: February 4, 2008, 12:54:07 AM »
This is my Biel-Tan Strike Force.  I call it a Strike Force instead of an Army because for the points it has a relative low model count.  This is not a force intended to win a battle of attrition.  Instead, it uses speed and finesse to pick apart the opposition, destroying them piecemeal while taking as few casualties as possible.

The theme of the Strike Force is mobile combat power, centered around five Aspect Temples; Dire Avengers, Fire Dragons, Howling Banshees, Shining Spears and Warp Spiders.  They are supported by Grav Tanks and Command Units mounted on Jet Bikes.  When mounted up, every unit in this army can move up to 24 inches per turn (though the Warp Spiders will not do that consistently).

Each unit in the Strike Force has a primary and a secondary task.  These tasks overlap so that no task is left incomplete simply because of the loss of one key unit.  This redundancy helps me compensate for my relative inexperience with Eldar.  I am still learning how to maximize the effiency of these units, but I have a good grasp of the basic Do's and Don't's.

I would also like to emphasize that this is a COMBINED ARMS Strike Force.  None of the units included are ment to operate independently.  They work together to destroy the enemy, and so the whole of this list is greater than the sum of its parts.

Background/Fluff:  The Biel-Tan Eldar are well known for their aggression towards other races of the galaxy.  They strive to reclaim the former glory of the Eldar Empire, and strike out against any alien that seeks to claim territory that belonged to the Eldar before the fall.  With races like the Orks, Tau, Tyranids, and especially the cursed Mon-Keigh constantly striving to expand their territory, the forces of Biel-Tan are very busy indeed.  Because the enemies are so numerous, it is rare for the Bahzhakhain to be fully assembled.  Most of the time, smaller strike forces, such as the one described above, are sent out to eliminate newly formed colonies of alien races.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2008, 08:53:30 AM by Chaplain Swordwind »
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Offline Lazarus

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches.
« Reply #2 on: February 4, 2008, 05:29:47 AM »
Serpents as listed are only 140.

Auatarch is solid I suppose.

I cringe seeing a seer without fortune....Runes of warding are also mandatory for me. Runes of witnessing are nice but not a must have...

I'd certainly go w/ the dual catapaults on the exarch - the squad's primary role is shooting. Doom will help.

3 units of 6 elites - which one is walking? (I only see 2 falcons)

Also, I consider vectored engines on falcons mandatory.


About the scorps: If one of those banshee units is walking you might as well use some infiltrating scorps instead...


Looks like you're going to have to get pretty close for you AT duties.....not much ranged to offer for the point level.


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« Last Edit: February 4, 2008, 05:31:16 AM by Lazarus »
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Offline Chaplain Swordwind

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches.
« Reply #3 on: February 4, 2008, 08:49:41 AM »
Serpents as listed are only 140.

Ah, you are correct.  Hmm... extra points just might go to towards Spirit Stones and an additional power for the seer...

Quote

I cringe seeing a seer without fortune....Runes of warding are also mandatory for me. Runes of witnessing are nice but not a must have...

Okay.

Quote
I'd certainly go w/ the dual catapaults on the exarch - the squad's primary role is shooting. Doom will help.

Okay, thanks for the tip.

Quote
3 units of 6 elites - which one is walking? (I only see 2 falcons)

I intended to leapfrog them between the two Falcons.  At 1500 pts I leapfrog two squads on a single Falcon; two Falcons for three squads is a little better I think.

Quote
Also, I consider vectored engines on falcons mandatory.

Vectored Engines are there.  Do you mean Star Engines?

Quote
About the scorps: If one of those banshee units is walking you might as well use some infiltrating scorps instead...

When I posted, I couldn't muster enough points to give them the ability to infiltrate.  However, as you pointed out I am paying too much for my Serpents, so I could get the points from there, at the cost of being able to put a second power on the seer.  Which in your opinion is more important?

Quote
Looks like you're going to have to get pretty close for you AT duties.....not much ranged to offer for the point level.

You are correct.  This list is basically an expanded version of the list I am fielding in Gutstikk's POC campaign.  I kept my weapon upgrades cheap in order to put as many units on the table as possible.  However, as you pointed out, I over estimated the price of my Wave Serpents (I have no idea how I did that, but it sure is embarrasing).  I could use those points to swap Shruiken Cannons for Scatter Lasers, which would give me longer reach and more shots.  Again, that would directly compete with adding a second power onto my Farseer, so I guess its a matter of what will do me the most good.

Thanks for checking out my list.  I will make a few corrections, and then if you have anything else to add, please do so.

C.S.
« Last Edit: February 4, 2008, 08:56:57 AM by Chaplain Swordwind »
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Offline moc065

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches.
« Reply #4 on: February 4, 2008, 11:10:49 AM »
I willnot be offering a true rating as this list is still in its infancy; but I will offer some suggestions and points to ponder on eah unit and the army as a whole.
HQ:
Autarch w/Jetbike, Laser Lance, Mandiblasters & Fusion Gun.
140 pts With no units that can get him out of CC initial contact (execpt maybe the Spiders), I would say that his primary duty is shooting (anti-tank) and Assault would be a back up or assist; thus I don't think the mandiblaster are necessary as the army is currently configured.

Farseer w/ Jetbike, Singing Spear & Doom.
113 pts RoWard are a must for psycher suppression and believe me that with Chaos, SMurf's and Eldar running the way they are, you definately want it. I would also advocate for Stones and Fortune of this guy as a smart enemy will pcik him out and shut down a lot of your potential (From DOOM) as soon as he can.

Troops:
Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults.
167 pts Personnally I see these guys getting moved forward for drop off or Fleeting on T=1, thuse they will be Bladestorming on T=2, and then they will be "Holding" the enemy for the rest of the game. Hence I see PW & SS much more viable than Duel Avenger Cats.

Wave Serpent w/ Shuriken Cannon, Twin-Linked Scatter Laser, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
155 pts Smart opponents will not let you shoot with this too often, so I would trim the Shuri-cannon to asve points. I would keep the Scatterlaser though, as its range could be used early game and keep the vehicle out of return LOS.

Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults.
167 pts Same as above; but why not use a totally differnt unit to build in some more flexability into the army.

Wave Serpent w/ Shuriken Cannon, Twin-Linked Scatter Laser, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
155 pts Same as above; again think about Flexibility as well, because 2 serpents actually remove the potential of that 10th Scoring unit.

Elite:
Howling Banshees x 6.  Exarch w/ Executioner’s Sword.
118 pts Solid unit for use with your Falcon(s)

Howling Banshees x 6.  Exarch w/ Executioner’s Sword.
118 pts Here I would advocate for diversity, Harlies, Scorps, or even some Shining Spears (points dependant of course).

Fire Dragons x 6.  Exarch w/ Dragon’s Breath Flamer & Crack Shot.
113 pts Solid unit for use with your Falcon(s); just be carefull to time them well or they will get plastered right after they shoot.

Fast Attack:
Swooping Hawks x 6.  Exarch w/ Hawk’s Talon, Intercept & Skyleap.
168 pts A good trim unit that can provide Anti-tank, some added range shoting, VP denial, etc...

Warp Spiders x6.  Exarch w/ Dual Death Spinner, Power Blades & Withdraw.
174 pts I like the Power Blades; but you may want to consider Surprise Assault as it can be very usefull if used well.

Heavy Support:
Falcon w/ Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines, Holo-Fields & Spirit Stones.
205 pts See my notes on your first Serpent, but if you think that you can get 3+ turns out of it each game then all those guns may be usefull, I just prefer them very lean as Tranports primarily to allow for more units in the long run.

Falcon w/ Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines, Holo-Fields & Spirit Stones.
205 pts Same as your first Falcon.


1998 Total Points

52 Infantry Models (56 Wounds) I never found this relavant, as with crazy Casualty conservation techniques you can actually take very few losses in numbers and still win the game.
4 Grav Tanks Two of which are non-scoring, and realatively soft.
9 Scoring Units At 2K I would expect 10 as a minimum and 9 being realitively easy for your opponnet to make the appropriate prioritization to deal with all effectively.

What Would I do....
1.. Well, build an assault unit for the Autarch to work with.
2.. Trim the fat off of every vehicle (I could save about 80pts here believe it or not).
3.. Diversify some of the twin units with a totally different unit.
4.. Possibly drop one Serpent totally for a Prism, 3rd Falcon, or the addition of another Assault unit.

I hope that didn't sound to harsh; but as it is, most competitve players would exploit this list.

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Offline Gutstikk

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches.
« Reply #5 on: February 4, 2008, 12:17:14 PM »
If you're looking for a tournament style list, exchanging the scatters to shuricannons is a good move, runes of warding are much more important due to chaos/etc., as you describe your leapfrogging squads the scorpions are my preferred choice [as they can whether some fire if need be, or infiltrate if you so choose]...

Star engines aren't a necessity for wave serpents carrying avengers as they have the range to make up the shortfall, but you may want them on the falcons occasionally [or perhaps on one of them...].

It's all right as it looks but you may want to consider close combat a little more closely; at the 2k benchmark the assault phase starts to become something you must be able to account for effectively.

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches.
« Reply #6 on: February 4, 2008, 03:43:38 PM »
Posted by: moc065

Quote
Personnally I see these guys getting moved forward for drop off or Fleeting on T=1, thuse they will be Bladestorming on T=2, and then they will be "Holding" the enemy for the rest of the game. Hence I see PW & SS much more viable than Duel Avenger Cats.


I used to think the same thing but the few times that I've used them with the serpent the do the fish of fury tactic - the enemy isn't getting to them anyways...





Posted by: Chaplain Swordwind

Quote
Vectored Engines are there

Didn't see them I guess. Sorry about that.

Quote
When I posted, I couldn't muster enough points to give them the ability to infiltrate.  However, as you pointed out I am paying too much for my Serpents, so I could get the points from there, at the cost of being able to put a second power on the seer.  Which in your opinion is more important?

I'd always make sure my scorps had infiltrate (if I was actualy fielding them...lol)


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Offline Chaplain Swordwind

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches.
« Reply #7 on: February 4, 2008, 11:17:18 PM »
Okay, thanks for the input guys.  I am going to experiment with various modifications until I find the one I like best.  At that time I will update the list and fill in my Background and Strategy section.  Until then I will lock the thread.  Anyone wishing to add further comments or suggestions between now and then feel free to PM me.
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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches.
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2008, 06:38:31 PM »
Do you want to go for quick CC? Mostly firepower?  A good versatile mix?  Where do you want to do your damage from, up close, midfield, from your DZ?  This list seems somewhat confused to me, in that it mixes several styles of shooting, CC and movement.  You have very fast elements such as the mounted DA's and at least one of the falcons, jetbike HQ's, etc, but much slower elements or tactics (Leapfrogging majorly kills mobility.  You can leave a unit behind in a pinch but then it's doing nothing for you and is subject to fire, and if you take the time to get the units up there to attack, you've added an extra turn or two to your advance, and you cant always count on having the right unit mounted up and ready when you need it somewhere.  Having a 6 man squad in the open while leapfrogging is very dangerous, and is suicide should your opponent have a more mobile army, or the possibility of guess weapons which are rather common these days.)  You have some ranged firepower units such as hawks and falcons, but many upclose shooting units like warpsiders, dire avengers and fire dragons. Also you have some formidable CC power but small squads of it that will not be able to take your opponent head on in a 2000pt battle, on top of the fact that they are being leapfrogged, surgical strikes are pretty much out. 

Your hawks can do well taking down vehicles, but for static vehicles you can more easily use your skimmers for back shots, or a mix of scorpions/dragons, the autarch and other units that are going to be up close to the enemy anyway.  Getting hawks close is dangerous to them as they are very fragile, and they should be in midfield contributing harassment fire, which in itself seems a bit out of place in this army, or at least in the form of hawks.  Yes, having more aspects can be seen as fluffy, but I prefer to go for full size squads of more common aspects like banshees and scorpions, Biel-Tan is more likely to field whole forces of aspect warriors as opposed to small specialist teams for important missions like many other craftworlds (aka small squads).  I'd prefer points here going towards better supression fire that would fit better into your army, such as a fire prism that can take down the same tanks, but do it form afar with more resilience and still offer you that pieplate, and can also give some AP2 fire.  This is not an aspect squad but is about the same points if not cheaper depending on your setup.

Eldritch storm can be useful, though with firedragons and alot of strength 6 weaponry, I find it mostly superfluous and would rather see fortune if a second power, but *shrug*, it can have it's uses, and I sure have taken down scores of vehicles in my time with massed shuriken catapults and pistols.


For the most part your equippment selection looks good to me, it's just appears to be lacking or at least mixed up on it's unit-style synergy.  If you wanted up close CC i'd drop the hawks for a fire prism, upgrade a CC squad to 10 strong and add a serpent, consider changing the spiders to something faster or farther reaching. 

If you wanted up cloose shooting, I'd still drop one of the leapfrog squads so that you can do surgical strikes with one strong CC squad mixed with intense up close shooting.  Hawks are more fitting in a shooting list as they can still add some good suppression and support fire from midfield and some pinning templates, but I'd switch the autarch's gun to help this aspect.


I'm not fully seeing where you are going with this list, and also do you know any of the opponents you are going for? tournement style it appears?
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Offline Chaplain Swordwind

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; (Not Quite) Finishing Touches.
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2008, 09:14:44 AM »
Well, to answer your question about opponents and tournaments, I have never played in a tournament.  I play with my friends, or with whoever shows up at the local game shop.  I would like to think I could at some point be a tournament level player, but at this time I hold no illusions about that.

My goal was not to focus on firepower or close combat, but to blend the two together.  So often I see people advising new players to shoot up close combat armies, and assault shooty armies.  I guess my intent was to be able to do both of those things.  I recognize that many of my squads are small, but for the Elite choices that was intentional, to make sure they could fit in the back of the Falcons.  To me the Hawks all so seem to be most efficient in small squads, either using their Haywire Grenades to drop vehicles or the Yo-yoing Pieplate tactic against swarms.  The Yo-Yo also gives them resilience, because they will not be caught by enemy shooting or assault.

Now, the Spiders I would gladly consider making a larger squad, 8 or so I suppose, but I did not have the points.  However, based on some of your comments, I have considered revising the list to look like this:

HQ:
Autarch w/Jetbike, Laser Lance, Mandiblasters & Fusion Gun.
140 pts

Farseer w/ Jetbike, Runes of Warding, Singing Spear & Doom.
128 pts

Troops:
Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults.
167 pts

Wave Serpent w/ Shuriken Cannon, T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
140 pts

Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults.
167 pts

Wave Serpent w/ Shuriken Cannon, T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
140 pts

Elite:
Howling Banshees x 10.  Exarch w/ Executioner’s Sword.
182 pts

Wave Serpent w/ Shuriken Cannon, T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
140 pts

Fire Dragons x 6.  Exarch w/ Dragon’s Breath Flamer & Crack Shot.
113 pts

Fast Attack:
Swooping Hawks x 6.  Exarch w/ Hawk’s Talon, Intercept & Skyleap.
168 pts

Warp Spiders x6.  Exarch w/ Dual Death Spinner, Power Blades & Withdraw.
174 pts

Heavy Support:
Falcon w/ Shuriken Cannon x2, Vectored Engines, Holo-Fields & Spirit Stones.
195 pts


1854 Total Points

As you can see this is an incomplete list.  Some things I would think about doing are:

Squeeze in a Fire Prism.
Increase the Warp Spiders to 8 strong.
Drop something to make room for Shining Spears, to go with the Autarch.

If anything had to be taken out, I think it would have to be the Swooping Hawks.  I like them, but the Spiders are more durable on the table, and they have no points wasted.  With the Hawks, they are either vehicle hunters or Yo-yoing, but it is not practical to do both, so either way points go unused.  I like the versatility, which is why I was okay with this before.  But if I am going to beef up the list they will probably end up getting dropped.

However, as it stands I think these changes address some of your concerns about my list.  Everything is either fast or has a transport, no leapfrogging necessary.  Runes of Warding fit in now, providing protection against abusive strategies such as Tigurius/FotD.

I like the boost to my armies anti-MEQ capabilities.  That is why I originally had two squads of banshees instead of a Scorpions (though they can do the job in a pinch, it is not their strongest ability).  With the loss of the Scorpions, Eldritch Storm, and possibly the Swooping Hawks, my ability to deal with Swarms will be hindered, but that can be mitigated by the inclusion of the Fire Prism.

Boosting the Warp Spiders and adding Shining Spears would give me more punch against Monstrous Creatures, which would also be useful I think.  However, if I have to drop the Swooping Hawks to do that, I am losing out against Tanks.  I think I could survive that change though, as the Fire Dragons, Autarch, and massive quantities of Strength 6 Firepower would still be able to do the job (except perhaps against Necrons, but I have not seen any Necron armies in my area lately).

Damn, just when I thought I was ready to go, now I feel like I'm re-writing the entire list.  Not to mention I'll need more models.  DOH!

So much for "Finishing Touches". 
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Offline moc065

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; (Not Quite) Finishing Touches.
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2008, 11:33:58 AM »
HQ:
Autarch w/Jetbike, Laser Lance, Mandiblasters & Fusion Gun.
140 pts The Mandiblasters are not a "Must Have" item if you can get him working with a unit that can "Remove" itself form combat.... Just something to consider, otherwise this is a very effecient and effective config and has often served me very very well.

Farseer w/ Jetbike, Runes of Warding, Singing Spear & Doom.
128 pts I like Mindwar to pick out those little toublesome Gits, but Doom does have its advantages as well, especiall with the number of lower str shots and attacks the rest of your army can generate. Good Synergy on this guy and if you have the points, maybe Spirit Stones and Mindwar might be an addition to consider.

Troops:
Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults.
167 pts Solid

Wave Serpent w/ Shuriken Cannon, T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
140 pts Solid; but you can shave the Shuri-cannon upgrade if you find that you need the points somewhere else.

Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults.
167 pts Here I would say to get a P-Weapon and S-Shield instead of 2 DAC.... for variety in the units as its almost as much shooting, and the "Holding Power" against certain enemies can be game altering.

Wave Serpent w/ Shuriken Cannon, T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
140 pts Solid; but you can shave the Shuri-cannon upgrade if you find that you need the points somewhere else.

Elite:
Howling Banshees x 10.  Exarch w/ Executioner’s Sword.
182 pts Solid

Wave Serpent w/ Shuriken Cannon, T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones.
140 pts Solid; but you can shave the Shuri-cannon upgrade if you find that you need the points somewhere else. Possible Star Engines to use them as a Tank-Shocking unit that crosses the table Turn 1, and then dis-gorges the girls on Turn 2, so they can assault what the DA have softened up (double whammy with Doom attached)

Fire Dragons x 6.  Exarch w/ Dragon’s Breath Flamer & Crack Shot.
113 pts Solid

Fast Attack:
Swooping Hawks x 6.  Exarch w/ Hawk’s Talon, Intercept & Skyleap.
168 pts Now I often take the Sun Rifle for its Pinning potential; but there is absolutely nothing wrong with this config.... I do caution your use of them against Tanks though, as they often turn into 1 Hit wonders when the Blast from the destroyed Tank wipes out half the squad; thus, small is the way to go here for sure.

Warp Spiders x6.  Exarch w/ Dual Death Spinner, Power Blades & Withdraw.
174 pts Now I often take the PB's for WYSIWYG purposes and I like them; but they are not really that benefitial, so this is deffinately a place to shave points, possible getting you the room to add 1-2 more of them to the squad.

Heavy Support:
Falcon w/ Shuriken Cannon x2, Vectored Engines, Holo-Fields & Spirit Stones.
195 pts Well I think I have mentioned this before; but, I see this as a Transport first, so any weapons Upgrades to me are a waste of points. As my Falcons have worked out to ahve about 2 rounds of shooting per game. Thus I would simply dump the Shuri-cannon upgrade on the Cat to save points.

1854 Total Points OK, with the points saved on Serpent/Falcon extra Weapons and the PB's; I would simply say to add that Star Engine I spoke of to that one Serpent, and then get as many extra Spiders as you can. The comments on the HQ's were just there to give you some ideas for alternate play as both of them are well suited to your army list as is. If any unit was to be Swapped out/exchanged/whatever.... and I hate to say this, but the Swooping Hawks are the weekest link in the army.... And could be replaced with a number of things.... a couple of BL or EML Vypers woudl give you the Anti-tank they provide with a Scoring unit added and some Versatility in regarde to the EML shots. A squad of Spears with Withdraw would make that Autarch rock in Assault; but they too have their flaws... In the end the choice is yours, so think about what you think you can do and then do it... also make a decent back-up plan for every unit as some Crafty Opponents can throw the strangest stuff at you.

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Offline moc065

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Re: 2000 pts Biel-Tan Army List; Finishing Touches
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2008, 11:10:06 AM »
HQ:
Autarch w/Jetbike, Laser Lance, Mandiblasters & Fusion Gun. 140 pts
Farseer w/ Jetbike, Runes of Warding, Singing Spear & Doom. 128 pts

Troops:
Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults. 167 pts
     Wave Serpent w/ T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones. 130 pts
Dire Avengers x 10.  Exarch w/ Bladestorm, Defend & Dual Shuriken Catapults. 167 pts
     Wave Serpent w/ T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones. 130 pts

Elite:
Howling Banshees x 10.  Exarch w/ Executioner’s Sword. 182 pts
     Wave Serpent w/ T-L Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines & Spirit Stones. 130 pts
Fire Dragons x 6.  Exarch w/ Dragon’s Breath Flamer & Crack Shot. 113 pts

Fast Attack:
Shining Spears x4.  Exarch w/ Withdraw. 177 pts
Warp Spiders x8.  Exarch w/ Dual Death Spinner, Power Blades & Withdraw. 218 pts

Heavy Support:
Falcon w/ Shuriken Cannon, Vectored Engines, Holo-Fields & Spirit Stones. 185 pts
War Walker w/ EML & Scatter Laser. 65 pts
War Walker w/ EML & Scatter Laser. 65 pts

Total:  1997 pts, 50 Infantry Models (54 Wounds), 4 Skimmer Tanks, 2 Walkers, 9 Scoring Units


moc-score

1.. Anti-tank potential: Every unit or its ride, has some Anti-tank or side/rear armour potential, although not a lot of it is dedicated, so Good (.8 )
2.. Anti-MEQ potential: Loads of high punch even though not a lot of it is dedicated AP=3 or better; but stil its Good (.8 )
3.. Anti-Horde potential: Lots of varied shotingin str and numbers, as well as some good combo's and tactical options to use on hordes, Very Good (.9)
4.. Ranged Firepower potential: Plenty of ranged Firepower, and that that is shorter ranged has mobility to help it out, so Very Good (.9)
5.. Assault potential: a few Holding units, and a couple of decent Assault units so overall its Good (.8 )
6.. Scoring Units / point level: 9 scoring units at 2K is not that great, infact its Below Average (.4 )
7.. Durability or Resilience: Aside from a couple of Fragile War Walkers, the units are actually fairly resilient and some stuff is down right Hard, so overall its Good (.8 )
8.. Flexability: I don't see this list having difficulty with too many races, it will suffer against enemies that know how ot slow it down, or how to trap the Serpent Units though, so overall its just Above Average (.7)
9.. Mission Capabiliy: I can't think of any missions that woudl cripple it outright, Unless it had to Hold onto some Bunkers, and even then I think it could adept well enough, so Very Good (.9)
10. Dynamics and/or Theme: Synergy, Imagination, almost all Aspects, I think it het the Theme pretty close, Good (.8 )

Rating = 7.8/10 Other may Score it differently; but aside from mis-use, this list has the potential to do well in virually any environment and agasint any opponent.

CaHG
« Last Edit: March 28, 2008, 01:11:56 PM by moc065 »
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Offline Gutstikk

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Re: Chaplain Swordwind's Biel-Tan Strike Force, 2000 pts
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2008, 08:35:04 PM »
Your list has been selected for inclusion in the Big List of Eldar Lists project! You will be receiving a score from me using the 5/5 system as outlined in the Big List of Eldar Lists in the stickies on this board. Following is the critique I have given:

Background: .5
You've given a good description of the kind of strategy you intend to employ and the mechanized units you've selected are generally appropriate. The walkers however deviate from your earlier stated aims of fielding an all move=12+ army, as they have no means of moving at that speed. Additionally, you are taking a minor hit in this area because while it's easy to see how your thinking has developed and led to changes in the units, it also feels like this is WIP rather than a finished list, and so is maybe not yet ready for a critique. I am glad that you stayed on top of your thread though, replying to responses as they come up. Also, you made the error of calling your army an 1850pt army and going over. While some gaming groups are fine with this, you are in effect using an 1854 army, as an army is permitted in the rules to go up to, but not over, the total game point limit. If a new member of your group were to play you without having this understanding they might feel cheated at first and it could cause awkwardness with players you are not familiar with as a result. This strikethrough is included to show why you've been docked points for a list that's undergoing development; I flip up and down through your post as I critique, and at the point of the strikethrough, I was reading an outdated version, and wasted some time critiquing something that was no longer relevant.

Composition: .5
While it can be fun to include models because they are available, the fact is that two walkers in escalation with nothing else on the table are likely to get owned real quick if they take the chance to fire at anything. If you plan on using them as bait to pull the enemy towards you that is a different story. The walkers however do not make sense in a move=12+ army, as stated above; and without explanation are a sub-par choice. The list would probably be more effective at the 1850pt level and arrive there with the loss of the walkers and some other upgrades [2 avengers perhaps?]. It would also lead to a better distribution of points and a nice uniquely single-choice Heavy section - such a rarity! Your AT units are a little bit light for this level, as you can expect to see front armor and side armor of 12+ which can be difficult at times for S6 weaponry to chew through. Only 2 real assault units are present; you could consider different loadouts for the Avengers to adjust the ratio of shooting to combat. You do have many good options for forming battle groups.

Utility: 1
Full squads are not necessarily the most efficient, as they can add unnecessary shots to a squad and effectively be too good at killing things [banshees stranded outside of combat, etc]. You have saved a lot of points through simply being selective about your upgrades; most of your units are suited to one particular job which they will perform well; there's not really much fat to be trimmed here. Nicely done.

Flexibility: .5
Many of your selections can perform a wide variety of roles during the shooting phase. Where your list gets hampered is against opponents with greater toughness who also have a decent saving throw [Nids come to mind, as do biker armies or Nurgle Chaos], higher army [IG with many Russ variants, Necron Monolith lists or Mariens with Land Raiders] and to a large degree combat in general. You will be forced to implement the approach you describe in your background, concentrating the whole of your list on a small portion of the enemy army, because in lots of situations you won't be able to handle an opponent in other ways. Escalation will prove dangerous to you, but the walkers aren't helping where you're weak. Still, for the most part you have your bases covered, just take great care as you engage the enemy.

Ingenuity: 0
This section of your army list is lacking. You haven't given much thought to your strengths or weaknesses. With an army such as this the victory comes down to planning or a decided lack of AT weaponry in your opponent's army; you don't want to rely on the latter to win games for you. You must plan your approach very carefully. You have a low number of scoring units at this level and your model count is not much greater for 2000pts than mine typically is at 1500, so expect an uphill battle where you cannot afford to play an attrition game. Decide which units will work together, how you will protect them from the enemy, and think up some combos in advance that could get you out of sticky situations. You have what looks like the basis for a good looking army [hobby-wise], but you want it to play as good as it will look when it's finished.

Total Score: 2.5
Your score is largely hurt by the fact that the army list is still developing and the need for consideration of how the gears will fit together in its most recent version. Once you start to figure that out, it will come together a little bit more. You are off to a good start here, but could take things even further.
« Last Edit: April 1, 2008, 07:35:06 AM by Gutstikk »

Offline tzeentchling

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Re: Chaplain Swordwind's Biel-Tan Strike Force, 2000 pts
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2008, 11:09:40 PM »
Wow.  This new revised list (posted at the top) is extremely similar to my 2000 point mech army.  I drop the spiders and a few upgrades for a unit of jetbikes with a warlock, and put a few differences here and there (like no defend for the DAs but take skilled rider on the SS, no v.eng on the Prism), but otherwise it's pretty much the same.  I think it does well, or at least will, but I am curious to see how other people rate your list.
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