1000 pt Catachans- Nice n Fluffy!

[themidget428]

Alright guys there's a tourney at the end of next month for 1000 pts and i was going to try to get my shiny new Catachan army a spin. I don't expect this to be competitive at all (but would like to try and get it as close to it as fluffily possible) but i wouldn't mind being a shock value factory of, "holy crap you're doing something completely stupid and its working!" I've been a necron player for the last 6 years so i don't mind(or have gotten too used to) losing. So here goes:

CCS: 175
~Straken
~3 meltas

Guardsman Marbo: 65
~~~~
1 PCS-30

2 Infantry Squads: 130
~1 Plasma Gun(each)

1 Hvy Bolter Squad-75

1 Autocannon Squad- 75

1 Missile Launcher Squad- 90
~~~~

1 Veteran Squad: 160
~Sgt Harker
~normie Flamer
~Demolitions

2 Scout Sentinels: 100
~1 multi laser
~1 missile launcher
~2 Hunter Killer Missiles

2 Scout Sentinels: 100
~1 multi laser
~1 missile launcher
~2 Hunter Killer Missiles

Plan on Outflanking with the Sentinels, and infiltrating towards the objective with harker's squad(staying in cover of course, flaming and demo-ing anything that dares to get close. I've been debatin whether to switch the meltas from the CCS to 2 plasmas in the PCS, and having them advance through cover/ wait in cover for the enemy, while keeping straken near the HW squads to issue his orders. I know this kinda defeats the purpose of straken, but i LOVE his model, and i figure he will be a bizznatch to kill for the KP and he may have to punch a tank.

Questions comments, and cries of madness welcome.

[Korona]

Firstly, I love the list I think it's very true to the Catachans.


Two things I'd consider:

Plasma guns are not an assault weapon. That matters because with Straken in your list you will want to get stuck into the assault. For that it's much more important to have weapons that you can move with and still fire if you want to assault with.

That leads into the second point - the HWS aren't mobile enough, you have some really nice mobile elements in the sentinels, marbo and Harker but they can't support each other. Even worse you're not playing up the strength of taking Straken. He's just too expensive to take in 1000 pts and not make the focus of the list.

The bottom line is you need more bodies. The two ways to get that would be to scrap the platoon altogether and take penal legionaries (I think these make great analogues for deathworld vets) and/or vet squads (great cos they can take shotguns which are assault weapons) and more better shooting and more special weapons.
Or scrap the HWS, get some special weapons for the platoon squad, cut the plasma for GLs or flamers and take some more inf squads to get a cheaper "human wave" style army. I just don't think that fits the Catachan theme so well though, these guys are meant to be veterans.


If it were my list I'd keep some stuff the same but gut the troops section and replace it for a more "deathworld vets" feeling.
Their objective would be to get in close and stick the boot in.


CCS: 180
~Straken
~ Bodyguard (does wonders for his survivability)
~ 4 grenade launchers (more chance of getting to shoot more often)


~~~~

Guardsman Marbo: 65

~~~~


1 Veteran Squad: 140
~Sgt Harker
~3x GLs (fit better with Harker - run and gun and harrass rather than a mix of gunning and assault or something)

Vet squad - 85
~ Shotguns
~ 3x GLs

Vet squad - 100 (close range anti-tank/anti terminators etc.)
~ Shotguns
~ 3x melta

Vet squad - 100
~ Shotguns
~ 3x melta


Penal Legion - 80 (main close combat element, stubborn so can tarpit enemy troops and screen the vets)

Penal Legion - 80

~~~~


2 Scout Sentinels: 100
~1 multi laser
~1 missile launcher
~2 Hunter Killer Missiles


2 Scout Sentinels: 70 (had to strip down the 2nd squad to fit the 2nd penal legion, It's definatly worth it, multilasers are good vs side/rear armour)
~ 2 multi laser

I'd be tempted to use the sentinels to screen my force. Alternativly show the enemy your 55 inf advancing towards him and scare him a bit then use outflanking to envelop him as sentinels show up. Marbo can be a spanner in the works as always.

[themidget428]

I like your idea, i really do, however, i feel that on the tank killing it seems to be a sort of issue of they're already in my face, im having to shoot marines now kinda deal. Otherwise i like it. Did you want harkers squad to stay with da Lasguns? or did you want shotguns on them too. i figured not but just asking. Im guessing advance everyone through cover in order to get this done? (as best as possible) would be your strategy?

[Korona]

There's pros and cons of each. Harker's best as a harassment unit running around in area terrain. If you can get the enemy to shoot him that 3+ cover save is really nice. If he's actually moving then lasguns don't help but 24 inch range can help him stay out of assault.
Really he's bait though and bait shouldn't stay still. If he's moving 99% of the time then shotguns are the way to go. No sense him standing around when everyone else is getting stuck in.

With anti-tank. Yeah you won't be able to de-mech the enemy at range on turn 1. That's acually playing into your strategy. If they come barrelling towards you that means they're closer to melta/assault range. Also don't forget you have ST6 shots from the grenade launchers, that's enough to open up a AV10/11 transports out to 24 inches.
The main sting though is when the sentinels turn up. It's very hard to hide from them and they can get side/rear hits. St6/7/8 vs AV10/11 is really really nasty. You should be able to start opening up their cans on turn 2/3 and paving the way for marbo's demo charge and ultimatly a big assault from your main infantry.

With marines you want to assault them. Straken means on the charge you hit and wound on 4s and you'll go simultaneously. You also get 2x the number of attacks. Your odds are already about even but you also outnumber them and you have some nasty assault weapons. Stuff like power weapons/fists really isn't that hot against guardsmen. They have low T and Sv values so you were already counting on taking losses.

[themidget428]

well i played against faith points of BullS___ today and got me arse handed back to me on a stick. i was thinking about scrapping this idea and removing straken but i think this post talked me into trying this again and not screwing up. I'll admit i did screw up alot but god, faith points are a bunch of cheese.

[IronWeevil]

well i played against faith points of BullS___ today and got me arse handed back to me on a stick. i was thinking about scrapping this idea and removing straken but i think this post talked me into trying this again and not screwing up. I'll admit i did screw up alot but god, faith points are a bunch of cheese.

Sisters are tough. They are like vets with access to the Marine toybox. Best bets against them are massed fire and keeping to cover. Priority targets should be anything with a flamer template.

@Korona For some reason I thought that straken was Str 6. If so, he should be wounding MEQs on 2s.

[themidget428]

he is str 6 t 4. with no armor saves and +d6 to penetrate.