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Escalation League Games: How would I do it for the BT?

1/12/2011

5 Comments

 
As you might have seen in the previous post, I had gotten an email to help building a 750 point list with the BT.  It provided me with an unique challenge, as I'm not entirely in tune with the game play involving such a low limit.  Everything you do is amplified a hundred-fold and mistakes are often fatal.  In addition to having a set list of miniatures to use, I had to make the list as fun as possible for the player.  While I'm happy to report they had a great time using it, I was guessing.  I have no idea what people will find fun to play, so I took clues from their original list to help me.  It just so happened I guessed close enough.

But the whole thing got me wondering:  How would I go about doing it without restrictions?  I don't have the problem of not having a certain configuration of model, as I've been collecting for 10 years.  There is a real good chance I have everything I would ever need.  The list also needed to be enjoyable to play.  And on that same vein, I want to be able to win.  That is sometimes difficult for the Black Templars below 1250 points, as they are so expensive.

So where to start?  I thought for the sake of consistency, I'll stick with the 750 point limit.  Initially, I decided that I wanted to use tactical terminators with dual-assault cannons and tank hunters.  I don't get a chance to use these all that much anymore, but they would present a challenge to any opponent at this points level.  These guys can put out a stunning amount of firepower in small games.  The problem is, that unit is packing like 255 points.  That is a full 1/3 of our allowed points and you still have to fit in the Emperor's Champion!  Unfortunately, in the name of balanced list building, I cannot do it.  If our limit was 1000 points, it'd be different.  :(

What does that leave us with?  At 750 points, we have to take the EC.  We don't have the choice here, so we might as well make use of him.  That means we need at least one CC-oriented troops unit to accompany him.  Well, that is easy enough.  Remember, our preferred configuration for an IC-led Crusader squad in a Rhino is sitting at 215 points.  That is 7 initiates and 2 neophytes, with a power fist and meltagun.  But in all honesty, in small games, I don't think we'll need those shear numbers to guarantee their survival in combat.  Especially with the EC riding along with them.  We'll knock down their numbers to 6 initiates.  That sits at 199 points.  More manageable.

We need another Crusader squad and it is my inclination to try at fit in a shooty unit to help bust open vehicles.  We cannot rely on our meltagun to do the job.  We know that the "gunline" Crusader squad clocks in at 191 points.  That is 5-man unit with a Lascannon, plasmagun, and a Lasorback.  Pretty impressive display of firepower.  But there is a problem: its spendy as hell for so few guys.  We'll put it in anyway and see where to go from there.

So we're looking something like this:

* Emperor's Champion w/ AAC.  [140]
* Crusader Squad #1 (6 Initiates; 2 Neophytes) w/ 1 Power Fist and 1 Meltagun.  Mounted in a Rhino w/ Extra Armor and Smoke Launchers.  [199]
* Crusader Squad #2 (5 Initiates) w/ 1 Lascannon and 1 Plasmagun.  Mounted in a Razorback w/ TL-Lascannon.  [191]
Total:  [530]

That gives us 220 points to play around with.  We could go with another Crusader squad here and overwhelm our opponents with marine bodies, but I don't think that is very balanced.  Once the Razorback goes down, our AT is significantly reduced.  What about a Dreadnought?  At this level, they are very difficult to eliminate.  Even better, we have the annoying ability to take Venerable to make him even more durable.  Why not?  Toss in a Dreadnought with Ven and Tank Hunters. 

Originally, I thought about taking a TL-Lascannon with a Heavy Flamer here.  Normally this would be an excellent option, but I thought about the possible armies that I could be facing.  Among them:  Tyranids, Orcs, and Imperial Guard.  All have the ability to field lots and lots of infantry, even in these small games.  As it currently stands, I don't have a way to deal with those guys beyond close combat.  So I think I'm going to leave the Assault Cannon/Storm Bolter on him and just give him Extra Armor/Venerable with Tank Hunters.  This will give our Dreadnought the equivalent of 4 Str 7 shots with Rending against vehicles!  Nasty!  This gives him anti-tank, but gives him the ability to deal with infantry as well.  I'd give him a Heavy Flamer as well, but I really want to use the metal Ven Dreadnought that GW put out some time ago.  Its a bad ass model and I don't want the storm bolter as "counts as".

There is now 80 points to play around with.  The obvious way to spend those points to me is to put in a Land Speeder with Typhoon Launchers (edited when BT FAQ came out).  That gives us 2 long range missiles to hopefully pop a transport right away.  This leaves us another 10 points, which I think would be best used on a single Neophyte for our shooty Crusader squad.  Let's look at the finished list:

Escalation League List (750 points) #1:
* Emperor's Champion w/ AAC.  [140]
* Venerable Dreadnought w/ Assault Cannon, Storm Bolter, Extra Armor, and Tank-Hunters.  [140]
* Crusader Squad #1 (6 Initiates; 2 Neophytes) w/ 1 Power Fist and 1 Meltagun.  Mounted in a Rhino w/ Extra Armor and Smoke Launchers.  [199]
* Crusader Squad #2 (5 Initiates; 1 Neophyte) w/ 1 Lascannon and 1 Plasmagun.  Mounted in a Razorback w/ TL-Lascannon.  [201]
* Land Speeder w/ Heavy Bolter and Typhoon Missile Launchers.  [70]
Total:  [750]

Very nice!  We have a CC-oriented unit of 8 guys plus the EC.  That's quite a bit of killyness there.  They will be our aggressive unit that will take the fight to the enemy.  We also have a Crusader squad of 6 and a Razorback that are dedicated to AT fire support.  They will sit back on our home objective if that is something the scenario calls for.  Then the Dreadnought will follow behind the CS #1 to counter-assault as necessary or to guard the CS #2.  He'll be putting shots on transports or lightly-armored vehicles.  Or if that isn't needed, those shots will go directly into infantry.  Finally, we have our Land Speeder.  This thing will deal with any armor the opponent has.  You can also use it to fry mobs of infantry if the occasion calls for it.  It is ideal for a late game objective denial. 

So we have plenty of AT in the form of 1 TL-Lascannon, 1 normal Lascannon, 1 Plasmagun, 1 Tank-Hunter Assault Cannon, 2 Missile Launchers, and 1 Meltagun.  All five units can deal with vehicles in some fashion.  We also have AI in every squad.  Balance and duality!

For your pleasure, I also have another list that I cooked up for you more CC-oriented guys out there.  It has much less AT than the first list, but it should be sufficient for the points level.  Enjoy!  :D

Escalation League List (750 points) #2:
* Emperor's Champion w/ AAC.  [140]
* Venerable Dreadnought w/ Assault Cannon, Storm Bolter, Extra Armor, and Tank-Hunters.  [140]
* Crusader Squad #1 (5 Initiates; 2 Neophytes) w/ 1 Power Fist and 1 Meltagun.  Mounted in a Rhino w/ Extra Armor and Smoke Launchers.  [183]
* Crusader Squad #2 (7 Initiates; 2 Neophytes) w/ 1 Power Fist and 1 Meltagun.  Mounted in a Rhino w/ Extra Armor and Smoke Launchers.  [215]
* Land Speeder w/ Heavy Bolter and Typhoon Missile Launchers.  [70]
Total:  [748]
5 Comments
DrgnsDth
1/12/2011 10:59:28 am

I'm glad you posted this. I was going to comment on the previous article and ask if that's how you'd do it with any models. Any plans to write another article increasing the points to 1000 or 1500? I'm fairly new to the game and its not easy finding good lists at low points costs. So many of the lists on the internet are for 2000+ games and its hard as a beginner to know what models/units to drop while still maintaining an effective army. Btw, your website has been a great help! Thank you.

Reply
Marshal Laeroth (Admin) link
1/12/2011 11:26:23 am

I had a feeling this post might benefit someone out there. I figured that since there isn't a whole lot out there in regards to starting out, I should probably expand on the previous post. What I didn't expect was that it'd be appreciated so soon (like 20 minutes after it was posted). lol!

As for doing a follow-up post on 1000/1500 points, I'm sure I can put something together. Remember, it is purely based on my play-style and there could certainly be other effective ways to do things. In addition, I cannot promise that the lists will be similar enough to save players from purchasing entirely new units. Each points level plays completely different and the list needs to reflect that.

Anyway, I appreciate the comment and glad I could help you! Good luck with your army! :D

Reply
Loquacious
1/12/2011 11:42:40 am

I think I could actually field that first list- I have a Whirlwind I can 'count as' a Razor and all my heavy weapons for vehicles are unmounted...

that one looks really good... and a LOT of fun.

Possible opponents in the league -
Blood Angels
Eldar (yes, more of them)
Space Wolves
Orks
Dark Eldar
LOTS!!! of Imperial Guard (3 guys, I think)
Choas Space Marines (x2)

Reply
Marshal Laeroth (Admin) link
1/12/2011 12:02:58 pm

@Loquacious: If I remember correctly, the Whirlwind kit is pretty much a Razorback with a different weapon on the hatch. If so, you could easily purchase the Razorback sprue on the cheap to give you the option of doing this.

It doesn't have the Terminators, which I was pretty sad about, but the Dreadnought is tough to deal with at such a low points level. Plus, the Dread will likely hold up any unit it charges until it kills them off (assuming they don't fall back first). They are extremely difficult to kill in CC.

Give the list a whirl if you'd like and tell me how it goes. :)

Reply
dodger
1/20/2011 08:40:15 am

Nice lists, i was thinking how will 3 landspeeders work instead the dread?..

im asking this because i have a tournament coming soon and is 750, ill be facing orks and marines mostly and i thing 1 guy has guard.

im waiting to see the escalation :D

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