Building an Army List for 8th Edition []
Do you really love the lore of the Warhammer 40k universe but shy away from the tabletop game because you have no idea whats going on? Or where to start? Or how to do anything? I know I certainly did. My entry into this hobby came when I was in 7th grade 10 years ago. I was a big Tau guy back then, so I saved as much money as I could and went out and bought a Codex, two Fire Warrior teams, one Vespid Stingwing squad thingy, and a Kroot Shaper. Flash forward through some terrible paint jobs, and I finally got my army on a table against a real opponent. He ran a Necron army with a Necron Overlord, two sqads of Necron Warriors, and a squad of Flayed ones. Needless to say, my Tau were absolutely wrecked. I mean bad. So bad. I couldn't understand at the time why my army was so terrible (insert joke about the Tau here). In retrospect, it is very obvious why it happened. I picked the units that I thought were cool and played them, having no idea how to organize an army or make sure it synergizes. I didn't reenter the tabletop game until, to be quite frank, the 8th edition.
So why even do army lists? Open play allows any player to bring anything that they want and play with it. Which is an awesome feature and a step in the right direction for GW. However, I believe that by understanding an army list, it helps focus your efforts (and monetary expenses) as you grow your army. Now that I understand army lists, it has become easier to field an army that has a fighting chance against most opponents of similar lists/points level. While I make no pretensions about my tactical acumen, I do think it would be beneficial to members on this Wiki to lay out basic army building lists for the new Dark Imperium.
Some Quick Tips[]
1) Pick an army. This may sound obvious, but it is easy to get lost in this hobby. When I discovered aa-wargames on eBay I went absolutely hog wild. I bought a Wave Serpent and then an XV-8 Battlesuit and then a Leman Russ Punisher and two Interregator Chaplains. This is probably a good time to mention that I primarily run a 40k Dark Angels army and a 30k Sons of Horus army, so at least I got the Interregator Chaplains right. Why I needed a Wave Serpent is absolutely beyond me, but I guess the good news is I now have one. Though to be fair, it was only $18. Long story short, don't be like me. Decide on your army (or armies if you have an idea for combining two factions into one fighting force) and stick with it. Or else you'll find yourself with a Jump Pack Chaplain when your actually building a Bad Moons warband.
2) Start small. Once again, this is speaking from experience. It takes a while to figure out your play style. I mentioned in a discussion reply that I originally wanted to run a recon style army, heavy on Scouts, Tactical Marines, Transports, Fast Attack Units, and Flyers. Now I run, almost exclusively, a Dark Angels Vanguard detachment that is chock full of Deathwing Terminators with minimal Fast Attack and Troop choices present. My Sons of Horus are a completely different story for a different blog. Starting small provides multiple advantages such as:
- You spend less money (ish).
- You can paint and field your army quicker, which will help minimize burnout and maximize fun.
- You get a feel for the game and better mastery over your faction.
- You will learn what your individual playstyle is like.
I would recommend that everyone start out with two Troops and one HQ. This meets the minimum requirement for Force Organization charts and gives you a solid base to build on. Then if you decide, hey, I really, REALLY, like to rip and tear, then go get you some Assault Marines! It is better to take it slow than to be surrounded by units you don't like and never use. I know people that have spent close to $300 on building an army and still can't field a force that meets list requirements or synergizes well.
2.5) I completely left out a vital detail in this entire endeavor. Download the Battlescribe app. This is going to help you conceptualize your army and make the list building process a breeze. Thank you Bonjonnios for catching this and recommending it!
3) BUY THE CODEX / INDEX. This one is crucial, and probably the one thing you'll have to pay full retail price for. Whereas you can get around paying full price for your minis by going to Amazon or eBay (unless you like Sisters of Battle or Death Korps of Krieg, in which case start selling organs), a Codex retains its value like a Jeep Wrangler. After you dish out the money, spend some time with your Codex. It is literally the most helpful thing in this entire process, giving you the stats and buffs of your entire force. Without it you can't effectively build your army.
Command Points[]
Now that I have played a few games, I understand how Command Points and Strategems in 40k work. You accrue Command Points through your creating a Battle Forged Army, using the detachments mentioned below. Every Battle Forged Army includes 3 Command Points right off the bat. Each detachment included in your army adds the corresponding number of Command Points.
So, for example, if you have a Patrol and a Batallion Detachment in your army, you would get +1 and +3 Command Points on top of your base 3 Command Points from being Battle Forged. The ultimate goal is to stack as many detachments as you can withing a point/power level to benefit from the Command Points. Additionally, there are certain units that, if included in your army, will add a Command Point to it from simply being there. For example, if Azrael is in your army and he is the Warlord, you get +1 Command Point. The average for each army that is about ~2000 points is 7-10.
Now, why try to build up your Command Points? Because you can spend them on Strategems during your battle. Each army and each faction has their own unique strategems, so consult your Codex for specifics. These Strategems, used correctly, can turn the tide of the battle. Say for instance that there is a high priority target that needs to die. You roll your dice, and sure enough your hard hitting unit misses or fails to wound the target. For one Command Point, you can use the Command Re-Roll strategem to re-roll any single dice, giving you a second chance. Be aware however that you can use as many strategems in one turn as you like, but you cannot use the same strategem twice in one turn. Thus once you use the Command Re-Roll, you can't keep paying to re-roll dice that same turn. Strategems and Command Points add a new depth to the game, and played properly it can swing a turn or battle to your favor.
Army Lists[]
Now, for the army lists. I will try to make this as coherent as possible and include a little commentary on each one. I can't tell you with certainty that the commentary will be helpful, but the organization charts should be.
Patrol []
Required Units
1-2 HQ
1-3 Troops
Optional
0-2 Elite/Fast/Heavy/Flyer
+1 CP (Command Point)
Remember when I said to start small? This is what I meant. Patrol lists allow you to put together an army fairly quickly and without breaking the bank. And for beginners, this gives you a good list to start your tabletop experience while giving you a chance to taste your faction's unique units. Want to run an Eldar army but don't want Guardians out the wazoo? Get a Farseer, a Warlock, 2-3 Guardian squads, and then try out that squad of Striking Scorpions and Fire Prism you've been eyeing. What is even better, if you start with this list and decide you want to upgrade, all of these will nestle quite nicely into your larger army lists.
Battalion []
Required
2-3 HQ
3-6 Troops
Optional
0-6 Elites
0-3 Fast/Heavy
0-2 Flyers
+3 CP
This is where things start to scale up a little bit. You are going to be dropping some money and painting quite a bit of minis to fully flesh out this list. Do you see what I mean about the Patrol being a good starting point and nestling up nicely in the largest army lists? If you maxed out the requirements on Patrol, all you are adding is more of the flavor your chosen faction is known for. Be warned though, this list is a little unwieldy. It can be too large for some games, and yet too small for others. Like the story of Goldilocks, you are looking for the just right list. Except instead of bears its varying levels of scuttling, extra-galactic xenos nightmares that want to nom on you instead of some porridge.
Brigade[]
Required
3-5 HQ
6-12 Troops
3-8 Elites
3-5 Fast / Heavy
Optional
0-2 Flyers
+9 CP
When The Emperor..er, I mean, Alexander the Great, curbstomped the Persians at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 B.C., it was one of the most decisive and shocking victories in the Ancient World. He was heavily outnumbered, his army numbering 47,000 to the Persians 52-120,000. I say shocking because the Persians didn't see it coming, although the Battle of Thermopylae should have been an indicator that it doesn't seem to matter how many dudes they have, the Greeks have their number. Regardless, Alexander kept his army that size because it allowed him to exercise greater control over his forces and use his units to maximum efficiency. If you flesh out this army list, you will need to be Alexander the Great to use it effectively and have a drug lord's income to build it. It would be pretty awesome though.
Vanguard[]
Required
1-2 HQ
3-6 Elites
Optional
0-3 Troops
0-2 Heavy/Fast/Flyer
+1 CP
This is the list for you if you absolutely love Elites and don't feel like fielding anything else. My personal Dark Angels Army is based on this list, because lets be real, if you are playing Dark Angels and not taking a lot of Deathwing or Ravenwing, what are you doing? Factions that are heavy on Elites like Dark Angels, Tau, and Eldar are going to really want to take a hard look at this list. It is a good alternative to the Patrol list for beginners who want to show off their faction's goodies.
Spearhead Detachment[]
Required
1-2 HQ
3-6 Heavy Support
Optional
0-3 Troops
0-2 Elite/Fast/Flyer
+1 CP
Rejoice all ye Tyranid and Imperial Guard parking lot armies! This list lets you literally field a metric-butt ton of firepower for when you just want to mess things up. So yes, you can field a Tank Commander and SIX Leman Russ Battle Tanks for when you are tired of holding the line. Or, if you are of the xenos pursuasion, a Hive Tyrant and SIX Carnifexes. Plus, the ability to take up to three troops is a huge boon too. Be warned though. This list will drain your bank account, and quite possibly your friend base, dry.
Outrider Detachment[]
Required
1-2 HQ
3-6 Fast Attack
Optional
0-3 Troops
0-2 Elite/Heavy/Flyer
+1 CP
Da red wunz go fasta! For all those people who love Fast Attack, this is your army list. Whether it be Hellions, White Scars Bikers, Ravenwing, or Sydonian Dragoons, this list WILL get you there faster than the other guy. And there is nothing more satisfying than watching your slow and purposeful opponent get kited around by Fast Attack units. Just watch out for the Spearhead detachment guy...
Supreme Command[]
Required
3-5 HQ
Optional
0-1 Elite/LoW
+1 CP
Have you ever wondered to yourself what it would be like if Dante, Lysander, Marneus Calgar, Logan Grimnar, Azrael, and Roboute Guilliman all walked into a bar? Or what Anggrath the Unbound and FIVE Bloodthirsters can do to an opposing army? Run a Supreme Command detachment and you can find out! But seriously, if your army has a lot of awesome characters you should consider this detachment. I have never seen this in action, but if you try it please be sure to let me know how that goes.
Super Heavy[]
Required
3-5 LoW
+3 CP
This detachment is where all of the Baneblades that Vance Stubbs lost in Dawn of War: Soulstorm ended up. I am not kidding. You can field five Baneblades in this detachment. Or five Imperial Knights. I may have joked around earlier about needing a drug lord's income to play some of these lists, but seriously. This list. If you see someone walk into your favorite store with a little red wagon behind them, you can bet they are not bringing any candy for the patrons. My advice is find a way to look busy before you have to try and find a way to destroy five Imperial Knight Paladins. And if you are the person that is able to field this detachment, I only dislike you because I am jealous of you.
Air Wing[]
Required
3-5 Flyers
+1 CP
J.J. the Jet Plane would be jealous of this. There is really not much to say about this detachment. The only reason you would want this if you were combining it with another list.
Fortification Network[]
Required
1-3 Fortifications
+0 CP
The only reason you should ever include this detachment in your list is if you really want a Fortifcation, as you have to use this to use any Fortification AT ALL. However, in an age of blanket cover saves, your honestly better off not even messing with it. There are plenty of better options out there both in terms of points and money.
Super Heavy Auxiliary []
Required
1 LoW
+0 CP
Ok, so you bough the Triumverate of the Imperium and really want to use Roboute Guilliman but you really don't want to escalate your list to an acceptable size where a LoW can be fielded. This your answer. Or you are an Imperial Guard player that wants to add that special touch that only a Baneblade can provide to your Spearhead detachment. This is your answer. Or if you are touched by Gork and Mork's divine inspiration and really want to show them 'umies whose da boss. Bust out your Stompa and taste their salty tears. I rather love this detachment because it allows you to slot some of the coolest minis and units right into whatever your using. I must admit, seeing a Wraithknight attached to a Patrol army list would be awesome. Terrifying, but awesome.
Auxiliary Support []
Required
1 choice of HQ/Troops/Elites/Fast/Heavy/Flyer/Dedicated Tranport
-1 CP
This is the detachment for when you want to use that model that you bought off eBay without really thinking about it! So that is good news for me. In addition, it can give you the option of filling in whatever gaps you might have in your army without having to upscale or downscale. Have a little fun with this, but be aware that it does subtract from your overall CP.
Conclusion []
While most of this is geared towards the competitive players, knowing the army lists and the fundamentals of building an army can be a great way to focus your efforts in the hobby. Also, having this to reference can be helpful if you ever decide to participate in matched play. I hope that in some way, this was useful to those out there gearing up for a matched event, just getting started, or simply curious about what all this talk of army lists is about.
Also, please be aware that odds are, I got something completely wrong in the above section. Please call me out on it, either in the comments or the discussions. If it is possible, edit it. I am speaking only from a very narrow perspective, so feel free to add your opinon / viewpoint. If you have sample army lists you would like to share, please do. If you have any links or sites you recommend that people go look at, please list them. This blog was designed to be a resource for this Wiki community, and as such I would like as much feedback as possible from the community.