warhammer 40k list building guide

Introduction

When starting your journey in the Warhammer 40,000 hobby one often hears about building a list- selecting and applying certain units to win the game. With all of the different armies at ones command, and even more models for your army, coming up with an overall plan on how to play your army can be difficult to approach for the new player.

You know the rules, have your models on the table, and now what?

What allows certain players to win more times then they lose?

Quite simply: a plan for their army and how it is going to act for winning the mission- be it taking objectives, capturing table quarters, or destroying the enemy.

Successful players have a plan for what they are going to do with their army, and in this presentation I want to give you some of the army plans I have used to leverage success quickly so you can apply them in your own games.

If it would take you months to figure these ideas out on your own, hopefully be reading and adapting these strategies we can bring that learning curve down to only a few games…

As you study the army templates look for the principals and how you can apply them to your own army. Keep in mind that the armies that I am illustrating in each template (my own armies) are examples of plugging in units to fulfill the needed roles. I may be illustrating a delayed gunline list with my Imperial Guard, but you can adapt the parts of the template to work with any army.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of each list, what makes them work, and what to watch out for there are a few underlying principles that we have to understand first- so let’s get started with that!

Active & Passive Players

It all begins with a plan and the application of that plan in the face of resistance, and this is where we are going to start. Take a moment and ask yourself what kind of Warhammer 40,000 player you are?

Are you an active player or a passive player?

Allow me to offer my definition of the two first…

A passive player is one that waits to see what happens. They set their models up on the table and don’t really have a direct plan to win the game, rather they react to what their opponent does. If a Land Raider moves out they intercept. A unit goes down, they reinforce, objective frees up they take it. Passive players react to the army and player across from them and THEN the mission or tournament goals they are playing.

On the other hand an active player knows what they are going to do- they have built their army to perform as an overall machine with each unit having a function creating form. Active players don’t care what they opponent does since their army will counter every move, and is playing to the mission/tournament goals first and foremost, and NEVER the other play or opposing army.

I want YOU to be an active player, so if you are more passive, time to throw that out the window and redefine yourself. If you are already naturally active, time to refine that into a razor like edge.

Passive players are ultimately at a huge disadvantage simply because we can’t read minds yet (I’m working on that!). I can attempt to understand what my opponent is doing based on the function of the units in their army and how they are moving and shooting them, but can I ever really be sure?

AND, even if I am sure, by playing the game in this manner I am always one step behind.

For example- my opponent has a land raider full of terminators and it moves out heading towards an objective I’m holding with some warriors. We can pretty sure guess what it is going to do- let those terminators out, and assault me with a sweeping advance. By being passive, even if I guess correctly I’m already one step behind since I allowed my opponent to move out the Land Raider. Being this one step behind allows my opponent to dictate the game, and keep in mind we never really know what is happening or what the real plan is.

On the opposite side if I am an active player, my army moves out to accomplish the mission, forcing my opponent to react to ME with our Land Raider example, making sure they are a step behind, and can never really know what I am doing.

So far so good?

Mistakes are another important part of 40K, as games are lost based on who made the most mistakes in the game, and who had the worst dice. While it is true that sometimes the dice go against you and they will be your downfall, honestly over the course of a game it is mistakes on the table that make or break the win.

The goal here is to force your opponent to make mistakes, and when they make those mistakes and weaken the position of their army it only magnifies the power of your army. Mistakes are opportunities you can capture, turn, and punish your opponent with.

Examples of mistakes?

Moving the wrong unit at the wrong time, using a specialized unit for something it is not intended, etc.

As an active player your chance for mistakes has been sliced down to as small as possible. You know what each unit is going to be doing, and what course of action it is going to take. You have a plan for what to do if the unit wins in shooting or the assault, and what to do if it loses and get’s wiped out.

There is no hesitation on your part, no using a specific unit for a function it was not intended for since all your bases are covered…

A passive player is mistakes waiting to happen. Being one move behind, guessing and reacting to your opponent means you are forced to adapt to the unfolding game with units that might not be equipped to handle the changes. Worse yet, as the game unfolds and your mistakes compound the pressure will grow and become a self fulfilling prophecy. Things will start falling apart for you on the table more and more, making securing the “win” more difficult.

Becoming an active player means knowing the rules of your army first- what each unit can and can’t do, and then slotting those units into an army template and following how that template unfolds on the table- stick to the plan, and let the units of your army go to action as a whole- each has a job to do in winning the game!

Army Templates

Now that we have planted the idea of being an active player in your mind we are going to look at some guidelines (templates) on how to build your army and operate on the table. What this involves is breaking down your army into separate categories that have a singular goal to accomplish- ranging from taking objectives to killing things and blowing other models up. Assigned units to each role are there to fulfill the role regardless of what else is happening on the table. If X unit is assigned to take an objective, then that is all it does- regardless of anything else. Follow the plan, force your opponent to adapt (passive) and win the mission leading to winning the game.

In presenting a few different templates none are particularly better than the other- they just work differently with each army, and most likely you will find yourself gravitating towards one or two over the other which will suit your own play style and 40K personality- maybe you are a sneaky guy who prefers guile, or maybe you like to be right to the point and direct- use what works…

With the other army templates, keep them in mind as part of your 40K education- something to switch up from time to time, try out with your next army, or use against your opponent if they are using an opposing template on the table.

Tactically the templates are divided into three groups…

The first group is the place to start if you are new to the game as it is the easiest to build and is the most forgiving. Included in this is the Attack, Support, Defense List and the Wave List which is an advanced version of the ASD list.

The second set of templates (Phased Lists) takes its name from the three main phases of the game- movement, shooting, and then the assault- building a list to specialize and exploit one of these game mechanic phases over the other.

And the final group includes the two specialty templates Null Deployment and the Endless Swarm which look to break out of the regular defined game mechanics to win the game.

At first to learn as quickly as possible I’d like you to try and stick to one list, learning the ins and outs of it, but eventually I want you to move, build, and create your own versions that you can enjoy the most and express your gaming personality- maybe you can craft a maximum assault null deployment list of your own?

That is what makes the game fun!

The Attack, Support, Defense List

The ASD list begins by dividing your army up into three categories- attack, support, and defense.

Attack: The attack portion of your list is made up of units that are both difficult to destroy and can inflict a lot of damage to your opponent’s models. They have one goal regardless of the mission- to go out and destroy the opponent. Wherever your opponent deploys you are going to send the attack section of your list full speed ahead and blow stuff up! YES, your attack units will be destroyed, but by the time they are destroyed they will have accomplished two very distinct goals which support the rest of your army and in turn wining the game.

The first is that that they right away they get your opponent’s attention and they have to deal with them- this means they are not spending time focusing on the other elements in your army and they aren’t focusing on winning the mission as long as your attack units are alive.

On the opposite side, don’t be upset when your attack units get killed or go down hard- that is what they are there to do! As a new player it can be upsetting to have a model or unit be destroyed, perhaps even frustrating- don’t be upset- as long as the models accomplish the mission you have assigned to them!

The second goal of the attack portion of your list is to destroy the critical units in your opponent’s army that they intend to use to win the mission. Look at the mission you are playing and then look at the units in your opponent’s army and what they intend to win the mission with. If the objective requires troop choices to win, they your attack unit is going to target the troops to be wiped out. If your opponent intends to use their skimmers to skirt and claim mission objectives then that is the attack units target.

Of course your opponent is going to be focused on your attack units- you are going to give them no choice (active player), so as you take losses to the attack unit don’t despair- push ahead no matter the odds.

So what makes a good attack unit?

As mentioned it has to be FAST, SCARY in terms of DAMAGE, and SURVIVABLE. Something that is going to kill a lot before it goes down and is going to take a lot to put down in terms of your opponent’s time and resources.

Let’s look at some attack units in my own armies that fill this list so you can see what you have in your model collection to slot in…

With my Red Templars Space Marines the attack unit is a land raider full of lightning claw assault terminators with another big group of thunder hammer terminators running behind the land raider- using the bulk of the land raider to shield them from incoming fire.

Using the Black Templar codex this makes the terminators very scary beyond the survivability of the land raider and regular terminator armor. Thanks to the vow from the Emperor’s Champion HQ choice both lighting claw and thunder hammer terminators have preferred enemy, and as veterans from the codex they all have furious charge.

What this means is that my lightning claw terminators are assaulting out of the land raider going at I 5 and re-rolling both hits and wounds at S 5 with power weapons! Likewise my thunder hammer terminators are striking at I 2 and S9! I’m going to hit you hard and fast with these guys!

On the xeno side with my Tyranids the attack role is handled by Swarmlord where I run him along with a full complement of tyrant guard and a regenerating prime attacked to soak up wounds. Even without a transport the group moves quickly since they don’t have any guns to shoot and run in the shooting phase. The prime has regeneration to gain lost wounds, while Swarmlord leaches essence when he can, and a Tervigon behind them casts feel no pain on the group in support- which takes us to our next group.

Support: So now you have set aside your attack units and have them ready, but they are going to need a little help since your opponent is going to do their best to stop your attacking units dead cold. Support units need to be able to shoot and engage a variety of targets at long range to keep your attacking units safe and to make them more effective.

Back to the examples of my terminators and Swarmlord…

My terminators are embarked on the land raider and moving out right into my opponent’s ranks (active)- seeing this my opponent reacts (passive) by sending out a melta gun unit to intercept and destroy the land raider so I can’t deliver my terminators.

What do I do?

I DON’T deviate my land raider from its mission, but rather my supporting units open up with shooting to take out the incoming melta units. Predator tanks and devastator units are good examples of supporting units- they have the reach and firepower to intercept.

Supporting units also “buff” and enhance the killing power of your attacking unit- such as a Tervigon casting feel no pain on Swarmlords group, or even running a small group of assault marines alongside your land raider to break off and intercept any incoming units to the land raider.

Defense: The final group in the ASD defense list is your defensive units which are there to win whatever the mission goals are- and with this in mind they need to be durable and in sufficient numbers to accomplish this. The easiest illustration of this is a group of tactical marines in a rhino or razorback. The vehicle protects them, gets them to the mission objective, and then the space marines hold it at all costs.

So now you have your models broken out into the three ASD categories and its’ time to look at the list and how it deploys and plays on the table…

When it is your turn to deploy you put your attack units out there and as far forward as you can- now is the time to be bold! Layered behind this is your support units with good firing points being the most important, and finally layered behind them are your defensive units.

At the start of the game your attacking units move out, if their vehicles get destroyed, they continue on foot- no retreat, no surrender! Even at the worst case scenario if they are NOT killing anything and your opponent is shooting them to heck, those are shots not going into the defense portion of your list which is what is going to win you the game via mission objectives.

While this is happening your support units are firing away at any threats that will oppose or counter your attacking units, and then when the attack units are eventually

destroyed your support units will then focus their fire on any enemy units looking to stop your defensive units.

And finally your defensive units are moving out as fast as they can to accomplish your mission goals, and only once they have done this do they then help with shooting and in support of your attack and support models…

Try out the ASD list to understand its principals and then when you are ready let’s move onto the Wave List which builds and expands on the ASD model- you will both need new units to handle some additions to their mission roles, in addition to having some units before two goals.

The Wave List

As an “active player” we are going to use the strategy known as Wave Tactics which overwhelms the opponent through a series of thrusts until there is nothing left of their army that they can resist with. Wave tactics works by integrating both cheap and expendable units guided by rock hard super killy units.

The plan is that your opponent has to deal with each segment of the wave (known as a group) with their army on your terms, and once they have dealt with that group, another follows directly up. Here is the breakdown followed by a general deployment map:

Command Group

• These are the elites of your army who can do the most damage with the smallest physical amount of models. You will be spending the most points per model on these units and their job is to apply pressure to any mistakes that your opponent makes to further crush them and break their army. As much as you may want to get these models up into the thick of combat they must be held back waiting for the opportune moment to strike where they can change the course of the game. When you do use the models it will be at that pivotal moment where you 100% guarantee your victory, while your opponent knows of their defeat. At the moment these units come into play, your opponent is done and finished by the units actions.

Advanced Group

• Advanced group units have the function of pressing forward and being in your opponent’s deployment zone/model face by turn two. Think of them as skirmishers that tie things up, choke movement and immediately put your opponent on the defensive. Advanced group units must have that balance of critical mass and impact- meaning they have to be cheap enough in points that you can put down a lot of them without sacrificing your other wave groups, resilient enough that they can take a few rounds of pounding, while finally being able to deliver a credible threat that your opponent has to react to immediately- not in a turn or two, or later in the game.

Core Group

• Your core group wave is what wins you the game in terms of the mission. They are your “troops” who are numerous enough that even with some losses they will be able to capture multiple objectives, hold key points, or make up any kill point deficits.

Support Group

• Support group models follow up behind the core group laying down long range shooting in support of the advanced and core group. They are there to soften things up before each wave hits, in addition to dealing with any of your opponent’s models or units that may try to hit your flanks or rear.

Disruption Group

• Disruption groups are models that are not limited by traditional one dimensional deployment- meaning they don’t just deploy on your side of the table and walk/march/fly across the table. They enter through alternate means such as deepstriking, outflanking, guided placement, etc. DG units are entirely expendable and are the last units you fill out in your army- but nevertheless important to our strategy. By having the sudden ability to threaten something they force your opponent to immediately react when they arrive, and while they are awaiting to arrive they keep your opponent’s mind busy and thinking what they will do. In the other wave group categories redundancy of units is key across the army, but with your disruption groups you want different groups if you are playing a point value that allows you to take more than one. Different threats to provoke different responses. Since they will be appearing right into the

ranks of your opponent’s army they won’t last very long regardless of the unit, so small model count and low points are important.

Now with the groups defined for the wave tactics we are going to look at the basic deployment model and how each group build momentum for the overall wave effect.

The first unit to go down on the table is the advanced group which is deployed as far forward and as close to the table center as possible depending on the deployment diagram. By deploying in the center they will be able to reach out and make contact with the opponent regardless of where they are on the table.

Directly behind them is the core group with the command group mixed in…hiding…and waiting, followed by the support group.

In the diagram above the disruption groups are placed at the top sides, which is where they often like to come in when available, but keep in mind they go down where they can draw away the most units from your advancing core group.

Finally the support group in the back.

Now let’s talk about the flow of the game…

At the start of the game remind yourself that you are an active player! I even have to remind myself of this from time to time with some of the guys I meet in tournaments- they are very aggressive players and their armies are really cheesed out! Remind

yourself you are playing your army against the mission, and not the player or opposing army.

Attempt to seize first turn if you can and begin by rushing your advanced group forward as far as they can. Of course use cover, and the like to your advantage, but try to say center table so you can branch out when your opponent reacts.

Move up your core and command group, and open fire with your support group- target key units that your opponent will react with to your move. Stop them from reacting to get them flustered and to start making mistakes.

Aggressively advance and move forward at the beginning turn of the game.

As we move into mid game when your disruption groups arrive, look to place them where they can occupy the most of your opponent’s time. For example if one of your disruption units can land and take out a unit, but then die in the return fire or assault, what have they really accomplished other than a speed bump?

On the other hand if they can come in, and move into a place where they can bunker down, and force your opponent to pull units away to deal with them- that is worth more than killing models and just dying in return.

Ideally your opponent will be just finishing up dealing with your advanced group as your core and command come into action- forcing them to plan to deal with them, and then BAM your disruption group(s) arrive- the longer you can keep them a threat on the table the better- besides, being small units of lesser point values what will they really be killing?

Mid game also has you looking at your losses and the holes forming in your ranks- be ready to shift over any support units as needed to fill those holes, while keeping a sharp eye out on where to unleash that command group to break your opponent.

Finally end game has what is left of your core group breaking off and taking objectives, or whatever else is necessary to “win” the game while the remnants of all your other groups break off to tie up any remaining enemy units.

Phased List

The first place to start is to ask what is a phased based list? Well, in the 40K game we have three main game phases per turn- moving, shooting, and assaulting. Each of the armies can take action in these phases with better results than others- some armies are naturally quicker, shootier, or more assault. A phased list is where you build your army to entirely excel in one phase of the game- all your points get dumped into this, and you use that to win the mission. The idea is that you so over class your opponent in one of the phases that they can’t compete against you. While these army builds can be very powerful there are also many limitations since you literally putting all your eggs in one basket…

Full Mobility List

A full mobility list is one that builds itself out on the table to be the fastest and most efficient in the movement phase. The strength of it comes from being able to isolate key parts of the table (and enemy units) very quickly, destroy them and then move on. Perfect examples that illustrate a full mobility list are mech-Eldar, and Dark Angels Ravenwing.

The main criteria in a full mobility list is that all your units must be both fast and durable. The advantages that mobility brings needs to be maintained so you are also going to need to spend enough point to get enough units on the table so as you take losses you still have enough mobile units to win the mission- bringing three wave serpents and calling it a day won’t cut it!

Tactically the list is divided into two groups that are both fast and durable- the first group is dedicated to the attack, and the second group is dedicated to the defense. With your fast attacking units you are going to first look to target anything that your opponent has which can be a significant threat to hindering your mobility (example: Imperial Guard Hydra tanks if you have an army of all skimmer.) followed by targeting the units that your opponent is going to use to win the mission- troops, etc. This attacking half of your army is completely expendable as in the ASD list from before. Use the speed of your army to hit the flanks, destroy one unit and then pull away to hit another. Make use of reserves to come on and attack right away denying a turn of shooting.

On the defensive side you have your units that are tasked with winning the mission and generally operate outside of the scope of the attacking models. They tend to zip around the table staying safe, taking shots if they present themselves and are SAFE from return fire, and then end up on objectives for the win.

Let’s take a moment to illustrate this army build with my Saim-Hann army- examine it against what you have in your own army in terms of models and what you can use to replicate the experience- be it Eldar or even Space Marines!

In my attacking group I have a seer council, three groups of vypers, a wave serpent with either dire avengers or fire dragons inside, and a fire prism- while on the defensive side I have two or three groups of jetbikes with shuriken cannons depending on the points 1750-2500.

The entire army will deploy out looking for a way to approach my opponent’s army where I can get the most cover and I’ll throw everything at them with the attacking part of the list.

While this is happening my jetbikes usually boost around in the back getting cover saves and being protected from all but long range fire which is easily negated with cover saves and a high model count. If something presents itself I will fire off the shuriken cannons at 24” range and then slide back behind cover with the 6” jetbike move, but keeping those scoring units safe till the end of the game is most important.

A note on “survivability”- my fast units are protected by the support of two farseers (Eldrad and a the jetbike seer) casting up fortune for a cover save re-roll and holo-fields where applicable.

The army has almost no assault potential- they are Eldar with no aspects, average shooting for Eldar, but unmatched speed- I can be anywhere on the table with my entire army in a single turn, often even from reserves by turbo-boosting on and then kicking in star engines, etc.

Delayed Gunline List

Next we are going to take a look at a delayed gunline list which looks to fully invest in the shooting phase of the game and bring all those advantages to bear against the opponent- so much so that there is not going to be much left of the opponent’s army after turn three- in theory of course!

In appearance the delayed gunline build seems the easiest to play- line up and shoot, yet in application it is one of the hardest builds since you are sacrificing mobility which is a very important factor in winning games. There are many things you need to do correct with a delayed gunline and even more things you can go wrong with!

Build your list with this template carefully!

As a start you are going to need lots of guns/shots able to deal with the three classes of shooting (more on this in a moment) and lots of units/men/bodies to be able to suffer losses and still output the required number of shots to crush your opponent. In looking to pack in the most guns you are also going to have to make the most efficient use of the force organization chart.

Let’s talk about guns, guns, guns- from the perspective of building an Imperial Guard delayed gunline list as an example since it is easy to understand- as always adapt the concept to your army.

In your list you need three types of gun able to engage at the longest ranges possible- the first is anti tank, the second is heavy infantry/monstrous creatures, and the third is regular infantry. The longer the range the better since we want to be able to inflict shooting casualties right away on turn one, rather than having to wait a turn or two for the opponent to close the range.

For vehicles I have a number of las-cannon in my list- six in total which are tasked with engaging tanks and other vehicles at range. They are one shot (multi-shot weapons are generally better), but the S9 hitting power makes up for that. Order and vet squads

mean I at least hit on a 3+. At closer ranges and as part of my delaying wave (more on that in a few) I have 6 melta guns which are also tasked for tank hunting.

The second layer of shooting has a combination of 2 battle cannons, five heavy bolters, two plasma cannons, three auto-cannons, and three missile launchers to engage at range, and then four plasma guns to engage at closer range.

Finally, the third group of shooting has 100+ las guns (!), two heavy stubbers, a mortar, and some flamers/heavy flamers.

Is this a lot of shots? We determine that by their ability to be able to fire every turn and not get taken out in a single shot. Let’s look at this principal when we compare a devastator squad vs. an imperial guard squad with a heavy weapon.

When the imperial guard squad takes a hit and a few losses I’m going to pull one of the rank and file las gun troopers- sucks to be in the ‘guard, and with that the capacity of my las cannon being able to shoot next turn continues.

When I take losses to the devastator squad I have to start pulling the sarge and then heavy weapons- unless I add regular marines which then adds to cost of the overall base unit- points that take away from more guns.

Efficiency dictates that I want as many of my heavy weapons in squads that can take non heavy losses first. Now that’s not to say special or dedicated heavy weapon teams don’t have their place in a delayed gunline, but only after you have filled up your slots with other weapons first. Take them as an ADDITION to your core gunline build, not as the main focus.

Let’s take a moment to now talk about vehicles. Generally in a gunline you don’t want a unit/model that can be taken out on one shot no matter the odds- this goes against both getting bodies and special/heavy weapons on the table. BUT, as we fill out our troops and elites slot with guns, we move onto fast and heavy support which are often heavy or specialized vehicles.

When you are adding vehicles to the delayed gunline build you want to follow two rules- buy the highest armor value as possible to keep it alive, and mount the most guns on it.

Back to IG for a moment…

SO I’ve got me troops and elites all equipped and now I’m onto the heavy support slot for more guns, and I’m looking at a basilisk tank- is this a good choice?

It sure does have long range, and a nice big strong template, and if needed a heavy bolter. No doubt it will add some nice punch, but it isn’t optimal because it only has “one” main gun- the cannon.

Compare that to a leman russ tank- that is AV 14 and can mount the main gun, a hull gun, side guns, and a pintle weapon. Standing still and opening up with everything it has- the ‘russ can unleash some really crazy firepower- the battle cannon, a las cannon, two plasma cannons, and a stubber. That is an efficient use of mounting the most weapons on a single vehicle.

How does this work out in cost- since such a tank is expensive and we are going to take 2-3 of them depending on the points. Well, over all it isn’t that expensive when compared to the rest of my list which is just rank and file ‘guard- no chimeras, flyers or the like.

Going space marines for a moment, if you are dedicated to “shooting” then you don’t need your expensive terminators, and six razorbacks so suddenly three predators with all las cannons and a storm bolter are really affordable.

In the regular squads I also don’t have any sarge upgrades so that saves points for more shooting also.

So now you have an idea on how to build the list, what units to examine in your collection, so naturally we need to turn to tactics and breaking down each groups role.

Have you noticed how I’ve been saying delayed gunline over just gunline? Very important difference.

A delayed gunline army build has four components to it- the delayed group, and then the front, middle, and back ranks of the army. As all the builds so far each group is tasked with doing one thing to insure the overall success of the mission. On the table once deployed the delayed gunline looks like just a mass of infantry, tanks, and maybe support weapons depending on the codex to your opponent, but in your mind it is segmented in to following way…

The Delayed Group: These are the units in your army that are completely suicidal- their job is to just “appear” on the other side of the table, take out key targets, and keep your opponent busy for a turn or two so your main gunline can continue blasting away. Entry via deepstrike is the best way to do this even if it is risky- in my IG build I have three groups of storm troopers with two melta guns each. Their primary targets are anything that is incoming to my front ranks, or can throw significant long range attack into my ranks. This is the delay in the gunline- force my opponent to react and slow down a moment.

Front Ranks: As you continue to blast away with your gunline using good target priority to neutralize the main threats that your opponent has two things will happen- something will get past your delayed group and make its way close to crash into your gunline ranks and/or you will eventually need to move out to accomplish mission objectives with your middle ranks. As your opponent comes close to shoot or assault your middle ranks which have the bulk of your firepower, the front ranks move out to intercept and stop them. They are don’t have to kill the unit, just stop it, buy your middle and back ranks more shooting time (delayed gunline). Ceap and expendable with a few assault plasma/melta weapons I do it in my IG list with regular troopers and a large blob of conscripts. Alternately, mid game when my middle ranks have to start moving out to accomplish mission objectives the front ranks move out ahead as a screening force.

Middle Ranks: The middle ranks are the bread and butter of the gunline- lots of bodies, lots of assault weapons, and lots of heavy weapons. They are tasked with shooting, and then mid turn moving out to accomplish the mission goals- which will cut down on their heavy weapon shooting, but by that time your opponent’s units should be thinned enough that the pounding of your assault and tank based weapons can continue to be enough.

Back Ranks: The final rank in the list consists of my tanks and dedicated heavy weapon platforms- being in the back keeps them out of range of most stuff, and cover/high AV value keeps them alive. Positioning is KEY as they need to make the best use of the terrain and avenues/lanes of fire since I don’t want to move them and waste a turn of shooting. Alternately they shoot at units that my opponent needs to win the mission objectives, and units my opponent is going to use to try and break my ranks.

Maximum Assault List

The final army build template we are going to look at in our phased lists is the maximum assault based list- which can be the hardest to play since everything has to work perfectly, but on the other hand, I personally think there is nothing better in the game then closing with your opponent and wiping out their army in the brutality of the assault.

To build a maximum assault list you need to balance many things in a handful of models/units- explosive mobility, overwhelming assault power, and extreme survivability. Assaults are tricky things because you have to GET there first, and there are many ways for your opponent to prevent it from happening.

That said, the first place we start is with the assault units first- and this is where we are going to spend the majority of our points. What makes a good assault unit? Two things- the ability to “kill” models, and the ability to not be “killed” in return.

The optimal way to kill models in the assault is to take away their armor save- either by being a monstrous creature, having “power weapons” or causing enough rending attacks. Every “wound” scored must equal a “kill”. Yes, there are invulnerable saves that certain units can take, but they don’t compare to stock armor saves in terms of saving models, and those with good invulnerable saves (read 3+) are often small in unit size.

Imagine hitting a squad of tactical space marines in the assault and they get to make seven armor saves (vs. seven wounds)- how many are going to die? Take it a step out and you cause seven wounds to a group of genestealers- how many are going to “live” with their 5+ save? Less than seven in both cases. Now if you scored seven power weapon or equivalent wounds on those units seven wounds equals seven dead.

Next in selecting your assault units they have to be able to survive- they need to have the ability to tackle and win more than one assault, and the place we want to look at here is boosting their attack speed- striking higher than the base I4 or I3 that most units have. Furious charge, psyker buffs, and wargear buffs like specialty grenades or Grey Knight halberds are examples. Your unit hits first, and hits harder either wiping out the enemy unit before they can strike, or only leaving them with a few models to even strike back with insuring you win the assault.

Finally your assault unit is going to need to have survivability either in armor or toughness durability or in model numbers. See what fits this in your codex and use this as a base…

I do have to say here that while it is true that all the codex army books can build all of the lists here in this PDF some do it better than others, and in the case of a maximum assault list Space Marines do it best- so that is what we are going to look at as an army example to help illustrate the maximum assault build concept.

So what assault units do we have that can fill this bill? Terminators and dreadnoughts do it very well- 2+/3+ saves, venerable status, furious charge, preferred enemy, wargear like blood talons, etc. depending on the exact Space Marine codex.

With Blood Angels I can get up to seven dreads in a 2K list- 2 death company, 2 furioso, and 3 heavy dreads, and even with regular Space Marines I can get six dreads…

Add in some terminators, death company troops, veterans with power weapons, etc. and I’ve got the assault part ready- now we need a delivery system.

Now here you are with all this close in killy- if you had to walk across the table how many dreads or marines do you think you will have by the time you get into assault range. Enough to do the job? Probably not…

So, you need a way to get them into the ranks of your opponent in a single turn! With the Space Marine example we do this with either/and/or drop pods or storm raven gunships. Pods land and your opponent has one turn to stop your dreads or else BAM! Flyers move out for the cover save and if they aren’t stopped then next turn BAM! A few will be stopped for sure, and that is why you need to go over the top with these assault units.

Now you have your assault units that meet the needed criteria and the method to get them right in front of your opponent as quickly as possible- we now need to make sure there is something for them to assault.

You are going to need some sort of elements to sweep away blocking units or destroy vehicles to get the guys inside out and on the table so you can assault them. Assaulting expendable units only cuts down on the killing power of your models and buys your opponent more time to stop them.

In the case of dreadnoughts you can mount some melta-guns so on the turn they come down they can at least shoot to start the opening up process, and then next turn shoot again just in case before assaulting. Alternately you might need some other units to deepstrike in with them, or even shoot from range to assist in this.

Finally there are mission elements of the maximum assault build- the “troops” that you need to complete the mission, and this is what makes the list harder and less forgiving to play when compared to the other. Since assault units tend to be more expensive than their movement of shooting counterparts in the game, and since you need as much assault as you can get- your troop selections are going to be small in numbers and unit size. In the Space Marine example above only two (!) are usually taken. Additionally these two units are normally reserved off table to come on later and accomplish the mission goals to keep them safe from easily being wiped out by your opponent at the start of the game when their army is really strong and hasn’t been taken apart yet.

Tactically target priority is VERY important with a maximum assault build- more so then the delayed gunline- you just don’t land and go berserk killing anything you can. There is a methodology to taking stuff out.

Look at what you have available to potentially assault with next turn, and what your opponent has in your army. If you can you never want to go head to head with a like assault unit. If I have a furioso dread I don’t want to assault thunder hammer/storm shield terminators if I can! They will probably kill me in the process and what have I gained! I’d rather hit a generic marine tactical squad if I can. You won’t be able to avoid all the threats to your assault units- but taking out/killing quantity is more than quality.

In addition to this you need to also immediately target your opponent’s troop choices since that is what they are going to use to win the mission- vs. your two troop choices. Perhaps a bit daunting to do? Yes, but it is possible with an ACTIVE mindset, and in taking the fight right to your opponent, getting them to “blink” first so to speak…

Null Deployment List

Now as we move into the Null Deployment List we need first examine how it differentiates from the first two categories of builds in this PDF.

For the most part 40K was written and has developed using an assumed set of rules- kind of a gentleman’s agreement if you will. The Null Deployment lists and Endless Swarm look to work outside these two “rules”

The first deals with deployment and the second deals with model count.

How many games have you played and seen where both players set up their models across from each other and the go at it? Deployment is a big part of 40K and most of the time the movement of the game is forward

With the Null Deployment model we want to turn the entire table into our potential deployment zone rather than just our table edge.

Null Deployment allows you to break out of the linear deployment rules of the game- you build a deployment based army that can hit your opponent no matter where they hide!

How can such a list be useful?

Well against certain armies your opponent want’ you to charge right into their guns taking heavy losses as you cross the table- Null Deployment bypasses this.

Certain mission also require you to be all over the board with your models- capturing objective and table quarters over the course of the game- with a linear deployment your opponent can block off parts of the table and prevent this for you- Null Deployment bypasses this.

Then there are times vs. certain armies where you want to right in their face, assaulting or close up shooting right away- you need to bring all of your army to bear as quickly as possible- Null Deployment does this.

So what are the components of this build, and what do we need to keep in mind to make it happen?

Core Group: The first group in the Null Deployment build is a solid core group that is going to walk across the table, right down the center to put pressure on the opponent. You need a mix of models that are both very powerful and numerous since they are going to take a lot of incoming shots and when they do make contact with your opponent they need to have enough punch left to dish out the damage. Looking at the units you selected in the Attack, Support, Defense list under the Attack heading is a good place to start.

Outflanking Groups: The second group of units need to have the ability to outflank from the table edge, coming on, moving, shooting, and possible assaulting if in range.

Deepstriking Groups: The final group is a few deepstriking units- two or three are fine- spend most of your points on the core and outflanking groups.

In operation on the table the Null Deployment model looks to do two main things- put pressure on your opponent and attack them no matter where they are on the table, and then appear anywhere as needed on the table.

When it is your turn to deploy you are going to put your core group down as far forward as you can and advance it right into your opponent if they are bunched up, or right towards the mission objectives.

When your outflanking units arrive they are going to come in off the table edges and look to envelop your opponent, while your deepstriking units look to land as close to behind as the opponent as they can.

This deployment of putting pressure on all the angles of the table, including directly with the deepstrike will catch them no matter where they are.

If your opponent seeks to bypass your outflanking units by staying in the center of the table, then you will catch them with your advancing core unit first, tie them up, and then catch them with your outflankers and deepstrikers.

If they castle up to the sides to avoid your core unit then you catch them with your deepstrikers and outflankers.

Finally, if they disperse across the table, then you catch them with each group as they arrive.

Sounds like an interesting form of deployment right? Well, now we have to look at some of the issues to keep in mind with the Null Deployment model.

The first is having enough components to overwhelmed your opponent with the outflanking units. Having only one or two is not enough since you will take losses as they enter play- four or five would be the minimum.

We also want to look at our deepstriking units and select those that can possible get a re-roll on the scatter die (like IG storm troopers) or just enter play (like Lictors) if possible.

Finally if possible you want to add any reserve modifiers to your army- examples being a hive tyrant hive commander or Eldar autarch. All of your Null Deployment components need to come in as a whole, and not bit by bit where they can be dealt with or taken apart. The +1 really makes a difference.

That said, if you can’t get that +1 bonus since maybe it doesn’t exist in your codex then you are going to have to adjust your outflank and deepstriking groups to pack in as many as units as you can- perhaps even making them a bit smaller so if you get a few bad reserve rolls, there are still enough coming in to make the model work.

Endless Swarm

Now let’s look at model count and how it effects the game. When you play 40K you and your opponent agree on the points to play ahead of time, “buy” your models, and play a mission to see who wins. The game is “fair” because you are both playing the same amount of points.

Now imagine if every turn I got an additional 200+ points to add to my army and put down units right away- would that be considered fair?

What if my codex allowed it?

The endless swarm build looks to start with a gigantic model count army and then add to it each turn- winning the game by attrition against your opponent. Each turn they lose more models then you create.

Sounds like fun?

Well, we need to have a few elements in place other than just spawning models.

We are going to start with both the spawned models and the units that continue to make them- in this example Tyranids.

Whatever the maximum that I can take in the list and adjusted for the points level of the game is what I’m going to take. We need to be able to spawn more models each turn then our opponent can deal with, keeping in mind taking losses along the way.

One tervigon generating gaunts isn’t going to do anything in an endless swarm list, but five of them spawning guants each turn will.

We need to take as many “generators” as you can…

And then there are the spawned units themselves- we need to take a good amount of those models as a base line to add against so we can reach those overwhelming numbers right away by turn two/three and not later in the game.

With Tyranids as an example I want to take my gaunt units in groups of twenty, and with Necrons my scarab units in groups of ten. If I take only thee scarabs per unit with the idea of pumping up their numbers, they won’t be overwhelming enough till mid game- losing out on two turns of their ability to overwhelm.

We need to come out ahead with the swarm right away, and stay that way…

The second layer of this list is coming up with a way to keep both the swarm and the spawning units alive for as long as possible since naturally our opponent will be looking to both thin the spawned numbers a bit to make them manageable for their army, in addition to killing off the units that do spawn.

What units or abilities does your codex have that can do this?

Examples? With Tyranids our opponent is going to be looking to target the tervigons ASAP so if those bugs can cast feel no pain on each other and at least get a 5+ cover save from venompthropes that will keep them alive long enough to pump out gaunts.

On the Necron side of the equation, Stormlord with a chronoetron will allow night fight to stay up which will protect your large spyder groups from being targeted for the first few turns.

Tactically on the table, an endless swarm army is more about locking in place over outright killing models. Let’s face it guants and scarabs in our example are hardly scary units. Most of your army points are going to be spent in these units and the models to spawn them so you need to cautious with your troops.

Swam the opponent and lock up their units in the assault where they can’t move or do anything- a group of gaunts locking a dreadnought in the assault and in synapse is a perfect example. The guants can’t kill the dread, but it can’t break free either so that is as good as killing it. Endless swarm lists are just as much about stopping the opponent this way from completing any mission goals over actually removing models.

Total Annihilation

One last army model to consider, perhaps the most radical of them all is the total annihilation model- a good place to end since we started by looking at both active and passive players, and this models is the ultimate expression of the active player…

In designing a list we need to be able to do two things- win the mission, and remove enough of our opponent’s models so they can’t stop us from winning the mission or win it themselves. Part of our list is “troops” based, maybe with vehicles which are there for mission objectives, while the other part supports them and tries to stop our opponent- this works very well.

Well, in building a total annihilation list we are going to forget about winning the mission and just go right to killing our opponent. You build your entire army to kill models as best it can based on the tools in your codex, and all your points are geared to this. You are looking to apply overwhelming force to completely table your opponent.

That is how you win the mission- by completely removing your opponent.

Why build such a list, and I do have to say it is one sided and quite a gamble, since if you can’t kill your opponent completely and utterly you don’t have much to accomplish the mission goals with other then the two mandatory troop choices- and even these are going to be minimal at best.

Well, for starters it plays completely different and will take many players by surprise which is always fun. Rather than your razorbacks sneaking of for objectives, or playing carefully, you go all out attack, you force your opponent to respond themselves to your attack while they are divided by still trying to win the mission, while you are not divided by being dedicated to removing their models off the table- the ultimate expression of an active player.

Second, if you like to play in tournaments, scoring maximum points is the only way to eventually rank on the top tables and win the event. It is not enough to “win” your games- you have to win them with a huge margin and get all the bonus points, etc. Completely tabaling your opponent allows you to do this.

That is the total annihilation build…

Conclusion

Well, that’s going to finish out some of the different army builds for you to think about, consider, and adapt to your own army in 40K- I hope I’ve both given you some new directions to think about, and cut down on your learning curve on the table.

As always I appreciate and welcome and feedback, flames, and comments, along with sending me your list to look at and discuss to see how we can adapt it to one of the army templates above.

Good luck, and maybe one day our paths will cross on the gaming table and I can face off against your own ideas!

http://saimhann.blogspot.com/

This PDF is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. All associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer 40,000 universe are either ®, TM and/or © Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2013, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.

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