How many troops do you take?

[Hades Alpha]

I'd like to know how many troops do you take to your games.

Of course it depends on your army, army size (total allowed points) and play style. But I believe their is two philosophy behind troop selection:

1 - As much as possible in order to capture more objectives.
2 - Minimum required and rely on other unit type to contest as many objectives as possible.

What do you think? Which is more efficient?

All comments, thoughts and opinions are welcomed.

[yergerjo]

If I'm playing my Space Marines, I bring a minimum of 2 Troops (tactical squads), plus 1 more for each full 500 points over 1000.

500 points - 2 Troops
1000 points - 2 Troops
1500 points - 3 Troops
1850 points - 3 Troops
2000 points - 4 Troops

I keep my troops in transports, generally 2-3 Rhinos and 1 in LR. My Sgts are tooled out as PF + Combi-melta, or Plasma Pistol and Power Weapon.

***
If I'm playing my Dark Eldar, I bring a minimum of 3 Troops at 500 points and generally spam my Troops.

500 points - 3 Troops: 2 Raider squads, 1 Warrior
1000 points - 4 Troops: 2 Raider squads, 2 Warrior
1500 points - 4 Troops: 2 Raider squads, 2 Warrior
1850 points - 4/5 Troops: 2 Raider squads, 2 Warrior or 2 Raider squads, 3 Warrior
2000 points - 5 Troops: 3 Raider squads, 2 Warrior

I vary my unit model quantity depending on the point level. Warrior squads I will max out at 13 models and I'll run 6-7 models in my Raider squads. I rarely run Syrabites in either type of squad.

[zenbrew]

I have Daemonhunters and I use a similar quotient. Up to 1500pts, I take 2. Up to 2000, 3. greater than that, i take 4.

[galahad]

eldar - 2 jetbikesquads of 12, 6 guardian squads, 2 dire avengers
Wolves - 3 grey hunters, 3 bloodclaws (and ther's another 2 of each avail to be built once the new codex arrives)
Daemon hunters 6 squads of Grey knights
IG - 8 squads of kreig (2 platoons of 3 and 1 of 2)
SOB - 6 squads of sisters
Daemons - 2 squads each of bloodletters, horrors, daemonettes and bearers
Orks - 3 squads of 30 boyz, 4 truks with 12 boyz and 2 bike sqads

of course these are for 5k+ apoc games so I take all of them - all the time!

In a 1500 point game I take at least 3 squads and prefer 4 squads.

[The AKH]

In my Space Marine army, I like to take at least 3 Tactical squads in games of 1500 points or above. This gives me the flexibility of three to six scoring units, depending how I combat squad them.

[RocketRollRebel]

1,500 or less I tend to take 3 if at all possible, then anything higher normally just 3 maybe 4. Depends on the army. Imperial Guard normally 4, Blood Angels normally 3.

[Whitehorn]

I take.. not enough.

For CSM, it's easy with Cult Troops being so awesome.
For SM, I really don't like Tactical squads, so unless I run 2 scout squads and perhaps a tac with with BFH, I struggle to meet the quota.

[Magos Bellum]

I lower point games (1250 and below) I like to take as many cheap/semi-effective scoring units as I can, but in higher point games I keep the same number of troop units (usually 4 IG Vet squads or 2 Vet squads and a platoon) and add in more durable or more destructive units that can contest if all else fails.

[Duke]

In my Blood Angels list I take two tac squads and one assault squad, this way I can have anywhere between 3-6 scoring units.

[Dingareth]

2, always.

2x Scout Squad
5 Scouts and a Power Fist

But of course I still have 7 Scoring units at 2000 points, I just hate the Marine troop choices. In my DKoK I take 6- 5 Veteran Squads and a Penal Legion.

[hammy]

I take 4 in my 2000 points SM army

1 scout & Telion

3 tac squads with basic melta guns and missile launchers

[Deadman42]

I generally play at 1850 points, and I try to keep to 4 troops choices. In my Nurgle Chaos marine army, I take 4 squads of 7 plague marines, and in my Evil Sunz army I take 3 squads of boyz mounted in trukks, and one squad of Nobz with big choppas mounted in a battlewagon with the warboss.

[mercer]

I always take 3. With majority of the games being objectives its worth taking them.

[GMort.]

With my Marines i take 3 at 1500 (1 Scout Squad and 2 Tactical squads in Rhino's)
At 1750 i add a 3rd Tactical Squad in a Rhino.

With Chaos i take 3-4 Squads of whatever Cult Troop is appropriate to the list i'm using.

With my Daemon list i take 4x5 Plaguebearers at 1500, 5x5 at 1750 and 6x5 at 2000

With My IG i have 136 guys of which 124 are Troops (at 1500).

[Alzer]

For Necrons I take a troops squad for every 500pts. (Though obviously two at 500 points)

Tyranids I only run 1k, but have between 3 and 5 troops squads on the board. not sure if this number will increase when I get more models, or if I'll just bulk up the squads.

[The Lord]

with my guard no less than 3 in chimeras 1850 and above i try to take 4.

with my loyalits marines i can usually get by with 2 or maybe 3 in a large game.

but chaos space marines have such nice troops choices i often max out on them

[DarkLink]

How many troops you should take depends on a number of factor, the first of which is what army you play. For example, I play Daemonhunters (pure GK's). I can't afford to take many casualties due to how expensive Grey Knights are. If they can get through my land raiders and kill all my troops, I've lost the game already anyways.

Something to point out is that it doesn't matter how many troops you start with, but how many you end with. If your playstyle or army gives you survivable troops, then you don't need to take that many. But if your troops are easy to kill and/or aggressive units, you need lots if you want them to survive. Tyranids have this problem, as gaunts are easy to kill, and genestealers are going to be at the forefront of the attack, so you can't just take 2-3 units, you have to take as many as you can afford.

[Sheldog]

For my nids at 1500 I usually field 5 3x8 stealers 2x20 spine gaunts or do 20 spinegaunts and 10 hormagaunts.

[Ming]

My 3rd Co Ultras build every list around Kantor (as Ardias) - so I typically have 2 tac squads and 1 stern squad, so 3-6 as scoring. After that I spend all the remaining points on more firepower, fast attacks, elites, and heavies last. I rarely take scouts.

[Mike Dunford]

Playing Orks (usually Evil Sunz), I try to never take less than four, and frequently take the full 6. That's partly to make sure I can take objectives, but partly because my play style usually involves throwing as many units around in as many different directions as feasible.

[Commander Vimes]

At 1750 I take four with my Tau and feel naked with fewer. I think four is a minimum. Maybe 3 if they're resilient like a big boy mob or Plague Marines.

[Xas]

I usually take as much troops as I need for my battle plan because of their abilities other than score. with tyranids usually all 6 because 2*8 gaunts are more usefull than 1*16 and so I spread them around.

with guards it about the same. a platton consisting of a comissar lead mob, a command squad and a mortar squad as well as 2-3 veteran squads in chimaeras.

[cyberakuma]

i play witch hunters these days so troops with imagifiers are always good for faithpoints so i usually take about 4 squads of ten when foot slogging so theres plenty for objectives with enough seraphim (3 ten man squads) to zip round pissing everything else off whilst the bigger guns do their job

but it all depends on the game i wouldn't say it's set in stone i'll mix it up just for ****s and giggles

[Anon!]

I run 3 Tactical Squads in Rhinos with flamers and missile launchers (I see no need for too much in the way of upgrades) and either a full scout squad with sniper rifles or 2 squads of 5 with ccws and bolt pistols. If I can take every objective in an average objective based mission (avg. for that D3+2 objective game I can't remember the name of is 4 objectives if I use theoryhammer and ingnore chaos theory entirely) without combat squadding then I'm happy :)

[Warfare]

My main army is deathwing, so...er 5 troops in 1750pts.

Also have an eldar army in which i run 4 troops

[GM Rex Nihilo]

I take three tactical squads in 1500 to 1850 point games. Two in Rhinos and one in a Drop Pod. That way I have some mobility and reactionary objective taker.

[Kanaellars]

In my wolves, barest minimum 3, more likely 5.... and in larger games as many as the FOC will allow.

In 1500 points its normally 2 units of 10 Grey Hunters in Rhinos, 1 unit of 10 Grey Hunters on foot, and 1 unit of 15 Blood claws on foot.

[Archon]

I usually take 3-4 Troop-Choices @ 1500 till 1850 pts.

EC: 2 Assault units w/rhinos, 1 Shooty unit, 1 Deamon unit

IW: tow big units for the assault-role, one bit unit without a vehicle for defense

Tau: 1 mech unit in a forward role, 1 stationary unit und 2 units of Kroot

DE: 2 x warriors on foot, 2 x warriors on reaver

[thralkhan]

about 6 years ago, I started using a drop pod Space Wolf list with my HQ and retinue, and the rest were Grey Hunters.
Then a few years ago, I switched over to Blood Angels. If I took a drop pod list, I maxed out on tac squads.
My Chaos list is troop heavy, with 2 squads of Berserkers, 3 squads of Death Guard and a squad of 1k Sons.
Orks, I take 1 unit 'ard boyz, 1 unit choppa boyz, 3 squads shoota boyz, and a unit of gretchin

[Cptn5thCompany]

5th Company Ultra's i field a min of 4 troops. 1 scout sniper squad 3 tac squads armed to suit who im facing and mounted in Rhinos. That way i can go for objectives and have back up just in case

[Churlton]

SM I'll take a minimum of 3 full squads at 1500pts.
SoB it will be a minimum of 4 troops at the same level.
Orks will be a minimum of 5 troops (at least 2 in trukks)......

Whereas with my SM, I will probably use any "shiny" pieces or IC in the 1501 - 2000pt boost from 1500pts. The other armies will get more troops in the points upgrade rather than shiny stuff.