Squat army idea - advice requested

[isotope99]

I've decided my next army will be a squats force (I've done two eldar armies now and want something less subtle). I vaguely remember squats from Epic but my knowledge is a little patchy so grateful for input.

Backstory:

The squats have supposedly been swallowed up by the Tyranids so there's going to be a strong anti-tyranid theme in the design. Lots of dead tyranids modelled onto the bases etc.

The army is located on a space hulk after escaping the tyranid destruction by hiding on it so quite a lot of metal plating, piping etc. on the bases too.

Key units:

The following are some of the units I want to work in somehow:

Termites (troop transports)
Big tanks with lots of guns stacked on top of each other
Trike (bikes or light skimmers)
Exosuits (larger models on 40mm bases)
Airship (Flyer or some other tank)
Warriors (short but boosted by scenic bases for LOS purposes)


Counts as:

Thinning down the available options, there are three main ones that I am looking at:

Codex Space Marines (or new Dark Angels if they get stubborn back)
Tau
Imperial Guard


SM:
Pros: T4 with decent armour, special characters give options to make whole army stubborn. large mix of units available.

Cons: Marines, airship difficult to represent.

Tau:

Pros: Exosuits=battlesuits easily, skimmers for the airship. Maybe some future Demiurg options but looking less likely.

Cons: T3 and weedy infantry. Codex hard to use.

IG:

Pros: Vehicles fit the Squats best with flyers and ordnance

Cons: Loads of T3 infantry.

The infantry issue means that I am leaning towards vanilla space marines.

Sample Army list: 1500

Chosen mostly for feel and fit with my target modelling objectives

200 Lysander (makes the army stubborn and armed with a big hammer)
[Power loader style exosuit]

200 Assault Terminators
[Mini Power loaders taking on genestealers]

230 Terminators w/cyclone
[More exosuits, might swap out this unit but not sure for what?]

180 Tactical squad w/ lascannon & Melta
[Basic warriors]
70 Razorback w/ lasconnons
[Termite]

185 Scout Squad w/ power fist, combi-melta and H bolter
[Lighter armoured warriors to fill out troops cheaply]

65 Land speeder storm w/ MMelta
[Squat trike]

250 Land Raider (god hammer)
[Big tank, based on slimmed down shadowsword]

120 Autolas Predator
[Squat airship (a couple of TLOS problems)]

[DrLove42]

Airship can be a land raider. Or use BA and it can just be a Raven.

What you planning on using as models?

[JxKxR]

Would it be out of the question to make it a doubles army? Space marines for the Bikes, T4, and stubborn for the space marine half, and then Tau for the air ship, exosuits, and tanks. Could work if you convert them up to look like they all go together and then paint them different, like navy for the Tau and army for the space marines.

[Rissan4ever]

I agree with DrLove42. Codex: Space Marines seems to be the closest match, or you could use Blood Angels and use the Storm Raven for the airship.

[MaltonNecromancer]

You might want some of these:

http://www.ironcladminiatures.co.uk/.media/187014629913.jpeg

http://www.ironcladminiatures.co.uk/shop/article_Steam15/Steam-15.html?shop_param=cid%3D10%26aid%3DSteam15%26

http://www.ramshacklegames.co.uk/images/boring/big_boring.jpghttp://

http://shop.ramshacklegames.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=211

http://shop.ramshacklegames.co.uk/images/tank_hatch.jpg

http://shop.ramshacklegames.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=128

[Rissan4ever]

What rules would you use for the Termite? Drop Pods? That would make the most sense, IMO. It Deep Strikes, but instead of dropping from above, it tunnels up from below.

[isotope99]

Thanks, the termite drill head was causing me particular difficulty conceptually.

Drop pods make the most sense for the termite (which I'd use if I went space wolves) but I think it would work fine as a rhino/razorbak or devilfish too.

Model wise I have the following parts raided from my bits cupboard so far (a lesson in saving everything):


1 Storm Raven turret
Several drop pod panels and missile launchers
Space wolf heads
A few dwarf cannon bits
Marine parts
Ork legs
Ork shoulder armour
A box of killa kans I never built
A bag of FW space marine boarding shields I bought on impulse
Various tyranid parts from an aborted army
Some space hulk genestealers
Most of a helblaster volley gun
Most of a shadowsword kit from another aborted project
Old style imperial guard treads
A space marine bike
An ork warbike
Most of an ork trukk kit
Spare terminator combat arms of various types
Spare vehicle storm bolters
Spare dreadnought bits from several kits
Leftover cable and pistons from a warhound titan
2 storm raven engines I found on a bits site
Mixed IG sentinel parts
A whole box or tank panels of various types saved


I figure I'm over half way there to my full army without making a single new purchase :D

Plans so far (I may upload some sketches at the weekend):

Power armour infantry:

Space wolf heads with beards, SM shoulder pad cowling
SM backpack w/ exhaust pipes
SM torsos wihout aquilas on them
Shortened SM legs and arms w/ bolters
Ork shoulder armour
Base on metal plates and dead gaunts


Non power armour scouts:

Ork feet
Space wolf scout heads
Scout torsos & arms
Ork/ravenwing biker backpacks
Assorted tools



Exosuits (assault):

Killa kans legs and engines
Wolf guard torso and heads
SM power armour and external mechanical arms
Terminator hammers
Boarding shield storm shields
Ironclad power loader clamps as lightning claws
Action poses fighting genestealers


Termite:

Drop pod minus internal walls
Cover gaps with IG tracks
Drop pod fan as rear engine
Vehicle hatches
Drill head TBC


Airship:

2 sets of drop pod doors minus bases back to back
Storm raven engines and turret with lascannon
Drop pod tips as fins
Helbaster volley gun as autcannon in dorsal turret
Dead carnifex on base (regeneration skull)


Trike

Warbike front
Chopper style rider
Trukk engine and trukk rear wheels
Platforms for scouts
Multi melta turret

[isotope99]

I've also figured out my objective markers:

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/K3XZkxHzviDGUL3TEzw9aP5M9DhaL1CCT2RDynRW2Ei5zA7RE1 7NSBpUMKbLbcd0PR4bVK2E90AKlsRBgcoEnH9xA35SgWqOxsUr nLoaYc9ECVyRAD6o7Yh2hJrpNV4w5392dfeawHhyNarq7wk4cP fLSlZdtBQ8n9DTnAES7JwwV_OgCT_4rTjlbxQN4rvbNpMJyNwH r7NH5QSjYbyD7yhLTR4

:D

[Rissan4ever]

LOL! Brilliant! Colorful objective markers really add a lot of flavor to an army. Best of luck on this project. +)

[Grailkeeper]

Have you considered using the Ork Codex? It would be able to cover a lot of those options.

[isotope99]

Have you considered using the Ork Codex? It would be able to cover a lot of those options.


Yes, orks were on the initial shortlist but were cut just because I already have a huge army of them. You're right though, a couple of battlewagons, plus some bikes/buggies and Deffkoptas would fit fairly well.

[eldargal]

I don't see Astral Dorfs as having BS 2 myself. Personally I'd go with Space Marines.

[miteyheroes]

I'd run the trikes as assault bikes rather than land speeders. But yes, good army plan!

[Rissan4ever]

Have you considered using the Ork Codex? It would be able to cover a lot of those options.
WHAAAAAAAT?! Squats use the Ork codex? Squats HATE Orks. Heretic!

;-)

[miteyheroes]

WHAAAAAAAT?! Squats use the Ork codex? Squats HATE Orks. Heretic!

It's what Jervis suggested in an old Citadel Journal, back in 3rd Ed days - he recommended using the Imperial Guard or Ork codex.

[energongoodie]

How about Necrons?

They are a shooty army, low initiative. Reanimation protocols changes to 'super squat toughness ability'. The Crypteks have a few tech toys that could easily be re written as squat engineering. Monolith could be some big forge ship. Jetbikes to bikes. etc.
I think Immortals would be good squat troop stats. I think they would be better than a marine stat personally due to the initiative and they are tougher and more skilled than a guards man.

[Joe TwoCrows]

I have a friend locally, who used to play squats when they were still squats. Heartbroken.

But, he repainted them, converted some bits and plays them as a Vulkan drop pod army, with decent success (friendly and local tournaments.) The Emperor's Finest Heavy Gravity Troops, they are. Their shorter size gives them good and bad for LoS: they can hide, but if you can't see them, well, they can't see you.

Termites are the drop pods. He picked up his from the toy section of a $1 item store, go figure. Their footprint is roughly the same as the std pods, just rectangular, so the effect on the board is similar for things like LoS. They even have a huge side hatch, just to add to the effect. I don't have pics, maybe another day.

No one in the local community has ever said, errr, anything negative about them. If anything, he gets extra respect for keeping on. Oh, and his other army is Orks. Trukk Boyz.

best..

[isotope99]

Thanks all for the advice. I think I will stick with Space marines as i haven't done a power armour army for a while and the exosuits are probably goinhg to be the main part of my force as they are looking pretty cool (started converting already ;)).

Good call on the necron infantry though Energon, hadn't thought of that.

Last decision is whether to go vanilla or Dark Angels?

Two sample lists for comparison:

CSM|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DA
Lysander |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Belial w/ Hammer amd shield

Assault terminators ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Assault Deathwing w/ cyclone & apothecary

Terminators w/ cyclone |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Deathwing w/ cyclone

3 Attack trikes w/ Multi meltas |||||||||||||||||||||| 3 Ravenwing w/ 2 melta guns & Melta attack trike
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||| Land speeder typhoon w/ MMelta

Tactical squad w/ flamer & lascannon ||||||||||| Tactical squad w/ flamer & lascannon
Razorback [magnetized weapons] ||||||||||||||| Rhino

5 Scouts w/ camo cloaks & missile |||||||||||

Godhammer Land Raider ||||||||||||||||||||||||Godhammer Land Raider

Autolas predator ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||Autolas predator

c. 70% of the models are the same (with a bit of magnetisation) so I don't have to choose immediately.

CSM:

Pros: Slightly more bodies
Lysander whips Belial in stats and abilities

Cons: Low scoring potential


DA:

Pros: Fearless, scoring terminators, extra missile shots
Cons: Belial's stats not great

[Anggul]

I'd say Imperial Guard. A marine's statline doesn't reflect a squat in the slightest.

[Rissan4ever]

It's what Jervis suggested in an old Citadel Journal, back in 3rd Ed days - he recommended using the Imperial Guard or Ork codex.

Jervis isn't always right. Most of the time, but not always.

Anyway, I don't really which codex is used. I'll just be happy to see a table covered in angry midgets with guns!

[miteyheroes]

CSM:
Pros: Slightly more bodies
Lysander whips Belial in stats and abilities
Cons: Low scoring potential

DA:
Pros: Fearless, scoring terminators, extra missile shots
Cons: Belial's stats not great

If you go Deathwing, the banner is well worth it. One of my mates has a Deathwing force, and the banner+apothecary combo makes my Wolfguard termis very jealous.