Adeptus Mechanicus 2,000 Unbound

[Mr Mystery]

Here it is, my first Mechanicus list.

I've gone unbound because this is my first game of 7th Edition, let alone with Mechanicus, so it's more testing the water with the models and the rules. Plus, bar two Sidonian Dragoons it's everything I currently have.....

So, here goes.

Tech-Priest Dominus - 145 points
Infoslave Skull, Raiment of the Techno-Martyr

Kataphron Breachers - 150 points
2 Torsion Cannons

Corpuscarii Electro-Priests - 90 points

Kastelan Robot Maniple - 670 points
2 additional Kastelan Robots, 1 additional Cybernetica Datasmith, 4 twin-linked Phospor Blasters, 4 carapace-mounted Phospor Blasters, Autocadeus of Arkhan Land

Skitarii Vanguard - 200 points
5 additional Skitarii Vanguard, Omnispex, 3 Plasma Calivers

Skitarii Vanguard - 170 points
5 additional Skitarii Vanguard, Omnispex, 3 Arc Rifles, Phospor Pistol, Taser Goad

Skitarii Vanguard - 110 points
5 additional Skitarii Vanguard, Omnispex

Skitarii Rangers - 235 points
5 additional Skitarii Rangers, Omnispex, 3 Transuranic Arqueba, Arc Pistol Arc Maul

Sicarian Infiltrators
Flechette Blasters, Taser Goads, Infoslave Skull, The Omniscient Mask

Comes in at 1985, so might be able to squeak in a field upgrade somewhere, but currently just gone WYSIWYG other than the three Relics, which are mostly there because they're pretty dashed cool.

First game is against Orks, and given the sheer amount of anti-infantry I've not got too many concerns.

The Arc weapons might be a bit overkill, as I saw my opponent in a game today, and it doesn't look like he uses much in the way of armour, favouring Grot Artillery and Boyz for the most part. But, they're still strength 6, so ought to bag a few green skins all the same.

I have high hopes for the Rangers. Their main job will be to slot Nobz before they can get into combat

Breachers - well, nice as they are, I'm really not expecting much from them tomorrow, as they likely won't have prime targets, though if he has Meganobz they can expect me to get all Happy Mondays and be twisting their melons, man.

Electro-priests, again I'm not sure how they'll do overall. I really like their rules, but only being 5 strong they will probs be best off as mop up should the Vanguard leave some dregs behind.

Let me know what you think folks :) Next purchases will be informed by how stuff performs.

[Houghten]

You know, that list wouldn't have to be Unbound. The Cult Mechanicus units will all fit into an Allied Detachment, giving you Objective Secured on the Breachers, and the Skitarii will all fit into a Maniple, giving them Crusader and non-outflanking-Scout. Downside is your Dominus wouldn't be able to be your Warlord, which rather fires a torsion cannon at the fluff.

Speaking of torsion cannon, your Breachers definitely do have a prime target: grot artillery pieces. The whole unit's T7 while at least one gun remains, and the guns themselves have 2W.

[Mr Mystery]

Didn't think of that!

Will revisit me books and have a ponder.

[Kirsten]

good looking list. my 2,000 goes

Tech Priest, conversion field, it will not die of arkan land.

Fulgurite Electro Priests

Breachers with torsion guns
Destroyers with grav cannons

Robots with phosphor blasters

ten vanguard, two arc rifles, plasma
ten vanguard, two arc rifles, plasma
rangers, two arquebii

rust stalkers, two swords
infiltrators, flechette, taser

Two dragoons

Ironstrider with lascannon

basically a primary cult detachment and secondary skitarii detachment. was a long game between canticles, doctrinas, looking up stats and rules. I forgot loads of extra abilities too. was interesting though.

next time going to put it will not die on the data smith, have the tech priest more free roaming. going to swap the dragoons to ironstriders as well, because the army needs some long range anti tank ability. wasn't convinced by the arquebus, 4+ to wound infantry isn't great, and if you shoot at vehicles you waste the rest of the unit. tempted by your idea of the minimum five man squad with two for sitting back, and maybe make the rangers just ten galvanic rifles.

[Mr Mystery]

Well, it all went horribly wrong.

Not only am I very rusty, but my opponent really knew what he was doing. Oh, and I couldn't hit for toffee!

However, those Siacrian Infiltrators are bloody nasty! Five of them took on 20 Ork Boyz, Nob and a Painboy and gave them a decent run for their money. Reckon I could have taken them if I hadn't wusses out and risked that charge - I had forgotten about Waagh letting Orks run and charge... Still won all but the last round of combat like, just didn't have the oomph to properly wallop them.

Defo bulking them up to a squad of 10. The Flechette Blasters are frankly exceptional. Even wounding on a 6, the sheer amount of shots worked wonders, as did Shread. And where the Taser Goads lack AP, the generally high number of base attacks combined with S6 more than makes up for it. Add in the Neurostatic Aura, and they're a very pokey little intercept unit.

What would I have done differently? Pretty much everything. Too used to Warhammer and being able to flee unfavourable combats, and I need to be more mobile.

Breachers, predictably did very little. They're just not cut out for anti-infantry.

Kastelans did quite well. Lots of dakka, and if it wasn't for piss-poor rolling on my behalf (including Canticle re-rolls....) and my opponent mistaking his Kustom for a Mega-Forcefield, they'd have jobbed far more Orks than they did. Also did quite nicely in combat, but fell foul of three Warbosses....

Oh, that's another thing I'd do differently - never play Unbound against someone not aiming at a theme. Pretty much every unit had a Painboy and a sodding Warboss....

Shall also try a Knight next time. One with loadsa dakka....

Oh, and not suck at 40k anymore. That would help immeasurably!

[Kirsten]

I would say kastelans with fists, flamers, and the double attacks data might do rather well against orks.

flechette blasters are hilarious, hard to predict what they will actually do, but I fired the unit of five at a shadowseer and caused about ten wounds on it which was pretty entertaining.

perhaps some destroyers with plasma culverins are the way to go, they seem to be the most straight forward anti infantry option available.

[Mr Mystery]

Agreed.

I think I need to be a lot more aggressive as well. Hardly used the 3 units of Vanguard, which was just bloody wasteful!

Large part is not playing unbound again. Too many spangly rules paid for via cheap Boyz who became bloody difficult to kill!

[Kirsten]

I found that in my first game, only really got one decent volley off with the vanguard, should have pushed forward and gone for it. same with the kastelans, should have thrown them forward as well, seeing as they can move and shoot quite happily, there is little reason not to. I played on a fairly terrain heavy battlefield too, and with so many Ad Mech units on large bases, it was actually pretty hard to get things where they needed to be and get line of sight.

[Mr Mystery]

Same here.

I should have foregone the cover, and instead stood in the funnel area and let him come at me, straight into the teeth of all my guns - the density of terrain would have slowed him down, possibly forcing him to come on in piecemeal.

What I have learnt is that minimum size units just don't quite cut it!

[YorkNecromancer]

Breachers seem, to me at least, to be pretty much for killing buildings, tanks, Lords of War-level vehicles, and precious little else. And even in that roles, they're middling to poor, especially when compared to Grav-cannon or Plasma Caliver equipped Battle Servitors. There's nothing that Breachers really seem to do all that well. I mean, they're not Pyrovore bad... It's just why take them, when they're taking up valuable slots that could be used by gun-equipped Battle Servitors?

[Kirsten]

I think they have a place, torsion guns and heavy arc rifles are great for killing vehicles, which there are always a few of about the place. I did find the grav destroyers more useful though, even with the worse armour save. the flamers were very handy.

[Mr Mystery]

Heavy Arc Rifles are very, very reliable. Torsion Cannons can also be useful for bagging characters, especially if they have 'Eternal Warrior' because Torsion no care!

But yeah. I'd say the Kataphron Destroyers are just sort of more useful overall, and I'll definitely be getting a couple of boxes. And adding to my Corpuscarii, who just get better with numbers.

[Mr Mystery]

Also.....Sydonian Dragoons...need to max out a unit. They ought to be able to do horrible, horrible things in combat, and being AV11 all round, be relatively safe from retribution.

[Houghten]

Oh, that's another thing I'd do differently - never play Unbound against someone not aiming at a theme. Pretty much every unit had a Painboy and a sodding Warboss....

Sounds like a theme to me!

[Mr Mystery]

I could squeak in around 22 Sydonian Dragoons in 2000.....if I went mental/unbound/insane....

[Kirsten]

that would certainly be interesting...

[Mr Mystery]

They're shockingly hard....

One of the fastest, if not the fastest assault unit in the game. S8, I6 on the charge, 4 attacks each with 6's adding yet more hits. Oh, and S5 Hammer of Wrath.

Downside? They can't really take it. I left them on the bench today because I only have two at present, and was not at all confident they'd survive long enough to hit home...

But for what you get, they are stupidly cheap. You just need to take a decent sized (four or more if you ask me) sized unit to absorb the largely inevitable casualties.

And of course, picking the right Doctrina Imperative, and you'll be hitting most opponents on a piffling 3+...

Bah, time to create a spending plan!

[Kirsten]

they are definitely interesting, the foot print for a unit of four is large though, needs careful management.

an army of 22 would be cool, but I think they would get in each other's way.

[Mr Mystery]

Deploy in a single line, then just sort of charge! Proper old school cavalry.

Whilst you play Muse's 'Knights of Cydonia'. Turned up to 11.

Hold on.....wait.......**** THE BED....that's 44.....I did my sums wrong!

18 is a frankly piffling 810 points.....and I spent not massively far off that on Kastelans....

Though the £472 for the remaining 16 is food for thought.....would have to be over a month or three...

[Kirsten]

it would look pretty awesome, but you could probably do it with ten or so, 44 might be excessive...

[Mr Mystery]

But 10 is a wussier number than 18....

And with three units, my opponents shooting will be hard pressed to stop them before I run and up down his line....

If its today's opponent? Unbound, all units of one. Just like his sodding Grot Artillery (yep....one of those)

[Kirsten]

units of one?

[Houghten]

As in no additional guns per unit. Thus ensuring the minimum number are destroyed per turn (because if you deal twelve wounds in one volley you've still only nobbled one gun), and can all pick different targets.

[Mr Mystery]

Yup.

Not really a game I'd care to repeat, sadly.

Opponent was good like, just didn't enjoy it very much, what with 4++ and FNP pretty much everywhere...

[Kirsten]

As in no additional guns per unit. Thus ensuring the minimum number are destroyed per turn (because if you deal twelve wounds in one volley you've still only nobbled one gun), and can all pick different targets.

yes I know that bit, he said units of one, just like the artillery, implying something else was in units of one as well.

[Houghten]

Yes, the hypothetical all-Dragoon army.

[Kirsten]

aah, that makes more sense.