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Monday, December 7, 2015

Cadian Battle Group - Mont'ka Detachment


So next up from the Mont'ka campaign book is the Cadian Battle Group detachment, it is also a Cadian Detachment, which I will go over in another post.  Short of it is that you cannot take any non cadian special characters, so that leaves you with Pask, Creed, and Kell.  You can't take yarrick anyways though due to how the battle group is laid out, and the other special characters aren't much of a loss.  There is a cadain warlord table and heirlooms, which both are good, but again I will go over that later.

The Battle Group is broken up into Command Choices, Core Choices, and Auxiliary Choices.  The Group must include at least one Command choice, note there is no restrictions on how many Command choices you take, but there isn't really much bonus for taking more than 2 as you are going to run out of pts long before you need to unlock more Core and Auxiliary choices.  For every Command, you get 0-3 Core Choices, for every Core 0-3 Auxiliary.  So you take 1 Command, and 2 Core, you can take 6 Auxiliary.  Trust me it will be hard to fill this out as you will soon see.

Command Choices are 1 Company Command Squad or 1 Tank Commander, either can upgrade to Cadian Special Characters as normal.  0-1 Lord commissars can be taken as part of the Command choice.  Restriction wise, no models not specifically listed in the formations and choices can be taken in this detachment, meaning that if you want to take  priests, you are going to have to take a second detachment to get them in.  How its worded, you can only take what is specifically listed, Formation or Unit, if its not listed it overrides the codex rules.  Command Benefits are quite good though.  High Command gives every Company Commander part of a Battle Group Command the ability to issue up to 3 orders each turn and can issue orders to units from this detachment within 24" instead of 12".  Battle Group Vox Net, when an officer from the detachment issues an order to a unit from this detachment it rolls 3D6 and discards the highest, so you get a nice buff to passing orders.  Sharpshooters, models from this detachment reroll 1s to-hit when shooting lasguns or hot shot lasguns.  Some very solid buffs.

You have 2 Core choices, an Emperors Shield Infantry Company, and an Emperors Fist Armored Company.  They cost 1005 and 720 pts minimum respectively.  So if you think you are cramming a lot into this detachment, think again.  Most are going to go armored, and you should.  Now the infantry build can be done, but it has to be done more carefully as it starts stacking pts up quick leaving very little room. 

The rest are Auxiliary choices, you can take a Emperors Shield Platoon, normal Infantry Platoon, Super-Heavy Support Element, Emperors Blade Assault Company, Emperors Spear Aerial Company, Ogryn Auxilla, Emperors Wrath Artillery Company, Emperors Talon  Recon Company, Psykana Division, and Militarum Tempestus Platoon. 

So really the hard part is fitting these pieces together without getting Apoc sized.  So think how you want to get your forces to work together and choose optimal choices to supplement your list.  Armored Companies just scream fun, and if you have lots of leman russes lying around, go for it. 

For an Armored list, I feel the better way to go is a minimum Tank Commander for Command Choice, and the Armored Company relatively minimal meaning don't max it out all the way.  You don't need to be completely base but watch your pts here.  Now to supplement this, I feel the Assault company fits in great with Obsec vets to take critical objectives quickly and act as a mobile fire base to clear units coming to punch your tanks, and if you have enough pts, an Artillery Company after that.  Another good choice for either the Infantry or Armored build is the Psykana Division, its very cheap at 255 base and gives lots of divination options or other powers, but really divination is the ole reliable to buff your tanks or infantry.  Its really hard to fit multiple of the really good Auxilary choices in though.  So I would choose between the Assault Company or the Artillery Company and fill it and the Armored Company out a little more and save enough to throw the Psykana Division in to buff.  The Armored and Artillery Combo favors a sit back and shoot and hope you cause enough damage to take objectives.  If you worry about skimmers and flyers, I would take one Hydra Squadron to give you AA, a full Basilisk battery and a Manticore is a lot of firepower with the combination of the orders. A single Infantry or Emperors Shield platoon also can fill you out to give you troops to protect your vehicles from deep strikers and fast movers without taking a lot of pts up.

Personally I am torn between taking the Assault Company over the Artillery.  The Assault makes you competitive in Maelstrom games, and supports your tanks, which die so easily in CC, so they absolutely need some protection.  Also another cheaper way to still go armored is to take a CCS in a Chimera as your Command Choice, it costs less than a Tank Commander, and your still getting one in the Company. 

The Infantry build I think really is only going to work by Comboing either the Company with Artillery or the Aerial Company.  If enough pts left either go for the Psykana or a few Scion squads for deep striking anti tank.  Now next post I will go over a specific piece of wargear that can be taken in the Cadian Detachment that can really make this a competitive choice.  For heavy weapons, I think the best is going with 10 auto cannons and 5 lascannons.  AA is provided either from the Artillery or Aerial Company.  This army moves forward to take board control and lasguns everything in its path to death.

The Recon Company is not a bad choice either here as it gives you out flanking armored sentinels to cause havoc in your opponents rear while the rest of your infantry advances.  This is also a cheap formation so it leaves room for more additions like a small artillery company or psykana division. 

Well I think that is all for now.  Overall a lot of options but making the right choices will be critical in having a successful army build.  Due to the pts cost, there is no room for splurging, every weapon and wargear has to a purpose and preferably multiple uses.  I will go over some of the builds in greater detail and give them each the time they deserve, but next will be the Cadian specific warlord traits and heirlooms.

GG

17 comments:

  1. I'm really looking forward to you going over some of the builds in greater detail!

    What I did was build a tank company with the Leman Russ tanks I already have (probably 2 Executioner, 1 Punisher, a new Vanquisher, and probably getting a Battle Tank with lascannon to make use of Power of the Machine Spirit), a Company Command Squad in a Chimera for Battle Group Command, a single super-heavy (Stormsword) and I filled up my remaining points with a couple of Deep-striking Storm Troopers. I don't know how effective that is, still getting my Storm Troopers so I'll see when I can test it out and how effective it is.

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  2. I just tried to make an "Hammer of the Emperor" Detachment at 1850pts.

    As you said, points add up quickly, and you can not be too fancy on the options.
    I was not even able to take a Tank Commander for the Command Group.

    Here is my list:
    Battle Group Command
    CCS: Taurox, 4 Melta

    Emperor's Fist Armoured Company
    Tank Commander: Pask, Vanquisher, Lascannon
    Punisher, Heavy Bolter Sponsons
    Leman Russ: Punisher, Heavy Bolter Sponsons
    Leman Russ: Battle Tank
    Leman Russ: Executioner, Plasma cannons Sponsons
    Enginseer
    Enginseer (I add a second to be able to repair the Executioner)


    Emperor's Blade Assault Company
    CCS: Taurox, 3 Plasma
    Veterans: Chimera, 2 Plasma
    Veterans: Chimera, 2 Plasma
    Veterans: Chimera, 2 Plasma
    Hellhound: BaneWolf, Heavy Flamer

    That is all, only 2 formations.
    So few infantry: 42 guys, I think I never played IG with so few guards.
    But yes, that is a Full Armored Company, with a mighty 11 Vehicles.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, it adds up very quickly. To save a few pts I would drop the chimeras for the vet squads and take taurox, though you can Chimeras for the CCS. If you drop the three Chimeras for Taurox that gives you 45 pts. Not much but its something.

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    2. Give the CCS the Chimeras. They can issue orders from them without getting out. That'll help you out a lot.

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    3. I'm not sure about this, but I heard that you can't take Pask in an Armored Company. The only way to take him in the Cadian Battle Group is replacing the Tank Commander in the Battle Group Command, so you apparently can't take him for your Armored Company.

      This is what I read off other blogs and forums, so I could be mistaken.

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    4. Its debatable. The Tank Commander data sheet allows it to upgrade to Pask, so as written I would say he does not have to be in the Command Choice tank commander and can be taken in the Armored company.

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  3. This is what I'm looking at running in 2k:

    Emperor's Fist
    Vanquisher, lascannon, camo, warlord
    Eradicator, heavy flamer
    Punisher, sponson heavy bolters
    Exterminator, sponson heavy bolters
    Enginseer

    Emperor's Blade
    CCS, 3 melta, vox, chimera
    3 x Vet Squads, 2 melta, vox, chimera
    Hellhound

    Emperor's Wrath
    CCS, chimera, camo
    Basilisk
    Basilisk
    Manticore
    Enginseer

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    Replies
    1. You are missing a Command Choice if this is supposed to be a Cadian Battle Group. Also need another tank in the Emperors fist, remember that a tank commander has to take 2 tanks in the squadron, so its a minimum of 5 tanks for it (tank commander-2, 3 leman russ squadrons). Otherwise looks a good army

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  4. What are your thoughts on whether or not you can include a Commissar or priest into the Emperors shield infantry platoons. On my read read I didn't think they were available, but I have been looking closer into it and now believe you can.

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    1. Depends how you take your army. So if you are taking a CAD, and take the platoon as a formation, then you can take commissars and priests are part of the CAD and attach them. If you are taking a Cadian Battle Group detachment, then no, as it specifies if the datasheets are not listed they cannot be taken. Now you can take a psykana division and attach the commissars from there to your platoons, but you can't just take a commissar like you do in a CAD from AM. Priests are not listed at all so can never be taken as part of a Cadian Battle Group. Only way again is to take a CAD and either go with one formation or a smaller Cadian battle Group (Command and Core choice).

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    2. I'm re-reading that now, and I think you can take any unit from Codex: Astra Militarum, including Priests. The example on Page 196 includes a Militarum Tempestus Platoon, and I don't think their datasheet is anywhere in Mont'ka.

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  5. the funny thing is that you can take an army of command squads as a legal army :D

    And all of them have 3 orders, 24" range and order each other on 3D6 take two lowest.

    I think i will actually try using 1 or 2 of the command squads from this detachment with a platoon of heavy weapon teams or something like that.

    Btw i have tried using the detachment with a core of infantry company in a 1750 pts game. I had 1 blob with autocannons and grenade launchers, another with lascannons and another with power axes and grenades. Plus some heavy weapon teams. Main command squad had a chimera and a standard relic to give everyone within 18" fearless. It wasn't bad, but it was far less mobile that i like to play. It was literally an immovable object. I had about 4-5 times more models than my opponent's eldar army, he won the maelstrom game with 17 to 16, so i can't complain about how resilient the army was. I think he would have struggles a lot more if i had an aegis defense line or he did not have the eldritch storm on his farseer, but in the end he had only like 5 models left when i still had about 40 :D ...

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    1. Oh yeah and the passing orders on 3D6 take two lowest is absolutely brilliant! I have underestimated how good that is until i played. I had inspired tactics 3 times during the game with no vox casters or laurels, it is amazing, as i had 2 company command squads that had 5 orders between them and 3 platoon command squads that could issue the move and shoot order and another one each turn.

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    2. NOOO! How could you lose to those wretched, pointy eared xenos scum?!

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  6. I was wondering if someone could help me figure out specific wording on the battlegroup etc. So, in order to take the "Emperors Armored Fist Company" I will need to take either a Tank Commander Squadron, or a Command Squad. Now, if I take the Command Squad, unlock the Armored Fist Company, upgrade the tank commander in the formation to be Pask & make him my warlord, does that invalidate the requirements of this Battlegroup? I guess what I am tryin to say is, does my Battle Group Command HAVE to be my warlord, or can my warlord be my tank commander from the Armored Fist Company, and the Battle Group Commands simply serves as a tax to unlock the tank formation?

    I hope this makes sense...lol

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  7. I was wondering if someone could help me figure out specific wording on the battlegroup etc. So, in order to take the "Emperors Armored Fist Company" I will need to take either a Tank Commander Squadron, or a Command Squad. Now, if I take the Command Squad, unlock the Armored Fist Company, upgrade the tank commander in the formation to be Pask & make him my warlord, does that invalidate the requirements of this Battlegroup? I guess what I am tryin to say is, does my Battle Group Command HAVE to be my warlord, or can my warlord be my tank commander from the Armored Fist Company, and the Battle Group Commands simply serves as a tax to unlock the tank formation?

    I hope this makes sense...lol

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