Saturday 9 April 2016

Allies...Friends on the Front Line

Tylar here for another post with a slant ;)


Evening ladies gents. I'm here to talk about how you can diversify your 30K army. Allies are the easiest option. 
So what's the big deal?

Well there are a few worthy reasons why you'd want to add allies to 30K army. 
Firstly 'Fluff Factor'. Here at the Battle Bunnies this is our go to reason for building and collecting armies. 
Allies were a key part of any Exploration Fleet and I'm not just talking about other Legions. 

I myself am looking to start with Solar Auxilla. I eventually want to add a Rogue Trader element so I'll be looking to convert some miniatures from the range and look elsewhere for inspiration. 

So first up these guys...

The next best thing to the Emperor's Finest. These guys granted are not the tip of the spear but they do hold their weight in numbers and what units they can bring to the table. 

Massed troops at low points. So what...?

Massed ranks of las-rifles not only look cool, wielded correctly they can hold objectives and flanks during a game and can even provide additional reserves to capture those last minute focal points. 

Specialist troops help too. 

Now Veletaris Storm Sections are great. They really do look cool as hell and the best thing to boot is that they're a troops choice with Volkite weaponry. Deflagrate is pretty handy when it's Assault 2. 

Added fire-power.

Look no further than the Auxilla Tank Battery. Medusas are brutal and when you field 3 as one FOC slot you know you're onto a winner. 

My own personal goal. 
One of these to add to my armoured company line up. Add a tank commander and you can take some serious upgrades. 

You can also add some air support. Or even some Mechanicum help. 

Additional Mechanicum Allies can be taken as either units in the formation with Solar Auxilla, an Enginseer Auxilla with a Cortex controller opens up those options.  Or if you opt for a Mechanicum FOC you can add aircraft from there too.  Avengers are great ground attack units. 



Now I only wish that Marauder Destroyers were available. These are amazing. And seriously armed too. 


Next up. The Noble Houses. 


Loyal or not so loyal Houses the choice is yours. Based before the Hersy or during it doesn't matter. Some Knights may have chosen to become freeblades the Fluff options are endless. 
Knights have become a stable addition for me either as a single Knight for the LoW slot or as a Cohort. 

They're diverse,hard hitting, and used well can turn the tide of any battle. 

I won't go into detail here on Knights as there are several great posts already on the blog and more to come. 

So finally the other reason...for me it keep the interest alive. As all avid FW collectors know with continued additions and so many units available collecting a Legion is a never ending love affair that can always be added too. 

However keeping the hobby and gaming side alive by adding a small contingent of Solar Auxillar or Mechanicum allows you as a modeller to try new kits, techniques and painting styles. And as a gamer new tactics. 

I hope this has been insightful and thought provoking. I'm looking forward to all the comments and I'd like to hear people's thoughts on allies, what they'd take and why?

Until next time - Tylar ;)

8 comments:

  1. Great overview post :)

    Word Bearers and Cults also have access to Chaos Daemons which is pretty awesome and gives you more options.

    Last but not least, I would count the Titan Legions also as their "own" thing - they are worth to be mentioned as their own unique allies :P

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    1. Titans are definitely an option. But they can be out of the average resin addicts price range sometimes. That why I kept to the more accessible allies.
      But yes Titans are an awesome addition to any army ;)

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  2. Excellent post. Kind of the best argument against the "Heresy is boring because it's marines vs marines".

    As Atia says, Titans are a must, as they are the reason the Heresy here after all.

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    1. Thanks! ;) I totally agree. Legion against legion is what the Heresy is mainly all about there's no denying it. BUT 30K gaming isn't just that. There were so many protagonists along the way so many human cultures that were divergent that were brought back into the fold through compliance it would be a crying shame to overlook that from a hobby point.
      As well as the fact most Exploration fleets were massive armadas with Solar Auxilla, Mechanicum, Knight Household, Titan legion and Rogue trader forces all supplementing the Legion forces that were the Tip of the Spear.

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  3. This really shows the range and flavour of the options and what makes the setting great. The core of what I am doing is about 5 companies worth of Ultramarines, but over the past year I have slowly come to the conclusion there will be something else too. Probably along the lines of:
    Auxilla
    Cybernetica
    And then we can talk about Knights and Titans

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    Replies
    1. I'm in a similar gaming position. With an old Imp guard Armoured company sat in boxes with no future for me to game them in that context it was a new lease of life for my tanks and certain super heavies.
      It's a great way to re-purpose older armies with the addition of just a few models.

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  4. Any word on Forgeworld releasing an updated Thunderbolt? I'd really love a pair but it's a pretty old model now.

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    1. As far as I'm aware there are currently no plans to re-invent or update the Thunderbolt as it's still a popular kit. The main reason for updating the Lightning was that in its previous form it just didn't sell.
      So with the beginnings of the Heresy gaming they re-designed it and placed it available for several forces.
      New kit - New rules - New lease of Life.

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