Allies in 40k, Cherry Picking Allies....

We all know allies are going to be very popular, at least for the early quarter of 6^th, about halfway through 6^th people may get bored and move back to singular armies.

What we have in the new rules with allies is this:

1 HQ and 1 Troop must be taken, then you can add 1 more Troop, 1 each Elite, Fast, Heavy

You of course have to take in your primary army the base 1 HQ and 2 Troop choices.

Then you have to pick your allies. These come in three flavors:

Battle Brothers: Same army, able to use benefits from both codex rules on one another if possible.

Allies of Convenience: Neutral, you are playing two separate armies. One cannot really help the other one out rules wise. Still you can get perks with some good choices to fill in your weak points.

Desperate Allies: You have to roll the dice for each unit; on a 1 the unit will do nothing as it is watching their allies!

So, we know most people are going to take Battle Brothers or Allies of Convenience to get away with the best benefits. Most of the Imperials play well with one another except the Grey Knights; even the Sister’s are giving it up to more armies than them!

Note: I would like to point out we are going backwards now again from the opposite way of thinking GW had back starting around 4^th, by 5^th all secondary books was phased out and the thought of “one codex per army” was the mandatory rule (this went for Fantasy also). Do you recall all the stuff that disappeared? Eye of Terror, Armageddon and Storm of Chaos (among others) that was phased out to this policy. Back in the day of 3^rd Ork players bitched they had to access both the IG and Space Marine book to “loot” vehicles from each, thus having to buy 3 books instead of one. In the Eye of Terror to play a Traitor Guard list required a Chaos Codex and IG codex along with the Eye of Terror book. Now we are going right back to it, if not more so….

People bitched when the Executioner as dropped from the Space Wolf Codex, IG players cried when they lost armor, Traitor List players with these fantastic armies was suddenly holding useless models. Even the Legion Astrates when they left removed elements players loved like Word Bearers taking 9 troop choices (and later loosing demons kicking their fluff into the dust) and Iron Warriors able to take that 4^th Heavy choice that could include a Basilisk or Demolisher (before they got it officially).

So, let’s look at each army and see what the choicest items to take are! Now bear in mind these are just my likely predictions and you will see exceptions on the table either by experimentation, bad choices (or rather what they have at the time) or someone has found a good combo with something else.

Black Templars: Pretty much uses the Marine Codex, I don’t own it but I know the basic deal behind the codex, there is little here you could not benefit from or more from the Marine Codex.

IG:

HQ: Command Squads (cheap support weapons or heavy weapons, +1 to reserves or -1 to the enemy) or Psyker (extra psyker, cheap),

Troops: Platoon Squads (heavy weapons, special weapons, bulk #s and transports cheap and objective grabbers), Vets (better BS and loaded with weapons)

Other: Battle Psyker Squads (leadership crushing), Ratlings (cheap snipers to pick off targets), Vendettas/Valkyries (flyer if you lack one), Tanks (Hydras, Executioner, Exterminator, Leman Russ, Demolisher, Bombards, Medusas and Manticores) (if it has treads people can find a use for it).

Space Wolves:

HQ: Rune Priests (4+ blades to nullify psychic powers)

Troops: Grey Hunters (best core Space Marine)

Other: Scouts (sneak behind the enemy lines), Thunder Wolf Calvary (possible shock unit), Long Fangs (cheap missile squads)

Dark Angels: Belial+Deathwing or Samuel+Ravenwing (either you want bikes or terminators)

Marines:

HQ: Librarian, Shrike, Vulcan, Pedro Cantor, Lysander

Troops: Scouts (scoring and flanks/infiltrates, can have sniper options),

Other: Thunderfire Cannons, Devastator Teams (both give that 4^th heavy choice), Stern Guard (unique ammo/weapon options)

Blood Angels:

HQ: Mephiston or Librarian (psyker again)

Troops: Jump Troops or Scouts (your choice, deep strike or flank/infiltrate with sniper rifles)

Other: Sanguinary Priests (feel no pain and furious charge), Baals (scouting tanks with a flame cannon or a shooting beast), Devastators, Predators and Storm Raven

Sister’s of Battle:

HQ; Saint Celestine (bitch won’t die easy)

Troops: Battle Sisters (got to have one)

Other: Dominion Squads (4 meltas, yes please), Exorcist (D6, AP1 missiles? YEA!)

Grey Knights:

HQ: Inquisitors, Drago, Librarian

Troops: Henchmen, Terminators

Other: Vindicare, Paladins (possible), Purifiers, Storm Raven (for the anti-psyker missiles, rare though), Dreadknights, Dreadnought with TL ACs with Psycannon ammo.

Tau:

HQ: Crisis Suit Commander

Troops: Token Fire Warrior Squad

Other: Crisis Suits, Broadsides

Eldar:

HQ: Autarch (reserve buff and weapon options) or Farseer (for anti-psyker and psyker), Eldrard (crack baby of psykers)

Troops: Dire Avengers or Pathfinders (my bet is on the snipers)

Other: Dark Reapers, Banshees, Fire Dragons

Dark Eldar:

HQ: The Baron,

Troops: Small Unit of Warriors in Venoms (one or two) or in Raiders with Dark Lances

Other: Scourges (one word, Haywire, nuff said), Incubi, Razorwing and Void Raven flyers and Ravanger.

Orks:

HQ: Big Mek (with KFF)

Troops: Boyz or Gretchin (if you want cheap)

Others: Lootas, new flyers (for air support),

Necrons:

HQ: Imotek (Nightfight), Generic Necron Lord

Troops: Immortals or Warriors (with Ghost Arks)

Other: Wraiths, Destroyers, Night Scythe, Doom Scythe, Scarabs, Tomb Spyders, Command Barge (if you go with a generic lord with a scythe)

Chaos: (this one is hard to call as the new codex is about to hit)

HQ: Sorcerer, Ahiriman (psyker from hell), Lucius (challenges), Demon Prince (in most cases looking for the psychic option)

Troops: Plague Marines, Noise Marines (runner up)

Other: Chosen (lots of guns, flanking), Terminators (?), Obliterators (mix weapons)

Demons:

HQ: Fateweaver, Greater Demons of Nurgle and Slaanesh (possible), Cheap Heralds (Tzeench in chariots), Epidemus (Nurgle only lists with Chaos)

Troops: Bloodletters, Plaguebearers (secondary, objective holders)

Other: Blood Crushers, Flamers, Fiends, Demon Prince, Soul Grinders

What do you think? Anything to add to any of the lists above?

And now a musical interlude by....