Warhammer 40,000 Club League

Greetings and a warm welcome fellow wargaming enthusiasts.

I have decided to blog about the next development in my integration into the local gaming club I joined towards the back end of 2012.

I have been coerced, nay, down right ordered to take part in the club 40K league. This league includes several club regulars, and requires us to present  a 1000 point list for use throughout the league. Initially, we are to play each of the other armies in the league once.

Lists are to be selected with all the usual restrictions, and cannot be changed between battles, so I guess a balanced approach is appropriate, especially as we will be rolling up missions as normal.

There is one extra consideration when list building however. Points will be scored as follows:

Victory - 2 points
Draw - 1 point
Major Victory
(ie. Hold all objectives or wipe out the enemy) - 4 points

So plainly there is an incentive to win big rather than play safe and go for a last turn snatch for just enough points to claim the scalp. Winning is better than losing of course, but scraping wins won't get you into the top spots in the league.

With all of this in mind, I set about choosing my 1000 point list. I decided, being as I have no current preferences for which army I wanted to use, and I haven't had any chance to even finish reading the new Dark Angels codex, let alone consider it's effect on how the army plays, I decided to go with my Imperial Guard. Coincidentally, it was my Imperial Guard that I used in the war (club tournament) of 2010 at the gaming club I used to attend, and I think that they have the right stuff to go the distance at this points level.

Here is the list I settled on, after much online hammering to get it the right shape and consistency:

Company Command - 75 points
Commander with melta bombs (the last of my points bought these)
4 Sniper rifles

This squad is for support, to disrupt the enemy and hit high toughness targets using the Bring it Down order, which allows me to save high strength weapons for hitting armour.

Platoon Command - 50 points

Officer, 4 Flamers.

Pure counter attacking unit, for use vs enemy that break through the infantry squads or flankers.

Infantry Squad - 107 points

Bolt pistol, melta gun, autocannon, Commissar.

Infantry Squad - 70 points
Melta gun, autocannon.

Infantry Squad - 65 points
Autocannon, flamer

These 3 squads will combine to maximise the high Ld of the Commissar. The guns are selected to give high strength punch, but also short range anti armour, plus a flamer for stuff like gaunts and orks about to jump down my throat. I love flamers!

Veterans - 100 points
3 melta guns

Chimera - 80 points
Heavy flamer, heavy bolter, dozer, extra armour.

Vets mounted in Chimera to go off tank hunting. Extra armour to help them keep moving for a melta rush.

Leman Russ - 165 points
Lascannon

Demolisher - 180 points
Lascannon

Both tanks to engage key targets, especially vehicles and high save units.

Lascannon Squad - 105 points
3 Lascannons

Lascannons to take the second order from the Company Commander and target enemy armour.

I have selected models subject to advice from various sources and the restrictions of my collection. After going through the process of writing a list with online critique, I really should write a short post about the terrors of posting lists online for opinions.

Now my friends, I am under no illusions. I not the General Supremo I was ten years ago, simply because I am out of practice, so this will be a learning project for me. It may have been good fun to use a different army in every game at the club so far, but that approach wasn't allowing me to really get to grips with a single force. In the last event of this type, I finished 4th out of 11 players, again because I was a casual gamer, playing for fun, against seasoned players battling week in week out. 

My first game is this tomorrow, vs Tau. Lets see how I fare.

Thanks for reading...