[Androxine Vortex]

Chaos Space Marines have always been my favorite playable faction in WH40K they have so much diversity and let's admit all of their models are badass. I am someone who takes a lot of pride and joy in whatever I am doing, knowing I am doing it in the most efficient way possible. Suppose I am playing a role playing video game, I will extensively research abbout every stat, every weapon, every spell, etc. to make sure that I character I make is the best possible one from everything to gear and stats.

In WH40K I love creating my own armies and giving them their own fluff. So let's say I make a Nurgle devoted warband and their leader is a Nurgle Sorcerer because that's how I imagined/designed it in the fluff. But looking at unit stats, suppose I favor the stats of a biker HQ or a jump pack HQ. Now I feel like my army is losing available advantage. Does this happen to any of you? Do you let these factors influence your playing or do you just play with whatever and enjoy it regardless?

 

[Kreuger]

Good question.

I personally solve this by being too busy to play. Back when I had the time I always attempted to strike a balance between the "rule of cool" and fielding an army which would be frustratingly ineffective. I neither wanted to be frustrated nor the power gamer "that guy", who wins but nobody wants to play.

One of the options is to model your army how you want and treat it as a "counts as" whatever - as long as your opponent knows what everything is.

 

[Loki1416]

I've honestly never had that problem. Any list I make is ALWAYS something that I will enjoy playing first and foremost. Yes, winning is fun. But I'm sick and twisted. I get more enjoyment out of taking units that while not bad or are horrible, but what I think would make an interesting combination. When I can take a unit and do something with it that no one would expect, that's my greatest satisfaction.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying pick things to set yourself up for failure. What I am saying, is pick things that are going to be fun to you. For example, I made an all CC GK list. 1500pts of troops dedicated to cutting things to pieces. No vehicles except a DP. (Yes they still had some guns of course, but shooting was second to what I wanted to do). I won a few and lost a few games. But I had so much fun playing that list.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

Yes I believe that no matter what your reason for playing is to enjoy your army because if you don't really care about your army then you're going to lose interest. Even though I have been in love with warhammer for a long time, actually playing it is something I have only observed. I still am so uncertain about all the rules and details I guess I feel like if I just pick units I think look cool then I could be setting up for failure. I don't know if that is a dumb reason or not but it's kind of my approach to it thus far.

I am someone who is very visual if that makes sense. The first reason I fell in love with chaos was their look and appeal. My favorite unit is the Defiler but they are kind of crappy. And yeah the stats would be better on a bike, but I imagine my warband's sorcerer lord levitating through the battlefield shooting psychic blasts of power from his mind. Putting him on a bike just makes him seem less badass and quite silly. I don't think I would ever play tournaments but only local game shops and it's hard to say how people play because I am moving and have no idea of any shops where I will be moving to.

Aside from CSM and SM I would say my favorite army is Necrons and I don't know why but I look at every unit in the game that they have to offer and I am like, "Yeah I can imagine using any combination of these." Even looking at Eldar units, I wouldn't mind so much if my HQ was on a jetbike. I guess I get this really specific connection with Chaos because I make a very specific and lore/fluff friendly idea in my head of how the army should play but then find out it's not very optimal.

 

[neferhet]

I personally solve this by being too busy to play. Back when I had the time I always attempted to strike a balance between the "rule of cool" and fielding an army which would be frustratingly ineffective. I neither wanted to be frustrated nor the power gamer "that guy", who wins but nobody wants to play.

I can relate to this and i think it's my problem/attitude too. Also, if you know your opponents are going easy and fluffy with the list...what the hell, it's time to field mutilators, possessed squads and the helbrutes!

 

[MidnightSun]

I don't generally find this a huge issue, although I am currently facing a version of it with my Space Marine Captain/Chapter Master. I want him in Artificer Armour with the Teeth of Terra and a Storm Shield, maybe a Combi-Weapon and some toys, and that seems fine off the bat. But where does he go? It's an Ultramarine shooting army. There's no really useful place to put him. I'm thinking of upgrading him to a Chapter Master (going from playing GK to regular SM, I'm almost drowning in spare points - models that cost less than 33pts each, amazing!) and putting him with Honour Guard, which would look awesome, but that's basically the only unit I can put him with (just before someone says Hammernators - yeah, they're great, but I've painted 60 Terminators for my GK and my Deathwing before that, so I'm trying to steer clear of Terminators as far as possible).

 

[SwedeMarine]

And yeah the stats would be better on a bike, but I imagine my warband's sorcerer lord levitating through the battlefield shooting psychic blasts of power from his mind. Putting him on a bike just makes him seem less badass and quite silly.

So Model him floating on an ethereal disc not unlike a disc of Tzeentch and use that as a counts as Bike. Im sure most opponents would not pitch a fit about this and you get to justify his bike stats while also sticking to what you want from the mini. You can model and Substitute anything you want in this game which is why it appeals so much to some of us. the disc could be made up of greenstuff and zombie/skeleton bits.

 

[morfangdakka]

Or you could model him riding on a spawn all nurgled up or a converted blight drone could be a bike.

Me personally I stick with the theme of the army. Yes is will put me a small disadvantage on that guy but it may lead to advantages with other units. I play orks and have played them since 1994 and I love them. I do things that are different from other ork players. I will use three weirdboyz as my HQ. yeah they suck have zero upgrades and will die if you sneeze at them but stick them in units of tankbustas or all three in a massive green tide and they roll "the jump" letting me move my whole army across the board unmolested.
So just because he is not exactly what you want might lead you to find other and more interesting combinations that you would have never considered in the first place.

 

[Uveron]

Ok.

I dont use a Biker lord, Or a Jugger Lord. All my CSM HQ choices are on foot, and frequently just walk up the table. And I would say I win over 50% of my games!

So take the less-optimal set-up, and learn to use it well.

The other thing you can do is build a larger force than just the 2000' pts you take to the tabel! The warband may be led by Nurgle Sorcerer, but he has a deputy who is on a Bike who comands a 'Sub-devison' of the army which in turn is the most Optimised set-up. (and then you have a large warband to bring to appock games and the like!)