For my next game in the Macharian Crusade campaign, I'll be facing an Armored Company list, that looks a lot like this:Monash - 183
Leman Russ Exterminator
Hull Heavy Bolter
Smoke
Track Guards
Extra Armor
Hellhound - 133 (x3, one taken as Fast Attack)
Smoke Launchers
Track Guards
Extra Armor
Heavy Bolter
Platoon Command Tank - 218 (x3)
Leman Russ
Hull Lascannon
Heavy Bolters
Smoke Launchers
Track Guards
Extra Armor
Leman Russ - 183 (x3)
Hull Lascannon
Heavy Bolters
Smoke Launchers
Track Guards
Extra Armor
...granted, this is the 1785 point version of my opponent's list, but we'll be playing at 2000 points, so I'm expecting another tank (or two). The rules of the campaign for armored company grant company command and platoon command tanks the ability to hold objectives (in case you were wondering how this list was going to take objectives).
The question is -- having never played against an AC list before -- is what do I use to fight all those tanks playing Chaos Space Marines? My answer is, "More melta! More Las Cannons!"
So, with that in mind, I came up with this list:
HQ:
Daemon Prince
Wings
Doombolt
Fast Attack:
Raptors, 5-Man Unit
Meltagun (x2)
Aspiring Champion with Melta Bombs
Elite:
Chosen, 5-Man Unit (x2)
Meltagun (x2)
Icon of Chaos Glory
Aspiring Champion with Melta Bombs
Terminators, 5-Man Unit
Chain Fist (x1)
Power Weapon (x4)
Combi-melta (x4)
Reaper Autocannon (x1)
Troops:
Chaos Space Marines, 7-Man Unit (x2)
Meltagun
Icon of Chaos Glory
Aspiring Champion with Melta Bombs
Rhino
Chaos Space Marines, 10-Man Unit
Lascannon
Icon of Chaos Glory
Aspiring Champion with Melta Bombs
Heavy Support:
Havocs, 6-Man Unit
Lascannon (x3)
Icon of Chaos Glory
Vindicator
Extra Armor
Land Raider
Extra Armor
...which is exactly 2000 points. The plan is to send the DP with the Raptors for hit-and-run assaults; truck over the termies in the LR and have them bounce out for hot melta action with follow-up chainfisting; send out the 2 Rhino-mounted CSM units for drive-by melta and/or melta bomb assault; and of course infiltrate in both Chosen units -- hopefully in the backfield -- for some rear-armor melta shots and/or melta bomb assault. The large CSM unit will park on an objective with the las cannon, and the havoks will deploy into some kind of cover and shoot, shoot, shoot. The Vindicator is mainly there to draw fire and maybe get in a lucky shot.
The problem, of course, is any way you slice it, I'm going to be facing a lot of tanks, and those tanks will all be dropping templates all over the place and generally making my day less than pleasant. Not to mention all those hull-mounted las cannons will probably make short work of both my LR and Vindicator. That's going to leave me with only 4 las cannons, and that means I'm going to have to depend on tank-busting the old fashioned way: by getting much, much closer than I'd rather be to them and hoping I can get the ol' melta mojo working, in either gun or bomb form.
Any thoughts, opinions or advice? List critique and/or tweaks? Strategy ideas? I'm definitely open to suggestions!
