40k List Design: New Chaos

"Eldar fear the Heavy Bolter."
- Ancient Maxim

I've been looking through the new Chaos book, and here's my thoughts.

1) Heavy Bolters

There are none.

Imperials can take Heavy Bolters as follows
1) HQ: 2 in Command Squads
2) HQ and Elite: Inquisitors get them at 4+ save in their retinues, as well as Psycannons
3) Elite: Dreads
4) Elite: Termies get Assault Cannons
5) Elite: 5 man Veteran Squad, infiltrating, gets 1
6) Elite: Scout Squad, infiltrating, gets 1 + Sniper Rifles
7) Elite: Techmarines get them at 4+ save in their retinues
(so far every unit, altho the Command Squad is pushing it a little except in truly static forces)
8) Elite and Troop: Grey Knights get Psycannons
9) Troop: Combat Squads, 5 men can seperate with 1
10) Troop: Razorbacks (also applies to other units as well such as Techmarines or Devastators)
11) Fast Attack: Land Speeders, especially the Assault Cannon+Heavy Bolter combo
12) Fast Attack: Attack Bikes
13) Heavy Support: Devastator Squad
14) Heavy Support: Whirlwind is AP4
15) Heavy Support: Predator Sponsons and Baal
16) Heavy Support: Land Raider Crusader
17) Heavy Support/Transport: Land Raider has one on it
18) HQ Transport: The Land Raider Prometheus bears mention, I think it has something like 12 Heavy Bolters on it, as does one of the Warhound Variants.

That's alot of Heavy Bolters. This is what Chaos gets.

1) Chosen can take them, so ...
1) Elite: 5 man Chosen Squad, infiltrating, with 1 and also plasma gun/combi-bolters
2) Elite: Dreads
3) Elite: Termies can take Reaper Autocannon which is NOT a Heavy Bolter so
3) Troop: Chaos Space Marines can take 1 in a 10 man squad, which also doesn't count, so
3) Heavy Support: Havocs can take them, yay
4) Heavy Support: Obliterators can take them ... oh wait ... no that was the last codex ...
4) Heavy Support: Defilers can take them, but then they can't shoot their Battle Cannon/Fleet so ...
4) Heavy Support: Predator Sponsons
5) Heavy Support/Transport: Land Raider technically has one. Note that it can now only be a transport for 3-5 man squads of Terminators and nothing else.

So in short, Imperials have access to 15+ readily available Heavy Bolters, many of which come in multiples or are Twin Linked. This access spans the organizational chart, including Troop choices. Chaos gets 5, if you count the one on the Land Raider, which is a pretty pricey anti-infantry platform. What's more, given their scarcity, if you really want to have them the only way to really include them is in Havoc squads, other than the occasional Dread.

So if you ever wonder what Imperials 'get' as opposed to their Chaos cousins, now you know. Heavy Bolters.

So what does Chaos get? Chaos gets one thing that Imperials don't, and that's Plasma. And lots of it. Who needs AP4 when you get AP2 and even AP3 in spades? Here's the anti-MEQ stuff

2) Plasmaguns et al

1) HQ/Thousand Sun: The old Heavy Bolter Doombolt from the Tzeentch demons has been replaced with a spell that is S4 AP3. Not bad. The Tzeentch Chicken Head Demon Weapon does the same.
2) Elite: Chosen. Chosen can take 5, count em, 5 infiltrating plasma guns, or they can back 4 plasma guns up with a heavy weapon of their choice, including Heavy Bolters. Think of it as the Renegade Scout Squad.
3) Elite: Dreads again. Plasma Cannon, or ML/PC coming in at a cool ~100 points.
4) Elite: Terminators. Chaos Terminators are cheap and the whole squad can take a combi-plasma or combi-melta for 5 points each. Perfect if you like to deep strike.
5) Troop: Chaos Space Marines and Plague Marines can both take two Plasma or two Melta guns in the ~150 to 175 point range. Not bad for a Troop choice. Imperials get their Combat Squads but Chaos can take 2x Special.
6) Troop: Thousand Suns now get AP3 bolters. Bolters. Their bolters are AP3. And correct me if I'm wrong but with Slow and Purposeful they can shoot them while moving. Nasty. The Force Weapon isn't as much of a rip as you might think considering CSM pay 45 points for a power weapon and 55 points for a power fist anyway.
7) Fast Attack: Bikes can take two Plasma or two Melta guns just like Imperials can. Boo Imperials.
8) Heavy Support: Havocs get a wide assortment of AP2/AP3 goodness.
9) Heavy Support: Obliterators get Plasma Cannons amongst others.
10) Heavy Support: Predator and Land Raider, just like the Imperials.
11) Heavy Support: It bears mention, Chaos gets the Vindicator, just like the Imperials do
12) Heavy Support: Defiler has a Battle Cannon, yay Battle Cannon

So what Chaos is lacking in big guns, Havoc squads aside (which can also take special weapons), they make up for with 18" effective Special Weapons or 24" effective stand and shoot. This is opposed to the evil Imperials with their cheese fest 36" and longer weaponry. Chaos is saved by their Heavy Support and the occasional Dread or Flying Chicken Head of Doom to force morale checks at longer ranges.

3) Close Combat

With all this close range fighting, Chaos also gets an abundance of close combat. There's no need to go on about it, but one unit that caught my eye was the Berzerkers. At only 21 points a model a 6 man squad comes to 126 points, where a 10 man CSM squad with special weapons and an icon comes to ~175 points. Berzerkers are useful "right out of the box" so to speak. You just have to get them there. Did I mention they also have Furious Charge?

6 Possessed with their 5++ are 156 points, but the Berzerkers have 3 attacks each at WS5 opposed to S5. And the Berzerkers are Troop. While they've lost their movement rules, Berzerkers are a very solid close combat unit to back up your wargear toting CSM squads and possibly other more specialized squads like Plague Marines or Noise Marines. I'm personally not going to bother with either, but to each their own. Berzerkers lack the 18" (or longer) effectiveness of the other squads but they're brutal in combat, which is what they're for. I do like Bikes, just because I like them, but also for Summoning/Teleporting, and Chaos Termies are a great close combat squad. Mine are going to be Slaaneshi with I5 and power weapons. Yay me. And no, I'm not leaving the combi weapons behind ;)