The backbone of most Chaos Armies. These troops are the lifeblood of your army. At a base cost of 25 points per model, and with plenty of wargear options, you can really go to town customising squads for every situation.
Chain axes are good pieces of equipement to choose if you wish to have assault squads, giving a +2 to strength, meaning your Chaos Space Marines hit at Str 6 with a -2 save mod. But, unlike a chain sword, you don't get a parry. However, you can mix weapons, so you can have a few marines with Chains axes, on or two with power fists, etc. For assault squads, splash out and give a some of the models a close combat weapon and a bolter. Since all Chaos Space Marines come with Bolt Pistols, you get the bonus attack from having two close combat weapons, but you now have the ability to hold your advance back for a turn or two and still not lose too much firepower. At the very least, an Aspiring Champion is essential. Equip him well; I usually endow him with a powerfist (for vehicles and other tough targets), and perhaps a wargear card, my favourite choices being Master Crafter Bolt Pistol (10 points), Bionic Arm (5 points, +1 str, +1 to I in HtH), or an Auxilliary Grenade Launcher (8 points). A Bionic Arms combined with a Chain Axe is very nasty, giving a str 7 hit at -2, which isn't bad considering a Chain Axe is only two points. In the way of grenades, consider Krak grenades or Blind Grenades. Blind Grenades can be bought using the Post Heresy Equipment rule (50% extra to cost). It's best to give one set to the Champion leading the squad. Krak Grenades should be given to the entire squad, especially if you are going up against Terminators and Tanks.
It's a good idea to take one or two 'tactical' squads. For these, I reccomend taking one heavy weapon and a special weapon. These choices should depend on who you are playing. If you are playing horde armies, such as IG and Orks, take a Heavy Bolter or a Missile Launcher. Remember, a tactical squad must be able to face a variety of targets; leave the specialisation for your devestator squads. I love the missile launcher as it can launch a variety of warheads; anti-plant, plasma, krak and frag, and even Blind if you are prepared to pay a premium. One downside is that while being a jack of all trades, it is a master of none. Frag missiles can't come close to the man-munching ability of the Heavy Bolter, and Krak missiles aren't as good as a lascannon shot. That said, it is a safe bet and well worth taking at least one. If you are fighting troops that are well armoured, like Space Marines, an autocannon will help keep their numbers in check, but beware of jamming. I would avoid taking Lascannons in tactical squads, as these are very specialised weapons, and it would be a waste to use it on a Gretchin. So, overall, I usually have Heavy Bolters or Missile Launchers in my tactical squads. For special weapons, this is personal choice really. A melta is a nasty shock for enemy terminators and elite troops, a flamer is great general weapon, and a plasma gun is great until it blows up in your face. Go on, take the plasma gun. It's more chaotic :) I don't often buy krak grenades for my tactical squads, I just give them all bolters, and one or two are gifted with a close combat weapons (usually a sword, or a chain-weapon). For an Aspiring Champion leading the squad, some wargear is order. Nothing much, usually a targeter in conjuction with a plasma gun, as this is a nice combo. Remember to give him an extra close combat weapon though; if the squad is charged you want them to be able to defend themselves.
Chaos Space Marines are slightly weaker when it comes to devestator squads, as they have a smaller selection of Heavy Weapons than other armies, and don't have targeters as Imperial Space Marines do (on the other hand, Chaos Space Marines don't NEED targeters :) A devestator squad should ideally consist of three Chaos Space Marines, with an optional Aspiring Champion if you want. Depending on the size of the battle, take more than one squad. I generally take one Devestator Squad per thousand points. On average, a Devestator Squad cost 210 points, which is fairly hefty. Choose weapons for the squad based on who you go up against. Against Imperial Guard, for example, take a mix of Heavy Bolters and Lascannons in a Devestator Squad. Against orks, subsitute the lascannon in favour of Autocannons. It really depends on who you fight. A good rule of thumb is to always have at least one lascannon tucked away somewhere for that dreadnought/exposed psyker/character on bike/etc. A really annoying (for your opponent, of course) tactic is to take six missile launchers in two squads, and just bombard the advancing enemy with frag missiles. Next turn, do it with plasma missiles, and then choose as appropriate. It's like putting a 12" template on the enemy on the first turn! Even if shots scatter, you probably will hit something. But remember, your Devestator squads can themselves come under attack from heavy weapons, so keep them in a bit of cover.
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