Warhammer 40K Tabletop Thread XLIII: "This Is A New LoW For Us All"

[9mm]

No. But do you mean "You want to know if something is good before you buy it? And you are afraid of buying things because you're worried about wasting a ****ton of money, because this hobby - even for beginners - is extremely expensive and you would rather not set that money on fire?"

...Because when I say that, I get pushback for some reason. And I get told that telling people - especially new blood - what's good and what's bad, is actually bad for them.

Honestly I go with HeyWoah's main advice. Pick the Faction you think is coolest, what models/units in that faction are good will change over time, so focus on the faction not individual pet units.

[Cheesegear]

Honestly I go with HeyWoah's main advice. Pick the Faction you think is coolest, what models/units in that faction are good will change over time, so focus on the faction not individual pet units.

Partial agree.

Mostly IMO it depends on how often you play the game; If you're playing once a month with your friend, that's not really different that beer and pretzels and in reality you're probably more likely just trying to find an excuse to hang out with your friend for a few hours. Whether you win or lose the game wont really change how you see the game, because the game is social experience, rather than, well, a game.
...And to that end I'd say that there are much better, much cheaper ways to hang out with your friends. Anything is fun when you do it with your friends and I'm not really certain why you'd choose Warhammer over...Anything else.

Partial disagree.

If you're spending most of your Saturday - every Saturday - playing two or three PUGs at the local store per trip, with "people you get along with", and the store kind of has a closing time and other people might want to use the table; You don't have a lot of time for decisions and general "screwing around." Can you hurry up? People have things to do. How you play the game, and see the game, matters. You can't be spending 6 hours at your local game store, getting stomped in the face (and if you do want that...There must be other, better, cheaper ways to get your SM-fix, I'm sure of it). That's not a fun experience, that's not a fun time. You probably wont go back to that store. You might as well just stay home...Probably don't ever go back to the store. Why would you?

Absolutely do not chase the meta (e.g; Desolators). But you certainly shouldn't be spending your money on actual trash. Read the rules, learn your Faction. Make informed purchases. If your Faction or favourite unit is cool, but it sucks...Then it sucks. You can certainly buy a unit that sucks, but when you do that, at least be informed that the unit might not come good for anywhere between 6-18 months, if ever (e.g; Reivers).

Strong disagree.

Your opponents dictate how you play the game - not you. If you don't have a group that plays the same way as you do, and you don't have fun playing the game...You are basically buying shelf ornaments. If you want to decorate your shelf space...Holy **** there are so many options to go with and you chose toy soldiers!?

[Kyberwulf]

I mostly want to play Angron with some guys with him. I don't ever really play games that are Meta. I just need to know what kind of factions I can play with him. As I understand Its gonna be the Daemons, Chaos Marines and the World eaters? Correct? I just don't know how to build armies, which was why I was asking about any sites that list factions units and whatnot. If there is something that can explain how to put together armies. For instance I didn't know there was a difference in points, if you equip different items on said units.

I also wanted to put together a a Blue Space marine army, just for the memes.

Maybe the golden boys too. But I don't entirely know where to get information about that.

[Cheesegear]

I mostly want to play Angron with some guys with him. I don't ever really play games that are Meta. I just need to know what kind of factions I can play with him. As I understand Its gonna be the Daemons, Chaos Marines and the World eaters? Correct? I just don't know how to build armies

Well, at least for World Eaters; I've already given them a once-over. Bearing in mind that Indecies aren't real and you shouldn't be making major purchases at this time.

If there is something that can explain how to put together armies.

1. You need at least one Character that must be your Warlord.
2. Do anything you want.

For instance I didn't know there was a difference in points, if you equip different items on said units.

The only wargear that costs points are Enhancements.

I also wanted to put together a a Blue Space marine army, just for the memes.

I don't believe that hundreds of currency and 4-6 months of your time is worth a meme.

But I don't entirely know where to get information about that.

As I said, writing Guides at this time is not easy and there's no incentive for authors to do so. The other thing to remember is that the game is currently running in what passes for an alpha/beta test. It's also...Kind of pointless for anyone to give any details because no-one is sure of anything. Once Codecies come out things will be a bit more concrete. But so far, unfortunately the meme is that nothing in the game is "real", and that's kind of terrifying because who wants to spend hundreds of currency on fake information?

(Honestly, you've picked the worst time to get into 40K)

[Forum Explorer]

I mostly want to play Angron with some guys with him. I don't ever really play games that are Meta. I just need to know what kind of factions I can play with him. As I understand Its gonna be the Daemons, Chaos Marines and the World eaters? Correct? I just don't know how to build armies, which was why I was asking about any sites that list factions units and whatnot. If there is something that can explain how to put together armies. For instance I didn't know there was a difference in points, if you equip different items on said units.

I also wanted to put together a a Blue Space marine army, just for the memes.

Maybe the golden boys too. But I don't entirely know where to get information about that.

Angron is World Eaters only IIRC. Though World Eaters can have a sprinkle of Daemons added to them. But it's world eaters + Daemons, not Daemons + Angron if that makes sense.

Currently equipment doesn't matter, each unit has a set point value depending on the number of models.

Currently the rules for building an army are
a) you need 1 character to be your warlord
b) you can take up to 9 of each Battleline unit
c) you can take up to 3 of each other unit.

All of the faction rules and the core rules can be found online at Warhammer Community under their downloads tab. If you are having difficulty downloading them, try switching your location to the UK, sometimes it doesn't like America/Canada.


And finally this is a really bad time to be getting into the game. The new edition is half-finished if we are being generous, and GW is slowly fixing it as they get community feedback on problems. I'd honestly wait basically a year and seeing where the edition is at then before making any major purchases.

[Gwynchan'rGwyll]

I mostly want to play Angron with some guys with him. I don't ever really play games that are Meta. I just need to know what kind of factions I can play with him. As I understand Its gonna be the Daemons, Chaos Marines and the World eaters? Correct? I just don't know how to build armies, which was why I was asking about any sites that list factions units and whatnot. If there is something that can explain how to put together armies. For instance I didn't know there was a difference in points, if you equip different items on said units.

I also wanted to put together a a Blue Space marine army, just for the memes.

Maybe the golden boys too. But I don't entirely know where to get information about that.

It sounds like your questions might be more fundamental - like "How do I tell what units can be used in what faction?"

The answer to that is two-fold.

First, the Games Workshop webstore categorizes miniatures by faction. If you go to their site, click "Warhammer 40,000", then you'll see a bunch of options on the side. Open the menu for "Space Marines", "Armies of the Imperium", "Armies of Chaos", and "Xenos Armies", and you'll get a list for the different armies in each broad category. Click on any of them, and it'll show you the units in that army in the store.

The official rules for each army and the units in it are found, for free, here. The only exception is the Tyranids, which just got a full book and no longer have free rules. Read those rules together with the free Core Rules and the free Rules Commentary and you'll be able to slowly put together how the units go together.

Finally, you can also find the same rules as at the link above on the official app, which also has a list-builder function (though currently free users can only have one list at a time).

There's also Discord groups which discuss rules and lists. Some are quite friendly to newcomers - some less so. Poke around, say hi.

Currently the rules for building an army are
a) you need 1 character to be your warlord
b) you can take up to 9 of each Battleline unit
c) you can take up to 3 of each other unit.

Small correction - you can take up to 6 of each Battleline unit. You can also take up to 6 of each Dedicated Transport unit, but you can't take Dedicated Transports unless you put units in them. You can also have up to 3 unique Enhancements, and only one of each Epic Character. I think that's everything?

[bluntpencil]

I'm super sad about the limits to Dedicated Transports.

I have a whole company of Chimeras. 10 of them. Gutted.

I liked my fully mechanised company. :(

[Easy e]

X-Wing is doing fine locally.

ICV2* data says it is not fine per the independent sellers in the US. Asmodeus actions themselves say it is not doing fine as you yourself point out in your post.

In the US, X-wing took the top spot for sales and was a contender against 40K in its hey-day. Now it is not even on the top 5 of games being sold per ICV2. Their new owner is doing the bare minimum to keep it alive.









*= ICV2 is not the best data, it has flaws; but it is the best data we have to work with.

Investor data regarding X-wing/GW gets hidden in the larger business data, so gets lost real fast.

[FireJustice]

as an former competitive (just casual now) x-wing player I concur.

the game suffered a lot from 2.5 (I like the ideas, but not the way they are doing it) + pandemic
together that killed so much interest in the game that it isnt even funny. Used to have 50-ish atendees. Now, its less than 20.

To be fair, Star wars interest got a nose dive in my lands, and there isnt more ships being launched as it was in the start, just cardboard expansions at premium price and thats insulting. Their "app" policy that wouyld be good for balancing quickly become, "now X and Y arent in the game anymore"
At this point, only a fraction remains as most people moved on

But hey, its a licensed game. Doomed to fail eventually, as the IP holder stranglehold tighen the game

[Kyberwulf]

Well I got Angron and the Combat Patrol for World Eaters. So

Next step. How do I go about getting paint.

I seen some Base paint. Primer I mean at the store for like ..33 Dollars.. but I seen some at manards for like...4 bucks. Is there a difference? And what kind of paint should I use? Again I see the Citadel stuff for like.. a lot. Then I seen model paint in the Hobby Lobby for cheaper. IS there a difference?

[Forum Explorer]

ICV2* data says it is not fine per the independent sellers in the US. Asmodeus actions themselves say it is not doing fine as you yourself point out in your post.

In the US, X-wing took the top spot for sales and was a contender against 40K in its hey-day. Now it is not even on the top 5 of games being sold per ICV2. Their new owner is doing the bare minimum to keep it alive.

I'll fully agree that X-Wing is being mismanaged. Like I said, it is all kinds of insane and ridiculous that I can't buy the ships that are in the current 'standard' ruleset. And the release schedule is so slow. And there is no way to buy replacement dials and things like that.

as an former competitive (just casual now) x-wing player I concur.

the game suffered a lot from 2.5 (I like the ideas, but not the way they are doing it) + pandemic
together that killed so much interest in the game that it isnt even funny. Used to have 50-ish atendees. Now, its less than 20.

To be fair, Star wars interest got a nose dive in my lands, and there isnt more ships being launched as it was in the start, just cardboard expansions at premium price and thats insulting. Their "app" policy that wouyld be good for balancing quickly become, "now X and Y arent in the game anymore"
At this point, only a fraction remains as most people moved on

But hey, its a licensed game. Doomed to fail eventually, as the IP holder stranglehold tighen the game

The timing is really bad, since its a little hard to tell what damage was caused by 2.5 rules, what was caused by the pandemic, and what was caused by the current owners just not supporting the game sufficiently. All three are certainly a problem.

But on the other hand, things seem to be recovering locally. For a while we dipped down to like 4 players, total. But now we're building back up, having tournaments more often, and in general just getting more people involved.

[Destro_Yersul]

Well I got Angron and the Combat Patrol for World Eaters. So

Next step. How do I go about getting paint.

I seen some Base paint. Primer I mean at the store for like ..33 Dollars.. but I seen some at manards for like...4 bucks. Is there a difference? And what kind of paint should I use? Again I see the Citadel stuff for like.. a lot. Then I seen model paint in the Hobby Lobby for cheaper. IS there a difference?

Hardware store primer will work just fine. I used to use Rustoleum before I got an airbrush. The finish isn't as nice, but you're painting over it anyways. Just be careful not to go too heavy with it, and don't hold the can too close. A couple lighter passes is the way to go.

[Whoracle]

Well I got Angron and the Combat Patrol for World Eaters. So

Next step. How do I go about getting paint.

I seen some Base paint. Primer I mean at the store for like ..33 Dollars.. but I seen some at manards for like...4 bucks. Is there a difference? And what kind of paint should I use? Again I see the Citadel stuff for like.. a lot. Then I seen model paint in the Hobby Lobby for cheaper. IS there a difference?

IMHO, do NOT buy Citadel paints. I hear good things about Vallejo Paints, and when I last bought a set, I went to The Army Painter. Don't know where you're located, but I am assuming US, so have a link:

https://www.thearmypainter.com/shop/...nts/boxed-sets

Those are their boxed sets. For starters, you might want to grab the simple Starter Set for $37, or maybe go with the Speedpaint Starter Set for $45. Haven't used the latter, but I have used the former, and the results are not held back by the paints, only by my lack of skill :D

Spoiler: three example pictures

Show

The only drawback is if you are following paint guides, you'd have to "translate" the paint colors from citadel speak to army painter speak.

Additionally, I'd suggest one bottle of Ink from a regular hobby store, in the color of whatever you want for eyelenses - green I presume for World eaters? Base them white, carefully put a bit of ink on top. Gets you nicer results for stuff like that, IMHO.

[Cheesegear]

Next step. How do I go about getting paint.

Any acrylic-based paint will do. The only thing that changes is how much you have to water it down.

You can buy entire tubes of paint for like $2 from any craft store. But you'll have to figure out how to water it down to something remotely usable for toy soldiers. That's all model-paint really is, acrylic paint and water. Obviously, all of the dedicated model paints already have the "special sauce" figured out, and some of them have flow agents added already. Hobby paint is expensive for a reason...But it isn't special by any means.

You can find dirt cheap paints anywhere that sells model planes.

And what kind of paint should I use?

GW/Citadel Contrast Paints and Army Painter Speedpaints are very...Forgiving...When it comes to beginner painters. However, because of their properties you can't use black primer. But you can learn the "Slapchop method" (YouTube it). However to do that you need to learn how to not **** up drybrushing, because the Slapchop method requires at least two coats of drybrush.

...I suggest learning how to actually paint before moving to Contrasts. Instead of the method of moving to Contrasts instead of learning how to paint.

I use a black or grey primer. But I paint a lot of yellow and black on the same model, and rarely use Contrasts/Speedpaints. White primer always makes me sad. I've been told it has to do with the heat and humidity - of which Australia has plenty of both. The paint dries as it comes out of the can, before it even hits the model, and basically becomes chalk. Common problem in Australia. I'm sure it happens elsewhere.

But I've also found that it doesn't matter what paints you use if you're using the wrong brushes. The brush size and type affects your painting much more than your paint. So before you do anything, make sure you have a decent set of brushes.

[Avaris]

I use a black or grey primer. But I paint a lot of yellow and black on the same model, and rarely use Contrasts/Speedpaints. White primer always makes me sad. I've been told it has to do with the heat and humidity - of which Australia has plenty of both. The paint dries as it comes out of the can, before it even hits the model, and basically becomes chalk. Common problem in Australia. I'm sure it happens elsewhere.

Emphasising this: very much recommend having a chat to people in your local area if you can to see if there are any things to be aware of in terms of how spray painting goes in your local climate.

I personally wouldn’t recommend the $4 hardware store primer for models, but there is also no need to go to GW prices. Best bet is probably somewhere between those two price points. Whatever you end up doing though, DO NOT do all your models all at once! Have a few test models first! I’d hate for you to start with Angron and end up unhappy with the result!

[Cheesegear]

Quick 'n' Dirty Combat Patrol (not concerete)

S-Tier: Adeptus Custodes

A-Tier: Genestealer Cults, Thousand Sons,

B-Tier: Aeldari, Black Templars, Blood Angels, Death Guard, Deathwatch, Grey Knights, Necrons, Orks, T'au, Tyranids, World Eaters

C-Tier: Adeptus Mechanicus, Chaos Daemons (Khorne), Chaos Marines, Dark Angels, Drukharii, Leagues, Space Marines, Space Wolves

D-Tier: Adepta Sororitas, Astra Militarum

Tiers are in alphabetical order...Not...Good order.

...Discuss, and I'll get back to you.

[Kyberwulf]

Okay, I have went to the Hobby store, Menards, a game store, Walmart. None of them seem to have primer in a can. Well... I mean, They had somethings called 2xPrimer black, white or Gray. They also had Primer+paint in one. Which I wasn't to sure about using. Would the 2xPrimer be to thick? Also I couldn't tell if the Primer was the kind your suppose to use i.e. Acrylic. It was Rustolium or something.

Then, They had satin, gloss, normal... matte. It was all kind of confusing

[Yaktan]

I would just go get primer and paint from the store where you get your models. The people there can be very helpful, from all the stores I have been to. I really do not understand all the advice of complicated ways to try shaving a few bucks on primer and paint. Because that is what it is in the grand scheme of things, a few bucks. I am pretty sure that all the paint, primer, glue, and brushes all together I have used only come out to around the price of a single kit, and that is for 3 different armies. A single can of primer will last for most of a standard-size army, and I have only had to buy a second pot of my 1 or 2 most used paints, so even with GW prices the paint is not that expensive, unless you are doing a whole bunch of different schemes that share no colors.

[Kyberwulf]

I don't have a store. The nearest one is 70 miles from me. Most of the time they aren't that good at most of the stores I go to.

[Cheesegear]

Would the 2xPrimer be to thick?

Did you ask the salesperson in the store?

Also I couldn't tell if the Primer was the kind your suppose to use i.e. Acrylic. It was Rustolium or something.

Rustoleum is a brand, not an ingredient. The label should say what it's appropriate for. Most general sprays you'll find are for macro surfaces like woods or metals; Read the labels, ask a salesperson.

Then, They had satin, gloss, normal... matte. It was all kind of confusing

Literally any salesperson should be able to tell you the difference if they're good at their job. If a salesperson doesn't know the difference between Gloss, Satin, Flat and Matte, they shouldn't be selling paints.

You want Flat or Matte...Unless you're using Contrast paints. I've been told that the Contrast Primers are "special", but I don't know if that's because GW wants to sell more cans, or if they actually do have something in them that makes Contrasts flow better.

[Renegade Paladin]

Okay, I have went to the Hobby store, Menards, a game store, Walmart. None of them seem to have primer in a can. Well... I mean, They had somethings called 2xPrimer black, white or Gray. They also had Primer+paint in one. Which I wasn't to sure about using. Would the 2xPrimer be to thick? Also I couldn't tell if the Primer was the kind your suppose to use i.e. Acrylic. It was Rustolium or something.

Then, They had satin, gloss, normal... matte. It was all kind of confusing

Rustoleum 2x spray primers are fine. They are more concentrated than most (hence 2x) but that just means you prime in quick passes. You want matte or flat; gloss and satin have a shiny finish and are difficult for paint to stick to.

[Kyberwulf]

Okay, Flat was the one I had in my hand. And no dice the people at the hobby lobby were all like..12. There was no one at Wallyworld's paint section. The Gamestore. I plan on going white, because of all the red, from what I can tell from internet looking, it makes it easier for the red to show? So, just as a side question, these paints and Primers will work for Gundam model painting too right? I have a Air sprayer painting thing also. I don't plan on using it on the Warhammer.

[Wraith]

I plan on going white, because of all the red, from what I can tell from internet looking, it makes it easier for the red to show?

Generally speaking yes, but don't be afraid to experiment with your first few miniatures (or like, a random piece of opaque plastic or some other junk you don't mind getting painted) before you commit to a scheme you like. Red painted on top of a white undercoat will usually look brighter like pop-art, whereas paint red onto black will create more shadows in the joints and recessed areas - its more moody and 'gritty' but that's entirely down to the sort of atmosphere you want to create.

Here's a super-quick example I could find on Google. This image shows four different colours - dark red, bright red, orange, and yellow - and how different they look when painted on top of a variety of grey, white, off-white, silver, and broze undercoats. Note that the ones shown are GW's Contrast paints, which are designed to be a bit thinner than normal paint and will naturally flow into recesses to create a quick 'highlighted' look, but the principle is going to be the same when not using Contrasts.

So, just as a side question, these paints and Primers will work for Gundam model painting too right? I have a Air sprayer painting thing also. I don't plan on using it on the Warhammer.

Yes. Any miniatures, be they Warhammer, Gundam, Airfix or whatever, are either plastic or resin of some kind. So long as you clean, dry and properly undercoat the model, the type of paint you use usually doesn't matter much, and using an airbrush will give you a smoother, flatter coverage than using a brush - especially on large flat areas like a tank, or giant mecha.

[Kyberwulf]

Thats very helpful. :D

I plan on using the Jakhals as experimental pieces.

Would it be good to replace those with some Berserkers? Would it also be okay to get some Chaos Space Terminators?
Also would it be alright to get Angron, A Demon Prince and Bel'kor(he is WH40k right?) in the same army?

[Cheesegear]

Would it be good to replace [Jakhals] with some Berserkers?

Jakals are for Objective squatting and cheap Icons.
Icons get Angron back.

Would it also be okay to get some Chaos Space Terminators?

As World Eaters? No. Eightbound are currently so much better...For World Eaters.

Also would it be alright to get Angron, A Demon Prince and Bel'kor(he is WH40k right?) in the same army?

First, Daemon Princes are part of your Index. Are you reading it?
Angron and Be'lakor can't be in the same army, no. Be'lakor doesn't have the KHORNE Keyword - it's in the Index.

Finally Angron + Daemon Princes; "Alright":
As in, "Is it Legal and Good and Not a Waste of Money"...Yes.
As in, "My friends and I are brand new to the game and there's nothing stopping me from going all out from Day 1?" ...Sure.

As most important when starting with friends; Make sure you're all on the same page. Your friends are going to most likely be your most common opponents - and you, theirs. If you stomp them in the ground too hard and too early, they might quit. It wouldn't be the first time.

[Kyberwulf]

yeah I am reading it. Just a lot of information to absorb. Its not only that I learn mostly by doing. Watching Youtube videos and reading is a little harder to learn from, without having some one explain some of the nuances.

[Don Qui Ho Tep]

Definitely is a lot of raw data to take in! I get more out of watching battle reports, it shows the different pieces in action. MiniWarGaming does alright, they just released one with World Eaters today. Here's another from before the recent balance pass.

[Wraith]

yeah I am reading it. Just a lot of information to absorb. Its not only that I learn mostly by doing. Watching Youtube videos and reading is a little harder to learn from, without having some one explain some of the nuances.

To echo Cheesegear - you can do all of that if you want, but that's the better part of ~$250US on three models that you're going to struggle to make a 'good' army from.

I can't tell you what to do, but please learn from my mistakes - I've still got 3000 points of Grey Knights in a box that I started buying in 2008, of which I have used about half maybe twice because I bought them in a bad order and it was difficult to make them 'fit' into a game with my friends who had made more sensible armies.

It's cliche but there's a good reason that we tell new players; Start with one HQ choice, two units of "Dudes" (be that Berserkers, Terminators or Jackals) and a vehicle like a Tank or Dreadnought. These will almost never go out of fashion, they'll work as a reasonable army in their own right, and you can probably fit them into anything your do going forward and build around them, y'know?

At the very least, you can practice your paint on models that aren't $100 each

[Kyberwulf]

Yeah, I plan to use some of them as center pieces for my shelves if I cant make a useful army out of them.

That being said I got some of them put together, The Lord guy and the Jahkals.

I don't know what to do with the Berserkers though. I mean I know to put them together. I am wondering what pieces to use. I wouldn't mind some suggestions if you got em. I got 20 of the badboys to deck out somehow.

[Cheesegear]

Guide to Combat Patrol

The Combat Patrol Missions can be found, Here.

Spoiler: Win Conditions

Show

Primary Objective: The Primary Objective of Combat Patrol, is to hold Objectives. Counter-intuitively, the objective of Warhammer 40K, is not to destroy your opponent's models. You don't exactly gain points for destroying your opponent's models (but you do, kind of). But, that your opponent can't score points, if their models are destroyed. That said, you can't score points either, if your models are destroyed.

You know what that means? ...You don't score points if your models aren't alive. It's theoretically possible to win the game by not destroying a single model. Conversely, you don't even necessarily win the game even if you table your opponent. You can destroy your opponent's entire army, and still lose. Yes. Really.

To that end, the way to win games is to have a good defense. A strong offense is good...But a good defense is better. Of course...You really want both.

Objective Secured: BATTLELINE units that hold Objectives, let you score points even when they aren't on the Objective anymore. It's a neat rule that lets you play the game instead of squatting in positions on the board. Because you don't need to squat on Objectives in Combat Patrol, the "sit back and shoot"-style of play is generally a poor strategy. Since the format heavily incentivises board control and moving around.

Combat Patrols: Some units have the option of splitting into two smaller units. This gives you greater flexibility with your units, even though you only have a few from the box. This rule also pairs very well with Objective Secured.

The rules for playing the Factions are Here. Combat Patrol is an odd format. Your Roster is fixed. Your opponent's Roster is fixed. Everything you need to know about anything is a few clicks away, and nothing is hidden. What you - and your opponents - are going to have is on the tin box.
Standout models in the format include the Tyranid Psychopage, the Aeldari Wraithlord, the Grey Knights Dreadknight...
There are plenty of things in the format to be worried about...Fortunately you know about every single one of them ahead of time.

Spoiler: Adepta Sororitas

Show

Faction Rule: Miracle Dice are a terrible mechanic requiring you to lose to lose less. They are often worse than having a re-roll. But then you can take the Enhancement that makes them better than a re-roll. So that's...Something?

Secondary Objectives: Generally terrible. You give your opponent the option to win the game, or, you tell them to just destroy your units one-by-one. Bad.

Stratagems: You'll be using the Invulnerable save all the time. On your turn, you need those [Lethal Hits] so your terrible Strength can be ignored. Usable.

Units: ...Basically all terrible, except for the Penitent Engine. But you only get one. So your opponent just fires everything at it, and then you're down to Battle Sisters with Boltguns, with T3 and Power Armour. You can take the Enchancement that gives FNP? But then your Miracle Dice don't work.

Overall, generally terrible. The "some of everything" approach to the Patrol isn't good because not everything in the box - or the Sororitas Faction in general - is even worth taking.

Spoiler: Adeptus Custodes

Show

Faction Rule: Get into Melee. You win.

Secondary Objectives: Gain a VP, per phase (yours or your opponent's) if your Warlord destroys a model...Wait. I thought destroying your opponent's models wasn't a win condition? Just kidding. It is...Sometimes...For good Factions. Alternatively your opponent's army might be too tough for that and you can just win via board control - you can be tough, too.

Stratagems: ...Nothing jumps out. You'll probably just Fire Overwatch or take the re-roll. Use 'em if you've got 'em.

Units: Custodes just...Shouldn't be in Combat Patrol. Wait...And there are Dawneagle Jetbikes!? WTF!? Also you get to pick up a few Battle Sisters that aren't terrible, because they have Anti-Psyker weapons, giving you just a straight-up advantage vs Thousand Sons and Grey Knights - other strong Factions in Combat Patrol. So not only are your Custodes models exceptionally strong; Against some of the stronger Factions in the format, you get Battle Sisters that are Just Better than Sororitas? Cool! Seems legit.

Overall, one of the best Factions in the format - if not the best.

Spoiler: Adeptus Mechanicus

Show

Faction Rule: If your opponent has a shooty army, you have a slight advantage. If your opponent has a Melee army...I dunno. Get rekt?

Secondary Objectives: You have a random chance to get extra points, or, you can tell your opponent what to target down so you lose the game. Both are terrible.

Stratagems: Giving a unit a 4+ Invulnerable save is good. You absolutely need it.

Units: Your Patrol's gimmick is that the Enginseer can repair the Dunecrawler. That's it. That's the strategy. The Kataphron Destroyers are excellent - but unfortunately they can't carry a backpack that's as heavy as the rest of the Patrol.

Another one of the worst Factions in the format. Your opponent's strategy effectively boils down to "Destroy the Dunecrawler and you've got nothing", every. Single. Game. Melee Patrols with a decent Advance roll or two can just be too quick to get in your face. Rangers can move around the board, but their T3 and 5+ save isn't good enough to let them get anywhere near an enemy unit that might be thinking about Charging...The mish-mash of Special weapons, doesn't help.

Spoiler: Aeldari

Show

Faction Rule: Like Miracle Dice...Except not terrible, and really, really good. Especially at this size. 12d6 for four units? ...Are you sure about that!?

Secondary Objectives: Gaining points for taking Objectives, or, being in your opponent's DZ. Not the greatest Objectives. But certainly not the worst.

Stratagems: Not the best. But not the worst.

Units: The Guardians have a Starcannon - decent pick. The Windriders aren't great - but you have up to two units of them. And of course, you have the Wraithlord. Arguably the best model in the format - Ghostglaive and Bright Lance can do a lot of work on anything.

Overall, "Not the best, but not the worst" sums up the Aeldari Patrol quite well. You take the Sororitas gimmick and make it not terrible. But then you also have kind of the same battle plan as the Mechanicus does - don't let the Wraithlord die. The difference being that your models are better than the Mechanicus'. So...Yeah. Not the best. But not the worst. Make sure to magnetise the Wraithlord - you probably don't want those weapons when you go to higher level play...Maybe.