*fanfare* Tell Ahab what to get!

[Shas'o Ahab]

Well, the title says a bit what this is about. I'm-a-gonna buy me another something. My LGS is gonna have a ~discount on this Friday, and I'm gonna be back in town, so yeah...

I have at the moment:
2 broken Broadsides (talk to PNW )
4 XV8s
10 XV15/25s
36 Fire Warriors
2 Devilfish
1 Hammerhead
and an d'yi-load of Gun Drones :funny:
Oh, and 12 Kroot and a Shaper

I often run mounted Fire Warrior squads, Deathrains and Helios(es) & an Aurora for the suits, an SMT and occasionally a normal stealth team, sometimes I throw down some Kroot (Tzeentch style) and a pathfinder squad (actually proxy fire warriors, but it works). Obviously I run a Railhead and the Broadsides for HS...

So, to make the jump from where I am now to 2k pts, I think I'll need some of the following:
- > 2 more XV8s
- Another Hammerhead
Another Devilfish(/Skyray?)
Moar Fire Warriors
Rail-Rifle Pathfinders (curious, maybe I should proxy first, ha)

the ones with the "-" in front are the front runners. I loves me my XV8s but I do so want another compensation cannon on the field . I'll probably only be getting one of the choices, and the RR pathies might get thrown in with the 'fish if I do that one...

Just for information: my playstyle is a bit between Mech and Hybrid, leaning Mech, and I do ~passive aggressive tactics. That is: I'm defensive (sniping away with Railguns and Missile Pods) up until I see an opening, then I DS suits in and FoF/RF death with Fire Warriors hopefully to devastating effect. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, but it's usually fun.

I play da Orks, MEqs of various unappetizing flavors, and occasionaly Tau. Or at least I did until college ate me... oh that reminds me...

Now comes that bit where random people I (mostly) don't know on the internet tell me what little plastic army men I should buy to paint and play with (just thought I'd point out the inherent hilarity here, it is a monday after all)

Thoughts?

[Rytlock Brimstone]

cant go wrong with more crisis suits or hammer heads.  However to keep your options open get the skyray box so you can field which ever one you feel like fielding.  The RR pathfinders are pretty niffty too imo, though like you said perhaps a proxy wouldnt hurt before hand. 

[dethdukk]

Bah RR pathies   I like the sniper drones better.  you can have 9 for 1 slot, and they are a cool model.  but no one likes em cause they cant move   but they are rather expensive, and its really easy to take some normal drones and just model them to look like sniper drones.  I have 9 squads of sniper drones (27  str6 AP3 shots ftw!!!) which I use in "fun" armies on a regular basis.

So, a quick question:  are you looking for "fun to play and paint" models, or are you looking to expand a tournament list?  if tournament, I would say that crisis/hammerhead is your best choice.  If fun, I would suggest sniper drones/vespid.  They are expensive for what they do, but they are fun to play and both of them synergize really well with pathfinders (the look on a SM players face when a squad of 11 vespid wipe one of his assault rine squads in one round of shooting is priceless).

[Shas'o Ahab]

I have 9 squads of sniper drones (27  str6 AP3 shots ftw!!!)

Actually, I think you can only have 9 Sniper Drones period *3 per squad, up to 3 squads in one slot, and only one slot of Sniper Drones per army*

I do want to proxy some of my million Gun Drones as Sniper Drones maybe to test 'em out though, so I really shouldn't've mentioned the RR Pathies either, 'cause I'll want to test them out beforehand too.

I guess a major thing I'm looking for advice on is the Hammerhead or the XV8s? Because it does seem like those are the most obvious choices.

As for competitive or friendly, I'll go ahead and sit the fence on that one, so to speak, and say I would like a "flexible" force

[Rytlock Brimstone]

xv-8s are your best choice for flexiblity, cause lets face it they can do damn well anything we tool them out to do.  However im not going to lie what problem cant an extra railgun solve (even world hunger ^^).  I guess in the end its up to you mate, though if possible i suggest both  .

[dethdukk]

I'd go with crisis cause crisis are awesome.  Then again, a railhead is awesome too...  I'd go with the crisis suits because you already have a hammer and broadsides, and everyone needs more crisis. 

Actually, I think you can only have 9 Sniper Drones period *3 per squad, up to 3 squads in one slot, and only one slot of Sniper Drones per army*

ooo... um...  yeah.  well thats 18 sniper drones I can no longer use...  All of the games were against freinds and other peaple who wouldnt have cared anyways (or noticed and didnt mention it) so I'm not feeling too guilty   but no, I did indeed mean 9 squads.  (begins thinking of cool and interesting ways to remodel sniper drones)

edit:  hey!  I can proxy my sniper drones as rail rifle wielding pathfinders!!!

[Deflare]

A Skyray gets you the gear to make a Skyray, a Hammerhead, and a Devilfish (if you get creative with how you modify the chin turret); it's hard to beat that kind of flexibility. I've got three of the things mostly set up; it's not terribly hard to do.

It's hard to go wrong with XV-8's or XV-88's (well, the Broadsides may not fit into a more mobile army, but it's nice to have the option). More kroot could be good, especially supplemented by kroot hounds. Have you put any thought into vespids? They can theoretically be quite handy when put into a list designed to incorporate the speedy bastards (I haven't had much chance to experiment with them). And then, of course, there's always pathfinders--screw rail rifles, markerlights are made of win.

[Shas'o Ahab]

markerlights are made of win.

agreed and sig'd

So yeah, I guess it's another XV8 or two. Handy thing about them is as long as it's a casual game I can proxy them as XV88s if I want... it's like Rhinos being proxied as Preds... only the Rhinos are as good as Preds ...

Thanks for the input, I guess I'll be saving the 2nd Railhead for another day...