# Fun Armies



## Oztoon (Nov 11, 2013)

So I've been playing 40K for almost a decade now and it's dawned on me that folks these days just play to win or make the most broken lists with the newest codex. Now yes the hobby does include playing games and trying to win but I find that recently people have forgotten the point of having fun. So! Ihave decided to build a "fun army". By that I mean an army that might when but will also lose but will be fun to play and to play against none the less. My future project will be to due a Tyrant's Legion from Imperial Armour. So my question to you is what are or is your "fun army"


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

My fun army is my competitive army. I never take net lists, but instead design my army to sapport itself in interesting and enjoyable ways. I tend to us ehighly mobile forces to as they tend to be more dynamic and lest static. For example my csm army has 30 marines in rhino's and a full bike squad. Is it optimal? No, but its flexible enough that I can take most armies with at least some chance of victory.


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

All my armies are fun armies! i only play to enjoy myself and have a game that my opponent enjoys too, even if i make them fight hard for a victory.


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## The Irish Commissar (Jan 31, 2012)

My favourite fluffy army is my artillery guard army at 2000 points it's just wave upon wave of guardsmen backed up by morter squads with maxed out griffins and basilisks.


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## Gret79 (May 11, 2012)

I've been taking Black Legion - I've managed to get a 2k army down to about 18 men in power armour..

With Eldar, my fun list is 2k of aspect warriors - Nothing else bar a farseer and an avatar.


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## Battman (Nov 2, 2012)

For fun I enjoy playing just about any army, but in particular I only choose armies that I think will be fun to build, play, fun fluff and won't have me being destroyed each time I play. 

I genrally play Orks (fun to play and model), little bit of space wolves (fun to play, fun fluff and model) and tinyest bit of Black Dragons (fun to model ad fun fluff).

That is all


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## Mokuren (Mar 29, 2011)

I play Sisters.

When I don't play Sisters, I play Sisters with the worst the IG codex has to offer. Mostly infantry. Sometimes I add Inquisition to get a land raider full of DCAs, because why not, I had 500 points and didn't know what to do with them.

When I don't play either, I play Chaos. I keep telling myself one day I'll finish that daemon princess of mine, which is 320 points alone by the way, and she's accompanied by cultists, thousand sons, khorne berzerkers, terminators, raptors and warp talons, and just one heldrake.

I gave up on winning a long time ago.


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## KahRyez (Sep 7, 2010)

With my original crons I was somewhat competitive, as were my old csm amry(which has now been sold). It was all about being a little competitive and getting the prize back then, a thirty dollar prize for a five dollar entry fee wasn't too bad ^^

Nowadays I tend to make my purchases based on fluff, wither it be more destroyers for my red harvest cron army, along with models for Ini-herit's small kill team.

As for my dreams of the new CSM army I'm building? It will take a while to build up, but the fluff for them was fan built on this very site(The Dark Talons as found here). And while the fluff is somewhat scattered about the threads, I like em, and want to field my CSM as such. Which means I'm not going to run big blocks of plauge marines, noise marines, drakes and the like.

Also I want to build a fluffy mercenary company using the tau codex, being lead by a kroot shaper piloting a crisis suit complete with trophies and markings showing him as such.


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## SilverTabby (Jul 31, 2009)

I play Sisters and Tyranids. I build lists based on what models I like, or a theme (I have a pentitent army, full of Penitent Engines, or a very points inefficent poisonous nid army). I have played in one tournament and hated the 'win over everything else' attitude, so only play for fun with friends. I don't care if I win or lose, so long as there's at least one moment (on either side) of "OMG did you really just pull that off?"


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

Well, I don't netdeck my armies, I write up my own failures and successes that my armies have accomplished.
However, I do think my armies are fun.
White Scars; Bike Captain, 3 Bike Squads, 2 Stormtalons
Ultramarines; Sicarius and two Tactical Squad for allies.
Crimson Fists; Swiss army knife army as I've tried to acquire multiple options for it, can be fun or aggressive.
Dark Angels; this is just two DV boxes put together and is somewhat fun.
Space Wolves; not so much fun as fluffy, but, it holds its own.
Blood Angels; just starting this one.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

I've only played two games of 6th because anyone still playing 40k in my group only wants to play their latest killer list, where as I prefer to play fluffy. I have an idea of how my wolf lord uses his great company, and try to build around that rather than look for the killer combo. This means I usually get spanked, which gets tired after a while. 

It's the same reason I got pissed off with Flames of War. I got into that because running a tank battalion is just too cool not to, but, yet again people realised that the odds are stacked massively in favour of infantry forces, and start playing to win with infantry hordes rather than enjoy the spectacle of recreating the massed tank battles of Kursk or North Africa. 

Whatever happened to playing a game for enjoyment whether you win or lose? Some of the most enjoyable games I've played, wether it's in 40k, FoW, or Bolt Action, have been the close run battles that came down to the final dice roll, many of which didn't go my way.


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## Archon Dan (Feb 6, 2012)

I have always felt my Dark Eldar is a fun army. Whether they win or lose, I can spin it that they achieved their goal. 

Oh, my Warhost was obliterated by Space Marines? That's fine. They were a distraction to keep the Marines away from the city where civilians were being rounded up. And when they win; clearly that was the goal. 

My other armies are fun as well, especially when I am really working with their fluff.


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## LokiDeathclaw (Jun 19, 2013)

I go for fluffy armies with models I like. My SW's have 3 dreads (one a FW Ven dread), Blood Claws, CC Termies, TWC etc........even contemplating a Knight!!


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

The Ork Army of Derp. Couple of variations, both built around a core of 100 Boyz (60 Sluggas, 40 Shootas - Sluggas go in either 3 squads of 20, one as Ard Boyz, or two squads of 30 with Painbosses). Mekboy Junkas, Void Shield Generators, Shokk Attack Gun Mek, pair of Battlewagons, Nobstar, stuff gets mixed and matched. It has precisely one ranged anti-tank weapon. A Shokk Attack Gun.

Is it fun? Hell yeah. Does it win? Surprisingly, yes, it's not awful. But does that just make it more fun? Awww yiss.


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## morfangdakka (Dec 31, 2006)

I play orks and I only play fluffy list. Deathskullz are my army so loots of looted things are in the army. I also play stuff that most people don't play like flash gitz and big guns. I usually have two big meks with Shokk attack guns. So I think it catches people by surprise because I win or draw most of my games and the few I lose are usually close games decided in the last turn. 

My chaos Dark Talon army I started will also be fluffy so not really concerned with it if it wins. I want it to look good on the table and have fun playing it. I never use net list anymore because I always seem to get spanked hard when I use them but probably because they don't fit my play style. So I will just stay with my fun fluffy armies.


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## d3m01iti0n (Jun 5, 2012)

After the fiasco that was Ultra Templars I went back to my Orks. Havent had this much fun in a while. Full Green Tide lists are intimidating, and the wackiness of a Weirdboy keeps your opponent off guard. Of course with Loota and Shoota blobs, you are either terrifing or a complete failure after 30-60 shots respectively.


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## humakt (Jan 2, 2008)

Khorne's Fist said:


> Whatever happened to playing a game for enjoyment whether you win or lose? Some of the most enjoyable games I've played, wether it's in 40k, FoW, or Bolt Action, have been the close run battles that came down to the final dice roll, many of which didn't go my way.


This a thousand times!

I hate totally dominating my opponent and also dislike getting tabled by a totally over powered list. Its not big or clever to create killer combo lists. Its just dull. 

A close game that comes down to the last few rolls of the dice is much more preferable than a game that is all over by turn 2.


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

I've found that even when you have the short end of the stick playing the game because you didn't bring the most tooled up army list of whatever is seen as the best army out there right now a game can become fun if played "right".

One of the things that helps is giving yourself secondary objectives. It's kept my Sisters interesting ("I want to wreck their Land Raider with my Repentia" is always hilarious).

It's a mindset thing that makes it work though, so some people won't be able to make it work sadly.


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## DarkDisciple_Nahum (Oct 6, 2013)

My fun lists are my Daemons list. I run two bloodletters squads of varying size one w/ a herald (just got my Skulltaker painted last month , a big 20 horror blob, 3 bloodcrushers, and two 6 flamers squads one w/ a herald. Then I add in my two soulgrinders and a bloodthirster. Sure a Khorne/Tzeentch army isn't competitive, but its fun to run up the board.


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## experiment 626 (Apr 26, 2007)

I only 40k for fun, so all of my armies are built around a set backstory or theme.
Currently my Daemons in progress are mono-Tzeentch, but also include some converted 'counts as' units such as Firewyrms of Tzeentch (Beast of Nurgle rules) & Chagebringers (Plaguedrone rules).
The entire army is even modeled to represent the Space Wolves' enmity towards Tzeentch in particular, with bitz of dead Space Puppies littering my bases. Alongside them are also a few bitz of roasted Eldar and for my biggest, baddest dudes the odd dead Grey Knight!

My favourite unit in the entire army is:
Tzaar'Quaysh, The Altered One, Accursed Conjurer - Tzherald w/Locus of Change, Mutating Warpblade + Lesser reward, Lv3 psyker (1 Tizz + 2 Div)
'The Corusacting Host' - 18 Pink Horrors w/full command, Blasted Standard, Etherblade.

Not optimised in the least, but damn is it fun to see Horrors actually launching assaults and hitting things with S5 or S6 on occasion! (or else opponents re-thinking their own assaults due to S5/6 re-rolling attacks!)
And the Warpblade is awesome for beating down Sergeants and growing some Chaos Spawns!



I'd also like to expand out and add in roughly 1500 - 2000pts worth each of Khorne & Slaanesh, just to add even more options & story potential.

To this I'm looking to add a bunch of CSM allies, including a sizable contingent of the Oracles of Change, a couple squads of Thousand Sons, a few Alpha Legion infiltrators and a small band of Fallen Angels. (to annoy my die-hard DA buddy!)


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

I played pure Sisters for 5 years (that is three codexes oddly enough). I'm working on a Crimson Slaughter army that is less than perfectly optimized (extra CCW, MoK and IoW sees to that. And the unit champs are rocking a pair of Lighting Claws). Also trip-plasma Forgefiend, because the model is awesome.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

Zion said:


> I played pure Sisters for 5 years (that is three codexes oddly enough). I'm working on a Crimson Slaughter army that is less than perfectly optimized (extra CCW, MoK and IoW sees to that. And the unit champs are rocking a pair of Lighting Claws). Also trip-plasma Forgefiend, because the model is awesome.


Srsly? I want pics because that sounds awesome. I'm, hesitantly, contemplating buying another DV just for the Chaos and making one of these now that the CS book is out.


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

Jace of Ultramar said:


> Srsly? I want pics because that sounds awesome. I'm, hesitantly, contemplating buying another DV just for the Chaos and making one of these now that the CS book is out.


I plan to start a plog for them (to push me to actually paint everything before I run out and buy $500 worth of CSM) and do some painting articles over on TWG.


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## Straken's_Fist (Aug 15, 2012)

Khorne's Fist said:


> Whatever happened to playing a game for enjoyment whether you win or lose? Some of the most enjoyable games I've played, wether it's in 40k, FoW, or Bolt Action, have been the close run battles that came down to the final dice roll, many of which didn't go my way.


Yeah definitely. I have had many games that were lost literately on the last roll of the game, and they are the most memorable and for the most part I always felt really good afterwards. 
I also really enjoyed entering a fluffy Thousand Sons list into a Campaign even though I lost about 50% of my games, everyone seemed to just enjoy seeing a fluffy list amongst a lot of competitive lists. It felt pretty good.
It really depends a lot on who you play and your attitude towards the game I think: If I am crushing an opponent I usually feel bad about it and will kind of try subtly making 'mistakes' to let them get back in the game a bit. Or if they have some horrendous luck I will let them re-roll dice if they want. Often this has led to my detriment lol But hey, whatever, I don't enjoy one sided games or games that are ruined by a few god awful dice rolls. I realise that is part of the game, but looked back I have never enjoyed the one sided crushing victories that were absolutely no challenge. You have to be a dick if you enjoy that. It's not fun for me, not fun for my opponent...Definitely not in the spirit of the game.
This is why I will avoid power gamers or those who bring netlists: I usually know who they are and I know they don't extend the same favours I extend to people I play, or the same sense of humour.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

Zion said:


> I plan to start a plog for them (to push me to actually paint everything before I run out and buy $500 worth of CSM) and do some painting articles over on TWG.


Freak'n sweet! I can't wait to see that!


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## masterarmstwig (Sep 17, 2013)

My fun armies are very fluffy like my DE urien coven with 3 more hemos. Lots of wracks, a squad of grotesques, talos, and scourges. 
Or my bad moon orks with three squads of flash gitz


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

Jace of Ultramar said:


> Freak'n sweet! I can't wait to see that!


Well I hope to be started on it next week when I have time (and it's hopefully warm enough). I hope it'll be as good as I want it to be.


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## mayegelt (Mar 18, 2014)

I still find a fun army is CSM especially when you rock up to the table with such old models as (these aren't mine, but I don't have piccys of mine and they don't look great anyway.








as a helbrute (Classic Space Crusade Dreadnought)










As the Plague marines or Possessed / Chosen. (Classic Plague Marines from about 20years ago)

And people panic and don't know what they are or maybe why they are all metal till you explain to them.

As for fun armies that win / lose you cant really go wrong with Daemons, cos on a random roll your whole army kinda implodes and with all the random dice for your army it can be a bit hard to plan.
Generally though the best way is to plan an army for fighting every opponent, rather than tailor your army to the current opponent. This way you have to take a balance of high AP or high amounts of shots or whatever. The best army for this IMOO is Imperial Guard or Orcs, though I heard Tau are good for it as well.
Other options include things like deliberately nurfing yourself by electing NOT to take something that you normally rely on and try to work ways around it. OR in an individual games maybe agree between you and your opponent before creating lists to be able to "Veto" the use of 1 relic and 2 units (for instance CSM no plague marines, vindicators & black mace, while Loyal SM no Vindi, Ironclad & Burning Blade.)


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## IntereoVivo (Jul 14, 2009)

I got into Tyranids in a big way as a fun army. I like being able to throw giant bugs at people.

I've also started a non-optimized Eldar army since most of my playgroup is hyper competitive in list building and I do like to be able to make my games as close as possible.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

i blame MTG and the internet


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

bitsandkits said:


> i blame MTG and the internet


Yeah, I can see that. Net decking a list is so easy and its rather shameful.


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## Xabre (Dec 20, 2006)

I really want to build a Grey Knights list simply to look cool and be full of flavor/character... especially to go with the GK battlefleet I still have for BFG.

My current 'fun' list is a Thousand Sons army, where I've kitbashed everything to be different types of magi, instead of being Noise Marines or Obliterators. I even have a Chaos Contemptor built out of a Dreadknight. It's very Technomagus.


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## JAMOB (Dec 30, 2010)

Playing fluffy BA is fun, meaning that a 3:1:1 ratios of tacticals to assaults to devestators is in order. It's not super effective (because of pricing you could take the tacticals and an hq from CSM) but it's actually a pretty fun and balanced play style. I like playing 3k games with a full company too...

Crimson Tears 4th Company

HQ
Captain Tyrael (PS, SB) - 118
Reclusiarch (TA) - 130
5x Honour Guard (Blood Champion, Chapter Banner, PF) - 190
Total - 438

Elites
Fragioso (Frag, HF) - 135
Furioso (talons, HF) - 135
Total - 270

Troops
10x Tactical Marines (Plasma Gun, Missile Launcher) - 180
10x Tactical Marines (Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter) - 180
10x Tactical Marines (Meltagun, Multi-Melta) - 175
10x Tactical Marines (Flamer, Missile Launcher) - 170
10x Tactical Marines (Flamer, Missile Launcher) - 170
10x Tactical Marines (Flamer, Missile Launcher) - 170
10x Assault Marines (2x Meltaguns, Powerfist) - 235
10x Assault Marines (2x Flamers, 2x Hand Flamers) - 220
Total - 1500

Transports
Razorback (AC) - 90
Razorback - 55
Rhino (SL) - 51
Rhino (SL) - 51
Total - 247

Heavy Support
10x Devestators (2x Missile Launchers, 2x Plasma Cannons) - 220
10x Devestators (4x Missile Launchers) - 210
Dreadnought (AssCannon) - 115
Total - 545

Company Total - 3000


Alternatively I quite enjoy playing IG veterans on foot with those s10 blasts, just super entertaining.


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## Woodzee316 (Sep 11, 2010)

my favourite fun army is my greentide orks which consists of 153 models: bigmek w/s SAG, 142 troops (4x 30 boyz and 2x 10 gretchin w/ runt herder) and 10 tankbustas. I need a full side of the table and usually end up leaving the gretchin in reserve just coz I don't have enough room on the table :grin:. it tends to win as you would expect by shear weight of numbers but loses horribly to templates.

I used it the other night in a 3 player game with my mates against nids and blood angles facing a whirlwind and two vindicators plus the nids large blast template throwers. I think we spent most of the night laughing at people not caring if templates scattered. But I was still there at the end lol


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Jace of Ultramar said:


> Yeah, I can see that. Net decking a list is so easy and its rather shameful.


And immensely amusing when someone drops almost as much as we spend on entire 40k armies on card rectangles because they don't realise investing that much cash into a game of luck is silly :victory:



Woodzee316 said:


> my favourite fun army is my greentide orks which consists of 153 models: bigmek w/s SAG, 142 troops (4x 30 boyz and 2x 10 gretchin w/ runt herder) and 10 tankbustas. I need a full side of the table and usually end up leaving the gretchin in reserve just coz I don't have enough room on the table :grin:. it tends to win as you would expect by shear weight of numbers but loses horribly to templates.


Really? It only took two years of 6th for people to forget how stupidly easy 180 Boyz is to beat?

Wargamers will never learn


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## Ryu_Niimura (May 1, 2013)

MidnightSun said:


> And immensely amusing when someone drops almost as much as we spend on entire 40k armies on card rectangles because they don't realise investing that much cash into a game of luck is silly


 You can imagine how much I laughed my ass off when 8-land stompy, a deck that costs less than a $100, got into the top 8 against decks like TPS and Staxx which are both worth more than $3,000:grin:

Netlisting is boring but comming up with something creative and then pulling it off is what games are all about to me^^.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

Which is why I enjoy playing my own off the wall list. A captain with gun and chainsword and 6 tactical squads is one of my favourite! Throw in a dash of "whatever" to suck up the remaining points and I'm off to the races!


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## Lord_Aaron (Sep 24, 2010)

bitsandkits said:


> i blame MTG and the internet


Yeah. Before I started 40k, I played a lot of MTG tournaments. So competitive gaming seemed normal. I'm still trying to get my head wrapped around "narrative gaming."


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

The problem with 40K is that so much that is fun sucks. For example, the coolest unit Tau has ever had is the XV25 Stealth Suit, but they've always and still are trampled all over by other elite choices that are directly better in every way.

It's not that I don't take unit X because I need to win and unit Y is overpowered. It's because unit Y is just a strictly better version of unit X, so why the hell would I use unit X?

Necron Triarch Stalkers, Tau XV25, IG Storm Troopers, Chaos Thousand Sons, Tyranid Raveners - all things I want to theme armies around but the codex makes it extremely clear that they are sub-par choices so why the hell should I?

What 40K needs is more situational fun rules. Stuff that makes sub-par units more compelling. The game itself is too one-dimensional and let's not forget, expensive, to facilitate playing something purely for fun. Even Magic: The Gathering makes fun but not very competitive stuff interesting simply because of synergies and combos.

Give Tyranid Raveners a radius letting you re-roll deep strike.

Give Stormtroopers "if you have three units of Storm Troopers in your army, the roll at the beginning of the game to select mission is ignored, and you choose a night fight mission instead."

Give XV25 a roll to get longer retreat move.


TL;DR - you aren't seeing many 'fun' armies because the game is too one-dimensional and the rules too standardized to make fun units compelling next to obviously better units.


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## incinerator950 (Mar 23, 2014)

I've been meaning to make my Nurgle Lord use dual pistols instead.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

So, what is the most fun army anyone here has played against?

I'm certain the most fun I played against was a friends all Scout army with a Librarian against my previously mentioned Captain and Tactical Squads list. Actually made a nice little narrative of forward scouts and an opposing army's troops clashing.


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