Hey guys, I don't know exactly where to post this so I've put it in two places. Firstly I'd like to say that I'm completely new to AoS. I've watched a few games at my local store and a few on YouTube. Other than that I have no experience. However, I have read the rules and the fluff. Also, I'm not new to Warhammer I've been collecting 40k for ten years and have played many games of Warhammer Fantasy So down to brass tax. I have £150 to spend and would like to get started playing Seraphon. The main armies I'm going to be facing on a regular basis are Skaven, Fireslayers, Stormcast Eternals, Bretonnians and Chaos. From what I've read so far on these forums, there are two main ways to play this army defensively or offensively. Personally I'd like to think of myself as an offensive player. When it comes to 40k I like to push forward and bring the fight to my opponent. However, with Seraphon I like the idea of being aggressive, but also have the ability to do damage in all phases of the game. I have brought anything as of yet. However, so far I like the look of Saurus Knights, Saurus Scar Veteran On Cold One, Saurus Sunblood, Slann Starmaster and Saurus Oldblood On Carnosaur. However, I have no idea what works well with what and where a good starting point would be. For example, is the Start Collecting! Seraphon a good purchase? I do want the army I build to be at least somewhat competitive as I attend a lot of local events and tournaments.
Yep good purchase if you are looking to build an offensive army, incredible value since the oldblood on Carnosaur almost single-handedly costs what the Start Collecting!-box costs. Warriors and knights are basic units of an offensive army. Warriors are really strong in big numbers, at 20 or more they got +1 hit and at 30 or more models they gain an additional attack. Knights have the capabilities of dealing mortal wounds if they are equiped with lances. The Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur is ment to tear down monsters & big characters. In my offensive army I am looking to field a Slann, Saurus oldblood on a carnosaur, lots of warriors, a unit of knights, a unit of chameleon skinks and either Salamanders or Razordons. Since you are a 40K player I think you will love the Shadowstrike starhost formation, which allows you to sort of "deepstrike" in certain units in the formation, I would take an extra look at Ripperdactyls if I were you, mathematiclys speaking, they can completely destroy almost any unit if used correctly. I'd suggest you take a look at Xlanax_lot's synergy table. Here. Other then that, I'll leave it to more experienced player to give their input!
The Start Collecting box is a very great way to start, plus you get a bonus Star Host formation. Gul'rok's Starhost. Which has the Scar Veteran on Carno and the two units of Saurus and knights in the box. This special ability sounds similar to the Oldblood on foot, in a starhost unit, one model is the lynchpin and all other models in the chosen unit is re-setted up within 5" around that one model. The unit can also move normally that same turn. There is bit more written on the card saying about range, just trying to find the card. Useful for getting into better positions to strike. I think it also works if your unit is stuck in combat, so in your hero phase you can move them away.
Get started bundle is a great starting place, but then you will want sunblood, stegadon, chameleons, Skink priest and rippers. Bumps up your shooting phase plus plays quite aggressively with the shadow strike constellation. But you already have a good idea of how you want to play and how to do it right!
Ok, I agree the starting set is extremely good value for money as it comes in at £50 which is the price for the Carnosaur alone, therefore, everything else in the boxset is free. That feels like a no brainer. From reading the forums generally I keep seeing people saying that a Slann is a must in the army. Therefore, I think going for one of those at some point would be a good thing. Are the warriors the bread and butter of the Seraphon army? Like Tactical Marines for Space Marines or Fire Warriors in Tau? Are they a must have? If so how many is the perfect number? Bearing in mind at my local store they play between 50 and 125 wounds per game. What would you guys say is the 'bast' phase of the game for Seraphon? e.g. shooting, magic, combat etc. As I have never played a game with them, what do competitive lists look like at around 100 wounds? Is there a particular formation that is better than any other or are there a few which are worth considering? Sorry for any really silly questions, as I've stated above I'm very new to AoS! That table is AMAZING! thank you so much for linking it.
YES, IT IS A GOOD PURCHASE!!! No, really, "Start Collect!" it is an amazing offer: at the price of a Carnosaur you also get 8 Knights and 12 Warriors (and a battalion warscrolls, which is always nice...)! This way you get 3 agressive units, and 2 of them are among the units you aesthetically like: not bad at all. And you would still have £75 to spend. Now. You have a big nasty monster (Carnosaur/Troglodon), a "base" infantry melee unit (Warriors), a (quite) fast cavalry unit. I assume you have read and understood Age of Sigmar rules and took a look at the Seraphon's Battletome/Compendium. Spoiler: AoS Rules http://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Rulesheets/warhammer-aos-rules-en.pdf Spoiler: Seraphons Rules http://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Compendiums/warhammer-aos-lizardmen-en.pdf To me, you need some magic and shooting at first. A possible option (remembering you have a budget of £75... and it seems you prefer Saurus towards Skinks ): 1 Skink Starpriest + 1 Skink Priest (or 2 of a kind, possibly the Starpriest king for the magic ) 1 Stegadon or Bastiladon 1 Salamander or Razordon Total = £75 ca. You should have a quite balanced army, but you should face a couple of problems: having not a slann, you don't have the ability to summon. You wouldn't have the right units to use Battalion warscrolls apart from the one you can find in the "Start Collecting!" box. I'd suggest you to - build the Carnosaur model (not the Troglodon) to have a powerful monster-hunter general; - build the Warriors equipped with spears and field them as a single unit; - get the Salamander to spit some fire toward your enemies (grill some skavens or use its Rend to damage chaos/stormcast); - decide which monster you prefer. (Stegadon with bow means long range shooting. Stegadon with sunfire throwers means infantry destruction. Engine of the Gods is useless if you don't have a Slann, in my opinion. Bastiladon with Solar Engine means powerful long range shooting. Bastiladon with Ark of Sotek means a stop-the-enemy unity dealing Mortal Wounds. Spoiler: What I would do I'd take the Basti with Ark of Sotek seeing the races you are facing. You need a monster capable of blocking the enemy and ignoring his armour... or killing easily a lot of rats In the future you should value the possibility to get a Slann for its magic/summoning abilities, and maybe to buy a couple of support units (Kroxigors/Chameleons/Flying units) or core reinforcements (other Warriors, shooting Skinks or Saurus Guars to protect your Slann). Of course, if you want your tactic more shooting/magic based, this post is not so useful...
I was just reading your post in the other topic! Ok so I think I'm going to get the starting boxset. Thats only £50 though right? So I'd have £100 to spend rather than £75? Or am I missing something? I have indeed read the AoS rule set and am working my way through the Lizardmen rules as we speak! I agree the Carnosaur model does seem better from I've read/seen. Again people seem to agree that spears are better. I'd equip the knights with Lances as well. When would you recommend getting a Slann? I've read a lot of people saying they are a must have in any Seraphon army. I like the idea of the Stegadon based on the fact that some of the people I'll be facing do use a lot of infantry. However, how does it cope in combat?
Oh, right, I'm sorry! I was confused by the fact that in my country it costs 65 (euros)... so probabily this calculation has been inconsciously made a bit more for me rather than you! A part from joking... The Start box, a Slann and a Steg/Basti is already £115. The remaining £35 could be spent these ways: - a Saurus Guard to protect your Slann or - one support unit of Terradon/Ripper/Kroxi or - a basic troop + hero or chameleons (Skinks and a Astrolith Bearer, for example) - chameleons + eternity warden + skink priest/saurus veteran on cold one I'd go with the last option. £150 to have: 1 Slann 1 Eternity Warden 1 Priest/Vet on Cold One 1 Carnosaur 12 Warriors 8 Knights 5 Chameleons 1 Steg/Engine/Basti Doesn't seem bad to me. Quite agressive but also versatile in some way... but not too synergic, this has to be said! About the Steg: with these modifications, I don't know if a simple stegadon would be really helpful. Personally I'd choose an Engine of the Gods (mortal wounds and more control by the slann) or a Basti to have a monster able to resist for a long time (maybe dealing mortal wounds with the ark)!
@Freddy25 nice additions you made and he gest loads of different units to tinker with, but the base here is lacking.. 12 warriors / 8 knights is not a lot, I would suggest to buff up one of them (after testing them in some games go with the one you prefer)
I have not too much experience but I recommend more basic troops, too. I think a unit of warriors should have at least 25 models. For the buff they get for being 20+ in the unit and some more so you don't loose it after the first fight.
I did think it was a bit strange to start adding lots of large monsters without having a proper backbone of core troops first. Should I go with just Warriors, Knights or temple guard? Or should I mix and match? Are the warriors the bread and butter of the Seraphon army? Like Tactical Marines for Space Marines or Fire Warriors in Tau? Are they a must have? If so how many is the perfect number? Bearing in mind at my local store they play between 50 and 125 wounds per game. What would you guys suggest is the ideal number to field troops in? I have to admit right now I'm a bit lost on what to buy. I think the starting set looks good value for money. However, what I should get next is unclear.
So I was thinking of getting this with my first £150. Start Collecting! Seraphon £50. Saurus Knights x2 £40. Saurus Scar Veteran On Cold One £10. Honestly I have no idea what to spend my last £50 on! Maybe a Stegadon or a Bastiladon each is £35. Then maybe with the final £15 a Skink Starpriest? Honestly though I have no idea. I feel completely lost as to what works well. Really need some help!
OK. Let it be stated up front, I'm new to Age Of Sigmar and Seraphon myself, and I've bought three Carno's. So don't trust me. I want to throw out this idea though. 2 x Starter Set 1 x Steg 1 x Skink Starpriest (or a Slann if you can go £15 over) This gives you obviously double Carnosaur fun alongside 24 Saurus Warriors (enough for the +1 to hit). 16 Saurus Knights, you can convert one from the Carno kits and make it a Scar Vet, with 15 Knights and be a full formation for the extra Mortal Wounds. The Stegadon is cool however you build it, perhaps a regular if you go Skink and a EotG if you strrtch to the Slann. Either way they are good supporters. Fun to work with a decent but not extreme budget. Good luck and welcome either way. Like I'm said I'm new myself. You've stumbled across a great site here.
I could go £15 over and I do like the idea of having a Slann as I keep reading its a must have (don't know how true that is, as I haven't played a game yet!). Is double Carnosaur viable? Is fielding both knights and warriors the way to go? I've just read a post in another topic by @Bainbow and he said that Razordon's make good supporting units for knights so maybe I should think about those? Thank you for the welcome! I love this site so far. So much information.
Double carnosaur is viable and fun, for you anyway... Slann is definitely something you are going to want, but beef up your warriors or knights numbers. Depends how you want to play it, but I would probably start with warriors. And yeah razors and knights is a fantastically terrifying combo!
Why would you start with warriors over Knights? How many warriors/knights is a good number? Can you play both warriors and Knights? Or is it one or the other?
Knights are more powerful but are also quite harder to use, a Warrior army would be the easiest for a brand new player to learn. Also remember that synergy is the name of the game, powerful units are going to be weaker than several well-matched smaller units working together, that synergy table is good help for checking that.
I personally choose the warriors so I have a big block of them and two smaller blocks for the sunclaw starhost. Absolutely take both. The knights are fast and killy. I would take more warriors over the knights for now and build up the knights as you find you rely on them more. Personal preference. If you choose knights make sure you make a few of them into scar vets.
So the warriors are best in big blocks, to really get the most out of them? I'm guessing because they are so easy to summon back that you use them as a meat shield? Where you attack the enemy not really caring if they die? While knights are more elite shock style troops who benefit from smaller numbers but work best when fielded as 3 units and a scar vet so they can cause 2 mortal wounds for every 6 rolled? Temple guards are really defensive right? Once you had built up a nice force of warriors/knights what would you buy next?
Sort of. Knights are shock troops, but they shouldn't be fielded in small numbers. My MO is usually take just one of these units as your primary infantry: Skinks, Knights, Guard, or Warriors. 33% of your army should be one of these four at least. Mixing and matching tends to weaken the army as a whole, we can do any role with thee diverse choices but we need to fully commit to our chosen specialty. And yes you can summon Warriors easy, but you'll need the right magic set-up for them. A Slann Starmaster, a Starseer, and an Astriloth Bearer are valuable.