Topic: Am I missing something . . . ?

[Darknight]

. . . or do Rules-As-Written allow for a Battle-Forged army to be made up of multiple Detachments, each of which needs individually to conform to the single-Faction restriction, but which do not collectively need to conform to such a restriction?

So, for example; I could create a Battalion Detachment of Space Marines (ADEPTUS ASTARTES Faction keyword) - a Captain, a Librarian, three units of Tactical Marines and then a selection of Elites, Heavy Support and Fast Attack. I could then add a Vanguard Detachment of Necrons (DEATH TOASTER Faction keyword) - a Lord and three units of some choppy 'Gyptian 'Bots (I don't know Necrons). And that would be a Battle Forged Army.

I could even add Auxiliary Support Detachment(s) - these allow a single unit of any type, at a penalty of -1 Command Point. Or the Super Heavy Auxiliary Detachment (a single Lord of War - so you could add Guilliman to a Chaos Army!) at no CP penalty.

The rules for Battle Forged armies are on page 240 onwards, with Matched Play on 212 onwards. I've read them through and I can find no reference whatsoever restricting the Faction keywords of individual Detachments.

Did I miss something? I only have the main rulebook right now, so if there are rules in the Indices I apologize.

[Darknight]

I have discovered I am a fool, and there is indeed a limit (in matched play) described on page 214, which I would have read but I didn't turn the page . . .

[phillyt]

Glad we could help!

 

[Gankom]

I'd like to take full credit for the explain of the rules please. 

[Gankom]

Although for those of us still without the books, what is the limit?

From what I was reading elsewhere they still needed to have some kind of key word in common? I think I saw Imperium being the example of having marines, guard and mechanicus as a battleforged army.

[Darknight]

As I understand it, a Detachment (and all Detachments which make up an army) must share a "Faction Keyword". Most choices have an obvious Faction Keyword - for example, NECRONS or T'AU or ADEPTUS ASTARTES.

But there are also more "granular" keywords - these are sometimes things like <CHAPTER> (you pick whichever Space Marine Chapter you want), <DYNASTY> etc. Some specialized units (such as Death Company, for example) have the more granular Keyword locked down to BLOOD ANGELS, for example.

Imperial units have IMPERIUM as a Keyword. Chaos has CHAOS.

Imperial is the most interesting - Guilliman has IMPERIUM, ASTARTES, ULTRAMARINES. A Knight has IMPERIUM. An Assassin has IMPERIUM. So you can put all these together in a single Detachment.

As I understand it, there are more benefits (better Command Point abilities) to be had if you have a more "granular" Faction Keyword - an ULTRAMARINES army has cooler options than an IMPERIUM one.

An IMPERIUM army has virtually no practical limits . . . .

[Mathi Alfblut]

Indeed, the keyword use is really interesting. Yes, you can make a Battle Forged Imperium army out of one Detachment containing Imperium units.

But the more faction keywords the units have together, the more synergy you get out of it. Very interesting I must say, very interesting.

As I plan to assemble my Guards army, I will see to that the main force share three keywords. Imperium, Astra militarium and "Regiment". I will add a unit of Militarum Tempestum who share Imperium and Astra Militarium but which have their own specific "regiment" keyword, Militarium Tempesus. Ordinary guards that only have "regiment" keyword cannot be given the keyword Militarium Tempestus.

The keyword regiment is replaced with a name of your chosing. If you choose Catachan or Cadian, you can use the synergies from special characters like Harken or Creed. But if you make your own regiment or field Steel Legion, you cannot change the keyword on Creed to be "Steel legion", for example.
Keyword is a really sweet little tool.

I will strive to make an army from the Battalion Detachment. I have three Infantry squads for troops, A Company Commander and a Lord Commisar for the mandatory choices.

I will add a Militarum Tempestus squad to the troop rooster. That leaves me with two more troops slots for the future.

I got six elite choices, but now things gets bit more tricky because command squads and platoon commanders takes up elite slots! I do not need them but this is the Guards! So one platoon commander to help out and a command squad to bring me a medic, an extra vox for my Commanders to use and a crack shot autocannon.

Then I have my veteran squad taking up a third elite choice.

So I have now only three elite slots left. But I think that having extra commanders will be useful in an army like Imperial Guard.

But playing a patrol detachment with Guards, those two elite slots will some really, really though choices to make.

As you see, using the Patrol detachment you only have two elite slots, that would be the command squad and the platoon commander, leaving me with no vets.

If you want to place cool limitations that will add to the challenge of a game, you can agree to use only a Patrol detachment for exampe, points or power levels. This will help keep sized down. However, you better use points or powerlevels two because a Space Marine patrol will be much more powerful than  similar sized Astra Militarium one. As it should be.

I see the matched patrol detachment battles to become a nice way to get a reasonably sized yet fast game.

Maybe I should start  a semi-blog here for my organization of my Astra Militarium army?

[Darknight]

There is a command detachment or similar which has an HQ and elites as compulsory - you could add that detachment into it.

[Mathi Alfblut]

Indeed, but I rather prefer to get everything from the same Detachment. If I was going to add an Inquisitor it would be a second Detachment. Because it would be fluffier

[Darknight]

GW themselves have made use of multiple detachments within a "normal" sized game - this month's battle report, for example.

"Battle Forged" is so ridiculously easy to achieve in the new game.

[Gankom]

Speaking of this months battle report, I just wanted to say that the White dwarves are so better again. It's an actual magazine that has everything from new rules to fancy pictures. For the first time in almost a decade I'm seriously considering getting a subscription again.

It was this months battle report that I noticed the |Imperium keyword being used. I thought that was a really neat way of doing it. I'm pretty interested in taking a small detachment of space marines or deathwatch to back up my guard.

[Darknight]

The IMPERIUM Keyword is hella OP, in my view. Unless there are serious advantages to having a more specific Faction Keyword (especially for Xenos forces) then the Imperium's bench-depth is a HUGE advantage. You can grab elite Space Marine infantry and back it up with Astra Militarium superheavies and Knights and a whole bunch of fun Mechanicus toys.

That is, of course, how the Imperium fights (which is why they dominate the galaxy) and you lose army-wide synergy, but the flexibility is a serious advantage.

[Gankom]

I'm sure once the codex's drop the xeno will get some good army wide rules to make up for it.

[Mathi Alfblut]

I figure that too.

And if you look at what you get if you field a Brigade detachment as your only detachment. Holy Mother of God.... +9 Com points!

I will use a battalion Detachment, just as the purist I am. And I do not have that much in the way of things to add. My oldest son though. Jesus... He can field a Imperial Guard Brigade Detachment No problem... He has two Banes to molest me with too and I know he wants to field it. Just need a cat free weekend and the living room floor.

Not even if my youngest son sends me his Tau as reinforcment will we be able to stand up to Big brother. I guess that is the advantage of focusing your collection on one faction and move hither and tither like his father. Not to mention I have sold some armies along the road to get cash when the times have been harsh.