Combat Patrol: Adeptus Astartes

 The new combat patrol format of entry level products for Warhammer 40,000 has given us some interesting choices so far in how to construct an army for new players. The Adeptus Astartes are on the march with a brand new combat patrol. The servants of the God Emperor are back with more Primaris Marines and Phobos arrmor. Let’s take a closer look at what’s in the box.

(Photo Courtesy of Games-Workshop.com )

So, in this Combat Patrol box (which retails for $140 US/£85 UK) comes with 18 minis. This is a well-balanced box containing a mix of older Phobos Armored Space Marine kits. It’s a rock solid core to build an army around and you, as a new player will get a lot of mileage out of these units. Let’s look at the individual units and go from there.

What’s in the box?

Ten Infiltrators- These are a standard “troop” unit of the Space Marines and they come ten to a box. They come with a full variety of weapon options and upgrades at  $60/£35.00  Note: These are also buildable as Space Marine Incursors.

Three Eliminators- These are a standard Phobos armored space marine support unit. They come three to a box and come with a full range of weapon options and upgrades. They retail for $50 US/£30.00 UK. 

Three Suppressors- These are a standard Phobos armored space marine support unit. They don’t come in a kit of their own and you have to get them as part of a boxed set. They should retail for approximately $50 US/£30.00 UK. They come with the standard options available to the unit.

One Impulsor- This is the standard Impulsor kit. It’s a transport for the Primaris marines and comes with a variety of options. It retails for around $75 US/£45.00 UK. This model comes with all available options.    

One Phobos armored Primaris Lieutenant- This is a mid-ranking officer of the Adeptus Astartes company command structure and gives a variety of options on the tabletop. They retail for $35 US/£20.00 UK. It comes as is, with no options.  

Looking at the price points, we’re at a projected individual cost of $260/£150.00 UK. Those are serious savings, but a lot of these are the oldest kits in the range (and most of them were in the older Start collecting sets). The Space Marines have one of the broadest model ranges in the game, and this focuses on a very specific style of building a Space Marine army.

It’s a solid starting point for a new player getting into the army. The units are the core of an army and you will probably play them week in, week out in some capacity. It also gives you a jumping off point to pick up additional units. 

A 25 PL army is the suggested starting point for the 9th edition, and this starter is flexible enough to let you play strategically. This army works best at utilizing the stealthier aspects of the Phobos armored marines to move into position and take out priority targets. Picking your objectives and spoiling your opponent’s plans with decapitating strikes is the key to victory.

Army Expansion

So, what should you get with your first combat patrol? Honestly, this is a box you could do worse than grabbing a 2nd of. Doubling all the units in the box is a solid start to the core of your army. What other things would make sense?

1. Phobos Librarian- This librarian has access to the unique psychic discipline and adds tactical objectives to your game. It also gives you some protection from enemy psykers and gives you a 2nd HQ. 

2. Invictor Warsuit-The Warsuit plays into the strengths of the Phobos style of play and adds hitting power and some longevity to the army, (Though this is very much a case of if 1 is good, 3 is better).  

3. Phobos Captain- The Phobos Captain (in combination with the 2 lieutenants if you bought two of these sets) add auras to their Core unit allies (in this case the Infiltrators). To expand the usefulness of these auras, add more Core choices to the army.  

That’s our breakdown, and if it turns out you want to get one, I would be sure to check out our good friend www.ministomp.com if you don’t have a local shop of your own to support in these trying times. That’s us out for the day, have fun, stay out of trouble, and engage the hobby your way.