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Ad Mech Codex Made Easy: Tips You Should Know

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Get the scoop on four Adeptus Mechanicus Army lists & all the new upgrades, traits, Strats, Dogmas, and combos you need to know!

Our very own Rob Baer has been pouring over this codex for the past few days and has some tips and tactics for you Ad Mech players and those considering starting an Ad Mech army. Surprisingly, this process has not turned him into a walking salt lick as it has to some reviewers and players we’ve seen. While there are no new Ad Mech units that have been released, there is enough information in this codex to make your existing lists stronger and several alternative ways to play.

That said, it is time to dive right into the Stratagems, Warlord Traits, Relics, and Dogmas to see what’s hot and what looks promising. Here is a quick and dirty sample of our Tips and Tactics breakdown.

Editor’s note the correct points costs for the Corpse Priests is 14 not 22, as i was looking at the Cybernetic Data-smith entry below it in the points costs section.

For the complete Tips and Tactics breakdown, be sure to scroll down and press play on the full video below.Ad Mech Codex Tips and Tactics Post

Now, let’s get this out of the way early. Yes, there is a very strong way to play Ad Mech and, yes, it’s Mars. Their Dogma, Stratagems, and traits make them that way. With every codex, you are going to have a faction/army that is going to stronger than the others. Sadly, some players get stuck on this and never venture out and experiment to see what else could work. That being said, there are other ways that you can play Ad Mech. Several Forge Worlds have strong combinations that make them winners in our book.

Ad Mech Stratagems

Out of the 27 Stratagems that are in this codex, we feel that 9-10 will be used more than most. Some are specialized and will play more into list variations based on your Forge World. Electro-Priests are strong and now have the Zealous Congregation Stratagem that will allow them to fight for a 2nd time at the end of the Fight Phase for 3CP. The CP cost may be high but so is the damage output potential. This will be dependent on what type of priest you take and their Forge World keyword.

We have the Stratagems that affect Canticles and change the protocols on your Kastellan robots. The Doctrina Imperative Stratagems for the Skitarii have loads of potential for all Skitarii keyworded units. Of course, Mars will benefit from this in Shooting but other Forge Worlds will also benefit from these as well, such as Ryza and Stygies VIII. Dunestrider, for 1CP, will help your Dragoons get into combat quicker by aiding their Advance roll with 2D6 added together. This will play a part is a fast-attack variation list that Rob covers later.

Skitarii Vanguard

While discussing a Ryza army composition, Rob explains how Skitarii Vanguard, coming in at 135 points with 3 plasma weapons can pump great damage when combined with Ryza’s Plasma Specialists Stratagem which grants +1 to wound and +1 to damage with the chosen unit’s plasma weapons for 1CP. Your are, essentially, overcharging without any consequence. Ryza’s Dogma adds re-roll wound rolls of 1 in the Fight Phase into the mix. For Vanguard, this won’t help them much. However, pair them with Kastellans or a few squads of Fulgurite Electro-Priests and you have a strong synergistic line that softens up enemy units at range then allows your melee strong units to do work in close quarters.

What you have read so far is just a small portion of a 45 minute video where our very own Rob Baer breaks down such synergistic options at length. Do yourself a favor and scroll down and press play for the complete Tips and Tactics experience.

Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus: $40

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The Adeptus Mechanicus are the keepers and manufacturers of technology for the Imperium of Mankind. It is a role they guard jealously, using their own standing armies, engines of war and god-machines. It is within their power to unleash the most arcane weaponry in the Imperium, and they do so without mercy. Grim processions of soldiers stride in perfect unison, each one a disturbing fusion of man and machine. Behind them stomp soulless automata, and towering over them are enormous walkers. An Adeptus Mechanicus army marching to war is a sight both terrifying and glorious.

Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus contains a wealth of background and rules – the definitive book for Adeptus Mechanicus collectors. Within this 104-page hardback, you’ll find:

Background

– Disciples of the Machine God: a detailed history of the Adeptus Mechanicus, from their inception to the 41st Millennium, describing their devotion to the divine trinity – the Omnissiah, the Machine God and the Motive Force;
– An illustrated organisation of the Adeptus Mechanicus’ fighting forces, divided into macroclades, cohorts and maniples, with an overview of the hierarchy of the Cult Mechanicus;
– Bastions of the Machine God: a map of their forge worlds, Mechanicus-aligned Knight worlds, Skitarii expeditions and Dark Mechanicus worlds;
– Iconography of the Adeptus Mechanicus: icons, sigils and background information for 11 infamous forge worlds;
– The Ever-faithful: colours and heraldries for 17 examples of Kastelan Robots of the Cult Mechanicus;
– A guide to the structure of a Mechanicus-aligned Knight House, with 4 examples of Questor Mechanicus heraldry;
– A detailed timeline of key events, discoveries and battles in the history of the Adeptus Mechanicus;
– Background and details on each character, vehicle and unit available to an Adeptus Mechanicus army;
– A showcase of beautifully painted Citadel miniatures, depicting the colour schemes of the major forge worlds expertly painted by the ‘Eavy Metal team.

Rules

Everything you need to get a Adeptus Mechanicus army primed for games of Warhammer 40,000 is in here:

– 22 datasheets containing rules for every Adeptus Mechanicus unit;
– Army abilities reflecting the Adeptus Mechanicus’ methods of war;
– Armoury of the Machine God: wargear both ranged and close-combat used by the Adeptus Mechanicus;
– Points values for all miniatures, weapons and wargear for use in Matched Play games;
– Congregations of War: rules for Battle-forged armies:
– Forge World Dogma for armies with the following forge world keywords – Mars, Graia, Metalica, Lucius, Agripinaa, Stygies VIII, and Ryza;
– 28 Stratagems, 20 of which are unique to this army – 7 are used with specific forge worlds, and 1 is specific to the Questor Mechanicus,
– the Arcana Mechanicus: a selection of rare wargear, some forgeworld-specific;
– 6 Warlord Traits for use by any Warlord, with a further 7 specific to the main forge worlds: Mars, Graia, Metalica, Lucius, Agripinaa, Stygies VIII, and Ryza;
– 6 unique Tactical Objectives.

Datacards: Adeptus Mechanicus: $15

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Designed to make it easier to keep track of Tactical Objectives and Stratagems in games of Warhammer 40,000, this set of 67 cards – each featuring artwork on the reverse – is an indispensable tool in the arsenal of any Adeptus Mechanicus gamer. Included:

– 28 Stratagems from Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus, including 7 which are forge world-specific, and 1 specifically for Questor Mechanicus along with 3 Stratagems – Command Re-roll, Counter-Offensive and Insane Bravery – from the Warhammer 40,000 rules, available to any army;
– 36 Tactical Objectives, including the 6 Adeptus Mechanicus specific Objectives from Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus.

The Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus is available now online and in local Games Workshop stores. Be sure to press play on our Tips and Tactics video below for the full codex breakdown.

For more on the Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus and all things Warhammer 40k, visit Games Workshop!

About the Author: Juan Lopez