The Vanaheim are an EpicUK list so if you don't know it it can be found here

http://epic-uk.co.uk/lists/VanaheimAirCavQuickRef.pdf

I'm looking to collect a new army and the air cavalry theme appealed a lot. I checked out the Elysians and the Harkoni and I liked a lot of it (I want those Harkoni infantry! Marauder Bombers as paratrooper delivery!) but there was a fair bit of fiddly extra rules stuff and they focused more on the drop troops theme while the vanaheim are pure air cavalry. Plus I'm in the UK so I can almost guarantee being allowed to use the vanaheim list while the others would probably need giving the opponent a heads up first and if I decided to go to a tournament that would need confirmation that i could use the netEA list in advance too.

Critical flaws with the army list: no ground based AA all of that comes from imperial navy support only. No TK and very limited MW means WE makes me a sad panda.

Regimental HQ - 500pts
- 1 supreme commander, 9 infantry, 4 valkyries, 1 vendetta

Air Cavalry Company - 400pts
- 1 commander, 9 infantry, 4 valkyries, 1 vendetta

Air Cavalry Company - 400pts
- 1 commander, 9 infantry, 4 valkyries, 1 vendetta

4 Vultures - 300pts

4 Vultures - 300pts

Storm Trooper Platoon - 350pts
- 8 storm troopers, 4 valkyries

4 Support Sentinels - 150pts

4 Support Sentinels - 150pts

4 Support Sentinels - 150pts

2 Lightning Strike Fighters - 150pts

2 Lightning Strike Fighters - 150pts

The strike fighters sit on CAP most of the time as my only source of AA. If they get Air superiority they focus on putting some "long ranged" BMs on formation as a nuisance.

The three sets of sentinels are the only MW and on War Engine duty, find them, harass them, blow them up...or likely die trying. The 15cm range hurts but at least MW helps mitigate the reinforced armour that WEs tend to have. I have 3 of them because I expect to have most of them blown up real quick.

The Vultures flit around as harrassment and to steal objectives at the end, their missiles saved for enemy planetfall or thunderhawk equivalents as overwatch or if a choice armour formation or WE exposes itself.

The Storm troopers are to steal objectives and drive enemy formations off them.

The general approach is to try and avoid getting into a real fight until turn 2, then surge the three core formations toward an important part of the enemy army and unload all of the rocket pods, maybe have the third formation take an engage (with the storm troopers coordinated if possible). Basically try to cut down my exposure to harm unil the latter parts of turn 2 and turn 3, then shock and awe to steal objectives.

Comments? Queries? Sugestions or experiences with the Vanaheim (or related) lists?

I think that you have the idea of the list and it's benefits/drawbacks clearly identified.

Be warned this is not an easy list to win with as you can easily be caught out with the loss of one or two transports.

I would be tempted to go with a formation of Thunderbolts and drop one of the Sentinel formations.

Also when I play I take the maximum number of Vendettas that I can, their AT shooting comes in very useful after the Vultures have shot their missiles. Be warned the Vultures will always be an early target as people fear them.

Enjoy the list, I do.

Tim

_________________
_________________
www.epic-uk.co.uk - home of the UK Epic tournament scene
NetEA NetERC Xenos Lists Chair
NetEA Ork + Feral Ork + Speed Freak Champion

What do you think of adding some Fire Support (at 100pts for 2xFire Support +1x Valkyrie) to the Core formations? if I did it to any of them I'd have to give to the reg HQ first t make sure that remains the BTS so i don't have 2-3 BTS on the board!

Could drop one of the Vulture formations (or the storm troopers, but I like them) to add three fire support, one to each core formation, use 2 vendettas and 4 valkyries per air cav.

That does reduce the activation count by 1 though for the increased durability, FF and AT firepower and range in the core formations.

I personally wouldn't add the fire support, but I have played against it and the extra shots come as a surprise. Even though I have advocated dropping one of the sentinels I would not drop too many ground activations as these secure your goals and win you the game so I would personally keep the two formations of Vultures.

If you haven't seen it already, here are the lists that have been used over the years in UK tournaments. You just want to choose Vanaheim and there you'll have a listing of all the 3 & 4k lists used

_________________
_________________
www.epic-uk.co.uk - home of the UK Epic tournament scene
NetEA NetERC Xenos Lists Chair
NetEA Ork + Feral Ork + Speed Freak Champion

Oh that truly is a history of woe.

Best result at a tournament is 2 wins

Though interestingly there seems to be little love for the melta sentinel but plenty of light sentinel. Vendettas are everywhere and thunderbolts are also a popular choice. Fire support is seen rarely, mortars never (I didn't think the mortars looked much good either actually...)

What are your thoughts on the 125pt 2 melta 2 light sentinel option? I'd be worried about the meltas requiring different use to the bolters meaning you'd be using the formation at half effectiveness for both scouting or armour hunting roles.

Well, they are not an easy list to play, as I've said before. I tend to get music in my ears and off we go.....

Thunderbolts will be seen as they are more readily available than Lightnings. Most use older models than the now rare FW models.

The half and half Sentinel option is more there to allow you to fill out a final 25pts if you need to. This isn't the most flexible list out there, but still fun to play with. Going with the cheaper light sentinels acts as an activation booster.

_________________
_________________
www.epic-uk.co.uk - home of the UK Epic tournament scene
NetEA NetERC Xenos Lists Chair
NetEA Ork + Feral Ork + Speed Freak Champion

Also tbolts are a bit better at intercepting... IIRC lightnings only have one AA shot and 2xAT shots

I'm building a vanaheim army too, with a list very similar to yours (and most other 3k lists it seems!) Will be interested to see how you get on with them

_________________
Just some guy

My hobby/painting threads

Army Forge List Co-ordinator

Lightnings are one shot, but at 45cm so they do also put out a larger AA zone once they are hovering over the battlefield! (Yes I know, I'm not going to open that can of worms again)

In honesty this list isn't a powerful one, and was never really intended to be so. It's more about what it can't do than what it can. But play it and I predict you'll be humming ride of the Valkyries within 2 mins

_________________
@MephistonAG for all sorts of twitter madness

So, after suggestions I'm considering somethign like this

Reg HQ - 500pts
1 sup com, 9 inf, 5 valk (so one formation has the potential 10BP one shot, could swap for 3val/2ven)

Air cav - 400pts
1 com, 9 inf, 3 valk, 2 vndetta

Air cav - 400pts
1 com, 9 inf, 3 valk, 2 vndetta

Vultures - 300pts

Vultures - 300pts

Storm Troopers - 350pts

Light Sentinels - 100pts

Light Sentinels - 100pts

Light Sentinels - 100pts

2 Lightnings - 150pts

2 Lightnings - 150pts

2 Thunderbolts - 150pts

And I shall resist your Wagnerian theatrics and instead play Highway to Hell.

I also considered dropping the sentinels entirely to have a third set of Vultures, that way nothing has to do somethign as gauche as touching the ground until later in the game...

I believe the vanaheim with no sentinels list would then have to come from the upper spires of some hive, the rich elite flyboys too good for everyone else (who them die horribly...)

Dropping the Sentinels for a third Vulture formation would probably cripple you for activations or certainly be harder to play.

I have just got myself four more Valkyries so will be looking to add Storm Troopers to my list or even go with the mad idea of mounting a formation of Sentinels

_________________
_________________
www.epic-uk.co.uk - home of the UK Epic tournament scene
NetEA NetERC Xenos Lists Chair
NetEA Ork + Feral Ork + Speed Freak Champion

Totally agree with the comments by Tim and Rug that it is a very difficult list to use, though one that is intentionally 'fluffy'.

Although I have not played the list I have played against it several times, the 2010 Britcon game remains my most enjoyable and memorable game of all time. The Vanaheim were spread all over the opposing side of the table to restrict where my air marines could land. The resulting game greatly resembled the 1965 battle of La Drang with the Marines trying to maintain and then expand two tiny landing zones, including crazy luck and disasters both ways.

Hmmmm, kinda in reverse as the Vanaheim are kinda the closest to the 1st Cav of the Vietnam era we have

_________________
@MephistonAG for all sorts of twitter madness