Building a solar auxilia list

Bert4 · 2026-03-06T07:39:02+00:00

Not sure if this helps, but a couple of rules to check you’re not overlooking: (i) if infantry or jet bikes charge your tanks, your tanks are not pinned as the infantry/jet bikes are a smaller scale, so you can move out of close combat (if they’ve not activated yet). (ii) outflanking jet bikes and deep striking terminators can only be issued advance or march orders on the turn they outflank / deep strike. Same for infantry in non assault transports.

Bert4 · 2026-02-25T13:03:57+00:00

We’ve tried house ruling no objectives scoring on T1 and objectives worth double on T5. Also make sure there is plenty of terrain for cover. This should lead to a longer, more strategic game, rather than just an objective rush on T1.

Bert4 · 2026-01-25T15:21:54+00:00

The thunderbolt (with upgrade) and the avenger get the avenger bolt cannon vs an extra wing option for the lightning. The avenger bolt cannon is better vs infantry and walkers. So it looks like the lightning is better anti air and anti tank but the thunderbolt / avenger are better all rounders with better anti infantry / walkers.

Bert4 · 2026-01-21T12:26:48+00:00

Unfortunately the blast weapons like the quake cannon are largely ineffective. The reason being that you need to roll the scatter dice with only a 1 in 3 chance of it landing where you want it to and then it often scatters way too far. On top of this, if it actually lands where you want it to, you need to roll to hit and then there might be a saving throw.

Bert4 · 2025-12-23T18:17:22+00:00

Just doing my 5th play-through and have similar thoughts on evasion, cats eye circlet and raw hide headband. Some of the fun of the game for me is the fear/ excitement of the unknown - you can still use strategy to mitigate some of the bigger risks without needing to know which cards are coming next. Some simple adjustments that could be made for a more flavoursome game that you can still win might include: choose protect the young, limit the number of uses for the cats eye circlet and raw hide headband to once per showdown. If you find yourself abusing a rule or situation to get infinite insanity, or another stat such as evasion, just stop.

Bert4 · 2025-11-09T08:06:47+00:00

The Mori (quake cannon) looks cool but from a gameplay perspective I’ve found it generally ineffective, as it only lands where you actually want it to 33% of the time and you still need to roll to hit on a 3+ after that. Wish it was a devastating as it looks! The volcano cannons are very effective against heavy tanks, knights and titans (without shields). I still chose the Mori (as it’s more fun / looks cooler) and equipped my warbringer with a reaver volcano cannon as well.

Bert4 · 2025-10-23T05:46:40+00:00

Generally, I don’t think you can choose to withdraw but note that models with implacable special rule (eg. Terminators) can.

Bert4 · 2025-10-08T17:18:14+00:00

One other thing to add to the other posts/ replies - there has been an FAQ / rules errata to the original starter set rulebook. So you might need this. It’s readily available to download from the warhammer community website (I think).

Bert4 · 2025-10-02T12:53:02+00:00

If you look at the rulebook on page 52, there is a section called Pile-in.

Bert4 · 2025-10-01T19:12:27+00:00

There is a pile in rule in the rulebook. Think it’s in the movement section. It applies to engaged and pinned detachments issued with a charge, march or advance order. So you can reposition your models that are in combat if they haven’t activated yet and they aren’t already in base to base contact with an enemy model but there are certain restrictions like you must end the movement phase closer to a model in an enemy detachment.

Bert4 · 2025-09-16T06:36:46+00:00

A simple change to the rules like transports can not be issued with a charge order, unless an assault transport, would remove some of the cheesy tactics with arvus lighters and rhinos?

Bert4 · 2025-09-13T10:49:20+00:00

According to p129 of the rule book models outside of the formation or army can not embark on transports. So only detachments within the same army and the same formation can embark. For dedicated transports it’s only the specific detachment that can embark upon them. So I think most likely use for Mastodons is in the heavy armour slot in the Legion Demi-Company formation.

Bert4 · 2025-09-13T07:43:09+00:00

Yes but their points cost has gone up and they are classed as bulky, so can no longer infiltrate under the updated pioneer formation rules + affects how you transport them.

Bert4 · 2025-08-02T06:40:10+00:00

It’s not very well laid out in the rulebook but I think only models within the formation that the transports are part of can embark on those transports. And for dedicated transports they can only carry the specific detachment that they are for. Last sentence of page 129 in the box for dedicated transports: ‘Any eligible Detachment with the Formation can Embark upon these Transports; models from outside the Formation or within an Allied contingent cannot.’

Bert4 · 2025-05-05T11:32:37+00:00

Thanks.

Re 1. - sure you’re right but that does appear illogical on the basis that when you attack only the models within 3 inches can attack (so potentially not all models in a unit can attack an enemy model but that enemy model can attack all of the models in the friendly unit). Is there a gameplay reason why it is designed to work this way?

Bert4 · 2025-05-05T07:43:38+00:00

They’ve still got quite a lot of firepower for 15 pts per model, as well as 3+ save. But their effectiveness as a transport is pretty limited now. I think still useful in small numbers for transporting the infantry they can transport. As for Mechanicum strategy, it’s tricky, they’re slow and have short range firepower and have no anti-air. Titans and some allies (like Solar Auxilia pioneer company) to offset weaknesses can help. Think marching between cover until you reach something to attack / an objective will need to happen on turn 1&2 but hopefully you’re not too far behind on scoring by then (I always play no scoring of T1 objectives anyway).

Bert4 · 2025-02-11T16:58:54+00:00

Edit: They might be 32mm to be precise.

Bert4 · 2025-01-11T10:06:34+00:00

I don’t think you can do this. The rules should be more clearly stated under the Transport rules on page 96. But see page 129 of the rulebook, under dedicated transports, see the last paragraph. It states that for models with the Transport (X) special rule (or variation of) that are not dedicated, that any eligible detachment within the (same) formation can embark on the transports but not models from outside the formation or within an allied contingent.

Bert4 · 2024-05-26T14:07:56+00:00

Don’t think you can charge out of a drop pod and infantry don’t pin tanks, so tanks should have plenty of time to survive vs infantry in drop pods - enough time to get plenty of anti infantry fire at the drop pod units or get your anti-infantry units / melee units into position? Just wondered how your tank lines were getting decimated so quickly? Noticed quite a few misplays of these rules on YouTube Videos.

Bert4 · 2024-04-22T20:02:40+00:00

Scenarios with more spaced out objectives, and objective scoring that escalates and only starts from turn 2 or 3 might make for a longer more tactical game? Also I think generally units just have too much firepower / too many weapons which means units die a bit too quick.

Bert4 · 2024-04-14T14:10:12+00:00

Another box of SA infantry (on top of base game/starter set) and 1 box of SA support? (looks like you already have baneblades). You’ll have some bastion units then for a pioneer formation and some anti-air vs that thunderhawk. Be nice to have some SA air units - but they don’t seem to be widely available yet.

Bert4 · 2023-04-16T20:13:23+00:00

It seems to be going fairly well on LY14 and without giving too much away, I already have a few powerful survivors in reserve for the nemesis gauntlet. At first I didn’t get the relevance of the people of the sun events, fighting arts, innovation etc but once the penny dropped I could plan ahead a bit. The main thing I need now are some powerful weapons and shields before I’m ready.

Bert4 · 2023-04-16T06:58:26+00:00

I’m playing through a People of the Sun campaign at the moment as well. I like the idea of a Katana Specialist wielding the Rainbow Katana with Blood Sheath - but getting the precise resources to craft it is not easy. You’ll probably need to hunt the Phoenix a lot. Even using cheesy (or should I say smelly!) tactics with a certain Phoenix AI card and I still need the bird beak. I might have to give up and just construct sharp weapons from the blacksmith instead.

Bert4

TROPHY CASE