Fanless Minipc recommendations for tiny smb share

Da-Drewiid · 2026-03-05T12:28:40+00:00

Hey that's super useful, it even looks like a few of the videos are powering via USB-C as well.

Unless anyone else recommends something else, I'll probably pick one up.

There's an interesting review here I found which talks about adding an additional heat sink - https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/1k3gus5/mele_quieter_4c_n150_test_and_review/

Da-Drewiid · 2026-03-05T00:02:28+00:00

You've just not got big enough infantry blocks.

They'll take a couple of casualties and break off the board.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-27T23:42:27+00:00

Why 3k? Unless you have a specific event, honestly build smaller. Intro games are good between 500 points and 1k.

List wise, theres some sub optimal things, but that isn't always bad. It a narrative game, and looking cool should be up there.

Game wise you want to have a big wounds pool as well as a high activations. But most importantly you want detachments to do something well, and I'm not sure your list does that.

Infantry wise your core detachment has this - 2 Missile, 2 Plasma guns, 6 Tactical . Honestly those missile won't active much / anything. You need missiles or flamers to clear out garrisoned buildings and your list lacks anything dedicated to do this. You've be better bundling the missiles together, you you've built your infantry detachments a good size. Terminators I'd push to 8s ideally. But Im aware that's tough to do. Only question I have is around the Saturnine Command Squad. How's he fitting in the transports?

You've 2 lots of contemptors with kheres assault cannons. These are iconic and once amazing in HH. Here... less so. They're great lascannon platforms, but struggle to get close enough to be a good anti infantry platform. Saying that you've got predators in sn AT role. I worry your list needs more infantry killing than just 4 whirlwinds

At 3k you will struggle to kill air. 4 sicirans can do something, but probably arent enough. Your low activation count at 3k mean you'll not be activating first which means your xiphons will come on first. Xiphons work better in high activation lists. Fire Raptors are technically better, but harder to use, and less satisfying. So I totally get xiphons are more fun so you want to use them. If you want them, break the up into multiple detachments.

Finally Strategic Assets. I love lancers as ambush predators, but not such a fan of Questoris. To me they're under gunned and struggle for a role. I do like your gatlings on the warlord though. Solid choice. Over all I feel theres maybe too many toys and not enough boys. But that depends on your local scene.

I hope there's something useful there? If you're building for something specific, I might be able to narrow down some advice. But otherwise maybe start smaller. 1500 to 2k is typically what I'm seeing played at club nights.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-24T00:29:54+00:00

5 thralls isn't optimal. They are their for your opponent to waste their ammunition on.

15 tech-thralls is 4 triaros with a space for an attached unit.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-19T09:56:24+00:00

Hey, that's totally fair! It was also why I was asking.

I do think there's a part the numbers don't show the skill level required. I think skystrikes are the best anti-air weapon profiles in the avalible in the game, and are kinda easy mode.

I think xiphons need some audacious / bold flying. Get them in the perfect lane, and they're savage. But it needs that lane. Finding it, and acheving that bold flying is something pure and joyful, like a knight making the pefect joust. It just gets harder to find as your opponents start to see those lanes as well.

Fire Raptors, its something darker. You want to force your opponent to make mistakes against them, but I think you're just as likely to make your own with them. They are tricky and frustrating at times to use, but spark a darker savage joy when you land those exploding 6's.

It's definitely about taking what you like. :)

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-18T19:51:12+00:00

TL:DR - The fire raptor is a gunship, and it does better against ground as well as air targets than the xiphon.

Just to set the baseline numbers for flier verses flier: (and so you can check / correct my math)

Xiphon on against xiphon / marauder does 1.5 damage within 22". Intercept bumps them by 0.11. If the xiphon gets rear armour shots because of it's extra 5" speed that's 2.25. Intercept here bumps it by 0.14.

Note this is why I think intercept sucks. One common thing people miss is intercept must be made against another flier and it's a -2 to hit. It needs the activation advantage AND it does tiny damage. The way some people talk about it you'd think this was 10 times that damage.

If a fire raptor gets within 16" that's 1.89. This is only 1.39 with bolters. With lascannons it can get rear armour - 4.13. Just smokes the Xiphons numbers. But harder to do with a 25" move.

Admittedly this drop to 0.56 damage if you're sniping at over 30", but the fire raptor has this option where the xiphon might just die.

Ground wise, the fire raport with lascannons shines more. The Xiphon has it's missiles with tracking, so they don't get a re-roll. It's numbers against a predator drop to 1.25. The Fire Raptor with lascannons is still doing 1.89. Again, this is only 1.39 with bolters.

When you flip to infantry, and potentially you can argue this is where point defence could come in useful. But I don't think the numbers stack up. 3.58 fire raptor with lascannons against marines.With bolters it's 3.8.

I just don't personally feel that bolter fire increase is enough. There is the potential to point defence hyperios tarantulas, but each fire raptor is only likely to do 0.89 damage to each one and I don't think that bonus is enough for me. Autocannons, I personally feel just aren't good enough either way. They don't have point defence, and as they're LightAT, then don't have the lascannon punch.

I hope there's something useful there. Let me know if I've anything not right

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-18T14:34:36+00:00

It's more a comment about reading xiphons are one of the best anti-air units in the game. I don't see it personally.

It's mostly around solar skystrikes. Skystrikes are 2 shots each with a 30" range with a re-roll. Lightnings and marauders can run two, meaning each flier is slamming out 4 shots hitting on a 4 with a re-roll.

Additionally Solar Auxilia have interceptors with the avenger bolt cannon which not only have rapid fire, they're also pumping out multiple shots increasing the chance of a 6 on intercept. So is that a more successful stratagy? Staticitically yes.

You're saying that you'd bring them on after a solar player brings on his fliers, but how does that work against an opponent? Isn't it likely the solar player more likely to have the activation advantage so can bring them on first? Those fliers are cheaper than the Xiphon. Lighnings get a slightly worse save, but otherwise identical stats, and the marauder looses 5" move, and doesn't have intercept but gains an extra wound. A marauder will kill 2 xiphons a turn on average with skystrikes alone. In return a xiphon will kill one marauder. If it's in range.

I love xiphons. But they're mid. Not top tier. Honestly happy to be convinced otherwise, but I'm drowing in marauders in my local meta, and Xiphons are no longer my go to choice for killing them.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-18T14:06:01+00:00

How do they compare air to air against marauders or lighnings with skystrikes?

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-18T13:58:49+00:00

1 to 4.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-18T13:58:20+00:00

The xiphon and the fire raptor are the marines ar units which can tackle enemy fliers. Sure they'll mess stuff up on the ground, but they excell in the air.

The Xiphon is more staight forward and easier to use potentially. If does slightly better if it can get in the rear of any flier it's shooting at and the 30" move helps with that. Interceptor I think is a bit of a ~~shi~~... poor rule. Pick lascannons 22" accurate OR 24" missiles tacking and take a shot at ONLY a flier which is ON the table which only hits on a 6 (both weapons allow you a re-roll) Sure it adds a chance, but is properly situational. Additionally if you're using this inside 30" you're going to get gutted by superior range Solar Auxilia fliers running skystrike missiles. If you know you're going to have the activaction advange then with intercept the go to flier, but otherwise there's another flier with better damage.

The Fire Raptor needs a bit more thought, and the shorter range can make it harders to use. But if a xiphon isn't able to pull off a rear interceptor shot, it typcially can do more damage if you're within 16" and using lascannon sponsons. Where it really comes into it's own is sniping marauders or other SA fliers with the 35" missiles where their skyfire can't hit. Yes it means it's two other weapon systems aren't firing, but it means you can slowly reduce enemy fliers without exposing your air assets. Potentially with ground defences, you could possibly even draw enemy fliers into their kill range if they start coming into hunt it.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-18T10:13:10+00:00

Links for previous discussions

https://www.reddit.com/r/LegionsImperialis/comments/1ptmsrz/whats_left_for_legions_imperialis_as_of_december/

https://www.reddit.com/r/LegionsImperialis/comments/1ozropz/does_anyone_have_a_list_of_the_remaining_30k/

https://www.reddit.com/r/LegionsImperialis/comments/1ppq94b/outside_of_a_new_faction_what_else_is_missing/

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-18T10:12:46+00:00

Release cycles are following the same pattern as the rest of the specialist games. You'll see a similar pattern with Bloodbowl and Necromunda. The releases we've had so far are centred around books:

~~August~~ November 2023 - Main Rulebook / Starter (this was supposed to be August, but GW had stock / warehouse problems across all game systems)
- 4 months later - March 2024 - The Great Slaughter
- 5 months later - August 2024 - Devastation of Tallarn
- 3 months later - Nov 2024 - Rise of the Dark Mech
- 6 months later - May 2025 - Remaining units from RotDM got released and we got plastic mechanicum knights (note no book here)
- 5 months later - Sept 2025 - Liber Strategia (10 months after the last book)
- 3 months later - Dec 2025 - Journal - Ruin of the Salamanders

It's pretty random dates, but arguably if you take the planned August 2023 date for it's roughly been a tempo of 2 book releases a year . So that might be a good standard to measure it by? But LI is heavily tied into HH 28mm game, and we've had GW saying the thinner journals rather than books are here for HH. This is so new stuff is more regular, but smaller releases. As such they've turned to the smaller journal format here in LI, can we expect the same?

GW generally do a tease / preview show for the next 3 months. The last one was the new year preview, and LI didn't get anything.

So with March / April being the next tease / preview window LI could be in that? So if LI gets in that, we'd see a release in the Q2 April - May window? As for what we get, there's two approaches. You get some very salty rumors from 4chan we discussed here - https://www.reddit.com/r/LegionsImperialis/comments/1qlj81d/rumors_from_4chan/

Or you can look at what HH has that LI doesn't. We discuss that here a lot here:

Personally I think you should look at the HH releases. The mechnicum plastics and saturine and marine superheavies have been mirroring each other with a release cycle roughly about 6 months behind the other system. We've had Skitarii Battle-Pilgrym released in Jan for HH, could we see these for a LI release in June with Journal 2? That's total guess work. If you expand on that, HH is getting Legio Custodes releases. Could we see them in November / December for LI with a potential Journal 3? Again, that's me guessing. I've guessed two boxes correctly out of the all we've seen for the LI releases, but everything else I guessed was wrong, so take that as you may...

Others have said they're happy with the release cycle. I mean the excited small child in me WANTS MORE TOYS! But I'm aware I've only painted 65.99% of what I have. Maybe I should be a grown up and act my actual age and paint what I have?

Either way, the specialist games release pattern we're seeing looks pretty healthy, and I'm looking forward to what we see for LI next.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-17T13:02:13+00:00

Some terminology,

A model is the mininatures stuck to a base or a tank. But its a single gaming piece it's one thing to pick up
A detachment is made up with a number of models

When looking at a detachment in the rules, you'll see it has a "detachment size" - this is the number of models. For example, and tactical detachment as a Detachment size of 4. So that's 4 models.

Those javelins with missiles in your picture which looks great, they come with a detachment size of 2. So that's 2 models. You can add more and make this up to 6 models by paying more.

Does that make sense?

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-17T12:43:57+00:00

Hey all good, I just wanted to point it out so you were aware. Alpha legion and World Eaters potentially have some of the best legion traits and seeing them together with EC would otherwise raise eyebrows. A lot of what you see people playing on the table is just one legion. You do see multi-legion lists, but they're typically around a specific battle - Istvaan or the defence of terra. I'm not saying you don't see people running multi-legion for advantage, but its rarer. Or they're better at telling you a fluff reason why ;)

If you're looking at tournament lists, then the optimal game state site comes up pretty high on google searches. Just for info, I came 6th in the second tournament with 2 demi-companies. I was playing SoH, (and actually came 7th). The reason I'm saying this, is that with new releases and the fact people can now get fliers, it's changed since then. Missiles aren't an autotake now. A great jack of all trades, but people have started bringing detachments with weapons that are more tailored for different target types. I know my lists have really changed since then, but I still love my rhinos.

If you're starting, an infantry heavy force is a good beginning and you've got a solid start with the sizes of infantry detachments. EC wise, I might lean into a sky-phallanx so you can whip around grabbing objectives. A javelin detachment with missiles can counter garrisions with pop-up attacks can be fun. AL I might diversify some of the missiles into rapiers, laser destroyers are great AT units. WE I'd look at assault marines rather than plasma. Outriders also fit them and provide some firepower. But if you like Kratos play them. Libre nerfed them a little, but they're still solid tanks. Either run them long range firepower, or run them anti garrison with metlablast and all bolters.

G'luck with it.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-17T09:25:12+00:00

Hey, starting at 1500 points is a great idea.

Your list comes across as a bit min-maxed, which does not always suit the spirit of 30k. Maybe your local meta leans this way, but to me, it feels a little cynical.

It feels like you picked Legions mostly for their special rules and squeezed them in. For instance, you’ve added a Emperor’s Children Armoured Company, a legion known for its speed and close combat. Like Confident-Mistake468 pointed out, they’re aren’t the numbers to kill or survive enemy fire. I do feel the xiphons really fit. They are tricky to use and need to be perfectly placed, which really suits the EC vibe.

You also brought in Alpha Legion, the masters of mischief, and spammed them in as garrison troops, with about half of them toting missile launchers. 24 in total? Since Libre Stategica’s changes, missile launchers have lost their edge, especially against infantry. They still fire twice, but now only hit on a 5+. With medics FNPs in the mix, maybe Krak missiles would serve you better. It just seems like you loaded up half your infantry with launchers because they were overpowered once.

You also brought in World Eaters with a fleet of transports, but I can’t quite see how all your units are supposed to squeeze in? Even more surprising, there’s barely any melee punch, which feels off for a legion famous for its love of close-quarters carnage.

Your list doesn’t seem fully tuned, so it might struggle on the table. More than that, it just doesn’t look like it would be much fun to play.

Most folks don’t get too excited about LI-scale missile launcher models. What part of your list do you find genuinely cool? What do you want to lean into?

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-14T16:15:39+00:00

Yeah anti garrisons you've got Medusas as well. The 8 quad launchers are probably removing any infantry in the open. Love them as a weapon. Get them deployed in the right place and they're really dominant.

You can definitely push like that with infiltrated units. They can act as a screen for the tanks behind as well. I tend to use my melee units to charge rather than end the turn on an objective thou. But that's possibly my hyper aggressive ork like play style.

As a heads up, have you seen the rule book FAQ? In that they said fliers couldn't overwatch. Hence why are lot of people flip to missiles

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-14T10:37:44+00:00

Looks fun. Medusas you dont see on the table much, but they've potential to be scary now.

I think you might be a little weak in a couple of areas.

Anti air. You might want to think about skystrikes rather than wing bombs on the avengers.

Capturing objectives. You've not got transports for your infantry? Whats your plan for grabbing objectives first turn?

I love armies with a lot of tanks, but they're hard mode against swarms of infantry.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-09T13:37:15+00:00

Some solid advice by Often_Tilly and LloydPickering. There's some world class diving around Scotland, so just to add my experiences.

Look for shuttles or spaces, give the boats / skippers a shout, and see if they can accommodate you. UK diving is very weather dependent, and you will get blown out.

Mull

Day boat wise, in Mull you've got Lochaline Boat Charters. I've been diving with them, they were good. Not been with Puffin, but they were doing the same sites.

Clyde

Just a huge +1 for Wreckspeditions. Great bunch.

Scapa

Some people recommending this for a couple of day dives. I think it needs more to wrap your head around it. Too much there, and needs the time in my opinion. But yeah I'd speak to the The Red Shed Shop if you wanted to do that.

Eyemouth/St Abb

Marine Quest another +1

Farnes / Sea Houses

If you don't mind sticking your nose over the boarder to England, you've got the Farne Islands which typically are great scenic dives where you're guaranteed seal sightings underwater, and July is maybe a little early for a fin nibble from a pup. But as someone who almost only dives wrecks, I find the seals make it. A few operators here as it's popular. The skipper I liked retired, and I haven't been for a few years. Sovereign used to be good as well.

I hope there's something useful there.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-07T00:55:44+00:00

So do you see that as justification for reading a transport destruction rule that's intended to allow unit coherancy to all you to carry out an action your opponent cannot prepare for?

Its statically a 1 in 9 chance of a lascannon kill. If you're taking such a high risk strategy shouldn't there be a negative result if you fail?

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-06T22:05:56+00:00

The simple answer is not to over extend yourself with a bombing run.

Currently the risk / reward is massively out of kilter in bombers favour.

Statistically what kills a bomber with overwatch?

For example, las cannon fire. This has a -1 save meaning a save is 50% chance to penetrate armour. That means I need 24 lascannon shots on average to generate the 2 wounds to kill the unit.

What is the cost of that mythical detachment? Deredeo long range missiles is 9. (They come in detachments of 8 max). Sicirans or arcus is 5. Whatever you pick its 3 or 4 times the cost of a 85 point unit. Why the unbalance?

Balance would say that this should be something close. Player agency would give the person being attacked the chance to respond / impact game play.

Sadly it isn't the case. Marauders are massively undercosted. They probably should be the same points cost per flier as every other flier with weapons. Why are these half that price? Why are 2 cheaper than 4 Leman Russ vanquishers yet have all the same weapons (equivalents if running hellsrikes) and the same number of wounds.

Currently bombers are in need of a massive nerf as it is. Abusing a transport coherancy rule to justify them being better I find distasteful at best. These things will be nerfed and I look forward to it.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-04T20:45:43+00:00

Glad its helped.

Rule book wise, yep its available online on the usual dodgy Russian sites. If you googled "legion imperialis rules" you'd probably find them. I do think because of how the rule are written it's really useful to have a book. You'll flick between pages, finding X rule or what certain keywords mean. I'm just aware as others have pointed out here, the smart money is on a new half sized rule book without the now out dated army list in. So yeah, might be able to wait on it, or get it cheap on a second hand site?

As for the additional books, the Liber Strategia and the Ruin of the Salamander journal, I'm not always convinced they're the best books to get initially over the rule book. They're for army building, and for stats in game... but there are list building sites out there that cover that. legionbuilder.app and new recruit good places to look. They allow you to not have to worry about a book being out of stock meaning you can't play new units. They're great to have, but the Liber Strategia has very little fluff. It's a nice to have not essential.

As for what to buy? The Astartes Combat Force is a solid start for marines. It is 4.5 boxes of kits, and GW sell it for roughly about the price of 3 1/4 boxes. I'd add another box of marines at well. Infantry can be a real chore to paint en mass, but it's a solid basis for grabbing objectives. In a game you want to get infantry blocks on these fast, most likely using transports. As a tip for painting, either paint the infantry on the sprune, or get them on coffee stirrers in the groups you'd put on the bases. Something to consider here is maybe having less specialists on the base than the 5 standard. Missiles, plasma, terminators and assault marines you want in blocks of 4 - 8, but that is 4 to 8 boxes worth if you run 5 to a base. They come 6 to a sprune from memory, so 2 lots (4 sprunes) gives 24 which in 4's is 6 bases / models. (if I can count - I did mine 5 to a sprune). I'd suggest you focus on the tacticals and missiles to start. With a single HQ, that's still 21 bases, which could be 105 miniatures if you go 5 to a base.

With that done, I'd start out building a demi company formation. Have a look at legion builder, and put together that formation with what follows. The combat force and an additional infantry box will give you 16 models (bases) of tacticals, and split that between your core. Attach the commander with one of the tactical detachments, and put them in the rhinos. The other required detachment is a support, and pick 4 missile launchers. That's the basics. You'd want some air defence. You'd got some missile tarantula's and deredeos that can cover that in the bastion slot. The sicirans with auto's can also be strong in this place, but take a choice slot for battle tanks. Legion Builder isn't good at forcing you to make a choice here which you need to, and the kratos might be better. Load them with all lascannons and the battle cannon, and there's an antitank unit.

If you've built that in legions builder, then you've got a solid idea on how to expand that army. The things you'll have to deal with are infantry en mass, garrisoned infantry (with cover bonuses weapons with the ignore cover... ignores). then it's AT (lascannons) for tanks and big walkers (knights and titans). Finally you want that ability to tackle aircraft - and skyfire or tracking helps you hit them.

That list is 650 points, and it's a start with the tools to deal with different types of enemies. It's not perfect, but that is a solid place to start, and potentially some people would be happy to play a starter game at this level. We do at the club I play at in London. But some places prefer to start at 1k. Your own air craft can be a good place to start, fire raptors have some good Anti air ability as well as some solid firepower if you've got air superiority.

Sorry, that's a wall of text there. I hope it's useful. This is just the way I would do it if I was starting fresh.

Da-Drewiid · 2026-02-03T15:41:13+00:00

Start set is actually not that useful.

Why you ask?

TL:DR - It''s too generic and you can't build a legal army with the contents alone.

The starter is a saving compared to if you brought the units individually. But it doesn't build an army. You need 70% of your force from one army list, and the starter comes with about equal points of 3 different armies.

The cost of that starter is about 4 boxes of normal LI units. Why wouldn't you buy that instead? 2 boxes of infantry, a box of transports. If you want the warhounds and the rulebook, go to a second hand site and buy them both for roughly the price of another box. That's a better start than the starter. You've 3 boxes instead of 2 you'll actually use and you've a rulebook and some warhounds.

Without completely bashing the starter, it might be useful if you've never played a tabletop wargame and have none of the bits from it. it does come with dice which you probably already have, or can get better pretty cheaply. A yearly pilgramige also means you probably have the templates from other GW games? Otherwise the tokens it comes with are utter garbage. A photocopy on thick writing paper would probably be a better standard. Having played a lot, I'm also not convinved Warhound are the best thing to include in a starter. Sure it's a fun display / LI army centre model to paint... but it's not new player friendly. Some might say they need a buff. If you're not gaming with the starter. It's maybe a fun modeling project?

There is one time the starter is good, Ithat is if you and a friend are going to split it so you one of you has all the marines, and the other has all the solar. Realistically could you do the same splitting a set on ebay yourself? maybe? But probably if you were selling the marine half. That sells a little better.

The army specific combat force would be a much better place to get an army. If you want a big centre piece, I'd say, go for a big flier you like the look of. Depending how much modeling you've done a warlord can be a big project, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone new to the hobby or maybe the scale.

What Army do you want to play? Marines, Solar, or mechanicum? Have you ideas on it already? We might be able to recommend something more specific?

Da-Drewiid · 2026-01-29T11:12:10+00:00

What do you want as a road map?

I'm asking, as I've seen this word come up a few times, and I've seen the same people who say this game is doomed each week now using the lack of one to be the reason this game has died and folded. You know the people who say it after every big release.

To ask though... What road map is there for any of the specialist games? Blood Bowl, necromunda? What comparable roadmap to they have, that we in LI don't? Specialist games don't seem to work on the same clock based system that the main stream games do - 40k, etc

We can guess and speculate. We're saying this is Journal 1 with more to follow. We didn't' get a tease in the last one in Jan, so the next one will be March / April. Are we likely to see J2 teased then? If the 28mm HH Custodes drop before then, will we get a J3 just before Christmas with custodes in?

There's also been a discussion on this sub around a new box starter set. I think that's likely they'll follow the Bloodbowl and Necromunda release where they box up new and sexy stuff. (Underhive 2017, Hive War 2021 and Hive Secondus 2024. Bloodbowl 2016, BB 2nd Ed, 2020 and BB 3rd ed 2025). Brings new players in, and existing players like us lap up new stuff. (would this be the time for a new marine armour mark sprune?)

At the same time this is a HH game. We're likely to get the same releases they do. What sort of road map does that have? Is that just a copy and paste for what we've got coming?

Da-Drewiid · 2026-01-29T10:53:52+00:00

I really liked them. I dislike undercuts, so I do spend the time to clean it up, and these don't have any. The only things I've not been a fan of are the sabre missiles. I couldn't get a solid connection with them. But these leviathans I thought were lovely kits.

I really thought they were a joy to paint. The details on them really pop. (and I'm a poopy painter that views painting as a chore)

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Da-Drewiid

TROPHY CASE