TACTICS

As a general guide to all that is chaos, I've gone through each unit and assessed their strengths and weaknesses, and explained why, as well as how I've included them in my army. Broader tactics for on the battlefield will follow soon.


Chaos Space Marines

Chaos Space Marines make up the bulk of the Traitor Legion fighting forces. For that reason alone, you should includes everal squads (see later note on sticking to an army theme regardless). However, they have several advantages over regular marines. This is basically due to a far greater flexibilty. You can tailor your forces to your exact requirements wheras with loyalists you have to invest in 300 points of a certain squad type. You can include a far greater proportion of special or heavy weapons. In fact, each squad could have nothing but special or heavy weapons. The disadvantage of this is that every casualty is worth 50 or more points, and a single casualty can force a break test. To get around this I field my squads in one of two ways:
1)With 2 or 3 heavy weapons to deliver a nasty punch, some CSMs with Bolters to rapid fire on advancing troops and bolster ranks, making break tests less likely. I also usually add an Aspiring Champion with a HTH weapon to step in should something nasty try to rip up my heavy marines in close combat, as well as boosting leadership.
2)With 2 or 3 special weapons, for getting up close and personal. Rather than bolters, the other marines should really take HTH weapons as these are more suited to the close assault role this squad would be used for. Again an Aspiring Champion will help out against particularly nasty foes and improve your chances of passing Ld tests.


Chaos Veterans

Chaos Veterans are basically meaner CSMs who operate in smaller sized squads. Again you could field them either with heavy weapons or special weapons. Their infiltration means that both will be quite effective: Heavy weapons can target choice units without having to spend half the game moving up, and assault squads can start racking up the kills straight away. The fact that the Veterans can use Dispersed Formation means that there's no reason for one to ever be in the open. I would definately add an aspiring Champion to Veterans, as their maximum squad size of 5 is very limiting. Just don't give him Terminator armour!


Terminators

Terminators are also veterans, but they function very differently to their power armour clad brethen. They can't infiltrate, but have the awesome terminator armour suits. Although expensive, a squad of terminators has enormous staying power, especially as you can take upto 9 of them. It is vital that they do their points worth of damage, but with their heavy weapons this shouldn't be a problem: The Reaper has high strength, sustained fire and hardly ever jams, wheras the Heavy Flamer can cut down swarms of fodder with ease, whether they are in cover or not. Best of all, you can move and fire these weapons. The other terminators in the squad should be equipped with Meltaguns, as they too are formidable weapons if used well. I also recommend Chainfists for all but your heavy troopers, as they are great for taking out enemy tanks or tough characters. The best use for terminators is as a bodyguard for a terminator armour clad army commander.


Plague Marines

Plague Marines don't particularly appeal to me, but they have their uses. Firstly, they can take Blight Grenades which are very persistant and can severly disrupt enemy plans if enough are thrown in the middle of his battle line. Best of all, the Plague marines are themselves unaffected by the blight grenades so can carry on, though the rest of your force will still be affected. The single special weapon allowed is a bit of a problem. I'd recommend a Meltagun as it'll rack up the Nurgle Summoning points very quickly, especially in a Plague Marine's hands. Apart from that, just rapid fire your bolters when you can to get loads of summoning points then get in close to deal with a troublesome character with your plague knives, supported by some Plague Bearers summoned once you're in close combat.


Khorne Bezerkers

Khorne Bezerkers are in my mind an alternative to veterans equipped for assault. They have exactly the same cost, but a lesser WS, and can't use the Dispersed Formation or Infiltration Rules. Instead they are frenzied and have superior armour. Their tripled charge doesn't really count as an advantage as Veterans can start just outside the opponments deployment zone and can get into HTH in 1 turn, wheras teh Bezerkers will take 2 turns minimum to cross the Battlezone and meet the oncoming troops. One good thing about the Bezerkers is the unit size: being able to take 19(!) means that they should still be intact after two or three turns of running to reach combat, wheras a standard assault squad of CSMs could be whittled down fairly easily. Therefore it all boils down to how badly you want Khorne Daemons. Earning Khorne points is difficult as it takes several turns to get to grips with the enemy in HTH. With Bezerkers each hit will gain you double points, and with a couple of large units you have a greater opportunity for summoning them into the right place. If things go really bad you also have the numbers for possession. Overall I would avoid unless you are a dedicated Khornate general.


Thousand Sons

The Thousand Sons are a bit difficult. They can't earn summoning points for Tzeenetch Daemons, they can be whisked away by the drain power, and force weapons cut them to ribbons as they share the daemonic vulnerabilities. NEVER take T.Sons Terminators, it's just too risky. So why do I take them? Well, it seemed in keeping with my army's theme (Slaanesh and Tzenetch). My Chaos Lord bears Tzeenetch's mark and I have a high level Chaos Sorceror, so it was obvious to me that Thousand Sons would feature in the army. A lot of people overlook this: they are so obsessed with the good stuff that they ignore what should be there. As such we see chaos cults without any cultists (now illegal, thank Tzeenetch), Chaos Armies with bucket loads of vets, terminators and the like, but no standard squads, and so on. An army should be characterful and true to tradition, not designed to kill all comers. Where's the fun? OK, rant over. Seriously though, if you don't have at least one squad of CSMs for every 'Special' unit, I'd rethink your army design.


Noise Marines

Noise Marines are in my mind the best God Squad around. They can earn points for Tzeenetch very quickly as their massed sustained fire dice force break tests through sheer weight of casualties, and the amazing Blast master forces a test for just a single casualty! On top of this, they can fry Psykers and are immune to Psychology. I would definately advise taking a squad as medium range support troops. Though they seem less versatile than other squads, this is because they are very good at their particular role. As they cannot break I'd take small squads of 3 and position them around the deployment zone so that no Psyker can have much affect. Unfortunately this includes your own, so don't take one and rely on Daemons instead, with Noise Marines you'll be able to summon a sizeable squad of Daemonettes early on. One should be kept back and include a Blast Master (which sadly is move or fire). Whilst the other should be led by an Aspiring Champion with HTH weapons and a doom siren. This squad can move forward and cut through screening troops with their Sonic blasters. Noise marine terminators would be great, as they could move and fire a blast master and would be nigh on unstoppable. Imagine 2 Reapers and 7 Sonic blasters! They'd also make an interesting conversion project.


Bikers

Bikers are extremely fast and are great for getting close to the enemy right at the start. Unfortunately they are also a bit of a deathtrap, killing the rider half the time and often colliding with others in the squadron or blowing them up too. On a dense battlefield they'll have a hard time, though the skid tests will help. I'd advise arming them up with close combat weapons and krak grenades and going for them hit and run attacks. They're also useful for taking out screening troops with their frag grenades and Scythes (a must) so that the rest of your force can get to the real enemy. Don't put characters on bikes- no matter how hard they are, they'll easily be killed outright by a hit on the poorly armoured bike.


Chaos Dreadnoughts

These Psychotic beasts are a great addition to any chaos force. Just keep them well away from your own troops in case of stupidity or exploding Heavy Plasma Guns (nasty). Which weapons you take is really a matter of personal choice, though I configure my Dreadnoughts in one of two ways- either for taking out the opponments screening troops, in which case Sustained Fire and a Power Scourge are very useful; or for taking out rock hard targets, in which case Power Claws, Thunder hammers and Heavy Plasma Guns are the way to go. A word about the combiweapon- Its a bit pointless taking anything other than twin bolter as Meltas and flamers have a range less than charge distance- 12". You're much better off getting stuck into HTH than flaming a couple of people, so these weapons won't get much use. Oh, and don't give Dreadnoughts the Daemonic Possesion Card, as their huge WS is one of their main features.


Transports- Land Raiders and Rhinos

These are most useful for getting your assault troops to the front line quickly, without being shot to pieces, particularly for predominantly Khornate forces. The other main use is for moving heavy weapons squads into position much earlier, maximising on their firepower. A land Raider has the added bonus that it'll also give enemy troops a kicking on the way with it's Lascannon batteries and Heavy Bolters. Rhinos are so cheap you can have one for each squad, giving them all a bit of extra armour and something to hide behind. If you're using vehicles for a transport role then obviously the Daemonic Possesion Card is a no go. I wouldn't recommend it for land raiders either, 'cos it'll cost a fortune.


Preadtors

Daemonic possesion is perfect for these. They can't transport anyway, they won't cost as much as a Land Raider, and they have some great weapons. The improved BS of 5 means that you'll rarely miss, and Terror is a real bonus: Assault troops will think twice about trying to hack you apart in HTH, and the Predator's high movement rate will allow you to charge around the enemy lines inflicting loads of terror tests on anyone within 8". This will work very well for Slaaneshi armies as it'll generate loads of summoning points. If you mount a warp amp to it then the troops making their terror test will even suffer a -3 or -2 penalty to their LD value. The other Daemonic Vehicle upgrades (Infestation, Destroyer and warp Flame) are also sound investments.


Flesh Hounds

In my mind the Flesh Hounds are better than the Bloodletters, mainly due to their resistance to Force weapons and psionics. Their high movement and ability to charge any model within range means that you can get to your opponment prized troops more easily, Heavy weapons squads being good targets which are usually screened by a weaker squad or one with better HTH capabilities. The only real problem with Khornate daemons is the immense difficulty in summoning them early enough to make them count.


Bloodletters

Though not as good as the Hounds Bloodletters are none the less superlative close combat fighters. Their Hellblades make them great for assasaination attempts, and their regeneration means that they are hardier than most daemons. Watch out for force weapons and Psykers though, and consider possesion as getting them out quickly may prove to be a problem.


Beasts of Nurgle

The decision between these and Plague Bearers is a difficult one. The beast is another good assasain, this time due to its automatic armour penetration. Send some after a couple of terminators and enjoy. Nurgle Daemons are also easy to earn summoning points for, but don't get these out too quickly as they have a rather pathetic movement rate.


Plaguebearers

Ultimately Plaguebearers are superior to the beasts of Nurgle, but in different ways. Their WS is much better and is helped further by their Cloud of flies, and the daemonic plague Sword is brilliant, killing wounded characters outright half the time. They can also make use of Psychic powers. Watch out for high Strength weapons as tehy only have a toughness of 3, very unusual for Nurgle troops.


Nurglings

These really are pointless. Their low cost and multiple wounds, coupled with a daemonic aura, makes them seem the ideal screeening troops, until you discover that unless they get within 6" your opponment can ignore them! Their special infestation rule is also a bit pointless, as it means they'll have to get half way across the battlefield. In short, don't bother, the 15 points would be better spent on some wargear.


Pink Horrors

These daemons of Tzeenetch are a bit like the foot troops- a bit pointless. Their lack of a Daemonic aura makes them very vulnerable, especially with a measly toughness of 3. Blue Horrors aren't much better than guardsmen and die just as quick. They have no special abilities for HTH either. Fortunately, they can use psychic powers but as you really need a Psyker to summon them in the first place it seems a bit redundant.


Flamers

Flamers are a vast improvement on the horrors, and have several unique advantages. First is a high movement, aided by their ability to bound over obstacles. Secondly, they have a ranged attack (albeit a short-ranged one) and a suitably high BS. Thirdly is their above average Toughness and an extra Wound. when you through in a daemonic Aura, these become really tough cookies. Their HTH prowess is a bit of a let down but they'll inevitably get the charge, which evens things out a bit, and they cause multiple wounds per hit, so all is not lost. Definitely the better of the Tzeenetch daemons.


Daemonettes

I believe these to be the best of the daemons. When trying to decide between Daemonettes and Horrors for my army, I found that for the same cost you get a higher WS (higher even than the Khorne Daemons), Strength and Attacks, as well as a daemonic Aura and Psychic powers to boot. Slaanesh is easy to earn summoning points for, and as soon as the Daemonettes charge their fear attribute will earn enough points for another 1 or 2 to be added to their ranks. If you're going to pick any one Daemon over another, this is the one to take.


Fiends

Not as good as the daemonettes, the Fiends are still reasonable fighters. Their low cost is one advantage worth bearing in mind as only 25% of your points can go on daemons. Like Flamers they have a low WS but can partially compensate for this by getting the charge first. Their Soporific musk also helps by adding 2 for each enemies fumbled rolls, and the Scorpion tail means that if you win you'll get at least 2 hits at S4.


Conclusion

So what then would be a great chaos force? Well, considering all the above I'd go for a Slaaneshi army. This would have a few regular CSM squads with heavy weapons to provide long range cover, a noise marine squad with Sonic Blasters and a Blastmaster, a Noise Marine terminator squad with Chainfists and Reapers, Sonic Blasters or Blast Masters, an Army commander in Terminator armour to lead them, a veteran squad tooled up for close combat, a possessed Predator with Warp Amp, and lots of Daemonettes to help with close combat once the veterans go down or provide Psychic powers.