Age of Darkness Starter Series Pt 2: Night Lords

In this ongoing series we present an accessible and thematic starting list for each of the 18 Space Marine Legions. Each list utilizes the Age of Darkness starter set as a foundation from which to build a 2,000 point list using as few additional components as possible from readily available official plastic kits.

To build this force yourself you’ll need:

1 Age of Darkness Starter Set
And that’s it!

In honor of podcast co-host Steve’s Legion of choice, this second instalment focuses on everyone’s favorite midnight clad war criminals, the Night Lords! Our intent is to suggest a starting list that makes as much use as possible of the Night Lord’s special abilities with the contents of the Age of Darkness box. In this case, we’re pleased to offer a list that requires no additional purchases beyond that starter set! While neither of the Night Lords’ unique Rites of War are supported by the contents of the set, Pride of the Legion mixes well with many of the Night Lord’s key traits and abilities. Night Lords gain a number of benefits from outnumbering their opponents via their “A Talent for Murder” ability so this list focuses on 3 blocks of infantry supported by a pair of HQ characters. Attach your Praetor warlord to the terminators in their Spartan as a heavy hitting unit which has gained Line from Pride of the Legion and then jam up your opponent with a pair of 20-man tactical units, one of which led by an attached Champion. Even the tactical squad without a supporting HQ hits surprisingly hard with those chain bayonets so you have 3 Line units capable of holding objectives for your opponent to contend with, supported by a lascannon armed Contemptor dreadnought to provided some much needed vehicle busting power. The units and characters are also peppered liberally with abilities that grant Fear and Prey Sight, a unique Night Lords ability that essentially lets you ignore the penalties of Night Fighting, an environmental rule encountered more commonly in games of The Horus Heresy than you may be used to. Ignoring the penalties to BS during the first 1-2 rounds of a scenario with Night Fighting will put you at a surprisingly strong advantage against most opponents.

All in all, this is a great starting point for a Night Lords force. The Night Lords will really come into their own when the assault/despoiler plastic kits are eventually released, but there’s no reason you can’t get started in the meantime. From here, as you expand to 3,000 points you may want to add a Tactical Support Squad with rotor cannons as Pinning can be very effective in an army that has as many ways to lower enemy Leadership as the Night Lords do!

++ Crusade Force Organisation Chart (LA – VIII: Night Lords) [1,998Pts] ++

+ Allegiance: +

Allegiance: Traitor

VIII: Night Lords

+ Rite of War: +

Rite of War: Pride Of The Legion

+ HQ: [277Pts] +

Centurion [122Pts]
. Champion [87Pts]: Artificer Armour, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Preysight [15Pts], Refractor Field, Trophies of Judgement [10Pts], Volkite Charger [2Pts]
. Champion [35Pts]: Paragon Blade

Praetor [155Pts]: Flaymaster, Warlord
. Legion Praetor [155Pts]: Artificer Armour, Frag Grenades, Iron Halo, Krak Grenades, Master of the Legion, Trophies of Judgement [10Pts]
. . Archaeotech Pistol [15Pts]
. . Charnabal Weapon [10Pts]: Charnabal Tabar

+ Elites: [210Pts] +

Contemptor Dreadnought Talon [210Pts]: Preysight [15Pts]
. Contemptor Dreadnought [195Pts]: Atomantic Deflector, Combi-Bolter, Gravis Lascannon [20Pts], Gravis Power Fist with in-built ranged weapon

+ Troops: [1,511Pts] +

Tactical Squad [313Pts]: Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Power Armour, Preysight [15Pts]
. Legion Tactical Sergeant [30Pts]: Bolter, Lightning Claw [10Pts], Plasma Pistol [10Pts], Power Armour, Trophies of Judgement [10Pts]
. 16x Legionaries (collective) [192Pts]: 16x Bolt Pistol, 16x Bolter, 16x Chain Bayonet [32Pts]
. Legionary w/ Options: [22Pts]: Augury Scanner [10Pts], Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet [2Pts]
. Legionary w/ Options: [22Pts]: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet [2Pts], Legion Vexilla [10Pts]
. Legionary w/ Options: [22Pts]: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Chain Bayonet [2Pts], Nuncio-Vox [10Pts]

Terminator Cataphractii Squad [885Pts]: Cataphractii Terminator Armour, Preysight [15Pts], Pride of the Legion Compulsory Troops
. Cataphractii [45Pts]: Chainfist [15Pts], Combi-Bolter
. Cataphractii [45Pts]: Chainfist [15Pts], Combi-Bolter
. Cataphractii Sergeant w/TLC [10Pts]: Pair of Lightning Claws [10Pts]
. Cataphractii w/Heavy Weapon (1 in 5) [50Pts]: Chainfist [15Pts], Heavy Flamer [5Pts]
. Cataphractii w/Heavy Weapon (1 in 5) [50Pts]: Chainfist [15Pts], Heavy Flamer [5Pts]
. 5x Cataphractii w/Lightning Claws [200Pts]: 5x Pair of Lightning Claws
. Land Raider Spartan [415Pts]
. . Land Raider Spartan [415Pts]: 2x Lascannon Array, Flare Shield [50Pts], Hull (Front) Mounted Twin-linked Heavy Bolter, Legiones Astartes (X), Preysight [15Pts], Smoke Launchers

++ Total: [1,998Pts] ++

PS: Loyalist players, we haven’t forgotten you! The next TWO instalments of this series will focus on the filthy running dogs of the False Emperor, starting with the first Legion themselves, the Dark Angels!