Goatboy’s 40k Thoughts – Why I like MSU!
If you don’t know what MSU stands for – it means Multiple Small Units. Let’s talk about why you should play around with this army design.
In 40k this usually rears its head as a bunch of small units that run around the board like a bunch of angry ants ready to bite the crap out of whatever gets in their way. So today I want to talk about why I like MSU style armies. I know the internet is full of people saying x sucks or y is awesome or z is a pile of poo – today I just want to go into what the MSU playstyle brings to my own games.
Important Reason 1 – I like to play with lots of stuff!
I don’t know about you, but MSU armies just let me play with all kinds of crazy toys. It is one thing to see massed hordes of guys across the table it is another thing to have a ton of small pieces strive to work like a machine. The MSU side of me gives me options for some cool assault dudes mixed with some specialized shooting bros. All the options I get when I fill out my Force Org gives me options to just play with as much as I can.
Super Important Reason 2 – I can make lots of cool things.
When you start to look at how you can fill out your force org, the chances to create really unique army builds and designs really start to come to the front. Each unit can start to have its own modeling persona and you can create a lot of neat things. That one Sternguard squad was known for killing lots of Tyranid MC’s? Its Drop Pod/Rhino is covered in dead Nid bits as well as lots of extra Nid skin adorns their armor and bases. Or you could look at some of the new Trueborn squads from Dark Eldar and personalize their ride and build out. It is this chance to create small and unique units that makes for a pretty interesting army.
Reason 3 – The Third Reason of Doom – You give lots of things to kill.
Nothing is more satisfying then killing a unit. Giving your opponent a lot of small units to kill off, means that there will usually be a lot of blood left on the table. Nothing is more annoying then having to kill the last guy in a big fat 20 man mob. Having a lot of options on the table allows you to give a lot of game chances to do interesting things as well.
Reason 4 – Sneaky Git Reason – You can create lots of tricks to throw your opponent off guard.
The more you have on the table top the more you create a chess-like game. You move piece a to bring your opponents response b into your perfectly set up firing lines. Also a small unit that is dangerous can take a bit more firepower to take out – as it is something important to deal with. This will make your opponent usually waste more then one unit to deal with it. Especially if you set them up to get cover. This lets your other worker ants move around and get to where they need to be to do their round house kicks and take your opponent out.
Reason 5 – Kill Points become a scary/fun game.
I know the internet is split on Kill Points. I for one am fine with them as I see them as a necessary evil to help mitigate some of the Mech issues we have at hand. Having more stuff makes the Kill Point missions a nail biter as you strive to keep your elite army alive through the blistering fire power of your opponent. I know that we all like to win, but pulling a win through skill and the threat of outnumbering your opponent’s kill points is something I find pretty dang entertaining. Having to decide when to go to ground and when to hope the 4+ cures all is one of the neat things about 5th Edition 40k.
