I think I have the backbone of my revised Slaanesh CSM army figured out. Right now, it's looking like this:
HQ: Chaos Lord w/Mark of Slaanesh, Aura of Dark Glory, Power Sword, Chaos Bike, Veterans of the Long War - 135
Troops: 9 Noise Marines w/8 Sonic Blasters, 1 Blastmaster; Noise Champion - 234
Troops: 9 Noise Marines w/8 Sonic Blasters, 1 Blastmaster; Noise Champion - 234
Fast Attack: 4 Chaos Bikers w/Mark of Slaanesh, Icon of Excess, 2 Meltaguns,Veterans of the Long War; Biker Champion - 180
Heavy Support: 4 Chaos Havocs w/4 Autocannons, Veterans of the Long War; Aspiring Champion - 120
Fortification: Aegis Defense Line w/Quad Gun - 100
This comes in at just over 1000 points, and gives me some core capabilities:
- The Lord and Bikers provide a fast, tough assault unit with anti-armor capabilities
- The troops give me two Fearless units that can put out a deadly barrage of fire that ignores cover
- The Havocs and ADL provide a steady supply of autocannon fire that can be equally deadly to light vehicles, light infantry, and fliers (and the extra Leadership from Veterans helps keep them from breaking)
The next step is figuring out where to go from here and filling in the next 497 points to get to 1500. Do I expand my assault capabilities? Do I add more troops? More heavy support? It's not like there's any lack of options in the Chaos Marine codex, even if I just limit it to vehicles and Slaanesh-marked units (and unaligned ones). I'm playing around with a few ideas that I can possibly mix and match. Some possibilities include:
Troops: 24 Cultists w/2 Flamers, 22 Autoguns, Mark of Slaanesh; Cultist Champion - 167
I've tried playing around with Cultists as an aggressive assault unit, and unless they're in huge numbers and/or have a lot of cover available (which slows them down), they tend to die before they can really contribute. Instead, I'm thinking of using them as a shooting objective-holding unit that's hard to assault safely. Sitting them on an objective in cover or behind the ADL, I can keep them alive longer, and while they may not be great shots and have weak guns, they put out a massive number of shots. Between the flamers and the rapid-firing guns, assaulting them's not a safe bet either.
Troops: 9 Noise Marines w/9 Close Combat Weapons, 0 Boltguns, Icon of Exces, Veterans of the Long War; Noise Champion w/Doom Siren, Power Weapon; Rhino w/Dirge Caster - 290
Instead of using them as a shooting unit, this unit tries to use Noise Marines as a dedicated assault unit. High initiative, good armor, and FNP helps to ensure that they get their strikes in, and the champ is no slouch with his MEQ-killing template and power sword. Hopefully, competent placement of the Rhino will keep them safe from overwatch shots as well. A bit pricy, though.
Troops: 9 Chaos Marines w/9 Close Combat Weapons, 0 Boltguns, Mark of Slaanesh, Icon of Excess, Veterans of the Long War; Aspiring Champion w/Power Sword; Rhino w/Dirge Caster - 255
Same idea as the previous unit, and noticeably cheaper, but without the Doom Siren goodness to melt enemy faces. Very similar to the above, but an option if you want to shave off a few points. Also not Fearless, so they could get swept in combat if they break.
Fast Attack: 5 Chaos Spawn w/Mark of Slaanesh - 165
A unit for quickly rushing the enemy and hitting them with (hopefully) a ton of attacks. The Mark makes sure they go simultaneously with most MEQ armies; while they may not survive the fight (although with Toughness 5 and 3 Wounds each, they might), they're likely to make a big, messy dent.
HQ: Chaos Lord w/Mark of Slaanesh, Aura of Dark Glory, Power Sword, Steed of Slaanesh, Veterans of the Long War - 135
Not a replacement for the Biker Lord, but a companion for the Chaos Spawn if I go in that direction. Together, the unit's just slightly more expensive than the Noise Marine assault squad.
Heavy Support: 4 Chaos Havocs w/4 Autocannons, Veterans of the Long War; Aspiring Champion - 120
Yes, it's a repeat, and it'll double my kit-bashing requirements, but it's a solid unit; running 2 is not a bad thing.
Fast Attack: 4 Raptors w/Mark of Slaanesh, Icon of Excess, 2xMeltaguns, Veterans of the Long War; 1 Raptor Champion w/2x Lightning Claws - 195
A classic Raptor unit, and one that fulfills much the same role as my Bikers do. Not quite as tough as the bikes, and slightly more expensive, but still nasty.
Heavy Support: Chaos Predator w/Autocannon, Lascannon Sponsons - 115
A reliable little workhorse, although those sponsons are Snapshotting if it moves. Slightly cheaper than Havocs, but more fragile in general and with less firepower.
This just scratches the surface of what choices I have, but these were the ones that seemed most reliable in doing their jobs. Now it's time for decisions, decisions, decisions.