Evaluating your Armylist
I recently came across an interesting idea in the tactics section of Librarium online. It's a guide for rating your armylist. You can find the original guide and comments here. The author says that it's not meant to be an absolute guarantor of success or failure, given the wide array of variables in the game of 40k, and it doesn't take into account your tactical acumen, but it's meant to be a good measurement of the capabilities of your army list. You can think of it as a bit of a checklist, to make sure your army has everything, and if it seems to be missing something, this guide can give you a good idea as to where it might need some shoring up. As the author says, don't worry about getting scores over 90%, but try to get your list into that ballpark. Without further ado, here's the guide itself. After the guide, I'll put one of my recent armies through it and look at how it comes out.

ASSAULT

[Total Points: 16]

2 Points for each unit that includes at least one power weapon (or equivalent weapon), and 4 points for each unit that includes at least one powerfist (or equivalent weapon), monstrous creature, or dread close combat weapon. [8 points]

2 Points for each unit that can move more than 6 inches in the movement/shooting phase and still assault that turn, or has an assault move greater than 6 inches (for example: fleet, jump packs, bikes, 'beast' units, 'cavalry' units, or units in open topped vehicles). [4 points]

2 Points for each 'assault' focused unit, which can be any of the following: (A) Any unit that gets at least 30 attacks on the charge and has an average strength of 3 or greater. [b] Any unit that gets at least 20 attacks on the charge, has an average strength of 3 or greater, and can re-roll to hit or wound. (C) Any unit that gets at least 12 rending attacks on the charge. (D) Any unit that has 6 or more attacks on the charge that ignore all armor saves. [4 points]

SHOOTING

[Total Points: 24]

2 Points for each unit in the list that can score one shooting ‘hit’ per turn, using an attack that has a strength of 8 or higher. Units that can split into combat teams can score this section twice, if both teams qualify, and units that can divide their shots between multiple targets may also score this section twice, if two or more sets of shooters would qualify.
[4 points]

2 Points for each unit that scores one shooting ‘hit’ per turn with an attack that has a range of 36in or higher. Units that can split into combat teams can score this section twice, if both teams qualify, and units that can divide their shots between multiple targets may also score this section twice, if two or more sets of shooters would qualify. [4 points]

2 Points for each unit that scores one shooting ‘hit’ per turn with an attack that has AP 3, and 4 Points for each unit that scores one shooting ‘hit’ per turn with an attack that has AP 2 or AP 1. Units that can split into combat squads can score this section twice, if both teams qualify, and units that can divide their shots between multiple targets may also score this section twice, if two or more sets of shooters would qualify.
[6 points]

2 Points for each unit that has a flamer, blast or ordnance attack. Units that can split into combat teams can score this section twice, if both teams qualify, and units that can divide their shots between multiple targets may also score this section twice, if two or more sets of shooters would qualify. [6 points]

2 Points for each unit that can move 12 inches or more during the movement phase (or deep strike, infiltrate in), still fire, and score at least one shooting ‘hit’. Units riding in transports count, but each transport can only count as transporting one unit (and any attached characters).
[4 points]

MISSIONS

[Total Points: 40]

4 Points if your list includes a unit that has one or more of the following abilities: scout, infiltrator, outflanking, deep strike, turbo-boost, or redeployment. [4 points]

2 Points if your army has 3 scoring units within it, 4 points if it has 4 scoring units, 6 points if it has 5 scoring units, and 8 points if it has 6 or more scoring units. [8 points]

2 Points for each scoring unit that fulfills one of the following: [A] Consists of at least 13 models. [b] Consists of at least 9 models and has an average armor save of 3+ or better. [C] Consists of at least 9 models, has an average armor save of 4+ or better, and average shooting range of 30in or better. [D] Consists of at least 5 models, has an average armor save of 3+ or better, and a leadership score of 10 or better (leadership 9 with a re-roll, and fearlessness, are both considered better). [6 points]

2 Points for each scoring unit that can move at least 12in during the movement phase (or deep strike, infiltrate in). Once again, each transport can only count as transporting one unit (besides attached characters). [6 points]

2 Points for each unit in your army that can contest objectives well, which is defined as having one or more of the following abilities: [A] Can move 18in or more a turn. [b] Has an armor rating of 14 on all sides. [C] Fearlessness (besides non-walker vehicles). [D] Deep striking, as long as the unit has some control over the scatter (examples: re-rolling the scatter, personal icons, being in a drop pod). [4 points]

4 Points if less than half the units in your list are 'vulnerable'. Vulnerable units are either: (A) Vehicles with a front armor rating of 11 or lower, unless they’re in a vehicle squadron. [b] Units consisting of less than 9 models, unless they have fearlessness, or immunity to instant death. [4 points]

Below is a list of possible kill points in a 500-1000 point list, with a corresponding score for each. For every 150 points above 1000 in the list, add 1 kill point to the chart below, rounding down (for example, a 1500 point list would add 3 kill points to each line, but a 1600 point list would add 4).

13+ = 0 Points
11-12 = 2 Points
9-10 = 4 Points
7-8 = 6 Points
6- = 8 Points

MISCELLANEOUS

[Total Points: 20]

4 Points if you have a way of providing cover/obscurement for all the infantry units that start in your own deployment zone (besides bikes), and any vehicle with a front armor rating of 11 or less. If you have neither of these types of units in your army, then these points are automatically awarded to you. Examples of ways to provide cover are large vehicles with a front armor rating of 12 or higher, smoke launchers, large units of expendable troops, monstrous creatures, and supercharging bikes. [4 points]

8 Points if no single unit cost more than 25% of the total points in the list, including the cost of any attached characters and transports. 4 Points if only one unit in the army costs more than 25% of the total points in the list, including the cost of any attached characters and transports. Units capable of splitting into 2 combat teams may count as two separate units, each with half the total points of the whole. [8 points]

4 Points if your army can be physically moved in a timely manner. This varies a lot from person to person, but unless you have a lot of practice (or movement trays) it's almost impossible to quickly move more than 100 infantry models each turn. In competitive play, longer turns mean shorter games (since rounds are timed), and that can be crippling for many lists, especially ones that move a large number of infantry models each turn. [4 points]

4 Points if your army does not contain any cheese or spam. Cheese is when you exploit a broken rule or overpowered unit in order to win games, and spam is when more than half of your army (in either units or points) is more or less identical, either in regards to abilities, special weapons, or wargear.

Examples of cheese are Chaos’ lash of submission, multiple Ork battlewagons w/deffrollas, ‘bouncing’ Eldar warp spiders, and more or less the entire Blood Angels army.

Examples of spam are deepstriking/outflanking lists (besides Chaos Demons), bike lists, 180 Ork lists, Nidzilla, and armored companies.

Winning by overwhelming your opponent with a single strategy, or by using an inherently unfair advantage, will work in the short run, but you probably won't learn anything from it, and you’ll most likely be unprepared if your opponent knows how to work around the cheese/spam (or if GW finally updates the rules). [4 points]

Two notes: First, when he refers to a 'shooting hit' per turn, he means an average. In other words, if you have a Space Marine with a Lascannon, you only have 2/3 of a hit per turn. If you have 2 of them in the same unit, you get at least one 'hit' per turn. He also counts blast weapons as each causing a 'hit', on average. Secondly, this guide is designed for armies from about 1250 or so points up to about 2500. More or less than that can kind of skew the results, so you might need to take that into account if you play those point levels.

My recent Godzilla List

184 Hive Tyrant BS4 S6 Sv2+ Psychic Scream VC/TL-Devs
184 Hive Tyrant BS4 S6 Sv2+ Psychic Scream VC/TL-Devs

113 Devilfex 1:Carnifex BS3 2xTL-Devourer
113 Devilfex 2:Carnifex BS3 2xTL-Devourer
113 Devilfex 3:Carnifex BS3 2xTL-Devourer

119 7x Genestealer Brood 1 Feeder Tendrils
119 7x Genestealer Brood 2 Feeder Tendrils
64 8x Spinegaunt Brood Without Number

195 3x Zoanthrope (Warp Blast/Psychic Scream)
148 Gunfex 1: Carnifex Bs3 VC/BS
148 Gunfex 2: Carnifex Bs3 VC/BS
1500pts

Assault: 16/16
I wasn't really surprised to get full points here. While it is a Tyranid list, Godzilla's tend to be more shooty than assaulty, but my list includes Genestealers for that very reason. Between Genestealers and Monstrous Creatures, it can hand out a pretty good beating in the assault phase, if managed correctly.

Shooting: 20/24
This army definitely focuses on shooting, so I wasn't surprised to get most of the shooting points. The only points that I am missing are for units that can move 12" and still fire effectively. I don't have any unit that can move more than 6" and still fire effectively. Higher movement coupled with firepower can be very effective, so I understand why I don't get those points. If I replaced one of my Tyrants with a DevilFlyrant, I would get two of the four missing points here.

Mission: 14/40 (ouch!)
This is the part that really hurt my army list. 0/4 for having no special deployment options. 2/8 for having only 3 Scoring units. 0/6 for having no "tough" scoring units (but see below.) 0/6 for having no fast-moving scoring units. I do get full points for having units that can contest well (due to being Fearless Monstrous Creatures 4/4.) I also get full points for having less than half the units in my list be vulnerable (4/4.) With 13 Killpoints in a 1500pt list, I got 4/8 on the Killpoint section.

Miscellaneous: 16/20
I scored 4/4 for being able to screen my Genestealers with a wall of Monstrous Creatures. 8/8 since no unit costs more than 25% of the total army cost. 4/4 for being able to move my army in a timely manner. 0/4 because my list is a kind of spam: Nidzilla. While I don't think it's quite as vulnerable to countermeasures as say a fully mechanized list or horde infantry, I recognize that I am "spamming" Monstrous Creatures, and against an opponent that is designed to handle T6 and Multiple Wounds, I could be in trouble.

score:66%

Okay, first off I have one adjustment to make. I think the Spinegaunts Without Number should count as a "tough" scoring unit. While they don't really have large numbers on the tabletop or have tough armor saves, the fact that they can be destroyed and come right back in pretty much counts. On the other talon, they should probably count as more than 1 Killpoint, since they could potentially be destroyed multiple times. (While I will hide them far behind the Monstrous Creatures in the event of a Killpoint mission, a canny opponent could still potentially target them.) I'd gain 2 points in one section, but lose 2pts in another, so it's kind of a wash anyway. So, what can I do with this information?

Well, the first thing is to look at the place where I lost the most points: the Mission section. I lose more than half the points on this section, and considering that this is the part about winning games, maybe I should give it a little more attention. Basically, I'm losing points because I only have 3 scoring units that don't move more than standard infantry speed and only 1 of them has significant numbers. In addition, they don't have any special deployment options and I have 14 Kill Points. Looking at it, the bulk of the points I'm missing out on involve scoring units.

I can't make my Genestealers into "tough" units, since they don't have high enough armor or unit sizes greater than 12. On the other hand, I can give them Scuttlers. Giving one of my Genestealer broods Scuttlers gives them the Outflank/Scout ability which would add 4 points for having a unit with special deployment options and would also give me 2 points for having a Scoring Unit with extra mobility. Adding Scuttlers on the second unit would score me an additional 2pts (for having another scoring unit with extra mobility.) In game, that would give me the option of having them Outflank in certain missions. (Might be a good way to keep them safely off the board for a couple of turns in Killpoint games, or let me more easily claim an objective in Objective games. That makes pretty good sense. If I drop 1 Genestealer from each brood and lose 1 Psychic Scream, that will pay for the cost of Scuttlers for both of them and leave me 8pts to do something else with. That also raises my score to 74%. Where else can I pick up some points?

This is where my list runs into some trouble because of the way I play it. I could get more points by having more scoring units, but it would cost me by putting me up another bracket in Killpoints. For example: including one more unit of Scuttling Genestealers would get me 2 more points for having 4 Scoring units and 2 more points for having another Scoring unit with extra mobility. On the other hand, without taking another Scoring unit out, it would bring me to 15 Killpoints, which would lose me 2pts. While that's a net gain of 2pts, it puts me in more trouble in Killpoint missions. The easiest way to drop my Killpoints would be to dump the Zoanthropes (which each count for a separate Killpoint.) Unfortunately, that would lose me 6pts in the Shooting section due to them being my only AP3 or better shooting. Other ways I could get points would include replacing one of the Tyrants with a Devilflyrant (Hive Tyrant with 2xTL Devourers and Wings). That would get me 2 extra points for being able to move 12" per turn and shoot, but it wouldn't really benefit the list as I play it. Similarly, if I replaced the Devilfexen with a brood of 4 and a brood of 5 Warriors, each with TL-Devourers, I'd have almost as much firepower, but I'd also have 1 less Kill Point and I'd gain 4 points by no longer being Monstrous Creature spam. Personally, though, I think that would make the list significantly weaker.

Because of the way I play this list (using the Monstrous Creatures as a wall for the Genestealers to hide behind until they are used as counterchargers or they are unleashed on the enemy line,) I think the guide has a hard time evaluating it properly. Although it's got a lot of Killpoints, the bulk of them are Monstrous Creatures, which are quite resilient, and the rest are hidden behind the Monstrous Creatures, conferring a continuous cover save, making them more resilient than they first appear. In addition, the ability of the wall of MCs to push forward while the smaller constructs claim objectives also makes them more effective objective grabbers than seem to be. Coupled with the effects of the multiple Psychic Screams forcing enemy units back, it can be quite powerful. On the other hand, a more conventional list of Tyranids or other armies would probably be easier to evaluate effectively. Still, it did point out a couple of weaknesses in my list: low numbers of Scoring units and high Killpoints. It also pointed me to an effective answer, possibly to both: alternate deployment options for my Scoring Units. Putting Scuttlers on my Genestealers gives me the option during a Killpoints mission of keeping them safely off the board, then let them come in out of harm's way. It also gives me the option to have them appear on one side or the other to grab an out-of-the-way objective that might be far from the action. That flexibility is worth the price of two Genestealers and a Psychic Scream, I think. So here's the new version of the list...

184 Hive Tyrant BS4 S6 Sv2+ VC/TL-Devs (Psychic Scream)
174 Hive Tyrant BS4 S6 Sv2+ VC/TL-Devs

113 Devilfex 1:Carnifex BS3 2xTL-Devourer
113 Devilfex 2:Carnifex BS3 2xTL-Devourer
113 Devilfex 3:Carnifex BS3 2xTL-Devourer
120 6x Genestealer Brood 1 Feeder Tendrils, Scuttlers
120 6x Genestealer Brood 2 Feeder Tendrils, Scuttlers
64 8x Spinegaunt Brood Without Number

195 3x Zoanthrope (Warp Blast/Psychic Scream)
148 Gunfex 1: Carnifex Bs3 VC/BS
148 Gunfex 2: Carnifex Bs3 VC/BS
1492pts

Assault: 16/16
Shooting: 20/24
Mission: 22/40 (Better!)
Miscellaneous: 16/20
score:74%

If you are interested in conversing with the original author, please check this out. If you are interested in seeing what else he does or has to say about various topics, please check out his blog.

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