How to make a Start Collecting! equivalent kit for Bonesplitterz

[Klerych]

Heyho!

Recently I've been teaching AoS to a new player and given that he bought the Start Collecting! boxes that clocks at about 580 points, I decided to throw together a couple matching-ish 600 point lists for him to practice against. And then I hit the wall when I thought that it could be a good way to start a Bonesplitterz force. You know - grow my own force along with his.

So with the Treelord Ancient + Branchwych and 20 Dryads clocking at 580 points I came up with:
- Moonclan: Grot Warboss with Squig, 20 Grots, 3 Fanatics, Mangler Squigs (590 pts);
- Dispossessed: Warden King, Unforged, 10 Warriors, 10 Thunderers, Cannon (600 pts);
- Kharadron Overlords: Arkanaut Admiral, 10 Arkanaut Company, Grundstok Gunhauler, 3 Endrinriggers (600 pts);
- General Destruction: Moonclan Grot Warboss, Moonclan Grots, 3 Fanatics, Aleguzzler Gargant, Orruk Boar Chariot (600 pts);
- Greenskinz: Orruk Warboss, Orruk Boar Chariot, 5 Orruk Boarboyz, 10 Orruks, Aleguzzler Gargant (580 pts).

The main idea was simple - a hero or two, one bigger centrepiece model or something characteristic to the army and one battleline, hopefully mirroring the Start Collecting! line. Of course the army fared differently against different matchups, although a few of them were really close thanks to the ridiculously good hero phase of the Sylvaneth and that darn -1 to hit when in 3" of a wood dryad debuff.

But I struggled to make anything even remotely interesting for Bonesplitterz. I know they benefit the most from hero<->army synergies and it's hard to cram in enough heroes for it to work, but I can barely come up with anything more diverse than Wurrgog + Wardokk + Savages + boarboyz + one unit of stabbas.

I could try to fit in a Gargant (I know, they hunt monsters, but he's converted to be a giant monster hunter himself - think Gruul the Dragonkiller or something like that), but that'd leave very little room for other units that make the 'splitterz what they are. What do you guys think? Is it possible for Bonesplitterz to field something representative at this point bracket? It doesn't have to be particularly powerful. Even better in this case, because he's an absolutely new player and I've seen him struggle against Kharadron Overlords' ridiculous ranged damage output so much I never fielded that list again to not scare him away from the game.

[someone2040]

Why not lean on the Troggoths?

No idea about whats good in Bonesplitterz, but a quick Warscroll Builder session yielded:

Savage Big Boss

10 Savage Orruks (or Arrowboys or Morboys)

5 Savage Boarboy Maniaks

3 Fellwater Troggoths

Coming in at 580 points.

Doesn't break theme as you're not including monsters, and gives the list an interesting ally in the Fellwater Troggoths.

[bonzai]

The only plastic hero is the big boss, so he would be the only one you could put in it.

The logical options from there would be a box of boars and a box of infantry. 640-680 points depending on what you build. At $85 for a start collecting set you would save about $30.

Seems to be the most likely approach.

[Payce]

20 Boyz, 10 Maniaks, Boss.

It's boring, but it's core items you need and upping the Maniaks from 5 to 10 makes it sufficiently in line with the savings from other kits. The big sales point would be the access to the Boss across counter though, not just through mail order.

[bsharitt]

I was very surprised to find out recently that there wasn't a Start Collecting BOnesplitterz box already(but there is one for the very dated Greenskins models?). I was hoping to get one(the one I thought existed was the "savage"  version of the greenskins box, so probably my confusion) for a mixed starter Destruction army. I'm doing Moonclan Grots with Troll allies for my first 1000 points, but if I SC Bonesplitters box came out buy the time I decided to do 2000(I'd like to add some Orcs and a giant, but not so big on Ironjaws aesthetically), I'd be very happy.

[Towenaar]

It wouldn't be hard to throw the big boss,  some savage orruks and  boar riders into a box.

I guess GW felt it lacked the appeal of a centerpiece or bigger model to bring the army together. Bonesplitterz have a habit of killing anything bigger than they are.

[Ollie Grimwood]

I think it's because all the units in a Bonesplitterz army a made from 2 box sets one for infantry and one for Cavalry.  It wouldn't be a start collecting box  just The Bonesplitterz box. 

[Riavan]

I don't know why they don't make the idol bonesplitterz keyword. It seems they really lack a large unit.

[Malakree]

1 hour ago, Riavan said:

I don't know why they don't make the idol bonesplitterz keyword. It seems they really lack a large unit.

Part of the point is that the bonesplitterz don't have huge monsters. They kill them instead.

The idol in greenskinz allows it to be allied in and you'd never want more than one anyway.

[Riavan]

47 minutes ago, Malakree said:

Part of the point is that the bonesplitterz don't have huge monsters. They kill them instead.

The idol in greenskinz allows it to be allied in and you'd never want more than one anyway.

Yeah I mean the idol isn't a real monster though, it's an idol of gorkamorka which they are all about. It has bones to wear.

Also freeing up them allies points can lead to more interesting armies.

[PlasticCraic]

I like the idea of combining them with Spiderfang as a Battletome Supplement.  Give Spiderfang the relevant keywords and you're up and away - two factions reinvigorated, and an Arachnarok is the perfect inclusion in the SC box.

Lore wise it still fits because they hunt monsters for their bones - which spiders don't have.  They have a chitinous exoskeleton (hence the chitinous legs attack).

[Mr InsaneBear]

Well I'd figure for actual product I'd agree with some previous posts, big boss, box of foot savages, box of boar savages. This gives you a bit of flexibility.  You can build the foot as 20 arrow or spear, or 10 of each, or 10 plus big stabbas. And the board you can build as 10 maniaks/boarboyz or 5 of each. So lots of modeling possibilities.

As for game tactics, that all depends on how you like to run an army.