One of the scariest builds to come out of the Internet’s pouring over the 40K 7th edition rulebook is the “Daemon Factory List.” The basic gist is that you take an army of Tzeentch Daemons, with Horrors units taken in the right size to stock up on Warp Charge, along with plenty of Mastery Level 3 Heralds (and maybe even a Greater Daemon, Daemon Prince, or the Fateweaver himself). In every Psychic Phase, the army just throws dice into summoning more and more Daemons, in an effort to overwhelm the opposing army in a sea of bodies. Alterations include heavy Tzeentch psykers with hard-hitting fast units (such as Flesh Hounds) in order to hit the enemy hard by turn 2, while they’re also trying to deal with all the Daemons you’re summoning.
Sounds like a nightmare, doesn’t it?
Oh, I hear you, asking me what this answer for it is that I promised you. And it’s a very simple one.
Don’t play it.
The only kind of person who would pull out such an army, knowing what it’s like, is someone who wants to curbstomp people for their own enjoyment, regardless of yours. It’s similar to someone who wants to try some ridiculous Unbound army like twelve Heldrakes, or all Wraithknights and Wraithlords (although the DFL can be Battle-Forged, which makes it nastier as they keep summoning more Troops choices).
While I could tell you to try certain tactics against it such as bringing sheer weight of light firepower (Heralds are T3 and can be insta-gibbed by S6 or higher, but will fall to heavy bolters just as well), I feel the better answer to such an army is to let people know that you will not play such an army. The same goes for any other ridiculously cheesy list.
There’s another answer, and it’s one that people have fallen back on repeatedly over the ages, though with more frequency in the days of 40K’s infancy: house rules.
For example, you could apply some or all of the following limitations:
- No more than 12 dice can be added to the psychic pool, regardless of Mastery Levels or extra Warp Charge from Horrors.
- Horrors can only cast powers from the Change discipline.
- Daemons attempting to summon Daemons of other gods must declare that before they roll, and if they roll a double, it forces a Perils test. Limiting them to having to summon their own god’s Daemons would make sense, but would then prevent any summoning of Khorne Daemons in a Daemon army.
Feel free to come up with your own ideas. If you want to play using such rules, though, you should agree with your opponent beforehand, or adopt them into a set of “club house rules” that everyone in your club has access to.
There’s a similar answer – either house rules or just don’t play it – for every horrible army in the game, from Seerstars to Daemon Factories.