Using the Army Lists
To make a choice, look in the relevant section of the army list and decide what unit you wish to have in your army, how many models there will be in it, and which upgrades you want (if any). Remember you cannot field models that are equipped with weapons and wargear not shown on the model. Once this is done subtract the points value of the unit from your total points, and then go back and make another choice. Continue doing this until you have used up all your points.
Using a Force Organisation Chart
The army list is used with the force organisation charts from a scenario. Each chart is split into five categories that correspond to the sections in the army list, and each category may have one or more boxes. Each light-toned box indicates that you may make one choice from that section of the army list, while a dark-toned box means that you must make a choice from that section.
Note that unless a model or vehicle forms part of a squad or a squadron it counts as a single choice from those available to your army.
Diagram: Standard Missions force organisation chart — Compulsory: 1 HQ, 2 Troops. Optional: 1 HQ, 4 Troops, 3 Elites, 3 Fast Attack, 3 Heavy Support.
The Standard Missions force organisation chart is a good example of how to choose an army. To begin with you will need at least one HQ unit and two Troop units (dark shaded boxes indicate units that must be taken for the mission). This leaves the following for you to choose from to make up your army's total points value: up to 1 HQ unit, 0-3 additional Elite units, 0-4 additional Troop units, 0-3 additional Fast Attack units or 0-3 additional Heavy Support units.
Army List Entries
Each army list entry consists of the following:
Unit Name: The type of unit and any limitations on the maximum number of choices you can make for that unit type (0-1, for example, indicates that only one unit may be included in the army).
Profile: These are the characteristics of that unit type, including its points cost. Where the unit contains different warriors, there may be more than one profile.
Number/Squad: The number of models allowed in the unit, or the number of models you may take for one choice from the force organisation chart. Often this is a variable amount, in which case it shows the minimum and maximum unit size.
Weapons: These are the unit's standard weapons.
Options: Lists the different weapon and equipment options for the unit and any additional points for taking these options. It may also include the option to upgrade one mob member to a character. If a mob is allowed to have models with upgraded weaponry (such as big shootas or rokkit launchas), then these must be given to ordinary squad members, not the character.
Special Rules: This is where you'll find any special rules that apply to the unit.