Hi,
I used to game with AI playing
40K a couple of years back, but since I am located in Aylesbury it was not that convenient and am now active with the Aylesbury Wargames Club and doing FoW.
Sorry if I am committing threadomancy here... being 6 weeks laters, you may have bought stuff already.
If you like
MW and commandos, the Commando list from North Africa can be fun. I am just starting to build up an Infantry Tank Company which will have commandos as its infantry support, but also played around with this list conceptually ...
HQ - Brigadier Young, 2 x PIAT Teams (to be combat attached to commando companies) [160]
Combat - Commando Company - 2 Sections [390]
Combat - Commando Company - 1 Section [195]
Combat - Commando Company - 1 Section [195]
Combat - Commando Mortars - 3 Sections (purely for smoke) [105]
Support - Field Battery, Royal Artillery (Confident Trained) - 8 guns (to give access to Murder and Stonk British special rules) [285]
Support - Tank Platoon - 3 x Churchill IIIs [410]
1740 points, 6 platoons. In defensive missions, start with arty, tanks and the large commando on the table, which is a respectable 1245 points on turn 1. Nothing really screams out suitability for ambush though.
You wont kill many tanks with 25 pdrs in bombardment with a firepower of 5+, or at least not reliably even using a double template (you will be lucky to get 3 tanks under it if your Confident Veteran opponent is smart), but an AT of 9 and
FP 3+ using direct fire is not too shabby in
MW in the anti-tank role against anything except Tigers. Churchill IIIs are arguably the best tank, especially for the price, of the
MW period and will attract lots of enemy fire (and be able to take it so CT is not much of an issue) that would otherwise be spent hammering your artillery, as well as being scary in the assault. Mortars purely for smoke so your arty can concentrate on pinning/killing/Anti-Tank as needed, 2 section commando company w/ both PIATS to act aggressively when it comes time for the counter punch (can take loads of casualties and still be viable - and deadly - in the assault), 7 stand commandos dig in and go to ground around your own objectives...
Just my tuppence, and I am no expert - Phil/DaBoss and others have a load more experience than I do.