General
Captain
Unless you are fielding a character such as Dante, Marneus Calgar or
the like, a Captain will be your commander. As such he should be well
protected and armed. You can hide your commander at the back of the
battlefield and almost assure their survival, but this isn't really
on for a shithard Space Marine. I would recommend a field, preferably
conversion or displacer as they offer most protection for least penalty.
If you give him terminator armour and like close combat take a thunder
hammer and storm shield as you get a 4+ unmodifiable save without using
a wargear slot. Other useful cards are jump pack (engage them faster
or run away faster), aegis suit (goodbye mind war, brain bursta, doom,
carmine assassin etc), combat drugs (rip them to shreds in close combat)
and all special issue grenades (general nasty uses). Good normal wargear
to have is a chainsword and/or powersword, melta bombs, powerfist, plasma
pistol, kraks, plasma grenades and photon flash flares. The commander
is a very good all round fighter capable of taking out anything in hand
to hand if he has the right combination of equipment,
use him to support you more powerful close combat squads or to reinforce
normal squads if lots of Ld checks look likely e.g. you are fighting
chaos or tyranids.
Apothecary
An ok character, useful if attached to a more powerful character
or a heavy weapon squad where he can heal wounds and keep the men fighting,
other than that not much good. Try a jump pack for rapid medical response
and maybe a stasis, haywire or similar grenade to keep the enemy at
bay. As with all characters give him close combat weapons just in case
he gets the chance to help out against bigger targets such as vehicles
or squads.
Librarian
A very good characters, especially at the higher levels. Personally
I would never field anything below a Epistolary (L3) and would try for
a Chief Librarian if the points allowed. Their amazing close combat
ability, combined with force weapons and psychic powers mean that psykers
are often the best close combat troops you can muster. A force axe can
potentially give a chief librarian an S12 weapon, and usually an S9
weapon, a force sword will give you an S9 and possible an S11 but also
gives you a parry. Powers such as quickening, iron arm, teleportation
and prescience all increase the survivability of the librarian and add
to his killing power. Add in terminator armour and choice wargear cards
(a field, aegis suit, psychic hood, jump pack etc) and you have a lethal
monster on your hands. When equipped with melta bombs, a force weapon,
a field, jump pack and a chainsword he can bounce all over the battle
field blasting troops, slagging vehicles and assassinating characters.
This is one nasty character.
Chaplain
These are very good for reinforcing squads as they allow Ld
rerolls for break tests etc. Very good when fighting tyranids and chaos.
As with Captains and Librarians you can make very powerful characters
that can take on many things and live. A good point for them is that
they get a conversion field as standard in their rosarius and so that
frees up a wargear slot. Tool them up for close combat and get them
out there supporting your squads in the front line!
Techmarine
As with the Apothecary, Techmarines are good at their one
chosen job and not really any other. Give them a jump pack to ensure
you can reach the blown vehicles quickly and tool them up for close
combat just in case. Try not to get them killed as for the points they
are very important. IF you can take a few and scatter them around next
to landraiders and whirlwinds in order to keep your firing positions
alive for longer.
Standard
Bearer
As with the chaplains very useful for keeping the foot sloggers
inspired and preventing bad dice rolls making them run away. As always
give them a jump pack if required and close combat weapons and get them
out there.
Veteran Sergeants
Always a good idea, especially just for +5 points. The additional
Ld means that most squads won't even fail an Ld check, let alone require
any local rerolls from Chaplains etc. The wargear card is always useful,
take scanners and such in order to prevent models hiding too close to
you, various special issue grenades such as haywire are uncommon and
therefore would allow each squad added protection against vehicles,
teleport jammers etc can protect devastators from terminators, warp
spiders and warp jumping characters. The list is very good for a Veteran
Sergeant. Take one in every squad.
Tactical
Squad
The mainstay of your army, try to ensure that your minimum
25% troops cost is spent on these and then add assault, devastator and
terminator squads. These are the most flexible of all your troops and
so don't bog them down with heavy weapons. Keep them mobile and firing
and if required hunker down and rapid fire for a turn or two to clear
a path and then relocate and start again. Keep them moving from cover
to cover and the enemy will have to try and winkle out well armoured
troops before he can start to fire on your heavy weapons and assault
marines. Very good and have immense strategic value.
Devastator
Squad
The supporting fire for everyone else. Try to avoid mixing
weapons types, keep ranges as similar as you can, e.g. autcannon, lascannon,
heavy plasma and missile launchers together are fine (all have ranges
to 60"-72"), as are heavy bolters and multi meltas (40"
and 24") but avoid mixing the two otherwise you have long range
weapons dangerously close when they should be well back, or you have
other weapons merely on watch duty for the devastator squad. Use the
tank busters on hills to clear the enemies vehicles and use the heavy
bolters etc along with your own front line to break any charges and
massed troop formations. Multi melats are best at the front where they
blow the shit out of anything within 24". Even enemy terminators.
Assault
Squad
Arm these to the teeth with kraks, melta bombs, chainswords,
power swords and powerfists. Hold them behind the main front line and
then either charge out to protect the line animals or leap over the
top in order to counter charge the opposition before they attack you.
Never under estimate the effect of a good round of close combat on the
VPs. These marines at the right moment can probably determine the victory
of the battle more so than anything else in your army.
Veterans
Basically harder tactical marines. Don'y use them as devastators
as you already get a targeter and so probably don't need the additional
+1 BS except when fighting Eldar. Use them either in combat squads to
bolster the front line of tactical marines or with close combats weapons
to reinforce the assault marines.
Legion
of the Damned
As you only get a single squad take it and put it in the centre
of your front line, they will draw fire and hold better than normal
marines or veterans. Other than that use as normal tactical marines.
Scouts
Needle sniper rifles and good firing positions are the only
two things to remember with these. Use them ti harass the enemy as they
advance. They are the closest thing you have to expedable troops due
to they low points cost. Use them as such and try to halt the enemy
slightly or divert them. If they truely acheive anything great it is
probably a miracle so don't pin to much on them, just generally piss
of the opposition.
Terminators
When you opponent is going to throw masses of firepower at
you, take terminators. Their armour will stop most normal issue weapons,
and has the potential to save against most heavy weapons. As options
go, they are not amazing, but atake a cyclone or assault cannon and
watch your opponent madly try and target the marine carrying it. Both
are exceptionally good at destroying massed troops and vehicles. The
cyclone even has a personal built in targeter giving the Terminator
a BS of 7!! If you have any chracters decked out for close combat and
in terminator armour take some with lightning claws and thunder hammers
nad form a bodyguard, you will probably form the hardest squad on the
battlefield and be near invincible in hand to hand. Overall a very good
choice but be careful, you will have a lot fewer terminators than other
marines.
Bike
Squadron
Not really very good unless you use Dark Millenium to upgrade
the boltguns to Stormbolters and then get 2 Sustained Fire dice.
Use either kind of bike to harass the enemy front line and
generally annoy them, or as a bodyguard fore bike mounted characters.
However don't place too muchhope in these as even laspistols etc can
potentially kill the marine and therefore crash the bike.
Predator
The main battle tank of the Adeptus Astartes (the Landraider
is a souped up and flexible APC, not a Battle Tank). Very useful a medium
tank with good weapons, a friend of mine has upgraded his annihilator
using Dark Millenium to having twin-linked heavy flamers in the turret
and heavy flamers in the sponsons and as my Mordian can testify it is
deadly to troops within 12". A personal favourite is a take on
the Baal Predator with sponson mounted heavy bolters and twin assault
cannon in the turret, very versatile and able to take on massed troops,
heavily armoured troops, characters and vehicles. Much more flexible
than the landraider and proable more flexible with regards to armament
than any other battle tank in the game.
Land
Raider
One of the most amazing tanks there is, as weapons go it isn't
really the best possible but even so the idea of the landraider is awesome.
Use this to smash a hole in the front line of the opponent and then
disgorge terminators or assault troops. As a spearhead to an attack
there is probably no better vehicle available to any army. Make sure
it is supported by other vehicles and troops as the rear armour isn't
the best and it just takes one lucky shot to slag it. Overall an amazing
vehicle, even though the weapons could be better.
Rhino
This vehicle is best used as a decoy or a secondary APC. The
cheap points cost and the ability to carry troops means that it forms
a very good screen for Predators and Landraiders. Field 2 or 3 and then
run in other vehicles behind them. You can add 50 points of vehicle
cards before you give away additional vps so add Ablative armour, reinforced
armour, Super charge engines etc in order to prolong its life as a decoy.
When at the front line ram the enemy and actually cause some damage.
Point to remember: rhinos get a ram bar for free, if you ram a building
this adds +1D6 to your ram value giving you D12+2D6+7, or a max of 31,
enough to penetrate even a bunker.
Whirlwind
Used against Eldar, Orks and Imperial Guard this is a very
good vehicle. Slightly less effective against marines but still good.
When paired up they can be lethal. Remember that you can also fire indirectly
with them and so can shell the hidden mortars etc of the enemy. Target
massed troop formations and heavy weapon positions as a rule and keep
at them, your targeter and BS should compensate for most cover and be
able to pound them out. The D4 damage can even potentially take care
of characters that stray under the blast. Best used to soften areas
of the front line prior to a charge by assault troops or a heavy turn
of firing in order to break the centre or a flank.
Attack
Bike
As with the other bikes very bad as can be taken out by autoguns
etc, however the attack bike can at least mount a decent weapon and
for once can strike at the enemy with a multi melta rather than waiting
for them to get within range. Best used as a fast support for normal
troops or tagged in groups of 2-3 with other bikes for protection. If
needs be tool up and surprise people by doing hit and runs as well.
Dreadnought
A monster machine. This mobile gun turret is very tough and
though they are expensive can offer some of the best fire power in an
army. The special rules for dreadnoughts mean that none of their weapons
are the same as those carried by normal troops or other vehicles. The
ability to move and fire means that you can pop out from behind buildings
and fire immediately rather than have a turn of being shot at. The best
combo for long range and anti tank is multiple missile launcher and
twin lascannon. This will decimate concentrations of troops and vehicle.
For closer damage take assault cannon or multi melta. The Power fist
is near useless unless you are attacked. One tactic to try would be
to take twin powerfists and then try charging vehicles, but I think
that would probably be in vain. Nice vehicle, very good weapons options.
Landspeeder
Very fast and powerful skimmer, the heavy flamer isn't such
a great idea, but a multi melta is. Use Dark Millenium to upgrade the
heavy flamer or swoop down on hidden troops. Very good at a supporting
role with attack bikes. However, still suffers the problem of being
brought down by an autogun (it can kill the driver).
Razorback
Very useful as it combines firepower with APC capability and
therefore can run at the head of a few predators and rhinos and dish
it out before unloading troops. As with bikes and landspeeders the simplest
weapon can disable the weaponry by killing the gunner in the open turret.
Use sparingly but well in the right situations.
Support Weapons
Rapier Laser Destroyer, this is an excellent weapon for destroying
powerful characters and vehicles. If possible take a couple and position
on a good vantage point where the need to move is reduced so that you
do not lose any operating time.
Tarantula, a very versatile anti-grav platform weapon system which can
mount either twin-linked lascannons, multimelta (counts as one, not
two), twin-linked missile launchers, twin-linked autocannons, or twin-linked
heavy bolters. Use these to concentrate firepower, my personal favourites
are twin linked lascannon and twin linked heavy bolters. Take them in
units of at least three if possible to maximise their survivability.
Due to the weapon battery rules in Dark Millenium, try to always have
them more then 4" apart in order to avoid a bad round of sustained
fire.
Mole Mortar, these weapons can totally disrupt your enemy's plans as
they can strike almost anywhere on the battlefield with devastating
effect. They are somewhat unpredictable, but when they work they work
very well. Just make sure your spotter has a good view of the battlefield.
Go for vehicles and buildings where the possibility of a crater can
totally destroy, or large concentrations of troops where the blast will
kill as many as possible.
Thudd Gun, the Thudd Gun can devastate large numbers of lightly armoured
close-packed mobs of troops like you will run into with large IG and
Ork armies. They're well worth their points. They can also indirect
fire, but you must declare your target one turn and then fire on the
next, as aligning the weapon takes a full turn and so the enemy can
move.
Blood Angels
Veteran Assault Squad
An amazing squad. When equipped with grenades and jump packs
most assault troops are very good, these are just much better. Use them
in attacks vs vehicles and hard characters where the higher initiative
and WS bonus are very good. They have a Vet Sgt
as standard so give him a useful wargear card. Generally tool up as
a normal squad, but set your sights higher and use on elite troops and
characters rather than attacking the enemies rank and file.
Death
Company
Everything said about Veteran assault troops above applies
here, only more so. You can shrug off basic weapons fire due to the
additional wound, and it also gives more staying power vs the likes
of tyranid warriors, ogryns and other large multiple wound creatures.The
frenzy ability combined with two close combat weapons, jump packs, an
additional wound and higher WS means these things are lethal (possible
22" charge range, WS6, 3 attacks and 2 wounds) even Banshees, Genestealers
and Berserkers should worry when facing these, as they are tougher and
faster than any of them. An amazing unit, just don't let the chaplain
die!
Captain Tycho
A very mediocre character. As with others such as Cassius
and Helviticus use him if you want an interesting
paint job but not otherwise. As with Cassius,
his special ability is only useful against one army (in this case Orks).
The additional wound and additional attack could be quite good, but
you are already saddled with digi-lasers and a melta-bolter combi, which
dosen't really maximise his potential. Use him against vehicles where
he can get 4 attacks at 2D6+D20+8 but really he isn't worth it. Take
a normal captain with Melta bombs and a jump pack.
Commander Dante
Now this is a good character +1 W,WS, I and A! HE even has
bloody good wargear. The only thing lacking is a parry. However, other
than that he is perfectly suited to killing anything you want. Used
properly the Death Mask is amazing, watch line animals run and the characters
stand still for you to attack them. the body guard means that you can
tool the entire squad up with melta guns for vehicle killing, or normal
assault weapons for maximum damage against the enemy as a whole. A very
good character.
Cleutin
Very useful if advanced with assault troops as at the right
moment he deactivates the stasis field and suddenly the unit(s) frenzy.
It is a pity that he cannot get another wargear card (jump pack, a field
or something like them), however he is still good as it is. If Corbulo
is near him and hasn't jetted off with Dante and Co. the two together
can turn Death Company and Assault marines into rabid killers capable
of eliminating other assault troops with impunity.
Mephiston
If there was ever any doubt about the Blood Angels mental
state this character resolves them. They are vampires through and through.
His stats are even near identical to that of a Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Vampire Lord. The transfixing stare is very useful when fighting high
powered opponents as it mean you could possible get an additional 8
or so free hits with an S11 weapon (his force sword) he even gets a
parry. Not counting his psychic ability he is incredibly powerful and
when they are taken into account he becomes probably the most powerful
Space Marine there is.
Corbulo
Use Corbulo to support either Dante and his bodyguard (take
a Jump pack) or by supporting Cleutin and any nearby assault squads,
if Mephiston is nearby he gets M8, WS9, S8 (S12 with his sword) and
becomes, the best thing there is for close combat. Normal troops still
get +1 WS and S, and +2 M which means assault troops become incredible,
if a Veteran assault squad charages when in 12" of Corbulo they
get WS7 which means they are more than capable of dicing genestealers
and other close combat nasties. As with Cleutin, a very good character
when used in conjunction with other characters and squads.
Dark Angels
Master of Deathwing
Really just a souped up Captain, as all characters of this
level have to be initiated into the Deathwing anyway. Use him as a Captain,
and rememeber that he is immune to all psychology. Best used to lead
the deathwing units or normal units where his armour and Ld will best
protect them.
Master
of Ravenwing
As with the Master of the Deathwing, use this character to
lead his specific units or to support lesser unit with his Ld and armour.
As he cannot be taken as a gunner, it isn't really worth giving him
a landspeeder.
Ravenwing
Amazing fast attack troops. The jink ability means that firing
on a ravenwing vehicle has a -3 penalty before cover, overwatch etc
modifiers. The landspeeder configuration is also rather good and is
excellent at removing hard characters, vehicles and massed troops. Try
to take as many as possible and keep them together to ensure survivability.
Ravenwing bikers make great bodyguards for characters on bikes as the
jink ability means they last longer as protection for the character.
Deathwing
Arm and use as normal terminators but remember that they are
immune to all psychology which means they are better for close combat
against chaos daemons and tyranids as there is no change they will run
away from them.
Azrael
The lion Helm is a seriously cool piece of wargear. Try standing
him in front of devastator squads and the like to protect them with
the field and then to charge anything that comes too close, alternatively
get him out there with the assault troops where the field will protect
a bodyguard and the Sword of Secrets can show what its good at. The
additional attack, wound and initiative means that he is excellent in
close combat and has the ability to outfight most other characters in
the event of a draw. Very good character.
Ezekiel
A rather powerful character, but really not much more than
a standard librarian. His only unique or unusual item is the Book of
Salvation, which unlike the Red Grail or Shroud of Sanguinus only comes
into effect when he is dead! At least, unlike other general characters
he does still cost the normal points cost and hasn't been hiked up.
A good character that is let down by standard stats and mediocre wargear.
Bethor
Probably the best standard bearer there is. With three standards
to choose from, each having a very useful effect, he is even better
than a Chaos Icon bearer. All of the standards are
best used in supporting assault troops or front line marines. The ability
to move and rapid fire, or fire and still have overwatch is very good
and means you can apply a little more flexibility to parts of your line.
If he is supporting assault troops take the Standard of Retribution,
so that even against very powerful targets you can still guarantee at
least one strike.
Asmodai
Very good against multiple wound opponents where the blades
of reason can be used to the full. Bear in mind that things suchas Carnifexes
and Hive Tyrants are living creatures, so even they are brought low
by the blades. Unusually for a special character he can choose from
the wargear lists, so try a conversion and give him terminator armour
or something. When used correctly and with the right equipment, Asmodai
is a very strong character.
Sapphon
Very useful, he can take more wargear than a normal chaplain
and still gets the Rosarius Conversion field, any squad he leads is
immune to psychology and he has a powersword. Give him a jump pack and
things like special issue grenades and keep him up with your normal
assault troops where he can keep them in the fight longer and add a
bit clout in close combat.
Space Wolves
Wolf Lord
These are obviously a must for your army. You can use them as just
an inspiration model for troops within range (leadership of 10) or you
can create a special Lord to fit the purpose of your attack plan. Like
all chapters, there is a great range of possibilities for your Lord
to pursue. If I take a common Lord, i.e. not a special character, I
use him mostly for his leadership value. This way the cost is kept low.
Usual armament is one assault weapon and handy Wargear cards, such as
the scanner and targeter. If I ever think that I am going to use my
Lord for the point of a spearhead attack I give him combat drugs, a
Vortex or Virus grenade and a field of some type, along with two good
assault weapons and one special. With BS and WS of 7 he can be very
deadly. I usually place him with my GH for extra firepower and melee
combat. The Wolf Lord is very flexible when it comes to outfitting,
but have a think about what you want to do with him before the game
and prepare him for that role.
Wolf Priest
My favourite tactic for the Priest is to give him a jump pack and join
him with my BCs. As the jump packs will usually be more than 12" away
from your Lord, then the Priest can give them his Ld value. Armed with
good assault weapons, he can help take out the opponent. He also gets
the medipack for free, so it helps to raise the fallen brothers. With
his reroll of any leadership tests for troops within 8", he can help
keep the hand to hand combat going and get the brothers to stand their
ground when feared or terrorised. When it comes to hand to hand combat,
I always leave the Wolf Priest last. This way he gets all the extra
dice and bonuses for multiple opponents, plus his high WS. So in conjunction
with 2 attacks +1 for the extra assault weapon, you can bet he is going
to cause his opponent to drop.
Rune Priest
Rune Priests are very good characters, and are better than a standard
Librarian. They automatically come equipped with a force rod, so which
psychic level to take is up to you, for the purpose of Wargear cards
and psychic ability. I always take at least a level two priest so that
I can take a psychic hood and a field of some kind. If I am restricted
to just a level one, then the psychic hood is a must. Those rerolls
can be very handy. If they are of higher level, then I usually give
them supplemental wargear cards depending on their tactical role. I
can then go ahead and arm them with assault weapons and have them in
the melee, as their WS and BS is usually 6 or 7. I have found that a
lot of players leave their Rune Priest in remote places, just for the
use of psychic powers. I have always liked having my priest in the thick
of the action. That way if I draw any short range powers, there will
always be something to cast it on. If you are in doubt, pay a few more
points for another lower level priest as a back up. This way you will
still have a few powers to play with.
Iron Priest
If you want a Dreadnought, support weapons or vehicles other than
bikes, you need to have one of these guys. If I have a Dreadnought I
usually get the Iron Priest to tag along at a 4" range. This way he
can move to the Dreadnought and repair as soon as possible, and it also
keeps him out of range should the Dread decide to blow up. The maximum
explosion area is a 3" radius. For Wargear Cards I usually give them
a servo arm for an extra attack, a field, and a scanner. This way, if
he is following the Dread, you can bet that the enemy will want to take
it out ASAP, so if it is tried by melee combat, then the priest is there
to help. Servitors can be good for their 'bodyguard' role, in the sense
that they can surround the priest so that the rule for choosing targets
gives the priest more protection. This is especially good when he is
spending time repairing a vehicle for a whole turn.
Wolf Guard Champions
I have two champion models that I use with my WG packs. One is
fitted with Terminator armour and the other isn't. The one that does
usually leads the hand to hand combat orientated WG into combat. The
other, I use with my missile weapons pack, as they are usually away
from the melee combat and I find it a waste of points to give him Terminator
armour. He is positioned towards the rear so that he can not be shot
at, and is then able to supply a better leadership value. If you are
fighting against an opponent that you think will inspire a lot of fear
and terror, it is usually good to have them lead GHs and BCs. You will
find that they will be less vulnerable to the effects. I prefer to use
these instead of normal WG in this instance, as they are cheaper by
3 points, and have the option of taking a wargear card. The wargear
card usually depends on the mood that I'm in at the time. But it is
best to take something that is going to help the tactical role of the
squad that they are leading.
Grey Hunters
The Grey Hunters form the core of any SW army, and I always take
at least one pack. They have +1 WS compared to any other marine of the
same type, i.e. tactical squads. This can make a big difference when
it comes to rolling the d6. The Space Wolves are dominators of hand
to hand combat when compared to other chapters. So this bonus should
be optimised where possible. There is a large area of debate with this
pack, compared to other marine chapters. They are unable to take a special
or heavy weapon. OK, but the reason that I play the Wolves is for their
hand to hand combat skills, and the GH's are just the beginning. So
I am glad that I do not have the option of the heavy weapon, as it would
give one brother a -1 WS, and I also find it a waste to have a GH pack
remain reasonably stationary so that the weapon can fire. As for the
special weapon, your sergeant can take one if you really want one. When
I arm my GH's for hand to hand combat I usually give just one assault
weapon. This keeps the points cost down, and gives me a bit of variety
when it comes to modelling. As the squad cost 316 points to start, you
can add up to 83 more points before their is a difference in VP's. So
use them! The GH's can be used for any of the mission cards, if played
properly. Unfortunately it sometimes comes down to timing. If armed
lightly you should be able to afford to buy at least two packs, maybe
even 3. That's 20-30 troops that can fight in hand to hand if they need
to, shoot twice if they remain stationary (40-60 shots), and they have
their shaken rule. I am yet to have a GH pack quiver in the corner with
broken morale.
Blood Claws
Where to start? There is a lot of diversity with this pack. But I use
them for one purpose. Can you guess? That's right, hand to hand combat.
Jump packs are a must for my BC's. An 18' jump with a 4' follow up when
charging. Even if you miss your target, the maximum scatter you will
get is 3', so you will always engage your opponent if they are within
the 18' leap. I will always sacrifice a turn if it means the difference
between engaging the enemy, or being left out in the open. If the enemy
are too far away, then I will make one jump into good terrain on one
turn, then onto the enemy the next. As they will nearly always be the
chargers, they are unable to parry because of their ferocity. But if
you put them up against really tough opponents, then they are sure to
be fighting it out again next round. So still arm them with chain and/or
power swords so that you can get to parry after the first round that
they charged. Give them fists and axes as well, even the odd hand flamer
hear and there. That way you are rolling 2 dice for the attacks statistic,
plus one for the extra assault weapon. You'll find that you'll be taking
out squads in no time, not to mention the odd Dreadnought or Tank. Even
if the enemy is still standing, you will probably still overwhelm them
with numbers in 'their' hand to hand combat round. Bikes? I don't take
them often. But the best thing that they can be used for is driveby
attacks. Just arm them with a fist or axe, get up plenty of speed, and
drop the enemy to the ground. You will both be rolling 1 dice each,
and you get +1 for charging. This gives you a chance against those dreaded
Daemons and Tyranids. The power of the weapon should be enough to wound.
But I stress, make sure you have plenty of movement left to keep on
riding past, other wise you'll get clobbered. You will also be very
hard to be shot at when churning up the turf at fast speed, getting
a -2 to hit modifier plus any terrain. The enemy will be dazzled! Come
to think of it, I should use them more often.
Long Fangs
BS 5 plus a targeter! That means you still need only a 2 or more
to hit anything behind soft cover. Cool! And you don't waste points
on five other marines that stand around twiddling their thumbs. I like
them a lot. They can be armed well for varied opponents. Sustained fire
weapons for low armoured troops, or high penetration weapons for the
more resistant. So if you need heavy weapons, these are the fellas for
the job. After being placed well, for battlefield view, there won't
be much that is out of sight or range. Let the molten rain fall on their
skulls! The LF's can act as a stable centre for a 'castle' formation.
While other troops on the wings of the battlefield perform pincer movements,
the LF's can supply heavy firepower to almost anywhere on the battlefield.
This is my main tactic with this pack. These guys can come in handy
if you feel that you want to deliver reasonable firepower in your first
turn.
Wolf Scouts
Needle sniper rifles are a must for my scouts, and a Multi Melta for
the heavy weapon. If I have the points spare I usually take them. With
their infiltration rule, you can usually find a target to hit. The reason
I feel that they are only a 'maybe' to a SW army, is their BS of 3.
It's not the best, but it can be OK at times. I usually keep the pack
in the centre of the table, this way the Multi Melta should be able
to hit what it needs to, on every turn. It is always good to start them
in hiding and on overwatch. As they will be reasonably close to the
enemy, their weapon ranges should be OK. But make sure that at least
the Multi melta has good hard cover, as your opponent will want to take
him out if he becomes detected or spotted. Those Multi meltas can be
a nightmare! Fortunately, the Scouts and Sergeant still have a WS of
4 and 5. So if you feel you will be getting into hand to hand combat,
give them at least a sword for a parry. I wouldn't advise this for any
General as they have only got scout armour and can't select any powerful
assault weapons. But you never know.
Wolf Guard
The elite of the Space Wolves. These guys can hold up against almost
anything. Don't be suckered in to giving them all Assault Cannons and
Cyclones as they will become very expensive, which will give you less
of other troops to play with, and they are a sitting duck for VP's.
It can be good to have enough models so that you can create one squad
in Terminator armour, for different tactical reasons. The first is the
shoot 'em up squad. It could consists of one Cyclone, one AC, one Heavy
flamer and two Stormbolters. They could also have a combination of chain
and powerfists. Another type is a hand to hand combat pack that could
have the same two Stormbolters and Heavy Flamer troops above plus one
Thunder hammer/Storm shield, and one Lightning Claw. You would then
go ahead and use them for their obvious reasons. With a BS of 5 and
Terminator armour they make good gunfighters. Mind you, still take care
that they optimise the use of any terrain. Don't leave them out in the
open if you can help it. The only really unstable parts of this pack
is the Cyclone with it's possible chance of blowing up, and the AC as
well. Try to keep these figs towards the back of the pack, so that they
can not be shot at, rather the others have to be killed first. But still
give them plenty of viewing area to use their guns. They also have their
WS of 6, which comes in handy with a hand to hand combat formation.
Usually the first 2 turns can spent running across the battlefield,
from cover to cover. This way you can engage as soon as possible. Both
of these squads should have a set objective before the game, so utilise
them as much as possible. They also come in handy for those mission
cards. Very rarely should you teleport your Wolf Guard into battle as
it makes them even more expensive, and it just isn't an option when
fighting against Chaos. Damn possession rules! The only time that you
should do it is if you get Take and Hold, as these troops are very capable
of doing so. Another option is not to take the Terminator armour. This
is what I have done. I don't own any WG Terminators. They then become
a very good Grey Hunter/Blood Claw equivalent, plus more. They then
have the option of taking Assault, Special and Heavy weapons, which
can make them very good at performing any tactical role. Unfortunately,
GW has brought out a very limited range of these models, if any, so
a fair bit of conversion work may be needed. At a cost of 34 points
per model, a 10 man squad will cost 340 points plus weapons. So if you
are prepared to outlay the points you can create a very useful squad.
With a higher WS they are the masters of hand to hand combat of any
chapter. If you want to use them as a better LF equivalent, then it
will cost you 170 points, and you can have not 4 but 5 heavy weapons
in the squad. The only draw back is that if you are using Ragnar Blackmane,
and perform his 'Howl' skill, they will have to charge, so be aware
of this situation. Mine are armed for hand to hand combat, as this is
what the Space Wolves are all about really. So as you can see, there
are many options available for this squad, ranging from armament to
tactical role. Sometimes you just have to experiment.
Ragnar Blackmane
When I use Ragnar he is usually put with a hand to hand WG pack.
That way he is nearly always present in any spearhead attack. I find
that it is a waste of time not to have him in hand to hand combat. He
just oozes with the stuff. His berserk charge is just one of a few abilities.
Doubling his attacks when he does so gives you a lot of chances to destroy
your opponent. After taking Frostfang and his master crafted bolt pistol
I usually give him combat drugs to make him even more ferocious. Unfortunately
his Dodge ability is only used against shooting attacks, but it gives
you another roll against those hits that he may take. And then there
is the dreaded Howl. This comes down to timing. You need to make sure
that all models other than LF's are going to be within the 12' charge
range, otherwise you are going to be left out in the open. The main
effect that will come about will happen to Ragnar and any BC's that
you are fielding. As they both will use their charge ability, they will
not be able to parry for the round that they are moved. But if they
are all suitably armed, then you should win the round. Don't expect
to win against very hard troops though, as Frostfang is only S5.
Njal Stormcaller
Well here is a psyker that is not to be messed with. Firstly, in
the SW codex it states under psychic mastery that he is untitled up
to four power plus one for his hood, but under Wargear it states that
the card that must be taken is just the psychic hood. So what do you
do? There are two options, depending on how you interpret the text.
One way is to say that the Hood of Gnyrll is Njal's item, that is, it
belongs to him. It then becomes a unique item, not to be given to other
Rune Priests. This, I admit, fits the description of Njal, and his rise
to power, but there is no mention of gaining the item in his history.
Only Nightwing is mentioned. The other way of looking at it is that
Njal must take a normal psychic hood. This then allows the Hood of Gnyrll
to be taken by any Runepriest. But you will never be able to give it
to Njal as his Wargear card selections are full, and not to mention
that he can't wear two hoods at once. My interpretation is the first
one. It adds flavour to his character. Here is another model that can
also enter melee without too much worry. He has his WS and BS of 8 and
7, and has 3 attacks, and that's just to start. His Runestaff gives
him another, and adds 1 to his initiative and 4 to his strength. Then
there is the bird. Your opponent will always face two opponents when
fighting with him. So I find the best and most obvious method is to
first attack with Nightwing. I will admit that he won't do much and
probably won't live after the first turn. You then gain the extra dice
and an extra +1 to your result for being the second opponent. So let
us add this up. When in hand to hand you will be rolling 4 dice (3 attacks+1
for the staff). Any wounds that are inflicted are at strength 9. That's
the equivalent of a lascannon! And if the result in combat is a draw,
his Initiative statistic is raised to 8. You'll probably be able to
get in the single hit here. Unfortunately, Njal doesn't have any protection
other than his power armour. So be careful not to take on something
that is out of his league. Leave them for the packs. So while you've
got him in hand to hand combat, you will be able to dish out your powers
across the table, even the short ranged ones.
Ulric the Slayer
I use the same tactics for Ulric as I do with any Wolf Priest. The
bonus here is that when he charges with the BC's, he inspires fear with
the Wolf Helm of Russ. Ulric also gets an extra dice in melee for having
his plasma pistol and crozius arcanum. That gives you 3 dice with a
weapon skill of 7. So the other Wargear cards that I give him is usually
the jump pack and something small like the targeter. This keeps him
from getting too expensive.
Bjorn the Fellhanded
I always like to use Bjorn for anti-personnel. Armed with an AC
and heavy flamer, he makes a good unit for this role. If he does get
too close and enters melee, then he has got his Lightning Claw to set
the enemy straight.
Ultramarines
Tigurius
The rod of Tigurius means that he is a very powerful psyker,
as regardless of the enemy they cannot nullify his powers, even Seer
Runes don't work. Give a him another force weapon and a field, or a
jump pack and a field and he becomes lethal. Try to keep a medic nearby
for when he loses wounds to the rod and be careful of using psychic
powers if he has only 1 or 2 wounds left. Overall a very good character
that can have a major effect on the game.
Marneus Calgar
Personally I cannot stand Marneus Calgar, but that is a specific
grudge against the Ultramarines. As a character he is very powerful
with higher attacks, wounds, strategy rating and weaponskill than a
normal captain and the ability to fight multiple opponents with ease.
Only the Eversor assassin shares that ability. Twin powerfists means
that he can quickly reduce vehicles and characters to crushed armour
and pile of VPs. Pick him something like a conversion field and a jump
pack and he becomes capable of tearing the centre out of the opposition
and then escaping before they can offer retribution. Very lethal against
Tyranids due to his high weapon skill and powerful attacks. His one
major flaw is that he has no parries and so can lose to models armed
with swords.
Cassius
Very much a 'fluff' character rather than an exercise is toughness,
with him you tgrade off the ability to take standard wargear and to
customise him for the ability that any squad he leads is immune to tyranid
psychology. This is really only any good when fighting them and so the
trade off isn't really worth it. He may be 9 points cheaper than a normal
Hero Chaplain but any chaplain of his level leads a squad with Ld 9
and a reroll, so his ability is next to shit for use. Use him if you
want to do a special paint job or something but not otherwise.
Helviticus
As with Cassius not really that amazing as the banner only
renders him immune to psychology and makes him cause fear. Try him with
a jump pack leaping into Orks, Guardsmen etc and see what happens. However
that for 121 points is a little expensive for a standard bearer even
a fear causing one. Better to take a normal Standard bearer. Again,
unless you find him useful, only take him if tou want to make a special
paint job.
Invictus
Very useful, though more for an ability than personal prowess.
His terminator bodyguard can be armed with wargear cards and that means
that you can take photon beam searchlights and gain advantages in close
combat or open the way for assault troops to carve through, frenzon
and bionic eyes can make a very tough close combat and avoid walking
into potential ambushes. Overall a very good character that can make
an already hard squad even better.