http://www.frontlinegaming.org/2014/07/28/bao-results-rewards-and-some-pics/
The event was won by a White Scars army with a Knight. The other common Space Marine builds were drop pod Ultramarines and a Rhino rush White Scars army that came 4th. I'll analyse each of those lists and hopefully draw some interesting insights. Today, the winner's list.
Chapter master w/bike, artificer armour, shield eternal, power fist, digital weapons
Khan w/bike
Command Squad w/Apothecary, company standard, power fist (note: no grav-weapons)
Bike Squad (4) w/grav gun x2, combi-grav, melta bombs, attack bike w/multi-melta
Bike Squad (4) w/grav gun x2, combi-grav, melta bombs, attack bike w/multi-melta
Bike Squad (4) w/grav gun x2, combi-grav, melta bombs, attack bike w/multi-melta
Bike Squad (4) w/grav gun x2, combi-grav, melta bombs, attack bike w/multi-melta
Storm Talon w/ Skyhammer Missile Launcher
Knight Errant
1846 points
When I first saw the load-out of his bike squads I thought they were a bit weird. Multi-meltas and grav-guns struck me as doing fundamentally different things. But then I realised a few things:
- You need five models for the unit to count as troops. The better lists I've seen typically run 6 man squads with 3 guys as ablative bodies.
- Bikes boltguns are kinda shitty (hence Ravenwing banner-bomb); it's all about special weapons
- An attack bike has two wounds and costs 55 points.
- Two bikes have two wounds and cost 42 points, plus any special weapons.
Some calculations:
Bikes (6) w/grav-gun x2, combi-grav, melta bombs = 171
Bikes (4) w/grav-gun x2, combi-grav, melta bombs, attack bike w/ multi-melta = 184
- So for an extra 13 points (meltaguns cost 10) you get a multi-melta and retain the same number of wounds. The attack bike basically just nets you an additional, cheap, special weapon. Seems like a good deal to me!
This set up makes the bike squads very killy with lots o' dakka. They are fundamentally different to a tactical squad. They're reasonably tough, but a few unsaved wounds and the unit is toast. In the meantime though, they are putting out serious firepower. 9 grav-gun shots and a multi-melta will ravage heavy infantry.
The multi-melta also gives these squads the ability to pop transports and assault the contents in a pinch (double team and get two krak grenades if you need to), which I love! So I will be trying out this set-up this weekend or next (once my attack bikes arrive and I get them painted).
Third Point: the Knight is a great addition to this list. He can hold the middle of the board while the bikes range around the edges - like a beehive. This kind of set up is great for Maelstrom missions where you want to make it costly for your opponent to make long dashes across the board to distant objectives.
The Knight is also really handy to have against imperial guard and especially orks because he can distract firepower from the bikes in the early turns, pop tanks with his cannon and stomp any and all orks in close combat (difficult for them to kill him any other way). The Knight basically fixes all the concerns I've had with my own bike list going into my local tourney, but unfortunately, at 370 points, he's a bit too expensive for a 1500 tourney I think.
Fourth Point: That command squad. I'd love to know the thinking behind its set-up. The way I use my command squads is that the chapter master tanks wounds (extra well thanks to the apothecary) until you get into the maelstrom of battle - that spot in the middle of the board where tanks are blocking line of sight all over the place, there are units to charge so you cannot be shot at and there are also units to shoot at once you've hit and run. At that point, the chapter master (and often Khan) breaks away to engage units (tanks & MCs) in Melee while the command squads goes about Grav-gunning heavy infantry and charging isolated, weak units like artillery, tanks, combat squads etc i.e. things that don't need power weapons to be hurt bad in close combat.
This guy's command squad is a bit different because it doesn't have grav-guns, but it does have a power fist, and a company banner. I think the banner is a point-saving replacement for veteran sergeants in all the bike squads. Bikes have to take moral checks all the time because they have so few models. Re-rolling them is more useful than having LD 9, but you do have to be within 12 of the banner. I imagine that is fine on the first turn scout rush and allows you to definitely bring all your guns to bear shortly thereafter. After that you can just pick your battles and the banner can go where it's needed. I imagine that's where the power fist comes into the mix. As the banner goes to where you're getting hurt in close combat, you want the command squad to make an impact once it gets there. Khan and a power fist will make an impact. Grav-guns aren't so useful if your intention is to help out in assaults.
A very interesting list, based partly on which I've made the following adjustments to my playtesting list:
(IH, Warlord) Chapter Master w/bike, artificer armour, shield eternal, power fist, digital weapons
(WS) Khan w/bike
(WS) Bike Squad (4) w/grav-guns x2, combi-grav, melta bombs, attack bike with multi melta
(WS) Bike Squad (4) w/grav-guns x2, combi-grav, melta bombs, attack bike with multi melta
(WS) Bike Squad (5) w/grav-guns x2, combi-grav, melta bombs, veteran sergeant, power fist***
(IH) Tactical Squad (10) w/Rhino, melta, combi-melta
(IH) Tactical Squad (5) w/Drop pod, melta, combi-melta
(IH) Storm Talon w/Skyhammer missile launcher
(IH) Thunderfire cannon
*** that's my mini-command squad - it scores and delivers the beatings. No apothecary though...
I'm using meltaguns now instead of plasma in the tactical squad because I find my tactical squads usually disembark and rapid fire, in which case they are within 12 and the meltagun will hurt something without hurting me, and they are marginally better at sploddin/wreckin/immobilising transports through the middle of the board, which is the main thing I want from my tactical squad's special weapons.
I'm still using the tactical squad because I think they will provide me a nice rock in the centre of the board, because I don't want to paint that many bikes and because I am afraid of orks, whom tactical squads handle pretty well.
I'm going to experiment with the drop pod. Without ultramarines tactical doctrine I'm skeptical that it will be consistent enough to be worth it, but it does offer the prospect of getting first blood (lol @ thunderfire) and securing a distant objective on turn 1 - the tournament will use book maelstrom of war missions. If it sucks I will go back to using another Rhino.
Next article I will review the ultramarines drop pod lists, which have got me itching to buy some drop pods!
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