Hello 40k fans,
Welcome to "The Warhammer 40k Blog", my role in this blog will be everything Space Marine from tactics to build tutorials. I personally am creating my own Custom Space Marine Chapter the "Angels Inferno" and through this blog you will be able to follow all my workings on the chapter from "fluff" to the actual finished Miniatures.
Meet the Angels Inferno.....
Join us tomorrow for some SM Tactics and a look at where i am with my SM build.
Thanks for reading guys...
Jimmy
Hello, my name is Aaron and i'll be the other Space Marine writer for this blog, just to tell ya some stuff about my self i play a Dark Angels Successor Chapter that go by the name of Angels of Vengeance, my army is currently only at 1500 points and a list shall be up soon. I will be posting things from Tactics to army lists, and hopefully get some battle reports in!
Angels Inferno 2nd company 1st Squad...
Lets take a look at the backbone of the Marine army the basic Marine, the Tactical Marine. He's got a better then most statline, hes actually equal to and in some cases better than the elites of other armies like Imperial Guard, Eldar, Tau and some Orks. 90% of the Tactical squad carry the famous Boltgun, which has an avarage range of 24" and can inflict serious damage, it also can rapidfire at 12" for extra kills, Now the standard Marine also carrys a Boltpistol for when he wants to charge. The Marine has krak and frag grenades to throw towards the tanks and even those in cover. But all this come's at quite a big cost to you at 16pts per Marine, It may not seem much, but compared to other armys troops choices points cost, you'll likely to be outnumbered 2-3 on every battlefield, which can seem bad, but once you take a good look at those stats, you wont feel so bad.
Special weapons- These are all close ranged, but that doesn't make them weak. The free one is the flamer, and it is used widely, not because its free, but its a definite improvement over a bolter in some cases. Instead of rapidfiring, he can now automatically hit 4-8 guys on average with the stats of the bolter he gave away! This can even be usefull against those with a 3+ save, as they'll probrally fail a save or 2, even 3. The melta gun is another assault weapon, but for tanks. It's the best short ranged anti tanked gun in the game, only problem is getting close, but if you use cover you'll be fine. it can also be used for elites and even H.Q's, as it will most likely instant kill them! The next option is in my opinion a beast, the plasma gun. I call it a beast because it isn't an assault weapon, but is actually usefull for shortranged firefights, as ap2 will allow it to easily slay elite units and light vehicles, and it can rapidfire. But theirs a cost besides being the most expensive, it can kill the unit holding it, with the not so popular rule "Gets Hot", dont forget about this rule it can sometimes wipe out your Marines..
Lets observe the heavy weapons now. The missile launcher is also free, and the most versitile. It can fire frag missiles to take out meduim infantry and krak rounds for tanks, all at an impressive range. The multi melta is rarely taken, It' definetly a lot better than the meltagun, but the marine using it can't move with it, making it's short range unable to actually kill any tanks. Las cannons are also tank hunters, but have twice the range, making them outclass the infantry held multimelta. Heavy bolters are great for anti infantry roles, and are also free. Plamsa cannons combine both frag and krak rounds in a sense, being a blast weapon with high strenght and ap, but has less range, costs more, and can kill you.
So you've got a special and heavy weapon chosen, what combinations should you use?
Missile launcher+flamer- is one of the most common mostly because Both weapons are free, and if you combat squad the same sqaud can take out infantry and tanks, and can support each other as needed. Also the flamer CS (combat squad) can take an objective while the launcher one keeps one, getting 2 objectives with one unit.
Plasmagun+plasma cannon- uncommon, but takes elite hunting to the extreme. This combo when facing Chaos Marines and Necrons come in handy as it will decimate them, and can even take out light vehicles. The downside is CS's(Combat Squads) wont be effective with this and domt forget the "Gets Hot!" it can go wrong and can get rid of both your weapons.
Plasmagun-lascannon-this is actually more common then you think, as it will let the squad kill hard tanks and elites, with the bolter marines taking out troops the other weapons shouldn't bother with.
Meltagun+multimelta- one off the combos i use but thats down to "fluff" reasons it actually a very rare combo, but if effective it will take out monstrous creatures and tanks efficeintly. This is bad in most games, but very useful in planetstrike.
Flamer+heavybolter- this squad is extremally usefull for taking out tyranids, orks and other infantry swarms. common. also Plasmagun+H.Bolter and Meltagun+H.Bolter would work the same against high infantry armys.
And now the last thing with the Tactical marines, and probably the most important Marine in the squad is the sergeant. He adds an extra leadership and attack, so he's very usefull. He will always go with the close combat CS's(Combat Squad if using Combat Squads) because of his extra attack, but some don't know how to arm him. Stormbolters, thunder hammers, and lightning claws are usually a waste on him, due to cost or usefullness. The best weapons for him are bolters/combi bolters and the good old chainsword. Bolters are usefull if hes gonna rapidfire then assault the remains later, and combi flamers/meltas make him much more versitile, taking out tanks and swarms/hordes alike. I personally like the trusty old chainsword and combi-melta/flamer the most for "fluff" reasons and because of the way I play. If you gave the sergeant a bolter but plan on gettng into combat it's a waste. A bolt sarg will either do 1-2 shots or 3 attacks in close combat a turn, one or the other, while a CC sarg can do 5 attacks a turn including his pistol shot. The extra attacks help immensly, and it's free. Taking a combi instead of the CC waepon is fine if he's got a flamer or melta combi, as he'll probrally do more damage (for more points).
Special weapons- These are all close ranged, but that doesn't make them weak. The free one is the flamer, and it is used widely, not because its free, but its a definite improvement over a bolter in some cases. Instead of rapidfiring, he can now automatically hit 4-8 guys on average with the stats of the bolter he gave away! This can even be usefull against those with a 3+ save, as they'll probrally fail a save or 2, even 3. The melta gun is another assault weapon, but for tanks. It's the best short ranged anti tanked gun in the game, only problem is getting close, but if you use cover you'll be fine. it can also be used for elites and even H.Q's, as it will most likely instant kill them! The next option is in my opinion a beast, the plasma gun. I call it a beast because it isn't an assault weapon, but is actually usefull for shortranged firefights, as ap2 will allow it to easily slay elite units and light vehicles, and it can rapidfire. But theirs a cost besides being the most expensive, it can kill the unit holding it, with the not so popular rule "Gets Hot", dont forget about this rule it can sometimes wipe out your Marines..
Lets observe the heavy weapons now. The missile launcher is also free, and the most versitile. It can fire frag missiles to take out meduim infantry and krak rounds for tanks, all at an impressive range. The multi melta is rarely taken, It' definetly a lot better than the meltagun, but the marine using it can't move with it, making it's short range unable to actually kill any tanks. Las cannons are also tank hunters, but have twice the range, making them outclass the infantry held multimelta. Heavy bolters are great for anti infantry roles, and are also free. Plamsa cannons combine both frag and krak rounds in a sense, being a blast weapon with high strenght and ap, but has less range, costs more, and can kill you.
So you've got a special and heavy weapon chosen, what combinations should you use?
Missile launcher+flamer- is one of the most common mostly because Both weapons are free, and if you combat squad the same sqaud can take out infantry and tanks, and can support each other as needed. Also the flamer CS (combat squad) can take an objective while the launcher one keeps one, getting 2 objectives with one unit.
Plasmagun+plasma cannon- uncommon, but takes elite hunting to the extreme. This combo when facing Chaos Marines and Necrons come in handy as it will decimate them, and can even take out light vehicles. The downside is CS's(Combat Squads) wont be effective with this and domt forget the "Gets Hot!" it can go wrong and can get rid of both your weapons.
Plasmagun-lascannon-this is actually more common then you think, as it will let the squad kill hard tanks and elites, with the bolter marines taking out troops the other weapons shouldn't bother with.
Meltagun+multimelta- one off the combos i use but thats down to "fluff" reasons it actually a very rare combo, but if effective it will take out monstrous creatures and tanks efficeintly. This is bad in most games, but very useful in planetstrike.
Flamer+heavybolter- this squad is extremally usefull for taking out tyranids, orks and other infantry swarms. common. also Plasmagun+H.Bolter and Meltagun+H.Bolter would work the same against high infantry armys.
And now the last thing with the Tactical marines, and probably the most important Marine in the squad is the sergeant. He adds an extra leadership and attack, so he's very usefull. He will always go with the close combat CS's(Combat Squad if using Combat Squads) because of his extra attack, but some don't know how to arm him. Stormbolters, thunder hammers, and lightning claws are usually a waste on him, due to cost or usefullness. The best weapons for him are bolters/combi bolters and the good old chainsword. Bolters are usefull if hes gonna rapidfire then assault the remains later, and combi flamers/meltas make him much more versitile, taking out tanks and swarms/hordes alike. I personally like the trusty old chainsword and combi-melta/flamer the most for "fluff" reasons and because of the way I play. If you gave the sergeant a bolter but plan on gettng into combat it's a waste. A bolt sarg will either do 1-2 shots or 3 attacks in close combat a turn, one or the other, while a CC sarg can do 5 attacks a turn including his pistol shot. The extra attacks help immensly, and it's free. Taking a combi instead of the CC waepon is fine if he's got a flamer or melta combi, as he'll probrally do more damage (for more points).
thanks for reading join us next time for some more SM Tactics.
jimmy72nd...
Brother Captain Peito Akira, 2nd Company Commander, Angels Inferno
Lets Take a look at the Combat Tactics rue for 5th Edition SM's, well Combat Tactics is an ability that enables units to automatically fail morale tests and retreat. Although the idea of turning around and fleeing sounds not very brave or tactical at all, do not understimate this ability. It makes your Astartes, very, very ninja.
There have been several occasions where the rightful application of this rule has saved the SM players men from being assaulted and surely annihilated by units that are close combat oriented. After being shot down by in the shooting phase, my men had the opportunity to either stay and get assaulted or run away using combat tactics. I chose the second option which left my opponent unable to charge that turn and open for a counter-attack the following turn. The only downside is that this ability can only be used when taking a morale check instead of whenever the player wishes to use it so you are forced to take casualties before applying the rule. However, with combat squads, the fact of taking enough casualties to retreat is almost inevitable since it takes only 2 dead to invoke the rule.
Thanks guys stay tuned for more...
jim
Here we have two of my Grey Knights in terminator armour, they're some of my only models that have been painted up in my collection...but I like them! ^^
All I need to do is a few touch ups and finish the one on the lefts base and I think they'll look pretty good.
So there we have it! Thanks for looking at them!
Happy Wargaming!
Welcome Wargamers, here is the first finished painted marine for my Angels Inferno Chapter, let me know what you guys think...
Thanks jim
Image is Owened by GW and Copyright Games Workshop.
While the Space Marines rely mainly upon the might of the marine himself, they do have a place for tanks. The Vindicator is one of those tanks and can be pretty useful for any Space Marine Commander.
The Vindicator is a low cost, medium armored tank. Even with upgrades, the Vindicator is a lot of bang for the buck. The Vindicator is armed with a strength 10 ordinance weapon that can fire even while moving!
Moving is a critical yet necessary weakness. The 24" range usually demands that you maneuver to make the vindicator effective. Moving this threat forces the enemy to respond to your threat while allowing you the opportunity to attack his units and control part of the field. But this same action that projects your influence upon the battlefield, exposes the tanks weak side and rear armor. This can be accomplished by creative use of the terrain, screening or denying the enemy the ability to be where he can attack the tank’s side armor. This tank is best used with other units while attacking or defending.
While the Vindicator’s main gun is strong, it might be that the tank’s best role is when used as a psychological threat. A psychological threat is effective, even before the game starts. Few opponents will be able to ignore the tank’s basic abilities. Every time that your opponent thinks about your tank, you are winning.
While deploying for the battle, the enemy will have to worry where this tank will be placed and how it will be threatening him. Once it is on the table he will either deploy units to counter your tank or he will have to deploy his units to move around the tank’s area of control. To defeat your tank’s armor for certain, your opponent will have to deploy multiple units capable of beating the frontal armor or fast enough to attack the side armor. This will work to your advantage in that it should slow your opponent down in what he must accomplish while giving your other units the opportunity to do what they must do to win you the battle.
There are some circumstances in which your opponent might ignore this threat. If your opponent has a high volume of units, he might choose to only passively address the Vindicator or he might even ignore it in hopes of hurting your elsewhere. He may also behave in this manner if his units are too fast to be effectively discouraged from moving past the tanks area of control. If this is the case, then your tank should be used defensively. Ultimately, you will want him to waste time and firepower addressing your tank. Your goal is to force him to do so.
The Vindicator really shines when used with another larger, if not more subtle threat. This threat can range from surgical assault, a massive attack or perhaps taking specific objectives. The idea is that the Vindicator does some damage while taking the enemies best efforts to counter it. The damage is a bonus, the real benefit is that while they are dealing with the vindicator, your units are free to do what you need them to do.
The targets that you should select with the Vindicator should suit what is a threat to you and what is critical to your opponent. The idea is to hurt him some, scare him a lot. The high strength is good against vehicles if you can land a solid hit on them, but the high strength and good AP is absolutely deadly to troops! Vehicles must be hit pretty much dead on while troops need only be touched by the template. Even when hit by ordinance, vehicles might still survive while troops will typically just die. Most people who start to remove large numbers of models at a time tend to become anxious and unsure of their position. This is how the vindicator does it’s job.
The vindicator fits the role of a medium tank very well. Though it is not really meant to be used in close proximity to friendly troops, desperate times might call for desperate measures. When supported by other units and good deployment, the vindicator is very effective at what it does. Just be sure to have other units that are capable of doing their job once the Vindicator buys them the time. You might even have to ask what is better than one scary tank? Two Scary tanks, of course!
Join us next time for some more on the Space Marine....
jim
Image Copyright Games Workshop.
Ok seeing as the Space Wolves are a big part off the Space Marine Army were gonna discuss some Tactics on one of there Bulk units the Grey Hunters. Grey hunters form the backbone of the Space Wolves army. These Grey Hunter tactics are going to explain the best builds for your Grey Hunter packs and demonstrate how to get the best value for your points. Grey Hunters are Blood Claws who have tempered their agression with experience. Armed with a bolt pistol, close combat weapon and a bolt gun, they can fulfil a wide range of battlefield roles and are one of the most versatile troop choices in the game. Not to mention that they get an extra close combat weapon and Counter Attack for the same points as a regular Space Marine.
This is the trade off for being unable to take a heavy weapon or break up into two seperate Combat Squads like regular Space Marines. Space Wolves also do not have Battle Tactics to voluntarily fall back. As a close combat army, this kind of 'tactical thiking' is unheard of!
Core Troops
As the core troops of your Space Wolves army, these units should be able to do anything. They provide the staying power, the anti-troop solution and the anti-tank solution. It's a difficult role to fulfil, especially when compared to other Space Marines.
Grey Hunters don't have the luxary of the Combat Tactics Rule, instead they take the role of the squad driving forward in the Razorback or Rhino transport. But this suits the up close and in-your-face nature of the Space Wolves. The only question is how many men and how many points you place inside that transport.
OPTIONS
Flamer - rubbish on a foot unit.
Melta Gun - Essential for tank hunting and doesn't prevent charging.
Plasma Gun - Versatile, but cannot fire and charge.
Plasma Pistol - expensive!
Power Weapon - Mark of the Wulfen is better.
Power Fist - expensive, but good.
Wolf Standard - brilliant! Always take one.
Mark of the Wulfen - Better than the Power Weapon.
Rhino Transport - Can transport 10
Razorback Transport - Only carries 6, but has a twin linked heavy bolter
Grey Hunter Pack 1: 168 points
Wolf Guard with combi-melta, powerfist
5 Grey Hunters, melta gun
Razorback Transport armed with twin linked heavy bolters
Based on what other Space Marine armies pack into their transports, this squad has all the basic essentials: a melta gun and a Wolf Guard with combi-melta and powerfist for a boost in Leadership and some extra close combat clout that's more points effective that equiping a Grey Hunter with the same wargear. Of course, you can swap the melta gun and combi-melta for a plasma gun and combi-plasma if you like. But when this unit will have to deal with every kind of opponent from light infantry to heavy tanks, the melta gun is the safest bet and considerably cheaper too. Why the Razorback over a Rhino? Because for 5pts more, you get a twin linked heavy bolter turret. It's too good to pass up if you only need to transport 6 Space Marines.
Grey Hunter Pack 2: 278 points
Wolf Guard with combi-melta, powerfist
9 Grey Hunters, melta gun, powerfist, mark of the wulfen, wolf standard
Rhino Transport
For 110pts more, you can go the whole hog! As a Space Marine Chapter, the Space Wolves love nothing more than good punch up -so this should be the perfect kind of Grey Hunter squad for any player. It drives up, it disembarks, it shoots the hell out of the enemy, then stands there shouting "Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough!"
No one is their right mind is going to charge this, not even Tyranids. Okay, Tyranids probably will and carnage will ensue. But with 2 powerfists, lots of basic attacks, a Grey Hunter with Mark of the Wulfen and a Wolf Standard, the Space Wolves should emerge triumphant. Why take Mark of the Wulfen over a Power Weapon? Statistically it's better against basic troops and monstrous creatures, and if you roll a lot of 6s it's amazing!
Finally, a Wolf Standard has to be my favourite peice of equipment. Use Once Per Game. For the duration of the next Assault Phase, all models in that unit may reroll ANY dice rolls of a 1. So that's rerolls to hit, to wound and pass armour saves. How good is that for just 10pts!
Drop Pods
If you want to put your Grey Hunters in a Drop Pod, simply swap the Rhino or Razorback for a Drop Pod. Simple! I'd never drop pod my whole army in 5th edition, because any player with a shred of sense will be able to easily counter it. But a single Grey Hunter squad joined by a Wolf Guard, Arjac Rockfist or an Independant Character in a Drop Pod creates a very dangerous deterrent for an opponent to start the game with most of his units on the board in a defensive formation.
CONCLUSION
It's a big leap from 168 points for a Troop choice up to 278 points. For roughly the same points, you could have 5 squads of the 6-man Grey hunter packs in the Razorbacks or 3 of the 10-man Grey Hunter packs in Rhinos. Either way, you've still got 30 men. It's just a choice between more fire power in the form of 5 twin linked heavy bolters and more melta guns or more Power Fist attacks, more basic attacks and Wolf Standard rerolls. All your eggs (Grey Hunter) in 3 baskets (transports) for 6 Kill Points or your eggs in 5 baskets for 10 Kill Points. My money is on the 10 strong Grey Hunter pack. It can hold its ground, slug it out with the best of the 40K super units and if need be, fight its way through the enemy army, to claim and objective or cause massed carnage. The huge number of basic attacks are very impressive, as are the powerfist attacks to follow. Finish it off with a Wolf Standard to reroll any 1s and very few of your Space Wolves should fail their armour saves. Also, the effects of the Wolf Standard apply to 10 Space Marines, not just 6 and that makes a very big difference!
The other plus about taking big squads like this is that they can merrily footslog it to towards the enemy should their transport be immobilised or destroyed, they can deliver a devastating Counter Charge and by taking 3 of these units instead of 5 of the smaller ones, you are giving away far fewer Kill Points.
Thanks for tuning in join us next time...
Jim
