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I've been putting together a list of clever ideas for combat tactics, and i was wondering if people had some other ideas to add to this list.

3++ Cover Saves
If your unit is getting shot by a weapon that will kill 25% or more of your models, you can always go to ground, and then auto-fall back after you lose 25% of the models. This is useful if your squad of 4 models is wounded 5 times by long fangs with ML. It can also be used when a squad is caught in the open for a 6+ cover save.
-"If the unit has to fall back, it will return to normal immediately" p24 BRB

Avoiding Assault
If an assault unit is moving to assault your unit, and they shoot at the unit, you can always choose to fall back if you take 25% causalities. This lets you fall back out of assault range. With fewer players playing vanilla marines now, people forget that trick-- even vet players.
-"unit losing 25% or more of its models during a single phase must pass a Morale check at the end of that phase, or else it will fall back."

Breaking from Assault
When your squad has lost a round of assault, and they cannot hope to continue the assault, then you can auto-fall back. This allows you to rally, then shoot the assault unit, or move back out of assault range. This can be used to try and salvage a unit from a deathstar assault, in addition to getting away from an IG blob with 5 power swords. It has limited use vs high Init models, such as wytches, but can still be worth a shot.

Free Movement
Combat tactics can allow you to get some free movement on the opponents turn, allowing you some useful tricks. Lets say that its the bottom of the game, and you went first. You can auto-fall back to land on an objective. It also lets you get further back from an assault unit, such as Twolf calvary.

Falling Back
-"Each model in the unit falls back directly towards their own table edge by the shortest possible route."
-"Sometimes a unit will find its fall back move blocked by impassable terrain, friendly models or enemy models (remember they have to stay 1" away from enemy models). The models in the falling back unit may move around these obstructions in such a way as to get back to their table edge by the shortest route, maintaining unit coherency."
-"If the unit cannot perform a full fall back move in any direction without doubling back, it is destroyed"

How to fall back is important. You don't fall back in a straight line. You fall back in the shortest, legal path. You cannot pass through your own models, nor can you go within 1" of an enemy model. You will also pass right through difficult terrain. Provided that you don't need to double back, you can move directly to the side (assuming there is at least one open path to your board edge). You can even use your own models to guide the fallback.

Well, I played with my vanilla Marines in an RTT. In a game vs. DE (old codex), a squad of Wyches with 2 blasters disembarked from their Raider just in front of my advancing 6 men Termie squad (with cylcone). The Wyches opened fire and killed 2 Termies. My Termies fell back leaving the Wyches in the open unable to move further. Next turn, my army annihilated the Wyches and the Termies regrouped. Summing up, the default combat tactics has its uses.

I don't own a marine army, so my viewpoint may not be that valuable, but I'm always surprised at how readily people are to drop combat tactics in favor of one of the other abilities (and pay points to do it). Coming from a largely IG point of view, if I had combat tactics I would abuse the hell out of it.

I agree with the uses you listed for Combat Tactics, just pointing out a few of the pitfalls as well. All in all combat tactics is amazing and I constantly wish I had it when playing other armies, but you do have to be a little careful with it at times.

labmouse42 wrote:3++ Cover Saves
If your unit is getting shot by a weapon that will kill 25% or more of your models, you can always go to ground, and then auto-fall back after you lose 25% of the models. This is useful if your squad of 4 models is wounded 5 times by long fangs with ML. It can also be used when a squad is caught in the open for a 6+ cover save.
-"If the unit has to fall back, it will return to normal immediately" p24 BRB

Don't do this with a unit that you absolutely must have active next turn, as you could end up passing all of your (now improved) cover saves and then not having to take a morale check so not being able to combat tactics out of it. Alternatively, wait until you already have taken that many casualties, then go to ground if the opponent shoots more at the unit.

labmouse42 wrote:Breaking from Assault
When your squad has lost a round of assault, and they cannot hope to continue the assault, then you can auto-fall back. This allows you to rally, then shoot the assault unit, or move back out of assault range. This can be used to try and salvage a unit from a deathstar assault, in addition to getting away from an IG blob with 5 power swords. It has limited use vs high Init models, such as wytches, but can still be worth a shot.

Agreed it's usually worth a shot, however be aware that the unit which falls back will most likely not be rallying the next turn, as with a consolidate move it's usually possible for the attacking unit to move and have at least 1 model within 6" of your now broken marines, at which point they won't be able to rally for that turn. Still worth it most of the time as it allows you to shoot up the (presumably CC) unit that is no longer locked in combat.

labmouse42 wrote:Free Movement
Combat tactics can allow you to get some free movement on the opponents turn, allowing you some useful tricks. Lets say that its the bottom of the game, and you went first. You can auto-fall back to land on an objective. It also lets you get further back from an assault unit, such as Twolf calvary.

If it's the bottom of the last turn (or potentially is), you probably don't want to be using Combat Tactics at all, as any unit that is falling back at the end of the game counts as destroyed (and so wouldn't be able to capture / contest an objective even if it landed on one).