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I have a quite interesting Drop pod force, and wondering if it is still viable for semi-competitive play?
Hq-
Captain with command squad in pod, plasma
Elite-
Dread- Autocannon autocannon pod
Dread- Autocannon autocannon pod
Sternguard- 5x combiflamer 5x melta in pod
Troops
Tac squad- stuff and pod
Tac squad- stuff and pod
Tac squad- stuff and pod.
My tactics for this
Drop near stuff, watch my friends face as i blow up errythang.
How viable is this with 6th ed and all?

Still Viable, with the new reserve rules possibly moreso than it was in 5th.

Looks like a solid list. I would drop the two rifleman drop pods though as they don't need them and you will still be at an odd number of pods.

If you are dropping dreads, make them Ironclads or with Multi Meltas.

Imo.

For your Dreads, I agree that you should equip them for short range combat. Unless you are including the pods to use a null-pod deployment (ie, you keep the pods empty so you can bring your entire force to the table T1) there is no reason to not just start with the Dreads on the table deployed normally. WIth Ironclads it gets them to the frontline fast than footslogging can their AV13 front can shrug off the enemy more effectively, and multimelta dreads can start shooting as soon as they hit the table. I would also be interested in upgrading the Captain to Pedro Kantor (or a Kantor substitute) to make the Sternguard scoring, which would additionally allow you to replace a tac squad with more Sternguard and still have a large number of scoring models. I would also suggest looking into combi-meltas on the sternguard instead of combi-flamers, the combi-melta Drop-Guard are really the most brutal (if 1 hit) AT choice in the codex IMHO.

However, overall it looks like a fairly decent list. How many points is it? And if you are thinking of expanding, the big things that I can recommend are Kantor (or a counts as Kantor) and more Sternguard. I also hear people strongly recommend Thunderfire Cannons in 6th, especially now that they are T7 W2, and they are one of the few models that people are openly happy about getting converted to finecast.

OH yeah, I should have said the pods for dreads are empty!
But the reason i take the flamers is because in my Meta, there are like 3 or 4 'Nids armies, so I'd not like to waste them there.
also its about 2000 i think, i havent counted with upgrades and things with a while.

Drop pods are definitely still viable; I feel like Space Wolves do them better than the other Marine books, though, due to more special weapons/better assault troops to load them with, but a Codex Marines or Blood Angels army could definitely pull them off. Less sure about Dark Angels, since their best units (Deathwing/Ravenwing) either can't fit in Drop Pods or don't need them, and Black Templars, since you waste the consolidation move/ablative wounds advantage that lets them cross the table quickly and intact.

It is better than in 5 th ed, the new disembark rule makes it unlikely that you drop outside melta or template range.
As for what flavor does pod list better... Lets say that flavored marines usually have better contents while vanilla have a better container(their pods hold 12)
That said i think SW can have less than 10 bodies in a squad and still have 2 special weapons that way they can still get ics and a squad with its max number of special weapons.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ah and also the new reserve rules are also very good for pod lists as except whith pods i think it is impossible to go all reserve thus insuring that you almost never drop your first wave on an empty table (except when you face other pod list).
Furthermore as reserve come in easier it is less likely that part of your force lag off table for long.
Also drop pod list can easily win turn one against an airforce list with minimum first turn deployment...That is if the airforce player doesn't use some trick like a fortress in a corner.

So all in all 6th has buffed all pods lists while reducing the ability to negate the alpha strike with deployment for the opponent.

I would agree alpha strike power is excellent.
However.
If you dont cause catestrophic damage, you are in trouble.
Captain and 5 vets with plasmaguns. Dead.
Two sets of 5 stern vets, dead.

From there you will drmp lots of small arms and some autocannons, however your list has lost its teeth with 16 infantry all placed in harms way.

How many armies can resist your initial volley?
5 melta shots, 10 plasma, 5 flame templates, 60 rapid fire bolters.. Its painful no question, but your eggs are all in that basket.

Agree drop pods are better in 6th...but how do you combat them?

syypher wrote:
Agree drop pods are better in 6th...but how do you combat them?

Aegis defense lines outfitted with guns with interceptor . Its cheap for 100 pts, and gives great defense options. The other way to combat a drop pod army is to have numerous close combat squads. When your opponent is dropping things in drop pods with heavy weapons, all they are going to have are snap shots. If you rush some hard core close combat units in, you can mop up half the army in short order. Drop pods are a great tactic, but can be a problem if your opponent has better close combat options than you. I learned that the hard way with my Tyranids. Dropping in infantry is good, but unpleasant if they charge in a full squad of TH/SS terminators to counter them.

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

syypher wrote:
Agree drop pods are better in 6th...but how do you combat them?

Aegis defense lines outfitted with guns with interceptor . Its cheap for 100 pts, and gives great defense options. The other way to combat a drop pod army is to have numerous close combat squads. When your opponent is dropping things in drop pods with heavy weapons, all they are going to have are snap shots. If you rush some hard core close combat units in, you can mop up half the army in short order. Drop pods are a great tactic, but can be a problem if your opponent has better close combat options than you. I learned that the hard way with my Tyranids. Dropping in infantry is good, but unpleasant if they charge in a full squad of TH/SS terminators to counter them.

Hmm...The Aegis with Interceptor sounds awesome. However the second choice doesn't work very well for me as I play IG. I guess I could ally some GK's or something.

Thanks for the input.

With IG you can just bubble wrap infantry squads around everything. If they die to shooting no big deal, if they don't, charge them in and tie up the expensive shooty units with cheap cc

What about facing a sternguard-heavy drop-pod army led by Pedro Kantor?

That's got the firepower to seriously hurt almost anything it lands next too, and the Sternguard are still scoring units. How would you deal with this if you're fielding a fairly low-model-count elite army list?

syypher wrote:

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:

syypher wrote:
Agree drop pods are better in 6th...but how do you combat them?

Aegis defense lines outfitted with guns with interceptor . Its cheap for 100 pts, and gives great defense options. The other way to combat a drop pod army is to have numerous close combat squads. When your opponent is dropping things in drop pods with heavy weapons, all they are going to have are snap shots. If you rush some hard core close combat units in, you can mop up half the army in short order. Drop pods are a great tactic, but can be a problem if your opponent has better close combat options than you. I learned that the hard way with my Tyranids. Dropping in infantry is good, but unpleasant if they charge in a full squad of TH/SS terminators to counter them.

Hmm...The Aegis with Interceptor sounds awesome. However the second choice doesn't work very well for me as I play IG. I guess I could ally some GK's or something.

Thanks for the input.

IG is the exception to the melee rule. Just take those extra points and buy more Aegis defense lines and quad guns. Remember, 1 is good. 3 is better.

Drop pods are boss in 6th edition. Just do not meet GK. Also, if you meet a flyer heavy list and you get first turn it is autowinn.

I didnt even know it was possible to have all your pods come in on T1. Pretty amazing!

Also, Id imagine that for those IG/Tau players out there without much melee to speak of we could always just try to turtle up in a corner or something to try and limit the places a pod could come down. IG has Infantry squads to bubble wrap whereas Tau have the Kroot.

Hedgehog: Yeah, there really isn't much an elite army can do vs a Pedro / Sternguard Pod list.

Even GK will have trouble with 2 10 man Sternguards fully decked out with Flamer/melta/plasma combi-weps.

Throw in a dread in a Lucius pattern Pod, and elites have a rough time of it.

The real answer to that list is hordes or IG, overwhelm them with bodies.

Remember, you can use the Aegis Gun/Mortis Contemptor/Other stuff to shoot the guys who come out of the pods. You don't have to shoot the pods themselves.

The best pod army for Vanilla Marines is a Pedro/Melta+ Plasma Sternguard or Vulkan/Melta+Flamer Sternguard.

Another good option is a MoF as the HQ, and run Sternguards in Elite Slots and Ironclads in the Heavy Slots.

I'm also in the process of building my Contemptor Mortis dread to go with my 2x Sternguard / Pedro Alpha strike team.

My thoughts are that two Kheres Assault Cannons and a CML on a A13 dread with a 5++ save should be great backup to the Sterns

Screened by 20 veterans and supported by my two TFC he should have no worries about cc and on turn two can start giving AA overwatch for my alpha strike team. And if no fliers, well, just vaporize a squad/tank per round until dead

Just so you know Banditoutlaw,drop pod assault requires that you drop half your pods on turn one round up.
The rest must come in via regular reserve.

Krados: Very true,

The key is to use an odd number of pods to get maximum first turn arrival per pod purchased

Also, don't be afraid to use empty pods to bump up numbers for a bigger alpha strike.

I often take pods on my tactical marines or TFC, just for this reason. Just because a unit has a transport, dosn't mean they have to use it.

Also, empty pods can be used to block line of sight, restrict enemy movement, or can be dropped near a chewed up unit in the open to provide a form of mobile cover.

Or, in a kill points game, just drop them quietly in a corner far from the enemy

I read the reserve rule that you have to place 50% of your army on the table(rounding up), including HQ IC, so if everything is in pods, the HQ IC have to start on the table, because it is the only foc entry that does not have to start in reserve.

I could be wrong, and I hope I am.

Space wolves are just the silly business with drop pods. Steal Rain my arse, more like plasma rain. I had a couple of buddies run 3 pods. 2 with 8x wolfguard all with combi plasma. One with grey hunters with 2x plasma. Some GHs on an objective and a runepriest with long fangs in a defense line. Needless to say as a GK player if I didn't take first turn or steal it with Coteaz I was pooping my pants.

I have a SW drop pod army. But I would like to re-paint it a bit. Freshing it up a bit. But also ally with some homing beacons and irionclad dreads!

 Unyielding Hunger wrote:
IG is the exception to the melee rule. Just take those extra points and buy more Aegis defense lines and quad guns. Remember, 1 is good. 3 is better.

Fortifications are still 0-1, so you can't buy multiples in an army. And IG beat it by flooding potential drop sites with cheap, mediocre infantry.

I do not know if IG can beat drop pods just by spreading out. It would depend of a lott of things. The drop pod list and the guard list.

SW drop pods in particular would be hard on guard. And I also think a master of the forge and irion clad dreadnoughts would also be hard.

I have always though Death Company drop pod lists would be cool if you took astrop-what's his name. 3+ and feel no pain would be bad ass.

 Niiai wrote:
Drop pods are boss in 6th edition. Just do not meet GK. Also, if you meet a flyer heavy list and you get first turn it is autowinn.

None of my friends run drop-pod armies anymore. I'm hoping one will start back again because, as a Necron, I'd like to try Zandrekh against them with his Phased Reinforcements. Turn 1 drop pods arrive, so turn 1 my entire Night Scythe/Doom Scythe airforce arrive via deep strike. I should be able to put them just about wherever I want because there won't be many enemy models on the table to mishap against.

So, drop pods against a flyer heavy list may not be auto-win.

Oh no, one oponent has an exelent counter vs my drop pod list. I guess that means I can nevery play it!

Honestly, grow up.

Cassius:read p36 of brb it specifies that :
when working out how many units can be placed in reserve ,units that must be deployed by deepstrike (along with any model embarked upon them) are ignored .

That would include any HQ or other model joining the squad while in reserve ( must be declared at deployment,keep in mind that IC attached to a unit cannot leave it on the turn the arrive from deepstrike).

Now since most flyer are not oligated to arrive by deepstrike that rule doesn't apply, instead only the mission special rule Reserve apply(BRB p 124) that one states that:

A unit and its dedicated transport are counted as single unit for these purpose(determining how many unit may be placed in reserve).Independent characters are also counted as a single unit regardless of whether they have joined a unit or not....

So that mean that unless flyers got a faq that i don't know about (very possible) that would make a total reserve deployment impossible(for flyer armies), making a tabling turn one a real posssibility if the player goes for a minimal first turn deployment.
Meanwhile a pod army is able to go all reserve and run a smaller risk of that happening as the condition for tabling (p 122) is and the end of any GAME turn, insuring you play your first turn and with drop pod assault you have half your pods round up come in on first turn.
Of course you can still lose to being tabled but if your list is solid it is kind of hard to get rid of half an army turn one.

Tye_informer: i don't have the necron codex but depending on the wording of phased reinforcement it might not free you from the requirement to deploy something.
I recommend that you make sure before trying that in a tournament...
I would like to know if it does because i am curious to see if GW really gave pods army the exclusivity of null deployment.