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So i've been thinking for a while now about the appeal of a bike horde SM army. They seem pretty flexible, with the ability to take two Special Weapons in each squad (Flamer, Plas or Meltagun) and the speed to get it to where it is needed. They also have have T4(5), making them even more survivable than your usual marine. For heavy weapons they can take Attack bikes, also lovely. And all HQ units can be mounted on bikes.

So here's the list i've thought of:

HQ:
Master of Sanctity
SM Bike 30
Artificier Armour 20
Plasma Pistol 15
Terminator Honours 15
210 pts.

Codicier
Veil of Time 15
Combi-Melta 15
Space Marine Bike 30
Approx 150 pts.

Troops:
Bike Squad 1
5 SM Bikers 160 pts.
Vet Sarge w. Power Weapon 25 pts.
Plasma Gun x2 20 pts.
205 pts.

Bike Squad 2:
Same as 1

Bike Squad 3:
Same as 1 and 2 but with Meltaguns, same pts.

Bike Squad 4:
Same as 3

Bike Squad 5:
Same as 1-4 but with Flamers, 198 pts.

Bike Squad 6:
Same as 5

Fast Attack:

Attack Bike Squad 1
3 attack bikes 150 pts.
HB's are standard equip
150 pts.

Attack Bike Squad 2
3 attack bikes 150 pts.
3 Multi-Meltas 45 pts
195 pts.

How would this list work? The Turbo-Boost Rule would give them absolutely nasty survivability, and if i remember right they can fire on the move. Chaplain and Codicier would be with the Flamer Squads and take on enemy Dev Squads, Immortals, Heavy Weapons Teams, etc. Their mobility would also allow them to claim a lot of objectives on first turn. Please comment on anything you can think of. Thank you. Yarr!

I like adding HB Attack Bikes to my bike squads. I use them as sort of mid-range shooty. If you are using doctrines you can take elite squads with furious charge or tank hunter but tank hunter isn't very necessary imo.

also, I don't think plasma guns are bike mounted off of the top of my head.

It says in the unit codex that up to 2 of the bikers may be armed with either a Flamer at 6 pts, or a Plasma or Meltagun at 10 pts. The absolutely mean speed could be used to reach enemy rear armour on first turn, they can move 36' and still shoot or 48' and make their save an invulnerable save. Also, the Chaplain and Codiciers could, together with the Flamer bike squads reach the enemy in backfield for a 1st turn charge, as they can also assault 12... Come to think of it, this army could be in the enemy lines faster than Cicero up a triumvir's colon...

The thing about bike armies is that you have what ammounts to very expensive marines running around. They have the same vulnerabilities and are actually easier to kill than a tactical squad. I've never really seen a bike army used effectively and I probably would not run one myself.

However, if you are going to I would put a more useful power on the librarian like fear of the darkness or fury or storm. Use the extra movement to get in range with those 12" powers.

A more powerful power? Veil of time lets him reroll everything (!!!) from the movement phase on. If there's a power that gives him better survivability in that critical first turn before he gets stuck in, tell me please. Re-rollable 3+ invulnerable save? Yes please. Also, as you probably can deduct from this and if you don't have your SM Codex handy (or don't have one at all ) it makes him about as mean as a Daemon Prince in CC... Besides, the three powers you list are as following: Fear of the Darkness - Useless against anything that has a chance of beating my bikers in CC. Fury of the Ancients, ok so it pins people... And? With that much speed at your disposal, even if he does try to "dance" with your bikers, you will catch him. And yes, it could stop guys with nasty weapons like ACs from shooting, but still. If they have AC's, it won't kill them, and it won't pin them. And the fact that they get an armor save... Stuff that can kill my lads in CC will pass the Ld test and their armor saves... No problem. Storm of the Emperors wrath... Yes, it does have it's uses, being able to suck in orks like a Dyson vaccuum cleaner, but the chance, even if miniscule, that it will suck up your Librarian and his boyz (the chance is in fact 1/36 for the libby and a bit less for the others. Little, but still a risk i won't take.) like obese people and Slurpees, just isn't my thing. And like the other powers, if it can kill my boyz in CC, it can dodge the storm. Still, the storm or fury could be an excellent second power choice for an Epistolary. Thanks for the input anyhow

Tacobake wrote:I like adding HB Attack Bikes to my bike squads. I use them as sort of mid-range shooty. If you are using doctrines you can take elite squads with furious charge or tank hunter but tank hunter isn't very necessary imo.

also, I don't think plasma guns are bike mounted off of the top of my head.

actually they aren't but they can be bought by bikers to replace their bolt pistols.

it's a finer list, but really just wait till the new marine codex comes out to make a SM army, because it's right around the corner and you may be disappointed making a list now and having it be useless later

Two Daemons, someone on another thread asked why I seem to pop up wherever you do. The answer is that wherever I turn, there you are spouting another load of uninformed crap. Let's see what your id has coughed up this time:

the absolutely mean speed could be used to reach enemy rear armour on first turn, they can move 36' and still shoot or 48' and make their save an invulnerable save.

Oh really? I don't think I've heard any such rumours for 5th ed, and it sure as hell can't be done in 4th ed. Also, do you realise that ' = feet and " = inches?

Also, the Chaplain and Codiciers could, together with the Flamer bike squads reach the enemy in backfield for a 1st turn charge, as they can also assault 12...

Once again, you are inventing rules wholesale.

Fury of the Ancients, ok so it pins people... And?

And inflicts heavy bolter-like hits on all units in a line. You have 12 inches of movement to decide where that line starts from. Maybe it won't help you against mech lists, but against many opponents (IG, Orks, the genestealers in a nidzilla list), it's well worth the points to make the Codicier an Epistolary and add this power on top of Veil.

Kudos for not actually making any egregious factual errors here, though.

Ah. Sorry about the mixup. I'm used to the metric system. I also seem to have mixed up skimmer movement with bike movement. You're right, bikes can only move 12", or 24" with turbo boosters. Skimmers like falcons can move a top of 24 too if i remember right. It's a while since i read the rulebook. Still, they're fast. And the assault is normal they just don't get slowed down by difficult terrain. Consider yourself scrapped, bike list.

It actually has nothing to do with being skimmers or not. Tau tanks are skimmers, but they don't get to move 24". It's the Fast designation that counts.

Not to be mean (at least, meaner than I've already been), but maybe you ought to read up a bit before you post your next Great Idea. You seem to do this a lot, and it gets a little wearing. Sorry.

I'll be sure to

Bastirous666 wrote:

Tacobake wrote:I like adding HB Attack Bikes to my bike squads. I use them as sort of mid-range shooty. If you are using doctrines you can take elite squads with furious charge or tank hunter but tank hunter isn't very necessary imo.

also, I don't think plasma guns are bike mounted off of the top of my head.

actually they aren't but they can be bought by bikers to replace their bolt pistols.

it's a finer list, but really just wait till the new marine codex comes out to make a SM army, because it's right around the corner and you may be disappointed making a list now and having it be useless later

the point being that if the bikes shoot their plasma guns they cannot charge. They can charge if they shoot their TL bolters/ heavy b/c the weapons are bike mounted.

Two Daemons in a Bar wrote: Storm of the Emperors wrath... Yes, it does have it's uses, being able to suck in orks like a Dyson vaccuum cleaner, but the chance, even if miniscule, that it will suck up your Librarian and his boyz (the chance is in fact 1/36 for the libby and a bit less for the others. Little, but still a risk i won't take.) like obese people and Slurpees, just isn't my thing.

Actually you have Storm of the Emperor's Wrath and Vortex of Doom confused. SotEW is the S4 AP2 blast, which is also an assault shooting attack. If you're so worried about getting beat in CC then I recommend taking a chaplain instead of a librarian. I'd also ask you to actually try using some of the powers I listed before you tell me they're useless. I don't think the ability to run units off the board is useless at all.

I have played the all bike army many times and each time it has died. Really is just a 50/50 army because each bike that dies is costly. Either turbo and set up for your next turn and see how things go or your trying to get in with the enemy off the get go. Personally the turbo is a waste as it brings you into rapid fire range. All they need to do is inflict massive dice rolls and bikes start to die.

I have had an entire bike force in my back field only to watch it die off for the next two turns. Just because a unit has a T5 does not mean the 3 plus is going to not fail. Even then you could find yourself looking at a power fist which is going to be rolling two plus to wound.