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So, is it better to nearsafely Deep Strike in a DP giving LOS blockage and/or a stationary gun, or drive from the edge in a Rhino, with the added protection and continued maneuverability? (assuming a basic Tac squad is the unit loaded in to either)

Rhino definitely.

Tactical Squads can't take the punishment a good opponent will throw at them to kill your scoring units.

My best use for tacticals in a Rhino is to camp on an objective and fire a heavy weapon out the top, I often will Combat squad and stick the 5 guys in a Raider of some sort with a character to push towards other objectives.

The problem with pods is that you have to take a few to overcome the disadvantages that Drop Pod Assault gives you, and when they do show up, it usually takes only one round of fire from an IG gun line or charge from Orks/Chaos/whatever to take them off an objective.

Rhinos afford you the ability to take some hits in the shooting phase and still hop out relatively unscathed.

I don't think Drop Pods are bad, I think they are better served with units like Dreadnoughts, Sternguard, etc. Not tactical squads.

"Better" is highly situational. Rhinos, Drop Pods, and Razorbacks all have a place where they shine, it's up to you and your army's strategy to determine which is right for you.

Drop Pods don't have to cross the field like a rolling tank, but where they drop, they stay. I call this "deployment mobility" as opposed to true mobility. You have an almost unfettered choice of where to start that unit, but no options to redeploy if you need to. This can be great for dropping on objectives (where you want to stick anyway), and getting behind the enemy lines to get shots on units that the enemy is hiding.

Rhinos and Razorbacks represent a more traditional view of warfare. Any squad is more resilient when it has an armor value (no matter how low, you AV11 naysayers) wrapped around it. You have to plan your first few turns of movement carefully, and learn to stay hidden, and when to use smoke launchers. However, you have true mobility, consistent and repeatable. However, this can be misleading, because, in a 6 turn game, assuming no roads, you're only going to move 72" at the maximum. Sounds like a lot, but it's not. You need to decide even before deployment, where those squads need to end up, and what they need to do, then get them rolling towards it right off the bat. Sitting a squad out there kind of aimlessly will defeat the purpose of mobility anyway. As a Marine player, you need to make a gameplan, and stick to it as best as possible. Rhinos need to have destinations picked out from the very start. However, with that being said, nothing can get a unit out of a bad situation, or divert it to assist with some other bad situation, better than the trusty old Rhino.

I'd suggest going all out on one or the other. Drop everything, or tank everything. Going for mixed armies CAN be great fun, but can often leave you with some things arriving too early to be supported.

Would the addition of a locator beacon to the Drop Pod make it more survivable, considering I have Termies to teleport in?

I'd suggest going all out on one or the other. Drop everything, or tank everything. Going for mixed armies CAN be great fun, but can often leave you with some things arriving too early to be supported.

I strongly disagree. It all depends on what you are dropping. 3 Drop Pods, where two are filled with Dreadnoughts can be a great first wave, a distractionary support that keeps your Tactical Squads in Rhinos and Land Raiders from being shot up as they come in.

I would argue:

All Mech = Competitive
Mixed Mech/ Drop Pods = Competitive
All Drop Pods = Second Tier

It's too easy to react to half your drop pods coming in on turn one to make taking an all drop force reliable.

Would the addition of a locator beacon to the Drop Pod make it more survivable, considering I have Termies to teleport in?

Not really, it's all a matter of timing and placement.

If you only have one pod or the pod is one that comes in on the first turn, it is more then probable that your opponent can kill it before turn two or three when your Terminators arrive, and even they have to wait another turn to be fully operational. If the Drop Pod in question doesn't arrive on Turn one, then you are taking the risk of the Terminators and the Pod coming in on the same turn.

Locator Beacons are usually great for things like Land Speeders, Vanguard, and other Drop Pods. Terminators are usually better in Land Raiders if they are the assault Variety. The shooty Terminators can always come in off Teleport homers in Rhino bound Tactical Squads or just set up with the rest of the army and have a Librarain with Gate get them around the table.

Deep Striking Shooty Terminators are not that risky to rely on a Locator Beacon.

So, 3 Tacs in Rhinos, 2 Dreads in Drop pods, and a Termie Squad to teleport to a Rhino? And maybe 3 Predators for my hvy slots?

That's sort of the balance I and looking at doing, based on these suggestions. Any other thoughts?

Also, thanks a bunch for the feedback. The assault troops and drop pods and all seems so cool, but I don't want to buy a whole fleet of drop pods, and paint them, just to discover I don't like a drop pod army.

That is certainly an effective start. You can add Land Speaders and/or Attack Bikes to the mix for mobile anit-tank.

As far as the Terminators, taking some assault terminators in a Land Raider is where I would start with them. If you want to go shooty, try a CML and a Chainfist.

For your HQ I recommend a Librarian w/ Gate.

For fast attack, I'm thinking Land Speeders over bikes, out of the two. Is there ever a time that Assault Squads are a good choice?

I was thinking maybe a LR or LRC with Assault Termies, and a Chaplain in Termie armor, and/or a Librarian. If I take both the Libby and the Chap, can they all Gate together?

assault squads are great if you throw a librarian with it, and if you play a heavily mechanized (rhinos) list. you can hide your assault marines behind the rhinos, and then leap out and put the smack down on the enemy. null zone + avenger librarian ensures that anything other than 2+ armor troops are vaporized.

gate is bad for use with assault terminators... you can't charge after it! librarians are much better off staying out of assault terminator squads, because they have no native invulnerable save, and if you give them terminator armor + stormshield, they still suck in hand to hand compared to the terminators in their squad.

I have played both bikes and Land Speeders, and I keep coming back to bikes. Land Speeders have some great advantages, especially the deep strike option, but bikes are easier to hide, cheaper, and a little more survivable.

Assault Marines are mandatory with a Chaplain, I beleve. You have to keep them from running off the board (which isn't hard for IG).

Gate is a good Librarian power with Shooty Terminators, especially CML.

Termintor Librarians are great with Assault Terminators. You either pop off Null Zone and take down big units like Nobz and other Terminators, or you use Vortex of Doom on a Transport to assault the people inside. They don't have to be monsters in combat themselves when you have 10 to 15 Thunderhammer attacks.