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Still not 100% I understnd the current weird flipping format of th emodern Space Marine Codex, but here's my attempt at building a 1500 point (hopefully) semi-competitive list from it. C&C encouraged, and indeed sought and welcomed.

Help me, Dakka Brain-Trust, you're my only hope!

HQ
Vulkan He'Stan
--
190

ELITE 1
Dreadnought
Twin-linked Lascannon
Extra Armour
Drop Pod
Locator Beacon
--
195

ELITE 2
Dreadnought
Assault Cannon
Extra Armour
Drop Pod
Locator Beacon
--
175 (Still debating turning this into a multi-melta/heavy flamer dread for more Salamander-ness)

TROOPS 1
10-Man Tactical Squad
Flamer
Heavy Bolter
Combi-Flamer for Sarge
Drop Pod
Locator Beacon
--
225

TROOPS 2
10-Man Tactical Squad
Meltagun
Multi-Melta
Combi-Melta for Sarge
Drop Pod
Locator Beacon
--
230

FAST ATTACK 1
1 Land Speeder
Heavy Flamer
--
50

FAST ATTACK 2
1 Land Speeder
Multi-Melta
--
60

HEAVY SUPPORT 1
Predator
Twin-linked Lascannon
Lascannon Sponsons
Extra Armour
Dozer Blade
--
185

HEAVY SUPPORT 2
Predator
Heavy Bolter Sponsons
Extra Armour
Dozer Blade
--
105

HEAVY SUPPORT 3
Whirlwind
--
85

TOTAL: 1500 Points

Four pods with four locators is unnecessary. Keep one on a dread pod and on a tac pod, only two are going in first.

TL las on a dread in a pod?
Pod dreads with vulkan are better of with meltaguns, multimeltas and heavy flamers, the flamers are a must.

If both dreads and one tac come with melta weapons then there is no need for the expensive las pred, change it to a dakka pred.

Change the WW to a dakka pred also or remove it altogether, its not that good now.

Speeders are also overpriced in the current edition, take MM attackbikes instead.

You have no melee power in the list?

What is a dakka pred?

I'm debating cutting enough points to field a 5-man Terminator Assault Squad with Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield in a Land Raider (Crusader?) for melee power. But it would mean some major chopping & changing.

Thanks for the tips on Dreadnought armaments. Will take into account for revised list.

Dakka pred is autocannon + heavy bolters. Make both dreds multimelta + heavy flamer. Drop all heavy supports and fast attacks and take one more dredd and one more tactical squad.

HQ: Vulkan 190 pts.

Elites: Dredd (MM, heavy flamer, pod + beacon) 160 pts.
Dredd (MM, heavy flamer, pod) 150 pts.
Dredd (MM, heavy flamer, pod) 150 pts.

Troops: 10 Marines (meltagun, MM, combi melta, pod) 220 pts.
10 Marines (meltagun, MM, pod) 210 pts.
10 Marines (flamer, MM, combi flamer, pod) 215 pts.
10 Marines (flamer, MM, pod) 205 pts.

1500 pts.

Pretty solid list i think. Its also very fluffy equipment-wise. First turn you get 4 Pods... my recommendation would be 2 dredds and 2 tacs...

Hope this helps.

Okay, revised list. Making this a little more flambee inspired. My hoped for Assault Terminators in a Crusader addition will have to wait for the 2000pt incarnation of the list.

Here's the revised list

HQ
Forgefather Vulkan He'Stan
--
190

ELITE
Dreadnought
Multi-Melta
Heavy Flamer
Extra Armour
Drop Pod
Locator Beacon
--
175


ELITE
Dreadnought
Multi-Melta
Heavy Flamer
Extra Armour
Drop Pod
Beacon
--
165

TROOPS
10-Man Tactical Squad
Flamer
Heavy Bolter
Combi-Flamer for Sarge
Drop Pod
--
215

TROOPS
10-Man Tactical Squad
Meltagun
Multi-Melta
Combi-Melta for Sarge
Drop Pod
Locator Beacon
--
230

TROOPS
10-Man Tactical Squad
Flamer
Heavy Bolter
Combi-Flamer for Sarge
Drop Pod
--
215

FAST ATTACK
Attack Bike
Multi-Melta
--
50


FAST ATTACK
Attack Bike
Multi-Melta
--
50

HEAVY SUPPORT
Predator
Heavy Bolter Sponsons
Extra Armour
Dozer Blade
--
105

HEAVY SUPPORT
Predator
Heavy Bolter Sponsons
Extra Armour
Dozer Blade
--
105


TOTAL 1500

That last list was much better.

One thting you can do to make it even better is skip one tac and both extra armours on the dreads and add 6 hammar termies to it. That will give you some melee that you lack currently.
Even better with Vulkan.

That does sound like an enticing change Pyriel- but won't they be rather isolated in what is mostly a podding force, being the only real foot sloggers?

With two of your pods having locators the termies can DS accurately.

chaplaingrabthar wrote:
Vulkan He'Stan
--
190

Easy a nuff. Vulcan list are extremely easy to build. All you have to do is work to your strengths. Here is the list of options you get Meltaguns, Multi-meltas, Heavy Flamers, Flamers, and Thunder Hammers... if you not doing this don't run a Vulcan list there are other HQ's that do better.

I agree with General, if you are not playing to Vulkans strengths take another IC. You'll need the TH/SS terminators and the LB on the pods will help you bring them where you want. I personally don't like the all drop pod list but if that's your thing go for it. I would drop the pods on all but one tac and take rhinos and try to find room for an LRC to go with the termies and Vulkan.

Those Dreadnoughts are needlessly expensive. Basic Dreadnoughts in a Vulkan list only needs a Heavy Flamer and a Drop Pod. Locator Beacons are useless when you don't have any Terminators or other DSing units...aside from Drop Pods which are accurate enough by themselves.

Extra Armour is a waste on the Dakka Predators. I'd even argue than Dakka Predators are a waste in a Vulkan list, but your mileage may vary there.

This is a good start but you need to cut the fat. By dropping all those Extra Armour and Locator Beacons you can save yourself 90 points, which is almost enough for another two MM Attack Bikes. I can guarantee you'll get more use out of the bikes.

Be fluffy and drop all fast attack please!!

General_Chaos wrote:

chaplaingrabthar wrote:
Vulkan He'Stan
--
190

Easy a nuff. Vulcan list are extremely easy to build. All you have to do is work to your strengths. Here is the list of options you get Meltaguns, Multi-meltas, Heavy Flamers, Flamers, and Thunder Hammers... if you not doing this don't run a Vulcan list there are other HQ's that do better.

Well, if you look carefully at the list, everything other than the Dakka Predators are armed with one of those weapons. And if you look at the revised list at the very end of this post, you'll see that the Daka Predators are no longer there.

jaweyermuller wrote:I agree with General, if you are not playing to Vulkans strengths take another IC. You'll need the TH/SS terminators and the LB on the pods will help you bring them where you want. I personally don't like the all drop pod list but if that's your thing go for it. I would drop the pods on all but one tac and take rhinos and try to find room for an LRC to go with the termies and Vulkan.

I would like to fit an LRC but as the concept of this list is to be as the tile says "Drop Poddiing Salamanders," I won't be switching the pods to Rhinos

unbeliever87 wrote:Those Dreadnoughts are needlessly expensive. Basic Dreadnoughts in a Vulkan list only needs a Heavy Flamer and a Drop Pod. Locator Beacons are useless when you don't have any Terminators or other DSing units...aside from Drop Pods which are accurate enough by themselves.

Extra Armour is a waste on the Dakka Predators. I'd even argue than Dakka Predators are a waste in a Vulkan list, but your mileage may vary there.

This is a good start but you need to cut the fat. By dropping all those Extra Armour and Locator Beacons you can save yourself 90 points, which is almost enough for another two MM Attack Bikes. I can guarantee you'll get more use out of the bikes.

Well, I'm going to be dropping the Extra Armour from the Dreads, and the Dakka Preds are being switched out too, so hopefully the next list will be more efficient :-)

w0chtulka wrote:Be fluffy and drop all fast attack please!!

Why? Salamanders have fast attack. It's just limited due to Nocturne's high-gravity environment. They had fast attack choices way back in Codex Armageddon, after all.

New, Slightly modified list:

HQ
Forgefather Vulkan He'Stan
--
190

ELITE
Dreadnought
Multi-Melta
Heavy Flamer
Drop Pod
Locator Beacon
--
160


ELITE
Dreadnought
Multi-Melta
Heavy Flamer
Drop Pod
--
150

ELITE
6-Man Terminator Assault Squad
Thunder Hammers & Storm Shields
--
240

TROOPS
10-Man Tactical Squad
Flamer
Heavy Bolter
Combi-Flamer for Sarge
Drop Pod
--
215

TROOPS
10-Man Tactical Squad
Meltagun
Multi-Melta
Combi-Melta for Sarge
Drop Pod
Locator Beacon
--
230

TROOPS
10-Man Tactical Squad
Flamer
Heavy Bolter
Combi-Flamer for Sarge
Drop Pod
--
215

FAST ATTACK
Attack Bike
Multi-Melta
--
50


FAST ATTACK
Attack Bike
Multi-Melta
--
50

TOTAL 1500

That is a solid and effective build.
If it was me playing this build the only thing I would change would be the tac heavy weapons to missiles.
Granted MMs use vulkans ability but since they are podded they will be stationary after deployment and if you are facing fast mech armies like tay or eldar you will die if you dont have missiles that can reach out and touch them.

The efficiency rule for tac based MM in vulkans lists are if tac is in rhino or otherwise mobile then use MM, otherwise use ML.
Be it a vulkan build but you STILL need some sort of all aroundness in against all play.

I think that you can still fit in 7 pods with 4 tacs and 3 dredds as i written attack bikes being.. not as useful.

w0chtulka wrote:I think that you can still fit in 7 pods with 4 tacs and 3 dredds as i written attack bikes being.. not as useful.

True, I could play the list as you wrote it. But I like the little added flexibility the Terminators and the attack bikes give me.

I like the new lists, I do agree though that missile launchers would be better in pods than those Heavy bolters, but I just love my MM in my army.

So Consensus is switch the HB's for ML's?

Yes.

I think sp. I use some ML in my Salamanders list especially if I am combat squading my tac squads. That way one group has some long range heat and the other has the close up melta weaponry.

What about a lascannon? Yes its 10 points more but its cooler


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Not in drop armies tough..

Yeah, Lascannons wouldn't work in a Drop Pod army of this nature. Probably switching to Missile Launchers for more diversity and the ability to use AoBR Marines.

Quick thought: If I dropped one of the Terminators or maybe the combi-weapons, I could switch the MM Attack Bikes back to MM Landspeeders and have the ability to Drop Pod/Deep Strike the entire army.

Is that a change worth making for the tactical flexibility?

Nope. On the missions your opponent can opt to keep everything in reserve (or against such armies like DS nids) the winner is the one who can DS the last.
Having things on the table from the start means you can set up traps if you play smart.

Okay. That makes sense. Not sure how common DS Tyranids are going to be around here with the new Codex though.