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I'm pretty sure this question has to have been answered before, however I'm having trouble finding a good answer using search and other websites/forums.

I haven't played since 3rd Edition rules and I lived in Alaska for a good amount of time so DropPods are pretty new to me. I've read the rules in the new SpaceMarine codex, but I needed a bit of player experience to push me one direction or another.

I was told to go DropPods by a friend instead of Rhinos, but they do not play SpaceMarines or live in my area. I'll buy a set of both eventually, however I have to choose one to buy first.

What's the biggest issue I could run into if I chose to go with DropPods instead of Rhinos for dedicated troop transport in my company?

Thanks for your time,

I suppose the main thing to remember with drop pods is that they'll likely get your troops where they need to be faster (especially on a large table), but once they drop they can't move.

Of course there is the fact that you can puts dreads into pods.

And HALF your pods (rounded up) automatically come in on turn ONE - with the rest as reserves.

Can be useful to get the units you need into the right spots.

Be careful of table edges though (if you scatter off, it's a mishap and you risk losing the unit).

Also, the storm bolter or missile option in the pod can't fire the turn it lands (as written - as it is not a fast vehicle).

The real question comes down to whether you want speed or protection. Rhinos are slower to get things close, but they're also safer, being able to pop smoke once per game (Which is all it needs, either on turn 1 or 2, to get your troops safely to somewhere else on the map). Drop Pods, on the other hand, get things right in the enemy's face really quick; however, they do not transport units, and once you hit the ground, your squads are on the field, making them vulnerable to whatever happens to be in front of them (An entire platoon of Guardsmen firing at a Space Marine squad has a fair chance of killing the majority of them through sheer weight of fire).

Personally, I prefer Rhinos. Marines are among the most expensive Troop choices available - and resilient as they are, they'll still go down hard if a barrage of rapid fire hits them on turn 2.

The thing with drop pods that I know of is the issue of sticking units out on their own. If you put one drop pod in your army with no other deep strike type units you have to be careful. If you put one drop pod next to the enemy and don't support it properly with other units it will be sitting out on its own and get shot to pieces as it is the only close target. Two drop pods doesn't change this as only half come in. Three does change things. You can bring in two of the three pods. You can vary which you drop based on your enemy. Like if you have 1 Dread and 2 Grey Hunter squads then you can switch out which ever you need on a game by game basis. Drop flamer ones first on hordes. Meltas first to go against vehicles. That kind of thing. Proxy some if you want to at first. Test it out before you buy them. I combine the drop pod with the deathwing assault. Terminators and a melta dread coming in on the first turn is great.

I play 3 Drop pods and 9 razorback / rhinos.

If you are going to take drop pods always take them in odd numbers so more come in on the first turn.


If you have limited funds for your army buy one drop pod and then fill out your rinhos, after that pick up drop pods in sets of 2.

Drop pods work great for bringing in dreads up close and personal with your enemy. I find that putting most other units in them, unless you run an all drop pod army, get trageted first and die fast

What everyone else has said is correct. Drop Pods offer instant placement, where Rhinos offer some protection against small-arms fire, and consistent mobility.

I personally use a mix. I know it's against "net wisdom", but one of my favorite tactics is to put a tank-hunting tactical squad in a Drop Pod, and the rest of my army in Rhinos/Razorbacks. The Tac squad tries to drop on top of the enemy objective right off the bat, forcing my enemy to deal with them. They will usually split into Combat Squads, one with a Lascannon and 4 men, who will actually camp on the objective and hope for rear armor shots if they survive. The Meltagun/Powerfist tries to spread out to charge other vehicles if possible, or runs interference if not. Either way, it's a massive scoring distraction. If the enemy deals with them, my tanks roll forward unmolested. If the enemy leaves them alone, they have a scoring unit and a contesting pod that they have to do something about late game if they plan to win.

As with everything else, it comes down to luck of the dice, but I've had this tactic pay off for me several times. And people say just one Drop Pod is worthless!

(Posted from another forum as an example of Drop Pod Tactical use)
... well if you really want to own Tau Drop pods all the way. Tau players rarely react well to Drop pods arriving in the middle of their army on the first turn and it gives you a nice few turns that your other units won't get shot.
If its Assault marines in the Drop pods they can keep all those Tau units busy by getting into combat with them the next turn if they don't die of course. Vanguard and Drop pods with Target locators work well together because if the Drop pod lands within lets say 12" of an enemy unit, the Vanguard deep strike within 6" then they can assault on that turn.
A Tau's worst nightmare especially with all the power weapons they can pack that rip through all their lovely battlesuits...

Ribon Fox wrote:(Posted from another forum as an example of Drop Pod Tactical use)
... well if you really want to own Tau Drop pods all the way. Tau players rarely react well to Drop pods arriving in the middle of their army on the first turn and it gives you a nice few turns that your other units won't get shot.
If its Assault marines in the Drop pods they can keep all those Tau units busy by getting into combat with them the next turn if they don't die of course. Vanguard and Drop pods with Target locators work well together because if the Drop pod lands within lets say 12" of an enemy unit, the Vanguard deep strike within 6" then they can assault on that turn.
A Tau's worst nightmare especially with all the power weapons they can pack that rip through all their lovely battlesuits...

- to quote one of my favorite bands, 311,

Come original, you got to come original /
All entertainers, come original.



Yes, Tau and IG hate drop pods, well, the gunline lists, anyway. Mechanized lists can be problematic, if they can just pick up and run away from your unit, it ends up stuck out of range. Same deal with VV and 'Suits or other targets - good luck getting them to leave those targets within 12" of the pod if the player knows anything about anything. This is why I prefer to drop a scoring unit on an objective. The enemy must shift them somehow, so they achieve their objective just by being in a certain place at a certain time. Fighting is optional.

Also, shooting units do better in Pods. Assault is disallowed on the Drop turn, so that JP-less Assault Squad will often end up with no enemies in charge range, and just a bunch of 12" pistols to use. Your best best with AMs in a Pod is to give them 2 Flamers and a Combi-Flamer, so that you can drop right next to an exposed infantry squad, lay out three templates, and hope to decimate it. In this capacity, I still think you'd do better with regular Tactical marines with Flamer/Combi-Flamer. It's one less template, but every other guy gets an extra shot on the disembarking turn, and when they do get focused on, they are cheaper and less painful to loose.

Wow, thank you guys for all the excellent feedback, this was even more than I had hoped for and has given me everything I need to make my purchases. =)

Thanks for the tactics as well!

Greatly appreciated!