Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I've just started running 5x Chosen, 5 Meltas, Outflanking in a Rhino.

It's seemed to work wonders so far.

I play against Tau mostly so slapping his broadsides/hammerheads is the main mission.

Just wondering peoples opinions of the tactic and how well it should work against different armies. I.e Competitively?

I've noticed that a few people are going to Outflanking Chosen instead of Termicide squads recently.
I think part of it is that IG seem to kick the crap out of Deepstrikers and the Rhino gives the Chosen extra mobility once they hit the table.

What I've done though is give them 3 Meltaguns/2 Flamers instead of 5x Meltaguns. Its 10 points cheaper and gives me more options when I play against a wide variety of opponents. Due to the semi-randomness of Outflanking, I'd hate to come up on the wrong side of the table and be staring at a horde of Guardsmen or Gants with nothing but Meltaguns and typically 3 Melta shots is enough to stop most tanks. On average 3 shots = 2 hits and with a 50% chance to pop a tank with a Meltagun, the numbers are normally in my favor.

I was planning to do the same, but I always seem to miss with less than 4 Melta shots (mathhammer be damned).

I may well give it a shot though.

Love the 5 man melta squad, although I tend to infiltrate as close as possible into no-line of site cover, and then rush everthing else forward. the other army needs to decide to focus on taking out the meltas, or take out the rushing rhinos.

Throwing in a 3 man 2 melta bike squad for the first turn rush helps here too.

Mr-_-Flidd wrote:I was planning to do the same, but I always seem to miss with less than 4 Melta shots (mathhammer be damned).

I may well give it a shot though.

Even 4:1 would be useful as 1 template weapon can catch alot of units if you're really close.

It's basically their ownly role that they fill...outflanking special weapon (somewhat suicidal) platform.
Pretty limiting and boring, but they do it well enough.

Though I'd still rather just get another squad of CSM/2 Meltas and rhino and keep scoring status.

are chosen good for anything else, they almost seem like stronger IG vets, if that makes sense, with the chance to arm up on more special weapons.


can havocs with meltas work, find a way to keep them safe since they can't outflank

With havocs...the question is why not just keep scoring instead and go for troops.
The 'unique' equipment for havocs are the heavy weapons...even if the special weapons are the unique weapons.

Chosen offer better deployment, while havocs skimp on points that would have been used to 'purchase' outflank...but they are not that different than troops squads...so I hazard: 'why bother', ranged transport busting is what the CSM army needs...and that comes in form of Missiles or Autocannons from the havocs at the least.

Chosen are useful if you Outflank with them. This is really their primary virtue in 5th. The ability to get units into the enemy backfield to reach out and touch (kill) stuff hiding in the back and take or at least contest objectives far from the bulk of your army is an essential component of a good 5th ed army. Chosen are a bit pricy to bother with, otherwise. The biggest challenge is their tendency to die badly after they hit, and if you give them a Rhino, in Annihilation you’re often sacrificing two KPs to HOPEFULLY kill one. I used two dual-melta, triple-flamer squads in Rhinos for a while, and while they were nice, I eventually took them out as I considered them just too big a liability in KP missions. I’ve been tempted to take a single larger squad (maybe 8 models) without a Rhino to mitigate this factor, but they’re still kind of pricy, and without a Rhino have rather limited threat reach on the turn they come in.

A larger squad infiltrating with a Heavy Weapon and some Plasma Guns can do a number on enemy transports. Give them an appropriately defensive Icon and a shrubbery to camp out in, and they'll provide both good anti-vehicle and a spotter for teleporters. Also cheap Aspiring Champions for possession by Greater Daemons. Like anything though you need 2-3 squads to really make it work.

Outflanking Chosen can be a nice choice....except when facing IG, and they cause -1 to your reserves roll and force you to re-roll which side you enter the table when you Outflank...then you will really wish you just went with scoring or with Havocs.

Except that you get to see their army list before the game and you don't have to outflank. They can just straight-up infiltrate without the Rhino and leave it back as mobile cover, or they can start in the Rhino and join the convoy to victory (or, you know, certain death...).

Nurglitch wrote:Except that you get to see their army list before the game and you don't have to outflank. They can just straight-up infiltrate without the Rhino and leave it back as mobile cover, or they can start in the Rhino and join the convoy to victory (or, you know, certain death...).

Infiltrating them will just get them killed very fast against most opponents...bad idea.

If they are staying in a rhino with the rest of the army, rather than outflanking...well, you would have been better off with scoring or havocs....I swear a already said that

Yeah, you already said it and it was stupid. Having the options of either outflanking or infiltrating or deploying normally is better than just deploying normally.

Part of infiltrating is getting the Chosen killed off early instead of the Rhino-deployed Troops that are busy storming up the field, or the Melta-toting Raptors that are bounding up behind cover. Getting killed is not necessarily a bad thing, if you bring sufficient bodies and Icons that getting killed takes some doing.

Of course, if you expect to get killed easily (Flamestorm Cannons, etc), then you have the option of deploying otherwise. And naturally you already have six Chaos Space Marine squads and three Heavy Support choices.

Nurglitch wrote:Yeah, you already said it and it was stupid.

Knock of the personal attacks or take it to a PM. Thanks

Due to your apparent need to result to insults, I am done discussing this with you. Although, I do find it slightly amusing that you call my point stupid, yet say nothing about Sanctjud, who made almost the exact same point....

Alerian:

It's hardly a personal attack to point out that your opinion is stupid. A personal attack would be saying that you, the poster, are stupid. And that would be wrong.

Indeed, I backed up why your opinion was stupid. To reiterate:

(1) because it ignored the utility of having three deployment options rather than one.

(2) because it ignored already having your Troops and Heavy Support slots filled up with Chaos Space Marines and Havocs. Chosen are not exclusive of these things, they complement them.

I run thsi exact formation and fidn that, although it can be hit and miss sometimes due to the semi-randomness of outflanking, they usually more than make their cost back.


I throw a combi melta on the rhino as well so i can potentially target and kill 2 tanks on the turn it arrives (with 2 meltas firing out of the hatch)

This thread got popular didn't it.

If I can spare the points I do the same Praxiss.

It seems that the majority think it's good which eases my mind a bit. Ran it yesturday in a CSM v CSM 2000pt game and they did ok. Immobilised a LR and tar pitted and helped kill off his Havocs in HtH. So well worth it for the distraction alone, mt Vindi lasted all 6 turns! WOW!

TBH Chosen work with well with multiples of special weapons. It's close combat they aren't good at, which chaos terminators fill a better roll and excel better.

Chosen carrying 4 flamers is good for anti horde. 4 meltaguns for anti tank and rapid firing 4 plasma guns is nice. I'd probably only take 4 specials and then a spare marine as a bodybag before any marine goes down.

You can also btw compliment the chosens role with rhino load outs. A havoc plays a nice anti troop role along with the flamers and doesn't threaten you tank if it scatters back, really. A combi weapon wouldn't be too bad either or dual twin-linked bolters for more anti troop fire.

I have a few different rhinos that i use for my Chosen, as above, i have 1 with a TL bolter and a combi melta. Another has plain dual TL bolters. And a third has a TL bolter and havoc.

I'm assuming you use magnets? Or thats Alot of rhinos you must have!

A lot of Rhinos. I am in the process of mechanising my entire IW army for apoc games.

Right now i have 4 Rhinos and a converted one i use for my Chosen (i converted a SOB Repressor by usingthe FW extra armour and putting a havoc launcher on the roof, it looks sweet!)