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5 man w 2 lascannon or big squad with lots combi and 2 HF have been most common iterations i have seen! For obvious reasons. The second is the most effective for my mind. Throw in a pod with a gating libby and play blinking rapid fire.

 Crimson wrote:

I'm currently assembling some Sternguard Veterans, and I'd like to hear peoples opinions on equipping them. What combi-weapons are good? I'm currently thinking flamers and meltas add something that the special ammo doesn't already adequately cover. And how many combis is a good number anyway? They make the price of the squad go up quickly, but the Sternguard are still no more durable than the regular marines so loading them all with expensive gear seems kinda risky. Any of the special weapons clearly are not needed but how about heavies? Plasma cannons maybe?

Me personally, i like to take 3-5 combi weapons in a squad, usually more meltas than flamers.
This helps plug up the gap that their special ammo doesn't cover, as you mentioned.

I prefer a 5 man squad with all the combi-plasmas, I occasionally put a 6th man in with a heavy flamer if I feel its necessary.

7 men squad, 2 with plasma cannon... You kill every thing :0
No comby weapon. Find useless. The plasma cannon take care of the "big things" and the special amo are good enought.

The loss of the special ammo is worth the ability to move and still shoot 24". the boltgun's rapid fire over rides the 30" shot, i'm pretty sure. so, the stormbolter makes for a mobile long range unit, which vanilla marines have absolutely none of, since all their range is in heavy weapons that can't move and shoot, or in the elite slots. And as the layout i described shows, you do still sink half your sternguard into the whole combiweapon bolter situation, but only in the case that youre dropping them in the back arc of the opponent, and then staying put, shooting everything with meltas in rear armor, or buzz-sawing bolters at relatively close range anyways.



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if you check the special ammos, they all still have the rapid fire rule in their descriptor on the sternguard page of the codex.

 OlGreye wrote:
The loss of the special ammo is worth the ability to move and still shoot 24". the boltgun's rapid fire over rides the 30" shot, i'm pretty sure. so, the stormbolter makes for a mobile long range unit, which vanilla marines have absolutely none of, since all their range is in heavy weapons that can't move and shoot, or in the elite slots. And as the layout i described shows, you do still sink half your sternguard into the whole combiweapon bolter situation, but only in the case that youre dropping them in the back arc of the opponent, and then staying put, shooting everything with meltas in rear armor, or buzz-sawing bolters at relatively close range anyways.



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if you check the special ammos, they all still have the rapid fire rule in their descriptor on the sternguard page of the codex.

What are you talking about? You can move and still fire at max range in 6th.

hey Greye? did you read the new rule for rapid fire in 6th? page 52 in the rulebook. might wanna re-read it.

Rapid fire weapons can move and shoot full range. so a sternguard moves 6', you can shoot one kracken round at 30' away.
it is always full range.

I'm still on 5th (no money for a new rulebook/my whole neighborhood is still on 5th). I reckon that the special ammo is slightly more useful if rapid fire changed, but honestly, the extra six inches arent worth the loss of an extra shot in most cases.

Then please don't comment on a 6th ed. tactics forum if you don't know the rules.

Armadeus, nothing on this thread specified that the discussion was sixth ed specific. Also it didnt specify that users should be rude to one another.

Now as to the rules, sixth ed is still kind of hobbling along since to date there are ABSOLUTELY NO CODEXES FOR SIXTH EDITION.
All codexes are 5th ed or earlier, so despite the rules changes, 5th ed tactica is still quite valid.

It might interest you to note that the list of sternguard i provided actually does include combi weapons as its main component. It just merely puts Stormbolter Sternguards in as a high-output mobile gunline. I found the layout to always kill twice its value in points, but no one has to take my advice.

As always I post my thoughts on here with the best of intentions toward other users and with respect for the viewpoints, ideas, and knowledge level of all other users, and expect the same from others.

 OlGreye wrote:
Armadeus, nothing on this thread specified that the discussion was sixth ed specific.

Everything is specific to 6th edition unless explicitly stated otherwise, because that's the edition that 99% of the people posting here are playing.

All codexes are 5th ed or earlier, so despite the rules changes, 5th ed tactica is still quite valid.

No they aren't, because anything based on 5th edition rules doesn't work. Anything based on 6th edition rules is no longer a 5th edition tactic. For example, taking storm bolters because of the 5th edition rapid fire rules is stupid when you're playing a game with the 6th edition rapid fire rules.

 OlGreye wrote:
Armadeus, nothing on this thread specified that the discussion was sixth ed specific. Also it didnt specify that users should be rude to one another.

Now as to the rules, sixth ed is still kind of hobbling along since to date there are ABSOLUTELY NO CODEXES FOR SIXTH EDITION.
All codexes are 5th ed or earlier, so despite the rules changes, 5th ed tactica is still quite valid.

It might interest you to note that the list of sternguard i provided actually does include combi weapons as its main component. It just merely puts Stormbolter Sternguards in as a high-output mobile gunline. I found the layout to always kill twice its value in points, but no one has to take my advice.

As always I post my thoughts on here with the best of intentions toward other users and with respect for the viewpoints, ideas, and knowledge level of all other users, and expect the same from others.

With all due respect, almost everyone is pretty much in 6th edition mode, and it should probably be assumed that all discussion is in regards to 6th unless stated otherwise. Even though Necrons and even GK were released quite a while ago in 5th, it's obvious they were tailored for 6th edition.

Imagine if you were discussing your 5th edition tactica and someone randomly chimed in a bunch of blurbs that only worked in 4th edition, with the justification being that his Tau army (or other older codex) was printed in 4th and has yet to be updated. That doesn't change the fact that you're talking about 5th edition, right? So why is this guy coming in here talking about outdated 4th stuff? He still has to play his 4e codex in 5th.

 OlGreye wrote:
Armadeus, nothing on this thread specified that the discussion was sixth ed specific. Also it didnt specify that users should be rude to one another.

Now as to the rules, sixth ed is still kind of hobbling along since to date there are ABSOLUTELY NO CODEXES FOR SIXTH EDITION.
All codexes are 5th ed or earlier, so despite the rules changes, 5th ed tactica is still quite valid.

It might interest you to note that the list of sternguard i provided actually does include combi weapons as its main component. It just merely puts Stormbolter Sternguards in as a high-output mobile gunline. I found the layout to always kill twice its value in points, but no one has to take my advice.

As always I post my thoughts on here with the best of intentions toward other users and with respect for the viewpoints, ideas, and knowledge level of all other users, and expect the same from others.

I am sorry if I came off as rude. I did not intend to offend you. I just did not want the OP to get advice for an addition that they are not playing. In 5th ed., didn't you assume that that whatever topic you where commenting on was for 5th? The same thing applies in 6th.

yeah i reckon i shouldve made the 6th ed assumption. anyhoo, the addition of stormbolters in a secondary squad is still viable especially if using Pedro Kantor, as they can really hold an objective well. I played a sixth ed game last night just to make sure. With random chance taken in, the storm bolter marines were scoring 6-10 wounds (before saves) where as the bolters with the long range rounds were scoring 2-3.

 Crimson wrote:

I'm currently assembling some Sternguard Veterans, and I'd like to hear peoples opinions on equipping them. What combi-weapons are good? I'm currently thinking flamers and meltas add something that the special ammo doesn't already adequately cover. And how many combis is a good number anyway? They make the price of the squad go up quickly, but the Sternguard are still no more durable than the regular marines so loading them all with expensive gear seems kinda risky. Any of the special weapons clearly are not needed but how about heavies? Plasma cannons maybe?

I've been wondering the same thing.

How does 3 combi-meltas and 2 plasma guns sound? you get 3 weapons with the special ammo, 3 melta shots for a hit on a vehicle or two, and the 2 plasma guns to continue to be a threat to 2+sv. Thinking this covers every base with the special ammo?

Total of 160pts for the 5 man squad (points cost for BA codex though)

You know the joke is with the new rapid fire rules it is only between 18'' and 24'' where the storm bolter may be better, with most of time it not being the case. Claim being able to assault after firing is a god send for sternguard, actually that would be a useful extra but I digress.
If you want stormbolters go for allies with psiammo.

i see alot of folk suggesting plasma weapons in the squads. vaping your own guy for extra points sounds like a bad idea. if you want plasma, bring a stronos razorback. The squad will be faster, have 2 extra weapons attached to it, and all the guys in the squad can focus on other things like combiweapons, stormbolters, etc.

I run 7 Sternguard - 3x combi melta in a droppod. Corbulo (FNP tank) and possibly a termy liby (Bloodlance/Sheild along for the ride)... works like a charm


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Just so everyone is aware: stormbolters cant use sternguard ammo


Automatically Appended Next Post:
If you want stormbolters, a better investment would be some TDAs

Yep stern need their special ammo and cheap combis

Agree take terms for SBs and those fists

Even in 5th, storm bolters were usually a bad idea for Sternguard. Paying 30 points for a storm bolter on a regular Marine? No thanks, there are many more cost-effective ways to get mobile bolter shots. Hell, even a Rhino is only 35pts and that comes with a SB pre-equipped. Sternguard should always be trying to take advantage of the special ammo.

In 6th, taking storm bolters is almost actively harmful. With the new Rapid Fire rules, Sternguard have the ability to participate in mid-range firefights, and their role is not as restricted. Even at 24" range against GEQ, the storm bolter's optimum scenario, the benefits of special ammo reduce the gap created by the SB's higher rate of fire, making that 5 point upgrade an expensive way to lose your effectiveness against non-infantry targets.

What about heavy bolters. Are these good options? Do they lose their special ammo with them?

 wowsmash wrote:
What about heavy bolters. Are these good options? Do they lose their special ammo with them?

Yes HBs lose special ammo, they do synergise well with the rest of the squads kraken rounds though.

That's to bad, that's my favorite looking model out of the group

Tactical marine: 16 pts
Sternguard: 25 pts
Vs. tactical is 9 points for special ammo (the reason to take sternguard), +1 or and +1 attack. 5 points for a stormbolter making it 14 points for a stormbolter and +1 attack.
TDA: 50 pts
.Vs stormbolter sternguard 20 points for 2+5++, teleporter and powerfist.

yeah but terminatorss are limited by point cost and mobility. sternguards can be drop-podded and rhinoed/razorbacked. also, strategy changes if you take pedro, because then they can be usedto camp objectives. and more shots is better in that scenario.