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so as some of you might know i've committed to using 6 dreadnoughts in every single list I make and so far I couldn't be more happy with the results. Currently i'm finishing up painting the army and I'm writing the fluff to hopefully make an army profile eventually. Anywho, i've had pretty good success with my army except for a couple of issues that I will list below.

1. Splitting my tactical squads into 5 man combat squads has been a pain for morale checks, I don't like it when they fall back and a leadership of 8 isn't that great.
2. My scout squads having only sniper rifles has limited their uses and if they weren't on an objective then they really weren't doing much.
3. My army relies a lot on getting the first turn
4. Blood angels heroes have been kicking my butt with my armies subpar melee (All I really have are my dreads).

So I thought about it a lot and here's my new list.

HQ Master of the forge = 100+20 = 120
conversion beamer

HQ Captain Sicarius = 200

Elite Dreadnought = 105+20 = 125
plasma cannon, heavy flamer/ccw

Elite Dreadnought = 105+20=125
plasma cannon, twin linked autocannon

Elite Dreadnought = 105+40 = 145
lascannon/missile

Heavy Dreadnought = 105+40 = 145
lascannon/missile

Heavy Dreadnought = 105+30 = 135
lascannon, storm bolter/ccw

Heavy Dreadnought = 105+10 = 115
assault cannon, stormbolter/ccw

Troop Crusader Squad x10 = 195
plasmagun, lascannon, meltabomb (tank hunter)

Troop Crusader Squad x10 = 185
plasmagun, missile, meltabomb

Troop Crusader Squad x10 = 180
missile, meltagun, meltabomb

Troop Crusader Squad x10 = 180
missile, meltagun, meltabomb

Troop Scout Squad x5 = 100+50 = 150
sniper rifles, missile, camo cloaks
Scout Sgt Telion

= 2000

So the roll of the master of the forge is to provide long range antitank or anti-terminator, also having his ability to provide a terrain piece in my deployment zone with a +1 to the cover saves has been ideal for giving my scouts that lovable 2+ cover save (when you factor in the cloaks). *on a side note, when you replace the scout sgt with telion do you still have to pay for his camo cloak?* I also of course need him to bring my lovable 6 dreadnoughts.

For the scouts, however, I cut back the number of the to 4 and replaced the Sgt. with telion, I also provided one of the scouts with a missile launcher so that when they aren't in range with their sniper rifles I can use telions marvelous ability to make that missile hit on a 2+ and a 6+ reroll if it misses, which would effectively make them better at hitting tanks than the tac squads. But I love telion even more because I've finally found a way to deal with brother corbulo as telion's 36" 2 shot rending bolter also lets ME allocate the wounds from his shooting so I can effectively pick out corbulo (or similar annoying chars like a ork with boss pole or priests) and ignore that lovely 2+ FNP roll he has, alternatively telion is also effective at killing lightly armored units himself provided he rends. *this is probably my happiest change to the list*

The other main change to the army is the addition of Sicarius who gives me a 2nd attempt to steal the initiative or with stats takes the probability from 16% to about 31%. But he also gives my lascannon squad tank hunter which gives me a s10 lascannon and also lets my bolters pen armor 10 and my plasmagun effective as a missile on armored targets. He also helps with the leadership problem as all morale checks for the whole army are now made at leadership 10 and not 8 which when you have 4 combat squads and a 5 man scout squad is invaluable. He also gives me a much needed power weapon and ability to kill things like the swarm lord in 1 hit.

so what do you guys think, do these changes make the army more effective and tactical overall?

Six Dreadnoughts, I know this sounds stupid, but do you feel a bit guilty about this? IMO Although Legal its not really in the spirit of the War Gaming hobby is it? Anyway your choice, that aside your scout snipers are good, think about using a Landspeeder Storm to position them more effectively. Combat squads are 50/50 in their usefulness, if you use small teams in Razorbacks then they are brilliant. If your are forming a Gunline a full tactical squad of 10 Marines is better. But then you can only hold one part of the battlefield. Why not trade off one dread for a Landspeeder Storm, or a Razorback to give a Combat squad some mobility. Sniper Squads with TELION are quite good at knocking down Sergeants and veterans and the occasional minor hero/ mid level character.

If i were you i would be worried about coming up against a tooled up anti armour army, my DEV squad of 4 x ML's + Scout ML's + Tactical ML'S x2 + 2 LAND SPEEDERS with MM + DREAD with TWIN LAS and MISSILE. Plus the eldar and other armies can really get in your face. If you have drop pods you can drop your DREADS behind into the REMFS. I would be seriously worried if 3 dreads came towards me and another 3 landed behind me and started shooting me up the arse.

Its about balance, i think your army is capable but if you have bad day at the table you'll have 6 smoking scrap metal dreadnoughts! If i fought you i would go all out to neutralise the MoTF as he can bring those Dreads back online, then focus on Dread killing. That said i would probably be punished by the Tactical squads and Sicarius, and troops are key in 5th edition so actually you are probably fairly balanced, only Elites will give you trouble as they will smash through your troops and Meltagun infantry will be a knightmare (Chaos marines, fire dragons etc ).

A squad of Termies might be a good choice? You don't need a LR for them despite what everyone says! Good luck painting those dreads, i hope you've magnetised them for extra flexibility!

Maybe drop the scouts for 2 tllc razorbacks?

nah drop a dread keep telion and the scouts they are cheap and very effective.

Not in the spirit? Isn't that why the Master of the Forge exists?

Your criticism of how he likes to play is unfounded, and you seem to want to force your values on him. Let him play how he wants.

On the flip side, he has a point about them being vulnerable. @ 2k your opponent will be able to pack in alot of fire power. That, and you have too many tactical squads.

In this kind of list your army is going to be shooty not assaulty. What you want to do is tie down those assaulty units with the dreads. Ironclads are better at this than normal dreads as AV 13 means PF only glance on 5s and krack grenades can't hurt you.

If I was going to try this kind of list, I'd probably go with:

HQ Master of the Forge 100
Troops Tactical squad x10 flamer, ML, pod 205
Troops Tactical squad x10 flamer, ML, pod 205
Troops Scouts x10 Heavy bolter, snipers, camo 180
Elites Ven.Dread 2x Twinlinked autocannons 185
Elites Ven.Dread 2x Twinlinked autocannons 185
Elites Ven.Dread 2x Twinlinked autocannons 185
Heavy Ironclad Dread heavy flamer+ ccw/meltagun+seismic hammer/pod 180
Heavy Ironclad Dread heavy flamer+ ccw/meltagun+seismic hammer/pod 180
Heavy Ironclad Dread heavy flamer+ ccw/meltagun+seismic hammer/pod 180
Fast Landspeeder HF/MM 70
Fast Landspeeder HF/MM 70
Fast Landspeeder HF/MM 70

1995

Ok maybe i was being unfair on the 6 dreadnoughts thing, your choice! But Draco's list is quite balanced and the Landspeeders give some speed, mobility and fire power. Heavy bolter with scouts is good with hellfire shells.

Hmmm Well lets see. I like the advice so far, maybe I do have too many tactical squads. I suppose I could use some landspeeders instead but I'm really not a fan at all of Heavy flamers on them what about assault cannons and multimeltas? Razorbacks aren't very useful to me.

The reason I combat squad the tactical marines though is to A: make them split fire and B: move them ahead of the other combat squad to screen melee units.

The heavy flamers help you remove large numbers from cover while the MM are threats to vehicles. Your dreads are not particularly good against hordes, which is why the HF is so nice. The 100 point assault cannon/MM build seems overpriced to me. I doubt you are going to want to be moving 6" when you are in 24" range to fire them both. The HF/MM is great for moving flat out one turn to get into position for either a <12" MM shot or nicely placed HF shot.

The HF/MM speeder is very popular because it is a threat to almost any unit, and often a single hit is enough to make up the 70 points it costs.

In the army list I made above, you are going to drop all 3 ironclades turn 1, so there will be 3 hard targets hitting turn 1 your opponent will want to get rid of. You can use that turn to move the landspeeders flat out to get into position for a devastating MM or HF shot.

Well I'm not gonna do the drop pods or transports, the whole point of this army was to be a gunline lol

I am a fan of Landspeeders, however one thing to be aware of is that they are relatively fragile and concentrated bolter fire will bring them down pretty quickly, That is their significant weakness. Those Ironclads are absolute knightmares Armour 13, its like a walking battle tank. They should run amock with Melta's and siege drills especially in Gunline armies like the IG. Your Army is very compact and very powerful.

the problem with wanting to gunline is that it doesnt mesh as well with a dreadbash list as well as with a standard list. reason why? you have no heavy support slots. that means none of the best stuff for gunlines- demolishers, dev teams, predators. even whirlwinds. instead you have to rely upon tactical squads and scouts, which, by your own observation, tend to not cut you as much slack

I think if you really want to gunline this, youneed to decide upon how you do it. I would recommend something to this effect, although i haven't worked out any points for it.

MoTF, beamer
Sicarius (your points are valid, and you like him, so i keep him in for you)

2 or 3x tac squad, meltagun on 1, flamer on 2, your choice of ML or LC

ven dread, 2x TL autocannons
ven dread, TL LC, ML
ven dread, MM, dccw

ven dread, TL LC, ML
ven dread, 2x autocannons OR MM, dccw
Dev squad, LC or ML. If going ML route, would still suggest one LC to get the signum.

i like ven dreads,but you don't need to make them venerable,your choice, or points limiting. if you have points left over, i would suggest either a scout biker squad, or an assault marines squad.
both of them can just sit behind your army for back up in the case of assaults, andwhile scout bikes aren't as strong, you get cluster mines to keep your opponent on his toes! give the squads something to be able to deal with armour too, grenade launchers / combi melta or plasma on the sarg for scout bikes, or meltaguns in the case of assault marines

The reason for the dread loadouts are thus:
2x TL Autocannons. Rips through anything armour 11 or lower, does decent on 12 as well. also good against most infantry
TL LC, ML For armour 12, 13, 14, or terminators or MeQs. Don't be afraid to fire krak at squads, it's an almost guaranteed kill out of cover
MM, DCCW insurance. if you have two at equidistant points of your army, far enough to assault / shoot anything that drop pods into your field or just deepstrikes. This way you can take out a drop podding dread, a deepstriking LR, or a pesky squad that may or may not have a power fist. Ironclads are also good for this role.

That dev team adds the much needed grounded and dedicated fire support. They can't be shaken, stunned, WD, or anything similarly unlucky on a vehicle damage chart, and if you set them up in bolstered ruins, that's a 3+ cover for anything you dont get a save upon. If you're making a literal gunline, spread the squads out so that you have firing lines from the heavy weapons through gaps of the meltagun / flamer squads, but still get cover, although im sure you know that

hope i helped at all...

oK my two cents.

First of all your HQ

Master of the Forge......yes you can take your 6 dreads with him so he stays.

Sicarius. WHY?? If you want tooled up dreadnoughts you can't go wrong with Vulkan. Get multi-meltas and Heavy Flamers on your Dreadnoughts and take advantage of twin-linked


Your "Tank hunter" tactical squad isn't a tank hunter squad at all. Tank hunting requres: melta Gun. Combi-Melta. Powerfist. Melta Bombs.
you only have melta bombs. And lascannon isn't as effective as you think agaisnt proper tanks (AV 13/14)

None of your tactical squads have transports. so they're going to have to rely on cover saves...

My advice would be to change army to this:

HQ:

MotF
Conversion Beamer
120

Vulkan He'stan
190

ELITES

Ironclad Dreadnought
Heavy Flamer
Heavy Flamer
Chainfist
HK Missile x 2
Assault Launchers
185


Ironclad Dreadnought
Heavy Flamer
Heavy Flamer
Chainfist
HK Missile x 1
Assault Launchers
165

Ironclad Dreadnought
Heavy Flamer
Heavy Flamer
Chainfist
HK Missile x 1
Assault Launchers
165


TROOPS

Tactical Squad (10 man) COMBAT SQUADS
Sergeant: Combi-Melta, Power Fist
Melta Gun
Missile Launcher
Rhino

245

Tactical Squad (10 man) COMBAT SQUAD
Sergeant: Combi-Flamer
Flamer
Missile Launcher
Rhino
215

Tactical Squad (10 man) COMBAT SQUAD
Sergeant: Combi-Flamer
Flamer
Missile Launcher
Rhino
215

HEAVY SUPPORT

Dreadnought
Assault Cannon
Missile Launcher

120

Dreadnought
Assault Cannon
Missile Launcher

120

Dreadnought
Assault Cannon
Missile Launcher
120

2000 points

With the Ironclads you have ability to run forward from base and deal with infantry en masse and be a threat to vehicles.
The heavy support dreads use assault cannons to mow down infantry and missile launchers against transports/infantry.
You have a dedicated tank hunter squad fully tooled up to go against armour up to AV14. and 2 flamer squads with twin-linked flamers to take out infantry.

That looks terrible Corennus. Chainfists make you strike at I1.

HK missiles are a waste of points.

Assault cannon + ML is a bad combination. The ML says to stay at range, and the assault cannon makes you want to get close.

Overall, your list is still weak.

@ OP Seriously, if you want to do a dreadbash list, try out the one I posted as it gives you the best chance to do well.

HKM aren't a waste on the close range insurance dreads. it allows them to still do something of use in the first turn or two, or after a drop pod threat has been neutralized.
I believe that if an ironclad has both a seismic hammer and a chainfist, he gets to choose which he uses. So just pick the seismic hammer and you get the two melee weapon attack and maintain your ability to either squish infantry or 2d6 on a landraider. But i agree that corennus' list is not optimal

Dracos wrote:
...you have too many tactical squads...

In this kind of list your army is going to be shooty not assaulty. What you want to do is tie down those assaulty units with the dreads. Ironclads are better at this than normal dreads as AV 13 means PF only glance on 5s and krack grenades can't hurt you...

If I was going to try this kind of list, I'd probably go with:

HQ Master of the Forge 100
Troops Tactical squad x10 flamer, ML, pod 205
Troops Tactical squad x10 flamer, ML, pod 205
Troops Scouts x10 Heavy bolter, snipers, camo 180
Elites Ven.Dread 2x Twinlinked autocannons 185
Elites Ven.Dread 2x Twinlinked autocannons 185
Elites Ven.Dread 2x Twinlinked autocannons 185
Heavy Ironclad Dread heavy flamer+ ccw/meltagun+seismic hammer/pod 180
Heavy Ironclad Dread heavy flamer+ ccw/meltagun+seismic hammer/pod 180
Heavy Ironclad Dread heavy flamer+ ccw/meltagun+seismic hammer/pod 180
Fast Landspeeder HF/MM 70
Fast Landspeeder HF/MM 70
Fast Landspeeder HF/MM 70

1995

I may have too many tactical squads, I could probably due with getting rid of one and adding in some landspeeder as you suggested. Pods... I dunno at 30 points a piece and granting free kill points basically in kill points missions this can be risky. Dropping ironclads can be risky too as even if you do drop in and flame stuff you can't move or assault and if you're fighting an army like blood angels or imperial guard that have a ton of meltaguns then you can pretty much kiss them goodbye. No I prefer not to use pods and to hang back and fire. While cheap and relatively effective I do like the ol' rifleman dreadnoughts as light armor killers and troop killers alike, they do hurt armies that only have 4+ armor saves like the tau as well. What they do not do, however, is provide anything worthwhile against stronger assault armies such as terminators, sanguinary guard or meqs. This is why I prefer to take a plasma cannon and 1 twin linked autocannon as they are both effective at killing light armor and have the same str and points cost, however, plasma gives me that wonderful ap2.
One thing I do like the idea of are the HF/MM speeders, many of you have suggested them and I'm starting to think its a good idea against deepstriking vehicles and mob armies that I can't shoot down and get too close. Oh and as far as the scouts go I feel that telion and a missile is a much better way to use them than the 10 with a heavy bolter.

Corennus wrote:
Sicarius. WHY?? If you want tooled up dreadnoughts you can't go wrong with Vulkan. Get multi-meltas and Heavy Flamers on your Dreadnoughts and take advantage of twin-linked

Your "Tank hunter" tactical squad isn't a tank hunter squad at all. Tank hunting requres: melta Gun. Combi-Melta. Powerfist. Melta Bombs.
you only have melta bombs. And lascannon isn't as effective as you think agaisnt proper tanks (AV 13/14)

None of your tactical squads have transports. so they're going to have to rely on cover saves...

The heavy support dreads use assault cannons to mow down infantry and missile launchers against transports/infantry.

If you're asking me about sicarius then you probably didn't even read my original post. Also, vulkan is just a big old no. When you think gunline do you think flamers? If so, then well... no just no. And as strong as meltaguns and MM's are they do require that you are close to the enemy which obviously has risks in and of itself, the risk of missing at close range with a melta has far greater repercussions than missing at range with a lascannon or missile, with great power comes great responsibility.
As far as insulting my tank hunter tactical squad... I'm pretty sure a str 10 lascannon fits the bill of tank hunting as well as a str 8 plasmagun. I really think you are too close combat minded with your ideas and for an assault in your face army that is fine, but not for this one. As for the tactical squads and cover saves, if they are shooting at my 5 man combat squads when there are 6 dreadnoughts on the field then they probably need to rethink their priorities which is exactly why I don't spend points on transports. As far as the support dreadnoughts go, you want me to take a whole bunch of dreads with a str6 weapon and a 24” range? That definitely does not fit the bill of gunline and relying on a single str8 missile that only hits half the time... I'd rather have the close combat weapon. I really think you just missed the point of my army lol.

Kabal of Night's Wish wrote:the problem with wanting to gunline is that it doesnt mesh as well with a dreadbash list as well as with a standard list. reason why? you have no heavy support slots. that means none of the best stuff for gunlines- demolishers, dev teams, predators. even whirlwinds. instead you have to rely upon tactical squads and scouts, which, by your own observation, tend to not cut you as much slack

I would recommend something to this effect, although i haven't worked out any points for it.

2 or 3x tac squad, meltagun on 1, flamer on 2, your choice of ML or LC

ven dread, 2x TL autocannons
ven dread, TL LC, ML
ven dread, MM, dccw
ven dread, TL LC, ML
ven dread, 2x autocannons OR MM, dccw
Dev squad, LC or ML. If going ML route, would still suggest one LC to get the signum.

i like ven dreads,but you don't need to make them venerable,your choice, or points limiting.

while scout bikes aren't as strong, you get cluster mines to keep your opponent on his toes! give the squads something to be able to deal with armour too, grenade launchers / combi melta or plasma on the sarg for scout bikes, or meltaguns in the case of assault marines

The reason for the dread loadouts are thus:
2x TL Autocannons. Rips through anything armour 11 or lower, does decent on 12 as well. also good against most infantry
TL LC, ML For armour 12, 13, 14, or terminators or MeQs. Don't be afraid to fire krak at squads, it's an almost guaranteed kill out of cover
MM, DCCW insurance. if you have two at equidistant points of your army, far enough to assault / shoot anything that drop pods into your field or just deepstrikes. This way you can take out a drop podding dread, a deepstriking LR, or a pesky squad that may or may not have a power fist. Ironclads are also good for this role.

That dev team adds the much needed grounded and dedicated fire support. They can't be shaken, stunned, WD, or anything similarly unlucky on a vehicle damage chart, and if you set them up in bolstered ruins, that's a 3+ cover for anything you dont get a save upon.

well its not that the dreads and the tactical squads don't have the firepower needed to take down vehicles, the problem I'm having is against assault armies like the blood angels that swoop in and decimate my troops while absorbing a large amount of fire due to invuln saves or feel no pain. Flamers, however, while a good idea against orks and tyranid, don't fair well against meq armies. But I suppose I could do with a few more, probably in the form of speeders.
If I had the option of making all my dreads venerable then I would in a heartbeat, at 60 points per dread though this could be quite costly.
The cluster mines are an interesting idea, both for what they do and for being able to have more of a melee screen. I'll have to put some thought into that.
I also agree with your dread loadouts except for my comment about plasma above. And as for the two TL LC/ML dreads as you can see I already have two of those in my list because they are so handy.
As far as the multimelta on a dread goes I don't really see the point. Look at it this way, if your opponent is more than 12” away and you fire a multimelta its only str 8, whereas an assault cannon has 4 chances to hit and if its over 12” it wont matter. Now if you do hit a target at greater than 12” and you happen to roll a 6 on any of your damage rolls then the multimelta would be s14 and the assault cannon would be str 12 +d3. So you'd have a 1/3 chance that it would be slightly weaker and a 2/3 chance that the hit would be as strong or stronger. This all comes down to luck of course. If they happen to be closer than 12” then yes a multimelta is of course stronger (a potential str of 20) but you are relying on only 1 shot as opposed to 4 and hey you can always just close combat whatever it is if its that close.

Thank you all for your input, it's been appreciated. So how about this list instead?

HQ Master of the forge = 100+20 = 120
conversion beamer

HQ Captain Sicarius = 200

Elite Dreadnought = 105+20 = 125
plasma cannon, heavy flamer/ccw

Elite Dreadnought = 105+20=125
plasma cannon, twin linked autocannon

Elite Dreadnought = 105+40 = 145
lascannon/missile

Heavy Dreadnought = 105+40 = 145
lascannon/missile

Heavy Dreadnought = 105+30 = 135
lascannon, storm bolter/ccw

Heavy Dreadnought = 105+10 = 115
assault cannon, stormbolter/ccw

Troop Tactical Squad x10 = 190
plasmagun, lascannon (tank hunter)

Troop Tactical Squad x10 = 175
missile, meltagun

Troop Tactical Squad x10 = 175
missile, meltagun

Troop Scout Squad x5 = 100+50 = 150
sniper rifles, missile, camo cloaks
Scout Sgt Telion

Fast Attack Land Speeder = 100
MM/Assault Cannon

Fast Attack Land Speeder = 100
MM/Assault Cannon

= 2000

So I basically cut out one of the tactical squads and the meltabombs to make room for two landspeeders with multimeltas and assault cannons to help against those tough meq units that like to get close as well as deepstriking dreadnoughts. Nothing says die like a MM/assault cannon combo.

This is my 1500 pt - 6 dread list upped to 2k. Although I wouldn't take Sic, I'm leaving him in for you:

HQ: 350
Captain Sicarius - 200
MotF - Bike, Power Weapon - 150

Elite/Heavy: 840
2x Dread - 2x Autocannon
2x Dread - LC/ML
2x Ironclad - Assault launchers

Troops: 805
2x Tac Squad - plasma gun, plasma cannon, PW
1x Tac Squad - LC, meltagun, meltabombs
1x Scout Squad - Telion, 3x Sniper, 1x HB (you don't need to give this squad cloaks due to wording on stealth and Telion coming with it)
1x Scout Squad - Snipers

Total: 1995

The Ironclads, MotF, and Sic are you're anti-cc. Everyone underestimates the MotF in CC but with the setup I've given, he gets 3 PW attacks and 2 PF attacks. Plus he's got the bike to get where he needs to be, be it fixing a dread or getting to combat. Ironclads also can be walked forward in the event you are against annother gunline, and have enough armor to take a beating.

The AC dreads can pop transports, and don't discount them on normal troops either. LC/ML dreads are for true tanks. Kept the anti-tank Tac squad. The 2 plas squads are for TEQ and FNP. Snipers take out MC's or pin CC troops (everyone underestimates pinning as well) and have the HB to help out (remember you can either get 2+ poison against MCs or 3x S5 shots for troops) and the second scout squad is just there cuz I had 80 points left to spend and more anti-MC (daemon princes will rip apart a dread) and pinning.

Well I think I need to make a few more changes, here's my final revision to the list.

HQ Master of the forge = 100+20 = 120
conversion beamer

HQ Captain Sicarius = 200

Elite Dreadnought = 105+20 = 125
plasma cannon, heavy flamer/ccw

Elite Dreadnought = 105+20=125
plasma cannon, twin linked autocannon

Elite Dreadnought = 105+40 = 145
lascannon/missile

Heavy Dreadnought = 105+40 = 145
lascannon/missile

Heavy Dreadnought = 105+30 = 135
lascannon, storm bolter/ccw

Heavy Ironclad Dreadnought = 135+10 = 145
Seismic hammer/meltagun, ccw/HF

Troop Tactical Squad x10 = 190
plasmagun, lascannon (tank hunter)

Troop Tactical Squad x10 = 175
missile, meltagun

Troop Tactical Squad x10 = 175
missile, meltagun

Troop Scout Squad x10 = 140+80 = 245
sniper rifles, missile, camo cloaks
Scout Sgt Telion

Fast Attack Land Speeder = 100
MM/Assault Cannon

= 2000

I took out the 2nd speeder, changed some weapons around on the tac squads, added 5 more scouts with sniper rifles and cloaks and added a single ironclad dreadnought with a heavy flamer. I think this list will work wonders.

the reason for a multimelta / dccw dread is twofold:
Contrary to your belief, multimelta kicks ass at the role i would suggest him forr. If someone drop pods, they should be within 12" easily. Then if it's a dread you can easily take some damage to him with a multimelta shot to the face, side, or rear, whatever you can get at. This'l do loads better at that range than an assault cannon, as 2d6 with str 8 is a pretty easy pen. AP1 guarantees you at least stun the dread, unless it's an ironclad, but you have a much better chance of doing some actual damage. And then you have a fist to hit something with.

Short of that, you have a dreadnought that, as you said yourself, isn't filling fully your shooty role, so what do you care if you charge this particular one into that blood angel assault squad that just dropped in your backfield? You won't be missing that particular dreads shooting, and he comes cheap at 105 points!!

Also why i recommend a unit of assault insurance: he gets into you, you want something that can either tie him up for a while or kill him, and a cheap squad out of fast attack can accomplish this. Assault marines, vanguard vets (they get expensive though!) or bikes all fill this role quite nicely. Keep them in the back, and if he gets too close, jump them up to assault him first. Or if he gets a charge off, you can jump in and get some more dedicated weight instead of having a portion of your line crushed.