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Me and a friend were discussing biker lists recently, and since he plays DA's he was going on about Ravenwing, how much more 'bad-ass' they are than my 'traitors mounted on rust bucket bikes'

I was wondering if the Nurgle Biker squad+ Meltas was a viable tactic? He for one dosn't know they get T4(6) but I'd like some opinions/player experience on the unit before I shell out for the paints+models.


Also, holy crap. I may actually use my FA section for once in my CSM army

Nurgle bikers with melta is nasty indeed but the problem is that they cost you your lungs, liver and kidneys. They are way too expensive. Maybe 15 points cheaper per model and it would a viable tactic.

I usually deploy one 5 man, champ (Ld purposes) dual melta per 250 points, and I can say I turboboosted them in front of 1500 points worth of parking lot IG and after a whole enemy shooting phase only 1 biker down.
Ever since then they became a fire magnet (have that fact present and move on), mainly because I also use the icon for deepstrike guiding for my obliterators, and those inflict major damage (always do) too.

Honestly I think it's pretty stupid how people say a unit sucks just because a different codex gets it cheaper.

Codex marine bikers can't be backed up by the rest of the chaos force org. Chaos bikers can be used in conjunction with lash and summoned daemons, for example. I guess they can't regroup under 50%, but they are Ld10 and can take chaos glory.

A basic unit with meltas is about as much as a termicide unit. They might not be quite as reliable, since they've one less shot and start on table. But that also means they have a threat area. And they use FA slots, for what that's worth.

A fun and totally uncompetitive way to use them is field a moderately sized group, turboboost turn one and use them to drop in tons of summoned daemons. If your reserve rolls go well, you can get around 20-30 daemons in your opponent's face. It won't win you the game, but it can tie up a lot of stuff or force your opponent into a bad position.

Other than that, Nurgle bikers are okay. I don't really use them, but I don't really use bikes at all - so take my words with a bit of salt.

I've had some success with Slaaneshi Bikers as a clean-up crew. Let me go find that list... yes, I ran them 4-5 man with IoS and 2 Meltaguns for about 200 points. The idea was they'd engage smaller, weakened squads and kill them before they could swing. The Relentless TL-Bolters are pretty nasty, especially preceding a charge.

They were probably the most versatile unit in that list, given that I ran Daemons and Obliterators; they could hunt small squads and tanks efficiently, but had the speed to set up Deepstrikes or contest backfield objectives. I definitely think Bikers are a strong unit, but you have to have Deepstrikers to make the most of their mobility.

So to answer your question, yes Nurgle Bikers can be effective, but you need to find a way to make that extra Toughness essential. Heavier amounts of Deepstrikers, or using it as a delivery method for a Nurgle Lord with Plaguebringer, could be the basis for a very scary list.

Something else to keep in mind about Chaos Space Marine Bikers is that they have the Pistol/Close Combat Weapons combination that lets them hit harder on the assault. It's a minor thing, but as Darkhound notes, those Twin-Linked Bolters are pretty decent for softening targets up.

Something I'll add is that the Icon of Tzeentch will probably benefit you more than the Icon of Nurgle. Sure, T4(6) Bikers can be pretty impressive, but Bikers aren't really scared of small arms anyways. An Icon of Tzeentch means that they'll be able to shrug off those Krak Missiles and other weapons that treat T4(5) the same as T4(6).

Darkhound's Slaaneshi unit sounds surprisingly decent. Five bikes with I5, T5 and two meltaguns, able to turbo-boost and get their Icon someplace useful, for 200pts sounds pretty good. I'll have to try that out.

could be the basis for a very scary list.

Yes Darkhound, a Nurgle player in my local meta LOVES his 'somewhat' deathstar.

Though, there are pretty hard counters as he confesses.
One of which is mass bolter fire... it's kind of funny really.

CSM bikes vs. Vanillna Bikes... sadly, I'd have to go Vanilla.
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To be fair. The CSM bikers off ther CSM list flexibility. They are fast enough to deliver special weapons and deliver themselves. They give the player the option to do a decent shooty job and a decent combatty job, but pay a premium for that flexibility (much like Oblits).

They have a niche, but their failure is not being all that different from Raptors of CSM troopers, unlike the Oblits.

Only bikes I ever had respect for was the Squat biker army list, but GW killed off that race so its no longer viable. Chaos bikes are ok, thay attract alotta fire being Fast Attack mine 10 man squad works great as a distraction force.

Not being different enough from Raptors? They can move faster, or they can shoot better. They can't hop over intervening terrain, but they can move 24" and get an automatic cover save.

That means they can deliver a T2 Greater Daemon or Lesser Daemon Pack in Turn 2, or pinpoint a Deep Strike by Terminators and Obliterators.

The combination of a cover save, armour save, and invulnerable save is thus why I think that the Icon of Tzeentch is the most reliable option. But then I love a good daemon bomb.

I like the chaos bikers, don't use them very often but when I do, I tend to take a Large squad with 2 meltas an IoCG and a naked champion to turn into a Greater Daemon....or a large squad with IoCG and a fist on the champion...

I like the marks but being able to re-roll a failed LD just seems to me as the best option, if you are putting that many points into a unit you can't afford for them to run away!!!!!