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So I'm considering if I want to buy the 20$ Space Marine Commander unit from Games Workshop. However, I was wondering, is this unit valuable on the playing field? I'm trying to stay away from metal models, and this is the only plastic one I could find in the HQ category.

As it's plastic it will be easy to modify to a different type of HQ if you want.

The kit is awesome and you'll end up with a load of useful bits either way - even if you don't use the commander himself I'd say it's worth it!

That said, Librarians, Chaplains and even a Master of the Forge offers more utility to your army - Space Marines have better ways to deliver a punch in the assault phase than a HQ slot. Don't be afraid of metal models. They're cheaper than the plastic kit if you just want the individual, and are generally more detailed overall!

Okay, I guess my I might get some metal guys later on. This is my first minigaming experience, so I still have a small army. Adding an HQ will probably be one of the last steps.

A HQ and 2 units of troops (Tactical Marines or Scouts) is the minimum requirement if you wish to play 40K, so to the contrary, it should probably be one of the first steps.

If you're more interested in the painting/modelling side of things then working on some basic troops isn't a bad idea at first though - you won't crap up your hero with a first-timer's paint-job if you get some practice in!

As people have said a Librarian or Chaplain model is probably more preferable. If you're creative, you can even make a cheap MotF from left over tank bits and an extra SM body (I think the Command Squad comes with 6 legs, the SM tank sprue comes with an extra torso, so it would be perfect).

Question: If I had 10 Tactical Marines, a captain, 5 terminators, and a dreadnought, could I play 40k? Are squads 5 people, or 10 people?

Formae wrote:Question: If I had 10 Tactical Marines, a captain, 5 terminators, and a dreadnought, could I play 40k? Are squads 5 people, or 10 people?

If you look in the Space Marine codex, a squad is 5-10 Tactical Marines. However, you need 10 men to get a heavy or special weapon, like a flamer or missile launcher, and a sergeant is required for both. In other words, Black Reach (The units I assume you're talking about) plus a 10 man squad of Marines makes a perfectly legal force.

So I need 20 marines in total to play?

Strictly, you could make a game with 11 marines (2 5 man tactical squads and a captain), but 8 of those tactical marines could only have bolters, the sergeants could have their pick of the available wargear, as could the captain.

Formae wrote:So I need 20 marines in total to play?

If all you have now is the "Assault on Black Reach" set then you will need to buy another 10 marines to make your force legal.

So yea, in your case you need 20 marines to fill out your troop requirement.

Ma55ter_fett wrote:

Formae wrote:So I need 20 marines in total to play?

If all you have now is the "Assault on Black Reach" set then you will need to buy another 2 marines to make your force legal.

Fixed that for you, all he needs is one dude with a bolter and another sergeant.

Advising for a minimum point limits may be more useful... Minimum FoC won't get him far since armies differ very much in costs...

If you already have Black Reach then grab a Battle Force (Yes, I'm up selling and not a redshirt)
You'll get another full tac squad, 5 scouts, a rhino, 5 assault marines and another five power armored bodies you could bling into a command squad via the commander kit.

Heres my army as it is right now

4 Terminators
1 Terminator Sergeant
1 Razorback
10 Marines
1 Space Marine Commander

So I just need 10 more normal marines I guess. Do I need marines with guns? Or can I also get the assault marines?

You need another troops choice...
You can technically spit a 10 marine squad and just se 2 5-man squads, but it's better to have 2 10-man squads IMO

MechaEmperor7000 wrote:As people have said a Librarian or Chaplain model is probably more preferable. If you're creative, you can even make a cheap MotF from left over tank bits and an extra SM body (I think the Command Squad comes with 6 legs, the SM tank sprue comes with an extra torso, so it would be perfect).

agreed

so if I have 10 marines with guns, maybe I should get 10 marines with jump packs and chainswords?

Formae wrote:so if I have 10 marines with guns, maybe I should get 10 marines with jump packs and chainswords?

Nah they are Fast Attack.
You need 1 HQ and 2 Troops minimum.

Formae wrote:so if I have 10 marines with guns, maybe I should get 10 marines with jump packs and chainswords?

In Codex: Space Marines the only troop choices are Tactical marines (bolter marines), and scouts. So you can not get assault marines. The minimum size tactical squad is 5 men. So, if you have 10 guys, you are legal with two groups of 5 each. However, its advised you have two groups of 10, so I would suggest picking up a tactical box (or a battleforce possibly).

On the HQ front, as others have said captains/commanders are not very good. They are very cutomizable, and certainly aren't bad, however, Chaplains, Librarians and Masters of the Forge are all superior. Even so, its not exactly a bad choice for an HQ, and are still effective in their base form.

The space marine commander box is a great buy also. It has a ton of options, and you can really make an awesome looking guy even if you aren't going to use him.

Personally, I love metal HQ choices. They are really detailed, and their weight really helps them feel that much more special than your rank and file.

It seems to me you do not have the Codex, since most of the stuff people have been telling you (namely, the assault marine and Tactical minimum squads) are pretty clear in the book. For your next purchases I second the Battle Force, as well as the Codex for your army. This will give you a good core force of marines and some flavour units (namely, the Assault Marines and Scouts). After that, sit down with the codex and make a list before committing to other purchases.