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I have some Space Marines lying around that were prizes from tournaments and figured I may as well begin playing around with them. I like the idea of a drop pod assault army, and after using search did not see many full drop pod armies on here, so I am wondering are they viable? I was thinking something like this?

10 Man Tactical Squad (Melta,Combimelta/Powerfist for Sergant, and Drop Pod)=245

5 More Of The Same=1225

2 Speeder Squad (Meltas)=120

2 More Of The Same=240

For 1830 you have 60 power armor marines backed by a fist in each squad, plus plenty of melta to go around, and points to spare at 2000 for an HQ.

The only thing I don't have figured out if HQ. I thought about a Chaplain with Vanguard but I would want them to lose their heroic assault right after the deep strike.

Places where I see them having trouble would be against things like mass infantry IG where they would be shot off the map. Tactically though I think they could be great. In any objective mission You have a huge advantage, especially if you are strategic in your objective placement. People poopoo them in kill point games but as a Dark Eldar player AV12 open top in mass is even better than my AV10 open top in mass, plus if you get your melta shots off you will be golden via taking out their vehicles.

Is this viable at all?

Well in my opinion you should drop a couple of the drop pods and go with a couple Razorbacks with twin-linked assault cannons, so then you combat squad two of your squads put the the ones you think is more important in the razorbacks and get them to go get the enemy, also you already got a couple of HQ's

I like the full drop-pod assault idea better than doing a mix with armored transports. It is a bit like a Daemon army in that you have this very unorthodox first assault wave not dependent on standard deployment rules, but backed up by 3+ power armour and a lot of meltaguns. I'm not a tournament expert, really, but with careful positioning of the first wave and a good, solid alpha-strike, I think this kind of list can work. It has also a certain psychological factor, tons of Marines dropping all around you, already in rapid-fire range to frag everything stupid enough to be out of a transport and melting their way through your armor turn 1.

So, I will assume you want a drop pod armie... Just an advice: they will not be great, or super powerfull, but they will be fun...

Yor ideia is fine, but what about fill the troop slots (2 of them?) and go for Elite/Fast Attack. With so much drop pods, you want them to shoot like hell wen touching ground, right?

Make the troops cheaper, with lots of options. I mean, get then with Missile Launcher and Melta, and PF only if you really need it

Fill the second Troop Slot with Scouts, sniper ones.

Right, you get two back shooter unit, they are not great, but specially in the case of the scouts, they are great to hold objectives while hitting your opponent from far way.

Now you need something to keep your troops safe, and your elite and fast attack will come for that:

Sternguard Veterans, will do a great work on drop pods. Equip them well, and place them in the right place when they come. When they touch ground, deliver fire like hell into the enemy. I would say storm bolter and melta guns here.

10 Tactical with Melta, Combi-melta, PF and Drop Pod cost costs 245 points, and deliver 2 Melta-shots + 8 Bolt Shoots when enterning game, standing 9 regular attacks, +2 PF attacks when assaulting next turn.

10 Sternguard with 2 Melta-gun, 1 PF, and Storm Bolters, on drop pod, cost 360. Reducind the cost back to 270, we can have 7 Sternguard with 2 melta, 1 pf and Storm Bolters. Those are 2 melta shots + 12 bolt shots when entering, and 12 attacks + 2 pf attacks when being charged next turn...

Now, lets say your HQ is a Master of Forge (120 points for Power Weapon+Storm Bolter). It can bolster the defense of your Scouts, and let you pick dreads as heavy support...

take 3 dreads with Multi-Melta, DCCW+Heavy Flamer, Extra Armor and Drop Pod for 165 points each.

Now you have 7 Drop Pods, 4 of them will come in the start of the game, and they are all fearsome...

The total point cost until now is: 1755

Now, if you really want to do the Drop Pod assault, with maximized number of pods, in fearsome big strikes, come with me to codex blood angels...

Troops:
lets stick with the same, PA on pod + Scouts to hold objectives.
Except this time the PA is a 10 man Assault Squad without Jump Packs, with Drop Pod, 2 Melta guns and PF (funny nice 200 points). The assault squad have 2 melta-shots, and 8 bolt shots, but react to assault with 18 attacks + 2 PF attacks. They have short range after landing, and can do it very wrong without luck, but they are cheap, and hold objectives.

HQ
Librarian, without upgrades, with bloodlance + unleash rage.

Elites:
We can stick with Sternguard, or send everything to hell...
3 Furioso Dreadnoughts with Extra Armor, Heavy Flamer and Drop Pod, 185 points each.

Heavy Suport
Remember the dreads? So, now they can stay the same, or turno into sniper autocannons, for the same price... They keep being 3.

1435 points right now...

For 1500: Take one of the melta guys from the Assault squad, and place the Lib in it. Use the 28 points earned to buy another scout squad with missile launcher (plus upgrades). Drop the assault squad in the midle of enemy force, in the first turn, ready to stand shoot, placing the 3 dreads surrounding then. Shoot enemy formation to hell, you got the lance, the meltas and the pistols. Your opponet will be in a bad day, trying to figure out what he should shoot firts... not 100%, but effective. One extra advantage: the first turn is always yours...
What to do with the 500 points you still have? +2 Assault Squad (for later fight), and maybe a Land Speeder...

Sorry for the bad english (you know, not my original language), and for the long post, i think in liked the ideia ^^


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Hm, should let it quiet... But i thouth in another possibiltie...

Using Space Wolves Codex

Take Logan as HQ, it costs 275 points, but let you use Wolf Guard as Troops.

In elite, pick 3 Dreads with Multi Melta, Heavy Flamer, Extra Armor and Drop Pod, 165 poins each.

In the Troops, repeat this squads as many times as you want:

5 wolf guard with Combi-Melta or Plasma, one with Power Fist, all in drop pod for 160 points

or

10 wolf guard, 3 with Combi-Melta, 2 with Power Fist, all in drop pod for 280

or

5 wolf guard with termie armor, and combi-melta/plasma, in drop pod. cost 235.

The reason FA and Elite are left out is strictly because troops are so important in this edition, and between Tactical Marine's survivability and resourcefulness, having six squads of them is a fantastic way to overwhelm the enemy and take/hold objectives. Plus by putting the fist in each squad they can reliably win (nearly) any combat.

Drop Pod Assault turn one sees three dropped deep in melta range of top vehicle targets. If there is a lot of targets on the table for melta the Speeders will be deployed and rush forward. Very conceivably six enemy vehicles could be gone turn one, at least three even if the dice are not in my favor. Later turns pods drop where needed, taking objectives, blocking movement, or intervening to make a mess out of the oppositions plans.

Things are a little messier if they reserve everything, but at this point I still have the advantage as I can drop pods where the battle is swinging and outflank speeders as necessary.

It might well be a good investment to take a locator beacon on some of the squads/pods and get some TH/SS Terminators - that'd mess up someones day.

I've watched my mate try to hone his drop pod army tactics again and again aginst my orks... It never works.,.

Its a good army to pick and play against a specific enemy (Not melee heavy armies like DE or orks), but if you're playing a tournament against who knows what, it would probably fail!!

Chaplain (Terminator Armor/Storm Bolter)=130

Assault Terminators (TH/SS)=200

Dreadnought (Drop Pod)=140

10 Man Tactical Squad (Melta,Combimelta/Powerfist for Sergeant, Homer, and Drop Pod)=260

10 Man Tactical Squad (Melta,Combimelta/Powerfist for Sergeant, Homer, and Drop Pod)=260

10 Man Tactical Squad (Melta,Combimelta/Powerfist for Sergeant, and Drop Pod)=245

10 Man Tactical Squad (Melta,Combimelta/Powerfist for Sergeant, and Drop Pod)=245

10 Man Tactical Squad (Melta,Combimelta/Powerfist for Sergeant, and Drop Pod)=245

10 Man Tactical Squad (Melta,Combimelta/Powerfist for Sergeant, and Drop Pod)=245

1970

While it has less Melta, it may be a lot more survivable. I fear the one dread will take all the anti-tank, but a solid drop pod wave on turn one if well organized could take out the viable sources of that. It also solves the HQ issue and adds a fantastic combat unit into the mix.

Have you considered a MotF dreadnought/pod spam list? They can be quite scary.

I'd love to play against that army tbh 'L'Etat C'Est Moi'. My orks would romp through that and love every second!! :-)

The all drop pod list is probably my favorite army to play off all the lists I've run. That said as the meta has shifted to mech/transport base lists, its effectiveness has gone from high to mediocre at best. That being said I still love to run it, and its rewarding when I pull out a win against a tough opponent. I just really enjoy the way a drop pod army really feels like a space marine army from the fluff. Surgical, surprise assaults.. death from above. Now if only I could always win like they do in the books hah!

i do a drop pod only army with salamanders (vulkan). it is fun and it does work. drop either squads or dreadnoaughts with melta guns on the first turn to pop thier tanks. a sternguard squad is great in a drop pod to clear other troops off of objectives. the big trick is to have an odd number of drop pods, so, that more than half arrive the first turn. at 2500 points, i run 7. 2 dreads, three troops, stern guard, and HQ (cpt with three meltas in the squad). vulkan ususaly rides with the sternguard.

Imo you only need 5 troops.

Dreads or sternguard are great choices. Don't run termies, they reduce the amount of pods that you can field on turn 1.

HQ should be Vulkan or Pedro (only if you use sternguard cause then they score). With scoring sternguard you only need the core 2 troops as 3 sternguard squads are much much better than tac squads.

Deathwind Launchers are actually quite helpful with full drop pod armies, Large blast templates are useful against hordes.

How do you deal with MCs ?

Sternguards are the answer to that.

Powerfist on each Sergeant seems a bit too much. Power Weapons on soem PFists on some might save you soem points.

Also, that list is an auto loss agaisnt the new Grey Knights when they get first turn and use earthquake.