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Hi! So recently I've been buying Space Marine Bikes, and have mulled about an HQ for them. Naturally, Korsarro Khan or just a normal Captain come to mind, but to me, Khan is a bit too expensive for my taste. I think I'd like to try a Captain with Vulkan as the HQ slots, but I'm having trouble thinking of getting Vulkan to the front. I don't want a landraider with termies, or a land raider at all for that matter. I thought about a drop pod, but what unit would you drop him with? Sternguards?

BTW: This is a list i will NOT be taking to 'ardboyz or something.

Vulkan + SG + drop pod = they die when they land. OK He'Stan survives but the rest get eaten.

Razorback?

Phototoxin wrote:Vulkan + SG + drop pod = they die when they land. OK He'Stan survives but the rest get eaten.

Razorback?

Sure, usually they die. But they get to shoot first. If you're packing 10 Sternguard Vets w/ combi-meltas, you get to shoot at two vehicles with a fairly good chance of disabling both. If your Sternguards have flamers and you land beside infantry, you get to toast them first (or fire your special bolter ammos) thus making them more ineffective at shooting you (hey even if they're MEQs they can only take a few flamer shots with re-rolls to wound) and you can fire on them again the next turn and/or charge. It's a suicidal unit, but it's a good suicidal unit.

Unless you're using another drop pod (and therefore taking points away from your main focus: bikes) then I'd go with vulkan in a rhino/razback. Dropping him in on the first turn with no really support is a bad idea. If there was another pod he could be held off til the second turn when your bikes will be there to help, but then what to pod in first?
With a smaller squad in a raz, you aren't sinking so many points into a bodyguard, but it's still a force to be reckoned with. Also makes a great backup if some of your bikes get bogged down; vulkan and 5 SG can truck in and multi-flame something bigtime.

Drop Pod him in with the Captain's Honor Guard squad. It costs a mere 15 points per model to give them a Flamer and a Melta gun (yes it is legal). The unit has amazing survivability with the FNP and you can give one or two of the squad members storm shields for that little extra protection.

And, even though it is the captain's Honor Guard squad, you can totally paint them as Salamander's. It would be like Vulkan dropping in with some elite soldier's that have all the right tools...

If a single Razorback/rhino is your only armor you might as well just put him on foot because that will be dead very quickly.

Another option is to run your bikes down the flanks and use a central Terminator squad with vulkan walking up the center to anchor your line and draw heavy weapon fire away from the bikes.

I play a Vulkan bike list. The footslogging HQ can be used a couple of different ways. Either use him to counter assault, or as a distraction.

Without a captain on bike, that means you have tactical squads. Just put him in a rhino or land raider.

I find him better used sometimes as a distraction. Put him with either sternguard or tactical in a pod and drop turn one. Blow up what you can and expect to die next turn. But this buys you bikes some time to get closer while they are taking him out. Try it out.

Do you have to put the Command Squad with the Captain? If not, I'll totally drop them in with vulkan. And I thought about also dropping in 1/2 Ironclad dreads with Hunter killers, so at least they will be very shooty before they die. And I guess the Razorback isn't a too bad idea, but I feel like I'm wasting his combat potential while the bikes race ahead.

I agree with vulkan, sterngaurd in a drop pod. i run ten man SG, 5 combi flamer, 5 combi melta (make the most of vulkans rules). if you land infront of a tank, hey, the meltas are close, or, if you land infront of infantry, your flamers and vulkan are infront of them. they will die, but, vulkan is tough to bring down. watch people who have played against him.

And as of today, I am a Boosting Space Marine biker. lol

With upgrades, the HQ slots are racking up about 400+ pts. Is that worth re-rolling melta-flamer dice?

Vulkan + Libby on bike, Null Zone and whatever else you like.

tac squad with fist in rhino/razor, vulkan can go in here with a combat squad
scout squad with missle and 4 snipers x2, GREAT backfield units
3 MMAB
2 bike squads

I think having only a single vehicle rolling up the battlefield is going to draw every anti-tank weapon they have on the first turn. And if he annihilate's the unit inside, I won't be scoring any objectives, unless I move my scouts up.

I'm going to write up a 2000pt army list today, and post it here for review.