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I picked up a unit of scout bikers a few years ago at a flea market because I've always been interested in them as a unit. However, I've never quite figured out what I would use them for. On one hand, getting to scout forward means you can possibly pull of a turn 1 assault. With the prospect of a power fist on the sergeant and a combi-melta, that could make for a semi-potent tank hunting unit. On the other hand, in a reserves-based army, the mobile beacon means that, barring horrible consequence, I can deep strike my army with accuracy. There's also grenade launchers and booby traps, but those seem silly and ineffective, yet a bit fluffy.

So in conclusion: What are these guys good for? A cheap 100 point unit to hide and carry around a teleport homer, or a cheap 100 point tank harassment unit? Or am I totally wrong and should I get a stupidly large squad of them to try and chop everyone up?

EDIT: Your experiences and battle reports welcome!

As far as I know, people take Scout Bikers for the very fast Teleport Homer. I've only ever seen them as a full squad, as to increase their chances of survival first turn. It's a fun tactic; dropping pods on one spot, zooming away, dropping termies, etc. The booby traps are just a nice bonus.

I've only ever seen them as a Beacon delivery system. After that, they tend to pile into a tank and hope to kill it with the PF

S_P

alpha strike suicide bombers.

Goddard wrote:As far as I know, people take Scout Bikers for the very fast Teleport Homer. I've only ever seen them as a full squad, as to increase their chances of survival first turn. It's a fun tactic; dropping pods on one spot, zooming away, dropping termies, etc. The booby traps are just a nice bonus.

A full squad sounds like a bit of a points sink for that one purpose though, that's between 200 and 300 points depending on the upgrades!

I use a squad of four of those guys. A long scout move is nice. Can easily pull off a first turn charge. The booby traps can do a lot of damage but they can be useless too. Depends on luck mostly in my experience. Relentless is also nice. I mainly field them for harassment purposes.

I get a tiny squad and booby trap the central piece of terrain that usually is the objective in our smallish-point battles. Eldar rangers infiltrate onto it and are immediately blown to smithereens by the bombs with their weak armour and reliance on cover saves! then the bikers race forward, demolish the rest of the squad in the name of the emperor and are promptly destroyed by the enemy! this is how most battles start, as my eldar-playing opponents do not know if I am bluffing about my booby traps this time or not!

The Locator Beacon is better than a Teleport Homer, since it allows any Deep Striking unit to gain its benefit, rather than just those arriving via teleportation. It allows for more strategic placement of Assault Squads, Librarians with Gate of Infinity, Land Speeders, Drop Pods, and Vanguard Veterans. That Astartes Grenade Launcher packs quite a kick too. Since they are scouts, they can Infiltrate and get that Scout move (and since they are on bikes they can even turbo-boost in the Scout move). The only other thing that can take a Locator Beacon is a Drop Pod, and the Scouts offer advantages in that they can move, shoot, and assault. They certainly aren't for everyone, but they do have their uses.

I don't own a Scout Biker squad, but I do want one. I use a pod army with Tigurius attached to a Sternguard squad, and Locator Beacons are a ten point insurance policy against Deep Strike mishaps. I find the Beacons to be invaluable, and would love to field more.

Sledgio wrote:I get a tiny squad and booby trap the central piece of terrain that usually is the objective in our smallish-point battles. Eldar rangers infiltrate onto it and are immediately blown to smithereens by the bombs with their weak armour and reliance on cover saves! then the bikers race forward, demolish the rest of the squad in the name of the emperor and are promptly destroyed by the enemy! this is how most battles start, as my eldar-playing opponents do not know if I am bluffing about my booby traps this time or not!

They definately die fast but when all I have left of the squad is the sergeant the dice gods bestow their blessing upon him. He goes on alone for several turns causing incredible havoc in the enemy lines. He pretty much forgets the suicide part in suicide strikes.

Jimsolo wrote:The Locator Beacon is better than a Teleport Homer, since it allows any Deep Striking unit to gain its benefit, rather than just those arriving via teleportation. It allows for more strategic placement of Assault Squads, Librarians with Gate of Infinity, Land Speeders, Drop Pods, and Vanguard Veterans. That Astartes Grenade Launcher packs quite a kick too. Since they are scouts, they can Infiltrate and get that Scout move (and since they are on bikes they can even turbo-boost in the Scout move). The only other thing that can take a Locator Beacon is a Drop Pod, and the Scouts offer advantages in that they can move, shoot, and assault. They certainly aren't for everyone, but they do have their uses.

I don't own a Scout Biker squad, but I do want one. I use a pod army with Tigurius attached to a Sternguard squad, and Locator Beacons are a ten point insurance policy against Deep Strike mishaps. I find the Beacons to be invaluable, and would love to field more.

The beacon + gate is actually an incredibly cool bit of synergy I never would have thought of! Expensive to pull off, but what a cool idea! I think my Sternguard just got a lot more mobile...

I run them with ten combi-weapons even, so it ends up being over five hundred points for the Sternguard plus Tigurius. Don't make the mistake I did though, and drop the Sternguard in a pod. Drop their pod empty, with them already on the table. (Otherwise the turn they deploy, you won't have access to Force Dome.) It works really well in a pod army, I find.

Brother SRM wrote:

Goddard wrote:As far as I know, people take Scout Bikers for the very fast Teleport Homer. I've only ever seen them as a full squad, as to increase their chances of survival first turn. It's a fun tactic; dropping pods on one spot, zooming away, dropping termies, etc. The booby traps are just a nice bonus.

A full squad sounds like a bit of a points sink for that one purpose though, that's between 200 and 300 points depending on the upgrades!

I agree, but the person I saw using them in this manner said himself it was only for fun.

Goddard wrote:

Brother SRM wrote:

Goddard wrote:As far as I know, people take Scout Bikers for the very fast Teleport Homer. I've only ever seen them as a full squad, as to increase their chances of survival first turn. It's a fun tactic; dropping pods on one spot, zooming away, dropping termies, etc. The booby traps are just a nice bonus.

A full squad sounds like a bit of a points sink for that one purpose though, that's between 200 and 300 points depending on the upgrades!

I agree, but the person I saw using them in this manner said himself it was only for fun.

You can always combat squad them if you have pressure on the FA slots.

I'm afraid my main reason for using them is how cool the models look - 10*better than standard tacs on bikes. If only there was a way you could take scout bikes as troops!

Absolutely nothin' say it again now.

Except for the beacon.

I use 3 with Astartes Grenade Launchers against Orks, 6 frag templates works pretty well against hordes as either a distraction (then they die) or if underestimated they take huge chunks out of mobs in the open. And i second that they look effin cool

I agree with that they look cool. Reason enough to take them.