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In a 5 man squad of SM scouts, I'm curious to see everyone's opinion on the weapon load out. I've been torn between my scouts lately. The potential of the snipers seem high but with high mech lists they rarely see much they can damage except for the missile launcher. I've seen success with shotgun combo at taking out vehicles early. I see a chance for effectiveness for BP/CB with the boost in attacks on the scouts. Doesn't see a ton of success against MEQ but fighting something lesser could prove deadly. Last few games I've ran snipers they've sat around with nothing to shoot or been targeted and wiped out quickly.Let me know what you all think.

If you vote please tell me why you see them useful with that layout

I use both snipers w/missile launcher and combat blade scouts, i dolike using the combat blade scouts like ork commandos, while with snipers they just hide in cover blasting at anything and hiding with a 3+ cover save.

I selected them all to teach you a lesson about how make polls properly.
If your scouts are using their shotguns, it means they're not claiming an objective. Anything other than snipers/missile is a waste.

You haven't taught me anything if you don't explain where I messed up.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I fixed the poll

Joey wrote:I selected them all to teach you a lesson about how make polls properly.
If your scouts are using their shotguns, it means they're not claiming an objective. Anything other than snipers/missile is a waste.

You could use a different weapon combo while outflanking to claim an objective.

dmthomas7 wrote:In a 5 man squad of SM scouts, I'm curious to see everyone's opinion on the weapon load out. I've been torn between my scouts lately. The potential of the snipers seem high but with high mech lists they rarely see much they can damage except for the missile launcher. I've seen success with shotgun combo at taking out vehicles early. I see a chance for effectiveness for BP/CB with the boost in attacks on the scouts. Doesn't see a ton of success against MEQ but fighting something lesser could prove deadly. Last few games I've ran snipers they've sat around with nothing to shoot or been targeted and wiped out quickly.Let me know what you all think.

If you vote please tell me why you see them useful with that layout

If alone, I equip them with sniper rifles and a missile launcher.

If paired with a land speeder storm, then a power weapon on the sergeant and shotguns on the rest of them.

I prefer the storm combination since its more durable, more versatile, gives alpha strike potential, and can potentially make a huge impact on an opponents gameplan. For example - in a multiple objective game you can outflank the storm and have its sole purpose be to fly in at the end and take one, which has an affect on how your opponent tackles your list. Another way is if they have a weak or immobile element that can threaten you from afar - first turn for you should be an almost guarantee that you can get to that unit... or at least force them into suboptimal deployment or even reserve.

Does anyone else like Boltguns/ML/PF for midfield camping duty?

Ran wrote:Does anyone else like Boltguns/ML/PF for midfield camping duty?

Never tried it but seems like it could be effective. I definitely see the pros on that load out

Opinions on how to loadout your scout squad?

This is a terribly general question. All of the variants you list (and others) can have their uses. Which one (or more) will be effective or a waste of points depends on the rest of your list.

I don't use scouts, but if I did I'd go foor either full sniper, or 3 scouts w/ bolters, 1 with heavy bolter, sergeant with power sword and bolt pistol for some insurence

I used to run a raven guard list that had a lot of scouts in it. Fleet is awesome with infiltrate and scout moves. I think a 5 man sniper squad with a missile launcher is good but only with telion. He is key to puts wounds on what you want or to make sure your missile hits.

I had a lot of success with a 5 man unit with close combat weapon, sarge with a powerfist and melta bomb in a land speeder storm. Getting the first turn charge on vehicles is too good.

I used to also run a 5 man with close combat weapons and sarge with a power sword. It did ok but not that great.

Scouts die to easy so I would pick snipers with camo cloaks 1st then a suicide unit of 5 man with powerfist in a storm second. Hoping the powerfist can kill his point value.

Other: Snipers with Hvy Bolter

Has anyone considered a 10 man squad with bolt pistols and CCWs and the sarge has a PF? Outflanking with it seems decent. They're really the only units besides assault marines that can have 2 attacks at a reasonable points cost and reliably get into assault (via outflanking). I just remember getting wrecked by genestealers using that tactic and 10 man Scout Squad w/ CCWs & PF are the only thing I can think of that Space Marines can do that could have that kind of horrifying effect at a reasonable points cost.

I run mine much like one of the above posters, 5 guys, 4 shotties, sarge with PW and plas pistol in a storm.

Great little harassment unit with a small footprint and puts out as many attacks as a CCW equiped unit with more opportunity to hang back.

How to load out your Scout Squat depends on what you want your role to be, what hole they fill in your army list, and what other units they either support or are being supported by.

I appear to be in the minority here but i really prefer scouts with BP and CCW. As snipers they seem like a waste of points in all of my games, unless you put telion in the squad and that can really make something of them. Most of the time it seems like my scouts get stuck in. Either they ride into battle in a land speeder storm and are locked with the enemy on turn one, or they end up outflanking and engaging the enemy on their objective later in the game. A unit of 10 scouts charging does more damage than what most people realize. Sure you have to pick your target but that holds true for most units.

A unit of 5 scouts though is pretty meager in melee. Unless you feild them in a landspeeder storm, I think its probably best to give them a ML and telion and then just use them as an objective holder and too pick away at enemy units.

Combat blade scouts make great fodder (10 of them taking wounds for a 10 man initiates squad with ccw's) and help with outnumbering and extra attacks for asault.

I understand that the optimal load out is dependent on the situation, but the question I'm asking is what is your favorite load out for them.

Joey wrote:
If your scouts are using their shotguns, it means they're not claiming an objective. Anything other than snipers/missile is a waste.

What about a storm, melta and combi for an alpha strike?

And 5 snipers with sniper rifles doesn't really do too much, with BS3. Half hit, so 2.5 hits that wound on a 4+...so 1.25 wounds. 10 guys nets an average of 2.5.

except 1 (the sergeant) is BS4

Matt.Kingsley wrote:except 1 (the sergeant) is BS4

And that's going to increase the numbers dramatically, is it?

I used a 5 men squad with combat shotgun just because i find them funny and and a 5 men squand with bolter and one heavy bolter for a little advence fire power.

I do enjoy the idea of shotguns in 40k it makes me smile just a bit

Yep, is funny to see people waste there times on scouts with shotguns.

Not quite a waste. They are still S4 assault 2 weapons. Allowing the same as rapid firing bolters followed by being able to assault. AP- sucks but against marines they would get armour saves against BP's anyways. Its a way to increase the chance to put out more firepower before charging. Many times better then bolters on scouts I think.

They're useless anyway so I gave my scouts bolters and now they at least look cool. One guy has a shotgun for when they need to bust down a door.

I disagree about scouts being useless... I love snipers. Maybe because I've been lucky when using them, but whatever... I like 4 snipers and a ML to help w/ range...

Jihallah wrote:

Matt.Kingsley wrote:except 1 (the sergeant) is BS4

And that's going to increase the numbers dramatically, is it?

It increases the average, making it more like;y to work.
not by much, of course.

I usually run one or two squads in my Crimson Fists list paired with three squads of Sternguards and backed with armor, typically a pair of vindicators and a dakka pred.

I'll almost always run a squad of eight snipers, a heavy bolter, and Telion. I like that it's got range and is able to lay down some pinning fire against lighter infantry. Also very effective against MC's. Not heavy hitters at BS3, but able to add some damage to that inflicted by other units in my list.

I prefer the heavy bolter over the missile launcher as it's just as effective hitting when Telion is lending a hand and likely to cause just as many or more wounds than the S4 blast. Sure, you lose out on the S8 krak shot, but the rest of the squad is useless if you're shooting at armor anyway.

I also like running a 5 man BP/CCW squad with a combi-melta/PW or combi-melta/PF sarge in a Landspeeder Storm carrying a multi-melta. As mentioned above, they'll either get the vehicle busting alpha strike followed with a tarpit assault or take a later game outflanking to claim a backfield objective or hit any heavy suport that's been giving me trouble.

I like scouts, they are cheap objective holders
I roll them with a ML and sniper rifles
Sure they dont blow much gak up
They can cap an objective for ~100 points how is that not good.