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So I am just now getting back into Space Marines after a LONG hiatus (Ultramarines), and I am looking at different builds for my army.

One unit I am interested in is the Captains Command Squad. I'm looking for any advice on the best way to outfit and use this unit. For the record I am not using Vulkan - so not going to kit them all out with flamers or anything.

Any advice?

Four plasmaguns either in a rhino, drop pod, or on bikes is a good start.

if you want cc, 2 or so storm shields, a lightning claw or two or a thunder hammer, with captain in the squad.

Well-
You can do-
4x plasma
Apocothery
Captin with combi-plas
in lasplas razor
4xmetla gun
Apcothery
captin- combi metla artifcer, lighting claw
Lasplass/ assault cannon razorback


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh, and BronzeJon, the way Retunies work, the captain MUST be in the squad.
Think about it like this- they are his bodyguard. why wouldt you be with your bodyguard?

My advise would be to not take them. Take sternguard. Same stats, similar options. Command squad can't take an assault against an assault oriented unit because of numbers. Sternguard can. If you did want to take them any way, take plasma.

faheykeyes wrote:
oh, and BronzeJon, the way Retunies work, the captain MUST be in the squad.
Think about it like this- they are his bodyguard. why wouldt you be with your bodyguard?

That is mostly true but irrelevant. Command Squads are not a retinue.
The Captain is not required to join them.

Take a Librarian instead of an over costed unit that is useless for anything but creating a bike themed army.

ReVedUp wrote:My advise would be to not take them. Take sternguard. Same stats, similar options. Command squad can't take an assault against an assault oriented unit because of numbers. Sternguard can. If you did want to take them any way, take plasma.

This is just not true you just have to kit them out for cc, take plasma if you want them to be shooty, but I think this wastes the captains cc ability, I'd say company champion power weapon power fist melta and apothrocary captain with a relic blade and combi melta, pretty sick unit IMO

I'm not the greatest Codex: Space Marine player (I run Black Templars), but I've used a suicide squad of 4x Meltaguns in a drop pod before and was able crack open a landraider. They were then shot to pieces.

I've also used 4x plasma gunners in a drop pod and destroyed a terminator squad with them, getting the benefit of the Apothecary on the Gets Hot rolls. These guys lasted a bit longer, but were also eventually shot to pieces.

Both were very fun units, though.

As for making an assault squad out of one...I dunno. It's only 5 guys in power armor, at the end of the day. By the time you kit them out with storm shields, thunder hammers, and lightning claws, you're in the 200 point range of a 5-man Assault terminator squad or a Vanguard Vet squad. Put those next to each other and tell me which one is better bang for your buck? If you do go with an assaulty Command Squad, you should probably put them in a razorback or rhino. Consider putting the captain with them, I suppose. All IC's like FNP.

So, to really answer your question, CTuttle: What is your army missing? Use them to either fill a gap your army has (anti-vehicle, anti-MEQ, a counter-assault unit, or anti-Terminators) or to have a redundant unit as a back-up.

I hope that helps.

One guy I play with teleports them around using a librarian and has them melta/plasma things to death.

Using plasma guns on them is the common trick, and effective.

You can also make them melee monsters, but don't put too many points into the unit! Use this as a general guideline: If the command squad is costing more than a landraider with extra armor, it's too expensive. Melee command squads can't do what terminators with lightning claws can, but those same terminators can't always do what the melee command squad can.

Bikes are another option, just be careful about going into terrain. Biker plasma is crazy effective.

If you have to ask then you do not want to use them.

If however you need to add a cc threat into a bike army then You'll know what to do.
If you need a heavy melta unit in a drop pod army which for some unknown reason can not be an elite choice then you can set up the command squad accordingly.
etc.

The only interesting role would be to use them as cc gods on bikes in a non bike army. Above 2000pts marines could do with a cc threat, assault termies in a raider may not really suit your army so a bike command squad could be just the thing.

My Comand Squad (Well, I play BA, so it's "Honor Guard" but the same principles apply) is kitted out as a bully unit. Two power weapons, two plasma pistols, a banner and a blood champion. The banner dude get's melta bombs. Its expensive and not the best unit, but I use it to assault units that dont want to be assaulted, like loota's or tacticle squads.

Honestly, Command Squads are supposed to be a CC unit. I would suggest a champion, he is cheap and gets a power weapon/ss. Then outfit the rest with power weapons, maybe a banner or melta bombs, and stick them in a transport to get them from point A to point wreck face. You can treat them kind of like small Assault Terminator (Another unit I am gaining experience with). They hit hard in CC, and are preety survivable with FNP, but they need a transport to get to the target and hate plasma weapons.

Your Ultramarines are looking good. Well be cool to see what you do with a Command Squad, paint wise.

Honour guard in the BA codex are the only shooty unit with jump packs. You have useful vanguard and sanguinary guard as well for cc duties.
Where as 4 plasmas or 4 meltas can be very much needed.

For my Blood angels I run the hounour guard at 2250 4 Meltas with Dante and they deepstrike and then A librarian with a 4 plasmagun unit they work really well. Stick your 4 plasma command squad in a drop pos and you have 8 plasma shots falling from the sky. Or 4 melta.