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Okay, I had stumbled across the GW artical on what a few of them do for tactics, but just wondering with those who've had experience with the vehicle, have you ever developed your own tactics?

Not sure what GW's tactics are for SRs. I always run more than one, which means two, and always flat out. That gives me the 4+ cover save. Their primary mission is to melta tanks and plasma blast troops. If there's any psykers in the vicinity I unload mindstrike missles, too (they're considered defensive weapons). Especially if it's Mephiston or a librarian. 8 missiles on their head usually does the trick. Most games the SRs stay up flying unless I forget about a rhino having it's occupants still inside. Did that in my last game and the SR was meltad out of existence.

Dual ravens. Always.

Melta and plasma works great. I really start them with troops but use them as a dread delivery system.

I've had a lot of luck running a single raven in my mech BA lists.

A cornerstone of mech BA is minimal unit cost, maximum unit effectiveness. The way to achieve this with a stormraven, IMO, is to give it extra armor, and to only put a dreadnought in it. Think about it... the total cost for the raven + dread is 340 points. Its not so expensive that if you lose it you can no longer hope to win, and for that cost it brings a LOT to the table. Decent alpha-strike firepower, good close range tank busting (I play it with a TL multimelta + assault cannon), and the ability to bring down hordes of most types of infantry, its a bargain. Seriously, the ability to turbo boost and fire a multimelta from 4+ cover cannot be understated, especially when its twin linked.

My 2000 point BA mech lists generally consist of 5 razorbacks, 5 predators, a stormraven, and a furioso riding in it. Gives my mech lists a scary close combat monster (mephiston can also perform this role, but less versatile IMO) that can chew through things that normally give my mech lists trouble (large blob squads, for one).

Are you talking about the BA version or the GK version?

One thing I gleaned from the yesthetruthhurts.com blog is that if you put jump troops (jumpack assault BAs or interceptors) in it, then not only can you drop them without scatter while moving flat out, but it gives you a huge assault radius from the base of the craft if you disembark them before the storm raven moves.

I haven't used one, but I'd imagine using it to transport troops lets it do a rhino's job and leaves it much more vulnerable. I reckon unless it's for a critical last-minute-captured objective, they tend to do better with just a dread/nothing and used as a stormraven gunship as opposed to a CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT.
I'm planning to get one or two sometime, so I'll be following this thread with interest

I find that stormravens have a lot of the same problems that Vendettas have. Their a good unit, and well worth the points. A vendetta is a good unit at 130 points, and attracts lots of fire without any further help. When i throw in a 100 point squad in them, they just become even a bigger magnet.

Stormchickens are even worse. when load them up with troops they become a 500-600 point magnet of fire! Its just to rich of a target of a target to NOT shoot at.
Ergo most people just load them up and charge them forward, watch them die on the following shooting phase and then assault whatever is close. Basically they paid 200 points for a trasnport to the front lines.
Depending on what your delivering, that might be an excellent investment of 200 points.

Another use for the stormchickens is to have them sit back and deliver medium-range fire. Their height and ability to use PoTMS gives them an excellent ability to give supporting fire. .
This applies well with BA stormravens which get 4 STR 8 AP1 missiles they can use. 600 points gives some excellent shooting ability, lets to do late game contesting, and lets you pick up squads that are in trouble as its still a transport.

GK have a harder time with this. While the stormchicken is a good unit, the psy-dread is a GREAT unit. Unless your using the stormchiken to deliver a load of feathers to the enemy face, its just not the best mid-range support option IMHO.

I personally think the dumpster is better for the ba. For one the weapons they have overall are better vs a wider variety of opponents. The mindstrike won't be all that good when the gk number diminishes with future releases. Plus what the ba can send is better overall.

Yes gk can send dca and a dread but ba can send dc and a furioso, etc. Plus it can draw less fire since all their vehicles being fast doesnt make priority as easy to pick out. Or the sheer amount of dreadnaughst they can field can make the chicken look less of an immediate threat.

labmouse42 wrote:GK have a harder time with this. While the stormchicken is a good unit, the psy-dread is a GREAT unit. Unless your using the stormchiken to deliver a load of feathers to the enemy face, its just not the best mid-range support option IMHO.

Ok, as a GK player I have to disagree a little with this a little. I can, and have fielded, 6 psyrifle dreads AND 2 stormchickens. Here's what I've found. Too many psyrifledreads just get in each other way when it comes to shooting. While S8 @ 42" is great the AP isn't enough to kill troops outright. And S8 shots aren't enough to take out AV14 armor reliably. Enter the StormChicken with it's twin linked multi melta - take that Mr. Landraider! Need to remove some termies? Zapp em with some twin linked plasma - ok they get a invul save but hey it's better than hoping for 1's! Can't get a good angle on a unit? No problem running flat out almost always guarantees a good shot.

I've actually reduced my number of psyrifledreads down to three since it seems like that number is the most effective based on terrain, etc. I converted two to regular dreads with a mm, hf and dread arm to intercept anything that deep strikes into my backfield and added 6 jockaroe (sp?) to Coteaz unit. But I digress. Still think SRs are a kick but unit.

as above

Ive run 2 stormravens, as GK, they worked great even with troops inside, it pretty much boils down to if they can weather one turn of fire with shrouding up.

the mindstrike missles are hilariously powerful against other gk or psyker targets and you can unload everything in one go.

In a GK army, I like the idea of using them to transport DCAs. It still doesn't mitigate that 'no grenade' issue, but they're faster/cheaper than land raiders, and don't compete for a dreadnought slot.

Basically, what I've gotten from this thread is that it's more effective with two, though one can work.
A lot of it is about cost effectiveness- if it's costly as hell, it has to do lots of damage to compensate. Extra armour is useful for them- very cheap and comes in handy quite a bit. Dreadnought + squad + stormraven = magnet to enemy fire. That's about 600 points down the pan if it does down. One way to help prevent this is going flat out mostly, or to disembark squads quickly (unless you're going for a last-minute objective contest/capture)

A good weapon to use with it is the multi-melta for anti-tank, and either plasma cannons for anti-heavy infrantry/MCs or assault cannon for anti-hordes.
Turbo-boosting is very useful along with PotMS allowing you to get behind a tank to hit it's rear armour or to get a better shot at a target.

Jump infrantry are also useful to stick in there- doesn't slow the stormraven down while disembarking and keeps them protected (with a huge assault radius) if you disembark them before the storm raven moves.

What not to do is just charge them forward, disembark troops and see it get taken down on the following shooting phase. There you're basically paying 200 points for a transport to the front lines early on.
Depending on what your delivering, that might be well worth 200 points (though it'd be rare)

Another good use is that their height and PotMS gives them an excellent ability to give supporting fire.
This goes well with the BA stormravens, which get, essentially, 4 hunter-killer missiles. Stormravens give the player some good shooting, late game contesting, and lets you pick up/back up squads that are in a spot of bother. The weapons they have are good against a wide variety of armies.
It is better used by BA as they are more fast-striking, CC oriented, plus the "fast" rule on all vehicles helps a lot.

Hope that helps sum it up ^^

shrike wrote: Extra armour is useful for them- very cheap and comes in handy quite a bit.

Do you really need extra armor with psychic pilot and fortitude?

Interesting that BA stormravens get extra armor for free.

I've made mine essentially as a dedicated anti-tank unit trying to get rear armor hits on necron quantum shielding. MM + twin linked las cannons @_@ I suppose plasma would work nicely too but I've had terrible rolls with the blast marker.

been running around with a squad of interceptors inside it to hop out without scatter to try and rear armor with the psycannon. Or if the bird is shot down, teleport and still rear armor something or other.

I think I saw this above but if you arrived by "storm skies or blood skies" flat out movement, you don't get to assault despite it being an assault vehicle as you are considered deep striking that turn.

Flavius Infernus wrote:but it gives you a huge assault radius from the base of the craft if you disembark them before the storm raven moves.

Would you mind if you explained please?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

necron99 wrote:Not sure what GW's tactics are for SRs. I always run more than one, which means two, and always flat out. That gives me the 4+ cover save. Their primary mission is to melta tanks and plasma blast troops. If there's any psykers in the vicinity I unload mindstrike missles, too (they're considered defensive weapons). Especially if it's Mephiston or a librarian. 8 missiles on their head usually does the trick. Most games the SRs stay up flying unless I forget about a rhino having it's occupants still inside. Did that in my last game and the SR was meltad out of existence.

Here: www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/blogPost.jsp?aId=15100026a

Agen wrote:

Flavius Infernus wrote:but it gives you a huge assault radius from the base of the craft if you disembark them before the storm raven moves.

Would you mind if you explained please?

I think he means that with the large base, +2" space around it, +12" movement, plus 6" assault is quite hefty.

necron99 wrote:Ok, as a GK player I have to disagree a little with this a little. I can, and have fielded, 6 psyrifle dreads AND 2 stormchickens. Here's what I've found. Too many psyrifledreads just get in each other way when it comes to shooting. While S8 @ 42" is great the AP isn't enough to kill troops outright. And S8 shots aren't enough to take out AV14 armor reliably. Enter the StormChicken with it's twin linked multi melta - take that Mr. Landraider!

I admit, I totally had a brain-lapse and though that stormchickens were in the heavy slot and not fast attack. If their FA, they don't conflict with psy-dreads.

They may be fast for GK... but they are heavy support for BA.

shrike wrote:

Agen wrote:

Flavius Infernus wrote:but it gives you a huge assault radius from the base of the craft if you disembark them before the storm raven moves.

Would you mind if you explained please?

I think he means that with the large base, +2" space around it, +12" movement, plus 6" assault is quite hefty.

Right, if you disembark before the transport moves, you get your regular movement in the movement phase and can still assault.

So jump troops get nearly 3" of disembark movement from the stormraven base, then 12" regular movement, then 6" assault for just under 20" assault range. There's really no need to expose your jump troops to a turn of enemy fire by deepstriking--keep them safe inside the stormraven, position it within 20" of what you want to assault the following turn, then in your next turn go.

Flavius Infernus wrote:

shrike wrote: Extra armour is useful for them- very cheap and comes in handy quite a bit.

Do you really need extra armor with psychic pilot and fortitude?

Interesting that BA stormravens get extra armor for free.

they don't it still costs 15 points

Flavius Infernus wrote:

shrike wrote: Extra armour is useful for them- very cheap and comes in handy quite a bit.

Do you really need extra armor with psychic pilot and fortitude?

Well, I was just repeating what was already said in the thread, but 15 points to not risk your valuable vehicle not be out of action for a turn is useful

optimusprime14 wrote:

Flavius Infernus wrote:

shrike wrote: Extra armour is useful for them- very cheap and comes in handy quite a bit.

Do you really need extra armor with psychic pilot and fortitude?

Interesting that BA stormravens get extra armor for free.

they don't it still costs 15 points

Ooops, you're right. I was thinking of IG Valks.

labmouse42 wrote:I find that stormravens... Stormchickens...stormchickens....stormravens .... stormchicken....stormchiken to deliver a load of feathers to the enemy face, its just not the best mid-range support option IMHO.

I find it hard to take your advice seriously when you are so confused with terminology. A raven and a chicken are both birds, but that doesn't make the terms interchangeable. Humans and Rabbits are both mammals, but you don't call a rabbit a human!

Joe Mama wrote:Humans and Rabbits are both mammals, but you don't call a rabbit a human!

You don't?!

aw man...

though I like to call them "stormpelicans", because that's what they remind me of.

shrike wrote:

Joe Mama wrote:Humans and Rabbits are both mammals, but you don't call a rabbit a human!

You don't?!

aw man...

though I like to call them "stormpelicans", because that's what they remind me of.

Hmm, they remind me more along the lines of: legostarwarsclonewarsrepublicattackgunship-thumb.jpg

Agen wrote:

shrike wrote:

Joe Mama wrote:Humans and Rabbits are both mammals, but you don't call a rabbit a human!

You don't?!

aw man...

though I like to call them "stormpelicans", because that's what they remind me of.

Hmm, they remind me more along the lines of: legostarwarsclonewarsrepublicattackgunship-thumb.jpg

ah, see, but the hull of those gunships were consistent in size the whole way (IIRC)- the stormraven's hull sucks in it's gut, so to speak, and AFAIK the wings should be further forward.

I thought we all agreed to call them Chibi hawks?

Joe Mama wrote: A raven and a chicken are both birds, but that doesn't make the terms interchangeable. Humans and Rabbits are both mammals, but you don't call a rabbit a human!

Thanks for the laugh. Making a hectic day at work a bit more enjoyable.

I've been using it to transport my libbie with arco-s and crusaders, singlehandedly destroyed a parking lot guard army with might of titan, shrouding and for once the dice gods not hating me

GK player here.

I use the SR as a high cost transport, trying to uload things ASAP - things being mainly a paladin unit and a AC + CCW dread. If I can unload the troops, I have instant target saturation. If I can't, hell, they'll be a formidable fire magnet.