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Hey all,

I have been experimenting with SM bikes for a while and trying to fine tune my list. I acquired more speeders to help fluff the list out, but am wondering what is the best course of action. Here is what I am running with as of today:

HQ
Captain w/ bike (Artificer Armor, Storm Shield, Relic Blade, Aux. Grenade Launcher)

TROOPS
6x Bike Squad (PF, 2 MG, 1 AB w/MM)
6x Bike Squad (PF, 2 MG, 1 AB w/MM)
7x Bike Squad (PF, 2 PG, 1 AB w/ MM)
7x Bike Squad (PF, 2 PG, 1 AB w/ MM)

FAST ATTACK
3x Speeders (TML, HB)
2x Speeders (TML, HB)
2x Speeders (TML, HB)

I have been going back and forth with the above list and another where I drop the bike squads down to 5, drop the 3 speeder squadron to 2, and field one more 5 man squad of bikes. I am also tinkering with a command squad list, but it really seems to cut into the numbers at this point level. I am thinking I should hold them off until the 2000 or 2500 point range.

Other than that, it is pretty straight forward. Just wondering what the consensus was.

Thanks in advance.

I have found bike squads are good in 6's like you have them. I would go for the 5th squad.

I think the fifth squad is the way to go. Also why pf's they would seem to be wasted on bikes.

I'd scream LIBBY but I'm biased due to GK and CE players running rampant at my LFGS...

Powerfists are in squads in the event my squads do get tied up in assault. I tried powerswords, but things like wraiths made life difficult.

As for the libby, at 1850 points that seems a bit of a sink into my HQ. I have to run a captain on a bike in order to make bikes troops. I am already 200+ invested into him, dropping another 150 ish would be steep. Possibly at 2000. Also, I don't have the model done right now, so I will have to proxy at some point.

Personally I would drop 4 Speeders for 3 Riflemans.

tedurur wrote:Personally I would drop 4 Speeders for 3 Riflemans.

Painting and theme is for White Scars. Fluff says no Dreads, Devastators, or Heavy Weapons in your tac squads. And, in this case, I would rather lose with style and keep the fluff in line.

Thanks though.

Some Flamers would help also. You're going to have trouble mowing down blobs of foot guys.

I second a biker Libby also. It gives one squad avenger to really ruin MEQ days, and Null Zone makes TH/SS termies (or Wraiths) not instant death for you.

Emperor awfulness wrote: Null Zone makes TH/SS termies (or Wraiths) not instant death for you.

Null zone only works for the enemy saves not yours.

Emperor awfulness wrote:Some Flamers would help also. You're going to have trouble mowing down blobs of foot guys.

I second a biker Libby also. It gives one squad avenger to really ruin MEQ days, and Null Zone makes TH/SS termies (or Wraiths) not instant death for you.

I still like the idea of null zone against wraiths. Null zone makes you re-roll invuls IIRC.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against a libby on a bike. I just don't have that modelled yet. Also, I am guessing it needs to be a bareboned libby so its only like 135 points.

Null zone makes the enemy re-roll made Inv saves. But it has nothing to do with your saves. It would be very nice against the wraiths for sure.

Barebones Libby with just a Bike and Avenger/Null Zone is the way to go. Avenger is a S6/AP3 template weapon and Null Zone makes the enemy reroll all successful Invuln saves within 24".

Since you are running a rather expensive CC Captain (and all bike lists have to), it gives you good synergy to get one unit that's really beastly in CC, and a Null Zone/Avenger Libby plus a Storm Shield/Relic Blade Captain is pretty good, on top of your PF sergeant and a couple of flamers.

You can get 90 points by dropping down to 6 speeders, 20 by downgrading a 2x plasma squad down to 2x flamers, and 25 more by dropping the 7th man in the remaining plasma squad, which buys you a biker Librarian.

4 PF seems pretty expensive to me. I'd just a chuck a melta bomb in to cover walkers and that would do. Bikes aren't great for CC - if they get there then they're in trouble.

Captain seems to pricey for me - he comes 3+/4++ as standard, so you're spending a lot of points to make him 2+/3++. I'd do one of the other. I'd take hellfire rounds for the bike as they are cheaper than the grenade launcher.

Libby bike would be good here.

ruminator wrote:4 PF seems pretty expensive to me. I'd just a chuck a melta bomb in to cover walkers and that would do. Bikes aren't great for CC - if they get there then they're in trouble.

Captain seems to pricey for me - he comes 3+/4++ as standard, so you're spending a lot of points to make him 2+/3++. I'd do one of the other. I'd take hellfire rounds for the bike as they are cheaper than the grenade launcher.

Libby bike would be good here.

I am torn on the PF situation. Yes. It is absolutely expensive. I am trying to balance a spending of points versus the need to give the squad some punch (no pun intended) by having a powerfist in the squad should they get assaulted. I am thinking they have to be in the melta gun squads since the range of the melta guns pretty much guarantees you are in assault range. As for the Plasma squads, it may make sense to drop them from there.

As for the captain, I have been experimenting with the grenade launcher. I have also been trying to squeeze out ten points for hellfire rounds. I am not sold on that one (grenade launcher). I just wanted to see how it tested out. As for the 2+/3+, it is really hard to pass up, despite the points. It makes the captain pretty durable even though I always seem to roll a 1 every time a STR8 shot wounds him.

Lastly, with respect to the Librarian, I am sensing a theme here that I should incorporate one into this army. OK. Any thoughts on how to model this? Can I just trick out a normal model with some fancier parts and just paint him blue? I am sure I could scrounge up a book from the numerous Dark Angel sprues I have lying around.

Please forgive me if I screwed up the Librarian points here, (I am going from memory). So, how does this revised list look:

HQ
Captain (Bike, AA, RB, SS, Hellfire Rounds)
Librarian (Epistolary, Bike) - 185?

TROOPS
5x Bike Squad (2 MGs, AB w/MM, PF)
5x Bike Squad (2 MGs, AB w/MM, PF)
5x Bike Squad (2 PGs, AB w/MM, PF)
7x Bike Squad (2 PGs, AB w/HB, PS, MB)

FAST ATTACK
2x Land Speeders (TML, HB)
2x Land Speeders (TML, HB)
2x Land Speeders (TML, HB)

In this list, I know have 3 mid range bike squads scooting about with meltas and plasmas. The larger squad is geared a little more towards anti-infantry. Should the librarian and captain go in here? What is the librarian's primary role? Is it to stay in the thick of things so his null zone / psychic hood can be most effective?

Input is appreciated.