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Hey guys starting up a 1500 point sm army and want to bring sternguard in a drop pod. What should I put on them I already am going with a combi melta and am thinking of putting more marines in the unit.

For an all rouner, 10 sternguard with 3 of each combi weapon. If you face MEQ alot, grab 5 of them with all combi plasmas in a lasplas razor or assault cannon one.But your much better with 10 in a pod + an HQ (preferrable Kantor)

Generally if they go as a suicide unit you see 5 in a pod with combi-meltas. Focusing on keeping it cheap, but still hitting hard. Either way drop pod units make a great distraction while the rest of the army advances, unless you go for a full pod list which you don't really need to.

Well, I'd give the whole Sternguard Vets combi-meltas. In this way, you can combat squad upon arrival and target 2 tanks with 5 melta shots each. This could ruin enemy plans quickly.

wuestenfux wrote:Well, I'd give the whole Sternguard Vets combi-meltas. In this way, you can combat squad upon arrival and target 2 tanks with 5 melta shots each. This could ruin enemy plans quickly.

5 melta guns at a single tank is waay overkill. 3 meltas would do the same job for cheaper (or, at least,, they should).
Sternguard do function well as suicide units, but they are awesome vs pretty much everything without a 2+ thanks to special issue ammunition and combi-weapon spam.

I like 8 combimeltas and 2 heavy flamers. You then split which ever way you need. If tanks are meatshielded or there is some infantry somewhere you need to kill, or you can blow up a transport and avoid cover saves when getting the survivors.

Combat squadding from a drop pod works well, you have reach so you should be able to hit two targets.

I would say 2 melta shots is too few as you can guarantee destruction, so for me 5 is not too many. Especially as you can keep back some melta shots for later, if needs be.

Nothing but power armour and a smile. They're anti-infantry units, it's a waste of the primary function that you're paying a points premium for to deploy them as AT. Save those points and spend them on AT elsewhere in your army.

Painbiro wrote:

wuestenfux wrote:Well, I'd give the whole Sternguard Vets combi-meltas. In this way, you can combat squad upon arrival and target 2 tanks with 5 melta shots each. This could ruin enemy plans quickly.

5 melta guns at a single tank is waay overkill. 3 meltas would do the same job for cheaper (or, at least,, they should).
Sternguard do function well as suicide units, but they are awesome vs pretty much everything without a 2+ thanks to special issue ammunition and combi-weapon spam.

If you want to get the job done, three meltas are a gamble, while 5 meltas give you some warrenty.

10 combi melta's in a drop pod.

That is very flexible. You can come down and combat squad if needed into two 5 man melta squads and kill two vehicles, or stay in one large squad and vaporize something.

Two Melta Guns, and the rest combi melta, you might need some melta weapons that can fire more than once!!

BrotherGnaeus wrote:Hey guys starting up a 1500 point sm army and want to bring sternguard in a drop pod. What should I put on them I already am going with a combi melta and am thinking of putting more marines in the unit.

If you go with 2 MG and 8 combi-meltas you have an excellent suicide squad.

When you depart the drop pod, combat squad into two seperate groups, each with 1 MG, and 4 combi-meltas. The turn they come out, shoot 3 MG from each squad into a tank destroying it. Take the incoming wounds onto the spend combis. On the following turn, shoot the remaining two combis and the MG for another kill.
Ideally you should be able to destroy 4 tanks with that squad before they die.

This is best done if you take 2 such squads and drop them in on turn 1. You will need 1 other drop pod to do this successfully.

To really maximize this effect, its best if you take Shrike and 10 inflitrating/fleeting TH/SS terminators and deploy them 18" from the enemy. This means on turn 1, they have 10 terminators right next to them, and combi-meltas shooting up their gunline. Do they shoot at the sternguard, or the incoming terminators?

htj wrote:Nothing but power armour and a smile. They're anti-infantry units, it's a waste of the primary function that you're paying a points premium for to deploy them as AT. Save those points and spend them on AT elsewhere in your army.

I agree with this. Granted, I give them a little extra: one combi melta on a marine and a powerfist on the sarge. I bring them to the table for the special ammo. Rather then a drop pod, I attatch my librarian with null/gate to pop them around the field, double-tapping fancy ammo into everything that needs it.

Nevelon wrote:

htj wrote:Nothing but power armour and a smile. They're anti-infantry units, it's a waste of the primary function that you're paying a points premium for to deploy them as AT. Save those points and spend them on AT elsewhere in your army.

I agree with this. Granted, I give them a little extra: one combi melta on a marine and a powerfist on the sarge. I bring them to the table for the special ammo. Rather then a drop pod, I attatch my librarian with null/gate to pop them around the field, double-tapping fancy ammo into everything that needs it.

Oo, that's a nice combo. I'll have to try that one day.

you still get special ammo with the combi melta's.

tgf wrote:you still get special ammo with the combi melta's.

Yes, but any turn fireing the combi part is a turn you are not useing the special ammo. I don't mind a few combis as insurance, but I'm not to spend the points on giving the whole squad them. One or two is fine for if they need to pop something, but generaly I leave the AV stuff to other units. A full 10 man squad is enough points as it is.

And the heavy weapons that replace bolters are right out.

So what good is special ammo against a transport?
Its pretty rare now to see a slogging army unless its draigo wing or a kanwall.

Cmelt's make this alot better.
10 in a pod, 5 with combi-melta (or more, your choice)
Combat squad, pop transport with 5 melta, shoot occupants with special ammo.

Thanks for all the advice think I know what I want to do

Jackal wrote:So what good is special ammo against a transport?
Its pretty rare now to see a slogging army unless its draigo wing or a kanwall.

Cmelt's make this alot better.
10 in a pod, 5 with combi-melta (or more, your choice)
Combat squad, pop transport with 5 melta, shoot occupants with special ammo.

Or. Pop the transport with something else in your army that's designed to kill vehicles, shoot occupants with special ammo in the same turn. I don't believe every unit should be performing every role.

htj wrote:

Jackal wrote:So what good is special ammo against a transport?
Its pretty rare now to see a slogging army unless its draigo wing or a kanwall.

Cmelt's make this alot better.
10 in a pod, 5 with combi-melta (or more, your choice)
Combat squad, pop transport with 5 melta, shoot occupants with special ammo.

Or. Pop the transport with something else in your army that's designed to kill vehicles, shoot occupants with special ammo in the same turn. I don't believe every unit should be performing every role.

But if 'something else' doesn't pop the transport, then your just sitting in his deployment zone with nothing to shoot at. Combi-Weapons arn't going to break the bank either, I think every sternguard should have a few combi-meltas. I find that only using one usually ends by rolling 's

MatrixLurtz wrote:
But if 'something else' doesn't pop the transport, then your just sitting in his deployment zone with nothing to shoot at. Combi-Weapons arn't going to break the bank either, I think every sternguard should have a few combi-meltas. I find that only using one usually ends by rolling 's

I agree that 2 meltas is a lot more reliable then one, and probably worth the points. I just prefer not to go overboard on unit upgrades. The only reason I only field one is that I'm a WYSWYG kinda guy. My sternguard unit is one GW sternguard box (one combi, fist on Sgt), the 4 tyrannic war vets, and one really old veteran with a bolter. One of these days I'll get a second combi-melta, but what I have works for now.

So whats your plan against a wave of transports?
Only special ammo im aware of that works on them is used by the vindicare.

Jackal wrote:So whats your plan against a wave of transports?
Only special ammo im aware of that works on them is used by the vindicare.

The rest of my army. Looking. At one unit in isolation is not the best plan. But even with 2 meltas and a powerfist, a minimally equiped sternguard should be able pop at least one transport. How many do you want them to be able to kill? By using a librarian to get around, I can generaly find some troops in the open to shoot.

If I wanted my sternguard to pop tanks, I'd field a 5 man squad with two lascannons for 155 points.

Lascannons are not reliable these days due to cover saves and down-graded armor-penetration table when compared with 4th ed. Meltas are much more reliable.

So your sternguard will sit there scratching thier arses until something else opens a transport for them to shoot?
So in effect you lose the shooting from a unit for a turn or 2.

Now, no army carries enough firepower to pop 6 vehicles a turn with relative ease (average transports, not open topped skimmers)

So they will sit there for longer.

So you plan on using sternguard in combat?
Waste of special ammo, which is the main reason for taking them.
Same with the meltas.

So they cant move, have 3 models with special ammo and dont do a great deal.
Wouldnt a unit of missile or las dev's fill that role better?



The point is, sternguard can work as a dual duty unit and hunt armour and infantry.

Jackal wrote:So your sternguard will sit there scratching thier arses until something else opens a transport for them to shoot?
So in effect you lose the shooting from a unit for a turn or 2.

Now, no army carries enough firepower to pop 6 vehicles a turn with relative ease (average transports, not open topped skimmers)

So they will sit there for longer.

So you plan on using sternguard in combat?
Waste of special ammo, which is the main reason for taking them.
Same with the meltas.

So they cant move, have 3 models with special ammo and dont do a great deal.
Wouldnt a unit of missile or las dev's fill that role better?



The point is, sternguard can work as a dual duty unit and hunt armour and infantry.

I don't need to pop 6 transports a turn, just one or two. And not every army hides out in boxes. In the last tournament I played in, if went against a deathwing player, and two BAs, one mech, one DoA. Even against the meched up BA, I was not wanting for targets in any game.

Obviously we have diferent army building stratagies. What I have works for me, with the lists I build out of the models I have availible.

As for the two LC unit, I've seen others field it, but not done it myself. A 5 man dev squad with a pair of LCs is going to go for 160 points. Which would you rather have, the BS5 for one shot with the signum, or every man a vet with your three extra wounds firing special rounds? Sternguard are a cheep way of getting extra heavy weapons on the field, at the cost of your elite slots. Not worth it IMHO, but others disagree.

Saying that, nilla marines elite choices are something thats not usually packed out, so i guess there is room.

And i agree on the idea of using them for the upgrades.
Back in the old PDF BA dex i used honour guard simply so i could run a unit of meltas.

Just seems alot of players im against either keep in a box or have whats not boxed in reserve.

On a side note though, lascannons really arent worth it.
I'd have 4 missiles on that dev squad instead of 2 las.
But thats another story

I like that without combi-melta not a single transport gets popped turn 1 or 2.
With combi-meltas in this single squad, transports are no problem.

Obviously, those combi-meltas have some sort of effect on the rest of your armies shooting.

-Matt

Sorry, i forgot to pod my landraider behind the other army so i can see them ..... oh, wait.

I have been using a 10 man Sternguard. Sergeant with Combi-Plasma, 7 others with Combi-Plasmas and 2 with Plasma Guns. Works well vs. MEQs and the Rear of most Transports. They also work well vs. Nids.
I have also been using a second one with Combi-Meltas and Melta Guns. It has only worked so-so.

Jackal wrote:Sorry, i forgot to pod my landraider behind the other army so i can see them ..... oh, wait.

What about the rest of the long-range AT in your army? It'd be a rare situation where you'd not be able to knock out a single transport with a decent selection of long-range firepower. For me, a squad of Sternguard is far too expensive to throw into the enemy lines unsupported, just to knock out a single tank. Especially if it's just a transport! Horses for courses, I guess.