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So, I found out what's coming for Christmas and it's a ton of Chaos Bikers. At least 10, probably 15, to add to the 18 I already have.

Thinking about what to do with them. Besides some wild conversions, putting together a gigantic biker list has some appeal. Considering using a 2000 point force of 3 squads of 10 to see what happens.

I know the upsides of a large squad of bikers in 6th edition, get MoN for T6 or MoS for I5 and FnP, charge in to get Hammer of Wrath plus extra attacks, shrug off most damage. Wondering what other mechanics I have to worry about with them, and here are my concerns:

1) I have been running 2 squads of 5 bikers in games. The real threat to them always seems to be focus fire since I can't get a whole squad behind cover no matter how much I fudge the placement.

2) They tarpit like no other unit I have ever played. On the charge, the champion gets into a challenge, the rest of the squad takes out about half as many opponents. The champion wins, gets some boon that really does not suit him, then they proceed to whack at the enemy with 2 attacks for 3 or 4 rounds.

3) They draw a lot of fire moving up the board. When I move flat out, they in firing range for my opponent by the end of the first turn. Usually, I lose one or two on the way there, then 2 or 3 after a couple rounds of cc. 30 could become 15 in competitive games by the end of the 3rd round.

4) They seem particularly susceptible to drop pods / deep striking terminators / other things that like to appear. They can get away fast enough, but I often have to drive around things that show up on the battlefield.

5) The real benefit to them, from my experience, is getting CLs up the field to smash things. I don't actually use them without a mounted Biker Lord.

Anyone else have experience with a bikerwing army?

Doomrider, that is all (actually the reason I am making a whole converted biker warband atm)

Some notes:

- Mathwise, 6 and under MoN, 7 and over MoS+IoE.

- Slaanesh steed + bikers = outflanking element which can be potent. MoS lord with Brand for extra fun

- Other advantages of bikerwing is to draw alot of fire off something else... like rhino's/tanks advancing right behind them using them to get 5+ cover (which the bikes themselves have).

- I would suggest maybe a 7+ large blob + MoS lord and 2 smaller 5 man units with special weapons to taste.

I'm not a big fan of the way the steed looks. Think it would be acceptable to make a Lord on a bike count as a Lord on the steed? It would take a bit of work to make the heights and length match. But I'm thinking of making a Doom Rider model where he is standing on the bike holding a molotov to represent the Brand.

I use Doomrider in the rare instances when I am running a Chaos Sorceror. He's actually the 19th biker I own.

Perfectly acceptable to have a bike counts-as a steed. I have a bunch of the steed models from 2nd edition which are much smaller / less-bulky than a bike. Whoever wants to argue with you on that point should have his dice taken away.

That said, steeds are actually cool models, you might want to take a look into putting one together.

I just think they look like a long legged leech. And I'm running Iron warriors, so the only mounts I was planning on using was Juggernauts and bikes.

The Steed does stand a bit taller than the bike though, so I would have to do some dynamic posing to get the profile right. I'm really big on trying to keep the profile similar for LOS issues.

 Savageconvoy wrote:
I'm not a big fan of the way the steed looks. Think it would be acceptable to make a Lord on a bike count as a Lord on the steed? It would take a bit of work to make the heights and length match. But I'm thinking of making a Doom Rider model where he is standing on the bike holding a molotov to represent the Brand.

I think if the bike is noticeably different from normal bikes perhaps.
but hey look at me, I run raptors as bikes http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/493771.page


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 techsoldaten wrote:
So, I found out what's coming for Christmas and it's a ton of Chaos Bikers. At least 10, probably 15, to add to the 18 I already have.

Thinking about what to do with them. Besides some wild conversions, putting together a gigantic biker list has some appeal. Considering using a 2000 point force of 3 squads of 10 to see what happens.

I know the upsides of a large squad of bikers in 6th edition, get MoN for T6 or MoS for I5 and FnP, charge in to get Hammer of Wrath plus extra attacks, shrug off most damage. Wondering what other mechanics I have to worry about with them, and here are my concerns:

1) I have been running 2 squads of 5 bikers in games. The real threat to them always seems to be focus fire since I can't get a whole squad behind cover no matter how much I fudge the placement.

2) They tarpit like no other unit I have ever played. On the charge, the champion gets into a challenge, the rest of the squad takes out about half as many opponents. The champion wins, gets some boon that really does not suit him, then they proceed to whack at the enemy with 2 attacks for 3 or 4 rounds.

3) They draw a lot of fire moving up the board. When I move flat out, they in firing range for my opponent by the end of the first turn. Usually, I lose one or two on the way there, then 2 or 3 after a couple rounds of cc. 30 could become 15 in competitive games by the end of the 3rd round.

4) They seem particularly susceptible to drop pods / deep striking terminators / other things that like to appear. They can get away fast enough, but I often have to drive around things that show up on the battlefield.

5) The real benefit to them, from my experience, is getting CLs up the field to smash things. I don't actually use them without a mounted Biker Lord.

Anyone else have experience with a bikerwing army?

I think you want to take a screen of cultists to put in front of your bikes to give them a cover save on the first turn(when they are not moving) and to prevent droppod death.

I run a couple small CSM/PM squads in rhinos with dirge casters to run up, prevent overwatch and add some more bodies.

When you say deep striking termites you are talking about the combi plas variety? Otherwise your own plasma(bikes are relentless) should be enough to scare them off unless they are TH/SS in which case tarpit them with spawn or something while you run away from them.

Getting tarpitted sucks, be prepared for it with proper force concentration. Charge with multiple units to make sure you dont kill half the enemy you kill all of them, if you do get 'pitted then have other units coming up behind to releave the bikes on the next turn.

I love me some bikes and the obviously benefits of the chaos bikes make them some of the best in the game. With the only problem of them not being Troops of course!

One beatstick I've seen used very effectively is to have the core of the cavalry charge by a large squad of Khorne bikers with Lord w/t Axe of Blind Fury on a bike. Normally you'd put the Lord on a juggernaut but he loses the ability to turbo-boost if you do that.

You support that squad with some lesser units of bikers and move 24" at the enemy in the first turn. Very few armies can deal with that much tg5 3+ 4++ (jink) bodies on the first turn. You will almost always be able to charge after that. Yes you'll lose a lot of that deathstar unit but the lord can but up most things with ease.

a bikerwing? would that be like playing Ravenwing? because I don't believe Dark Angels have marks...
/sarcasm

considering there is no troop-changing lord to make bikers scoring, bikes will run like most units in fast attack: harassment. Even with Mark of Nurgle, bikes still seem to bite it quick, mostly due to people's insistence to run them like normal. Cover and mobility is key for any unit like this. hide them as long as possible, turbo if necessary. pop them out mid-game when they have a good, possibly beat-up target.

rossatdi wrote:

One beatstick I've seen used very effectively is to have the core of the cavalry charge by a large squad of Khorne bikers with Lord w/t Axe of Blind Fury on a bike. Normally you'd put the Lord on a juggernaut but he loses the ability to turbo-boost if you do that.

You support that squad with some lesser units of bikers and move 24" at the enemy in the first turn. Very few armies can deal with that much tg5 3+ 4++ (jink) bodies on the first turn. You will almost always be able to charge after that. Yes you'll lose a lot of that deathstar unit but the lord can but up most things with ease.

One thing you will learn to fear are inferno cannons and heldrakes. Things that ignore cover and 3+ saves will kill bikes in droves.

Also even with counterattack, these guys are vulnerable to assault. If they attack, they have 4 attacks a base and HoW, but if they get charged the only have 3 attacks. With VotLW the might have a first turn edge but afterwards they are going to be in trouble.

 Savageconvoy wrote:
I just think they look like a long legged leech. And I'm running Iron warriors, so the only mounts I was planning on using was Juggernauts and bikes.

The Steed does stand a bit taller than the bike though, so I would have to do some dynamic posing to get the profile right. I'm really big on trying to keep the profile similar for LOS issues.

Have the bike doing a wheelie. Make it a chopper if you are concerned about length.

Seriously, a leech? The bastard offspring of an anteater and the dinosauric ancestor of an ostrich perhaps, but leeches are just bloodsucking sticky slugs. The only thing Chaos has ever had that remotely resembles a leech is the old Spawn models, and possibly a beast of Nurgle.