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So I've recently decided to come back into 40K since leaving at the beginning of 5th Ed. I've been browsing Dakka and other forums for a few weeks to get a feel of 6th Ed and all of a sudden it's Heldrake this and fliers that. A couple of questions ...

1) Are Foot/Gun-line Marine armies still competitive or will they just be tabled by the majority of the armies out there now? (I've recently invested in a few boxes of Chaos Marines and I'm wondering if I'll come to regret this decision)

2) Are transports as mandatory as they were back when I left the hobby? Do Marine/Chaos armies absolutely need to take Rhinos to ensure troop survivability?

3) Do Marines/Chaos Marines have viable anti-air without taking fliers? Are there other ways of taking down Heldrakes/Storm Talons/Razor Wings/Night Scythes etc. without allying in Vendetta guard?

Thanks!

First of all, grab the new 'dex and see what's what for yourself. They've changed a few things and point costs, so check it out. That will get you started.

1) Depends on what you're running. The Typhus/Zombie horde can be quite daunting to kill if you don't have the right tools to kill them. Cultist spam can be fun too, but watch out for tanks. Personally, I haven't tried the PA foot list, but a PM or Noise Marine army could work.

2) Transports are still an important part of your army, but not the indestructible boxes of 5th, so be warned. I'd say the new 'mandatory' item is the ADL with a quad gun. 100pts for ~18" of 4+/2+ cover and two twin-linked autocannons? Yes please.

3) Yes. Havocs now have access to Flakk missiles which have skyfire (hits fliers on BS rather than 6's), but are a point of S lower than Krak missiles. Squads of these guys can get expensive however.

1) I still run a foot heavy list, lots of marines, and some raptors and chosen. They work well enough, but it definitely can be an uphill battle against certain enemies.

2) Not mandatory, and some times not needed. They die a lot faster in 6th and only add a little survivability to their cargo.

3) Yes, Havocs are very strong as are ADLs.

1. 6th edition is much more shooting oriented than 5th was so gunline is very viable. Foot armies are viable as well. Many people believe that with the introduction of hull points rhinos(any armor for that matter) are much weaker and to a degree they since they pop easier. So many people are relying less on transports

2. Again transports aren't completely mandatory, in fact, if you're going for an assault army its not a great idea. If you're doing a Noise marine army they are a decent option.

3. You can take out fliers with the quad gun on the Aegis Defense Line, which is almost an auto include in many armies right now, you could also take Havocs with Flakk missiles. Havocs get expensive though. You also take the Heldrake, which can take on enemy fliers, but is better for anti infantry. Heldrakes, are pretty much an auto include for many armies.

I've taken a look at Flakk Havocs and it does seem like a good anti-air option were it not for the fact the flakk missiles are put on very baleflamer-able models. Still, I might investigate looking into them.

My main problem with flakk havoks is that if they want to be able to use the flakk missile they cant move or go to ground.

Autocannon havoks however, can hide behind LoS blocking terrain and them move and fire snapshots at flyers as well as going to ground when being shot and they don't lose any effectiveness against flyers for doing so.

 orchewer wrote:
1) Are Foot/Gun-line Marine armies still competitive or will they just be tabled by the majority of the armies out there now? (I've recently invested in a few boxes of Chaos Marines and I'm wondering if I'll come to regret this decision)

Gun line armies are still quite good. You will need something to grab those 'hard to reach' objectives, as 5/6 of the games are objective based.

 orchewer wrote:
2) Are transports as mandatory as they were back when I left the hobby? Do Marine/Chaos armies absolutely need to take Rhinos to ensure troop survivability?

No, but they sure do help! I run rhinos with my PMs and find them to be very useful.
* Most importantly I can use them to boost to objectives at 18" a turn. When turn 4 comes around, this is very useful for getting those for-mentioned 'hard to reach' objectives
* They provide extra protection. The vehicles still need to be cracked before you can chew up the morsels inside.
* They provide dirge casters, and excellent upgrade. Probably the most underrated pieces of wargear in the CSM codex.
* They prevent a hell drake from toasting your unit.

 orchewer wrote:
3) Do Marines/Chaos Marines have viable anti-air without taking fliers? Are there other ways of taking down Heldrakes/Storm Talons/Razor Wings/Night Scythes etc. without allying in Vendetta guard?

Flaak missiles are really expensive. I normally just stick 4 autocannons on havocs. 8 shots will still score one hit on average.
I would suggest an ADL with quad gun. Another solution you can look at is a flying DP, as they get skyfire when swooping (though its also expensive)
After that your best best is twin linked weapons. TL LCs on predators or land raiders.

I think foot is the best way to run an army nowadays i see transports as cheap kill points for the enemy an an easy way to claim first blood