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So I've recently picked up WarHammer. Now I have some models, the rulebook and the codex, and I'm working on putting an army together!

I've been playing Warmachine for about half a year, so I have a little tabletop experience, and I loved the 'Dawn of War' game, so I know a little about the universe.

I've read through the core rulebook (6th ed), and have paged through the codex. I own both, of course.

I've bought:
-A Captain
-The Battleforce:
*1 10-man Tac squad
*1 5-man Tac squad
*1 5-man Assault squad
*1 5-man Scout squad
*1 Rhino
-1 Devestator squad

It seems like everyone around here likes to play 1000 point games, and I seem to have to stretch and points-buy most of the expensive items available to hit 1000 with my meager stuff, but I could play sub-1000. Most players seem more than ready to drop down to a lower point value to match a newbie, if needed.

Before getting my hands on the models, I had put together a list I thought might be fun:

(Points by unit, not by item, per forum policy to not be too specific)

Captain (185 pt)
-Auxiliay Grenade Launcher
-Digital Weapons
-Jump Pack
-Melta Bombs
-Artificier Armour
-Bolt Pistol
-Power weapon (sword?)

Scout Squad (105 pt)
-Sergeant
--Camo Cloak
--Melta Bombs
--Combat Blade
--Sniper Rifle
-4xScouts
--4xCamo Cloaks
--3xSniper Rifle
--Missile Launcher

Tac Squad #1 (275 pt)
-Sergeant
--Power Fist
--Storm Bolter
-9xSpace Marine
--Lascanon
--Meltagun
-Transport: Rhino
--Hunter Killer Missile
--Storm Bolter

Tac Squad #2 (110 pt)
-Sergeant
--Melta Bombs
--Bolt Pistol
--Power Weapon (Axe?)
-4xSpace Marine

Assault Squad (160 pt)
-Sergeant
--Thunder Hammer
--Lighting Claw
---(This guy's loadout was more I thought it'd be cool than practical, I know)
-4xSpace Marine
--1xPlasma Pistol

Devistator Squad (165 pt)
-Sergeant
--Melta Bomb
--Chainsword
--Boltgun
-4xSpace Marine
--2xLascannon


So that's exactly 1000 points, but there are a few problems with it, obviously.

Couple thoughts:
-I don't have a 6th Jump Pack for my Captain, so I'll probably change that.I'm thinking of keeping him with the larger Tac squads, but I need to figure out how I want to assemble him before I can play games, of course. Besides, that seems quite fitting.

-I didn't get any Thunder Hammers with the battleforce or captain (or Devis....), so I can't arm my Assault sergeant with one. But I really like the idea of him using a Lightning Claw and Thunder Hammer! Not sure what I'll do about that.

-I'm thinking the Captain might go Rune Sword + Combi-Melta, as I'm a fan of the look of Sword + Gun, and just giving him a Power Sword seems weak.

-I seem to be picking all the most expensive options just to fill up points. I'm thinking I should start lower, and get to 1000 when I have the right guys for it.

I don't want to be entirely ranged or entirely melee, and I don't want to be any of the specialty-chapters, as they seem to specialized.

I figured I'd post this here and see what people thought / what advice I'd get!

DId you already make the devastator squad? What weapons did you give them all?

I haven't assembled anything yet. I wanted to put together a list to make sure I could actually make it with the parts I had.

Cool. I'd say load them up with lascannon/plasma cannon. It will be expensive but you can easily shave points off from elsewhere (Assault sergent for example). You get good range and light to medium vehicles should go down easily as well as heavy infantry. Meltas would be cool but will only help you out close range.

For the captain I'd say a relic blade is preferable over a power blade if you have the points for it. He'll cut through most trooops with ease and be able to damage a good variety of vehicles as well which increases his spectrum of usefullness.

If you put a power fist on a sargent I would recommend running that squad with your HQ so your HQ can accept challenges and keep your sargent from being challenged and punked by stuff with a higher initiative before he gets to swing his fist.

It looks like you've got a good starting list for the units you own. Plasma pistols all around are a cool way to spend points also. Have fun playing!

I'm so afraid that with plasma pistols on my sergeants, they'll burn themselves down!

Thanks for the feedback!

Welcome to the hobby. I hope you enjoy it. What I would suggest for your list is a ride for your other tactical marines (also not a fan of the 5 man tac squad, as IIRC vanilla marines have to have 10 guys to take a special/heavy weapons. I wouldn't buy a combat squad box though, off the top of my head that's just five dudes with no options other than bolters included. Also if you choose another rhino bodied transport, I would grab a razorback kit over a rhino, or grab the tank chassis you want (razorback is rhino+razorback bitz, predator is basically rhino+predator turret, not sure about vindicator/whirlwind)

Something else you might find very important. Off the top of my head, the assault sprues have 10 chests in them (for with/without jump packs), so if you have an extra base, the devastator box has an extra set of legs for a kneeling pose and you can sneak in another heavy weapon dude IIRC.

If you're looking for jump packs, see if anyone in your meta has one to trade/sell for cheap. If not, you can get the plastic jump pack sprue from your game store/GW website/interwebs. There is also a thunder hammer/storm shield bitz pack, but it's kind of expensive if you only want one, so again talk to your meta/store/interwebs or kitbash one

Now, some more specifics about the list.

Captain: Not a fan of captains in vanilla marines, I would personally take a librarian instead. If you want to take him, maybe consider a bike if you want to make a bike list. If you want to stick with the jump pack captain (and let's be honest, dudes jumping around the table and hitting things is fun), I would definitely take the relic blade over a power weapon. Good choice with the melta bombs as they help against vehicles without poor rear armor if you run into one.

Troops: 1st tactical squad is fine, but why the lascannon instead of a missile launcher? Scout squad seems good also.

2nd tactical squad: As above, I'm really not a fan of 5 man squads. If you're fine with your scout and tactical as your troops at 1000, consider rolling these guys into the devastator squad so they can sponge bullets for the heavy weapons.

Fast attack: Assault marines. While not that great, there is definitely (IMO) too many points into that assault squad sarge. I would pick one weapon and stick with it (my preference is a fist, hammer if you have the points or really want it, but you get a fist with the assault squad). Maybe max the squad if you want to run them (not sure on this idea though, ask other people)

Heavy support: I like the lascannons in the dev squad, but I do think you should take 4 heavy weapons and bulk the squad out instead of the five man tactical squad. Be aware that (at least when I got my dev squad), it only has 2 lascannons, 2 heavy bolters, 2 plasma cannons, a multimelta, and a missile laucher.

Good luck with your army. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to have fun and play what you enjoy

If/when I expand my Tac inventory, the 10-man sets are definitely the way to go. You're correct that you need a full 10-man to take special/heavy weapons.

I'd like to get a few games in before I expand my collection significantly, which means I'm limited to what I have right now for my first few games.

I'm thinking switch the Assault sergeant to either Power Axe/Pistol or Power Fist/Storm Bolter and possibly give him the Combat shield too. I'll probably get more Assault Marines before too terribly long, as a 10-man of them sounds freaking awesome (or even 2 5-mans for more flexibiliity), but, again, I need to play to really know.

Fluff-wise, I'm glad I'm starting with the Captain, and I won't be giving him a jump pack methinks. Start him off on foot. That's how I'll be introduced to the game.

If I have 2xLascannons on the Devis, then yes, I should definitely swap out the Tac squad's heavy weapon to a missile launcher.

In general, stretching to make point goals never works well. Ask if people are willing to play lower point games. 500 or 750 are going to be a much better fit for what you have. One of my core list building philosophies is "Boys before toys" where you are better served with more units on the table and boots on the ground then a few, sparkly tricked out units. My suggestion to build towards a goal; think of where you want to be a 1,500 or 2k points, and build towards there. Or just start small and experiment. Don't be afraid to proxy and test things out.

How do you feel about magnets? If you start using them at the beginning, it's helpful later on.

Captains are not the best HQ we have. A relic blade/combi-melta is not a bad jack of all trades build. Long term, he'll want a command squad and a razorback, and act as a troubleshooter squad, helping where he needs to be. A little overpriced, but very flexible.

Assault marines are fun to use, but you need to keep their points down. I like running a 5 man squad with a power sword on the sarge and a flamer in the unit. If you are going to join a HQ to them, I love a chaplain in this role. Just a basic one with a jump pack. I've not had good experiences with full 10 man squads. They are too big to hide behind cover, and get shot up before they get to CC. 5 man units are small enough to hide, less threatening so they don't draw fire, and still pack enough punch to mulch weak backfield campers. They are a bully unit; find someone weaker then you and take their lunch money. Don't go toe to toe with other armies assault specialists unless you have to, you will not fare well. We might not be as good as other assault units, but we are better then most troops and HS picks, so go kill them.

TH/LC is not a bad weapon outlay, but far, far to expensive for a mere sergeant. If you want to have a jump captain, this might be a good load for him.

Dev squads are a tricky balancing act. If you field a 5 man squad, you loose the heavy weapons very fast once you start taking hits. If you field 10 men, you get expensive. I like equipping them primarily for anti-infantry role, but they can do anything. My favorite loads are 2xML 2xHB, or 2xML 2xPC. I would not go with the expensive guns unless I was going full 10 man. 3xML 1xLC works well. Use the sarge to get a BS5 lascannon shot. Eventually as you get more bodies, building all the weapons in the box will give you a lot of flexibility, either in dev squads, or parceled out to tacs.

With the exception of the melta bomb, your scouts are the classic objective camping unit found in many C:SM list out there. These guys will serve you well.

My two core tac squads are MM/M and ML/F both in rhinos. I only bother with the more expensive heavy weapons if I'm planning on combat squadding or just sitting back as part of a gun line.

I've been re-vamping the list a little here and there, and its now down to 865 points (Basically cheaper weapons/toys all around and no jumppack for the Commander). The updated list "feels" more right, even if it will shink the game. That'll get fixed in time, as I get more models (sidenote: is an un-upgraded predator any good? I really like their looks without anything fancy added to them).

Proxying is entirely welcome in my meta, so I'm sure I'll do a lot of that at first.

I use magnets on some WarMachine models. I was thinking I'd use them for vehicles in places (such as Hunter Killer missiles). I'd really hate to have to glue any weapon/turret/door in place - being movable and removable is *awesome* for a number of reasons.

It doesn't seem like a great idea to magnitize troops. Do people do that a lot?

Since buying the Captain (my first purchase, with my rulebook), I've heard a lot about them not being a good choice, except for maybe with a command squad. I'd still like to start with one (fluff & immersion reasons), but I'm sure I'll eventually upgrade to a command squad or another HQ.

One of the biggest points that made me choose Vanilla Marines was that their options tend to be better than anything else in whatever category that anything else isn't designed for. This means I assault the shooties, and shoot the assaulties basically. I am hoping my Assault squad (or possibly 2 5-mans) would be for skirmishing and cleaning up the flanks/backfield, but not for toe-to-toeing with actual melee threats. By your comment, that sounds like how they work! I like the analogy of them being bullies - very much fits my conception of them.

(Its very clear TH/LC is overcosted for the role I put it. If I wind up doing it, it'll be for fluff reasons, not I-must-win reasons. But, seeing as I'll get a second Assault Squad eventaully anyways, I'm fairly sure at this point my first sergeant won't get those toys)

Edit - also, I'm less sold on including, or heavily relying on, the Devi squad. I'm glad I picked them up for options, but they seem so reletively static compared to a good Tac squad. I'm thinking 2xML on them (if I have the bits, after giving the scouts 1 ML, but I should) instead of Lascannons. Although if my 1st Tac squad goes MM/MG, that means I'm fielding no lascannons at all (not a huge problem, but lascannons are cool, too)

Captain (185 pt)
-Auxiliay Grenade Launcher
-Digital Weapons
-Jump Pack
-Melta Bombs
-Artificier Armour
-Bolt Pistol
-Power weapon (sword?)

Scout Squad (105 pt)
-Sergeant
--Camo Cloak
--Melta Bombs
--Combat Blade
--Sniper Rifle
-4xScouts
--4xCamo Cloaks
--3xSniper Rifle
--Missile Launcher

Tac Squad #1 (275 pt)
-Sergeant
--Power Fist
--Storm Bolter
-9xSpace Marine
--Lascanon
--Meltagun
-Transport: Rhino
--Hunter Killer Missile
--Storm Bolter

Tac Squad #2 (110 pt)
-Sergeant
--Melta Bombs
--Bolt Pistol
--Power Weapon (Axe?)
-4xSpace Marine

Assault Squad (160 pt)
-Sergeant
--Thunder Hammer
--Lighting Claw
---(This guy's loadout was more I thought it'd be cool than practical, I know)
-4xSpace Marine
--1xPlasma Pistol

Devistator Squad (165 pt)
-Sergeant
--Melta Bomb
--Chainsword
--Boltgun
-4xSpace Marine
--2xLascannon


For 1000 points, either start buying razorbacks/rhinos and rhino everything up or skip vehicles... Too easy to get first blood to put one out there. Here is a recommendation:

Captain: Artificer Armor, Stormshield & Thunderhammer w Jump Pack 185
This guy is a close combat beast and has a good chance of surviving a challenge.

5 x Sternguard 125
Great long-ranged support and anti-personnel/MC unit... I just use all the bits (scopes, honor ribbons, etc.) to make them stand out.

10 x Tacticals: Flamer, ML 170
5 x Snipers: Camo Cloak, Sniper Rifles & ML 100

5 x Assault Marines: 2 x Plasma Pistols 130
This is a great anti-tank unit - through mobility. Plant 2 S7 shots into the rear of a tank... Or MEQ/TEQ killer with 2 AP 2 shots...
Attach your awesome captain to it and he has a great retinue to back him up.

705

Now assuming $$ are the limitation, I would buy a box of Blood Angels plastic Deathcompany .. they are going to give you the Stormshield, Thunderhammer and extra jump pack you need as well as 5 dynamically posed marines. (Just shave off the blood drops.)

So assuming you have a devastator box and don't want to buy another one, this is the best way to use your points...

Say

5-man Devastator w 2 LC 160
5-man Devastator w 2 MM or 2 ML 120

that leaves you 15 points to add some melta bombs to your sergeants....

Bharring wrote:
I've been re-vamping the list a little here and there, and its now down to 865 points (Basically cheaper weapons/toys all around and no jumppack for the Commander). The updated list "feels" more right, even if it will shink the game. That'll get fixed in time, as I get more models (sidenote: is an un-upgraded predator any good? I really like their looks without anything fancy added to them).

Proxying is entirely welcome in my meta, so I'm sure I'll do a lot of that at first.

I use magnets on some WarMachine models. I was thinking I'd use them for vehicles in places (such as Hunter Killer missiles). I'd really hate to have to glue any weapon/turret/door in place - being movable and removable is *awesome* for a number of reasons.

It doesn't seem like a great idea to magnitize troops. Do people do that a lot?

Since buying the Captain (my first purchase, with my rulebook), I've heard a lot about them not being a good choice, except for maybe with a command squad. I'd still like to start with one (fluff & immersion reasons), but I'm sure I'll eventually upgrade to a command squad or another HQ.

One of the biggest points that made me choose Vanilla Marines was that their options tend to be better than anything else in whatever category that anything else isn't designed for. This means I assault the shooties, and shoot the assaulties basically. I am hoping my Assault squad (or possibly 2 5-mans) would be for skirmishing and cleaning up the flanks/backfield, but not for toe-to-toeing with actual melee threats. By your comment, that sounds like how they work! I like the analogy of them being bullies - very much fits my conception of them.

(Its very clear TH/LC is overcosted for the role I put it. If I wind up doing it, it'll be for fluff reasons, not I-must-win reasons. But, seeing as I'll get a second Assault Squad eventaully anyways, I'm fairly sure at this point my first sergeant won't get those toys)

Edit - also, I'm less sold on including, or heavily relying on, the Devi squad. I'm glad I picked them up for options, but they seem so reletively static compared to a good Tac squad. I'm thinking 2xML on them (if I have the bits, after giving the scouts 1 ML, but I should) instead of Lascannons. Although if my 1st Tac squad goes MM/MG, that means I'm fielding no lascannons at all (not a huge problem, but lascannons are cool, too)

My favorite pred is the auto/las, with the auto/HB being a good second choice. While you could just field it with no upgrades, you are missing out if you do.

The only infantry mini I have bothered to magnetize is my chaplain. He can swap between jump pack/bolt pistol and normal backpack/combi flamer, for use as Cassius. Some people do more, like sergeants and other HQs, even heavy and special weapons. It's more relevant for vehicles, as they have a lot of options and get pricy.

I would suggest giving the captain a powerfist squad, this way he could deal with enemies with a higher toughness. However you might want to consider putting him in a tactical squad so that they can be used as meat shields just so that he isn't cut down before he gets to strike

Bharring wrote:
So I've recently picked up WarHammer. Now I have some models, the rulebook and the codex, and I'm working on putting an army together!

I've been playing Warmachine for about half a year, so I have a little tabletop experience, and I loved the 'Dawn of War' game, so I know a little about the universe.

I've read through the core rulebook (6th ed), and have paged through the codex. I own both, of course.

I've bought:
-A Captain
-The Battleforce:
*1 10-man Tac squad
*1 5-man Tac squad
*1 5-man Assault squad
*1 5-man Scout squad
*1 Rhino
-1 Devestator squad

It seems like everyone around here likes to play 1000 point games, and I seem to have to stretch and points-buy most of the expensive items available to hit 1000 with my meager stuff, but I could play sub-1000. Most players seem more than ready to drop down to a lower point value to match a newbie, if needed.

Before getting my hands on the models, I had put together a list I thought might be fun:

(Points by unit, not by item, per forum policy to not be too specific)

Captain (185 pt)
-Auxiliay Grenade Launcher
-Digital Weapons
-Jump Pack
-Melta Bombs
-Artificier Armour
-Bolt Pistol
-Power weapon (sword?)

Scout Squad (105 pt)
-Sergeant
--Camo Cloak
--Melta Bombs
--Combat Blade
--Sniper Rifle
-4xScouts
--4xCamo Cloaks
--3xSniper Rifle
--Missile Launcher

Tac Squad #1 (275 pt)
-Sergeant
--Power Fist
--Storm Bolter
-9xSpace Marine
--Lascanon
--Meltagun
-Transport: Rhino
--Hunter Killer Missile
--Storm Bolter

Tac Squad #2 (110 pt)
-Sergeant
--Melta Bombs
--Bolt Pistol
--Power Weapon (Axe?)
-4xSpace Marine

Assault Squad (160 pt)
-Sergeant
--Thunder Hammer
--Lighting Claw
---(This guy's loadout was more I thought it'd be cool than practical, I know)
-4xSpace Marine
--1xPlasma Pistol

Devistator Squad (165 pt)
-Sergeant
--Melta Bomb
--Chainsword
--Boltgun
-4xSpace Marine
--2xLascannon


So that's exactly 1000 points, but there are a few problems with it, obviously.

Couple thoughts:
-I don't have a 6th Jump Pack for my Captain, so I'll probably change that.I'm thinking of keeping him with the larger Tac squads, but I need to figure out how I want to assemble him before I can play games, of course. Besides, that seems quite fitting.

-I didn't get any Thunder Hammers with the battleforce or captain (or Devis....), so I can't arm my Assault sergeant with one. But I really like the idea of him using a Lightning Claw and Thunder Hammer! Not sure what I'll do about that.

-I'm thinking the Captain might go Rune Sword + Combi-Melta, as I'm a fan of the look of Sword + Gun, and just giving him a Power Sword seems weak.

-I seem to be picking all the most expensive options just to fill up points. I'm thinking I should start lower, and get to 1000 when I have the right guys for it.

I don't want to be entirely ranged or entirely melee, and I don't want to be any of the specialty-chapters, as they seem to specialized.

I figured I'd post this here and see what people thought / what advice I'd get!

Alrighty then. Army analysis time.

1) You don't want to have both a lightning claw and a thunder hammer. Cool, yes, but you can only use the effects for one, and you don't get the +1 A for two weapons.

2) You need a fully loaded Devastator (spell it with me now!) squad. Take a heavy bolter and a misslie launcher.

3) No need to worry about being a specialized Chapter. Everything in a Space Marine Army is good at everything. Space Marnes are a very good example of a force that plays as you want it to play. Now of course, you will have to make that decision when buying units, but other than that...

4) Have the 5-man Tactical Squad as a close range shooting squad. If the 10-man takes a longer range weapon, use the non long range weapons as bodyguards.

5) You might want to consider buying a Land Speeder. You need another fast assault unit.

6) Get your hands on a Dreadnought. It's a must have.

7) If you have a Drop Pod, give that to your 5 man squad. Give your Rhino to it otherwise. If you have a Drop Pod, the Rhino goes to the 10 man squad.

8) Stick your Captain with your five man squad. That way the squad isn't defenseless meleewise if fighting a fleeting enemy.

BolterUnlimited wrote:

1) You don't want to have both a lightning claw and a thunder hammer. Cool, yes, but you can only use the effects for one, and you don't get the +1 A for two weapons.

Counter soapbox. Note that the soapbox/red text is only here because I feel it is important, not that I'm angry. The above statement is FALSE. While it's true that you pick what weapon you use and only get the effects from the one you use, you do get +1 A for the two weapons because they both have the specialist weapon rule. You only need another weapon with the specialist weapon rule, not another of the same specialist weapon. This way, you can choose which weapon you need more (i.e. fighting a dread or MEQ?)

Honestly .... take some time (about a week) go through the forums and look at other space marine lists and what people have already come up with and the comments. You can learn a good deal about different preferences army wise and certain combos / universally accepted units that are good or bad. At the same time go through and do the same thing with battle reports.

Taking a few days on and off watching battle reports and see how certain units work and do not work you can see how you might play the units and if there are certain units you do not want to use. (check on dakka dakka or even google space marine battle reports and watch some)

After doing this post a list idea from what you have seen from other posts / battle reports and see if people think it will be a competitive list or not. (try to get a list that you personally like and one others feel will work well on the table)

After you assemble the army you will be using it for a while ... take some time and do your research so you do not regret it later - and then start having fun.

- My personal two cents, keep tactical squads as low cost as possible so you can get as many as possible - flamer / missile launcher is a cheap and effective setup. I normally play dark angels or space wolves and if I were going to play codex marines I would definitely own 1-2 thunderfire cannons, after looking around through battle reports decide if you want to mech up or foot slog (it can make a huge difference to your list options).

Your list is kinda all over the place.

A regular Captain isn't a particularly great choice unless he's on a bike. He has the advantage of being able to go into a plasma command squad for some gimmicky fun, but you don't have those models in your list either. If you have to take him the way you intend to (attached to an Assault Marine squad) give him Artificer Armor, a Storm Shield and a Thunder Hammer. If it's not too late, I'd consider picking up a bare Librarian (the best generic HQ in the codex).

You have the Scout Squad kitted correctly. 5 Sniper Scouts w/ Cloaks and a ML. I don't think they're particularly stellar, but they're a cheap unit you can staff a ADL + Quad Gun with in the future after you expand your army a bit.

The Tac Marines are the best troop choices in the codex. I'd pick up 5 more so that you can build 2 10-man squads in the future (that will be the "core" troop selection for the vast majority of C:SM lists). When it comes to choosing special weapons, make sure that they play well together. And take the free heavy weapon choices (either MM or ML). I'd kit the Sargeants with combi weapons that match the special weapon in the squad. Take Flamer + Combi-Flamer + ML, or Meltagun + Combi-Melta + MM. I'd only take a PF if you're going to have a CC specialist HQ attached to the same squad. Otherwise, the only Sarge upgrade I'd consider would be the Combi-Weapon. They should pretty much always be 10-man units, and they should pretty much always be in their own Rhinos.

One Rhino in the list is a bad idea. It's the only armor target you have, and it won't last a single shooting phase. Hunter-Killer missiles are cool options to have magnetized in case you're building a list that has 10 spare points you can't spend elsewhere, but otherwise I wouldn't take them. Dozer Blades are the good upgrade options for transports, but they're not 100% necessary.

Unfortunately, Assault Squads just aren't that good in the C:SM book. They're overcosted, and they can't score. And they take slots away from other fast attack options that are really good in this codex (Stormtalons, Speeders ...even MM Attack Bikes). They're kinda squishy for the points cost, and they don't really match what the rest of the army is trying to do. C:SM is all about building a resilient mid-range gunline. A lone FA CC unit doesn't play to the army's strengths, and they're not going to last against anything that's meant for CC anyways.

Devastator squads are okay in this book, but they're not great (unlike Long Fangs and Havoks which are awesome). I'd take matching weapons that are all good at the same kinds of targets. MLs are cheap, and are good at shooting at armor and exposed infantry; I'd take 4 of them as my 4 special weapons, if I was going to take a Dev squad in my C:SM list. It's also a good squad to put in an ADL if you wind up picking one up.

Now that that's been said, here's a short list of things I'd look towards picking up soon:

~A Librarian (good, cheap HQ choice that can go into every list you make in this codex)
~A 2nd Rhino (buy a Razorback kit so you can use it as a Rhino or Razorback depending on what your list looks like)
~5 more Tac marines (so you can build the "core" 2x10 Space Marine squads that will make up your troops choice in 95% of your lists)
~Dreadnoughts (probably a pair of them, and the TL autocannon bitz needed to make some Rifleman dreads)
~Good fast attack choices (either a pair of Stormtalons with Skyhammer Missiles, or some Land Speeders with magnetized weapon options)
~Affordable HS choices (I'd pick up a Predator kit and build it with the pair of HB sponsons ...85 points for a AV13 platform that fires 8 shots a turn)
~An Aegis Defense Line (put together with a Quad Gun; larger points games will see you wanting some flier defense, and you have a Scout Squad and a Dev Squad already, which are the two best options in the codex to staff it)
~The missing bitz you need (mainly combi-weapons for your Tac Squad Sarges and extra matching Dev Squad weapons)

..........

Hope that helps man! Have fun!

Assualt squads are quite weak and you`d be better off with a Termie Sqaud. Also the Captain is too heavy in points for my liking.

I'm not sure about vanilla devastators. But I certainly do not advocate the use of regular missile launchers in any list, ever. Typhoons, sure, but not ROF 1 missile launchers. They are bad. There is always a better choice.

Plasma pistols are not good, either. They are 15 pts for something you might fire once or twice in a game.

Marine HQs, in general, stink. They are expensive guys that get instagibbed by ST 8. That stinks. If you are going to use a captain I recommend artificer armor (because 2+ saves are hot). The weapon choice is a real crap shoot. I like relic blades, but they are still only AP 3.

As far as tactical squads go, I like to use plasma with them. Combi-plasma the sergeant and give the squad a plasma gun and plasma cannon. This way, most of the weapons have the same shooting profile.

One might also consider a lascannon for tactical squads and then combat squad the unit. That's what I will do with my smurf allies; combat squad out the plasma armed troops and put them in a lascannon razorback. There is utility is packing in as much punishment as you can into your troops, since you have to have them anyway.

Someone posted it, but for light vehicle and MC work, the rifleman dreadnought (two TL-ACs) is very, very hard to beat. It's cheap and has a huge range. And can move and fire. And in a pinch tarpit enemy units that can't crack AV 12.

Oh, and the thunderfire cannon. Get thunderfire cannons. They are really awesome because they can torrent any foot troops, but also have "ignores cover" ammo. Which is worth its weight in gold, imo.

One last thing; the sternguard is probably the single most destructive thing the marines have. They can drop in and lay waste to squads or vehicles. But they are pricey and its tricky to avoid suiciding them.

Take sternguard! Drop pod them if you have the points spare aswell. Shave points off of your tactical squads by giving the lascannons to the devastator squad, replace it with a heavy bolter. I would give the devastator squad las cannons and plasma cannons or even scrapping that getting a couple of predators, but I believe you said earlier you alreadt bought the devastators? If so thats not a bad thing, everything. in the game has roles to take. But the best advise to give would be get a squad of sternguard get a librarian as HQ drop pod them in and then use gates of infinity to teleport them out of danger when their job is done.