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I am building a squad of Blood Angels scouts and am stuck between giving them Bolters or Shotguns. For Blood Angels they cost exactly the same so which one is better for scouts?

*Please don't say "Just use sniper rifles" because I already have plenty of sniper scouts.

Just use a TAC squad.

In seriousness, what do you want them for? What's their role? Since that's really why you choose between assault 2 and rapid fire.

From a C:SM POV, YMMV

Is BP/CCW off the table?

Bolters are just better if you are shooting. But shotguns let you get a round of fire off before charging, which can be nice, as scouts are a little "meh" in close combat. At close range, the firepower difference is going to be negligible most of the time.

Which is more important to you? Mid range fire, or the flexibility to charge when needed? As a vanilla player, I generally have plenty of bolter fire kicking around. When I run non-sniper scouts, I use a mix of BP/CCW and shotguns. I have a pair of scouts with bolters; they spend a lot of time guarding the shelf.

Infiltrators for disrupting light armour/threatening objectives in enemy territory.

Well they don't fit in either of those roles to be honest. It seems like there are plenty of better options out there. How do you intend to use them against light armour?
However, if you're going to be charging for slapping Krak grenades on chimerae, I suppose you might as well take a few pot shots with the shotgun.
Although that could leave you exposed if you managed to destroy it before you krak grenaded it to death.

I agree that they aren't intended for that role, however they aren't really intended for any specific role, they are auxiliary troops at best, however for 125 points I get a missile launcher and powerfist that gets to charge turn 2. So ether they manage to pop a tank or at the very least force my opponent to shoot at them, and 2+ cover saves take a lot of shooting to get through.

Imperial Deceit wrote:
I am building a squad of Blood Angels scouts and am stuck between giving them Bolters or Shotguns. For Blood Angels they cost exactly the same so which one is better for scouts?

*Please don't say "Just use sniper rifles" because I already have plenty of sniper scouts.

Definitely the bolter. It works much better with Outflanking under the current rules, which is typically what you want non-sniper Scouts to be doing.

Cool concept, but in all honesty, they will just infiltrate, then get shot. Even a squad of 10 shotgun - or- bolter scout's will just be shot to pieces before being beaten in an assault most times. They don't have the numbers, for their high comparitive point's cost, to be able to do those things like infiltrators of other armies, which are usually much more numerous or resillient, or glass-cannon like, and so have that chance to be disruptive.

I have had fairly good luck with surviving shooting (except against Flamers obviously), I agree that they are not the most survivable units,(especially for SM) but I also don't expect them to survive very long anyway. Every shot that is directed at them is a shot that isn't targeted at something I do expect to survive, and given the threat they pose to vehicles they can't easily be ignored.

Shotguns in a LS Storm.

Bolters on almost every other occasion.

Blood Angels don't have LS storms. (I wish though)

Meh. My bad - sorry.

Bolters it is then