Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I really like drop pods. The models are cool looking, the concept of striking where you want is neat, and the choices are interesting. Wanting something to be cool most often does not make it cool. So my question to the interwebs is. Is a full drop pod army legal? If it is can it win any games? Which army does it best?

My knee jerk reaction is that it is not legal because to much of your army would be in reserves to start the game.
So given that assume you can put half your army in drop pods I believe Ultramarine are the best in them. Higher capacity counts for something right? I know i used lysander in a pod full of sternguard for a while that that was very effective.

Yes it's legal.

Can it win games? It will absolutely curb stomp some opponents and against other types of opponents it will be mercilessly crushed. A very win big/lose big playstyle in general.

Which army does it best? That depends on what units you want to use, but in general I'd say the basic SM codex due to the prevalence of Combat Squads allowing you to drop 10 models and engage 2 different units with 5 models each (very useful with say, Sternguard), though again, depending on which units you want to take that may differ.

Dmikulasr wrote:
My knee jerk reaction is that it is not legal because to much of your army would be in reserves to start the game.

This rule specifically excludes units aboard dedicated transports that must start the game in reserve (flyers, drop pods, etc). Before counting units for the 50% rule you set aside all units that must start the game in reserve, and then figure out the 50% cap based on what is left. You still have to worry about the "if you have nothing on the table at the end of a game turn you immediately lose" rule, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem since the drop pod assault rule brings in half your army at the beginning of your first turn.

A) it's legal

B) It's a really cool strategy and it can be crazy effective. Going hard-core Drop Pods is, as Vaktathi said, a kinda hardcore experience. You either do some seriously incredible stuff, or your opponent enjoys taking on half your army. That being said, seeing a ton of drop pods fall onto a board in one strike can be super glorious.

Remember that if you're playing C:SM half your drop pods (round up) must come in on turn 1. Not sure if there are other codex that by pass this rule.

BoniFactor wrote:
Remember that if you're playing C:SM half your drop pods (round up) must come in on turn 1. Not sure if there are other codex that by pass this rule.

Black Templars until they revise the codex

you can get the drop on people expecting half your army to turn up in turn 1

I am biased but I feel space wolves do it amazingly well. I love putting termi rune priests in drop pods and dropping a 24 inch straight line of death on the enemy.

SW do drop pod armies really well probably better than vanilla marines. With that said a kantor sternguard drop pod list can be really brutal as well.

Vulcan/Slamanders also do well. Specialize in point blank weapons and ride into battle in transports that start you next to your targets.

MotF Ironclad rain lists are fun, and while might not be hyper-competitive, are fun.

Bunch of good/fun options in C:SM. But as was pointed out, they are high risk/high reward lists. You are going all in, so win or loose, it's going to be brutal for someone.

So sounds like it could do well.

My secondary thought is a SM/Tau army with the SM being totally pod army.

First thought is
SM Primary
Libby with some Null zone goodness
lysander cause hes a boss

Two tac squads PW and melta bombs on sarg's, Melta Missle in one and Plasma Multi Melta in the other

Two sternguards with maybe a combi plasma in there but haven't decided

Ironclad cause armor 13 dreads are nothing to laugh at




Tau
Undecided, thinking two path finder squads broad side and riptide

If you take Tau with SM allies, I suggest Space Wolves since they are Battle Brothers. This would allow your crisis suits to use your pods' Homing Beacons, would it not?

Imagine dropping 2-3 pods right next to your opponent, and then on turn 2 dropping some dual-plasma or dual-fusion suits right in the pickle barrel.

Dmikulasr wrote:I really like drop pods. The models are cool looking, the concept of striking where you want is neat, and the choices are interesting. Wanting something to be cool most often does not make it cool. So my question to the interwebs is. Is a full drop pod army legal? If it is can it win any games? Which army does it best?

My knee jerk reaction is that it is not legal because to much of your army would be in reserves to start the game.
So given that assume you can put half your army in drop pods I believe Ultramarine are the best in them. Higher capacity counts for something right? I know i used lysander in a pod full of sternguard for a while that that was very effective.

Drop Pod armies are fully legal. You only lose the game if at the end of a Game Turn you have no forces on the table. Each Player has one Player Turn every Game Turn. For Space Marines and their variants (except maybe the outdated Black Templar Codex) Drop Pods have a special rule called Drop Pod Assault which gives you 50% of your Drop Pods on Turn 1. So you will have models on the table at the end of the Game Turn.

Do not rely on the higher passenger capacity in the vanilla Space Marine Codex. Its already been stated by Ward that he got in trouble for not giving them a transport capacity of 10 models, and since every Space Marine Codex variant since then has come out I would be shocked if the updated Space Marine Codex didn't lower it back down to 10 models when it comes out.

All of that said, I'm biased towards Space Wolves for Drop Pod lists for personal reasons. That said, Grey Hunters are amazing units for Drop Pods, with double Special Weapons and Counter-Attack. It is very easy to build a Drop Pod list with them and it seems to be the way people play Space Wolves these days.

With that in mind, any Space Marine army can make a Drop Pod list. Combat Tactics is even more flexible with Drop Pods than not, as you do not have to decide to use Combat Squads until you deploy from the Drop Pod. Also, Sternguard can work for a cheap suicide-Melta unit if that's yoru thing. Heck, even Blood Angel Assault Squads are worth considering, if only because they get the Drop Pod for free when you ditch the Jump Packs (but why would you do a crazy thing like that except so that you can do a null-deployment?).

My order of preference would be Space Wolves, Vanilla Space Marines (Salamander themed or Crimson Fist themed), Blood Angels, Dark Angels.

synchronicity wrote:If you take Tau with SM allies, I suggest Space Wolves since they are Battle Brothers. This would allow your crisis suits to use your pods' Homing Beacons, would it not?

Imagine dropping 2-3 pods right next to your opponent, and then on turn 2 dropping some dual-plasma or dual-fusion suits right in the pickle barrel.

Tau and Space Marines (for whatever reason) are Battle Brothers. Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, and all other non-vanilla Space Marines are Allies of Convenience. Also, check the FAQs to be sure that the wargear wasn't FAQ'd to say it works only works for Codex units.

I run a Salamanders drop pod army, and it's dynamite on toast! The twin-linked melta/flamer coming out of Deep Strike is a potent tool, and combines well with the Sternguard that have already been recommended to you. (A Librarian with Gate completes them nicely.) Personally, I include a unit of TH/SS terminators in a Land Raider (that's where Vulkan goes) and, depending on circumstances and point values, some scouts. Locator Beacons make a handy ten point insurance policy against catastrophic scatter.

Keep in mind that the FAQ changed the way pods interact with the Combat Squads rule. (Now, you have to declare the separation during initial deployment, not when they get out.)

Personally, I think it is an unusual army, and one that requires practice to get better at. When you go up against unfamiliar armies/configurations, you can indeed 'lose big,' but once you familiarize yourself with your army, you will find that to be less and less the case.

Good luck, and I hope it works out for you.