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Librarian, TDR
-attached to 9 Sternguard in Drop Pod

Tactical Squad, meltagun, multimelta, Drop Pod with Deathwind launcher
Tactical Squad, plasmagun, missile launcher
Aegis Defence Line with Quad Gun

Thunderfire Cannon

You have a lot of eggs in one basket. C:SM pods can hold 12 guys, so you can run 10 men plus a HQ if you want. This will give you the option to combat squad out if needed. I'd drop the death wind, not worth the points IMHO.

Might be nice to get a few combis on the sternguard as well.

I'm not a huge fan of all-in lists like this. When you do well, you should be fine. But dropping such a large chunk of your army in one pod is very high-risk, high-reward.

Can you put TDA into vanilla pods?

tommse wrote:
Can you put TDA into vanilla pods?

Yup. They are bulky, so take two seats. Luckily you have the space...

How about this?

Librarian
9 Sternguard, Rhino
Tactical Squad, 5 additional marines, Meltagun and Missile Launcher, Veteran Sergeant Haas, Rhino
Tactical Squad, 5 additional marines, Meltagun and Missile Launcher, Rhino
Stormtalon Gunship
Landspeeder, heavy flamer and multi melta

I would drop 1 stern guard and get 5 combiweapons, for alot of extra damage.(5 points per weapon is a steal!) i mean, drop these guys next to a unit of blobs and fire five flamers.........or terminators and fire 5 combi plasguns, or a transport and melt it and charge the sheet out of the occupants for 24 cc attacks.

or drop the sucky deathwind buy 3 more combis, and get some meltabombs.

@Largeblastmarker I just posted an updated list. I don't want to use combis due to modelling constraints.

Yeah, IK about those restrictions.... most of my opponents are cool enough that they'll let me prettend as long as my guys are marked in a certain way.

IMO there isnt enough protection for the sternguard. You have to have force dome to protect them

Also I always run epistolary libby because if you do get charged, I always use the avenger for overwatch. AP3 flamer is awesome against meq.

I would watch out for many tanks and things like AV12 because you don't have a lot of anti melta. Like largeblastermarker said, I would drop one sternguard and get combi meltas. Proxying will get the job done. Just paint "combi melta" onto the guys base.

Expect the sternguard to get shot down, so don't get too sad when they die, and always have a contingency plan when, yes WHEN that happens

How would you recommend I change it?

I'm kinda adamant about the combis. I don't want any explicit markings and I don't think I can convert them well enough to be pleased with them. This is mostly a hobby project I guess but I do want to have a good army, maybe not hyper competitive or whatever but one that doesn't suck.

I'm trying to keep the librarian cheap and the squad avoiding assault using gate.

Should I cut down the sternguard squad to 5? Get some predators or more landspeeders? I need to sort out what to use as my 'hammer' unit(s) while the others provide support and hold objectives. I kinda figured a gunline would be abit dull.

I've had good success drop podding in 10 sternguard with a librarian. The only combi I use is one c-melta. I take them for the special ammo, not the first turn alpha combi-weapon spam. I play WYSWYG, so understand how you feel. I am in the process of gearing up a few more sternguard, as I think I could use at least one more combi, and maybe a HF or two.

The trick is to use them for a flank drop. Just because you can drop into the heart of the enemy does not mean you have to. So drop to the side and pick off and straggler for a first blood point. This can be rough if your enemy know how to deploy in a good castle formation to thwart deep striking.

My experience with 5 man sternguard was not the best. They just didn't have the weight of fire to make an impact on the battlefield. If you were running them full of combis, sure. They get their one good shot, then die. I would not recommend it, but it can probably be made to work. I could see a 5 man squad acting as a command squad for a librarian in low point games.

One thing about sternguard in a rhino, is target priority. That box is going to be cracked open ASAP, and then they are walking. I'd prefer (and have) just start them on foot, out of LOS, and gate up the table first turn. If you have the points, the pod works, as it eliminates most of the randomness of using GoI. But starting them in a rhino is just going to end up with the sternguard brushing bits of tank off their armor and footslogging. Might as well save the points and not start the game in a crater.

So a drop pod for the Sternguard then.
Any units you'd recommend to support the Sternguard? How about scout bikes for a mobile locator beacon for gating?

I like scout bikes, and a mobile locator beacon can be a lot of fun. But you are looking at a 1,000 point list, and have a lot of stuff that needs to get done. Looking at the numbers, you could probably make them work.

Without any combis, your sternguard are filling the anti-horde, anti MC role. And eating up a third of your points. What you have left is objectives, and anti armor, both light and heavy, and AA.

10 man sternguard, drop pod, librarian ~400 points.
5 man scouts, ML, camo cloaks, ADL Quadgun. That's 200.
10 man tac squad, rhino, MM/M, c-melta on the sarge. 220.

That gives us around 180 points to play with. What's your local meta like? What worries you? You could shuffle points around and take a TFC and a typhoon speeder. Upgrade to a tac squad manning the quad. Add a pred and something else. Use a flyer of your own rather then the ADL for AA work. Tons of options. You just need to pick something that matches your play style.

I'm quite set on this unit: Tactical Squad, 5 additional marines, Meltagun and Missile Launcher, Veteran Sergeant Haas

If you don't know the rules to Haas, 60 point tactical squad upgrade with Iron Halo, artificer armour, power sword and gives his squad Relentless.

I don't have an accurate evaluation of my meta but I want try a tournament or two.

What's really up for changing is this then:
Tactical Squad, 5 additional marines, Meltagun and Missile Launcher, Rhino
Stormtalon Gunship
Landspeeder, heavy flamer and multi melta

I quite fancy using the Stormtalon. I don't mind shrinking the size of the Sternguard to 8 or so if necessary.
How about Attack Bikes?

Just check with your local TO about the special character. Not every event allows stuff not in the basic codex.

None of your lists are bad, you just need to make sure you find an army that matches your play style. Having a full sternguard pod in a 1,000 list is not my style, but that doesn't mean it won't work.

I don't really want to have an important unit that'd just get shot to bits before doing anything. Really, what would be my kind of tactics, broadly speaking, would be lots of moderately threatening units, all offensive, however all roughly the same target priority.

How about using the Sternguard 'acting as a command squad'. Removing 4 Sternguard and the landspeeder would leave 160 points left.

If the 2nd Tactical Squad is swapped out for 5 Scouts with camo cloaks and a missile launcher and the landspeeder removed I'd have 165 points left.

I could run:

3 attack bikes with MM 150
4 attack bikes 160
5 scout bikes, 3 grenade launchers, locator beacon 165

Remove another sternguard and I'd have 190 points left. I could run:

Ironclad Dreadnought, 2 hunter killer missiles, drop pod
2 Predators with HBS.

Any other ideas? Which of mine are best?

What about:

Librarian
Land Raider
Tactical Squad, 5 additional marines, Meltagun and Missile Launcher, Veteran Sergeant Haas, Rhino
Tactical Squad, 5 additional marines, Meltagun and Missile Launcher
Stormtalon Gunship
Techmarine
Landspeeder, MM, HF