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All of the list suggestions I've given have the homing beacon in it. (locator beacon on page 67 of C:SM) I've got you covered Gits


Also: its 25 points for the beacon on the scout bikers (because its the Locator rather than a teleporter).

Cool beans, Alf... thank you. I'll play with it tonight. Feel free to post if you have any other ideas... I like what you've come up with so far.

I've got to go work in the sun for a while (lucky me!) Ciao.

Absolutely man!

This is why I love Army Builder, I can fit an army around a theme really quickly, and then tweak it until its something I like.

Nice battle report!

I would use your option two. and add more combi-flamers

another idea is to add in a very anti-hoard unit, some sort of high I combat focused squad, or a character who can torment hoard armies. Not sure exactly what a cheap way to do this would be haha, vanguard is pricey, jump-pack less assault marines take up a fast attack choice.

But somewhere you could find a nasty fast unit that could help you with the hoard problem.

Hey Art,
I was going to tell ya before everyone else beat me to it that I've done the Drop Pod Sternguard split myself, helped agaisnt Han's Demons as could split the 2+ poison rounds coming out of the drop on turn 1. Also specificly when I was running Vulkan and could split the meltas up at 2 different targets coming out of the drop pod. Playing blood angels more now, I don't use em as much but they are useful.

Gitsplitta wrote:I've searched the "you make da call" forum and didn't find anything so I asked... we'll see what people come up with. The reason I'm skeptical MSP is that I often play guys who are really, really good (not just locally) and I've never seen anyone do it. You'd have thought *someone* would have done it once in a game somewhere along the line if it were legal... there are just too many advantages to the tactic no to. But, we'll see.

Gits, Pickle has been running drop pods for years. Ask him. Like MSP, I always thought that you were allowed to combat squad from a drop pod, as the units are not deployed unit they arrive from reserve. I could have swore that I've seen Pickle do that with stern guard.

sounds like a great tactic

Lol... As I said, I'm not really a "player", but I've seen many people mentioning it down here... So thought it was pretty obvious!

I didn't think it would degenerate into such a discussion!!!

LOL, only reason I commented is that me and Git go to the same local hangout to play, and somehow he hasn't seen us pull this...

I'm convinced!!! And already plotting to modify my army accordingly as can be seen by Alf's input.

Keep in mind that my builds are all fueled by what I have built & painted at the time... so they may not be optimal, just the best I can do at the moment. I think we're on to something here though... be nice to have my fluffy Mantis Warriors be a little more competitive... just a little.

And Goterdamrung... WELCOME to the blog man! Set a spell... kick your shoes off. :-) Nice to have a couple of FLGS cronies like Gdr & WyFox chime in... obviously there are just things I haven't seen in spite of all the local play I get in. (well OK, it's not THAT much...) In the mean time, I have to finish painting the figures I already have built... then I can move on to the next stage of the expansion. Hmmm... I might get this done in time for next year's Adepticon. That would be a good place to test it's metal. In the mean time, I could easily add extra bits for 'Aard Boyz... not to make a serious run mind you, just to play at the practice sessions at our FLGS to give the big boys something to whoop up on. But it will help me get comfortable with the core of the army which will help me later on.



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OK, I think I've got the list nailed down. Lots of painting to do between here and there, but I like it. Vanguard will then be a natural fit at the next point bump.

On the other hand, I'm quite sad you're setting aside the Ironclad... Looks too good to dump it off like that!

Well, I'm not the kind of guy to just run one army configuration, I like mixing it up. But it would be nice to have one more-or-less competitive build. I'll most certainly have a MoTF/dread list eventually, so no worries.

So, here's what I've come up with...

HQ: Epistolary Librarian, null zone, gate
Elite: Rifleman Dread
Elite: 10x Sternguard, 4 combi-melta, 3 c-plas, melta, c-flamer, hvy flamer, PF (pod)
Troop: 5x in las/plas razor w/ PS, dozer blade
Troop: 5x in las/plas razor w/ PS, dozer blade
Troop: 5x scouts, c-melta, MB
FA: 4x scout bikers, 3 AGL, PW, beacon, MB
FA: 4x scout bikers, 3 AGL, PW, beacon, MB
FA: LS Storm w/ MM
Hvy: 5x Devastators, 4 ML
Hvy: Vindicator
Hvy: Vindicator

Total: 1850 pts, 15-16 kill points depending on the combat squad decision

I realized that the second pod was unnecessary, which is what freed up the points for me to finish the list off properly. I think this is a really solid list and very much in line with my original ideas about the Mantis Warriors. Sad to see the Iron Clad go... but I'll save him for another build. At 2000 pts, I'll add the terminator libby back in & keep the normal libby, giving me good psychic support across the board. The heavy flamer is there in the sternguard mainly because I have the extra 5 points (and I have the bit). It's probably better to take a combi-flamer for the special bolter rounds... but what the heck.


Thanks to the stupid cat I got up in the wee hours this morning & took the opportunity to do some painting. First project is to finish those scouts up properly. Shoulder pads are now yellow. They'll get one lighter shade & a wash, then squad markings of some sort. Once the bases are done I'll post a pic. Hopefully not too long from now.

Glad we could come up with something works gits

I also like the idea of the 2 bike squads

I would like to play against that list Git, that looks like it would be alot of fun, depending on how much terrain we could build up on one of Han's tables. How many points is that Stern squad? I know how much my 10 man POD squad costs and you got me beat by about 6 more combi and special weapons. Understand the cat awake early, the dog woke me up at 4 and wouldn't go back to bed.

215 points for that crew, and if he really wanted to, he could pop in the librarian and another model.

@Alf: The Libby will run with the sternguard. He's there to make sure all those combi-weapons strike home (null zone) and to move them to their following assignment once the initial task is complete (gate). The sternguard are far too expensive (and useful) to leave them stuck on some flank out of weapons range after the drop.

@Goterdamrung: Consider it a date! Actually I'd love to get some practice with it while I'm building it. Once I get my current projects finished (scouts, libby, bikes), I'll get the rest built and we can experiment. Nothing like lots of practice to give you those insights into a list to play it better and make those little adjustments that can make all the difference in the world on the gaming table.

Of course gits, the one time I ran sternguard, I didn't get that option though lol... I didn't use nullzone (first time using a libby too lol) and the entire squad had 2 full necron warrior squads turn on them, fire, killed the majority of the squad, 2 more from another squad killed 3 more (yay rapid fire >_< I was left with the libby and Senior Sternguard Specialist BA (not blood angels) who were then assault by a wraith, the wraith killed the libby and then spent 2 more rounds of combat with SSS BA and then died... BA now has a kill count ranking up on his shoulder pad (after I added detail to denote his awesome kill)... He then died 1 round later to lots of necron fire

edit: post 650 (about the points I can get out of a tau battleforce)

I've found that getting the sternguard into position to do their thing can be tricky without the pod. Have tried them several times that way and they're just too easy to avoid or kill. The libby will help with this by repositioning them if necessary. Their ammo variety is wonderful, but most of it works best in rapid fire range, that takes mobility... especially if you want them to arrive alive.

What's a "Sternguard Specialist BA"?

I've toyed with the idea of kill markings on my marines or weapons. Not for every kill but for the really spectacular stuff. Be a nice, fluffy bit anyway.

I'm assuming he means Bad [Term for a Mule].

Keeping it family friendly

OH!! (duh) I got it.

Thanks DSS.

I was trying to keep cursing out of your thread, He hasn't been back from Ultramar to return to the front lines (since I haven't used his squad since playing that game).

But he earned the awesome token for that game.

Funny thing for me are the things that have done the best game after game are my two razorbacks... they've scored some big kills since Adepticon. I've been trying to come up with some tiny little pictographs to represent major categories of significant opponents since the vehicle body makes a nice palliate for such things. Marines would get shoulder pad or weapon marks, but only for particularly important or spectacular kills.

Heck, my scout bike squad earned a vindi last weekend... that's pretty good work! :-)

You could use the Tranquillity black Camo markings for kill counters, they would fit along the rim of a Shoulderpad quite well i would think.
Just a thought anyway.

Out of curiosity, how does the libby fit in a pod with the sternguard when it can only hoold 10 troops and is already full with just the sternguard?

Does the libby just "gate" over to them?

I just add more purity seals. My one melta tact marine should be a mummy by now if I added one everytime he popped something big

Pod holds 12 dantay... I assume specifically for this purpose.

@Goterdamrung: LOL! Nice mental image.

Really, I thought they only held 10 marines, or 5 terminators. Is it in the codex?

i like this kill marker thing. i think i need to give my comissar a mark(he took out Abaddon's last two wounds last game i played). but i do think you guys are correct in that it must be for special kills. and yeah, i imagine that a seal for every major kill on a soldier with a special weapon would cover him up, that would be hilarious though.

Don't have it with me, but I'm pretty sure that's the case. Can anyone help? It might have been faq'd... or I may be totally out to lunch, that's happened before. If it is the case, I'll drop a sternguard & forget the combat squadding idea.