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You can only buy one of these boxes, which do you go for and why?

I've heard tell of the Centurions armed with heavy bolters never failing to make their points back vs Orks and Tau (my key opponents), especially when running the IF trait.

The Sternguard are much nicer looking models though, and offer perhaps more versatility than the Cents. However they have less wounds on the table top, but are also cheaper to buy in the first place.

Thoughts?

Depends on the role you want them to fill. I would say sternguard though. Their a solid and tested unit. Cents I'm not so sure about. Their expensive, slow and you have to get in close to use them.

Sternguard, all the way.

The Cents are a niche unit that will only ever work in certain situations with a certain army build.

Sternguard always work, and you can find a spot for them in any list. Their performance is not based on the army you field or the army you are facing. This means you can always count on their level of performance- and it's pretty high compared to similarly costed units.

Sternguard will obliterate a lot of things, with a drop pod you're usually guaranteed to get there in one piece.

Centurions .. with grav guns they obliterate almost everything (bar daemons without an armour save) but it's hard to get them anywhere fast. I've used them as backfield defense a lot of times though. Anything that comes close dies horribly.

Putting them in a Land Raider makes them faster but even more expensive.

Sternguard are generically better. I just cant see reason for Cents to exist personally.

Although I'd make a strong case for legion of the damned over sternguard. Not that that point is being discussed.

I used to like sternguards but mine have never done that well in 6th ed they need a big buff

I really like centurions if you use tigarus they are very effective I havnt used them for anti infantry ie heavy bolters
But with grav cannons I have killed alot more than there points worth
I killed a land raider with 11 glancing hits (with reroll shooting)
And the next turn a full unit of cc terminators because tigarus again gave them reroll shooting and the enemy misfortune ( very nasty power !!!)

Centurions are good but you need to plan for them in your list.
Sternguard are more well rounded units.

While I think the centurions have a place, I'm voting sternguard.

In addition to the game mechanics, from a modeling standpoint you want the sternguard. The sprues are so full of stuff you can splash around the rest of your army it's not funny. Extra specials and combis, cool looking heads, a HB (for you IF players). You can dilute the sternguard box with tac marines and get a full 10 man squad that is still 200% more awesome then regular marines. And still have enough spare parts to make your bits box purr like a kitten.

Boniface wrote:
Sternguard are generically better. I just cant see reason for Cents to exist personally.

May I quote flashgitz animation? "...Space Marines INSIDE Space Marines...!"

Box vs box, of course Centurions are better. Sternguard need additional combi-weapons and a drop pod to even be considered a unit. Unit vs unit is another discussion entirely though.

Also, if you want to build an army super cheap you can always pick up some tactical marines on ebay and buy some combi-weapons off of a third party site. 10 Sternguard built this way should be cheaper than the box of 3 Cents due to the glut of tactical marines on Ebay.

Tactical marines are always easy to get your hands on, as they've been in every starter box ever, but of course, you lose out on the new sternguard box bits, which are pretty nice.

Sternguard are a very versatile unit. Great against almost everything and can be used in a variety of situations... Cents are interesting and have nifty toys but so far I have only seen lists built around them for specific purposes because they are so slow.

If I have the points I prefer to take both, but if I have to choose I tend to go with Sternguard because I simply have more of those units in my collection, they also have seen far longer time of serive on the table to prove themselves while my Cenutirons not so much

By god that's a serious landslide victory vote for the sternguard!

Kinda surprising, though I'm not sure why....

Thanks dudes!

Sternguard.They don't look like crap.

Cents are only ever useful if you're using an army that gives them a bonus via chapter tactics (IE Imperial Fists).. If you aren't IF then you may as well leave them at home.

However, even then 3 centurions is the same as a unit of sternguard in price and they can get much better guns.

Sternguard. Centurions are comically overpriced and Terminators and Veterans do everything Centurions do better, cheaper, and while not looking like they were designed by an arthritic six-year-old with a gun fetish (no offense intended to actual arthritic six-year-olds with gun fetishes).

Centurions. Laugh in the face of danger....
and than cry when you dont get an armour save

Centurions can be very effective if you know how to equip them and use them well. But when only choosing between sterguard or centurions definitely sternguard

What army are you using?

If you have a Khan lead Whitescar force, you could attach Khan or a Biked CM (with EWShield and TH) and Scout/Outflank with Grav cannon Cents.

if your running Crimson fists.. sternguard.

its really up to you, if you tell us your play style that would give people a better understand on what you want.

Difficult to say what my actual style is as I haven't gamed with any Marines yet. Ive got a drop pod force built around librarian hq and missiles with some fast elements, otherwise I'm pretty new to the army, having spent most of my time on my DE.

Sorry to be vague but I can't honestly answer that question as I truthfully don't know lol


Automatically Appended Next Post:
However I can tell you that my core is Sons of Orar, with elements from other codex chapters.

Ie Scythes Scouts, Sons of Dorn bikes (planned), and star phantoms heavies.

Sounds like a mish mash I know, fluffwise the SoO have recruited, if that's the right word, from other chapters to aid them on their cause.

Any assault / vanguard Marines will be Black Dragons. This is all down to me getting bored of one scheme easily, keeping it varied will keep me interested. I realise there needs to be a unifying factor throughout the force though, I'll have to do something eith the bases to help here.

 kitch102 wrote:
You can only buy one of these boxes, which do you go for and why?

I've heard tell of the Centurions armed with heavy bolters never failing to make their points back vs Orks and Tau (my key opponents), especially when running the IF trait.

The Sternguard are much nicer looking models though, and offer perhaps more versatility than the Cents. However they have less wounds on the table top, but are also cheaper to buy in the first place.

Thoughts?

well you can almost get 2 stern boxes for the price of one cent box, or a stern and a droppod, and the excess weapons can pimp out alot of other squads, cost wise its obvious.

Just opened the sternguard box, my god... its beautiful!

The next question is how to equip them, any thoughts?

 kitch102 wrote:
Just opened the sternguard box, my god... its beautiful!

The next question is how to equip them, any thoughts?

What do you want them to do? IMHO the reason to field them is to pump special ammo into things. I think the changes to combi weapon prices in the latest codex reinforces this.
I would use the HF though, they are cool, useful, and this is one of the few places we can field them.

c-meltas give you the option to crack open tanks, something that special ammo doesn't do. Including one or two might be worth it as a contingency. You pay a higher price for it these days though.

Plamsa is good if you are worried about 2+ saves. My normal resonse to that is just hose them down with the wounds on a 2+ ammo and watch them roll ones. YMMV.

I don't see normal flamers being that useful. If you play a lot of hordes, maybe.

Grav is for stationary a/o relentless platforms. Sternguard are neither of these.

Stormbolters are a trap choice. Never, ever, take them.

I think my ideal sternguard squad these days would be 9-10 men in a drop pod. One HF, 2 c-meltas. 9 guys when you need the extra seat in the pod for a HQ.

Definitely sternguards. there flexible and fit most roles you could need in a battle.

Sternguard are my favorite unit in the C:SM book.

Since GW shouldn't be rewarded for ugly sculpts, i would say Sternguard.

Sternguard rock, so versatile, so snazzy looking too.

Yep, I've assembled my first sternguard and by god is it a beautiful model. May actually use him to double up as a chapter master in the armour of antilochus.

Next up, heavy flamer!

fething love this box

I personally like both, and since neither fills the same role, there's no real reason to limit yourself to one over the other. To those saying Centurions are "niche", I say that you've obviously not used them much.

Centurions are good against every army. If playing Daemons or Orks, run heavy bolters and hurricanes. If playing just about anything else, run grav cannons and your choice of hurricanes or ML. If you can get a unit of Cents in the middle of the board, you have effective range to pretty much anything.

Fully armed with combi-weapons and drop pod puts Sternguard to about the same cost as 4 Cents w/grav cannons. Both will inflict a lot of hurt on your opponent if used properly. Its hard to go wrong with either one really.

They'll definitely be in a drop pod, possibly with the armies commander. So my question is....

Heavy flamer AND heavy bolter in the same squad. Yay or nay?