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Quick question folks regarding plague marines.

Is mounted in rhinos with plasma or melta really the only sensible way to run them?
Would you ever foot slog them, or deployment zone camp them?

Not talking really competative or anything, just wondering if going rhinoless is even an option. Considering puting together a small themed nurgle list I think, and thinking about;

Terminator Lord,
Sorcerer,
5 Terminators,
24 Plague marines (in 2 or 3 squads)
3 oblits
Maybe a squad of Havocs.
~1100-1400pts

They're possibly eventually going to be allied to a ~600pt traitor guard blob. 1 Infantry platoon, 1 hws, 1 leman russ (variant to be decided). So it's not going to be a particularly mobile force anyway. Can I just gunline the CSM's too, or is it a bit of a waste? Don't particularly want to buy three rhinos.

Your thoughts and opinions would be most welcome dakka.

Alan

I use a squad of PMs without a Rhino in my Black Legion list. Though, my list is based around a solid and durable firebase with faster counter-attacking units (raptors/DP/bikes/occasional singel heldrake)...

I just played Plague Marines twice, so not really an expert.
However once it was against a guy playing Eldar with Tau Allies. It wasn't a super top-tier army, only 2 Wave Serpents and the Tau allies were used most for fun, he didn't really own a much more beside a commander in crisis suit and 6 FWs. However it was a quite competitive list.
I had 2 units of 7 Plague Marines with 2 Plasma Guns on foot and I did not feel I needed Rhinos at all. In the end they managed to kill a unit of Warp Spiders, cripple and tarpit one of Wraithguards, put a couple of wounds on a Wraithknight and keep occupied a wave serpent. I ended up with just 2 models in both units, with one of them that was still holding an objective.

I was very happy with their performance. It's not that the increased mobility given by a Rhino would be useless, however they do not really need it that much. They need to stay in the middle of the field, holding key areas and soaking a lot of small arms fire, while putting some wounds here and their with their plasmas. No need to be in CC ASAP as most of our units. And are tough enough to not force us to put them inside transports

First off, I don't play competitively either so take with salt.

If the rest of your army is footslogging then don't bother getting any Rhinos, 3 of them will survive approximately half a turn if they're the only vehicles in your army. Even AV14 won't last long if your opponent has only one target for his melta/lance weapons.

I run Plague Marines in my footslogging army and use them primarily for taking forward and midfield objectives, and they usually survive as long as there's other, scarier things (FMC's, heldrakes, oblits, havocs, termies, daemon allies) on the board for my opponent to shoot at. I use 1 melta squad and 2 plasma squads and they've always been points well spent. They laugh at bolter fire . That being said beware of high strength, low AP (Eldar, Tau) or poisoned (DE) shooting. And don't forget that they can't go to ground, being fearless.

Use your allied guardsmen (or hordes of cheap cultists, possibly with a fearless character) for holding backfield objectives. Since you're paying heavily for Plague Marines' durability keeping them in your deployment zone out of harm's way just seems like a waste of points...

PS: Tanks are easy to scratchbuild with inexpensive styrene sheets, just google "Rhino / Leman Russ scratch build"...

Diablix wrote:....
I had 2 units of 7 Plague Marines with 2 Plasma Guns on foot and I did not feel I needed Rhinos at all. In the end they managed to kill a unit of Warp Spiders, cripple and tarpit one of Wraithguards, put a couple of wounds on a Wraithknight and keep occupied a wave serpent. I ended up with just 2 models in both units, with one of them that was still holding an objective.

I was very happy with their performance. It's not that the increased mobility given by a Rhino would be useless, however they do not really need it that much. They need to stay in the middle of the field, holding key areas and soaking a lot of small arms fire, while putting some wounds here and their with their plasmas. No need to be in CC ASAP as most of our units. And are tough enough to not force us to put them inside transports

Dutch Wife wrote:First off, I don't play competitively either so take with salt.

If the rest of your army is footslogging then don't bother getting any Rhinos, 3 of them will survive approximately half a turn if they're the only vehicles in your army. Even AV14 won't last long if your opponent has only one target for his melta/lance weapons.

I run Plague Marines in my footslogging army and use them primarily for taking forward and midfield objectives, and they usually survive as long as there's other, scarier things (FMC's, heldrakes, oblits, havocs, termies, daemon allies) on the board for my opponent to shoot at. I use 1 melta squad and 2 plasma squads and they've always been points well spent. They laugh at bolter fire . That being said beware of high strength, low AP (Eldar, Tau) or poisoned (DE) shooting. And don't forget that they can't go to ground, being fearless.

Use your allied guardsmen (or hordes of cheap cultists, possibly with a fearless character) for holding backfield objectives. Since you're paying heavily for Plague Marines' durability keeping them in your deployment zone out of harm's way just seems like a waste of points...

Thanks guys, that's exactly the advice that I was after. Use the guard to sit on backfield objectives, and screen them, trudge forward towards midfield objectives with the harder stuff. Perfect.

Also, while we're talking about durability. There'll be 1 IG HWS and probably a squad of havocs. If I'm going for a mix of anti-armour and anti-otherstuff, more sensible to put the more expensive lascannons in the Havoc squad, and the auto cannons with the guard, yes? Suppose it's easy enough to magnitise the guard HW teams though.

not the only way but it is helldrake protection, great mobility, and helps prolong those expensive special weapons from getting picked off.

I run mine in rhinos... One move with a flat out and they are in the midfield where they need to be. Plus rhinos are like small mobile fortifications which can really help versus all the shooting you see now.