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What are all of your opnions to drop pod armies? I play a 100% drop pod army and have had great success with it. I currently run 11 pods in a 1999pt list and have an alpha strike that drops in 6 pods with 2 5 man sternguard units with a total of 8 combi meltas, 2 10 combat squaded tactical squads with 2 melta guns total, and two assault squads with 2 flamers total.

The sternguard focus fire on mc and anti armour or characters.The tactical squads support the sternguard as needed and the half of the squad without the melta gun heads towards the nearest objective still firing at enemy along the way. And the assault squads are used to lighten enemy troops so it is harder for the enemy to capture objectives.

The other 5 drop pods are two more full tac squads with meltaguna to use where needed and to late grab objectives. And the devastors are used for AA and target mop up as needed.

How do you run your drop pod list?

Pods?

You play Imperial Fists or Salamanders then?

Nope Iron Hands, I like the whole army FNP and IWND on the chapter master and drop pods is always nice too.

Plus its kind of fun to turn the table into darkness by dropping all those black pods and models on the board

Then personally I think you need to get Raukaan and add some dreads to your playstyle.

(This is my current plan for Adepticon 2015)

That many meltas could be nice depending on the meta you play in, but personally too much for me. The tactical squads might drop onto a lone objective midfield and would be better off the a missile launcher for the range than a melta gun. One weakness I find with marines in general and especially elite Sternguard armies is anti horde. Thunderfire cannons with a drop pod is only 135 and adds a great anti infantry punch to all the anti mech melta guns.

Lysander - 230
Command squad, 4 melta, apothecary, drop pod - 190

10 Sternguard, 8 combi melta, drop pod - 345
10 Sternguard, 4 combi plasma, 4 combi melta, drop pod - 345

5 tactical marines, missile launcher, drop pod - 120
5 tactical marines, missile launcher, drop pod - 120
5 scouts, heavy bolter - 63
5 scouts, heavy bolter - 63
5 scouts, heavy bolter - 63
5 scouts, heavy bolter - 63

5 assault marines, 2 flamers, drop pod - 95
5 assault marines, 2 flamers, drop pod - 95


Thunderfire cannon, drop pod - 135
Thunderfire cannon, drop pod - 135

9 drop pods, 16 melta gun shots, plus some plasma for things like Riptides. Lots of anti infantry and ignores cover for stuff like IG blobs, tyranids, guardians, rangers etc. 6 scoring units that can infiltrate into fortified terrain and go to ground and take pot shots all game hoping to score.

There is no one perfect.way to build a list as everyone plays different things on a regular basis. I deal with a lot of MCs and horde supported by vehicles and this would be something I would test. Good luck!


*edit* sorry I posted a 2000 list. Can just drop some sternguard and a squad of scouts.

I was thinking about that but in my expierence they almost always get blown up turn one. Its just hard for me to justify the points on them when even one 5 man squad can take more hits than a dread.

And i like the idea of thunderfires and i did try them in my last tourny but i find bolters are just as effective if you just systematically target squads. My meta in my area runs alot of the top tier lists from the opens so i tend to face eldar and tau. We do see a good portion of horde armies but those just get bogged down by the powerhouses.

ghilliemarine wrote:
I was thinking about that but in my expierence they almost always get blown up turn one. Its just hard for me to justify the points on them when even one 5 man squad can take more hits than a dread.

Ironclad Dreads can take an infinite amount of s6 hits on their AV13, if you drop in enough melta to de-mech them and destroy their anti-tank, you will be rewarding with multiple walkers immune to krak grenades that have 5 powerfist/chainfist attacks. It isn't guaranteed but dreads certainly shine in pod lists compared to how bad they are normally.

I tend to avoid close combat except for my chapter master who i use to tie up/take down enemy warlords. I dont know, dreads have just never really been my style. Ive tried them out but either I'm not doing it right or they just dont work in my style of play but either way i stay away from them in my pure drop lists. I do use them in my combi drop lists though

While we're talking Marine pods.

Has anyone used White Scars like this? (Generic Marines get hit and run right?)

Hit and run might be pretty excellent for an army that's guaranteed to let any kind of assault army get into assault.

 ductvader wrote:
While we're talking Marine pods.

Has anyone used White Scars like this? (Generic Marines get hit and run right?)

Hit and run might be pretty excellent for an army that's guaranteed to let any kind of assault army get into assault.

I run a white scars bike army with 1-3 drop pods, always for either a melta command squad or sternguard. They drop in, get first blood, and usually live because the bikes must be dealt with. They all have veteran stats so 3 attacks on the charge. It is pretty nice. I've had 2 Sternguard eventually kill 5 plague marines due to a melta gun and constant charging.

I like the idea of White Scars Primary Sternguard and bikes with Imperial Fist Allied Troop pods.

@Agtthot, Don't forget that Command Vets have 3 attacks base. They come with a CCW and Pistol, plus 2 normal attacks. 4 on the charge. I missed it the first couple times, but I flip through my codex a lot looking for more advantages! haha.

@ductvader, Problem with Imperial Fists as troops for an Ally is that it's an ally. You only get 20 marines max. That being said, why ally for Tacticals. No matter the Chapter, Tacticals are Tacticals. Never worth their points.

@OP, So many meltas, not enough Salamanders.
You're running 4 Combi-Meltas per Stern? That's 5 Master-crafted Special Ammo Bolters for Turn2 shooting. Also, you mentioned you play against a lot of GT lists. I'm surprised the Tau players with interceptor let you get away with 4 C-Meltas in a 5 man Stern. With on 1 plain-Jane, you're guaranteed to lose a few 32-point Vets.

In my lists, I tend to run a lot of C-Meltas (then again I run Vulcan), but I have at least 2 Red shirts (naked Models) in front of my meat (AP2 weapons).

Vanguard Vets... 10 guys, replace all their CCWs with grav pistols, put em in a Pod...


Gunslingerstar anyone?

Edit: Tacs are Tacs and never worth their points? Tell that to the 5 Marines I outflanked onto the table last night. They literally just finished toasting 4 Wolf Guard w/packs. I paid 105 points for the Tac Squad... those WG were nearly 250... Or how about the 5 man Plascan squad that toasted 3 termies with one splash? That squad was 85 points... one more termie and they're paid for. Or how about when my Grav Gun combat squad crumpled Bjorn like he was made of paper? That squad was only technically 90 points and their "measly" six grav shots were more than enough to slag my opponents HQ, who costs waaay more than a 5 man squad. Now granted, last game was a good game for lucky dice, but my point is this. If you think Tac Squads suck then you're using them wrong.

Tacticals are Tacticals. They have their purpose. A lot of the examples above are extraordinary luck (Wolf Guard), crappy generals (3 Terminators all under 3" blast, and poor saves), or terrible decision making (having a Warlord solo in front of grav guns). I'm sorry that in your experiences, you have a false sense of what Tacticals are good at.

On the other hand, Tacticals do have their benefits, but none of the examples listed above seem to be the reasons why.

Saythings wrote:
Tacticals are Tacticals. They have their purpose. A lot of the examples above are extraordinary luck (Wolf Guard), crappy generals (3 Terminators all under 3" blast, and poor saves), or terrible decision making (having a Warlord solo in front of grav guns). I'm sorry that in your experiences, you have a false sense of what Tacticals are good at.

On the other hand, Tacticals do have their benefits, but none of the examples listed above seem to be the reasons why.

Yeah I kind of pointed out the great luck I was having so... I don't know why you're reiterating. Anyone can fail an armour save, so the WG falling to a Tac squad, that is totally normal. How exactly does Bjorn being out front = bad generalship? Have you ever fought Bjorn in CC? He's kind of a beast. Or at least that has been my experience, but hey what the heck, I'm a bad general for believing in my Tac squads! And for the record my opponent is actually pretty darn good at playing his Wolves, and I really do fail to see how me getting lucky and executing a game plan makes my foe a bad general.

Why don't you go ahead and point out why Tac Squads are good? Unless of course, you can't find anything nice to say about a cheap scoring unit that can fill multiple roles...

Really, this is the kind of attitude that keeps me away from game stores and people in general. Just because we have differing opinions doesn't mean that one of us is wrong. Neither of us is wrong, good sir. We merely have a different opinion. Go ahead and leave your Tacticals on the shelf, and I'll enjoy playing with mine. Just because you have a contradictory experience does not invalidate mine. Bring your toys over, I'll kick your butt all over the board, AND I'll use my Tacticals to do it!

I wouldn't say this attitude is what keeps people away from the store. Knowledge of the game is what makes me critical about what units can do on a game by game basis. Yes, you can get lucky a few times with your Tacticals, but I couldn't personally rely on that. Not even for a single game and would I be hoping to get 3 terminators with a single PC shot.

Sorry if text comes off dry and disapproving. I can only type in one color. On that note, I did not call you a bad general. I called the people that clump their 2+ save models against an army with AP2 template weapons bad. Haha.

I do use tacticals. They won't be on my shelf. I use them in drop pods, 5man strong, and with the 2 special weapons that they are suited for (Melta/C-Melta, etc).

You can run them to get extra pods in for Alpha Striking, not in the alpha strike. (Turn1 Command/Stern/Stern, Turn2 Tacticals). Tacticals can't put out the damage like other models can.

You can run them for min/max Razorbacks (though this died in 6th a bit).

You can run them for 10 TAC Rhino lists that spam troops. 4 Rhinos minimum with Scout support. Overwhelming threat targets.

It all depends on your list, but in the above post, I'm simply saying Tacticals are Tacticals. If you are running them for 1 Heavy 1 Special, 1 Combi, you can find other avenues.

Neither one of us are wrong. I showed you how both my way and your way is viable. However, to say Tacticals are "worth" their points. I'd say differently. In your examples you showed us how a "few" points of Tacticals can pay for themselves, but you didn't point how they got into the situations. Via, bad enemy deployment, bad positioning, and the 170 points you paid for the entire squad assuming they maxed out their weapons and they didn't purchase a vehicle.

In a codex that is as versatile as the Space Marines, you CAN and will find better firepower output somewhere else. If you're worried about scoring, running LSS with min scouts is a better bet. Cheaper, faster, and can hide is reserves, leaving the rest of your points for the meat of your list.

@Saythings I run Iron Hands to for three main reasons. One my drop pods are harder to destroy. 2 my chapter master can heal his wounds. And 3 of my 76 troops an average of 12 will live an additional round because of FNP. Also my chapter master is attached to my sternguard with a shield eternal so when he is at full wounds I have him wound soak for the sternguard.

Plus i would have to either spend another 1k to buy a salamander army or repaint my current models which would take alot of time.

Haha. Well said. Something about rerolling meltas gets me off

I'd rather have more reliable damage, then surviving only to shoot bolters a few more times.

I like Iron Hands so I see your advantages. Each player has his own playstyle. Then again, my salamanders army is completely customized. All with cloaks, lizardmen heads, and Winged Carnosaurs for Ravens. Don't forget the skinks with Boltguns as scouts.

I couldn't switch armies even if I wanted to. But each Chapter definitely provides their own benefits. As a drop pod post, I'd have to side with preference. I want my AP2 to land, you want your marines to stick. Personally, when I run out of AP2 weapon, I always question why I didn't bring more.

I mostly just rely on my meltas round one. I do have two dev squads also which have ap 2 weapons. Just my style of play haha.

I play an imperial armor list and my brother plays a complete drop pod army list and it is my worst nightmare. that many drop pods, that much melta and no time to engage at range means that it is the perfect counter to my army.

something to think about thunderfire cannons with a drop pod. deploy the cannon at the start of the game on the table and you get a drop pod that you can bring in later meaning that you get to bring one more unit on in turn one.

he also is famous for breaking up a squad with combat squad, heavy weapon deploys on the table special drops in from the pod. even more fire power starting on the table turn one.

he can bring in almost his whole army in on turn one and the couple of half tacs are used to claim objectives outside of the drop zone later in the game when the carnage is pretty much complete.

the best way to play a drop pod army is to maximize the number of troops you can bring in from turn one. concentrate your troops centrally to take out as much of the enemy as possible from the get go to gain the upper hand quickly. melta and flamers are great things allowing you to deal with just about anything not neccasarily in the same squad but flaming the occupants of vehicle after the melta squad pops there ride means a dead squad very quickly.

go big or go home you will lose a few games due to bad drops and a few units may scatter off the board but his favorite tactic is to land in your back field and munch your army to pieces. drop pods work great for what they do but they favor the bold.

ghilliemarine wrote:
Plus i would have to either spend another 1k to buy a salamander army or repaint my current models which would take alot of time.

Says who? Why do your Chapter Tactics : Salamanders army have to be different colour than your current models? There is no rule stating that your marines need to be a certain colour or carry certain iconography to run a particular Chapter Tactic.

Rorschach9 wrote:

ghilliemarine wrote:
Plus i would have to either spend another 1k to buy a salamander army or repaint my current models which would take alot of time.

Says who? Why do your Chapter Tactics : Salamanders army have to be different colour than your current models? There is no rule stating that your marines need to be a certain colour or carry certain iconography to run a particular Chapter Tactic.

We play WYSIWYG in my meta so black salamanders dont fly unfortuantly :/.

What do you do have on the board on the first turn to not auto lose?

ghilliemarine wrote:

Rorschach9 wrote:

ghilliemarine wrote:
Plus i would have to either spend another 1k to buy a salamander army or repaint my current models which would take alot of time.

Says who? Why do your Chapter Tactics : Salamanders army have to be different colour than your current models? There is no rule stating that your marines need to be a certain colour or carry certain iconography to run a particular Chapter Tactic.

We play WYSIWYG in my meta so black salamanders dont fly unfortuantly :/.

Successor chapter. Still WYSIWYG. Problem solved.

Edit: to further clarify, using WYSIWYG, if I painted my marines in a rainbow pattern, are you saying I cannot use any chapter tactics? Is not, why? If I can, how is it different than black Maine's as salamanders. Hapger tactics s?

Tactics =/= chapter itself.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

Hollismason wrote:
What do you do have on the board on the first turn to not auto lose?

Half the pods drop in on the first turn

You have to the end of GAME TURN 1 to have models on the board. Null deployment is 100% viable.

Rorschach9 wrote:

ghilliemarine wrote:

Rorschach9 wrote:

ghilliemarine wrote:
Plus i would have to either spend another 1k to buy a salamander army or repaint my current models which would take alot of time.

Says who? Why do your Chapter Tactics : Salamanders army have to be different colour than your current models? There is no rule stating that your marines need to be a certain colour or carry certain iconography to run a particular Chapter Tactic.

We play WYSIWYG in my meta so black salamanders dont fly unfortuantly :/.

Successor chapter. Still WYSIWYG. Problem solved.

Edit: to further clarify, using WYSIWYG, if I painted my marines in a rainbow pattern, are you saying I cannot use any chapter tactics? Is not, why? If I can, how is it different than black Maine's as salamanders. Hapger tactics s?

Tactics =/= chapter itself.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

Hollismason wrote:
What do you do have on the board on the first turn to not auto lose?

Half the pods drop in on the first turn

Thats an idea, ill have to ask my TO if i could do that. They still have the iron hands mark on them which is the main reason im thinking it wont be allowed.

And first turn i drop 2 sternguard one of them has my chapter master, 2 full tactical squads, and 2 assault squads. 6 pods with a total of 41 troops, and ill still have 2 full tac squads, 1 half tac squad, and 2 dev squads.

Saythings wrote:
You have to the end of GAME TURN 1 to have models on the board. Null deployment is 100% viable.

That's uh no how it works it says any turn not game turn at least thats how I and others have been playing it. This is why the Legion of the Damned army autoloses on turn 1 because of that rule. If you play it some other way that's cool though.

Hollismason wrote:

Saythings wrote:
You have to the end of GAME TURN 1 to have models on the board. Null deployment is 100% viable.

That's uh no how it works it says any turn not game turn at least thats how I and others have been playing it. This is why the Legion of the Damned army autoloses on turn 1 because of that rule. If you play it some other way that's cool though.

Incorrect. It is Game Turn, not player turn. BRB Page 122 "Likewise, ifat the end of any game turn, one player has no models on the battlefield, his opponent automatically wins."

Drop Pod Assault armies (null-deployment armies) do not, ever, auto-lose T1 because 1/2 (rounded up) deploy on the first turn, therefore they will always have models on the table at the end of the turn.

This is something that ALWAYS seems to come up when someone talks about Drop Podding 100% of their army.

Legion Armies have to arrive by regular DS. That's why they auto-lose.

Hollismason wrote:

Saythings wrote:
You have to the end of GAME TURN 1 to have models on the board. Null deployment is 100% viable.

That's uh no how it works it says any turn not game turn at least thats how I and others have been playing it. This is why the Legion of the Damned army autoloses on turn 1 because of that rule. If you play it some other way that's cool though.

Legion of the damned come in from reserves, which don't start coming in until turn 2....

OP why use dev squads in pods? Multi-Meltas snap shotting at flyers? Or trying to pop tanks that have already been on the board at least two full turns? I have had a ton of success with smaller pod armies (I run Ultramarines) in my experience when you run more then 5 pods you are only wasting points. For example if you have 6 pods come in turn one you have 5 pods in reserve. This army split is going to give your opponent an easy win, they hopefully deployed correctly and now they have a full 2000 point army to counter attack into your 1200 points of marines. Your alpha strike won't be strong enough to level the playing field and if you miss any reserve rolls you can quickly fall behind, Particularly if you have awful luck.