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These guys seem very limited due to their inability to deep strike or take a drop pod and require the purchase of a 250 point land raider just to (have a chance of) reach the opponent, have I missed anything?

You can take the Land Raider, but if you're playing a static-ish army, they are plenty good at the mid-short range. With the Hurribolters and melta/flamer, I think it's better to treat them like a hyper-concentrated Tactical Squad in terms of how you use them.

10-manTactical Squad, Vet Sgt and Meltagun: 160 points
At 12": you get 18 Bolter shots at BS4, 1 melta shot at BS4, 10 T4 wounds with a 3+.

3-man Centurion Squad with Hurricane Bolters and TL meltas: 205 points
At 12": you get 18 TL bolter shots at BS4, 3 TL BS4 Melta shots, and 6 T5 wounds with a 2+

Omitting the extra strength and the CC weapons, the overlap in roles is very similar;both units are lethal to Infantry at short range (even more so with flamers in place of melta), similar in terms of durability with the edge going to the Cents, and obviously the Cents have the advantage of the TL weapons and more melta, as well as the ability to fire at two targets if you take an Omni-scope. The difference in points is significant, but the Cents have much better durability against small arms, more concentrated and accurate firepower, and have the Leadership bonus included in the cost.

So there's no call to get the rushing into combat as fast as possible, they can quite feasibly act as an anchor for a battle line and a force to counter-charge if necessary, but mostly provide close-range fire support.

That said, if you want to play aggressive with them, it seems they would fare very well in a Land Raider Crusader; the sheer amount of anti-infantry dakka Cents coming out of a LRC could throw down is a horrifying prospect.

That is a great breakdown Paradigm. I've never thought of them in that role, but that makes a ton of sense in an army that is planning to post up at medium to close range and force the enemy to come to them.

Thanks. I think it's easy to get distracted by the massive drills attached to their arms, but when you actually look at the rules for those, they'll turn buildings to dust but not a lot else. The low volume of attacks means even heavy tanks might get away alive from them, and S and P means you're going to struggle with that charge range anyway.

They're far more useful in a close support role, as that's where pretty much the rest of the codex excels too; Space Marines have a sweet spot where the massed bolters and specials can wreak havoc, and the Cents mesh with this perfectly. In the same way that Ogryn give you concentrated Guardsmen, Cents give you concentrated Tactical Squads.

 Paradigm wrote:
Thanks. I think it's easy to get distracted by the massive drills attached to their arms, but when you actually look at the rules for those, they'll turn buildings to dust but not a lot else. The low volume of attacks means even heavy tanks might get away alive from them, and S and P means you're going to struggle with that charge range anyway.

They're far more useful in a close support role, as that's where pretty much the rest of the codex excels too; Space Marines have a sweet spot where the massed bolters and specials can wreak havoc, and the Cents mesh with this perfectly. In the same way that Ogryn give you concentrated Guardsmen, Cents give you concentrated Tactical Squads.

then why not run devcents with HB's if all your going to do is massacre infantry.

Bishop F Gantry wrote:

 Paradigm wrote:
Thanks. I think it's easy to get distracted by the massive drills attached to their arms, but when you actually look at the rules for those, they'll turn buildings to dust but not a lot else. The low volume of attacks means even heavy tanks might get away alive from them, and S and P means you're going to struggle with that charge range anyway.

They're far more useful in a close support role, as that's where pretty much the rest of the codex excels too; Space Marines have a sweet spot where the massed bolters and specials can wreak havoc, and the Cents mesh with this perfectly. In the same way that Ogryn give you concentrated Guardsmen, Cents give you concentrated Tactical Squads.

then why not run devcents with HB's if all your going to do is massacre infantry.

This is, of course, another option. But the question was about Assault Cents, so I answered that with the role I see them best in. You also get the Meltas with the Assaults that you don't with the Devs (although you do get Lascannons, but with the damage chart changes those are far less reliable now).

There's also the fact that HS slots are generally far more crowded than FA slots in a SM list; I'd personally be taking Whirlwinds, TFCs, Vindicators and Predators before I took Dev Cents.

It would give me a reason to use those gorgeous models, if only they could take a drop pod

The most use Assault Centurions get is in creating threads like this :p

Keeping in mind that I don't advocate assault centurions, they are one of the few units capable of disembarking from a raider, blowing up a transport, then charging the contents.

Grey Knight Librarian with hope of getting Gate of Infinity?
With dark angel tec with power field generate + sanctuary for a 3+ invul?

Or just have them come out of the storm raven.

 Kirasu wrote:
The most use Assault Centurions get is in creating threads like this :p

Are centurion devastators any better?

Ceann Fine wrote:

 Kirasu wrote:
The most use Assault Centurions get is in creating threads like this :p

Are centurion devastators any better?

Centurion Devastators are used at tournaments. Assault Centurions are barely used.


That said... Paradigm's first post has given me pause, maybe I'll have to try them out that way (I've proxied them once in a game, they never made it into close combat, so I had written them off).

Ceann Fine wrote:
It would give me a reason to use those gorgeous models, if only they could take a drop pod

Sorry...what?

Pretty sure Centurions, and moreso assault Centurions are widely lambasted as looking plain stupid..

They're plain stupid awesome models.

If you are going to use a LR to transport 2+ save models, then transporting terminators is no longer the way to roll, IMO. Assault Centurions led by a chappy is the perfect way to utilize it.

Belly wrote:

Ceann Fine wrote:
It would give me a reason to use those gorgeous models, if only they could take a drop pod

Sorry...what?

Pretty sure Centurions, and moreso assault Centurions are widely lambasted as looking plain stupid..

well in that case the regular dreadnought looks stupid too, but I see nobody complaining...