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I play space marines, but I don't have that many bikes, which makes me more reliant on traditional rhinos, razors, landraiders, drop pods, etc. I've been debating which Chapter Tactics to adopt, and how to properly execute them.

I've been playing a fair amount of maelstrom of war this edition (mixing things up) and I've found Imp. Fists to be pretty effective, especially in lower points games (makes a single, objective holding Dev squad really scary to enemy armor). However I tried Iron Hands today and I must say that the IWND + 6+FNP makes for a surprisingly resilient force.

That being said I've been trying out Chapter Tactics and haven't really been able to find one that fits just the way I like.

What Chapter Tactics do you use (IF you use non-biker heavy armies) and how do you take advantage of them?

My brother has been having a ton of success with White Scars with Khan.

He fills his troops slot with 10 man marine squads with melta gun, combi-melta/melta bomb Sergeants in Rhinos.

60 Scouting marines in Rhinos combat squaded for 18 OS units is very good in Maelstrom missions (Or the BAO integrated missions which we play)

Raven guard are also a neat CT as you can scout forward toward objectives and have faster assault marines if you use assault marines.

Also true. That was what he was running before but switched to get the Hit and Run on everything.

I don't own any bikes and I've found UM to be the most versatile TAC army. I usually run a grav bomb with Calgar and Tigurius supported multiple tacticals. They have the tools to handle any targets.

Salamanders in Drop Pods can deliver one of the most devastating first turn offenses in the game. Just...horrendous.

They all have their place, but all require a bit of list tailoring to take full advantage of their perks.

Ultramarines: Is best when you use a squad or two of Devastators (to take advantage of Relentless for one turn), and have a dedicated assault unit or two (bike captain, honor guard, assault marines, anything that wants to be in close combat), and have tac squads (to take advantage of twin-linked for one turn). Also unlocks very good named characters (Tigurius, Calgar)

White Scars: Bikes of course, but as Eldarain mentioned they can work well if you use Khan, as you can scout your entire army if they're in transports (this works for terminators in land raiders, fyi). Hit and Run is a great perk, as it lets your shooty squads disengage from close combat when they don't want to be there.

Imperial Fists: Good if you use lots of tac squads, devastators squads and/or centurions.

Black Templar: Good if you want Land Raiders with Objective Secured, big/weird tactical squads, and characters who are really good at dealing damage in challenges.

Iron Hands: Good if you like using lots of vehicles, and if you like using beatstick ICs. The FNP rule for your troops is a nice little durability buff. For the type of army that the OP describes (with a few rhinos, razorbacks and land raiders), this is probably the best choice.

Salamanders: Good for drop pod lists and/or melta lists with Vulkan. Also quite usable for general-purpose armies which use lots of troops - your flamers and combi-weapons become quite good, and your ICs hit more often with their mastercrafted weapon (good for beatsticks).

Raven Guard: Good for taking control of the board - remember, all the dedicated transports get the Scout rule. Also good if you use lots of assault marines. You really need to have a list that takes advantage of the scout move.

I'm still pretty new, but nothing beats Iron Hands for staying on the table. The FNP is nice, but it's the IWND that really seals the deal. With IH you could actually use a MOTF and run 6 Dreads and it would be awesome. Also makes the Techmarine in Servo-Harness well worth the 75 points, I think it works out to a 3+ to get the fix?

Seems like every time I use the Techie I fail all my BoTO rolls and make all my IWNDs, take him off the table and suddenly it's like IWND goes away too... Maybe I should just have him tromp around with the Honour Guard?

edit: Oh right, why IH works for me as non bike army! This works because I usually bring a lot of vehicles, even in smaller games. I also really like the Chapter Master and Honour Guard, this combo works really well with a Chaplain in it too. Of course I run them all in a Rhino, so that's another area within that unit where I'm using my CTs to full effect. I also think that Rhinos in particular shine with IH tactics. This is because Drop Pods tend to just sit there unless they are majorly annoying, so when are you making an IWND there? The Rhino/ Razorback is benefits far more from this. It also adds a nice layer of protection to things like Speeders, which if you're looking at non-bike SM armies, then you might not mind the fluffier Landspeeder. You can also do things like Outflank LS Storms. I like these little guys and want to try one out next game because I think those Cerberus Launchers could be potent anti-Tau weapon.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I've been fairly rhino/raider heavy, so I've been leaning to iron hands. But I'm still quite curious for the other tactics.


Personally I think IH may be a good TAC list now, especially given the high presence of tau players in my playgroup. Devil fish are a pain to actually fight, and I typically just have to get raiders and rhinos up close to get hammers where they need to be.

For your army I think Raven Guard would be worth a try.