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The fanciness of Sternguard are in the toys they bring. Combi-Bolters specifically. Combining a melta-gun with the poisoned Bolter rounds, able to hands tanks and Wraithknights and Riptides with something almost like ease, especially brought in by drop pod. If you afford all of those options, then yes, you should do it. If you can't afford the toys of the Sternguard and just have Special Ammunition bolters and foot soldiers, sure you can take Ignores Cover, Poisoned or 30" Rapid Fire, but that's not using them to their potential. Have to build them to be the fulcrum that turns the battle your way and then they're worth whatever the cost.

In short, YES, Yes and always yes.

However, don't bring a full 10 man unit. It gets way too pricey and Sternguard squads die quick because they are a high target priority. Bring 5 with combi-weapons in a DP and sling them into your opponents backfield to beat up something shiny.

A couple other comments on your list. Don't bring assault centurions. They just aren't going to cut it in most lists. Too slow, lack an invul, and just don't hit very hard when they get there.
Pay the extra 5 pts and get a siege shield for your vindi. its worth the pts
I know the point of your terminator CM is so he can fire his OB and still move but if you instead take a CM with art armor, you have the same survivability and 20 less pts. OR instead bring a Captain with art armor and same load out for a 60 pt saving and you only loose 1 W, 1 A and the OB. Personally for a one use and very hit or miss weapon I just don't think its worth it.
Also with your Tac squads: Why the random lascannon in a rhino. He won't be able to fire anything other then a snap shot if you move the rhino. Not sure what you want from them.
Just my few cents on what I see

For CC dedication, I'll disagree on downgrading to a Captain. The 1W and 1A is glorious and valuable, especially when you're swinging around the Burning Blade.

I posted a revised list here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/606801.page

If I may: what CT are you using? That would also help the advice for the Sterns. UM for your list would be solid, I'd trade a tactical for a smaller squad of Sterns. Just my 2 cents.

Drop the sternguard to a 5 man unit, give them drop pod or razorback, and kit thake them!!!! 2+ armor save, screw the invuln cause you have alot of options with them and i feel they can beat termies in 80% of situations. DO IT RIGHT MEOW!

I think they're overpriced. For what they do they're good. They really should only be 16 ppm or so.

Unless your crimson fists sternguard should 1) always be in a pod, 2) always be rushing to their doom trying to destroy a big gun. It's just how things are.

Drop pods are best, but they can work in a rhino.

I think the combis are overpriced. While you can use them as suicide combi-weapon alpha strike unit, I think you get a lot more milage out of bare bones, special ammo only sternguard. Although a pair of HFs do synergese well with them.

To do this, you will need a full 9/10 man unit. Bolter fire, even with special ammo, needs mass to work well.

I agree with Nevelon. The suicide-pod tactic is effective, but I don't think it is the most efficient a way to use Sternguard.

I have gotten a lot of good use out of five bare bones Sternguard footslogging either with an HQ or alone and just shooting their special ammo at things. You can count on them to do 2-3 wounds on most any unit you point them at and it only gets better as you get into rapid fire range. Sternguard aren't any harder to keep alive than any other Marine infantry, so just keep them in cover in a good firing position and let them shoot away all game.

Sternguard in a Rhino/Razorback would work well in your list.

I'm going to be looking at running a driveby squad of Sternguard in a rhino blasting Melta or Plasma combi weapons out of the top hatch. Two shots, but could be two highly mobile Melta shots and disembark for the rest of the Bolter shots against softer targets when need be. Play testing will see how it fares but it's another idea.

 SharkoutofWata wrote:
I'm going to be looking at running a driveby squad of Sternguard in a rhino blasting Melta or Plasma combi weapons out of the top hatch. Two shots, but could be two highly mobile Melta shots and disembark for the rest of the Bolter shots against softer targets when need be. Play testing will see how it fares but it's another idea.

I would advocate actually disembarking from the rhino to shoot, since it effectively gives you another 6" of movement (which can be critical if you're using meltas).

Sternguard are great. In my experience I find they are best with 4x Combi Meltas and a HF in a 5x Man Squad. This usually has a Chapter Master taking wounds.

Suicide pod works for me, I run 2 combi flamers, 2 combi meltas and a heavy flamer. I know many people say you should not run a mixed unit but I run a pure TAC list and don't know what I will be up against, this thing drops in and ever pops the most expensive tank or burns through as much infantry as the templates can hit.

Am tempted to run the same unit in a HF Razorback sometime though.

They are not suicide units if you drop 30 of them in the first turn with 3 pods. 6 heavy flamers and 24 combi weapons split into 6 combat squads later they are a full army , well they cost as much for sure.

 pizzaguardian wrote:
They are not suicide units if you drop 30 of them in the first turn with 3 pods. 6 heavy flamers and 24 combi weapons split into 6 combat squads later they are a full army , well they cost as much for sure.

Toss in Pedro and a few scouts your good to go.

Aren't they 10 or 20 points more expensive as 2 squads of 5 as opposed to a squad of 10 combat squadded?

just take 10, combat squad them on drop pod in.

Sternguard can be stupidly effective vehicle killers with 5 combi-meltas and a pod.

If the enemy sets up poorly, you can get them on the field, destroy a vehicle, and then control part of the board.

What makes them nice in that form is that, if they aren't dealt with, they're still a total pain to stop. They'll draw fire, but after killing the enemy's big scary armor or something suitably scary, it's okay to have them die. And if they don't get annihilated, ATSKNF let's you use them for petty moves on objectives (esp. in maelstrom). Depending on what I'm facing or planning, a pod with DW can be fun with them, too, as it punishes assault infantry for charging them down after arrival. Remember, too: sternguard have 2 attacks, so they can do 15 attacks on the charge. Not great, but enough to threaten or annoy certain things if they somehow survive.



I also like to use them in rhinos. They're crazy fun with two HF in a rhino, when fighting large infantry lists. Two HF shots per turn out of the hatch, and then annoying other things. They're pretty much just annoying to deal with, and very killy in shooting if you need them to be.


Just remember they're pretty fragile. Choose suicide or give them a ride.

 Hashbeth wrote:
Sternguard can be stupidly effective vehicle killers with 5 combi-meltas and a pod.

If the enemy sets up poorly, you can get them on the field, destroy a vehicle, and then control part of the board.

What makes them nice in that form is that, if they aren't dealt with, they're still a total pain to stop. They'll draw fire, but after killing the enemy's big scary armor or something suitably scary, it's okay to have them die. And if they don't get annihilated, ATSKNF let's you use them for petty moves on objectives (esp. in maelstrom). Depending on what I'm facing or planning, a pod with DW can be fun with them, too, as it punishes assault infantry for charging them down after arrival. Remember, too: sternguard have 2 attacks, so they can do 15 attacks on the charge. Not great, but enough to threaten or annoy certain things if they somehow survive.



I also like to use them in rhinos. They're crazy fun with two HF in a rhino, when fighting large infantry lists. Two HF shots per turn out of the hatch, and then annoying other things. They're pretty much just annoying to deal with, and very killy in shooting if you need them to be.


Just remember they're pretty fragile. Choose suicide or give them a ride.

5x Sternguard with 5x Combi Meltas are NOT stupidly good vehicle killers. They are EXTREMELY expensive and should only be used to destroy very strong tanks OR have a CM tanking wounds.

9 sternguard with tiger or loth, in a drop pod; drop in, invis them, try to stay out of close combat (though either libbi will help if you do get charged). Makes a very nasty unit incredibly hard to kill. And of course load them with combis. While that drop pod has a bunch of points in it, it can kill really whatever it wants. And the invis makes them near unkillable without mass attacks in close combat or turning an army of shots at them. The libi and maybe a power fist on the seargent will insure a few wounds to hopefully force a sweeping advance to get outta close combat if it does happen

I don't think the points on your tactical squads is correct, double check.