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When would it be useful for a vehicle to transport models? Would it only be on a large map your using? Do you personally transport units a lot? I'm new to 40K coming from other miniature games, so pardon me if this is a stupid question.

Transports serve two primary purposes.

1) Extra protection for the guys inside. When a unit has to crack the outer shell to get the meaty goodness inside, that is one less unit shooting at your guys.

2) Get the boys where they need to be. Whether it is getting them across the table to grab an objective, or getting them out of range of enemy fire.

 Happyjew wrote:
Transports serve two primary purposes.

1) Extra protection for the guys inside. When a unit has to crack the outer shell to get the meaty goodness inside, that is one less unit shooting at your guys.

2) Get the boys where they need to be. Whether it is getting them across the table to grab an objective, or getting them out of range of enemy fire.

Alright. I'm guessing they could also be used for cover?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Like hiding behind them, or something.

I've found transports are best used for the units you want to be close to the enemy lines. I find for Guard these are things like Veterans, Bullgryn and Ogryn, for example. Units with a lot of hitting power, but who rely on being close. A Chimera (and most other transports) can move 18" a turn, moving at Cruising Speed and then moving flat out, so you cover the board quickly. Also, if you are playing a Battleforged army, your Troops Dedicated Transports are Objective Secured units too, meaning they have a purpose for after you drop off your troops.

I love vehicles. Metal Bawkses for everyone! But, since I came from Tyranids, the idea of a tank just makes me all warm and gooey. Certain transports, like Rhinos, really are just metal boxes to get from Point A to Point B and Point B is normally an objective or within gun range. Other transports, like Wave Serpents or Chimeras or especially Land Raiders, are tanks with infantry cargo. Sometimes the infantry is useless, like Serpent Spam Dire Avengers in a Wave Serpent, and if boots touch the ground that means the Serpent is dead, but other times, the entire combination is a big mess of hurt moving faster than foot soldiers. Still other times, the transport is just a shield for the guys inside shooting, like Necron Barges and Dark Eldar Raiders. Just a constant piece of cover that comes with them.

Each Transport, since it is still a piece of the arsenal, has its niche and different ways to use them. Like you can't hide behind a Wave Serpent since it has a flying base, so it is still possible to shoot at feet underneath. Rhinos can hide a squad if need be but doesn't have anything worth anything for guns. Here in 7th, they are very useful due to how the rules about shooting them are written. Enough transports and it's very difficult to kill the army.

Phoenix3270@gmail.com wrote:


Alright. I'm guessing they could also be used for cover?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Like hiding behind them, or something.

that's kind of a waste because your opponent will just shoot the unit instead of having to shoot a vehicle first. Plus the unit doesn't get to use the transport 12" movement.

Movement is the most important thing in 40k which is primarily objective based. You don't have to roll (generally) for your basic movement either, so even if you can't make a to wound roll to save your life you can still get to an objective. Getting where you need to be leads to winning and vehicles let you do that to varying degrees. If I can avoid it I don't have anything in my army that doesn't have a transport or can otherwise move 12" anyway.

Protection is good at well. To take a vehicle down you are generally gonna have to put some S6/7 or better shooting into it which you'll happily take on your 35 point Rhino rather than the 150 point squad inside.

 CrownAxe wrote:

Phoenix3270@gmail.com wrote:


Alright. I'm guessing they could also be used for cover?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Like hiding behind them, or something.

that's kind of a waste because your opponent will just shoot the unit instead of having to shoot a vehicle first. Plus the unit doesn't get to use the transport 12" movement.

That's kind of not entirely true cause vehicles often block los to troops.

Transports are a versatile tool. I find that tactically my humble 10-10-10 opentopped truck is often having an important role of transporting, blocking los, getting in the way denying counter-charges and tank shocking infantry. Same with rhinos. Be inventive and u'll find that transports are not just about getting from point A to point B.

For example, landraiders not only transport your hard hitters but also are large enough to block line of sight to a rhino or two. Or even a small squad of bikers/assault marines that'd have no chances of surviving otherwise.

Different transports do different things. The real key features of a transport:

1) is it open-topped? Open topped transports offer primarily a fire base for units where everyone in the squad wants to shoot. A squad of necron warriors in a ghost ark uses their transport as protection and a fire base-from 12" away they unleash a fullisade of 30 gauss shots, which will melt any tank with 3 HPs or take a chunk out of an infantry squad.

2) Is it an assault vehicle? It would take three turns for that 20 man ork squad to cross the table, and they'd get shot to hell all the way, but with the addition of a Battlewagon they're right in your face turn 2, and the one turn you have to shoot them they're in an AV14 box, good luck buddy! In some codexes (Eldar) the lack of a cheap assault transport makes more fragile assault units entirely unusable.

3) is it a cheap box with a single fire point? Then it's a special weapon delivery van! Jimmy and Jhonny the IG vets know they want to use their 2 melta guns to destroy tanks from 6" away, but you don't become a veteran by trying to walk across the board in your flimsy flak armor to get the job done! A chimera makes them a great budget unit that can threaten even powerful land raiders, and as an added benefit it can grant cover to IG squads who have the misfortune of being on foot.

the_scotsman wrote:
Different transports do different things. The real key features of a transport:

1) is it open-topped? Open topped transports offer primarily a fire base for units where everyone in the squad wants to shoot. A squad of necron warriors in a ghost ark uses their transport as protection and a fire base-from 12" away they unleash a fullisade of 30 gauss shots, which will melt any tank with 3 HPs or take a chunk out of an infantry squad.

2) Is it an assault vehicle? It would take three turns for that 20 man ork squad to cross the table, and they'd get shot to hell all the way, but with the addition of a Battlewagon they're right in your face turn 2, and the one turn you have to shoot them they're in an AV14 box, good luck buddy! In some codexes (Eldar) the lack of a cheap assault transport makes more fragile assault units entirely unusable.

3) is it a cheap box with a single fire point? Then it's a special weapon delivery van! Jimmy and Jhonny the IG vets know they want to use their 2 melta guns to destroy tanks from 6" away, but you don't become a veteran by trying to walk across the board in your flimsy flak armor to get the job done! A chimera makes them a great budget unit that can threaten even powerful land raiders, and as an added benefit it can grant cover to IG squads who have the misfortune of being on foot.

Slightly off topic, but this is easily the best and most easy-to-understand summary of vehicles in 40k that I think I've ever read.