Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So. Jetbikes for the Imperial Guard. Basically, due to energy supplies and heat exchange shenanigans, Space Marines are too heavy to drive these things, meaning they are IG only.

The basic loadout is a Brute Shield-equivalent and a Special Weapon (the pilot controls the Bike with a Mind Impulse Unit).

Cost is 25 points a model (but MUST buy a Special Weapon), base unit size is 3 models per squad, force organization is Fast Attack.

Basically, they are Veterans (BS 4) with the mobility provided by jetbikes, either a 3+ or 4+ save and a 5++ Invulnerable save and special weapons. Their Stat line is as follows:

BS4 WS3 S3 T4 W1 I4 A2 Ld 9 Sv 3+/4++

Thoughts? Suggestions? Special Rules?

Very, very fluff-breaking. And jetbikes can carry marines, heck in the Imperium's history, even when they had widely available jetbikes, they were for Marines.

Whilst I would actually love to see Jetbikes, like the Jetbikers from Star Wars.... it just isn't fluffy in 40k.

Imperial Jetbikes are rare as hell because they're not produced anymore and most of them are old tech. Hell they're exceedingly rare in the Space Marines and they get all the good stuff!

Imperial Guard would never be given that rare tech to waste on lowly humans.

Ok, fair enough. I'm stupid.

I was thinking some type of pattern inferior to the Bullock or Scimitar pattern used during the Great Crusade.

Maybe regular bikes or Rough Riders who don't suck...

Nah it's not stupid - really it's kinda logical actually. If they can produce land speeders, they could produce jet-bikes... but hell, it's GW's fluff and they say they can't and don't.

We've got a long suggestion box on making Rough Riders not suck. The best ideas I've seen:

Hunting Lances grant S5/AP2 Hammer of Wrath hits and can be used multiple times. The unit gains the Hit and Run rule and is pumped to T4/4+.

Change out hunting lance for lasgun, pump to T4/4+, drop base cost to 10ppm. Special weapons are two per five models, unit gains the Dragoons rule (may move 2d6" in the Assault phase if they didn't run). This one probably makes more sense for the jetbike suggestion.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
We've got a long suggestion box on making Rough Riders not suck. The best ideas I've seen:

Hunting Lances grant S5/AP2 Hammer of Wrath hits and can be used multiple times. The unit gains the Hit and Run rule and is pumped to T4/4+.

Change out hunting lance for lasgun, pump to T4/4+, drop base cost to 10ppm. Special weapons are two per five models, unit gains the Dragoons rule (may move 2d6" in the Assault phase if they didn't run). This one probably makes more sense for the jetbike suggestion.

Wow it would be amazing if they had done something like this. I kinda want to use Rough Riders but I think they are the worst models point-wise that I can think of.
Is the Guard codex the only one with these wierd no-use models? The Ogryns also come to mind, they still seem way too expensive for me.

FunJohn wrote:

Is the Guard codex the only one with these wierd no-use models? The Ogryns also come to mind, they still seem way too expensive for me.

Howling Banshees, Vanguard Veterans, Mutilators, and Vespids, off the top of my head. Internal balance isn't GW's strong suit.

jetbikes, no, if there were any, the mechanicus would hoard them or the marines would take them. but bikes makes sense. i imagine ww2 scout motorcycles (use the scout marine bike model). i might go as far as giving these guys outflank or scout (kinda extra guns supporting the sentinels). also bike rules are easy to adapt to anything, just upgrade their toughness and give them a reasonable tw laz weapon, with option of haveing a side cap with bigger weapon (and possibly melta). they would probably be cheap and very effective in scout/ranged support, and mildly effective in assault.

A few drunk guards have found a vault with a bunch of jetbikes and are eager to test them out. Though, they know that comissar ain't gona be happy with that.

Drunken jetbikers Detachment.

- 1 unit of Jetbikers
- 1 Comissar

Special rules: Dangerous driving, Comissar won't be happy...

Dangerous driving - d3 Hammer of Wrath Hits. Must pass dangerous terrain test whenever want to charge or move flat-out.
Comissar won't be happy... - if a unit of jetbikers starts or ends any of the phases (movement, psy, shooting, combat) within Comissar's line of sight, Comissar emidieately gains What the?! Bring the bastrds here! He gains rage and together with his unit must chase - move the shortest distance towards the unit - jetbikers. He and his unit can't shoot at them for fear of damaging the relis. If he happens to end the movement within 12', he must attempt a charge at the unit of jetbikers as if they were enemies, though, they can't shoot overwatch. If he makes it into combat, the unit of jetbikers must get emidiately removed as casualties as if they were a subject to Summary Execution...and they were.

Being controlled by Mind Impulse Unit is pretty weird, too. That's a strange piece of uncommon technology to put on any conventional vehicle.

IG bikers would be just fine, though.

Hmmm. Rather than mind-linked controls, why not look to our main source on what happens when unaugmented humans ride jetbikes, Return of the Jedi, and have a random "Crash Into Fething Tree" roll every turn?

Not entirely joking here.

This was a terriable idea from the start, and if you could point me to a way to delete/hide the thread, I'd be grateful.

No, the idea's not terrible, just very hard to make work with fluff. And if it's Guard equipment, not Astartes, it needs some godawful disadvantage to reflect why the Astartes don't come take it for themselves.

 SisterSydney wrote:
Hmmm. Rather than mind-linked controls, why not look to our main source on what happens when unaugmented humans ride jetbikes, Return of the Jedi, and have a random "Crash Into Fething Tree" roll every turn?

Not entirely joking here.

We call this a "Dangerous Terrain Test." Maybe "Fragile: This model may not take armour saves against failed Dangerous Terrain Tests"?

"Flying Deathtrap: Counts all terrain as Dangerous Terrain. If on actual Dangerous Terrain, fails Dangerous Terrain test on a roll of 1, 2, or 3."

Going off the OP, those stats sadly seem a bit overpowered for guardsmen. What you're telling me is that your bikes have better stats than my ravenwing bikes, which are more expensive? Get rid of the invuln, make it a 4+ armor, and I might think they're reasonable points wise. Throw in that jetbikes are better than standard bikes, and my ravenwing bikers are going to beat the snot out of your vets and steal their gear.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 AnomanderRake wrote:
We've got a long suggestion box on making Rough Riders not suck. The best ideas I've seen:

Hunting Lances grant S5/AP2 Hammer of Wrath hits and can be used multiple times. The unit gains the Hit and Run rule and is pumped to T4/4+.

Change out hunting lance for lasgun, pump to T4/4+, drop base cost to 10ppm. Special weapons are two per five models, unit gains the Dragoons rule (may move 2d6" in the Assault phase if they didn't run). This one probably makes more sense for the jetbike suggestion.

This I sadly have to disagree with, as S5/AP2, reusable, means that your wimpy guardsmen can decimate my deathwing like it's nothing. Other than that I wouldn't mind seeing them get some love, as they are currently garbage. I'm just saying that I can't see a guy with a lance bringing down a terminator like it's nothing, as many times in a game as he wants.