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I have just getting back into the game after a short hiatus and I keep getting drawn to the normal nobs, I know MANZ are amazing but I never seem to get them to work....always being insta-killed or falling way to many 2+ saves.

If there a place for a normal Nob Squad.....5 attacks on the charge is nothing to scoff at, and a few Strength 7 Big Choppas don't hurt ether. What are some of the ways I should run them ? I know nob bikers are great, so I am thinking of foot-sloggin Nobs

I would advise NOT foot slogging Nobs. The reason being is they still suffer ID from S8, which is so easily accessible to the more popular armies, such as MEQ, IG, Eldar, and even Tau. Or if they DON'T have S8, they have such good accuracy, they can gun down a Nob Squad easily if they really want too.

I always enjoy using normal Nobs with Big Choppas. They may not be as durable as MANZ, but they can be taken in bigger squads, which means more wounds, and while they have less AP overall, they can still pack a lot of damage with their S7 hits. They don't pack MA, so they don't get a 2+ but that also means they are not slow and purposeful, one of the worst Special Rules to have.

While they might not be as intimidating as MANZ, that can work in their favor. Most people swear by MANZ and rather not get Nobs. I use normal Nobs because my meta vastly ignores 2+ armor saves ANYWAY, so I'd rather not lose my super valuable 2 wound model to a single Metla shot. I'd much rather them waste that Melta on a normal Nob instead.

My goal every time I play is to make my opponent regret spamming S8 single shot weapons. People ALWAYS seem to stock up on it, but it goes greatly to waste against me. Sure, you can spam all that S8 stuff, but you're wasting it on cheap, unarmored dudes and that Melta soldier barely gets the mileage it's supposed too.

If they pop whatever transports I bring (usually Trukks), then they don't gain a huge profit off of it. Sure, you busted my Trukk, but it only costs 35pts with the ram. And it already got me halfway up the field. Have some Big Choppas to your face.

I have some nobs from AoBR and also Stormclaw armed with a variety of melee weapons. Their strength and attacks plus wargear access is an asset but they'll run you 3-4 boys in cost barebones or with armor.

I find they work okay as impromptu tank hunters, using a small squad in a Trukk (to keep them cheap) with one claw or two big choppas. This work's largely against Imperial metas since there's a lot of 10-11 rear AV. It's not seen as much as a threat either. Though admitted this was due to a lack of other models to run, and to just utilize the models.

I would not recommend ever upgrading the nob's shoota into a combi-shoota. One round of BS2 rokkit or skorcha shooting really doesn't justify the lost of an attack or a melee weapon's modifiers.

Again this depends on your meta. If playing versus Tau for example that trukk will not get close to whatever you want to whack. Similarly against masses of guardsmen or nids you're I2 will be a determent and they may wittle down one or two of your nobs - which results in your buying a very expensive tarpit (better accomplished with cheaper boys) or a mediocre assault unit (better accomplished with cheaper and more numerous boys).

I like the nob models, but I really can't find too much use for them in the theoretical situation in which you have access to other models or no restrictions.

If you can take advantage of a small footprint (KFF's distance to model can become important), limited model count (timed events) or DT Battlewagonz then maybe Nobz can fill a niche. Otherwise, any success with them seems to be anecdotal and not consistent.

EDIT; I love Nobz, they fill the same roles as any other footslogging disaster, with just fewer pieces to move.

Double edit, removed weird thing I wrote last night

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/622940.page

They have a place, and that place is on the shelf. In the store. Or failing that, at the house waiting for another edition or codex to make them viable.