I'm not a
BT player, but my brother plays them and by osmosis I learned some tips and tricks about them. So take this how you will and remember that in the end it's up to you if you want to follow these or not since it's
your army and you can do what you will with them.
Stravo wrote:What are suggestions for large crusader groups on foot to make them a little more effective? Should they all be initiates led by a sword brethren or should I mix in some neophytes? I also read some tactica articles about Crusader squads and one mentioned being able to hide power weapons and fists in the squad. Can someone explain that concept to me? What does that mean precisely and how does that impact game play?
From what I was told once, you would usually want to take a Sword Brother with your Crusader Squad for 2 main reasons. The first is that you'll lose half your
BT CT if you don't take him, since he's your only character in the Crusader Squad without outside additions. The other is that he provides a power weapon along with the Initiate who can take a power weapon. If you are planning on running Crusader Squads outside of
DP and
LRC then Neophytes are necessary for keeping your Initiates safe while crossing the board. As for the 'hiding power weapons in the squad' bit, I believe it just means that since the Initiate that can take a power weapon but isn't a Character he can't be locked up in combat. I could be wrong, but that's how I've always interpreted that.
Grimaldus - he has these servitors that carry the relics of hellsreach which confer 6+ invul saves. My thought was to have him join the largest Crusader squad and thus confer that save on them to make it a little more resilient (I know it's not great but I am far more fluffy than competitive). However in regards to these servitors, do they need to be with Grimaldus? Can they be split up into other squads (I'm guessing no) and they don't have any weapon stats so I guess in melee their damage is their ST rating? Finally is there any benefit to have more than one? Each one is 30 points which is pretty expensive just to gain a 6+ invul save, unless of course there is an option to split them up into different squads.
As you suspect, the Servitors (who will be using their S for wounding in
CC) and Grimaldus cannot separate from each other and since they are together they are a squad. So you can't have Grimaldus and friends combined with a Crusader Squad. As it was once told to me, having the Servitors for that 6++ is kinda iffy on a good day. A 6++ is indeed a step up from having no save at all, but to pay 30 points for it does seem a bit costly. Of course, it all comes down to you if you want that 6++ or not.
Objective secured LR Crusaders - what are the popular hard counter to multiple LR's? I'm trying to figure out if its worth creating a list (and buying those models) with that in mind
The popular hard counters would most likely Melta weaponry, seeing as how it's one of the few reliable ways of getting over AV14. Of course all armies have some way to deal with
LRs (some better then others maybe) but I think generally Meltas are going to be what you'll have to wary of. Also, a little side note. Having
LRC with the Objective Secured rule does seem awesome at first, but remember that if you purchase a Crusader Squad that fits into the
LRC max transportation capacity with no upgrades, that's roughly around 500 points. Quite a steep cost so the '
use with caution' sign should be placed here. Two of these Crusader Squads with
LRCs should be enough if you do want to run this way. If you want to look at alternative means of transportation then drop pods would do the trick. I believe it's fluffy for the
BT to use drop pods as their means of getting around and crunch-wise can work very well. Again, this is all up to you if you want to use this advice or not since this is your army.
On a more fluffy note - this is a home brew chapter utilizing BT tactics. Would it be acceptable to someone I play if I utilize different models to represent a BT character as a counts as? For example, instead of a Marshall Hellbreht model I use another model to represent him - as long as for example that model has power armor and mostly WYSIWYG to match Hellbrecht's loadout as closely as possible? I just think its an ugly model and like building my own using bits from sternguard and other kits. Related - are there interesting alternative models out there that can be considered good for Templar aesthetic?
It varies from person to person, but I think overall it's accepted if not encouraged for people to create/use another models to represent special characters because these are
your dudes. Myself, I use a (I think) Reaper Miniatures model to represent my Creed and say for fluff reasons it's a Inquisitor who 'borrowed' a
IG regiment and later on I'm planning on making my own Ahriman by kit bashing from various Space Marine bits and possibly add in some 30K bits into the mix. As for where to find alternative models, I'm not sure for Space Marine types.
Are there any "power builds" or allied combos out there that may be fun to play? I was thinking a shooty AM allied contingent to act as a fire base as the black tide surges towards enemy lines.
If you're planning on running a Black Tide with
IG allies, I would suggest grabbing either some Leman Russes or some artillery to support your Marines as they advance. Or if you want Guardsmen over tanks then you can use them to hold onto objectives while the Marines push the enemy off theirs. I'm sure there are better tactics/ally combos then what I'm suggesting since I don't really ally my force with anyone else.
I hope these tips help you and good luck!
