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I've been looking at this issue for fays, and opinions across the internet vaty greatly.

I'm looking on adding a unit of 5 man TWC with a Rune Priest (using Company of the Great Wolf detachment) to a Tau army and I'm struggling with gear.

Rune Priest: Bike, Rune Axe, Melta Bombs
TWC leader: Wolf Claw and Storm Shield (since I have to always challenge this is the best challenge setup I could come up with)
1 TWC with Storm Shield and Power Fist.

It's the remaining 3 guys I struggle with. So far I have 3 variants:
a) 1 with Storm Shield and Chainsword, 2 with Pair of Wolr Claws
b)1 with Storm Sheild and Power Sword, 2 with Power Sword and Bolt Pistol. This also frees the points to upgrade the Rune Priest to Runic Armor.
c) One with Storm Shield and Wolf Claw, 2 with Wolf Claw and Bolt Pistol

So, how would you arm this TWC unit?

d) 1 SS/CCW, 2 BP/CCW

Is AP3 really not worth it? My.meta is pretty marine heavy. Out if my regular opponents I only have 1 Tyranid, 1 necron,1 ork and 2 daemon player(one of whi h runs CSM/Daemons), with the rest (7-8) fielding marines of all flavors.

 pretre wrote:
d) 1 SS/CCW, 2 BP/CCW

This.

BP/CCW makes for a cheaper unit that still does serious work thanks to rending. And a random jerk with a storm-shield makes someone you don't mind using to LOS and tank a few nasty attacks.

Take the points you save and chock them towards an Iron Priest with TWC.

As for the AP3, you have rending and a butt-ton of attacks. You'll do fine.

Consider - you probably don't want to wipe them out in one phase anyway. You'd rather win combat on their turn so you avoid a turn of shooting.

I like to run SS/Wolf claw.

If I go for CCWs, the saved points allow me to include a 6th TWC with BP/CCW, so I guess that's a winner.

Fair point about not wanting to wipe stuff in a single phase

What's the deal with the Iron.Priest though? What makes it so good?.

Two wounds and S10 AP1 melee attacks plus 2+ armor save, plus cyber wolves for tanking wounds and accepting challenges

Yeah, if you can fit one in, they are excellent.

They can also split off and go do some work on their own.

I run a three man with two storm shields and a power fist.

Storm shield squad leader, naked dude, stromshield/fist.

For 5 I would just add two Iron priests as my elite requirement

How would this squad sound then?


Rune Priest: Bike, Rune Axe, Melta Bombs, Runic Armor
Iron Priest: Thunderwolf
TWC leader: Wolf Claw and Storm Shield (since I have to always challenge this is the best challenge setup I could come up with)
1 TWC with Storm Shield and Power Fist.
1 TWC with Storm Shield and CCW
2 TWC with Bolt Pistol and CCW

That's a good loadout. I would like the Wolf Priest better for the Bike, but understand points are an issue.

Rune Priest should have runic armor... Totally worth it.

 Dozer Blades wrote:
Rune Priest should have runic armor... Totally worth it.

He has, just forgot to add.

 Byte wrote:
I like to run SS/Wolf claw.

This

They are costly so I want them to live as long as possible.

I run them all with shields and Claws. 15 attacks on the charge at Str 6, ap 3, Rending, Shred with 3++ invlun.
I may try giving the one a hammer or fist to deal with vehicles but so far the claws have killed everything from Nids to Orks to CSM

That's a lot of points you add by throwing a WC/SS on every one and they all die the same to normal shooting. I would never run them that heavy.

Great thread, I haven't been playing SW long enough to learn their subtlety. Have been wondering for a while for the best load out for TWC.

 pretre wrote:
That's a lot of points you add by throwing a WC/SS on every one and they all die the same to normal shooting. I would never run them that heavy.

Rolling 3++ is a pretty good chance(67%?) of getting the save and they have multiple wounds. Use terrain and LOS blocking to your advantage to protect them from shooting.

I've never come close to losing them in normal shooting. They have high toughness so according to math hammer, :
20 bolter shots, should only cause 1.4 wounds taken.
2 Melta Shots, .3 wounds taken
1 Las Cannon shot, .1 wounds taken

On the charge, TWC enemies should have:
Against MEQ or worse 7.2 wounds taken
Against TEQ - 2.4

So MEQ or worse are getting wiped or rolling moral checks.
AV 12 or worse are getting wiped out too - i gotta think that on 15 attacks you'll roll 3 or 4 sixes to glace them to death.

Of course you use LOS and scenery to block them. But you still don't need to spend what... 35 extra points per model. You could just add more models or another unit for that cost.

Not to mention you don't want to wipe units on the charge.

I would drop all power weapons off the TWC and maybe add another level to Rune Priest and try and roll of biomancy. A wolf claw on the TWC leader is a waste, if he is going to challenge, if you go against something with armro 2+ wolf claw does little, but if you get lucky the unit can get FnP and eternal warrior.

oz of the north wrote:
I would drop all power weapons off the TWC and maybe add another level to Rune Priest and try and roll of biomancy. A wolf claw on the TWC leader is a waste, if he is going to challenge, if you go against something with armro 2+ wolf claw does little, but if you get lucky the unit can get FnP and eternal warrior.

Only issue I have with adding a priest on a bike is losing fleet. Lack of fleet has ruined my day.

He still has rending he could get some ap2 in there but I see what you mean.

2 warp charge powers aren't the most reliable things, either.

LordBlades wrote:
If I go for CCWs, the saved points allow me to include a 6th TWC with BP/CCW, so I guess that's a winner.

Fair point about not wanting to wipe stuff in a single phase

What's the deal with the Iron.Priest though? What makes it so good?.

Because people who run lots of wolves tend to go with the champions of fenris supplement, which requires you to take elite choices rather than troops.

As Iron priests on a thunderwolf fill up a compulsory slot, have multiple str 10 AP1 attacks and a 2+ save, they are very often seen in TWC lists.

They also help off set the cost of equipping TWC with expensive weapons, as they come inherently with their own.

Yep, two IP on TWC allow you to go with more bare TWC.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I usually run
Wolf Lord with some loadout on TWC and SS
2 Iron Priests on TWC
3-5 TWC with 1-2 SS, a WC and a PF.

 pretre wrote:
d) 1 SS/CCW, 2 BP/CCW

yeah thats how i run them,


one dude with a 3++ to tank a few shots, the rest are just stock as they come.


the iron preists are there to do the heavy hitting, and rending + more TWC will take care of more things, more efficiently, then spending those pts on weapon upgrades.

id be careful about putting a bike model in there, as you lose fleet.

I'd rather have a lord or WGBL than a priest, but that's me.

You gotta run them with a WGBL or Lord.

Again i run them expensive, and will give them a relic that rerolls hits.

I just think that getting to re-roll wounds and attacking at initiative is so much more powerful than getting ap2 hits but giving the opponent a chance to hit back.

Again, hitting hard isn't everything. List your full loadout with points for TWC.

 pretre wrote:
Again, hitting hard isn't everything. List your full loadout with points for TWC.

I don't have access to any lists atm.

I've only been playing since 7th dropped so I'm not overly fond of the boys before toys theory. From what I've come to understand was a major philosophy of previous editions.

Everything I look at now talks about deathstars and hard hitting units. I've had success with them but maybe I haven't faced opponents that have caused me to think differently.