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Now remember I only have a handful of battles under my belt so take this with a grain of salt. In my experience they are superb at wiping weak units (that are in small numbers) off the table. They are pretty good at being a distraction because of this but since they draw attention they usually get destroyed pretty quick, How do I keep them alive longer and is there any way to make them harder hitting?

ASM are one of those units perform better in the MSU format. Five man squads, never more than eight in any case, doing their little nibbles and then dying when their time is up. It's not worth trying to keep them alive. Let them do, as you said, their job killing really weak things or being a distraction. Use a different unit to be harder hitting.

Vanguard Veterans have the option to take a Storm Shield, which protects them from AP3+ but doesn't do diddly against lasguns, Bolters or the weak stuff. Helpful to protect them from blast markers but that's about it. And a few more attacks. Still, not durable enough to dump the amount of points needed to make them hard hitting. Power weapons all around are strong, but the unit is still T4 3+ 1 Wound when all is said and done.

Units like White Scars bikes with a Captain, or Sanguinary Guard, or Death Company, units that have that 'something else' that makes them special or durable are where more points need to go in. You can do this with a Command Squad too. That FNP Apothecary is a good addition, and a Captain in a suitable Melee role provides the very heavy head of the hammer. They need the points, not the ASM.

Put on a melta bomb and either attack weak points or use keep hidden in your backline to either jump at the end to grab objectives or to counter any deep striking/hole in your lines.

A chaplain will make them hit harder, but now you're just throwing good points after bad. Same deal with a power weapon and vet sarge upgrades. A chapter master/captain with artificer armour can tank some low AP shots for them if required, but then you're exposing what is probably your warlord to unnessecary fire to protect a weak unit when it's meant to be the other way around.

While assault marines can finish off weak units, so can virtually anything else. If you want to be competative, leave them in their case/on the shelf, if you really want to run them, give 'em a chaplain or captain with artificer and go to town, but at the least consider running vanguard vets and sternguard from the BA supplements so you get free power weapons and combis.

They are excellent at being distractions and killing weak units, but they're not the greatest unit. They are only excellent with 2 meltas in a BA army, making them one of the best tank killer units BA have.

I like to run mine 5 man, 2xflamers, vet sarge w/ a powersword. Chaplain with them whenever possible (just bare bones, w/JP) If I have the points, the AMs are first in line for a meltabomb.

They are a bully unit. Find someone weak, take their lunch money. Ramble around the backfield causing havoc. Look cool doing it.

Keeping them alive can be a little tricky. Cover is your best friend. Stay out of LOS whenever possible. Rhinos are nice little rolling walls. Even if you can’t fit inside, they can still protect you.

Thanks all for the input. Another question, I play vanilla space marines and I was wondering which of the chapter tactics would be most beneficial to assault marines. I usually go with Imperial Fists because the rest of my army is typically a gun line.

6+ feel no pain would benefit them most but only because the other tactics don't directly affect them per say

DayOne916247 wrote:
6+ feel no pain would benefit them most but only because the other tactics don't directly affect them per say

Actually, most CTs will affect them.

Ultramarines will give them fleet for a turn. The tac/dev doctrines can affect them a little as well.
White Scars gives them hit and run. Not shabby.
Imp. Fists will bolter drill the pistols. Nothing to see here.
Black Templar will help the sarge in challenges, and give the squad crusader.
Iron Hands is the 6+++, so makes them a little tougher
Salamanders will boost the squad’s flamers, and lets the sarge MC his weapon.
Ravenguard lets them get more use out of their JPs and hit harder with the HoW.
(not going into the FW CTs)

If you are adding a small squad of AMs to your list, which CT to use should not be dependent on them. Look at what will benefit the rest of your army the best. But if you needed to pick one, I’d probably go with Salamanders or Ravenguard personally.

 Nevelon wrote:

DayOne916247 wrote:
6+ feel no pain would benefit them most but only because the other tactics don't directly affect them per say

Actually, most CTs will affect them.

Ultramarines will give them fleet for a turn. The tac/dev doctrines can affect them a little as well.
White Scars gives them hit and run. Not shabby.
Imp. Fists will bolter drill the pistols. Nothing to see here.
Black Templar will help the sarge in challenges, and give the squad crusader.
Iron Hands is the 6+++, so makes them a little tougher
Salamanders will boost the squad’s flamers, and lets the sarge MC his weapon.
Ravenguard lets them get more use out of their JPs and hit harder with the HoW.
(not going into the FW CTs)

If you are adding a small squad of AMs to your list, which CT to use should not be dependent on them. Look at what will benefit the rest of your army the best. But if you needed to pick one, I’d probably go with Salamanders or Ravenguard personally.

I vote White Scars on that list. I like the Ravenguards HoW alot too, but tactically, Hit and Run is really pretty amazing. I really wish I could do that more often with my BA, but I'd have to ally someone in or use Dante with my regular ASM squads to get it, and he's comfortably surrounded by SG instead.

I'm going to try to run them with Fire Hawks CT since they get +1 S on all flamer weapons the turn they arrive from DS and get +1 S on hammer of wrath attacks from jump packs.

 natpri771 wrote:
They are excellent at being distractions and killing weak units, but they're not the greatest unit. They are only excellent with 2 meltas in a BA army, making them one of the best tank killer units BA have.

Even that is not that great because of the melta nerf.

Flamers, and drop pods.

You have 95 points worth of ridiculously mobile infantry-murdering dudes who consume all in their way with the holy flames of the Emperor.

In addition to being murderous melee marines...
Giving them a meltagun and melta bombs is awesome. The jump packs make them extremely mobile, allowing them to get behind vehicles for that squishy rear armor, and then ready to slay its contents, if a transport. This tactic makes them very versatile.

I don't think vanilla assault marines can get meltaguns :(

You've got the right idea with a harassment unit. I've found my reaver jetbikes also do well at such a role. That's one weakness of some deathstar units: If they leave a guy alive, it's a huge waste of resources to kill the one model. So having a few units to get other jobs done is great.

They can go kill things like thunderfire cannons, too.

Even then... melta bombs and PF/CF would do the trick too. But harassment is everything with these guys. Fast, scary (kinda), and move enough to mess with your opponent.

If you do put them in a drop pod, it’s a good spot to stick your HQ if your list doesn’t have a spot for him.

 penguineater91 wrote:
In addition to being murderous melee marines...
Giving them a meltagun and melta bombs is awesome. The jump packs make them extremely mobile, allowing them to get behind vehicles for that squishy rear armor, and then ready to slay its contents, if a transport. This tactic makes them very versatile.

Blood Angels get the melta guns. Vanilla gets flamers or plasma

 DoomShakaLaka wrote:

 penguineater91 wrote:
In addition to being murderous melee marines...
Giving them a meltagun and melta bombs is awesome. The jump packs make them extremely mobile, allowing them to get behind vehicles for that squishy rear armor, and then ready to slay its contents, if a transport. This tactic makes them very versatile.

Blood Angels get the melta guns. Vanilla gets flamers or plasma

And that’s plasma pistols. If they could take plasma guns, I’d do that. Pistols aren’t worth the 15ppm.

When I run them I sometimes give the sarge a power maul if I think he'll make it into cc, and put flamers on everything. With the Fire Hawks tactics the sarge can take a hand flamer too so that helps.
There is nothing quite like dropping three pseudo heavy flamers for 95pts or 110 with the maul.
I like my Tau crispy.

you can't throw them around willy-nilly. I use 20 in my 1500 point choppy list, and for starters, you need to support them, secondly, don't throw them in even combats, if you can help it. these 2 things go to any assault unit, to be fair. Personally, I combine them with the carcharodon chapter tactic, giving them fear always, and rage for the rest of the game after winning any combat.

 Brennonjw wrote:
you can't throw them around willy-nilly. I use 20 in my 1500 point choppy list, and for starters, you need to support them, secondly, don't throw them in even combats, if you can help it. these 2 things go to any assault unit, to be fair. Personally, I combine them with the carcharodon chapter tactic, giving them fear always, and rage for the rest of the game after winning any combat.

I agree. First and foremost assault squads are harrassing units, and you assault with them in one of two situations: either to tie up some long range unit they probably won't kill or to kill squishy things like firewarriors. If you run them, make sure you run more than 1. I prefer 3 myself for anykind of meaningful drop pod army, and I always try to bring alot of other drop units to take care of things they can't handle.