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Hi All,

I've recently just begun to get back into the gaming aspect of 40k however I am horribly behind on the current rules and Meta. I'm looking to build a space marine biker army for a bit of fun. I just wanted opinions of what marines codex you would recommend to use. I'm about to borrow all the marine codex's to have a read through so I'm very open to any suggestion at this point.

I'll eventually build them up to a nice 1850 point army. All the models will be converted/unique to some level.

Cheers

You really cannot beat Codex: Space Marines on this. They have access to a lot of fun toys that work well with a biker heavy build. Basically, take a Chapter Master with the shield eternal and a Thunderhammer on a bike as your HQ and a bunch of five man bike squads with grav guns. You can either take the White Scars chapter tactics for rerolling Dangerous terrain test goodness or Iron Hands which gives everyone a 6+ FNP.

Codex: Space Marines is the one to go with. The bikes in the Dark Angels codex are good, but while Ravenwing get Fearless it isn't that big an improvement over ATSKNF, which all other Marines get. Ravenwing are also significantly more expensive than regular Marine bikes, with no other real bonuses. They can get a banner that will make bolters hellishly effective, but it's an expensive banner on a 1-wound model that you can only take one of.

Codex: Space Marines is the way to go. Cheaper bikes, better support options, and more variety in color schemes if you want to be codex-adherent or make your own chapter.

Codex Space Marines all the way. Best toys hands down

There are three very good options via Codex: Space Marines. Iron Hands (mentioned above), White Scars (they PASS all Dangerous Terrain tests, not reroll, and have Hit and Run which is great), and Astral Claws who have Skilled Rider (same thing about Dangerous Terrain) and Scout on Land Speeders (Fast Skimmers but Land Speeders are that).

Iron Hands is a force to be reckoned with, no question, and it has the best 'beatstick' Chapter Master builds using vanilla Iron Hands and in Clan Raukaan supplement. Still awesome, still hard to kill, still amazingly expensive.

White Scars have the best tactics for the entire army. They can all benefit from Hit and Run and Skilled Rider. The character builds suffer in favor of better overall models in the squads.

Astral Claws, my new army, are just fun. The Bikes still have Skilled Rider and Land Speeders are crap but Scouting or Outflanking a bunch of cheap ones can be a good time. Total board control is very possible. And there are other Army Lists outside of the codex that also makes for some fun games. Nothing like Space Marines throwing militia men In front of bullets. i wouldn't take them if you want to be competitive, but they make for some interesting fluffy lists with a hard edge.

I didn't mention Dark Angels because they just aren't worth it. Too expensive per model, paying for options a player might not and prolly doesn't want, no real buffs for the units of bikes worth noting.

Blood Angels can do bikes decently, but why bother? They do Jump Packs better and White Scars do Bikes better. A 5+ FNP Apothecary HQ is nice, but that's just one buff and not an unstoppable one.

Will mention, the net list Chaos Space Marine list is heavy on Nurgle Bikes, Spawn and such. Again, not a violently strong choice, but it's the top Chaos normally does alone and might be worth checking out.

I dont know if anyone else mentioned it. but later this year, the Space Marines are getting a new Codex it seams. probably around the Aug time frame.

personally I think bike armies are going to get hit hard. this is why...

SM captain or Chapter Master on bike allows bikes as troops.

thats a really fast Objective secured. Mind you that Orks took a huge hit on there codex and one of the things they got rid of was special units as troops. ie, you were able to get Nobs on Bikes as troops if you had a warboss, and if you had a Big Mek as an HQ you could get a Deffdread on as a troop choice. but in 7th ED Ork codex, you got that taken away.

anyways, its something to consider. you could buy a codex now and then in a few months have to buy a new one, not an issue if cash isnt a problem.

just be advised, with a new codex, your entire army can change. it did for me with Orks, my entire 1000-1850 point list changed completely and only be able to be fielded as unbound which i dont like.

And on the flip side of that, the new Eldar codex, as revealed in White Dwarf leaks, is going to punish halfassed Jetbike lists by making them take more Jetbikes. Three units of 3+ minimum unless the player wants 30 Guardians or Storm Guardians. Jetbikes became the only realistic build for the army using the new Decurion style Detachment.

Eldar are not Space Marines and it might have nothing to do with anything, but Orks aren't Marines either. We really have no clue what is going on in GW's head anymore. I know they're throwing me for a loop every time. Bikes might be a Formation instead, similar to Gorepack in KhorneKin, and you can realistically make an army out of Formations if the right ones become available.

I agree, I see a white scars formation in the future

Thanks everyone that has been really helpful. Sounds like the Marines Codex is the way to go.

Another general question is how are all biker armies faring at the moment? I know traditionally they have been a list that can do really well it just takes some skill.

Bikers are great. Fast, good fire power, any army that has them should take them IMO

I built a whole biker army from Dark Vengeance bikes, and let me tell you.... plasma SUCKS.

And the only fault I had was not trying to do Grav biker spam, but it works.

Grav bikers. Just do it.