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What is the optimal unit size for Windrider units? Assuming 2-3 units will be in a the list. I can see the merit is squads of 3,4 or 5

Units of 3 seem best for MSU harassment. Units of 4 are good for this too, but add a bit more firepower. Both units of 3 or 4 will have to check Moral once the 1st bike dies, however even 1 remaining bike will be able to rally on normal LD.

Units of 5 will not have to check Moral until 2 bike are killed, but if only 1 bike remains when it falls back, it will have to roll Insane Courage to rally.
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My initial thought is to have 2 units of 5 (each will 3 Scatterlasers, 2 without to be casualties). They can stay back and take side armour shots while hiding for most retaliation. Since they will be closer to my board edge, building the unit so that it takes less Moral checks will be best (since 1 failed check will make them fly off the table)

For shuircannon bikes, I think units of 4 are best, since they will be getting closer and will be getting shot at first. Having the last bike be able to rally will be nice.
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Thoughts? What have you seen most and what size do you prefer?

I take 5 per squad for single CAD and 3 per squad for dual-CAD.

I have a troll dual-CAD list with 12 units of three scatter-bikes and two Wraithknights.

Units of 3 will be the most efficient. They become more resilient to damage due to both wasted enemy shots (if you fail 5 saves from one attack, you lose 3 bikes instead of 5), and due to lower chance that the entire unit falls back.

Units of 3 also have the greatest shooting versatility. If you have 3 units of 3 as opposed to 2 units of (one of 4, one of 5), you can shoot with one unit and then see what to do next. If necessary you can shoot with yet ANOTHER unit, and still have a third to move onto objectives with!

Finally, smaller units are safer from assault, as they can't be sweep and advanced into, allowing stronger resilience against being removed from an objective if you send multiple squads there.

3 or 5

Three or five per unit, and no more than 2-3 units. This is best for both gameplay and sportsmanship reasons.

For gameplay, smaller units are easier to hide in terrain/behind ruins and can spread out more to prevent assault threats. They also cost a lot less than full-size units for the same amount of scoring units.

Also, nobody will accuse you of spamming how broken they are if you only take a few small units.

Or you can take twelve, and win all your games.

Toy soldiers is serious business, friends.

So given that, how would you arrange the following models into units?

6 bikes with Scatters
4 bikes with Shuricannon
8 bikes vanilla

These are the models I own. The 6 w/ Scatters are recently added, but the other 12 are models I have had since 2008.

I am thinking:
2x3 w/ Scatters------------backfield/ flank light AV harassment
4 with Shuricans-----------midfield anti-heavy infantry harassment
2x 4 vanillas----------------one squad to zip to objective, the other to provide a unit for my HQ to join (either a Farseer or Autarch)

I also have 2 Warlocks on Bikes, but I can seem to figure out a good reason to put them in.

I run them in threes, but I'm only taking them as a tax to get Farseers in my lists.

Having played with jet bikes a lot min size units is best.
easier to hide more potential for your opponent to waste shots.
often you want to suicide a unit to get a maelstrom points.
if i could i would take them in ones and twos

 Jimsolo wrote:
I run them in threes, but I'm only taking them as a tax to get Farseers in my lists.

That and a Wraithknight...

 SarisKhan wrote:

 Jimsolo wrote:
I run them in threes, but I'm only taking them as a tax to get Farseers in my lists.

That and a Wraithknight...

Lol, nah. WK doesn't fit with the army focus. For his price I could get another Farseer+Windrider unit.

 Galef wrote:
So given that, how would you arrange the following models into units?

6 bikes with Scatters
4 bikes with Shuricannon
8 bikes vanilla

Find some scatter laser bits, and convert the 8 vanilla bikes.

maybe some of them, but I don't want the unit that my HQ joins to be that big of a target.

The BA vote for zero

You might consider if you are going to put your warlord (I assume farseer windrider) in one of them then you could take 1 unit of 3 shucat bikes and 1 units of 5 shucat bikes + a warlock to keep the unit with a 2+ cover save most of the game. This unit of 5 bikes will probably spend most of the game getting shot at and trying to keep your farseer alive to keep manifesting powers and the unit of 3 is the same great Obj snatcher they always were.

10 with SL
10 with SC.

Hold both in reserve and come on an erase enemy units

I vote 5... I have had too many games where I lost biker squads because of that unlucky move into dangerous terrain causeing one model to die and the entire unit to run off the board to ever again run a bike squad that can suffer morale after a single casualty.

Especially now that the biker squads backed with Scat lasers are even more valuable than my old rush in from reserves to claim objective windriders from the last codex.

If you're starting on the table, unit of 5 with 3 heavy weapons or unit of 9 with 5 heavy weapons.
It gives you enough of a meat shield where you can take losses at 17 points a model instead of 27 points.
When 1/game shred from windrider host, twin-linked cataputs isn't bad. It's effectively 2 rending shots with re-rolls to hit and to wound.

-Matt

 HawaiiMatt wrote:
If you're starting on the table, unit of 5 with 3 heavy weapons or unit of 9 with 5 heavy weapons.
It gives you enough of a meat shield where you can take losses at 17 points a model instead of 27 points.
When 1/game shred from windrider host, twin-linked cataputs isn't bad. It's effectively 2 rending shots with re-rolls to hit and to wound.

-Matt

I agree it seems like finding the right balance of heavy weapons per squad size is going to be the most beneficial. MSU certainly has its perks but I could also see the benefit of having one big squad to throw buffs on and be a distraction unit of sorts.

 Galef wrote:
So given that, how would you arrange the following models into units?

6 bikes with Scatters
4 bikes with Shuricannon
8 bikes vanilla

These are the models I own. The 6 w/ Scatters are recently added, but the other 12 are models I have had since 2008.

I am thinking:
2x3 w/ Scatters------------backfield/ flank light AV harassment
4 with Shuricans-----------midfield anti-heavy infantry harassment
2x 4 vanillas----------------one squad to zip to objective, the other to provide a unit for my HQ to join (either a Farseer or Autarch)

I also have 2 Warlocks on Bikes, but I can seem to figure out a good reason to put them in.

I would alter it slightly.

2x4 (3 scatters, 1 vanilla for an extra wound.)
1x4 (4 cannons)
2x3 (3 vanilla)

Stick the two warlocks with your scat squads for some free cover saves at worst. This ups them to 5 man units which passes the threshold. This way you can lose your one vanilla biker AND not have to check.

 TheNewBlood wrote:
Three or five per unit, and no more than 2-3 units. This is best for both gameplay and sportsmanship reasons.

What units you choose to take within a game has nothing to do with sportsmanship.