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First time list. Going against an Eldar player, who plans to actively avoid cheese. No flyers on either side.

+++ Salamanders 5 (1249pts) +++

++ Space Marines: Codex (2013) (Combined Arms Detachment) (1249pts) ++

+ (No Category) +

Chapter Tactics [Salamanders]

+ No Force Org Slot (170pts) +

Command Squad (170pts) [Apothecary]
··Drop Pod [Storm Bolter]
··Veteran [Chainsword, Flamer]
··Veteran [Chainsword, Flamer]
··Veteran [Chainsword, Flamer]
··Veteran [Chainsword, Flamer]

+ HQ (190pts) +

Vulkan He'Stan, Forgefather (190pts) [Artificer Armour, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak Grenades, Gauntlet of the Forge, Kesare's Mantle, Power Armour, Spear of Vulkan]

+ Elites (274pts) +

Sternguard Veteran Squad (274pts) [5x Combi-Melta, Heavy Flamer, 6x Veteran]
··Drop Pod [Storm Bolter]
··Space Marine Sergeant [Chainsword, Combi-Melta, Melta Bombs]

+ Troops (615pts) +

Tactical Squad (205pts) [Meltagun, Multi-Melta, 9x Space Marine]
··Drop Pod [Storm Bolter]
··Space Marine Sergeant [Chainsword, Combi-weapon]

Tactical Squad (205pts) [Meltagun, Multi-Melta, 9x Space Marine]
··Drop Pod [Storm Bolter]
··Space Marine Sergeant [Chainsword, Combi-weapon]

Tactical Squad (205pts) [Meltagun, Multi-Melta, 9x Space Marine]
··Drop Pod [Storm Bolter]
··Space Marine Sergeant [Chainsword, Combi-weapon]

Created with BattleScribe (http://www.battlescribe.net)

Hey mate, followed your thread over here from GD.

Some advice, try to keep weapons in a unit on the level.

Ie. Swap the melta in the commend squad to another flamer.

Don't mix & match flamers/meltas in your sternguard squad. Giving a MM to a Sternguard is a waste. You pay the points for special ammo, and then pay extra to have him lose it! The Heavy flamer is ok though, it's pretty fun.

I would drop all of the heavy weapons period. You won't be able to fire the turn you arrive and savy players will target those down fast in 5 man squads.

With those points get an apothecary in the command squad.

If you consider dropping the command squad for this lower point game I think vulkan with an assualt squad(2x flamers) would be a solid choice. This give you a good cc, anti infantry unit and then your tacticals can carry all the melta guns. Just a thought.

Belly wrote:
Hey mate, followed your thread over here from GD.

Some advice, try to keep weapons in a unit on the level.

Ie. Swap the melta in the commend squad to another flamer.

Don't mix & match flamers/meltas in your sternguard squad. Giving a MM to a Sternguard is a waste. You pay the points for special ammo, and then pay extra to have him lose it! The Heavy flamer is ok though, it's pretty fun.

Since posting this, I had actually dropped a HF into the Sternguard. Would you recommend all combi-meltas or combi-flamers for the Sternguard? I'm personally leaning towards the former, to take advantage of all melta being mastercrafted.

Also, would Vulcan be better suited in the Sternguard pod, or the one carrying the command squad?

I think Melta would be the better choice for the sternguard.

Vulcan should go with the command squad, as he's got a heavy flamer to match theirs. He'd also love the FNP in there.

I like this list a lot, in a big fan of drop pod army's just seems really cool to me. I'm curious as to what the eldar players list is.? As a eldar player myself I have faced some drop pod army's but with elders quickness to redeploy I've found that if the first drop for the pods doesn't put a big whole in the eldar army the return fire can really devastate. More so if his units are in transports. Then again that's very situational, all around a good list and looks like fun to play with.

Dman137 wrote:
I like this list a lot, in a big fan of drop pod army's just seems really cool to me. I'm curious as to what the eldar players list is.? As a eldar player myself I have faced some drop pod army's but with elders quickness to redeploy I've found that if the first drop for the pods doesn't put a big whole in the eldar army the return fire can really devastate. More so if his units are in transports. Then again that's very situational, all around a good list and looks like fun to play with.

I couldn't tell you the exact build. The player said he'd likely be going either jetbikes, vehicles, or wraithguard.

Alpha strike was what I had in mind with this list. With 5 pods, my understanding was that I can get 3 of them on the battlefield on turn 1. I'm thinking these should be the command (with He'Stan) and sternguard, along with one of the tacs. The others would be deployed in response to positioning of subsequent Eldar forces.

Sounds like a solid plan and your understanding is right, drop 3 first and then 2 more based on the opponents reactions. I've always said if you press the issue on the opponent, get up in there grill right off the bat, it forces them to have to react fast, and just when they make a move the next to come down haha

Dman137 wrote:
Sounds like a solid plan and your understanding is right, drop 3 first and then 2 more based on the opponents reactions. I've always said if you press the issue on the opponent, get up in there grill right off the bat, it forces them to have to react fast, and just when they make a move the next to come down haha

That reassures me, given the reputation of Eldar armies in terms of power. I will have a slight power creep advantage, as I'll be using the 7th edition Adeptus Astartes codex, whereas my opponent is still on 6th edition.

Any recommendations for expanding this army to say, 2000 points? From what I've gotten from the rumor mill, the Gladius formation allows waiving the point cost of drop pods, which could be very potent. My initial thoughts are bringing the Sternguard up to the full 10 members, adding a Librarian to HQ. Followed by adding a Dreadnought in a drop pod (with HF/MM), along with squads of MM attack bikes+2 bikes with flamers, or squads entirely of MM attack bikes.

Some centurions would be good, unit of 3 in a pod, maybe another sterngaurd unit in a pod aswell, as for attack bikes they are best with the MM. Also you could try adding a flyer to your army to help with so AA.

Dman137 wrote:
Some centurions would be good, unit of 3 in a pod, maybe another sterngaurd unit in a pod aswell, as for attack bikes they are best with the MM. Also you could try adding a flyer to your army to help with so AA.

Battlescribe doesn't give Centurions the option to take a drop pod. Is that a feature of the 7e codex? After taking a centurion squad with a Land Raider, I have just enough points left for a gunship (twin-linked meltas with plasma autocannons).

I hope for your sake he doesn't take an Avatar, you are dead as dogmess if he does

In the new codex you can take drop pods as fast attack options so you can put the centurions in there. The gun ship is a good idea for some AA

ConanMan wrote:
I hope for your sake he doesn't take an Avatar, you are dead as dogmess if he does

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, A guy at my FLGS plays salamanders and when he first showed up I didn't know that I just knew he played Marines and I like the 6th ed Avatar so I was taking him often. Turned into a slaughter because I had this beatstick that nothing in his army could reliably deal with charging down the field at him. I continue to use the Avatar but never against him.

Whenever I have used the Avatar he has been a one man wrecking machine. Almost painful to use him. Immune to flamer overwatch is kind of broken. A lot of it has been luck but he has demolished 1200 pts of imperial guard and 800 pts of marines in his last 2 games alone and lost 2 wounds. He has rage and furious charge too now. I think they made him better than ever.