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Hey guys!

I currently have a Sternguard Squad I'm putting together and they'll be either coming in a drop pod or a Razorback/Rhino.

What SG loudout works best with you and why?

I was thinking of giving them meltas

We'll need a little more info

How many Sternguard?
Which? Drop pod or Rhino/Razorback specifically (may play a deciding factor
Running with Kantor?
What role are you aiming for in your force? Like tank busting or filling another role you need?

Give us the flavour of your force, the chapter, the other units you have - it'll help with the synergy and also get an idea of what you like

Either way, they are an awesome looking addition to any force

Sternguard are outfitted according to your needs. They're basically what Tactical Marines want to be, but actually don't suck.

I'm just dreaming of a First Company Strike Force, in Pods, with Imperial Fists Chapter Tactics.

*sigh* Another Project I must start now....

My Army is currently themed around White Scars / Bikes but I do have Centurion Devs with Grav cannon and amps.

I'll be using a normal Razorback with Lascannons, No Kantor but I'll be running with my Khan as my HQ

What do you want them to accomplish?

Hunting tanks is meltas in a pod. Though, I'd personally recommend a command squad in a pod, it is 20 points cheaper and get actual meltaguns.

Want them to burn infantry? Give them a heavy flamer and use the dragonfire bolts, or combi flamers if you got 40pts laying around.

I suppose you could take gravs or plasmas on there, but you would almost be better off shelling the extra points out for a Devastator Centurion squad and throwing them in a pod or a bike command squad with gravs.

What I have liked most for using sternguard is a first company strike force + Vulkan. Put them in Rhinos.

4 combi meltas, 1 heavy flamers per squad. It has been working wonders for me and allows them to deal with any threat. THe fact that they ahve 2 attacks even means they can rifle butt some weaker guys down as well should the need arise is an added bonus.

What I see the most of and what friends have had the most success with is 5 sternguard in a pod, with 2 melta guns and 3 combi meltas.

Basically come in turn one and kill their biggest thing, or at least do some good damage to it.

Also creates a mandatory annoyance and problem for the other player.

Am I the only one who keeps them as is and uses their various ammo types? I generally find I have plenty of good targets that need ignore cover shots or that I can pierce the armor of with ap4 or ap3.

I put 5 with combi-grav in a pod with the Raven hawk formation. Reroll hits against the priority target. Accidentally killed Pask in a round of shooting this past week. Game before that killed a grav devastator squad. Then went on using special ammo the rest of the game till they were killed. They are nice because they have to be dealt with.

There is also something to be said for naked Sternguard, although I've found the points for combi-meltas to be well worth it.

I have a hard time justifying anything other than the basic kit outs on them, maybe a heavy flamer. You are spending a premium on them for their weapons and combo weapons are not cheaper on them like ey used to be. Rather just take a cmd squad in most cases

From your force, it sounds like you lack tank popping power. Some combi-meltas in there and you're set. Run them in a pod to help.

I'm not sold on Sternguard in pods.

If you want to pop tanks and want that unit to be able to solely pop tanks, a 175 point command squad in a pod has five meltaguns, allowing them to pop a tank the next turn if the live.

The only reason I would take Sternguard in a pod over a command squad was if I was taking a first company task force. A Skyhammer plus first company task force is many lols.

Martel732 wrote:
I'm not sold on Sternguard in pods.

The pod is more of a delivery system for the melta and to assist in some alpha strike that the (scouting) bikes can do due to scouting with white scars.

It is also helpful to gain rapid fire hellfire, vengeance, kraken -whatever rounds.

What I DON'T like about drop pods is that it gives your opponent a clear indicator how you will be deploying that unit and when it will be showing up. However, I do usually see this con to be something that is out weighed. Being immobile is also a problem, but easily countered by the fact that the pod has done its job upon arrival and is now just a nuisance that must be shot at if on an objective.

Why the hard sell on your end?

Because Sternguard in a pod are often on a suicide mission, and they are very expensive for that role. They always have been.

Good point. However, I have always put that into the "threat overload" category.

10 guys, 1 heavy flamer. Drop pod. Combi weapons are a waste imho, command squads do the melt a delivery better, cents do grab better. Heavy flamer is optional, but it seems to be useful often.

I stick my Sternguard to ride in rhinos and use a command squad or two to suicide melta drop pod duty.

I use the 1st Co formation, so the 10 man+ DP is my default (25 guys, 3 pods) the 5 guys normally deploy on the table, 20 come in T1 in pods.