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I've been trying to figure out what Iron Hands can do that nobody else can, and been drawing a huge blank. I like Iron Hands, the aesthetic is cool, their design fits my homebrew fluff, it's all good, but they just feel really flat on the board.
We've got no characters without Forgeworld.
Our relic is jusy a discount Relic Blade that is outdone by the Teeth of Terra.
Our Warlord Trait is less Iron-Handsy than the generic +1W/6+++ trait.
We don't buff vehicles hardly at all, except our Strategem which is... Alright, I guess, but fairly minimal overall.

As for our Chapter Tactic, it doesn't let us do anything 'special', it's just a set-it-and-forget-it ability that is occasionally useful, but by no means a gamechanger.

Compare to Ultramarines, who dominate hit-and-run shooting and can't be pinned down. Or White Scars, who can harass and jink around their opponents with ease. Or Black Templar, who charge better than everyone.
The only other Chapter with a similarly 'Generic' trait (a universal buff that fills no particular niche) is Salamanders, but their trait is arguably the most powerful in the book.


I'm not saying that Iron Hands are weak, exactly, it just feels like we can't do much that isn't done better by someone else, and our supposed specialty (vehicles) doesn't show up in the slightest in practice.

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.

You've hit the nail on the head, they have an OK chapter tactic but it's not nearly as good as Ultramarines, Ravenguard, Salamanders (White Scars is kinda good too IMO)

Not sure if Dreadnoughts and other vehicles benefit from TFIW but if they do then I'd go heavy on them as they're already tough.

Multi damage weapons put the kaibosh on this pretty quickly though.

 More Dakka wrote:
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of the women.

You've hit the nail on the head, they have an OK chapter tactic but it's not nearly as good as Ultramarines, Ravenguard, Salamanders (White Scars is kinda good too IMO)

Not sure if Dreadnoughts and other vehicles benefit from TFIW but if they do then I'd go heavy on them as they're already tough.

Multi damage weapons put the kaibosh on this pretty quickly though.

Dreadnoughts benefit, vehicles do not. In my experience, TFiW mostly helps if multi-wound units (bikes, termies, etc.) get hit with weapons that do the exact amount of damage it takes to kill them. On a 2w model, you have about a 1/3rd chance of eating two shots instead of one. On a 3w model (centurions,) it's a 40% chance.

Ok, then I'd go heavy on Iron Clads, Redemptors, and if you're into FW then Deredos, Contemptors and Leviathans are all great.

Just having an extra chance to keep them alive is pretty solid, and a tactic unto itself.

Good point on bikes and Terminators too!

Are you looking at any of the Primaris infantry? They're all 2+ wounds to boot.

 More Dakka wrote:
Ok, then I'd go heavy on Iron Clads, Redemptors, and if you're into FW then Deredos, Contemptors and Leviathans are all great.

Just having an extra chance to keep them alive is pretty solid, and a tactic unto itself.

Good point on bikes and Terminators too!

Are you looking at any of the Primaris infantry? They're all 2+ wounds to boot.

I don't play with Primaris. They don't fit my fluff.
I'll admit, Hellblasters are VERY tempting, maybe in a 10-man squad with a Captain and a Rhino Primaris nearby. But so far I haven't caved to combat prowess in exchange for breaking fluff.

I know what you mean, if you play all your infantry as primaris though you can just use your existing guys and say that it's their augmetics making them tougher and their machine mastery making their guns shoot further, but either way.

I do think Dreads will serve you well though