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So I've got an idea rattling in my head and want to bounce it off of y'all:

I run a Tallarn Tank Company as my usual list, because I love me some tanks, but I've been having an issue with objectives. Whether it is in between too much terrain, on top of a building, or just on the other side of the board. I noticed a need for something cheap, small, and fast in my list. I could do cheap with guard units, but they aren't fast or really all that small. Sentinels are fast, and relatively inexpensive, but they are hard to hide and die to any effort made at them. I could go out of AM for help, but that means space marines (costly in points, and bulky models) or Seraphim (only own eight and getting more could be a bother). Assassins are small, and can drop in on an objective, but cheap they are not.

Enter the Astra Militarum 'Commando'. The commando can move relatively quickly, for a human on foot, while concentrating on speed (ordering himself to Move Move Move), a respectable speed of 12+2d6 should get him from point A to B in short order. He only takes up the space of a single 25mm based infantry model (bonus points for a crouched, kneeling, or otherwise sneaky-looking model). They're also dirt cheap, so cheap that I feel I could give them weapon upgrades for 'coolness factor' and still not break the bank. Plus, sometimes a single plasma pistol shot could make all the difference in killing something.

At first I considered running them as Tallarn, take a couple along with my ambushing tanks, and have the rest jump from one bit of cover to the next as they move up. But then I looked at the other Regiments and thought "Why not Elysians?" I could take a separate Vanguard detachment to avoid Doctrine conflicts, fill my elites with these guys, and toss in whatever Imperial soup HQ i feel like grabbing that day. Set up 6 Aerial Drops to delay actually deploying anything meaningful, and I don't actually have to cross the board to get to the objective I want. Their base cost is 50% more than the codex version, but I think Aerial Drop would be well worth it.

Thoughts? I can see the biggest issue is the 'commandos' giving up VP, whether kill points, or 'kill a character' type objective cards, but with the rest of my list being T7 or T8, I guess it evens out?

Scions can do this job for you right out of the box. Hold them in reserve until the 3rd turn and drop them in to light up an objective.

But take heart! Our lord and savior Sly Marbo comes out NEXT WEEK! And Im sure as hell he will work exactly as you envisage.

I think this is a really fun idea. I’ve got some random cool minis lying around (classic Necromunda sniper anyone?) that would be perfect for this. Also a good way to cheaply fill out the elite slots for a brigade in smaller games.

I think I heard this being a tactic before. Get a bunch of Catachan Platoon Commanders, Straken, a Priest, and jump out of a transport. I think it was called an officer bomb or something?

Anyway, for 30 pts a pop (without upgrades) I think it could work for you. Just remember, crusaders can use an act of faith to move quicker or bring back a guy, come in a minimum squad size of 2 and you get 2x3++ for the same points as an officer. Something to consider.

generalchaos34 wrote:Scions can do this job for you right out of the box. Hold them in reserve until the 3rd turn and drop them in to light up an objective.

But take heart! Our lord and savior Sly Marbo comes out NEXT WEEK! And Im sure as hell he will work exactly as you envisage.

I didn't consider scions because they don't move too fast after they drop, and I don't own anything that'd represent them. I could drop a scion leader with each unit or two to commit orders, but then I'm consolidating multiple objective grabbers which seems counter-productive for the plan. Sly Marbo WOULD be interesting, but I'd have to play Catachan and he's only one guy.

Colonel Cross wrote:I think I heard this being a tactic before. Get a bunch of Catachan Platoon Commanders, Straken, a Priest, and jump out of a transport. I think it was called an officer bomb or something?

Anyway, for 30 pts a pop (without upgrades) I think it could work for you. Just remember, crusaders can use an act of faith to move quicker or bring back a guy, come in a minimum squad size of 2 and you get 2x3++ for the same points as an officer. Something to consider.

Sounds like combining bubble effects to deal a lot of damage, which is cool for making guard melee-capable, but puts all the models in one place which makes objective grabbing far more difficult. That said, I know a guy starting Catachan so I'll mention the 'bomb' to him. The issue with the crusaders is that you only get maybe one act of faith (I'd be looking for 5-6 objective grabbers who all need to be on the move), and they have no way of circumventing an enemy battle line.

Flavius Infernus wrote:I think this is a really fun idea. I’ve got some random cool minis lying around (classic Necromunda sniper anyone?) that would be perfect for this. Also a good way to cheaply fill out the elite slots for a brigade in smaller games.

It is definitely a modelling opportunity, since there is no need to make them coherent. I may have to steal that gang idea, depending on what I can find. I'm not restricted to GW models, since I play at my FLGS, so that really opens the gates on possible bits bashing

hhhmmmm....I like that idea. Like it a lot. My latest IG list is nothing but vehicles and one unit of conscripts so I would have issues with objectives in trees, not easily gotten too, etc. I'm trying to remember when you score maelstrom points, though. If it's at the end of your turn I'm all in...otherwise I might only do two for line breaker and let them run.

 necron99 wrote:
hhhmmmm....I like that idea. Like it a lot. My latest IG list is nothing but vehicles and one unit of conscripts so I would have issues with objectives in trees, not easily gotten too, etc. I'm trying to remember when you score maelstrom points, though. If it's at the end of your turn I'm all in...otherwise I might only do two for line breaker and let them run.

Maelstrom objective cards are scored at the end of each player's turn, unless they are the 'Take and Hold' (or whatever they are called) cards where you have to be on the objective for two turns.

Not sure how "competitive" it would be, but it'd definitely be fun to try. Like a poor man's rambo.

They can realistically do a bit of damage too. Probably want to give them at least a plasma pistol, maybe a power maul/axe as well. Keep em cheap but they can still do some damage.

I mean I already use my officers in a defensive way in this kind of fashion, and they're great for slowing down things that are attempting to assault your main line, so long as you keep in mind it's a 20-30 pt guardsman and the fact that while he's not killing an entire unit, he buys time and usually kills his points in models before he drops.

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
Not sure how "competitive" it would be, but it'd definitely be fun to try. Like a poor man's rambo.

They can realistically do a bit of damage too. Probably want to give them at least a plasma pistol, maybe a power maul/axe as well. Keep em cheap but they can still do some damage.

I mean I already use my officers in a defensive way in this kind of fashion, and they're great for slowing down things that are attempting to assault your main line, so long as you keep in mind it's a 20-30 pt guardsman and the fact that while he's not killing an entire unit, he buys time and usually kills his points in models before he drops.

I'm liking the plasma pistol, though I'll probably skip the power weapon since Elysians only get sword and fist. I'm also considering just a humble bolter since, ideally, the enemy won't be too close. maybe that and a melta bomb, for when things really get dicey? I think it'll mostly depend on how much money I want to sink into bits, and what kind of models I find interesting. I'm perusing the web for now, waiting until after the holidays before I commit to anything.

As for how "competitive" I aim to be, let's just say my list has two Exterminators and an Eradicator among the seven Leman Russ Tanks, no troops, and no artillery.

My current list is split fairly evenly between russes and artillery. I can also see these guys as potential "assassins" if you give them a plasma pistol. Besides with all the vehicles I need something to reliably get line breaker and grab objectives. Guess I'll find out tonight what three Platoon Commanders and a Company Commander with plasma pistols dropping out of the sky can do as I have a game against smurfs

 necron99 wrote:
My current list is split fairly evenly between russes and artillery. I can also see these guys as potential "assassins" if you give them a plasma pistol. Besides with all the vehicles I need something to reliably get line breaker and grab objectives. Guess I'll find out tonight what three Platoon Commanders and a Company Commander with plasma pistols dropping out of the sky can do as I have a game against smurfs

Best of luck! I find Line Breaker one of the easier ones, but then I Ambush two or three tanks in my opponents deployment zone to do so. I may have to proxy the models and give it a go this weekend

I really like the idea, but f you're character spamming, doesn't it make more sense to do it with psykers? They can provide a lot of the same harassment with their regular attacks plus a smite/psychic Maelstrom a turn

Harassment yes, but the psykers lack the speed of the 'commando', and it seems like the speed was a key ingredient here. That said, Eversor Assassins in bulk would get the job done too. Between the deployment and the extra charge range they're pretty quick.

I love that I can talk about taking assassins in bulk. What a game!

DoomMouse wrote:I really like the idea, but f you're character spamming, doesn't it make more sense to do it with psykers? They can provide a lot of the same harassment with their regular attacks plus a smite/psychic Maelstrom a turn

Fenris-77 wrote:Harassment yes, but the psykers lack the speed of the 'commando', and it seems like the speed was a key ingredient here. That said, Eversor Assassins in bulk would get the job done too. Between the deployment and the extra charge range they're pretty quick.

I love that I can talk about taking assassins in bulk. What a game!

Yep, Psykers are slow, don't have ways around an opponent's battle line, and actually pose a threat so players would be more willing to divert forces to them. The Eversor (or really any assassin) would be an option in larger games, perhaps. I feel like I'd be wanting them to charge the enemy instead though. Vindicare assassins would be interesting, since the can drop in and still shoot things (and are hard to shift from cover). Only downside would be doubling (or tripling) the cost of each model

I've tried running a setup like this with a jump pack SM captain a few times. It's kinda expensive, but he's usually worked out alright and done enough damage to justify bringing him, even if it's just because he forces the enemy to send units over his way to deal with him.

 Colonel Cross wrote:
I think I heard this being a tactic before. Get a bunch of Catachan Platoon Commanders, Straken, a Priest, and jump out of a transport. I think it was called an officer bomb or something?

Anyway, for 30 pts a pop (without upgrades) I think it could work for you. Just remember, crusaders can use an act of faith to move quicker or bring back a guy, come in a minimum squad size of 2 and you get 2x3++ for the same points as an officer. Something to consider.

Yea I have been doing this since the index. I run carachan of course as stated and I arm my company commanders with the two sword relics, put them in the "choppa" with staken harker and Nork and I turn 1 assault their lines lol. I mix up who rides into battle of course, and sometimes I take a CCS with specials as well but room gets tight fast. That said, I'll mirror the above and suggest crusaders for anyone that isn't running catachan. They can do a similar thing and are a very cheap add on to a list.


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 MrMoustaffa wrote:
Not sure how "competitive" it would be, but it'd definitely be fun to try. Like a poor man's rambo.

They can realistically do a bit of damage too. Probably want to give them at least a plasma pistol, maybe a power maul/axe as well. Keep em cheap but they can still do some damage.

I mean I already use my officers in a defensive way in this kind of fashion, and they're great for slowing down things that are attempting to assault your main line, so long as you keep in mind it's a 20-30 pt guardsman and the fact that while he's not killing an entire unit, he buys time and usually kills his points in models before he drops.

It's actually pretty competitive, I stomped everyone I have played aside from a couple of games where the missions were very bizarre home-brewed objectives and even in those games I still tore up the enemy. You have to remember that they are all mostly characters and it's smart to run a bodyguard or two, essentially when they do get to shoot them they generally need to shoot a whole unit at them because of how targeting works, if you position your valkyrie correctly, which is easy since it's massive they usually have to shoot it first. Then they will try to assault them, at which point you get to heroically intervene with multiple dudes. Then they can order eachother to fight in the shooting phase lol. It definitely works and catches people off guard. Biggest counter are strong durable combat units that can interrupt your assault and swing before most of your guys, you need to generally pick on things that are not the equivalent to our bulgryn or big monsters.

Yeah the bodyguard is an excellent idea since our officers can go down so fast. I'll have to try adding one anytime I try to use this tactic.

With a priest and Straken backing these guys up you can have every officers hitting at WS3+ with 5 attacks. I like the Mamorph Tuskblade hitting at S6, AP-3 and 2 damage. And I have a bunch of Catachans with power axes which are pretty nice at S5 and AP-2.

I forgot to add, one key to my power play is assaulting with the Valkyrie. Turn one it goes into hover mode and moves 19.9" so everyone can get out safely 3" then move. Then the gun ship assaults and multis where possible every time. It does a few key things. it can obviously be useful for soaking over watch especially auto hit weapons, it also ties things up which then cuts back on the number of things that can counter shoot and charge the commandos but it also puts the giant PITA closest to most of the enemy meaning they also MUST shoot it down before targeting the characters.

A big part of what makes the list so strong is taking advantage of the character keyword.