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Unsure if this is the correct place for this thread, so sorry in advance if it's not.

So, a returning player and I've been introduced to these figures and I love their look. And was wonder how feasible a vanguard force would be (The 1HQ and 3 fast attack detachment from the core rules).

Thinking a Jackel leader, 2 Atalan Jackals squads and a Ridgerunner.

My limited understanding on the opposing side Off them, you want a battalion atleast for the cp to use the propper stratagems.

Vanguard detachments have 3 elites, you are thinking of Outrider detachments which have 3 fast attack.

I would echo the poster above, cp is pretty important so if you're talking viability you are really going to want a Battalion too.

Jackals are ok. There's two ways to run them really - cheap as possible as a fast screen/objective grabber/road block. Or with demo charges using strats to get the most of them - which is a high risk high reward strategy that wont always pay off.

Ridgerunners arent great to be honest.

Neither are powerhouse units, and I would be hesitant around basing a whole list around them outside of the most casual environments.

I think Stux is a bit out of date. Ridgerunners got a huge price drop in the latest CA and a pretty awesome new stratagem that for 1CP grants the whole unit +1 to wound with their HMLs.

A single unit, big as you can make it, of Achilles Ridgerunners is excellent (and pairs well with the Jackal Alphus) and units of Jackals with shotguns+cult knives and quads with incinerators are solid little units.

I do think you want to go for a Battalion though. Our troop choices are so, so good.

That's probably fair. I was playing GSC for a bit, but admittedly it has been a little while.

the_scotsman wrote:
I think Stux is a bit out of date. Ridgerunners got a huge price drop in the latest CA and a pretty awesome new stratagem that for 1CP grants the whole unit +1 to wound with their HMLs.

A single unit, big as you can make it, of Achilles Ridgerunners is excellent (and pairs well with the Jackal Alphus) and units of Jackals with shotguns+cult knives and quads with incinerators are solid little units.

I do think you want to go for a Battalion though. Our troop choices are so, so good.

That's the issue, not a huge fan of infantry. I like nonstandard lists. But if even causal play is gonna be a uphill struggle, I'm not gonna drop 100-200 quid on models if I'm going to be tabled all the time (way I stopped playing the first time, cause my store was overrun with Nid players using forge world stuff)

A battalion can be got for pretty cheap, a start collecting set would get you one of the Ridgerunners, a squad of neophytes to go in a Goliath to keep the theme, and some ambushing acolytes. Just need to add a second troop unit (a second Goliath Neophyte unit to go with the Vigilus detachment - or a dirt cheap second 5 man acolyte squad) and you've got a battalion with the Iconward and Jackal Alphus.

Could even convert up a second Alphus from one of the bikers, as you'd then have two detachments.

If you're not a massive fan of the infantry, you get a lot of spare heads in the biker kits, so you'd probably be able to convert up some necromunda gangers if you wanted a different look for your neophytes.

I've been using a similar outrider detachment as allies for my Tyranids. Mine consists of 1x Alphus, a Magus (with crouchling optional), two squads of 8x Dirtbikes and 2x Wolfquads (shotguns/knives for bikers, shotgun mining laser for quad), and a full squadron of Ridgerunners with the stock Heavy Mining Laser and Flare Launcher configuration. The detachment uses Rusted Claw for their new creed-specific psychic power (which is a huge boon for most Tyranid anti-armor not tied to a Tyrannofex or Exocrine) and move and shoot/advance and shoot without penalty perk for the Jackals.

For pure GSC I've been running battalions with a large Jackal/Wolfquad unit (Incinerators if Hivecult, Mining Lasers for Rusted Claw) and full Ridgerunner squadron included. Bikes are great for screening and dispatching screens effectively through leveraging their mobility and relative durability. Mine generally end up in the midfield early and I have them run interference for ambushers (soak overwatch, clear screens).

The biggest vulnerability for non-mechanized troop heavy builds is generally mobility and fragility. Jackals help with both, while Achilles provide some genuine backfield fire support that can cover both anti-horde/screens and anti-armor fairly well (and, if they run out of things to shoot they are fast enough to zip around to tie things up).