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So I'd like to make a gun line army, probably around 1500 points. Units I would definitely like to include are Stern guard possibly joined by Lysander. I know there quite a bit to decide on but what I am worried about is my defense from getting assaulted. Is my best bet an assault squad to ump around and tie up heavy hitters in close combat so I can focus my fire on other threats?

Space marines themselves are no joke in close combat and you should keep that in mind.
You could make a death star unit with Lysander and assault terminators or even tactical termies. Either can be devastating in close combat.
Or you could join him with the sternguard depending on the enemy you are playing.
Termies are hot right now.

Take Pedro if you're taking Sternguards, so they can hold objectives while they fire away. Razorbacks help a lot as well, and consider Aegis Defense Lines.

As for troops, two tac squads, split into two combat squads each would be what I'd run; one with a sergeant with power axe, the other with a plasma gun and plasma cannon. This is meant to compliment your Sternguard, who can deal with marines easily enough, but not with Terminators.

Then all you need is anti-tank power; vindicators or destructor preds with LC sponsons, or just straight up annihilator pred with LC spons.

Sternguard and Lysander DO NOT make a gunline army. Gunline is camping the 36" - 48" range.

Your defense to assault is TH/SS Termies in a Godhammer LR. The LR and your Preds provide an AV13/14 wall that shields your Razorbacks from enemy fire, and the Razorbacks can fire over the Preds without granting the enemy cover.

Feth the Godhammer, just take an Aegis Defense Line for 50 points.

Feth that, take them both!

Termie Libby - 125 points
Null Zone and The Avenger

Rifleman Dread - 125 points
5 TH/SS Termies in a Godhammer LR - 450 points

Tac Squad: full size, Flamer and ML; Squad has a Rhino - 205 points
Tac Squad: full size, Flamer and ML; Squad has a Rhino - 205 points
Tac Squad: full size, Flamer and ML; Squad has a Rhino - 205 points


Stormtalon Gunship with TL Assault Cannon and Typhoon Missile Launcher - 155 points
Stormtalon Gunship with TL Assault Cannon and Typhoon Missile Launcher - 155 points


Autolas Pred - 120 points
Autolas Pred - 120 points
Dakka Pred - 85 points

Aegis Defense Line - 50 points

2000 points

Feel free to tweak as you wish, I didn't put Razors in due to points.

 AresX8 wrote:
Sternguard and Lysander DO NOT make a gunline army. Gunline is camping the 36" - 48" range.

Your defense to assault is TH/SS Termies in a Godhammer LR. The LR and your Preds provide an AV13/14 wall that shields your Razorbacks from enemy fire, and the Razorbacks can fire over the Preds without granting the enemy cover.

Interesting, I always thought that a gunline was just a shooting based army. Then again I've never really played a gunline. I've always played more offense oriented anyways.

So with that fact in mind, a LR with TH/SS Termies seems way to many points for too few shots. TH/SS Termies don't feel like a good fit for a gunline army. Yes they are good counter assault armies but I would think a true gunline would just avoid being assaulted by shooting whatever it is too death before it has the chance to assault.

As for what to bring. If a gunline is more long range firepower, 36-48", then what options are available. The first thing that comes to mind is scouts with sniper rifles. They have the range, they are cheap, and they are a troop choice. For HQ, a MOTF with a conversion beamer is a nice touch. Not too expensive, good damage, and lots of range. Oh, and don't forget about thunderfire cannons! 60" range, different weapon types, and a free techmarine.

Marine gunline is about durable firepower, not volume of fire. It cannot wipe off infantry squads from the table once it gets closer than 24" unless you tailor a portion of the firepower to that specific role, which will then gut the firepower as you're trying to do two things at once.

The weapons most commonly used in a Marine gunline are:
Autocannons
Heavy Bolters
Lascannons
MLs

Thunderfire Cannons are good yes, but they take up Heavies which are used by Predators, which are a key factor to the Marine gunline.

Sniper Scouts? Really? Their best role is putting wounds on models with high T (most likely MCs) since they don't care about high T, but what are your Autocannons and MLs for?

A MOTF adds one AT shot that the army has plenty of. Take something else.

MotF - Conversion Beamer, Space Marine Bike 155

MotF - 5 Servitors 185

Rifleman Dread 125

Rifleman Dread 125

Rifleman Dread 125

Tactical Squad - +5 Combi-Melta, Meltagun, Lascannon. Melta Bombs, Razorback, Storm Bolter 250

Tactical Squad - +5 Combi-Melta, Meltagun, Lascannon, Melta Bombs, Razorback 240

Tactical Squad - +5 Combi-Melta, Meltagun, Lascannon, Melta Bombs, Razorback 240

Dakka Pred 85

Dakka Pred 85

Dakka Pred 85

Aegis Defence Line - Quad Gun 100

2000pts.

Always combat squad except in killpoint games, tacticals are for killing tanks, the sergeants combat squad is for intercepting tanks/dreads/mcs/what ever needs a speed bump before it hits your gun lines. Alternatively, set up two of the combat squads with flamers and combi-flamers for when you really need even more anti-horde, but this list should have enough that it will be okay. If facing AP 2 spam take off the melta-bombs and switch to Plasma guns and combi-plasmas. The Dreads with the Preds should knock out any and all light vehicles/flyers up to av 12, they can work in a pinch for av 13 but it isn't all that compared to the lascannons. The MotF on the bike tries to stay as far away form what he's shooting at as possible so his conversion beamer is always str 10 ap2, and the other MotF goes around repairing hull points and weapon destroyed results on your vehicles.

HQ Pedro 175
Elite 10 Sternguard 250
10 Sternguard 250
Troop 5 Scouts Camo Cloaks and ML 100
5 Scouts Camo Cloaks and ML 100
5 Scouts Camo Cloaks and ML 100
5 Scouts Camo Cloaks and ML 100
5 Scouts Camo Cloaks and ML 100
5 Scouts Camo Cloaks and ML, Telion 150
Heavy Thunderfire Cannon 100
Thunderfire Cannon 100
Thunderfire Cannon 100
AGL with Quad Gun 100

1625

To flavor Scouts with sniper rifle or bolters. Telion mans the quad gun. The techmarines fortify 3 ruins so the 3 scout units can pull 3+ cover saves.
For 1850, you could just add 9 sternguard, or give them combi-weapons. To go down to 1500 drop 5 sternguard. This should absolutely slaughter any on foot army. The 6 ML and the quad gun give you good anti rhino/razorback fire and give you decent anti- infantry with 15 to 29 sternguard shooting the ammo dejuer.

3 Troops selections, even with combat squads and being marines is a recipe for losses in Objective games. need more troops, less shiny expensive luxury items.

Paralyz3dxD wrote:
So I'd like to make a gun line army, probably around 1500 points. Units I would definitely like to include are Stern guard possibly joined by Lysander. I know there quite a bit to decide on but what I am worried about is my defense from getting assaulted. Is my best bet an assault squad to ump around and tie up heavy hitters in close combat so I can focus my fire on other threats?

-Lysander is your defense against being assaulted. He is even more ridiculous now with IC challenges. Lysander will eat most assault units singlehandedly, provided that your gunline army is functioning properly by thinning out assault units before getting contact. Bolter drill on sternguards is just plain nasty on overwatch. I suggest you pod them with him, pack some combi melta (2-3) is best, and 2 plasma guns.

-As for heavy support, max it out with Mortis Contemptors with dual assault cannons..... 12 rending shots at BS5 is just plain nasty.

-Tac marines can follow up in a rhino for obs grabbing, and 5 man camo scouts for base objectives. Give all your infantry squads teleport homers.

-Bring 5 man hammernators.... local assault support, ditch the land raider. Deepstrike reserve them and let them come near the unit that needs countercharge support.

You could do what I want to eventually do and take a Master of the Forge so you can take 6x Rifle Dreads. (Dreads are my favorite unit in 40k and why I got into the game) Fill up with tacticals with Plasmacannons/plasmaguns and take Las/Plas Razorbacks and you have yourself one of the shootiest armies you can do with C:SM. Throw in some Tornado Speeders or Skytalons to your liking possible. Or MM bikers..

Why take a counter assault unit to "tie up" stuff if you want to do a shooty army? That's a lot of wasted points doing stuff you don't want your list to even be. (Unless you wanted a more hybrid type list) Pure gunline works but you just need to learn how to; slow down their advance, what to shoot at first, and how to position your units so your key vehicles/units aren't being assault on like turn 2 or 3 so they have more time shooting.

I am not fond of Lysander. He doesn't do enough and then takes away combat tactics :(
Pedro takes away combat tactics but then gives you a lovely little boost.

Anyway. Do not worry about assault. You are about shooting. Preferably you have combat tactics to get out of cc and shoot the enemy.
Sometimes assaulting and staying in cc will be the right thing, that is we are not Tau we do not roll over.

Command squad on bikes and assault termies are the only units I would trust in cc and are reasonable value. You can manage with out.
This is not much you can not shoot to death, or indeed be better in shooting to death.

Gunline for vanilla marines needs to be good in shooting 24'' range, there are too many armies that can out shoot you at range. Against GK and 'crons you stay out of 24'' range. I feel gunline is a reasonable title though as you will mostly line up and make killing field.

Quite a few lists given, none of them quite perfect IMHO.
I think the main advice is either go for razorbacks and rifledreads to shoot down flyers, else go for stormtalons. Both are directions give a v. good shooting list.
The other thing is I think the ADL is under valued as cover for mech., you can high cover saves for razorbacks (smaller cover saves are given by sticking infantry in front.)

I'm still a big fan of Missile Launcher devastator squads in 6th edition. Pretty versatile, not prohibitively expensive, and 4' range.

What about fortress of redemption?

4 heavy boters on the roof

Icarus lascannon

The missile silo

Then your army

If your a shooty army you are not needing to project power, so static fortress should be fine

Now load up on tactical terms, devestators etc