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So, I already have a Captain (Yes, I am taking Vulkan, but I also was inspired to make a Captain and a Company Command Squad)

His setup is a Thunderhammer, and a Storm Shield, and if points allow me, Digital Weapons for that sweet to wound re-roll.

And I figured, with me taking Vulkan and everything, I should also center my CCS around Melta/Flamer weapons as well. They will be a bit more melee oriented, so I figured some shooty assault weapons + CC weapons would be a good idea, so here's what I had:

Apothecary
Company Champion with Storm Shield
2 Veterans with Combi-Meltas, one with a Power Sword
Veteran with Combi-Flamer, and a Power Axe

Spendy I know, but this squad is more for looks, knowing how bad Captains and CCS's are (unless they're Plasma'd up)

If you are spending the money, why not mount them on Bikes to give them extra mobility, toughness, and the ability to take scoring bike squads for 125 points (including a bike for your captain, since I assume you are running him with the Command Squad).

I already own the squads (and lots of extra marines). I could mount them on bikes, but then I would have to focus my forces on bikes. And I can care less for those.

1) It's a bunch of random weapons with no coherent purpose. Figure out what the best set of weapons is, and bring four of them. And it's probably going to be 4x melta or 4x plasma.

2) Why buy combi-meltas when you can buy real melta guns?

3) Taking bikes doesn't mean the rest of your army has to be based around bikes. A bike command squad works just fine on its own, and far better than any command squad without bikes or a transport.

RegalPhantom was talking about scoring bikes. I'm not gonna do anything like that.

I'd like Combi-Meltas just for the extra range.

Taking the bikes could be good, but then if I did, I'd make the squad an assault squad.

 Demdiddydizzy wrote:
I'd like Combi-Meltas just for the extra range.

How exactly is that extra range? If you're talking about shooting the bolter at 12-24" then a single bolter shot is not even close to worth giving up multiple melta shots.

Taking the bikes could be good, but then if I did, I'd make the squad an assault squad.

Why pick one or the other? Bikes are relentless, so you can give them 4x plasma guns and make them a powerful shooting unit, while also giving them power weapons to make them an assault unit. Or just give them the guns, since marines are a shooting army, not an assault army.

But I want them to maintain the theme of Melta/Flamer, as they are Salamanders. Plasma Guns, whilst effective, don't really fit with the Salamander theme. So, I guess I'm going with melta guns, and thunder hammers due to Vulkan giving buffs to both. That'll make a squad of twin-linked meltaguns and master crafted thunder hammers.

 Demdiddydizzy wrote:
But I want them to maintain the theme of Melta/Flamer, as they are Salamanders. Plasma Guns, whilst effective, don't really fit with the Salamander theme. So, I guess I'm going with melta guns, and thunder hammers due to Vulkan giving buffs to both. That'll make a squad of twin-linked meltaguns and master crafted thunder hammers.

Melta can be a good choice, if you want to be one-dimensional in your fluff (one character in the current codex giving a boost to a weapon doesn't mean that no others exist, and the all melta/flamer/TH armies are UNfluffy), plasma was just an example of how to make a powerful shooting squad. Of course either way, melta or plasma, they still go on bikes with identical weapons and a primary shooting role.

But putting them on bikes is seeming sensible. I can't really use the excuse that it's "too expensive" considering I'm already spending quite the price tag for this squad already.

That's true, I guess throwing plasma gunners in the squad isn't a terrible idea. I've just been taught to take advantage of Vulkan's rule as much as I can.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
What if the squad was in a suicide Rhino? Or Razorback?

I am thinking of doing such a squad myself for my Salamanders, essentially for looks and casual games as the durability of a command squad isn't that great without bikes...
Even with fnp.
Here is what i had in mind : stick them in a pod with Vulkan and the captain and drop after the first wave so you can use the first to destroy those things that could one shot them (such as large blast S8+ / AP3 or better) and dismount a juicy infantry target and then bathe them in liquid promethieum.
As for the command squad itself i was thinking of something like 4 flamers and 0- 4 PW.
So if you equip your captain with an AP2 ccw (such as a thunderHammer) you would have 4 flamers and one heavy flamer attack( wich is not that bad when twin linked),so if you did a good job of neutralizing the most serious threats you have 2 ic with good invul and fnp to soak up damage an if the ennemy counter attack you have one ic with high init ap3 s6 and one init 1 s8 ap2 for challenges purposes and up to 4d3 rerollable wounds plus 1d3 heavy flamer rerollable wounds in overwatch which is really good as overwatch.In really big games id even add techmarine with servo harness or cassius or even master of the forge to make a kind of ic bomb.
Of course this is a bad idea and such a unit would cost me the game when used ( too many pts, too many KP,not enough staying power) but still it would be fun as hell for one shooting phase(or should i say firing phase? ). Plus it would be kind of fluffy as salamanders are kind of awaiting their last stand and all that.

Seriously tough a command squad with bikes is best with plasma or even melta to synergize with Vulkan but that way Vulkan can not tag along .








Automatically Appended Next Post:
For scuicide purpose drop pod is king.

Combi-flamer is crap.

@Krados - That squad sounds awesome now! Sure, it is lots of points, and may only occasionally use it, but it works! I'll consider that option!

@TheCaptain - No, not on Sternguard. On Sternguard, under Vulkan's rule, the Combi-Flamer is a good choice if you're low on points for a Heavy Flamer, and you still want that sweet special ammo.

 Demdiddydizzy wrote:

@TheCaptain - No, not on Sternguard. On Sternguard, under Vulkan's rule, the Combi-Flamer is a good choice if you're low on points for a Heavy Flamer, and you still want that sweet special ammo.

Combimeltas would be better for sternguard.

Flamers are for hordes. If you're throwing Sternguard at hordes, you're using Sternguard wrong.

I'm not saying I do, but Combi-Flamers are not terrible choices. I do agree though, I would usually rather have Combi-Meltas.

For sternguards, when using vulkan, a 5 pts combi-flamer is good when used properly, that said it is right that using sterns for crowd control is really not point efficient but you really dont need 10 combi-meltas even for av14.You can be assured that if you get close enough to use some of them they will be either dead or locked in melee next turn.
Of course you can combat squad them and melt 2 targets if your opponnent keep his vehicules close enough but that is situationnal.
So if you mix them you have a combat squad that can take a transport out keeping the ennemy clumped together then flame them with the other half of the squad.
In KP mission you can keep them in a squad and keep the flamers for overwatch...wall of death is brutal with twin linked flamers.

10 Combi-Meltas would be too much. Ergh, it'd almost be sickening amounts of anti-tank. Overwatching flamers are amazing, especially HF under Vulkan's TL rule.

 TheCaptain wrote:
Combi-flamer is crap.

Tell that to a Salamander Sternguard Squad, who you want to assault, or you will get shredded.
That's 10 x D3 Twin Linked wounds on any charging squad

You can run the command squad with how-ever many meltas or flamers you want, bikes help keep them alive longer and since flamers and meltas are short ranged stuff, you can easily use both on them.

Furthermore you could always run two command squads on bikes, one flamers one meltas, but in the end it's your choice.

command squad on bikes with twinlinked flamer spam? Mmmmm toasty.