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Hey folks,
I'm a pretty inexperienced marine player, and I hear lots of great things about the Sterguard over the Devs.

I agree that Sternguard are far superior with regards to versitility deepstriking with a pod over devastators. My question is that does adding Vulkan to a list change the calculus that people are doing in the comparison. I mean I only have the points for a 5 man devastator w/ 4xMM and 1xCombiFlamer Sgt + Drop Pod. The point premium on a smilarly kitted sternguard is really outrageous. At least it seems that way to me. As an ork player I generally look for dakka over flash, and it looks like each 5 man squad is only going to get a 1 or 2 turns of shooting before it's gone. So why buy sterns? Am I mistaken in how to deploy my pods? Opponent backfield vs Midfield to blast away at tanks for one turn before they are greasy spots? Is that bad generalship?

I know this isn't the list forum but here's what I've got for a 1500 pt. Briefly

HQ
Vulk

Troops
10m Tacs w/ MM & Fla in AssCan Razorback w/DB
10m Tacs w/ MM & Fla in AssCan Razorback w/DB

Elite
Dread w/MM & HFla in Drop Pod
Dread w/MM & HFla in Drop Pod

Fast
Speeder w/MM & HFla

Heavy:
TFC
TFC
Devs w/ 4xMM & 1xCombiFla in Drop Pod

Fort:
ADL w/QG

DP devs are a bad choice as the turn you drop you have only a 30% chance to hit with each MM (they are heavy weapons and count as moving).

I would recommend legion of the damned if you want DS melta as they can take; 1 meltagun, 1 MM, and 1 combi-melta. They get ignore cover and don't need to buy a DP.

They don't benefit from chapter tactics (neither do your dread though) but vulkan will still Master Craft their melta shots.

I assume you combat squad the TAC squads with one squad in the Razorback (transport cap 6) and the other walking. You could change to 2x 5 man squads with one in a DP.

Yes: combat squad the tacs.

Sterns would snap fire too on the drop wouldnt they?

MM: yeah the MMs only have a 11/36 chance of hitting on the turn they drop. I opted against LotD because of no ChapTacs. Didn't think about Vulks effect. Back to the drawing board.

Sterns fire at regular BS. Combi-melta/flamers are assault, combi-plasma and bolters are rapid fire.

BTW LotD are slow and purposeful. So they get to shoot as if they did not move all the time.

might i suggest 5 man command squad all with Melta Guns in the drop pod. better then Stern because if they survive the turn they can melta again, and Vulkan unlocks them.

Although with Vulkan it might be smarter to run 4 Melta vets and a apothacary, with Vulkan 5 might be overkill, even AV 14 gets smoked

Seems to me that you have quite a bit of Melta. I would probably go with more tacticals for objectives.

At the very least if you have a Sgt in the Devs I would give him a combi melta since you can MC it due to Vulkan and he adds a little more melta.

I try to discourage suicide dropping troops. The day your 200 point combi melta squad drops in does no damage and then gets wiped you will think the same.

Sternguard are great but I feel they should be used for their strengths, which imo is dropping them in 10 man squads and rapid firing special ammunition (hellfire into MC's or dragonfire at units in cover etc), not for dropping them next to a LR and hoping to the dice god you open it up.

 ansacs wrote:
Sterns fire at regular BS.

Where does that come from? Old Codex? Both snap fire on the drop... purdy shure....

sterngaurd fire combi BLANK at regular bs after disembarking a drop pod..

The only reason your MM devs are snap firing is because they count as moving and they are shooting heavy weapons. If you shoot an assault or rapid fire weapon then there is no reason to snap fire.

 Brother Sergeant Bob wrote:
might i suggest 5 man command squad all with Melta Guns in the drop pod. better then Stern because if they survive the turn they can melta again, and Vulkan unlocks them.

Although with Vulkan it might be smarter to run 4 Melta vets and a apothacary, with Vulkan 5 might be overkill, even AV 14 gets smoked

Daddy like!!!!

Changed the Stern/Devs to

Command Squad
+Apothecary w Grav-Gun (character gets to master craft)
+Meltaguns x4 (Since not heavy... no snap shots)
+Drop Pod
+Vulkan

Alpha Drops with one Dreadnought in a pod.

Second Dread Pod in reserve.

Had to sacrafice from dakka on Dreads and Speeder (lost all the heavy flamers)



Automatically Appended Next Post:

 ansacs wrote:
The only reason your MM devs are snap firing is because they count as moving and they are shooting heavy weapons. If you shoot an assault or rapid fire weapon then there is no reason to snap fire.

Thanks! like I said... new to the 'dex.