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What should you bring to support a drop pod army using the new SM codex?

Assume pod squads make up 66% of the armies' composition.

Do you just take more pods?
Flyers or other units coming in from reserve?
Hidden artillery units?
Backfield objective campers?

A great addition to pods is a thunderfire cannon as they can take a pod as well and deploy out of LoS to avoid getting destroyed if you don't go first.

Keep in mind though while podding down that you keep a viable target for the thunderfire cannon away from where you drop down otherwise you might end up scattering on your own models.

I also like scouts in land speeder storms as they can be used to help the first turn alpha strike (if you go first). If you go second then you can use their infiltrate ability to either deploy somewhere out of LoS or outflank them (assuming you have something else on the table so you can reserve them).

In regards to combatting Flyers, you have three options:
1. Ignore them completely and go for more drop pods. Going full pods has the benefit you can drop in your opponents deployment zone and reduce the effectiveness of your enemies Flyers as they will mostly zoom over you when they come in.
2. Get some Hunters/Stalkers and keep them reserved (requires something else to be deployed though) and hope they get in after the enemy Flyers are on the field. Alternatively if Forgeworld is allowed get something from there.
3. Get some Flyers yourself.

In both 2 and 3 I advice you to also take Tigurius as that will increase your odds of having your reserved anti-Flyer come in after your opponents Flyers have come on.

Hope this helps.

 minigun762 wrote:
What should you bring to support a drop pod army using the new SM codex?

Assume pod squads make up 66% of the armies' composition.

Do you just take more pods?
Flyers or other units coming in from reserve?
Hidden artillery units?
Backfield objective campers?

There's 2 options here.

1. Fast, so you can catch up to the pods and give your opponents more targets and threat. Landspeeders with MM and heavy flamer, bikes, other deepstriking units (terminators?), flyers....etc. Allies can fill in here, eldar jetbikes, ravenwing plasma talon boys.
2. Long-range/dug in. Slap some stuff behind/in fortifications and support from far range. Thunderfires, predators, sniper scouts (scoring too!). Allies have another interesting dimension here, Allies here can be firewarriors, riptide, crisis suits, IG blob + manticore....whatever.

I like to full pod it but Thunderfires are great.

What about a Bastion?
Would be very hard to kill in one round at range

I am considering a imperial knight for my DA drop pod army. Mainly because I got the model and just want to use it but as I was thinking about it it might work well since most folks deploy all bunched up in a corner when facing a full drop pod list to avoid having everything drop on one flank and to bubble wrap. That seems like it might be a good target area for either a large blast melta for a couple ap3 large blasts. Going to have to try it out soon.

pepe5454 wrote:
I am considering a imperial knight for my DA drop pod army. Mainly because I got the model and just want to use it but as I was thinking about it it might work well since most folks deploy all bunched up in a corner when facing a full drop pod list to avoid having everything drop on one flank and to bubble wrap. That seems like it might be a good target area for either a large blast melta for a couple ap3 large blasts. Going to have to try it out soon.

Seems like a reasonable idea, if you can keep him out of LOS for most targets, you should be able to survive one turn of shooting.

Biggest risk is counter drop pods & deepstrikers, so a bubblewrap may be worthwhile.

Thunderfire cannon is a pretty good choice. Some allied long-range firepower (Broadsides or a Leman Russ squadron) can definitely help as well. My personal preference is a Land Raider full of assault terminators.

What about some Whirlwinds instead? Give them dozer blades and park them inside terrain. Cheaper than TFC.

TFC are better than whirlwinds

Do you want to keep null deployment? If so you can add flyers, and/or units to place in said flyers.

Dev cents in a raven is a big ticket grav bomb. Or just a unit of scouts inside if you want a late game objective grabber.

Or just talons and empty ravens to fly air cover.

 minigun762 wrote:
What about some Whirlwinds instead? Give them dozer blades and park them inside terrain. Cheaper than TFC.

If you have the points, you can give the TFC a drop pod, NOT drop pod it, and use the extra "empty" pod(s) to manipulate your first wave.

pepe5454 wrote:
I am considering a imperial knight for my DA drop pod army. Mainly because I got the model and just want to use it but as I was thinking about it it might work well since most folks deploy all bunched up in a corner when facing a full drop pod list to avoid having everything drop on one flank and to bubble wrap. That seems like it might be a good target area for either a large blast melta for a couple ap3 large blasts. Going to have to try it out soon.

Having sun something similar (DA pods, Deathwing Assault and a Knight) I can say it works nicely. The Knight isn't going down in 1 turn, has the range and firepower to do damage from the off, and with a 12" movement should catch up with the pods easily.

 Paradigm wrote:

pepe5454 wrote:
I am considering a imperial knight for my DA drop pod army. Mainly because I got the model and just want to use it but as I was thinking about it it might work well since most folks deploy all bunched up in a corner when facing a full drop pod list to avoid having everything drop on one flank and to bubble wrap. That seems like it might be a good target area for either a large blast melta for a couple ap3 large blasts. Going to have to try it out soon.

Having sun something similar (DA pods, Deathwing Assault and a Knight) I can say it works nicely. The Knight isn't going down in 1 turn, has the range and firepower to do damage from the off, and with a 12" movement should catch up with the pods easily.

Yeah I need to test it out Right now I have two raven wing command squads and two librarians with them one with dakka banner I could replace one of those units with the knight easily but will have to do some games to see if the plasma talons or the knight is better.

 Hardrockfreak wrote:
TFC are better than whirlwinds

Is it really that cut and dry?
Seems like a single 5" blast is more reliable, plus the AP5 on the cover ignoring round is worthwhile for getting through most light infantry's armor.

 minigun762 wrote:

 Hardrockfreak wrote:
TFC are better than whirlwinds

Is it really that cut and dry?
Seems like a single 5" blast is more reliable, plus the AP5 on the cover ignoring round is worthwhile for getting through most light infantry's armor.

Don't forget that both are barrage, so the Whirlwind can use just the AP4 ammo and take care of anything other than MEQs behind aegis lines and in ruins. Im surprised more players haven't taken whirlwinds to counter tau gunlines.

Either more pods or some fliers.

 Dozer Blades wrote:
Either more pods or some fliers.

So you shouldn't start with anything on the board?

I would've imagined that having a long range fire support element on turn one would provide your drop pods the support they need.

 ace101 wrote:

 minigun762 wrote:

 Hardrockfreak wrote:
TFC are better than whirlwinds

Is it really that cut and dry?
Seems like a single 5" blast is more reliable, plus the AP5 on the cover ignoring round is worthwhile for getting through most light infantry's armor.

Don't forget that both are barrage, so the Whirlwind can use just the AP4 ammo and take care of anything other than MEQs behind aegis lines and in ruins. Im surprised more players haven't taken whirlwinds to counter tau gunlines.

My next buy is a Whirlwind for this very reason, a bit of dice luck and those pesky pathfinders are falling back before they get a chance to start marking targets.