Best Chaper Tactics for all footslogging Marines?

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**Ratius**

Im looking to run something like this at a 1999 point tourney soon.
Its more for a bit of fun than anything else and to see how many basic footslogging Marines I can field.

However, I'd prefer not to get completely tabled either.
Assuming its workable up to a point, what Chapter tactics and Special characters do you think would work best?
Also what Allies would work best together?

Comes to about 1600 without the characters and should total about 85 marines.

List:
Primary detachment
Special character - depending on what synergises best

6 X 10 man Tac squad with ML and grav gun
Sergent with melta bombs

Allies
Special character - depending on what synergises best

10 man Tac squad with melta gun
Sergent with combi melta and melta bombs
Drop pod

10 man Tac squad with ML and grav gun

Fortifications
ADL with quad gun

**ultimentra**

I personally would say either Iron Hands for the survivability it affords, or imperial fist (whatever the re-rolling bolter shots one is).

Main thing is, Space Marines can't really do a gunline very well unless the enemy is footslogging across the table to you, they have a lot of potential in CC that gets wasted because they don't really have much in the way of effective heavy firepower aside from that 4 shot artillery gun that the techmarine mans.

**Jancoran**

make sure each Marine Squad has a skyfire missile launcher.

Its an added expense but... worth it. Grounding things is good and not having to trust a single cannon against three Vector Striking Heldrakes is also good.

**phoenix darkus**

If you're trying to do an all infantry army, you may want to look at Black Templars. At 2k you can hypothetically bring 6 crusader squads with 19 models in each (1 sword brother, 9 initiates and 9 neophytes). That's 114 models on the board.

**Ratius**

Interesting, wasnt aware of the BT crusaders.

Initial thoughts were to go IH as stated above for the FNP.
Coupled with 3+ and potentially the ADL would make them fairly survivable.

Two other interesting ideas might be Raven Guard for Scout (allowing them to close some distance and shrouded turn 1) or White Scars for hit and run meaning units hopefully wouldnt get bogged down in hand to hand?

**obsidiankatana**

Running that many tactical squads, I'd be looking at Ultramarines. Specifically, with Calgar. You get two turns of twin-linked for everything tactical.

**Ratius**

Hmm interesting synergy.
What would ally well with them?
The allied drop pod is really to just try and apply some backfield pressure / distraction.

**Jancoran**

Calgar is a beast.

**Desubot**

(edit) i like the idea of raven guard to scout forward early as well free stealth for the first turn.

**obsidiankatana**

If the pod has melta, take Salamanders and make your HQ Vulkan.

**astro_nomicon**

All of this is good advice, but I always advise to leave the grav guns in favor of melta or plasma if you're sloggin' it

**Commander_Nightflier**

Salamanders in a pod with Vulkan would be very dangerous

**From**

Ratius wrote:
Im looking to run something like this at a 1999 point tourney soon.
Its more for a bit of fun than anything else and to see how many basic footslogging Marines I can field.

However, I'd prefer not to get completely tabled either.
Assuming its workable up to a point, what Chapter tactics and Special characters do you think would work best?
Also what Allies would work best together?

Comes to about 1600 without the characters and should total about 85 marines.

List:
Primary detachment
Special character - depending on what synergises best

6 X 10 man Tac squad with ML and grav gun
Sergent with melta bombs

Allies
Special character - depending on what synergises best

10 man Tac squad with melta gun
Sergent with combi melta and melta bombs
Drop pod

10 man Tac squad with ML and grav gun

Fortifications
ADL with quad gun

Hi Ratius,

How is forge worlds acceptance in your local area? There are some very nice chapter tactics in there for what you're trying to do. The rules are available in a free PDF you can google and offer things like. Move through cover and hammer of wrath to your infantry and replacing sergeants with apothecaries so that your whole unit of marines has 5+ FnP (not 6+).

If forge world if frowned upon in your area -- run Ultra Marines. You're running 6 full tac squads and could easily run Tig with your list for a strong force multiplier. If you have access to things like storm talons and thunderfire cannons, run those too!

Edit: as already stated by some others in this thread, Grav guns are garbage on foot marines. Replace them with melta guns, plasma guns, whatever... Just don't run a salvo weapon on a foot marine. A loadout I have seen work on tac squads is Melta, multi melta, combi weapon.

**Feasible**

This sounds terrible (although fun) however best case scenario, I'd go Calgar Marines.

**Tiger9gamer**

browsing through this and if forgeworld is okay around you, you can try this: http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Downloads/Product/PDF/t/Tyrants-Legion.pdf

a Legion cohort for the army can go up to 20 and have 4 weapons in each! plus, they can screen themselves with ~~cultists~~ Auxiliary and get a cover save. Luft can give the entire army leadership 10 and in the backfield you can take tanks/ Artillery!

I just made a list for fun to test the limits. if you take nothing but dudes on the ground you can have 120 conscripts to act as a buffer and then have 80 marines marching up behind them with plasma guns. Plus huron that makes them all LD10 and a centurion.

with 25pts to spare.

**DaddyWarcrimes**

I'd go with White Scars so your opponent can't hide in combat to escape from your massed bolter fire. Ally in some Iron Hands for the resilience or UM for game-winning emergency shenanigans and you're set.

**hyozanman**

I run 2000 points of foot sloggIng calgar loving tactical marines. 10 man squads with plasma, combi-plasma usually works well for me. Sometimes I run tigurius a command squad with all plasma guns, an apothecary, and storm shields along with an allied detachment of white scars with a chapter master and some bike troops. This way I can have tigurius cast prescience on calgar and the chapter master for two twin-linked, orbital bOmbardments. But if you want just foot slogging marines just run calgar. He can tell all your squads to pass their morale checks (or fail them if you are getting assaulted) and he gives you two doctrines to work with.

**Jancoran**

Calgar for the win. Fer serious.

**nutty_nutter**

your problem will come in the form of a wraithknight.

at T8 the majority of your army will not be able to hurt it.

**Jancoran**

Krak grenades, meltabombs, and such. Atsknf. Its not terrible.

**lacert**

What about Dark Angels?
Standard of devastation are for double bolter output in 3/4 squads or Standard of fortitude for 24 inch FNP bubble.

I know yo depend on standard but i like idea of massed footsloging marines marching under its standard... probably to their honorable deaths but anway

For allies something to deal with vehicles/flyers.
Or just go with all infantry, adding Guardsmen Bloob
with Azrael convincing them they should keep with the rest of the marines cause they are just as tough.

**Ratius**

Great food for thought peeps, many thanks.

A few general questions:
Whats the tactic to go plasma/melta over gravs?
Should I upgrade to Vet Sergeants? Worth it overall?
Are flakk missile upgrades worth it? I've read that they're overcosted/suboptimal. VS flyers I know Im going to have a very bad time of it but will basically just try and suck it up. I'd prefer not to take any anti-flyer specific units as it disjoints the theme of the army.

Im really liking the idea of the Tyrant army, I will have to confirm if FW is legal for it. DAs are interesting too.

I put this together last night for 1999

Calgar
6 x 10 man Tacs with ML, grav gun, Vet Serg, meltabombs

Vulkan
9 man Tac squad in pod with combimelta, melta and melta bombs
10 man Tac with ML, grave gun, Vet Serg, meltabombs

ADL with quad

I was thinking of shaving off the quad gun and a few more points and taking a naked Librarian but they cant get Divination for prescience?

**TheCaptain**

Red Scorpions replaces all of your Tac Squad Sergeants with Apothecaries. It's a great help for foot-slogging MEQ, and a spot better than going IH for a 6+ FNP

**SRSFACE**

TheCaptain wrote:
Red Scorpions replaces all of your Tac Squad Sergeants with Apothecaries. It's a great help for foot-slogging MEQ, and a spot better than going IH for a 6+ FNP

Plus you can bring Sevrin Loth and do all sorts of fun stuff with psychic powers to benefit what your army lacks.

**Ratius**

These guys are FW too?

**sing your life**

I would say ultra marines as one of their options gives essential prescience to tac squads. They also have other rules that assist others part of the army which makes them all rounded.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Ratius wrote:
These guys are FW too?

I think FW counts the same as regular GW at tour emanates.

**kingleir**

I dont know much about chapter tactics but perhaps a devastator squad or 2 would add some extra firepower, be scoring on big guns and keep with the footslogging marines aesthetic.

**wtwlf123**

Desubot wrote:
(edit) i like the idea of raven guard to scout forward early as well free stealth for the first turn.

Second this. The scout move is baller with mass quantities of marines.

**schadenfreude**

Red scorpions would be beastly. 60 tac marines with fnp.

Otherwise I would say imperial fists. All the tac marines would do well with bolter drill. Add 30 dev marines for target saturation, and flakk with tank hunter will tear up flyers.

**Hardrockfreak**

Have you read about the red scorpions forge world army? They allow you to have a medic in every squad. This would be a huge boon to a foot marine army.