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I want to start a dreadnought + drop pod army. Also don't mind having flyers in the army that can also carry dreadnoughts as well. I know there are a wide variety of factions that can do it, but what's the most effective combination/Space Marine chapter for this strategy?

I dont have the SM codex in front of me, but only 1 thing comes to mind. First off, do you mean to run unbound with almost all only dreadnoughts? I will give my answer assuming this is the case.

1) Salamander chapter tactics Codex: SM, notch them up with tons of melta and heavy flamethrowers.


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As for actual list purposes, I recommend bare minimum 2 Rifleman dreads because I love those and they're really all dreads have to have a chance at AA. TLLC Dread for tank hunting. I also recommend at least 1 Plasma cannon dread to sit in the back with the Riflemen to wipe out any deepstrikers.

I would prefer to do bound army list if possible, but open to suggestions for either.

Do you play with forgeworld? If so you have about three times the number of options you do in the codex for a dreadnaught army.

Without forgeworld the iron hands chapter tactics with ironclads in drop pods can be brutal. Then you can supplement with drop pod TAC squads for troops and storm talons for AA duties.

Go space wolves. With the company of the great wolf detachment you are only required to take 1 he and 2 elites but you can have up to 8 plus since there is a dreadnought hq you can fit in 9 total. If you need more all you have to do is ally a cad of iron hands and that gives you access to 6 more dreadnaughts with IWND plus some great tech priests for healing. Plus you could always add some knights which are pretty dreadnaughty.

Hmm, the BA codex has a lot of options:

Librarian Furiosos- Psyker Dreads in the elite slot
Furiosos: solid with frag cannons also as elites
Death Company (blender) dreads: troops slot
Dread: standard dreads in the heavy slot,

Maybe with some luck they'll bring back Moriar the Chosen for the new codex later this year

talljosh85 wrote:
Hmm, the BA codex has a lot of options:

Librarian Furiosos- Psyker Dreads in the elite slot
Furiosos: solid with frag cannons also as elites
Death Company (blender) dreads: troops slot
Dread: standard dreads in the heavy slot,

Maybe with some luck they'll bring back Moriar the Chosen for the new codex later this year

Not to mention in a bound 2000 point list you can fit... 10 dreadnoughts? 13 in one bound list if you can squeeze the points in. Basic captain, 20 Death Company, 4 Death Co dreads, 2 in pods with magna grapples and claws, 3 fragsos in pods, and 2 rifleman and a las/missile dread. Normally how i run it, fragsos are great anti infantry platforms for an alpha, DC with magna and melta are brutal against tanks on an alpha, pulling it close then go for the melta

If you do go for an Dreadnought army do make sure to use Contemptor dreads, so much goodness to be had

 ansacs wrote:
Do you play with forgeworld? If so you have about three times the number of options you do in the codex for a dreadnaught army.

Without forgeworld the iron hands chapter tactics with ironclads in drop pods can be brutal. Then you can supplement with drop pod TAC squads for troops and storm talons for AA duties.

Yes, Forgeworld definitely on the table.

Talk to me lol


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 Trondheim wrote:
If you do go for an Dreadnought army do make sure to use Contemptor dreads, so much goodness to be had

Okay thank you, that's definitely a good start. I have the Forgeworld rulebooks...which Contemptors would you recommend?

How do you feel about contemptor mortis dreads? The absolutely most brutal list I have seen involving dreadnaughts was a 3 contemptor mortis w/ kheres assault cannons in the lucius drop pods with Iron Hands chapter tactics. Supplement this with some TAC units in drop pods and some iron clads and you have a nasty army. The contemptor mortis btw can use skyfire if it stays still so AA is handled.

Alternatively have you seen;
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Downloads/Product/PDF/S/Siege_Assault_Van.pdf
Which has dreadnaught units you can take in the troops slot, Siege Master who can give units tank hunter, and 4 heavy support slots.

^contemptor mortis in lucius drop pods, whilst expensive, do seem absolutely fantastic on paper. If playing 2k pts, give one tank hunter and one monster hunter.

Another option is all the helbrute formations if you don't mind going for chaos. Helbrutes are slightly cheaper than normal dreads and gain bonuses from the formations. Taking Be'lakor and a Murderpack all with plasma cannons comes to 900pts. Be'lakor can then grant invisibility to the dreads. Whilst staying safe with his own flying + 2+ cover save + EW. The murderpack also gains from rage once the 'leader' is dead (who himself has a 5++ and LOS from the other dreads)

The Helcult formation is a helbrute and 2 units of cultists, the cultists get fearless (then zealot once the dread dies), whilst the dread gets a 3+ cover from the cultists and rage.

The mayhem pack formation is 3 deep striking dreads with IWND and 1/3 chance of being unable to move (but still shoot with double their number of shots for a turn) and a 2/3 chance of ignore shaken/stunned, plus gain rage.

Here is a 2k list that could work well and has LOTS of dreads:

Be'lakor

Murder pack
5 hellbrutes all with plasma cannons

Helcult pack
2 squads of 16 cultists, champions with shotguns
Helbrute with reaper autocannon

Helcult pack
2 squads of 16 cultists
Helbrute with reaper auto cannon

Mayhem pack
3 helbrutes with multimeltas

Mayhem pack
3 helbrutes with multimeltas

2000pts

That is Be'lakor, 13 helbrutes and 64 cultists.

With the siege assault vanguard you get to choose before the battle so you can get tank hunters against IoM armies and monster hunters against nids, etc.

Yeah the formations make the Chaos Helbrute pretty darn good. Also a murder pack with invisibility is great.

Chaos also has a large number of good to great walkers from the forgeworld sources though their rules are about to be revised.

I do like the Chaos models the best, though I'm striving for a low model count style army so I wouldn't want tons of cultists. But those Helbrute packs look pretty boss.

Note, the army doesn't have to be all dreadnoughts and I don't mind having some walkers/vehicles/drop pods if necessary...just as long as it isn't like an all Rhino Space marine army, or foot soldier heavy.

I also looked at the Siege Assault Vanguard Army list and it seems like an interesting option. I like the idea of being able to take 4 heavy supports if necessary.

Any thoughts on the Chaos Space Marine Contemptors? They seem pretty pricey, and I don't see a decent option to transport them other than the Dreadclaw which cost too many points imo.

The chaos units are probably going to change a fair amount as the IA with them in it is already being advertised. Even a relatively minor shift in points is going to have a big impact.

Honestly the biggest advantage Chaos has going for it's walkers is 1) gauranteed invisibility named Be'Lakor and 2) They are daemon engines and thus an allied herald with grimoire can improve their invulnerable to 3++.

These factors combined mean that normally the best walkers in a CSM army are the ones that can be taken in units and either have meaningful ranged shooting or can close the distance quickly. The murder pack has good CC and shooting with reasonable durability. Once you get off invisibility or grimoire on the unit it becomes extremely tough to kill.

My other favorite is Blood Slaughterers who look awesome and with a group of 3 with impalers they are murder against pretty much everything. They are AV13 so even if you don't get the grimoire or invisibility on them they are not soft targets. These types of CC walkers fit pretty well with the CSM army as well as everything is going to go full tilt into the enemy.

As a fair warning the CSM codex is probably the worst 6th edition codex in terms of flavor and balance, is very likely the weakest army with 6th/7th edition rules, and has so far had extremely underwhelming supplement support. On the positive side though forgeworld is releasing an entire imperial armour devoted to chaos within the next month or so, you are battle brothers with Chaos Daemons (IMO one of my favorite armies with a very decent codex), and there are rumors that CSM are going to either have a huge chain of supplements or are going to have a new codex next year (which they desperately need).

I took your OP to mean literally dreadnaughts. If you just want walker based armies then that expands the list considerably (Imperial Knights (5 different models now), Tau (3 very different riptide variants), DA (7 different dreadnaughts and PFG libbies to give an edge), and SM (7 different dreads and Iron Hands CT!) have become amazing thanks to generous forgeworld love as they now all have 3-8 different types of walkers each)

 Pyeatt wrote:
I dont have the SM codex in front of me, but only 1 thing comes to mind. First off, do you mean to run unbound with almost all only dreadnoughts? I will give my answer assuming this is the case.

1) Salamander chapter tactics Codex: SM, notch them up with tons of melta and heavy flamethrowers.


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As for actual list purposes, I recommend bare minimum 2 Rifleman dreads because I love those and they're really all dreads have to have a chance at AA. TLLC Dread for tank hunting. I also recommend at least 1 Plasma cannon dread to sit in the back with the Riflemen to wipe out any deepstrikers.

IIRC, chapter tactics doesn't apply to vehicles, except for Iron Hands who specifically says it does. Also, you need Vul'Kan to TL the meltas, but perhaps that's a moot point, because I've never seen anyone play salamanders without Vul'Kan.

I've read through the Helbrute data slate and I am a bit cofused about force organization.It sometimes mentions that a pack of Helbrutes count as "one unit" but other times make no mention...so I imagine those elite slots would get filled up pretty damn quick. Am I missing something? PS - I am typically playing under 2k points, usually about 1,750 or so but I love the Helbrute models. I did take your analysis about CSM into account as well, however.

Right now I'm leaning towards the SM Siege Assault Vanguard army. I have a vague army list something like this for 1,750 points:

HQ: ~115 points

Siege Master (in LR)

Troops ~800 points

Pack of 3 Ironclad dreadnoughts w/ Lucius drop pods
Assault Squad (in LR)
Tac Squad (in Rhino)

Elites ~230 points

Contemptor-Mortis Dreadnought w/ Lucius drop pod

Heavy Support ~600 points

Land Raider
Predator tank
Predator tank
Predator tank

Does anyone know if I can take the Ironclad Dreadnought squads (named Siege Dreadnought Talon) in drop pods? It doesn't specify one way or the other, but I am guessing I can. Otherwise, not sure if this list would even be effective but it's a start.

With the Helbrutes, the murder pack is one unit. Whilst the mayhem pack is one selection but multiple units, so don't have to stick together. The helcult is an individual dread with two individual units of cultists.

As to the seige dreads, they do not have the option of a DT. I will also have to check IA2 when I get home to see if the lucius says it can be selected as an option for 'any' dread. If so, maybe they can. It'd be debateable.

With the preds, I've found putting 3 auto-las preds in one squadron and giving them tank hunter from the seige master makes an excellent unit.

The downside of the seige assault vanguard is the seige objective. Makes things often... difficult.

I read the lucius drop pods...I'm still confused by the rules even though they do mention the army at hand.

"The lucius pattern Dreadnought Drop Pod is a Dedicated Transport for any Imperial Dreadnought (including the Contemptor Dreadnought) taken as part of a Codex: Space Marines...as well as the Space Marine Vanguard army...for Dreadnought Talons composed of a single Dreadnought".

Uhhh...since when do dreadnought talons have only one dreadnought anyway? They're a squad of 3 by definition.

EDIT - it also mentions that they must be within 6'' of each other when first deploying, or arriving from Reserves. So I imagine there is an intent that they would be deep striking in on turn 2?

blood angels furioso dreadnoughts , just spam them

^could do that if wanting to go unbound. It's one of the few BA units worth their points. Also one of the most effective close range dreads.

Ok, a helbrute list looks fun.

Be’lakor
5x melta helbrutes, 3 with heavy flamers.(Helfist murderpack)
2x10 cultists
3x2 obliterators
2x heldrakes

Herald of Tzeentch, level 3.
16 pink horrors.

That’s 1994 points. I may need to try this out.