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(Content Notification: This will be discussing stuff from the new codex - if you're waiting for the weekend to read it, I suggest avoiding reading below.)

So, Scout Bikes. Specifically, White Scars scout bikes in the 10th company formation.

Now at WS/BS4, and if they Infiltrate, they get Stealth until they move. They also get Precision Shots in the first game turn.

This Stealth means that even in non-nightfighting games (and I am sure I am not alone in forgetting to roll for nightfight as often as not...) you can jink for a 2+ cover save until you move.

Precision Shots I suspect of being less useful - though AM will hate it - as characters can Look Out Sir, and not many other armies field vulnerable special weapon models out of transports at deployment. Could nonetheless be useful for hunting models like apothecaries.

I suppose my question is whether these have hence become good enough to be viable, now. 10 scout bikes with cluster mines is similar cost to a pair of thunderfire cannon, and you need 3 units of scout bikes/normal scouts to be able to take the formation. (Since you have to take Cluster Mines, using large squads and combat squadding appears to make the most sense - cluster mines I've never found to be that amazing).

Thing is, for 5pts more/unit, you can get normal bikes, who come with a 3+ save. For a few more points, you can add special weapons - the scout bikes only really get combiweapons and the merely-passable Astartes Grenade Launcher. On the other hand, these units rapidly rack up in cost if you add upgrades, and don't get that beautiful 2+ cover unless it is nightfighting. They also don't get the precision shot rule.

You'll almost certainly want some normal bike units in your army (unless you're planning on using, for example, droppod units or rhino/tacspam); so the two can be complementary to an extent. The concept I'm seeing is somewhere between 20 and 30 or so scout bikes (more if really wanting to push the theme) combat squadded into units of 5 and scouted/infiltrated into good starting positions. The units individually aren't *that* expensive, so you get a pretty awesome scoring MSU (not objsec, which is a notable downside, but not the end of the world...) Your units are also almost as good as a "real" bike in close combat, and can put a lot of pressure on opposing armies; and they all have Hit and Run so even a few survivors of a counterassault can get away to be a further nuisance.

The more I think about it, the more I think one is better off just using traditional bike spam, but the concept keeps coming back into my thinking - it'd certainly be an unusual approach for people used to the old codex, and nice to see a much maligned unit get at least *some* utility in the new book.

Any thoughts?

I would only run them in a CAD(for obj sec), outflank them and grab objectives. The boost to their stats makes them better at taking out stuff in the back field like maybe horrors, lootas, Tau suits and etc.

If you decide to run a bunch of them, with BS4, they can become pretty shooty in conjunction with Imperial Fist Bolter drill.

The bolters on the bike are twin linked...

 Crazyterran wrote:
The bolters on the bike are twin linked...

I was gonna say... If anything, IF tactics are the worst for running bikes.

One thing scout bikes have always brought is a tool box of special abilities. If you don’t otherwise have a way to give scout to your bikes, they still have it. Outflanking, speed, and OK guns can make for some nice tricks. And their points are quite reasonable.

The stat boost helps them a lot, and the formation bonuses can be put to good use. Stealth+Jink lets you infiltrate them aggressively. They will either eat a disproportionate amount of fire, or get to zip around causing havoc.

They might not be the melta torpedoes they were in 5th, but I think they can still be a fluffy and fun unit.

Hmmm, fair point that other chapters than White Scars could get quite a bit out of this; as their Bikes don't Scout.

Astral Claws immediately come to mind - add in (cheaper!) scouting Landspeeders and you've got a decent bit of potential for a very mobile army there.

Carcharodons could be interesting for the combat bonuses, especially combined with podded extra-weapon tacticals.

In any case, I'm slowly coming round to heavy scout bike use being a cool gimmick and actually potentially quite effective, but hardly so good as to count as "competitive" per se. Interested in more thoughts though!

To be honest, my scout bikes have been riding the shelf far to long. I’m looking forward to getting them back on the table. The 10th company formation is key to that. While I never minded the points they cost, it’s always been rough dedicating the FA slot to them. I’d much rather have a LS, or my talon, or even some assault marines.

I’m thinking of a nice combined arms scout detachment.

5 snipers. Who are never going to move, so keep stealth+cloaks+ruins for an awesome cover save.

5 CC scouts in a LSS. Sure, they might loose ObSec when fielded like this, but still a mobile little ball of fun.

3 Scout bikes (all I own atm) Rolling around, outflanking, rapid firing krack grenades into the backs of tanks, HoW/CC for backfield campers. Pure backfield disruption unit.

Probably about 250 points for the whole formation. Considering what it can do, not that bad an investment. And fun to play.