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I keep hearing this referenced and while I'm aware it is connected to drop-pods can anyone expand on this? Is it intended to be a first turn where you land and just blow gak to bits first turn?

Spyro_Killer wrote:
I keep hearing this referenced and while I'm aware it is connected to drop-pods can anyone expand on this? Is it intended to be a first turn where you land and just blow stuff to bits first turn?

Yes, exactly. Alpha strike is your first shot of the game, generally your best hit. In an ideal world, your foe is crippled from it and can’t shoot back effectively. Drop pod deliver your army in optimal range next to their preferred targets, without getting shot up on the way there. Which is why they are the epitome of the alpha strike philosophy. Now, they are high risk/high reward. If your opponent has a way to spoil their effectiveness, you are left overexposed and vulnerable to retaliation.

Units like combi heavy suicide sternguard double down on this philosophy. You get one shot, but it is a brutal one. After that, you are just 5 guys in power armor in the open, soon to be dead.

Yup. You take lots of drop pods in a mix of some of the following:

#1 - Skyhammer Formation (Relentless super-Pinning Devastators & "may deep strike and assault" Assault Marines)

#2 - Veterans w/lots of combi-weapons, and whose regular guns can have Ignores-Cover to deal with specific entrenched opponents.

#3 - Centurions w/Grav Cannons & Hurricane Bolters

#4 - Basic troops with special weapon & sarge with combi-weapon.


This is a tourney-style build. It will devastate most casual opponents. The idea is to come down with half your army and destroy half of their army Turn 1. Their half of an army should be unable to successfully counter your army, even though the rest comes down piecemeal. Can be hard to win against an all/mostly-Knight list, as you may not be able to take out enough of them on your Turn 1 drop, and they will crush you in return. Tau with enough Interceptor tech may also ruin your day. Also, if someone is able to survive the turn 1 drop with a very mobile list, they will be able to try and beat you on objectives and isolate your forces after they've dropped.

All in all, it's my least-favourite type of force to play against, but it's a real tourney build.

so something like at say 750

HQ
Captain with combi

Elites
5 sternguard with 4 combi-meltas in a pod

Troops
5 marines, meltagun, sarge with combi-melta, mm in pod

Heavy Support
devastators with grav grav cannons in pod?

Depending on your stance of remaining battle forged, you'd want to add another troop unit to fulfill the CAD requirements. You could a grav cannon or two and bring scouts.

Oh no that wasn't a real list I was just seeing if I was ubderstandong the idea its going to be an allied detachment anyway

Spyro_Killer wrote:
Oh no that wasn't a real list I was just seeing if I was ubderstandong the idea its going to be an allied detachment anyway

In that case, grav centurions would be the better option. Higher toughness, better armor save, two wounds, and slow and purposeful. You lose out on 3/5 grav shots but you get three hurricane bolters and you can use the full range and shot profile of the grav cannons.

So then for a thousand points list
HQ
chapter master, artificer, combi-melta and thunder hammer

Elites
sternguard, 5 combi meltas, pod

troops
5 marines, meltagun, combi-melta, pod
5 marines, meltagun, combi-melta, pod

fast attack
pod

heavy support
grave centurions, omniscope

using star phantoms chapter tactics

You can do aplha strike with White Scars Gladius- replace the pods with razorbacks, add Khan. Its nasty.

you can also alpha strike with bikes they basically are in CC range after turn 1 is all but over

 ionusx wrote:
you can also alpha strike with bikes they basically are in CC range after turn 1 is all but over

CC range you say? I welcome that!

Martel732 wrote:

 ionusx wrote:
you can also alpha strike with bikes they basically are in CC range after turn 1 is all but over

CC range you say? I welcome that!

Due to the army-wide hit and run rule, it's often safer for the bikes to remain locked in combat until the end of the opponents turn.

DirtyDeeds wrote:

Martel732 wrote:

 ionusx wrote:
you can also alpha strike with bikes they basically are in CC range after turn 1 is all but over

CC range you say? I welcome that!

Due to the army-wide hit and run rule, it's often safer for the bikes to remain locked in combat until the end of the opponents turn.

I guess that's true. Still, it would at least be a novel way for me to lose instead of being purely shot to death or run over by a wolf.

Martel732 wrote:

DirtyDeeds wrote:

Martel732 wrote:

 ionusx wrote:
you can also alpha strike with bikes they basically are in CC range after turn 1 is all but over

CC range you say? I welcome that!

Due to the army-wide hit and run rule, it's often safer for the bikes to remain locked in combat until the end of the opponents turn.

I guess that's true. Still, it would at least be a novel way for me to lose instead of being purely shot to death or run over by a wolf.

Well you'd pick the target you assault like this, like guardians, guardsmen, or other weak troops. Don't assault beefy melee units as you're asking for a loss.

 Btothefnrock wrote:
You can do aplha strike with White Scars Gladius- replace the pods with razorbacks, add Khan. Its nasty.

What would you put on the razorbacks? Assault Cannons or Las?

Could you give a break down of how this would work? Specific loadouts / alternative options