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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut







One of the (many) weaknesses Chaos Marines have had to deal with compared to their loyalist brethren is that they're considered a "Slow" army overall. Regular Marines can either bring Scouts (Infiltrate/Scout/Move Through Cover), Drop Pod Tacticals (generally never seen outside of a Battle Company), or take Bike Troops. It's the Bikers in particular that are of interest:
Loyalists Get: ATSKNF, Combat Squads, Chapter Tactics (potentially including Skilled Riders/Hit & Run), Grav weaponry, and the option to take a Multimelta Attack Bike.
Chaos Gets: A miniscule point reduction, and an extra Close Combat Weapon.

So, the new question is: How does one get the most mileage (ha!) out of running more Bikes in a Chaos army?

Currently, there are only two notable formations out there to help Chaos Bikers:
-The most immediate one is the Gorepack from Khorne Daemonkin. The only tax you're taking on this formation is that you have to buy the Mark of Khorne for your Bikers, and you have to take a unit or so of Flesh Hounds (but Flesh Hounds rock and give you something the Loyalists don't get). In exchange, you get access to MTC (very handy), improved HoW (situationally useful), PE: Psykers (very situational unless you're shooting at a Warlock Conclave or so), and access to the Blood Tithe (very very nice). The only problem: You don't get any Obsec or H&R. The Flesh Hounds ironically are good escorts for Bike Sorcerers if you're tossing a Cabal into the mix.
-The Chaos Warband from Traitor's Hate is the other notable one. This one has a larger tax in the form of foot Chaos Marines, but you get access to Obsec Bikers with this. Path to Glory + Favored Scions means you can optionally run Bike Champions as a sort of "Mini-Champion/beater" to hunt and eradicate small squads. Alternately, you can attach the Lord & Sorcerer to other mobile units to grant them a form of Obsec. You "do" get access to infinite solo Spawns, though solo spawns are probably more threatening in a Daemonkin list due to the Blood Tithe.
--It may actually be worth running a Power Axe on your Bike champion, simply for finishing off small squads. He can stand to benefit from a lot of the Chaos Boons, while still being inexpensive enough that you aren't too disappointed if he transforms into something else. One honorable mention must go to the Champion gaining Shrouded, potentially allowing the unit to Jink for a 2+ Cover Save.
--Personally, I still dislike marking regular Bikers with the Mark of Nurgle. I find it too expensive, especially since I can expect: Psychic Shriek, Poison, Grav, or other vectors which ignore toughness.

As for armaments, you don't get Grav so it's usually Meltas or Flamers. You "do" get the option of replacing your Twin-Linked Bolters instead of swapping out your Bolt Pistol, so you have the option to keep your extra CCW attack. It may actually be worth considering this seeing as you don't get H&R, so every extra CCW attack counts.
   
Made in ca
Deadshot Weapon Moderati




Remember that you can get a combi-bolter on the Champion.
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut




Nomeny wrote:
Remember that you can get a combi-bolter on the Champion.

There's a TL Bolter in the bike...

CaptainStabby wrote:
If Tyberos falls and needs to catch himself it's because the ground needed killing.

 jy2 wrote:
BTW, I can't wait to run Double-D-thirsters! Man, just thinking about it gets me Khorney.

 vipoid wrote:
Indeed - what sort of bastard would want to use their codex?

 MarsNZ wrote:
ITT: SoB players upset that they're receiving the same condescending treatment that they've doled out in every CSM thread ever.
 
   
Made in sg
Longtime Dakkanaut





I considered getting multiple mini death stars using the new chaos warband formation.

You can attach a chaos lord on bike with axe of biting fury to a bike squad and bulk it up with more bikes. (no other upgrades). Its probably around 300 points or less but whatever it hits, the chaos lord will kill, and the rest of the squad will do a fair amount of hits and shots too.

Then get two auxiliary spawn x 5 with mark of nurgle. Attach beat stick lords on bikes to them. Another two T6 fast moving mini deathstars which are hard to kill.

So, now you have 3 mini death stars, and the opponent has to choose which one to target. The lords can even join other mini deathstars if their escort gets depleted from shooting.

And its cheap enough you have points left to spend on other stuff too.
   
Made in my
Veteran Knight Baron in a Crusader






At my desk

Eldenfirefly wrote:
I considered getting multiple mini death stars using the new chaos warband formation.

You can attach a chaos lord on bike with axe of biting fury to a bike squad and bulk it up with more bikes. (no other upgrades). Its probably around 300 points or less but whatever it hits, the chaos lord will kill, and the rest of the squad will do a fair amount of hits and shots too.

Then get two auxiliary spawn x 5 with mark of nurgle. Attach beat stick lords on bikes to them. Another two T6 fast moving mini deathstars which are hard to kill.

So, now you have 3 mini death stars, and the opponent has to choose which one to target. The lords can even join other mini deathstars if their escort gets depleted from shooting.

And its cheap enough you have points left to spend on other stuff too.


I think something along the lines of this (though not exactly this). Not quite being MSU, but not maxing out (say, seven or so Bikers) with an attached character could make quite the scary 'mini deathstar' as Eldenfirefly put it. However that's only with the new formations and such, before now a maxed out unit complete with all the toys was the way to go and it wasn't all that effective (as in while it was scary against Tactical Marines, it couldn't take on another deathstar and win) .

3000pts Blood Angels (4th Company) - 2000pts Skitarii (Voss Prime) - 2500pts Imperial Knights (Unnamed House) - 1000pts Imperial Guard (Household Retainers)

2000pts Free Peoples (Edlynd Fusiliers) - 2000pts Kharadron Overlords (Barak Zilfin) - 500pts Ironweld Arsenal (Edlynd Ironwork Federation) - 1000pts Duardin (Grongrok Powderheads)

Wargaming's no fun when you have a plan! 
   
Made in sg
Longtime Dakkanaut





Well, most people only run one big deathstar, while you have three plus spare points for other stuff. So, ram the nurgle spawn with chaos lord into their deathstar and tarpit them, while your other two mini deathstars can then run rampant against the rest of his field.

   
Made in ru
!!Goffik Rocker!!






There's also Hounds of Abaddon formation that gives them free mark of khorne. You have to pay for Votlw and zerkers though.

CSM bikes have marks and icons over reguar marine bikers. Yep, you pay for them but t6 bikers with a fearless lord are pretty decent. FNP slaanes bikers are also nice. Khorne ones can have some potential in cc but generally speaking you just go spawns or khornedogs for this purpose.

So, i think the most you can get is Chaos warband with MoN Obsec bikers with meltas or flamers. they also get Votlw which means ld10 and hatred imperium. It's pretty nice.
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut




If you're going MoK, might as well go the Gorepack route, because MTC and a better HoW + sorta tax free Hounds is pretty ballin'. The MoN ones are the objective grabbers of course.

I want to like MoS, but it is too easy to snipe out an Icon Bearer.

CaptainStabby wrote:
If Tyberos falls and needs to catch himself it's because the ground needed killing.

 jy2 wrote:
BTW, I can't wait to run Double-D-thirsters! Man, just thinking about it gets me Khorney.

 vipoid wrote:
Indeed - what sort of bastard would want to use their codex?

 MarsNZ wrote:
ITT: SoB players upset that they're receiving the same condescending treatment that they've doled out in every CSM thread ever.
 
   
Made in ru
!!Goffik Rocker!!






I don't think that MoK bikes are better than hounds. Though, you could run them for the icon. for lord to have furious charge. Though, hounds are still better generally speaking cause they're cheaper, choppier and not much more fragile for the price and even more durable vs ap3. Scout move is decent in some games also.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/09/27 08:20:55


 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut







The other issue I'm seeing with the Slaanesh Biker build is that Space Marines are able to do it better ever since the Command Squad was made an Elite choice.

5 Veteran Marines + Bikes + Apothecary = 140 points base. They get the extra BP/CCW, and 2 attacks base.

5 Chaos Bikers + Mark of Slaanesh + Icon of Excess = 165 points base. They get + 1 Initiative and some silly herohammer chart.

Which is one of the reasons Gorepack & the Daemonkin chart is handy, if only because of the ability to provide FNP buffs army-wide independently of any single-wound models that can be sniped out.

The only other notable combo I could see for running a Biker-heavy Chaos list would be allying in some Orks. Is FW allowed? Bring Zhadsnark. The Deffkoptas provide an "Attack Bike" analogue while you can bring lots of cheap chaff for fire support.
   
Made in ru
!!Goffik Rocker!!






 MagicJuggler wrote:
The other issue I'm seeing with the Slaanesh Biker build CSM is that Space Marines are able to do it better.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut







One thing I'm imagining could be possible is doing a Crimson Slaughter Warband, using a "min unit" of Obsec Possessed (for defense or Beast movement), and getting Fear on your Bikers/Spawn (you lose the leadership bonus from VoTLW but you hate all Imperial anyway), then adding a Gorepack to stick your Lord in. This would be mostly if you wanted something like a Prophet Sorcerer w/ Nurgle Palanquin as a pseudo-prince caster.

The other thing is that since all Warband Rhinos get obsec by default, they could theoretically be a "gunboat" option for those models that don't need them (Havocs, or aforementioned CS Possessed). Havoc Launchers are the safe choice, but w/ Heretek or Ectomancy I could see the occasional case for running a combi-flamer and making it a "fast vehicle" for a turn. Or just bringing a Ram or spare Dirge Caster.

Though ranged support will remain an issue, you mostly solve most the "speed issue" of chaos.
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




Nurgle is actually pretty good. Doubles their resilience against bolters. Normal bikers are not difficult to kill with just straight dakka.

   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut







See, I "would" like Nurgle more for Chaos Bikers if it weren't for the number of attack vectors that outright ignore toughness, including Poison (be it DE Venoms or SM Sternguard or whatnot), Grav, Psychic Shriek (though they do get better-than-average Leadership), etc. The fact it costs the same for the Bikers rather than Spawn also hurts.
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut




 MagicJuggler wrote:
One thing I'm imagining could be possible is doing a Crimson Slaughter Warband, using a "min unit" of Obsec Possessed (for defense or Beast movement), and getting Fear on your Bikers/Spawn (you lose the leadership bonus from VoTLW but you hate all Imperial anyway), then adding a Gorepack to stick your Lord in. This would be mostly if you wanted something like a Prophet Sorcerer w/ Nurgle Palanquin as a pseudo-prince caster.

The other thing is that since all Warband Rhinos get obsec by default, they could theoretically be a "gunboat" option for those models that don't need them (Havocs, or aforementioned CS Possessed). Havoc Launchers are the safe choice, but w/ Heretek or Ectomancy I could see the occasional case for running a combi-flamer and making it a "fast vehicle" for a turn. Or just bringing a Ram or spare Dirge Caster.

Though ranged support will remain an issue, you mostly solve most the "speed issue" of chaos.


Didn't GW say that you cannot take Crimson Slaughter Possessed within the Black Crusade Detachment? Only codex Possessed are allowed.
   
Made in lu
Rampaging Khorne Dreadnought






You can take CS possessed in a black crusade detachment. Just not in the favoured of chaos formation. Or rather, if you make the black crusade detachement a CS detachment you can't take that formation period. You could leave the Black Crusade detachment vanilla and make all the other formations CS though. Then you could still take the favoured fromation, except they wouldn't be CS possessed. They would be vanilla possessed. That would also allow you to take TSons since they would count as vanilla and thus wouldn't be restricted by the CS rules.
   
 
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