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Looking at designing a space marines list and have one big question: if you deploy scouts at 9.1" away from the enemy, can you move and then charge in the first turn?

jonny123 wrote:
Looking at designing a space marines list and have one big question: if you deploy scouts at 9.1" away from the enemy, can you move and then charge in the first turn?

Sure, but remember that it's more than 9" away from the enemy deployment zone AND any enemies.

1. If you don't get first turn, those Scouts are probably dead.
2. A savvy opponent won't give you a good target. As soon as I see melee kitted Scouts, I'll NOT be deploying along my deployment zone edge. You have to deploy at least 9.01" away from my edge. If I deploy 6" back from my line, you still have to move straight at me and then make a 9" charge.

In other words, go crazy, but I don't think it's a game changing tactic. Chances are pretty good that it just results in you losing some Scouts.

 Kriswall wrote:
As soon as I see melee kitted Scouts, I'll NOT be deploying along my deployment zone edge. You have to deploy at least 9.01" away from my edge. If I deploy 6" back from my line, you still have to move straight at me and then make a 9" charge.

This is by far the most effective use of scouts - to deny grounds for 1st turn set ups, and not particularly for tying up units in combat (because it doesn't exist anymore technically).

Other than that, they're not even speed bumps to be frank.

Yes you can, i've tried to make it work many times and even when it does, the pay off isn't worth the losses. The best you can hope for is make a distant objective more trouble than its worth instead of truly breaking a battle line.

Melee scout sgts are *ok* but in the long run you're better taking 3 jump vanguard instead of 4 scouts and a tooled sgt for CC shock results

I eventually twigged that you're better making use of the rapid fire aspect and take regular bolter scouts, along with perhaps a combi plasma - more reliable damage output in the same threat area.

Melee scouts are only good in a BA army. If your interested in doing a first turn charge BA army I have a suggestion though.


3 full scout squads with melee, searg with psword. 1 full squad of Death company, chainswords and bolters.
1 full squad of sang guard.
Take some cheap captains and leftenants to buff your sicarans/shooty tanks in your backfield.

Start of the game you can use the DC strat to move them before the game begins. have your scouts up at the 9.01 line. Then wings of fire redeploy your sang guard up.


Its absolutely brutal first turn, but since its hard to guarantee first turn be ready to pick up some DC and scouts if you don't get it.

Others have said this, I'm just expanding from my own experience. I run 4 units of scouts for my white scars (sometimes 6, but always split between shotguns/CC( I know, shotguns...but I really like them and I modeled my scouts editions ago)). The real importance of them for me is a TROOPS choice that gets a good deployment option. There are better units in the game, but the combo of troops, cost, deployment make them useful for me. As said above, most players see them and try to avoid them in deployment. THAT is the point of them. If I can force my opponent to place his army farther back, I may make a good shooting army less effective on turn one (medium range armies really hate this). Also do not underestimate the need he has to destroy them (easy enough I agree, but he must use a unit to do so). And if they do get into CC turn one it isn't about them doing damage, it's about them forcing a unit to fall back turn one, which can make a difference, although good players can negate this.
Some of my experiences with scouts in my white scars army:
Enemy destroys scouts, taking firepower away from my faster units. This can really matter.
Enemy ignores my scouts (players who show up with a lot of special weapons and expensive units often balk at "wasting" them on scouts) and I gain some objectives late or get to hit a unit they can really damage. The combo of a shooty unit of scouts hitting the same unit a CC one charges can matter..
Enemy gets first turn, destroys scouts and is deployed far enough back I'm still screwed. Hey, it happens!
I get first turn, do some damage, and force the unit enemy wanted to rush into rapid range to fall back instead.
Enemy risks a unit on a flank, and scouts do real damage thanks to deploying late. hey, this happens too. Not everyone plays an army of bunch up cluster of aura guys.
Scouts do nothing. This happens too sadly.

In any case, do not accept simple answers. Tactics and strategy are not simple topics, and the game has nuance a lot of players do not see. If you are the type who places and rolls dice, then maybe not so effective. if you are the type who reacts, adjusts and has a full plan, they can make a difference for cheap points. A unit's effectiveness in 40k is not truly measured by mathhammers damage output (although it is a tool, it's just that there are WAY too many variables in who you might be targeting to simplify). This game is all about getting the matchups YOU want. Scouts can help with this.
The secret is tactics. If you want a place down and just charge unit, they are not it. If you want a "My opponent now has to adjust his deployment and/or tactics" these guys can be effective.

Edited for typos. Hey, that happens too!