Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Are space marine command squads any good??

well regardless, right now I really have no choice but to field them so anybody have some good advice on how to use them properly?

Im using,

a Champion
veteran with bolter and company standard
veteran with bolter and lighting claws
veteran with plasma gun
apothecary

pretty expensive too. comes around to 165 points

their best thing is the 4 specials they can take and the apothecary. Put them on bikes and they are a mobile and tough firing squad.
I wouldnt bother with the champion or any melee weapons, 5 men squad is not gonna be that great in melee.

I like the Command Squad. I have a couple foot slogging versions I run. I am planning a mounted version before too long. Anyway the foot sloggers I always run with a Razorback (TL-HB - its cheap but effective). I avoid the plasma personally but a lot of people love going 4 plasma's with the apothecary to backup the Get's Hot roles. I normally stick mine with with Stormbolters. They get chain-swords for free so I don't normally buy any CCW for them. I also take melta bombs over power-fists and thunder-hammers as cheap antitank without sacrificing Initiative order during the assault phase.

But bare bones at 115 points they make a nice group of meat shields to put with the HQ IC of your choice (you must have a captain in your list to buy a command squad however) to give them some extra wounds and the effects of FNP from the Apothecary. Compared to the 90 points for a base tac squad your paying 25 points for the FNP, with the basic loadout (bolters and chainswords all around) plus you gain 2 attacks and LD 9 across the board.

My normal Command Squad runs me 137 points. Thats 4 Stormbolters - plus 2 melta-bombs. Add the Razorback it brings the total to 177 (if you've got 20 points you can add the stormbolter and the HK missile to give the RB more to shoot with)

I've been know to go fluffly and run it with a Champion a Standard barer and 2 Meltaguns (I run Imperial Fists) from time to time but it is much less effective.

Okay so after loadout running them....

I most often use them with a Chaplain as the secondary HQ ( loadout is a stormbolter and meltabombs for 108 points). Since its a choice target group I often send them in the Razorback to a flank area with minimal target saturation but I always keep them near another group of friendlies. I also use the RB as a shield for a turn since they cannot assault the turn they debark. They are a choice target so I always keep them near a Tac squad that can provide over watch fire and other helpful discouragement for an opposing player. But normally I use them to act as an assault style squad. They work better in concert with another group by going in and helping to finish off a unit already engaged. This utilizes their multiple attacks from both the stormbolters in the shooting phase and their +2 attacks in the assault phase and since they have chainswords (the narthecium counts as a CCW) they get a bonus for that as well putting them at +3 attacks across the board.

That tactic seems to work well for me. Liturgies of Battle comes in to play quite a bit and is really helpful. The unit doesn't always survive the game but I'd say in 45% of games it scores better than its points and in about 35% it breaks even. The other 20% I'd rather not talk about.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/503652.page

There's already a thread discussing command squads. On the front page.