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(New Player)

I'm building a Demi Company from the ground up (ie from the GW box). I see that each Tactical Squad and Assault Squad (and Captain!) within the formation can take a dedicated transport, and local players advised to have all units transported. In the rules it talks about having Drop Pods held back for future turns, and that sounds like a disadvantage, whereas having Rhinos lets me get my units right to the front where I need them. Is there a different way I need to be considering dedicated transport, or is there a basic choice to rely on?

First, welcome to Dakka and the space marines.

What chapter do you plan on playing? Some work better in pods.
What else are you planning on picking up? Where is your army headed? If you plan on going for a full company, free razorbacks is very tempting.

Short answer is that both work, and have their pros and cons.

Pods are high risk/high reward. The get you where you need to go, no muss, no fuss. So you get to step out of the pod next to your chosen target, and are ensured to get your shot off. In an ideal world. Interceptor fire can take a shot at you first, and there are ways to deploy to mitigate drop pod alpha strikes (bubblewrap, castle deployment). Still, when it works it can be brutal. A successful drop will leave nothing but shattered remnants of your foe in the LZ, and you can then proceed to mop up the rest of his army.

While only half drop first turn, it rounds in your favor, and you get to choose who comes in. This lets you tailor your first wave depending on your foe and table. And sometimes it’s nice having a troop drop late, if the battle has moved from where you thought it would, or to give you a fresh unit to claim an objective.

Rhinos are safer. They all start on the table, so no reserve problems. You can use them for mobile cover for your other forces. Pull tank shock and LOS tricks. You can have guys get back in, if you need to redeploy. You can also eat a lascannon first turn and leave your cargo footsloging it for the rest of the game. If you are going to run a lot of armor, saturation helps, so they are good for mech lists.

From a modeling POV, pods are a major PITA. And buy razorback boxes, not rhinos. Few bucks more, but by not glueing the top hatch on you can field them as either.

Some units do a lot better in pods. Ironclad dreads, sternguard, shooty command squads. They want to be right up in your face shooting ASAP. Rhinos let you play more conservatively. There are times you won’t want to drop into the teeth of the enemy.

And you can mix and match for a hybrid list. I’d recommend an odd number of pods, so you can drop two together first turn, and have one come in later.

I own 3 of each, and change which ones I use all the time. Both are fun, they just play differently.

I'm definitely going with Ultramarines to start.