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.

So my question is.
Is it better to run bike squads with 5 bikers or 3?

Taking special weapons is a given. 2 bikers with a special and the Sergent with a combi of the same type. 5 man units are obviously more surviveable but to take the extra 2 men can end up sinking a lot of points.

My example.

T- Bike Squad I
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
103pts

T- Bike Squad II
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
103pts

T- Bike Squad III
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
103pts

T- Bike Squad IV
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
103pts

T- Bike Squad V
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
103pts

Total 515pts

(T)- Bike Squad I
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun
145pts

(T)- Bike Squad II
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun
145pts

(T)- Bike Squad III
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun
145pts

(T)- Bike Squad IV
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun
145pts

(T)- Bike Squad V
1x Biker Sergeant TL-Boltgun & Combi-Grav
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun & Grav-gun
2x SM Biker TL-Boltgun
145pts

Total 725pts

So yes you do get a lot more surviveablity in each squad but the extra 210pts could be use to go towards something like a Centurion Squad or Biker Command Squad.

Interested on everyone's thoughts.

I've been working towards an 1850 heavy WS bike list for the past couple of months. It'll be my first SM centric list Anywho, don't know what points you're shooting for but you might want to throw some melta in there. My list is 5 bikers 1/2 with meltas and 1/2 with grav and a handful of the units have an attached attack bike with a multi melta. So while I'm the last person to offer an informed opinion on SM that's what I'm working with right now.

 necron99 wrote:
[...] but you might want to throw some melta in there.[...]

Way to not give a derp about the actual question asked...

I think you either want 5 man squads for the extra wounds or at least leave the combi off the sarge so he can take a shot for cheap-ish.
Considering the short range bikes want to fire their specials at you will have a hard time limiting incoming enemy fire, so you are guaranteed to take wounds if your opponent isn't entirely overloaded with threats. Might as well have spare wounds to save the expensive guns.

Cpt. Icanus wrote:
Way to not give a derp about the actual question asked...

My apologies, I guess I was taken aback by the lack of melta that it sort of over rode the original question. Another reason I prefer 5 man units over 3 is that you can take a 1 model loss on 5 dudes and not test while a 3 man unit will need to test with the first loss it takes. I like playing necrons simply because I tend to fail leadership tests on a regular basis with my Tau (when they're outside of the ethereal bubble).

Yep 5 is the optimal number for leadership purposes (and also because you'll need those squads to be a decently large size if you want to do a lot of bikes in your army within a single detachment...not that that's really a limitation for anyone anymore though).

So if we take option A listed above with this unit added in

Company Command Squad
1x Apothecary Bike
4x Veterans, Grav-gun & Bike
200pts

The total cost of the army is actually 10pts cheaper.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And yes I will be fielding Melta in my actual complete list.

I will be running attack bikes as I prefer the Multi-Melta's range over the standard Melta-gun.

So I've been playing white scars since the 6th edition SM codex and have gone through the 5 man minimum of that codex to the 3 man minimum of the current codex. My main list revolves around command squad deathstar with chapter master/khan and troop bike squads with inq thrown in with servo skulls etc. So I've played in a bunch of tournaments using both 5 and 3 man units. although the 3 man units can get you a bigger bang for your buck alpha strike they fall really fast and don't sustain through an entire game. Even during my wins I have very few units left on the table because its just too easy to kill off those 3 bikers. I have recently returned to the 5 man units and I feel better with my positioning and more confident with their killing ability. Also the biggest bonus is that you will have that odd 1-2 man unit still alive to get on objectives at the end of the game to deny or claim. So just from personal experience and lots of games under my belt I prefer 5 man units.

In my SM Biker lists I bring 4 man units. Two specials, a combi weapon sarge, and a bullet catcher up front. After the sergeant fires, he also becomes a bullet catcher.

But I also still use a CAD, the WS formation really benefits from 5 man units.

Both of these answers are great and are kind of what I was looking for.

Thank You both.

Please keep it coming.

What is everyone running on them for combat?

A Fist would give them a bit of anti tank and some hitting power but a power weapon or Lightning Claw could also be beneficial too.

 Sinji wrote:
What is everyone running on them for combat?

A Fist would give them a bit of anti tank and some hitting power but a power weapon or Lightning Claw could also be beneficial too.

I generally do not suggest arming WS Biker with melee weapons, they are not Ork Nob Bikers, their role should be more like horse archers in the old. Better just give them 2 special shooty weapons (preferably Grav guns or melta). Whenever you charge these riders, you usually want them to hide them from enemy shootings in their next turn, and will pull out by HnR in enemy assault phase, so I don't think they actually want to wipe enemy in a charge.

I admit that the Biker army need someone to do the Heavy lifting in melee. But that is better handed to a "SmashBane" built Chapter Master. Or even better, handed to allied Space Wolf TWC to do it.

Neophyte2012 wrote:

 Sinji wrote:
What is everyone running on them for combat?

A Fist would give them a bit of anti tank and some hitting power but a power weapon or Lightning Claw could also be beneficial too.

I generally do not suggest arming WS Biker with melee weapons, they are not Ork Nob Bikers, their role should be more like horse archers in the old. Better just give them 2 special shooty weapons (preferably Grav guns or melta). Whenever you charge these riders, you usually want them to hide them from enemy shootings in their next turn, and will pull out by HnR in enemy assault phase, so I don't think they actually want to wipe enemy in a charge.

I admit that the Biker army need someone to do the Heavy lifting in melee. But that is better handed to a "SmashBane" built Chapter Master. Or even better, handed to allied Space Wolf TWC to do it.

Excellent advice

I may just stick to my Captain on a bike with a Command Squad to dish out Melee.

After playing quite a few games now I have indeed found 5 bikes to be the sweet spot.

I have also found that you can get by with with 3x squads of 5 seems to get the job done. So long as you have a Grav Command Sqaud as well. That give you 10 Grav Guns and 3 Combi-Grav's which seems like enough.

When taking 5 squads of 5 it becomes a point sink if you come up against an opponent with a low armour save as the Grav is renderend quite usless.