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Thought I would run a topic where people could rattle off their positives and negatives about Primaris Marines.

This is not a slating of the Primaris, but more a place for strategy, humour and perspective.

eg.
So, why choose a Primaris Marine when you could.....
....use a 2 wound, toughness 5, faster Space Marine biker for only 7 points more
....field an army of "stumpies" who can be hidden from LOS much better

Melt face with 4plasma cannons and a plasma gun for less points.

Generally speaking, primaris marines are mediocre, and you've hit the nail right on the head.

Within a mixed space marine army, they fill no particular niche, and instead are just forced into the list with no real thought for purpose. And even kept to themselves, they come off as being over costed and under performing.

For a little more than the cost of a single parimaris marine, you can get two stunty marines that are better and sustaining damage (multi-damage weapons are twice as effective against primaris marines), offer more firepower, and have more models for contesting objectives.

Primaris marines are multirole. You're paying for a unit that has one of the best combat rifles, but also has two attacks and two wounds.

But 40k generally rewards single role troops more than multirole, so Primaris just end up looking pointless.

There is no genuine tactical reason to choose Primaris marines over normal marines at the moment. However, over the next year or two the Primaris army will expand and normal marines will likely receive nothing new. Primaris marines at this point are really an investment in an unknown future (but one which will see them become the main marine force).

You're really just future-proofing yourself.

Skip em.
Buy Orks.

Numarines are beakless heresy.
Their names are juvenile.
Their back story is from the back of a cereal box.
Those jump pack skid plate weirdos are, well, just weird.
Hellblasters are not bad but again, the name.
Then there is the "Repulsor" ... Ick.
Repulsed.

I wanted to like them.
I did...
I really did.

They're in between a normal marine and A Terminator, but normal marines have better weapon options, and Terminators are 1000 times cooler.

They look a ton better. That's really all the reason I need.

 Crimson wrote:
They look a ton better. That's really all the reason I need.

That's pretty subjective though for many nice models alone don't justify their existence.

hobojebus wrote:

 Crimson wrote:
They look a ton better. That's really all the reason I need.

That's pretty subjective though for many nice models alone don't justify their existence.

I wish gw would have made all marines two wounds and just released these as that, new marine models to be used in addition to existing models and eventually yes to replace the existing models in new releases. Maybe having made them just a bit smaller than they ended up being but as it stands the models are nicer but again without beaks so meh.

I think using Primaris Marines or not should depend on what you want the unit to do. I find that Intercessors work fairly well as a bubble-wrap unit, as they have 2 wounds apiece and their rifles can reach out and touch something much further away than a bolter can. That said, the older marines still have uses, like being able to take special weapons without having to give them ALL special weapons (like Hellblasters). Plus, Primaris can only get into a Repulsor, which is a fairly expensive vehicle, as much so as a Land Raider. The old Marines can fit into a Rhino or Drop Pod or the ever-present Razorback.

Ultimately I like using both, and I think they both have good uses. It all depends on the list.

 Crimson wrote:
They look a ton better. That's really all the reason I need.

Yeah, I just wish I wouldn't need to buy both a tactical kit and a primaris kit to make a primaris tactical squad.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 jeff white wrote:

Their names are juvenile.

As compared to the existing names?
"Space Marine"
"Tactical Squad"
"Devastator Squad"
"Assault Squad"
"Terminator Squad"
"Rhino"
"Land Raider"

Paragons of mature creativity those are. What would you rather they be called?

Holding Primaris Marines and regular marines side by side doesn't really inspire me to go out and rebuy my army. That, combined with the fact that they are tactically underwhelming, means I'll probably just buy/paint Dark Imperium for the time being to 'future-proof' myself. They're nice models but I personally never had issues with the scale of regular marine minis so...

 jeff white wrote:
Skip em.
Buy Orks.

Numarines are beakless heresy.
Their names are juvenile.
Their back story is from the back of a cereal box.
Those jump pack skid plate weirdos are, well, just weird.
Hellblasters are not bad but again, the name.
Then there is the "Repulsor" ... Ick.
Repulsed.

I wanted to like them.
I did...
I really did.

I may be in the minority, but I think the Primaris helmets look better than the beak helmets. And I don't like the Primaris helmets.

Well, I dislike closed-face helmets [and gas masks] in general, but I think that the beak helmet is the second ugliest helmet available to Space Marines, just after the wolf-head helmet.

 argonak wrote:

 Crimson wrote:
They look a ton better. That's really all the reason I need.

Yeah, I just wish I wouldn't need to buy both a tactical kit and a primaris kit to make a primaris tactical squad.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 jeff white wrote:

Their names are juvenile.

As compared to the existing names?
"Space Marine"
"Tactical Squad"
"Devastator Squad"
"Assault Squad"
"Terminator Squad"
"Rhino"
"Land Raider"

Paragons of mature creativity those are. What would you rather they be called?

Seriously? You dont sense the difference?
If not, well there is no answer really.
Some things cannot be taught.

That said, per my last post, I would have preferred that the numarines be called tactical squads, devastator squads, and so on.
Same but slightly larger and more detailed, OK, and with two wounds like ork nobs, OK.
But intercessionblasters from helle, not OK.

make a comissar and conscript exclusive army

 jeff white wrote:

 argonak wrote:

 Crimson wrote:
They look a ton better. That's really all the reason I need.

Yeah, I just wish I wouldn't need to buy both a tactical kit and a primaris kit to make a primaris tactical squad.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 jeff white wrote:

Their names are juvenile.

As compared to the existing names?
"Space Marine"
"Tactical Squad"
"Devastator Squad"
"Assault Squad"
"Terminator Squad"
"Rhino"
"Land Raider"

Paragons of mature creativity those are. What would you rather they be called?

Seriously? You dont sense the difference?
If not, well there is no answer really.
Some things cannot be taught.

That said, per my last post, I would have preferred that the numarines be called tactical squads, devastator squads, and so on.
Same but slightly larger and more detailed, OK, and with two wounds like ork nobs, OK.
But intercessionblasters from helle, not OK.

you only think the names are better because you've been used to them for 20 odd years.

I mean tatical squad, "cause they're so tatical!"
Devestator squad "cause they devestate things!"
Assault squads cause they assault things etc.

if they where the new names you'd proably hate em too.

the new names work fine. and in 5-10 years you'll be as used to them as tatical squads

Roboute Guilliman was never really good at naming things, anyway.

does it make sense to take primaris models for HQ units or apothecary's/chaplains?

I haven't picked up the new codex yet so im not sure what the trade offs would be, but i would guess they are a little more durable.

Is it worth it to make your leaders and aura effects tougher?

armypainter wrote:
does it make sense to take primaris models for HQ units or apothecary's/chaplains?

I haven't picked up the new codex yet so im not sure what the trade offs would be, but i would guess they are a little more durable.

Is it worth it to make your leaders and aura effects tougher?

Not at £22.50 a pop, screw gw and their prices

Well, they clearly have brainwashed me cause im still trying to justify buying some of them haha.

Gameplay wise though... thoughts?

[MOD EDIT - RULE #1 - Alpharius]

Why choose them when 40K has always harshly penalized generalists?

 Inquisitor Lord Katherine wrote:

 jeff white wrote:
Skip em.
Buy Orks.

Numarines are beakless heresy.
Their names are juvenile.
Their back story is from the back of a cereal box.
Those jump pack skid plate weirdos are, well, just weird.
Hellblasters are not bad but again, the name.
Then there is the "Repulsor" ... Ick.
Repulsed.

I wanted to like them.
I did...
I really did.

I may be in the minority, but I think the Primaris helmets look better than the beak helmets. And I don't like the Primaris helmets.

Well, I dislike closed-face helmets [and gas masks] in general, but I think that the beak helmet is the second ugliest helmet available to Space Marines, just after the wolf-head helmet.

I can appreciate this.
For me the beaks remind me of the old masks worn as people tended to plague victims.
And of course the original beakies themselves.
I like the flat front breathers too.
Numarines have nothing up front though.
Look tau to me...
Too modern.
Not Gothic enough.
Doesn't seem to capture that old imperial aesthetic.
So I am not a fan.
But I can see why some might be.

I know I'm certainly passing on them, especially with an almost fully-painted DA army with over 60 marine models based and painted. My Ultras are mostly constructed in exclusively Mk.III armor and I won't be buying Primaris to replace those either.

I think most of the new models are nice, but things like the new Chaplain (the Overwatch knock-off) and the Repulsor (got enough guns on ya bud?) just look cartoony.

 TheCustomLime wrote:
Roboute Guilliman was never really good at naming things, anyway.

To his credit, neither was Leman Russ or Lionel Johnson or Sanguinius,

The primaris lost their gothic style. Their armors are just to sci fi-ish, even Tau-like, it is like geedubs forgot about the dark age of technology and turns it coat like it never happened.

And let's not forget that no one seemed to be stressed out by Cawly's lifespan of 10 000 years or whatnot.

But thinking of, if geedubs would have fixed the scale of space marines since day 1 or when they became a thing, would they still have released their new 50 dollar units ?

Why choose a primaris marine when you could lead the only force that will actually overcome the galaxy, and reign supreme as the Revolution sweep up the galaxy? Yes, I am talking of choosing the ultimate badass of the Galaxy and his elite cadre of the hardest, toughest grot melon-fethers ever: chose Red Gobbo!

BrianDavion wrote:

 jeff white wrote:

 argonak wrote:

 Crimson wrote:
They look a ton better. That's really all the reason I need.

Yeah, I just wish I wouldn't need to buy both a tactical kit and a primaris kit to make a primaris tactical squad.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 jeff white wrote:

Their names are juvenile.

As compared to the existing names?
"Space Marine"
"Tactical Squad"
"Devastator Squad"
"Assault Squad"
"Terminator Squad"
"Rhino"
"Land Raider"

Paragons of mature creativity those are. What would you rather they be called?

Seriously? You dont sense the difference?
If not, well there is no answer really.
Some things cannot be taught.

That said, per my last post, I would have preferred that the numarines be called tactical squads, devastator squads, and so on.
Same but slightly larger and more detailed, OK, and with two wounds like ork nobs, OK.
But intercessionblasters from helle, not OK.

you only think the names are better because you've been used to them for 20 odd years.

I mean tatical squad, "cause they're so tatical!"
Devestator squad "cause they devestate things!"
Assault squads cause they assault things etc.

if they where the new names you'd proably hate em too.

the new names work fine. and in 5-10 years you'll be as used to them as tatical squads

Glad to hear that you know what I will be thinking even better than I do.

Because, as it stands, these names are idiocy and I can't for the life of me see how this judgement should ever change.

 General Orange wrote:
The primaris lost their gothic style. Their armors are just to sci fi-ish, even Tau-like, it is like geedubs forgot about the dark age of technology and turns it coat like it never happened.

And let's not forget that no one seemed to be stressed out by Cawly's lifespan of 10 000 years or whatnot.

But thinking of, if geedubs would have fixed the scale of space marines since day 1 or when they became a thing, would they still have released their new 50 dollar units ?

the loss of the "gothic style" is intentional. they've said it's because the armor etc is newer. so the clean lines are an intentional thing.