(Full Disclosure, I’m an Ultramarine, so this is more general advice)
First, welcome to Dakka and the Space Marines.
Overall I think the current rules do a decent job of making all the options viable. Ask yourself how the unit is going to be played and how it fits into your overall list. Are they going to be rushing to the midfield? Camping the back? Unknown? Who is your most likely foe? Does you list need more help thinning out hordes, or capping elite infantry? Unknown?
In a total vacuum, the standard rapid fire rile is flexible multi-role gun that works. The heavy and assault both do their job well, but are a little more focused. If you have a plan for them, you can leverage their advantages and get a lot out of them.
I’m not sure if Space Wolves have any special tricks that would make the assault version much better. Turn one advance and shoot, followed by turn 2 move+shoot+charge strikes me as a wolfy thing to do regardless. The question is if you need the range/
AP/shots more?
As general advice, I’d say build your fist squad with the basic rapid fire guns. They might not be the best choice for any specific role, but are never a bad one.
The other option (beside the sergeant) is if the grenade launcher is worth the 5 points. I’ve been playing exclusively crusade games, so haven’t given it a lot of thought. It’s an extra shot, and 5 points is not going to break the bank. If you are trying to squeeze every amount of power out of you list, it would need to be evaluated. But as you are putting together your first box, I think you are probably not worried about tournament-level efficiency. Tossing an krack or frag grenade on top of the rifle fire is not a bad thing, I’ve seen decent results from it. I’ve wasted 5 points on things with less of an impact on the game before, just because I thought they looked cool.
For the sage, I think some sort of close combat tool is required. A power sword or fist both have their advantages. It depends a lot on what you plan on fighting. The extra strength from the fist is nice, and lets you threaten more targets. The minus to hit is a little irritating, but if you have some to-hit support, can be mitigated. Probably worth the points over the sword.
TL;DR: Rapid fire rifles,
AGL, powerfist
Automatically Appended Next Post: COLD CASH wrote:TBH i hardly play with ints anymore but a powerfist or hammer is good.
Pick the weapon for your role. assault for moving,
rf for maybe moving but usually staionary.
On the topic of Thunderhammers:
Unless they changed it in the recent points update, I’d avoid them on intercessors.
IMHO they are a lateral shift from a powerfist, but still priced as a premium upgrade. And the cases where they are superior to the fist are generally not things a troop pick should be dealing with. 2 Damage is enough to smack down most of the things that intercessors are going to be fighting objectives over, and the doubling of the cost and loss of a point of
AP are not worth going to 3 damage.
That said, I think Wolves look best with hammers and axes.
Magnets are of course, a great option for equipping sergeants with.