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.

I know they aren't the sexiest of models ever created for Space Marines, but is there a reason why I never see them on the tabletop or in the meta-chaser lists online?

1st they were dropped from units of 5-10 to units of 5.
Then indirect fire was nerfed.
Probably unfavorable pts changes involved at some point.

The circle of life happened. They started off being very oppressive, with big units in pretty much every meta list.

Then came several rounds of nerfs, with reduced units size, changes to indirect fire, and big points hikes.

Maybe they'll be good again next edition, mostly depends on GWs future approach to indirect fire.

Yeah, 40 points per model for basic power armor is a lot. They're just too inefficient for meta lists.

They were too good and even marine players wanted them nerfed because honestly? Most people don't want to own or play them.

They're extremely ugly miniatures that couldn't even be saved by OP rules. Just like Centurions, so outside of die-hard tournament players probably noone bought them in the first place.

Sgt. Cortez wrote:
They're extremely ugly miniatures that couldn't even be saved by OP rules. Just like Centurions, so outside of die-hard tournament players probably noone bought them in the first place.

I remember Centurions being really good in 9th.

Let me rephrase that. I remember a guy who ran Deathwatch flavored Centurions who would deepstrike next to you, and use Hurricane Bolters and meltaguns with rerolling 1s.

I was just building a bastion last stand style list for a campaign and thought about proxying some missile marines as these guys... but damn are they bad.

200 points for a basic power armour body unit of 5 is terrible. They have some okay any light horde firepower, a D3 S4 Blast and a D6+1 S:5 Blast each, but only the D3 is indirect, so you have to expose them to fire anything even remotely decent. The Sergent's weapon is better D6 Blast S:7 Ap-1 D2 Indirect, and they do ignore cover, which mitigates SOME of the indirect nerf, but it's not enough.

As it stands, I'd be much happier putting 200 points into a squad of devastator marines. At least with the 5 extra bodies for ablative wounds, they won't just get instantly deleted.

 Tawnis wrote:
I was just building a bastion last stand style list for a campaign and thought about proxying some missile marines as these guys... but damn are they bad.

200 points for a basic power armour body unit of 5 is terrible. They have some okay any light horde firepower, a D3 S4 Blast and a D6+1 S:5 Blast each, but only the D3 is indirect, so you have to expose them to fire anything even remotely decent. The Sergent's weapon is better D6 Blast S:7 Ap-1 D2 Indirect, and they do ignore cover, which mitigates SOME of the indirect nerf, but it's not enough.

As it stands, I'd be much happier putting 200 points into a squad of devastator marines. At least with the 5 extra bodies for ablative wounds, they won't just get instantly deleted.

Probably the best thing to do with these guys is chuck 'em into an Impulsor with a shield dome. At least they can get some sort of cover while still being almost useful.

Wow, these guys are less-than-awesome. No wonder I don't see them on the tabletop.

This is what I get for not playing Marines since 5th Ed... but I keep wanting to jump back in.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Wow, these guys are less-than-awesome. No wonder I don't see them on the tabletop.

This is what I get for not playing Marines since 5th Ed... but I keep wanting to jump back in.

At this point, I'd wait until next edition and see if they get Primaris Tactical squads.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Wow, these guys are less-than-awesome. No wonder I don't see them on the tabletop.

This is what I get for not playing Marines since 5th Ed... but I keep wanting to jump back in.

The upside to marines is that there are so many of them that you can always find something fun to run with some neat combos, even it it's not top tier meta. I'm always messing around with different marine lists, even though they haven't been my main army for ages.

I just had a game where I was running 10 Lightning Claw Terminators with a Chaplain in the Liberator Assault Group. On the charge it's 60 attacks, at S:7 +1 to wound AP:2 D:1 with Twin-Linked, plus the 6 Chaplain attacks that trade Twin-Linked for D2. They just blender anything they touch, even tanks, it's amazing.

What do you have for marines? I'm sure we could come up with something that works.