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So I haven't played a game since 4th edition until last month. Sure I was a little rusty, but at the end of the day, I have to hand it to my 10th Company. They came, they saw, and they kicked some ***.

I have an addiction to 40K and tend to do things on a Company level - Battle Company, Bike Company, Terminator Company, etc. You get the picture. So at the beginning of November, I got the crazy idea to put together a Scout Company and get back into 40K (been on a 5th edition hiatus, and of course life takes over sometimes).

So within a few weeks, I assembled the troops (140+/- all metal space marine scouts), and their support elements and went to work stripping, assembling, basing, painting, and experimenting with different lists, and different units. I had to maintain the Scout theme, so bringing in lumbering Centurions with Grav Cannons, although tempting, just didn't fit with what I wanted the army to do.

As a US Marine, I wanted to give the army a realistic mission, with realistic game play using tried and true tactics of combined arms. Put my opponent on the "horns of a dillemma" so to speak. So what do Scouts do? Recon of course! So I built an army based on stealth supported by fast attack, fast transports and deadly artillery elements. However, after reading and re-reading the rule book and Codex, I discovered three things that I would like on a Scout wish list. Each of which are further discussed below: 1) Flamers; 2) Have some type of "Forward Observer" Special Rule with the ability to paint a target for airstrikes and artillery; and 3) BS 4.

1) Special Weapons: Don't know what's going on here, but Scouts don't have access to any special weaponry unless they take bikes. Well OK, we get Sniper Rifles, Missile Launchers and Shotguns. I would love access to a Flamer, especially since Scouts are BS 3 (more on that below), but alas until then I'll live vicariously through the Heavy Flamers on the Landspeeder Storm.

2) Special Rules: Scouts already move through cover (lovely), infiltrate (awesome), scout (sweet) and outflank (amazeballs), so why the hell can't we put eyes on a target, paint that pesky Wraithknight with our trusty laser guidance system, and call in an airstrike or fire mission? I mean come on people, there has to be a piece of wargear in the 41st Millennium that Marines can put to use to this effect. After all, Tau have their ridiculous marker lights...some food for thought.

3) Advanced Weapons Training: Speaking from experience, I was thrown into the sand flea infested swamps of Parris Island at the ripe old age of 18, handed an M16A1 Assault Rifle, and taught how to hit a man size target 500 yards out. By the end of the week, I was nailing 8/10 head shots without a scope. After over a decade in the Corps, I could nail head shots from a thousand meters without breaking a sweat. I'm sure that Marine Scouts are taught how to fire their weapons effectively, especially with the likes of Sgt. Telion training the Tenth Company. Give them BS 4 already. Just saying.

Moving on...as a Novamarine player, we get to use the Ultramarines Chapter Tactics and believe me I'm not complaining. Both the Tactical and Assault Doctrines came in very handy for a Scout army (didn't use the Devastator Tactics and you'll see why soon). Rerolling 1's in the shooting phase, and rerolling assault distance in the assault phase is a nice little dagger in the heart of my opponent. Bang bang...he shot me down...

Without further adieu...

Captain - 180 points
Bike
Artificer Armor
Storm Shield
Relic Blade

Troops - 1105 points
9x Scouts - Vet Sgt, Sniper Rifles and Camo Cloaks
10x Scouts - Vet Sgt with Bolter, Boltguns, Heavy Bolter with Hellfire Shells, Camo Cloaks
10x Scouts - Vet Sgt with Power Fist, CCWs, Camo Cloaks, Landspeeder Storm with Heavy Flamer
10x Scouts - Vet Sgt with Power Fist, CCWs, Camo Cloaks, Landspeeder Storm with Heavy Flamer
10x Scouts - Vet Sgt with CCW, CCWs, Heavy Bolter with Hellfire Shells, Camo Cloaks, Landspeeder Storm with Heavy Flamer
10x Scouts - Vet Sgt with CCW, CCWs, Heavy Bolter with Hellfire Shells, Camo Cloaks, Landspeeder Storm with Heavy Flamer

Fast Attack - 265 points
Stormtalon - Twin-linked Lascannons, Twin-linked Assault Cannon
Stormtalon - Skyhammer Missile Launcher, Twin-linked Assault Cannon

Heavy Support - 300 points
Thunderfire Cannon
Thunderfire Cannon
Thunderfire Cannon

Total 1850

Yep, that's 59 Scouts with Camo Cloaks, 3x Techmarines bolstering defenses and 3x TFC's dropping Heavy 12 S6 or S5 no-cover-save blast markers for at least two turns.

Out of the gate, 5x of the Scout Squads are set up in Combat Squads with the Snipers staying together. 4x Scout Combat Squads with Landspeeder Storms, and two Stormtalons stay in reserve, Scout squads deploy taking advantage of Scout and Infiltrate. TFC's set up wherever they want as LOS is helpful but not required. Captain on Bike deploys and ready to zip around within a moments notice to wreak havoc where needed.

Have played about a dozen games so far and haven't been disappointed. The army performed admirably, even if I am still a bit shaky on game mechanics/game play/rules.

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