Drop Pods or Rhinos

[Bradskey]

I can't decide to drop all my troops onto the battle field or use a rhino, what do you people think is the best choice

 

Thanks in advance ;)

 

NOTE: Yes, I did search for this and couldn't find anything

[Grey Mage]

I like to do both.... Mech/drop pod is a nice combo. Lets you get ther NOW if you want to, and support yourself quickly.

[The_Betrayed_Spacewolf]

well pod allows more people to land so you can have a ful squad and a pack leader and even an hq if you want.

 

my favorite drop is a grey hunter with pack leader and a rune priest/ wolf priest/ battle leader

 

get as much plasma, 4 plasma pistols, 1 plasma gun= 6 dead anything or at least close to it.

[saphius]

Pods with Heavy Support tanks on the board, Fast attack, and the occasional razorback. My favorite anyway.

[lunchb0x]

I love rhinos and razorbacks...Id put dreads in a pod...but for the most part...treads. Plus it gets too hot, you can hp in the tread and get the ++++ out of there :P

[Wolf Guard Hengist]

I tried an all Pod army last week against Tau, I lost the roll and he elected for me to go first he then held his entire army in reserve. When first turn came I dropped the first half of my Pods onto an empty battlefield. Although I was able to set up un opposed for me I lost a bit of the edge that a pod gives you by not having any targets. He then brought his Mechanised troops on board and I struggled to keep pace with my now foot slogging troops. I think from now on I will keep my lists Mech/Drop.

[Grey Mage]

How big a board were you on man?

[Wolf89]

I KNOW pods are better for certain lists, and I KNOW rhinos are better for other lists. As for which is best for you, well post an army list and we'll see what you come up with.

 

A general thing though is if you're going with pods, to have multiple (at least 3) of them, and normally terminators are the best choice as well to have in a pod (even at 1750) but especially grey hunters, lots of them. 2 plasma pistols are a must and as much firepower as you can pack in there, so you get close, and you ARE the best close range firing troop out there for space marines.

 

I've recently gone strictly with tracks though, it poses some nice opportunities for me and it's a bit more tactical.

[Lord Ragnarok]

I think you can do great things with both with 5th ed. and the new SM transport rules. I've never tried rhinos (I started the game in pods, lots of pods :whistling: ) I think now, you cand do well with mix, all pods, mostly mech/rhinos.

 

Like Wolf 89 stated. If you do pods do three or just one to take advantage of the ability to pod in on the 1st turn.

[Grey Mage]

Anyone else notice that a rhino these days get a storm bolter, and then can take another on top of it?

[muzzyman1981]

Yup yup....one of the great things about us getting the Rhino from C:SM =P Almost everything now gets a Storm Bolter =D

[Bradskey]

well, I think I might go with pods, but I'm still very indecisive :ph34r: :lol: :lol:

[Ranulf_Nightrunner]

I know what you mean, it's very easy to be indecisive, do you run drop pods, or Rhinos, or even reduced squads with Razorbacks?!

 

A mix is probably the best way to go, otherwise you rely on luck of the dice to get your pods in, which is not something i ever like to rely on!

[xXwarsmithXx]

Both. They are the same point cost. The scenario and who depends, and thats what make me decide,

[muzzyman1981]

I know what you mean, it's very easy to be indecisive, do you run drop pods, or Rhinos, or even reduced squads with Razorbacks?!

 

A mix is probably the best way to go, otherwise you rely on luck of the dice to get your pods in, which is not something i ever like to rely on!

 

Quite right, in my first game of this last weekend my two Drop Pods (which had my Wolf Priest and Ragnar and their GH packs) didn't come in till the 4th turn which let my opponent pick off my first stuff pretty easily.

 

Second and third game they came in just fine though but it's a calculated risk that lets you see how they deploy and be able to take them on your terms.

[Ragnars Claw]

I tried an all Pod army last week against Tau, I lost the roll and he elected for me to go first he then held his entire army in reserve. When first turn came I dropped the first half of my Pods onto an empty battlefield. Although I was able to set up un opposed for me I lost a bit of the edge that a pod gives you by not having any targets. He then brought his Mechanised troops on board and I struggled to keep pace with my now foot slogging troops. I think from now on I will keep my lists Mech/Drop.

 

Thats why i am switching from all pods. I think more and more people will switch onto the weakness in an all podding army and weaken the build significantly.

[Wolf89]

Well it's not so much that they're building lists to go against pod/deep striking armies, it's that they've built up tactics against those lists. Ever face a ravenwing list where you used all pods against?... they learn really fast to turbo boost each turn for those saves... much like the tau have learned to hold stuff in reserve (unless it's chaos daemons... then they like to be on the board).

 

With Ramming being something everyone wants to do (orks can't get enough I tell you), and more and more tables getting roads, I've been using Rhinos more often now.

 

I would recommend drop pods though for a new player, they're not hard to use, you can't really make a screw up with them, and they're nice cheap models that have a lot of crap that come with them to get you practicing building vehicles. Less rules to deal with (tank shock, ramming, etc.) and it's one of the best transports for wolves who excel at close range fire and fight.

[Grey Mage]

Besides..... Im in the camp that doesnt open up all the doors of their pods... just one or two. With a decent run after deployment its not hard to pod in with a good coversave or out of line of sight.

 

Ill also note... who cares if they are in reserve? Drop your pods in anyways, as close to the table edge as seems sane, and try to block off large swaths of the table edge. Then just advance your boys from Your table edge, at a nice run, and take cover. Now when the tau walk in they have nothing to shoot at, except these drop pods that tower over them.

 

Remember... you dont have to deploy in a dedicated transport, and if your enemy says they are keeping most everything in reserve just deploy your army as normal and go from there. No problem.

[WolfLordLars]

Mix them up. Posting a list helps.

[Wolf Guard Hengist]

Dont get me wrong the "hold everything in reserve thing" hasnt put me off using pods. I think I'll be keeping my Grey Hunters and Blood Claws in Rhinos as its what I am used to and I think I get best value out of them. The only unit I will take a pod for every time is my WolfGuard, I use the Para mentality of hold until relieved with them. Drop them into a good position and create havoc while the rest of the army advances, I know they aren't everyones cup of tea but i cant resist taking my WGBL and his drinking buddies.

[Grimfoe]

I know what you mean, it's very easy to be indecisive, do you run drop pods, or Rhinos, or even reduced squads with Razorbacks?!

 

A mix is probably the best way to go, otherwise you rely on luck of the dice to get your pods in, which is not something i ever like to rely on!

 

Quite right, in my first game of this last weekend my two Drop Pods (which had my Wolf Priest and Ragnar and their GH packs) didn't come in till the 4th turn which let my opponent pick off my first stuff pretty easily.

 

Second and third game they came in just fine though but it's a calculated risk that lets you see how they deploy and be able to take them on your terms.

 

This is why I use rhinos. I just painted three, one for each GH squad. I know when they're coming and I can better control where they are going. Most importantly, I can disembark and assault without being shot.

 

Once the squad is out, I can use the rhinos to tank shock and ram. This tends to draw a considerable amount of anti-tank fire that my opponent should really direct elsewhere.

[Wolf89]

This is why I use rhinos. I just painted three, one for each GH squad. I know when they're coming and I can better control where they are going. Most importantly, I can disembark and assault without being shot.

 

Once the squad is out, I can use the rhinos to tank shock and ram. This tends to draw a considerable amount of anti-tank fire that my opponent should really direct elsewhere.

You can assault if the rhino didn't move, but I think that's what you meant anyways, because after you talk about moving the rhino and tank shocking some others. Exactly what I do. ;) Most of the time it's get out and rapid fire stuff to death then receive a charge, but sometimes I'm caught where it's best if I charge.

 

The other thing about drop pods is they're open topped, and immobile, so it's only a matter of time before they become destroyed or assaulted and can't do anything. This is also why I'm steering away from those new drop pods with assault cannons and whatnot, even though Omar can't get enough of his AC fix. :P

 

Have you looked at my thread Grimfoe? I painted up 3 rhinos for my GH squads, and specialized them for each HQ that's joined them. :D

[Venter_Of_Russ]

Generally speaking, I keep a huge pack of blood claws in a land raider, and then pod everything else.

 

The biggest and most inexplicably unsung aspect of drop pods? The ability to place it next to an enemy squad without worrying about scattering into them. Heavy flamers suddenly become death sentences.

 

The next most overlooked factor of pods? The ability to drop dreadnaughts on top of them. I usually like to drop 1 venny and 1 ironclad on their head on the first turn, with multimelta on the venny and heavy flamers instead of storm bolters on both. If they have any important tanks, those die first, after that I just look for squads to flame... plus with the back to the pod, odds are you'll get hull down saves if anyone tries to get the dread's rear armor.

[Grimfoe]

Have you looked at my thread Grimfoe? I painted up 3 rhinos for my GH squads, and specialized them for each HQ that's joined them. :D

 

I have. I like that a lot. Sadly, I had already begun to specialize the painting on my rhinos for the GH squads (matching pack markings, etc.

 

I like the way you did it.

[Master Of Malfeasance X]

I don't play space wolves, but I play against space wolves a lot, and my principle SW player is constantly hamstrung by wonky reserve rolls, owns rhinos and continues to use drop pods. I wonder if he's that stubborn because he plays space wolves, or if he plays space wolves because he is that stubborn.

 

In any case, I think the Rhino is a much more elegant approach to warfare for any army. All of your opponents basic weapons (the bulk of the weapons that will produce casualties amongst your troops simple bounce off) and then after it gets where it's going, you can still use it to chase people off the board, block LOS (for infantry, anyway) tank shock, pick off survivors, funnel charges, and generally be a nuisance to your opponent as opposed to a kill point he can pick off at his leisure.