Fighting Plague Marines

[Rythlan]

Preface: I play Ultra Marines, my brother plays Chaos, my friend plays Eldar. These are the only people I have a chance to play with. We usually play 1,500 points. We play both objective and slayer games.

 

The issue: How do you deal with plague marines?

My brother (chaos) just made up an army as follows (obliterated my eldar buddy with it):

 

5 squads x (7) Plague marines - 2 x Plasma Guns, 1 Plasma Pistol

3 Rhinos

2 Princes (Lash, wings, toughness, cc weaps i think)

 

That is a lot of plague marines to fight. I generally try to make a balanced army, but don't think it will work here. I guess I would have to make a mostly tank army to fight it, but I didn't want to specialize just to kill it. Any ideas?

[minigun762]

The main thing is to deny them their FnP save, if you can do that, the rest will typically work itself out.

This means:

S8+ weapons

AP2/1 weapons

Power weapons

Rending

 

Plasma and Missile Launchers are great choices for Tactical squad, able to snipe them at range and take our their Rhinos while still being effective against the Daemon Prince. They are also good ideas for Devastators if you use them.

Dreadnoughts of any variety will work in close combat, especially if they don't have Power Fists.

Assaulting them with an Assault squad with a Power Fist Sarge and Chaplain will work, you won't get the +1 charge attack but you'll get rerolls to hit and go before them (they strike at I3).

Lightning Claw Terminators would slaughter them and hit before them.

Orbitial Strikes from your fancy Chapter Master would work.

Vindicator spamming will make short work of them and you're fairly protected against their Plasma (from the front that is)

[Imperator Mos]

Minigun nailed it. It would help if we saw what you have to work with. And... you should probably consider specializing if those are the only two lists you play against, cuz your brother has some serious cheese going on.

[HERO]

Minigun nailed it. It would help if we saw what you have to work with. And... you should probably consider specializing if those are the only two lists you play against, cuz your brother has some serious cheese going on.

 

I would only consider it cheese if the list consisted of 9+ Oblits as well ^_^

 

Otherwise, Sternguard works quite nicely against them due to the sheer number of wounds you can put onto a squad with your hellfire rounds.

 

Other than that, anything CC-related with PWs works wonders.

[Resv]

I regularly play Death Guard and I have been on the receiving end of a few really good tactics that have pushed my hand so to speak. The list that your brother is sporting lacks two important things:

 

1) Heavy Weapons, ala the be all end all greatest heavy support choice in the game, Obliterators.

and

2) CC functionality in the form of power swords or fists for Champs.

 

What this comes out to is this: your heavy armor is in no immediate danger except from his two princes, and assaulting his troops should easily go in your favor if you have a power fist or sword. HOWEVER, and I can't stress this enough, FnP is still applicable unless you use an AP 2-1 weapon or power weapons (Hint: Making a power sword one of the BEST tools around for fighting Plague Marines rather than a PF). FnP and T5 are going to make Bolters, your Marine bread and butter weapon, useless. You may hit a whole lot but you still won't wound him. Heavy weapons like Meltas or Las cannon are prefect for taking out his Rhinos and for chipping away at his Princes but won't slow down his PMs since you only take one out at a time (and that isn't always guaranteed with cover and rolling misses). Vindicators or Whirlwinds are your best best for taking out troops en-mass. Try to deny cover whenever possible, but DON'T rely on flamers. Try to soften them up with plasma pistols or twin meltas and then assaulting. Assault into cover when possible to remove your troops from the open. Yeah lash will force you to move out but if you keep his princes in danger he is more likely going to ignore your troops.

 

Multi-Melta Dreds can cause quite a problem for his Princes too if you can manage to snipe at them long enough. You may not be able to completely slow down his troops but you should be able to deal with his Princes if you focus your attacks. Chip away and then try to assault with your HQ choice, some one really scary in CC, attached to a group of CC termies or even a jump-pack-less vanguard squad that can dish out major hurt and serve as ablative wounds for your HQ.

 

Death Guard are a significant force and should rightly be feared. Taking them out is never as simple as using one spicific unit like Lightning Claw Terminators since the cost of fielding enough of them to take out 5 squads of PMs before his plasmas or princes make them useless, never rely on just elite units. PMs mitigate bolters to no more than a slight annoyance which limits your tactical squads effectiveness down to 10 bodies for a hand full of effective weapons. Combat Squads may seem like a good idea too but 5 to 7 odd isn't great, even if you have a power sword. Assault Marines are great for dealing with PMs, with their speed and being able to hop from cover to cover.

 

Hope this HUGE post helps just a little!

[Guest TheRevenant]

Most problems marines face can be solved with a liberal use of TH/SS termies. Those princes will bite it hard, as will the plague marines and rhinos.

 

Your friend also has an extreme lack of anti-armor, the only real anti-armor he has is princes. If you tie those up with termies, you could have vehicles trounce all over him.

 

Plus, his list is kinda dumb... 2 lash princes, but no vindies or defilers?!?! Let him know that he doesn't do cheese correctly.

[Resv]

Most problems marines face can be solved with a liberal use of TH/SS termies. Those princes will bite it hard, as will the plague marines and rhinos.

 

Your friend also has an extreme lack of anti-armor, the only real anti-armor he has is princes. If you tie those up with termies, you could have vehicles trounce all over him.

 

Plus, his list is kinda dumb... 2 lash princes, but no vindies or defilers?!?! Let him know that he doesn't do cheese correctly.

 

Yes most problems can be solved with a TH/SS unit but 5 squads of PMs is A LOT to take out in 6 turns with only one expensive unit effectively countering your opponent's troop choice, never rely on one unit to do all the work. I much rather throw the Termies at the princes. You are right though his list is dumb, though not as dumb as you might think. His lack of Heavy Support and CC are his biggest problems no doubt about that. His lashes though can keep troublesome units like your TH/SS termies from assault range. You think he would have at least one oblit in there or even a Vindicator though.

[Rythlan]

Thank you for all of the responses. I should have also prefaced that we just started playing again since 2nd. (and back then I was about 14 and played nids)

 

Since we have just started and pretty much play with each other, we generally don't play wysiwyg. Thus I can field whatever I want.

 

I guess what I meant when I said I didn't want to specialize is that I want to be able to fight my Eldar buddy with the same army. Thus the only thing I don't have to worry about too much is horde. I will try to make an army and present it here in the near future.

[glsn]

For the two times lash, my suggestion is Grey Knight Grand-Master with Psychic Hood, some Grey Knight Terminators for Retinue in a Land Raider. The Grand-Master's force weapon can kill the princes in one hit thanks to out dated rules, plus his psychic hood covers the whole board, again outdated rules. The Terminators have Str 6 power weapons, great for taking out Plague Marines and the Land Raider is to keep them safe from Plasma. On the turn they charge, try to move the Land Raider so that it is between the assault and the rest of the army.

 

For the Plague Marines, <_< Plasma Cannon Devastators. I have wiped out entire regular Space Marine Squads with these and to a Plasma Cannon there is no difference between a Space Marine and a Plague Marine.

 

As for not specializing, the Grand-Master will also be very useful against the Eldar. Again, because of outdated rules, his psychic hood is effective against all psychic powers, not just ones pointed at your units.