Raddcliff Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 g'day g'day all As of now I have a Captain attached to a tactical squad but I really want him to have his own "retinue" of sorts. The problem arises when deciding between a 5 man sternguard squad or a 5 man command squad. The following are my ideal load-outs for either squad. Advice would be appreciated on which to field. (feel free to criticize the wargear chosen too) ========== Sternguard (5) - 170pts powerfist 3x storm bolters meltagun ===== OR ===== Command Squad (5) - 205 company champ company banner 2x lightning claws (on separate marines) powerfist meltagun ========== So we're looking at about 35pts difference. Each unit would ride in a dedicated razorback which would be fielded at approx. 50pts The Capt. is equipped with Artificer armour, storm bolter, relic blade and hellfire rounds, bringing him to 158pts Questions, queries, non-believers? -raddcliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesI Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'd go with the command squad. Much better up close. The captain doesn't want to sit back in a shooty squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ming Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Agreed, for a simple captain, take the command squad...BUT load up on power weapons and an apothecary to give them FNP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raddcliff Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Apothecary comes with Command Squad methinks So ya reckon power weapons over lightning claws? same points (15 a pop) but lightning claws give wound re-rolls and power weapons give +1 attack when paired with a pistol. powerfist is a must for tankbusting, as is the meltagun. another factor is that sternguard get all the fancy boltgun ammunition. -raddcliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waaanial00 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Sternguard dont get those fancy ammo types with Storm bolters. The main thing you want to figure out is do you want to be shooty or choppy? Very Orky terms I know but it simplifies the situation quite nicely. It makes sense to want to be flexible but usually if you try doing this you end up doing nothing well and everything averagely. For example if you want to completely mack it up for shooting then go for Sternguard and grab your Captain a Bolter and Hellfire rounds. Just dont expect them to be doing much in CC. Or alternatively grab 4 Special weapons (Plasma Guns usually) for your Command Squad, the Apothecary will keep your squad healthy whilst they plasma the heck out of anything that comes close. However if you want a choppy squad you should forget the Storm Bolter for the captain and embrace the command squad, they are by far better at assault than Sternguard because you will be wanting to use those special rounds which can only be used with Rapid Fire weapons (thus no assault). Wan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raddcliff Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Ah i see i mis-read the sternguard rules. I thought that any bolt weapon received the bonus, not just boltguns and combi bolters Fair enough, looks like the command squad is winning out so far. I really did want a level of flexibility but it appears the old saying "jack of all trades, master of none" rings very true in this case. Added that the command squad get the bonus for standard bearer and apothecary seems to make it a done deal. Cheers for all the advice fellas. Looks like i'll be purchasing a command squad in the very near future. -raddcliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giga Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Ummm, what exactly do you want your sternies and command squad to do? Sternguard with stormbolters are a bad idea. They don't get their special ammo that way. Also, if you want stormbolters, just get allied gray knights in power armor. They're far supperior to sternguard in that regard. If you want only 5 sternguard, then I think the best idea is to either make a long-ranged sternguard squad (ie. give them 2 lascannons and make them into a devastator squad lite), give them a bunch of combiweapons (depending what you want them to do), or give them two heavy flamers and use them to slaughter hordes. As for the command squad, I think you should use their ability to take lots of special weapons. Don't give them one meltagun. Give them four meltaguns, and if you wanna take the captain with them, give him a combimelta. Take the lightning claws away (use those points to give a relic blade or a pair of claws to the captain), and just keep the power fist. This way the unit becomes hugely efficient against vehicles, while at the same time remaining at 205 pts. Also, ask yourself; do you really need the company champion? I personally don't find him worth it. If you want a close-combat retinue for your captain, then put him into a LR and give him a retinue of 5 assault terminators (either all of them with th/ss, or mixes th/ss and LC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raddcliff Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 I guess i just want more protection for the Capt. as of now he hangs with a tactical squad in a drop pod, but it kind of limits him when that squad is primarily in a support role by giving him his own 5man retinue and a razorback he can efficiently maneuver around the battlefield and engage in the areas he is needed most i already have a 10man assault squad with jumppack chaplain for the bulk of the assault. the captain and retinue would be for additional support. -raddcliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron_Chaos_Brute Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I'd actually say go for a command squad, apoth, 4 plasma. You can get opportunistic kills easily ou of a razorback, the apoc reduces overheat death, and the Captain can mop up what's left in assault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty the Pyro Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 You captains Hellfire rounds also do not work in a storm bolter. As far as a chopy command squad goes I promote 4xflamer 1x fist Bearer Esentialy you burn the bajesus out of something, then you charge, your Captain relic blades at I5, your regular dudes at I4, and the fist finish it up at I1 at wich point there is rarely anything left, and it is still very cheap pointwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giga Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I guess i just want more protection for the Capt. as of now he hangs with a tactical squad in a drop pod, but it kind of limits him when that squad is primarily in a support role by giving him his own 5man retinue and a razorback he can efficiently maneuver around the battlefield and engage in the areas he is needed most i already have a 10man assault squad with jumppack chaplain for the bulk of the assault. the captain and retinue would be for additional support. -raddcliff If you want protection for the captain, then command squad is the way to go, because that way the captain gains FNP, making him all the more durable. I suggest you pick one type of special weapon and give that to all of the guys in the command squad. Plasma or melta is the best option, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popper Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 take neither. Drop the captain and take a chaplain + assault squad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warp Angel Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 The command squad is pointless if you don't have some means to get them safely into an assault. They are far more expensive than a regular marine, and not a whole lot more durable (taking into account the apothacary). That means Land Raider most of the time. And you really need to ask yourself, do you get more value out of a command squad in a land raider or a terminator squad in a land raider? If you're using razorbacks, drop pods, rhinos, or nothing, you're better off putting him with Sternguard. But if you're taking a footslogging captain of any kind, I'd argue that you probably need to evaluate a chaplain or a librarian and see if they contribute as much or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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