If you HAD to use Vanguard Veterans...

[thade]

Thanks for all the responses, folks. What I was really trying to go for here is an alternative to the LR/Assault Terminator combo in the form of a jump squad, and while a lot of these suggestions are definitely interesting - not to mention viable - it ultimately looks like that I'll either have to go with said combo, settle for a Heroic Intervention Vanguard unit and stick my (intended) assault-oriented HQ elsewhere, or else shell out a ton of points on a unit that would in all probability not survive to kill its worth.

 

Depressing.

 

In my Vanguard's first game, they routed three fire warrior squads, a Tau command squad, and a squad of battle suits off of the table in the course of two turns. They cost me 270 points and definitely earned their keep there. Three of them survived the entire game. I won this game because of them, and the Sweeping Advance rule.

 

In another game they ate a Demon Prince and a Plague Marine squad in one round of combat, and the DP had Warp Time up. I only lost two members of the squad in that battle. My one power sword model actually hit and wounded four times on the charge, killing four plague marines himself.

 

The squad took down two Chimeras while my counts-as Calgar cut a third off, preventing my IG opponent from contesting my objectives and winning me a game.

 

Assault Terminators are cheaper, I'll grant you that. I didn't choose to play Vanguard because they're most cost effective. I chose them for diversity. Everybody at my club who runs marines runs Assault Termies. They seemed too easy to me, so I went something different. They probably won't ever win me a tournie (believe me, I'll post here if they do) but I really do enjoy them a lot.

[Captain Idaho]

I love Honor Guard. If I could field them without a Chapter Master, I wouldn't even be asking about Vanguard. Unfortunately, I don't build with a pure, precise competitiveness; fluff has to enter into it somewhere, and I just can't reconcile the master of a Space Marine chapter going for a 1500 point small-scale walk in the woods with a rare, extremely valuable Land Raider and five of his closest, most badass buddies. Given my chapter's assault theme, though, Vanguard can make it in. I've tooled up some Command Squads for CC in prospective lists, but they just don't match the killing power of HG with a banner.

 

Grey Mage got it right it's quite easily done to justify using a Master in an army.

 

1st the 1,500pts army is representive of a large engagement anyway, so size doesn't matter.

 

2nd a Chapter Master goes to war as often as a Space Marine Captain (just about at least), as that is a Space Marines job!

 

3rd there are many Masters within a Chapter, and the Chapter Master entry in the army list can be thought of as a Chapter Master, not the Chapter Master ;)

 

So go for Honour Guard! I will get round to writing my Tactica on using Honour Guard, just as soon as I catch up on my painting ready for the GT later this month!

[Sternguard sergeant McColl]

I use plain vanguard, maybe a PF, in a rhino, much like blood claw rush. At higher points levels you can add casius or pedro for many more hits.