2 x TLAC on dreads

[Jackelope King]

For those that use rifleman dreads. What do your lists look like? and why do you have them? Do you mind the loss of elite choices? Why is a rifleman a better choice some other selection?

You're way off on your analysis of Mechdar, but if I haven't convinced you already, that's for another thread, so...

 

I use 3x Riflemen Dreads alongside 3x Dakka Predators in my 1750 point Biker list, adding 3x Typhoon Speeders in my 2000 point version. My other options for the Elites slots are...

• Assault Terminators in a Land Raider... a very pricey choice that's actually pretty slow... my Biker command squad is a more reasonably-priced solution (it's sad to say).
  
• Sternguard in a transport of some kind... great anti-infantry, but running bikers, I'm already pretty set in terms of close-ranged anti-infantry.
  

What pure bikers do lack is first-turn pressure, which is where a firebase comes in. 9 Autocannons (and 6 Krak Missiles at 2000 or 12 krak missiles at 2500) firing on turn 1 is nice first-turn pressure to keep the enemy off-balance while my Bikers spend turn 1 closing.

[Ookami_81]

3 rifleman dreads + 3 typhoons + 3 dakka preds !!!

 

That's hell of a volume firing firebase ! What do you use this for ? Do you face horde armies most of the time, like Nids or Orks ?

 

I play much like you a biker list + firebase, but the firebase is much tinier ! Isn't those 3 units together an overkill ? It seems to me there is not much things standing in front of your bikers afetr a salvo or two of all this, except heavy infantry and heavy armour.

 

No transports, no packed hordes of light infantry, no bikes, no JP infantry...

 

If you use a death star biker command squad with a good biker captain and regular bikers, one for heavy everything, the other for heavy tanks and infantry remnants sweeping, it should be quite impressive !

 

Do you use MM ABs squadrons as fast melta ?

 

It's fun, your list is like the "gorka morka buildup" for orks: a biker (fast) hammer and a high-volume med-power firebase anvil !

 

Can you give us your full army list, say at 2500 pts ?

[Jackelope King]

3 rifleman dreads + 3 typhoons + 3 dakka preds !!!

 

That's hell of a volume firing firebase ! What do you use this for ? Do you face horde armies most of the time, like Nids or Orks ?

Nope. Most of my opponents have figured out how to mech up by now, but I need to pump out the Glances and Pens on Chaos Rhinos, Blood Angel Rhinos, Codex: Space Marines Rhinos, Mechdar in general, and still be able to put holes reliably in Tyranid MCs without losing the ability to deal with swarms and clear the squishy human shields from around the Hybrid IG player's tanks. My group has more or less caught up with how 5th Edition plays: mobility wins games, and denying mobility is key.

Do you use MM ABs squadrons as fast melta ?

Nah. My normal bike squads pack 2x meltaguns with a MM attack bike attached for additional weight of fire. That gives me plenty of melta to deal with heavy armor and what light armor remains, as well as enough high S low AP shots to take out really heavy infantry and finish of MCs reliably.

Can you give us your full army list, say at 2500 pts ?

Here's 2000, as the 2500 list is still under construction (though it'll likely wind up going more for durability at 2500 points, bumping up the size of the Biker squads and adding a librarian on a bike as opposed to adding a second Biker command squad).

 

HQ

Captain Al'Daraja (Bike, Relic Blade)

Command Squad Batal Al'Hafiz (5x Bikes, 4x Meltaguns, 4x Storm Shields, 3x Lightning Claws, 1x Thunder Hammer)

 

Troops

Bike Squad Al'Aswas (1x Sergeant, 1x Twin-Linked Bolters, 2x Melta, 1x MM Attack Bike)

Bike Squad Khat Kassara (1x Sergeant, 1x Twin-Linked Bolters, 2x Melta, 1x MM Attack Bike)

Bike Squad Al'Aysar Yad (1x Sergeant, 1x Twin-Linked Bolters, 2x Melta, 1x MM Attack Bike)

 

Elites

Dreadnought Fulad Jabbar (2x Twin-Linked Autocannons)

Dreadnought Hadid Jabbar (2x Twin-Linked Autocannons)

Dreadnought Ijlal Jabbar (2x Twin-Linked Autocannons)

 

FA

Land Speeder Squadron Badiya Rih (1x Skimmer, 1x Heavy Bolter, 1x Typhoon-Pattern Missile Launcher)

Land Speeder Squadron Badiya Shams (1x Skimmer, 1x Heavy Bolter, 1x Typhoon-Pattern Missile Launcher)

Land Speeder Squadron Badiya Samaa (1x Skimmer, 1x Heavy Bolter, 1x Typhoon-Pattern Missile Launcher)

 

HS

Predator Silah Al'Dahka (Autocannon, Heavy Bolter Sponsons)

Predator Alk'Lahm Al'Dahka (Autocannon, Heavy Bolter Sponsons)

Predator Makhluq Al'Dahka (Autocannon, Heavy Bolter Sponsons)

[Ookami_81]

Impressive... Most impressive...

 

What surprises me though is that you use small bike squads with no hidden power fists. Are your sergeants naked ?

 

You seem to use them just as fast melta delivery system + exterminating very much weared down infantry.

 

Also you don't have any lascan in your army, did you choose dakka preds over combipreds just for points matter ?

I'm aware they are not mandatory, since you've got autocannons and a lot of melta, but I find them usefull most of the time.

Not even a tiny TLLC + ML dread to go with your riflemen ?

[Jackelope King]

Impressive... Most impressive...

 

What surprises me though is that you use small bike squads with no hidden power fists. Are your sergeants naked ?

They're naked, other than at 1750, where I can usually give one or two of them combi-meltas. This basically ensures that whatever heavy armor the bike squad targets will die. The squads have to be small-ish from 1750 to 2000 points just to get enough squads on the table. The alternative at 2000 points is two 8-man biker squads plus an attack bike, and then combat squadding them as needed, but I'd only need that against very heavy enemy shooting. Sometimes I wish I had bigger squads against my friend's hybrid IG, but I'm not about to change up an all-comers list just for one type of opponent. Against that sort of list, it all comes down to whether or not I can get a charge off on turn 2 to avoid his fire.

 

You seem to use them just as fast melta delivery system + exterminating very much weared down infantry.

Even though it's a small number of bolters, they're deceptively powerful. I thought the same thing about a LR Crusader until I tried it out, and then realized how nasty twin-linking Bolters can be. And when you stick them on a relentless platform, you're going to be able to get into rapid-fire range most of the time. Then multiply their firepower by whatever squads didn't spend their melta popping the transport, and you've probably got the concentrated firepower of two tactical squads rapid-firing. They're clean-up to be certain, but pretty effective at it.

 

Also you don't have any lascan in your army, did you choose dakka preds over combipreds just for points matter ?

I'm aware they are not mandatory, since you've got autocannons and a lot of melta, but I find them usefull most of the time.

Not even a tiny TLLC + ML dread to go with your riflemen ?

Las Cannons are, in general, expensive to put on the field, and their rate of fire stinks. So to be reliable with them, with few exceptions, you need a lot of them. Sure, it'd be nice to have that extra S9 shot around some days (see the above Hybrid Guard... getting a lucky Wrecked result on a lone las cannon shot against one of those Leman Russes would be awesome). You can squeeze some into a 2500 point biker list (you can still by a transport for Command Squads on bikes, and if you already have a nice armor saturation, people tend to ignore Las/Plas razorbacks), but I'm comfortable enough to rely on fast melta to deal with heavy armor and autocannons and missiles against light armor.

[DarkGuard]

For those that use rifleman dreads. What do your lists look like? and why do you have them? Do you mind the loss of elite choices? Why is a rifleman a better choice some other selection?

 

At the moment I'm getting into using a slightly different list to my old Half Company, so still early days and changing things around.

 

What I use is a Librarian, 9 man Sternguard Squad with PF and heavy flamers, Tactical Squad with meltagun, MM and PF, both of these are in Rhinos. Another Tactical Squad with flamer and plasma cannon in Razorback and a small Scout Squad with meltabombs. Then two Vindicators alongside rifleman Dread, Land Speeder Typhoon, with 2 MM ABs.

 

Basically I have two sets of melta, one of them faster than the other, able to engage big targets up close. I also have a Typhoon and rifleman sitting back for long-ranged fire support against transports. Basically the Dread and Speeder bust pen transports for my Vindicators, Sternguard and plasma cannon squad to deal with, while the MM ABs and meltagun squad go after tanks in the backfield or Land Raiders etc.

 

Works ok, means I can deal with tanks where I want, either up close or far away.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

For those that use rifleman dreads. What do your lists look like? and why do you have them? Do you mind the loss of elite choices? Why is a rifleman a better choice some other selection?

 

Nope, because I run a Master of the Forge. I take four or five dreads and still have room for jello.

[DerekLee688]

My list is in a state of flux, but the base list is as follows.

 

HQ

Librarian-neat(nakid)

 

Troops

10xTac+Flamer+ML+PF

+Land Riader

 

10xTac+MG+PC

 

Sternguardx10

+Rhino

 

Rifle Dread

Vindi

2-4 Typhoons in various squadron configurations

 

The foot tac squad, Dread, vindi, and Land Raider usualy travel as a battle line,the vindi having both flanks obsured. 6" is a slow advance but everybody can fire and hasn't been a problem yet.

[Nougat]

I'd really like to get at least one Rifleman dread in my army, as they sound deliciously effective and even look quite cool. The trick is finding room in my Elites slots. I already have one other dreadnought that drop pods into battle, and a Terminator squad. For the other slot, I'm torn between Sternguard and a Rifleman... If only I played Blood Angels. I never use all my Heavy Support slots for some reason.

 

hmmm - mech eldar have alot of good str multi shot weaponry with most ranges being 36' for these weapons. I am finding it very hard to find any marine weapons of a similar profile.. I fail to see how a rifleman or three will bring eldar to a range CLOSER than 30 inches. It will be easy to neutralise your riflemen at this range for eldar given their amount of high str multi shot weaponry on highly mobile platforms.. The down side is that all your vindicators, MM speeders are STILL out of range. You now have to come out from your 'castle' (which is the worse tactic to use against mech eldar) to engage. If marines could have multishot weapons at range 36, I might agree. But for us, it is 48' or 24 or less. 48' still works at 24' so thats where I want to be - bringing them to 30 inches is not good enough.

As a former Eldar player, I can say Autocannons are pretty scary with all the expensive 4+ save Aspect Warriors and AV 10-12 skimmers that most Eldar armies have. The fact that Rifleman dreads can be killed quickly if the Eldar focus on them doesn't mean they aren't effective. They have to expend effort to do so, at the expense of killing something else. You don't have to "castle" to use long range support elements like Riflemen or Predators, just have them hang back in some cover and snipe targets while the rest of your army advances.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Right, so you have open Heavy slots. Do you have a spare HQ slot? If so, take a bare-bones Master of the Forge and then you can fill a Heavy slot with the Rifleman and still slot in your Sternguard. You can keep the MotF with the Rifleman to repair any Weapon Destroyed or Immobilized results.

[pueriexdeus]

I've been following this topic since the start. Why you might ask, because I'll be fielding 20+ dreads in an Apoc battle this August. My force will be 18,000 points of Deathwing so the Dreads are all Venerable.

 

Right now my load out is:

 

DA Ven, AC/DCCW

Chappi, PC/DCCW

Ven Dread, as a Libbie MM/DCCW or as Furioso.

 

3X AC/DCCW

3X PC/DCCW

3X MM/DCWW

3X Mortis, (Riflemen) 1X TLHB, 2X TLAC. Soon to be 4X TLAC

4X TLLC/ML, soon to be 3

1X Ironclad

1X Technought

 

Here are the links. 1, 2 for the pics.

 

Am dropping the TLHB Mortis, and the 4th TLLC/ML and adding another 2X TLAC for 4X TLAC Mortis Dreads. I came to this conclusion after following this thread. I've waffled on the PC/ML Dread spam and have decided not.

 

The anticipated opponent will be Orks.