Bike question (count as troops)

[Ookami_81]

Hello guys,

 

Someone pointed at me that in order to count as troops when you're using a biker captain, bikers have to be 5 units strong to count as troops.

 

Question is: is it 5 BIKES or 5 BIKERS ? That's because in a low point game I tried a bike squad with three bikes and an assault bike.

 

To me, when you take a full bike squadron, and you combat squad them, you've got 5 bikes in one and 3 and an AB in the second, all troops.

 

So there's no reason not to consider 3 bikes + AB as troops if chosen like this from the start in the list. Am I right ? (But I admit that's a good way to maximise the number of resilient assault bikes in an army for fast melta purpose :) )

 

Second, the same guy tried to make me swallow that if your bike squad takes too much casualties and is less than 5 bikers/bikes at the end of the game, it cannot serve the purpose of holding or taking an objective, only contest.

 

Is this guy right or is he just a mean bike hater ?

[Allerka]

I would think it's five bikes, not bikers. I only take full-size bike squads, though, so I'm not 100% sure.

 

And bike squads, if taken as troops, are just like any other troop choice in that even a single model can hold and contest an objective, as long as he's not falling back. If he's trying to argue that they somehow become fast attack choices again by dropping below 5 bikes, then he would be wrong. They remain troops choices for the entire game.

[Ookami_81]

And bike squads, if taken as troops, are just like any other troop choice in that even a single model can hold and contest an objective, as long as he's not falling back. If he's trying to argue that they somehow become fast attack choices again by dropping below 5 bikes, then he would be wrong. They remain troops choices for the entire game.

 

That's what I thought: they cannot become fast attack, just because they may, in that way, create a illegal FOCwise army ! But I think it's thought was that less than 5 men bike squads became non operationnal. I don't see why, because "one man-sergent tac squads" are operational ! :)

 

Everybody agrees with the 5 bikes, and not bikers, limit ?

If that's the case, how do you consider a full bike squad combat squadded ? One is operational, and the other isn't ? Seems strange to me...

[ShinyRhino]

It's 5 "models" actually. So, 4 regular bikes, and one attack bike is the minimum for it to count as Troops.

 

When combat squadding, youmust buy the full 8 bike, and one attack bike. You combat squad into one 3-bike+attack bike combat squad, and another 5-bike squad. Both count as scoring down to the last model. There are no 50% rules for Space Marines. Our units claim/contest down to the last man. More thanonce I've won a game with a single biker from a combat-squadded unit parked on an objective at the final bell.

 

If it helps, think of combat squadding of bikes by # of wounds possessed by the resultant squads. Each combat squad formed has 5 wounds total.

 

The combat squad rules for bikes are on the Bike Squad page of the Codex, if you'd like to point your opponent at them.

[Allerka]

Well, if you Combat Squad a full-size unit, both become separate troops units. It's just like Combat Squads with a Tactical Squad, they become two separate units and both can claim/contest objectives. Same thing goes for bike squads as Troops (or, if they're fast attack choices in a normal army, they can still contest objectives, but not claim).

[Grey Mage]

Shinyrhino hit the nail on the head.