I need some drop pod advice

[7Thunders]

Hi! Folks.

i am in the process of building a drop pod for my crimson fists.

i really like it. :P truth be told it's giving me fits with the

Building of it.

anyways,since i am still new to the game,i was wondering what

to put into the pod.

1: should i use a 10 man sternguard squad with a libby to gate out

of trouble?

or

2: use a simple 10 man tactical squad,possibly with a chaplain,and

block fire lanes and try to mess with the opponents plans?

 

which is considered more efficient.? Oh by the way, the sternguard have

2 combi melta and 2 combi plasma (i was not about to waste those extra

Weapons that came in both of my boxes) :o

 

which leaves me with this final question: what else can you do with a drop

pod?

Are their any special tactics one can use to mess up line of sight?

Can you use them to hide behind?

thanks in advance

-7

[amberclad87]

The first drop pod you put together really sucks, but trust me it gets easier the more you build. As far as tactics go, I've found that sternguard work great in pods. Just don't bite off more than you can chew with them, all to often i've seen people drop a unit of pricey strenguard in to the middle of there opponents army, kill something, then die on the next turn. This is the tricky part with drop pods, is how you get that squad you just landed to not get blasted to bits after the initial landing. With multiple drop pods you can really block off a good section of the battlefield, they're big and also excellent to take cover behind. Ironclads work wonders in pods as do venerables. Everyone craps on the good old venerable but they are hard as hell to destroy. Plus with a BS 5 mult-melta on the landing will pop most tanks. A tactical squad is not a very good first strike unit, they don't hit nearly as hard as any of these units i've mentioned and I would only put them in a drop pod if I was doing an all pod army.

[Ming]

I agree with Amberclad. I have 3 pods and will soon go to 4. One pod mostly deploys Turn 1 10 sternguard and a libby. Their primary function is to respond to the bigger threats that occur either during deployment or in the opponents turn 1.

 

Example: Opponent delivers to my lines a ironclad and veteran squad in a fairly tight cluster. I pod in my guys; the librarian, sergeant, and 4 sternguard go after the vets with avenger and vengeance, pretty much wiping them out. In the mean time the 2 meltaguns and 2 combimeltas go after the dread, taking it down too.

 

Synergy in pod use is also important.

 

Dropping in your own dread (especially the ironclad or venerable) in front of a non-melta unit can be key towards aiding the rest of your forces to move on with their missions.

 

My 2 first wave pods have beacons, to aid calling in assault troops, vanguard, termies, or speeders. I have dropped in two sternguard squads on turn 1, in close proximity to each other, one with Pedro Kantor and the other with a librarian. The pods have deathwind, which make them a better threat to deal with too.

 

If your pod deviates bad and missdrops, it can become 4+ cover for your squad hiding behind it.

 

Overall, I guess in pod tactics, if you have just 1 or 2 pods, they are best used to deliver dreads into the enemy line rather than for troop deployment. If you have 3+, can start using them more agressively.

 

Final - In an all-pod army, using Tigurius as your libby can be important as he allows you to reroll your reserve rolls. Reading any battle reports show that typically an army that brings half its power in as reserves likely will lose. You need the ability to get them all on board quickly.

[7Thunders]

These are good suggestions. Thanks

I could probably go for having 2 pods. That way I

can save both rhinos for my tacticals.

 

i am left with a couple of questions:

 

has having a libby with the sternguard,been helpful?

for example: if things go wrong you just gate away?

 

my biggest concern is after i deploy.i dont want to loose

A expensive unit to just shoot once, and then get shredded in the

Assault phase. I have like 300 pts tied up in the group already.

+ a libby will add to that.

Any pointers on what to do in those situations,when you don't

destroy all of your opponents unit and could stand a chance to

get charged?

[Jackelope King]

These are good suggestions. Thanks

I could probably go for having 2 pods. That way I

can save both rhinos for my tacticals.

No. Never drop an even number of pods. If you can do so, drop at least 3. That way, you can drop 2 full of useful squads while a third cheap one with a bare-bones squad can come in later (I prefer an Assault Squad of 5 men sans jump packs... maybe they'll tie someone up for awhile, but they promise me my Sternguard on turn 1 if I play my Crazy Gambit list). Stack the odds in your favor. Even numbers of pods open you up to many of the same problems that Daemon armies face, and trust me: you really want to avoid those kinds of problems. Drop pods have a lot of problems built into them, so you have to jump through hoops to make them work really well.

 

In general, dropping off one or two suicide units is an expensive way to annoy your opponent a little. Unless you're dropping off a huge force (and your opponent will probably either castle up or go into reserves), you don't want "suicide units" in there. And dropping lone dreads (I don't care if they are ironclad or venerable) is a suicide tactic. Anyone worth their salt is bringing melta to the table, and you will lose those units the turn after they drop. Period. I used to love the drop pod ironclad, but the trick only works a few times. Someone at my store still swears by it, but refuses to learn from all the times I've melta'd the thing to death right after it drops.

 

If you're not going all-in with pods, you want to drop mid-field, not deep in enemy territory. Yes, you still want to ideally get some useful shots off when you come in, but you also don't want to expose your few incoming units to the whole darn enemy force. Flanks are okay, but dead-center? Avoid that. Use the pods to cut off enemy lanes of fire and movement and protect your drop-podded units. Since drop pods don't allow mobility after they come in, you need to be a little tricky to lure your opponent in, thinking he has some easy kills to scoop up. Unless you're playing Blood Angels (where Decent of Angels rocks out loud), your mobility stinks after deep striking, so you need to be smart. Between your pods, mech'd tacticals, and maybe deep striking TH/SS termies, your goal is to turn your chunk of midfield (which at first seems like an easy chunk for your enemy to take) into a nightmarish, blood-stained hell hole as you keep piling in units from your deployment zone and from reserves.

 

And don't listen to the above advice about Tigerius. His bonus to reserve rolls is mediocre at best (the Nids know how to manipulate reserves in ways Tigerius can't even fathom) and he costs a bazillion points more than he's worth. Sorry... he's just awful.

 

If you want to try a special character with this kind of force, Pedro's honestly not a bad choice, so long as you plan on combat-squadding. Stubborn 5-man squads with 3 attacks apiece are actually a real pain to deal with, and can hold the enemy pinned in place long enough for your hammer units to show up. This kind of force is one of the few times I'd give the Stubborn special rule a thumbs-up over Combat Tactics. At really high points-values, you can even cough up the points for Lysander (since you already gave up Combat Tactics for Stubborn anyway), stick him with a big unit of TH/SS termies, and watch the fun when he shows up and starts solving your problems with violence.

[pueriexdeus]

Just thought I'd add a note, have you considered the Lucius Pattern DP? FW rules Dread Assault Pod. Allows dreads to assault on the turn they land.

[Ming]

Think of pods as the tool you might need for that "surgical" strike, before using them just to delpoy scoring units. Understand what the podded unit can accomplish first. If they accomplish their mission, it can be worth it.

 

Couple of additional things I've learned in a libby-Kantor-pod world:

 

A libby with Gate and Dome can be nice...BUT dome cannot be used on the turn he drops down. Gate gives later turn mobility, if he lives to use it. Avenger or smite may be better. Regardless, the libby needs to be positioned so he can LIVE to the next turn to be more effective. Codex libbies are hampered by their spells not being viable in the opponents turn (except for dome). BA libbies are far better if you are a BA pod list.

 

Kantor can be great when podded in, but you run the risk he does not live long enough to achieve his own value. His benefits of inspiration, etc., can be game changing, but he needs to keep out of the fray as long as possible. His inspiration can help your podded marines live longer when they get assaulted.

 

So, where does that take me from here? With more tactical evaluation, it might be best for the pods to drop in with just tacticals and no characters. Have Kantor and the sternguard and libby deploy on the table as the best option (even if your originally were going to pod them - have the pod arrive empty from reserves). Then, Kantor can use up his orbital barrage turn 1, before moving up to inspire everyone else. He will need a cheap bodyguard, such as assault marines w/o packs. The libby can give value by giving dome (5+ invuln) turn 1 and gating the sternguard to a location on turn 2 (or turn 1 if an emergency develops), aided by the beacons, able to keep the dome going, or even better, having null zone starting turn 1 so those pesky deathstar units have to reroll their invuln saves as they advance on your podded units.

 

The best list with ICs dropping in pods may need to have 5 pods to be good. Turn 1 pods can be 2 resilient killer units dropping forward, with the kantor pod back out of assault range, but close enough to inspire the first line guys. The remaining pods can enter to reinforce the first wave or go for objectives. Regardless, if you have force multipliers in your list, you need to crack the concundrum of keeping them alive.

 

As for Tiggy, he has his place, especially in high point games, say 2000 and greater.

 

As for dropping pods midfield, there is a benefit of doing this that chess players know - controlling the center at the beginning of the game can be most important, tactically. That control can come from long range firepower, or from units dropped there that benefit from the 4+ cover the pods can create. On the other hand, before they drop, you need to evaluate their deployment to their mission. Can a pod of guys drop in and immediately take down a key enemy unit (such as a IG HQ or other)? May be worth the effort.