Unlucky Dreads

[Phodos]

One of my favorite looking models is the Dreadnaught, so i've been trying to work them into a list with poor results. They are always destroyed or useless before the end of turn 2.

I was wondering what peoples thoughts are on what other units i should field them with to give them a better chance of doing some good. I also dont want to use them as just a firing platform, it's just not as fun :lol:

I would just like to see one of my favorite models scare my opponent, even if just a little.

 

Any advise on a good way to use the Dread effectively and what some good backup units are (or good for the dread to back up) is welcome :lol:

[OnlyInDeath]

Well, I've always been a longtime fan of dreads (hence, having 5 in my great company). I guess the question I would raise is, how do you use them, and how do you equip them?

 

I have a few specialized roles for my dreads, and have them equipped for somewhat specific purposes.

 

a) the disruption dreads

 

These guys, and I have a pair, are equipped for very specific missions in mind.

 

Dread 1: Multimelta, stormbolter, extra armor. I throw this guy in a pod, and have him with a tank hunting mission in mind. If you have the extra points for it, venerable is even better for this dude. The idea is to drop this guy down next to a choice tank in your opponent's army and open that sucker up with a nice, close range melta shot to the side or rear. It works especially well for units that are inside of a transport (think, command squad or psychic choir for guard, and any unit in a landraider for marines). Typically, this is a unit your opponent wants well protected and they hate to see that mobility taken away. If they dont manage to pop this guy after he carries out his tank hunting job, then it's even more fun to then wade through the unit now exposed.

 

Dread 2: Twin linked heavy flamer, heavy flamer, extra armor. Again, throw this dude in a pod and use him to flush out a well entrenched foe. My favorite game with this guy was when I was playing a vet guard army. He dropped down and took out an entire squad plus a sniper squad the turn he came down, then took out a demo team the next turn. He lived to tell the tale! He's a bit of a suicide drop, but man, the havok he can wreak and the amount of firepower he draws from the rest of your army is well worth it! plus, it's a good way to get a deathwind on the table long enough to shoot as most people worry about the dread, not the pod. for about 200pts, that is well paid distraction!

 

Long range support:

 

Dread 3: TLLC, missile launcher, extra armor. While it may not be fun to sit back and take pot shots with a dread, this dude has rarely let me down. He tends to draw a lot of fire, but not die. And his tank hunting specialty can't be ignored. He's great for sitting off on an edge of a battlefield and providing one helluva distraction to boot. It's a great way to get extra firepower into your army without taking up a heavy support slot.

 

Dread 4: TLLC, heavy flamer, CCW, extra armor. This dread is a combination of fire support and back line support. If you have a unit sitting back, such long fangs, this guy is their best friend. Capable of popping open advancing transports, and then tearing through the units inside, he's not to be ignored. Not to mention, he's great against outflanking units that try to get at your longfangs. Again, a great support role dread, both long and short range.

 

Short range support.

 

Dread 5: Nothing better than the old Bjorn loadout for this guy. AC, heavy flamer, extra armor. He is a wonderful model to keep in reserve, then to have rush out and meet that advancing wave of enemies. Able to hold his own in close combat, especially after significantly softening up most units, he has been a mainstay of my army for years. It's never a bad idea to throw this dread into a pod as well for some general mayhem in your opponent's lines, and it's a good way to get him up the board and into effective range intact.

 

Now, the reason that I suggest a role for your models is to not have them blundering about and getting shot to pieces. Having the bjorn loadout lumbering up a table in support of your faster assault squads typically means that he's just a tempting target for your opponent's heavy support to take him out of the game before he gets close. Likewise, sitting back with a dread all game with no role in mind means that you just wasted a decent chunk of points that could have been used elsewhere. Always consider what role you would like your dread to play, then determine if that role warrants upgrades, or if it will be more of a sacrificial role intended to distract your opponent from the real threat advancing into his face. Any time you can divide your enemy's fire, it's never a bad thing. And you'd be surprised at the survivability of a "sacrificial" dread if you use terrain and the pod itself to shield your walker from incoming heavy fire. Remember, that pod all of a sudden is a source of a nifty 4+ cover save! Also, if you have multiple pods coming down, this will further make your opponent choose the worse of the evils he faces. Food for thought!

 

So remember, what's your loadout, what's your plan?

[Beef]

I have a feeling the OP wants what i want out of my dreads which is to wade into CC and just kick ass. Unfortunatky CC is one of the worst places for dread especially against hidden fists etc.

[OnlyInDeath]

Very true Beef. Dreads are only good in CC if there is no way to take them out. Hidden fists can be pesky as hell (granted, they still need to hit, typically on a 4+ and need another 4+ to glance. still, annoying), and you never have enough attacks on a dread to truly wade through opposing infantry. However, dreads are built for tactical support. They shoot well, they assault decently, and they can take a beating having better-than-transport armor. However, this does mean that typically they do not excel in any one aspect. Again, by making a dread with a specialty in mind, you can get the most bang for your buck.

[Phodos]

Thanks for the reply :lol: I normally try the AC/HF Dread in a pod. I hadnt even considered the double flamer... I think that one might be some fun.

Now i just need to figure out some other tasty bits for my opponent to fire at instead of the dread without taking a LR lol

[clanfield]

i find the twin heavy flamer dccw hvy flamer in a pod to be good and he wades well last bout he had a 30 strong ork mob all by his self

i also find a multi melta dccw stalking the flanks is also good he normaly gets ignored

[Tsavong Lah]

I have a feeling the OP wants what i want out of my dreads which is to wade into CC and just kick ass. Unfortunatky CC is one of the worst places for dread especially against hidden fists etc.

 

Yeah... time to pick up Warmachine on the side, eh? :)

[TiguriusX]

The secret to success is extra armor + venerable

 

I did a post on this a while back (short on time right now...will try and edit a link in later) but that investment is like giving your Wolf lord a 2++ storm shield.

 

If you are a gearhead and need multiple dreads then you should go for the luxury package and include a RP for storm caller (you just turned your normal dreads into mini-bjorns using the cover save as additional protection at range)

 

Roadside service requires an IP + servitors. When you use venerable and get a weapon destroyed just accept it and repair on a 2+ the next turn

 

*EDIT*

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...iusx++venerable

 

I will use the same numbers and odds but put it in terms of an armor save to emphasize how much better a venerable is

 

Spending 60pts to obtain a reroll on the damage chart gives you an 88% chance to survive a succesful hit + penetrate (they need to roll 5+ twice in a row to "kill" you. There are only 4 possible ways to do that with 2d6 5-5 or 5-6 or 6-5 or 6-6. That means 32/36 times you survive)

 

If this were a normal infantry man it would be SUPERIOR to a 2+ invulnerable armor save (5/6 is only 83%)

 

I think 60pts for a 2+ invulnerable armor save is worth it...the codex tosses in +WS/BS as a bonus

 

If you run a dread...upgrade to venerable status. It is WORTH the cost.

 

Calling it a superior 2+ invulnerable may give you a different perspective on things

[Elahir]

I use the basic dreads to pin expensive units in CC with little to no chances of harming him (Sanguinor has suffered it many times ^^). I don't mind if the dread is a slow killer in CC, if with 100 points I can pin 200+ points I'll be happy.

[Chalx the grey]

I use normally a couple of dreads in my list, on of them sometines upgraded tro Bjorn to free an elite slot (and for the kicks, of course).

 

A light mech list is what best compliments dreads, since they are in the same AV range and thus the enemy has too many armoured targets. Of course IG can do this better but it is easy to get 6-7 AV hulls at 1500 pts. This does not mean your droppodding melta dread will survive, but as someone saif before while the opponent is deciding between shooting that dread, or the vindicator, your grey hunters' rhino is about to hit the enemy lines!

[Rofugos]

Try the twin-autocannons setup and you will be hooked ;)

[Ladislao]

I have a feeling the OP wants what i want out of my dreads which is to wade into CC and just kick ass. Unfortunatky CC is one of the worst places for dread especially against hidden fists etc.

 

 

Ando sometime the CC is a bad place for a dreddy even if nothing can harm him... just think being charge by 20-30 guard with a commisar in it... the dreddy will be unusefull of the rest of the game

[nurglez]

yes but on the other hand that 30man squad is tied up by your dread ;)

 

I like the rifleman dread (2 twin autocannons), and also the bjorn load out i go for is the plasma cannon one, as plasma cannon's are nice :)

 

I'm aiming to try out a 4 dread army at some point, just because we can, will be bjorn with a plasma cannon, a rifleman, and then a few others, probably with plasma cannons too, while a twin las in nice, i'd rather mount my heavy weapons on long fangs or rely on melta to pop vehicles ;)

[Stormshrug]

I like to use 'balanced' Dreadnoughts - a good ranged weapon (Plasma Cannon, Assault Cannon, Multi-Melta) and a CC weapon with a Heavy Flamer. Then, I have them advance while firing. If they reach CC, great - if not, they have a powerful ranged weapon, so either way, they do damage.

 

As people have mentioned, Venerable is almost always worthwhile for Dreadnoughts who you plan to send into CC. Make sure to buy a Wolftooth Necklace, too, since you need to make those attacks connect.

 

I will say, though, that even though I really like Dreadnoughts, and actually have a 6-Dread Space Marines list for the heck of it, I don't field one against overwhelming firepower (Tau or Fire Dragon-based Eldar) or Monstrous Creature spam.

 

Given what my opponents like to field, this means Venerable Brother Steelmane doesn't get as much battlefield action as I imagine he'd like.

 

-Stormshrug