Sternguard Veterans

[SamaNagol]

You can't min/max a squad of a set size.

 

You cannot effectively determine their value unless you compare them to other choices in the codex. So bringing up Honour Guard is very relevant to the discussion.

 

You have a good point re: the heavy flamers along with the poison rounds. Both have good uses. I would say that if you are looking to use SternGuard to deliver Melta or Plasma you are absolutely better off running Honour Guard.

 

5 man SternGuard with 2 Melta and 2 Combi-Melta is 145pts

Honour Guard with 4 Melta is 145pts

 

In that role the Honour Guard will out perform the SternGuard.

 

The real downside of taking SternGuard in the BA dex is there is no way to make them scoring. That is an INCREDIBLY good ability available to codex marines. So the issue becomes what will their role be as a support unit. Mid range firepower or alpha strike anti armour unit. We have already established that the anti-armour role is done better by the Honour Guard, so the mid range firepower would be the role that SternGuard would sit in.

 

Is that something that you really feel you need for your BA force? Or do you want to use them because they are cool? I'd build some SternGuard with Heavy Flamers in the unit because they just look really cool!

 

In a large army, 1850+, I can see a role for running 10 SternGuard in a Raven with 2 Heavy Flamers, 4 Combi-Melta and 4 Comb-Plasma in a Storm Raven with a Blood Talon Furioso to hit the enemy's flanks. That will pretty effectively wipe a table corner clean.

[Drachnon]

While I always like comparing stuff I do find a bit hard for the Sternguard with Honour guard. Honour guard have the build in priest which is always awesome and the ability to field pretty much any combination of special weapons on 4 models giving them superior survivability overall and better in specializing in a certain task. Sternguard can be fielded in squads of 10 and IMO their special ammo makes them better against a variety of targets (dragonfire vs soft targets in cover, vengeance against marines, hellfire against MC's and kraken for a bit more range then normal bolters) even without special weapons.

 

I really think such a comparison would end up in personal preference.

 

Anyways back to the topic of Sternguard anyways else have good ideas of fielding them?

I think so far people mentioned SR, Rhino and drop pods. Anyone have experience with fielding them without transports? I do feel that they should use transports as getting them in rapid fire range seems to be worth it.