Assault Terminator Tactics?

[UltraSpartan]

So I just bought my first squad of Assault Terminatos, but I'm not sure what the best tactics for them are. The majority of oppenents I fight are orks, nids (not nidzilla), and imperial guard (heavy mech). What is your favorite way of deploying/ using your terminators?

[Elric the Silvercoat]

So I just bought my first squad of Assault Terminatos, but I'm not sure what the best tactics for them are. The majority of oppenents I fight are orks, nids (not nidzilla), and imperial guard (heavy mech). What is your favorite way of deploying/ using your terminators?

Alot of people will tell you TH/SS all the way because its more survivalable and can kill alot of things. What are your HQs in the army?

[thade]

(I can't believe I'm going to say this, so let me preface it with the following fact: I do not own a single painted assault terminator with a thunder hammer or a storm shield on it.)

 

The defacto way to field assault terminators is with TH/SSs. A 5+ unit of them is the hardest-to-kill straight up marine unit in the game. And there is basically nothing they can't kill. The are a very easy unit to play with; you can literally throw them at anything and they will very likely kill it and come out okay.

 

That said, some people mix-and-match with 2x Lit Claw terminators so they get some I4 attacks and aren't exclusively swinging last.

 

The following advice is modelling (not tactical, really) but will help you in determining what kind of unit you best like without getting you stuck with one you don't; get the most out of your models!

 

Were I in your shoes, I would dremel the TDA bodies and magnetize the arms so you can choose which weapons to use when. You could also use a pin-vice and pin them, but I personally prefer magnets. Then you can decide each time you build a list on which load out you want.

 

Alternatively, you can use a tiny tiny drop of glue to adhere the arms, making it easy to pop them off. This is a lot of wear-and-tear, so I don't recommend it...but it's doable. Some people use blue stuff for a temporary glue. You could actually proxy them as all TH/SS at first to see if you like it. <_<

[voi shet magir]

So I just bought my first squad of Assault Terminatos, but I'm not sure what the best tactics for them are. The majority of oppenents I fight are orks, nids (not nidzilla), and imperial guard (heavy mech). What is your favorite way of deploying/ using your terminators?

 

I have used a unit several times. I haven't bothered with a land raider. They are cheap, without accessories like transport or hq, and can teleport in when the opponent is already committed. Close combat is a way to push units around, it is not usually worth the time to just steamroll everything.

 

This is even true against those horde armies you mentioned. They haven't got much that can deal with a land raider, but they are coming to you anyway, so skip the transport and put the termies in deep strike (or normal reserve, given favorable deployment) A minority share of lighting claws will somewhat mitigate terminators' problems with orks, but not entirely, so keep it low and get them in against low-model units like nobs.

 

(I can't believe I'm going to say this, so let me preface it with the following fact: I do not own a single painted assault terminator with a thunder hammer or a storm shield on it.)

 

Were I in your shoes, I would dremel the TDA bodies and magnetize the arms so you can choose which weapons to use when. You could also use a pin-vice and pin them, but I personally prefer magnets. Then you can decide each time you build a list on which load out you want.

 

Think of all the tactical marines you could paint in the time it takes to do this. (probably don't do this)

[Ring-around-the-roses]

Yay for the non-hammernator brethren. We know the Emperor looks kindly on our valiant sacrifice!

[thade]

Were I in your shoes, I would dremel the TDA bodies and magnetize the arms so you can choose which weapons to use when. You could also use a pin-vice and pin them, but I personally prefer magnets. Then you can decide each time you build a list on which load out you want.

 

Think of all the tactical marines you could paint in the time it takes to do this. (probably don't do this)

Pinning and magnetizing isn't so hard; just drill a hole (quick with a dremel), and glue a magnet or pin in there. ;) It only gets annoying if you drill clean through...then you have to mold the damage with green stuff...or replace the part.

 

I've had a lot of success magnetizing things though, so I'm def going to keep at it. It makes my models a lot more usable.

[Merkava]

DON'T DON'T DON'T use a dremel. A dremel rotates to fast and can slip to easily. Use a pin vise instead. It's cheaper and alot more controlable. As well, if you're drilling through plastic the "time saved" is negligable. Plastic is so easy to drill through. Also get a drill bit that matches your magnet size. Drill a hole, dab of surer glue, pop in a magnet and you're done. Remember to start will a smaller bit and then work up to a larger one.

[thade]

DON'T DON'T DON'T use a dremel.

Eh? My Dremel has an adjustable rotation speed. What have I successfully dremelled and magnetized recently...?

• A terminator heavy weapon arm and psycannon (both plastic, new GK kit)
  
• Metal terminator captain body; plastic terminator arm.
  
• Several plastic assault marine bodies and their jump packs; a few standard back packs as well.
  

Here is my dremel, right here. I picked up a drill bit set as well as grommits to fit them...so I can drill holes for either my 1/8" wide magnets as well as paper clips. A pin vice works fine for pinning plastic (just takes patience), but a dremel will quickly put a good hole into even pewter.

 

Don't be afraid to Dremel plastic, but definitely don't rush it. Setting 1 (the bottom) is just fine. It takes very little pressure and you'll want to do it for only a few seconds at a time, clearing the drill bit and checking the depth each time. Typically I'll drill the hole and once the center point is deep enough for the magnet I'll use the grinding/carving bits to chew out enough for the magnet to fit, not drilling any deeper. (A drill bit won't give you a flat surface at the bottom of the hole, after all.)

 

It's not scary, I promise. I do it constantly. Just be patient and don't rush it. I love my Dremel. I'd be lost without it insofar as magnets are concerned.

[Elric the Silvercoat]

I run my Assault Termies as three Lightning Claws and 2 Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield. That unit has been through so much and has done so much that I don't really see the need to change them.

 

@thade how much did you pay for that dremel?

[thade]

@thade how much did you pay for that dremel?

Off hand I don't remember precisely; it wasn't cheap. Somewhere between $60 and $80 if memory serves. I love the thing, though. There are a few threads on the PCA forum that talk about basic dremel use, selection, etc. I recommend doing a few searches through there and some reading before committing to it. :)

[Elric the Silvercoat]

@thade how much did you pay for that dremel?

Off hand I don't remember precisely; it wasn't cheap. Somewhere between $60 and $80 if memory serves. I love the thing, though. There are a few threads on the PCA forum that talk about basic dremel use, selection, etc. I recommend doing a few searches through there and some reading before committing to it. :)

thanks

[Purge]

Pinvice is good enough. Infact I've managed just using a simple drill bit with just my fingers. but I'm also very patient. I have gotten a hand cramp when doing many parts at once.

 

Back to the actual question. I would do 3 LC and 2 TH/SS. I like the claws. If you put in magnets you have a chance to do any combination.

 

As for tactics I like the landraider option depending on who you are going for. If it is someone with alot of firepower then you need the raider to deliver them fast.

 

I tend to get away with hiding them from cover to cover when dealing with Nids or Orks.

 

I would suggest 1/8" x 1/16" with a rating between N40 to N52 on the strength of the magnets.

[Warsmith Aznable]

I'm doing up a squad of three Terminators in "super magnet do anything" mode. Here is a the post in my WIP showing pictures of the first one in-process. Magnets aren't really expensive, and a good pin vise and regular drill bits is all you need to install them. It's not something that takes so much time that it would seriously keep you from other projects. Five Assault Terminators with one set of Lightning Claws and one set of TH/SS combination each wouldn't be significant, I don't think. Once you get the hang of it putting magnets into models is a snap, and I recommend it for models as expensive Terminators when you want options.

 

It's important to match the size of the magnet with what you are magnetizing. For Terminators, the thickness of the plastic parts enables you to put more powerful magnets in place, which is another plus for doing it.

 

Plastic tweezers and wooden toothpicks also help maneuver magnets when gluing them in the holes.

[thade]

Pinvice is good enough. Infact I've managed just using a simple drill bit with just my fingers. but I'm also very patient. I have gotten a hand cramp when doing many parts at once.

Yea, that's precisely why I use the dremel. I do often start a pin hole with the pin vice, to help mitigate any amount of "scatter" the dremel will do, even on low speed. But I use the same bit from the pin vice in the dremel ;) so it's the same sized hole...just faster.

 

I would suggest 1/8" x 1/16" with a rating between N40 to N52 on the strength of the magnets.

These are my favorites...if you mean the 1/8" diameter x 1/16" width ones; I get them from K&J magnetics. Actually, I came up against a new use case yesterday...the hands/arms from the GK termy kit. the junctions just aren't wide enough for 1/8" magnets...so I ordered some cylinders ...1/16" diameter x 1/8" thickness. Reason I went for 1/8" thickness is so I have something to grab onto as I'm working. They're weak (being small) but the hands won't require much force to hold them up.

[thade]

sorry, back on topic...

 

Hammernators are stupid hard to kill; you can DS a unit of ten of them (or two units of five) and use them to shepherd enemy units where you want them...that is, if the enemy units don't stand still and allow themselves to be trampled by the might of those thunder hammers. Also popular: them pounding angrily out of a Land Raider.

 

LC Terminators trade off durability for speed (they can attack at Initiative instead of being forced to swing at I1). I've heard of people mixing and matching them within the same unit, but a unit of five to six hammernators in a Raider is canonical...and is in almost every Vulkanized list I've ever seen.

[greatcrusade08]

IMO TH/SS terminators are the orks in the C:SM codex.. they think tactics are little mints

[GreatEscape_13]

Because of their reptutation as "indestructable" you can also use them in sneakier psychological ways. Guage your opponent, and figure out if they are the type who will (our could be manipulated to) throw everything and the sink at the TH/SS termies. If so, put them front and center in the enemy's mind. Then win the game with the rest of your troops while these great pincusions slowly but surely get whittled down as they cross no-man's land.

 

The only tactical advice I might suggest otherwise is: don't forget to run on turns when you won't be charging.

 

Cheers.

[Elric the Silvercoat]

I must add too that if you have Shrike in you army list your opporent will freak out when he sees 5 TH/SS Terminators on the field with Fleet.

[DarkGuard]

The internet will tell you that the best way to run Assault Terminators is to give them all TH/SS, perhaps attach your HQ to them, stick them in a Crusader or a Redeemer, point them at the nastiest thing in the enemy list, and kill it. The internet also tells us that such an easily telegraphed and high point tactic is one of the best Marine units and one of the most competitive ways to play.

 

Real life will tell you that putting all your eggs in one basket is not competitive or tactically sound, and that running Hammernators in a Raider is very boring. If you must use Assault Terminators I beg you to be creative with them and come up with new ideas on how to use them.

[thade]

Real life will tell you that putting all your eggs in one basket is not competitive or tactically sound, and that running Hammernators in a Raider is very boring. If you must use Assault Terminators I beg you to be creative with them and come up with new ideas on how to use them.

I'm with DG here. Personally I'd field ten, combat squad and DS them, then use each unit to bully-shepherd enemy models out of cover and off of their objectives. They soak a stupid amount of fire.

[spartan249]

Real life will tell you that putting all your eggs in one basket is not competitive or tactically sound, and that running Hammernators in a Raider is very boring. If you must use Assault Terminators I beg you to be creative with them and come up with new ideas on how to use them.

 

It may be boring, but that doesn't make it any less of a viable tactic. The LR jack in the box is best used as a defensive tool rather then an offensive one, and as a defensive tool, the unit is best kept relatively cheap. For instance, if you're not going to run a captain, run Cassius, throw him in with some termies in a LRP or LRC (I prefer LRP for tactical flexibility), and you have yourself a mobile firebase anchor + counter assault ready to go.

 

Besides, there are only so many ways you can be creative with assault terminators.

 

Because you have so few terminators, you have to use the rest of your list's firepower to whittle them down, then hit the survivors with the terminators. If avoidable, never charge a squad that is full strength unless you know you can beat it in a few rounds. Also, remember that your terminator squad is NOT the center of your army; they are supporting your army with supplemental close combat capability. Keep that in mind as you design, and you shouldn't fall into the trap of relying on them.

 

I personally go with full Hammer squads because of their survivability + ability to damage anything they charge. Beyond 5 terminators is where I start adding claws, but since I rarely go over 5, I don't use claws often.

[Elric the Silvercoat]

The problem I have with the Land Raider jack in the box is that you can lost the whole unit if they get around the three access points and get a wreck which would ruin your day. This doesn't stop me from using the tatic.

[templargdt]

I run all TH/SS in my Blood Ravens. Usually I toss them in a Land Raider along with my TDA Librarian, point them at something I need to kill and that's that. Alternatively, the Deep Strike method works. Having them in reserve and then dropping them where you need them later in the game is quite useful.

 

I've never tried nor seen the "Shrike plus 10 Assault Terminators infilitrate your line" tactic done. I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy being on the recieving end.

[DarkGuard]

It may be boring, but that doesn't make it any less of a viable tactic. The LR jack in the box is best used as a defensive tool rather then an offensive one, and as a defensive tool, the unit is best kept relatively cheap. For instance, if you're not going to run a captain, run Cassius, throw him in with some termies in a LRP or LRC (I prefer LRP for tactical flexibility), and you have yourself a mobile firebase anchor + counter assault ready to go.

 

Besides, there are only so many ways you can be creative with assault terminators.

 

Because you have so few terminators, you have to use the rest of your list's firepower to whittle them down, then hit the survivors with the terminators. If avoidable, never charge a squad that is full strength unless you know you can beat it in a few rounds. Also, remember that your terminator squad is NOT the center of your army; they are supporting your army with supplemental close combat capability. Keep that in mind as you design, and you shouldn't fall into the trap of relying on them.

 

I personally go with full Hammer squads because of their survivability + ability to damage anything they charge. Beyond 5 terminators is where I start adding claws, but since I rarely go over 5, I don't use claws often.

 

True, the main thing against them is in fact the eggs in one basket, especially as the squad and Raider comes in at about 465pts, plus perhaps a 100pts+ character, we're looking at over 1/3 of a 1500pts list, maybe even 1/3 of 1750pts. Plus every bit of melta will go to that Raider.

 

Today I went up against that monster, and it also had Lysander. My GC08 Scout melta bullet failed due to bad dice rolls, but I managed to destroy it with a Vindicator. After killing a Rhino the squad got butchered by my Honour Guard, Master and Libby (with Null Zone of course). Striking last was very bad for him as he couldn't react quick enough and got no strikes in, Lysander only killed the Libby, the rest nothing. So perhaps they are creative, at forcing your opponent to think of new and interesting ways to kill them.

[Iron Father Ferrum]

My "new and interesting" way to kill them was a Null Zone Libby and a quad plasma command squad, with a Tac Squad plasma cannon shot leading off.

 

My problem with Hammernators is part of the very issue we're discussing so often, as now -- they're part of the netlisting metagame, so power gamers (and others, not just them) everywhere run them. Anyone with any experience playing against C:SM (especially Vulkan lists) knows how to kill them by now. Sure, in pick-up games, your opponent might not have a specific counter for them, but take such a squad into a tournament environment and everywhere will have a dedicated Terminate-the-Terminators unit somewhere in their army. When everyone knows what the trick of the one-trick pony is, it looses its luster.

 

That's why I'll be taking Lysander and ten Tactical Terminators with a couple chainfists and CMLs to Ard Boyz. That particular cup of tea is unheard of in my local metagame. . . . but I'll still have that Libby and his plasma-toting friends. Just in case.