Stercus Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 After reading the vanilla marines codex, I've begun building a Master of the Forge, riding a bike and packing a conversion beamer. I'm interested in whether anyone else has used one in games and if they are effective? To be honest, I'm only building it because I had a cool idea for the model, (using an a modified attack bike with the gunner replaced by a servitor wired to the beamer, and the forgemaster driving) but if it's a worthwhile unit I may include it in my army. I was thinking possibly as a kind of mobile sniper? What do people think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Something Wycked Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Actually, its been said that putting the Beamer on a bike is the best way to use it- the bike grants increased survivability through Toughness and a potential cover save, while also granting Relentless so the Beamer can be fired on the move. Put simply the Beamer becomes more dangerous because you can do a better job of keeping targets in the more damaging range bands with the superior mobility of the bike, and it becomes more survivable to boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShinyRhino Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I've used a Master of the Forge with a Conversion Beamer many times. However, mine is on foot instead of a bike. Running one on foot allowed me to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the beamer in general, which can then be altered by the bike. As a weapon, the Beamer is a tough customer...at range. I have typically run my Beamer attached to a Thunderfire Cannon. Not only does this provide the Master some ablative wounds, but it also allows the Beamer to fire at a different target at the same time. When you attach an IC to an Artillery unit, the IC can fire at a completely different target. This is great because the Beamer matches the TFC's range band perfectly. You can still attach a bike-mounted Master to a TFC, but be aware that you'll be taking dangerous terrain tests if you move the Master in a ruin or other terrain, where you typically want to park a TFC. You do gain Skilled Rider by virtue of being an IC on a bike though. I've found that deployment of the Beamer relies VERY heavily on the table and terrain configuration. If there are no clear fire lanes to target, the Beamer is largely useless. You can't move to acquire new targets, so you waste a lot of turns either moving around, or with nothing in your threat range. If you're on a cityfight table, the Beamer becomes almost useless. Not only does everything get a cover save against your hits, but acquiring targets becomes a real challenge. Beamer on a bike mitigates the limited fields of fire a foot-mounted Beamer encounters. You can move 12" and still fire to full effect. This is useful for acquiring a new firing lane, or for increasing the range from the target for stronger shots. One way to protect the Beamer is to attach it to a small squad, and put it in an elevated position (ruin, tower, tall hill, etc). The bike beamer can't do that, as it cannot enter a building, climb ruins, etc. Bike Beamers will always be relying on ground-level LOS. Their escort squad is also limited to bikes and jump infantry if it wants to retain any kind of mobility. I tend to fire the Beamer at armored targets first (I've reaped a toll of Land Raiders and Monoliths with the bad boy), and clustered heavy infantry second. The small blast makes it mostly useless against hordes and monstrous creatures of T>5. Overall, the Beamer is a fun weapon, but not one that most folks will consider a game-breaker. Moutning it on a bike helps mitigate some of its weaknesses, but also presents new limitations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stercus Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 Thanks guys. That seems to cover many bases. I'm thinking of using mine with a primarily drop-podded army and a big squad of scout bikers. Again, mainly because I like the models. I'll see if I can put up a pic of my beamer-bike when I finish the build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sons of the Forge Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Ive used it to quite reasonable effect to destroy tanks and put holes in small units i.e. marines. But recently due to wishing to use my scout bikers as something other then bodyguards i have switched my MoF to Servoharness, Plasma pistol and Thunder Hammer....hope it will be as fun as the conversion beamer was. Overal it has great range and reasonable killing power. The only problem is either you sit him in a far corner or moving on a bike as once the enemy closes in close enough the conversion beamer becomes little better then a shiny frag missile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingkaneda Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Because of the range its main targets are stationary tanks(predators) or devastators. It isnt really good against devs, since they will get their cover save. I've used him a few times in a all out shooty list: I wanted every model to be shooty....even the HQ. And the conversion beamer was underwhelmingly crappy for me, but your mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSO88 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I've had great results with my footslogging MOTF beamer in my 6 vendread list. The reason I play him footslogging is that he's really cheap and I've had many opponents spend much more points trying to kill him then he is worth. The best game he had was in a doubles vs WH's and IG, 1st turn blows up 2 Exorcists, 2e turn a medusa and a chimera, yes I got lucky with my opponent placing all their tanks right next to each other, but still for a 120pt unit thats not bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShinyRhino Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I've had great results with my footslogging MOTF beamer in my 6 vendread list. The reason I play him footslogging is that he's really cheap and I've had many opponents spend much more points trying to kill him then he is worth. The best game he had was in a doubles vs WH's and IG, 1st turn blows up 2 Exorcists, 2e turn a medusa and a chimera, yes I got lucky with my opponent placing all their tanks right next to each other, but still for a 120pt unit thats not bad! How'd you blow up two tanks per turn using a single small blast template? The hole has to be placed completely over one tank to target, and it'd take some kinda lottery win to scatter so that the hole somehow touched two tanks at the same time. If the hole isn't over the hull, even your S10 shot gets cut in half to S5, AP1... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkGuard Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 It's the whole of the hole, so if the tanks were close together he'd be able to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShinyRhino Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 It's the whole of the hole, so if the tanks were close together he'd be able to. Indeed, but those would have to be two VERY close tanks (read, "touching" ;)) to pull that off. I was incorrect in thinking that the entire hole had to be over one target though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkGuard Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Yeah, new FAQ clarified the whole hole issue. But yeah, they'd have to be touching, Imperial Guard parking lot? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSO88 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Yes like I said because it was a team game the IG and Witchunter players had to put all their tanks close together and some were touching :devil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Navaer Solaq Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I have tired it before. A single bike. It turned out well, but I was playing against BA player so there was not much for it to shoot at as the player was playing a full assault squad army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken Angel Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Sorry for the hijack but you gave me an idea. I may look at taking one in my Grey Knight list, take an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor give him a conversion beamer and place him near a purgation squad. It would give the GK list some lacking long range S10 firepower and moving him into or out of coherency with the purgation squad would give me some flexibility. Lacking a close up target for the purgation squad I could move them over and give the Inquisitor astral aim blasting away across the board at anything out of LOS Its cheap and there is always the possibility of giving the Inquisitor psycotroke grenades as defence too hmmm 85 pts all up. Using astral aim gives a 4+ cover save but thats an 85 point model that threatens everything even hidden targets outside the 24" purgation squad threat range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stercus Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 That seems almost unnecessarily nasty! I suspect it would be very effective a couple of times before your inquisitor becomes a real firepower magnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken Angel Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 That seems almost unnecessarily nasty! I suspect it would be very effective a couple of times before your inquisitor becomes a real firepower magnet. He is a small target and can hide easily if you took a tech marine he is probably in the bolstered building on a 3+ cover save, you can off course send a CC unit in to kill him and the purgation squad but if the grenades go off thats another problem. No one likes playing grey knight roulette with the psycotrokes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stercus Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Fair point. Just watch out for flamers and thunderfire shells. I've been walloped by them before when hiding in cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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