Marines found wanting

[Voloch]

They shouldn't be stepping on their toes anyway. Give them boltgun, bolt pistol, CCW, shooty special rule of some sort, sorted.

Along with bolter drill, let them choose 2 weapon upgrades, between any special and heavy weapon, much like Sternguard. Then you could actually suit them up for close, medium or long range, instead of this horrible mix we are facing now. GWs idea of being tactical is that you must be able to do everything at all times, not have the TACTICAL flexibility of choosing to specialize for the mission and play style.

 

But hey, well a know that following a new rulebook cometh a neweth Codexeth Spaceth Marineth.

[Lysere]

I don't know if it's ironic or not but my tac squads quite often actually carry the day in most of my games. I've had several wins where it was a tac squad that killed most of the enemy force, and in close combat nonetheless. I've had games where after two shooting phases of large numbers of weapon being sent towards tactical marines, I could count the losses on one hand. That might be just because the way I play them and how my luck works just work favorably for them though.

 

I have 3 and soon to be 4 tactical squads. Each one with a bit different of a style.

 

The first one is my notorious one, known for doing many things a Tactical squad would normally not be able to pull off. (Such as taking out two IG Vet squads and a Lemen Russ Executioner) They run a PF sergeant and a melta gun. Once in a blue moon I'll trade out a bolter for a heavy weapon, but their tendency to constantly be in motion kinda makes this not very good. They also always have a transport of some kind. Either coming in via drop pod, or rolling around in a rhino. I almost never give them a razorback due to their tendency to stay as one unit.

 

My second is my most flexible. They have a PW and access to any of the special weapons and an open spot for whatever heavy weapon I'd benefit from the most. They almost always combat squad and tend to favor the Razorback over the Rhino for that reason alone. (Las-Plas usually for the Razor's Gun to add even more firepower to my fire base)

 

My last squad is kind of the left over. They are the only one with a combi-weapon sergeant (who has a combi-flamer but I have traded him out for a combi-melta before) and they usually only take a flamer or plasmagun as a back up. Sometimes they will take a heavy weapon and either stay as one group, or combat squad. They also tend to drop pod or foot slog since my Transports are usually used for my main two and my command squad. (Yeah I only have 3 transports atm)

 

If I do stay with C:SM I will probably make number 4 another jack of all trades style like number 2.

 

I know this isn't the best way to use my tactical squads, but for some reason it usually tends to work well. The only times they really run into trouble is when my list just can't handle a certain list. Like last night's triple death star GK list I fought. (I thought he would be rolling his usual Draigowing style with triple Psy-Riflemen dreads. Instead he had a Draigo-Pali squad and 2 Coteaz acolyte squads in LRCs... Did not end well)