size of squads

[Shmoe]

Hello, I am new to the Blood Angels and am wondering why everyone prefers Razor Backs so much. It would seem to me that having a small squad of 5 men in assault would be a very precarious position. I understand about using elements together in order to take out targets but when you are talking about troop choices, they have to be able to make up their point cost.

 

So my concern, a 90 point rhino with troops in it is a prime target.

A 50 point rhino with 10 troops in it is a good target but not a desperate target.

 

So, which is more likely to get my troops to the battle and

1) Hold its own

2) Cover the cost I spent on them

3) be able to hold objectives

 

Right now I am working with this concept

2 rhinos with 9 assault marines (power fist/flamer) and an independent character (probably a SP)

2 Jump squads with 7 men (power sword/ melta) and independent character (SP or Rec)

1 Rhino with death company (powerfist/ powersword)

 

I might also be over worried because I am an old imperial guard player and am use to having a horde of infantry with tank and artillery support.

[Morticon]

Hello, I am new to the Blood Angels and am wondering why everyone prefers Razor Backs so much. It would seem to me that having a small squad of 5 men in assault would be a very precarious position. I understand about using elements together in order to take out targets but when you are talking about troop choices, they have to be able to make up their point cost.

 

So my concern, a 90 point rhino with troops in it is a prime target.

A 50 point rhino with 10 troops in it is a good target but not a desperate target.

 

So, which is more likely to get my troops to the battle and

1) Hold its own

2) Cover the cost I spent on them

3) be able to hold objectives

 

Right now I am working with this concept

2 rhinos with 9 assault marines (power fist/flamer) and an independent character (probably a SP)

2 Jump squads with 7 men (power sword/ melta) and independent character (SP or Rec)

1 Rhino with death company (powerfist/ powersword)

 

I might also be over worried because I am an old imperial guard player and am use to having a horde of infantry with tank and artillery support.

 

 

 

Heya matey- welcome to the board!

There are loads of tactica's floating about (2 in my sig) and a bunch in the BA stickies at the top of this forum. Lots of stuff in the "Startign BA" thread.

 

 

One of the main reasons the Razorbacks are so popular is on account of the fact we get a 35point discount for them with the assault marines. Additionally, unlike TAC squads they get an additional attack and don't need a full 10 men to get special weapons.

 

This means that for the low low price of 180 points you can get a 5man scoring unit with a melta gun, a PW/LC in a fast moving razorback with a heavy weapon (TLAC, TLLC, TLPG/LC) for only 180 points.

 

Alternatively, if you're skimping, you can just pick up a MG and keep a TLHF razor and you're looking at 130 points for that unit.

 

 

This now feeds into list building philosophy. Are you going "razor spam" or "hybrid/combined arms". The 5men squads are not supposed to be good in combat in the razor spam lists - they're supposed to spam heavy weapon toting, fast moving scoring units that en masse can take out the enemy through superior firepower and mobility.

Hybrid lists on the other hand may make use of 5man squads with PWs (made slightly more resilient than usual 5man squads thanks to FNP and made slightly more effective on the charge thanks to FC).

 

As far as your build is concerned, i would max out the jumpers to 10 to make use of potential combat squadding and the second weapon. I'd possibly make the Rhino squads the 7man squads and buff the jumpers to 10.

While this leaves you with a very, very aggressive army, you are at the mercy of shooting armies, so if you dont go first, or you dont have a lot of cover you may struggle.

 

Hope that helps for now! Feel free to ask anything you want, and remember these are just general opinions!

[StJude]

Morticon beat me to it, see his sagely advice :)

[DominicJ]

Alone, a single 5 man assault squad in a bolter back wont manage much.

But a 6 man squad, with a melta a powerfist, supported by three more such squads, can raise quite a bit of trouble.

 

173pts a pop.

 

 

The hardest bit to grasp about blood angels, is we are fast.

 

Its very very tempting, to deploy your marines in a line, advance in a line, and crash into the enemy line.

Its absolutly the wrong thing to do.

You should be hitting enemy squads with two or three of yours, wipe them out, and move on to the next.

 

Bolter backs have an 18" move. jumpers a mere twelve