Death company size and deployment.

[Sixestohit]

Hey guys,

 

Just wondering how everyones death company is fairing and how you're bringing them into play. I've tried a couple of ways:

 

12 Footslogging: My DC are already notorious around my local players and as a result when they footslogged they took almost every gun on the table to the face! Wasn't pretty. Even with that many 3+5+ saves, a lot get through, resulting in 2 of the 12 being left to assault with on turn 3.

 

12 Jump packing: See above, but add in my heart breaking every time one of the 35 point models died. :|

 

15 in Deep Striking LRC with chappy: Seems about best for now, LRC drops in and they're relatively safe for a turn then can assault out of it. With locator beacons this gets them where they need to be with minimum loss. Rolling around 75 attacks with rerolls on to hit and to wound won't win you any favours in a pick up game, I'd suggest only doing this against people you have a good friendship with (or people you no longer want a good friendship with ;) )

 

I couldn't resist the lure of 15 in a lrc, just because of the capacity. Is anyone else having success/loss with their DC and the way they're deploying them? Anyone found that magic number in size?

 

James.

[Mezkh]

I'm still running 8 in a Rhino for now with Bolters. Although they often can't assault until turn 3, the nice thing about AV11 3HP Rhinos is they tend to get wrecked from HP loss far more often than they explode, giving the Death company nice Line of sight blocking cover if forced to disembark . Remember models that can't be seen from firers can't be killed!

 

With BA Rhinos too and some amiable terrain, you can pull stuff like disembark, rapidfire, and then flat out the Rhino to block retaliation.

[Zedrenael]

My recent success was using them in a LRR and deepstriking behind a DP with locator beacon and Frag cannon dread

[DominicJ]

I'm seriously thinking about 30 with bolters.

Walking cover :D

[Awhimaican]

Played a 1000 pt game against space wolves last night. Ran 5 jump packing, 1 power sword. Lost 2 to that lovely rune priest, initiative test ability, then the remaining 3 proceeded to eat the rune priests face, and almost an entire long fang unit before dying to a power fist. They didn't do too bad.

[Drown]

Has anyone run into the problem that dc may be a little too effective?

 

I know this may be a good problem to have, but I've been running 11dc 3pw(1 sword 2axes for terminators) and a chappy and they've been just annihilating the unit they charge, not continuing combat and getting shot to hell next turn. 60 attacks on the charge 10 of them ap2 (all be it at I1) with rerolls on the hit and wound seem to wreck almost anything including thss terminator squads. Does anyone else feel like running smaller units may be more effective?

[Sixestohit]

I regularly play a loganwing player so reduced size for my guys just gets them dead. ;)

 

James.

[Jolemai]

Do you send them in unsupported?

[Drown]

Don't get me wrong, assaulting dc out of a raven I have yet to kill less than their point value. I just don't necessarily like to trade unit for unit.

 

It's mixed as for supported/ unsupported. The raven doesn't zoom the turn they assault so I guess it's a good thing, opponent has to choose wether to shoot the non zooming flier or toss shots at the dc.

[Sixestohit]

I've tried them all kinds of different ways. I must admit vs logan wing the new edition makes them slightly less hurty. Gone are the days of I5 STr5 power weapons slaying 10 terminators before they got a chance to respond. That seemed perfectly fair to me, I can't say I agree with this whole terminators surviving until they get a chance to fight back, bad times indeed! (I kid)

 

James.

[StJude]

I run 6dc, but always with either a chappy or librarian.

 

In low point games, up to 1000pts, I am usually attaching the Librarian and running them in a Heavy Flamer Razorback. I typically have a second RB with AC or LC that tends to draw attention away from my HF RB. As the points increase, this option becomes less viable as my opponent will usually have more tools to deal with my transports.

 

In points above 1000, I PLAN to run them with a chappy of some sort. Will probably increase the squad size by one or two with chainswords and put them in a vehicle they can assault out of. Mainly a SR.

 

Right now, they are equipped as follows. 4 Bolters on 4 DC with, 2 with chainswords and the other two with a TH and PF. Remaining two are power sword with pistol and power axe with pistol. I want those power weapons to have the extra attack.

 

DC are my beatstick in the lower point games and in higher point games I prefer to use them to shift my opponents scoring troops off of objectives or engage those scoring troops before they get to an objective. Having the Powerfist and TH is handy if I can multi-assault vehicles.

[Dallas Drake]

I'm also liking DC in a Rhino with bolters & a fist. I find that the Chaplain/Lemartes led jump pack variety tend to overkill GEQ & MEQ whilst still struggling against TH/SS-TEQ. In my 1st game of 6th edition (which I lost to vanilla SM) I dropped 5 with a fist led by Lemartes out of a Storm Raven onto a unit of 7 Termies (4xTH/SS, 3xLCs) Terminators led by Vulkan & although I killed 4 of them I just got murdered back. That unit cost me 350 points & 4 TH/SS Terminators costs what, half that? I find that their lack of 2+ save and/or ability to hurt models with a 2+ without swinging last is a big issue for that kind of points lay-out, as is the loss of their initiative bump from FC; previously in 5th edition I ran a few power weapons, swinging at I5 with all the re-rolls shenanigans saw Terminators cry, but not so much anymore. FNP is great, but being only a 5+ you can't rely on it to save your dudes from all those things that ignore their 3+.

I think using them to support Tactical squads & murder/muscle other troops off of objectives is how I'm running them. 9 with bolters & 1 fist in a Rhino led by an Epistolary with Divination is how I've set them up for my 2nd game this Sunday - Those guys get to double tap with relentless & charge with 4 attacks, there's no need for re-rolls since I'll be after other troops, & that's without psychic powers! Depending on what powers I get I can boost them to re-roll hits, I can get counter attack & overwatch at BS4, I can ignore cover saves, I might be wrong but I am really hoping this unit will provide a flexible hammer for my mid-table objective grabbing element, sure they're not scoring but that's why we have Tacticals & allies right? PS. As said above Rhinos are still really versitile tanks & I still see jump packs as too expensive.

 

Dallas

[Pascalnz]

I just don't bother with power weapons on DC. 15 points is almost another dc. 225 points on 10 DC one with a fist and all have bolters, then add either lemmy, a chappy and or a libby.

divination libby, gives at the very least a re roll on the bolter shots and close combat. it might also give you counter attack +full bs on overwatch... well, there's lots:)

 

20 re rolled bolter shots = about 9 meq wounds, 40 rerolled str5 ws5 attacks =36 hits, 24 wounds without a chappy, 33 with. 33 to 42 wounds on the charge, thats 5 to 7 termies dead.

 

soooo, why are we putting power weapons on dc again?

 

p's just realised, that's without the fist or the libby/chap

[StJude]

soooo, why are we putting power weapons on dc again?

 

Because, there are more units out there besides Termies and you are not always going to have the luxury of charging. Having powerfists/Thunderhammers is nice for dealing with Paladins, multiwound T4 ICs without Eternal Warrior and other T5 and above gribblies. The other power weapons are nice to have against MEQ when you don't get the charge.