Wolf Scouts

[Hafdan]

So, I'm looking at buying a SW battleforce force to round out my army. It comes with 5 scouts. I was thining about doing 5 wolf scouts with a standard load out and a meltagun, also having a Wolf guard armed with a combi-melta and wolf claw joinging them. Anyone tried this? How'd it work out?

 

Thanks!

[dswanick]

So, I'm looking at buying a SW battleforce force to round out my army. It comes with 5 scouts. I was thining about doing 5 wolf scouts with a standard load out and a meltagun, also having a Wolf guard armed with a combi-melta and wolf claw joinging them. Anyone tried this? How'd it work out?

 

Thanks!

Current 6th Ed prohibitions on charging the turn you Outflank has put a crimp on the traditional Wolf Scout role. I've revamped mine in smaller games as a surprise supression force - 5 Wolf Scouts, Bolters and a Heavy Bolter. In larger games I've contemplated upping the unit count with a MotW and some Power Weapons, but it will still be a shooty-oriented force just with a better charge capability after the Outflank turn.

[Hafdan]

So the best they could hope for is to pop a tank, and hopefully not get mowed down in the ensuing shooting/assault phase. I'm not to keen on suicide squads....Hmm. What about snipping?

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

i usually equip my 5 strong with a plasma gun, 2 plasma pistols and a wolf guard pack leader with dual plasma pistols. they are great at clearing the back field objective holders.

 

if they get shot to ;), then thats 1 less unit shooting the advancing Wolves.

 

WLK

[-Volsung-]

So the best they could hope for is to pop a tank, and hopefully not get mowed down in the ensuing shooting/assault phase. I'm not to keen on suicide squads....Hmm. What about snipping?

 

 

I was wondering about that myself. Are Snipers scouts still a viable option?

 

I was considering all snipers with a heavy bolter and plunking them down in some mid-field cover. Viable or waste of lives?

[Hafdan]

I was wondering about that myself. Are Snipers scouts still a viable option?

 

I was considering all snipers with a heavy bolter and plunking them down in some mid-field cover. Viable or waste of lives?

 

I was thinking the same, they have the scout rule so they'd get a better cover save. Deployed correctly they could get a really decent cover save and maybe tie up a unit. I'm building a foot list and it couldn't hurt to slow an advancing force, or outright kill their heavy hitters with precision fire.

 

Thematically/fluff-wise, I really like wolf scouts. I'd like to find a way to make them work practically.

[Brom MKIV]

I've been contemplating wolf scouts as well since I rolled with a scout force in 5th (shrike). Obviously outflanking GHs are superior but the added cost of the WP must be considered, if not your only HQ. This is where scouts still bring value as cheap infiltrators in an army that can't or won't spring for the WP. Armor 4 hurts s little but getting outflank, and more importantly infiltrate + special weapon spam makes up for that.

 

Like WLK I think a unit tooled with plasma death is the way to go. Infiltrate then scout and pump 6 shots into something juicy, even armor goes down to that and many units will freak at that much plasma in close proximity. Pretty decent for a buck fifty ish. They can always choose outflank if going second or for whatever reasons.

 

Alternately/additionally a terminator WG can really increase the units resilience often effectively from 4+ sv to 2+and if WG count permits this would be a sweet place for a heavy flamer. If not a cbplasma is dirt cheap fire power for this type of unit (expendable).

 

Anyway IMO units like scouts get better in multiples.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Alternately/additionally a terminator WG can really increase the units resilience often effectively from 4+ sv to 2+and if WG count permits this would be a sweet place for a heavy flamer. If not a cbplasma is dirt cheap fire power for this type of unit (expendable).

 

i dont believe you can join termi wolf guard with wolf scouts outflanking.

 

WLK

[Brom MKIV]

You can now in 6th and the faq specifically addresses this iirc.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

You can now in 6th and the faq specifically addresses this iirc.

 

i must have missed it when i read through it, do you know on what page of the FAQ?

 

WLK

[Wulfebane]

You can now in 6th and the faq specifically addresses this iirc.

 

The FAQ only allows them to join units with Outflank, but the codex still restricts a TDA from joining scouts per the "pack leader" entry.

[Brom MKIV]

Page 3:

Q: Can a Wolf Guard Pack Leader or Independent Character join a

squad of Wolf Scouts and benefit from the Outflank special rule

because at least one model has the ability? (p27)

A: Yes.

This conflicts with the wording in the rulebook regarding ICs, just fyi, im assuming so that ICs cant just join a unit of scouts to infiltrate/outflank? Anyway consider this unit:

8 scouts, power axe, pg, plas pistol + wg- tda axe/cbplas = 203...x 2. Pretty decent units to start in someones backfield and makes single pod deployments alot more appealing.

[Khine]

You can now in 6th and the faq specifically addresses this iirc.

 

i must have missed it when i read through it, do you know on what page of the FAQ?

 

WLK

 

I think he must have thought that the question " that if a Wolf guard joins a wolf scouts pack does it get outflank? " and believed that some how circumvented the rule on no terminator armour, jump packs or jet bikes.

 

@ OP. wolf scouts been fun to use as snipers infiltrating into a nice position and also the plasma pack can be rather entertaining if you isolate an enemy or back them up with a squad of GHs that outflank.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

You can now in 6th and the faq specifically addresses this iirc.

 

i must have missed it when i read through it, do you know on what page of the FAQ?

 

WLK

 

I think he must have thought that the question " that if a Wolf guard joins a wolf scouts pack does it get outflank? " and believed that some how circumvented the rule on no terminator armour, jump packs or jet bikes.

 

@ OP. wolf scouts been fun to use as snipers infiltrating into a nice position and also the plasma pack can be rather entertaining if you isolate an enemy or back them up with a squad of GHs that outflank.

 

I figured that, i was just experimenting with polietness.

 

WLK

[Brom MKIV]

Dammit! Can't believe I spaced that. Thanks, that comment on experimenting was worth the whole mess up haha.

 

Edit- lose the tda and from my example unit and the rest is valid. Also wgpl with 2 x combi plasma is cheaper than gunslinger for similar performance since it wont be all that often the unit gets more than 2 full rounds of shooting anyway.

[Hafdan]

@ OP. wolf scouts been fun to use as snipers infiltrating into a nice position and also the plasma pack can be rather entertaining if you isolate an enemy or back them up with a squad of GHs that outflank.

 

Thats another part of my foot list. A Wolf priest with saga of the hunter backed up by a unit of grey hunters and a Wolf guard.

 

Think I'll go with 5 scouts, Plasma gun, 2xPlasma Pistols and Wolf Guard with Combi-Plasma and Power Axe.

[Guest Drunk Guardian]

One thing I haven't really seen tossed around... what about sniper scouts that still OBEL?

 

I know it sounds counterintuitive but now that you can snap shot with heavy weapons, you could fire your sniper rifles on the turn you arrive... and while it won't deal a considerable amount of damage, any hits you do get will also be precision shots... so you could make the shots count in the sense of eliminating high value targets... particularly high value targets that your main army can't get to.

 

Alternatively, what about equipping all the scouts with Boltguns? It would mesh well with the Plasma Gun as the special weapon and allows the scouts a little more range on arrival... might be able to put a few dents into some rear armor for some HP damage.

 

My point is... assaulting out of arrival was nerfed hard and scouts were never great at assaulting to begin with. With the Wolf Scouts ability to appear anywhere they want fairly reliably while having a better ballistic skill than their codex marines counterparts why not treat them as backyard shooters / harassers rather than a tarpit unit?

 

I really don't like the melta suicide squad as a good opponent can mitigate it (before annihilating it) so these are options that are meant to be done with a full sized unit (wolf guard included) that expects to have a shot of surviving while still posing a threat in the backfield.

[Hafdan]

That makes sense, but really the only difference stat-wise between a Grey Hunter and a Scout is their Armor save. They still have counter attack and grenades so they're not chumps in CC. The only reason I'd stick with pistols is for the extra attack on the charge, but bolters are free and the rapid fire would be awesome. Something to play around with.

 

Not sure I'd go behind enemy lines with snipers, I'd prefer to use the'r long range to their advantage. Probably sneak a missile launcher in there also.

 

I'm really liking the idea of Wolf Scouts. Think I'll go ahead and order a battle force when I get the money together. Thematically they fit the army I'm putting together well, and I think they'll be effective too. I try to balance fluff and function as much as possible.

[Runesch]

I know it sounds counterintuitive but now that you can snap shot with heavy weapons, you could fire your sniper rifles on the turn you arrive... and while it won't deal a considerable amount of damage, any hits you do get will also be precision shots...

 

Snap shots cant be precision shots.

 

 

 

Rune

[Guest Drunk Guardian]

I know it sounds counterintuitive but now that you can snap shot with heavy weapons, you could fire your sniper rifles on the turn you arrive... and while it won't deal a considerable amount of damage, any hits you do get will also be precision shots...

 

Snap shots cant be precision shots.

 

 

 

Rune

 

Thanks. Time to drop that idea.

 

Next game I play I'm going to run the bolter configuration and see how they do.