Scoutlings

[Theredknight]

Hello men,

 

Iv never really tried scouts, due to being expensive and all, but I tried them a few days ago and they denied the enemy an easy objective walking. They were 10 and had snipers, can cloaks, and a hvy bolter..

 

I can't help thinking that they would be better armed with bolters instead of snipers, with maybe keeping the hvy bolter for support.

 

What do you guys do?

[ASSASSINAWOKEN]

Scouts are really tied to how you use them. They can camp objectives, but with a 4+ save they can just as easily be shot off or assaulted off the objective. Your thoughts about bolters has merit. My scouts are CC and shotguns and a HB, but outflanking them can cause some havoc easily.

[greatcrusade08]

sniper scouts behind an aegis line with cloaks have a 3+ cover save (this will stack with stealth from night fighting to 2+)

you can definately make them more survivable but sadly ccw scouts are all but extinct outside of transports/flyers

[Theredknight]

My original idea was to have them manning my fortress of redemption in 2 combat squads with cloaks, this is why snipers could be good.

But for that infiltrate onto an objective, they are a denial unit and are there to mainly stop the enemy walking to it.

Back them up with a pod of tacs and priest and I'm laughing!

Bolters for close up rapid fire was my thinking. Chuck in a heavy bolter and your got weight of fire.

Snipers were mainly because my opponents take characters and sink them in 20+ man units. So precision shot could come in handy

[Demoulius]

Ran them with snipers and combat blades a few times. Combat scouts fared poorly considering they were up against bloodcrushers but they managed to tear down 3/4 of the squad whilst dying (and assault marines would have done the same AND cost more points) whilst the snipers have several times been man of the match. Those precision and rending shots really make them worth aside from the fact that they wound on 4+'s. Really nice :)

I found giving them camo cloaks makes them abit expensive though. They then cost the same amount of points as a tac marine does and are very reliant on beeing on cover. Heavy flamers (and other stuff that ignore cover) really hurt them as those things are often AP4 (or better) as well

With a cheap priest and/or a nearby static devastator/tactical squad you got a solid firing base though. You arent going to be destroying the entire enemy army when they close but its enough firepower to force your opponent to send more then 1 unit to your home objective(s) as they arent a free steal anymore

[Theredknight]

So basically what your saying then as a tactic would be:

Bolters for infiltrating up to an objective, holding out until another squad can reinforce them (say..combat squad, with sgt, plasma gunner and priest in a hb razor)

 

Or sit back and chill with the big guns at the back with snipers and priest. Possibly a Libby to prescience on them if they need to barrage something.

 

I think b pistols and blades are a thing of the past..

 

Basically I have 2 packs to put together, and wondering what to put on them lol

[knife&fork]

Sniper rifles might not be amazing, but at least they are equally effective against everything. Doesn't matter if it's a guardsman, nurgle bikers or a tyranid MC with iron arm. 

[Demoulius]

Tbh I find close combat scouts very effective for scouting frail targets with a mean punch (think bloodletters or genestealers) who you DONT want to charge with more expensive assault marines or terminators. They get the same amount of attacks as assault marines, get hit just as easily and do the same amount of damage. They are however alot cheaper! Give the scout sargeant a combi weapon or power weapon if you want to somewhat sure that they kill something but dont expect them to survive to many things. They are troops though so can kick people off their objective or at the very least contest :D

With camo cloaks and carefull placing youd be suprised how resiliant they can be to shooting :) Especialy if they hunker down using go to ground Ah your shooting at my scouts? Sure, let me pass my 2+ saves first (well, when in a 4+ cover anyway...)

[Deadpool1713]

I have 5 scouts with sniper rifles and camo cloaks just to camp objectives, or chill in some ruins and shoot things. In most tournaments there will be ruins on the field which gives the scouts a 3+ cover save and if the objective isn't out in the open, than it's most likely in the ruins. 90 points for some pretty decent objective holders/keep bothering everything from a reasonable distance with sniper rifles That's what I do at least and they tend to last most (if not all) of the game and with the sniper rifles they can make up their points since they affect all models equally as stated by knife&fork.

[Theredknight]

I think I might playbtest them in my next few games.

 

I had 10 I then with a hb on an objective in ruins, then lasted 3 turns of 40 shots from cron warriors, and then he whacked some immortals there and finished me off.

That's a lot o firepower to survive. The camo cloaks earned their points!!

They were armed with snipers, but if infiltrated to an objective, so they were closer than I'd liked..still denied it to them as he rolled a 2 on his move through cover and a 2 on run!!lucky me :-)

[nevaenuffbass]

My original idea was to have them manning my fortress of redemption in 2 combat squads with cloaks, this is why snipers could be good.

But for that infiltrate onto an objective, they are a denial unit and are there to mainly stop the enemy walking to it.

Back them up with a pod of tacs and priest and I'm laughing!

Bolters for close up rapid fire was my thinking. Chuck in a heavy bolter and your got weight of fire.

Snipers were mainly because my opponents take characters and sink them in 20+ man units. So precision shot could come in handy

 

Might do better to place them 9" away from the objective - so you force en to choose between neutralising you, or walking on to the objective and facing your (bolter?) fire, or at worst, denying them. If you are on the objective, it makes it easy - especially as scouts - assault them. 

[knife&fork]

I think people are seriously overestimating the damage output of BS3 bolters... I'm not entirely opposed to taking bolter scouts but they are not going to make much of a dent in any unit you send off to capture an objective.

[Theredknight]

I don't have the codex in front of me, but I'm sure scouts are bs4?

[knife&fork]

WS3 BS3, only the sarge has the usual marine stats.

[ASSASSINAWOKEN]

I have never used sniper nore proxied them for lulz. Usually when I see them deployed on the table by an opponent they tend to get ignored and even when they hit they don't do too much damage. My last game some managed to kill a Tactical Lascannon. However I was in another game where a group of small squads out flanked. One did minor damage while another destroyed a tank from behind and took an objective.

 

The lower BS might not be too good for bolter lines as Tactical Marines do it better. What about Shotguns, the BS would be fine and they get two shots and a chance to assault when they shoot.

[Theredknight]

You sir, are entirely correct with the bs!

 

I played a game last night with them v eldar (baaad rolling :-(, iv played him last 3 times and he's theived the first turn from me..with sixes!!), after consideration, I'm thinking not bother with infiltrate, but to sit at the home objective, accompanying a unit of devastators and priest for fire support with cam cloaks, they get a 3+ save and the FNP..which is priceless!