DA and Drop Pods

[captain sox]

Hello again,

 

 Checking in again with another question. How do my Brothers feel about using Drop Pods? Do many of you field them, or do you not use them at all? Are they worthwhile to use with DA? I've never considered using them, but something got me thinking they could fit into the theme of my army.

 

Also, in game terms, when do they arrive? According to thier entry in the Codex, half arrive first turn. Does that mean they come at deployment, or after deployment. Units disembark upon arrival, but can they still make a normal move, or is the disembarkment their move?

 

I know the unit can not assault, but can shoot.

 

Thanks for imput and feedback.

 

SOX

[HJL]

they can disembark as normal and they can shoot.

[Brother Brucey]

And they arrive via deep strike like normal reserves would (in your movement phase), they just do it automatically on turn 1.

[IndigoJack]

I like drop pods, lots of fun to use, not so much to put together though >.<. FOr a while, I tested a list utilzing 3 drop pods. Two had locator beacons with tacs inside. They came in turn one, and a DWCS came in turn 2 via DWA with the bolter banner. It worked pretty well but was vulnerable to heldrakes.

[Master Avoghai]

A full/heavy drop pod list can really be a pain for your opponent.

 

DP allow to you to be right in the enemy's lines at turn1. They never suffer from landing on terrain or enemy units so you can place them wherever you want (bar too close from the table edge). Moreover the v6 rules allow you to deploy in a 6" radius from the doors... Hence even if you scatter 12", with the size of the pod + the deployment zone, your weapons may be in range from your target.

 

There are several units that may be dreadful on drop pod.

 

Command squad with 4/5 flamers : cheap, it will clean up evething around, even a tactical squad has to fear this type of squad

Command squad with 4/5 meltas or plasma guns: do I need to develop? ;)

Tactical squads with flamer, sgt with bolter flamer.

Tactical squad with plasma sgt with bolter plasma.

Tactical squad with melta, multimelta (cheap snapshot and may be useful on the following turn if the enemy decide to concentrate on another menace)

Assault squad with double flamer sgt with bolter flamer

All of this squads may be joined by a leader with combi weapon as well so that the turn they arrive they can shoot with maximum damage in order to prevent a hard counter charge. A good solution is also a techamarine with harness and combi flamer, that's 2 additionnal flamers on the turn of arrival : perfect to complete a tactical squad.

 

Venerable dread with MM : you will appreciate the BS5 :p

Dread with TLHeavy flamers and a PF with HF...

 

 

Those may be completed by DW squads. In this case, I reccommend to put some localization homers on your 1st wave DP(not more than 2)  and choose to proceed the DW assault at turn 2 and teleport your squad

[shabbadoo]

And units in Drop Pods do not count towards the Reserves limitation.  Nice! :D

[Tanhausen]

Pretty much answered, just want to chip in with a unit I'm toying around with testing.

 

Dread w/ PC + DCCW + HF in a Pod.

 

150 points, can easily catch some rear armour for the vehicles and since now the blasts don't need to have the hole on the hull to be full force, its easier.

 

Also, as opposed to the MM, you can drop and go for some crisis/apoca, heavy infantry and what not that the opponent is playing at range.

 

I think DP are a useful tool in balanced builds, providing very interesting flexibility :)

[elphilo]

Last edition I always loved my Drop Podding MM Dreadnaught. It did a lot of damage for me. Though with 6th edition I haven't really tried it too much, I'm always a little scared that the AV12 on the Dread isn't going to cut it.

 

Though I can see a tooled out flamer Veteran squad wrecking some havoc to some gun lines :D

[Brother dean]

I've been playing with the idea of a 10 strong Vet's squad with 3 or so Storm Bolters and some CCW of some power....  And a DWA nearby 2nd turn.  Dunno how effective it would be but it's be fun once....

[Disciple of Caliban Sgt]

Sox,

Just to throw my 10 cents out here, I fully agree drop pods not only work but can work well.

Three or four Tac Squads in pods supported with Dreads or Command squads add two beacons and you've got one helluva alpha strike. I personally like to add to speeders as support for a wave/turn two deepstrike. I arm them with HF & MM that way they can always help out. Armor in my face and they can smoke it and if it's infantry well the squad are probably ruining their day and an extra HF can't hurt. Added to this if there is a tank that must die I can drop in a cheap 100 point Multi Melta dread (125 if I make him Ven which makes BS5 so much nicer on that one shot) and then slag something probably more expensive than the pod and dread together. Depending I can have a squad of 10 DW DWA in on the Beacons turn 2 as well then the enemy isn't just dealing with everything in the pods but also a giant squad of OMG in their face that can be pretty tough to move especially if they are scoring.

Need to be more defensive less in your face? Just deploy the squads in your DZ and drop the pods in as a terrain piece. This makes the enemy either focus fire on them and not your troops or they have to go around the pod to where you want preferably in a nice fire lane to rain death on their heads. My last point in this long ramble is that they cost the same as a rhino and while they are one use I've found they do better about getting my squads where I need them to go. One Stormbolter is enough to annoy the enemy and like I said if you place it right they might have to charge around or through terrain to get to you which lets you shoot more. Very versatile and I love them. As stated putting them together sucks along with transports but I've found if you can go all pods your enemy can have a bad day.................then again so can you if the dice gods suck but that's the game I love it personally. Space Marines are special forces designed to strike hard and blah blah blah so that means quick surprise attacks and a giant line of tanks rumbling forward doesn't seem very surprising............except during world war II.

[Brother Immolator]

Mixed bag for me, the only things I have droped to date is dreads.