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Jump pack army? BA or SM codex


disease

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Hello everyone, I usually hang out in the chaos area complaining about our codex and showing off my conversions, but I think I'd quite like to start a loyalist force consisting of as many models as possible wearing jump packs or at least arriving from the sky (raven, drop pod).

 

Should I be looking at the vampire codex, or do you guys think it would better achieve using captainkorvydae of the Raven guard? I'm not too hot on ether codex so your advice is much appreciated.

 

Cheer, disease

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Hello mate, glad you could put down your flying BBQs to join us ;). Assault marines are a troop choice for us as well as most of our HQ units able to done JP, Libby dreads with WOS is classed as jump infantry and most things that haven’t got access to JP have ways to DS (think we’re the only codex to have DS landraiders). I'm not gen'd up with the SM dex but I think you probably won't get any better then the BA dex for aerial shenanigans. Hope this helps They’re more experienced guys on here then me but that’s my 2 pence.

Blood Angels...

 

Jump pack models available in all slots in the follow areas:

 

HQ - Check

Elites - Check

Troops - Check

Fast Attack - Check

Heavy - Check (ok, this goes to the Stormraven that can fly Dreads around)

 

Basically, the BA codex will do the entire force with Jump packs for every FOC slot available except the heavies with Stormravens instead.

 

Whether it's viable, sensible, optimal or otherwise, is another story.  Jump troops and Jump heavy options were one of the reasons the BA codex sold itself to me, in addition to DC and dreads!

BA have access to more jump infantry than SM, both in terms of force org slot and actual units that can take jump packs:

 

Space marines: Assault marines (max 3), Vanguard (max 3)

Blood Angels: Assault marines (max 6), vanguard (max 3) Sanguinary guard (max 3, or 6 with Dante), Honour guard (max 2), death company (max 6 with Astorath).

 

The benefit to BA jump packers is that basic ones are scoring, and it is possible to do an army entirely equipped with jump packs.

 

Doing a SM army to meet your requirements would require 2x tactial squads in drop pods, which are good, but take a chunk of points out of what you could spend on jumpers.

 

The BA also have the benefit of Descent of Angels which lowers deepstrike scatter, should you wish to deploy in that way.

 

Basically, if you want an army entirely equipped with jump packs, BA are the best bet, while a combined arms force involving drop podding scoring units would be better in the SM dex.

 

Something else to think about is codex age. The current SM codex will be that way for the next 5 years, so you have that element of consistency. The Blood Angel codex will probably be updated within the next 18 months, at which point models will most likely get cheaper, or there may be army restructuring.

 

The way I would run it would be to see what toys you want the most, and take that as your primary, allying in the other force.

 

As it stands, C:SM benefit from units from BA more than BA need units from C:SM

Thanks for replies. Well I'm used to a horrific mess of a codex, so competitiveness isn't at the top of my list (although would be nice)!

 

Are there any units that can take jump packs and Bolter, or do all troops have to have chainswords instead?

 

Would BA allies to regular SM (or reversed) be a better choice? What about raven guard shadow captain korvydae (on own or combined with Skrike)

 

Forgive my noobishness, but I only know how to kill loyalists not kill with them.

Death company can have boltguns and jump packs, the only one though. Although, they have relentless and rage, so it's not a terrible idea for them either. Pump out some boltgun shots before the charge and still get four melee attacks when you get there.

 

I don't know a whole lot about the Space Marine Codex, but I play a (basically) pure jump Blood Angels army right now and it's a blast. I normally run a lot of Sanguinary Guard, which are basically flying terminators.

Yea, Death company can get bolters and jump packs, which I think is a pretty good option ,although they cost 35pts/model. I wish regular assault marines could take bolters...

 

Hopefully the next dex will see the jump pack upgrade cost 5-7pts instead of 15...

I'd say the BA 'dex is still superior in terms of a jump pack army, but by the Emperor you have to use every little tactical trick you can muster to make jumpies in and 'dex work at least moderately.  Personally I get a warm, fuzzy feel of accomplishment winning with a JP army.  You just gotta think smart, make no mistakes, and play the objective game.  Here are some quick benefits for using the BA 'dex:

 

1) Priests:  Not as competitive as they were last edition, but the 5+ FNP and Furious Charge bubbles are still worth it for an all jumpies list.  I like to give mine an axe so I can point him 3" away from nasties or towards squishies in CC and make decent use of that enhanced statline.

 

2) Meltagun ASM: The quick meltaguns make ASM shine, especially with the DoA rule (only 6" scatter on deep strikes).  I like to combat squad a 10 man squad into a 5 man unit with 2 meltaguns.  With a small footprint (only 5 models) and only 6" scatter, you should never lose them on the drop.  They dish out 2 melta shots, 1 krak grenade, and 2 bolt pistol shots on the turn they arrive.  Not to shabby for a turn 2 nuker.  I put the other half in a Raven for late-game objective grabbing.

 

3) JP Axe Libby:  Same strat as the priest: use the axe to position yourself in CC.  I like to give him prescience to increase the damage potential of his squad (10 ASM, Libby, Priest).  Sometimes if cover is sparse I roll Shield(5+ cover) and Sword(S10).  Only downside is BA 'dex HQs are redic expensive.

 

4) Mephiston:  Hide him with amongst assault squad for a 5+ cover.  He's the tiniest unit in the game with monstrous creature stats and compliments your assault marine horde really well with his CC beat-train.  He also benefits from the priest!

 

That should just about cover your JP core.  I used to run this as a core:

 

+1 Mephiston

+1 Libby (JP, Axe)

+1 SangP(JP, Axe)

+10 ASM(x2 melta, sword) <-- libby, priest, and mephiston

+10 ASM(x2 melta) <-- combat squadded.  One DoA with x2 melta, one in raven

+1 Raven(TLMM, TLAssC) <-- I plop hurricane bolters on as well if I have the points to spare.

Go BA main but ally in a SM chapter master to get eternal shield+TH+art armor combo  with jump pack for some serious whooping , as troops take 5 cloak scouts , if you want to go cheap. Take either a WS chapter master to hand out hit and run to one BA squad , or an Iron Hands chapter master for the IWND.

 

another option is to ally with GK . Not BB  , but you can take shunting[jumppacks that can do a huge jump once per game] interceptors and Dread knights with hvy incinerators[and watch the screamer star players face when you say str 6 no save , no cover and no inv with prefered enemy demons] . As HQ take cortez and keep him near your fire base units.

Korvydae is currently in some kind of rules limbo. I've been actually building a jumper list for a while and I'm also waiting to see him updated (or some option in a raven guard supplement to allow jumpers as troops). Right now the only way to run lots of jumpers and still keep a decent amount of scoring units is BA. The only downside beign the higher cost compared to raven guards. RG chapter tactics also sound very good for jumpers, giving you a higher charge range and better hammer of wrath...

Are there any units that can take jump packs and Bolter, or do all troops have to have chainswords instead?

The other unit is the Honour Guard, one of which can be taken for any HQ in your army/detachment. The unit is very similar to the 5th Ed. SM Command Squad, but can take Jump Packs. You could equip the unit with 5 bolters but you would be better served with 4 Melta-/Plasmaguns (Sanguinary Novitiate can only choose between Boltgun and Bolt Pistol).

BA have everything over smurfs in terms of jumpyness except (maybe) 5 man suicide squads.

BA

5 man RAS with flamer and 2 HFs. 3 templates, 1 s4 two s3.

Smurfs:

5 man RAS with 2 flamers, but no HFs etc. available. 2 s4, and for cheaper. Can take the firehawks CT to make them s5 the turn they DS in.

  • 1 year later...

I too like the idea of an army that contains a decent amount of jumpers, so I'd like to resurrect this thread, since the answers to the OP are somewhat outdated by the new BA codex.

I appreciate that they now are unlikely to be troops, without Korvydae (or Courbay when they'd be scoring but not troops).

 

I don't have any iconic C:BA units (nipple armour, Baal preds, Furiosos, bolter-toting jumpers and I got my Stormravens before C:SM could get them) nor what I believe to be C:SM-only choices (don't have the C:BA codex, yet, so assuming Stormtalons & TFCs), and am wondering which way to go.

What am I missing?

 

The codex is telling me that BA assault squads are still Fast Attack choices, not Troops.  Mind you, go unbound if needs be lol.

"still"? This is the first time since 2nd or 3rd edition that they've NOT been troops.

 

For those players wanting to field a jumper-heavy army, the ability to take jumpers as troops (ie up to 6 units) was pretty useful. That's gone now (unless you take Korvydae).

So the question becomes whether what the Chapter Tactics for Raven Guard bring to a C:SM army outweighs the what Blood Angels rules (and unit choices) bring.

S5 and I5 on the charge together with far better weapon options is ridiculously better than C:SM equivalents.  

 

You'll need at least one non jump unless you don't wish to go unbound, other than that you can go all jump packs. 

However, it's probably better if you have at least some ways to screen your jumpers with high AV. Otherwise they'll get shot up moving across the board. 

You'll need at least one non jump unit if you wish to go unbound, other than that you go all jump packs.

What do you mean? If you go unbound you can take any selection of unit, so also only units with jump packs.

 

However, it's probably better if you have at least some ways to screen your jumpers with high AV. Otherwise they'll get shot up moving across the board.

That's what null deployment was for. Unfortunately that is no longer possible without drop pods.

 

You'll need at least one non jump unit if you wish to go unbound, other than that you go all jump packs.

What do you mean? If you go unbound you can take any selection of unit, so also only units with jump packs.

 

 

Missing words, fixed it ;)

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