Tactical Squad Load Out; returning player

[Captainulrich]

Ok, I haven't played since early 4th edition. I am an active WHFB player, but I have decided to take the plunge back into 40k waters. I'm building up and painting my force at the moment. I am building my own chapter fluff wise, but rules-wise I plan to make use of the Raptors tactics and Lias will frequently be a component of my lists.

 

What I am stuck on is what is the best way to equip my tac squads in the current meta? My initial list I'm looking at building includes 3 ten man tac squads. The idea is one in a rhino that will infiltrate along with Lias, a 10 man sternguard unit, and a group of centurions. A second 10 man tac squad will be in a drop pod, ready to drop down either precisesly using Lias' beacon, or elsewhere in a point of need on the board. The last squad will also have a rhino if needed.

 

My thoughts on equiping them were: plasma + plasma cannon in the infiltrating rhino, melta, multi-melta sgt, and maybe heavy flamer on the drop-pod group ... then the last group I'm not sure ... maybe flamer/lascanon or flamer/missile launcher? So, how are you guys equiping your squads? I know special weapons can't move and shoot, but if I can get defensible positions to avoid movement myself I get rending shots, so I figure at least some elements of my units will want to be static anyways.

 

I appreciate any input or advice you might have ...

[Acebaur]

Well for starters only Sternguard and LoD can take Heavy Flamers. Also non-blast Heavy weapons can move and shoot they just snap shot instead. 

 

My thoughts are, the Las,Plas-C and HB, ML are all best off objective sitting by themselves somewhere. This is because they all need to stay still to be effective and also because their ranges don't jive well with the squads other guns.  The Plasma gun MM combo can work though because they both want to be inside of 12 inches. 

 

For the points ML's are pretty terrible, they can't one shot a vehicle and can't kill 2+ armor. For the 5 points more a LC is much better. 

 

For the Drop pod squad I'd take a Melta, combi-melta sgt and then if you want a heavy weapon probably the HB is your best option here or maybe another MM. 

[Gideon999]

Yeah, the meta has changed a lot (well, in my area at least, YMMV).   I would not take a heavy weapon on a tactical squad anymore.  I kit mine out for a single task and use a special and combi to achieve that.   So meltagun and combimelta in a pod for example.   I also no longer use full 10 man squads.   In 5th (not sure about 4th, that was before my time) you HAD to take 10 guys to get weapon upgrades, but that is no longer the case.   One of the best units I have now is a 5 man tac squad with combi and melta in a pod (drop using ultramarines and tactical doctrine for the reroll) or a 5 man assault squad in a pod with 2 flamers.   

 

Also, vehicles are HUGELY harder to kill now with anything other than melta, so most people are going towards weapons that glance them to death rather than pop them outright (since 3 HP is easy to glance down).

 

So for long range power lascannons are king now, but you will see a lot of use for melta, plasma and grav now (the new hawtness).

 

You could run the infiltrators and combat squad them out as well, giving your enemy a bit 5-6 units to shoot at right on their doorstep.

[tdemayo]

I like plasma gun, combiplas and a ML or plasma cannon myself.