Daemonkin - Berzerkers or Marines?

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

I already possess 27 Berzerker mini's, three of whom will be repurposed to, along with some bitz, make up the mandatory Slaughtercult Possessed Squad. The rest will be split into three squads and stuffed into Rhinos.

 

I cannot decide whether it is better to run them as regular Marines (BP + CCW), or whether it's worth the extra points to make them into Berzerkers. Also, would you be miffed if someone showed up with a bunch of Berzerker minis but they weren't actually Berzerkers rules-wise?

 

My plan for them is to rush upfield, disembark then kill, maim, burn. Or be killed, whatever. It is all a service to Khorne.

[Cap'm Heckus]

If you going to run them as pistol and sword then I'd probably say go zerkers over csm. Their job is going to be anti-infantry and you can take other things to use against MC or tanks so melta aren't needed.

 

If you add bolters to CsM then maybe. It gives them some versatility but isn't 100% in a daemonkin army. DK need to get busy killin' or get busy dying.

[Lucio]

Personally I use a squad of Berzerkers for my close combat troops and my CSM are close range fire support using boltguns, meltaguns and flamers.

 

Generally in a Slaughtercult I'll use one squad of each, both in Rhinos. Move them up together, the CSM jump out in front to shoot the enemy a lot before the Berzerkers pile in

[Iron_Within]

Berzerkers if you want to hit things like infantry, particularly Marines as they will stick around and hit on 3's. Marines for taking objectives and for the special weapons. 

Personally I'd go for Berzerkers, reason being is for objective camping Cultists are better, so half the reason for taking them are gone. They also have Fearless which is all important, as they'll keep going until they are dead, which is all important in the KDK army.

[Scribe]

CSM, every point you can put other than troops counts.

[Iron_Within]

TBH Scribe if your are going along those lines you should forget about CSM or Zerk's completely. The ideal would be for Bloodletters filling out your required 2 units in the Slaughtercult or 2 Cultists in a FoC standard list. If you view them as a tax anyway. Berzerkers have enough attacks to hurt certain units. I'm not arguing they're brilliant but in the right circumstances (not Tournament basically) they're okay. The main problem with them is any unit they can cut through like a knife through butter and get shot at the following turn.

[Scribe]

Well between all 3, I think CSM still win out. I like the ability to bring in a Rhino for vehicle tricks (LOS block, tank shock, transportation, etc) and bloodletters are too soft.

 

So to me, CSM fit nicely as the cheaper, more effective choice. :p

[Khornestar]

I like CSM, sometimes with added CCW. Running away sucks, but meltas/plasmas add a lot of versatility that Berzerkers just don't have. Depends on what sort of list you're facing. We just have so many units that are good at fighting MEQ or lesser infantry, might as well go with the cheaper options IMO.

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

CSM, every point you can put other than troops counts.

 

Kinda my thought, too. Downgrading them from Berzerkers to CSM would pay for three Spawn or a MSU Bike squad w/ 2 Meltaguns.

[Scribe]

Oh and Spawn are awesome!

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Oh and Spawn are awesome!

 

You'd take Spawn over the Bikes?

[Scribe]

No, because the bikes are part of the Gorepack, and I put hounds very close to the top of the list, but since spawn fall inside the slaughtercult, they get to double up on Tithe buffs, and that can make them fairly scary for their cost.

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

I lean towards Bikes because I'm fairly short on Anti-Vehicle capability, also.

 

Moar Melta.

[Scribe]

My last game, I was throwing Krak grenades in the hopes of killing vehicles, it was sad times.

[Lucio]

My last game, I was throwing Krak grenades in the hopes of killing vehicles, it was sad times.

Against non-walkers, charge your Possessed in, 4 attacks per model at S6 gives you a better chance than Krak grenades

[Scribe]

Yeah I popped a Pred with a Spawn like that in that game, I needed the Krak method because I wanted to charge the squishy bodies inside. :D

[Lucio]

In which case I propose that we should be able to grant Berzerker Champions "Summary Tank Execution" ability. You can sacrifice one of your unit members by throwing it really damned hard at a transport filled with a yummy squishy filling to strike with a S6 AP2 Armourbane hit.

[Trevak Dal]

I want to love Khorne Berserkers.  But for their strengths, they don't get a lot of options.  Chainaxes are damn fun-especially when fighting Eldar or Imperial Guard, and the Blood Table does WONDERS in mitigating the base 1 attack of Khorne berserkers.  But Berserkers don't get access to meltaguns.  Or plasma guns-or Bolters with ubergrit for versatility.

 

That said-they're my only troops in my Daemonkin army (which is basically the Army of the more Chaotic elements of my CSM forces-the Dinobots, the Daemon Prince, and all)

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

In which case I propose that we should be able to grant Berzerker Champions "Summary Tank Execution" ability. You can sacrifice one of your unit members by throwing it really damned hard at a transport filled with a yummy squishy filling to strike with a S6 AP2 Armourbane hit.

 

AKA the 'have you ever been so angry you threw a friend at a tank' rule.

[Luther - the fallen]

 

In which case I propose that we should be able to grant Berzerker Champions "Summary Tank Execution" ability. You can sacrifice one of your unit members by throwing it really damned hard at a transport filled with a yummy squishy filling to strike with a S6 AP2 Armourbane hit.

 

AKA the 'have you ever been so angry you threw a friend at a tank' rule.

 

Does Berzerkers have friends anymore? :P

 

I personally run Berzerkers, if only because it's fluffy when running a World Eaters force. as for the question about running them as CSM, Iød be okay with it, but I also know of people who wouldn't. I really can't say who is the better choice in the end, as long as there's carnage and bloodshed, you're doing it right ;)