Assault Squads - Worth it?

[Grizzly Adams]

I am planning to order 20 mkii assault marines for use in 40k games so I can run the skyhammer annihilation force, and was hoping for double duty in my 30k Salamanders. Does anyone have any experience with running assault squads? Are they worth the points?

One downside i know of is i am planning to use the Covenant of Fire, so i can get hurt pretty bad if i lose combat, since i can't add my initiative to sweeping advance rolls.

One thing i have been thinking is a full 20 man squad with a chaplain attached, to use as a mini hammer unit, but its a lot of points.

 

What are you guys' thoughts and experiences?

[Slips]

With Covenant of Fire they get Move Through Cover so theyre a bit more mobile.

 

As for large units or smaller, elite units being hella expensive with attached ICs, thats kinda the Flavor of 30k. Go big or go home (to an extent smaller forces are possible but harder to make).

 

20 Assault marines in a single squad are cheaper than 2 10 man units so thats a bonus but consider running them as a 15man Squad with maximum power weapons, Sarge with Artificer Armor, Power Weapon and Melta Bombs with combat shields here and there (ours go from a flat 6++ to 5++ in cc) and give the Attached Chaplain a Void Shield Harness at the minimum for an ablative Av12 Bubble.

 

That said, theyre usually better off in Jump Pack Focused Armies since everything will usually work in tandem to the Jump Pack Playstyle at that point.

 

Youll also not be using them to charge anything that is TEQ level since theyre usually a supper choppy unit at that point and it might be better to shoot them off than to assault them; less risk that way.

[depthcharge12]

Rule 1:

Do they look cool? If yes, then take them.

 

 

Rule 2:

See Rule 1.

[Grizzly Adams]

With Covenant of Fire they get Move Through Cover so theyre a bit more mobile.

 

As for large units or smaller, elite units being hella expensive with attached ICs, thats kinda the Flavor of 30k. Go big or go home (to an extent smaller forces are possible but harder to make).

 

20 Assault marines in a single squad are cheaper than 2 10 man units so thats a bonus but consider running them as a 15man Squad with maximum power weapons, Sarge with Artificer Armor, Power Weapon and Melta Bombs with combat shields here and there (ours go from a flat 6++ to 5++ in cc) and give the Attached Chaplain a Void Shield Harness at the minimum for an ablative Av12 Bubble.

 

That said, theyre usually better off in Jump Pack Focused Armies since everything will usually work in tandem to the Jump Pack Playstyle at that point.

 

Youll also not be using them to charge anything that is TEQ level since theyre usually a supper choppy unit at that point and it might be better to shoot them off than to assault them; less risk that way.

 

fair point, my original thought was to have them as kind of a secondary assault unit that could keep up with a mess of Firedrakes with either Vulkan or a Praetor in a Spartan. Use them as a flanking unit while i drive the big armoured coconut right up the gut. 

 

 

Rule 1:

Do they look cool? If yes, then take them.

 

 

Rule 2:

See Rule 1.

 

The Rule of Cool definitely applies to these guys, i think the mkii assault marines are some of the coolest in the range.

[Brofist]

I love the look and idea behind them, but in 30K games Assault Squads cost a lot of points. If you play big games this might not be as large a setback, but at 1500-2000 those assault squads are going to be a big chunk of your army.

[Grizzly Adams]

I love the look and idea behind them, but in 30K games Assault Squads cost a lot of points. If you play big games this might not be as large a setback, but at 1500-2000 those assault squads are going to be a big chunk of your army.

I definitely think there is a point threshold, for sure. They are very pricey.