Help with first order choices...

[Carraigf]

Hey folks, so I've been playing around on b'scribe for a while now and am just about ready to commit to spending my hoard of Xmas vouchers on my first 1.5k of Salamanders.

 

Trouble is I'm stuck between two lists - both mech - and need your help to decide.

 

List 1:

Praetor - AA, IH, MC Paragon Blade, Inferno Pistol, DS Storm shield, Mantle (EW)

ROW: Covenant of fire

 

2x 10 Tacticals + AA Sgt

1x 5 Pyroclasts

 

LR Sqdrn - 1x Achilles, 2x Phobos + AC and HFs

 

List 2:

Same as above but drop LR squadron and add rhinos with HF for Tacticals and a scouting proteus as DT for the pyros

 

PLUS

 

1x Sicaran + AC and LCs

1x Sicaran Venator + AC

 

What are your thoughts... o7

[Enigami]

I would vote strongly for your second list. Sicarans are the bees knees and in this list they would help provide a little more fire support. I like to keep my troops pretty bare bones in rhinos if running a regular FoC. Where will your praetor be going? With the pyros? I might suggest finding the points or upon expansion adding the points for a CC squad for him. He's a lot of points for a cc beat stick and you'll want to make sure he's adequately supported.

All in all, I'd go with your second list.

 

On another note, if you want to be super fluffy, I'd look at predators with magna melta or flame storm cannons. The latter isn't that great but it would look neat with your sallies.

 

Keep coming up with ideas! Good job so far.

[Carraigf]

Thanks for the feedback Enigami

Yeah plan was to put the praetor in with the pyros - have them toast a likely unit then follow up with him on the charge.

Would like to bulk him up with a cc squad - considered doing it in place of the pyros a bodyguard - 5 chosen using the pyro bodies but armed with CC weapons might be good fun to build and convert. How do bodyguards/chosen perform - I guess it depends on the build - good news is I could give them their own rhino and opt for the three tread set from FW saving a few £s.

Guess my concern with the rhinos comes down to their low armour/survivability and low £ to points ratio - I'm not an existing marine player so dropping £40 on 50 points stings pretty bad - versus a raider at £45 for ~250 points. Just looking at all the high S weaponry in 30k as me worried about those little bauxes even making it past turn 1 where a wall of AV14 would be more survivable and the LCs give me an anti-armour element I otherwise lack.

Would appreciate any feedback on how rhino's survive in 30k - heard they do better than in the grim dark - also fluff wise would like to run them with HF so could use the spare pyro parts - flame on !

I love both the Sicarans - but again they are a bit pricey - one of each makes a very large dent in my strained budget - could keep the legion build and maybe add in a MM pred for the suicide equivalent of a venator. Again not seen much on running predators either in the Sallies tactica or in the general forums so any advice appreciated.

I'll go work up a v2 of the list and see where I land...

[Slips]

Just use Plastic Rhinos if the pricepoint is an Issue.

[Carraigf]

Good shout Slipstream - I guess the trade off there is I could get the salamanders doors later to spruce them up a bit..

 

So how's this look:

 

Praetor - AA, IH, MC Paragon Blade, Inferno Pistol, DS Storm shield, Mantle (EW)

ROW: Covenant of fire

 

Body guard - standard bearer +4 chosen, 2 combi-meltas, 2 PFs, 5 combat shields

Rhino + HF

 

1x Apothecary + AA + Augury

 

2x 10 Tacticals + AA Sgt in Rhino + HF

 

1x Sicaran + AC + LCS

1x Pred sqdrn - 1 with AC + MM, 2 with AC

 

So Apothecary in with the Praetor and bodyguard, tacs to take objectives, Preds to support and contest. Infernus because rule of cool and Sicaran for a bit of AA and Air cover.

 

#edit darned autocorrect lol#

[Slips]

An assault unit in a Rhino is a strong no-go from me.

 

It means that to get into CC they have to stand around for a turn and get shot? No thanks!

 

In that case a Land Raider would be nigh-mandatory or any other form of assault transport like a Dreadclaw.

 

Also check the reatrictions on Apothecaries. I dont think they can join a command squad

[Carraigf]

Yeah, could maybe do with a Phobos in stead, row means no deep strike so drop pod is off the table.

 

Could drop the two vanilla preds and the rhino to give me the points but then might be better to squeeze a bit more for a Spartan at that point.. or could take combination flamer and bait a charge to get overwatch with the +1 S - with the apothecary and the shields giving staying power

[Slips]

Are you in the 1.5k or 2k range? At 1.5k I wouldnt try making a Spartan Death Taxi Build work since thats usually 700-800+ points right there on its own. WAY too Pricey.

 

You're better off getting a Phobos for ~100 points less than a Spartan and using the 10 Slots within. Its not like you'll make full use of the 25 Slots in a Spartan to begin with even if it is a Tough As Nails Tank, if your opponent is savvy, especially at sub 2k games, he'll be able to outmaneuver you easily. It also means you'll only really have ~800 points of real army + Deathstar Unit.

 

Not ideal.

 

Stick with a Land Raider :p Move to a Spartan at 2.5k and Up.

 

Ideally you'd spend no more than 600 points on Land Raider (roughly 280 at most), Preator (225 at most) and the rest into his entourage. I wouldnt bother with Melta Guns that aren't taken en masse. The prevalence of Armored Ceramite on Av14 Tanks means that you'll likely not even chip the paint and Melta is usually overkill on anything weaker like Rhinos. Instead Take Melta Bombs for Cheaper since they have Armorbane they deal with armor more efficiently. Also leaves you with more points for Power Weapons in a CC focused Squad.