How do you run Tactical Support Sergeants?

[The Acid Dog]

Howdy everyone,

 

I'm currently sitting on 80 Betrayal at Calth Marines and trying to decide what to do with them.  I've got some Veteran Tacticals made up with bolters, and I've decided to make some Tactical Support Squads so that I can have plenty of special weapons on the side to freely swap out for them (I don't magnetize, I've tried it before and I'm so disorganized I lose the dang bitz.)

 

Anyway, currently making a flamer squad, plasma squad, and melta squad, and the question I have is how should I equip my sergeants?  I'm thinking an augury scanner on the plasma squad sergeant might be a good idea, since I can still throw a plasma pistol on him for the same price as a plasmagun and keep that AP 2 shooting, but I'm not sure about it, nor am I sure how to arm the others.

 

Thoughts?  How do/would you arm your Tactical Support Sergeants?

[Terminus]

I like Augury Scanner on support squads with Volkite. For plasma squads, it's a tough call over another plasma gun but your pistol idea is a nice way of getting your cake and eating half of it. :P If the pistol was 5 or 10 points I would call that the best default option.

 

Otherwise I go for combi-weapon to save costs, which I put towards artificer armour for the Sgt so he can catch bullets for the rest of the squad. He'll be the first to die so no point wasting any more on upgrades.

 

I wouldn't waste models on flamer squads, to be honest, there isn't really much use for something like that in 30K, because swarms are better dealt with with volkite and you also always have plenty of bolters. If you really want some flamers, buy heavy flamer pintle weapons for your rhinos, tank shock enemies into clumps and fry them that way.

[Caillum]

Otherwise I go for combi-weapon to save costs, which I put towards artificer armour for the Sgt so he can catch bullets for the rest of the squad. He'll be the first to die so no point wasting any more on upgrades.

Absolutely agree with this. Perfect balance of price and effectiveness. :)

[Charlo]

I'd disagree with flamers. People will underestimate them but when you drown them in 50+ auto hits those failed saves add up quick. Plus they are cheap and score!

 

And I'm just talking about 40k experience with a Flamer/ 2 Hand Flamers and a Heavy Flamer ;D

[Emperors Teeth]

I've only got 1 Support Squad so far; Volkite Calivers. He's getting an Augury Scanner & Power fist.

 

All my sergeants so far have received either a power weapon & melta bombs or a power fist. They're a get-out-of-trouble card if they run into something really tough. The Scanner just seems good sense, almost anywhere you can take them, but particularly in large units with good range.

 

There's something to be said for a sergeant matching the unit wargear with just Artificer Armour, though. I'll be trying that out sometime.

[Unknown Legionnaire]

On Plasma or Melta gunner squads you get the sergeant the free combi-weapon plus a suit of Artificer Armour, so he can tank shots once he's fired his weapon.

 

On Caliver squads that are in a more stationary and less aggressive role, go for the Augury Scanner & Artificer Armour. Spice up with CCW to taste if you must.

 

On Flamer squads (agree with Charlo here about them being underestimated) just stick to the default Flame and slap on Artificer Armour.

[Charlo]

A fun trick with flamer support squads, especially for Salamanders + DG:

 

• Attach a consul with a boarding shield, I quite like a siege breaker for phosphex bombs or a forge lord for rad grenades outside of The Reaping RoW.
• Drive forward as fast as possible, disembark Rhino and barbecue something.
• As you are close you're probably going to get charged.
• Anyone who charges you loses out on bonuses thanks to the boarding shield and also has to eat D3 Overwatch hits per flamer dude left alive.
• If you are DG/ Forgelord this overwatch is also affected by Rad grenades. So Salamanders Heavy Flamer Squads cause instant death on charging enemies.

[The Acid Dog]

I was going to jump on in defense of my Flamer Tactical Supports, but it looks like Charlo beat me to it!

 

I'll be playing Death Guard in 30k and I already play Salamanders in 40k, so templates are pretty much my bread and butter.

 

I really like Volkites, but I have to order them, and I'm just trying to work with what I have on hand. Plus, burning your foe to ash with a heat ray just isn't quite as satisfying as rendering them down into bubbling alchemical goo through judicious application of chem-weapons. :P

[Charlo]

Hell yeah XIVth Chemical-Death-High-Five!

 

In which case feel free to steal that tactic entirely!

[Galron]

I give them the default weapon the rest of the squad is armed with. I usually expect my support guys to die coming in like they do from drop pods and simply kill their objective and die from everything else. Flamers are the absolute best of all the support squads. They are the cheapest troop choice and throw them in a drop pod and they get to where they need to go. My six man squad has lit up and destroyed a full scatterbike squad with farseer, a full terminator squad, and numerous other units in a single volley. Weirdly enough they have never died. After they kill their target my opponent figures they have short ranged weapons and now are on foot so they rarely shoot them and go after other support squads with"more" vicious weapons.

 

I never see the reason to upgrade them with anything, maybe a melta bomb if I have free points.

[Terminus]

I am a fan of my IG flamer platoon command squads in 40K because there are far more targets for that sort of thing.  I do not bother playing 30K vs 40K, it's a thoroughly frustrating exercise.  I definitely acknowledge the damage potential of just piling on a bunch of wound dice, but in 30K I have volkite for that that can kill any infantry through weight of wounds or glance vehicles to death, without the need for a drop pod or to be in danger close (plus there are tools like quad mortars or dreadclaws etc.).

 

Giving them the same weapon as the rest of the squad for plasma/melta seems like a waste of points on the most disposable guy in the unit. Let him have his one combi-shot, and then start jumping in front of bullets. :D

[Charlo]

I like the combi-logic. That is pretty sound.

[zedmeister]

My plasma gun support squad has a Sergeant with Combi-plasma and artificer armour. He's the bullet magnet!