Watching Out 6: Bikers

[Ordo Machinum]

Let's continue the "Watching Out" discussions with a focus on the 'Battering Ram' of the Watch:

Bikers

 

I want to survey the boards opinions on their relevancy and useful weapon load-outs.

[Vel'Cona]

Eh.  I've had a few words with the forums on these already, but I'll summarize here for completeness sake.  DW Bikers taken as a unit are pretty awful, plain and simple.  You're restricted to 5 guys, you can't take an attack bike (for obvious reasons), they can't become ObjSec, and they can't take special weapons.  While they get cheap 5 point power weapons, this fails to set a good standard and makes an already pricey bike unit even more expensive.  You always have Jink to keep them alive until melee, but no second CCW means they're only 3 attacks ea. on the charge (+1 HoW).  Yes, Split Fire TL bolters with special issue ammo sounds great on paper, but remember:  these are still bolters.  You get nearly the exact same firepower on a min unit of Veterans and can actually tool Vets up to do varied tasks (and get re-rolls to hit on 1s via Mission Tactics, making TL somewhat redundant).  It's too bad you can't take pure Biker squads in a BSSF, because the ability to DS them would have been cool.

 

Taken in a KT, Bikers add a lot more but are still limited in a similar way to VVs.  For the 6 meltabomb cost (7 with PW), you get a T5 tank that can soak shots on Jink without screwing up their squad's shooting, as well as another cheap PW and a HoW hit if you can pull a charge off.  Most importantly, they give their unit Split Fire so you can get more mileage from an expensive KT equipped with varied weaponry, as well as Skilled Riders to allow DS into terrain shenanigans (not sure how the Infantry guys are "skilled at riding" on foot, but whatevs).  Again, like VVs you're losing out on most transport options to take Bikers, with the Corvus Blackstar being your only (expensive) option.  Even more troubling, your Bikers take up 3 spots apiece, which can limit KT sizes in this situation.  If you run them on foot, the Bikers can do a bit more work with setting up charge ranges (thanks to 12" move), but are losing one of the biggest benefits of a Bike, mobility (due to coherency restrictions)!  Ultimately, Terminators can do much the same job for much the same cost (5 points more for a PF/PW and 2+/5++ to tank) and leave a few transport options open, too.

[Black Cohort]

The lack of special weapons for bikes hurts them a lot, though the kill teams with bikes can do some interesting things with split-fire.

[BrainFireBob]

Teleport homers and a minimum unit size of 1 with an army that can do mass DS.

[Black Cohort]

Teleport homers and a minimum unit size of 1 with an army that can do mass DS.

 

Teleport homers or locator beacons?  It makes a big difference.

[Vel'Cona]

Teleport homers and a minimum unit size of 1 with an army that can do mass DS.

 

= They got shot off the table before you get the chance to roll.  It's not that hard to kill one bike, Jink or not.

[Black Cohort]

I think the point is to have lots of single bikes

[Lysere]

 

 

Teleport homers and a minimum unit size of 1 with an army that can do mass DS.

Teleport homers or locator beacons? It makes a big difference.

Should be deathwatch teleport homers, which are better than normal ones because they also work with the BSSF.

 

I'm thinking deathwatch bikes give me a reason to make some more power lance bikes.

[Irbis]

DW bikes can be summed with one picture:

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bmo6iTtR6gY/VksrJT2s_sI/AAAAAAAAFNs/GH91D8QbZhc/s1600/IMG-20150822-WA0011.jpg

 

I'm thinking deathwatch bikes give me a reason to make some more power lance bikes.

 

Ironically, I fielded a few lance bikes in a game two days ago to test them. Rolled 1 inch short charge, then enemy charged first and wiped them out due to worse profile (and I even had bike librarian giving them invisibility too...). If I were doing DW bikes, I'd take them with mauls, probably.

[Vel'Cona]

If I were doing DW bikes, I'd play them as C:SM Command Squad Bikes.

[Lysere]

DW bikes can be summed with one picture:

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bmo6iTtR6gY/VksrJT2s_sI/AAAAAAAAFNs/GH91D8QbZhc/s1600/IMG-20150822-WA0011.jpg

 

 

I'm thinking deathwatch bikes give me a reason to make some more power lance bikes.

Ironically, I fielded a few lance bikes in a game two days ago to test them. Rolled 1 inch short charge, then enemy charged first and wiped them out due to worse profile (and I even had bike librarian giving them invisibility too...). If I were doing DW bikes, I'd take them with mauls, probably.

Rule of cool. If I want power mauls I'll put them on vanguard or regular marines.