Unit of the Week: Primaris Marines

[General Strike]

That's something I struggled with as well, Tyberos, that's why I decided to go full Primaris. The points are tight for Primaris, so when I made lists using them and regular marines, I only used marines for stuff I couldn't get from Primaris. Devs with Heavy Bolters, Combi Sternguard, and Tanks. I am feeling stuck now, I haven't been able to make Primaris work and thats the only army I own right now, so I'm waiting for the codex to see what we get. I might start a different army and come back to Primaris once the range is bigger, or buy into marines and hope the stuff about them being replaced isn't true.

[DerekLee688]

I want to try out the Hellbaster squad with an Apothecary and/or Captain. Rerolls and revives for a bubble instead of a single attached unit? Oh hell-blaster yeah!

 

If I get any intercessors, they will probably be converted into Lieutenants, captains, and librarians because I'm not paying $35 for one librarian no matter how bad I want it. I'm not impressed with the pre-codex intercessors right now. Maybe they will be killer units once they get chapter tactics and such, but as it stands I'm not taking them.

 

I would also like to have a unit of Inceptors, because I've always wanted a unit of assault marines with bolters or stormbolters. Inceptors take that dream and powercreeps the heck out of it.

 

I'm interested to see if the Reivers will attack 3 times vs having 3 attacks. A unit of Honor Guard and Reivers escorting a chappy, libby, or special character sounds cheap-ish and fun.

[General Strike]

Does anyone have any ideas as how to make Intercessors work? I was thinking of running a Battalion with two Tacticals and a Intercessor squad. It really depends on the cost of the Repulsor for transport. I'm really thinking that without a points drop or more options they are the main issue. I won't run Hellblasters either, I plan to run:

 

HQ

Primaris Captain

Primaris Librarian

 

Elites

Primaris Apothecary

2x Redemptor Dreadnoughts

1x Ten Man Reivers squad

 

Troops

1x Scout Squad with Snipers

1x Tacticals with Heavy and Special

1x Intercessors ten man

 

Heavy Support

Dev Squad: Heavy Bolter and Las

Dev Squad: Heavy Bolter and Las

 

1x Rhino

1x Repulsor

[Deadnaughty]

The main use I see for Intercessors in their current form is as a backline objective unit. While more expensive then some scouts they bring more wounds, and their 30 inch range increases their ability to do something compared to tactics.

[Blindhamster]

the -1AP mod is also useful, as is a better save than scouts (2+ if they're in cover afterall), Bolt rifles are strictly better than bolt guns, you dont actually get many more tactical bodies compared to intercessors either 7 tacticals compared to 5 intercessors. The tacticals can afford a single cheap special weapon (9 points or less). So generally, i'd think the intercessors will out perform tacticals most of them time - especially once transporting them is viable.

[LucidNinja]

I think I'm calling 3000 the new 2000pts haha. Seriously my lists just keep bloating out with what I want to include, my thematic fists army sits at like 2500 points and I want to add more

[General Strike]

I agree, Ninja, I feel like 2000 is the new 1500, so the new 1850 will be 2500 or more. Once we have Codices it might change. 

 

In the N&R thread we learned the Repulsor can carry 12 models, so that is 2x 5 Man Squads and two characters. I think that helps a lot, but I really can't wait to see the stats. Luckily we only need to wait until the 29th to see all the rules. And seeing the stats for the Dreads dakka cannon, and seeing that the Repulsor can take on in place of it's lascannon turret too, I am really excited. I think that we might be able to fight against hordes with weight of dice by model. I mean the big cannon on the Dread is Heavy 12, I believe.

Edited July 17, 2017 by HCMistborn

[FirstSonofHorus]

After playing six games with them, Intercessors are very very solid. I think Tacticals may be better in a 10man squad because of the heavy/special/sergeant weapons. However for 100pts Intercessors offer great value for objectives games. If you want to dislodge them from cover you need to dedicate a good amount of firepower/combat potential to do so. They just last. 

 

My only wish is that they get sergeant equipment options.

[General Strike]

Maybe I have just had really crapluck with them, a lot of people like them.

[Blindhamster]

Just some thoughts on Intercessors I had from a different thread. Trying to objectively compare them point for point to the other troop choices marines have.

 

 

Intercessors:

• I highlighted this in a primaris thread over on adeptus astartes, but, you get 7 tacticals, with a flamer on a marine or a power sword on the sergeant, for the same cost you get 5 intercessors.
• The intercessors have 3 more wounds, 3 more attacks, have larger threat range and actually have an AP mod on their guns.
• If you compare to bolter scouts, you could get 9 scouts, the intercessors still have more wounds and more melee attacks, obviously they are a bit behind on shooting at this point, except for the factor that the intercessors still have the longer range and the AP mod in their favour
• If you compare to sniper scouts, you only get 6 of them, sniper scouts have heavy weapons so are even less mobile than intercessors, they technically have a 42" threat range but it makes them less accurate, which means in practice they have the same threat range as intercessors, again the intercessors stock gun is probably better unless you're specifically going for characters.
• They are currently less mobile than their Tactical brethren, but the repulsor will fix that and add a lot of fire power to boot. However due to the 36" threat range, they can afford to be a bit less mobile. 
• I wouldn't be surprised to see primaris in general get some small rule in the codex.
• If intercessors get access to Auto Bolt Rifles, they'll frankly be an auto include for me.

 

[General Strike]

If we get the Repulsor at 200 points or less, then it might be more viable at 2000 points. Right now I am looking at focusing down on Primaris, instead of playing them like a Battle Co. Run Vanguard, Reivers, Assault Squads, and Inceptors as a Raven Guard force. Run a focused mix as Ultras. I really want to see the codex so I can play around this way. My DIY paint scheme is here to stay for flexibility in CTs and Stratagems.

[Tyberos the Red Wake]

Is that without counting the weapon points? Because that thing has a lot of weapons.

[General Strike]

Yeah, just the hull, I say that cause it seems like a LR hull with fly.

 

My guesses on weapons costs:

The gatling cannon looks like the small one on the Dread, which is similar to the Punisher gatling. So maybe 20-25 points.

 

Then two heavy stubbers, so maybe 4-8 points each?

 

Then a twin lascannon, so 50 points. The lascannon turret is probably 35-50 points.

 

Plus it looks like it has the missile system the dread has? So maybe 20 points for that?

 

So, the gatling variant has probably 116-120 points of weapons, and the las variant has like 130-150 points worth. So the hull could be sitting at 150-200. The dread seems cheap though, with people saying 205-265, so it might be cheaper than we expect.

Edited July 18, 2017 by HCMistborn

[StrummersGhost]

Just throwing in my experience of primaris here, though I'm bringing nothing new to the table haha. But I used intercessors in a narrative mission, meat grinder, where I was defending against waves of orks. I had the intercessors sat in cover. I didn't lose a single one of them. Having the 2+ cover and 2 wounds made them very hard to shift. The -1 to ap with the bolt rifle meant I was killing ork boys outright from distance.

 

Of course the win conditions for me were to just have one model survive. So they could sit in cover the whole game. The intercessors really shined in that style of play. It's made me want to take them in my future lists.

[olcottr]

I'll definitely be putting a Primaris Lieutenant behind a Devastator Squad with Lascannons.  Reroll those pesky 1s on Wound rolls. And if someone dares to Fight the Devastator Squad, the Lt's combat abilities will make them pay for it on the counter-charge.

[Sawtooth]

For my tactics, Intercessors desperately need a transport. I think their value to me will skyrocket once the grav tank and the Overlord become available. As a rabidly aggressive player I want them to hitch a ride, rapid fire, then charge. I'm not expecting them to be super assault troops, just the generalists that they're supposed to be.

[Blindhamster]

Get a thunderhawk for them? :D

[Tyberos the Red Wake]

A lot of people say we're going to get the Overlord, and we have gotten all the other units from Dark Imperium, but that thing is larger than a Thunderhawk, are we really going to get one? Even if we did, it would probably be made by Forge World and not be usable outside of Apocalypse due to its point cost.

[Blindhamster]

id guess it'd be a forgeworld kit, and over £500

it's described as looking like a very large corvus blackstar

[Charlo]

One thing that Asartes specifically don't have is a big ol' plastic Super Heavy to call our own - which is really odd considering our popularity!

 

Chaos have the Lord of Skulls, Guard have the Baneblade Chassis, Eldar the Wraith Knight, Orks the Stompa and T'au the Stormsurge.

 

Sure, there are Knights, but they are really their own entity (though VERY similar to marines in appearance).

 

I personally think the Overlord as a plastic kit and a big one at that - there has been a humble buzz about GW's "biggest ever plastic kit" for a long time now and this could be it.

 

Making it a SH Strike Craft totally personifies the Astartes way of war too!

=============================

 

On topic though, I think the Repulsor is the key to Primaris marines, as well as the few extra options they are going to get in the Codex.

 

A small army for sure, but all with 2W and negative modifiers to their shooting is great.

[General Strike]

The only descriptor I have heard is "it makes the Thunderhawk looks like a toy" does it actually say its bigger? The Defiant made Voyager look like a toy, but was tiny compared to it.

[Blindhamster]

well, its carrying:

A Primaris Captain in Gravis Armour
A Primaris Librarian
A librarian
2 Hellblaster Squads (presumably 5 man each)
2 Aggressor Squads (presumably 3 man each)
2 or 4 (I cant remember) Intercessor Squads.(5 man each)

so, thats 7 Gravis Armoured Marines, a normal marine and between 21 and 31 primaris marines...

A Thunderhawk can transport 15 primaris marines...

[Sawtooth]

Supposedly it can carry 40 Primaris in the lore that I've heard. I normally would be much more skeptical, but all the Primaris rumors have been laser-accurate so far. Honestly, I'd be happy with a Primaris drop pod or refitted rhinos that can carry 5 or 6 of them. I just think Intercessors can't fill their potential without some form of transport.

[Blindhamster]

Supposedly it can carry 40 Primaris in the lore that I've heard. I normally would be much more skeptical, but all the Primaris rumors have been laser-accurate so far. Honestly, I'd be happy with a Primaris drop pod or refitted rhinos that can carry 5 or 6 of them. I just think Intercessors can't fill their potential without some form of transport.

I think intercessors are fine, they feel more like back field objective holders.

 

Reivers sound like they'll be far more mobile with the codex, so will probably be okay without a transport too. Hellblasters seem like a good candidate for taxi service IMO

[General Strike]

Oh, wow, it is BIG then.