Company Veterans - do they have a downside?

[Neophyte for your Ryghts]

Hi folks, I have a bit of a 'too good to be true' situation, hoping you can set me straight.

 

I own the Calth box and am probably going to turn some mk. IV dudes into company vets, using the minis in that set to create three 3xspecial weapon squads (meltas with power fists, plasmas with bolt pistols and flamers with chainswords). The sergeant will have the respective the combi version and power sword. This is mainly due to me having bought the box and wanting to do something more exciting than three (very subtle par by 8e standards) tactical squads. The purpose of the idea is having highly specialised units.

 

My tactica question is: is this a good idea? I'm thinking of classifying further sqauds as vanguard to avoid the Rule of 3, probably picking up a box to get some more melee weapons. Excepting jump packs, is there a benefit going vanguard vets? Similarly, excepting Special Issue Bolters and heavy flamers, etc. is there a reason to go sternguard?

 

General money question: as the only models for company vets is a very regular looking marine, is there anything stopping anyone just equipping and classifying there normal marines on the table top? As they should all be first conpany, they might get a crux terminatus on a knee, etc. But other than that, this seems like an excellent way to save money, too.

 

I'm hoping I'm right, but expecting some cogent replies to correct me if not :)

 

Ta,

Ryghts

[Trevak Dal]

I'd say follow your armys general codex guideline to modeling your veteran troops.

 

Like Ultramarines for example, vets have white helmets, red for the Sargent, and a bunch of (imo) unnecessary bling, robes/tabards, and dangly whatnots that could get snagged on debris on the battlefield (it's why none of my chaos marines have horned helmets-it gives a handhold for opponents to grab on to, and makes it harder to enter human sized areas).

 

Now you can give them fancy helmets and whatnot if that tickels your fancy, but I'd just go with the codex style of separation/apply a similar theme to your snowflake guys.

 

You know the differences between mk2 to mk10 power armor, aegis armor, chaos power armor/mk5 power armor are? Not a goddamn thing, majority 4 statline, 3+ save. Some get special rules or stat increases (Primaris and grey knights) but they are still power armor.

 

If mk3 meant you moved slower but ignored armor save modifiers of 1, or something like that, yeah maybe.

 

That aside, not many people will mind you playing calth bois as Vanilla/Dangles/Bloodangles/Wolfs/Chaos marines. Every legion had access to mk4 and the only people who will be that pissy about the "lore" usually bring the most ball crushing stuff to the table "for a friendly game".

 

The Calth mk4 marines are the best looking plastic marines except for GKs and Mk8s from Deathwatch (imo) until they released Primaris. *Sigh* I wouldn't have bought the two calth boxes if I'd known Primaris were a thing, I'd just have bought Primaris and made a codex army using them to count as regular marines because they have the best elements from several marks of power armor and are just baller.

 

Keep your paint scheme consistent regarding veterans and line troops, and I don't think you will have any problems.