What squad marking should attack bikes have?

[Xenith]

So attack bikes for a separate unit on the battlefield, however in the fluff squadrons of attack bikes are pulled from normal support duty supporting bike squads to do this.

 

Does this mean that the 6 marines in a 3 attack bike squadron are from different units, meaning different unit markings, or would the attack bikes alone be seconded, and a normally foot or bike mounted unit will all go on attack bikes?

 

I'm asking as all Blood Angels models have unit insignia. I initially painted the bikes as their own separate unit (10th squad of the 8th company), however I'm wondering if they should be taken from separate squads?

 

Or would this be something changed on the fly?

 

Any information is welcome!

[Brother Tyler]

You have several basic options:

• Assume that the Attack Bike Squadron is simply a group of battle-brothers from the company that have been tasked with using attack bikes in this engagement. In this, they are most likely from an Assault Squad (though you might rationalize a Tactical Squad) and would wear yellow helmets (or red helmets if you rationalize Tactical Squad battle-brothers) and the company's heraldry.
• Assume that the Attack Bike Squadron is a group of battle-brothers from the 6th Company (Tactical, secondary role as bikes), and they wear red helmets and 6th Company heraldry.
• Assume that the Attack Bike Squadron is a group of battle-brothers from the 8th Company (Assault), and they wear yellow helmets and 8th Company heraldry.

The above would be the most common options, but you might come up with just about any rationalization (i.e., a force composed of multiple companies, so you might use another Battle Company's heraldry; an Attack Bike Squadron composed of battle-brothers from multiple companies; etc.).

The attack bikes would either have markings to match the riding battle-brothers, or you might give them the markings of the parent company (i.e., the core company around which the detachment is formed).

+EDIT+

D'oh! I looked at Xenith's avatar and assumed this was in the Blood Angels forum. Replace helmet colors cited above with the standard squad badges and assume that company heraldry is the normal colors (orange for 6th Company and grey for 8th Company), assuming the Chapter in question follows that overarching methodology. The funny part (?) is that I'd originally phrased my answer for a Codex Chapter, then re-phrased it for the Blood Angels. 

[Panzer]

I think I'd treat them as part of the regular bike squad that just acts independently.

[Brother Tyler]

I think I'd treat them as part of the regular bike squad that just acts independently.

Ah, but what is a "regular bike squad?"

[Panzer]

 

I think I'd treat them as part of the regular bike squad that just acts independently.

Ah, but what is a "regular bike squad?"

 

 

I don't understand the question? Bike squads are a Close Support squads which belong to any of the 2nd-5th or 8th company (the company structures of course depend on the chapter).

 

[Brother Tyler]

Right, but they are not a basic squad in and of themselves (going by the lore 2nd-7th edition). The basic squads are Tactical, Assault, and Devastator (not counting veterans and Scouts). In this, a Bike Squadron, Attack Bike Squadron, Land Speeder Squadron, and Centurion Squad were formed from one of the three basic squads and would bear the markings of the squad from which they were formed. So the question leads towards what basic squad (to include parent company) the Attack Bike Squadron (a close support squad) was formed from.

 

The updated 8th edition lore that you've posted above builds upon this, but doesn't change the core concept.

[Panzer]

Ah I see now what you mean. The latest Codex also says the following:

 

 

Assault Squads, a type of close support
squad, may be deployed as Bike Squads or
Land Speeder crews and, just as with their fire
support brethren known as Devastators, may
take to battle as Centurion warsuit pilots.

 

So basically: Assault squads are drawn from the number of available Close support squads in a company and those Assault squads then get further split into Bike squads & co depending on what's needed for the mission.

 

 

What I always wondered tho is what's a squad? 5 or 10 Marines? And what's with the units (especially the new Primaris) who consists of 3-6 models? My guess would be a squad consists of the max number of models we could theoretically take but I haven't found a definite answer to that so far.

[Race Bannon]

A "squad" is not about the number of bodies in it, but the unit itself.  

 

Having said that, I ascribe to the idea that the dudes on the bike is what matters, not the bike itself.   SO, an Attack Bike Squad is composed of dudes within the same unit.  Likewise, an Attack Bike that (in-game) is a part of the Bike Squad have dudes from the same unit as the single-seat bike riders.  Thus, Attack Bike Squads would share the same unit marks and Attack Bikes in a Bike Squad would likewise share the same marks.

 

Ultimately, what happens on paper does not necessarily conform to what happens on the table (those pesky 3-6 models in a squad).  The table version of the TO&E is a form of control; a squad of 5 Attack Bikes may be OP, even though that would be a 10-man squad per the fluff Codex.