Some Ultramarine general musings and tactic talk

[StrummersGhost]

That's reassuring to hear as they've always been my favourite tank. 2 in an army is affordable and can really turn the screw on single model targets.

I used them effectively against Demon Princes in one game and ruined an Ork battle wagon full of tankbustaz in another, which was still in their deployment zone at the time. It was turn 1 and I went first, moved them up as far as I could and used the Martial Precision stratagem to guarantee one hit with one (and was fortunate enough to roll well on the wounds)and still managed to get a good number of hits at BS4. They took the brunt of the attention in the subsequent turns and took the heat off of my other components.

 

 

 

 

They can be a bit risky against cc focused armies as the gun range is still only 24", but against general opponents they are tough and can deal good damage. Also with Ultras you can disengage from combat which is an extra bonus against armies that might try to tie you up.

Being able to disengage from combat and still shoot was very useful

[Joukernaut]

You could also put the other one in tactical doctrine with the warlord trait or the stratagem, enabling both tanks to move and fire without penalty turn one.

[Seahawk]

I finally shook off my rust last night and got a game in! I'll type up a battle report elsewhere, but I'll at least put some thoughts here:

 

Warlord Trait - Adept of the Codex: Big meh for me. Do people only use this and similar traits when they use loaded dice or something? I got back 1 out of 10 total CP, basically a waste as far as I'm concerned. Would rather use a psychic power and get points back that way.

 

Phobos Captain Chapter Master with Marksman's Honors and Helm of Censure: This guy was awesome as a firebase buff, and put out decent hurt himself. Even if he doesn't one-shot characters, he gets them into a good spot where some scout snipers can finish it off, or a humble stormbolter can finish the job, especially in Tactical Doctrine, getting buffed all the way.

 

Chaplain Cassius: He's still tough, but most importantly getting two prayers (Fire and Focus) on something strong, like a Repulsor Executioner, can be bonkers. I think he'll be a staple in my lists.

 

Victrix Honor Guard: These guys did their job when a chaos knight exploded. Cassius would have died but for them dying in his stead. Sometimes I wonder if a regular honor guard would be more efficient; after all, you don't get storm shield saves against mortal wounds, and you can take 4 Honor Guard for 80pts to 2 Victrix for 60. Basically your paying 10 points per ablative wound either way. They also protected Chronus in his tank, which is silly and useful.

 

Chronus: I had him in a Predator this time, with autocannon and lascannons. He was a beast, dishing out tons of damage. I've quickly become a fan, though I wish it was tougher like the vindicator. All around solid little tank for his bonuses.

[jonjacob]

Those victrix honour guard Save save mortal wounds via litanies of faith, that of course if you want to take said litany.