Salamanders Tactics Thoughts

[AnImA8]

I’m kind of curious about people’s thoughts on meltas. It’s a curious weapon to me because of how much better ours are than other armies, and it’s interesting that we’ve invested so much time into developing strats around delivering 8” flame weapons but have largely written off 12-24” meltas. Do we really not have any good platforms to put them on? With our doctrine they wound T7 vehicles on a 2+ and T8 on 3’s, which is nothing to scoff at. Relentless Determination can make MM Devs and Sternguard Vets hit on 3’s when they disembark, and (although it’s not as sexy as on flamer units) the Fires of Battle can eke out a couple of extra mortal wounds in corner cases. I think the weapon is at least worth exploring.

[Galron]

Nothing wrong with a small detachment in drop pods of sternguard and devators with a captain and/or LT to buff them. Pricy for the unit but useful for dropping a group of big vehicles or large walkers. I think the successor trait for longrange marksmen and artisans works even better here so you can avoid augury arrays which in a marine meta are the bane of deep striking troops.

[SirVulkan]

Meltas are great with us now with the +1 to wound and the relentless strat.  It really helps make them useful when compared to plasma.  The only issue is the range and durability of the unit which uses them.  They may kill a target but they die shortly afterwords which unless you kill a knight or a repulsor is usually a wash points wise.  

 

If you can use self sacrifice to keep them alive that can help.  We just have to be patient and see what new primaris models come out such as the hellfury which may have melta weaponry.  

 

Right now I only have plans to use dev squads with Vulkan in a pod.  Stern guard become too expensive, vets can be too.  

 

We just need some more games in to see how it all pans out.  So far for me they become priority target 1 after they come out of that pod.  The Leviathan and cyclonic melta lances sounds interesting though it is super expensive point wise.

[Galron]

If just one pod then Vulkan, a dev squad and 4 vets or 3 and an LT with melta would be a really nice bomb and would in combination with Invictors and flamer/melta/ or twin flamer speeders would certainly cause first turn issues. Again the problem is still vs other marines or armies that have an Auspix Augury type strat.which will likely kill off the devs. By themselves and they are suicide troops and likely still are but in combo with everything else an opponent is going to have target priority issues and might divide his fire.