Squad markings

[Dark Bjoern]

I nearly finished my first intercessor assault squad and i ask myself which squad markings they sould get. In the codex they are listed as troop choises but on the GW homepage they´re shown with assault marking. For me they´re not realy assault cause they´re too slow, not jumppacks. What do you think?

[Doghouse]

I'm going with Assault with mine, there used to be an option for Assault marines to remove their packs and fight from Rhinos or just on foot so there is a precedent. I think these days it's more about battlefield role over which catagory they slot into when picking your army.

 

I think really it's down to you which you use though.

[Tavus Wrack]

According to Battle Forge, they land under Troops, but I like Doghouse would be tempted to put Assault markings on and throw them into a fast-moving troop carrier.
As you want them up close and personal to your enemy as fast as possible. So you can flail your chainswords around and watch the body parts fly in a splash of crimson...

Edited January 2, 2021 by TheJester

[Brother Tyler]

Moving beyond the usual "your toys, your choice" response, it's important to keep in mind that squad markings are an in-universe issue driven by the [revised] Codex Astartes guidance for battlefield role. This is subtly different from the rules form of battlefield role. In this, GW's adjustment of the force organization icons has been a huge improvement. In 3rd edition, the icons matched the squad badges of Codex Chapters. The current icons, however, don't quite match now, which should avoid this type of confusion (though GW mucked it up when they used "battlefield role" in two different ways). The example here is that the assault intercessors aren't shown with a Fast Attack badge (Fast Attack being a rules convention) - they're shown with a Close Support badge (Close Support being a Codex Astartes convention). Yes, Adeptus Astartes Close Support units are usually associated with the Fast Attack slots on the force organization chart, but the two are not the same thing.

 

If you're aiming for a squad whose badges are correct in a common lore sense, then the Close Support badge is correct [assuming this is a normal assault intercessors squad].

[Gederas]

I nearly finished my first intercessor assault squad and i ask myself which squad markings they sould get. In the codex they are listed as troop choises but on the GW homepage they´re shown with assault marking. For me they´re not realy assault cause they´re too slow, not jumppacks. What do you think?

As Brother Tyler says, you're thinking wrong here. The symbol isn't Assault anymore (and hasn't been since 8th), it's Close Support.

 

They are Close Support, not Battleline. This is because they're designed around getting stuck into close combat, they're not tactically flexible (like a Battleline unit is).

Edited January 2, 2021 by Gederas

[Dark Bjoern]

Okay, i think i will change them to close support badge.

[Dr. Clock]

I went for Battleline, personally... my sense of Primaris squad designations and thus heraldry is informed by the apparent tension between 'company structure' and 'mission parameters', but more specifically my desire to paint predominantly a single company's heraldry (Storm Lords 5th!). I figure close combat loadout may be required of an Intercessor (Battleline) squad in some cases, or a Close Support Squad in others... and that it's perfectly acceptable for Battleline units to use basically any 'Intercessor' loadout on any given combat drop.

 

Storm Lords are not standing about with bolters much: it's speed and lightning strikes all the way, and so my demi-company is built to get in, mix it up, and take heads. I'm already putting my 20 Close Support in Inceptors, Outriders and Speeders... so to me, the Inceptors and Outriders are supporting a 'rapid assault Battleline' of 2 chainsword and one bolter unit. This strike force is a single company with maybe a little Reserves support... and so they don't have time to worry about whether it's proper for a Battleline unit to pick up swords and pistols: it's all about the mission, and achieving it with only the assets at hand.

 

If for some reason they have to defend something, the same 30 might take a mix of bolters and heavy Intercessor gear... but my list isn't that list, it's the one where they are thundering at you from all sides to kill your general.

 

Basically I think it's really easy to get hung up on the idea that each of your marines only ever uses the weapons they are currently armed with. Mission to mission each marine might be doing almost completely different things, but Battleline units are, to me at least 'the boots on the ground' or 'meat and potatoes' of any list. So mix up your assault intercessors! They don't all need to be 'crossed arrow' guys, and especially if you want to keep your force within a single company framework!

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.