Infantry Detachments - eggs and baskets

[Valkyrion]

Are you guys going big and few or small and many?

I don't see the tactical worth in mixing units with different movement speeds and/or different weapon ranges, but I'm yet to play a game, so what do I know?

 

For my 2 armies, I've got one with 12 Tactical Stands, 8 Assault Stands, 4 each of Missile, Plasma and Terminator stands; and for the other 12 Tactical Stands, 8 each of Terminator and Missile.

 

My initial thought was simply to run them as separate 4 man detachments -  I realise this will decrease survivability, but it also means that enemy weapons will be 'wasted' on 4 models rather than 8 or something, and it grants more tactical flexibility. 

 

What say ye?

 

[Nagashsnee]

After a few games i am settling on 2x 4tacts+4 missile launchers for taking near objs and camping them and 2-3x6-8 tacticals for pushing up the board (been playing 1500-2000 so far). 

 

4 man have issues, 1 leadership triggers very easily, 2 they are easy prey to weapons that can trigger in the movement without the ability to soak any casualties,3 too few to be useful in assault. 

 

Assault marines i play in units of either 6-8. Terminators in units of 6. I see no reason to mix tactical with anything but missiles, and there only so the bolters can soak dmg and fill  objs slots. Plasma is garbage, there is 0 reason to take it over missiles for shooting, or tacts for just marching up the board. 

 

I am having allot of success with just bolters marching up the board, they rarely get shot as they pose no real threat to start with, but are surprisingly good in assault vs ALLOT on the charge.  Add in commander changing  order tricks and they can do wonders.  They are dirt cheap and have descent caf especially with the +1 on the charge, and will tear vehicles and most SA to sherds in combat. 

 

Assault marines in a t hawck are just FANTASTIC, huge huge thread range, dont force the flyer into hover, can move over most things and fantastic on the assault. 

 

Plus both jumpers in a flyer and termies in ds can be used to keep your opponent off balance and guessing. 

 

But honestly the humble tactical marine is dirt cheap, has great capture rate, and on the charge will kill most tanks in the game. In numbers even dedicated cc walkers. The caf system and charge and outnumbering bonus means that 6-8 tacts can drag down most things,  Even a tactical marine will be caf 3 vs caf 5 vs a knight, and after the first two sacrifices you are rolling 4 dice to his 3 +1 for every stand after that. So 6 tacts on the charge stands a descent chance of draging down a questoris.