Elite Units (Revised 12/2005)
When I'm putting together an army for a game, I usually pick Elite units last. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I follow the axiom of don't sweat the big guns, sweat the little guys. Many players put all their eggs in one basket and depend on their Elite units to accomplish their mission: they are often mortified to find their small, expensive Elite units drawing all kinds of unwanted attention from the enemy. I depend on one or more of my larger, less expensive units to carry out the mission while my Elites draw attention away from them. When a Terminator Squad teleports down near their main force, most gamers can't help but ignore a Tactical Squad (which is moving to secure the objective) and go after the Termies.

Tigers of Indra: Tactical Terminators
I call my regular Terminators "Tactical Terminators" because to me they seem like a smaller, more heavily armed and armored Tactical Squad:

Tactical Squads have bolters: Terminator Squads have storm bolters. 

 

Each Tactical Squad can have a special weapon and a heavy weapon: each Terminator Squad can have two heavy weapons. 

Here's what I take--and why:
In my army, I have two five-member squads. The first ("Shiva's Guard") is 250 points and is equipped as follows:

• Terminator Sergeant w/ storm bolter and power sword;
• Two Terminators w/ storm bolters and chainfists;
• Two Terminators w/ assault cannons and power fists 

• Terminator Sergeant w/ storm bolter and power sword;
• Two Terminators w/ storm bolters and power fists;
• One Terminator w/ assault cannon and power fist and one Terminator w/ heavy flamer and power fist, OR 
• Two Terminators w/ storm bolters and Cyclone missile launchers

Here's what I don't take--and why:
I could take up to 10 Terminators in each unit, but the point cost (somewhere over 400 points) keeps me from doing so. Given how I like to pick my armies for a battle, when in God's name am I ever going to play in a game so big I'd have a spare 400+ points?

Furious Charge would add 1 to teach member's Initiative and Strength, which wouldn't really help out the fellows with power fists (no change to Initiative 1, Strength 9 on the charge). For an extra 15 points, is it really worth it? I tend to think not.

Unless this squad can use their power fists, they're not a huge threat to vehicles, and giving them the Tank Hunter ability wouldn't do much to change that. 

Tigers of Indra: Assault Terminators
Man, you just have not lived until you tear into some hapless enemy unit with a Terminator Assault Squad. It is truly a beautiful thing, but doing it is not easy or cheap. Unless the enemy is foolish enough to come to you, it is a big hassle to get your Assault Terminators into close combat without being shot apart by heavy weaponry or jumped by power weapon-wielding freaks. Aside from marching up the field (which will take forever and expose you to enemy fire), there are two ways of getting your Assault Terminators into the melee: Deep Strike and Land Raider.

First the hard way. I'm not a big fan of Deep Strike, which allows you to shoot but not assault on the same turn as you arrive. So, unless my Terminators have deviated badly, there they are standing around for a turn, doing nothing, well within shooting/assault range of the enemy. Remember, No Space Marine is  expendable: I'm not going to teleport my Assault Terminators into certain death. If I am going to Deep Strike them, I teleport them near (but not TOO near) the enemy, behind some cover. Then the Terminators can move and assault the next turn.

Now the expensive way (which is the way I prefer). I load the Terminators in a Land Raider or Land Raider Crusader and move 12" toward the enemy, not stopping to shoot, move behind cover, whatever. I'm relying on the Land Raider's Armor Value of 14 all around to get my Terminators into action. Once the Tigers hop out and begin carving through the enemy, the Land Raider can hang around, firing at counterattacking units. If the Terminators need to, they can consolidate back into the Land Raider and drive off in search of new victims.

Here's what I take--and why:
I take a five-strong squad of a Terminator Sergeant and four Terminators with lightning claws (215 points). Why all lightning claws? Wouldn't it be prudent to have a thunder hammer or two so this unit would do more than scratch the paint off a tank? Definitely. But can you think of a more appropriate weapon than 'claws for Tigers? Friends, this unit is all about style. 

Because this squad goes after infantry, I gave them the Furious Charge ability. So when they barrel into close combat, they go on Initiative 5, with 20 attacks at Strength 5, re-rolling failed "to wound" rolls. Howzaboutdat?

Here's what I don't take--and why:
If I really wanted to, I could take more Terminators (up to 10) in this unit, but like with the Tactical Terminators, when would I have the spare points? The bigger concern with more than five Assault Terminators is not points but transportation: Land Raiders and LR Crusaders are the only vehicles that can carry Termies and they only hold five and eight, respectively, meaning I'd have to rely on Deep Strike to get my 10 Assault Terminators into the enemy.

Tigers of Indra: Veteran Fighting Tigers
In any Space Marine army, it's important to have at least one unit dedicated to close combat. Why?  Think about it: in a six turn game you get to shoot six times, but you fight in hand-to-hand combat up to twelve times. Close combat kills a lot of people really quickly, what with bonus attacks for charging and extra weapons, not to mention sweeping advances that wipe out whole units. 

If your Marine Chapter isn't the Blood Angels or Space Wolves, you need all the close combat help you can get. Veteran Squads can help out nicely. 

Here's what I take--and why:
Yeah, you can outfit your Veterans like a Tactical Squad: bolters, one special weapon, one heavy weapon. But they still are no better shots (Ballistic Skill 4) than the Tacticals. Leave shooting to Troop units, grab your close combat weapons and bolt pistols and CHARGE! I can configure this squad in a number of ways to accomodate accompanying Independent Characters who might want to tag along.

10-member version (211 points):

• Veteran Sergeant w/ plasma pistol and close combat weapon (may upgrade to power weapon for +10 points)
• Eight Veterans w/ bolt pistols and close combat weapons; and
• One Veteran w/  flamer
• All have Furious Charge or Infiltrate

• Sergeant and seven Veterans w/ bolt pistols and close combat weapons; and
• One Veteran w/  flamer
• All have Furious Charge or Infiltrate

• Sergeant and three Veterans w/ bolt pistols and close combat weapons; and
• One Veteran w/  flamer
• All have Furious Charge or Infiltrate

Here's what I don't take--and why:
This squad eschews heavy weapons in favor of mobility and hand-to-hand combat. I used to give this unit Terminator honors, but lately I've decided that doing so costs too many points and is just overkill. I could give one of them a set of lightning claws or a power fist, but I'd have to convert a model.

Gray Tigers: Harijan
Gray Tigers (or harijan) are disgraced Fighting Tigers who try to redeem themselves through battlefield heroics. You can find out more about them in the Codex: Fighting Tigers of Veda and in the Fighting Tiger Gallery. There's also a story about one of them. 

Because they're so determined to make up for what they've done, Gray Tigers are treated as Space Marine Veterans. I already have a large unit of Veterans in my army, so I put together this unit a little differently.

Here's what I take--and why:
For "fluff" reasons, I usually limit my Fighting Tiger squads to either 5 or 10 members each. Because each Gray Tiger has broken at least one of the Chapter's many rules, I let them break this "5 or 10" rule too: my squad has 6 members.

• Five Gray Tigers w/ bolters; and
• One Gray Tiger w/ plasma gun

Here's what I don't take--and why:
A lot of what I don't equip this squad with is fluff-driven. In developing the idea of the Gray Tigers (first suggested to me by my friend Thom White, by the way), I decided that all the harijan are shunned by the Fighting Tigers and as far as equipment goes, each of them gets a suit of armor and a weapon: that's it. No grenades, no Rhino or Razorback, nada. 

In addition, I also decided that no Fighting Tiger Veteran Sergeant would ever break a sacred Vedic vow and become a Gray Tiger. Because my Gray Tiger squad cannot have a Veteran Sergeant, that rules out a lot of wonderful toys like plasma pistols, power weapons, and Terminator honors (of course). 

With so little going for them, why use them? Just to be "fluffy." They get chewed up on the battlefield, but that's okay. In keeping with the background I've developed for them, I'll throw them into suicide situations, trusting in their armor and their ability to move and shoot to see them through. And if they don't, no biggie. Yes, yes, I know I said that there is no such thing as an expendable Marine--but harijan are the exception. 

Tigers Eternal: Dreadnoughts
I admit to being a sick puppy: I have three Dreadnoughts, or Tigers Eternal. Two of them are the smaller, "Rogue Trader" size and the other, Shiva, (below) is the hulking monster we've all come to know and love.

Dreadnoughts are really at their best in assaults, not so much for the damage they do (although that's nothing to complain about) so much as for their resilience and their ability to tie up huge squads in hand-to-hand fighting. Let me explain if you've never watched a squad get slowly dismembered by a Dreadnought.

Like a fat, sweaty Baltimore Orioles fan waddling to the table to enjoy a dozen Chesapeake Bay  blue crabs, the Dreadnought trundles into the enemy and begins to pull them apart. Dreads don't have a lot of attacks, but they're usually Strength 10, ignore armor saves, and strike with Initiative 4. The enemy usually doesn't have anything that can hurt the Dreadnought unless they've had the foresight to purchase grenades or power fists. 

Best of all, the enemy unit can't leave combat with the Dread unless they fail a morale check. If the enemy squad does fail a morale check, the Dreadnought can sprint after them and wipe them out like regular troops. Close your eyes and imagine a sprinting Dreadnought; that must be like the T. Rex chasing the jeep in Jurassic Park. Nasty. Wall-to-wall nasty.

See why I have three of them?

Here's what I take--and why:
These are my three Tigers Eternal, all equipped with extra armor and smoke launchers to protect them from heavy weapons as they advance on the enemy:

• Vernerable Dreadnought Shiva the Destroyer,  w/ assault cannon, close combat weapon, built-in heavy flamer, extra armor, and smoke launchers (143 points);
• Surya Ashoka,  w/ twin-linked lascannons, missile launcher, extra armor, and smoke launchers (143 points); and
• Shrendi Vashtar,  w/ multi-melta, close combat weapon, built-in heavy flamer, extra armor, and smoke launchers (133 points)

Shiva and Vashtar are definitely infantry killers. Heavy flamers work great against Orks and Bugs and even against tough troops like Chaos Marines, softening up the bad guys right before the Dread plows into them like a linebacker. 

I use Surya to gun down tanks and heavily armored troops, but I don't just let him stand in the back and shoot. He's not as tough as a Predator or Land Raider and can't take sustained heavy weapons fire. Besides, standing still negates one of the Dread's big strengths: being able to move 6" and fire more than one weapon. I advance Surya toward the enemy, guns blazing, then let him assault a nearby enemy squad. Even though he doesn't have Strength 10 or a close combat weapon, he can still smack the enemy around and tie up lots of opponents.

Here's what I don't take--and why:
I've never been a fan of storm bolters on Dreads: you'd think a walking mountain of metal would have a bigger gun that that. I made Shiva a Venerable Dreadnought just because it seemed "fluffy" and because it made him tough to kill, but I didn't give him any skills. I don't see the value of Furious Charge: he already has Strength 10 and paying 10 points to boost his Initiative up one when he charges doesn't seem worth it. I considered Tank Hunter, but Shiva's built to go after infantry, so I don't know how helpful that would be. Besides, he's already 143 points. 

Cost was the main factor in not making Surya and Vashtar Venerable Dreads with skills; the fact that I like to use them together in a detachment was another. Yeah, it would be wicked cool to give Surya the Tank Hunter skill, but then he'd be 173 points--ouch!

Tigers of Tvashtri: Techmarines
I don't know about you, but when I first saw the new and improved Techmarine on page 33 of Codex: Good Guys in Power Armor, I thought, Good googly-moogly! I gotta field one of those with a heap of Gun Servitors and I gotta field another one with some Combat Servitors. I had gone so far as to start figuring out which combination of heavy weapons I wanted for the Gun 'bots when I had second thoughts.

Here's what I take--and why:
I take the basic, 65-point version with no extra gear or Servitors. Why dat? Keep reading.

As part of my army's fire support, I like to use a 5-strong Tactical Squad with a plasma gun, a heavy weapon, and a Razorback toting twin lascannons. The basic Techmarine can nicely support a squad like this. His auspex can sniff out nearby infiltrators (and allow the squad to fire on them), his signum will make the plasma gun and the heavy weapon more accurate, his servo-arm and Blessing of the Omnissiah will benefit the Razorback, and the servo-arm and power weapon will make tend to make attackers think twice about rushing the squad he's attached to. What's not to like? 

Here's what I don't take--and why:
Taking a Techmarine for your army is like buying a new automobile in real life: you can get it with some standard features at a reasonable price, or you can order some sweet options and pay through the nose. In fact, you can pay more for a Techmarine and some flunkies as you would for a whole squad of Tactical Marines. 

The full servo-harness slices, dices, and makes julienne fries, but slap one on your Techmarine and you have a 100-point character that can't lead your army--you're still going to spend at least another 60 points just to get an unarmed Commander to serve as your HQ. No thank ye. 

Servitors? I already have plenty of firepower in my army, so I don't need fragile Gun Servitors (T 3, 4+ Sv). I already have plenty of close-combat ability in my army, so I don't need dead-slow Combat Servitors. And I think I have enough vehicles that I don't need the benefits of Technical Servitors. Besides, if your Techmarine has Servitors, you can't attach him to another squad and use him to support them, as I intend to. Maybe if my collection of Marines was a lot smaller, I'd use a Tech with Servitors to flesh it out, but as it is, I don't need a "Cadillac" Techmarine. 
 
 

Next page (pg 5): Fighting Tiger Troops Previous page (pg 3): Fighting Tiger HQ

Related Pages
Fighting Tiger Elites
Gallery: Fighting Tiger Elites
Gallery: Gray Tigers
 

© Copyright Kenton Kilgore, January 2000. Revised December 2005 

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