Fast Attack Units (Revised 03/2006)
This is where a Space Marine army gets expensive. It's also where you have to remember a number of axioms:

1. Emphasize quality over quantity. There is NO WAY you will make Fast Attack units cheap, so you might as well make them good. Take ten-strong Assault Squads and fill out those squadrons.

2. No Space Marine is expendable. And that is even more true with Fast Attack units. Lose half a Tactical Squad? That's bad. Lose half an Assault Squad? Sucks to be you. Make sure you take advantage of every scrap of cover you can on your way to enemy and always, always, ALWAYS keep those Speeders moving over 6".

3. Mobility, mobility, mobility. They're Fast Attack units: "Fast" is how you should move, "ATTACK!" should be your battlecry. If you don't have the nerve to take a bunch of these units and smash the enemy right in the mouth, then you should play Imperial Guard. While you don't want to do anything foolhardy (like heading up the middle of the board right into the biggest, meanest part of the enemy), aggressiveness is your ally: "the best defense is a good offense." Amen.

1. Don't be overconfident. Much as I wish it wasn't true, standard Space Marine Assault Squads are not the premiere close combat units in 40K. Fact is, they aren't even close. Tyranids, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Khorne Berzerkers, and Orks are either more skilled, more numerous, or both. So don't think you're going to go bounding into close combat against whomever you choose and tear them a new orifice to defecate through. 

Pick your fights carefully. Remember that old adage to "fight fire with fire?" Forget it. Don't use assault troops to fight other assault troops: at best your unit will win but will have its nose bloodied by the enemy--and Assault Squads, being so expensive, can't afford many casualties. Instead, use your Assault Squads to go after non-assault units, especially those annoying Gretchin, rebel Guardsmen, Eldar Guardians, and Tau Fire Warriors. Attacking heavy support units like Chaos Havocs and Dark Reapers is even more fun because they (usually) aren't very numerous and can't fight in close combat as well as your Assault Marines.

2. Don't attack without some backup. Unless it's a small game, don't be content to sit back and shoot as a single unit of Assault Marines attacks the enemy: while they might enjoy some success at first, eventually they will be overwhelmed. Send more than one Fast Attack unit against the enemy, concentrating your force at one point to nail the enemy.

3. Be careful when you Deep Strike. If you're going to use Deep Strike, remember that you can't assault in the same turn you drop in on the enemy, so land in some cover nearby and lay low for a round before attacking. Don't just plummet down into the middle of the enemy or you'll lose your squad real quick.

Here's what I take--and why:
In my army, I have two units of Assault Marines, each a ten-strong squad (262 points) as follows:

• Veteran Sergeant w/ bolt pistol and power fist;
• Seven Space Marines w/ bolt pistols and close combat weapons; and
• Two Space Marines w/ flamers.
• All have frag grenades and jump packs.

Here's what I don't take--and why:
I used to take plasma pistols for some dead-zappy shooting that could punch holes through Chaos Terminators and most vehicles. In fact, I used to regularly upgrade the Sergeants to Vets and give them each a plasma pistol and a power weapon: three plaz pistols in each squad! Woohoo!

While that may sound good on paper (or on the screen, as the case may be), in reality, however, I usually wound up getting off one shot per game with each plasma pistol, and I often had the pistols "get hot" and cook a user. Sure, knocking down a Chaos Space Marine with a shot from a plaz pistol is nice, but you don't get quite the same benefit for your points spent when you use plaz pistols against Ork Boyz or Hormagaunts. Big squads of cheap, choppy troops just don't sweat plasma pistols that much.

When the revised Codex: Space Marines offered the option of giving Assault Squads flamers, I jumped all over that opportunity. If you're going to only get in one shot during the game, why not make it a really big one? Instead of using a plasma pistol to zap one Ork, you can use a flamer and kill about six or seven. Remember, my Assault Squads' primary target is enemy infantry.

As I mentioned, I used to give the Vet a power weapon, because they were cheaper and faster than power fists. The new codex lowered the price on 'fists, however, and the new close-combat rules make taking a 'fist a no-brainer.

Because my Assault Squads go after infantry, and because I already have a power fist, I hardly ever take grenades, because they add on more points to an already expensive squad. 

Some folks like to strip off the jump packs on their Assault Marines and save themselves points. Often, they are under the mistaken impression that they can purchase a Rhino or Razorback for their Assault Marines. Careful reading of the codex reveals that no, you don't have the option of giving Assault Marines a dedicated transport. You could always purchase a Land Raider or LR Crusader for your Assault Marines, but now you've used up a Heavy Support slot and you've spent way more points than you meant to save. 

Stripping off jump packs is almost always a bad idea: all you've really accomplished is making a Fast Attack unit slow. And because Assault Marines have such short-range weaponry, a slow Assault Squad is usually an ineffective Assault Squad. When might a slow Assault Squad be useful? If you absolutely, positively know that the enemy is going to come towards them. 

Tigers of Rudra: Land Speeder Tornadoes
In the previous edition of Codex: Space Marines, only "standard" Land Speeders (with either a heavy bolter or a multi-melta) could be fielded in squadrons. If you wanted to take more than three Typhoons, for example, you were Sorely Outta Luck. Because I believe in the power of numbers, I took lots of "standard" Speeders. With the new version of the codex, I've recently upgraded them to Tornadoes.

Here's what I take--and why:
In my army, I have ten Tornadoes, each with a heavy bolter and an assault cannon (80 points each). In smaller games, I field them individually. In larger games, I group them into squadrons of two or three, and if I take two detachments, I can bring all ten models.

The heavy bolter is an excellent anti-infantry weapon--just ask any long-time Eldar player how they feel about them--and is one of my favorities. The assault cannon, while not having the range of the heavy bolter, has a higher rate of fire, greater Strength, and rends; when you slap it on a Speeder, the range issue goes away. True, the Tornado is expensive, but each one kicks out seven shots a round and can take out troops and tanks (provided you get lucky with the Rending rolls). 

Here's what I don't take--and why:
For many years, I had six Speeders and I used to run them with just heavy bolters. Three Strength 5 shots a round didn't suck, but even grouped in squadrons of three, the Speeders sometimes had problems killing big enemy units (such as Orks and Nids). Alternately, I could field my six Speeders with multi-meltas and hunt tanks. Because I'd need to get in close (within 12" for maximum effectiveness), I'd take a lot of casualties, and the survivors would often miss or fail to kill the enemy tanks. 

So while the six Speeders were inexpensive, they were not the most reliable units in my army. Once I had built up a solid collection of Attack Bikes (see below), I decided to invest the time, money, and points into beefing up my Land Speeder squadrons. 

Why not take a Speeder with a multi-melta and a heavy flamer? The answer is range: to use either weapon, you need to get in VERY close: within 12" for the multi-melta to take its best shot against tanks, and even closer for the heavy flamer against infantry. While your Speeder might vaporize its target, it is sure to be pounced on by the unit standing next to the target.

Why not take a Typhoon? The Typhoon missile launcher has a great range (48") and a good Strength (5), but is only AP 5 and uses a small blast marker (which the opponent can mitigate by spreading out his troops). Yes, yes, it's twin-linked, and while that's nice, it's not as crucial for Marines as it is for other armies. Even paired with a heavy bolter, it doesn't scare horde armies. If you swap out the heavy bolter for a multi-melta, you've made the Typhoon more flexible but even less effective at killing infantry. You'll still need to get in close to hunt tanks (thus negating the advantage of the missile launcher's range) and it costs 85 points.

Tigers of Kali: Bike Squads
For many years, I used to have a regular Bike Squad in my army. But let's face facts: bikes--Space Marine Bikes, anyway--suck (wanna know why?). Rather than toss out or sell my Bike models, I converted them into Attack Bikes. 

Here's what I take--and why:
I have three Attack Bike Squads:

• Three Attack Bikes w/ heavy bolters (150 points);
• Three Attack Bikes w/ heavy bolters (150 points); and,
• Three Attack Bikes w/ multi-meltas (195 pts).

Here's what I don't take--and why:
As I mentioned, I used to have a regular Bike Squad (Veteran Sergeant, two bikes w/ bolters, one biker w/ flamer, one biker w/ meltagun, one Attack Bike). Over the years, I found that the Bike Squad could not take many casualties, was easy to trap in hand-to-hand combat, and did not kick out enough firepower to justify its points cost. Attack Bike units, while being smaller and more expensive than regular Bikes, have greater range and firepower. 

Scout Bikes? Please. Less weapon options than regular Bikes (no flamers, no meltaguns, no plasma guns, and you can't attach an Attack Bike to the squad). Worse Saves than regular Bikes (Sv 4 vis-a-vis Sv 3). Same unit size. Same ability to upgrade the Sergeant--great, you can make your expensive unit more expensive. Lower points cost--but 25 points each is still too much to spend. Scout Bikes get the Scouts rule--great, you can move closer sooner and die faster. Forget it. 
 
 

Next page (pg 7): Fighting Tiger Heavy Support Previous page (pg 5): Fighting Tiger Troops

Related Pages
Fighting Tiger Fast Attack
Gallery: Fighting Tiger Fast Attack
 
 

Posted January 2000. Revised December  2007 

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