HQ

Due to AAC being pretty much automatic as the choice of vows, the Chaplain loses something.
However AAC does not work on Neophytes but Litanies of hate does.  Also LoH does allow re-rolls for any to hit rolls.  AAC only works against targets with a WS characteristic.


Due to RZ being optional, the Chaplains Unmatched zeal steering of units also loses something.


The Chaplain comes pre-made.  The Rosarius is good as it is not taking up the single Iron Halo choice.  However, he comes with a PW.  I don't like them as much as a PF or PoLC.  So you get stuck with a second tier weapon....


The Commander blesses all the army with his Ld because of Litanies of Battle.


My choice is the Commander with a PoLC.  Army wide benefits and better in cc.


+++

HQ

Tool up versus bare bones.

The age old temptation of the wargamer. I am my HQ, therefore he must be super-awesome because I am super-awesome. My identity is in the model, for the duration of the game at least.

What does an IC bring to the game?
Fighting prowess, army and/or unit buffs, special weapons and equipment. All of this is concentrated into one (or two) transport slot. Highly concentrated power!

The problem is though that they can be killed with a single shot due to instant death. Even if you have Eternal Warrior, he only has (at best) three or four wounds.

A 170 pt Marshal has 3 wounds and 6 attacks on the charge.The equivalent Assault Terminators have 4 wounds and 16 attacks on the charge!
But the Terminators cannot join a unit (which offsets the ICs lack of wounds), or fit in a Rhino. They remain at i4 if charged and should the Marshal (with adamantine mantle) suffer a Vindicator shot, at worst he will loose 1 wound. All Terminators could die. The Marshal can be used to catch crack missiles, because if he does fail his 2+ save, he’ll loose 1 w. You’ll lose a Terminator for doing that!

So it’s all swings and round-a-bouts. But at least you know the pros and cons for tooling up against bare bones.

+++

Power weapons versus Lightning claws.
I don’t like power weapons. Your IC has all this potential to carve through men and needs the safety that re-rolled wounds brings. For the price of an Initiate, you’ll be killing an extra Marine or two each turn. A good investment in my eyes. Combined with AAC and you will rip though MEq with ease.

Thunder hammers and Power fists.
I don’t like them. They look cool and they hit hard. However, none of our ICs can pull off what Arjac or Lysander can ~ 3++ save. That means striking last is terrible as you can’t reliably weather the storm. Also remember my point about IC bringing i5 to the assault? That has just been wasted and the kills that reduce the number of hits you squad takes is gone. Boo! If you want worthwhile s10 attacks (at i4!), bring a Dreadnought.

Terminator armour.
Why is it good value? 2+ 5++ saves and Terminator honours for free.
Artificer armour, combat shield and Terminator honours (all the same stuff) is 20 more points and the only real benefit you get is being able to fit into a Rhino.

+++

Some of the following are all tooled up. The eggs are in one basket, but due to joining a squad they won’t be so easy to break, and will offer much in the way of offsetting the damage the squad will suffer in cc, even to other i4 warriors.
When you go tooled up, I recommend the Marshal over the Castellan. That one wound could keep him in the game for (at least) one more turn and you’ve already gone so far, you might as well take that last step 

Marshal. The Biggest Boy. 170 pts
PoLC, Terminator armour (includes T honours free), Adamantine mantle.
*Terminator armour restricts him by not being able to Rhino into battle.
5 A, 2+ 5++, Eternal warrior

Marshal. The Big Boy. 170 pts
PoLC, Artificer armour, Iron halo, Terminator honours
5 A, 2+ 4++.

A slight variation that allows for Rhino/ Razorback transportation and lets you run people down in cc.

Marshal. The Dasher. 180 pts
PoLC, Bike, Iron halo, Terminator honours

Marshal. The Bounder. 170 pts
PoLC, Jump pack, Iron halo, Terminator honours.

Marshal. 135 pts
PoLC, Iron halo

A slight variation between the two, different kinds of mobility.

Castellan. 120 pts
PoLC, Iron halo

Castellan. 106 pts
Power weapon, Iron halo, Bolt pistol

Reclusiarch. 111 pts
Terminator honours. Bolt pistol
5 A, 3+ 4++

Reclusiarch. The Bargain. 96 pts
Bolt pistol.
4 A, 3+ 4++

Reclusiarch. 136 pts
Terminator honours, Boltpistol, Jump pack, Melta bombs

Reclusiarch. 171 pts
Terminator honours, Plasma pistol, Artificer armour, Jump pack, Melta bombs

Holy Orb of Antioch, Melta bombs and other garnishes all have their uses (and will serve you well) but these are on the periphery compared to what is the guts of the IC, imo.

+++

Commander v Chaplain

These two IC both have strengths and weaknesses that contrast with each others.

The Commander:
Able to be custom build and tooled up with a far more optimal fit-out than the Chaplain. The Chaplain is stuck with a Power weapon (inferior to a Lightning claw) and the Rosarius (which makes Terminator armour ~ which is a good value combo pack, less of a good deal)

Rites of Battle
A quality army buff, especially useful for Foot, but still worthwhile in getting the best value out of Righteous Zeal.
Ld 8 = 26/36 or 72.2%
Ld 9 = 30/36 or 83.3%
Ld 10 = 33/36 or 91.6%

The more men you bring, the better RoB becomes. Naturally, the less you bring decreases RoB effect.

The Commander comes into his own in battles around 1500+ pts (say from >1000 pts)

The Chaplain:
Good value combo built in (even though not optimal)
A Castellan with power weapon and Iron Halo costs 10 more points for the same thing.
Unmatched Zeal
Adds Fearless to his unit and more control to his Righteous Zeal moves.
Litanies of Hate
Re-rolls in cc, works against things without WS, which is good for Assault squads with meltabombs, and on Neos

The Chaplain works well in < 1000 pt games as the 1st HQ because he is good value and you have less units (which means Rites of Battle is benefiting less units)
In games > 1000 pts, he loses effectiveness to the Commander (and his army wide buff) and becomes 2nd choice.

+++

Reclusiarch v Master of Sanctity

As I have hopefully shown, Chaplains are an excellent bang for buck IC when not built for cc, and a good portion of their value is buffing their unit’s to hit rolls
For this reason I believe the Master of Sanctity (with his extra wound and leadership ~ which is near useless for a fearless IC) is a less effective choice because the Chaplain’s main strength is being cheap and nasty.

However in some builds the MoS will work (such as in a low points cost game) but on the whole, the Reclusiarch is where it’s at.

+++

Marshal v Castellan

This one is much more of a horses for courses choice.
You want the incredible hulk to burst out from your LRC? - well both of them a pretty much even. But what makes the Marshal the better choice for the extreme end is his extra wound. You’ve poured so many points into him anyway, so a bit more to keep him alive seems worthwhile. This is especially true when you’ve forked out for an Adamantine Mantle (which actually works well for catching crack missiles)
Then you get his excellent 91% Leadership thrown in for RZ tests.

Now if you want a cheap vehicle for RoB, then the Castellan offers a strong 11% increase to leadership, whilst the Marshal only brings 8.5% on top of that.
The Castellan offers good bang for buck, especially when you don’t go overboard on the upgrade sauce. The Castellan is a good choice for those wanting best value for money.

.... but you could always show self restraint and not go crazy on the Marshal and have that extra point of Ld....

Righteous Zeal; how it works.

C:BT pg 23. "If an Infantry unit (including attached characters) is called upon to make a Morale check and passes it, then the unit must move towards the nearest visible enemy unit.  This is identical to a Consolidate move that has been achieved through a "Massacre" result and follows all the normal rules given in the 40K Rulebook.

BBB pg 40. ".... this means that they may move up to d6" in any direction."

SUMMARY:  The move must be made towards the nearest visible enemy unit.  So that is clear.
  May move up to d6".  0.01" is up to d6".  This renders the move as practically 0.  You don't have to take it, in effect.

Neophytes; worth taking?

Number crunching alert. 

Pure numbers disclaimer. That means it is theory and you, dear reader, have to make it work on your nearest table top 

Neophytes v Initiates with AAC. pitched against Ork boyz.

Shooting Scenario.
10 I: 10 bp shots / 6.6 hit / 3.3 wounds
16 N: 16 bp shots / 8 hit / 4 wounds.

I only score 82.5% = that is a big drop!

Charging Scenario.
10 I: 30 A / 22.5 hit / 11.25 wounds
16 N: 48 A / 24 hit / 12 wounds.

I score 93.75% = significant drop.

Being shot Scenario.
18 Shoota boyz; 36 shots / 12 h / 6 w = 2 dead I (32 pts) or 3 dead (30 pts)

I score 106.67% = significant drop.

Being charged (lets assume BT have already struck) 
18 Shoota boyz v Initiates; 48 A / 24 h / 12 w / 4 dead I (64 pts)

18 Shoota boyz v Neophites; 48 A / 31.68 h / 16 w / 8 dead N (80 pts)

N score 125% = They get absolutely belted. 

*Numbers-wise 5% is a reasonable difference. I know it might look small but when you add this up a few times over six turns it in fact makes a good sized difference.  

So Neos manage to surpass Initiates in quite a number of things, even with the fearsome AAC buff.
However, Neos really come apart in cc versus a superior ws foe.



I didn't want to give the actual results of Neophytes being in the minority for using WS (BBB: pg 37) to give the worst case scenario, so people are not surprised.  The Neos will get the protection of being in the minority AND give the benefit of being able to dish out slightly more damage and take the nasty hits. 
It is worth swapping a few Neos in. 

So where you have the room it is worth trading 2 I for 3 N. Then when Rokkits and armour ignoring hits come in your foe is really not getting his moneys worth from hit big hits.

Neophytes; Bolt pistol & sword versus Shotgun.

Shotguns v BP&S.
10 Neos v 10 Neos against Shoota boyz.
Shotguns; 20 shots, 10 hit, 3.3 w. 2 dead.
Boltpistols; 10 shots, 5 hits, 2.5 dead.
Charging shotguns. 20 A. 10 h. 5 w
Charging BP&S. 30 A. 15 h. 7.5 w.

BP&S do more shooting damage and more cc damage.
*Don't take shotguns, even if they look cool. At s3 they are not good enough. Somethings from 4th ed. are better, somethings are worse. Also even if shotguns had s4, you don't really want to do massive amounts of shooting damage. This gives your foe a chance to fail morale and flee from being charged, which was what you really wanted to do in the first place.

Predator Annihilator with Las Cannon sponsons.

3-las-Pred.
*LC v MM is a valid debate. My vote is both. Being able to hit a range is crucial for BT. Each crusader squad will probably be taking a meltagun. Giving the foe incentive to come close because of being poked by LCs, is gold for a cc army.
*Because of 4th ed pricing we get a smoke & ea 3-las-Pred for 153; UM pay 180.
combi-pred BT pay 133; UM pay 135.
dakka-pred BT pay 118; UM pay 100.
They are giving away 3-las-preds for us, and I argue we need them more than a UM does.  

Home Guard. Objective campers.

In my games v Orks I have been using 1 Crusader squad - 10 I; 8 bp&cs, 1 LC, 1 Flamer, as the unit to camp on my objective. It is vital to have one TROOP choice to claim the objective. I arm them for melee so that when the foe arrives, instead of rapid firing at them I can give them a dose of bp and then 3 attacks and this way they lose out on +1 A and Furious Charge. I give them a flamer as if a really nasty mob attacks me it is a case of all or nothing and I want to decimate them ASAP. Bolters wont damage what the LC is aimed at.

Because they are waiting for the enemy to arrive I figure I'll give them a Heavy Weapon. Marines kill men so I choose an anti-tank gun. I prefer LC or MM over ML - I feel it is not dedicated enough.... I go LC to poke at the foe from T1, which is an asset for a CC Army.


I play against Orks and this colours my view. 

The Home Guard squad camps on my objective - someone has to do. I might as well give them a HW so they can contribute something to the attack. What do I need them to do? Marines kill men and not tanks. Okay so anti-tank it is. ML, MM or LC?
ML: not good enough, will struggle versus Mega Nobz etc. Can't pen LR. For 5 pts more I can buy an LC. 
MM: excellent weapon, arguably the best AT gun a Marine can field. The problem is the unit is a distance from the action. 
LC: the MMs competitor, not quite as good but the range changes the contest dramatically. Can kill any infantry, armour saves will falter. 

Bolters will never shoot at what the LC is gunning for and vice versa.

Scenario: Warboss + Retinue in Battle Wagon 30" away. T1. I might pop the BW - excellent, crisis averted OR I miss/ he gets first move.
T2. I might pop the BW - hurray, but the WB+R have travelled 12 + 2.99" & 6 + 3.5" (24.5") OR the BW has now travelled 24".

Either way I am assaultable on T3. Bolters give me 2 shots per man OR Boltpistols give me 1 shot, +1 A for cc and I get +1 for charging. 2 s4 attacks or 4 s4 attacks. Also in being able to charge the Orks have lost 1 a, didn't get to shoot and loose FC bonus.
Not taking Bolters helps my men live longer.

Why do I take a Flamer and not a Plasma Gun? PG will not do anything to the BW. The RFing ability will also stop me charging. 
I could take a Melta gun. By the time it gets in range it is too late to try to stop the BW - it's cargo have arrived, though an exploding BW is always good for killing Orks.... The Mg will probably kill one Nob. The Flamer will probably kill one Nob - but it could kill a lot more....

Also it could be that Stormboyz or a Weirdboy-lead Mob has DS near me. That is where the Flamer is btter than the Mg.

So that is why the HG are decked out like they are.... 
* As an aside I think I will take 2 Crusader squads - (5 I, 3 bp&cs, 1 LC, 1 Flamer) x2. For 21 more points I get another LC and Flamer. I think this is pretty good for Templars. Almost like a Devastator/TROOP squad  

DREADNOUGHTS

DREADNOUGHTS.

These can do all things, be it anti-tank (close and long ranged), anti-infantry (horde and TEq) can be survivable (with smoke, extra armour and Venerable) and gain a form of mobility with the use of a drop pod.

They can perform many differing roles, so they can usually justify a place in your army.

Loadouts;

Short mêlée Dread Anti-tank

1] Multi melta, Heavy flamer (compulsory). 

Short mêlée Dread All rounder

2] Assault cannon, Heavy flamer (optional). 

Long mêlée Dread Backfield

3] Twin linked Las cannon, Heavy flamer (optional).

Long shooty Dread

4] Twin linked Las cannon, Missile launcher. 

Short shooty Dread

5] Assault cannon, Missile launcher.

As you can, the Dreadnought can be tailored to any task you have in mind.

1] Foot or Pod. Near useless against Daemons and less useful against Tyranids.

2] Foot or Pod. The Assault cannon kills men and Armour well. It doesn’t need the Heavy Flamer like 1] does, the Storm bolter is more harmonious with the AC. 

3] Foot. Without the same venom as the above two have in killing Armour, or the AI shooting the AC brings, means this configuration can be used as a back field defender. The LC gives it the reach to contribute anywhere, whilst keeping the DCCW means should anything reach your fire base or objective, you can hammer them in close combat.

4] Foot. Long range AT fire power and being able to move 6” and fire both weapons means it can follow you force as it covers the table top.

5] Foot. The short range of the AC and it’s flexibility, which also characterises the ML, means this Dread can tackle up to AV 13 and infantry, but will be advancing across the table top to do so.

+++

Venerable, should you take it?

It allows you to ask your foe to re-roll the damage results. There will be times that he’ll roll Destroyed again, but that is only 2/6. Those are good odds in your favour.

Considering that we pay one third of what Ultramarines would for it, shows that it is extremely good value (though I think UM is too expensive). 

For the price of two Neophytes, you can really extend the longevity of your Dreadnought.

It’s cheap!

It works best on Dreads who have kept their DCCW. With smoke and extra armour, even with the re-roll of Venerable, the Dread will still be unable to shoot whenever the get glanced. Being able to still move and assault 12” means that your Dread will still manage to tar-pit units, smash tanks and help your Infantry.

With AV 12, the Dreadnought isn’t that hard, though having the same armour on the sides is a nice touch and let’s it wade into the fighting without fear of being flanked. Venerable allows it to keep moving and assaulting.

+++

Venerable skills;

Furious Charge gives +1 Initiative on the charge.

This means you get first strike against other Dreads, Wraithlords, Trygons and Mawlocs. It’s not bad and your local game could mean it is very useful, but generally I would say no.

Tank hunter gives +1 to penetration rolls.

Even your s10 DCCW gets the bonus because it is not a buff to strength. 

Against AV 14;

ML and long range MM penetrate 1/6

LC 2/6

MM with MELTA 26/36 or 72% (instead of 58%)

AC 8/108 x 4 = 30% (instead of 15%)

That makes it worthwhile but not the most urgent of upgrades to take.

+++

Heavy Flamers, worthwhile?

It’s 8” template can seem too short compared to the nice 24” of the Storm bolter. And it costs a Neophyte.

However, all it needs is one whoosh and whole squads of Aspect Warriors can disappear. One flame from it will kill 2 Marines from 9 consistently. That’s 30 pts from one shot. I have killed 14 Ard boyz in one well placed flame. That’s 14 Neophytes worth!

Should you be charging a horde of Boyz, Hormagaunts, etc. the Heavy Flamer will kill far more of them with a single shot than will ever die to the bludgeonings of it’s fist.

So on Dreads that will be in the thick of it, like 1] and 2] they become a mandatory choice. Even 3] will benefit from being able to seriously dent any backfield marauders.

+++

Multi melta versus Assault Cannon.

The most common types of Dreadnought are the Multi melta and the Assault cannon armed ones. They just fit the Dreads in your face roll. So which one to choose?

Multi melta;

One shot (poor against infantry) Powerful (insta-kills 2+ save, multi wound t4 things).

+1 to damage rolls means even glances can result in Destroyed.

Within MELTA range, it is the most powerful Anti-tank weapon in the game.

Specialised.

Assault Cannon;

Multiple shots (excellent against 4+ save infantry) Rending (killing TEqs) gives it flexibility to hammer all Infantry.

Multiple rending shots actually means this gun is also better against Armour than a Las cannon.  

Flexible.

Considering that the AC is cheaper and more flexible, it is a safe bet. I prefer the MM because I feel Crusader squads already can take out Infantry well and so I want to be better against armour.

I do take lots of Crusaders though. If you are light on Crusaders, the AC variant becomes more sound as it helps against infantry.

Either choice is a good one.

+++

Drop Pod or Foot?

If you are using a Foot army, your Crusader squads will benefit greatly from having the Dreadnought alongside them.

With Mech, they’ll be left behind and won’t be effective for two turns if you run them to keep up. However, a shooty Dread can happily move it’s 6” per turn and fire to full effect. That makes Podding much more necessary for either short mêlée Dread to be of use.

You can Pod in either Shooty Dreads, preferably behind the foe so you can rip into rear armour. This can make for a terrific diversion tactic. The foe now needs to re-arrange his Armour. In combination with a Pred attacking from the front, the Dread forces a dilemma upon him. Podding a Shooty Dread can also negate a foes speed. You have now occupied  the once safe backfield that his, say, Falcons were zooming around in. The Shooty Dread has the reach and the positioning to make for a hard time. Shooty Dreads are still worthwhile in assaulting tanks, the 6” assault giving them good mobility and s6 attacks work reasonably against AV 10.

You can also Pod in the mêlée Dreads. What they lose in terms of a ML (which gives terrific reach straight into the rear armour, and even ML penetrate AV 10 fairly consistently) they swap for speed. They can rush from tank to tank, having an effective 12” of move each turn, with assaulting. The strength that the mêlée Dread has is, even if he gets Stunned or Shaken, he’ll still be effective because of being able to assault with such power. That s10 means tanks will consistently be taking damage rolls.

+++

So how does that compare with 3 deep striking Land speeders?

The Speeders have an advantage with 3 MM shots. But you wont be bringing them as a squadron and so will turn up willy-nilly. The Speeders have the benefit of being 3 AV 10 units, and so require at least three units shooting at them to take them out, whilst the Dread can be taken out with but one shot.

It really is a preference and local game choice to make. Both are good but are of more use in different circumstances. It is up to you to play both and see what suits you and brings success and your particular opponents.

Dreads can also tar-pit Devastator squads and join your Crusaders once they have crossed the table. A Death-wind Pod is great against infantry and with decent positioning you force the foe to deal with what was essentially just an envelope to deliver the Dread.

HOW I USE MY DREADNOUGHT WITH CRUSADERS.

Dreadnoughts can kill, quite reliably, 2 models a turn. Whether a Mega-armoured Warboss or a grot. 10 Crusaders can kill 10 boyz on the charge quite comfortably. They struggle against MegaNobz, however. 

10 Crusaders shoot dead 3-4 boyz. The HF could net another 3-4 boyz.

An AC will kill another 3 - but IMO you don't need that. You want a gun that can take out AV10 up to 14 reliably AND kill a Mega Nob one shot. That means a MM - unlikely for just a glance with melta rule & +2 damage versus most Ork Vehicles  . This complements the Mg and PF the Crusaders bring.

The quality of Dread kills is complimented by the quantity of Crusader kills. A Dread will get tar-pitted by grots. Crusaders will, in effect, get tar-pitted by MegaNobz. Together, they cover one another's backs.

2 Melta shots from the duo is a good way to insta-kill MegaNobz & open transports for the assault. You have 3 DCCW and 2 PF attacks on them as well. That tank has got to open sooner or later!  

The Crusaders RUN everyturn. The Dread chooses between the MM shot and RUNNING/Smoke in T1. The Crusaders do seem to get ahead of the Dread but that seems inevitable with wanting a good return from the optional RZ move and wanting to shoot the MM. The Dread will never be more than a turn away though.

*This is also where my Vindi choice comes in. As you can see the Dread has a great future with the Crusaders. With the Vindi getting the heat, that allows A] The 3-las-Pred to target anti-tank threats unmolested, further improving tank survivability, and B] Gets the Dread that much closer to his goal of cc, which provides cover against anti-tank shooting....  What a tricksy mind that hobbit has.... 

*I know MegaNobz are not an optimal Ork choice but they are quite good and have a good range of equivalents: Terminators, Wraithguard, Tyrant Guard/Warriors, Death Company and so on.

I hope I have shared something useful/ what was wanted to be heard.  

HOW IT CAME TO BE.

It all came about from Game1 versus my brothers Orks. 1500pts. I took the EC and an AC HF Dread. I didn't have them especially near my squads. My entire force was annihilated, with a Weirdboy & Mob left standing.

The Initiates did well against the boyz but the Warboss & Nobz just powered through me. Eventually, after me dilly-dallying, the EC fought the retinue and killed the Warboss.

I realised that Crusaders trump Boyz but are trumped by Nobz. The EC, a mere "level 2" character could kill the Nobz and the "level 3" Warboss. Hmmm.

On another part of the table the Dread had duffed over a mob of Trukk boyz, Burna Boyz and a Battle Wagon. Maybe more, I can't quite recall. He seemed colossal to both my brother and I. He was "in" - as far as I was concerned, for future lists.

A couple of things I noticed about the Dread. He was a legend! His shooting then charge would break 10 Ork Mobz and he'd run them down. But his cc wasn't "that" good. Sure he'd kill 2 a turn but pfff, who couldn't? It was apparent that his potential wasn't being reached against boyz. I had charged him into the Battlewagon when the tide was going against him. I figured he'd kill more in the explosion than he could with his own fist and I was right.  I didn't like the AC though. It had a hard time getting through armour, so it got voted off the island.

Game2.

It was apparent the Crusaders needed an IC. I had three offence squads. I included a Castellan with poLC. The Castellan & EC both lead a squad. This left a squad and the Dread and they were put together. Friends ever since