Iron Hands - First Impressions in 9th

 

No one saw this coming, right?

I've taken a minute to pivot from Necrons to my good ol' Iron Hands.  The Space Marine book is a bit of a rebalance, and the rebalance will continue once we get the Forge World index.  This is me looking at Iron Hands in particular, rather than taking a holistic look at the Marine book.  I played these guys before Primaris marines were a thing. /olddreadrant

What Do Iron Hands Do That Other Marines Don't?

Chapter Tactics - Durability

Our chapter tactics have two parts - a flat 6+ shrug vs. damage, and our vehicles double their remaining wounds.

The 6+ shrug is not the most reliable thing in the world, but it's always going to be a factor in a game.  You will always take damage.  There's also the faint chance that a good 6+ vs. a two-damage weapon will let one marine soak two of these instead of one.  It's more funny than anything else, but it happens.  It also means our vehicles are likely to absorb a little more abuse.

Now, that "double remaining wounds" thing is something to build around.  This means that most vehicles need to get shot down to ~2 wounds before they're degraded, or one wound to be on the last profile.  Multi-wound vehicles really benefit from this, and the marine book definitely has some worth considering.

This also means you're probably going to watch folks play 'Bring it Down' if you use our chapter tactics to the fullest, but whatever - hose the dreadnought out, chuck another body in and go.

The Iron Father with Infantry

We still have our special character from the supplement - Iron Father Fierros.  He's a beefy named tech marine that throws out a 5++ bubble for infantry, has a +1 to hit buff, and can put 3 wounds back on a vehicle.  He's also no slouch in melee.  However, at 140pts, he's something you have to build around.

He's a little less attractive now that the chief apothecary doesn't hand out a 5+++ bubble, but Iron Father + chief apothecary + beefy infantry is a starting point.  Getting a bunch of beefy bodies on objectives and staying on them is a strategy.  I feel like you really want to run a bunch of 5-man units around this guy to make sure you live through shooting, but also don't make nasty anti-tank blast weapons more efficient.

One Nasty (if expensive) Overwatch

We still have a stratagem to hit on overwatch at 4+.  Granted, you're spending 2CP to do it, so it's definitely a "well, maybe" instead of a "LOL EAT IT!" move.  Honestly you either need to be shooting a LOT to make it worthwhile (IE - be a Redemptor with all the guns) or shoot at something that might get killed.

Devastator Doctrine Buff

Our Devastator doctrine lets you move and shoot heavy weapons - and if you don't move, you re-roll ones.  Note that we have a 1CP stratagem to let someone go back into the devastator doctrine.  This comes into play for, appropriately enough, Devastator marines - drop pod devastators (probably with, y'know, multi-meltas) hit on 3+ on turn one.  Foot devastators can either grab a great position and get re-rolls without a captain, or deploy conservatively and then reposition as necessary.

Note also that you can always roll back the doctrine for extra AP (for high rate-of-fire weapons) or to get re-rolls on stationary units.

Anti-Sniper Tech

Cogitated Martyrdom means that if your character is near infantry, they can hand off sniper hits.  Snipers are ugly, and even though marines are beefy, well - bounce enough rounds off their heads and they die.  Librarians and lieutenants in particular care because they generally don't have an invulnerable save.

Character Dreadnought Stratagem

You can only use it once, but one dread can be a character.  Anyone other than a Redemptor is 9 wounds or less, which means that you can use Look Out, Sir.   This has the obvious effect of making a dreadnought not die to shooting ASAP - most sniping weapons are meant for people, not walking coffins full of guns and rage.  You can hide some nice guns this way.

Another perk here is that dreadnoughts have Wisdom of the Ancients - for 1CP, they're a Captain or a Lieutenant for a turn.  You can either bring more detachments for more HQ slots, or bring a non-Redemptor dreadnought and let it pretend to be a Captain or Lieutenant as needed.  There are build options here.

Units of Note

The Redemptor

This guy got buffed in the new book, and Iron Hands are absolutely on board with it.  T7, 13 Wounds (and you don't notice any issues until you're on 3 wounds), an innate -1 damage thanks to Duty Eternal, a reasonable speed, and a lot of guns WITH a fist of 3+1d3 damage?  Yes please.

I'd default to paying 185 for the heavy onslaught gatling cannon and Icarus pod - then I'd trade the heavy flamer for an onslaught gatling cannon.  The storm bolters and fragstorm grenade launchers are close enough in performance as to be dealer's choice.  The Icarus pod is cheap enough at 5pts that I'll take basically 1d3 autocannon shots.  This loadout farts out a healthy 20 shots that wound most infantry on 3's, and in a pinch can chew up vehicles before you try to punch it to death.  Also, enjoy the look on someone's face when they charge this thing and you pay 2CP to crank out like ~30 dice that hit on a 4+.

I have drooled over the plasma incenerator, mind you - I think if you're taking 3 dreadnoughts, you might as well take one.  S8-9, 2-3 damage, and AP-4 (depending on whether you overcharge or not) is hard to argue with - the only letdown is the random number of shots.  You trade out reliability for a little more range, and the ability to ruin the day of heavy infantry.

As far as support goes, Psychic Fortress isn't a bad pick - getting a 5++ on a dread or two can be clutch, as a 3+ armor save won't stop las, melta, or their xenos equivalents, and that's what the dreads fear.  A flat -1 damage is great versus weapons with 2 damage and a good rate of fire, but once you start doing 3+ damage at a time, well, the Redemptor starts noticing.  A 5++ is at least a chance to avoid some of that pain.

The dreadnoughts could also use some melee support - the fist HURTS when it hits, but at 5 swings on WS3+, it's definitely a quality over quantity thing.  Hopefully you thinned out the horde with all those guns.

The Invictor

Do you like distracting people?  Drop two invictors in the midfield, make the enemy kill them.  I lean towards the flamer just for the hell of it, though the autocannon does give you versatility in the event that deploying forward is dumb.

You WILL lose these guys in basically every game, mind you.  That's not the point.  The point is that they'll generally mess up the enemy plans, because no one can afford to have these things running around the midfield or backfield.

Most of what I said about the Redemptor applies here, but you trade durability for forward deployment.  These guys are only T6, and don't have Duty Eternal for the sweet -1 damage.  Consider infiltrators as an option as well.

The Razorback

It's not as scary as a redemptor, but transports do a few things for you - they protect troops, and if you're on an objective, a popped transport just farts out ObSec bodies on that objective.  Razorbacks get a mention here because the chapter trait means they'll put out accurate firepower until they're almost dead.

Remember also that 5 dudes in a razorback can take a combi-weapon, a special weapon, and a melee weapon.  Think about the job for the loadout - if you want a backfield camper, think about twin-las, then maybe a flamer, combi-flamer, and chainsword.  If you're moving up, I think you look into the assault cannon for the razorback and then consider plasma/combi-plasma/chainsword.

If you're bringing Razorbacks, make sure you're also bringing other armor - Razorbacks aren't super-easy to kill, but they're not super-hard to kill, either.

Devastator Squads

These guys have two big roles for Iron Hands.  The no-brainer is four dudes with multi-meltas in a drop pod - given a signum and cherub, that's like 9 multi-melta hits on a target.  They might get to weep before exploding.

The second is that dev squads have flexibility on the field - hide them in round one, or enjoy re-rolls if your enemy can't melt them on the first turn.  Remember also that for one CP, you can get re-roll 1s as well.  For the backfield squad, I'm torn between missile launchers and lascannons.  Missile launchers trade one strength and 2 AP for versatility.  Blast weapons say 'hello' to infantry - 12-24 shots from 48" away are a thing.

The other devastator options don't really call to me.  Heavy bolters and grav cannons w/ amps aren't bad, per se, but we can get volume of fire elsewhere.  I really want to like plasma cannons, but you really, REALLY want to re-roll 1s on guys that might blow themselves up.  If I really want plasma with a side of self-immolation, I might as well look at the Inceptors with plasma exterminators.

March of the Ancients + non-Redemptor

As mentioned above, you can hide a dreadnought.  If you opted to focus away from armor, or just want to hide a dreadnought, you've got options.  First off, I'd consider what you wanted to achieve from this - did you want to hide heavy weapons?  Did you want to bring a versatile, reliable buff bot?  Did you only want to bring one dread?  Also, you can always drop a warlord trait on these guys.

Venerable Dreadnoughts hit on a 2+ - if you want long-range fire, a lascannon and whatever else is a reasonable pick.  It'll run you around 145, but it's pretty solid.  I'd rather pay for the 2+ WS/BS than go with a regular dreadnought's 3+, if I'm going to invest CP.

Ironclad Dreadnought - Realistically you brought this as a hidden counterassault.  You get T8, and you lose out on shooting.  Sure, you can take a hurricane bolter, but Dreadnoughts don't get bolter discipline.  It'll also run you 135-145, depending on weapon options.  I think this is more lulzy than anything else.

Contemptor Dreadnought - this guy has fewer options, but has two big things that recommend him over other dreads - an 8" move (vs 6") and an innate 5++ save.  You also have 9W instead of 8, which is neat.  You're a flat 150, and can choose between an S7 assault cannon or multi-melta.  Honestly, I think this is the best of both worlds - you have a hidden heavy weapon, you have speed, you have durability, and you can still punch pretty well.

Librarian with Psychic Fortress

Ok, anyone can take these - but these guys can probably get a 5++ on some of your vehicles.  That's why you want to look at taking these guys.  Play up that durability.

Chief Apothecary

Durability's a theme here - pay the points to upgrade to the guy who can revive units for free.  Do it two turns, and you've turned a profit.  This also dictates target priority for the enemy, as one living Eradicator or Terminator suddenly becomes two - and characters start healing 3 wounds in combat.  For more fun, heal characters that have your 5+++ warlord trait.

Indomitus Set Impressions - Marine Side

 

At this point, I think everyone's at least aware of what's in the Indomitus boxed set.  I've had a chance to muck around with the marines a bit, and here's where I think they'll fit in.  Note this is in advance of a new codex, and we also have plenty of rumors and teasers of re-worked weapons profiles anyways.

Primaris Captain

Hey, look at that - the marines got a captain in their side.  There are a handful of other power-armor captains out there.  You get a heavy bolt pistol, a two-damage S5 power sword, and a relic shield that ends up granting you a 2+/4++ with a 4+ save vs. mortal wounds.

This guy's a niche piece, I feel - you can get more melee punch and speed off the good ol' hammer/shield/jump pack captain.  The powerfist/plasma pistol captain has better strength on weapons.  The vanilla sheet also gets you better ranged guns.  But, if you're going to wade in and thrash, the relic shield makes this guy worth considering.

Impression - consider the captain if you're skipping a 'smash' captain and going try to crush face in melee.

Primaris Lieutenant 

So, full confession - we all love those Primaris Lieutenant memes, but this guy actually has a pretty solid loadout.  This guy has a decent melee weapon (S5 2-damage power sword), an invulnerable save via storm shield, AND a pretty solid pistol.  I mean, come on - it's two shots at S5, two damage, and potential mortal wounds.

If you're going to take a primaris lieutenant (and unless you're going for a jump pack, might as well go Primaries) give this guy a look.

Impression - I honestly think I'm gonna end up using this guy a fair amount.  He's got a decent gun, and unlike all his other lieutenant buddies, he's got an invulnerable save.

Primaris Chaplain

Um, it's a chaplain, fellas.  We already have this.  It's a neat new model, but doesn't bring anything new.

Judiciar

Now, THIS is something new.  Sure, he's got melee punch.  Here's what we care about, though - "You, you there, within 6 inches - you go last."  If you are on foot (Maybe if you're Iron Hands and still trying for the whole mob of intercessors), the enemy basically HAS to hit you with as many elements as they can at the same time.  

Why?  Well, one of them goes last.  Another one swings, and then you can pop your 2CP interrupt stratagem.  If you're in a foot mob, or delivering a large group of guys via transports, then bring this guy.

Impression - it's build-specific, but definitely worth bringing if you think your mob of troopers is going to get charged.

Bladeguard Ancient

This is basically a riff on the existing Ancient, except that it provides Bladeguard-specific buffs.  Frankly, the "act again on a 4+" isn't super-reliable, and the utility depends a) on stuff dying, and b) stuff dying when its retaliation is meaningful.

For example - bladeguard dying and shooting a pistol is kinda 'meh.'  Hellblasters gettng punched to death and swinging a couple times in melee is 'meh.'

Impression - The codex may bring more, but consider this guy only if you're already bringing a couple bladeguard squads.

Bladeguard Veterans

First, first impression - um, what's up with 3W?  You're not Gravis guys.  That aside, at first glance these guys are in a wonky spot.  They're a small unit.  However, they're kind of sick in melee - everyone's packing a storm shield (even if it is the weird new-ish one) and a master-crafted power sword.  If you're bringing these, consider bringing a pair.

Realistically, these aren't for every army - if you try to walk them across the board, expect someone to thank you, and shoot them off the board if they can.  Build around delivering a couple squads into the enemy, though, and maybe you'll enjoy 'em.

Impression - Some chapters will love them, others won't necessarily care - but don't bolt them onto any build and assume they'll do great.

Assault Intercessors

Well, it's about time we got stabby intercessors.  I have to assume that the codex will let Sarge take melee options, especially since regular Intercessors already have them.  These guys will be fine for knocking enemies off existing objectives with fistfuls of dice (outside of anything else, you're cranking out 4 dice a dude on the charge at AP-1) if you can get there.  Note that if a volume of attacks is what you're after, you can always look at the auto bolt rifle on regular intercessors.  You lose the chainsword and fancy pistol, but go up to an assault 3 gun with 24" range.  You also get a stratagem to auto-hit all your shots at 12" range.  You don't always, y'know, WANT to be punching someone to death - and you still aren't a slouch in melee.

And that 'if' means that these may not be for everyone.  It's the same idea as Bladeguard vets - you're specialists.  Build around it, or don't take them.  And ask if you're ready to give up a rifle before going into melee.

Impression - I think a lot of armies will keep to existing intercessors, unless you've got great melee rules (cough cough, white scars, cough cough).  Otherwise, if you want volume of attacks, the assault bolt rifle's an option.

Outriders

I'll admit I'm partial to these guys.  They're fairly beefy in terms of toughness and wounds (T5, four wounds a guy), but note that bikes interact with cover differently than regular infantry.  You want to break LOS if possible on the approach.

And believe me, you want to make that approach.  If you want a chaff-clearer, it's these guys.  If you make the charge with a full unit, you're throwing out a hilarious 19 attacks with S4 AP-1 chainswords that hit on 3+.  It sounds like a lot, but it's reasonable to assume you're operating outside of support.  You'll be doing all this after firing a half-dozen bolt-rifles' worth of shots into the target too.  All told, that's a dozen AP-1 bolter shots onto your target first. 

In spite of the volume of attacks, remember - these guys are probably going to run screaming well out of range of any re-roll auras you have.

Based on the volume of attacks these guys get, I don't think we'll see Sarge getting melee options.  5 Thunder Hammer swings on the charge on turn one seems...unlikely.

These guys will be useful for putting pressure on objectives early, or going for stuff like 'Engage on All Fronts.'  

Admittedly, some armies will get more mileage out of these guys, but I think everyone can get something out of them.

Impression - I'm sold.  I won't run these all the time, but I can see running a couple units of these just to mess with someone else's plans.  

Eradicators

Let's be real - these are the guys everyone focused on when Indomitus dropped.  Honestly, it's understandable - the mere presence of these guys is meta-shifting.  You have to assume that a squad or two of these guys is going to walk off the side of the board and double-tap something important.

A 24" range is just about impossible to screen against, unless you're using terrain or stratagems.  You can probably keep them out of melta range, though.  Also god help you if you managed to leave a character exposed, someone's going to have to get a bucket and a mop.

Obviously their natural prey is enemy armor, monstrous creatures, and really, really beefy infantry.  You'll rarely ever skip out on Total Obliteration.

Why?  Unless you're starting these guys on the board (and hiding them well, just in case you don't go first) these guys may not be in re-roll range.

Expect one good round of shooting out of these guys.  They're reasonably durable at T5 with a 3+ save, so if the enemy can't shoot them to death, they may just assault them.  And Eradicators have....a pistol...for close combat.  So, y'know, try not to get into a fistfight.  And expect the enemy to try to charge them to tie them up if not kill them out-right.

Army-wise, any Marine army would be happy to run a couple units.  Note that anything that makes them more accurate is great - Salamanders come to mind, for reasons mentioned above.

Impression - Most marine players will try these guys a few times.  Not everyone will ultimately keep them.  Others will eventually adapt to them, one way or the other.

Overall Impressions

Eradicators drew all the attention first - and it's not undeserved.  That being said, I'm partial to the Outriders myself.  However, don't sleep on the Lieutenant - it's a solid loadout.  Finally, most of the rest of the box has at least a situational use.

Iron Hands, Post FAQ

So, let's go ahead and be real - marines kind of needed the Devastator Doctrine reeled in a little bit.  Maybe more than a little bit.  So, there are two things for folks to do -

1) Party! Especially if you're not a marine player.

2) Consider changes to your list, if you are a marine player.

I've always had a soft spot for the Iron Hands, and I've painted too many of them to want to sell anyway.  So, time to actually figure out what's next -

Question 1 - What's the Nerf?

Question 2 - How does this change the army?

Question 3-  What Can I Do To Mitigate it?

First up, the nerf itself - you're devastator doctrine turn 01.  You change over to tactical doctrine on turn two, and you have the option to stay in tactical doctrine OR advance to the assault doctrine in turn 3.  You are absolutely in the assault doctrine by turn 4, though.  Marines also lost the stratagem to change the doctrine for their army, which only makes sense.

For Iron Hands, our bonus is two-fold - "move and shoot heavy weapons without penalty" and "re-roll ones if you stood still." 

How does this change the army?

So, units that stood still and had heavy weapons basically didn't need captains, since you already had it.  Additionally, remember that the first 1-2 points of AP are where you really make your money - the first point of AP essentially negates cover (if applicable) or really helps, and the second point of AP starts making high-rate-of-fire heavy weapons (IE - Thunderfire cannons, storm cannon arrays) much nastier.

You also had vehicles and/or dreadnoughts basically wandering around not caring about the number of heavy weapons they carried - move-and-shoot heavy weapons along with the fact that Iron Hand vehicles are basically full strength until at ~3 wounds is fun. (Well, unless you're the person that left them on four wounds, at which point you basically did nothing).

So, your heavy weapons aren't as mobile, and your stationary heavy weapons aren't as accurate.  At a glance, here are some losers, in no particular order -

The pain, the pain!

Thunderfire Cannon - loses out on some accuracy, but BS2+ is still solid.

Dreadnoughts - outside of lascannons and missile launchers, most dreads need to move up to fire, so they lose mobility.  Also the Leviathan dread in particular notices it, since AP-2 makes a big difference to vehicles.

Tanks without Power of the Machine Spirit - you lose out on some mobility, or at least you're back in the land of trading your move for -1 to your shots with your big guns.  Looking at predators, razorbacks here, for example.

Flyers - You generally a lot of heavy weapons (if not exclusively heavy weapons), and generally have to move.  Or, if applicable, you can hover and hope that no one takes the opportunity to tear you out of the sky.  T7 doesn't like massed small arms fire.

Turn 2+ Deep Strikers w/ heavy weapons - drop devs and terminators notice it, but outside of grav cannons I'm not really sure what I'd want in a drop pod anyway.

Stalker Bolt Rifles - if you've got squads in the backfield holding objectives, they don't care.  But if they move, it's a -1 to hit on a squad without a lot of shots.

Attack Bikes - you have good turn 1 mobility - not so much after that, at least not without losing accuracy on the guns.  The heavy bolter bike doesn't care as much, but the multi-melta bike does.

Land Speeders - Eh, honestly, you were probably just hiding them the first turn and then moving into firing position.  I'd feel this more if I wanted to try landspeeders more.

Devastators - They'll want a babysitter after turn 1 if you want re-rolls, and I feel like plasma cannons had a brief moment to be cool before this.  Or at least not blow up as often.

Eliminators - let's be real, they were probably going to camp in cover the whole game and re-roll hits.  Now they're just going to be in cover.

How do I mitigate this with stratagems?

There are a couple stratagems you want to be aware of when it comes to losing your dev doctrine.

Methodical Firepower - one unit's back in devastator doctrine.  Pretty self-explanatory.

Big Guns Never Tire - one vehicle does not take the penalty for moving and firing heavy weapons.  It's not additional AP, but if you have a lot of heavy weapons, well, it's worth it. (Hello, Stormhawk Interceptor...)

Wisdom of the Ancients - if you brought dreadnoughts, and your captain (if applicable) is elsewhere, it's a re-roll aura.

How do I mitigate this with particular units?

There are also a couple of units worth mentioning that boost ballistic skill - 

Iron Father Feirros - BS2+ on a normally BS3+ model is basically the same as not taking the -1 to hit penalty.

Chaplains with Recitation of Focus - hey, it's +1 to hit, kinda like your iron father, and it's another application of it.  Remember, Chaplain Dreadnoughts are real.

What does this mean for my list?

So, you get dev doctrine for a turn, and then you're down to one unit a turn getting it, and potentially one vehicle moving and shooting without taking a penalty.  On the flip side, rapid fire weapons are going to enjoy bonus AP for a couple of turns - I wouldn't build around that as much as I'd be aware of the fact that my stalker bolt rifles and infantry-borne heavy weapons are losing mobility.

Here's a before-and-after of my IH Flyer list, and what it meant to me.  I'm not claiming this list was perfect or anything, either.  It's just an example -

BEFORE THE PAAAIN!

Iron Hand Battalion -

Chaplain Venerable Dreadnought (twin-las, dreadnought CCW, storm bolter)

Phobos Librarian (auto-medicae bionics, tenebrous curse, mind raid)

Invictor Warsuit (autocannon)

Invictor Warsuit (autocannon)

5 Infiltrators

5 Infiltrators

~7 Primaris marines (stalker bolt rifles, power sword on sarge)

3 Eliminators (3 bolt sniper rifles)

3 Eliminators (3 bolt sniper rifles)

3 Eliminators (3 bolt sniper rifles)

Iron Hand Spearhead

Primaris Lieutenant (power sword, pistol)

Thunderfire cannon

Thunderfire cannon

Thunderfire cannon

Flyer Wing

Stormhawk Interceptor (las-talon, 2 assault cannon, 2 heavy bolter)

Stormhawk Interceptor (las-talon, 2 assault cannon, 2 heavy bolter)

Stormhawk Interceptor (las-talon, 2 assault cannon, 2 heavy bolter)

The idea is that the invictors and infiltrators hold midfield objectives, and the flyers roll up to wreak havoc.  Thunderfire cannon + Phobos Librarian can screw with the movement of up to three units.  Lieutenant babysits the cannons.  Flyers, well - it's a lotta guns, and you pretty much have to kill them to make them stop.  CP generally went towards double-tapping the thunderfire cannons.

AFTER THE PAIN

Iron Hand Battalion -

Chaplain Venerable Dreadnought (twin-las, dreadnought CCW, storm bolter)

Phobos Librarian (auto-medicae bionics, tenebrous curse, mind raid)

Invictor Warsuit (flamer)

Invictor Warsuit (flamer)

5 Infiltrators

5 Infiltrators

~8 Primaris marines (stalker bolt rifles, power sword on sarge)

3 Eliminators (3 bolt sniper rifles)

3 Eliminators (3 bolt sniper rifles)

3 Eliminators (3 bolt sniper rifles)

Iron Hand Spearhead

Primaris Lieutenant (power sword, pistol)

Thunderfire cannon

Thunderfire cannon

Thunderfire cannon

Flyer Wing

Stormhawk Interceptor (las-talon, 2 assault cannon, 2 heavy bolter)

Stormhawk Interceptor (las-talon, 2 assault cannon, 2 heavy bolter)

Stormhawk Interceptor (las-talon, 2 assault cannon, 2 heavy bolter)

Not much changed, did it?  Here's my logic -

Flyers - two of them will be accurate on turn two, one way or the other.  If I still have all three on turn two, I'm in great shape and probably winning.  The one that has to hit harder targets (or chew on a vehicle) gets the devastator doctrine, the other just gets to shoot at BS.

The Invictors dropped autocannons for flamers for two reasons.  First, these things need to be disrupting the enemy by getting in their face, so while the autocannon's 48" range is awesome, I'm not going to get a lot of mileage out of that range after the second turn, and if I don't have flyers to use my stratagems on, well, I'm probably in a world of pain anyway.  Or the invictors are punching something to death.

I don't mind having stalker rifles on the move with Recitation of Focus nearby, so they can stay.

Eliminators and Thunderfire cannons are just going to be a little less accurate, and that is what it is.

In Conclusion

In general, we got less accurate with some of the big guns.  Very few things (like plasma cannons) took a major hit, and we have ways to mitigate the hit to accuracy.  If you built around a lot of vehicles (like, a LOT, like razorback spam + land speeders or something) that move, you're definitely going to feel it.

First Impressions - Reivers

It's like this, but with power armor

So, after a work-related break from gaming, I'm back.  Would've had a round tonight, had illness not said otherwise.  That being said, I did get around to testing a small squad of Reivers the other night, and I'm reasonably pleased with them.

So, that being said - Reivers - let's take a look.

The Basics 
Squad Size - Start at 5, go up to 10, and they eat an elite slot.  If you take ten, you can break into two five-man squads during deployment (or via stratagem).

Weapon Option - here's where you pick your role - each guy packs a bolt carbine (Assault 2 bolter, essentially) or a heavy bolt pistol (an AP-1 bolt pistol) and combat knife (good for an extra attack in melee).

Mobility - Now we're getting somewhere.  You've got two options to pick from - grav chutes or grapnel launchers.  If you take grav chutes, you can start in reserves and drop further than 9" away from the enemy.  If you take grapnel launchers, you get two perks - first, you stop caring about vertical movement and second, you get to walk onto the enemy's backfield.

Assaulty perks - You've got a couple perks when it comes to assault - you have shock grenades, which disable overwatch and screw up enemy melee, and you also have the 'terror troop' special rule which forces a -1Ld penalty on anyone within 3" of reivers.  So, y'know, being in melee with these guys is apparently scary.

Battlefield Role - Disruption
Reivers are designed to drop in and sow chaos - they aren't super-mobile with just a 6" walk, but you should be taking grapnel launchers or grav chutes so that you can get the drop on the other guy.  From there, you leverage volume of attacks (either via bolt carbines or assault) and try to deal with either numbers of melee troopers or with shooty troops.

Shooty - you take bolt carbines.  You drop in via grav chutes and dump bolter-fire onto soft targets from an annoying angle.

Stabby - you take heavy bolt pistols and combat blades.  Pick grav chutes or grapnel launchers, and find the enemy's non-melee troops.  Engage in butchery. PROFIT!

Comparison of Roles - shooty is guaranteed to get at least one good round of shooting in, and can easily grab good ground via grav chute.  Stabby needs a good assault roll to start producing on turn one (you've got about a 28% chance of making a 9-inch charge) but can crank out a higher volume of attacks once you do get there.

NOTE - Black Templar chapter tactics with a re-roll to the charge give you about a 50/50 shot to make that charge, though.

Compared To Other Troops
Frankly, I don't see a point in trying to transport or walk Reivers - best bet is to leverage their deployment shenanigans.  So, let's compare them to other troops that specialize in wonky deployment and screwing with the enemy's plans -

1) Assault Marines
You can drop in via jump pack assault, or can footslog it.  Assault marines specialize in volume of attacks, though you gotta be close.

PROS
-cheaper per model
-more mobile per model (with jump pack)
-can take specialist melee kit (namely a fist or eviscerator on sarge)
-can take special weapons (flamers, or plasma pistols)

CONS
-fewer attacks per model
-less durable (one wound per model vs. two)
-must get into melee to do damage

Both units specialize in volume of attacks - assault marines (and stabby reivers) need to get in close, and the carbine rievers do it from range.  Rievers are more durable and more killy per model, but also more expensive.  The big perk assault marines have is specialist kit - flamers or a higher-strength melee weapon.

2) Drop Pod marines
I'm listing this because of the option to take grav chutes and bolt carbines - which means you set up where you want and dump bullets into people.

PROS
-more options (heavy/special/combi for tac marines, special issue bolters/combis for sternguard)
-drop pod can take up space (a la objectives, deny deployment)
-ability to bring more than just boltguns

CONS
-significantly more costly - a drop pod pretty much costs as much as a minimal reiver squad
-you have to keep more units in 'reserves' - drop pod + squad versus a squad of rievers
-Rievers don't have to get within 12" to unload two bolt shots
-rievers are more durable per model
-rievers are more able to defend themselves in melee (admittedly sternguard have 2 swings per guy)

Honestly, drop pods are kinda 'meh' in 8th at this point - I lean towards Reivers here.

3) Scouts
I'm throwing out scouts here because they can fill similar roles.  Specifically, I'm talking about bolter scouts or pistol/CCW scouts.  Sniper scouts are entirely different.

PROS
-fill up troops slots (for things like a Battalion force org)
-deploy normally, but outside of the DZ - so you can screen off deep-strikers
-can bring a heavy weapon
-can bring a specialist melee weapon on sarge
-cheaper

CONS
-less durable (single wound, 4+ save)
-deploy on table - so the other guy DOES know where they are
-less damage output (less attacks per model)

Really, the big thing scouts get over Reivers is that they're troops (if you're looking to fill out a battalion force org) and that you can use scouts to screw over someone else's choices that drop from reserves.

Notable Chapter Tactics
Ultramarines - More applicable to shooty reivers, since they might want to fall back instead of fight.
White Scars - being able to charge after falling back could help stabby reivers if the enemy threw a screening unit at you, but you could still get into melee with something important.
Imperial Fists - cover-ignoring bolters are fun, period.
Black Templars - Stabby Reivers are totally down for re-rolling charges, ESPECIALLY the 50/50 charge chance.
Raven Guard - shooty reivers love this - get those two shots from 24" away, and make the other guy either get closer or take penalties to hit.
Iron Hands - more wounds per guy mean more chances to take that 6+++ save and laugh.

In Closing
I think the natural partner for Reivers is actually the Terminator Assault Squad.  Why?  Deep-striking assault troopers really, really don't like cheap screening units (cultists, scouts, that kind of thing).  What kills screens? Boltguns.  What do reivers have?  Boltguns.

They also go neatly into a Vanguard Detachment - your assault terminators probably want a chaplain (especially if they have thunder hammers) and then you just need one more elites choice to fill out a small detachment.

And even on their own, it's nice to be able to dump a handful of durable guys on an objective, especially if it's in cover.

2k Batrep - Iron Hands/Admech vs. Chaos

An auspicious start

I got around to testing my Iron Hand/Admech, and my buddy threw down his own beta test of various chaos units.  Believe this was his first outing with Chaos in 8th, and my first real outing with any Admech outside of a 1,000 Battle for Konor.  Armies were -

Iron Hands/Adeptus Mechanicus/Inquisition Army

Admech Spearhead Detachment (Forge World - "take -1 to hit outside of 12")

Tech Priest Dominus - macrostubber, vulkite blaster

Cybernetica Datasmith

2x Kastelan Robots (3x heavy phosphor blasters each)

Onager Duncrawler (neutron laser, 2x heavy stubber)

Onager Duncrawler (neutron laser, 2x heavy stubber)

Inquisitorial Supreme Command Detachment

3x Inquisitors (chainsword, bolt pistol)

Iron Hands Battalion

Captain (Medusan Axe)

Terminator Chaplain

5x Assault Terminators (4x TH/SS, Lightning Claws on sarge)

5x Rievers (assault bolters, grav chutes)

5-man Tactical Squad (combi-plasma, plasma gun)

-Razorback w/ twin assault cannons

5-man Tactical Squad (combi-plasma, plasma gun)

-Razorback w/ twin assault cannons

5-man Tactical Squad (combi-plasma, plasma gun)

-Razorback w/ twin assault cannons

My logic - the Admech detachment is just plain shooty.  The Inquisitors provide psychic support to my tac squads, and the elites and HQs drop in where needed.  I can't really justify taking that much plasma without a captain, and needing 4+ to hit with thunder hammers means I really, really ought to take that Chaplain.  I'm curious about how Rievers will do, and I feel like pairing a shooty deep-striking option with the terminators is the way to go - I've got options, and can strip away a meat shield.

World Eaters Battalion

Demon Prince w/ Wings, 2x Claws

Kharn the Betrayer (real swell guy)

9 World Eaters (fist)

-Rhino

10 Chaos Marines (2x meltagun)

Cultist Squad (CCWs/pistols)

Cultist Squad (autoguns)

5x Chaos Spawn

Defiler (reaper cannon, scourge)

Maulerfiend

3x Obliterators

Lascannon Pred

Heldrake w/ flamer

His logic - test out World Eater options.  Get them on the field, get a feel for them.  That, and he's seen how much fun it is to have Heldrakes rush across the field.

Scenario - Cloak and shadows, with that happy, HAPPY little "take a penalty to shooting outside of 18 inches or so"

First turn goes to chaos.

Deployment

 I set up in the middle - the Admech folks deploy around the Dominus for re-rolls.  Each Razorback gets an Inquisitor (AKA - wannabe smite-bot) while my captain, Rievers, and Terminators wait for a good time to drop in.

Chaos Turn 01

 Chaos forges ahead.  His las-predator fails to do much interesting, and he manages to kill one of the Kastelans.  Oblits drop into cover, open up, and secure the middle objective.

Imperial Turn 01

 Well, that's a LOT of stuff in my field.  I fail to get first blood, but do significant damage to his Heldrake.  One Razorback lost its shooting due to falling back.  I drop my Terminators in his backfield, and drop the Rievers near his other objective.

 My Rievers have words with his cultists.  They prove to be mildly allergic to bolt shells.

Chaos Turn 2

 His Heldrake moves out to have words with my Rievers, and fails to do much damage between hot dice and the chapter tactic.  His cultists, regular marines, and Khorne Berserkers divert to handle my deep-strikers.  He proceeds to roll a number of '4s' to charge, which is why his Cultists get hammered to death, and his Maulerfiend has a stare-down with a Razorback.  He does kill the Kastelans, giving him First Blood.

Not pictured - Cultists, because they're dead

Charge fails

 The chaos lord watches the Razorback make too many 5+s to die.

Berserkers roll a 4 to charge

 Rievers luck out.

Imperial Turn 02

 The captain drops in to supervise the plasma gunners...because I don't feel like blowing up.  His chargers and Heldrake get it, along with his regular marine squad.

Terminators vs. Chaos Marines

 Turns out that regular Chaos Marines don't do well when Terminators charge them.

Massive sigh of relief

 His chargers get a case of the death, between plasma, bolt guns, assault cannons and some smite lovin'.

I Derp Out

 So, I'm trying to hold 3 objectives.  I get the bright idea to charge his Berserkers (to deny them the charge).  Turns out it doesn't hold them in place, AND he consolidates into range to contest an objective.  Go me.

Chaos Turn 03

 His spawn hit my lines.  Kharn heads off after the Rievers, while his 'zerkers head towards me.  The predator plinks away at razorbacks to degrade their stats, and my Termiantors laugh off his defiler's gunfire.

Lotta Saves

 My Dominus gets charged, manages to live through it, and even kill a Spawn.  The Onager gets savagely beaten, but remains alive.

Imperial Turn 03

 Terminators advance toward his defiler (and the objective in that building).  I finally get around to throwing fire at his Oblits, and kill two.  The Dominus and Onager fall back - after repairs, the Dominus is feeling fine, and the Onager gets patched up a little.  The Spawn get a case of the rapid-fire death.

Captain for the cleanup

Chaos Turn 4

 His Rhino backs off (after sustaining some damage).  Kharn, having finished with that last stubborn Riever, heads towards the terminators.

Defiler vs Terminators - Terminators win

Imperial Turn 04

 I polish off the Rhino, and thin out the Berserkers some.  He's still got a healthy lead on objectives.  I also got around to killing that last stupid Oblit.

Chaos Turn 05

 Kharn mops the floor with assault terminators (...who saw that coming?  I did.)  His Berserkers polish off the tac squad.

 Kharn victorious.

Endgame

At this point, he's down to a handful of models - I table him, after the neutron lasers go hot, and small arms kill the last of the 'zerkers.

End result - a narrow win for the Imperium, due to tabling the enemy.

Closing Thoughts
Admech - I'm keeping that detachment.  I think it's a good balance of volume (Kastelans) and outright destructive power (neutron lasers).  Seriously, neutron lasers are totally awesome.  Canticles of the Omnissiah was a non-issue, mostly because of the invulnerable saves and the fact that everyone was next to "Mr. Re-rolls 1's".

Inquisitors - I feel like smite-bots are better on foot behind meat shields.  I got about two meaningful turns of smiting out of them.  I think Malefic Lords at 30pts a head are really the nasty, nasty spammable ones.  But, hey, Inquisitors do help with morale.  Probably more important in an actual admech army with its absolute crap leadership.

Rievers - I actually like these guys for hitting from an unexpected angle.  Bolt carbines + grav chutes let them hit from an unexpected angle.  They're also pretty durable, when you get down to it - especially if you've got cover.  They won't kill specialist units, but can thin down stuff with volume of fire from a couple feet out.

Assault Terminators - They definitely need a chaplain.  I've opted to go for claws on sarge so they've got a stop-gap vs. hordes.  It also cuts the cost a little, and with sarge you get a good four attacks that hit on 3's and re-roll wounds.

Tac Squads - they're workhorses.  5-man squads aren't super-durable, but plasma + re-rolls is pretty nasty, and a good balance to the assault cannon razorbacks.

Jump Pack Captain - I like the jump pack for the option to drop him wherever I need him.  I was a little light on points in this test, which is why captain had the Medusan Axe instead of a hammer/shield.  In fairness, if you haven't picked up another relic the axe is pretty decent.  Points permitting, cap gets a thunder hammer, a storm shield, and probably gets the shield upgraded to the Shield Eternal.

Chaos Spawn - honestly, they're kinda durable.  I'd forgotten they went up to four wounds and have AP-2 on the melee attacks - it's kinda nasty.  They'll either draw fire, or potentially do some damage when they hit.

Khorne Berserkers - they do one thing really, really well - evaporate things in melee.  ESPECIALLY with the World Eater legion tactics - +1 attack is just kinda painful.

Batrep - Iron Hands vs. Black Templar at 2k. Paint Rounds FTW

It's been a minute - but I finally got enough of my Iron Hands painted to throw down.  So, I grabbed them and a camera.

Iron Hands

Battalion Detachment

Captain in Gravis Armor (warlord)

Captain w/ Storm Bolter, Power Sword

10x Space Marines (combi-plasma, plasma gun, missile launcher)

-Razorback (twin assault cannons)

10x Space Marines (combi-plasma, plasma gun, missile launcher)

-Razorback (twin assault cannons)

10x Space Marines (combi-plasma, plasma gun, missile launcher)

-Razorback (twin assault cannons)

5 Scouts

5 Scouts

Stormtalon gunship (assault cannons, skyhammers)

Stormtalon gunship (assault cannons, skyhammers)

Vanguard Detachment

Techmarine

Dreadnought (multi-melta, storm bolter)

Dreadnought (assault cannon, storm bolter)

Ironclad Dreadnought (hurricane bolter, chainfist, meltagun, assault launchers)

Admittedly, the dreads are a bit of "what I have on hand" more than anything else.

Black Templar

Damocles Command Rhino

Techmarine (warlord)

Emperor's Champion

Terminator Chaplain

5 Terminators (4x hammers/shields, sarge w/ lightning claws)

5 Terminators (4x hammers/shields, sarge w/ lightning claws)

10 Crusaders (meltagun, missile launcher)

10 Crusaders (meltagun, missile launcher)

5 Scouts

10 assault marines (2x flamers, axe/plasma pistol on sarge)

Predator (twin las, 2x lascannons)

Predator (twin las, 2x lascannons)

Scenario - Cleanse and Control

Deployment

 I end up choosing DZs, and realize I'm going second.  I deploy scouts at the edge of my DZ, and the gunships serve as additional deep-strike deterrent.  I set up around my objectives, and his warlord/CP generator set up on his.

BT Turn 01

 Rhinos advance and pop smoke.  His predators completely whiff against everything - bunch of rolls of 1-2 n his shooting and wounds, which keeps him from scoring first blood.  His assault marines drop in.

Orbital Bombardment

 I learn (the hard way) that the Damocles Rhino comes with one free orbital bombardment.  Which hurts.  Mortal wounds to the rhinos, dreads, and gunship.  Somehow the marines avoid the pain.

What were our orders again?

 His assault marines fail the assault.  Which is fine with me.

Iron Hands Turn 01

 I hold my ground and open fire.  My objectives are kinda sad - I've got to get across the board, and hold the objective right by my dreads/2x razorback squad for two turns. 

Bullet allergy

 The stormtalons shred the predator, so first blood goes to me

Scout vs Scout

 I shoot his five-man scout squad off the objective they were trying to hold.

BT Turn 02

 His Rhino unloads, his assault marines unload, and his dice finally cooperate and shoot one of my flyers off the board.

Even in death, I still serve pain

 His marines whiff the missile and meltagun against the dread, then dive into CQC with it in an attempt to deny my "hold for two turns" objective.

You got this, boss!

 His assault terminators fail the charge, but the chaplain makes it, and crushes a few skulls.

I had a wingman a minute ago

Iron Hand Turn 02

 I solve the assault problem, and move to contest/claim up the objective in his DZ.  Man, I drew some sad objectives this game.

BULLETS!

 My regular dread broke off the assault, and everyone else combined to shoot the crap out of his Crusader squads.  They died to a man.

Stalemate

 The tac squad tags the Gravis captain into the melee, and the chaplain lives.  Takes a couple slaps with a fist, though.

BT Turn 03

 His last squad of assault terminators drop in, and promptly flub their assault.

Whiff

 The fight continues, and his marines whiff the assault again.

Tyin' up everything

 His assault marines grind through a few dudes, then consolidate into everything.

Finale

At this point, we called it.  My plasma squads fail to do anything against his Terminators, and he's got a 7-2 lead on objectives at this point.  I'm out of CP and have to get across the board.  We figured that at this point, he could've kept me pinned in and/or killed a lot of stuff, while I wouldn't have been able to close the VP gap.

End Result - Iron Hands are glad it's a paint-round-only match.

Closing Thoughts
Assault Cannon Razorbacks & Tac Squads
Pros - the configuration I brought is reasonably well-rounded.  Twin assault cannons have a solid volume of fire, so moving isn't THAT much of a penalty.  Plasma is decent as long as there's a captain nearby for re-rolls - and captains aren't too terribly expensive.

Note that combat-squadding a tactical squad is probably giving up first turn, period.  Your tac marines will probably take two drops at that point.

Dreadnoughts
I think these guys are gonna get lascannons next time around.  I need more long-range guns, and while the multi-melta and assault cannon are nice, I could use some longer-ranged firepower.

Ironclads
I think the hurricane bolter and chainfist are the way to go.  You don't have a ton of attacks, so the seismic hammer's -1 to hit is a bit of a pain.  The Hurricane bolter lets you do something outside of assault.

Scouts
I think a squad or two of scouts is still worth including - they're not that expensive, and they provide a much-needed buffer against deep-striking units. 

Gunships
I like the speed and firepower.  They're not too hard to kill, though, so you need to bring plenty of targets.  I'm definitely getting paint on these guys soon.  Still mixed about the secondary weapons though - the heavy bolters are cheaper, but the skyhammer rockets would be nice vs. other flyers.

BT - Assault Terminators
Really, these remind me that I need to get mine assembled.  I got lucky because he flubbed his assault roles, but if these guys don't make the charge when they arrive, you have a few options -
1) run away
2) kill them
3) bury them in bodies
Otherwise, they'll get into assault.  I think a sarge with claws is a good addition to the TH/SS guys, since it gives you a handful more attacks to thin out crowds.

Las-Preds
They're expensive and mono-purposed, but very good at what they do.  Unless the dice hate them.

BT - 10-man squad comp
He ran them with a meltagun and missile launcher - I think going with a combi-weapon matching the special would help.  Then again, missile launchers remain a versatile choice.  You don't get the AP of the lascannon (or strength) but you get the ability to do something beyond dropping a ton of damage on a single target.

Damocles Command Rhino
I'm not sure I'd take it under 2k points, but it and a cheap HQ (like a techmarine) will give you the two HQ choices for a battalion, and give you another 2-3 CP over the course of the game as long as you hide the warlord in the back. 

You want a cheap warlord choice, and you want to hide them for the CP and sit this thing in the back.  Drop that orbital bombardment on turn 01, and then sit on an objective.  If you aren't going to sit a cheap warlord in there, skip it.  BUT, getting extra CP through the game is potentially useful.

Gravis Captain
Honestly, if you have a gunline, you could do worse for an HQ than this.  A minimal captain is about 40ish points more than this guy, but this dude WILL do some damage in CQC.  I'm pleasantly surprised with this dude. 

Army Tweaks for the future
I'm thinking of re-tooling the dreads.  My first thought is to change the vanguard detachment to be 2x lascannon dreads and some grav-chute Rievers for objective-grabbing.