"Hey Will
Bit more to go on from previous e-mail - added sample list, aiming at 1750
Long-time lurker, first-time e-mailer. Love the blog, found you from YTTH.
Firstly, Happy Birthday!
Secondly, I am struggling to finalise my biker list.
I have loved the idea of Jumpers and Bikes since I first picked up a (4th ed) Space Marines codex.
I now have a Stelek-inspired vanilla-dex Raven Guard(-esque) army for jumpers (painted as 8th Co Ultramarines).
I want the biker list to be 6th Co Ultramarines (love that Orange), with a Deathwatch unit (or two) allied.
I can go the dual command squad pure bikers list (1 captain & command squad from each, with "troops" from the UMs).
Or, I can try to mix UM bikers with a gating DW librarian, with some DW Sternguard. Can a Biker/Sternguard mix work?
Deathwatch
Libby - Epistolary, Avenger, Gate
Bikes (8+1) - PF, 2xMG, MMAB
Sternguard(6), PF, HF
UM
Captain - Bike, Relic Blade, SS
Bikes (4+1) - 2xMG, MMAB
Bikes (4+1) - 2xFL, HBAB
Land Speeder - Typhoon/HB
Land Speeder - Typhoon/HB
Either
Command Squad - Bikes, 4xPG
Attack Bike(2) - MM
or
Command Squad - Bikes, CC upgrades
Cheers, Paul. "
Well Paul, if you like Jumpers and Bikes, go Blood Rodeo! I know it's not Vanilla codex but is quite effective and a blast to play. With regards to Sternguard and Bikes I think this can work if we build off the premise of Fast'N'Slow but replace the Dreads with Sternguard. This keeps pretty much what you've got but adds in Predators for Heavy Support and multiple Sternguard squads which ultimately means no command squads. I really think Command Squads are best used in a pure Biker list. Let's see what we can do then.
We'll start with a Libby on a Bike, Captain on a Bike w/Relic Blade and 2 full Bike squads w/double melta and MM. This sends us straight to 860 points. We now need to decide how we're going to run our Sternguard. They're replacing Rifledreads from the Fast'N'Slow list so having them long-ranged would make the most sense but they are excellent anti-infantry or anti-tank up close. For this list I think having them ranged is th better option as we have up close and personal stuff from the Bikes but we'll take one squad with double HF to support them. Two SG squads with double LC in Rhinos is going to cost 380 and the 3rd squad with double HF will cost 180 sending out total up to 1420 and we've still got our Heavy Support and FA slots to work with. Alternatively, the Libby can ditch his bike and ride around with one of the squads for an AP3 template to add some duality to the squad and we'll want to consider combis later on.
For Heavy we'll add in three dakka Preds which increases our torrent of fire and gives some more ranged anti-tank and takes us to 1675. I'm not sure what points you're going for so we'll go up to 2000 and then work backwards if we need to. We still want some more ranged anti-tank so we'll look at Typhoons and taking two sends us to 1855 which should leave us enough to work in another bike squad. The smallest bike squad which is scoring (5x Bikes, 2x melta) sends us to 2015 so we'll drop the Bike from the Libby and he'll hide in one of the SG squads and sends us to 1980 points. We can then upgrade the HF SG to lascannons if we wish or add in some combi-meltas to each SG squad and we get the following:
Libby w/Avenger, Null Zone
Captain w/Bike, Relic Blade
2x5x Sternguard w/2x LC, combi-flamer, Rhino
5x Sternguard w/2x HF, 2x combi-melta, Rhino
2x 8x Bikes w/2x meltagun, MM AB
5x Bikes w/2x meltagun
2x Typhoon Speeder
3x Dakka Preds
Totals: 2000 points
16 infantry
24 bikes
8 vehicles
How's that to your liking Paul? You've got an impressive amount of shooting with Preds/Typhoons/Speeders and still have a big in your face element with Sternguard and Bikes. No Command Squad or plasma but the weapons can be interchanged as you like and the SG/Libby can still be the 'Deathwatch' element, just they are coming in Rhinos rather than teleporting...
