Tactica: Assault Marines

[Nabterayl]

Not anymore, no.

[Sir Biscuit]

Honestly, I find it doesn't matter.

Even if I could take meltabombs, I wouldn't. I mean, yes, they're more effective than krak grenades, but most of the time, krak grenades do the job just fine. The VAST majority of vehicles have a rear armor value of 10, and 9 ST6 attacks with the three from the powerfist are usually more than enough. The only vehicles you can't hurt (14 all round) are land raiders and monoliths. Against monoliths, you don't get the extra d6, so it's not worth charging, (can't kill them, since you can only glance) and against land raiders you should easily be able to avoid them. Land raiders are in-your-face units, and assault marines should be in the enemy backline. Who doesn't bring a few melta weapons these days for just this occasion?

Let me say it again: assault marines will not beat dedicated assault units. Stop throwing them into boyz mobs, people! I can count the things that will kill a 30 man boyz squad in melee on one hand. Assault marines are not on this short list.

Instead, use that mobility to your advantage. Ork players could care less if you assault their boyz squads with your marines, but marines who deep strike in the back and start wailing on loota squads are worth their weight in gold. Know how many lootas an assault squad can take? Lots.

It's all about target selection. No one would say that thunder hammer terminators are bad because bloodletters easily kill them, or that land raiders are useless because of meltaguns. It's about target selection, and realizing where your strengths are best used.

[Fellend]

Okay so I play black templar and my assault squads are slightly different but honestly. Since when do you lose to boys in assaults? You charge them, kill like 10 of them they strike back, and then run away and get slaughtered. Next turn you jump straight into that dread, monolith, defiler or landraider and pop it open with meltas and wham, you are down to maybe 6 assault marines that can jump onto the next target.

Despite having killed themselves several times (best case, everyone but plasma dies in a jump and the plasma fires and kills itself...) The assault unit remains my absolute favorite unit. It can be anywhere, it can take down any foe and it usually lives to tell the tale.
For a measly 212 points I get 8 assault marines with meltabombs, power weapon and two plasma pistols.
There's literally no threat they can't deal with (I guess MC's would be a bit snarky but I seldom play 'nids)

I have yet to create a list that does not include at least 8 assault marines and with some few vindicator related exceptions they always pay back their points.

[therealjohnny5]

Honestly, I find it doesn't matter.

Even if I could take meltabombs, I wouldn't. I mean, yes, they're more effective than krak grenades, but most of the time, krak grenades do the job just fine. The VAST majority of vehicles have a rear armor value of 10, and 9 ST6 attacks with the three from the powerfist are usually more than enough. The only vehicles you can't hurt (14 all round) are land raiders and monoliths. Against monoliths, you don't get the extra d6, so it's not worth charging, (can't kill them, since you can only glance) and against land raiders you should easily be able to avoid them. Land raiders are in-your-face units, and assault marines should be in the enemy backline. Who doesn't bring a few melta weapons these days for just this occasion?

Let me say it again: assault marines will not beat dedicated assault units. Stop throwing them into boyz mobs, people! I can count the things that will kill a 30 man boyz squad in melee on one hand. Assault marines are not on this short list.

Instead, use that mobility to your advantage. Ork players could care less if you assault their boyz squads with your marines, but marines who deep strike in the back and start wailing on loota squads are worth their weight in gold. Know how many lootas an assault squad can take? Lots.

It's all about target selection. No one would say that thunder hammer terminators are bad because bloodletters easily kill them, or that land raiders are useless because of meltaguns. It's about target selection, and realizing where your strengths are best used.

Absolutely! it's a similar situation with Shrike, he's a infantry and light armor killer but that's it. Throwing shrike at a carnifex or hive tyrant and guard will more often than not end up with a 195 pt fly splattered on the carapace of that MC...Target selection for Assault marines is necessary. couldn't agree more. Occasionally you can squash a power armored unit or some MC by sheer volume of attacks but you'll be coming out a few guys thinner for sure. But if i take a 10 man squad and throw them at a 20+ squad of gaunts or whatever, it's a good bet i'll be coming out on top.

And that's a good consideration tactically for Assault marines is the first round Shrike assault when you infiltrate with him.

Okay so I play black templar and my assault squads are slightly different but honestly. Since when do you lose to boys in assaults? You charge them, kill like 10 of them they strike back, and then run away and get slaughtered. Next turn you jump straight into that dread, monolith, defiler or landraider and pop it open with meltas and wham, you are down to maybe 6 assault marines that can jump onto the next target.

Despite having killed themselves several times (best case, everyone but plasma dies in a jump and the plasma fires and kills itself...) The assault unit remains my absolute favorite unit. It can be anywhere, it can take down any foe and it usually lives to tell the tale.
For a measly 212 points I get 8 assault marines with meltabombs, power weapon and two plasma pistols.
There's literally no threat they can't deal with (I guess MC's would be a bit snarky but I seldom play 'nids)

I have yet to create a list that does not include at least 8 assault marines and with some few vindicator related exceptions they always pay back their points.

The unit may be fearless which will simply bog down the assault squad another turn possibly. If i'm headed into a tough unit i usually use Sternguard of Tac rapid fire to thin the ranks on my way in plus flamer fire or pistol fire if it's a big squad and i'm sure of the assault.

[Fellend]

Wait, what? Space marines can shoot...?

Still fearless well don't really mind that much, it just means that my assault marines get to sit nicely in cover untill i can butcher them in his assault phase. Should they against all odds survive that also I suppose it would be slightly annoying.

But I found that usually people worry so much against anything that's coming at them fast which are actually killable that they tend to forget to fire on things like rhinos =)

[therealjohnny5]

mmmm...rhinos.....yeah i like to hit with an assault squad then move them to the next unit asap. If i'm pretty confident on my shooting units sometimes i'll combat squad the assault squads and then if they get tied up it's not so bad. bc i'm engaging more units that way, while unnoticed by my opponent that rhino or razor back with 5 tac marines roll on back field and secure my objectives i left wide open...

[papa smurf]

i really liked the article, good read! i regularly use a 10 man squad of assault marines in my space marine list, with two plasma pistols (one on the sergeant) a flamer, power sword, and melta bombs for the sergeant. they can handle pretty much anything, except MC's (didn't really factor in what a PF or thunder hammer could do for them when i first assembled them).
the problem with me though was that i was sending them up against things like boyz mobs, my reasoning being that they're really the only ones that can handle them in assault (sometimes i'd have TH/SS termies and a command squad, but i use them to attack bigger things). So, my assault marines were dying when i felt like they could be better.
These ideas help me out quite a bit, as i never figured to use them as harassment units against support units (that's what my drop pod marines do ). thanks for the write up.