IG Stormtroopers in a Valk/Vendetta??

[Rogerio]

Ok so ive been working on my Vostroyan IG army and i was thinking of cool things that i could put in the force that could do a job not done by anything else in the army.

At 1500 points ive got 6 vet squads 3 in Chimeras 3 on foot. And also 3 Leman russes, 2 standard 1 demolisher/Vanquiser (not decided yet) And one unit i have always loved is Kasrkin and Stormtroopers, they are just extremely cool models and i love the idea of them coming onto the battlefield in a Valk or Vendetta.

Tactically i would have 10 of them with 2 melta guns, their job would be either to hunt tanks by jumping out next to a tank, or by dropping themselves off near a tough unit with armour 3+ so that their high AP weapons could chew right through them.

Although quite pricey i think it could be worth a pop, also the fact that a low swooping flyer unloading elite guys with super guns could be very cool.

[stereynolds]

I'd give em plasma if they're specifically going after 3+ save dudes.

[Bunnahabhain]

Tactically, having them use their built in deep strike, and using the skimmer to transport one of the veteran units would be better. Just think of it as the very experienced guys jumping from higher altitude...

If you want to use them to hunt tanks, a 5 man suicide squad with two meltas is what you want. 10 men units to go after marines are simply too expensive to be practical, as their S3 weapons simply bounce off, and you've turned a 3+ save into a 4+ cover save. If they're out of cover, you have russes for that.... Yes it is a shame, they're nice models. Many Guard players have lots of them who see little use. I've got a platoon.

There is a good compromise available. Use the storm trooper models as veterans with carapace armour, so they work out much cheaper, and can take more weapons.

Avoid the vanquisher, it's awful.

[hangnail]

With Stormtroopers, you are already paying a lot for special deployment rules, and then paying again for the Valk. Would it mess with your 'feel' for the army to deploy them using their normal DS rules as if dropped by a valk, and stick one of your Vet units in the Valkyrie you actually buy?

[Rogerio]

Sounds good, ive got the Valk and the Stormtroopers and i havent really got a very big army at all really, so im going to try the Stormtroopers and Valk combo for a while and then possibly switch them out when i get more models.

What i tend to find is that SM armies coming charging over at me the table and have to break cover at some point ( i see a few assault squads ) and this is where the Stormtroopers could come into their own. Its a trick i use alot with Firewarriors in my Tau army, just roll up and rapid fire for all your worth to try and drag down a few enemies but at ap 3 this could potentially neuter an entire squad.

Is it worth making the Valk a vendetta?? Im thinking of taking 3 standard russes in my list so not a massive amount of antitank from them really, the Vendetta with 3 TL Las seems a beast.

[Bunnahabhain]

Magnetise your vehicles. Lets you play around with different builds, and future proofs them against edition and codex changes.

[MyNameDidntFit]

There is a good compromise available. Use the storm trooper models as veterans with carapace armour, so they work out much cheaper, and can take more weapons.

This. I have 60-70 Kasrkin models that I field as veterans. I use a different colour for their armour to represent carapace and their special weapons are all WYSIWYG.

I'd give em plasma if they're specifically going after 3+ save dudes.

Also this. Their 4+ save means that on the odd chance of Gets Hot! coming up, you still only lose the guy 50% of the time. In my last two games I had ~10 plasma guns in 1500 that were all doubletapping for most of the game and I only lost two guys to Gets Hot!. You can also still mess with AV12 quite severely, but it depends on whether your list lacks AT punch.

but at ap 3 this could potentially neuter an entire squad.

Hot-shot Lasguns are deceptive. Everyone (including me when I started) sees "AP3" and goes "OH MAN THAT'S GREAT!"... but then you realise that [against MEQ] you're hitting on 3s, wounding on 5s and in a squad of five you're only getting 10 shots. Meaning two wounds. Combine this with the 18" range meaning you're in range of the enemy for one, often two, turns before getting to doubletap (or even single!)... and suddenly you're looking at a lot less attractive an idea.

It makes me sad, too, don't worry.

[Rogerio]

Thats the thing tho i wouldnt be using a squad of 5 id be using a squad of 10 with 2 melta guns. So they could go pop some tanks or jump out and fire 16 hot shot lasgun shots and 2 melta gun shots at rapid fire range which should easily be enough to kill at least 6-7 marines if they are not in cover.

Hate using minimised squads they are totally pointless IMO.

[NixonAsADaemonPrince]

Thats the thing tho i wouldnt be using a squad of 5 id be using a squad of 10 with 2 melta guns. So they could go pop some tanks or jump out and fire 16 hot shot lasgun shots and 2 melta gun shots at rapid fire range which should easily be enough to kill at least 6-7 marines if they are not in cover.

Hate using minimised squads they are totally pointless IMO.

6-7? Try more like 4-5 (The actual odds are 42/9 dead marines on average, which is 4 and 2/3s). That is assuming no cover of course.

As the other posters in this thread have said, the most efficient ways to use Stormtroopers is to either have a minimum 5 man Melta drop squad (Which in most people's opinions aren't totally pointless) or use them as Carapace armoured Veterans.

Hope this helps.