Karhedron
18-03-2007, 15:35
I have been mulling on the value of including a Titan in a typical Space Marine army (~3000 points) and I was just looking to bounce some ideas around. Space Marines do not lug around the kind of firepower that most other armies have access to and adding a Titan (or two) seems like a handy way of compensating for their mediocrity at long range. Here are my thoughts so far on the different options available. I haven't actually tried ay of them out yet so I would welcome feedback from people who have more experience with EA.
Warlord Titan: The brick! This thing obviously brings firepower in spades. It is also the only way of getting a TK weapon into a Marine army. The downside is that it is very slow which strikes me as a potential weakness in an army that specialises in swift surgical strikes. It will almost certainly be the target of the "Break their Spirit" objective so how best to use it?
Do you simply park it somewhere central and simply use it as agiant fire magnet and heavy support unit? Even when taking a marshall action it still has pretty impressive firepower meaning that you can replenish its void shields and still dish out the hurt if the enemy does decide to try and take it down.
So, is it too slow and expensive or does it add vital firepower and durability to the Marine army?
Reaver Titan: The Reaver seems a good all-rounder. Cheaper than a Warlord but still reasonably durable. It is also a bit faster meaning that there is less risk of it being left behind by the Marines or ignored by the enemy. The downside is that the Reaver does not seem to hot on the firepower front. The turbolasers add some vital AT shooting but there are no MWs or TKs in its aresenal and the carapace rocket launcher is pretty mediocre for a titan-mounted weapon.
So, is the perfect compromise titan for a Marine army or the jack of all trades but master of none?
Pair of Warhound Titans: These seem to be to be the best option for a Marine army. They have as many damage points and void shields between them as a Reaver titan and they are faster and cheaper! They recover 2 void shields in the end phase rather than just one. Their mega bolters are just as effective as the Reaver's turbolasers (although they are best against infantry rather than tanks) and their plasma blastguns add some nice MW firepower that is a lot better than the Reaver's rocket launcher.
Their weakness is that they only have a 5+ RA save rather than a 4+ but I am not convinced that this is a serious drawback. Their smaller size and greater speed means that they are less likely to come under sustained fire (unless the enemy really decides he wants them taken down). Also a critical hit on a Warhound will only cause them to stagger rather than risking their plasma reactors going up in smoke. They are also fast enough to keep up comfortably with the Marines they are meant to be supporting. Their one weakness is that they are probably quite vulnerable to assault (particularly by big units of Orks or Aspect Warriors). Perhaps this could be countered by advancing them with the Marines who can lend FF in an assault if the enemy tries to engage them.
So to me it looks like Warhounds are the best option for a Space Marine army. What are other people's experiences? Or is it best to not take Titans at all in a Marine army and focus on what the Marines do best, swift surgical strikes on the enemy?
Warlord Titan: The brick! This thing obviously brings firepower in spades. It is also the only way of getting a TK weapon into a Marine army. The downside is that it is very slow which strikes me as a potential weakness in an army that specialises in swift surgical strikes. It will almost certainly be the target of the "Break their Spirit" objective so how best to use it?
Do you simply park it somewhere central and simply use it as agiant fire magnet and heavy support unit? Even when taking a marshall action it still has pretty impressive firepower meaning that you can replenish its void shields and still dish out the hurt if the enemy does decide to try and take it down.
So, is it too slow and expensive or does it add vital firepower and durability to the Marine army?
Reaver Titan: The Reaver seems a good all-rounder. Cheaper than a Warlord but still reasonably durable. It is also a bit faster meaning that there is less risk of it being left behind by the Marines or ignored by the enemy. The downside is that the Reaver does not seem to hot on the firepower front. The turbolasers add some vital AT shooting but there are no MWs or TKs in its aresenal and the carapace rocket launcher is pretty mediocre for a titan-mounted weapon.
So, is the perfect compromise titan for a Marine army or the jack of all trades but master of none?
Pair of Warhound Titans: These seem to be to be the best option for a Marine army. They have as many damage points and void shields between them as a Reaver titan and they are faster and cheaper! They recover 2 void shields in the end phase rather than just one. Their mega bolters are just as effective as the Reaver's turbolasers (although they are best against infantry rather than tanks) and their plasma blastguns add some nice MW firepower that is a lot better than the Reaver's rocket launcher.
Their weakness is that they only have a 5+ RA save rather than a 4+ but I am not convinced that this is a serious drawback. Their smaller size and greater speed means that they are less likely to come under sustained fire (unless the enemy really decides he wants them taken down). Also a critical hit on a Warhound will only cause them to stagger rather than risking their plasma reactors going up in smoke. They are also fast enough to keep up comfortably with the Marines they are meant to be supporting. Their one weakness is that they are probably quite vulnerable to assault (particularly by big units of Orks or Aspect Warriors). Perhaps this could be countered by advancing them with the Marines who can lend FF in an assault if the enemy tries to engage them.
So to me it looks like Warhounds are the best option for a Space Marine army. What are other people's experiences? Or is it best to not take Titans at all in a Marine army and focus on what the Marines do best, swift surgical strikes on the enemy?