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Stern guard could assassinate anything turn one. It truly brakes the mission. There really is nothing anyone can do about that. The SMLibrarians deep strikeing around the board coil kill themselves doing so.

Admiral-Badruck wrote:Stern guard could assassinate anything turn one.

Why's that Admiral?

@Badruck,

I don`t know...it might be a pretty big gamble. How much is ten Sternguard with combi:meltas in a Drop Pod? It`s a pretty significant chunk of your 750 points. And there are two HQs that need to be killed, so are Marine players going to risk 2 full squads of Sternguard with combi:meltas in Drop Pods to take out those HQs? How much (out of 1500 points) is 2 Marine HQs, 2 squads of Tac Marines, and 2 squads of fully kitted-out Sternguard? Pretty much all of it? That would be an easy army for your opponents to table in the next two turns with their remaining forces...especially with the Drop Pods and Sternguard stranded out in the middle of the battlefield. Just my two yen.

Danguinius

kojibear wrote:

Admiral-Badruck wrote:Stern guard could assassinate anything turn one.

Why's that Admiral?

Because a fully kitted out squad of Sternguard can kill darn near anything if they get close enough.

Primarch wrote:

kojibear wrote:

Admiral-Badruck wrote:Stern guard could assassinate anything turn one.

Why's that Admiral?

Because a fully kitted out squad of Sternguard can kill darn near anything if they get close enough.

Ah, I see. Well they are expensive though. I guess its a gamble as the Admiral said.

not really a gamble I have worked it out they will kill any thing but an avatar in one round of shooting... Fate weaver is the other one they have a hard time with ... other than that dead... if you do not believe me work it out on your own... the only reason the avatar beats it is he can't be meltaed to death but the hellfire bolts will take him down if you get enough shots ... against 2 marine players you have no chance with a big bad guy I did not try against Abadon but I am not sure he could handle it even with a 4 up invl. every one else just dies...

10 Sternguard will take down the avatar if their drop pod lands them in rapid fire range. Gazzy may survive if he calls a Waaagh. Against Melta, Lysander should live through it, but will be hosed by plasma. It all depends on the squad load out.
I think the gamble Dan was referring to was spending half your points on a unit of 10 marines and an AV 12 immobile transport. Despite being awesome at shooting, Sternguard are no more survivable than regular marines and the enemy will kill them turn 1. At that point you have a good chance of being tabled yourself.

There are other ways to pull off first turn assassinations. IG veterans in a Valkyrie can scout up the table and unload a tonne of plasma/melta, and given how cheap IG HQs are, they will be going first. Deathwing assault will let you drop terminators in someones face and shield your own HQ if you take Dark Angels. Nids can put down a Tervigon and poop out a swarm. A cheap Hq on a bike or with a jump pack can be back in their own lines before you can target them. There are lots of combos people can try. Sternguard is a good option, (a very good option) but the game will continue after the enemy HQ is dead and players will need to take that into consideration.

Besides, how many people have 10 sternguard armed with combi meltas? I dont, and I love Sternguard. I'm not trying to dismiss you, just saying that it shouldn't be an issue unless someone tries really hard to win at all costs.

Gazzy can not call WAAGH in the first turn so he is dead...

well I guess we know what we will be seeing a lot of...

I don`t know...I`m still not convinced. I guess if you really like to alpha strike (as a former Daemon player, I know what that is like), you might go for it. But I invite my Marine opponents to try this. I think their list is going to be 2 HQs, 2 Tactical squads, 2 Drop Pods, and 2 units of kitted-out Sternguard...a few marines, totally immobile in the middle of the board after the first turn...this army is pretty much designed to be tabled on the third or fourth turn. Not to mention, the entire strategy hinges on being able to go first...

Danguinius

Danguinius wrote:I don`t know...I`m still not convinced. I guess if you really like to alpha strike (as a former Daemon player, I know what that is like), you might go for it. But I invite my Marine opponents to try this. I think their list is going to be 2 HQs, 2 Tactical squads, 2 Drop Pods, and 2 units of kitted-out Sternguard...a few marines, totally immobile in the middle of the board after the first turn...this army is pretty much designed to be tabled on the third or fourth turn. Not to mention, the entire strategy hinges on being able to go first...

Danguinius

Good points.

By the way, what is stopping any army who gets first turn from achieving the same kind of effect. The leaders are in the middle of the board, both factions, so any army can put a kitted out unit in a transport, fly them up, unload, fire and kill? No? Mind you i have not played many games of 40k yet and have only played space marines, nids and necrons.