# Vanguard Vet Loadout and Use.



## Rush Darling (Apr 30, 2015)

Hey Folks

So I've recently invested in my first Vanguard Veteran squad of 5. As someone who plays with Raven Guard chapter tactics, naturally I'll be equipping them with jump packs. Now that they have re-rollable charge without jump packs, I'll be looking at transport / foot slogging variants later on.

Now as these are my first five Vanguard Vets, I really want to go to town with special weapons, as I can include bolt pistol / chainsword meat shields later on (or even just throw in some AMs).

My thinking so far is thus:

Sergeant: Storm Shield - Thunder Hammer

VV1: Twin Lightning Claws
VV2: Lightning claw, Storm Shield
VV3: Power Axe, Bolt Pistol
VV4: Power Sword, Bolt Pistol, Melta Bomb

What I'm really looking for in this squad is a bit of a quick reaction force. I tend to run quite a bit of dakka, and generally need something to keep my shiny predators cozy and safe. I've proxied them a couple of times, and if there's no imminent threat then they seem to do well hoofing it up a flank providing your opponent has enough other targets to worry about.

Thoughts on each model / purpose:

Sergeant - Challenges, generally, and hurting Vehicles / MCs. Will still lose challenges against anything with a decent number of dice, but I wanted something that at least had a chance of soaking up a few attacks and, dice gods permitting, maybe playing some whack-a-mole.

VV1 - Damage, generally, murdering AP3 and above.
VV2 - Bit of damage, but primary purpose is to point his SS at anything nasty.
VV3 - The axe looked a little too cool to leave out, especially for the points, and can hopefully help with AP2 enemies. Also not a specialist weapon I believe.
VV4 - Duty power sword, and also my melta bomb guy for that extra anti-vehicle punch / versatility.

Overview - It's an expensive squad, and probably isn't the greatest in terms of competetiveness. I like the potential versatility / mobility. If the TH/SS guy doesn't work out as the sergeant I'll just put him back in the ranks and promote the LC/SS guy for as a good old fashioned sponge.

Would very much appreciate some thoughts!


----------



## Old Man78 (Nov 3, 2011)

Would you not give the axe guy the storm shield as he will be striking last, make him more survivable?


----------



## Rush Darling (Apr 30, 2015)

I was tempted, but then he'd lose his extra attack.

From experience a third storm shield can be pretty important though.

I'm on the fence on that one.


----------



## Xabre (Dec 20, 2006)

I don't usually play Vets, but here's a question for you....

Can you do Fisticlaw in a VV squad? If so, to hell with the dude with the axe and bolt pistol. Power Fist/Lightning Claw is godly. I know Chaos can get it for their Lords, but they don't have anything as customizable.


----------



## Rush Darling (Apr 30, 2015)

Yep, fisticlaw is valid.

Just rewrote the squad as

TH/SS
LC/SS * 3
PF/LC

More expensive, but much harder to kill with AP weaponry. (My shrouded shenanigans usually protect my bacon from mathhammer for turn 1, ruins permitting of course).


----------



## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Fisticlaw is always good fun, great if you're worried about not being able to get hits in before being smacked first. 

Power axes look great, but I'm really not sold on them, striking last for +1S and ap2 just isn't worth it for me. I'd rather spend a little more to get the power fist or stick with AP3. You've got to think just how much AP2 you really run into. For me it's not that much, and if they are, it's terminators, and anyone taking terminators without Storm Shields is making an error imo. So in the end with a 3++, I always like to mathhammer them down. Though granted, I'd almost always be fielding Death Company over Vanguards as I can equip them with virtually the same equipment apart from the SS. 

Expensive squad in any case, but not so expensive that your opponent is going to waste all his big guns annihilating them, and yeah, shrouded is always a brucey bonus along with full jump pack capability.


----------



## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Vanguard's cheapness is a main virtue of them; if you want a squad kitted out, just take Honour Guard and save yourself the effort (Vanguard will never be as good in a fight as Honour Guard for the points, so you have to capitalise on their greater mobility and keep them cheap). I'd bring them as 5-man units with a Relic Blade on the Sergeant and maybe 2 Lightning Claws on other guys. I don't like Storm Shields on Vanguard; against a lot of things, it's no better than your armour, and at only T4 3+ it's going to be the Bolters and punches that kill you. You can always get cover until you're in melee anyway. The exception would be on the Sergeant so he can take some punches in challenges, but even then it's not an auto-take.

Decide what you need them to do and give them the bare minimum they need for that job. Vanguard make good harassers - killing Lootas and Devastators and that kind of thing - due to their great mobility (12" move and re-roll Charge distances is great). 2 special melee weapons are probably enough for a 5-man team. If you want a heavy duty combat unit, they're not really the right tool for the job; Honour Guard and Assault Terminators will end up performing better in that role, I feel.

Also, I'm sorry your Chapter Tactic is so awful


----------



## Rush Darling (Apr 30, 2015)

Well, might have been a bit premature with this thread. Hearing some tasty rumours about a Raven Guard supplement, may have to wait out before putting these bad boys together.

Really appreciate all the input folks, much obliged!


----------



## ntaw (Jul 20, 2012)

I've heard that the new Campaign book may as well be called Angels of Speed: Codex White Scars and Raven Guard (hearkening back to 2nd edition's Angels of Death). This is the article I read about it. Post #463 in this thread has a lot of images in spoiler tags if you're interested in the books. I could copy+paste all the stuff instead of linking other sites but it's a lot of images and I gotta get away from this computer for a bit. Enjoy!


----------

