# Crimson Fists...



## Brother Tancred (Nov 5, 2009)

Im a player that picks a army and chapter based on my personality. Thats why I think I was drawn towards the Crimson Fists. But I also own the planetstrike book and have seen what all they have left to there name...which aint much let me tell ya for those who dont know. I want to play my guys like there portrayed in fluff. I want my guys to be stubborn and bull headed and not give up even when death is knocking. Now theres the problem. How do I play with what I got to give them that feel. Whenever I face certain opponents I lose with out a fight. Thats not the way I want my fists to be remembered. For those that need to know what I have to be able to help me PM me and I will tell you. This thread may not belong in this forum but I need a serious overhaul in tactics. For any and all who can help I appreciate it greatly. We usually play 1500pt games, and on rare occasion 3000pt game. My opponents are IG, Eldar, Necrons, Orks(my specialty), and fellow marines. Thanks again.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Erm, okay. I don't see why we can't just have a list of models posted here in the topic, but that's cool.

Firstly, which opponents are giving you the most trouble? If I had to guess I'd say that you're struggling most against the Eldar and the Imperial Guard while walking all over the Necrons and Orks, and fairing decently against the other Space Marines.

Second, I assume that since you're a Crimson Fist player (and I respect that, by the way. I know what it's like to have your Chapter largely non-existent) you're taking Pedro Kantor in most, if not all of your games. Assuming that this is true, I feel that mastering how to use Kantor is one of the most important parts of playing a Fists army. Too many players seem to think of Pedro as a combat monster who can go toe-to-toe with things like Monstrous Creatures and other characters like Lysander or Calgar. This simply isn't the case. Pedro is a vanilla Chapter Master (as in, his stats and some of his abilities mirror those of the non Special Character Chapter Master in the Codex) with a decent ranged attack and sub-par equipment.

Now, before Crimson Fists enthusiasts jump on me screaming Heresy, hear me out. Think about it - do you _really_ want a relatively expensive character model to be armed with a power fist? This prevents him from taking advantage of his good Initiative characteristic and makes it practically impossible to strike down threatening enemies before they've had a chance to tear him a new one. Also, Pedro's defensive abilities are pretty average. Any Captain or Chapter Master has power armor and an Iron Halo, neither of which will consistently save their wearer from being insta-gibbed by a power fist or Carnifex.

Thus, in my opinion, Pedro Kantor should be used in a very conservative fashion. He's at his best hidden inside a unit of Sternguard adding his 2 cents worth to their shooting and augmenting their already impressive abilities. Think about it - Sternguard within 12" of Kantor are basically as good at close combat as Vanguard Veterans without as many fancy close combat weapon options. In return, the Sternguard get arguably the best bolters in the game (the only contenders as those belonging to the Thousand Sons), a _ton_ of ranged weapon upgrades, many of which are too cheap not to take (like combi-weapons), _and_ they're a Scoring unit. What's not to like about these guys at this point?

The important thing to remember about Kantor is that he's at his best when _supporting other units in your army_. Do not take Kantor and throw him and a few buddies into a Land Raider and expect miracles - in all likelyhood, Pedro will get smashed before he and his drinking cronies even get a chance to attack (assuming he's been shoved into a unit of Assault Terminators, that is) which is a terrible waste of his potential.

Hopefully this'll help a bit. Once we get some more detail about your situation, we can give more help.

Katie D


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## Someguy (Nov 19, 2007)

My Pedro list did pretty well at a tournament recently, getting 4 wins and 2 draws from 6 games. Pedro is one of the strongest characters marines have access to but he's harder to use than Vulcan or Lysander. Katie has the basic principle down, which is to have Pedro supporting other units rather than fighting them himself.

My tactic has been to have a bunch of terminators near Pedro and tactical squads nearby. As many as possible should benefit from his +1 attack. Very few people can deal with 36 power fist attack. Squads should be close together, supporting each other so that if one gets charged you can retaliate with overwhelming force.

I also used a librarian with null zone and gate and a pair of typhoons for fire support. That tends to help against some of the sillier things people try and use against you, such as fortuned bike councils and lash.

The main thing is practice though. Marines aren't an easy army to play competitively but they can work very well.


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## Brother Tancred (Nov 5, 2009)

Thank you both for your input. And I have realized that about Pedro early on lol, I sent him in to take on the world and saw him crumble like old cake. I just recently bought a group of sternguard and have yet to use them. And to be honest Katie I have no problem what so ever with the eldar, they have yet to beat me, I drop pod in and rip them to shreds. To be honest its the IG, my friend plays IG and he loves his artillary. I just cant find a decent tactic against that. I will put up what my total army list is when I have a chance so you guys can see what Im working with. Thanks again


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## primeministersinsiter (May 31, 2009)

Drop pods tear up artillery pretty well too.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

primeministersinsiter said:


> Drop pods tear up artillery pretty well too.


Indeed they do. It shouldn't be too difficult to get at Guard artillery with Drop Pods. Even if the Guard player takes great lengths to protect his big guns, they tend to be pretty soft and easy to take out with shooting. Even autocannons are a serious threat to things like Basilisks.


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## Brother Tancred (Nov 5, 2009)

This is true and I have tried this but I cant afford to put enough guys behind enemy lines and hope to hold mine as he advances his tide of cannon fodder, Ive tried drop podding a pair of dreads and it worked pretty well until they got over powered.


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