# SM Command Squads



## Dallas_Drake (Jan 26, 2009)

Command Squads ladies & gentlemen...

Are these a fesible choice (without bikes)? 

With Captains being ok-ish/poor in HtH are Space Marine players better putting their points into other HtH options like Terminators/Assault Marines or can a Command Squad be a real HtH force? 

I'd love to hear all of your thoughts; if any of you use them or swear by them then please let me know, pref with loadout. I really want to include a Command Squad for fluff reasons but can't seem to settle on it's role/use.

Cheers
- Dallas


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## Culler (Dec 27, 2007)

Not if you're playing annihilation. A command squad giving up a kill point per model just isn't worth it.


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## HIz (Jan 31, 2009)

^what? you dont lose a kp per model in a command squad....
they can be dec i suppose with like pw or pf and the apoc backing them, but i dont think too great. if you want a commandish squad just buy a commander and use a honour guard. they are alot of points but if you somehow get them into cc they will tear some shit up.


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## Blasphear (May 11, 2009)

If they are tremies with a lord and Raider...take em!


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## Dessel_Ordo (Jul 28, 2008)

depends on your Captain imho.
If he's shooty, Sternguard are the better choice.
If he's built for CC, and you cant stomach vanguard or termies in your list (or wallet) you can get a pretty damned effective unit for fairly cheap.


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## sooch (Nov 25, 2008)

Not really worth it if they're not on bikes. If they're not on bikes then they need an assault vehicle (read: land raider) and the price shoots up to about the same as if they took bikes in the first place.


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## VictorLazarus (Mar 5, 2009)

I always put them with my commander or chaplin in a land raider; always turns out well they are quite good in combat as they have feel no pain and a good few attacks plus the land raider get them there.

MVL.


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## Culler (Dec 27, 2007)

HIz said:


> ^what? you dont lose a kp per model in a command squad....


On page 91 it says "If a character has a retinue, the character and his retinue are worth 1 kill point each." I assume that a command squad is a retinue. If not, then what does qualify as a retinue? I figure that a bunch of guys that you can take along with an independent character without using another FOC slot are that commander's retinue. I could be wrong.


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## Taggerung (Jun 5, 2008)

His retinue is worth 1kp, but not 1kp per model of the retinue. However the command squad is not a retinue because he does not have to be attached to them. Either way though an IC is a KP, and so is the command squad for being a squad.


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## Wounded (Jan 24, 2009)

> then what does qualify as a retinue?


When something has a retinue it'll specifically say it in the codex, look at hive tyrents for example it's on their stat page that they can take a retinue of guards


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## Darkblade (May 10, 2009)

Hmm, i might be too new for it, but cant you use them as a backup shooting squad, with more special options then a normal troops squad or sternguard squad?

Like... 5 times flamer or 5 plasma rifle...

Wont be the most logical nor tactically sounds option.. then again, if you know what your up against, say a terminator heavy list, the latter option could shoot up a whole squad in one shooting phase.... without having much to fear from the gets hot rule

In my eyes, the Command squad is just a cheap non-scoring squad, with the added extra of 1 Ld, and some extra survivalility, you can deck it out like you want.


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## HIz (Jan 31, 2009)

^god they cannot have more waepons then a sternguard squad. Every guy can have a combi weapon if he wants and two can have a sw and one can have a heavy.


Taggerung said:


> His retinue is worth 1kp, but not 1kp per model of the retinue. However the command squad is not a retinue because he does not have to be attached to them. Either way though an IC is a KP, and so is the command squad for being a squad.


what he said is correct. God i would shit a brick if they made retinues one kp each. Inquistors would be nerfed lmao. and the new guard command squads.


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## Dallas_Drake (Jan 26, 2009)

Some interesting points... Personally I do see a role for them. For people like me who fill up their Elite slots with Dreads & Sternguard & refuse to use Special Characters.

What about Honour Guard anyone? I plan to run these supporting my Chapter Master in a Land Raider Prometheus (at 2500 points). On paper they can bite quite hard.

PS. I'd throw tooled up vanguard in there but as they can't take a Land Raider as a dedicated transport I'm a bit put off.


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## Katie Drake (Nov 28, 2007)

Command Squads can work, but without Bikes it's hard to find a role for them that another unit can't perform better. A shooty Command Squad will generally be outperformed by Sternguard and there's nothing that they can do in close combat that a unit of Vanguard or Assault Terminators can't. Really, the best thing about a Command Squad is that the entire unit including attached characters will benefit from _Feel No Pain_ which can help them last longer in close combat and against small arms than their squad size would suggest.

If you're stuck on the idea of taking a Command Squad for fluff reasons, what about just taking a unit of Sternguard or Vanguard and modelling them up so that the Sergeant has a power sword and combat shield like a Company Champion and so on? It's a bit of a compromise, but might just do the trick.


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## Ferik (Nov 5, 2008)

IMO Honour Guard are a far better choice than Vanguard, for 35pts they come equipped with PW and Artificer armour while Vanguard are base 20 before you even add anything to them add a Chapter Banner and get a butt load of attacks as well. 

I run a 7 man Honour Guard squad and I swear by them they almost always make their points back for me by either taking out a major threat and being a major distraction by soaking up fire.

The only problem I admit is getting them to were they need to be so need a Landraider more often than not.

Anyways my 2 bits.


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## Eric.West (Sep 16, 2008)

I find tooling them up with bikes and weapons is just too expensive. Actually I find making these guys hand to hand not worth it. The only way I've ever set them up is paying 3 pts per model for storm bolters. Decent amount of shots and if you stick them in cover they always have FNP or at the least a cover save. Still not really too much production going on there.


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## Dallas_Drake (Jan 26, 2009)

Ferik, I too (on closer examination of the HQ support choices) think Honour Guard are the best option. As other posters have rightly identified, the Command Squad is not really anything special at shooting (no better than Sternguard) or HtH (paying too much for power weapons) & FNP isn't worth the points really. It has no clear role, Honour Guard appear quite mean in HtH.

The fact that Honour Guard come with Artificer Armour and Power Weapons for the price is the clincher for me. At 2000+ I plan to run 6 with 1 Relic Blade Champ & the Chapter Banner supporting a Chapter Master with Lightning Claws all rolling in a Landraider. It comes to something like 650 points but on the charge (which is pretty much guranteed from a LR) puts out;

20 Power Weapon attacks
5 Relic Blade attacks with rerolls to hit & wound (against ICs)
5 Lightning Claw attacks

It's job is to eliminate enemy Elites, HQs & MCs. I have filled my elite choices with Dreads and Sternguard & I think it hits harder (in some ways) than a Terminator squad, so it's my alternative to Assault Terminators in 2000+ games, supported by a Chaplain led Assault Squad.

Note: As I'm Luna Wolves the Honour Guard will be made up from the Warrior Lodge (Torgaddon, Loken, Aximand, Marr, Moy, Qruze etc) led by Abaddon of course


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