# Marine HQ choice for lower point games



## jasonfly (Feb 1, 2009)

I have been thinking about what type of HQ would be the most useful for a realatively balanced army under 1000(preferably around750)pt games.
Cassius seems to be quite good, but if you didnt want to use a speacial character, what would you bring?

Also, how would you use them?


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## Someguy (Nov 19, 2007)

I'd go with either a librarian or a captain on bike.

The librarian is a very good all rounder for not a huge price. You would have to experiment with which powers were best, but several could work well.

The biker captain lets you take bikes as troops, which gives you a fast-hitting scoring unit.


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## englanda (Dec 2, 2008)

Cassius or a regular chaplain. Librarians are just bad, and captains increased stats don't beat a chaplain when you take into consideration his (and his units) rerolls. Master of the Forge is possible. If you're taking scouts or devastators or otherwise shooty army he'd be better than the chaplain. 

So yeah, chaplain for balanced/cc, MotF for shooty.


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## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

Personally, it's gotta be a Chaplain. Coming with a Crozius, he needs fewer upgrades than a Captain, so he's cheaper.


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## Longinus (Apr 21, 2008)

I usally go for a master of the forge with a conversion beamer. Just put him in a good spot and use bolster defences wich gives him 2+/3+ save most of the time and a gun wich can be quite devastating for a very good price. Some times I also attach him to a squad of ML devastators since they almost have the same role


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Khan =) Outflank + 6 meltagun bikes will ruin anyones day. Leaves you to find the rest of your points elsewhere.


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## Someguy (Nov 19, 2007)

The trouble with chaplains is that they only work in cc. They are great in cc of course, butyou need to buy them a ride and a squad to go with. That said, the guy himself is pretty good value.


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## jasonfly (Feb 1, 2009)

i was thinking of maybe using cassius, but am unsure of what unit to put him with, any ideas?


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Assault Terminators and Land Raider Crusader?


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## Crimson_Chin (Feb 20, 2009)

Cassius is my default in small games, and I pretty much use him wherever he's needed. The bolter with hellfire rounds is a good deal at range, and then I just slide him around my line to deal with the enemy where they hit me. The great thing is that with T6 FNP, he's only gonna taking wounds on 6's most of the time, and then has a terminator equivalent save.

Pair with Telion for ridiculous fun. Snipe the Fist/Nob out of a unit, and watch them try to kill him.


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## Orochi (Jan 28, 2009)

how about, dont be another boring marine player

and pick one of the Vanilla HQ choices?

actually try not to use a Special Character for once?

Go on, I dares ya!


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## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

Orochi...chill man. Marines, like Eldar, struggle to find a justification to use vanilla characters over SCs, simply because they're better - and I don't see you asking Ork players to use Wazzdakka, instead of a BikerBoss, or Chaos to use Fabius instead of a Lash prince.


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## Orochi (Jan 28, 2009)

I just get fed up with Marine players basically posting the same lists over and over again.

It took me ages to even consider a lash Prince to lead my Night Lords.

It would be like dragging Vect into my normal List.

I shan't mention it again, but i'd like to see a little more diversity from the race than GW poured all its time into.


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## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

I know, and I understand...sadly, there's simply no incentive. Vect, at least, has the 2k restriction - although he won't next Codex, and, if he's still a Dreadnought with a 24" move, expect him to be spammed more than a Youtube video!


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## Taggerung (Jun 5, 2008)

I for one despise special characters, and as a marine player never bring special character HQ's. In normal games you will never catch me dead with one, in special campaigns where there is no restrictions on special characters, I still only have 1: Tellion, just because I like his BS6 for the missile launcher in the sniper squad. Even then, though he is a special character, he is not a doom house run around and kill everything like Lysander is.


In short, I am with you Orochi. Boo special characters as HQ.

I run with either my jump pack chaplain/termie chaplain (Depending on if I use assault marines or assault termies) or a termie librarian. Most often then not though, since I love my assault marines, its always the jump pack chaplain. I just wish he had as many base attacks as a freaking guard officer, or at least as many as a marine veteran.


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## Flood_Reaper (Jul 19, 2008)

OK, what's an HQ, has an Orbital bombardment (Range: Unlimited, Strength: 10, AP:1, Ordnance 1, Barrage), and only cost 60 points?

...A Damocles Rhino!

I use it in 500 point games and it leaves a lot of space for other units. Even though it's a rhino (weak armour) I usually have it in the far corner of the board protected by another unit. All round, it's my favorite HQ to use and the most useful. Only problem is I get some idiots saying no to letting me use and that its too overpowered for its points cost. Blaming it for being a Forge World model.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

As is their right- its up to them to let you use it. We normally play that players can have 1 FW model in 1500+pts veteran's games. Its a bit harsh below (like bringing a 300pt trigon in a 1000Pt Nid army... it just couldnt lose).

Im not a fan of SC- they are fantastic but just a bit OTT for my liking. If I went nilla I would probably take just a standard captain with a relic blade and a SS, mebbe throw him on a bike. Throw him in a 5 man bike unit with a melta or mebbe an attack bike and you have a relatively cheap, fast moving, lethal and scoring unit. Sure the special rules of the SCs are great but there are times to just be a purist nilla marine.

I hate the orbital bombardment rules- I've had 10-15 fired at me and they have rarley if ever done anything. They've shot at my LRC at least 5 times... I think of the 2 hits only 1 did damage and that was nothing worse then a weapon destoyed (mebbe only a shaken/stunned). I would just prefer a 'sweeper'- a highly mobile support character that can get to where I'm having trouble and end it.


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## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

Flood_Reaper said:


> OK, what's an HQ, has an Orbital bombardment (Range: Unlimited, Strength: 10, AP:1, Ordnance 1, Barrage), and only cost 60 points?
> 
> ...A Damocles Rhino!
> 
> I use it in 500 point games and it leaves a lot of space for other units. Even though it's a rhino (weak armour) I usually have it in the far corner of the board protected by another unit. All round, it's my favorite HQ to use and the most useful. Only problem is I get some idiots saying no to letting me use and that its too overpowered for its points cost. Blaming it for being a Forge World model.


I'd have no problem, if you let me use a Stompa in a 500 point game, and use an Epic model to represent it. Seriously...Forge World shouldn't be allowed to write rules...


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## Orochi (Jan 28, 2009)

The only thing Forgeworld got right was the Flyers.

The Space marine tanks were a little OTT, even for space marine standards.


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## Captain Galus (Jan 2, 2008)

In a 750 point game, grab an un-upgraded captain, two 5-man tactical squads and a LAND RAIDER! Totally a douchebag move, but funny as hell. If you've got the points left over, why not grab a dreadnought or two?


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## Flood_Reaper (Jul 19, 2008)

TheKingElessar said:


> I'd have no problem, if you let me use a Stompa in a 500 point game, and use an Epic model to represent it. Seriously...Forge World shouldn't be allowed to write rules...


*Sensing high levels of sarcasm*

There's nothing wrong with using Forge World stuff. Most of their rules on SM are set on point amounts of similar vehicles or other models. I'm entering a tournament soon that allows any Forge World models you've got although not including ones that are only available for Apocalypse.


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## Someguy (Nov 19, 2007)

Forge world rules are crap. Around here, the gryphon's old incendiary shells, which cause any unit they hit to fall back with no test and even if the unit is fearless (often off the board) are seen as the low point, but there have been many others.

The rules just aren't properly tested. It's really a problem with volume, as so many rules are written that they can't get everything right. There's also little consideration of the impact it would have on the army overall to suddenly introduce totally new units. Stuff is either too good or useless, and guess what? Tournament players pick the stuff that's too good.


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## Flood_Reaper (Jul 19, 2008)

Like I said, I only agree with the SM set of rules due to them being updated for the current edition. Anything else produce by Forge World that has it's own set of rules I think is rubbish.


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## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

Flood_Reaper said:


> *Sensing high levels of sarcasm*
> 
> There's nothing wrong with using Forge World stuff. Most of their rules on SM are set on point amounts of similar vehicles or other models. I'm entering a tournament soon that allows any Forge World models you've got although not including ones that are only available for Apocalypse.


I honestly don't see the point of that. Why not just ignore the FoC altogether. Why not just flip a coin, and whoever calls it wins? No tactics involved in using fanboi rules - and that's all 'Imperial Armour' is.


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## skate4life (Jul 14, 2009)

i always take termie chap


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